News Update

And finally we spend a week back on the shore of Lake Superior, although not completely of my own choosing! We get up early Sunday morning and drive down to Kenora to go to church with Eric/A and the boys. For lunch we enjoy a fabulous brunch and cruise on Lake of the Woods—what a lovely place! Then we continue on the way to TBay—Trav driving the truck, Wendy driving the Concorde, and me driving the Cougar! It was a convoy! After stopping for the requisite pie in Upsala, we get into TBay just as it is getting dark. I remove my shoe and sock, confirm what I had been feeling for some hours, and Wendy took me to emergency!

My cellulitus has spread further! The doctor was suitably concerned, and I was put on IV antibiotics. He estimated that three days might be required to turn this thing around. At least he made no mention of 'flesh-eating' as the Winnipeg doctor had... gotta enjoy small victories. As a result, not much happened for a few days outside of laying on my back at home and laying on my back in emergency tied to the IV. The nurse installed a 'hep-lock' in my arm and they just hooked me up each evening—not my favourite way to spend the week! On Thursday through Saturday, I was supposed to be in North Dakota enjoying our annual Pryder Cup golf matches featuring our friends from Dauphin and Bismark—alas, I had to cancel my part of that. Finally, on Wednesday night, the doctor allowed as how infection had been beaten back enough so I could rely on oral antibiotics to complete the job.

I took the Cougar in on Thursday morning for its Ontario Safety check. That was not incident-free! Wendy was concerned that the license had expired on Monday, so I shouldn't drive it. So, I decided to let her 'tow' me in. Well, the chain jerked and went loose from the car... and on its way out, it took a piece of the radiator! No good deed shall go unpunished! I drove it the rest of the way on my own, spewing anti-freeze all the way! Now I have a repaired rad and lovely fresh coolant! Some repairs were needed on the Cougar to bring it up to standard—rear shoes, a tie-rod end and a ball joint. Now, I still need some photos and an appraisal—Ontario ensures that things are a little more complicated!

My foot is doing okay now, most of the redness and swelling have disappeared, the athlete's foot is vanquished, and I finally felt ready for some golf practice today. Some weeks definitely do not follow the script!

Anyway, we are home now, enjoying the yard work and gardening. Radishes, lettuce, rhubarb and strawberries are producing well and the tomatoes are promising. The beans and peas are disappointing, but the cucumbers and pumpkins look good.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has been spent away from the shore of Lake Superior. We begin the week in Regina and end it in Winnipeg. And tomorrow we head for home.

Sunday morning in Regina brought many acquaintance renewals, and included many farewells. On Monday morning, I began my solo journey in the Cougar. I headed over to Dauphin to get some paint problems repaired and to visit with Dick & Sue. Both ventures went well. The body shop people seemed to understand the problem and the repair looks great. Dick & Sue are wonderful hosts and wonderful friends. Dick, Kent, Randy and Wayne made sure I got a golfing fix, so that was great even if my golfing wasn't! My handicap rose to 13.1. However, local golfers were happy over some good golfing weather that has not been frequent this year—maybe I'll take credit for that!

On Tuesday, Dick and I worked on some renovations in the basement before another round of golf with Wayne. We installed two basement windows and got the framing finished, so he's ready for drywall.

Wednesday morning found me picking up the car from the autobody and heading to Winnipeg in steady rain. Although I didn't know it, I was also taking a few extra friends with me, but more on that later. Wendy arrived for a celebratory birthday supper for Tom with his kids and grandkids. A wonderful planked salmon was featured—what a treat!

Thursday and Friday were quiet days with a bit of shopping and then the wedding rehearsal on Friday afternoon. Erin & Kristian flew into Winnipeg on Friday morning as Kristian has a starring role in the wedding! During the rehearsal, Kristian performed brilliantly on the tricycle... now if he can only do it again tomorrow with the crowd there!

Saturday morning brought my little visitors to the forefront. I had decided on Wednesday evening that I had picked up athlete's foot somewhere in my journeys, so I began treatment with tough actin' Tinactin! However, by Friday evening, I was convinced that more was wrong, and Saturday morning we went to a nearby walk-in clinic and got the bad news confirmed. I have an infection that has probably taken advantage of the athlete's foot opening and my foot is suffering cellulitus. The doctor prescribed antibiotics (atho-cephalex) and I began treatments with double doses for the first day. Along with a ice bath, prescribed by Dr. Tom, this appears to be holding the infection at bay, but we will need to monitor it closely. I didn't appreciate the doctor's tone as he expressed his concern over saving my foot!

Tori & Sharon's wedding was lovely and came off brilliantly despite a reluctant Kristian failing to put on his ring bearing performance! We enjoyed meeting many friends old and new at the ceremony and the reception.

On the home front we have concerning news as Trav & Sylvia have separated again.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

We spend this week away from the shore of Lake Superior—mostly in Regina. As usual I have been on-call with my schools, so I have several to work with. I manage to help two of them get signed off for June, and several others are close. Some others—not so much!

Sunday morning found us in Vernon where we enjoyed catching up with even more people in the congregation there. Then, I enjoyed another game of golf with Randy in the afternoon. We played a par-three course, and even with four holes over 200 yards, I golfed my ball well, and scored a very satisfying +4. (Could it have been because my driver never left the bag?!)

On Monday, we began our trip back to Regina. This time we headed west first, through Kamloops, then north and east to Edmonton where we enjoyed staying overnight with Randy and Margaret. They have a beautiful home in an eastern suburb of Edmonton. On Tuesday, we stopped in Lloydminster, so we could visit with Diane (Margaret's mom). Diane is suffering the effects of an automobile accident that has left her paralyzed from the waist down, but she continues to express optimism about her eventual progress over this injury.

On Thursday we enjoyed a visit with some relatives from BC who are in the province at this time. Then I got in another golf game with three friends here. I can't remember the last time I played so poorly off the tee! Somehow I didn't manage to loss a golf ball, although it certainly seemed I was trying to do so! The game was certainly trying and I reflected on my daily verse: "Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul."—Job 7:11 It sounds like Job understands golf! Rain and darkness ended our game early, but I had managed to score +17 in only 14 holes—and that was with four pars! I was scrambling well, and always! Two aching shoulders and a black right palm may indicate that I was gripping and swinging too hard (my usual errors!).

Friday was cool and rainy in Regina. Province-wide people were digging out after tornadoes touched down in Yorkton and Carlyle, while in semi-arid Maple Creek the streets were awash after a torrential downpour. But don't worry about it; there's nothing to this climate change nonsense!

As I end the week, I am also getting the Cougar ready to head east. I have a permit to drive it back to Ontario, so I plan to get started early next week. Kerry calls and invites me to golf with him at Deer Valley. It's a beautiful, but difficult course in the nearby Qu'appelle valley. This is the kind of course where once you reach the green, the challenges still remain! My usual courses pretty much guarantee a two-putt at worst—here two-putts are an achievement! I play much better off the tee, but still only about half way back to my expectations; I score 94 (91 after adjusting for three triples! Still my handicap rises to 12.9). We also enjoy watching the Riders win in Hamilton and move to 3-0 for the season.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed as we continue our sojourn away from the shore of Lake Superior. This week we headed farther west, and ended up in the Okanagan at John & Marion's.

I enjoyed a long session of golf practice on Monday in Regina. I got a chance to work with my new hybrids, and the results were encouraging. I also spent a lot of time on my short game. Then, on Tuesday, we spent most of the day working on laying laminate flooring in Rich & Sue's condo—soon to become the home for Tori & Sharon. That went pretty well, and then we finished the day with a farewell BBQ for Kenton & Melanie and family. We got to catch up with quite a few people as a result of our attendance at that event.

On Wednesday we headed out to Medicine Hat where we found Jim & Carol in their new house. We got to be the first visitors to enjoy their legendary B & B in that house. On Thursday, we continued west and rolled into Vernon at about 7pm. After supper there, we continued out to John & Marion's where we've enjoyed the remainder of the week.

On Friday, I was able to celebrate our anniversary in another golf game with Randy & Lorraine. It was my first game at the Sunset Ranch course near Kelowna, and it was very enjoyable. My driving was more consistent, and despite some putting challenges I managed a respectable 88. Although it is a tough walk, I managed it without much discomfort and my ankle did not swell up. My motorized cart performed well.

People have begun gathering for the 25th Anniversary celebrations for John & Marion. This made Saturday a full day with a large crowd gathered at the house. We tried to remember all the people we had met over the years, and keep track of the new faces as well. It was a good time.

Erin has been keeping track of the house, grandson and dog back in Thunder Bay. Eric/A and the boys are down there this weekend as Eric is picking up one of the GoldWings. Travis has picked up some extra work delivering pizza.

And that's about it for this week.