Saturday, August 30

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior on the edge of the prairie... and it was another good week! It was also a busy week, so much so that I never managed to get out golfing until today! And then I failed because my cart-battery is experiencing problems and wasn't charged up!

Wendy got home on Sunday evening. She had a good time in Minneapolis and brought back a few treats for those of us who held the fort at home! I spent the time while she was away tearing out the partition between the dining room and the living room. There were quite a number of switches and plug-ins involved, so I've spent more time this week rewiring the area. Wendy wanted another plug-in added, so that got done as well. Now I need to get the drywall applied over the new framework and another renovation project will have moved forward.

Travis has moved his share of the "worldly goods" out of the old place and into our house and garage. He and Sylvia are officially separated now, and that hurts our hearts as well. We should not underestimate the powers at play in this world.

Kristian keeps us on our toes. He loves playing some combination of several sports. Grandpa golfs, so Kristian golfs. Erin loves watching sports, so Kristian picks up ideas from that. We've been playing catch a fair bit lately—he's just learning to catch, but throws accurately and hard! Sometimes he'll set up a ball, hit it with one of his golf clubs, drop the golf club, run around the room and throw himself into a headfirst slide! What a boy! What a joy!

I'm doing a bit of work as the schools are opening up. I'm also preparing for next weekend's reunion in Dauphin by getting the songs ready on Powerpoint.

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

Saturday, August 23

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. Wendy left for Minneapolis on Thursday morning, so we've been roughing it since then! She is on a shopping and holiday trip with her friend, Charlene, and a few others. So, they're enjoying the amusement park, the water park, the mall, the box stores, the outlet stores... and I'm not missing any of that much!

I have managed three golf games (87, 82, 87) and seen my handicap rise to 14.6 as I keep eliminating my better games from last year before I broke my ankle! I've also got a lot of work done on OnSIS reporting with a few schools and data export in preparation for a training day with the Supervisory Officers of our schools. This year we don't have much funding, so we're not planning to use any of it for travel. As a result, we're planning local training events when we can get school administrators together to improve their use of data. And, I've managed a bit more work on the house renovations.

The weather has been beautiful—probably the best of the summer—although a couple days were too hot for me! I got the '67 Cougar licensed to drive in Ontario—that was a costly venture compared to Saskatchewan.

The garden is going great guns; we can't keep ahead of the cucumbers. The tomatoes are turning, so we'll soon be overwhelmed with them. We hope to have some pumpkins for Hallowe'en, but so far the vines have been putting way too much energy into spreading all over the back corner and not enough into producing fruit!

Erin continues with her work, and Kristian with his play. Trav continues with his regular shifts at Dominos, and also with several graphic art and web site contracts. He's also starting to get ready to head back for his final year of school.

And that's about it for this week!

Saturday, August 16

News Update

We begin the week in Regina in remembrance, commemoration and celebration of Aunt Carole's life. The children, grandchildren and representative others did a marvelous job of acknowledging and acclaiming Carole's significant contribution to so many lives, and also provided evidence of the rich legacy she leaves in the individuals she has served.

We headed east on Monday afternoon, finally arriving at Eric/A's new place in Kenora around midnight. Tuesday morning was occupied around the new house and garage and then we completed the trip back to Thunder Bay where Erin and Kristian have been holding the fort.

Wednesday through Friday were spent catching up on work and issues around home. The garden continues to thrive and we're enjoying lots of cucumbers, lettuce, radishes and a few strawberries, peas and beans. Tomatoes are not ready yet, but promise to be plentiful.

I managed to get in another golf game—more of the same, I'm afraid. Handicap is a rating in view of the ten best of your last twenty rounds of golf. In my case, my handicap has risen from near ten up to 14.2; that is not progress! As I was looking over it today, I took note of the fact that I still have five rounds left from last year. That means I have only played fifteen rounds this year; I usually have twenty in by the end of May! As far as my play is concerned, my analysis is that I'm doing something bad during my full swing in sensitivity to my bad ankle. My consistent problems come on the tee box where I usually hit pull-hooks into trouble! So, after chipping out and hitting up around the green and chipping on... it's hard to complete a par four unless you have a sharp pencil and a good eraser!

Wendy has been applying on a few jobs again, but no bites yet. Erin is also looking around to see what else may be available to her. Kristian continues to be a delight. Trav is working several part time jobs as he spends the summer before his final year of this degree program.

On Saturday, we had a church leadership meeting for about half the day. This evening we went to see the Border Cats (local baseball team), but they lost so they will try again tomorrow to complete a championship season.

And that's about it for this week.

Sunday, August 10

Carole

I should like to have presented this tribute at her memorial service, but those who know me realize that I would still have been blubbering my way through the second paragraph at around supper time, so it's better that I present my thoughts this way, so I can stop to sob whenever I want to do so!

1936•05•01—2008•08•06
Some wit has observed that the sign-posts of our lives are not of our choosing, and that the activities of this existence are encapsulated in the dash. As is often the case, Carole's dash is too short, but it is full and rich and deep. I am pleased to have been a part of her dash, and I cheerfully acknowledge that she is a significant part of mine.

Carole and I worked together in several of the interests of our lives, and I dwell on one of the significant collaborations which supported the development of my first school in Yellowknife, NJMacpherson Elementary School. Carole was a significant representative of the parents and the community of Frame Lake South, for whom the school was being developed to serve. I was designated to be the first principal. Our interests were thus joined in the design of as good a school as possible. I didn't know much about Educational Administration then, but I was blessed with some good instincts. Carole was a source of support and inspiration in the development of those instincts and in the enhancement of the plans for the school. We formed a formidable team, and were successful in making that school much more than the sum of its parts. Much to the superintendent's chagrin, we were able to bring about many changes that produced a more usable plant and a very successful school. It may be the closest example I will see of making something resembling a silk purse out of a sow's ear! The plans were inadequate; the resistance to change was incredible, but largely through the pressures we were able to exert, the school became what I still see as the best school I have had the privilege to be a part of. I went on to learn more things, and establish a grander and bigger school at Range Lake North, but better? I think not. Perhaps it is significant (and a testament to the efficacy of our partnership) that when it came time for staffing the new school, the superintendent refused to let Carole join me there.

Carole mentored me in ways of dealing with people as well as in music. She may not have been terribly successful in either field, but she was helpful! I mention her work on one particular song, as illustrative of her efforts. We both found great significance in a favourite hymn, Each Step I Take, and she vainly (so far as I know) tried to correct my singing of it! I would sing, "...and with his loving hand" and she would chortle (I recall no other person whom I would describe as 'chortling'—but sometimes when Carole found something amusing there would be that combination of chuckle, snort and laugh as she expostulated), "No, Bill, it's 'and with his loving hand'!" And I would confess that I couldn't hear the distinction. Again, I would have loved to have sung that for her at the memorial, but that would have only led to more blubbering! Anyway, without an audience, I have sung that for her a few times in the last week! It does express the faith we share.

I miss Carole very much. Her passing leaves a gap in my life, but she continues to be a significant part of my life, my dash!

Each step I take, the Saviour goes before me,
And with his loving hand, he leads the way;

And with each breath, I whisper, "I adore you."
Oh what joy to walk with him each day!


Each step I take, I know that he will guide me,

To higher ground, he ever leads me on.

Until some day, the last step will be taken,

Each step I take just leads me closer home.

Saturday, August 9

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, however, sad news has carried us west again, and we end the week in Regina. On Wednesday morning we got the news that Aunt Carole had passed away, so we packed up and drove out to Regina once again. The memorial service is scheduled for tomorrow and we anticipate the celebration of her remarkable life which has contributed richly to mine.

The week began with Eric/A and the boys coming down from Kenora, so we enjoyed having them around for most of the week. They headed back on Thursday evening. I enjoyed a golf game with Eric while he was here, and played well once I got safely off the tee! I even had three good drives!

Otherwise it's been a quiet week with work in the yard, the occasional cry for help from a school and another birthday celebration with Eric/A and the boys—of course, that called for another ice cream cake!

We headed west on Friday morning, including a truck load of stuff up to Kenora and then continuing westward. We got to Regina in the evening.

On Saturday we enjoyed a trip over to Moose Jaw to help celebrate Aunty's 95th birthday. We particularly enjoyed the luncheon of meatballs, new potatoes, parsley gravy and fresh carrots—a lot of memories in that menu!

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

Saturday, August 2

News Update

Another week has passed along the shore of Lake Superior where the women are strong, the men are older and all the children are above average! It has been a nice week of catching up on things around the house and yard and celebrating my 58th birthday! Thanks for all the good wishes and cards sent by so many of you.

Sunday featured a church picnic out at Gord & Nora's—the weather was great, the food and fellowship were fine.

On Monday, I got back into golfing. I played at my usual home course, Chapples, and managed an 83 (+12), raising my handicap to 13.5. There were some encouraging signs, but mostly it featured inconsistency off the tee and only my short game allowed me to salvage a score.

Tuesday was special because I completed my antibiotics. My foot is looking pretty good with only a bit of redness remaining from the attack of cellulitus.

And Wednesday was of course my birthday! We enjoyed a special supper of barbecued pork chops and scalloped potatoes; and of course, we had an ice cream cake for dessert! Some friends came over to celebrate with us, and to play some Texas Hold'em! It was fun! Erin was the big winner; Wendy and I both went broke, so I'd better not give up my day job!

Having solved several OnSIS problems this week, the golf course beckoned on Thursday. While I was more consistent off the tee, I couldn't manage to score well ending with 87 and raising my handicap to 13.8! It's been a steady decline all season.

I had a budget meeting Friday morning, and it now looks like I have funding for about five months—what about the other seven?!

Saturday morning afforded a couple hours of golf practice—let's hope it'll do some good! We closed off the week watching the Riders win in Calgary and improve to 6-0 for the first time in over seventy years!

Erin & Kristian have been suffering with coughs most of the week. Kristian is quite a bit improved by today. Wendy and Erin have both applied for new jobs, so good luck to them!

And that's about it for this week!