News Update

Another warm and sunny week has passed in central Florida. We hear of storms across the central and northern states and also in Canada; we even hear of a white Christmas in Dallas! We're glad to miss those! We have enjoyed another week with all the family, but now Eric/A and the boys flew north today, so we're somewhat at a loss. Santa did not miss us in Orlando, even though he was told to skip us for this year as the trip was supposed to be the treat. We feel especially blessed by the gracious treatment!

Disney has continued to be much visited, but with the closing of schools for the holidays, the lineups have become very long! We're finding it necessary to go early and get Fastpasses. Still, there have been times when we couldn't get into the rides we wished for. We've also been spending time in the timeshare's mini-golf, pools and hot tubs. Kristian has gradually become pretty comfortable in the water. Eric and I got out golfing once at Disney; that was fun.

Poor internet service and business with Mickey have precluded much investment work. I only managed one transaction and that was for a small loss, but not enough to change my percentages. We'll see if I can get back into it in the coming week. Travis has tried to continue with his online courses in HTML, but that has also suffered due to poor internet service. We are moving to a new resort next week, so we hope for better internet there.

We have another week here with Erin, Kristian and Travis. Then, we'll start the long trip back.

And that's about it for this week.

Merry Christmas to all!

Another week has passed in the middle of Florida, far from my hometown. The rest of the family has now joined us, as Travis, Erin & Kristian flew into Tampa on Wednesday. We have been enjoying visiting with Mickey Mouse and friends—sampling the rides, shows and other delights offered at DisneyWorld. We have also experienced getting lost in a variety of new ways, often while trying to get back to the condo from DisneyWorld, but also as we tried to get to the airport in Tampa! I think we have both issues figured out now. We have been introduced to a new "points-based" timeshare concept, so we will continue to investigate that as an alternative to the "weeks-based" timeshares we currently own. It's surely been great using the timeshare to accommodate the family together here in Florida for Christmas. The weather is very pleasant, although we had two days of thirty degree temperatures, and that was a bit much! Most days are in the low twenties and we are enjoying that very much.

I have continued to track my investments, but have had little time and sometimes poor access to do much. The TSX has continued mostly sideways during these last two weeks anyway, so I guess I haven't missed much. I did manage one sale this week, so my earnings now sit at 4.5% overall. Oil has gained some, and that helps the TSX.

It didn't take long for Kristian to figure out the DisneyWorld business. We brought along a stroller for him, but now, when I stop, he jumps out and looks for the entry to another ride! He also really enjoyed his first fireworks with full sound last night!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed and we have travelled from the shore of Lake Superior, my home town, to the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. It was quite a trip! We left on Monday, driving down to Minneapolis. I checked out various items from my wish list at the Apple store, and Wendy went upstairs to check out her wish list at the Lindt chocolate store.

Before leaving home, Wendy had complained about there always being a storm in Iowa, so she was disbelieving when I told her I had checked the weather and a storm was on the way! Once I convinced her that it was the truth, we determined to drive as far south as we could before it hit. We got as far as Des Moines (no less!). Then we checked into the motel and waited for the morning. By morning there was plenty of snow on the ground, but there seemed to be a lull in the storm so we set off for Lawrence KS. As per usual there were many vehicles in the ditches, but we had only one difficult section, and by the half-way mark the snow has turned to rain, and the highway gradually cleared off. We enjoyed our brief stay with Marti and Helen. We set off for Hernando MS on the frozen rain the next day. The highways had been salted into slush, so traction was fine. Still it was a long day, and it was after dark by the time we drove into Gary & Cheryl's place near Hernando. We enjoyed catching up with these long time friends from YK days. On Thursday, we set off for Stan & Pat's place in New Orleans. This was a shorter day, so it was good to get there during daylight hours. We enjoyed a visit and seafood feast with them. On Friday, we toured New Orleans and then headed east for Florida. Again it was late by the time we called it a halt and got a motel in Tallahassee. Finally on Saturday, we completed the drive down to Orlando, and booked into our villa. Eric/A and the boys arrived on the evening plane from MSP, so we're set for a enjoyable week of Disneyworld and other local attractions.

The TSX had a no good very bad week, so it was just as well to be on the road. I didn't buy or sell anything this week, although one stock came close to selling. So, I'm still stalled at 4.3%. Maybe next week will bring better results if the price of oil goes up.

It's the week of curling trials back home as they determine our national representatives for the Olympics. My favourite, Kevin Martin, is in the men's final Sunday afternoon. The women's representative was chosen tonight; Cheryl Bernard will represent us very well, I'm sure.

Erin & Kristian and Travis are holding down the fort at home. It's turned colder there with some fresh snow. Trav has had some difficulties keeping the truck running, and then the hot water heater quit! They plan to fly down here next week. We're enjoying 25+ temperatures down here.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. But it will take much longer than a week to get over the Grey Cup game. One saying in sports is that "you've got to play the full sixty minutes", and our Riders did that. Even after sixty minutes they were two points ahead, but there was a penalty, so, the game was extended one more play, and Montreal used that play to kick a field goal and win the game by one point! Oh, what a bitter pill that was! The Riders never trailed in the whole game–not once in sixty minutes–but it was not enough.

It has been a busy week as we prepare for departure on Monday. The snow has apparently been watching the calendar, and with the turn of the month, it arrived on Tuesday. Wendy has been busy ensuring all is in readiness with reservations and travel arrangements for the next month. We got sad news this week concerning the passing of a long-time family friend and great Christian man, Elford Bell, out in Gravelbourg. That is where I was born, and the Bell family is a great and valued influence on our family. Elford is missed.

I had two online training sessions for investments this week. I had a good week with my investments; I was up 0.5% as the first three days saw profitable markets before it turned red on Thursday and Friday. Thus I now stand at 4.3% gain after ten weeks of work. It will be difficult to continue the investing while we travel, but once we get to Florida, I expect to spend some time trying!

Erin and Kristian are doing fine, although Kristian has a bit of a cold. We look forward to when they will fly down to join us in Florida. Erin is quite busy with her new job, especially during the early training. However, she is enjoying it a great deal so far.

Trav keeps busy as usual. His hockey team is doing well this week, and his work seems to keep him busy. He, also, is scheduled to fly down and spend time with us in Florida.

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

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. While the temperatures have declined, the weather has continued to be quite nice. We had showers on a couple of days, so it wasn't so nice to get out for walks, but, hey, it's not snow! As the week started, we rejoiced in the Rider victory in the western final over Calgary. Tomorrow is the Grey Cup game, and the Riders are big underdogs against Montreal, but, they still have to play the game! So, we'll wait and hope and cheer! Today we watched the university championship game won by Queen's University. It was pretty good football, although we found ourselves cheering for the losing team on this occasion—hopefully that'll change tomorrow!

The markets had another week of decline (must be following the temperature), so it was hard to make the decision to buy in, and hard to make money. I did manage another 0.1%, so I stand at 3.8% for nine weeks of work. I also did a bit of work for one of my old schools, but really, it was a pretty quiet week. I've been working on a couple of pamphlets in my own desktop publishing activity. Both are nearly ready for print.

Wendy has kept busier with taxi service and medical appointments and preparation for Trav's birthday this weekend. Eric/A and boys drove down Friday evening, so we celebrated the birthday with them as well. It is always special having the whole family under one roof.

Erin is busy in her new job. Kristian has a whirl-wind of Christmas celebrations at school and day care, so that's kept mom and grandma scrambling as well.

Aside from turning twenty-eight, Trav has occupied himself with the usual in coaching, work and contracts. He finished another production today, and got that sent away.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful and we've enjoyed getting out for our walks. It was nice to walk the fairways of the golf course (no little white ball to spoil it!), although there were many geese there as well, and they've left behind more than their tracks. The greens are covered now, but the fairways make for nice walking. The markets have continued to be difficult, although we did get back up to the levels (briefly) that we had enjoyed back in September. I managed only 0.1% gain, so I'm at 3.7% gain for eight weeks, and I've fallen behind expectations! I managed a little bit of consulting work this week as well, and the renovations have continued at church, but my part of that is pretty well complete. This is a big weekend for the Riders. They play the western final tomorrow to see if they can advance to the Grey Cup game the following week. Go Riders Go!

Wendy has continued to consult her various doctors, and I think we're now started on a diet. We hope this will calm her blood-chemistry levels. She has also taken on some of the driving for Kristian as Erin transitions into her new job. That will need to be resolved soon, as we're planning to head south in a couple of weeks.

Erin has begun work at Budget Rentals, but has also been called back to do more at her old job! In fact, she's at work there today, putting in some extra hours since they didn't need her any more! Go figure.

Trav continues with his work, and is off on a trip to Winnipeg this weekend. He's finding it difficult to set aside enough time for the investment work, and I miss that collaboration. I will keep working to refine the investment strategy, hoping it will require less time to practise.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, and we've been enjoying that. We've been kept a little busy at church with the removal of the pews and the refinishing of the floor. Wendy has been scouting, researching and negotiating for the purchase of chairs. The markets have continued troublesome, and, at least to me, unpredictable! However, I have managed to make a few sales and gained 0.3%, so I'm at 3.6% after seven weeks, which is just slightly above expectations. I've been able to do a bit of helpdesk work for two of my old schools. One has even assured me they will pay me for it! What a concept! During the end of this week I've been enjoying watching the pre-Olympic trials in curling. The eight teams for both the men's and women's trials are now set. Of course my favourite, Kevin Martin, is among the group. I now look forward to the Olympic trials curling in early December.

Wendy has continued with her medical work-ups. It has been confirmed that she is diabetic, but they're hoping to control it with diet and exercise (I hope to benefit from that program as well!) for now. She is also getting an upgrade on her thyroid medication, so we hope that helps.

Erin finally got laid off from the job she quit at the beginning of the summer, but she has now been hired for another full-time job, so I'm still not clear when schooling will take place. Not only that, but even this week as the date of her lay-off passed, her old job was still asking her why she wasn't at work!! Kristian is doing very well with his schooling, his language development and his tormenting of the new puppy! Sadie has learned several locations that can serve as at least a temporary sanctuary from him.

Travis has had a busy week with many hockey games, and his team is in a tournament this weekend, so he's getting his fill of that. Still, he seems to be well-engaged in coaching, and doing a good job with it. From time to time, we have a bit of discussion about that as well as our investments.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, so we've been enjoying that. I have continued my investments training with two webinars, and have also been working on some refinements to my technical strategy. The markets have continued to be difficult, so I only managed one sale this week. Some of the others are nearing sale area, so maybe next week! Still I'm up another 0.1% for 3.3% total gain. We concluded the week watching the battle for first place between the Riders and Calgary. It was a great (Riders Won!) game, so the Riders will host the Western Final in two weeks! Go Riders!

Wendy has been busy cooking up the pumpkins and making loaves and pies, mmmm, good! She's also been working on the selection of new chairs for church. We'll have a busy week next week as we remove the pews and work on the floor. We don't expect the new chairs to arrive in time, but we'll get by with some other chairs we already have. Wendy has not received any further news on her diabetes, but has been dedicating greater effort to diet and exercise in the meantime.

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. Kristian was ill for a couple of days, so he missed school on Tuesday, but he's back in fine fettle once again! Erin is making a few more moves towards her schooling, but she has also applied for a new job!

Trav continues with work, coaching and extra contracts. The website is developing fine; he's looking forward to learning the flash part of it whenever that comes up.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been damp, but mild, and we've enjoyed that. I've noted the golfers on the course as I drive by, and contemplated another round, but my usual partner has been busy, and I've decided not to bother on my own—must be getting old! This afternoon, I suffered the indignity of watching my Riders put in a poor effort in Hamilton. The loss leaves them in a must-win situation in their final game of the season next week if they wish to claim first place and home field advantage in the playoffs.

It's been another bad week in the markets, to close off a bad month. The TSX lost 4% in October, so it's been tough to make money. I only managed one buy & sell this week, but it was a good one, so I've picked up another 0.4% to finish the month up 3.2%. I also have some other buys that are not ready to sell yet, so I need the markets to return to the positive so the investments can flourish. Trav has continued in an advisory role as he continues to paper-trade. Hopefully, by the time he decides to get in, the markets will have turned upward again.

Kristian and I have been busy with Hallowe'en preparations. We went pumpkin hunting and got two nice ones. I've field-dressed them, and we've cut in faces for them. Each day as he gets home from school, he wants them lit up! This evening is the end of them, and now we look forward to their next incarnation in pie or pumpkin loaf! He enjoyed trick-n-treating dressed as the pit crew for Lightning McQueen!

Wendy has been working through some medical tests this week, as her doctor is thinking she may be suffering with mild diabetes. So, she's been going through the necessary blood work to confirm the diagnosis. And she also got her H1N1 shot—sore shoulder with that! Then, she's been helping me install a new garage door last night and today. This little project started out as getting the old door reset for winter, and noticing that one torsion spring was broken. As one thing led to another, I was soon into replacing the whole door! Anyway the new one surely looks better and it's insulated as well.

Erin has continued with a bit of the work she's been quitting since last spring! This week, she had some helpful news—she's being laid off! I think she may finally get to quit! Then, she can get into her classwork in earnest. She's also been enjoying getting Kristian ready for Hallowe'en.

Trav has continued with his work. He's recently picked up a contract to do some flash (whatever that involves!) work on a website, so he's learning how to do that as he does the project. And he's enjoying watching his Penguins reel off win after win in the young hockey season.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fairly nice, and I contemplated going golfing on Monday, but I couldn't find a partner! As the week closed, we watched the Riders battle the Lions to stay in first place. For the second game in a row, they went to overtime, but this time the defense came up big with an interception, so we won. Now, it appears it will come down to one final confrontation with Calgary in two weeks. One item I neglected to mention last week (For which I've been severely castigated!) was the arrival of Erin's new puppy. Her name is Sadie, she's twelve weeks old, a nice little Shitzu-Bichon.

We had special news in the congregation as we've trying to sell our pews and move into chairs, and this week, we finally managed to sell the pews! We expect they will actually be taken out in about three weeks, so now we're busily engaged in deciding on what specific chair design to select for the replacements. Fortunately, I'm not on that committee. We checked the removal process on Friday. We took out two pews, just to see how difficult it would be, and what kind of a mess would remain on the floor afterward. The removal plan went well; we zipped those out in about two minutes flat! The floor cleaning will be a process!

It was another difficult week on the TSX as the markets declined 1.1%, however, I managed some good sales early in the week, and made 1% profit, so my total for the first four weeks is 2.8%, or somewhat above expectations. Now if we could just get the markets to behave smoothly...

Wendy has spent the week catching up on things around home: paperwork, vacuuming, Scrabulous... She is also working on the chair selection committee so she's begun research on that.

Erin seems to continue with pretty much full time work, but I don't see any school work getting done! Kristian is enjoying school, enjoying his new puppy, and glad to have his grandparents home. And we're glad to be home with him, too!

Travis continues with work. He donated his old car to Youth Challenge, so that's cleared out of the yard. We enjoyed going to one of the hockey games of the team he coaches.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. We spent most of the week up in Kenora at Eric/A's completing the renovation project. It turned out looking pretty good, in my opinion! Now, they just need to get the electrician in to install the permanent heating. We enjoyed out time up there. We drove home here on Friday. This afternoon we enjoyed watching the Rider-Calgary game for first place. It was a great game, but even after overtime, it ended in a tie! So, they remain tied for first place as well! Wendy was very involved in the redecoration aspects of the work in Kenora; now, she wants to get into the renovations here!

It was a difficult week in the markets, so, while I managed to get some more buys, I didn't get to sell anything, so, I can't claim any gains. Thus, the status remains quo. Maybe next week...

Erin and Kristian have been taking care of things around home. That has gone well. I managed another conversation with Kristian on the phone from Kenora. He seemed to put together a sentence of his own for the first time. That was great!

Trav has contnued with his work, including a lovely advertising brochure he put togther for one of his private clients. He continues to enjoy coaching hockey, and his team is enjoying success recently as well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

This week's end finds us on the shore of the Winnipeg River, in Kenora. We are finally here to do the renovation on the suite for Eric/A. And we get the bonus of spending time with them and the boys, although, it turns out, they're seldom home! What busy lives! At long last, we've managed to get everything together for the work, so we drove up here on Tuesday. We took the long way around through Fort Frances, enjoying the fall colours a great deal. This morning, we woke to another of nature's surprises—snow! So, we enjoyed sitting in the warmth and watching the Riders play Toronto this evening. Their victory moved them back into a first place tie.

We've been completing the installation of a spiral staircase, correction of the main beam, and completion of all that remained outstanding on this project initiated by an earlier owner of their place, and never completed to a habitable condition. We hope to complete our part in the next few days and head back to TBay on Wednesday.

While this is going on, I've also continued with my investments via internet, and had a good week with a 1% gain. I also took another webinar to continue with my investment education. Trav and I are able to spend time together via chat as we consider the markets and make our decisions.

Wendy has been assisting with the construction work, and has now begun working on decorations and trim. I still have some drywalling to complete in the bedroom, then she'll also get going on the painting down there.

Erin & Kristian have been taking care of the place in TBay, and continuing with work and school. Last night when I called, Kristian picked up the phone and said, "Hello." When I responded, he continued, "It's papa! Hi, papa." What a thrill to hear him communicate. I think it's probably the first time I've actually had a chat with him on the phone.

Along with work, Travis and the Elks have now begun their hockey season. They've played a couple of games and Travis allows that he's really liking it.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Fall has arrived on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We had a good frosting this week. I had the tomatoes covered, so they survived, but my squash vines are finished! I managed to harvest another thirty-seven spaghetti squash and three butternut squash. We hope they'll keep for awhile as we try to eat as many as possible. We are failing to keep ahead of the tomatoes, but they're surely delicious anyway! Last night, the Riders fell (with five seconds left on the clock) to BC.

The markets suffered another bad week; the TSX dropped 2.3%, and I, unfortunately, participated in part of that, so I'm down 0.8% this week. It seems to be a pretty shaky time in the market, so we're trying to be careful. Trav was more careful than I, so he's up for the week! (Smart alec!) I got a small contract with one of the School Boards; it amounts to about a week of work, but every bit helps.

The weather has been cool and rainy most of the week, so we've realized the seasonal change. I got two new tires on the truck. We plan to take it to Kenora next week.

Kristian is doing well in school. Erin continues to work almost full-time although classes have supposedly started. We don't see how this is going to work!

Trav is delighting in the start of another hockey season. He's working with the hockey team he coaches, and following the success of the Penguins as well. Then, of course, there's also work, and he's completed (read: got paid) for another contract as well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. Quite a week it has been, too! Contrary to expectations, Wendy did not return on Monday evening, but she did get back on Tuesday. She reports having a good time in southern Ontario, and enjoying the scenic drive there and back. She enjoyed a good weekend with the ladies who gathered near Owen Sound for a retreat! She enjoyed the trip with Linda, and that Bob joined them to help with the driving on the return portion.

On Wednesday, Tom & Mariette arrived and stayed until Friday, as they were on their way to southern Ontario themselves. (What is it with southern Ontario that makes it so attractive?!) They brought a batch of tomatoes from their garden–delicious! Tom & I got out golfing on Thursday with my usual partner, John, and his son Brian. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun. I estimate it was probably my best driving experience of the season.

Also on Wednesday, our cousin (of some number), Nathan, and his band (Trip Meter) of five guys arrived from Saskatchewan. They had an engagement (Do they still call them Gigs?) here in town that night, and then slept through the next morning in our basement. Then they continued on to Marathon on Thursday. It was good to see them, and we're thankful for the ring they left with us (We only got $45 for it, but it was all profit!). Actually, we got that mailed on to Quebec on Friday, so hopefully they'll catch up with it.

Our pension funds are mostly transferred over now to iTrade, so I began trading in real money this week. It was a no good, very bad week on the TSX (-2%), but we managed to have one very good day, so I completed the week with a gain of 1.7%.

Kristian is now fairly well established in his school routine. The taxi picks him up each morning, and also takes him from school to day care at the end of the day. Kristian appears to enjoy school very much and is making progress. Erin continues to work nearly everyday, and we're concerned over how she will manage nearly full-time work in addition to her courses! This was not the plan!

Travis continues with his work and his contracting. He's been very busy this week with the start of hockey season as they had many evenings of scouting the hundreds of players and then drafting their team for the season. He's enjoying that very much so far. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the games.

The week ends in front of the TV as we watch the Riders battle the Edmonton Eskimos for the second time this week. Edmonton had a heart-wrenching last minute victory on Sunday, so it was delightful to see the Riders return the favour in Edmonton this evening. As a result the Riders move into a first place tie with Calgary.

And that's about enough for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. We started the week with a full-house as Eric/A and the boys were here along with Dad and Dave. That was fun! We celebrated Kristian's fourth birthday several times, and he appeared to enjoy them all! We enjoyed watching the Riders knock off Winnipeg for a second straight game as the Riders moved into a first place tie in the West. Eric/A and the boys left on Sunday. Dad and Dave left on Tuesday. Wendy left on Thursday. This weekend the house is much less busy!

Wendy is off for the weekend in southern Ontario, near Owen Sound, to a ladies' retreat. She's called back a couple of times, so we're assured she had a safe trip and she is enjoying herself. We expect her back on Monday evening.

Kristian is enjoying school a great deal. They have been making adjustments to get his hearing aids working with their FM broadcasting system in the classroom. Erin also has had some extra training and orientation times this week to assist with his learning. We're expecting great growth in his vocabulary in the next months. Erin has also continued to work most days despite being 'on leave'—I don't think that company understands the term! They were even pressuring her to come in and work today!

Trav continues with his work. He is also coaching hockey this year and has been involved with the entire coaching staff in scouting prospects in preparation for the draft of hockey players for the coming season. We continue to work on the investment training; we had another great week with gains of nearly 4%—that's two months' work!

The weather has been great, and I got out for a morning of golf on Friday. That was more encouraging after recent sessions that saw me playing pretty poorly.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We've had a busy week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Company has arrived and Kristian has started school! Wendy's brother, Dave, and her father drove down from Regina this week, arriving here on Tuesday. We are enjoying having their company. Eric/A and the boys arrived on Friday night, so we have a full house this weekend. We celebrated Kristian's birthday tonight, although the actual date is the 16th. It is good to have cousins, uncles, aunties, grandparents and great grandfather here for the occasion.

Wendy has, of course, been kept very busy feeding us all and staying up verrrry late to visit with our company! Travis and I have continued with our investment training and have this week been established in a group of investors to further refine our strategies. It's been a good week for our investments and I've increased my gain to 13.6% with some good buys. Our accounts have now been opened in Scotia iTrade, so reality is staring us in the face! We're blinking!!

Kristian's first day in Junior Kindergarten went well, and Erin also survived it. The school situation seems to be very well suited to him, and Erin very much likes his Principal, Teacher and Educational Assistant. They have facility there for FM broadcast of instructions, and his hearing aides are adaptable for this as well. I am expecting rapid advancement with his full-time EA and well-planned program.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

A quiet week rolls by on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather is beautiful, and I manage one golf game—a poor game, but a game, nonetheless. The garden continues to produce, except for the strawberries. It seems that I made a mistake there; I let the strawberries spread a bit via runners to get some additional plants, and now I get no flowers, and no fruit. The vines have been spreading through the border region and are producing something! We don't know which vines even came up, let alone which are which! It appears we have some kinds of zucchini or squash. I think I would recognize any pumpkins.

Wendy has been on an office-cleaning binge. My office—my stuff—being interfered with! Can you imagine! The results are a clean and tidy office in which I can find virtually nothing! And the mind numbs at the thought of what has been disposed of!! She continues to wait to hear about her job application at the university. We suppose we'll find out some time this month.

Erin and Kristian have continued their preparations for school. The taxi showed up at Day Care one day to pick up Kristian, but apparently he has started his school career by playing hooky! Perhaps he heard the Prime Minister was going to address the students to encourage them to work hard and stay in school! Yeesh! Erin has also continued with almost full-time work.

My work has officially ended, and I turned my equipment back in on Monday. On Wednesday, I was asked to come back and pick it up again! Apparently, at least one of the District School Boards who took over our School Authorities wants some help within my purview. So, I may be working again! This particular assignment appears to be about a month's worth of work, but probably spread out over much of the year. My other work/training has continued. It was a difficult week for us in the investment game, but I managed to gain 0.5% for the week, so that's good! I have also sent off my retirement accounts to Scotia iShare, so we'll see how long that transfer takes. September is supposedly a bad month for investments, so I guess there's no rush! I didn't get over the school bus people; maybe I'll manage it next week.

Travis has continued with his work, and has also been taking a hockey coaching course as he'll be serving as assistant coach with a midget-age team here in TBay.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. I did some fruitless investigations of my Employment Insurance situation. It's amazing to come to understand just why I don't qualify while others do! I guess I need to go back and spend more time learning how to game the system before I get to this advanced age. If I had used a more acceptable address, and reported my income in a more acceptable way, I would have been accepted for more insurance and a longer time! Who knew? Well, actually some people do know, but I did not. I managed to get out for a couple of golf games, but results were unspectacular.

I applied for a job with an online-supported First Nations high school. That was successful, but after we considered the option of moving to Pickle Lake so I could drive daily out to Osnaburgh, we determined that this was too much of an adventure for us! So, I'm still wondering what to do now that I'm almost grown up! I plan to check out school-bus driving next week. That seems a good fit with what is planned to be my main occupation—investment manager. Trav and I continued our practice this week. It was a very good week despite the (perhaps because of the) fluctuating markets. I made over 3% and now stand at 10.5% for six weeks of work. Our tutors keep reminding us that it will be much more difficult in reality, so we are tempering our enthusiasm.

Wendy has applied on a job as an administrative assistant at the University. I think she's the ideal candidate as the job requirements seem to match not just her skills but her penchant. It will be some weeks yet before she finds out the results of her application.

Erin has continued her non-working work. She has also completed her registration for college with coursework starting in September. She's off to Winnipeg this weekend to enjoy a weekend with a friend, Jolie, who lives there. We have Kristian with us, so it's a busy weekend.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We started the week with the joy of watching a Rider victory, and last evening suffered through a Rider defeat! However, both games provided some encouragement over the development of the team. Tuesday provided the surprising news that my Employment Insurance had ended. Having not been a user of the same, I didn't understand how it worked! I thought when they said I was eligible until November 2009, that I would be getting money until then—silly me! I have a couple weeks of work helping schools finish their reports to the Ministry, and then I'll reapply, but in reality, I expect it means that I need to push forward even more quickly on the investments program. I am working on my iTrade application this weekend–the final step to getting my pension money into my own hands! Scares me! I had a difficult (albeit successful) week on the markets and now stand at 6.9% gain for five weeks of investing.

The weather has been mixed—a few sunny days mixed between a several rainy days! We enjoyed a evening with the church leadership team out at our friends' place on the lakeshore, and also came home with a load of raspberries—they surely combined well with our rhubarb to make a fine batch of pies!

Wendy has a lead on a good job, so we hope that works out. She has spent a lot of time this week getting a winter trip to Florida arranged, and that looks ready for December. We expect our children and grandchildren to join us for parts of the time there, so we're looking forward to that!

Erin has continued her unemployed working! She seems to be working almost full-time even though she's trying to quit. She has also been setting up her courses that begin in September, and that appears to be coming together well. And, she celebrated her birthday this week; her request was filet at the local stcak house! Kristian got his new ear-pieces this week. These fit well, and have eliminated the annoying whistling the old ones were producing. At least we found it annoying; he never expressed much concern.

Trav has continued with his work and the investment program with me. Both are going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

This weekend finds us back on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown! We drove down from Kenora on Sunday afternoon, and began the process of catching up on the lawns and garden. Erin has been watering and keeping up with the peas and beans, but the rhubarb has overgrown its patch! Then, there are the weeds! So, I have done lots of pulling and hoeing weeds this week. I also picked about half of the rhubarb and got it cut up for freezing. It took some preliminary cuts, but the lawns are about down to regular height now. We've had rain, so they've been really growing.

Of course, Tuesday's featured colonoscopy was a big event, if not exactly a highlight! I started on my purge pills on Sunday evening, and then added Pico-Salax Monday and Tuesday morning. Why would someone give himself diarrhea?! Tuesday afternoon was my appointment at the hospital. I remarked over part of my instructions—"Bring your health card. Do not bring any money or jewelry." I laughed as I shared this with my American-resident brother. He assured me their instructions would be,"Bring your credit card and scrape together whatever money you can!" The nurse installed a needle in the back of my hand in anticipation of the drugs to be administered later, and soon I was wheeled to the operating theatre. I thought they were putting me out, but that didn't happen, so I got to watch their explorations of my nether regions on r large monitor–delightful! The doctor told me he only found a small untoward 'skin-tag' which he excised. I'll have an appointment later to go over the results. The only difficulty coming out of the operation was the air they injected into me to open up passageways; that caused a lot of cramping afterwards. The nurse told me just to go the washroom and let 'er rip! That helped!

We enjoyed our reunion with Travis, Erin & Kristian. It's been a good week as Kristian stayed home with us on two days. Trav and I have continued our investment practice, and also had another Advanced class on Monday evening. I have begun recovery from my disastrous last week; I gained 1.2% and am now at 5.8% gain in four weeks. This was particularly satisfying as the market lost money this week. It also compares well to the expected 0.5% per week; I'm feeling satisfied with our progress. We have also continued to refine our strategy, so we'll see how that goes.

We have received news from Zambia. It is good to hear of events there, even if it isn't all good news. We continue to be very concerned for their well-being, so we always like to be caught up on how things are going. Thanks: BK, Jack, Marti!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have begun the journey back to the shore of Lake Superior and my home town. It has been good to spend the time with the family in Regina. There have been frequent gatherings of various family and friends around the table. I got to try out two salmon planking recipes—both good, but I preferred the ginger-brown sugar one! On Friday, we headed east and are currently in Kenora at Eric/A's—thanks guys! We arrived in time for a lovely supper and then settled in to watch the Riders win in BC; unfortunately, the Lions had other plans and we had to suffer through the ignominy of defeat. Ouch!

Monday was a holiday, so we took the van in Tuesday to continue the repair regulations. It is now set to be repaired next week. I got to practise golf on Thursday for a couple of hours in preparation for the game in Kenora today with Eric. The front nine was quite an enjoyable layout while the back nine was less well thought-out. We enjoyed the game until rain forced us to quit after 14 holes.

The holiday-shortened week led to unusual activity in the markets, but we persisted in trying. Thursday was a very bad day for me, and I ended the week down 1.1% but still up 4.6% for the three weeks that we've been on this latest program. Trav did better and turned a profit without my adventurous influence! I enjoyed getting some feedback and advice from Uncle Bernard while in Regina.

On Wednesday, we drove over to Moose Jaw to celebrate Aunty's 96th birthday. Thank you, Grace & Elvin for hosting us and providing an excellent meal topped off by Saskatoon pie! We also took opportunity to see the famous Chicago Tunnels while we were in Moose Jaw.

We intend to complete the trip home tomorrow. We're looking forward to that, to reuniting with family there and sleeping in our own bed.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, spent far from the shore of Lake Superior, my hometown. We began the week in Dauphin where we enjoyed the hospitality of our friends and family there. Bern, Alicia and Logan were also there, so we met briefly with them before they headed to Saskatoon and we headed to Regina on Monday. We thank David & Marilyn for hosting us in Dauphin. As we headed west, we drove by Binscarth where I taught my first year. We enjoyed visiting old friends there. Once in Regina, we moved in at 55 Laird and enjoyed the remainder of the week there, visiting with Rich & Sue, Dave and other relatives and friends. Thanks for hosting us, Dad!

On Wednesday, we drove down to Ogema to visit relatives there, and to check out the recently acknowledged Century Farm, and the Taylor farm (home to Wendy's grandparents and mother) was historically recognized. We enjoyed Uncle Art's wonderful gardens and returned with plenty of vegetables and fruit from his labours. Another notable (lamentable?) incident involved my backing Dad's van into a power pole at the farm! This caused some damage to the left-rear corner of the van and to my sensibilities! At any rate, we enjoyed the visit, the remembrances and the search for other special sites in the K family history.

Bern, Alicia & Logan rejoined us late Thursday night. As a result, we've been able to continue the catch up on their Mexican adventure. We plan to make a few more day trips next week before turning our vehicle back to the east.

Trav and I have continued our investment training and practice. We got back the results on our research project 84.5% and continued our purchases. After two weeks on this simulation, I stand at 5.6% profit. This program just continues to amaze me.

Erin & Kristian have skyped with us a few times. It's good to see them, even if only via video. There are taking care of yard and garden while we're away. Thanks, guys.

We close the week in front of the TV as we enjoy watching the Riders win in Calgary 24-23 as they move into a first place tie. And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

It has been quite a week for us as we've travelled from the shore of Lake Superior out to Dauphin. On Sunday, I lamented as Tom Watson bogied the final hole and proceeded to lose the Open in a playoff. Today, I lamented as the Riders lost to Edmonton after enjoying a 22-0 lead! It's a sad life that way sometimes!

On Monday morning, we hosted an Investors Club meeting at our house. The markets rose and we couldn't make our usual buys, but we tried some other options that ended up losing us some money! The investments in the rest of the week went well, and I've ended the first week of the new investments model with a 2.5% gain. So, that was much above expectations! We also had an online investment class in the evening.

We left home on Tuesday and drove up to Kenora to Eric/A's place. We stayed overnight with them, and completed our trip to Dauphin on Wednesday, where we moved in with David & Marilyn—thanks guys! On Thursday, we played a practice round of golf with many of our friends from there, in preparation for a weekend golfing extravaganza. Since we were planning to play 36 holes a day for the next two days, this was certainly over-kill.

Friday was the first day of the Pryder Cup. It was not coming off as planned. There were supposed to be ten Canadians and ten Americans battling for golfing supremacy, but, the Americans could not put up a full team. They only showed up with four players, so we supplemented them with three non-Manitoba players to make it two teams of seven. It became Manitoba against the World. The morning round was two-man scramble. We did commendably and ended up with two of the possible three points. The afternoon we played better ball, and the Manitobans launched their comeback! They earned three of four points and took a lead that they never relinquished! Saturday morning matches resulted in a complete whitewash as we fell behind 8-3, and we only managed a split of Saturday afternoon's matches, so the final score was 12-7.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, but ninety holes of golf in three days is too much for me! I do remember that in years gone by we often did this sort of foolishness, and even of times when Dick and I would walk and carry our bags for most of five rounds of golf in a weekend—but those days are gone! I have extracted a promise of single-round days of golf in the future Pryder Cups for we senior members! Another good thing that happened provided some relief for my aching right elbow. Kent supplied me a special strap that wraps tightly around my elbow and relieves the tendinitis. It is not so comfortable to wear, but it certainly does provide relief—thanks, Kent! My golfing was not great, but it never is, and I enjoy it anyway! I scored an 84 and an 85 the first two days, but today I was just worn out and only could manage a couple of 94's. Maybe now that I have this elbow strap, I'll manage more than one round a week.

Erin, Kristian and Travis are taking care of things at home. Erin has to work some of the time, and of course Travis works full-time. We miss them while we're away. Travis had a special event last week where he volunteered for the Easter Seals promotion which allowed him to participate in a skating event with the NHL players who are from Thunder Bay. I guess the three Staal brothers are the more famous members of the group, but there are quite a few, so Trav enjoyed meeting them and getting autographs as well as helping with the many children who gathered to skate with their hockey heroes.

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

News Update

A cool, rainy week struggles to an end on the shore of Lake Superior. I haven't made it out for golf until today, but it seems that little has changed—one might hope it would! I did manage to get most of my planned yard work completed for the year, and the garden is flourishing. Kristian loves picking and eating the strawberries and peas right off the plants. We are preparing to head west next Tuesday, so Erin will have to keep track of everything while we're gone. I am now scheduled for my colonoscopy for August 11th, so our travel time is limited by that. And this afternoon we have to suffer through the indignity of watching the Riders being schooled by the Alouettes. Yuck! On the other hand, I do enjoy watching Tom Watson lead the Open, and I hope he can finish it off tomorrow.

I've had a bit of work this week as one school has turned up recalcitrant on its reporting requirements. It turned out they had not even done the first batch of reporting for the year! I have managed to get their October and March reports completed this week, so it only remains for me to do the June reports now.

Wendy has completed a retrofit of the flowerbeds both front and back, so they're looking good. She has also kept busy with gym work, shopping and a few picnics with family and friends.

Kristian has been making excellent progress lately. His vocabulary and expressions are growing quickly, and he's figured out the potty business completely. He's not just cute! Erin was off this week, so we enjoyed lots of activity around the house and yard despite the cool weather.

Travis continues with his work and working with me on the investment training. We've completed our research, and are now moving to the next stage of training. We're back in class on Monday evening, and we've decided to begin the investment simulation over from the beginning. It was a great week in that regard as the market turned positive again, and we made big profits. I now stand at 41.9% gain from March 9th. However, we've worked out a strategy to more closely approximate the actual investment experience, so we'll see how that goes. I took a webinar in Scotia iTrade on Thursday, so I have a better idea how that will work.

I enjoyed a Skype chat with my siblings and various members of their familes on Thursday, in honour of Tom's birthday. Spread out from Dallas to Winnipeg to Paris (and Thunder Bay) as we were, that went well and was fully enjoyable except that John was not able to take part.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has turned very nice and I've managed to get out golfing and practising a few times. My game came in at 85, so my handicap stays solid at 15.1. However, I am seeing signs of improvement, "Little green shoots," one might say! Let's hope they continue to flourish; I've been feeling like my golf game is in the Bush Recession, too! At least the Riders are thriving, as I was able to sit down and watch them punish the Argos this afternoon and move to 2-0 in the young season.

There hasn't been much work this week. I've helped one school with their June Reports to the Ministry, but that's about it. Investment work continues as Trav and I have a big assignment due next Friday. We've been struggling with our investments in the most recent downturn. The TSX has lost value for the last month since its high on June 11th. So, it's been difficult to make headway, but we've managed small gains and I now stand at 35.1% profit for exactly four months of work.

The garden is growing quite well now. The tomatoes are blooming, pea pods are filling, beans are blooming, strawberries are bearing. Only two potatoes came up (out of seven planted), but we'll see how the box method works for those.

Wendy has been busy with her flowerbeds so those are now flourishing (pun intended). She spent most of the week fretting about how to get to Ogema for the celebration at her grandparents' farm today, but, in the end, decided not to go. We are now planning to head west in time for the golf tournament in Dauphin (July 24th, 25th) and to remain on the prairies after that event instead of before it.

Erin has been at work all week, so Kristian has been at daycare. His potty training is showing signs of improvement! His communication is showing much growth—we're delighted! We've set up a wading pool for him in the backyard this year instead of the larger pool. He certainly enjoys being outside.

Travis continues with his work. This weekend, he's in Minneapolis as he gave Greg a ride down there to catch a plane to California.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Happy Anniversary to us! Thirty-nine years later and we're enjoying life on the shore of Lake Superior. It's been a slow-moving but eventful week. The weather has been cool and rainy early in the week and I haven't made it out golfing at all. I did practice a couple of times. The garden is progressing fine, and I did get a few calls for work. On Wednesday, we celebrated Canada Day. Happy Birthday Canada! And today, along with our anniversary, the Americans celebrate their Independence Day. Happy National Birthday to all my American contacts!

This week also marked the beginning of the football season. Friday evening's Rider game was a sloppy affair, but we won! My old coaching friend, John Payne, used to say, "If you want to make that many turnovers, you should open a bakery!" Fifteen turnovers! Yikes! But in the standings it just shows up as a win. So, well done!

Trav and I got back on track with our investments. It wasn't a good week in the markets as the TSX declined, but we turned a tidy profit. To recap, two weeks ago, we did bad! I lost 4%! But last week I picked up 1.7% and this week 1.6% so I'm almost caught up. Officially, I'm now at a 33.7% gain in just under four months. We are finished our foundational classes, and now we are working on a research project. When that is completed (due: July 17th), we move on to the advanced coaching and mentoring phase of the course.

Wendy has been busy with yard work, bedding plants and tearful good-byes. On Friday, she finally came to a decision on BJ, so that was a sad day for all of us. BJ was a very good dog, certainly the best dog I've been acquainted with. He was wonderful with little children. He is being missed.

Erin has continued with arrangements and preparation for her course work in the Fall. There is not much in place yet. Kristian is doing well. He likes playing ball, golfing and being outside. He is working on his potty training—some successes! He is communicating more by speech, but also relies on sign language for some messages. He is a bright and lovable little boy.

Trav has continued busily with his work. That seems to be going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has rolled by on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has turned hot; the air conditioner is running; summer is here! I managed to get out for a couple of golf games this week. There was some improvement as I posted scores of 84 and 86, and dropped my handicap to 15.1. The garden is doing fine, except for the potatoes—nothing there—I guess those Safeway potatoes must be treated with something to keep them from germinating. So far we've only been using radishes and rhubarb.

I've had a bit of help-desk work this week as schools scramble to complete student report cards and end-of-year reporting to the Ministry. Once this is surge is over, it should be the end of my work with the small schools of northwestern Ontario. Travis and I made back some of our money in our investment training. We also had our final class in the direct-teaching part of the course. Now we move on to a couple of research projects, and then the establishment of investment teams. A memory chip failed in my laptop, so it's at the University tech shop over the weekend getting a replacement chip. As a result, I can not tell you exactly where I'm at in investments, but it's improved a little, despite a mixed week on the markets.

Erin worked all week (Part time is not what it used to be!), and Kristian got back in day care. He's is talking more and more with us, but is often shy in groups.

Impact Promotions had its grand opening last evening, so we attended that and celebrated along with Trav and the rest of the company.

Wendy has continued to look after us in her usual style (To which we've become accustomed!); she has been spending a lot of effort in recent weeks to take care of BJ. He's still hanging on, and some days shows improved activity. We're not sure what to make of it. Wendy also continues to apply on jobs from time to time; nothing has developed from it yet, but we keep hoping.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed and summer has come to the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The garden is flourishing (finally) and the reseeded parts of the front lawn have germinated and are growing out nicely. I have finished a little data project for our schools, and taken a couple of support calls, but really there's not much happening on the work front!

As the week began, we celebrated Fathers' Day (early) and my children gave me a coupon for ten rounds of golf! So, that was great! And, with the improved weather, I managed to get out for two games this week. The second was quite satisfactory (and I kept both below 90) and my handicap remains at 15.3.

Wendy and I have had a couple of meetings with financial advisors this week. We're considering how we should manage our registered pension money and whether we should add to our investment in this house. We cancelled our satellite TV, our phone service and our internet service, and amalgamated them all with Shaw. Unfortunately, our phone installation had a problem, so we could not make long distance calls for most of the week! They finally fixed it this afternoon, so we're fully back in business.

Travis and I had a bad week with our investments. We made a mistake of going against our training and strategy, and the falling market early this week made us pay for it! As a result, we both lost money for the week, and I now stand at only 30.4% gain for the three months. Still, that's pretty good!

BJ has continued to amaze us with improved mobility and health. We don't know how long this will last.

Erin has completed her fulltime work, and I now working part-time while also getting her training program in place and enjoying the summer. Kristian continues to progress very well. He now has a batting tee, and enjoys playing ball in the back yard, the living room, the kitchen—what a kid! He also got a haircut this week; he's continuing the cuteness theme.

Travis continues with work as per usual; his major accomplishment this week was the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S! I can't even quite figure out how to operate the thing! In spite of being a techno-geek, I'm having trouble keeping up these days!

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

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. It's been an exciting week in our household as the Penguins performed the improbable—coming back to win games six and seven to overcome the Red Wings and win the Stanley Cup. I did not think they could manage to beat Detroit in Detroit in game seven, but Travis did not lose heart. He explained to me that Penguins had faced four 'Game Sevens' on the road in franchise history, and had won them all! So, make it five! They've still won them all!

Otherwise, it's been a quiet week around home. I've been doing a little work on a small data project for our soon-to-be-former schools. There still remains a little work to be done with student data reporting at the end of the month, and then I'll be able to wrap things up. The garden is finally coming along, although the weather refuses to cooperate. I've reseeded some patches in the front lawn—it also needs some heat! And the investment training continues. Trav and I had a very good week, and I'm now at 34.3% for the three months. So, I've applied for my online brokerage package, and we'll soon see how it goes in reality! Scary!

Wendy has been remodelling the laundry room. I've helped with installation of some additional shelving and it's now looking much roomier. We have Eric/A and the boys here this weekend—I think we're celebrating Father's Day a week early! Anyway, it's nice to have them around.

Erin just has a few days of full-time work left. She bought herself one of those little netbooks this week, and it seems to run just fine. Kristian continues to develop and express himself better and better. We are much encouraged by the efforts being made with him in speech-therapy. It's paying off. He can express himself even better in signs, but we don't know the signs!

BJ seems to be making quite a recovery and is getting around pretty well now, although he still refuses stairs. He's also started eating better, so that's also encouraging.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We pass this week in our hometown on the shore of Lake Superior, but it is a momentous week nonetheless! The week begins with Eric/A and the boys here. We enjoy the visit. On Monday, we get the news that the Ministry of Education has decided to end the existence of the small boards who have been employing me for the last four years. This is a fair shock for me, although some of my colleagues claim to have seen it coming! (They might have mentioned it to me!) What it means is that I am unemployed for sure for next year. I have been expecting a contract for about one hundred days, so we'll have to think of how to replace the income! The prime option right now is to complete the transition to retirement. Wendy has dusted off her resume and is considering a couple of advertised jobs.

The weather has been decidedly non-June-like and I even had to cover my tomatoes one night as frost was threatened. I have managed to get out to practise golf a couple of times. The ball is not going particularly well! (Probably need to change brands of golf ball, or get new clubs!) The lawns are progressing well with the occasional rain even though we're not getting much heat.

BJ is doing decidedly better. He still needs to be carried around a fair bit, but he's back to walking some on his own as well. We continue to be concerned.

Kristian had a big session of hearing testing this week. He has learned enough of the process to cooperate effectively and the technicians were very confident that valid readings had been achieved. We look forward to the results once all their calculations are done. Kristian continues to develop more facility with vocabulary and communication, and he has a wonderful personality. Erin moves toward the completion of her full-time employment later this month. She is looking forward to a summer with lots of time for Kristian before he begins Kindergarten in the Fall, and she heads back to school herself. She will be working part-time doing some of her current duties while she goes to school.

Now that Trav had graduated, he is continuing to enjoy his work at Impact Promotions, as well as the odd project on his own. He's been particularly happy to see the resurgent Penguins come back to make a good series of the Stanley Cup playoffs, although tonight's 5-0 spanking did not impress him! He has also continued his training with me for investments. We had a scary week, but eventually it worked out well. I'm now at 31.3% gain in just under three months.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

The end of another week finds us back on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. It has been a full week. We started in Regina, and drove out to Gravelbourg on Sunday morning. That was a day of many reminiscences around my birth place and first home. I enjoyed seeing the new additions to the church in Gravelbourg, both material and personal. I enjoyed being asked to lead a song and 'try out' the acoustics of the new assembly area—it worked out well (perhaps a little more bounce would be helpful)! We enjoyed a wonderful meal with Gerry & Lorna, family and friends. We enjoyed a prairie rainstorm—not too severe, but providing plenty of moisture for the developing crops. ("A million-dollar rain," we used to hear it described as!) We drove by the old place and wondered at the trees—when did those spruce get to be so tall! As we headed north, past Trombergs and Rasmussens, we even ran into 'greasy' roads—more reminiscence than we wanted! We drove through Coderre and caught the highway to Moose Jaw.

There we went to visit Aunt Mary. But not so fast the sign told us—"Under Quarantine due to a Respiratory Outbreak"! Well, Wendy talked us through that, and we enjoyed a lovely visit with Aunty. We provided her various stories to ruminate over as she wondered at our arrival. (Visitors have been refused since early May!) We told her variously that, "We told them we're Danes, so rules don't apply." (She liked that one.) "We told them, we're not 'Visitors', we're 'Family'." (She liked that one as well.) She informed us that Grace & Elvin were out of town in Regina, but we decided to at least leave them a phone message—I was a little taken aback when Grace answered the phone! So, we enjoyed coffee [Does anyone need to be informed that Coffee always includes nothing but coffee?! (Where 'always' means 'seldom, if ever.')] and a visit there also.

After visiting and resting at Dad's in Regina, we headed east on Tuesday to Kenora where we stayed with Eric/A and the boys. (Thanks, guys!) And we completed the trip on Wednesday back to TBay.

Back at home we found Travis rejoicing (his Penguins are in the final) and all feeling concern over BJ and his continued convalescence. BJ has perked up a bit in recent days, so we hope he may rebound once again. He's an old dog—fourteen years, and clearly does not appear to be up to learning any new tricks! He mostly lays around, and often requires being carried outdoors.

Today finds us in celebratory mood. Travis is graduating from Lakehead University, where due to scheduling and diligence, he is achieving a double Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) with First Class Standing in Marketing and General Management at the spring convocation. We are so proud of him. He has a good job that he enjoys very much, and it holds the promise of providing a good income as well. Eric/A and the boys are down to assist with the celebration. A great day is had by all. It is capped by a nice evening with Travis and his friends.

Of course, we enjoy our reunion with Erin & Kristian. Both are as busy as ever, and having the Jays win a weekend series from Boston gets Erin into better spirits!

The garden is progressing well. Our investment training continues. Recent weeks have seen me fairly stagnant as over exuberant purchase prices entailed a lot of waiting, but this week everything sold, and I'm now at 29.4% overall gain in under three months. Yowsah! It seems that many (out there) see this as hard to believe—I do, too!

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

News Update

Another week finds us far away from Lake Superior and my hometown. We are in Regina; we have driven out here to attend and observe Tim & Krista's wedding. We plan to head home early next week.

The week started as a long weekend and we were enjoying have Eric/A and the boys with us. They headed back on Monday, and we continued with the regular business around home. I continue to have a few phone calls asking help from the schools. I have also been busy with the garden. We are only awaiting a few bedding plants now to complete the plan for this growing season. We have planted a lot of vines—cucumbers, several kinds of squash, pumpkins, and zucchini. Other than that we mostly have peas, beans and greens. I have tried to plant a bit more of peas and beans in the hope that we will have a continual supply during the season, rather than just a meal here and there. And I've also planted a bit of corn.

On Thursday afternoon we drove out to Kenora, and then on Friday we continued to Regina. Eric/A followed us Friday after work, arriving in Regina about 2:00 AM. Today was the wedding. It was very nice, and we enjoyed catching up with many people, and making some new acquaintances as well. Travis is along with us as he got off work early. He plans to head back with Eric/A so he can get back to work for the new week. We are glad to have the chance to spend a bit of time with Wendy's dad as well—thanks for putting us up!

Erin and Kristian remained at home and commiserated over the Blue Jays first extended losing streak of the young season. They are still in first place, but it's getting close! Other than that they are doing well. They are also caring for BJ who seems to be doing poorly. He is very old (for a dog) and is having trouble getting around lately. This will require some extra attention when we get home.

Investment training has continued. We didn't have a class this week since Monday was a holiday, but we kept at our investments. It was not an easy week since I had bought at higher values last week, and this week saw a lower market. Still, I managed a couple of sales, and have raised my over all gain to 28.1%.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. We are not in Kansas anymore. We flew back from on Tuesday night, arriving in TBay about midnight. The weather has continued variable, and not warm enough to give me comfort over my garden. The next week looks better, so maybe yard work (and golf) can get back in full-swing! We enjoyed our time in Abilene, celebrating Shepherd's grad, as well as the drive back and forth from Lawrence KS. And we found out that we actually were able to celebrate about seven graduations of friends and family from ACU.

I've had a little work around the office this week. I was offered a month-long teaching assignment in Hornepayne, and after some consideration was looking forward to accepting that, but it turned out they wanted me to pay for the privilege of working there—so I demurred! When I had taught for a week in another community last fall, I was paid salary and expenses. This time, they only offered salary, and when Wendy checked out expenses... it didn't pay! My buddy, Wes, opined that since I've been working for nothing so much, they now wanted me to pay them! So, we continue to try to live on EI (and love) and it's thin living!!

Investment training continues. This week, I took the lecture while in Lawrence KS. The internet is certainly a wonderful facility. Investments have not gone well this week with both Energy and Financials down over 7%, but I still managed two sells and raised my total gain to 27%. I have all five stocks bought—and they're all currently at a loss position, so we hope things improve next week!

Kristian and Erin were both down with colds while we were away and continue to suffer a bit this week. Travis seems to be much improved, and watching his Penguins advance to the next round in the Stanley Cup playoffs really improved his outlook!

As this is long weekend, we are glad to have Eric/A and the boys visiting with us. Hopefully, the weather will smarten up tomorrow...

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have wandered south, away from the shore of Lake Superior. We are in Abilene to celebrate graduation with Shepherd, our friend from Zambia. We flew down from TBay to Lawrence KS on Thursday afternoon and met up with our old friend (well actually, I shouldn't call her an old friend, but our longtime friend who is actually just a young thing), Marti. She drives us down to Abilene on Friday. It is great to spend a bit of additional time with Shepherd and Ruhtt. We also get a special treat of catching up with another old Zambian contact Ryan and his wife. Then, while we were there, we also Skyped to Kadonsi in Zambia. It was good to hear his voice. Of course, there were a number of other Zambian contacts attending the graduation, so we also were pleased to catch up with them. We also discovered, to our surprise, that we had connections to about half a dozen of the graduates, so it was good to celebrate with them all.

The graduation itself was a great celebration of Shepherd's efforts and achievement in the masters' program for Human Resources. We hope he will be able to provide great administrative service in Zambia now for many years.

The week started with the usual things around home, and I also had a conference session on Thursday before we flew out. The garden is developing well, in its new location. We are planning for many more vines (cucumber, squash, zuchini, pumpkins) that we will grow along the borders of the back yard. And of course, I'm also trying that potatoes in a box idea! It will be interesting again to see how things develop.

The investment training continues. It was an interesting week as the markets were rising, and we found we did not have an effective strategy for buying as prices increase. After our lesson on Monday evening, we had new techniques and raised our prices for Tuesday. It did not work; prices rose again! So on Wednesday we chose a new strategy of picking a price much higher than the current quote, and were successful in buying all our stocks (in a falling market) at prices much higher than we should have paid!! I guess this was a learning experience! Anyway, the markets rose again on Friday, so we did fine. Overall, I am now up 26.4% in nine weeks. It is too good to really believe. Especially after my experiences with professional managers over the last ten years where I've learned that the only way they could make me a millionaire was if I had started with two million!

Wendy has continued with house and yard work as a part of her rites of spring. As usual whatever she does, she overdoes, so she has been suffering with aches, pains and blisters as a result.

Erin and Kristian are doing well. It is delightful to hear his little voice as he begins to be able to hold short conversations and learns more and more words.Erin continues to work on her options for work and training next year.

Travis is doing well with his work. He has been suffering a bit of ill health this week. Perhaps it's just seasonal allergies.

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

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather has been nice so we've enjoyed some out doors times. Kristian loves playing in the back yard where I built him a sandbox and installed a slide. Actually, he thinks the larger sandy area I have developed for the pool is even more attractive, so we usually find him there. He also likes time on the trampoline, and practicing his golfing. (Where did he pick up that interest?!) I've been working on the garden, and have it pretty much ready to go. I plan to start planting soon.

My health concern continues. I visited with my oncologist on Wednesday. He was happy to see that my PSA was somewhat lower, although still too high. He says it is further evidence that the elevated levels are just caused by a chronic infection. I also had him check out my little growth. It was his opinion that it was not a thrombosed hemorrhoid, but he referred me back to my family doctor for further investigation. So, I was back to see her on Friday, and she feels certain it is a thrombosed hemorrhoid. She cannot understand why I report no pain! She says I must have a high pain threshold. (Translation: I don't suffer from pain, I'm just a carrier!) She is referring me to a surgeon for a sigmoidoscope, possibly a full colonscopy and whatever surgical action he decides is appropriate. So, the saga continues. Meanwhile, I'm on those suppositories. We hope for a reduction in stress, distress and inflammation!

I have had only a little call-desk work this week. Next week, I have our annual spring conference, and then we're flying south to celebrate our friend Shepherd's graduation in Abilene. Investment training continues to go well, and I had a great week with my stocks. I'm now up 22.8% in eight weeks. Let's hope it continues.

Wendy has continued her dedicated efforts toward spring cleaning. Furniture is being moved, floors are being renovated. Adjustments are being made! Improvement is evident.

Erin continues to move toward furthering her education while continuing to work part time. Lots of planning need to be accomplished to put this all in place. Kristian continues to progress with his speech. He understands nearly everything we try to tell him, and his expressive language is growing bit by bit.

Travis is doing very well with his work, his projects, and the investment training he's taking with me. Now that the next round of playoffs have started, he's unavailable during Penguin games. And now that they're trailing, he'll have to cheer even more!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been spring-like, although we started off with precipitation that is only rain due to my definition that all precipitation in the months April through October is rain. We did not enjoy the white fluffy rain, but it disappeared the next day, and I still managed a couple of trips to the golf course, so it was an okay week in that regard.

I had two days of work this week in the Territorial Student Program, so that impacts the bottom line, but not very much. I lose almost the same amount in my Employment Insurance! My investment training continues to go well. I am enjoying the classes each week, and also having continued success in the five stocks they allow us to invest in. I am now up 19.4% in seven weeks.

I have a medical concern, so I went to the doctor mid-week. She assured me that it was 'rhoids—not the kind that make you faster, stronger and meaner, but the kind that make you walk slowly and sit down carefully (possibly a bit meaner)! "Thrombosed hemorrhoid," she opined, and hastened to assure me that she knew I was in great pain, but that a prescription of suppositories would take care of the pain in short order. (Man, those things are hard to swallow–why do they make them so large?!) In vain, I tried to inform her that I was feeling little pain. Anyway, I have the prescription order in case I ever decide to get it filled! In sum, I am more than a little skeptical about her diagnosis, but since I see my oncologist next week, I'll wait until then to get more information. He's as enthusiastic with the DRE as she was tentative, so I'm guessing he'll get to the bottom of this! (pun intended)

Wendy has continued and completed the removal of the old tiles in the kitchen and dining area—it looks so much better! It was a lot of work, and some clean up remains, but it's surely an improvement.

Erin is working through a plan to return to school. Her work has agreed to let her reduce to part-time, so she's investigating course options. She would like to improve her financial/accounting qualifications. We got very good news on behalf of Kristian this week. Woodcrest (the school with specialization for hard-of-hearing children) has accepted his enrolment for the fall in Junior Kindergarten. They have already obtained permission for a full-time aide to work with him on development of his communication skills. So, unless his hearing deteriorates even further, we are very optimistic about this plan.

Travis is working steadily with his job at Impact Promotions, and also picks up contracts for other graphic or web-site projects from time to time. He is also taking the investment training program along with me, and cheering mightily on behalf of his Penguins who managed to finish off the Flyers this afternoon—Yay!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

As the week began, we were up in Kenora, but now we are again on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We started off watching Kevin Martin lose to Scotland in the world curling championships. That was disappointing! Then, we watched Angel Cabrera win the green jacket at the Masters—I was cheering for Kenny Perry, although I'm happy enough with Cabrera's victory. And then, Eric/A arrived home, so we enjoyed a short visit with them. On Monday afternoon, we drove back to TBay and are enjoying springtime yard work, house cleaning, and a bit more work on renovations.

I am changing a few things about my garden project. I'm moving some of it to catch more sunshine, and I'm adding a 'potatoes-in-a-box' project. The lawn appears to be recovering nicely and I look forward to seeing whether my fancy 'green' grass can kill the quack grass! There are a few golfers out, but I haven't tried the course yet—just a bit of practice! My investment training continues. It's now six weeks, and I've managed to gain 18.0%. I've made fifty-three purchases, fifty-one sales and only three were at a loss. Now that I've learned more, I realize that two of those losses shouldn't have occurred either, so that's a very positive indication. I am determined to keep learning, and improve my discipline. As the course would describe it, I'm too emotionally attached to my purchases! (Imagine me being too emotional!) Anyway, that is how I understand my one bad purchase, and several other close calls!

Wendy has returned to wall paper and tile removal in the dining room. We haven't decided what to do about either flooring or painting, but we are committed to doing something!

I had another two days of work with the Territorial Student Program, and I have two more scheduled for next week.

Erin and Travis continue with their work. Kristian continues with his learning and growing. He enjoys the outdoors, but doesn't like to get his hands dirty. I think he would rather fall on his face, than have to use his hands to touch the dirt!

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

Happy Easter!

Another week has gone by here on the shore of Winnipeg River, in Kenora. We are staying at Eric/A's with the grandkids while Eric/A are vacationing in western Canada. We drove up here on Sunday afternoon, and have enjoyed the week here. There have been a few projects for both Wendy and I to put our attention to, so that has kept us busy. And I've also had a day of work for the local school district teaching about data exploration in TinkerPlots.

Throughout the week, I've enjoyed tracking the progress of Kevin Martin (my favourite curling team) in the world championships. After a ten-game winning streak, he has suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Scotland, and now he must fight back to beat them in the final game tomorrow. The baseball season has started, so we've been following the early season success of the Blue Jays. And, of course, it's Masters time! Almost too many things to watch!

It's a beautiful spot here on the shore of the river, where we can usually watch the deer grazing on the lawn or playing on the river ice. We've been able to get out for pleasant walks as we explore the neighbourhood.

My investment training has continued with a class on Monday evening, and my investments have continued to grow as well. I've now managed 17.0% increase in my first five weeks.

The TinkerPlot workshop on Thursday went well. I enjoyed working with an old MISA comrade up here, and I am continuing to find it to be such a useful way to get information out of the overwhelming mass of data we collect in our schools.

Easter weekend provides four days off school for the boys, so they're enjoying that. And we're enjoying spending the time with them.

Erin and Kristian are holding down the fort back in TBay. Trav has finished his university program and is dedicated to his work and various projects. We plan to head back on Monday or Tuesday.

So, that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has blown by here on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. A change in the weather has blown away my illusion of an early golf season, as a major dump of wet snow on Tuesday night has obscured lawns and fairways from view. Boo hoo! However, as we moved along toward the weekend, rain and warmer weather began to reduce the drifts and increase our hopes!

Mid-week and the turn of the monthly calendar also brought with it the end of the MISA program that I've been working with for four years. Thankfully, this has also resulted in my getting paid for the work I've been continuing to do (for nothing since November!), as I have now been authorized to bill for services rendered. Of course, this demands an elaborate tracking mechanism, but I guess that's the cost of business. Speaking of business, I've continue to progress in my investments training and investment success. I've now gained 15.7% in just four weeks. The program anticipates such growth in seven months, but not four weeks. Clearly, I've been fortunate to enter the program while we experiencing at least a temporary Obama surge in the stock markets. However, our teachers counsel us that the Bush recession is likely to last into 2010, so not to get too excited!

Wendy has continued with her therapy and as she is experiencing success with her initial back and shoulder problems, has now extended the work to her feet. She has long-standing issues with her feet (I know, but it just demanded to be used!), and is hopeful for some improvement.

Erin continues with her work and is doing well despite the many frustrations there. Kristian continues with speech therapy and doctoring. One doctor is suggesting a potential source of his problems in genetics (Pendred Syndrome), so they may be sending him to Sick Children's in Toronto for further investigation. He got this idea from the CAT scan, as he observed two of the tell-tale characteristics in his inner ear. This can only be confirmed with a genetic check for the defective gene. Unfortunately even if this is confirmed, it doesn't point towards a therapy or solution. But who knows with stem cell research, perhaps some day...

Travis has completed his classes, but has one exam left and at least one paper to complete. Then he'll be able to leave the slack life of the student and get to work!! Actually, he has been working very hard both in his studies and in several jobs throughout his university years. We are very proud of his accomplishments!

Next week we plan to spend in Kenora, taking care of the grandkids as Eric/A take a short vacation, but that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has flown by on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. The weather has been cool and we've even had some freezing rain to create a day of driving and even walking havoc. I've been working as counsellor in the Territorial Student Program all week. One of my students fell on the icy sidewalks on Tuesday morning, so I spent most of that day in the emergency department of the hospital as she was checked over and eventually out. I definitely got the feeling that a greater degree of caution was being exercised after the unfortunate death of Natasha Richardson (well-covered by this Globe and Mail article) However, after the various diagnostic tests and images were examined, it was eventually decided that my child's back was not broken and her skull was not cracked. They even were refusing painkillers despite her protestations of headache and other pains. They wanted to be sure to get as clear evidence as they could from her. The remainder of the week was dull by comparison!

Travis and I have continued our investment training. And my investments under their program have continued to do well—14.3% in only three weeks! That can't continue!! Fortunately, they had me heavily invested in Petro-Canada when word came down of Suncor's attempted purchase—that turned a tidy 20% gain. Trav's university semester is ending, and we look forward to his graduation in May.

Wendy has continued under chiropractic care and seems to be doing much better and probably is near the end of her course of treatments. She enjoys playing multiple Scrabble games on line at the same time, and has recently taken up Sudoku. It's good to keep the brain active.

Erin has been working extra hard lately as issues seem to be piling up at work even as the economic pressures mount in the automotive industry. Kristian is progressing and the testing and referral process through various experts continue as well.

The fairways are starting to show up on the local golf courses, so the golf juices are beginning to flow, even though it will probably be a month before they actually open for play. Golfers who have an off-season, always imagine that some new technique or piece of equipment is bound to contribute to this being the best season ever! We look forward to finding that out!!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has strolled by on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. As the week started, we watched the Brier final and cheered my guy, Kevin Martin, to another championship.

The weather has been lovely, so Wendy and I have managed to get out for several leisurely walks. The dropping snowbanks have turned dark and ugly. The deck is cleared off, so we managed our first barbecue of the season on Thursday evening. Ah! I missed that flavour!

One thing I've failed to mention that last two updates is that Trav and I are now taking an investment training course on line. It has started well, and we've begun "paper trading"; I'll try to remember to keep you up-to-date on how that goes! So far it is going very well (7.4% gain), but we've had eight days of rising markets so I guess it doesn't take a genius to profit on that! I don't know how long it will be before we begin investing in reality!

I've continued to have a little work on my various projects. It's year end for MISA, so I've prepared the annual financial and progress reports. I'll be emailing them in on Monday. It'll be about six weeks before I hear anything further as far as project funding for next year. I'm hoping for at least one hundred days of work over the next year.

We got word on Thursday of our cousin Karen's passing after a battle with cancer. Another family memorial in a week full of them as both our mothers and several other family members are remembered this week.

Wendy has been getting treatment all week for her back. She seems to have a pinched nerve in the back of the shoulder, but it's been improving a lot this week.

Erin has begun looking for a different job as her growing lists of responsibilities at work has not been marked by a commensurate increase in compensation! She is also considering returning to school for more training. Kristian continues to progress in his speech. He is also getting more testing as they try to determine not only the extent of his disability but also what may have caused it.

Travis continues to keep busy and do well with both work and school.

And today, as a special treat, Erica & Haaken drove down from Kenora, so we're celebrating Erica's birthday in person! They head back tomorrow.

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

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been showing the promise of Spring, but also provided a blast of winter in the middle of the week and gave us another dump of snow. However, we're back in the plus territory again, with a prediction of rain! (The weather reports used to be characterized as 'promising' something, but I've grown too old, experienced and jaded to consider those expressions as promises!)

Wendy enjoyed a week out in Regina, although the weather was not congenial. She celebrated her dad's birthday with him last Saturday, and he returned the favour on Monday! She flew back home on Thursday. She continues to suffer with a pinched nerve in her back, and was to the doctor yesterday. Hopefully that will be overcome soon as I don't like rolling over onto a bag of frozen peas in my bed (or any other kind of peas in my bed!)

The rest of us survived at home as everyone pitched in to help out. Erin proved a good cook on occasion, and Kristian kept us entertained. Travis and I have begun an Investing course, so we'll see how that goes. Are we rich yet?! We had our first session on Monday evening. I have continued development of my Data Exploration workshops, and now have all three sessions planned. Now, we'll wait to see if anyone buys them! Actually, I've already sold the first two a couple of times, and I look forward to presenting all three in the next academic year.

The big distraction this week is curling. My curling hero, Kevin Martin, has cruised through undefeated so far and is in the final tomorrow against his old nemesis, Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba. Of course, he beat Jeff during the regular draw, so now he has to make it two in a row! Last year, I got to watch him in person at the Brier in Winnipeg as he won the championship. (My children are generous!)

And that's about it for this week.