Saturday, October 5

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful all week, although it's turned cool and rainy today. I've taken a final harvest and pulled the beans, although we haven't had frost yet. The tomatoes continue to develop; I picked some more of the riper ones. I have puttered around sealing and trimming out the new patio door. Wendy helped me run some strips to fir out the frame a bit. We enjoyed a lovely evening out last night with Gord & Nora at a fund-raiser for MEMO that has been upgrading medical equipment in Cuba, and has set a new target for similar work in El Salvador. The US government shut down (thanks Teahadists!) has caused a decline in the markets this week, but I still managed a small gain. I have reduced my holdings to protect my portfolio a little, but really, I just hope that it gets settled soon. Bus driving has continued to go well. Wendy has been working all week at the new Big Lots store, but she's not having a lot of fun. The work is physically demanding, and the organization is frustratingly disorganized. Baseball has moved into the playoffs; I am following it with some interest. I am cheering for Boston and Los Angeles to advance to the final, but that's still a couple of rounds away. The Riders provided some relief last evening by taking a win in Vancouver and moving back into second place. 

Eric had another job interview, so we wait and hope for a positive outcome. Liam has been complaining of a sore big toe. This week he was diagnosed within an in-grown toenail, so he's scheduled for surgery next week. They had an adventure midweek as they headed over to Vancouver to a Bon Jovi concert. They missed the ferry sailing, so they took the float plane instead. That was fun, and they enjoyed the concert. The next morning, they missed the ferry again, but not wanting to pay for another float plane ride, they took a later ferry. Eric didn't have work that day, and the boys were off school both Thursday and Friday, but Erica needed to get back to complete and give a presentation—it all worked out fine. They also hit a deer on Thursday night; the car seemed undamaged, and they didn't check the deer closely! The film project continues. Erica is in the midst of strategic planning with the Board, so that has involved some extra work and evening meetings.

Erin and Kristian continue to thrive in Regina. Kristian used some of this birthday bonuses to take his mom out to dinner. We enjoyed chatting with them via FaceTime a couple of times. The weather in Regina has already turned colder with some hard frosts.

Trav picked up a nice contract with the University. Joanna has a new job in a different store, but is also doing her old jobs. Gemma and Andrew are enjoying good health and school. They're especially enjoying the end of the paper delivery project! Trav's hockey team won their second preseason game and will now head into the regular season.

And that's about enough for this week.

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