News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been pleasant here in Regina, although we hear of a big winter storm back in Thunder Bay. It's been a special week of family celebrations around the Christmas observance.

And Liam took the picture!

That was very special, and a lot of fun. Erin and Kristian are here already, while Eric, Erica and Liam came down from Prince Albert for the occasion. Dad and Erin hosted us all graciously. I got to reprise a few of my keto recipes, and even developed a new one for brown sauce for the Christmas pudding. We had a regulation Christmas feast featuring roast turkey and all the trimmings. Tonight, we finished off the last of the leftovers—too bad, I love turkey leftovers! Otherwise, it's been a quiet family week with three jigsaw puzzles completed.

1000 pieces mostly in place!

The markets had another big sell-off on Christmas Eve, but we've had a bit of recovery since then, and I'm nearly back to flat on the year despite the TSX being down 12.3%. The world junior hockey championships have begun which has taken a bit of our attention. Canada has won their first three games. The Pens and Leafs continue to play well in the NHL, although the Leafs played a stinker tonight. My Oilers have fallen out of playoff standing. C'mon Oil! The Jayhawks were dropped to #5 after their loss last week, but have followed up with an easy win today.

This week the Eric, Erica and Liam had a quick, but wonderful, trip down to Regina. They had to fit it between Erica's dressing changes so they could only be here a few days. They tried to make the most of them. It was good to spend time with them, and see that Erica is recovering well. On Thursday, they marked 25 years of marriage, and drove back to PA. They had hoped to have a Hootenanny to celebrate and maybe even a trip. But with Erica’s medical treatments, this has been put on hold for now. They did enjoy starting in on Netflix’s Occupied series. They’ve been invited to a NYE Murder Mystery Party so they are out looking for costumes today. Haaken reports that he had a good Christmas in Victoria; he is enjoying having a brown Christmas. 

Erin had some holidays this week, but was back to work part of the week also. Kristian spent most of the week over here. Today, Erin is not feeling well; we hope she's feeling better soon.

Another puzzle completed!

Travis and Joanna are leading the resistance back in TBay. This week, they had a snowstorm of biblical proportions, so it was a good thing that Travis was able to repair the snowblower. 

Rewind Repair—Successful!

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have migrated from the shore of Lake Superior to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We cleared away a few items on the kitchen renovation list, and then cleaned up to leave the place for the next few weeks.

Lower Cupboards

The weather has continued mild, with day time highs still running above zero back home, and close to zero here in Regina. We drove up to Winnipeg on Wednesday where we enjoyed a visit with Tom & Mariette and stayed overnight with Dean & Kelly—thanks folks! Then, we completed the drive on Thursday, and are now comfortably ensconced with Dad at 55 Laird. Bern, Alicia and Logan headed out Friday morning for a couple of weeks in Mexico. The markets have remained terrible. A prudent president doesn't dump the FED chief for no reason; a prudent president doesn't run up the deficit in good economic times; a prudent president doesn't start a trade war; a prudent president doesn't shut down the government. Trump did all four. The entire world is suffering for his foolishness. We didn't even get a Santa Claus rally this year. All North American stock indices are in the red for the year, and as of Thursday, I am, too. This will produce lower pension funds for us next year, so we'll be rearranging our lives in line with that. We are trying to keep up on the Toronto Maple Leafs while here with Dad, but join his chagrin as we take note of the frequent blackouts! Do they think we might decide to attend if they blackout the game! Anyway, the Leafs, Oilers and Pens are doing just fine, and entertaining us a lot. Over the Christmas break, we'll also be watching the World Junior Hockey Championship which is being played BC this year. Go Canada, Go! KU had an easy game early in the week, but finished on the road in Arizona against a ranked team, and their win streak ended! Rock Chalk all the same!

Liam found some work this week—in the back bedroom. They’ve slowly been renovating the house and the back bedroom has been in a state of partial insulation and drywall since the undocumented workers left! Liam finished up the insulation and a friend from church came over to help with the drywall. The inside wall remains, so he’ll have some work after Christmas. Liam had a specialist appointment on Friday. The iron transfusion has provided positive results. His iron and hemoglobin are both much improved. He has some more things to work on, but he is getting better and that is a relief. Haaken and Erica did battle with the CRA to change his address in their system. In order to change your address you can use their online system or you can phone in. To use the online system you need an account, for which you need a password that they will mail to you to your address on file or you can phone in to set up an email account. So, they needed to call, and Erica describes that fun! "When we called we were told that not only are all the agents busy, but queue was full, too, but we were welcome to use their online system—for which we needed an account, which is why we were calling, sigh! After 17 redials we got into the queue. Finally, we spoke with a person who needed to confirm Haaken’s identity with questions like: When was the last time you filed your tax return? What was the income you reported? Since I do that for him I tried to help, but that wasn’t allowed. Once we managed to get through that process, he was able to change his address and get a pass-code to setup his online account. Phew!" We're looking forward to spending some time with them over Christmas; the plan is for them to come down to Regina for a few days. They can only be away for short intervals between Erica's medical care appointments.

Erin, Kristian and Sadie greeted us on our arrival in Regina on Thursday evening. It was good to see them again. I stopped in on Friday to take Sadie for our traditional walk; she seemed to enjoy that also! Today, we got to watch Kristian bowl one game, then they cancelled the other two to hold a league Christmas party. He did bowl a good game, about 20 points above his average. We look forward to spending some good time with them over the next couple weeks while we're in town.

Travis, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew began the week with water issues. Water was dripping out of the bathroom fan downstairs! It took a bit of sleuthing, but we found the culprit—the flexible hot water connection hose in the upstairs bathroom had begun to leak! That was the same problem we had at our house last year! Anyway, we got it repaired and the floor/ceiling dried out, so we hope it works for them for another fifty years! They headed out to a few days in Minneapolis, so we got to take care of the house and pets while they were gone. They returned from Minneapolis on Thursday to take over home care duties. Thanks guys!

And that's about it for this week, Merry Christmas!

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful with day time highs rising above freezing under sunny skies. We've continued with a bit more renovation work before we head west next week. The base cupboards are all in place now, except for the island that I have yet to build. I completed the electrical in the kitchen this week, along with all the plumbing I can do while waiting for the countertops to arrive. Wendy bought the new kitchen sink, so that's ready to go. It's looking like it will turn out nicely. The markets were terrible once again this week as court cases agitated the already tense trade wars. The curling in Estevan ended with Brad Jacobs capturing the Canada Cup. This week they're playing in Newfoundland; Koe made the playoffs again, but lost the semi-final to an up and coming Scottish team, Bruce Mouat. He'll be playing another Scottish team in the final—Ross Paterson. Rachel Homan will face Kerri Einarson in the women's final. Improved play has moved both the Oilers and the Pens into playoff positions. The Leafs have slumped a bit recently, but they still hold down a playoff position. The Jayhawks have moved up to the #1 ranking in Basketball, and they won their games this week, but both games were plenty tense!

The Baileys scored a new Christmas tree, so they're ready to celebrate the season. 

Bailey's new tree with lights!

Erin and Kristian have the place looking very Christmasy.

Front Door

Kristian did an amazing project this week for school. He built a candy dispenser out of Lego, and he did a write-up and presentation to explain it.

Lego Vending Machine

League bowling did not go so well today, and he scored a good first game, but then suffered some drop off in games two and three. We're looking forward to watching him bowl next Saturday.

Trav and Joanna have continued the frantic pace getting as many things completed as possible before they take a break next week. They did almost 100 hockey teams with Puck Shots already this Fall, and the Bucket Decals printer has also been going steadily. This evening, they took us out to the Symphony Christmas show—that was great, thanks guys. Then, the whole crew came over to our place for our Christmas sharing since we'll be headed west before they get back from their break next week. 

And that's enough for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've settled back into life here. I feel that I've overcome my sniffles, but Wendy is continuing to struggle with a cold, and with her sore leg. She was back to the chiropractor this week, and is working on the assigned exercises from Dr. Barb. We've started back into the kitchen renos, and also continued with finishing touches downstairs. Wendy has redecorated the family room with her African collection—looks great!

Family Room

Family Room

I tore out the last of the old cupboards (the sink unit) and am working on plumbing and electrical for the new set up. The dishwasher is moving to a new location, and, of course, all the sink plumbing has to be redone. Wendy has me adding a number of plug-ins, and new lighting over the sink area. This involves fishing lines through finished walls and the ceiling—never a fun task!

Wiring and Plumbing work

We worked out two new recipes this week: Keto Ice Cream—Yummy!

Homemade Ice Cream!

Keto Bread—yummy, also!

New Bread Recipe

The markets have been bad, no good and terrible as The Tariff Man couldn't resist tweeting nonsense about the China trade wars. This was exacerbated by weak economic data from the US, and all indices produced big losses as they dropped to red on the year-to-date. It was a bad start to the month for me as well. Another Grand Slam event in curling with the Canadian Open out of Estevan. My guy, Kevin Koe, made the playoffs again. Today, he beat Brad Gushue by stealing the final three ends to advance to the final against Brad Jacobs—what a game! In hockey, the Leafs remain near the top of the standings and, finally, got Nylander back in the lineup. The Oilers and Pens have shown some improvement and are closer to playoff positions now. The Jayhawks won their games this week to remain undefeated, but did not play convincingly. Rock Chalk, Boys! 

Liam has completed his construction work for now and his RU practices are finished this week, so he'll heading home this weekend. It'll be nice to have him home for a bit! Haaken also starts his Christmas break this weekend, but he is staying in Victoria to avoid the cold and snow. Erica continues to heal and regain energy. Some days she has naps, but overall she is feeling better and the wounds are closing up little by little. She has blood-work and a follow-up appointment scheduled next week to check on her progress. Eric is finding life less hectic now that Erica is home. 

Kristian had a better day in league bowling this morning as he beat his average by 10 points per game. Well done, buddy! They have continued with Christmas decorations, adding to the tree and setting up other cozy areas. 

The Snow Family!

Travis and Joanna continue to be very busy trying to meet Christmas deadlines. They brought in extra help this weekend to try to get some bulk production out of the way.

Buncha Pics ready to go!

And that's about enough for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We had a brief visit with the Calders who we first met in Zambia.

Good to see the Calders again!

We started the week in Lawrence KS, arriving there just before a snowstorm that closed the interstate and made us fear for travel through Iowa! Helen and Marti had arranged a sing song for Tuesday evening; we enjoyed that a great deal. I made a Keto bumble berry crumble for the occasion—turned out very tasty! I also prepared another keto entree while we were there, my second try at Egg Roll in a Bowl. It was a hit as well. I've really enjoyed that our hosts have allowed us to prepare keto-friendly meals while we've been visiting. It's made it easier for us; we hope they've enjoyed it as well. On Wednesday, we headed north. To be sure there were a few cars and one semi in the ditches of Iowa, but the trip went well. There was heavy snow in southern Iowa, but it petered out by the time we got to Des Moines. We got some light snow falling on us as we drove up Minnesota. On Thursday, we continued northward, running into more snowfall in Duluth. The highway got quite heavy by the time we reached the border, but the plows had been out on the Ontario side, and we arrived home comfortably by 5:30. Snow continued overnight, and I got to shovel the driveway on Friday morning, however, it warmed up and the driveway melted clear as the day went on. I enjoyed my best week in the markets in a long time with all days showing gains, and I almost made quota for the month. We have a few weeks at home, so we're planning the next phase of renovations in the kitchen. Wendy bought another door to establish as a sliding door between the kitchen and the back entry.

Wendy's new barn door!

Calgary won the Grey Cup last Sunday—didn't need that! We're getting reacquainted with our hockey teams. Pens and Oilers both continue to languish around .500, which has resulted in a coaching change in Edmonton and plenty of unrest in Pittsburgh as well. The Leafs continue to flourish, and are near the top of the league standings after another win tonight.

The big news from the Baileys is that Erica has escaped from the hospital! The temperature spikes have ended, and her kidney function has returned to normal. We are very thankful! She is still on vacuum therapy, so she has a baby-Vacula to carry around.

The baby Vacula

Eric is also glad to have her home! Liam's dance troupe is learning a new production. He continues to learn on-the-job construction skills. Haaken is working on getting his forms submitted for student loans and RESPs. He has a few weeks left in this term of college. 

Erin had a successful Christmas celebration at work, and is now working on the decorations at home. She has her tree up, and they've started to decorate it. Kristian delights in helping with this.

Decorations begin!

His bowling was a bit substandard this morning—more practice is needed! 

Trav and Joanna are very busy trying to get jobs completed and delivered to meet Christmas deadlines. They were glad that the snow waited for our return! Gemma and Andrew continue with school and work. At least they got their Christmas house decorations done early!

Complete—in a minimalist way!

And that's about it for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed and we've completed a big circuit. This evening we returned to Lawrence KS—Rock Chalk, Jayhawk country! Aunt Helen had failed to lock the door, so we just moved ourselves right in! It's been a great and full week in Dallas, actually, in Rowlett. Viggo and Nancy have hosted us most graciously—thank you!

Viggo & Nancy

Viggo and I got out golfing three more times—very enjoyable times for sure! Wendy got in her quota of shopping and also scored a massage session. On Thursday, we celebrated with extended family around the Thanksgiving table, and in front of the Thanksgiving football games! Tuesday was a special Praise and Pie evening at CARE (Church at Richardson East), and we indulged in that as well. The markets remained dismal, and with the US holidays were pretty thinly traded as well. I'm just holding my dividend-payers, and waiting for the markets to turn around, but that didn't happen this week. I haven't followed much hockey this week, but did listen to the Pens and Leafs win their games tonight as we drove up from Dallas. The CFL season completes tomorrow with the Grey Cup game—I can only hope the heavily-favoured Stamps will blow it again! My Jayhawks won the NIT-TipOff tournament this week and remain undefeated so far. Rock Chalk!

Erica has had a mostly up week, and even managed to score a pass this evening to get out of the hospital for an event. We hope the improvements will lead to a new analysis on Monday, and that her transition home will be sooner! 

Looking and feeling better!

Liam was home part of the week as he had some medical work that needed attention as well. He has now returned to his work in Moose Jaw. 

Erin has been very busy preparing for her staff Christmas party. This involved her buying gifts for about 80 staff children, and arranging for the actual party. Kristian helped out. He had his bowl-off for league bowling for last week on Monday evening, then he had his regular league bowling today. He also had youth group on Monday evening, so he's being well-occupied as well. 

Kristian, Erin & Sadie

We keep our cell phones off, and thus, we don't have ready communications while we're out of Canada, so we've had less tracking of Trav, Joanna and crew this week. They report that they've avoided shoveling so far because it has rained a lot! Meanwhile, Gemma is excelling in Calculus (93%), and Andrew is excelling in driver training (don't confuse that with accelerating!). Trav & Joanna have photographed 83 teams since September! Good work if you can get it!

Anyway, that's about enough for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have moved on to the shore of Lake Ray Hubbard in Rowlett TX. It's been a full and very enjoyable week. Aunt Helen and Marti arrived home Sunday afternoon, and we were pleased to greet them. On Monday, Marti treated us to a Jayhawk game at the Phogg—an experience not to be missed. The Jayhawks came through with another win for us!

with Marti, Helen

with Chikwela, Lweendo

On Wednesday, we drove down to Stillwater OK by way of Fayetteville AR. In Fayetteville we visited Chikwela and Lweendo, and another long time Zambian contact Marton. I had been privileged to marry Marton and Minigrade while we lived in Zambia, and now they have five children.

with Marton

Marton Skyped back to Zambia, so we got to talk to Minigrade as well. Lweendo cooked us a beautiful pork chop supper, and then we drove over to Stillwater where we visited with Jack and Joanne Bayles.

Joanne & Jack

Jack's Model A

We had a great time of reminiscing with them for the next two days. Jack took us for rides in his Model A, and his Cadillac Coupe. Fun times! We celebrated their 57th anniversary on Friday, and then drove down to Rowlett where we've moved in with Viggo and Nancy. We're being treated famously wherever we visit—thanks a lot, folks! Viggo and I got out golfing today—that was a great day! We should have been in California by now, getting ready to visit Mexico with True North Helping Hands, but news that the schools were on strike down there convinced us to look for a better opportunity in June 2019. Meanwhile, the markets have returned to troubled times, mostly over the US/China trade war. I managed to remain green, but remain short of quota for the month. Next week is bound to be very slow moving in the markets with the US Thanksgiving holiday. The Rider season ended with the loss in the division semi-final to Winnipeg. It was a good season despite it ended prematurely. The Maple Leafs have ascended to the top of the NHL standings, but the Oilers and Pens are not performing so well. 

Erica continues her sojourn in the hospital in Prince Albert. The doctor seems satisfied with the progress of healing, but continues to be flummoxed over the temperature spikes she's experiencing. Eric ran her down to Saskatoon on Wednesday for an Echocardiogram, and she mostly enjoyed that outing. Liam is home this weekend. 

Erin and Kristian had a good week, but Kristian got a bit run down, so he elected to do the bowl-off later instead of league bowling today. He had a church Youth Retreat last weekend; he enjoyed the experience. There were three boys, and a bunch of girls, hmm! Friday was Parent-Teacher Interviews which provided no surprises, and usually, that's a good thing!

Trav, Joanna and crew are holding down the fort in Thunder Bay. We hope they're not getting too much snow. Joanna is headed down to Toronto to spend time with her dad. The businesses continue to be busy, so that's good!

And that's about enough for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed, and we are on the move again. We cleaned up a few items on the to do list at home, and then headed south for the winter! I made some progress on cupboard development in the kitchen, and Wendy got back on the horse and did some painting. She experienced some discomfort and some trepidation getting back on the ladder after her fall last week. She's still experiencing a fair amount of paint from the fall, and is not getting around very easily.

Santa Wreck!

We got back our car on Wednesday evening, then, on Friday morning, we drove down to Minneapolis. It started snowing as soon as we decided to leave, and the roads were heavy by the time we reached the border, but the plows were soon out, and we had a good drive. We were startled by a deer that crossed in front of us in the first hour into Minnesota. I got the battery replaced in my iPhone at the Apple store in Minneapolis—it's good as new once again! Today, we drove down to Lawrence KS to visit our friends there for a couple of days. True to expectations the US voters came through for us and elected a Democratic congress, so investors took a bit of encouragement and began buying. However, the FED also started talking, and that took the wind out of our sails a little. Still, I did manage a green week, although not up to quota. If the Dems install Nancy Pelosi as Congressional leader again, I will not be holding much hope for the situation. To me, she's more about making side deals, and less about keeping the government accountable. They don't actually take office until January, so, we'll see how it goes. The Slam curling event this week is in Thunder Bay. Kevin Koe has again qualified for the medal round, and I have the PVR set to record the games so I can watch them later. Canucks continue to out-perform in hockey, while the Pens are not meeting expectations. Oilers and Leafs are also playing at mediocre levels as compared to my expectations. 

Erica has had another long week. Overall we're noting progress, but she had a particularly down day on Friday as another infection reared its ugly head. She seems a bit better today, and overall is gradually improving, and looking to assemble a series of next steps that will eventually lead to her being able to check out of hospital. 

Erin and Kristian are having a busy week. Kristian had to do his bowling early since he is off with the youth group from church to a retreat this weekend at Echo Lake Bible Camp. He gets back sometime tomorrow. Liam has come over from Moose Jaw to spend a quiet weekend at Aunt Erin's. 

On Thursday, we went out for a celebratory supper with Travis, Joanna and Gemma for Trav's birthday, since we wouldn't be back in time for the actual date. Now, they get to take care of the place, including the inevitable snow while we're away. I did get the snowblower tuned up, and the tires repaired, so we hope that proves a helpful assistant! Anyway, it's certainly helpful to have them regularly at the house. Last time we were away, they noted and intercepted a plumbing leak, so that saved us quite a mess! 

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has remained seasonal, with a few drizzly days and daytime highs around 10 degrees. That makes for pretty comfortable activity, and we did get a bit done both inside and out. Wednesday was Halloween, and we had about 30 kids come by for treats. As planned, we've shut down our hot tub for the season. I got that drained on Thursday. We got the car into the body shop on Thursday; that has delayed our planned trip south until the end of next week. In the meantime, we have a KIA Sportage as our rental. Things are pretty much ready to roll downstairs in the kitchenette, so we're ready to move operations down there and work on the main kitchen. We plan to begin that when we get home from our November trip. Wendy suffered a mishap while painting this week; she missed her step and fell from the stepladder, so she's been laid up the last few days. She's getting around better today—yay!

Cupboard I salvaged, still need to add a drawer.

The markets have been terrible in October—the worst October in a decade, but November has begun with fresh hope as we have news that Wall Street is betting on a Democratic win in the midterm elections. That might return some accountability and a bit of sanity to the US Administration. We can hope! At any rate, I had a good week, and I have made plans to put more money to work, after the election, if all goes well. Sports continues to entertain. Koe lost the final in the Grand Slam event, but still made a fine showing. My hockey teams are doing okay, although the Leafs have been having a tough time scoring lately. They did beat the Pens tonight, while the Oilers defeated Detroit. Another team I follow, the Canucks, are exceeding expectations in the early part of the season. Basketball has begun again, and I enjoyed watching the Jayhawks win their final preseason tuneup. Rock Chalk, Jayhawks! The Riders have the week off while the other teams play to establish the final playoff rankings and see who will face them next.

It's been a tough week for the Baileys as Erica remains in hospital recovering from the complications and infection associated with her recent surgery. She was very ill, but seems on the mend, finally. We expect she may remain in hospital for many days, yet.

Erin and Kristian are off to Moose Jaw this weekend as Kristian has a bowling tournament there. We wish them a good trip, and a fun time! His league bowling today was quite inconsistent, although his high game (163) was very good. 

Travis and Joanna keep busy with PuckShots and BucketDecals. The new counter downstairs is finding good use as they lay out posters they've developed and printed.

New work counter is working!

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 cool and showery with daytime highs struggling to make double digits, so no golf for me this week. In fact, most courses now have the winter tarps on the greens and tee boxes, so golf is over until we head south next month. We have continued to putter away on our renos; we'd like to get the kitchenette completed before we head out, but we only have one week left! I've pushed forward on work in the new closet upstairs while Wendy has spent most of her efforts this week on painting and refinishing the barn door. She's also been keeping up painting the walls as I get them ready. I built a cupboard base unit to add to the upstairs collection—I think(hope) we have the full set assembled up there now. Wendy is still contemplating options for the countertops in the main kitchen.

Barn Door installed

Other side of Barn Door

New Broom/Linen Closet

The markets continued to be terrible, no good and bad. DOW has now joined the TSX in the red for the year as Trump's trade wars and tariffs continue to bleed value out of American companies. I am not in contention to make my quota this year, and will need two big months to keep from eating into my principal while funding our retirement. Sports have continued to entertain. The big event this week is the Grand Slam of Curling event from Truro. My guy, Kevin Koe, has moved into the playoffs once again. The next event is here in Thunder Bay, but we'll be headed south by then. The World Series is interesting, but Boston seems too powerful for my Dodgers—c'mon Bums! The Riders played their final regular season game this evening against BC. That win put them in first place, but Calgary has a game remaining, so it depends on how they do in that one. We have to wait to see how the other teams finish to find out who we'll face in the playoffs. Go Riders, Go! The early returns in the hockey season are favourable for my teams, but I'm still looking for them to do better! 

Erica has had a tough week health wise. Her surgical wounds have become infected, and she is back in the hospital this weekend getting them cleaned and dressed, after which, we're expecting the antibiotics to clear things up. Eric keeps busy taking care of her, while maintaining his own busy schedule. Haaken with his classes and Liam with his work are carrying on. 

Erin and Kristian are pretty much enjoying life as per usual. This week's bowling league play was displaced in favour of a Halloween celebration. Kristian has qualified for a bowling tournament next weekend in Moose Jaw, so we'll be watching and cheering from afar. 

Travis and Joanna continue to be very busy, and when you're in business, that's a good thing! Andrew had a mishap in the gym, spraining his finger, so he's a bit laid up. Gemma continues her work as an amazing student, while taking brief timeouts to be a teenager and drive her mother crazy! 

And that's about enough for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We had some lovely summery weather in the middle of the week, and I got out golfing once again, but it's turned cold again for the weekend. Today, I saw some courses were installing the tarps over the greens, so that'll be the end of golf for this season. We have continued to make progress on the renovations. Finishing work always seems to progress very slowly. Wendy spent two days repairing, sanding and refinishing the door we're using for the barn-door application. It's looking great! I installed another arborite shelf in the kitchenette as a work surface. I also installed a pantry unit down there.

Sanding! Coffee!

Counter & Pantry

Not much happening up stairs in the main kitchen as we want to move downstairs before that happens. The markets had another bad week, but I did manage some early progress before the red hit again. Baseball playoffs have continued and we now have our World Series participants identified. Boston will play Los Angeles—that will maximize travel time! I'll be cheering for Dem Bums; Mom always cheered for the Dodgers, so I'll take her side this year! The Riders are struggling with injuries in the late going of the season, and are crawling into the playoffs. Tonight, they travelled to Calgary, and prevailed over the league leaders—Yowsah Riders! Hockey continues to garner my interest. My Oilers, Pens and Leafs are doing okay so far, although not tonight! 

After some adventures in air travel, courtesy of Air Canada, Erica finally made it home after a short detour in Dublin. She returned to work this week, to the extent that she could manage around wound care and including the need for extra rest. Her legs hurt; the wounds are healing slowly; her patience is running a bit thin! However, she is getting better each day! Eric has been up and down the road to Saskatoon for his card hockey draft, massage therapy, and a Marriage & Family Therapy session. Liam continues to enjoy his work. Haaken is finishing his current set of classes. 

Erin and Kristian had a fairly standard week in Regina. Kristian's bowling scores this week were much improved, and averaged 146.7—very near this year's target of 150, and well above his average. Well done, buddy! 

Travis and Joanna are very busy with hockey pictures and bucket decals. They're liking the improvements we're making in their break room downstairs! Joanna did get out for a family dinner, just with the kids.

Andrew, Joanna, Gemma!

That was nice!

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

We've had a cool, rainy week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We enjoy the hot tub each evening to relax tired muscles and get us ready for bed. We plan to keep it running until we head south in early November. With the new cupboards on site for the kitchen, it is time to pull out the old sink cupboards so we can make further progress on that project, but first, we need somewhere to cook and clean up, so we've spent this week on the downstairs kitchenette. We finished that up today, installing the Uppers, the sink and the flooring. We like it. 

Cupboard Install

Flooring

It was definitely the highlight of the week in which we've had a few disappointments. Wendy got hit by a driver who was backing out of his parking stall without looking. The estimate for the damage to our Santa Fe is $3200.00. The markets have been terrible as the damage being done by the Terrible Tariffs and the Trillion dollar deficit in the USA hit folks this week. I keep looking and hoping for a buying opportunity among the red ink, but no progress lately. Finally, my sports picks failed to materialize: the Yankees fell to Boston in the baseball playoff, and the Riders took a royal kicking today in Winnipeg. Riders remain in second place at least, but they've suffered a number of injuries again today, so they're limping into the final weeks of the season. Go Riders, Go! 

Erica spent an extra week in the hospital in Germany dealing with some fluid build up and infection related to her surgery. Fortunately, there was no extra charge for the extended stay, but there was additional costs related to Greg's stay at the BnB, and the rescheduling of flights home. They missed their connection in Dublin, so stayed there one day, and only got back to Canada today, and to home tonight. She will need followup with her local doctor to drain the fluid build up in her left leg. 

Erin and Kristian are gradually recovering their health after falling victim to a nasty bout of cold and flu. Kristian had bowling today, but didn't quite match his average, although his first game was very good. 

Trav, Joanna and crew are busy with their usual assignments. They had us over for Thanksgiving BBQ on Monday, it was great—thanks guys! Gemma is quite busy with midterms at University. Trav & Joanna are into PuckShots and BucketDecals—the machine downstairs keeps pumping them out! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has remained cool and wet with only a couple of days reaching toward 20°. We've had our first frost now, so the trees are in glorious fall colours. I got out to the golf course once. We're into October, so the courses will be closing here sometime this month. I started the week watching the Ryder Cup Matchplay golf—always one of my favourite events. This year it was in Paris, and provided some fun drama as usual, although the Europeans won handily. I also enjoy the Presidents Cup in the alternating years, although the World side has failed to make it competitive. We got news yesterday that our new cupboards were ready to be picked up, so we've borrowed a trailer and managed to get them all moved in today. We had showers yesterday, so we're glad to find the dry weather today to get them transferred.

Cupboards installed-√

Wendy has been painting, but I still have walls under repair, so we're not quite ready! She has also been doing some yard work, cutting in the lawn along the driveway, and clearing up some branches that fell out of our big oak tree. The tree fought back—as she tried to break up the branches, one came up and smoked her in the side of the head! It still hurts some days later, and she notices it when she chews as well! The markets turned sour this week. The pundits are saying the issue is the Trump deficits. Their concern was triggered by his new tax cuts that were rushed through under cover of the Kavanaugh hearings. Since the administration is showing no inclination to pay for its expenditures, there is pressure on bonds and investors are moving out of stocks. Sigh! The early games of the NHL season have been good to watch, but my Oilers, Pens, and Leafs are not putting up the results I want! The Riders play Edmonton in the Thanksgiving game on Monday. The baseball playoffs have begun; I'm cheering for the Yankees, but they're in tough against the top seed Boston Red Sox. 

Erica had her surgery in Germany, but has suffered a setback during the recovery process. She has experienced fluid buildup in her left leg, and her doctors have kept her there for an additional week. So, she's not home for Thanksgiving weekend. Greg remains there with her, and Eric has reworked the flight schedule. Yikes! Things don't always go as planned. She is now scheduled to fly next Friday. 

Erin and Kristian have been suffering ill health this week. Kristian was home sick a couple of days, and then Erin caught it, so she missed work as well. We trust they're on the road to recovery now. Kristian bowled his league games this morning. He wasn't quite hitting his spots, so he didn't score up to his expectations, but he continues to raise his average. 

Travis has continued to be very busy developing and printing bucket decals. His contacts continue to spread via word-of-mouth and other advertising. He gets a lot of work from southern Ontario, and this week produced work for St. Louis and Arkansas teams as well.

Go Hogs!

Joanna returned from TO with her mom, so we got a visit with them. We plan a Thanksgiving meal together on Monday.

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 cool and rainy, but we've been working inside most of the week. We've been busy on the kitchen renovations and now all the cupboards are removed except for the sink unit as we're still using those. I have removed the old fan unit, and begun the installation of the new one. That required a hole in the wall through the stucco, so it got a bit messy! I'm also trying to figure out what we have for electrical supply and determine how to improve on it. We're supposed to get our new cupboards next week, but we're not ready for that—I'll try to delay the delivery as long as possible! Wendy has started the painting. We also picked up the new flooring this week. She's thinking we may also use the same material for the two bedrooms up here. The other bedroom was already re-floored with laminate and is being used as an office. A family from church collected our old cupboards; we were glad to have them gone. We've been using the hot tub regularly, but I've been having difficulty managing the temperature. I don't know if there's air in the lines, or just why it seems so temperamental, but it's not working like it should. Another month of investing is complete and it didn't go well. TSX remains in the red for the year. The pros tell us we can't beat the markets, so I'm glad to be in the green at least, even though I'm well short of what I was planning on! My new investment plays continue to show benefits. The baseball season is ending and the playoffs are set up. Soon, the World will be taking the game Seriously for a few weeks. The Jays announced the dismissal of their manager—I've never been a fan of his! The first Grand Slam event of curling is running this week and my guy, Kevin Koe, and with his new team, have moved into the playoffs. They won the first leg of the World Cup of Curling earlier, so that's an encouraging start. The Riders play Montreal tomorrow, and need a win to maintain their place in the standings—Go Riders, Go! The NHL is completing the pre-season and ready to begin another season. I'll be cheering for the Oilers once again, while also paying attention to my other favourite teams: Pens and Leafs. 

All one unit-Trav, Joanna helped get this down!

Prying them off the walls!

And then they were gone! 

Old vent gone, new vent cut in!

Erica is in Germany for her fourth surgery. She has come through that, and is now struggling through the rehabilitation aspects. We're encouraged by her courage and progress. She is scheduled to fly home next Friday. Eric is holding the fort in Prince Albert. Liam continues in Moose Jaw; he built a corner bookcase recently. Haaken is enjoying his program in Victoria. He's having particular interest in the history of animation which he's truly been studying for years. Eric is facilitating a new class called One Heart—Two Homes; it's for families going through separation and divorce. 

Erin and Kristian are hunkering down under an early touch of winter in Regina. Kristian had league bowling this morning, and posted an impressive 140 average. I'm sure he can manage this or better each week! He is continuing to adjust to his grade 7 classes and teachers. We are confident he will manage just fine. 

Travis and Joanna are busy; Joanna is extra engaged this week as her sister has come up for a visit. It was good to meet her. With the NHL starting a new season, Travis has the extra burden of being a fan! He's expecting another good run from his Penguins. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has turned cooler, and we also had a couple days of rain. It was comfortable for inside work and we're continuing to make progress on the kitchen renovations. Taking off the hanging set of cupboards revealed another surprise—they were being held up by the decorative valence! Material had been scabbed onto the gyproc through the use of nails at widely disparate angles (There were rafters they could have used!). Then, they nailed the 1/4" valence material on with small finishing nails. It was clear that a support bridge, under the unsupported end, had been employed at some point in time, but it was long gone before we came on the scene. Our set of stoneware dishes were housed in that set of cupboards, and we're now surprised they stayed in the air! At least, it was easy to take the cupboards down!

Hang 'em High!

Wendy is narrowing her choices on paint colour for the kitchen; she plans to begin applying that next week. Market volatility has continued but my new strategy paid dividends and I had a good week for a change. The Blue Jays continue to provide entertainment, if not wins. One game this week they did both—scoring 7 runs in the bottom of the ninth for a win! The Riders rebounded from their poor performance last week. They beat Toronto by 1 point this evening, and are now alone in second place. Go Riders, Go! 

Erica is off to Germany on Monday for her fourth scheduled surgery. We pray all goes well, and that the intervention will continue to ease her situation, reduce her pain and discomfort and lead to greater mobility. Eric is holding the fort down in PA. Greg is travelling with Erica this trip. Liam continues with work in Moose Jaw and college activities at Caronport. 

Erin and Kristian spent last weekend celebrating his 13th Birthday! Now, they're back to their regular activities in Regina. Kristian didn't post any bowling scores this morning, as he's postponed his league bowling until Monday evening. They've had cooler weather and even some early snow. 

Travis and Joanna seem to be very busy with Ulrich Design work. The decal printer keeps pushing out money! They're into team pictures for the upcoming hockey season already.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It's been hot, but we've been busy working on the kitchen renovations. There remains a lot to be done, including some more electrical, but we're about ready for paint. I added a new circuit for the fridge, along with a water line for it. There was a lot of patching to be done, but it's coming along nicely. In this area, there used to be a built-in china cabinet over the stairwell, and a broom closet.

Used to be!

Patch and Replace

We've been shopping for new flooring for the kitchen/dining room, but no decisions have been made yet. We've been enjoying the hot tub in the evenings to soak the sore muscles—feels good! Meanwhile, in Thunder Bay! , down at the mall, baby bear is shopping for a replacement chair! (You may have to use a FaceBook account to see the video—sorry about that!) The markets have continued to be brutal as Twitter-Fingers keeps pushing his trade war. His status was further brought into question as his campaign manager flipped on him and agreed to cooperate with the justice department investigation of his administration. I'm working on a more nimble strategy to cope with the volatile markets. This is more like I practised in my early years in the business. I hope it works well! The Blue Jays have been taking a beating from the top teams in their division, although they did manage to sneak one out this evening against the Yankees. The Riders hosted Ottawa tonight, but they didn't play well either side of the ball, and their win streak ended, sigh! Anyway, we remain in second place in the West. Go Riders. Go! 

Eric and Erica took in the game tonight in Regina—one of the perks of Erica's job! They are in the final preparation for Erica's next trip to Frankfort of her fourth lipedema surgery. Liam is working at Moose Jaw, and participating with the dance troupe at Caronport. 

Kristian had another league bowling event this morning; he's averaging about 120 so far in the early season. I'm expecting him to push this to about 150 once he gets back in practice. He's begun birthday celebrations as well, despite that his birthday is not until tomorrow! I thought it was only we old folks who got to celebrate over an extended period! 

Travis and Joanna are well engaged in team photography. They also keep pushing out the decals for Bucket Decals. They seem to stop in to the office here at various times to get the printer going again! Gemma is wondering about continuing with work while she's at University. She's feeling quite busy at school, so she may switch to something more relaxing for her work.

And that's about enough for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather was much nicer this week as the heat wave ended. We enjoyed getting some more work done in the yard. Wendy cleaned out a lot of weeds, and things are looking pretty good. I got the hot tub going in anticipation of a couple of months of that this fall. It seems to be having some difficulty getting up to our desired temperature, so I'll need to check what's happening there. Wendy selected replacement kitchen cupboards, so I have more projects on the go than I can manage! Delivery is supposed to be early October on the cupboards, so we've started the kitchen project. Removal of the old pantry and sideboard revealed more surprises! Don't know what's with these people and their electrical experiments!

How many electrical sites did they try?

Anyway, we've mostly been doing demolition this week. We hope to have enough of the area ready to store the new cupboards as they arrive. Wendy also continued her work removing decades worth of wallpaper. The markets have been terrible this week with the turmoil in the White House, and continuing trade threats keeping investors on edge. All North American indices were in the red again, and so was I, sigh! The Blue Jays continue to play out the season, but really disappointed me when they refused to call up Vladdy Jr. The Riders played the Labour Day classic last weekend, and the return engagement Banjo Bowl today against Winnipeg. And they won both of them! Great going, Riders! 

Eric and Erica are relaxing in their empty nest this week. Erica spent the week in Regina for the LAS conference. Eric held down the empty fort at home. Liam started his first week of work in Moose Jaw. He had to do a TB test, so he drove back for Friday, then over to Jackfish Lake for a retreat. He'll be around until Monday to get the TB test results and then head back to Moose Jaw and work. Haaken started back at school on Friday. He is working on the paperwork to get his RESP and his student loan. Erica leaves in a couple of weeks for her next surgery. They are working to gather the money to pay for that and the final surgery in December. 

Kristian is back at school, starting grade 7. Several of his friends have stayed together in his class, so he was glad of that. Today, he had his first bowling in the new season, and he was glad to get back at that also. He averaged better than his last season of work, but he's also raised his goals, so we'll look forward to how that develops. Erin is back at work. 

Travis and Joanna are keeping very busy with the various aspects of Ulrich Design work. Gemma has started University and finds it quite a load. Andrew is also back at school. We enjoyed having them over for a meal, and this evening we enjoyed tea over at there place. We also did some problem-solving on a drainage issue in their main bathroom. We hope the improvement holds! One of their recent Bucket Decal orders was for a hockey team in Australia! 

Roo Hockey!

And that's about it for this week.