There is Light!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has turned both cold and snowy. We had our first winter storm blow through mid week, and we certainly got our work out clearing the driveway. The snowblower is not running (yet); don't quite understand why. It seems to have both fuel and spark, but it's not firing! I'm thinking Wendy may have sabotaged it to save what's left of my fingers! We certainly could have used it on the one cleaning. The first time the snow was very heavy and wet, and probably would not have blown well. Wendy has been very busy, continuing the preparation and painting of the side entry, working on Christmas preparations, and shoveling snow! We enjoyed Christmas Day with Travis, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew. Wendy fixed roast turkey, and more trimmings than I recall! Mashed potatoes and gravy with stuffing and whole berry cranberries are central of course, but she added corn, butternut squash, yams AND sweet potatoes, rutabaga, broccoli, pickles and salad! Joanna supplemented our overindulgence with wine and crème brûlée.

Family!

Selfie around the table!

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed the opening of gifts from the ridiculous to the sublime—I scored some more Amazon gift cards, so the giving continues! We all feel abundantly blessed! We decided to add to our possessions with a new deep freeze, and a thickness planer. Then, this evening this begin:

Wendy is now fully employed!

The markets have been troubled even over this shortened week as the Senate Republicans were unwilling to give folks much money in the way of stimulus, but after the Democrats finally agreed to the reduced stimulus, Trump came along and rejected the whole negotiations. So, it remains up in the air, and the markets hate uncertainty, so valuations have not gone well, and I have fallen behind on my quota for the month, and with just one shortened week left to catch up! The pandemic continues to ravage, but vaccinations have begun, so we look forward to what effect that may begin to have in about a month or so. College Football is into bowl season; my teams are scheduled to play next week. #20-Texas and #21-Oklahoma State are favoured in their games, while my #6-Sooners are the underdog at the Cotton Bowl. #3-Jayhawks completed their 2020 play with an impressive win over #7-West Virginia.

Eric, Erica and Liam enjoyed their Christmas observance at home. Eric and Erica did get out for some careful caroling for several seniors of their congregation. Haaken celebrated in Victoria. Eric and Erica helped with the Christmas Eve service, then followed up with handing out some cards and doing a driving tour of the Christmas lights. Liam made a gluten-free lasagna. Then, they accommodated a second seasonal observance of Die Hard with Haaken via FaceTime and enjoyed phone calls with both sides of the family. Today, they had a Zoom call with Greg and Haaken. Tomorrow, Eric and Erica celebrate their sparkling water/champagne anniversary: 27th on the 27th. The plan is not set yet—maybe Skip the Dishes. Eric, Erica and Liam are all part of leading the worship service tomorrow. 

Erin and Kristian were able to host Shawn, Astrid and Liam for celebrations in Regina. We enjoyed some video chatting with them yesterday.

Travis and Joanna were busy with flower deliveries for Christmas. The more recent lockdowns here mean hockey and PuckShots are back on hiatus. At least they're in our family bubble, so we're glad to have some time with them.

And that's enough for this week.

Dark Days!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has changed and we have winter! Snow arrived on Sunday, and has fallen on a few other days as well. It hasn't amounted to much, but at least we have snow in anticipation of Christmas. And that's about the closest we can come to good news this week. The virus continues to rampage worldwide. USA continues to perform the worst as a result of their woeful leadership response to this challenge. On the other end of the spectrum we have New Zealand with zero community spread, a rebounding economy and full attendance at their sporting events. We are not doing so well here either, especially in the prairie provinces. Here, in Ontario, our premier is looking to tighten or extend restrictions again next week. We are only allowed our family bubble, but we're planning a full scale Christmas dinner—can't stop us from enjoying that! Normally, we'd be on a trip to Saskatchewan and BC this time of year, however, that is out of the question in these circumstances. Wendy has continued with the painting of the side entry, although whether climbing the ladder or crawling on the floor, it's a bummer working in the closet!

Bummer, dude! 

 

 

 

 

The colder weather has kept me out of the workshop, although I did strip a couple of more pallets, so I have a good supply of wood, but it's in need of planing. The markets have pushed forward on rumours of a stimulus bill, but as the Senate kept refusing to bring it to a vote, they eventually gave up and sold off on Friday. At least I was able to stay on quota for the month. College Football is in Championship weekend, and my Sooners won their sixth straight conference championship this afternoon. #5Jayhawks have continued to improve in basketball, and won again this week to open conference play. The conference looks really tough this year with a number of ranked teams including #2 Baylor—Rock Chalk Jayhawk! 

It was a quiet week at the Baileys in Prince Albert. This weekend they started getting ready for Christmas by doing all the important things: decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, eating chocolate and watching Die Hard.

10 foot ceilings make for tall trees!

Eric and Erica also got out Saturday night to do some Covid-safe caroling—sounds like fun. Haaken continues to work at Costco. They will miss him this Christmas. They have plenty of snow, and plenty of Christmas movies. 

Kristian has completed his classes and is on Christmas break. It will be extended due to the coronavirus, and he will be looking to begin 2021 with on-line classes as the seek to break the grip the virus is holding over the province and the city. 

Trav and Joanna have managed to get some business with both PuckShots and HelmetDecals. We enjoyed beginning the week with them to celebrate Andrew's birthday. A delicious pulled-pork supper, along with birthday macaroons marked the occasion.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

You can see how the cake was protected  by a styrofoam  cover. Ah, the good old days when we'd have someone blow all over the food, and then, we'd eat it! 

And that's about enough for this week.

First Vaccines Arrive!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We were threatened with snow on Thursday, but it seems the +8 on Wednesday was just too much, and we had a day of rain instead. The latest forecasts have us anticipated colder weather, even remaining below zero most days, so we're expecting any precipitation coming will be snow. While the infection and death rates for Covid-19 continues to rise, we have had emergency approvals of the first vaccines, and we anticipate some inoculations beginning next week. This vaccine takes two injections, some weeks apart, so, it will be some time before we see the effectiveness of the program. The supply is very limited as well, but we're thinking that by next summer the effects will be widespread. That would be a great relief! Otherwise, we remain safe within our family bubble here. Wendy continues the mudding, sanding, priming and painting program in the side entry.

Works great!

I have completed my chisel sharpening jig; it works very well. I got a double-side diamond stone, so, I do the primary bevel on the 300 side, and then adjust and make the secondary bevel on the 1000 side.

Installed at 55 Laird

The luggage racks have now reached their destination in Regina; Wendy wants me to build another set for here! I have begun planning a library chair and a flippable step stool, but I'm running low on wood that's ready to build with. I got some white oak planed at Dad's in Regina last year, but I used the last of that on the luggage racks. Apparently the 55+ centre here has a workshop with a planer, but it's not operating these days due to virus restrictions. I have begun perusing the used forums for a thickness planer—pricey! In the meantime, I've also done some baking. Keto Pumpkin Squares turned out very tasty.

Pumpkin Squares

The base is gingerbread which turned out to be an additional treat! The markets were volatile this week as rumours swirled about a possible stimulus bill coming out of the US Senate. In the end, we still have no program, and the markets took a dive, however, I remain at quota for the month so far. College football was abbreviated this week as the pandemic intervened. #22-Oklahoma State ran up the score against Baylor, but both #11-Oklahoma and #20-Texas had their games cancelled. The Jayhawks continued their winning ways this week after being promoted to #5.

Erica writes, "Liam had his first Remicade treatment on Monday. It will take a few doses before we see any effect. We pray it does! On Tuesday, he came home for Christmas.  The tree is up, but not yet decorated. And I haven’t yet made puppy chow, so we aren’t quite ready for Christmas. On Friday, Eric got news of a raise! We are thankful and blessed to have work. I have a couple of files to wrap up, then I will be on break until January. I’m looking forward to the break."

Kristian is on the learning-from-home program, as schools have closed to in-person learning until the middle of January. He and Erin completed their Christmas shopping today. Sadie got her haircut this week, while Lucy keeps shedding and doesn't need a haircut. It appears Kristian could do with a haircut himself.

Erin & Sadie

Kristian & Lucy

Travis, Joanna and crew are managing okay. We're sure glad to have them here, and have them in our bubble. It is great to be able to spend some time with them. This weekend, we're celebrating Andrew's birthday. 

And that's about it for this week.

Pandemic Rages!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued dry but cold with freezing temperatures over night, and struggling above zero each day. We are still waiting, but not eagerly, for the snow to arrive. I am still making it out to the shop regularly and working on a few projects. I have now made and discarded two attempts at a jig for sharpening my chisels. One worked well enough that I got the chisels sharpened—I press on! Wendy has suffered some ill health most of the week, so her work on the side entry has been interrupted. She is feeling better now, but she has shifted her focus to decorating for Christmas. We assembled the new china cabinet.

Africa China Cabinet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It will be installed in the living room and will feature our African dishes. We're still trying to figure out how we'll secure it to the wall. (Interpretation: I have a plan which Wendy does not accept!) Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to rage around the world. Yes, it's worst in the USA, but we're not doing so great ourselves, and thus all travel is currently proscribed for us. Our current Christmas plan involves only our family bubble (Trav, Joanna and kids), but we're planning the full meal deal at least! We enjoyed a brief visit with Dave and Heather as they drove back to Saskatchewan and stopped overnight on Sunday. We sent the luggage racks with them on their way to 55 Laird, as they were continuing to Regina on Friday. The markets have continued their rally in the comfort of the Biden election, and I managed to make quota again this week. In the sporting world, the NHL continues to negotiate on a variety of options for a season beginning in January. It appears that curling will take place mainly in a Calgary bubble for several championship and other bonspiels—I look forward to that! College basketball has burst onto the scene. My Jayhawks were dropped to #7, but won their three games this week. All three of my college football teams played today. #11 Oklahoma won their game, clinching a spot in the championship game. #18 Oklahoma State had a tight game against an unranked team, but lost, so they'll get dropped some, possibly right out of the rankings. Unranked Texas had a wild offensive game but won easily; they may get back into the rankings!

Erica writes: "It’s been a pretty quiet week in the Bailey household. The excitement this week is that we tried out a mail meal plan. We ordered some low carb meals from Good Foods. That’s about as exciting as it gets these days. Liam and Haaken are working on Christmas card designs for us. And Greg sent me a box from Colaneri Estates, so that was exciting."

Kristian has continued with health distress. Erin feels it is mostly allergies, but the school tends to interpret coughing, runny noses and eyes symptoms as concerning, when you take this into the context of only attending half-time anyway, it has increased his stay-at-home time. Lucy is enjoying her first Christmas, as cats are wont to do, by attacking the tree!

Trav & Joanna continue to struggle along under the pandemic restrictions. It is not easy to try to maintain a job or run a business in the current climate. Thankfully, they have some governmental support programs that help out a lot, however, it still takes a bit of jumping-through-hoops to access those. At any rate, they're continuing to do okay, and got some hockey team shoots done before the most recent restrictions due to covid-19 infection levels in the region.

And that's enough for this week!

Pandemic Surges On!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been comfortable, although we got some snow Wednesday night. The sunshine of the final few days of the week have pretty much melted that away as well. We have continued work on the various projects. Wendy has progressed to the point where she has begun painting the side entry. I've cleaned up a few outstanding issues in the guest room, putting up the curtain rod, fixing the bedside lamps with pull chains so they could actually be operated from the bed, and installing a mirror.

You are invited!

We enjoyed a Zoom gathering with the siblings on Wednesday evening, sharing remembrances and stories of our brother John. It is unlikely that we'll be able to gather as a family before next summer, and that makes times like this even more difficult. Zoom has been a great help. I have been commissioned to prepare an Obituary, and, thankfully, my siblings, especially Tom, have proved a great resource concerning the historical aspects. Meanwhile, the pandemic rages on. Several provinces, including Ontario, have introduced new restrictions in an attempt to slow the infection rate, and maintain space in hospitals. I have a new charting site that provides an interesting illustration of how the various states and provinces are doing—conclusion: we're not doing well! The markets have continued their march forward since Biden's election, and I've increased my holdings to about 50%. These two actions have resulted in my being able to make quota this month.  College basketball has begun and the Jayhawks entered the season ranked #6. Their first game, against the #1 Gonzaga team, did not go well, but they rebounded for a comfortable win over St Joes. College football continues; the #20-Longhorns lost a tight one to Iowa State, so they're probably out of playoff contention in their conference. #21-Oklahoma State won their game to remain in playoff contention, while #14-Oklahoma's game was postponed due to coronavirus concerns.

The Baileys have had a quiet week. Eric/A did a quick shopping trip downtown, hoping to support some local business owners. Liam continues to dance with RU, but with the increased restrictions, we aren’t sure whether this will continue much longer. Haaken doesn’t have anything new to report.

Erin and Kristian continue to work through the complications of hybrid school. He attends every other day in person, and that goes okay, but on the days of at-home learning, it's a bit difficult to get started! Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), grandpa is available via FaceTime, so I've been learning about Woodworking along with elemental and ionic diagrams for the Periodic Table. Now, we've switched to Mitosis. There's a lot of material to be covered when you cramming a course into five weeks.

It was Trav's birthday yesterday, so we were delighted to have the crew gather here for pizza and cupcakes in recognition of the occasion.

Happy Birthday Party for Trav

Despite the restrictions, we have been able to maintain our family bubble, and that's a great comfort. Gemma is continuing her pre-med courses, also in hybrid format, so sometimes we're asked to be in non-disturb mode while she has an online session or presentation, She's doing well. Trav & Joanna have managed some more hockey team photo shoots. It's quite restrictive and they're allowed no group shots. Minor hockey is operating under severe limitations here also. Leagues are set up in bubbles of 3 or 4 teams which play each other at 4 on 4, and with only a partial team membership allowed to play any particular game. We are living in interesting times! 

And that's about enough for this week.

Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Year Continues!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued mild, and Thursday's rains melted away our opening snowfall. We are back looking at green grass once again, but we're threatened with colder weather in the coming week, along with another attempt at snow! The main distraction and distress of the week was the passing of my oldest brother, John, at the age of 80. It was quite a shock as we had no expectation that he was in poor health, so we struggle to move forward. Of course, in these Covid days there can be no anticipation of travel to BC for any kind of service in the near future, so we'll just wait to see what the family plans in that regard. Otherwise, we continue with our 10-year renovation project here. Wendy is making progress on the back entry, and when that is complete, I think we only have our bedroom to do on the main floor. And, when that is complete, I'll start to hear about further plans for downstairs! I've been able to get out to the shop on the warmer days and have begun work on a sharpening station for chisels and plane blades. Wendy likes the luggage racks and has commissioned another pair for the guest room here, so I've begun cutting material for that. The markets have remained volatile as surges in the pandemic cause unease in the investment community. I have increase my buy-in to about 45%, and managed another green week at least. The pandemic surge has prompted increased restrictions here, and in all provinces to the west. We despair over when we'll be allowed to travel again. The NHL continues to work on plans for a season. I'm also hoping that college basketball will get going. In college football today, two of my teams played each other with #18-OU hosting #14-OSU. My Sooners prevailed in their game, so they will improve their ranking. However, the #22-Texas game was postponed due to Covid. 

Eric and Erica had a routine week. With the spike in COVID cases in Saskatchewan there is increasing encouragement to stay home. Liam is enjoying a spike of his own. His Phil Vischer podcast is over 200 viewers and he’s picked up a few subscribers. Haaken has applied for a project and we hope he is successful. We also got some pictures from Greg (our foster son). He has been on a self improvement kick. He has lost a lot of fat and gained a lot do muscle. We are pleased for him and his efforts. We were sad to hear of Uncle John’s passing. I know he is likely not sad at all, being reunited with his Marion. But we were hoping to get a visit in and now we will have to wait until later. We will miss him. Liam and Haaken are both working on Christmas lists to share around the extended family. 

Erin and Kristian are enjoying their new vehicle, and their warm home. Friday evening they "hit the jackpot", as they described it. They ordered supper delivery from Westside Pasta, and sure enough, a delivery guy promptly arrived to deliver their KFC! No sooner had they called to complain about that messed up order than another delivery guy arrived with their pasta order! Bonus! Still has been no followup to clear up the confusion. Kristian reports that things are going okay with his hybrid schooling with half-time in person, and half-time on line instruction. He is also working on a Christmas Wish List! 

Travis and Joanna have managed a handful of hockey team photo sessions, where normal times would have projected at least 75 teams by now. They keep getting steady orders on the bucket decal side, and expect to qualify for some government assistance as well. Joanna's car is giving some problems this week as it doesn't want to engage the starter. It could be some switch that isn't realizing that all systems are go for ignition. The battery seems fine, and if/when it finally decides to try, it starts up immediately. 

And that's plenty for this week. 

My Brother John!

In Memoriam

Oct. 1940 - Nov. 2020

This week brought to a conclusion the earthly life of my eldest brother, John Andrew Ulrich. His passing is a shock, and I struggle to come to grips with it, or even accept it. He was born on October 23, 1940, and as the first-born son, carried the names of the two grandfathers: Johannes and Anders, although our parents anglicized the names in keeping with their newly adopted country. His life was characterized by unstinting hard work, although he refused to label it such, "If you like what you're doing, it's not work." That was coupled against another of his sayings, "If you're not working, you can't retire!" He did not retire, although the energy sector weakness of the last ten years left him in idleness, and finally led him to think he might not work there again. "All days are good, and some are even better," he usually noted each time we talked, although it was clear to us that not many days were good after the passing of his beloved Marion almost four years ago. Their home and lives were marked by hospitality and generosity. We were frequent beneficiaries of the hospitality, but even more so, their extended families, their community and their congregation know of the open hearts and open hands that greeted every entreaty. We miss him; there is an emptiness as we can no longer anticipate the comfortable reunion in the house on the Okanagan. We look forward to a better reunion. 

God bless all who knew him and now grieve his passing. 

Rest In Peace, brother John. 

My Brother John

 John Andrew Ulrich
1940.10.23 — 2020.11.20

 

John was born in Fort St. John, British Columbia on October 23, 1940. He departed from this life on November 20, 2020 in Lake Country, British Columbia, and spent his early years on the family farm in the Two Rivers district. In 1946, the family moved to a farm near Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan. John began his education at Bar Hill School. He later attended Radville Christian College and Western Christian College for his high school years, completing his schooling in 1958. John worked at a variety of jobs over the next few years, including working with his father on the family farm near Fairlight, Saskatchewan. In 1964, he settled on work in the oil drilling industry, beginning that career in the Estevan, Saskatchewan area. During those years he met and married Diane Holstein in 1965. His only child, Margaret Marie was born in 1966. John and Diane eventually divorced. John’s oil career developed quickly and he soon graduated to become a driller. This provided many work opportunities in North America and the world. He spent several years drilling in Iran, Iraq and Libya in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1980s, he met Marion. They married in 1983, and established their residence in Kelowna, and later on Lake Okanagan in Lake Country, British Columbia. In the early 1980s, John had established his own drilling engineering consulting company in Leduc, Alberta, specializing in horizontal drilling of oil wells. He was able to maintain a comfortable work schedule of his choosing until the decline in the energy industry in the 21st century brought about a marked decline in drilling activity. 

John was predeceased by his wife Diane, his wife Marion, and by Marion’s son, Richard. He is survived by his daughter Margaret Riel (Scott), and grand daughter, Victoria.

Lovingly remembered by his siblings: Verner (Linda) of Garland TX; Tom (Mariette) of Winnipeg MB; Viggo (Nancy) of Rowlett TX; Bill (Wendy) of Thunder Bay ON; Marie Worden (Daniel) of Washington DC; and foster brother Jim Whitney (Carol) of Sylvan Lake AB, along with their children and grand children.

Also forever cherished by Marion’s children: Judy Halliday of Vernon BC; Lorraine Tuckwood (Terry) of Kelowna BC, Howard (Penny) of Armstrong BC; Gail Middleton (John) of Redding CA, Kari Natsuhara (Stan) of Vernon BC, Lori Ketola (Tim Fontaine) of Summerland BC, and daughter-in-law, Gail Ketola of Kelowna BC, along with their children, grand children, and great grand children.

Cremation has taken place, but due to Covid-19 a celebration of his life has been deferred to a later date.

In lieu of flowers a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society or other charity of your choice would be appreciated.

Yikes!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. As predicted, the warm spell was coming to an end, so Wendy favoured me with another outdoor haircut while it was still warm. On Tuesday night, we got a dump of snow, so, on Wednesday, we were clearing the driveway for the first time this winter. The weather has settled since, and the streets and driveway have cleared off nicely. With the prospect of snow, we decided to buy the carpet for two bedrooms on the main floor. We picked that up, and now I have parked the truck out back in its usual winter storage. I have received an appointment for my eye surgery in January, so we've booked tickets and a hotel in Toronto. Now, we can only hope that the virus situation doesn't interfere with the plan.

Turned out nice

Wendy has completed the staining and finishing of the luggage racks; we just need to install the top webbing there. She also finished the painting in the guest room, so I installed the carpet. The thick melton backing is novel to me, but it seems to work great.

Installed

It does not require any attachment like smooth edge, but we stapled around the perimeter before installing the baseboards. Today, Wendy completed the room with the installation of furnishings. It looks good, and the bed feels comfortable—maybe time for a nap.

Comfortable

The markets have been whipsawing all week with three up-days and two down-days. I have begun buying back into the market on the Biden win, but the virus surge continues to trouble folks. At least I managed a nice green week. I recall back in April, I was handwringing over the USA running up to one million cases in total. Now I see those were the good old days. The USA is now experiencing one million cases per week, and two 9/11's worth of deaths each week, while Trump shows no inclination to take it seriously. Here we have our own share of provinces that are not taking this seriously, so we're experiencing the predicted surge as well. Hospitals in many localities are nearing capacity, but folks still resist taking the level of precautions that are needed. None of my college football teams are playing this weekend; some are on a bye, others are locked down due to covid infections. I wonder what it will take to get folks to behave responsibly, but then I reflect that I still have friends who take the insane position that this is all over-hyped, and that masks won't help! C'mon man! 

Erica writes, "Early this week we got news that Eric does not have COVID. We are 0 for 3 between the two of us! Liam got himself a post office box this week. He is waiting for his Remicade treatments to start, and is still looking for a job. Haaken has been busy, but we’ve managed to schedule a phone call for Saturday. Eric attended a conference for two days this week. He got to travel to the exotic location of our basement. He sure knows how to have fun!"

Erin and Kristian took possession of their new RAV4 this week.

Erin, Kristian, RAV4

They got an extra set of wheels, so they're currently on the winter tires. Kristian has begun the new regime at school where he attends half time, and does the rest on-line. So far, he's coping well. He has completed the cooking part of the Applied Arts, and is moving on to Woodworking. Erin had furnace issues last weekend, but after some pricey repairs they're back in the warmth! 

Trav & Joanna continue to get a smattering of orders from around the country. This week they also have pulled off a couple of socially-distanced hockey team photo sessions—whatever works! 

And that's about it for this week. 

New Possibilities!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful all week with daytime temperatures between 15 and 20, and most overnight lows staying above freezing.  We did have severe winds early in the week which took down many branches from our elm out front.

One so large, I had to cut it before moving it.

We have taken advantage to get out for walks, and on Friday we even ventured up Mount McKay for the first time during our years in Thunder Bay. It was unfortunate that we had waited so long, as the climb was quite difficult and we're not as young as we were every day earlier!

Tough Climb

City with some Salties in the harbour

The lady at the toll booth advised that it might take 30 minutes to climb! We showed her! Although we spread the climb over one hour, I was still overtaxed, and spent many anxious minutes experiencing nausea and dizziness at the top before recovering enough to check out the views, get some photos of the city below and prepare for the descent. Wendy does not do well on descents, so she was almost an hour getting down as well. It's possible that we're getting old! Otherwise, we spent some time on our various projects. I have built a small rack to hold my router bits.

Router bit Rack

Wendy has completed staining and finishing the first of the luggage racks. It's looking good; she is now working on the second one. We will use them in our guest room here until we have occasion to get them to 55 Laird. Sadly, that moment does appear imminent; the coronavirus continues to surge and set new records world-wide! Several provinces are experiencing severe increases in infection rates, and are imposing severe restrictions in an attempt to get control of it again. It can be done! It must be done! We have had over 50 million cases and 1.25 million deaths already. I believe both of those estimates are very much on the low side of reality. Antibody testing has shown that infection rates are about 10 times higher than what is being reported. However, we see jurisdictions that have achieved control, so it is possible for us to do it as well. The USA has taken a step in that direction, electing Joe Biden, who promises to follow the science to direct an attack of the virus. We wish him well. The American election held a major effect on the stock markets, and the prospect of a new president produced a big week on the markets, prompting me to start buying back in. I experienced a good week of earnings. College football continues with all three of my teams winning their games today. 

Erica writes, "We are in self isolation this week. Eric had been feeling under the weather and woke up Tuesday with a massive headache. So, he was kept home until he could be sent for testing on Thursday. I also have cold like symptoms but that isn’t unusual for me and my seasonal allergies. We should hear soon. I continue to work from home, so the self isolation hasn’t affected me too much. Liam has gotten approval to proceed with Remicade for his Colitis and Celiac disease. We hope this will heal his bowel. When he was home this summer it really became apparent how this disease affects him. We will watch a movie and he’ll be up at least twice for a potty break. It seems like he has to visit the bathroom hourly. He is still looking for a job in Caronport but nothing has come up yet. Haaken continues working at Costco and working on his animation." 

Kristian is being hit by further restrictions due to the virus spread in Regina. For the next while he'll only attend school half the time, and do the rest of his classwork online. Shawn's kids remain in isolation at his place until the middle of next week, and thereafter will remain with him for the rest of the month. He's delighted to have them, and continues his work at Ranch Ehrlo. Erin expects her RAV4 on Monday, but in the meantime she is having a chilly weekend at home as her furnace is acting up. 

Travis and Joanna continue to get some orders. This week they prepared Twig Decals for a team in Edmonton. Apparently they have a star player wearing #27.

Twig Decals

Otherwise, they continue under the covid relief measures from the government. 

And that's it for this week. 

CV-19: Hold my coffee!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has remained cool, but we're promised some double digit days in the next week, and we look forward to that! Last week, I lamented over the surge of coronavirus infections, and the USA surpassing an unimaginable 80K per day, but CV-19 has blasted upward to new levels throughout the world this week, and just yesterday USA had over 100K. Too many folks just are not taking this seriously! Our friends in Winnipeg are recovering, and none of the children have fallen ill so far. At some point, we may even find out whether they were infected. If not, it's a marvelous testimony to the work of a nurse, within her own home, and even while she, herself, was ill! Across Canada, we are also suffering a surge of infections, and increased restrictions have been instituted in many provinces. If all goes well, we may have some relaxation of these by Christmas.

  

We have kept busy with our projects, Wendy has completed painting the guest room; we are looking for new flooring for that room. We purchased a storage cupboard to augment the closet in there.

I think she'll be repainting it though. I have built a pair of new flipper/grippers. Each side has a rubber gripper, and you choose the side based on where the saw blade would contact it, so as to not chew all the rubber away.

Keep blade in the black

Droppable Heel

They are for riding against the fence and pushing material through the table saw. I even made an extra one for a friend who's having trouble pushing stuff through the table saw! We continue to enjoy the hot tub, and with the promise of a warm spell have decided to keep it running for another week at least. Today was Hallowe'en, and we were pleasantly surprised to have 54 kids checking by for treats. The markets have remained volatile and terrible. TSX was down 3.2% for October, so it's tough going, but I did manage some gains. As I predicted, Dodgers won the World Series in six games. They just had too much fire power for Tampa Bay. In College football today, two of my teams played each other as Texas took down #6, and previously undefeated, OSU, so they'll probably get ranked next week. Then, re-ranked OU (#24 is a ranking!) played in the evening and notched another victory.

Erica writes, "Liam had an iron infusion on Monday. Eric had the day off and I can work from anywhere, so, we made a trip if it. It was nice to be out of the house.

Harry Dresden

Wonder Woman

The rest of the week has been pretty ordinary, other than Hallowe'en—Eric dressed up as Harry Dresden, a magician, and I went as Wonder Woman! Fun times! Haaken has been refining his Patreon site. He’s undecided between having one time payments for one time requests or a monthly subscription for those who wish to support him on a regular basis. He can only choose one or the other."

Erin and Kristian are having an eventful life these days. Erin has to mask-up all day at work, and cannot wander around the dealership. Saskatchewan is suffering a resurgence along with the rest of us. Astrid and Liam experienced a close contact, so they've been excluded from school, and also from their mother's place for an isolation period. Shawn is glad to have them at home with him, but this also raises the risks for him and for his workplace! Kristian is enjoying his new courses.

Trav & Joanna keep active jumping through the hoops of the various government support programs during the pandemic. They are continuing to get some orders, more from out of province than in, as the hockey season struggles to start up across the country. 

And that's about it for this week.

Covid-19 Sets New Records!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather is cool with most days topping out around 5°, but our lawns remain green, although we expect to get some snow soon. We are ready for winter; all yard work including the shed renovations are complete. We have obtained our flu shots, and maintain our careful practices against the coronavirus. Would that all were being so careful. As mentioned last week, the infection rate is surging, and just yesterday it established new records in various countries. We're running about 2500 per day, and another 25 deaths, sad to say. USA continues to lead the way in infamy with new highs around 80,000 and a death toll of nearly 1000 each day. Dear friends in Winnipeg have become infected, and while they're on the path to recovery, we remain concerned for their five young children. Both of them lost the senses of smell and taste. A friend of ours here in Thunder Bay had that symptom as well, and reports it has taken about six months to get it back. Anyway, take care and stay safe. Wendy has completed the storage closet, so I've installed some shelves, and she's stocking them.

Stocking Up!

She has begun painting in the other bedroom upstairs, so it is lime green no more (sorry, Gemma)! Two coats of primer has that covered, and two shades, of what I call grey, will be applied soon. I've been working at small jobs, like removing baseboards and other fixtures to get the bedroom ready for paint, and applying baseboards and door trim in the storage closet. We've kept the hot tub going for another week, but soon it will be time to shut that down as well. The markets remain volatile as rumours concerning a new stimulus plan leaked out each day. It appears the House and the White House are agreed on the need to move forward, but the Senate Republicans are refusing to even consider it. Thus I remain mostly out of the markets, so while I had a green week, it was not up to my needs or expectations. The sports scene is relatively light of topics in my interest sphere. Baseball is in the World Series—I'm cheering for Tampa, while expecting the Dodgers to win it all. They were clearly the better team in the regular season, but when I contrast their team payrolls of around 100 million vs 30 million, it's easy to cheer for the underdog! College Football is underway, I follow a few teams with some interest: OU, Texas, OSU. OSU is doing the best of that batch as the other two are unranked at present. All three won this week. We are hearing rumblings of college basketball starting soon, so I'll be watching for the Jayhawks. 

Erica writes, "Liam is home this weekend for a visit, some drumming on worship team and an iron infusion on Monday. His dance team has updated their website—check it out! I had a few days working out of home. It was interesting to see real people and climb stairs again. But after a couple days I was really 'peopled-out'. Snow has arrived—though Eric says it's actually pollution from white packing stuff from all the Amazon orders. There is nothing much more to add. It's been a relatively quiet week."

Erin has made a decision on a new car. She's getting a brand new RAV4,

2021 RAV4 in Magnetic Grey

and since she's works at Toyota, she gets it practically for free!! Just kidding, she pays pretty much full price! Anyway it's very nice, and we hope it provides years of trouble-free service for them. Shawn is enjoying his work at Ranch Ehrlo, and shared a picture of one of the entrees he prepared for his crew.

Meatloaf Mummy!

Kristian is back at school and enjoying better health, although he still has the allergy symptoms of stuffiness and runny nose. He has completed classes on his first Quint, but has some assignments to complete over the weekend. Then, he has exams on Tuesday and Wednesday. He transitions into Quint 2 where he'll be taking Science each morning and PAA (Practical Applied Arts, must be something like Industrial Arts) each afternoon. 

Travis plugs away at the orders from around the country as they trickle in. This week he had orders going out to: Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Red Deer, Coquitlam, Medicine Hat, Halifax, Vaughan, Mississauga, Burlington, Toronto. Joanna has completed her isolation, remains symptom-free and is eligible to go back to work. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Virus Surging World-wide!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has turned noticeably cooler as Autumn progresses. I was glad to complete the repairs and shingling on the shed before it got too cold, even so, it was a struggle to make the ridge cap bend.

Water Damage

Repaired!

Capping it off! 

We continue to face the raging pandemic, and the last month has brought about a resurgence all over. Ontario has reintroduced restrictions in several areas as infection rates climb. US hit a new high of nearly 72,000 new infections yesterday, and almost another 1000 deaths. Only those areas that took this very seriously are finding themselves relatively safe. A close friend in Winnipeg has been infected and is suffering debilitating symptoms. We continue to shelter at home, I don't go out much, while Wendy takes precautions when she does. I continue to expect this situation to remain with us for a long time, and look forward to improved treatment methods as our main protection. I am not counting on an effective vaccine. Wendy has continued to work on the storage closet. She's having paint rejection problems in one area and keeps trying to sand it clean and repaint, but the paint just isn't sticking! She has also determined that another part needs further repair, so that job is not done yet. She has tracked down another French door, so I suspect I'll soon be installing another sliding door, this time to close off the laundry/furnace room from the rest of the basement. I have continued the physiotherapy on my index finger; range of motion is improving. The on-again-off-again stimulus talks in the USA have kept the markets uneasy. I remain mostly out of the markets awaiting a final decision on stimulus so we can get away from the news cycle. It sure would be great if they'd elect a stable government down there so we can invest more rationally. Baseball playoffs are ramped up for the World Series. In the American League Championship Series, Tampa Bay opened up a 3-0 lead on Houston, then frittered it all away, but won game 7 tonight to advance. Dodgers fell behind 3-1 to Atlanta, but have fought back to force a game 7 on the National League side tomorrow. 

Liam got useful results on his recent bloodwork. His doctor has determined a new focus of attack against his health issues. We hope for some measure of success. Otherwise, things remain the same in Prince Albert with Eric and Erica pushing forward with work and home renovation plans. Liam is still looking for work in Caronport, but his RU team put out an energetic video. I was exhausted just watching! Haaken is working on an animated game; we look forward to seeing it! 

Erin and Kristian have battled health issues and school work all week. They both got negative results on their Covid tests, but Kristian has still been suffering with allergy-like symptoms all week. As a result, he's had a lot of schoolwork to do from home, and not feeling well makes it even more difficult. He finally got to school on Friday. Tonight, they're celebrating a belated Thanksgiving dinner with Shawn, Astrid and Liam. 

Joanna has made another trip south to help out with her dad. She got back yesterday, but now she is self-isolating once again. The surge in virus cases does not encourage us to think that either Gemma or Andrew will return to the usual school program anytime soon. It's much less than ideal to be doing lab work and other practical aspects of their courses in a virtual format. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has remained comfortable, but there have been frequent showers. We have continued to work on our several projects and Wendy has managed to add one more. She continues to make progress on the storage closet; it now has a coating of paint! Should be about another day or two to complete that. She found some shingles on the FaceBook marketplace. She has purchased those, and put me to work re-shingling the back shed. I started on that today. She has gone back to work on the luggage racks and has one ready for staining. This evening, we celebrated our Thanksgiving feast with Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew, and with cousin Julie as well.

Our traditional Chinese-food feast!

But first, we enjoyed an afternoon of college football as my Sooners took down the Texas team in quadruple overtime—an easy win!! In other sporting news, baseball has moved into the semi-finals and only two of my picks remain in the race, and they play each other. So, I'm cheering for the Dodgers to advance to the world series. I'll be cheering for the Rays to win on the American league side. The markets have had a wild ride this week, but ended the week in an up mode, and I managed to make some money. I have continued my physiotherapy sessions, and am seeing some improvement in the movement of my index finger. The other fingers are fine! Meanwhile Covid continues to surge, and our province is experiencing such a rate of infections that some restrictions are being applied again. 

Erica writes, "Liam is home for the Thanksgiving weekend. We are planning to make a turkey, and eat turkey leftovers for the next week! We picked up an air nailer and compressor, so maybe we will get some work done this weekend! Haaken reports he is working on some animation for a game he is creating. We hope to see a finished product soon! Eric and I continue with work—Eric in the office and me at home. We have managed to remain COVID-free so far. Eric is also working on a set of hockey cards with his brother Neil. They play a hockey card game based on actual NHL stats. I told him he needs to get his brother-in-law on board, get the game licensed and market it!" 

Erin and Kristian have been ill most of the week, and finally went for Covid tests today. There have been such a surge in testing that it may take a few days to get results. Kristian did a good job completing his homework last weekend, so that program ended well. 

We enjoyed having Travis, Joanna and family here for Thanksgiving, as we are glad to have them around all year long. Trav has had a few orders from American fans of these special bumper stickers. 

I thought it was a cute idea!

Joanna keeps quite busy with shifts at the restaurant. Thankfully, we're not be asked to shut down up here. Gemma and Andrew are facing midterms in their courses. 

And that's about enough for this week! 

No One Is Immune!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been cool and rainy, but we've managed to keep busy with various projects. I added two new sets of stairs for the deck. Both were replacing some decrepit ones that had been in place. Wendy's outside work was to re-stain the deck cart.

Deck Cart

Wendy also kept at her drywalling, and has now applied primer, so that job is getting close to complete.

Looks perfect to me

There's nothing quite as much fun as drywalling inside a closet! We have continued to enjoy the hot tub each evening; the new thermostat has improved that process. I settled on a double hinge set up to hold the top out of the way.

Does the job

It's still a tad warm for me! I managed to begin my physiotherapy again for my damaged fingers. Really, it's just the index finger that is causing the most concern. The top knuckle and the middle knuckle are not bending as they should. We were only able to meet virtually, but I was able to demonstrate the activity, and he demonstrated and prescribed therapy. We'll see how it goes. Covid-19 continues to surge with Ontario posting record numbers of infections several times this week. More restrictions have been put in place, but we continue to see folks who seem to think such don't apply for them! Trump serves as a case in point as he decried masks and other restrictions, but now is a victim of the virus. The rising toll among the vast populace of India is illustrative of the global nature of the pandemic. The daily carnage in the USA illustrates that simply ignoring it will not make it go away. They are already at 210,000 deaths and losing about 1000 each day. The markets have continued to pull back in these troubled times, turning in another red week. I continue to bide my time with very little in the market. I keep hoping the Senate Republicans will eventually accede to the popular plan to give the poor folks some money. We know that would get circulating in the economy and raise economic activity broadly. The NHL season is officially complete with my pick, Tampa Bay, claiming the Stanley Cup. That was a good thing, before folks start asking me not to pick their favourite team! Baseball playoffs have completed the first round, and now move into the Divisional series. The Blue Jays lost to the Rays, so their season is over. 

Erica writes, "Last Sunday, Eric decided that a football comeback at 50 years old wasn’t in the cards. Maybe he will try again at 51. He played one week—2 games back-to-back, and he felt it for the rest of the week! Other than that it’s been a pretty typical week—Eric working at the office and me working from home. Working from home is great, but it really takes the joy out of casual Friday’s. In the evenings, we are enjoying Buffy the Vampire Slayer which we never watched when it first came out. The Saskatchewan Lipedema Association was approved for charitable status. It took almost a year. Apparently the CRA folks had never heard of Lipedema so they had to do research to find out what it was. This will open up the opportunity to seek donations and apply for grants to support education of public and health professionals, we hope! Eric is working on changes to the Saskatchewan Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and hoping to gain more provincial recognition. He is also working on a project for regulation of mental health professionals. But, it is slow going with COVID and the election. Haaken is still working at Costco and on an animation project on his own. Liam worked on building bookshelves and a desk while he was home last weekend.

New Construction

Now, he's back and is looking for work in Caronport. We hope he finds it soon."

Kristian enjoyed some progress at school and with his homework this week, but the crunch is on this weekend as he has a Monday deadline for several assignments! He had some ill health on Friday, and was sent home from school. We're thinking it was another allergy attack, but he was surely stuffed up, sneezy and with weepy eyes. Anyway, he's feeling better today, so we're hoping that's the end of that. 

Travis and Joanna stop by once in a while. Gemma is still living downstairs here and taking some classes in person, and others virtually. Andrew is taking nearly all classes virtually from home. Joanna has given up on getting a Covid test as the hospital was so backed up with testing pressure from the schools. 

And that's about it for this week! 

One Million Dead!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has been very nice this week, but has cooled into the weekend, and promises to be cooler in the coming week, too. Meanwhile Covid-19 continues to ravage and is even surging world-wide. This weekend will mark the official 1 millionth death from the disease. What a tragedy! We are seeing a surge in Ontario as well, notably among students and staff as schools complete three weeks. The government has announced tighter rules on gatherings and business activity, but it will take some weeks to see whether that has the desired effect. 

When we got back from the prairies we received a congratulatory certificate from the Prime Minister in recognition of our 50th Anniversary, as we keep celebrating that! We continue to enjoy the hot tub in the evenings. I finally broke down and replaced the thermostat, which has allowed us to maintain the pool at appropriate temperatures, which, for us, is 42°—just a tad too warm for me, and not quite as hot as Wendy would like it! I have been working on the hot tub installation.

Seems to work! 

I have rebuilt the steps using cheat stringers made of 2x4s and 2x6s—seems to work fine, so I plan to build another set for the deck stairs to the lower deck.

Replacing old stairs

I am also trying to develop a lifter for the pool cover, so we can easily remove/replace it—that's still a work in progress!

Not sure if this will work!

Since I got it to level, Wendy has continued her work on the staining of the shed. It's looking like new!

Fresh coat of stain

We only have another month or so of comfortable outside weather to work on those projects, so we're pushing to get as much done as we can. Wendy has continued with her mudding on the storage closet;

My main mudder!

I think it's ready for paint, so Wendy should be satisfied soon! The markets have continued to be in turmoil, but toward the weekend, investors have become encouraged to think that the Senate Republicans might actually pass a stimulus bill, so the markets surged forward. Should the stimulus become actual, we can expect a rally, and I will plan to invest more in the market. Currently, I am only around 10% in the market, and even that is not thriving! Sports continue through their adapted cycles. The Blue Jays have clinched a playoff position, but we don't know who their opponent will be in the first round. The Stanley Cup playoffs are nearing completion and my pick, Tampa Bay, is leading in the final series, but missed their first chance to end it this evening, losing in Double OverTime. 

Erica writes, "Liam came home for a visit last week and played drums on worship team with me. Other than that it has been a quiet week. Haaken has also been working on some animation projects, but nothing is ready to post yet."

Erin and Kristian are engaged in their regular routines with work and school. Kristian's regular routine has become highly specialized as he only takes two courses for about six weeks, and then moves on to a new set of subjects. The subjects this time are Language Arts and Health, and the assignments involved a lot of reading and writing. This has not been going well, and he is behind on his work. He is also falling behind on his housework, so all is not sweetness and light in their household! 

Travis, Joanna and crew are doing well. Schooling is progressing satisfactorily for Gemma and Andrew. Joanna's navigated the various hot spots, from here to Toronto and back, on her recent trip, and has been trying to get tested. However, there is such a backlog created by the reopening of schools, that she has been unable to get in. Anyway, she has been back ten days now, so if she is infected, she is asymptomatic. We're guessing she's healthy. She is back to work at the restaurant, while Travis works on the Bucket Decal orders, and anguishes over the Stanley Cup playoffs along with me! 

And that's about enough for this week.