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.