False Dawn, Perhaps?

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. We had a snowstorm on Wednesday, but we've returned to Spring-like weather, and have been able to get back to our walks in the neighbourhood. I think Wendy is getting tired of our neighbourhood; the other day she asked if we could drive somewhere else to have our walk! She continues to suffer due to the inflammation in her shoulders. She is treating it with ice, lotions and painkillers; we think it is getting a bit better. My left eye continues to heal, and now is better than the right. We are expecting unsettled weather to continue as that's the way Spring goes around here. Wendy has taken a repeat assignment on a book-keeping job. She updated the business books last year, and the owner has asked her to update them for 2020. She has almost completed that. She is also helping our downstairs' student with alterations to her wedding dress. I think she might have completed that assignment, as Mariana was trying it on this morning. Last weekend, I managed to get over to the golf course and hit the first balls of the season. That went okay, mostly chipping, but some full swings. I had a visit with my denturist on Thursday; he assessed that my partial plate is still fine after nine years—good to know! I need to get to a dentist to refinish a tooth that chipped off, but I've been holding off on that in hopes of getting vaccinated first. We did make another step in that direction, as the on-line site allowed us to register, and promised to contact us with an appointment when we became eligible. Otherwise, things are not looking good on the pandemic front as some of the new variants are not only demonstrating increased transmissibility, but also causing worsening symptoms and higher infection rates among a younger segment of the population. Ontario announced the commencement of a third wave; Europe has done so as well, and now we're seeing an increase in infections in the USA. Saskatchewan has been our worst case scenario for some weeks, and while we often look askance at the USA, there are now 24 states that are experiencing lower infection rates than Saskatchewan! The markets have been troubled this week by fears over infection rates, vaccine availability, and virus variants. Investors were reassured by news of great progress in USA vaccinations, including the doubling of projections to 200 million vaccinations in the first 100 days of the new administration—thanks Uncle Joe! That gave us green days in the markets for Thursday and Friday, and got me back on quota. In the world of sports, my Jayhawks lost in the second round, so they're out of the tournament. Still, March Madness remains a highlight of the sporting year for me, with more dramatic action this weekend and next. Mixed Doubles curling ended on Thursday with the team of Einarson & Gushue prevailing. They'll represent us at the world championships in Scotland in May. My Oilers had the week off as Montreal suffered a covid outbreak, and we lost our first games in the Canadian division. Oilers got back into action against the Leafs tonight, and enjoyed a solid effort and a good despite the OT loss. Pens are doing well, but injuries continue to threaten their success. They won tonight, but there were a number of names I didn't recognize! Baseball is in the final  week of Spring Training. Jays will begin the season playing out of their Spring Training facility in Dunedin.

Eric and Erica had a good week in Prince Albert. Liam was home for further medical appointments and intervention. Some changes were made on his prescriptions and we keep hoping these will lead to good health for him. He got notification that he qualifies for priority access for his covid shot—Eric is jealous! Eric/A got out for their hike, but took the precaution of using a well-known trail this time to avoid getting lost and putting in too many kilometres—they spent most of this week recovering from last weekend's over expenditure! They had an online meeting with Haaken to assist him with his tax filing, but he managed it mostly on his own. Greg has established an in-home gym which looks impressive.

Erin and Kristian are living life in the bubble city of Regina. Travel to or from the city is not recommended—yikes! On-line education does not work well for Kristian, so he's lagging behind a bit—c'mon man! Shawn is slowly recovering from his covid infection; we are painfully aware that many experience long term issues. He feels tired all the time, and spends much of the day sleeping.

Lookin' Good!

Kristian got his hair cut this week, and Sadie is scheduled for hers next week!

Joanna is in southern Ontario. She was able to assist as her dad and step-mom got their first jabs. She should get back here early next week. Travis was over today with his fancy screwdrivers for my laptop—thanks! I was able to get the back cover off and diagnose the swollen battery, so I'll now be waiting for the replacement to arrive. At least, with the pressure released, the laptop is back to working fine once again.

And that's about enough for this week.

Light on the Horizon!

Wendy's Easter Project

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and we've enjoyed getting out for walks regularly. Our pandemic infection rate continues to be high, but the last few days have seen reduced numbers, so we're somewhat encouraged—we're hoping that this light on the horizon is not simply from the time change! We're hearing that the vaccine is now available down to age 75, so we're hoping to be in the window in the next week or so. The USA has promised us an additional 1.5 million doses—thanks, Uncle Joe. Wendy is continuing to suffer with her rotator cuff inflammation; she was back to the chiropractor this week. She has a series of exercises to do, accompanied by painkillers, ice and other treatments. We're seeing some improvement, but she's still experiencing significant pain. I have managed a bit of activity on my woodworking both in the shop and some gluing inside the house. The markets have had a troubled week as fears of inflation surrounded a supportive report from the FED, and the Nasdaq suffered substantial losses. Fortunately, my stocks performed okay and gave me some gains. I am now on quota for the five months since the election—thanks, Uncle Joe. In sports, Bottcher beat my guy, Koe, in the final to win the Canadian championship. He'll now represent us at the World Championships coming up in Calgary. In hockey, my Oilers have been doing much better and are now threatening the Leafs for first place. The Pens have put on a good streak as well, and are positioned for the playoffs despite continuing to experience injuries. This week the Canadian mixed doubles championships opened in the Calgary bubble, but they're just in the middle of their pool play so far. March Madness has begun, and my Jayhawks won their first round game, and will play again on Monday afternoon—Rock Chalk!

Erica writes, "This was a very blessed week with birthday phone calls and best wishes on Facebook. I got mail from Mom and Dad, Mom Bailey and Grampa K and even a package from Haaken. We celebrated the day with our bubble—the two of us along with Tina and Guido. Guido made my fav—red velvet cake. Liam is heading home this weekend. He will join me on Worship Team this Sunday and then go to his specialist appointment on Tuesday. On Saturday morning, Eric suffered from a bad dream that I had! I woke up quite annoyed with him (well, if he acts like that in my dream, imagine how he acts in his!). Fortunately, he had preemptively supplied a cup of coffee, so I forgave him."

Erin and Kristian are engaging in lock-down as Regina is a hotspot for coronavirus variations that seem exceptionally easy to spread. Shawn has been infected at work in the group home despite all the precautions and PPE they use. He's been symptomatic all week, so we hope he turns the corner soon. Kristian's school work has reverted to being online-only.

Travis and Joanna welcomed Andrew home from his work at the remote camp—he's pretty sure that he's enjoyed all he can stand of that! Gemma continues her university courses. Otherwise life remains pretty quiet, and it's almost time for another trip to TO for Joanna. The difference this time is that the TO people may be looking askance at her coming from a covid hotspot!

And that's about enough for this week.

Relaxing Too Soon!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It was the week of Wendy's birthday, and we spent most of the week celebrating it!

Happy Birthday, Wendy!

On Tuesday, we enjoyed a celebratory Chinese Food supper with Travis and Joanna. We also enjoyed a Zoom meeting with our family that evening. The children chipped in to supply her with new slippers and a cash fund for more buys. It's hard to rely on gift certificates these days as we don't know which businesses will survive. On Thursday, we had a zoom meeting with my siblings. Special events for a special lady! We got a dump of snow on Wednesday, so we scraped that off the driveway. The rest of the week was lovely, sunny warm weather culminating in the 10° day today. A lot of snow has disappeared and the grass is showing up on our lawn. However, all has not been sweetness and light on the pandemic front. Our region has become a hotspot with increased numbers of infections, and expanded numbers in the hospital and in intensive care. Now, the hospital is overloaded, and some patients have been medevacced to London. Variant forms of the virus have also been confirmed in our area. We are informed that online booking for vaccinations will open on Monday, but that still leaves us weeks from protection. The virus is also afflicting the sports scene as the USA-based NHL teams keep losing games that they'll have to make up later, and now it's hitting college basketball. Two of the blue-blood schools, Duke, and my beloved-KU have been knocked out by Covid-19. Can you say, "Relaxing too soon?" I knew you could! The markets continue to flourish, although the Nasdaq has been "correcting"! I had another good week, and remain at quota for the fifth straight month—I'm very thankful! The Oilers returned to easier feeding on Ottawa after their spanking by the Leafs. The Pens are hanging in there, while the Leafs are having a tough series against Winnipeg. The big action of the week has been at the Brier in Calgary. My guy, Kevin Koe, has had a good week, won his pool and has advanced through the championship pool to the final tomorrow. Bottcher (AB) will play Dunstone (SK) in the semi-final.

Erica writes, "I started my new position at MNP this week, which included multiple orientation meetings and tech issues. Both firms have been super supportive during that transition. Eric finished the week with a conference so he was conferencing from home. It’s been a week of various birthday celebrations. It will be nice when we can do those in person again. Liam had another medicine infusion and he has an appointment with the specialist. We will see what the bloodwork says, but he says he isn’t feeling any better. Haaken is hoping to learn to do his taxes. And we’ve only had a brief conversation with Greg, but he seems to be doing well."

Kristian is attending school every second day, and reports that things are going well. His art course works through a variety of aspects: guitar, piano and media. Erin is doing well. Shawn has completed his probation at Ranch Ehrlo, however, he's dealing with a Covid outbreak there, and is currently in isolation himself.

Travis and Joanna were over to celebrate Wendy's birthday.

Companions & Food—Nice!

They brought Chinese food, so we enjoyed that. They also decorated the place, and the birthday girl!

It's her Birthday!

Travis has been playing with some stock picking and management ideas, so we enjoy discussing those. 

And that's about enough for this week.

Springing!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Ontario in my hometown. The weather has turned positively Spring-like and we are enjoying the melting snow and the walks. Dave and Heather stopped in for a visit on Monday as they were on their way to Kingston. We enjoyed the visit and  a special breakfast before they headed east.

Eggs Benny!

I had a couple of appointments concerning the DVTs in my left leg. On Monday, I had another ultra-sound. The technician was not encouraging, "I suggest the veins remain fully occluded." Then, on Friday, I had bloodwork requested by my vascular surgeon concerning elements of my blood chemistry that may relate to the DVTs. She'll be calling to discuss the results of both tests. We enjoyed a couple of family zoom meetings this week. On Thursday, we had meeting with my siblings as we shared and commiserated over the passing of Linda. Then, tonight, we had a birthday zoom with dad K with the Krogsgaard clan. Otherwise, it's been a quiet week. Wendy continues to ail with her rotator cuff tendonitis. She continues to ice it regularly, exercise it as prescribed, and was also back to the chiropractor this week. It is getting better, but still not good, and she is unable to resume her usual activities. The markets have veered wildly from one day to the next, mostly over concerns about the possibility of inflation-fueled interest rate increases. Finally, a positive US Jobs report on Friday allowed us to regain our momentum and complete a green week. I have managed to stay on quota ever since the US election which has returned a measure of calm to that administration. Sports began the week with the completion of the Scotties. My pick, Kerri Einarson repeated as champion, and now looks forward to the Women's World Championship to be held later this Spring. On Friday, the Brier began, so I'm looking forward to watching that all next week. My favourite, Kevin Koe, won his first two games. Sentimental favourite, Matt Dunstone of Saskatchewan, suffered a terrible loss today. As expected, KU was elevated in the rankings after they took down #2-Baylor. However, they only had one game this week, and they did not play well, although they managed to eke out a win. They now face the league playoff conference, as they complete preparations for March Madness. In hockey, my Oilers got a lesson in the game courtesy of the Leafs who polished them off three straight in a mini-series while blanking them twice. Time for some personal reflection for the Oilers. Meanwhile the Pens have been getting healthier and won a tight game today.

Erica writes, "Today is my last day at Deloitte. I’m officially unemployed until Monday, when I start with MNP (Meyers, Norris, Penny).  Eric’s office are under renovations so he got to work from home on Thursday. Liam continues to produce more RU videos and his own animated videos. We haven’t heard much from Haaken or Greg."

Erin and Kristian had a good week. Spring Training baseball has begun; Erin and I enjoyed watching a game together. Kristian is enjoying his current Quint subjects of Art and Phys Ed. Erin is getting a bit of a holiday in that regard as well—no homework for her! 

Joanna has received her negative test results on her covid test. We look forward to spending time with them now that she's been cleared. 

And that's about enough for this week.