Dismal Days Continue!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, and we've enjoyed our walks and I've managed a few more golf swings. Sadly, golf has been outlawed in Ontario, so playing a game is not possible. Maybe this extra work on my swing will pay off when the courses reopen. The pandemic has surged again, world-wide, and we're included! Our per capita infection rate is currently worse than India, and we now have some cases of the newest variants coming from there. When you allow the virus to proliferate, it is inevitable that mutations will thrive, and some of them will be worse than the original. Of course, countries that took this seriously like NZ and OZ, are not seeing such troubles, enjoying full stadiums for their games and open economies. Alberta remains our worst case, with only two US states performing worse, but, here in Ontario, we're not doing much better. Part of our issue is the inadequate rate of vaccinations. In the USA, they're really pushing forward on that front. Biden pledged 100 million doses in 100 days, and the critics made fun of him, but now he's accomplished over 200 million—thanks, Uncle Joe. Virus fears caused a couple of down days on the markets. Then, Biden reassured investors that yes, he was serious about taxing the rich, so that brought about more market turmoil! It's been a wild ride this week with 3 red days and 2 green days, but the overall result was positive for me, so I'm grateful to remain on quota for the six months since the election, so long as I can hold on for the next week! Wendy continues to regain her strength and mobility in her shoulder. She's even talked about painting again! I've done a bit of project work in the shop. I had the gas-fitter come by and install a NG port on the deck, so I have my gas barbecue operational.

1999 Mazda B-4000

The brake system had failed on the truck, with significant leakage from underneath, so I took it to my favourite mechanics. The news was tragic, and I was not willing to invest that much more into the old truck, so it's now gone to the wrecker. Still looks like it should run, but all those years of Ontario salt have done a number underneath the skin. The main sports entertainment this week is curling. The Champions Cup was won on Monday by the Mouat team from Scotland. Then, the Players Championship began, and has now progressed to the championship games, set for tomorrow. My usual favourite, Koe, did not make the playoffs this time. On the Women's side it's Einarson vs Homan; on the Men's, it's Gushue vs Mouat. Baseball continues with very low attendance allowed. My Blue Jays are playing at about .500 level. The hockey season is nearing the conclusion of the regular season. My three teams are well-positioned for the playoff season!

Erica writes, "We started our week with a zoom baby shower for Victoria and Tyler Utman. When Haaken was a wee baby, we hung out with Michael and Sheena a few times. Victoria and Haaken weren’t very far apart in age. It reminded me that we are getting older - and that we need to get our home Reno’s done because our house is definitely not baby safe right now. Anyway, we sent a copy of Liam’s book. We hope they enjoy it. Eric and I both got shot this week. Mine was a last minute 'we have extras' situation. Haaken and Liam both have appointments. Other than that it’s been a quiet, busy week." 

Erin and Kristian had a good week in Regina where Kristian continues with on-line learning, and Erin with her work. There was an improvement in Shawn's situation. He reports feeling better, and managing work well, but still gets tired more easily than he'd like. At least he's up to having Astrid and Liam on the weekends, and that's progress. 

We stopped by Trav and Joanna's for a back yard chat. They're (read: Joanna) entertaining some more construction on their deck, so I took some measurements. They're still discussing the extent of the project! Today, Joanna got news of a significant downturn in the health of her dad, so she's off to Toronto again. Gemma is rejoicing as she has completed exams and another semester. 

And that's about enough for this week.