Pandemic of the Unvaccinated!

Another week has passed and we have navigated our way to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We left behind the relatively moderate temperatures in Thunder Bay, and now swelter under the heat dome of the prairies with daily thermometer readings in the 30s. We packed up and drove up to Winnipeg on Monday, where we moved in with Tom & Mariette. We enjoyed a good bed, great food, and I played my first golf game of the year, with Tom, on Tuesday! Great fun, for sure—thanks folks! On Wednesday, we continued our westward relocation onto Regina, where we moved in with Dad and Dave at 55 Laird. Erin picked us up as she was taking Kristian to his UV treatment. When that was over, we were able to stop by Bern & Alicia's condo where we hung out down on the lawn and chatted with them while they remained safe up on their balcony. Otherwise, we settled in, rested from the trip, and got ready for the celebrations of this weekend. Eric/A and Liam arrived on Friday, my actual birthday, and prepared a musical treat for a small gathering on Saturday night in recognition of Dave and my birthdays.

Kristian ran the lyrics on screen!

That was a good time—thanks, Dave, for thinking of this idea! Wendy took care of a lot of shopping and setting up our residence here, so we're set for a while. The coronavirus is surging among the unvaccinated; world-wide, infections are up 11%, USA up 51%, Canada up 56%! For much of the world, that's an issue of the first world not providing access to the vaccine. For us in North America, it's an issue of the right wing of the political spectrum foolishly making a health issue into a political one. So, in the USA, many states are seeing an exponential increase in cases. Only two states are showing lower infection rates than our worst province; all states are showing an increase in infection rates, with Florida showing their highest infection rates ever. The next few weeks will be important in the fight against the pandemic, and many jurisdictions are not putting up much of a fight! The markets have struggled all month, but all at least showed some green. I was able to make quota this week, and remain on quota year to date. Olympics are central on television these days, and I follow some of that. The Blue Jays have finally been cleared to play their home games in Toronto, and have opened a series with two wins. The Riders have completed training camp and are ready to play their home opener in the coming week. Surprisingly, they're allowing a full house to attend, and the game is sold out. I hope they're not making a mistake! 

Trav, Joanna and crew remain back in Thunder Bay. Gemma has moved into our house and is taking care of things there. We're comforted to have her in charge.

Joanna's new blue car!

Joanna has made a vehicle decision, and put a down payment on her chosen blue Chevy. We miss them all while we're away! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Delta Plus!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice with the heat wave ending and more comfortable weather until today when we surpassed 30°. Heat and wildfires continue to torment most of western Canada, including northern Ontario. We have had some very smoky days here. Wendy has been taking care of her friend's yard while they're away, and she also managed to get our yard all trimmed up; it seems a shame to leave it behind! I finished cleaning up the existing deck lumber, and prepared an order for the new joists that I'll use in the rebuild. I will wait for the fall, and hope for lower prices by then! I had an appointment with my oncologist this week, but things did not go as expected—not entirely surprising! He has been away teaching a class at Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury Campus, and it seems his directions did not transmit. So, I had no ultrasound, since it had not been booked! He checked things over as carefully as possible by hand (and by finger), and has promised to book an ultrasound for after we get back from Saskatchewan. In the meantime, he feels (literally) that my prostate has not increased in size, and assured me that it feels normal! He was heartened by my report of father and siblings who experienced enlarged prostate, and he agreed there was likely a genetic component to the enlargement. In any case, the PSA had actually declined a bit: 14.1, even though that's considered quite a bit higher than normal! He further opined that I did not have a hernia, but did agree that the lymph node on the right was clearly larger than the one on the left, and that it warranted further investigation, and thus the ultrasound, to come! In the meantime, we plan to take advantage of the fully vaccinated status of ourselves and our family, and do some travelling! Covid-19, however, has been travelling as well, so we remain vigilant, and wish all others did as well. World-wide cases are up 6% in the last week. USA cases have increased 59%, as they gained the most cases of any jurisdiction in the world. With opening up across the country, we have also seen an increase in cases by 14% this week. Delta variant and inflation fears carried over into this week's market action. We had a deep red day on Monday, but then we recovered the rest of the week, and I'm back in the green again, although not up to quota for this month. I still remain on quota since the election—thanks Uncle Joe! Baseball is about all we had going early in the week, but the Summer Olympics have begun, so there's lots to watch there. The Blue Jays have not come flying out of the All-Star break, sigh! Football training camps are making their final cuts, and getting ready to open the season the first weekend in August. Go Riders, Go! 

Erica spent the week working from home and getting over her cold. Eric has been suffering with a bad rash all over his body. He’s met with his doctor who has referred him to a dermatologist. In the mean time he has a lot of ointment to help ease his suffering. However, some thought and a bit of Google searching may have pointed in a helpful direction. Back in June, they got some really nice bamboo sheets that are extra breathable and supposedly good for allergies and asthma. However, it seems that bamboo is also a part of the grass family. Eric is allergic to grass! So, today, they are going to pick up some cotton sheets to see if that helps. Liam is heading home this weekend to be part of worship team and to visit. A brief chat with Haaken and Greg indicated that everyone seems well.

We have been texting, emailing and calling Erin and Kristian as we look forward to seeing them next week. We are making plans for some renovations and painting at their condo, and I hope Kristian will take me golfing! Maybe Erin will, too! 

Trav & Joanna hosted us for a lovely birthday party today, and a generous contribution toward my green fees! Thanks guys!

Blackberry Cheesecake, Yum!

I'll look forward to another birthday party with the Saskatchewan family next week. Fun times. Gemma is house-sitting for us while we're away, a prelude to her relocation to our basement suite in the Fall. I was glad to get my rebuilt battery back for the lawnmower (40V battery-powered) today, so she won't have to bother with the long extension cord. 

And that's about enough for this week!

Delta!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been uncomfortably warm, but we're not suffering like the folks in western Canada where they're being hit with a range from crops being burnt to crops being hailed out. In addition, the thunderstorms have lit many forest and brush fires all across the west and here in northern Ontario. We're experiencing smokey days and blood-red sunsets.

Lower Deck sans Decking!

I've been working on the lower deck, and now have it stripped of planks. I have discovered that they used ten deck planks to make five of the deck joists! I plan to take those apart and replace them with proper lumber.

Up the Ladder, Again!

Wendy has returned to painting, and to climbing the ladder. She has the ceiling finished in the side entry, so I've been able to reinstall the light fixture. Now, she's working on the walls. It is hard to know which is the bigger story lately, the pandemic, or climate change. Both are taking lives at an alarming pace. Heat waves, massive rainstorms, devastating droughts, heat-induced firestorms—all things we've been warned about, are all coming at us, and we're unable to deal effectively with them. The delta variant of Covid-19 is striking hard world-wide among the unvaccinated. All USA states have experienced a rise in infections and deaths. The world has experienced a 16% increase in cases this past week. USA is up 67%, while we have been able to see a decrease of 27% thanks to massive efforts at vaccination. But, we are also seeing some reluctance among the ignorant to get the jabs, so we find many people still at risk, and all provinces are opening up which gives the variant more opportunities. C'mon man! The markets were victimized by uncertainty and fear all week with only two green days. Friday was the worst as data showed inflation increasing, and investors decided they would no longer accept the central bankers' assurances that it is only transitory! So, I had a red week—I do not enjoy red weeks! Baseball was mostly off this week as it was time for the All-star festival. The Blue Jays are playing a bit better, and we look forward to their second half with some optimism. The football training camps are underway, so we look forward to the season, albeit with an abbreviated schedule, to begin early in August. 

Erica writes, "This week I decided, or rather my body decided to take the week off. I woke up Tuesday with a sore throat and cough and it just got worse as the day progressed. I did get Covid tested just to be sure, and the test came back negative. But, I spent three days in bed sleeping, coughing and drinking tea. Eric had a quieter week. He didn’t have as many supervision clients outside of regular work. And, he fit in a card-hockey game. We are making plans for our Germany trip. We now have flights and accommodations booked for most of the time. We are planning to spend some time in Berlin before surgery so we can have a short holiday. The boys are all doing fine—not much to report."

Kristian enjoyed a quiet week, mostly indoors out of the heat in Regina. Erin had a regular week of work, along with Kristian's trip for UV treatments. Kristian has now been fully vaccinated, so in a couple of weeks he should achieve maximum protection. That's a  relief. He experienced no side effects other than pain at the injection site. They also did a big clean up, so our room is available, but our plan would be that Erin would move down there so we can renovate her room. They have a visitor: cousin/nephew Liam. 

Trav and Joanna have taken off for southern Ontario along with Daisy to deliver the dog to Joanna's newly widowed step-mom. The trip is going well, and Mavis and Daisy seem to be hitting it off just fine. We're taking care of Minnie while they're gone. Gemma is taking care of the rats and birds! 

And that's about it for this week. 

Hot Times!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. As promised, the weather moderated during the week, but we're looking at warmer weather again this weekend. At least, we're keeping it below 30°, so it's not like they're suffering under in western Canada. We had a little outing on Sunday to mark our anniversary—just our usual treat at DQ.

51st Anniversary Outing!

I've been able to attend to a few projects outside—the lawns got mowed, and I've begun taking apart the lower deck. The deck job has proved problematic as some of the screws are determined to stay in place! I have resorted to taking out what I can, and then using the reciprocating saw to cut off the recalcitrants. Otherwise, the yard is looking nice even though the heat is drying out the lawns. This morning, Wendy took time to perform another hair cut!

Sheep to the Shearers...

Thanks for the Trim!

I have done the bloodwork in preparation for my final appointment before we can travel west. I didn't notice anything untoward in the report, but then, I'm no doctor! I am awaiting an ultrasound, and an assessment from my oncologist. Dr. Prowse, more aptly named Dr. Sterns, could also be called proctologist or groinicologist (thanks Archie!). We don't chat until July 22nd, at which meeting, I hope he has comforting words for me! Meanwhile, there are no comforting words on the Covid front. The delta variant is widespread and creating particular havoc among those who refuse or are unable to get vaccinated. The lambda variant has also arrived in North America, and scientists are beginning to study it to see what danger it threatens. The world has experienced an 11% surge in cases this week. USA, drifting backwards on vaccinations, shows a 25% increase in cases. Even here in Canada we are seeing our vaccination rates drift, but at least we achieved an 11% reduction in infections. What we are seeing is most jurisdictions in Canada, and even more so in the USA dropping all protections against Covid spread, and we're seeing alarming case rates reported as we surpass the 4 million deaths world-wide. I am confident the actual infection and death data from the pandemic is much higher. As some wag observed, the markets operate on fear and greed. This week was a troubled experience as traders found new things to fear, and new opportunities for greed! Early in the week the fear of inflation was raised, causing a sell-off. Then, they switched to the opposite extreme fearing governments would not do enough to reflate the economy, and that created another sell-off. In between, and again on Friday, greed took its turn, also called FOMO (fear of missing out), and the markets surged—sigh! All told, I managed a green week, but not up to quota. Tampa Bay Lightning struck the final blow against Montreal and won the Stanley Cup 4 games to 1. The Blue Jays continue to perform below my expectations as the hitters are not able to keep up with all the runs the pitchers are giving up! Some new pitchers are arriving, so we have hope! 

Eric has been fighting a skin condition and then, on Tuesday night he had such bad stomach pain that he decided to go to the hospital. It turns out he had another gallstone. Now, he has medication to try to deal with further stones. We haven’t heard much from the boys, and Erica just had a regular week of work. They try to shelter against the severe heat wave in Prince Albert. 

Erin and Kristian continue to shelter from the heat in Regina as well. We hope they get better weather before we consider venturing west! Kristian continues with his UV treatments. We hope to see the improvements when we get there! 

Travis and Joanna are enjoying their newly sheltered deck. They set up a joint celebration of our anniversaries on Thursday evening when they took us out to eat on the patio at the marina. It was great! They are continuing to dog-sit the new dog for her step-mom and look forward to delivering it to Toronto soon. We'll have Minnie while they're away. Andrew was by today to check out the Andrew-on-deck chair, and to pick up a desk table for his new digs. Trav & Joanna are starting to feel like empty-nesters; there's a situation I do not enjoy! 

And that's about it for this week! 

Golden+

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown and it brings to completion the 51st year of wedded bliss for me! Wendy has always been entitled to her own opinion on that, and has sometimes been allowed to state it publicly!

Sweets for the Sweetie!

We've enjoyed a beautiful week of weather, but it has turned hot this weekend as the remnants of the heat dome has arrived into eastern Canada. We're looking at 35° today, but are promised nicer weather next week.

Peonies in bloom!

Wendy has been busy all week on the flower beds, and decrees them presentable. The irises are about finished, and the peonies are blooming—lovely! I have harvested another batch of rhubarb, and if it stands up to the current hot spell, I will get another gathering later. The lawns are ready for another cut, but I'm trying to wait for the weather to be a bit cooler—benefits both the grass and me! I've been out practicing golf from time to time, but didn't play any holes this week. It's not such an attraction when you don't have a regular crew to golf with. We're making great progress on vaccinations here, and most provinces are relaxing the restrictions—hopefully not too soon, or too much! The delta variant remains a big concern, and it is making rapid inroads among the unvaccinated areas of the USA, as well as the developing world. World cases have risen 3% this week, USA cases have risen 11%, while, thankfully, our cases have dropped 17%. The infection rate in the USA is now triple what it is here, and that is considered to be due to the regions which are reluctant to get their vaccinations. The markets have continued their winning ways, and I have completed another month on quota. This completes six months this year on quota, and in fact all eight months since the election—it's sure easier to make stock decisions when you don't have early morning tweets to disrupt an orderly market! Anyway, eight straight months is the best I've ever done in my dozen years in this game. The Stanley Cup playoffs are on the cusp of completion, and despite my picking the Lightning, the Habs have failed to win a single game—quelle surprise! The Blue Jays are playing better, winning 7 of their last 10 games, but are still dropping games they should be winning! They could be a very good team with just a bit more pitching; they did place three starters on the All-Star team! Football has begun preparations for an abbreviated season. Go Riders, Go! Major soccer tournaments are underway as well around the world, and I'm taking some note of that. Denmark has advanced to the semi-final in Europe. Then, there's Wimbledon, probably the biggest name in tennis! 

I messed up the Lipedemia Website link last week, try this one. 

Erica writes, "It has been a very hot week here in Prince Albert. We’ve escaped to our air conditioned bedroom early most evenings and spent a the bulk of Canada Day in there. Today is plus 36! Too hot for me. Liam returned to Caronport on Tuesday. Eric and I have booked our flights to Germany and Air BnB for the time we have to be in Bonn. We have some time before and after so we are hoping to visit some tourist sites, so long as things remain open to tourism. If things close up again, we will have extra time to isolate, but as it is now, fully vaccinated people do not need to isolate. If you want to support this surgery and get a tax receipt, you can send a cheque to:

Bailey surgery project

First Baptist Church

1351 28 Street East

Prince Albert SK  S6V 6T4

You can also do an etransfer to finance@fbcpa.net along with an email that the donation is for the Bailey Surgery Project and providing a password for the etransfer.

If you don’t care about getting a donation receipt, you can etransfer to me directly at eulrich11@yahoo.ca or mail to: 

Erica Bailey

801 15th Street West

Prince Albert SK  S6V 3R7 "

Erin and Kristian have also been hunkering down against the heat in Regina. Their back deck receives shade beginning in the early afternoon, so it has been pleasant to spend some time out there.

Lotsa room for clubs in the RAV4

They've also managed to get in some golf! Kristian has completed this school year, but has had some more driver training. Kristian would also like to take in some golfing, camping, fishing, garage-sale-ing, and visiting Papa  this summer. Erin writes, "He also needs someone else with calmer nerves (grandpa) to practice driving with!"

Trav and Joanna got their delivery of material to complete the pergola, so we spent a day over there getting the shades installed—looks great! It has roller blinds on the sides, and an UV sail on the top. 

Pergola complete!

We also enjoyed a meal with them on that occasion. Gemma and Andrew have returned from southern Ontario. Trav and Joanna have taken possession of a dog that will soon be transferred to Toronto for her step-mom. 

Cute little gal, isn't she?

And that's about it for this week!