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!
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| Blackberry Cheesecake, Yum! |
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