Another week has passed, and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. We've had pretty much the full range of seasons this week, and currently sit in the grips of Winter once again! We began the week with a memorable trip to Kronau where I got to curl with Erin and Kristian—what a memory that is! Then, on Monday, we headed east enjoying a good trip to Winnipeg and a short visit with Tom & Mariette—thanks folks! Tuesday dawned with the threat of a blizzard in Ontario, but our conclusion was that it would get worse if we waited, so we headed east. The trip was pretty good until we got to Upsala, although we did pass two semis in the ditches. The last hour and a half was heavy going as the snow was building up, but we arrived during daylight hours and were glad to be home. Wednesday, we arose to Snow-magedon! The highway west was closed, and our driveway was snowed in. I managed to blow out the piece between our vehicle and street so I could get to my bloodwork appointment. Then, we did a bit more clearing before giving in to the blizzard, and watching it fill the driveway once again. Thursday saw us under sunny skies and +10°, and the streets cleared and dried! Crazy weather for sure! Otherwise, we have returned to our normal programming here. We both had a doctor's appointment on Thursday, and now we're both referred for physiotherapy. Wendy's is for her shoulders; mine is for my knee. The mess in Ukraine continues unabated even while news of Russian setbacks provides some encouragement that Putin might withdraw from this madness. Markets continue to be headline-driven, but we had a good week, and I managed a good gain. Sports have been big—Trav got the PVR set up to record the world curling championships, so I've been catching up on that. Our team Einarson advanced to the playoffs, defeating Denmark this afternoon, but then she lost to Korea in the semi-finals tonight. Tomorrow, she will play for the bronze medal against Sweden. The NHL has passed the trade deadline, and now is in the final push for the playoffs. My three teams are looking good to advance, although they all lost their latest game. The big spectacle this time of year is March Madness in Basketball. There have been more than the usual share of upsets, and lots of heart-pounding finishes. A #15 seed has advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time ever, but the better news is that my Jayhawks have as well! Rock Chalk!
Erica writes, "It warmed up and there was significant melting in the south facing back yard, but very little in the front and our Christmas Moose is still up to his shoulders in snow. No further water dripping from the ceiling. We got a little in the basement, but nothing too difficult to deal with. We got some good news—Greg is able to come for a visit at the end of April. I’m leading music at the ladies retreat next weekend, so this week I am busy finalizing music choices. We are looking forward to it! We are into busy season at work, so the days are longer, but still manageable and I’m finding it less stressful than prior years. Eric is teaching another anger management class. So that pairs well with my longer hours on at least one day of the week."
Erin writes, "No big news—the house is intact! [She's making fun of me since I un-repaired the plumbing last week!] Kristian’s new curling shoes were really good. He seemed to have a lot of confidence going up and down the ice. I decided to keep them because I can use them even if Kristian grows out of them. We had a really good 3-way conference on Thursday. All the teachers said they love him and he’s taken on a leadership role with all the other DHH (Deaf & Hard of Hearing) kids and he’s keeping up with his school work. He went to Sky Park last night with the DHH youth group. He said it was fun."
It was good to get back to Thunder Bay and to our family here. Gemma has taken easy care of our place where she lives downstairs. Travis and Joanna keep busy with hockey photography, but have also been on call for any bigger issues at the Manor—thank you, all! They have lost another pet, and are anxiously look forward to the arrival of their new dog in April. They are also in the rush to get prepared for a warm weather trip in April—lucky them!
And that's about enough for this week.
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