Catching Up!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been great with temperatures above freezing, and the driveway and walks have cleared off nicely. We have quite a number of issues to clear up here before we will be ready to head west. The Celebration of Life for Dad is set for December 9th, 1:30pm at Glen Elm Church of Christ in Regina. We expect to see many of you there—you are all invited and welcome. We've both been attending to medical issues. Wendy had an ultrasound followup to her recent surgery. She's reporting good results, now we are waiting to see if the doctor agrees! I had a followup meeting with my doctor over my back/leg issues. She remains concerned, and ordered X-rays even though she doesn't expect it to reveal the problem. It didn't, but it's a required precursor to an MRI which she has now ordered. I'm still waiting on an MRI of my head to check what may be causing my hearing loss, but it seems MRIs are subject to delay! With the comfortable weather, I managed to make some progress on shop projects—seems there is no end of projects there! We got our roof reshingled on Monday—looks good. We've put off the soffit, fascia and eavestrough until the Spring; we're not expecting any rain for a while anyhow!

Nicely done! 

Wendy has been extra busy catching up on Sweet Adelines business that piled up while we were away. The bank continues to frustrate her efforts to conduct business on line. Market action was quite sparse this week with the USA holidays, but investors seem to be more optimistic and I had a good week. The Grey Cup had a surprise winner as the Argos shot down the heavily favoured Bombers. In college basketball, Kansas was upgraded to #3, but they lost their game yesterday, so they'll be dropped down the list a bit. #1-North Carolina also lost, and I was hoping KU might move up, sigh! The Leafs suffered a major loss as their top defenceman was injured and will be out for several weeks. Oilers are just not playing very well right now, but came back from three goals down to win their game today. Pens played the Leafs today, so somebody had to lose! The Leafs won this time. College football saw the 'Horns getting the week off, while my Sooners lost to Texas Tech in overtime. 

Erica writes, "At MNP, there were several events with the release of CFE marks. There were pre-parties and post-parties and lots of commiserating over the difficulty of the exam and waiting to hear if you passed. In addition, the office spent Saturday morning serving hot chocolate at the PA Christmas Parade. Last week was spent in Saskatoon so this weekend is here in PA. Eric and I are on for worship team on Sunday. We also cleaned up our recycling and cleared away several deck boards to make our natural gas meter accessible. As I suspected, this isn’t going to be as easy as the tech from SaskEnergy said. There is a beam within 3 feet of the meter, so, if we need a 3x3 clearance it is going to have to wait until summer. But for now the boards are gone and we hope they will accept this as a temporary solution. Liam has started a patreon account to raise money to support his art. He would be very happy to receive support. Haaken and Greg are fine."

Erin and Kristian are enjoying a brief respite in the winter weather, but are threatened with a cold snap coming their way! Kristian has completed one drama project, but continues with that early morning course. Curling has started, his team won last week, and tied this week. Erin is heading into a busy time at work as they're de-merging the Lexus part of the business from the Toyota business, so they will operate as individual companies. Fortunately her boss is getting back to work, so that should spread the load around a bit. 

Travis has recovered from his bout with Covid, and they're back to full-time photoshoots once again. We have set up Trav's birthday celebration for tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow is Trav's birthday, and we're planning a pizza and cake celebration here. 

Another Wendy Masterpiece

And that's about it for this week. 

Home Again!

Another week has passed, and we have returned from south of the Red River in Texas to our hometown on the shore of Lake Superior. A wonderful family gathering at Viggo & Nancy's in Rowlett concluded on Tuesday as we drove north to Lawrence. Thank you all for the wonderful time, and great grub! Aunt Helen provided a warm welcome and a Jayhawk victory on Tuesday evening—thank you so much! Then, on Wednesday, we returned the car to Marti's garage, and loaded up in Marilyn's minivan for a ride to the airport. The flight to Washington was uneventful, but that was the end of trouble-free travel for us! Shortly after arrival as we negotiated our way to our new gate, we started getting texts and emails explaining that our flight to Toronto was delayed. Each successive text announced a later projected departure time and our comfortable connection in Toronto started to look troubling! The issue, they told us, was that the plane that would take us to Toronto was still in Toronto! Eventually, it showed up, and with a quick turnaround, we were off to Toronto a couple of hours later than planned. No worries, we had used the ArriveCAN app (even though we didn't have to), and our transit through customs would be slick! However, it seems the folks at Pearson Airport had determined that since ArriveCAN was no longer required, it would no longer be used! So, we endured a 40-minute queue and then had to go through the entire process of customs declarations, again, sigh! Then, it was a rush across the airport to the farthest gate possible. Luckily, we were able to get one of those cart rides for much of the distance, and we made our flight. Joanna met us at midnight in Thunder Bay—thanks, Joanna! It's good to be home. 

We received news of Dad's passing on Monday, so our trip home was clouded by that grief. The remainder of the week has been largely consumed with conversations back to Regina and planning for a commemorative service. We had some snow accumulating in our driveway, but Travis and Joanna came by Thursday morning to help clear that away. My back and legs continue to be a bother, so that was very welcome. I have arranged an appointment with my doctor for further investigation. When this first flared up at the end of September, she had me checked for a kidney stone, but ultrasound ruled that out. I have endured a month of chiropractic and stretching exercises which have certainly caused a lot of pain, but no relief. The markets continued to be roiled by duelling issues of the election, inflation and the FED, but I was able to close off the week with a good green day. College football season is coming to an end, and soon they'll be in an interminable list of bowl games. 'Horns won their game easily today, and my Sooners pounced on their in-state rival, Oklahoma State. In hockey, my teams remain around the middle of the pack, and, all three won today. 

Erica writes, "We were sad to hear of Grampa passing on Monday. It’s mostly been a week of remembering and sharing about his life. Plus some destruction on the bathroom."

Down to the Lath!

Erin and Kristian are enduring a harsh start to winter with snow and cold in Regina. This week added to their grief with the passing of Papa. Erin is suffering with a cold of her own, again! Kristian's drama group toured their production with five presentations. He was on the stage crew. Today was the final show, and then they went out for a celebration at Western Pizza. 

Travis contracted covid, but he's vaccinated, so his symptoms were light; he seems to have recovered already. They continue to be very busy with Puckshots photo shoots. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Ellis Clinton Krogsgaard

Ellis Clinton Krogsgaard, 97, of Regina, ran into the arms of Jesus on Monday, November 14, 2022. “Ellie” was born on a farm north of Ogema, Saskatchewan on March 7, 1925. He was predeceased by his wife and sweetheart of 45 years, Evelyn Mary (Taylor); parents, Harold and Martha (Arneson); brother, John Malm and sisters-in-law, Ina (Johnson) and Jean (Osaka); sister and brother-in-law, Carole (Straker) and Bernard; sister-in-law, Mae (Ewing); brothers-in-law, George Elford, Elford Bell and Wilf Smith. 

Ellis is survived by his children, daughter-Wendy (Bill) Ulrich with three grandchildren, Erica (Eric) Bailey, Travis (Joanna Herbage), Erin; five great-grandchildren, Haaken, Liam, Gemma (Jonas), Andrew and Kristian; son-David; son-Richard (Sue) with four grandchildren, Aaron (Lorraine), Tori (Sharon), Tim (Krista), Tiffany (Layne); ten great-grandchildren, Jonas, Max, Finn, Ivy, Anders, Noah, Rosy, Dierks, Chet and Daisy; son-Bernard (Alicia) with three grandchildren, Kresten (Starlet), Ashley (Barry), Logan (Kaitlyn); two great-grandsons, Oliver and Keplar. He is also survived by one brother, Bordy; three sisters, Eloise, Ruby and Sharon (Rob), along with numerous nieces and nephews. 

Ellis walked in close relationship with his Saviour, reflecting the character of Jesus. He was a life-time teacher, song leader and elder with the Regina (Glen Elm) Church of Christ. In 1943, he began his 37-year teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse, Albert Springs. He went on to teach in Ogema, Radville (where he built the family’s first home), Ceylon and Pangman. After moving to Regina in 1964, he taught various subjects, including wood-working and English, concluding his professional years as Head of the English Department at Central Collegiate. Ellis took an early retirement to lovingly care for his ailing wife, Evelyn, for ten years. Ellie’s guitar playing and distinctive tenor voice highlighted various Tommy Douglas political events and many a family “pickin’n grinnin”. As his arthritic fingers began to limit his ability to strum his 80-year old Gibson, he often opted to select one of his seven harmonicas and stomped out a lively tune, to the delight of his listeners! Of the many talents that Ellis developed, he was happiest in his carpentry workshop, with every tool and machine strategically placed and immaculately maintained. He blessed the church and many family, friends and neighbours with his intricate handiwork. In his later years, Ellis was able to stay in his home, keeping busy with church bulletin edits, crosswords puzzles, competitive games of cribbage, as well as tutoring struggling college students with their essays. He forever had his red pen at hand to edit the newspaper or whatever his eyes found to read. His understanding of the English language was extensive; how it grieved him to see his beloved formal English become extinct, leaving colloquialisms to become the norm. Ellis’ greatest joy was his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, as well as all those who lovingly called him Grandpa and Uncle Ellie. 

Grandpa Ellis’ last few years were wrought with mobility issues that confined him to his wheelchair. Rarely did a complaint or bemoaning pass his lips. A champion of determination, he forced himself to walk the length of his house several times a day; he even ventured out to his beloved workshop on occasion. His children worked together to make it possible for Dad to stay in his home as long as possible, until his care required the expertise of the caregivers at Selo Gardens; there, he joyfully lived and flourished for the last eight months. The family wishes to thank Lorelei Fletcher and the competent workers at Selo for their care and compassion; Grandpa was loved and respected, being treated with dignity and courtesy there. “Grandpa, your presence will be deeply missed among us. Heaven was made a bit sweeter with your arrival. How that glint in your eye must sparkle as you unite with your Master, your sweetheart and all those you have longed to see! Until we meet again. Thank you for the legacy you have left. We love you.”

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Regina at the Glen Elm Church of Christ.

To leave an online message of condolence, please visit: Victoria Avenue Funeral

Texas!

The Siblings!

Another week has passed, and we have continued our journey through Oklahoma and into Texas. We enjoyed Sunday morning with Jack before continuing our trip. The drive down to Dallas went well, and Lucas welcomed us to their home for the week. Luc has accommodated us graciously, and we have tried to provide vittles for the week! Wendy and I have 'enjoyed' navigating around the high traffic thoroughfares of Dallas—quite a bit above our comfort level. However, we've successfully completed several shopping and touristy trips around town. Marti's car continues to perform admirably, and we've even learned how to work with the GPS. Luc and I got out for golf on Thursday. I'm still hurting quite a bit, so the golf was a tad tentative, but still very much fun. This weekend the weather has turned cold with overnight lows near freezing and daytime highs around 10°, so I don't expect to get out for any more golf. The markets were a bit surprised by the election results, and with the better than expected inflation data, investors piled into the markets and I enjoyed a good month this week. I haven't been following the sports as closely while we're on the road. Gushue did win the Pan Continental curling on the men's side, while Einarson settled for the bronze on the women's side. Jayhawks have opened the basketball season with two wins. Sooners lost another football game this afternoon, and the Longhorns lost tonight—sigh! Oilers and Leafs won their games today, while Pens lost in OT in Montreal. The family gathering is in full swing over at Viggo & Nancy's—thanks everyone for making it a memorable event. It was special to meet another nephew, Ken, at this event. 

Erica writes, "After some delays courtesy of the weather and a Westjet system crash, we got back to Saskatoon on Tuesday at 3 AM. We grabbed a few hours sleep at a Comfort Inn, then drove to PA. Haaken was more fortunate; he got home by 11 PM on Monday. Liam, Greg and Kiersten slept on the Airport floor in line for “customer service” which had an abundance of customers and a lack of service. Finally around 9 AM they got new flights and, since Greg and Kiersten wouldn’t leave for another day, a hotel room. Liam joined them for some proper sleep. Liam got into Regina at midnight Tuesday. Greg and Kiersten arrived back home on Wednesday at 5 pm. Eric is home this weekend, while I’ve taken off for our annual girls trip to Edmonton. This year we are attending The Price is Right, which should be fun. Thanks to my most wonderful cousin, Margaret Reil, we are saving on hotel costs! Thanks Dolly!"

Erin and Kristian are suffering through a pretty severe start to winter in Regina, but they're doing okay. The preliminary work is complete for the theatrical production that Kristian is in at school. They take it on the road for performances at several schools starting next week. He has also begun another season of curling. 

Travis and Joanna suffered the loss of their budgie this week. Somehow, it escaped the cage and the house. We are holding out hope that it will find its way back home before the cold out-of-doors prove too much for it. Otherwise, they are keeping very busy with work especially the Puckshots Photography side of the business. 

And that's about it for this week! 

Travelling!

Another week has passed and we have continued our trip. We began the week in Lawrence KS, saying good-bye to cousin Marti as she headed off to Finland on a Fullbright Scholarship event. We enjoyed a few more days with Aunt Helen (thank you!), and worked on a project for Marti involving air-blocking and baseboards in her front entry.

Foam flowing into the garage!

Wendy overdid the foam work, then I installed the wood, and she finished with fresh paint. It turned out fine; Aunt Helen will remove the painters tape before Marti gets home!

Painted up pretty nicely!

On Wednesday, we packed up Marti's car, and drove down to Stillwater OK where we settled in with Jack and Joanne for the rest of the week—thank you, Jack and family for hosting us so well. We plan to head south to Dallas tomorrow. Life at Jack's is always very busy and very interesting. We spent a lot of time reminiscing about our times in Zambia, and catching up on happenings there, especially the water situation. They've had early rains and the dams are filling up nicely. We pray that the rains will continue to be steady and that next April there will be a great harvest. Jack has obtained another NEW car to add to his collection. It's a 29 Ford Roadster that has been hopped up a bit with electronic ignition and a modern carburetor. 

29 Ford Roadster

I also got to drive his 29 Ford Model A which I had first enjoyed last time through, and this time Wendy joined in the fun!

Wendy driving the Model A

It was another topsy turvy week in the markets as the strong USA economic numbers battled with the FEDs determination to tamp the economy down, but in the end I had a good gain for the week despite the 0.75% prime rate increase. Employment was up big time in both Canada and the USA and that encouraged investors. The Pan Continental Curling served up a surprise on the women's side as Korea and Japan advanced to the championship game while Einarson will battle USA for the bronze. On the Men's side, Gushue will play Korea for the gold, while USA plays Japan for the bronze. The CFL divisional semi-finals will take place tomorrow with Hamilton in Montreal, and Calgary in Vancouver. Toronto and Winnipeg await the winners. The Pens have hit a bad stretch in the early season enduring a losing streak. Oilers ran off an impressive win streak, but now they've lost two straight. Leafs are not performing up to expectations either, but at least they won tonight! Houston captured the World Series tonight despite my picking them to win! Sooners dropped their game to Baylor today. 'Horns beat Kansas State this evening. 

Eric, Erica, Haaken, Liam, Greg and Kiersten are enjoying London. It's about time for them to return to a wintry reality check! Erica writes, "It has been quite a week. It is wonderful to have everyone under the same roof, even if that roof is across the pond. We have been having a lot of fun together as a family and getting to know Kiersten better. We’ve visited the Harry Potter studio tour, the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath and toured the historic Roman baths, did a walking tour of haunted London pubs, and have seen many other sites along the way. Today, we will go see The Lion King and see what else we can fit in on our last full day."

Erin and Kristian had a good week, although Erin succumbed to a migraine on Friday. 

Travis and Joanna are very busy, perhaps, too busy, with Puckshots as teams are rushing to get photos taken. At least the Fall weather is holding in Thunder Bay, although they have been getting some rain. 

And that's enough for this week.