Aunt Peggy!

A Lifetime of Service

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It was quite a varied experience this week, but the shocker was the decline and demise of our dear Aunt Peggy. We were not expecting her to be ill, let alone be hospitalized, intubated, failing and passing. We lament this along with the rest of her extended family and friends. The weather has turned positively salubrious here these last few days, but we had a spring blizzard at the start of the week, and I was recalled for snowblower work! Once again, I'm hoping that was the last call for this year.

That really blows!

Otherwise, it was a quiet week. Wendy had her usual chorus work and chorus practice. She has also made good progress on her business accounting contract. We have managed our regular walking, and I have managed to make my 10 km quota this week for a change! I'm still feeling plenty of discomfort in my back and legs, but I'll keep trying. The markets have continued to be difficult, but I did manage to eke out a small gain. I remain far below quota this month with only one week to go. The mild weather means I have been able to get out to the shop and make some progress on my projects. The sports world continues to attract a lot of my attention. On the weekends it's March Madness where unpredictability reigns. We've now reached the final eight, and for the first time ever not a single #1 seed remains in contention. Since my Jayhawks have fallen out of contention, I've switched my cheering to Creighton and UConn. All week, I've been following the World Women's Curling with Einarson. Kerri and Val have curled inconsistently and they've fallen short of their goal. They'll curl for the bronze medal tomorrow against Sweden. NHL Hockey is down to the final ten games or so and my teams are currently in playoff positions, but the Pens' situation is quite precarious. Oilers have been playing well, winning 7 of their last 10. Leafs won 6/10, while Pens only won 4/10—big win tonight, though! 

Erica writes, "It’s been a pretty quiet week; this weekend is gonna be a party! We are heading to Moose Jaw for the Irish Rovers and to catch Liam’s new RU production. Last weekend, Eric planned a night out with dinner and bowling and I managed to beat him for the first time ever! That must have been his birthday gift to me! We talked to the boys last weekend and everyone seems to be doing fine. That is about it!"

Erin and Kristian had a quiet week in Regina, and after recent events, that was a welcomed thing! Kristian's second semester is well underway, and seems to be running well. The transition continues at Taylor Motors as the main office building is being abandoned, demolished and rebuilt. Erin is working in the Lexus building across the street during the construction. 

Travis and Joanna continue to be quite busy. Joanna's work seems unusually busy due to many organizations hitting year end and wishing to spend their money! We enjoyed pizza supper and games with them last night. The two young dogs have refreshed with hair cuts, but, while Minnie is also needing one, the cutter was reluctant! 

And that's enough for this week. 

Erica Berica Soderberg!

Another Birthday Wonder Woman!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We enjoyed lovely walks on the drying streets in our running shoes, but then Thursday came! A blizzard blew in from Colorado, and stayed with us until this morning. We got quite a dump of fresh snow, and had to clear the driveway twice. I hope this is the last blast for this winter, but it's still March! We had Minnie with us most of the week, and then the two monster pups for the last few days of that! They were rambunctious! It was a workout taking them for a walk. Anyway, Travis, Joanna and Andrew drove back on Thursday arriving here just in time for the storm, but at least they got off the road before it became too difficult to drive. Wendy keeps very busy with the chorus business and practices. They're getting ready for a competition in April. She also has her business accounting contract to work on. The markets continue to be unpredictable and bad! This week, we had alternating strong gains and deep losses. Sadly, three of the days were losses! After making quota January and February, I'm running red this month, sigh! The most recent issue is banking as several banks are wobbling based on the rapidly rising interest rates. My central sporting focus in March is Basketball—March Madness as it is so aptly named. College Basketball is always refreshingly and agonizingly unpredictable, and that has proved true once again. Two of the #1 seeds have already been sent packing, and that, sadly, includes my Jayhawks who lost by one point to Arkansas. Rock Chalk all the same. Hockey continues as the season enters the home stretch. The Oilers won again today and are solidly in a playoff position right now. Pens lost today, and are just one point clear in the final playoff spot. Leafs won tonight and are also comfortably in a playoff position. 

Erica writes, "We had a pretty ordinary week. Eric finished up teaching an evening class 'One heart two homes' for co-parenting after divorce. It’s busy season, so I’ve worked some later evenings.  I also enjoyed St.Patrick’s day with my book club. Our host provided a Leprechaun charcuterie board. After Eric and I went for traditional shamrock shakes. We grieved the loss of Sadie who was such a lovely dog. Our friends, Tina and Guido also had to put down their dog, Archie, who had heart problems. It’s tough to say good bye to our furry family members. Today’s my birthday. We have plans, but I don’t know what they are. Fun!"

Erin opened the week celebrating with her siblings. That was a great time for them. 

Sadie. RIP

Then, as they departed, so did little Sadie. Our furry friends play a sweet role in our families and Sadie is missed. Kristian has no memories without Sadie around, so it'll be quite an adjustment for them both. For now, they are celebrating her memory. They still have the two cats. 

So happy our kids had some together time!

Travis and Joanna spent last weekend in Regina with the siblings! Then, they headed part way back to Winnipeg where they met up with Andrew and took in the AEW event on Wednesday.

Trav, Joanna and Jade!

With the storm threatening, they left early on Thursday, but experienced little difficulty, not running in to the storm until the final hour into TBay. They were here for supper and visiting tonight—nice! 

And that's enough for this week. 

Wendy!

The Birthday Girl

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It has been a week of celebration and tender remembrances. We recalled Dad on the 98th anniversary of his birth, and then just two days later, we celebrated Wendy's birthday! As is often our custom, we extended the celebration for at least a week around the event! The weather has remained spring-like, and the sidewalks and streets are inviting our walks each day. The weather folks are threatening us with some snow tonight! Travis, Joanna and Andrew took us out for a birthday fête on Wednesday night. We went to a small pinball cafe and enjoyed it a great deal. The children plied her with gifts, including these lovely flowers.

Birthday Flowers!

She also enjoyed phone calls from children and grandchildren. And today, our tenant brought her gifts including a cake—Nice! The markets have turned harshly against me, and it was a losing week. Otherwise, we've been well-engaged in watching the Brier competition. My guy Koe, made the playoffs but has now lost out. There are three teams left: Dunstone, Gushue, Bottcher. I've picked Dunstone to win it all, but the other teams are very good as well. With the trade deadline behind them, NHL teams are working to settle in their new players and jockey for playoff position. The Oilers had a big win over top-ranked Boston this week, but fell to the Leafs tonight. Pens won their game over the Flyers today. The Jayhawks are completing their preparation for March Madness with a good showing in the conference tournament, but they lost the final. They've been playing without their coach who has been hospitalized this week.

Erica writes, "We’re alive! Eric and I have survived Covid-19. It’s been a quiet week as we were both self-isolating. We had a couple days of feeling congested and hot and tired. But overall we had it pretty easy. Liam had a checkup with his specialist on Friday and his condition is improving. We are so glad. Greg and Haaken are both doing well. This weekend we expect to see Travis and Joanna down in Regina. We are just so glad we are Covid negative!"

Kristian is sporting a fresh hair-style with a bit of colour! He also reports that classes are going well again this semester.

Dude!

They have been preparing for family company this weekend. Travis & Joanna are already there, and they're expecting Eric, Erica and Liam to arrive soon.

After taking us out for birthday supper, Travis & Joanna headed west for a family-connection trip. They enjoyed overnighting with Tom & Mariette in Winnipeg on Thursday, and then completed the trip into Regina on Friday. We're expecting them back sometime next week. 

And that's enough for this week.

Spring Again!

Steve Bell in Concert

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, and we have returned to Spring! Once again, we're enjoying temperatures without that annoying tic mark in front! The driveway has melted off, sidewalks and streets are slushy and gradually clearing, and we're enjoying getting outside for our walks. Through the wintery weather, I am often confined to the treadmill to get my walking done. Truly, it didn't take long to walk as far as I have been able in recent months, but with my therapy, things are getting better, and I am able to walk everyday for 1 to 2 kilometres. My back and, occasionally, my legs complain a bit, but really, I'm encouraged. The searing pain down the back and outsides of my legs is a rare phenomenon now, and the neuropathy has significantly improved in my feet. I've even been swinging a golf club some days, and am considering a trip to the rink to try showing rocks. This week, I had more ultrasound on my back, but that was related to my kidneys; we'll see what the doctor says about that in my appointment next week. I am scheduled for bloodwork and an appointment with my vascular surgeon next month. Then, I expect, we'll be ready for a trip west! Getting old, hey? We began the week in a wonderful concert with Steve Bell. His stories and songs were a blessing. Wendy keeps very busy with chorus work as they're preparing to attend a competition down at Rochester MN next month. She is also making progress on the business contract she took on recently. The markets took an upturn this week, and I enjoyed that to start the new month with some good gains. It seems we're in a phase of "Good news is bad news!" and "Bad news is bad news!" When economic data is strong, investors lament that the FED will raise rates more aggressively. When economic data is week, investors lament that the FED is causing a recession! It's a multi-faceted fear of the FED, and investors are suffering! The NHL trade deadline was Friday, and all of my teams made some moves. However, the Pens were mostly criticized for how little they did to improve. They are in a playoff position, but their prospects are questionable, at best! Oilers picked up some hopefully helpful additions, and Leafs added a lot of talent. Now, we'll wait to see which team progresses the furthest! My #3-Jayhawks proved once again to be the cream of the crop as they have captured another Big 12 Conference crown. Today was not a good day for my teams as Oilers, Leafs, Pens and Jayhawks all lost. The Scotties ended last Sunday with my pick, Einarson, winning the Canadian Championship. Local team, McCarville, performed very well, and took home the bronze. Now, the Brier has started. There are many highly rated teams in the running. I will follow Sask Champ, Knapp, with sentimental attachment, but not much hope of winning it all. It will probably come down to my favourite, Koe, along with Gushue, Bottcher and McEwen. 

Erica writes, "Liam has been discussing working full time as a missionary leader with Refined Undignified. Refined Undigmified is a hip hop dance group that shares the message of God’s love through dance. This week he was approved to move ahead and start fundraising support through The Great Commission Foundation. Please keep him in your prayers as he moves forward.

Covid 19 +

Eric and I got to enjoy a comedian in Saskatoon. I was feeling a bit stuffed up this morning, and suffering a sore throat, so I took a test! Guess I won't be going to LaRonge next week! We have no update from Haaken and Greg."

Erin and Kristian enjoyed a family date night last evening at the Olive Garden. They've been using a menu-driven food service lately. Kristian participates in the menu selection and the meal preparation. Their meals look great! 

Travis and Joanna keep busy with their business and her job. Tonight, we went with them to the Thunderwolves Hockey Playoff game. Trav braved the line-up to get us red line seats—that was fun! However, our guys lost, so they will not advance to the University Cup final four! 

And that's enough for this week.