Rain!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather did not get as painfully hot as the forecasters were suggesting. We topped out about 28° yesterday, but then, the rain arrived overnight, and today we're enjoying a lovely, soft rain all day. We really needed it! Maybe now, they can cancel the no-burn order. We haven't been able to enjoy our fire pit yet this summer!

Measure once...? How does that go?!

Looking much better!

I have completed the siding project on the garage, and find it really cleans up the appearance. Wendy has pruned all the cedars in the back yard. It's quite a job and needs to be done regularly (probably more regularly) to keep them from growing too tall! We've suffered tree interference with our power lines once too often already! Our travel plans have been delayed, so, I have decided to do some lawn work. Usually, I try to keep it as "barely alive" as possible so it won't require much attention while we're away, but since we're going to be around a bit longer, I have done some reseeding, fertilizing and watering in an effort towards a prettier lawn! I only wish I had known about these plans earlier and had planted a garden. We've had two pickings off the rhubarb plants and have some packages in the freezer and other packages in our tummies! I recently baked a rhubarb coffee cake—pretty good, and moist enough to serve as an ice cream dessert as well. 

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

The markets suffered a terrible, no good, very bad week. We suffered through two days of the FED testifying before Congress, and several FED nominees declaring their fealty to the "inflation fight"! These led to a marked sell-off in equities, and a loss in my portfolio. The Blue Jays continued to dismay their fans with a lack for hitting, but they came through with two homers and a win today. The Riders played their third game of the season in Calgary tonight—OT thriller! Nice work, nice win, Riders! 

Erica writes, "It was another very busy week at work for me; but, it looks like we are through the worst of it. Hopefully, we will have some more normal work days in the coming weeks. Eric has decided I deserve a special treat. He must be taking dating advice from my dad, because on Saturday he’s planned a trip to the dump. Then, on Monday, we are making a quick trip to Regina to see Amanda Marshall—very exciting! Liam is continuing to fundraise and work on his paper work for school in the fall. We haven’t heard much from Haaken. Greg is getting some more assessments done this summer, so, we wait to hear what those say about his options."

Erin and Kristian had a pretty usual week in Regina. They've had regular thunderstorms once again, but nothing too violent and her garden is doing well. Erin and I regularly commiserate over the Blue Jays and their lack lustre season so far—C'mon Jays! Kristian got a fresh hair cut and a new set of ear moulds! 

Andrew and Rosie brought over the ingredients and a small gas cooker and prepared a Father's Day/Joanna's Birthday meal right in front of us on the table. It was pretty novel (Vietnamese) food for us, but it was delicious—thanks folks! Travis was off to Toronto yesterday, and plans to enjoy the next while there. He's planning multiple Wrestling Entertainments as well as a Blue Jay game, during this trip. The rest of the crew will just have to suffer through our summer days here! 

And that's enough for this week! 

Dad Joke!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful here with daily temperatures hovering around 25°, but they're threatening us with some 30° days next week—that will keep me in the air conditioned comfort of my house. Apparently, the titles of the last two weeks' blurbs have left some folks confused—I guess they qualify as a "Dad Joke"! Nicely timed, too, as we have arrived at Father's Day! It's always a bad thing when you have to explain your jokes—must qualify as misjudging your audience! Anyway, two weeks ago, I titled it, "And what is so rare...?", an easy reference to the old query, "And what is so rare as a day in June?" a snippet from James Russell Lowell's epic poem, "The Vision of Sir Launfal", and reliably the best known part of it! However, when last week arrived, and we had seen nothing but June days in recent weeks, I, unfortunately, decided to title my entry, "It's not that rare!" leaving some of you (not for the first time) wondering whether I'd taken leave of my senses. But, it allows me to contribute what truly is a dad joke: Q-What is more rare than a day in June? A-A day in February! Don't make me explain this one! I have been re-siding the garage this week, and I must say it is looking much better. I took the backboard off the front, and will be contributing that to a young family at church. I should finish that project next week if the heat doesn't drive me away from it.

Adding vinyl siding

Wendy has held a few followup events to the chorus gala celebration. They're heading into a quieter schedule over the summer. The markets have continued to push forward, although the TSX is not doing nearly as well as the USA indices. S&P-500 and Nasdaq are up 15% and 30%, respectively, already this year, while TSX and the DOW are only up about 3%. Anyway, I had another good week, and June is going well so far. There was a big time event in sports last weekend as Nick Taylor won the Canadian Open in a playoff! Great entertainment—great win! First win by a Canadian of our national open golf tournament since 1944! Jays continue to play inconsistently, and are sitting in 4th place currently. Riders had a win in the season opener in Edmonton, but lost to Winnipeg last night. They are showing signs of improvement over last season, so we have hope! 

Erica writes, "Last weekend, we enjoyed a motorcycle ride out to Waskesiu with our niece Marina. She returned to BC for surgery this week so it was her last ride for a while. We also enjoyed a couple of Rattler games and made sure to get some gear to look the part. It’s been a very busy week at work and at home. Eric saw the doctor which led to a series of tests and more tests to come. He hasn’t been sleeping well, so we are trying to figure out why. This weekend, Erica (and by extension, Eric) are involved in the Rotary Lobsterfest. This is a fundraiser to help pay for improvements to one of the local parks. It means a full day of set up, entertaining and take down at the end. As a result, we’ve decided to enjoy a day of rest on Sunday, and, maybe take a motorcycle ride!"

Erin's garden project is going well. Kristian is munching on strawberries each day. The peas are not producing yet, but the cherry tomatoes look close to ready for eating! We consulted over some adjustments to the irrigation system via FaceTime this week. We also regularly consult over the Blue Jays! Kristian did not get a counsellor position at camp, and hasn't decided whether he'll take the junior counsellor job which he held last summer. 

Travis and Joanna joined us for pizza and cards last night, and have made plans to share Joanna's birthday celebration tomorrow with us as well. The dogs have been bad dogs as they've begun destroying one of the living room chairs! 

And that's enough for this week. 

It's not that rare!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We find ourselves on another day in June; they seem to be quite regular this time of year! The weather has remained beautiful with daytime highs holding at about 25°, and the occasional evening or overnight shower. We have been affected by smoky haze in the skies a few days, but mercifully few. We sympathize with those both east and west who are facing major wildfire danger and damage. I just heard that Edson AB has been ordered to evacuate. I have continued to putter at the yard work, and even hauled a load of topsoil in for my box garden. I won't decide if I will get plants until the summer schedule is solidified. I did get my first picking of rhubarb picked, processed and in the freezer; it's ready for another picking! I also picked up some vinyl siding for the front of the garage. I have some more siding on the line for the sides, but haven't completed that deal. Markets were mixed this week. The USA markets were mostly on the upswing with the S&P500 moving officially into Bull Territory—thanks, Uncle Joe. Here, the BoC surprised with another rate hike, and then the employment data was a big miss, so the TSX is struggling. Investors can't decide if the bad news is good news, or if it's so bad, that it's actually bad news! The world of sports was shocked by the announcement that the Saudis had bought the PGA tour and all that blood money is now being happily accepted—wow, the hypocrisy! The NHL playoffs are nearing completion with Vegas holding a 3-1 lead at this point. The Blue Jays are on a winning stretch; we hope they can continue to play well, but occasionally their hitters fail them, and today was a disaster! The football season has begun with the Riders playing their first game tomorrow in Edmonton. Go Riders, Go! 

Eric writes, "We said goodbye to Liam on Monday as he headed back to Caronport. Erica was at a client's business this week, while also finalizing plans for the Rotary 2023 Lobsterfest. Marina (Eric’s niece) is getting settled in PA, but she found out the truck bringing her stuff rolled on the way! She is still waiting to find out what is salvageable. Eric had a regular work week. This weekend, we are starting the journey of being Saskatchewan Rattlers fans. They are a professional basketball team based in Saskatoon. They lost the game Friday night against Winnipeg, but we have high hopes for Sunday’s game against Calgary. Tomorrow we go for a bike ride just for the fun of it."

Erin has been busily trying to catch up on Jays games on her PVR. They've been winning lately (10/14) and she loves to watch them win! Kristian is in the closing phase of Grade 11 as classwork is drawing close to the finish line. We are still waiting to hear about his summer schedule so we can also schedule our travel plans. Her garden is thriving. Kristian had a group fun event at Candy Cane park with the Deaf & Hard of Hearing contingent from school. He enjoyed that a great deal! 

Rosie, Andrew, Joanna, Travis, Wendy, Bill

Sounds of Superior Chorus

Travis and Joanna have kept to a pretty normal schedule although the Ulrich Design business is not so frantic this time of year. We enjoyed an evening out with them, along with Andrew & Rosie, tonight to Wendy's Chorus Gala at the Davinci Centre—pretty fancy outing for me! I think there was antipasto, and probably charcuterie as well! Anyway, it was a great show! 

And that's enough for this week. 

What is so rare...?

We've had a beautiful week of weather here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We rolled home last Saturday evening, and have spent the week catching up on issues around home. Wendy has been very busy with preparations for the 50th Anniversary Gala for her Sweet Adelines' chorus. Practices, business meetings and management of ticket sales and advertiser support have seen her burning midnight oil most nights. I have installed the rest of the soffit lights in anticipation of new soffits later this summer. I have also repaired the threshold on the front door, and improved the closing of the front screen door. But first, I had to harvest my lovely crop of dandelions on both front and back lawns! I did get over to the course for some golf practice. The weather has been great with high temperatures around 25°, and a couple of helpful overnight showers, although we did break down and turn on the AC yesterday and today. The markets were dismal the first part of the week, but finally the Republicans in the House agreed to a debt-ceiling bill, even though it required Democratic help to pass it. Then, the Democratic-run Senate cruised through multiple frivolous amendments and passed the bill in the course of an evening. This resulted in two big days in the markets at the end of the week which provide several weeks worth of gain—thanks, Uncle Joe. The NHL finally got around to opening the championship series tonight. I'm picking Florida, while cheering for Vegas. Once again, I scored 50% on the last round picks—just flip a coin! The Riders completed the preseason with another win, this time over the Bombers. The Jays have improved their play, but are still far below expectations especially on the hitting side of the equation! 

Erica writes, "Eric and Erica had fun last week taking their nieces to Jurassic Quest. Unfortunately, the rides were for kids only. We need to do another Disney trip where adults are allowed to play, too. Liam is home this weekend! We plan to enjoy with some music playing and just hanging out. Liam is still looking for supporters - he may be calling you! We’ve all been to the eye doctor and Eric and Erica are getting new glasses. Erica will be getting progressives for the first time. Fun! Eric is looking at a few more possible teaching opportunities. Nothing new to report on Greg and Haaken."

Erin has been busy dodging severe thunderstorms in Regina. This included avoiding flooded underpasses, which rerouted her to construction-enhanced traffic jams! It hasn't left her much time to watch her beloved Jays—she says her VCR is getting full! Kristian had bowling with the youth group as their celebratory seasonal close. 

Back yard!

You can see the hanging baskets of strawberries, already starting to produce. Then, there's the box planters with veggies, and the two tomato plants around the big planter. Her egg chair is in the corner, and you'll see the mat is held down with rocks, table and chairs because some days the wind blows in Regina!

The main action for Ulrich Design this time of year is for the Lacrosse teams. They have orders for multiple helmet decals to complete and deliver. Joanna keeps busy at work, and was glad they turned on the AC as it was getting uncomfortably warm inside. They were over here last night for chocolate and cards! Fun! 

And that's enough for this week!