He is Risen, Indeed!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. March appears to be exiting like a lamb just as it entered some weeks ago. However, the first few days of this week were far from lamb-like! A Colorado low moved through the region in leisurely fashion, unleashing high winds and a great deal of snow upon our previously dry landscape. I left for Winnipeg on Monday morning, so I missed out on some of the storm, but I surveyed the changed circumstances on the highway there and back, and on our driveway and lawns when I got back on Wednesday evening. We are glad to have the snow for the forests and lakes here in northern Ontario. Wendy was not nearly so glad to have the snow on our driveway! She cleared it before we left on Monday, and then multiple times more before we returned to a clean driveway on Wednesday. She even phoned to get instructions on operating the snowblower! Travis had previously got us tickets to see Connor McDavid in Minnesota when the Oilers played the Wild, but Connor was injured and did not play that game, so, for Christmas, he bought tickets to the Oilers game in Winnipeg which took place on Tuesday. We drove up through the storm on Monday, breaking out of the snowy conditions near Dryden. It was snowy all the way on Wednesday as we returned home. We were hosted graciously during our sojourn by Tom & Mariette, even though Mariette has not been feeling well for the last week or so! Thanks folks!

Connor McDavid

Connor was there this time, and played great in the Oiler win! Thanks Travis for this memory! It was another good week in the markets to close off a great month and great first quarter of the year. In the world of sports, Rachel Homan completed the World Championships with the gold medal for Canada. Today, the Men's World Championships began with Brad Gushue representing us; he is one of the favourites. In the NHL, the Oilers and Leafs are doing well, as both are on winning streaks, but it may be too late for the Pens. March Madness continues with the usual wild games, upsets and thrilling finishes. I have transferred my cheering since the Jayhawks lost out, and I am now aligned behind UConn. 

Erica writes, "It has been a busy week with work and evening meetings. We are glad for the long weekend. Eric and I both had doctor appointments. I got the prescription to get a pneumatic pump! Eric has been informed he is officially old. He has arthritis in his hand and gout in his toe, adding in his eye problems and I am thinking I should send him in for some warranty work. Today, I ran out to get last minute groceries for Easter Dinner—potatoes and yams, and experienced an interesting pop in my calf muscle. A quick call to Dr. Erin and we have tentatively diagnosed it as a minor tear. I’m resting it and letting it experience frozen riced cauliflower. Haaken has an appointment with BC Community Living in a week. We hope that the programming now includes support for higher level job opportunities. There is nothing to add from Liam or Greg."

Erin and Kristian survived a snowstorm in Regina as well, although it was a different system than the one that hit us. Kristian has received notification about graduation, so he's getting ready for that. Erin is enjoying her new work at VW; she's currently moving into her first month end there, so that's a bit extra on the learning curve. She had a flat on her RAV4, so that was another hassle, HOWEVER, everything takes a back seat because the Baseball Season has begun, and her beloved Jays are on TV! 

Joanna has been busy at work all week while Travis and I were gallivanting to Winnipeg. Travis fell ill after we got back, and a test yesterday revealed that he has covid. We don't have a very good idea where he may have contracted it. Wendy and I tested today and were relieved with a negative test. It's still too early to know for sure, so we'll continue to monitor the situation. And, we're hoping to get together for an Easter feast at some point over the next week! 

And that's enough for this week! 

Spring!

Another week has passed and Spring has officially arrived on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. However, the weather has taken a turn for the worse, and we haven't felt comfortable making bike rides for most of this week! Now, they're threatening us with snow! I have continued with my exercise program and am able to complete that without discomfort. I'm considering exchanging my resistance band for a higher rating. We enjoy our choir rehearsals with Silver Sound, and Wendy keeps very busy with the management of the Sweet Adelines group.

The doubly lucky lady!

This week, the children conspired to provide her a new iPad for her birthday and Mother's Day. It has considerably more room for her photo collection! I have puttered around a bit with some electrical projects in the house. I am in the midst of exchanging and programming some switches to manage the outdoor lights. It is not going according to plan as the first switch is not responding as promised! I am in communication with the manufacturer, and they are even able to find my switch on-line, but they can't get it to perform either! We are working our way through their procedures to try to get it working, or at least to determine what is wrong, and whether they should be replacing it! The markets were upbeat this week, and the month is going well for me. The FED announced that, yes, indeed, they are looking to make three rate cuts this year, and the Swiss surprised the markets by actually making a rate cut! The ever elusive soft landing is starting to find believers. My sporting world has focused all week on the Women's World championships. Our team, Homan, has played great and secured first place in the standings as they move into the playoffs. They played Korea, this evening, in the semi-final, and have moved on to the medal game tomorrow. March Madness erupted on Thursday, with the first round games featuring their plague of upsets. Fortunately, my #4-Jayhawks survived and moved to the round of 32 today, but that was the end of the line. The gutsy play, the upsets, the surges of momentum combine to make this a special feature of the sporting calendar for me. In hockey, my Oilers continue to thrive. The Leafs are doing well, also, while the Pens are nearing elimination from playoff contention. 

Erica has been ill for part of the week, but is starting to feel better now. Eric is consulting over his eye issues and also about gout! I told you this getting old is a challenging enterprise! Other than that, life and work continues much as per usual. Erica greatly enjoyed the celebrations surrounding her 50th Birthday, and acknowledged it officially on Monday. 

Kristian had another day off school during the week as the Teachers Federation struggles to get the government to the bargaining table. He's suffering from a headache this weekend, and he's not even old, yet! Erin is working and learning at Volkswagen. This week, the lady she is replacing was away, so she got to work through things on her own, which was very helpful—it's going well. 

Travis make a quick trip to Toronto to take in another AEW event. I did check out a bit of the video, but didn't find him in the crowd or the ring! Joanna continues with work as per usual. They came over for supper and FastTrack on Tuesday night—as they say fun and games! Travis and I are finalizing our plans for a trip to Winnipeg next week to see the Oilers play the Jets. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Cycling!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be beautiful, and we have got the bikes out and enjoyed touring around the area. As we've passed the middle of March, it will soon be officially Spring, so we're hoping that we have indeed escaped with a very easy Winter. I had another Physio session on Monday, and will now continue on my own for a few weeks since things are going so well. I have a series of stretches and resistance exercises that I cycle through each day. It is very encouraging! Wendy keeps busy with her chorus management, and with rehearsing for both choruses. We're enjoying learning the eleven new songs for the Spring Concert with the Silver Sound group. The markets were troubled this week with inflation data from CPI and PPI both coming in hotter than expected. That has resulted in the TSX outperforming the USA indices so far this month for the first time this year. In the NHL, the Pens are playing out the string and suffering the prospect of neither making the playoffs, nor getting a high draft choice—sigh! Oilers and Leafs are sitting well into playoff positions. In Basketball, the #16-Jayhawks are suffering with injuries and failure to shoot well, as they suffered another loss. Now, it's time to be ready for March Madness, and they do not seem ready! They usually take their #1 seeding in the tournament as a given, but this year, I'm expecting a 5 or 6 seed—embarrassing! The Brier ended last Sunday with Gushue defeating McEwen for his sixth championship—a record! Today, the Women's World championship launched and our team Homan opened with wins over Sweden and Denmark. 

A life worth celebrating!

50th Celebration!

Erica reports, "On Monday I turn 50. Eric arranged a special celebration on Friday night in recognition of my half century. It took the form of a surprise party for me with our friends and some friends from work. He booked a room and hired a caterer to provide Appies. Guido made a red velvet cake. Tina borrowed a Karaoke machine. It was a fun night! Liam came home to provide some extra joy to the occasion. Liam had a recent appointment with his specialist. His weight is healthy, his inflammation is normal, blood count is normal, vitamin D is normal. It’s hard to believe. When we first went to the specialist, Liam was so sick it didn’t seem like he would ever be healthy. It’s good to see him so much better!"

Erin is working through on-the-job training at Volkswagen. While the accounting principles are the same, this franchise uses different software so there are many subtle differences to be accommodated. Kristian is well into his final semester of high school and is looking forward to graduation in June. 

Travis remains surprisingly busy with hockey production this late in the local season. Joanna is busy at work as financial year-end finds many organizations seeking to complete their budgeted purchases. Today, Joanna and Wendy went on a shopping excursion. They enjoyed that—I enjoyed not doing that! 

And that's enough for this week. 

Like a Lamb!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. March came in like a lamb, and has remained lamb-like ever since. We're enjoying positive temperatures each day, and I've been able to get out for my walks very comfortably.

Front Lawn last year/this year

I had a second appointment with my physiotherapist on Monday, and am scheduled to continue that routine for two more Mondays. After that, and in consideration of my progress, we may continue with longer breaks in between. He added more exercises and some resistance exercises to my regime this week, and I may have overdone it on Wednesday, as I had a tender back, and had to forego resistance training on Thursday and Friday. Still, both he and I report being well encouraged by how things are going! I was able to get down on the floor and clean the flame sensor on the water heater this morning—progress! Wendy celebrated her birthday today, and we enjoyed a family gathering here this evening around Chinese food and Turtle Cheesecake. The markets have continued to be volatile; this week's irritants were the FED chair testifying before Congress, and jobs data. You never know what Powell might say, nor how it will be interpreted by investors. The jobs data on Friday was blow-away good, and that scared investors since it might cause a further delay in interest rate cuts. My main activity of the week was the Brier. My guy, Kevin Koe, performed very poorly and did not make the playoffs. I picked the exact names for the six qualifiers, but it was Kevin's brother, Jamie, who carried the Koe name forward. We are down to the final three teams now: Gushue, Bottcher and McEwen. I am cheering for McEwen, although he is the lowest ranked of the three. The NHL had a breathless week with Trade Deadline, where contenders tried to add the players to get them to the Cup, and pundits filled the airwaves with "Breaking News!" Leafs and Oilers added to their lineups, while Pens management decided it was time to sell, sigh! Only the Leafs won tonight. In Basketball, #14-Jayhawks were dropped hard, and responded with a big win over K-State, but faced #1-Houston today and that was a different story—ugly road loss!

Erica writes, "We got our winters worth of snow on Monday and Tuesday, and the snowmobilers are delighted! Eric had a specialist appointment this week concerning his vision, and has a diagnosis of Keratoconus. He is being referred to a surgeon. We are heading down to Regina this weekend. Eric and I are attending the CPA convocation celebration and I’m joining the Lipedema ladies at a booth to share with people about Lipedema. We hope to fit in a quick visit with Erin and Kristian. I got a quote for a medical grade lymph pump. Our provincial healthcare will cover 40% of the cost. Not sure exactly why it doesn’t cover all the cost. I blame the SaskParty."

with Matt Dunstone

Kristian got to go the Brier on Thursday (lucky duck!), and enjoyed that. He got pictures with several of the players. Erin finally started at VW on Tuesday. It's a much longer drive out to the east of the city to the dealership, and takes extra time depending on traffic and trains. VW and Audi use different management software, so she's having to familiarize with that aspect. Then, her furnace went down this week, so that took some extra running around as well. 

Celebratory Cheesecake

Celebratory Meal

Travis and Joanna keep busy, however, we did have one games night early in the week. This evening they, along with Andrew & Rosie, joined us for a very Wendy birthday celebration. She made her own cake, while they brought food and good cheer!

And that's enough for this week! 

Marching Along!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continue to be unseasonably warm, and the snow is practically gone. The meeting with the physiotherapist on Monday went well. He was pleased with the progress on my back in the five weeks, and has initiated a set of five stretching exercises for this week. I am experiencing some tenderness and tightness from my first day of the exercises, but nothing unreasonable. Next Monday will mark six weeks post-surgery, and he felt we should not do very much until after that surgeon imposed deadline. Anyway, I am quite encouraged. He supports my goals of golf this summer with walking the course, and curling beginning in the Fall. We got a bit of snow early in the week, so Wendy had a bit of shovelling, but we've returned to above expected conditions and that bit of snow is now history. As you will note, the TSX is not doing well, while Uncle Joe has the USA markets flying. 

Year-to-date index gains:

X: 1.9%

D: 3.5%

S: 6.8%

Q: 7.2%

In the NHL, my teams are improving their standing as far as the playoffs are concerned, but Pens still remain with quite a bit of work to do, and they didn't help themselves tonight, sigh! The Scotties completed on Sunday with the Homan team victorious. They will carry Canada's colours to the world championship later this month. The #7-Jayhawks played a disastrous home game early in the week, losing despite holding a 12-point lead in the second half—it was disheartening. Then, they had a tough road game today, and lost that one as well. They will drop severely in the rankings! Rock Chalk Jayhawks! The Brier began last night in Regina, so I'll be very occupied for the next week! My guy, Kevin Koe, is there, but if he continues to curl like last night, he won't be there for long! I'm picking Bottcher, Dunstone, Jacobs from Pool A, and Gushue, McEwen, Koe from Pool B. We'll see how that goes before picking my playoff survivors! 

Eric and Erica have returned from their vacation in Arizona to a late winter blizzard in Prince Albert. It is predicted to snow all weekend, so maybe they're trying to catch up on moisture needs on the prairies. Erica writes, "Eric and I made it back home. We experienced a remarkable event on our trip. Our flights all left on time and we didn’t miss any connections. I think that is the first time in several years. We really enjoyed Arizona and decided we will need to return some time to see all the things we didn’t have time for this trip. There were places where the landscape was exactly what we expected. And there were a few surprises—in one spot a boreal forest with snow, just like home. Also—we purchased a bed! We broke our bed frame a while back (not nearly as exciting as it sounds), and we have been sleeping with the box spring and mattress on the floor, just like university days!"

Erin and Kristian are hunkered down under a winter storm warning in Regina. Kristian completed another of his industrial safety courses on Wednesday. I believe that's a half dozen or more safety categories that he has completed—well done, buddy! Erin and Kristian toured through the VW dealership this week, and Erin got the news that she will officially begin over there on Monday! Exciting times! She expects most of the accounting work will be similar, but there will also be an added dimension with the management facet. We're proud of her, too! 

Joanna returned from southern Ontario on Tuesday. So, she was back at work the rest of the week. Travis has kept busy with business, more photo shoots, and the dogs. They came over for pizza and cards tonight. It's been too long! 

And that's about enough for this week.