Cooling Off!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has taken on an Autumn-like mode with showers and cool days. I did manage to get over to the golf course for some practice, but still haven’t played since I returned from the trip west. We continue to catch up on our medical appointments and look forward to getting our next round of Covid and RSV shots as soon as they become available. I’ve progressed a bit on the game boards I’m building. Wendy keeps busy with her choir business, and is considering getting back to our renovation projects here. We still have the side entry and our bedroom to complete.

Economy Cooling Off!

The markets are struggling into September as the USA economy continues to falter due to the Trump regime. As the chart shows, employment has been on a steady downturn all year. The Riders prevailed over Winnipeg on Sunday in the Labour Day classic and returned to beat Winnipeg, again, for the Banjo Bowl today. College Football featured Texas with an easy win this week, and Sooners won a difficult matchup over Michigan. Blue Jays continue to lead their division, but questions remain over their bull pen. 

Eric writes, “We came back to Saskatchewan after a week and a bit of travel. We did not get to do whale watching, unfortunately, because of weather, but we saw the Cabot trail before driving through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to get back to Montreal and fly home. Eric had an eye appointment in Saskatoon on Thursday, so, we spent Wednesday in Regina where we met up with Liam and Mercedes and watched Jaws on the imax screen—celebrating the 50 years of Jaws. Friday, we were both back at work. Saturday was a relaxing day. Next week, we will start to get organized and back into our routine. Eric has had three new interns start this week, the last one joining on Friday. It is fun training new people. Erica’s band has some performances coming up soon.”

Kristian has struggled with both ends of his bus rides to school. The morning schedule calls for him to be off around 6:00, and the afternoon trip has a lot of options in northwest Regina where he could get off! Erin has been extra busy as some of her reporting schedules were moved up.

Kristian Patio Clear

An extra bit of business at home involved clearing away their patio developments so the condo people could install new privacy fences. They bought a new drill/driver, and Kristian managed the dismantling on Monday—good job! 

Travis and Joanna have decided to retire from their PuckShots business. It was a very busy time photographing all those teams (over 100), and dealing with all those people (over 1000), and they will now be able to focus their energy on the other parts of their business and lives. Trav is impressed with the production of his new printer, and feels it will facilitate even more BucketDecal business. Their boys seem to have returned from the kennel with some kind of cold, and now that Marigold is back home, she seems to have caught it as well. Tonight, they took us out for supper at Applebys; it was a great meal and a wonderful couple of hours of visiting—Thanks guys! 

And that’s enough for this week. 

Two Dog Week!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, The weather has remained great, punctuated by a couple of vigorous thunder storms, and we’ve enjoyed getting out for work in the yard and shop and walks with the dogs.

Granny & the Dogs

DOGS, you say?! Yep, Marigold has been visiting while Trav and Joanna were down to BC to visit Gemma and Jonas. They got back on Wednesday, so we’re back to our regular home-life with the two old dogs and Kali. Wendy has recovered from the spider bite, and continues with her usual business. I have been cleaning the shop a bit. I found a sale on 2nd-hand tools, and picked up two more routers. I have begun work on three more FastTrack games, and another Pegs & Jokers game—so, that’s lots of drilling holes! I’m also doing some repairs on the garage, while ignoring the weeds in the back yard!

New Hotel

A three-story hotel is going up just across the traffic circle from us, and we have been supervising that! It looks like it will feature 24 suites complete with kitchenettes and cater to folks needing longer term stays. The markets continue to be volatile as no one can predict where the feckless USA leadership will go next. August was another good month for me, but our economy is feeling the sting of tariffs against our trade into the USA markets which we have counted on over the years. We are now heading into September which is historically the most difficult month in the markets. College football has begun in the USA, but #1 Texas lost their opener, while #18 Sooners won easily. Still, you can tell from their ranking numbers that not much is expected from OU this year. Riders will take on the Bombers tomorrow in their traditional Labour Day game—Go Riders, Go! Blue Jays continue to lead their division as we head into the serious season of baseball. Lately, their bull pen has been faltering—need to get that fixed!

Erica writes, “We enjoyed a week of exploring the east. Old Quebec was historical. We did a lot of walking around the Plains of Abraham and practised a bit of French. From there, we spent a few days in PEI and Anne of Green Gables sites. Unfortunately, my cold that never seems to go away came back and I spent a day in bed on Thursday. Friday, we drove back across Confederation Bridge, through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and landed in Sydney. The landscape here reminds us of Northern Ontario. Tomorrow we will go whale watching—it will be interesting to compare the experience from coast to coast!”

Kristian has begun his school program at Sask Polytech towards qualifying as a Machinist. We wish him well in the program, but recognize it’s a job in itself. Erin got a notification this week that the privacy walls between back yards are being replaced, so she’ll have to clear away her irrigation and electrical developments in the back yard to accommodate that, but first she plans to enjoy a sunny weekend on the patio—good plan! 

Travis & Joanna had a great time in Vancouver and area. They drove up the coast to Whistler to enjoy the sights and activities there as well, and most importantly, they enjoyed time with Gemma and Jonas. Andrew and Rosie continue with classwork and work here. Rosie is preparing for another exam toward her hoped for qualification as a Registered Massage Therapist. Marigold is now back home with the boys and fighting for her share of food! 

And that’s enough for this week. 

Settling!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We arrived home last weekend, and this week has been consumed with settling in to the relaxed atmosphere here. The timing of our travel was to accommodate my appointment with the dentist/denturist on Monday. They have approved the replacement of my partial upper plate after its many years of service and recent breakage. Not to worry, I have it held together with crazy glue, and since the clips have long since worn out and broken off, it has only been serving as a decoration in recent years anyway. There was a time when I could eat apples or corn on the cob, and I hope to do that again once I get my new appliance. The dentist did a couple of chip repairs on lower teeth while he was in there, and then I was subjected to something entirely new to me. They did a scan of my teeth and gums, both upper and lower—no more trays full of goop to take an impression. She worked a probe around inside my mouth and gradually built a 3-D representation of my mouth from which they will create the metal frame to be the basis of my new plate. I thought to myself, “I’ll bet Eric would be glad to know about this technology!” Now, I’m waiting a few weeks to see how fitting it is!

Was much worse, it’s getting better

We have been doing a bit of yard work, during which Wendy received a spider bite. At least, that’s what we think it is. It looked very similar to the one I got a few years back—a stark white circle around a central red dot. Like mine, it was very uncomfortable and developed a red swollen area around it. Unlike mine, she did not have a niece sending her to the doctor! So, she’s still suffering, while the bite area is gradually reducing in swelling and heat. Meanwhile, there is still plenty of work to do in the yard to eliminate the weeds that keep coming back. The markets keep struggling along, and the DOW even made a new post-Trump high, after only seven months. This week was big for the markets as the central bankers gathered for their yearly confab in Jackson Hole. Investors and traders were encouraged by news from there, although the FED warned of the twin threats of higher inflation due to tariffs, and lower employment. We tread carefully. In the world of sports, the Jays continue to lead their conference and added a new pitcher to the mix this week—looking good! The Riders played the first half in Calgary tonight, but apparently it’s a 60-minute game! At least they’re still in first place.  

Erica writes, “It was a busy week of work, VBS, and getting ready for our next adventure. On Saturday, we left for the Maritimes. We are flying Air Canada and, fortunately, they have settled their employment contract so the planes are flying! We have started relocating necessary items from the front door to the back. Eric has put up a set of hooks for our coats and our shoe shelf is now at the back. We have purchased some sample paint for the bathroom, but have yet to paint a patch to determine whether or not we have found the right shade. Liam and Mercedes are back in Caronport. Mercedes has a few job offers for the fall. We are still hoping for one particular job to come through, but are thankful she has something!”

She built it by herself!

Erin took some time off to celebrate her birthday. Kristian chipped in with a couple of thoughtful gifts: a Lego Race Car, which she built, and a movie night to see F1, which they both enjoyed. Her garden keeps producing, but it appears to be on its last legs now. Things look already to go for Kristian at Sask Polytech. We wish him well, but understand that it won’t be easy. Work hard, buddy! 

We were glad to be welcomed home by Travis, Joanna, Andrew & Rosie on our return—thanks. Travis and Joanna left on Wednesday for some time in Vancouver visiting Gemma & Jonas. We are taking care of Marigold while they’re away. 

Trav, Joanna HotTubbing in BC!

And that’s enough for this week. 

Home Again!

Another week has passed and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and our hometown. We drove over to Winnipeg on Friday where we enjoyed a delicious feast of pan-fried pickeral (sans dill butter!) courtesy Tom & Mariette—thanks folks. We still have Kali, so we hotelled it overnight, and continued home today. The weather was mild (under 20°), so we did not get a test of our newly repaired AC. It has been a lengthy and very successful summer trip of project work and visitation in Saskatchewan. We feel blessed to have the health, strength and ability to be useful even as the years add up. We certainly felt the encroachment of time this summer, as we probably overdid it, and definitely felt exhausted even before the end of it! Anyway, we got the garage/shed assembled (mostly by Kristian and Liam. We got the dining area, kitchen, laundry room and bathroom demolished (a lot of lath and plaster hauled to the dump). We tore up the floor in the old kitchen area, revealing an interesting mixture of hardwood and plywood flooring that had been surfaced with multiple layers of linoleum and underlay. The installed electrical was torn up, capped off, and eventually redone to serve the new purposes in the new main floor bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen. The kitchen exterior wall was blasted away to make way for a back door (great addition) accessed via the deck. A new wall was built to support the upper floor (Liam's bedroom), then a drop ceiling was added and fixtures were installed to serve the new bathroom and the new laundry room. Most of the wiring was reactivated, but some knob & tube had to be deactivated, and other troubling wiring remains to be addressed in the back entry area. Thankfully, we also got to attend the World Mens Softball championships in the first weeks, and that provided an enjoyable break each day. We also enjoyed attending a few of Erica's gigs with Mystery Train (but no Jim Croce!). The last weeks we have rehabbed at Erin's place. That was great and very much needed. While there, we removed the pedestal sink from the downstairs bathroom and installed a much nicer vanity—turned out great! 

New Vanity for Erin, Kristian

Meanwhile, world affairs are not going so well. After meeting with Putin, Trump has determined that the path to peace is to give Russia more control over Ukraine—in what universe! And, he has finally initiated many tariffs at ridiculous levels. Thankfully, we, along with Mexico, are still protected by the North American free trade agreement, but we are certainly feeling some pain. The USA citizens are getting it the worst as they have to pay all these import taxes, and it's already showing up in their inflation (up), productivity (down), employment levels (down). Luckily for them, TACO came through for them, as he chickened out on installing tariffs on Chinese trade for another 90 days. Mexico, China and Canada (in that order) are the top trading partners of the USA, so USA is fortunate that most of that trade is protected from import taxes. In sports, the Jays and Riders continue to play well and stand at the top of their leagues. Yay!

Erica writes, "Glad to hear you guys are home safe and mostly sound.We enjoyed whale watching and high tea at Butchart Gardens last weekend. Then, we returned to PA via the #3. We stopped at Ainsworth Hot Springs in BC and the Sandhills near Leader, SK on the way home. We also enjoyed gluten-free Chinese food from Smileys! It was a good trip, but it’s also good to be back in our own beds and home to admire all the amazing work that was completed in our absence. Thank you Mom, Dad, Liam and Kristian, and Mike! Liam and Mercedes returned to Caronport today (Saturday). Mercedes has leads on some jobs for the next year and Liam is registered for classes. Tonight, Eric and I will head to Candle Lake as I am singing at a show there—I’m doing some Jim Croce!" Yay!

Erin has been celebrating her birthday for over a week already, but that continues. Kristian is working through a checklist of activities to complete before classes start at Sask Polytech. Kristian and I got out for a golf game on Sunday—we played much better than we had endured in Prince Albert. Erin did not take part as she was feeling ill. This has been a part of her traditional birthday celebration and we were sorry to miss that. I suggest that she and Kristian go for a round of golf this coming week. 

New Fancy-Dancy Printer!

Travis took delivery of a new printer. This will be third in the line of specialty materials printers for his BucketDecals operation. Each purchase provides significant upgrades in productivity. Joanna maintains her busy schedule as well. We are looking forward to catching up with them and their dogs. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Moving Along!

Another week has passed and finds us relocating from the shore of the North Saskatchewan to the shore of Lake Wascana. Thanks to Mike's help, we cleaned up a number of tasks and moved on to Regina. Our main work there included the erection of a garage/shelter for them, along with the demolition of the existing dining area, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room, and the installation of a new bathroom and laundry room. In the photo, you can see the new bathroom, including a shower. Behind that wall is the new laundry area. We feel confident that it will prove useful, and that the space has also been opened up to build the new kitchen. 

Bailey new Bathroom

Temporary Kitchen

We have mostly been resting here, but issues continue to find us! We have begun the installation of the new vanity here at Erin's place. I removed the old one, and located the new one, but now the painter is hard at that part of the assignment. Anyhow, we are feeling much recovered, and have been able to get some jobs done here as well. Today, we travelled to Bengough with Bern & Alicia to help the Taylor family celebrate Aunt Grace's 100th birthday. It was a wonderful family time.

Her Majesty, Their Majesties!

We plan to head east next week as I have a dentist's appointment coming up soon. Along with painting, Wendy has been able to help Kristian get a few things done. Eric/A, Liam & Mercedes are on the tour west, including Vancouver Island, and we expect their return early next week. In the meantime, we are enjoying the batches of pictures they've sent our way. Mike has kept up with his thesis work and has also contributed to the home renovations. Erin and Kristian have hosted us luxuriously here—thanks! The world situation remains in chaos as Trump has pushed forward with his meaningless tariffs, inflicting major new taxation on the USA folks. The investment pundits hope the additional certainty of the taxes actually being imposed will play out beneficially for the markets, but so far the indices are unconvinced. It appears that Trump is prepared to throw Ukraine to the wind and award part of their land to Russia in return for a truce—that is not how both countries, along with the UK, promised to make this work. After the fall of the USSR, in the 1990s, the UK, USA and Russia promised to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine if they would give up their nuclear weapons. Now, it seems that at least Russia and USA are breaking that pledge. Shame! In the world of sports, the first place Riders have the bye week. The Blue Jays had a good series in Colorado, but are finding the Dodgers a much more challenging opponent. As a result the surging Boston Red Sox are closing in on first place. 

Travis, Joanna and the dogs are enduring a hot summer in Thunder Bay with frequent storms and thunderstorms. The forest fire activity continues to be elevated. We look forward to seeing them in another week. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Developments

Another week has passed on the shore of the North Saskatchewan River. The weather has turned uncomfortably hot, and we grow weary even more quickly each day! On Wednesday, I advanced to the grand age of 75, and that development also leads to more frequent rest periods. We made good progress on the bathroom, the laundry room and the destruction of the area that will become a kitchen. The plumber delayed us all week, but finally arrived on Friday and completed the work we've been expecting of him. He left us with some problems due to his relocation of the shower. We feel we have a solution for that, and began work on that today. Mike arrived on Friday, and he has proved very helpful. Wendy keeps working on insulation and vapour barrier and on cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. She has dedicated much effort to making the destroyed ktichen back into a functional unit. We have been able to do several loads of laundry in the new laundry room. The back door is installed, the sidewalk motion light is active again, and I may obtain some progress on the siding tomorrow. 

Bathroom is functional

Mike & I installing the ceiling

In world developments, the Orange Menace is back with tariff threats, now scheduled for Aug 7th. He has walked back his promise of 90 deals in 90 days, having not obtained any, and now avers that his announcement of new tariff levels is actually a deal! Of course these threats are subject to frequent revisions, and many countries are beginning to just ignore him. But, it is also the case that these import taxes and hitting the USA economy hard resulting in rising inflation, reduced jobs numbers and are hitting the stock market hard. The Blue Jays have fallen off their torrid pace, but remain in first place in their division and in the league. The Riders won again today in Montreal, and they also remain in first place in their division and in the league. 

Eric, Erica, Liam and Mercedes packed into the car and headed west on Friday with plans to make it to the Island to visit Haaken and the family out there. They also expect to drive up Island to visit Parksville area where they lived for a while. In anticipation of that trip, they re-tired the car, and also did a major mechanical repair to the front suspension. 

Enchanted!

Erin and Kristian are enjoying hosting Kali this week. She seems to have settled in well, and is now taking over the food bowls since she has found she also likes cat food. Erin even took some time off work to enjoy the patio area and relax with Kristian and the pets. 

Enjoying the Patio

Travis and Joanna are enjoying a visit from Gemma. Jonas' schedule is delaying his arrival from UBC. Andrew is kind of between jobs, coursework and house sitting, although he should be moved into this new apartment by now. 

And that's about enough for now. 

Transitions

Another week has passed on the shore of the North Saskatchewan River in Prince Albert. We spent part of the week with Erin, her cats and her garden in Regina. We returned Kristian to Regina on Tudesday as he had a medical appointment on Wednesday. Then, we returned to PA on Thursday afternoon much refreshed from our two days off—of course, that didn't last long! We put in a full day after we got here, and got a lot accomplished before heading out for appie night. Anyway, the renovations are progressing well, and the new bathroom, laundry room and kitchen are taking shape. The plumber did the rough-in work while we were in Regina, and he plans to be back next week to finish up. I am focusing on drywall now, and looking to tie as many lose ends togther as possible in the next week. Wendy keeps up with the clean-up at all times, and pitches in with the construction action as well. We are both quite tired so it will be good to complete this stint of the 10-year reno! The markets continue to push forward, but with employment pressures, rising inflation and national debt concerns in the USA, there's plenty of trepidation. Now, this week, Moodys has dropped their credit rating. My sports teams have been flying high. The Jays now have the best record in baseball, and are playing at the .600 level—my standard for a good team. Likewise, the Riders continued their winning ways and have taken over first place in the Western Conference. 

Kali, 1 year old with ice cream

Eric and Erica continue with their usual activities and help out when ever they have free time. Erica had a concert on Friday with her Mystery Train group. We enjoyed attending that. Eric had his usual week of work and mentoring sessions this morning, but still managed some quality time on the renos! Today, we installed the new back door. 

Kristian completed his sojourn here, and has returned to Regina along with Kali. He has several issues to deal with in preparation for the school year at Sask Poly Tech. He's keeping busy these days managing Kali, and monitoring her interactions with his cats, It's going well! 

Kali & Elly—friends! 

Travis finally got his car fixed. He was calling it Kari Stall due to it/s habit of quiting at unexpected moments, but his mechanic finally found the issue and it's running well again. Joanna has completed support for her mother's move and has returned to Thunder Bay, and her regularly scheduled programming. 

And that's enough for this week. 

TACO Time Again!

Another busy week on the shore the North Saskatchewan in Prince Albert. We not only got a lot done, but we also took time for some other activity. The week opened with the finals of the World Softball Championships. We cheered mightily for New Zealand, but they ran out of gas in the later innings and fell to Venezuela. Wait a minute, we beat Venezuela, so we're the champs! It was a closely contested tournament between evently matched teams, and we enjoyed it a great deal. USA beat Japan to capture the bronze medals. We put in a lot of time and effort on the renovations, and have made a lot of progress. The window is installed in the bathroom, and the back door is ready to install as well. We took out the patio doors and replaced them with a solid wall which will feature in the new kitchen. And the destruction has continued on the old lath and plaster walls. We were working on the final one of those tonight. So, we'll finish that one off and move the fixtures into the new bathroom in preparation for the plumber to work his magic next week. We have also begin the drywalling—much progress! On Friday, Kristian and I took some time off for a round of golf; we didn't play well, but we had a lot of fun, and determined to spend some time at the range before trying that again. 

Wendy revamped the flower bed! 

Kristian opens another wall

Patio door, now patio wall!

Window out, preparing for door

We have only a few days left before we take Kristian back to Regina for a medical appointment, but we're making plans to return to continue the renovations once the plumber does his thing.

It was TACO time again this week as Trump gave in to China and not only relaxed the trade rhetoric, but also determined to let them have the highly sought after Nvidia chips which are so important for AI. As a result the markets put up some green days, while also collectively holding our breath as we await the next shift in the wind. The All-Star break of over and the Jays have returned with more wins so they continue to hold on to first place. The Riders won again tonight and regained a first place tie with Calgary. 

Obviously Eric and Erica continue their regular jobs during the week, but put in a long day with us today and also chip-in throughout the week. Erica was ill earlier, but is back at work and renos again. 

Erin continues to enjoy her garden. Today, she put together a nice meal featuring produce from her garden. 

Have some eggs with your bacon!

Joanna has travelled to the swelter of Toronto where she is helping her mom clear out her house and move into an apartment. That's an uncomfortable task under those conditions. Trav is taking care of the dogs in air-conditioned comfort in Thunder Bay! Andrew continues with his work, coursework and the care of our house. Thanks

Taking good care! 

And that's enough for this week! 

Trying to make improvements

Another week has passed and we remain on the shore of the North Saskatchewan River. The weather has remained hot, and many days added the complication of smoke from the wildfires in the north. We struggled along to make more progress on the renovation project. The destruction side is almost complete, and we've even managed a bit on the rebuild side! Of course, we were also occupied with the World Softball Championships here. Canada did not impress and ended up in the middle of the pack. In fact, all of the higher seeds missed the medal round. It will be New Zealand/Venezuela for the gold/silver, and Japan/USA for the bronze/thanks-for-coming. Erica had obtained tickets for us, so we've been enjoying the games—thanks!

Mystery Train

Erica's band had two gigs (do they still use this term?) at the games, and we enjoyed taking in one of those as well. So, despite being old and tired, we have had a good week. The markets have struggled under the turmoil of the Orange Tariff/Trade War salvos. As assumed, TACO came through again as Trump chickened out and pushed the tariff deadline forward another three weeks. This gave the traders some relief and the USA indices finally struggled into new levels of green. In the world of sports, the Blue Jays have maintained their hold on first place—yay Jays! The Riders were unable to play last night due to the smoky conditions which made the air quality in Regina below safe limits. They played this afternoon, but it did not go well as Calgary beat them and now they have company in first place. Go Riders, Go! 

Erica had two days of work in Saskatoon this week, and has also been volunteering at the Softball Championships. Today, she is feeling ill, and has kept a low profile. Eric had a regular week of work and also is helping out with the renovations. Everytime we open another wall or ceiling we get a surprise. Often these are more electrical installations that we were not expecting. This week we solved four instances of knob & tube wiring that were supposedly not there! There were also several instances of newer wiring placed in gouged-out trails in plaster and covered with gyproc. Apparently, electrical fires are not so easy to ignite! 

What? There was a layer of gyproc over this!

Knob & Tube

We found the shower!

Now, we can excavate a larger hole and move the old bathroom items to the new location. 

Erin is cooling her heels in smoky Regina, and enjoying life with her cats and her garden. Kristian is working with us and is whetting his appetite for carpentry, electrical work and trash management! 

The Sawyer!

Travis and Joanna celebrated their 16th anniversary this week. We wish them many more! Andrew continues with his work and course work, and taking care of our place—thanks!

And that's enough for this week. 

Wreckage/Phoenix

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We remain on the shore of the North Saskatchewan River with the Baileys, including Liam, and also with Kristian. The weather has been uncomfortably hot, and we have called an early halt to work on several of the days, and for a variety of reasons.

Tearing out the lath & plaster

Cutting out the Window

Wendy and I celebrated our fifty-fifth anniversary on Friday, and that was certainly a good-enough reason! On Monday, we shut down early to attend a BBQ feast and celebration of Canada Day! What a feast it was—thanks especially to Guido who laboured many hours with the preparation and smoking of our meat dishes! Others of the gathering contributed the various side-dishes and desserts. On Thursday, we declared an appie night and retired to a local restaurant to enjoy some more good grub. And through it all, we also managed some great progress on both the destruction and construction ends of the enterprise.

Crush Delivery

Pounding in the Pins

The shed (not a garage) has been erected solidly in place on a treated wood foundation and with fresh crush to fortify that. Liam and Kristian did most of that work, and it turned out great.

Shed - locked in place

We have continued with the destruction of the kitchen dining area, and there remains some lower cabinets and much walls to be dismantled and removed. The new bathroom area is ready for construction, the new entry/laundry continues to wait for demolition to be completed. The plan is to salvage the sink unit, so it can be used in the new kitchen area until a later eventuality when that can be completed. We also plan to move the stove there so it can be used until it's time to replace it. Anyway, a Phoenix is slowing developing from the wreckage. Not so with the USA under the Orange regime: civil rights are being trampled, the innocent are being incarcerated and/or deported. And this week the GOP passed his dream taxation and support cuts policy. As a result, the bottom 40% will have less money and many will lose their health care and food support. It will take years to undo the damage he has already done. The USA markets have finally crawled into the green after six months of struggle as the USA GDP has fallen into the red. His vaunted 90 deals in 90 days is falling very short, and on Thursday, he reverted to his tariff threats. The markets bled red as a result! We hope there will be other thoughts before Monday. In sports, the Blue Jays are surging and have moved into first place in their division. The Riders have the week off and hope to have their starting quarterback back for the next game. 

Eric and Erica have been hosting us, and trying to keep up with their regular work. Erica has not been feeling well toward the end of the week. Eric joined us in the wreckage detail today, and we got a lot done. We have been sharing the meal preparations around the crew—we're eating well! 

Erin is on a Summer Cleanup campaign while Kristian is away. She sends us lovely reports of her garden producing, especially the strawberries, tomatoes and peppers. 

Travis and Joanna are sweating out an early summer heat wave in Thunder Bay. The dogs are coping just fine! Andrew is managing his classes and our house. Thanks

And that's enough for this week. 

American Dachau

Courtesy of Charlie Angus: Six months. That's all it took for the Trump regime to make the move from kidnapping people on the street, to threatening to strip political enemies of citizenship, to selling swag celebrating the construction of an American concentration camp. 

Six months.

Alligator Dachau

And Republicans say that merch promoting the newly built Alligator Alcatraz concentration camp is "going like hot cakes." Some detractors have called the camp Alligator Auschwitz, but this may not be the most accurate comparison. Not yet anyway. Because the death camps didn’t just appear; it took years of increasing brutality and degradation before they got to Auschwitz. It began at Dachau. Like the Trump regime, the Dachau concentration camp was established in the first months of Nazi rule. But unlike Trump, the Nazis were careful to downplay the barbaric cruelty of the newly-built camp. They presented propaganda photos to show “the truth about Dachau” as if it were a “model” prison for rehabilitation. Trump’s supporters on the other hand are gloating over the fact that this is no normal prison. It is a series of cages in the swamps of the Florida Everglades. And MAGA is celebrating a camp built for the express purpose of dehumanizing and brutalizing the people brought there.

The inmates being brought to Alligator Alcatraz are those who Trump claims are “poisoning the blood” of America. Language that could have been taken right out of Nazi speeches.

Will political enemies be sent there? You bet. 

Will mothers be thrown into the cages? Why not?

What about children? Expect this, too.

Trump has understood from the beginning that he can keep his MAGA supporters in the fold through the spectacle of cruelty. In fact, his tour of the concentration camp came as he was pushing through his "Big, Beautiful Bill," legislation that will rob health care and social supports for many of his working-class base. But Trump has always reassured the faithful that he will be even crueller to the people his base has been taught to despise. Being part of MAGA is feeling that you can always beat down on someone below you. And elected MAGA officials are fighting to get in on the act. Take for example, South Carolina Representative Nancy Mace who says she wants a concentration camp in her home state. Will she try to outdo Florida in the degradation department? No doubt. After all, the crueler the better.

That is why Alligator Alcatraz meets all the architectural requirements for the torture porn fantasies promoted by Kristi Noem and Donald Trump. On his tour, Trump took viciousness to a new level by gleefully describing how a detainee might try to outrun an alligator in the fetid swamps. When sadism becomes official government policy, you can bet that much darker abuses are around the corner.

Trade Policy

Courtesy Arlene Dickinson: "Donald Trump just called Canada 'a very difficult country to trade with.' He falsely claimed we impose 400% tariffs on U.S. dairy. He accused our Digital Services Tax, a policy used around the world, of being a “blatant attack” on America. And then he threatened to terminate all trade talks and impose a new tariff. All in one breath. 

Frankly, it’s disturbing. And I think it’s because he knows we do not stand alone in the world. Canada has always been a strong, fair trading partner to the United States. We’re their closest ally, their largest customer, and a vital contributor to their economy and national security. Our dairy system is built on supply management, not subsidies. It supports rural communities and food stability just as the U.S. supports its own farmers in different ways. The claim of 400% tariffs is false. Our Digital Services Tax is consistent with global efforts to ensure multinational tech companies, many valued in the trillions, contribute fairly in every country they operate in. This isn’t an attack. It’s tax fairness. Period. As someone who has spent decades building and working with businesses that trade goods and services across this border, I think his take is ridiculous. Canadians don’t take the importance of this relationship lightly. But we won’t be bullied about it either.

We believe in partnership. But real partnership is built on respect, facts, and a shared commitment to prosperity on both sides. I know and trust that our leaders in Canada are acting with fairness, dignity, and good faith and will not be bullied into anything that doesn’t serve our country and our citizens well. Americans cannot say the same and I feel badly for them. Threats are not negotiations. And tweets are not trade policy no matter how much attention people do or don’t pay to them."

The Whole Family!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We have relocated via La Rivière Rouge, on to Lake Wascana, and finally settled on the North Saskatchewan in Prince Albert. This has allowed contact with our whole family in the course of the week, and included a visit with Tom & Mariette in Winnipeg—what a great week! We arrived in Regina on Monday afternoon, and settled in for a couple of nights with Erin and Kristian. I was able to get her drip irrigation functioning properly. I think the only issue was that the batteries were failing and with it being two hours out of whack, it wasn't running when Erin had programmed it to. Once it had fresh batteries and the time set, it began operating as expected. Kali made her acquaintance with Erin's cats. She and Luci established a non-aggression pact, while Elly determined to stay as far away as possible! We drove up to PA with Kristian on Wednesday, as I'm counting on his Lego experience to put together a Tent-Shelter Garage. We have looked over their request for demolition and development of the main floor bathroom, laundry room and the relocation of the kitchen. It's a big project for an old couple, even with the support of a young couple! We'll see how far we get. On Friday, Eric and I took part in a charity golf tournament for the new health centre here. It was a beautiful course that I have not played before. Eric and I managed to navigate our way around the course quite well, playing a 2-person scramble and scoring 81-more good fun! Finally today, Kristian began assembly of the frame for the shed, and we others began the demolition of the current kitchen/dining area where we will build the new bathroom. We schedule to get the demolition completed on Monday, and begin construction on Tuesday, but it's not easy going on a 1912 house—a lot of those pieces have been together for a long time! There are always some surprises that crop up to demand some of our time and energy—and both are in short supply! 

Big help in packing!

but she enjoyed travelling!

Elsewhere in the world, the Orange Felon continues his disastrous regime of terror. The markets struggle forward and the USA indices are finally in the green since January 20th, despite his machinations. The USA GDP has fallen into the red after Biden left him an economy growing at 2.8% rate. Unsurprisingly, Trump's approval rate has fallen below 40%. This weekend the self-proclaimed, Great Trade Negotiator, admitted that he could not even conclude a trade deal with us in Canada, and that despite already having one before he broke it! Elect a clown, expect a circus! 

The CFL season included another strong showing by the Riders as they eclipsed the BC Lions to move to 4-0 on the season. The Blue Jays are not playing as well, but are in a good position all the same. 

Anyhow, that's enough for this week! 

Kristian building the frame

Erica and Dad Demolition!

War Expands!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been great including some much needed rain. The fire hazard has dropped, but some fires continue to burn and we get smoke on some days. Many people are being evacuated from threatened communities; some of these are being housed here. Wendy has completed most of her Sweet Adelines business for this term and passed the audit successfully on Wednesday. I got the rhubarb picked again, cut, packaged and in the freezer. The lawns have been cut, so we're handing the place over to Andrew now—Thanks, Grandson! Wars continue to rage as well, including the Russian attack on Ukraine that Trump said he would solve before even taking office—Putin is openly laughing at him. The Israelis are now attacking Iran, also for no good reason. Trump has similarly said he could end that one, but Bibi is also laughing at him. USA has engaged in a series of meetings with Iran as Trump tried to walk back to the treaty that was in place before he cancelled it in his first term! With the Israeli attack, those negotiations are now cancelled, and Trump has declared that he might bomb Iran, that he could kill their leader whenever he wanted, and that, as usual, this will take "two weeks" to be determined. However, today, he began a bombing campaign against Iran with strikes on at least three sites there—Where's my two weeks?! The TACO trade continues on the markets as more tariffs are threatened and relaxed every week or so. He has also reawakened the 51st State threats against us, so we feel in some kind of war as well. The markets continue to feel the effects as all USA indices are in the red for Trump's term. The TSX is up 7%, but we have a hard time making progress on our own when our big neighbour is doing so poorly. Also, his tariffs against Canada are resulting in much less buying by USA businesses from us, and our country is suffering as well, even though we are finding new trading partners. The Blue Jays have cooled off a bit, but are still doing well and in a playoff position as we near the All-Star break. The Stanley Cup playoffs ended with heartbreak for my Oilers as the Panthers prevailed for the second year running. The Riders are doing pretty well, while showing some problems that need to be addressed. Still, they won again last night in Toronto to improve to 3-0 in the first weeks of the season. 

Erica writes, "We are planning for Mom and Dad’s visit, finalizing our renovation plans and rearranging our home. It has also been busy at work and Mystery Train is practising for a gig at the World Men’s Softball Championship. That’s about it for this week." Eric and I are scheduled for a charity golf tournament on a nice course while we're there. I've only golfed once this season, so I can't say that I'm ready for it! 

Erin and Kristian are enjoying the arrival of summer in Regina. Kristian is planning to travel to PA with us to assist with the projects up there. Maybe we'll manage a round of golf for us as well! The vegetable garden is doing well. I'm looking forward to checking it out next week. I hope I can get the drip-irrigation system working. 

Travis and Joanna celebrated Fathers Day with us, and passed along some more gifts. Thank you, my children for the golfing blessings that you have prepared for me this summer, and for the continuing blessing you are to me each day. They were over this evening to say farewell, provide some coffee and wish us a good trip. Thanks guys! 

And that's about it for this week. 

War!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be great and we've enjoyed that. Kali drags us out for walks, sometimes more than once per day! She sometimes even brings me her collar to announce her wishes! I have finished work on the last two high panels in the side fence, so that goal has been reached. I picked my first batch of rhubarb, and got that cut up and frozen; I plan to get another picking done before we leave. I got out for golf on Tuesday and experienced tiredness, but no back or rib pain, so that was a good sign. My +13 result? Not such a good sign! Our travel plans keep getting tighter and tighter as Wendy wants to remain here until after the 19th, and we want to be in Prince Albert on the 25th, so it's not looking promising for any golf along the way. I got the car serviced yesterday, so that part is ready to roll. Now that we have a dog, travelling is considerably more complicated. Wendy had her main Spring concert on Monday–that went well. She has much end-of-season business to take care of and another sing-out scheduled for next week that I was hoping we could skip! World affairs remain chaotic as Trump's Trade War is estimated to take a trillion dollars worth of business out the global economy—we hope he'll change his mind! The Russian war in Ukraine seems to have escalated again, and now Israel has extended itself further by starting a war against Iran. It's a mess, and the markets took a hit as a result, so it was not a good week for investments. The NHL playoffs continued, now through five games with the Oilers trailing 3-2. The Jays remain hot, moving in to second place in their division! The Riders played again tonight in Hamilton and improved to 2-0 in the young season. 

Erica writes, "Eric and I are back on our own, Liam returned to Caronport on Monday. He has since heard from a contact for the new medicine and we hope that gets implemented soon. He also finished up the shelving in the spare room. Now, it just needs paint. We have been discussing our ongoing renovation plans for the summer. Mom and Dad will here at the end of June. We hope to do some work on the car park, and then move the bathroom on the main floor and gut the kitchen. We will see—I don’t want to be overly optimistic! We are coming to the end of the busy time at work. So, I will hopefully have more time for other work. :)"

Erin and Kristian are enjoying the summer weather in Regina, and some welcomed rains in northern Saskatchewan have brought some relief from the forest fire and smoke situation. Erin is caring for her garden area and anticipating adding some more plants. Erin was fretting about getting her financial reports completed, so naturally, she got those in a day ahead of time and enjoyed a relaxing Friday. She is now having a relaxing weekend with the hockey playoffs, her Jays playing great and there's an F1 race in Canada! Kristian has been working with youth group trying to organize more events. He getting ready to join us for the project in Prince Albert. 

Travis and Joanna joined us for supper and cards on Sunday. That was fun. Trav and I have worked hard all week to get our Oilers back on track in the playoffs, but to this point we're coming up short. Tonight, we enjoyed an outing to Boston Pizza for a Father's Day celebration, including Andrew. Andrew is getting ready to move into our house for the summer, which will also ease our concerns about taking care of the place while we're away. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Frenemies!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and only a little bit too warm, so we've been able to keep the house open most of the week. I have continued to work on the side fence. Just two more of the high panels left, and then I will move on to the shorter ones. My repair/replace system is going well, but now I'm running into interference from my raised garden beds. I have been over to the course to practice some golf, my back/ribs are feeling much better, so I'm able to swing harder, and hit much worse!! I plan to play next week—my first round of the season. Wendy keeps busily preparing for her final concert of the season. She had a concert on Monday, and also plenty of work on the business side of the chorus. Kali keeps us walking, and sometimes brings her collar so we remember to take her out—very smart little dog! The fox was around one night this week with some piteous yowling which made Kali frantic, and roused us from our sleep. USA continues in a state of turmoil. This week's feature was the breakup and public battle between Trump & Musk. Musk called Trump's tax bill an abomination because it adds $2.4 trillion to the national debt, he called Trump a criminal who was in the Epstein files, and that he should be impeached and replaced—can't disagree with him there. Trump replied by calling Musk an insane Nazi who should be investigated for his drug use, lose all his government contracts, and possibly be deported. You know, just the old, "he said"/"he said" stuff! Trump also claimed he'd completed a trade deal with China, but then China chimed in to correct the lie, and submit that while there was no deal, they had agreed to further meetings. At least the markets continued the May winning streak with another green week, and I enjoyed that. The football season has begun, and the Riders opened with a win—yay! The Jays have picked up the pace, winning 9 of the last 10, and moving into a playoff position. Well done, now keep it going. The Stanley Cup final is under way with the Oilers and Panthers tied at one game a piece. C'mon Oilers! 

Erica writes, "Liam has been visiting this week and it has been wonderful for us. It has been less wonderful for him as he was sick last weekend and then he had to prepare for and undergo a colonoscopy. Fun times! Our city has experienced a population increase with the fires up north. Several thousand people have evacuated. It will be a bit crazy as we support our clients and others who are currently homeless."

Erin and Kristian are enjoying the early summer in Regina, except for the forest fire smoke from northern Saskatchewan. We even get air quality warnings from those down here in Thunder Bay. Work is quite busy as her new assistant is out on medical leave for knee surgery, and what with her own recent vacation days, she has a bit of catch up to do. Her drip irrigation is not working yet, so it may wait until I get there to solve that problem. In the meantime, she is watering by hand, and the plants are doing very well. 

Lotsa Roma tomatoes soon!

Trav and Joanna had us over for supper on Sunday, and we look forward to returning the favour this Sunday. One of the aluminum welds has come apart on their deck settee, but we haven't settled on a repair solution. I tried to put a screw in it, but the aluminum is just too soft to hold. Aluminum welding (MIG, TIG) is a bit of black art, and one which I've never tried, as we did some carbon arc welding on the farm, but I only did hard metals using welding rods. I guess brazing would be similar to MIG welding. Maybe pop rivets will hold things together. Otherwise work remains steady for Trav and as per usual for Joanna. They have five foxes in their neighbourhood as the three kits are now looking almost grown up. 

Broken Weld

And that's about it for this week.