Clipped

We’ve had a rainy week here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, but at least the temperatures have been comfortable. We enjoyed an evening at Trav & Joanns’s on Sunday as we celebrated Thanksgiving with a wonderful meal, and a good visit. Andrew and Rosie were also there. On Tuesday, we enjoyed taking a Tucson for a test drive. It pretty much checks all the boxes for us as we continue the search for our next vehicle. Best of all it sports excellent fuel economy, and an expected range of 900km on a tank of fuel. Our 2014 Santa Fe continues to serve us well, but it is over 225K now, so we’re looking!

On Wednesday, Kali got a haircut. She has noted the cooling effect of the hair loss and we often find her under the covers with us! Wendy fasted in preparation for her updated bloodwork on Wednesday; that returned much improved numbers and she is encouraged. The markets had a bad week as Trump was back on the trade war path against China. He threatened 100% increase in tariffs, but finally relented on Friday when he noted that 100% increase was unsustainable, and seemed surprised that anyone had suggested such a thing! (You can’t make this up!) In the world of sports, I’ve had a big week of curling in the Tour Challenge. My long time favourite, #26-Koe had a sponsor’s exemption into the field, but it seems his crew is not up to it as he failed to make the playoffs. My gal, #6-Einarson made the playoffs, but fell to #1-Homan. Homan will play #2-Tirinzoni in the final, while #3-Dunstone takes on #1-Mouat in the Men’s final. In baseball, the LA Dodgers have swept the Milwaukee Brewers to advance to the World Series. The Blue Jays dropped the first two, but have come back to force game six tomorrow in Toronto. (So, you’re saying there’s a chance?!) After the Riders clinched first place, they rested many of their starters but still held the Bombers down for most of the game last night. The early season in the NHL is also running, but I’m struggling to find time to watch much. In college football, the expected re-ranking took place. Today, #14-Sooners had an impressive win to improve to 6-1. #21-Horns snuck by Kentucky, in overtime, to improve to 5-2.

Erica writes, “It’s been a busy week—band practise on Monday for both Eric and me, as Eric came to learn the sound board, Rotary on Tuesday, Bingo for me and Elders meeting for Eric on Wednesday, Gig at Mr Mikes on Thursday… on Friday, we got an invite from a friend to watch the Rider game and declined—our social batteries were done! We have been making plans for a trip to Montenegro with our neighbour. She and most of her family were refugees from the former Yugoslavia. However her oldest daughter was getting married at the time of their departure and stayed behind. So, our neighbour hasn’t seen her daughter for 26 years. The last few years, her daughter has been very sick and our neighbour is worried she is running out of time. So, we accompanying her to go visit her daughter. Please pray for a safe trip and for our plans to come together.”

Erin’s Thanksgiving Feast

Erin prepared a Thanksgiving feast that lasted through several days. She has had a good week at work, but her home life is not so smooth as Kristian is having difficulties in his Machinist courses at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. We hope they will be able to work out a plan for the way forward. 

Travis and Joanna hosted the Thanksgiving meal—thanks guys. After supper, we just enjoyed a quiet evening of visiting and playing with the dogs. Trav is keeping very busy, and is glad that post office deliveries have brgun again. He is also following his Penguins in the new NHL season. We often chat about that. And, like the rest of the country, they are living and dying with the Blue Jays! 

And that’s enough for this week. 

Frosty!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We spent the main part of the week in Winnipeg (thanks Tom & Mariette!) as we drove up there on Wednesday, and returned home today. We got frost Wednesday morning as we headed west, so there goes the vines in the gardens. I was privileged to a game of golf on Thursday in wonderful weather. It was a tiring walk—guess I’ll have to do that more often!

Congrats Caleb & Talitha!

On Friday, we took in the wedding of our great niece, Talitha! Congratulations Caleb and Talitha, we wish you well! The markets suffered a disastrous week as the Orange Felon failed to even keep the government in operation in the USA. Then, on Friday, he exasperated the situation further by announcing an additional 100% tariff on imports from China. USA businesses are crying foul over this additional tax, and the stock markets collapsed. Oil price has fallen below $60, so the rig count continues to drop, and the potential for USA oil production continues to be threatened. In the world of sports, #1-Homan and #3-Dunstone won the PointsBet Curling event. Blue Jays won their series over the Yankees, and will now play Seattle for the American League championship. The Riders won their game last night, and confirmed their first place standing, so they will host the Western Conference final—well done, Riders! In College Football, it was the annual Red River showdown between #6-Sooners and the unranked Longhorns. Clearly, the experts did not believe the rankings and established the Horns as slight favourites in the game. Horns widely outperformed that projection to win easily based on four turnovers by the Sooners. I expect the new rankings will come somewhat closer to reflecting reality. The NHL season has officially begun. I continue to favour the Edmonton Oilers, along with Pittsburgh and Toronto. 

Erica writes, “We are back at the hockey rink tonight… Raiders are playing Kamloops Blazers. It’s off to a good start: 3-0 at 4:50 of the first period—yes, I mean less than 5 minutes have been played and 3 goals have been scored on our opponent. And now we have a penalty shot… 

Earlier this week, we celebrated Aunt Alice’s life with the rest of the Brown and Bailey family. Eric spoke on behalf of the Bailey side of the family and I led hymns. Other than that, it’s been a normal week.”

It say VW, but I say it’s a K-Car!

Erin completed the purchase of a car on Kristian’s behalf. He is delighted! It has been quite a process getting this done, and Kristian was fully surprised! Well done, Mom! 

Travis and Joanna had a busy week at work and home. The busyness was accentuated by the hosting of Kali while we went to Winnipeg. She is a busy little creature, and they already have three dogs of their own! Thanks for caring for our little girl! Trav got a couple of special orders this week from his old hometown of Yellowknife. It was fun to consider the connections back there to minor hockey programs and the St Pat’s High School team. 

And that’s enough for this week. 

Orange Run!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been unseasonably warm, and we’ve (I’ve) been forced to turn the air conditioning back on. I have enjoyed getting out to the golf course for practice. The best part of just using the driving range is you don’t have to chase down all those bad shots!

Ready, Set, GO! 

Early registration = small numbers!

We started off the week with participation in the Truth and Reconciliation day event. There were over 1000 participants and quite a few dogs, but Wendy and I both completed the 5K lap successfully, and got our medals. Otherwise, we continue with our choirs and our retirement living here, and we enjoy it  great deal. Barb and Ed stopped in today on their way home; we’re glad to have visitors. The markets, contrary to expectations, were great with all indices showing some gains. It seems to be built on the Artificial Intelligence movement, which many folks fear is forming a bubble. I just keep watching the charts, hanging on and hoping for the best. The economic situation in the USA continues to drift downward with employment falling short each month, and we are suffering as well due to Trump’s Trade War. It does not make one comfortable. Baseball has completed the season; the Blue Jays held on to first play and a first round bye. They are now playing the Yankees in the Divisional series. The Riders won their game in Ottawa this week, so their magic number to clinch first place is down to 1. In college football, my Sooners have lost their quarterback due to injury, but we managed an easy win today. The Longhorns were not successful this time around. NHL hockey is completing the preseason this weekend, so we’ll soon be back in hockey reporting! In curling, #24-Koe dropped the final last week, but improved his ranking a bit. In this week's action it will be #3-Jacobs vs #4-Dunstone in the Men’s final in Calgary while #1-Homan plays #26-Brown for the women’s championship. 

Erica writes, “Tonight, Eric and I took in some local country talent in Prince Albert. And, they even let me sing a couple songs! Liam helped Mercedes family move to Calgary this week, as well as celebrating her 20th birthday on Tuesday. Eric’s aunt Alice passed away last Sunday. We’ve been in conversation with the family as Eric prepares to share some memories at the celebration of life on Monday.”

Erin and Kristian are doing well in Regina. Kristian says his classes are nothing special yet, just okay. Things are going well at work for Erin. 

Travis and Joanna came over for cards one evening—we always enjoy that. Otherwise, they keep very busy with their work. 

And that’s enough for this week. 

Sunny Days

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been lovely, and we have enjoyed our walks with Kali, as well as working in the yard. The lawns took another cutting, and are looking about their best of the year. Wendy spied a fox on our street on Wednesday evening, but it appears to be a different animal from the one that bothered us last Spring. Anyway, we’re being more careful with Kali’s excursions. Wendy caught up with dental work getting a filling and cleaning on Friday. MLB heads to the final day of the regular season, with the Jays clinging to their hopes of a Division Championship. Playoffs begin on Tuesday. The first Grand Slam Curling event is underway in London ON featuring the top 16 teams in the world. Four Canadian teams advanced to the playoffs, but it was two Canadian and two Scottish teams in the semis, and they were playing each other. It was #4 Whyte over #1 Mouat, and #5 Dunstone over #2 Jacobs. I’ll be cheering for Dunstone, but the Scottish guys are playing great! On the women’s side, we had three teams in the tournament including my favourite #4 Kerri Einarson, but only #1 Homan advanced to the playoffs against one Japanese team and multiple reps from Sweden, Switzerland and Korea. The world is curling too well! It will be Homan against the Swiss team, #2 Tirinzoni, in the final. My longtime favourite, Kevin Koe, has slipped to a #27 ranking, and was playing in the Tier 2 event. He made the playoffs along with two other Canadian teams. He has advanced to the final where he’ll play USA team, #23 Casper. In the CFL, the first place Riders travelled to Edmonton for this week’s contest, but slunk home with a loss. My college football teams, #10 Texas, #7 Oklahoma were on the bye this week. 

Toyota Highlander

Erica writes, “This week brings us to Regina to pick up our new-to-us Highlander. We are staying with Erin. Liam and Mercedes plan to meet up with us on Saturday, and we will celebrate Mercedes’ birthday a few days early. She turns 20 on the 30th. On Friday, I sang for my supper at a community hall in Paddockwood. We had the full band for the first time in a few months and it was great! It was a busy week for both of us and we are looking forward to a break this weekend.”

Aside from hosting the Baileys this weekend, Erin is living and dying with the Jays in their final series of the season! Kristian continues with his coursework at Sask Polytech. 

Travis, Joanna, the boys and Marigold continue to thrive. Along with fielding calls from hopeful former Puckshot patrons, Travis keeps busy with Bucket Decal orders. Joanna is busy as well with work at Jangles. Andrew and Rosie push forward with their work and training programs. Gemma has her next practicum assignment lined up in Nanaimo. Jonas continues with his promising research at UBC. 

And that’s enough for this week. 

Equinox

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather continues to drift to the cooler side as we head into Autumn officially this weekend. We’ve had several showers, but enjoyed comfortable temperatures throughout. I have continued my woodwork on the FastTrack boards—only one completed so far. Wendy keeps busy with her two choirs, and especially with the business end of the Sweet Adelines. On Tuesday afternoon, I got my new partial plate from my dentist; it looks remarkably like the old broken one (and that’s by design!).Then, that evening, our chorus was invited to open the city council meeting by singing O Canada—that was an honour. We both had medical appointments this week, and I’ve supplied bloodwork for another visit later. My appointment was mostly good news, but I am being scheduled for another colonoscopy—not looking forward to that bottle of bad koolaid! Wendy’s prognosis was a bit troublesome on the blood chemistry report, so she’s looking to return us to our long-abandoned keto diet. Otherwise, both lawns received a fresh trim, but there remains plenty of yard work to do. The markets received quarter point cuts from both the Bank of Canada and the FED, so they rallied nicely. The FED acknowledged that Trump has accomplished the rare feat of raising inflation while diminishing employment—yeah, the USA economy is in trouble! Riders have the week off, but BC did them a favour by beating Calgary. #11-Oklahoma caught a tough, ranked opponent this week, while #8-Texas had a rematch with the Little Sisters of the Poor. Sooners rode a 10 sack performance by their defence to the win, while Longhorns had a blowout win as expected. The Jays are struggling to the finish line, still holding first place, but switching between poor pitching and bad hitting along the way. Their magic number to clinch first place is 5 and they have 7 games left. 

Erica writes, “Big news this week—Wheeler/Dealer little sister, Erin, wheeled and dealt! So, we are buying a new-to-us-Toyota. It’s a Highlander! It should be the same base as the Venza, so we hope it will fit in our not-a-garage. Our plan is the pass along the Venza to Liam and then we will need to sell the Jetta. It was a busy week with meetings and working Bingo. But, all in all, a pretty normal week.”

Along with Erin’s new career in car sales, this week she was featured as a Birthday Celebration organizer! Kristian’s birthday was on Tuesday, and the big score was a new phone—iPhone 16 which is a six generation upgrade for him. His XS has not been charging consistently lately, so he’s glad to move up. The birthday supper involved a trip to Dairy Queen. The contractors have returned and installed the other privacy fence on her patio. It looks good. 

Travis & Joanna, along with Andrew & Rosie joined us for pizza and cards on Sunday night. Marigold came along to entertain Kali. It was fun. 

And thatr’s enough for this week. 

Back Tracking

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fine, with a few showers on some of the nights, so I also got in some more golf practice. I have completed one FastTrack board for Liam, and have two more cut out. I also completed two Pegs & Jokers sets, so Wendy and I tried out all the new games—fun! We got the company of Ed & Barb on Friday, and enjoyed a beautiful sunny day of touring with them today. Our choirs reopened practice sessions after the summer hiatus. Sweet Adelines practice Monday evenings, and Silver Sounds practice Thursday mornings. Those will form a part of our weekly program until December. The markets took a bit of an upturn as continued bad economic news from the USA has convinced the pundits that the FED will cut the prime rate next week which is usually good for stock values. We’re in the “Bad news is Good news” phase of things. Baseball continues its inexorable drive toward the playoffs with about 14 games left, and the Blue Jays holding a 3 game lead over the Yankees. The Riders put up a ghastly effort tonight, losing to Montreal in the rain. In college football, #7-Texas and #13-Sooners had easy wins. 

Erica writes, “It has been a busy week—back into the swing of work, and several evening meetings and events. We did enjoy one evening out at Christopher Lake. Eric and I led singing at The Quest's Golden Camp, for retired folks—which we aspire to become. It was wonderful and they blessed us with good food, many hugs and a wonderful gift. I also had the opportunity to play and sing at three Care Homes with Mystery Train. If only I could make a living at this! Thursday was the end of this year's accounting designation exam, named the CFE or Comprehensive Final Exam (former the UFE). We joined a group in Saskatoon and celebrated with the writers. They will find out their results at the end of November. Eric got some organizing done at the house in anticipation of our moving the fridge into the kitchen. This should be interesting as it will require the removal of the fridge doors—more to come on that next week. The news of Bonnie Baxter starting her Doctorate (way to go Bonnie) has also led Eric to a renewed interest in exploring his Doctorate. He isn't teaching this year, so it might be a good year to start. We have also been exploring our vehicle situation. The Venza is in great shape, but is also 11 years old. We can get a fairly decent recovery on a trade in, but the cost of a newer vehicle is more than our first house—yikes!! We are also debating whether or not Liam needs a different car. The Jetta, which is low in miles but high in years, has been very reliable. However the experience last winter with a delay in getting servicing done, and thus leaving Liam without a car, makes us wonder if we need to get something else for him. All this costs money, and we would rather not spend it, but it is what it is!”

Kristian has his school program pretty much locked in now, and is beginning to enjoy the experience. Erin has been very busily trying to catch up to artificial deadlines at work, and is succeeding. She also received the first part of the installation of her new privacy fence. Looks good!

new privacy fence being installed

Travis has been so busy with his BucketDecals contracts that he hasn’t had time to get his new desk built. I was thinking he had managed it without me, and that I was off the hook—but not so fast! He dropped by today with Marigold; we enjoyed the visit. 

And that’s about enough for this week. 

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.