News Update

Another week has passed, and we have begun the journey back to the shore of Lake Superior and my home town. It has been good to spend the time with the family in Regina. There have been frequent gatherings of various family and friends around the table. I got to try out two salmon planking recipes—both good, but I preferred the ginger-brown sugar one! On Friday, we headed east and are currently in Kenora at Eric/A's—thanks guys! We arrived in time for a lovely supper and then settled in to watch the Riders win in BC; unfortunately, the Lions had other plans and we had to suffer through the ignominy of defeat. Ouch!

Monday was a holiday, so we took the van in Tuesday to continue the repair regulations. It is now set to be repaired next week. I got to practise golf on Thursday for a couple of hours in preparation for the game in Kenora today with Eric. The front nine was quite an enjoyable layout while the back nine was less well thought-out. We enjoyed the game until rain forced us to quit after 14 holes.

The holiday-shortened week led to unusual activity in the markets, but we persisted in trying. Thursday was a very bad day for me, and I ended the week down 1.1% but still up 4.6% for the three weeks that we've been on this latest program. Trav did better and turned a profit without my adventurous influence! I enjoyed getting some feedback and advice from Uncle Bernard while in Regina.

On Wednesday, we drove over to Moose Jaw to celebrate Aunty's 96th birthday. Thank you, Grace & Elvin for hosting us and providing an excellent meal topped off by Saskatoon pie! We also took opportunity to see the famous Chicago Tunnels while we were in Moose Jaw.

We intend to complete the trip home tomorrow. We're looking forward to that, to reuniting with family there and sleeping in our own bed.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, spent far from the shore of Lake Superior, my hometown. We began the week in Dauphin where we enjoyed the hospitality of our friends and family there. Bern, Alicia and Logan were also there, so we met briefly with them before they headed to Saskatoon and we headed to Regina on Monday. We thank David & Marilyn for hosting us in Dauphin. As we headed west, we drove by Binscarth where I taught my first year. We enjoyed visiting old friends there. Once in Regina, we moved in at 55 Laird and enjoyed the remainder of the week there, visiting with Rich & Sue, Dave and other relatives and friends. Thanks for hosting us, Dad!

On Wednesday, we drove down to Ogema to visit relatives there, and to check out the recently acknowledged Century Farm, and the Taylor farm (home to Wendy's grandparents and mother) was historically recognized. We enjoyed Uncle Art's wonderful gardens and returned with plenty of vegetables and fruit from his labours. Another notable (lamentable?) incident involved my backing Dad's van into a power pole at the farm! This caused some damage to the left-rear corner of the van and to my sensibilities! At any rate, we enjoyed the visit, the remembrances and the search for other special sites in the K family history.

Bern, Alicia & Logan rejoined us late Thursday night. As a result, we've been able to continue the catch up on their Mexican adventure. We plan to make a few more day trips next week before turning our vehicle back to the east.

Trav and I have continued our investment training and practice. We got back the results on our research project 84.5% and continued our purchases. After two weeks on this simulation, I stand at 5.6% profit. This program just continues to amaze me.

Erin & Kristian have skyped with us a few times. It's good to see them, even if only via video. There are taking care of yard and garden while we're away. Thanks, guys.

We close the week in front of the TV as we enjoy watching the Riders win in Calgary 24-23 as they move into a first place tie. And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

It has been quite a week for us as we've travelled from the shore of Lake Superior out to Dauphin. On Sunday, I lamented as Tom Watson bogied the final hole and proceeded to lose the Open in a playoff. Today, I lamented as the Riders lost to Edmonton after enjoying a 22-0 lead! It's a sad life that way sometimes!

On Monday morning, we hosted an Investors Club meeting at our house. The markets rose and we couldn't make our usual buys, but we tried some other options that ended up losing us some money! The investments in the rest of the week went well, and I've ended the first week of the new investments model with a 2.5% gain. So, that was much above expectations! We also had an online investment class in the evening.

We left home on Tuesday and drove up to Kenora to Eric/A's place. We stayed overnight with them, and completed our trip to Dauphin on Wednesday, where we moved in with David & Marilyn—thanks guys! On Thursday, we played a practice round of golf with many of our friends from there, in preparation for a weekend golfing extravaganza. Since we were planning to play 36 holes a day for the next two days, this was certainly over-kill.

Friday was the first day of the Pryder Cup. It was not coming off as planned. There were supposed to be ten Canadians and ten Americans battling for golfing supremacy, but, the Americans could not put up a full team. They only showed up with four players, so we supplemented them with three non-Manitoba players to make it two teams of seven. It became Manitoba against the World. The morning round was two-man scramble. We did commendably and ended up with two of the possible three points. The afternoon we played better ball, and the Manitobans launched their comeback! They earned three of four points and took a lead that they never relinquished! Saturday morning matches resulted in a complete whitewash as we fell behind 8-3, and we only managed a split of Saturday afternoon's matches, so the final score was 12-7.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun, but ninety holes of golf in three days is too much for me! I do remember that in years gone by we often did this sort of foolishness, and even of times when Dick and I would walk and carry our bags for most of five rounds of golf in a weekend—but those days are gone! I have extracted a promise of single-round days of golf in the future Pryder Cups for we senior members! Another good thing that happened provided some relief for my aching right elbow. Kent supplied me a special strap that wraps tightly around my elbow and relieves the tendinitis. It is not so comfortable to wear, but it certainly does provide relief—thanks, Kent! My golfing was not great, but it never is, and I enjoy it anyway! I scored an 84 and an 85 the first two days, but today I was just worn out and only could manage a couple of 94's. Maybe now that I have this elbow strap, I'll manage more than one round a week.

Erin, Kristian and Travis are taking care of things at home. Erin has to work some of the time, and of course Travis works full-time. We miss them while we're away. Travis had a special event last week where he volunteered for the Easter Seals promotion which allowed him to participate in a skating event with the NHL players who are from Thunder Bay. I guess the three Staal brothers are the more famous members of the group, but there are quite a few, so Trav enjoyed meeting them and getting autographs as well as helping with the many children who gathered to skate with their hockey heroes.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

A cool, rainy week struggles to an end on the shore of Lake Superior. I haven't made it out for golf until today, but it seems that little has changed—one might hope it would! I did manage to get most of my planned yard work completed for the year, and the garden is flourishing. Kristian loves picking and eating the strawberries and peas right off the plants. We are preparing to head west next Tuesday, so Erin will have to keep track of everything while we're gone. I am now scheduled for my colonoscopy for August 11th, so our travel time is limited by that. And this afternoon we have to suffer through the indignity of watching the Riders being schooled by the Alouettes. Yuck! On the other hand, I do enjoy watching Tom Watson lead the Open, and I hope he can finish it off tomorrow.

I've had a bit of work this week as one school has turned up recalcitrant on its reporting requirements. It turned out they had not even done the first batch of reporting for the year! I have managed to get their October and March reports completed this week, so it only remains for me to do the June reports now.

Wendy has completed a retrofit of the flowerbeds both front and back, so they're looking good. She has also kept busy with gym work, shopping and a few picnics with family and friends.

Kristian has been making excellent progress lately. His vocabulary and expressions are growing quickly, and he's figured out the potty business completely. He's not just cute! Erin was off this week, so we enjoyed lots of activity around the house and yard despite the cool weather.

Travis continues with his work and working with me on the investment training. We've completed our research, and are now moving to the next stage of training. We're back in class on Monday evening, and we've decided to begin the investment simulation over from the beginning. It was a great week in that regard as the market turned positive again, and we made big profits. I now stand at 41.9% gain from March 9th. However, we've worked out a strategy to more closely approximate the actual investment experience, so we'll see how that goes. I took a webinar in Scotia iTrade on Thursday, so I have a better idea how that will work.

I enjoyed a Skype chat with my siblings and various members of their familes on Thursday, in honour of Tom's birthday. Spread out from Dallas to Winnipeg to Paris (and Thunder Bay) as we were, that went well and was fully enjoyable except that John was not able to take part.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has turned very nice and I've managed to get out golfing and practising a few times. My game came in at 85, so my handicap stays solid at 15.1. However, I am seeing signs of improvement, "Little green shoots," one might say! Let's hope they continue to flourish; I've been feeling like my golf game is in the Bush Recession, too! At least the Riders are thriving, as I was able to sit down and watch them punish the Argos this afternoon and move to 2-0 in the young season.

There hasn't been much work this week. I've helped one school with their June Reports to the Ministry, but that's about it. Investment work continues as Trav and I have a big assignment due next Friday. We've been struggling with our investments in the most recent downturn. The TSX has lost value for the last month since its high on June 11th. So, it's been difficult to make headway, but we've managed small gains and I now stand at 35.1% profit for exactly four months of work.

The garden is growing quite well now. The tomatoes are blooming, pea pods are filling, beans are blooming, strawberries are bearing. Only two potatoes came up (out of seven planted), but we'll see how the box method works for those.

Wendy has been busy with her flowerbeds so those are now flourishing (pun intended). She spent most of the week fretting about how to get to Ogema for the celebration at her grandparents' farm today, but, in the end, decided not to go. We are now planning to head west in time for the golf tournament in Dauphin (July 24th, 25th) and to remain on the prairies after that event instead of before it.

Erin has been at work all week, so Kristian has been at daycare. His potty training is showing signs of improvement! His communication is showing much growth—we're delighted! We've set up a wading pool for him in the backyard this year instead of the larger pool. He certainly enjoys being outside.

Travis continues with his work. This weekend, he's in Minneapolis as he gave Greg a ride down there to catch a plane to California.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Happy Anniversary to us! Thirty-nine years later and we're enjoying life on the shore of Lake Superior. It's been a slow-moving but eventful week. The weather has been cool and rainy early in the week and I haven't made it out golfing at all. I did practice a couple of times. The garden is progressing fine, and I did get a few calls for work. On Wednesday, we celebrated Canada Day. Happy Birthday Canada! And today, along with our anniversary, the Americans celebrate their Independence Day. Happy National Birthday to all my American contacts!

This week also marked the beginning of the football season. Friday evening's Rider game was a sloppy affair, but we won! My old coaching friend, John Payne, used to say, "If you want to make that many turnovers, you should open a bakery!" Fifteen turnovers! Yikes! But in the standings it just shows up as a win. So, well done!

Trav and I got back on track with our investments. It wasn't a good week in the markets as the TSX declined, but we turned a tidy profit. To recap, two weeks ago, we did bad! I lost 4%! But last week I picked up 1.7% and this week 1.6% so I'm almost caught up. Officially, I'm now at a 33.7% gain in just under four months. We are finished our foundational classes, and now we are working on a research project. When that is completed (due: July 17th), we move on to the advanced coaching and mentoring phase of the course.

Wendy has been busy with yard work, bedding plants and tearful good-byes. On Friday, she finally came to a decision on BJ, so that was a sad day for all of us. BJ was a very good dog, certainly the best dog I've been acquainted with. He was wonderful with little children. He is being missed.

Erin has continued with arrangements and preparation for her course work in the Fall. There is not much in place yet. Kristian is doing well. He likes playing ball, golfing and being outside. He is working on his potty training—some successes! He is communicating more by speech, but also relies on sign language for some messages. He is a bright and lovable little boy.

Trav has continued busily with his work. That seems to be going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has rolled by on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has turned hot; the air conditioner is running; summer is here! I managed to get out for a couple of golf games this week. There was some improvement as I posted scores of 84 and 86, and dropped my handicap to 15.1. The garden is doing fine, except for the potatoes—nothing there—I guess those Safeway potatoes must be treated with something to keep them from germinating. So far we've only been using radishes and rhubarb.

I've had a bit of help-desk work this week as schools scramble to complete student report cards and end-of-year reporting to the Ministry. Once this is surge is over, it should be the end of my work with the small schools of northwestern Ontario. Travis and I made back some of our money in our investment training. We also had our final class in the direct-teaching part of the course. Now we move on to a couple of research projects, and then the establishment of investment teams. A memory chip failed in my laptop, so it's at the University tech shop over the weekend getting a replacement chip. As a result, I can not tell you exactly where I'm at in investments, but it's improved a little, despite a mixed week on the markets.

Erin worked all week (Part time is not what it used to be!), and Kristian got back in day care. He's is talking more and more with us, but is often shy in groups.

Impact Promotions had its grand opening last evening, so we attended that and celebrated along with Trav and the rest of the company.

Wendy has continued to look after us in her usual style (To which we've become accustomed!); she has been spending a lot of effort in recent weeks to take care of BJ. He's still hanging on, and some days shows improved activity. We're not sure what to make of it. Wendy also continues to apply on jobs from time to time; nothing has developed from it yet, but we keep hoping.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed and summer has come to the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The garden is flourishing (finally) and the reseeded parts of the front lawn have germinated and are growing out nicely. I have finished a little data project for our schools, and taken a couple of support calls, but really there's not much happening on the work front!

As the week began, we celebrated Fathers' Day (early) and my children gave me a coupon for ten rounds of golf! So, that was great! And, with the improved weather, I managed to get out for two games this week. The second was quite satisfactory (and I kept both below 90) and my handicap remains at 15.3.

Wendy and I have had a couple of meetings with financial advisors this week. We're considering how we should manage our registered pension money and whether we should add to our investment in this house. We cancelled our satellite TV, our phone service and our internet service, and amalgamated them all with Shaw. Unfortunately, our phone installation had a problem, so we could not make long distance calls for most of the week! They finally fixed it this afternoon, so we're fully back in business.

Travis and I had a bad week with our investments. We made a mistake of going against our training and strategy, and the falling market early this week made us pay for it! As a result, we both lost money for the week, and I now stand at only 30.4% gain for the three months. Still, that's pretty good!

BJ has continued to amaze us with improved mobility and health. We don't know how long this will last.

Erin has completed her fulltime work, and I now working part-time while also getting her training program in place and enjoying the summer. Kristian continues to progress very well. He now has a batting tee, and enjoys playing ball in the back yard, the living room, the kitchen—what a kid! He also got a haircut this week; he's continuing the cuteness theme.

Travis continues with work as per usual; his major accomplishment this week was the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S! I can't even quite figure out how to operate the thing! In spite of being a techno-geek, I'm having trouble keeping up these days!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. It's been an exciting week in our household as the Penguins performed the improbable—coming back to win games six and seven to overcome the Red Wings and win the Stanley Cup. I did not think they could manage to beat Detroit in Detroit in game seven, but Travis did not lose heart. He explained to me that Penguins had faced four 'Game Sevens' on the road in franchise history, and had won them all! So, make it five! They've still won them all!

Otherwise, it's been a quiet week around home. I've been doing a little work on a small data project for our soon-to-be-former schools. There still remains a little work to be done with student data reporting at the end of the month, and then I'll be able to wrap things up. The garden is finally coming along, although the weather refuses to cooperate. I've reseeded some patches in the front lawn—it also needs some heat! And the investment training continues. Trav and I had a very good week, and I'm now at 34.3% for the three months. So, I've applied for my online brokerage package, and we'll soon see how it goes in reality! Scary!

Wendy has been remodelling the laundry room. I've helped with installation of some additional shelving and it's now looking much roomier. We have Eric/A and the boys here this weekend—I think we're celebrating Father's Day a week early! Anyway, it's nice to have them around.

Erin just has a few days of full-time work left. She bought herself one of those little netbooks this week, and it seems to run just fine. Kristian continues to develop and express himself better and better. We are much encouraged by the efforts being made with him in speech-therapy. It's paying off. He can express himself even better in signs, but we don't know the signs!

BJ seems to be making quite a recovery and is getting around pretty well now, although he still refuses stairs. He's also started eating better, so that's also encouraging.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We pass this week in our hometown on the shore of Lake Superior, but it is a momentous week nonetheless! The week begins with Eric/A and the boys here. We enjoy the visit. On Monday, we get the news that the Ministry of Education has decided to end the existence of the small boards who have been employing me for the last four years. This is a fair shock for me, although some of my colleagues claim to have seen it coming! (They might have mentioned it to me!) What it means is that I am unemployed for sure for next year. I have been expecting a contract for about one hundred days, so we'll have to think of how to replace the income! The prime option right now is to complete the transition to retirement. Wendy has dusted off her resume and is considering a couple of advertised jobs.

The weather has been decidedly non-June-like and I even had to cover my tomatoes one night as frost was threatened. I have managed to get out to practise golf a couple of times. The ball is not going particularly well! (Probably need to change brands of golf ball, or get new clubs!) The lawns are progressing well with the occasional rain even though we're not getting much heat.

BJ is doing decidedly better. He still needs to be carried around a fair bit, but he's back to walking some on his own as well. We continue to be concerned.

Kristian had a big session of hearing testing this week. He has learned enough of the process to cooperate effectively and the technicians were very confident that valid readings had been achieved. We look forward to the results once all their calculations are done. Kristian continues to develop more facility with vocabulary and communication, and he has a wonderful personality. Erin moves toward the completion of her full-time employment later this month. She is looking forward to a summer with lots of time for Kristian before he begins Kindergarten in the Fall, and she heads back to school herself. She will be working part-time doing some of her current duties while she goes to school.

Now that Trav had graduated, he is continuing to enjoy his work at Impact Promotions, as well as the odd project on his own. He's been particularly happy to see the resurgent Penguins come back to make a good series of the Stanley Cup playoffs, although tonight's 5-0 spanking did not impress him! He has also continued his training with me for investments. We had a scary week, but eventually it worked out well. I'm now at 31.3% gain in just under three months.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

The end of another week finds us back on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. It has been a full week. We started in Regina, and drove out to Gravelbourg on Sunday morning. That was a day of many reminiscences around my birth place and first home. I enjoyed seeing the new additions to the church in Gravelbourg, both material and personal. I enjoyed being asked to lead a song and 'try out' the acoustics of the new assembly area—it worked out well (perhaps a little more bounce would be helpful)! We enjoyed a wonderful meal with Gerry & Lorna, family and friends. We enjoyed a prairie rainstorm—not too severe, but providing plenty of moisture for the developing crops. ("A million-dollar rain," we used to hear it described as!) We drove by the old place and wondered at the trees—when did those spruce get to be so tall! As we headed north, past Trombergs and Rasmussens, we even ran into 'greasy' roads—more reminiscence than we wanted! We drove through Coderre and caught the highway to Moose Jaw.

There we went to visit Aunt Mary. But not so fast the sign told us—"Under Quarantine due to a Respiratory Outbreak"! Well, Wendy talked us through that, and we enjoyed a lovely visit with Aunty. We provided her various stories to ruminate over as she wondered at our arrival. (Visitors have been refused since early May!) We told her variously that, "We told them we're Danes, so rules don't apply." (She liked that one.) "We told them, we're not 'Visitors', we're 'Family'." (She liked that one as well.) She informed us that Grace & Elvin were out of town in Regina, but we decided to at least leave them a phone message—I was a little taken aback when Grace answered the phone! So, we enjoyed coffee [Does anyone need to be informed that Coffee always includes nothing but coffee?! (Where 'always' means 'seldom, if ever.')] and a visit there also.

After visiting and resting at Dad's in Regina, we headed east on Tuesday to Kenora where we stayed with Eric/A and the boys. (Thanks, guys!) And we completed the trip on Wednesday back to TBay.

Back at home we found Travis rejoicing (his Penguins are in the final) and all feeling concern over BJ and his continued convalescence. BJ has perked up a bit in recent days, so we hope he may rebound once again. He's an old dog—fourteen years, and clearly does not appear to be up to learning any new tricks! He mostly lays around, and often requires being carried outdoors.

Today finds us in celebratory mood. Travis is graduating from Lakehead University, where due to scheduling and diligence, he is achieving a double Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) with First Class Standing in Marketing and General Management at the spring convocation. We are so proud of him. He has a good job that he enjoys very much, and it holds the promise of providing a good income as well. Eric/A and the boys are down to assist with the celebration. A great day is had by all. It is capped by a nice evening with Travis and his friends.

Of course, we enjoy our reunion with Erin & Kristian. Both are as busy as ever, and having the Jays win a weekend series from Boston gets Erin into better spirits!

The garden is progressing well. Our investment training continues. Recent weeks have seen me fairly stagnant as over exuberant purchase prices entailed a lot of waiting, but this week everything sold, and I'm now at 29.4% overall gain in under three months. Yowsah! It seems that many (out there) see this as hard to believe—I do, too!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week finds us far away from Lake Superior and my hometown. We are in Regina; we have driven out here to attend and observe Tim & Krista's wedding. We plan to head home early next week.

The week started as a long weekend and we were enjoying have Eric/A and the boys with us. They headed back on Monday, and we continued with the regular business around home. I continue to have a few phone calls asking help from the schools. I have also been busy with the garden. We are only awaiting a few bedding plants now to complete the plan for this growing season. We have planted a lot of vines—cucumbers, several kinds of squash, pumpkins, and zucchini. Other than that we mostly have peas, beans and greens. I have tried to plant a bit more of peas and beans in the hope that we will have a continual supply during the season, rather than just a meal here and there. And I've also planted a bit of corn.

On Thursday afternoon we drove out to Kenora, and then on Friday we continued to Regina. Eric/A followed us Friday after work, arriving in Regina about 2:00 AM. Today was the wedding. It was very nice, and we enjoyed catching up with many people, and making some new acquaintances as well. Travis is along with us as he got off work early. He plans to head back with Eric/A so he can get back to work for the new week. We are glad to have the chance to spend a bit of time with Wendy's dad as well—thanks for putting us up!

Erin and Kristian remained at home and commiserated over the Blue Jays first extended losing streak of the young season. They are still in first place, but it's getting close! Other than that they are doing well. They are also caring for BJ who seems to be doing poorly. He is very old (for a dog) and is having trouble getting around lately. This will require some extra attention when we get home.

Investment training has continued. We didn't have a class this week since Monday was a holiday, but we kept at our investments. It was not an easy week since I had bought at higher values last week, and this week saw a lower market. Still, I managed a couple of sales, and have raised my over all gain to 28.1%.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. We are not in Kansas anymore. We flew back from on Tuesday night, arriving in TBay about midnight. The weather has continued variable, and not warm enough to give me comfort over my garden. The next week looks better, so maybe yard work (and golf) can get back in full-swing! We enjoyed our time in Abilene, celebrating Shepherd's grad, as well as the drive back and forth from Lawrence KS. And we found out that we actually were able to celebrate about seven graduations of friends and family from ACU.

I've had a little work around the office this week. I was offered a month-long teaching assignment in Hornepayne, and after some consideration was looking forward to accepting that, but it turned out they wanted me to pay for the privilege of working there—so I demurred! When I had taught for a week in another community last fall, I was paid salary and expenses. This time, they only offered salary, and when Wendy checked out expenses... it didn't pay! My buddy, Wes, opined that since I've been working for nothing so much, they now wanted me to pay them! So, we continue to try to live on EI (and love) and it's thin living!!

Investment training continues. This week, I took the lecture while in Lawrence KS. The internet is certainly a wonderful facility. Investments have not gone well this week with both Energy and Financials down over 7%, but I still managed two sells and raised my total gain to 27%. I have all five stocks bought—and they're all currently at a loss position, so we hope things improve next week!

Kristian and Erin were both down with colds while we were away and continue to suffer a bit this week. Travis seems to be much improved, and watching his Penguins advance to the next round in the Stanley Cup playoffs really improved his outlook!

As this is long weekend, we are glad to have Eric/A and the boys visiting with us. Hopefully, the weather will smarten up tomorrow...

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have wandered south, away from the shore of Lake Superior. We are in Abilene to celebrate graduation with Shepherd, our friend from Zambia. We flew down from TBay to Lawrence KS on Thursday afternoon and met up with our old friend (well actually, I shouldn't call her an old friend, but our longtime friend who is actually just a young thing), Marti. She drives us down to Abilene on Friday. It is great to spend a bit of additional time with Shepherd and Ruhtt. We also get a special treat of catching up with another old Zambian contact Ryan and his wife. Then, while we were there, we also Skyped to Kadonsi in Zambia. It was good to hear his voice. Of course, there were a number of other Zambian contacts attending the graduation, so we also were pleased to catch up with them. We also discovered, to our surprise, that we had connections to about half a dozen of the graduates, so it was good to celebrate with them all.

The graduation itself was a great celebration of Shepherd's efforts and achievement in the masters' program for Human Resources. We hope he will be able to provide great administrative service in Zambia now for many years.

The week started with the usual things around home, and I also had a conference session on Thursday before we flew out. The garden is developing well, in its new location. We are planning for many more vines (cucumber, squash, zuchini, pumpkins) that we will grow along the borders of the back yard. And of course, I'm also trying that potatoes in a box idea! It will be interesting again to see how things develop.

The investment training continues. It was an interesting week as the markets were rising, and we found we did not have an effective strategy for buying as prices increase. After our lesson on Monday evening, we had new techniques and raised our prices for Tuesday. It did not work; prices rose again! So on Wednesday we chose a new strategy of picking a price much higher than the current quote, and were successful in buying all our stocks (in a falling market) at prices much higher than we should have paid!! I guess this was a learning experience! Anyway, the markets rose again on Friday, so we did fine. Overall, I am now up 26.4% in nine weeks. It is too good to really believe. Especially after my experiences with professional managers over the last ten years where I've learned that the only way they could make me a millionaire was if I had started with two million!

Wendy has continued with house and yard work as a part of her rites of spring. As usual whatever she does, she overdoes, so she has been suffering with aches, pains and blisters as a result.

Erin and Kristian are doing well. It is delightful to hear his little voice as he begins to be able to hold short conversations and learns more and more words.Erin continues to work on her options for work and training next year.

Travis is doing well with his work. He has been suffering a bit of ill health this week. Perhaps it's just seasonal allergies.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather has been nice so we've enjoyed some out doors times. Kristian loves playing in the back yard where I built him a sandbox and installed a slide. Actually, he thinks the larger sandy area I have developed for the pool is even more attractive, so we usually find him there. He also likes time on the trampoline, and practicing his golfing. (Where did he pick up that interest?!) I've been working on the garden, and have it pretty much ready to go. I plan to start planting soon.

My health concern continues. I visited with my oncologist on Wednesday. He was happy to see that my PSA was somewhat lower, although still too high. He says it is further evidence that the elevated levels are just caused by a chronic infection. I also had him check out my little growth. It was his opinion that it was not a thrombosed hemorrhoid, but he referred me back to my family doctor for further investigation. So, I was back to see her on Friday, and she feels certain it is a thrombosed hemorrhoid. She cannot understand why I report no pain! She says I must have a high pain threshold. (Translation: I don't suffer from pain, I'm just a carrier!) She is referring me to a surgeon for a sigmoidoscope, possibly a full colonscopy and whatever surgical action he decides is appropriate. So, the saga continues. Meanwhile, I'm on those suppositories. We hope for a reduction in stress, distress and inflammation!

I have had only a little call-desk work this week. Next week, I have our annual spring conference, and then we're flying south to celebrate our friend Shepherd's graduation in Abilene. Investment training continues to go well, and I had a great week with my stocks. I'm now up 22.8% in eight weeks. Let's hope it continues.

Wendy has continued her dedicated efforts toward spring cleaning. Furniture is being moved, floors are being renovated. Adjustments are being made! Improvement is evident.

Erin continues to move toward furthering her education while continuing to work part time. Lots of planning need to be accomplished to put this all in place. Kristian continues to progress with his speech. He understands nearly everything we try to tell him, and his expressive language is growing bit by bit.

Travis is doing very well with his work, his projects, and the investment training he's taking with me. Now that the next round of playoffs have started, he's unavailable during Penguin games. And now that they're trailing, he'll have to cheer even more!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been spring-like, although we started off with precipitation that is only rain due to my definition that all precipitation in the months April through October is rain. We did not enjoy the white fluffy rain, but it disappeared the next day, and I still managed a couple of trips to the golf course, so it was an okay week in that regard.

I had two days of work this week in the Territorial Student Program, so that impacts the bottom line, but not very much. I lose almost the same amount in my Employment Insurance! My investment training continues to go well. I am enjoying the classes each week, and also having continued success in the five stocks they allow us to invest in. I am now up 19.4% in seven weeks.

I have a medical concern, so I went to the doctor mid-week. She assured me that it was 'rhoids—not the kind that make you faster, stronger and meaner, but the kind that make you walk slowly and sit down carefully (possibly a bit meaner)! "Thrombosed hemorrhoid," she opined, and hastened to assure me that she knew I was in great pain, but that a prescription of suppositories would take care of the pain in short order. (Man, those things are hard to swallow–why do they make them so large?!) In vain, I tried to inform her that I was feeling little pain. Anyway, I have the prescription order in case I ever decide to get it filled! In sum, I am more than a little skeptical about her diagnosis, but since I see my oncologist next week, I'll wait until then to get more information. He's as enthusiastic with the DRE as she was tentative, so I'm guessing he'll get to the bottom of this! (pun intended)

Wendy has continued and completed the removal of the old tiles in the kitchen and dining area—it looks so much better! It was a lot of work, and some clean up remains, but it's surely an improvement.

Erin is working through a plan to return to school. Her work has agreed to let her reduce to part-time, so she's investigating course options. She would like to improve her financial/accounting qualifications. We got very good news on behalf of Kristian this week. Woodcrest (the school with specialization for hard-of-hearing children) has accepted his enrolment for the fall in Junior Kindergarten. They have already obtained permission for a full-time aide to work with him on development of his communication skills. So, unless his hearing deteriorates even further, we are very optimistic about this plan.

Travis is working steadily with his job at Impact Promotions, and also picks up contracts for other graphic or web-site projects from time to time. He is also taking the investment training program along with me, and cheering mightily on behalf of his Penguins who managed to finish off the Flyers this afternoon—Yay!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

As the week began, we were up in Kenora, but now we are again on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We started off watching Kevin Martin lose to Scotland in the world curling championships. That was disappointing! Then, we watched Angel Cabrera win the green jacket at the Masters—I was cheering for Kenny Perry, although I'm happy enough with Cabrera's victory. And then, Eric/A arrived home, so we enjoyed a short visit with them. On Monday afternoon, we drove back to TBay and are enjoying springtime yard work, house cleaning, and a bit more work on renovations.

I am changing a few things about my garden project. I'm moving some of it to catch more sunshine, and I'm adding a 'potatoes-in-a-box' project. The lawn appears to be recovering nicely and I look forward to seeing whether my fancy 'green' grass can kill the quack grass! There are a few golfers out, but I haven't tried the course yet—just a bit of practice! My investment training continues. It's now six weeks, and I've managed to gain 18.0%. I've made fifty-three purchases, fifty-one sales and only three were at a loss. Now that I've learned more, I realize that two of those losses shouldn't have occurred either, so that's a very positive indication. I am determined to keep learning, and improve my discipline. As the course would describe it, I'm too emotionally attached to my purchases! (Imagine me being too emotional!) Anyway, that is how I understand my one bad purchase, and several other close calls!

Wendy has returned to wall paper and tile removal in the dining room. We haven't decided what to do about either flooring or painting, but we are committed to doing something!

I had another two days of work with the Territorial Student Program, and I have two more scheduled for next week.

Erin and Travis continue with their work. Kristian continues with his learning and growing. He enjoys the outdoors, but doesn't like to get his hands dirty. I think he would rather fall on his face, than have to use his hands to touch the dirt!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

Happy Easter!

Another week has gone by here on the shore of Winnipeg River, in Kenora. We are staying at Eric/A's with the grandkids while Eric/A are vacationing in western Canada. We drove up here on Sunday afternoon, and have enjoyed the week here. There have been a few projects for both Wendy and I to put our attention to, so that has kept us busy. And I've also had a day of work for the local school district teaching about data exploration in TinkerPlots.

Throughout the week, I've enjoyed tracking the progress of Kevin Martin (my favourite curling team) in the world championships. After a ten-game winning streak, he has suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Scotland, and now he must fight back to beat them in the final game tomorrow. The baseball season has started, so we've been following the early season success of the Blue Jays. And, of course, it's Masters time! Almost too many things to watch!

It's a beautiful spot here on the shore of the river, where we can usually watch the deer grazing on the lawn or playing on the river ice. We've been able to get out for pleasant walks as we explore the neighbourhood.

My investment training has continued with a class on Monday evening, and my investments have continued to grow as well. I've now managed 17.0% increase in my first five weeks.

The TinkerPlot workshop on Thursday went well. I enjoyed working with an old MISA comrade up here, and I am continuing to find it to be such a useful way to get information out of the overwhelming mass of data we collect in our schools.

Easter weekend provides four days off school for the boys, so they're enjoying that. And we're enjoying spending the time with them.

Erin and Kristian are holding down the fort back in TBay. Trav has finished his university program and is dedicated to his work and various projects. We plan to head back on Monday or Tuesday.

So, that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has blown by here on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. A change in the weather has blown away my illusion of an early golf season, as a major dump of wet snow on Tuesday night has obscured lawns and fairways from view. Boo hoo! However, as we moved along toward the weekend, rain and warmer weather began to reduce the drifts and increase our hopes!

Mid-week and the turn of the monthly calendar also brought with it the end of the MISA program that I've been working with for four years. Thankfully, this has also resulted in my getting paid for the work I've been continuing to do (for nothing since November!), as I have now been authorized to bill for services rendered. Of course, this demands an elaborate tracking mechanism, but I guess that's the cost of business. Speaking of business, I've continue to progress in my investments training and investment success. I've now gained 15.7% in just four weeks. The program anticipates such growth in seven months, but not four weeks. Clearly, I've been fortunate to enter the program while we experiencing at least a temporary Obama surge in the stock markets. However, our teachers counsel us that the Bush recession is likely to last into 2010, so not to get too excited!

Wendy has continued with her therapy and as she is experiencing success with her initial back and shoulder problems, has now extended the work to her feet. She has long-standing issues with her feet (I know, but it just demanded to be used!), and is hopeful for some improvement.

Erin continues with her work and is doing well despite the many frustrations there. Kristian continues with speech therapy and doctoring. One doctor is suggesting a potential source of his problems in genetics (Pendred Syndrome), so they may be sending him to Sick Children's in Toronto for further investigation. He got this idea from the CAT scan, as he observed two of the tell-tale characteristics in his inner ear. This can only be confirmed with a genetic check for the defective gene. Unfortunately even if this is confirmed, it doesn't point towards a therapy or solution. But who knows with stem cell research, perhaps some day...

Travis has completed his classes, but has one exam left and at least one paper to complete. Then he'll be able to leave the slack life of the student and get to work!! Actually, he has been working very hard both in his studies and in several jobs throughout his university years. We are very proud of his accomplishments!

Next week we plan to spend in Kenora, taking care of the grandkids as Eric/A take a short vacation, but that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has flown by on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. The weather has been cool and we've even had some freezing rain to create a day of driving and even walking havoc. I've been working as counsellor in the Territorial Student Program all week. One of my students fell on the icy sidewalks on Tuesday morning, so I spent most of that day in the emergency department of the hospital as she was checked over and eventually out. I definitely got the feeling that a greater degree of caution was being exercised after the unfortunate death of Natasha Richardson (well-covered by this Globe and Mail article) However, after the various diagnostic tests and images were examined, it was eventually decided that my child's back was not broken and her skull was not cracked. They even were refusing painkillers despite her protestations of headache and other pains. They wanted to be sure to get as clear evidence as they could from her. The remainder of the week was dull by comparison!

Travis and I have continued our investment training. And my investments under their program have continued to do well—14.3% in only three weeks! That can't continue!! Fortunately, they had me heavily invested in Petro-Canada when word came down of Suncor's attempted purchase—that turned a tidy 20% gain. Trav's university semester is ending, and we look forward to his graduation in May.

Wendy has continued under chiropractic care and seems to be doing much better and probably is near the end of her course of treatments. She enjoys playing multiple Scrabble games on line at the same time, and has recently taken up Sudoku. It's good to keep the brain active.

Erin has been working extra hard lately as issues seem to be piling up at work even as the economic pressures mount in the automotive industry. Kristian is progressing and the testing and referral process through various experts continue as well.

The fairways are starting to show up on the local golf courses, so the golf juices are beginning to flow, even though it will probably be a month before they actually open for play. Golfers who have an off-season, always imagine that some new technique or piece of equipment is bound to contribute to this being the best season ever! We look forward to finding that out!!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has strolled by on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. As the week started, we watched the Brier final and cheered my guy, Kevin Martin, to another championship.

The weather has been lovely, so Wendy and I have managed to get out for several leisurely walks. The dropping snowbanks have turned dark and ugly. The deck is cleared off, so we managed our first barbecue of the season on Thursday evening. Ah! I missed that flavour!

One thing I've failed to mention that last two updates is that Trav and I are now taking an investment training course on line. It has started well, and we've begun "paper trading"; I'll try to remember to keep you up-to-date on how that goes! So far it is going very well (7.4% gain), but we've had eight days of rising markets so I guess it doesn't take a genius to profit on that! I don't know how long it will be before we begin investing in reality!

I've continued to have a little work on my various projects. It's year end for MISA, so I've prepared the annual financial and progress reports. I'll be emailing them in on Monday. It'll be about six weeks before I hear anything further as far as project funding for next year. I'm hoping for at least one hundred days of work over the next year.

We got word on Thursday of our cousin Karen's passing after a battle with cancer. Another family memorial in a week full of them as both our mothers and several other family members are remembered this week.

Wendy has been getting treatment all week for her back. She seems to have a pinched nerve in the back of the shoulder, but it's been improving a lot this week.

Erin has begun looking for a different job as her growing lists of responsibilities at work has not been marked by a commensurate increase in compensation! She is also considering returning to school for more training. Kristian continues to progress in his speech. He is also getting more testing as they try to determine not only the extent of his disability but also what may have caused it.

Travis continues to keep busy and do well with both work and school.

And today, as a special treat, Erica & Haaken drove down from Kenora, so we're celebrating Erica's birthday in person! They head back tomorrow.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been showing the promise of Spring, but also provided a blast of winter in the middle of the week and gave us another dump of snow. However, we're back in the plus territory again, with a prediction of rain! (The weather reports used to be characterized as 'promising' something, but I've grown too old, experienced and jaded to consider those expressions as promises!)

Wendy enjoyed a week out in Regina, although the weather was not congenial. She celebrated her dad's birthday with him last Saturday, and he returned the favour on Monday! She flew back home on Thursday. She continues to suffer with a pinched nerve in her back, and was to the doctor yesterday. Hopefully that will be overcome soon as I don't like rolling over onto a bag of frozen peas in my bed (or any other kind of peas in my bed!)

The rest of us survived at home as everyone pitched in to help out. Erin proved a good cook on occasion, and Kristian kept us entertained. Travis and I have begun an Investing course, so we'll see how that goes. Are we rich yet?! We had our first session on Monday evening. I have continued development of my Data Exploration workshops, and now have all three sessions planned. Now, we'll wait to see if anyone buys them! Actually, I've already sold the first two a couple of times, and I look forward to presenting all three in the next academic year.

The big distraction this week is curling. My curling hero, Kevin Martin, has cruised through undefeated so far and is in the final tomorrow against his old nemesis, Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba. Of course, he beat Jeff during the regular draw, so now he has to make it two in a row! Last year, I got to watch him in person at the Brier in Winnipeg as he won the championship. (My children are generous!)

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

The week starts with us driving up from Minneapolis to the shore of Lake Superior. It's nice to be home again. The weather is nice, and the snow is melting each day, with some rain helping the process. Wendy headed west on Thursday, flying out to Regina to help celebrate her dad's eighty-fourth birthday! Happy Birthday, Ellis!

Erin, Kristian & Travis have taken care of themselves in our absence, and it's nice to be home with them again. Kristian is progressing in his speech, and sometimes in his toilet training! BJ continues to get older, deafer and blinder! Some days he cannot even find his doggie treat!

I have been catching up on a few outstanding issues with some schools while calls and emails continue to bring new requests. I'm also developing an advertisement, update and request for continuing the funding of the data project. I can see this providing a regular thirty days of work per year if the Boards will keep funding it. The project is important for the schools and interesting work, so I hope it keeps going. I also make my regular lab trip for more blood-letting so they can check my PSA levels.

The daylight-saving time change weekend also makes us think of spring. It's a nice time of year as we seek renewal after the dormant time of winter. Although a little extra dormant time this week has been welcome as well! We're feeling refreshed in many ways.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has rolled beneath our wheels, and we are nearing the shore of Lake Superior and my home town. We begin the week in Round Rock in the after glow of Jon & Jennifer's wedding. We wish them well as they honeymoon in Hawaii and begin their married life. We head off early Sunday morning for San Antonio and thus continue our journey of warm reunions and refreshed memories. Thank you Verner & Linda, Viggo & Nancy for hosting us in Dallas. Thank you Jon & Jennifer for bringing so many others together for the wedding. It was great to see Tom & Mariette, Gayla and her mom, and to meet so many new connections. We take along memories of our times spent with Luc and Jason as well. It was a great week, and this week continued the theme. Heat in the 30's greeted us in San Antonio and Abilene, but as the week progressed and we moved northward, the temperatures declined to the zero range in Lawrence and to -20's in Minneapolis.

We met up with Bern, Alicia & Logan at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. Lynn & Carolyn hosted us for lunch and another batch of remembrances. We enjoyed two days with family–shopping, site-seeing, navigating, car-shopping, playing. Tuesday found us moving on to Abilene to visit with Shepherd, Ruhtt, Miguel, Melina & Manuel. A special joy was catching up with Renée, Chris, Kaden & Kaleb—it was so wonderful to hear and see how they are doing. We finally got our tour of ACU! Another precious time, more teary remembrances, another fond farewell. Much time was spent talking of Zambia and dreams. On Thursday we drove up to Oklahoma City and an unexpected reunion—as we drove into the parking area at OCU, we came upon Stan & Blair. Not only did they refresh our spirits, they provided us a parking space! Then Kresten found us, so we enjoyed a visit with him. After that we continued to Lawrence where Marti & Helen hosted us for Thursday and Friday nights. Actually, Helen abandoned us for sunny California! We hope she had a good time at the wedding.

This morning, I had the special privilege of helping Marti introduce TinkerPlots to her supervisor from Kansas University. Then, we headed north into snow and colder temperatures. Once again, the ditches were filled with cars and accidents abounded in the early going. Fortunately, the snow petered out in northern Missouri, and the roads were good after that. We're spending this night in Minneapolis and planning to complete the tour back to TBay tomorrow.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has rolled by, and we have been far from the shore of Lake Superior, my home town! The week has been spent in Texas, where we have enjoyed the hospitality and celebration of our family culminating in the marriage of Jonathan and Jennifer.

We moved in with Verner & Linda upon our arrival in Texas. Thank you for taking care of us so generously! We enjoyed family days all week long. Wendy enjoyed much shopping, and exploring (unintentionally) most of northeast Dallas! It seems she got lost every time she went for a drive!

I got out for two golf games. The first, in Dallas, was with my brother, Viggo, at a course ominously named Waterview! I viewed a bit of water courtesy of my snap hook, and ended with a score of 88. After correction for two triples, this score actually helped my handicap–dropping it to 15.0. Then on Friday afternoon, Viggo and I joined our nephews, Jon & Luc, for a game at Round Rock. I didn't play well at all, and ended with a 98! That did not help my handicap, as it must have pushed one of my better scores out of consideration and my handicap rose to 15.3. But, I certainly had fun, and got more practise than most!

Saturday was the wedding day. It was a joyous affair (read: many tears were shed!), and we wish Jon & Jennifer well in their life together.

We have had email and VOIP contact with the crew back in Thunder Bay. All seems to be going well. Fresh snow has fallen while we've enjoyed our +20 climes in Texas! Kristian had his CT Scan on Friday, but we don't have any results to report yet.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has rolled by and we have rolled far from the shore of Lake Superior. On Monday, we got the news confirmed that, yes, the shifter linkage was broken on the car. We ordered repairs and began our wait to see when we could actually head south. I had a bit of follow up work from the conference last week, and also worked a half-day in support of the Territorial Student Program. Late Wednesday, we got the call that the car was operational again, so we picked it up, and packed for a Thursday morning departure. I booked an appointment with the Apple store in the Mall of America in Minneapolis as I wanted some attention paid to some cosmetic damage on my laptop.

The drive south was uneventful and we arrived in Minneapolis two hours before my appointment, so I settled in a nice chair in the corridor, logged into Apple's Wifi, and caught up on my computer time! Wendy caught up on her shopping time, buying two pair of shoes! Then while Apple repaired the laptop, we went out to supper. After picking up the renovated laptop, we found a hotel and retired for the night. Wendy managed to score us a senior's discount on the handicap room, so with senior throne and everything it was almost as good (as Erica observed) as a theme room at West Edmonton Mall!

Friday morning found us heading south toward Lawrence KS where we planned to visit with Marti. Last year when we came through here the ditches were filled with snow and vehicles. Today, not a trace of either! I wonder what the moisture issues will be in this area. As we drove into Iowa, we ran into a fierce snow storm and soon began to observe that the ditches were collecting plenty of both snow and vehicles. We saw a few spectacular pile-ups–man, you have to avoid those drivers! Here was a semi jack-knifed and in the ditch. There was a four-vehicle pile up, complete with a U-Haul trailer. Yikes! We avoided everyone, made up for all those vehicles that has passed us in the last two days, and as we got into Missouri and approached Kansas City, the snow changed to rain. We rolled into Marti's just after 6pm. A lovely steak supper (thanks, Marti) and a session of TinkerPlots later, we called it a night.

This morning, we headed further south for Dallas and Verner & Linda's place. The day was long and we drove through a few showers but we finally got to there place about 7:30. Verner had a nice pot of chili waiting, so that was a warm welcome. It will be nice to settle down and stop the travelling for a few days.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

A busy week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. February Conference was the dominating feature, and as I had three half-day workshops, I found it very engaging! I had a half-day with the school secretaries, and since it bodes to be my last session with them, I was trying to tie up all loose ends—some knots remain to be tied! Then, I had a full day with the principals as I tried to take them from the yawning jaws of ignorance into the wonders of TinkerPlots data explorations! All sessions seemed to go well, so I felt good about that. I've continued to fight a cold all week—that didn't help. The extra $1500 does help!

The car went down again tonight. Trav was out with it, and after stopping for a train, it wouldn't shift back into drive. It seems the shift linkage must be broken, so, it is towed to the mechanics' place and we'll see what they say next week. We're hoping to head south some time next week, so this is not a good development.

Wendy seems to be getting over her cold. She has been keeping busy driving a friend around to various medical and other errands. Louise had angioplasty last week, so is not allowed to be driving on her own yet. Besides, she likes the company. Wendy has also been back to the gym a few times now that she is feeling better.

Erin, Kristian and Travis have continued with their usual schedules of work, school and day care.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been quite nice, with only a little fresh snow today. I have spent most of my work time on the data project and preparing to present three sessions at the conference next week. I also have turned in two service proposals for the Boards to consider. These could provide some additional work over the next six months if they are accepted.

I have spent some additional hours in bed trying to short-circuit a cold that has been making the rounds of our household. Kristian brought it home, and ended up missing a couple days of work (day-care). Wendy got a bad dose of it and eventually had to visit the doctor and get some antibiotics. I've been fighting it for the last few days of the week, but I'm coughing a bit and was fighting that as I performed a marriage this afternoon. Dean & Kelly Haskayne were married–a lovely and short ceremony! And I did break down and wear a suit and tie for their occasion—the sacrifices I make!

Otherwise life continues, and we are no nearer determining what the next stage will bring. We do have a few options, but we aren't feeling particularly attracted by (or attached to) any of them.

Trav is part way through his final semester now, and with his light load is also managing to get quite a few hours in at work, so that's going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in the Precambrian Shield. We have enjoyed mild weather for the most of the week that allowed us to get the driveway cleared, and melted off. It's turned a bit colder for this weekend with a bit of additional snow.

I've spent the week in my common work pursuits. Most of the time was spent on the new data project, but that's nearly complete now. I've also continued to field calls for OnSIS, and got another school signed off. Only three schools to go and they're all in one community, which means I only have one secretary to work with. Unfortunately, that also means that the one secretary I have to work with is a bit of a problem! (where bit means large and unassailable!)

Wendy has continued to find job opportunities and make applications. She has begun work on the wedding cake for next Saturday. And she has been shopping for wedding duds for me; she's convinced that a suit and tie are required for the minister! I haven't owned such in many years! The last suit I bought was in 1980, and whenever the next one comes, it'll be too soon!

Tuesday was a diversion for us, as we spent many hours in front of the tube watching the inaugural goings-on from our neighbours to the south. I am certainly relieved to see Dubya head off into the sunset, although I continue to hope that someone will have the courage and initiative to bring several of that administration before war crime trials. It is disheartening to see the Republicans hold up the installation of the new attorney-general because he won't sign-off on that very notion. It's even bemusing to hear the lament over the announced closing of Gitmo as Republicans try to play their usual fear card over "the worst of the worst" (Rumsfield's words) returning to the battlefields. It appears that less than 5% of those released have been found to "return" (some are going for the first time after being traumatized by years in Gitmo!) to terrorist activity. You'd think that these same politicians might view this as a major triumph compared to the reported 65% of American prisoners who return to a life of crime after being released from prison! You'd think that... but you'd be wrong!

Wendy has also been suffering with a cold, but she has no time to take care of that. Kristian has developed a cold as well, so he spent Friday (off work!) home with us. Otherwise, he continues to progress with his listening, speaking and raising our joy level.

Erin and Travis continue with their usual routines of work and university.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

A frigidly cold week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, but the weather has moderated toward the weekend. We experienced a couple nights in a row with the low temperatures plunging to -30—and I reflected that my Yellowknife friends would be laughing! And they were! I checked the weather in Yellowknife and it was warmer than we were! What's with that?

We spent the week around home. I'm busy with the data project, and still getting regular calls for the OnSIS hotline! The OnSIS deadline was December 31st—is any one concerned?! About half my schools were signed off in time, and three more got signed off this week. I found out this week that I've successfully registered with the CANADEM Civilian Reserve Roster and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations for international peace-building opportunities, so we'll see if something comes of that! I hear there are opportunities in Gaza! Not surprisingly, many of their opportunities are listed as non-family postings. What a world we live in! However, I'm encouraged that the Obama administration will bring a hopefulness to such operations.

Wendy and I have both continued to consider work opportunities around here. I've had an inquiry this past week from further afield, so we'll see whether that gets my attention. I have a local opportunity, but it doesn't pay much and I don't want to spend all my time working and have no time for golfing!

Erin and Kristian are doing well. He continues to develop his vocabulary and tries to say a lot of other, well I guess we can't call them words, although he clearly thinks they are! We got out sledding with him one day before it turned cold—he seemed to enjoy it.

Travis is spending a lot of time at work and school these days. Must be more going on than just work and school!!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. We arrived back in TBay on Sunday evening to a large collection of snow in the driveway. Erin has been doing her best to keep a clear path for her car, but has not been able to use the snowblower, so there are heaping piles of snow congesting access for our car. The car has performed fine on its first trip with the new engine. Fuel consumption was very similar to what we were used to with the original engine—very good!

We enjoyed the visits with many of friends and family while travelling west, and it's good to be home again. I shovelled and blew snow for a couple of hours Sunday evening to get us parked, and Wendy and I have carried on throughout the week to almost have the driveway clean again.

I've continued looking for other work, and have applied on a job with the Independent Learning Centre to travel the northwest and supervise testing programs. I've also been working on the Data Project and spent a half day training the Territorial Student Program counsellor in a new data base for her students.

Wendy has applied herself to getting her house back in order, and doing some more baking so we don't lose our Christmas fat too quickly! It seems to be working! She mended my old blue jeans—ahhh, comfort! And she, also, has continued to apply on possible jobs in accounts.

Erin has delighted in having Kristian home again! He's back at Day Care and his speech therapy. He's considering the possibility of toilet training, but no so seriously as his mother is!

Travis is busy back at school, but has a fairly light load this final semester.

And that's about it for this week!

Happy New Year!

Another week has passed and we have been away from the shore of Lake Superior, out to the centre of the prairie. We drove out from Kenora to Regina on Sunday, a distance of about 800 km, and we have rounded out the week by returning to Kenora today. In between we have enjoyed time with family and friends in Regina, and had the special treat of a visit with our friends from Zambia! Fortunately, Saskatchewan saved a particularly wintry blast for them! A blizzard blew through on New Year's eve, and temperatures have generally dipped into the -20 range each night.

We stayed the week with Wendy's dad—thanks for putting us up, and putting up with us! Kresten and Ashley were there when we arrived, but Ashley headed off to Mexico to spend some time with her family there, and Kresten travelled with friends to spend New Year's in Manitoba, (returning just yesterday) but not before a memorable evening of Texas Hold'em where Kresten eventually emerged victorious! Dave dropped by from time to time, so we also got to catch up with him. We heard from Rich & Sue—now in Cape Town, and chatted both on the phone and on line with Bern & Alicia in Mexico. It was good to hear from many friends with year end letters, emails, newsletters. I am thankful to be kept in mind, and to get news of other's activities.

For us, New Year's Eve was celebrated at Barb & Ed's in Regina, with several other of our Zambian connection friends helping Ruhtt, Shepherd and family enjoy a Canadian blizzard. Thursday found us at another gathering where Ruhtt & Shepherd made a presentation about their work in Zambia. Many reminiscences—not a few tears—a great time! Now we're back at Eric & Erica's in Kenora, and planning to complete the tour back to TBay tomorrow.

Erin reports a large dump of snow back there, and she's been shovelling away at that to keep her car available for daily trips to work. Kristian has been travelling with us, so there has been frequent call for video chats with mom back home in TBay. Today, as we drove to Kenora, we ran into more and more snow, so we'll have to dig out the driveway before departing for TBay.

Anyway, that's about it for this week.

News Update

Well, another week has passed and we have travelled away from the shore of Lake Superior as far as the shore of Lake of the Woods, on the edge of the prairie! We drove up to Kenora on Wednesday and have enjoyed the remainder of the week here with Eric, Erica and the boys. Travis, Erin and Kristian are here as well, so we are able to enjoy having the family together for Christmas. Tomorrow, we head our separate ways with Wendy and I heading west (Kristian is also travelling with us), Erin and Travis driving back to work obligations in TBay, and the remainder staying here in Kenora.

I have continued to do a bit of work over the holidays as some schools are still remaining to sign-off their October reports, and the reports are due this month! I also have received the good news that my data project has been approved, so I shall continue my work on that even over this holiday. Otherwise, I have been enjoying the season of sharing and eating! Both Wendy and Erica have assembled a daunting display of Christmas baking, and while we did it great justice, much remains to be eaten—although more was eaten than was good for us!

Today featured Eric & Erica's fifteenth (crystal) anniversary, so we enjoyed celebrating that with a number of their friends from Kenora.

And that's about it for this week!

Your Christmas Worksheet

At my recent office Christmas party, we were subjected to a worksheet of Christmas related items. I have taken the trouble to adapt it slightly, and share it with my family. Several answers they gave were particularly enjoyable, so I'm sure there are more good answers out there, just waiting to be uncovered or discovered or recovered! If you find some alternative answers, please make use of the Comment button to share them with the rest of us!

Spoiler alert: All suggested answers are at the end, so don't scroll down too fast if that would spoil your fun! If you wish to make use of this little quiz, you can just copy and paste it into a word processor document and print it for your own use. Please remember to give credit to the source of these, which as far as I know are anonymous! And if someone reading these recognizes them as his/her own creation, I apologize for sharing without your permission!

Your Christmas Worksheet

(featuring the most outrageous puns we could find—if you have others, we'll consider them!)

1. At the school the young elves learn the _________________.
2. The reason Santa has three gardens is so he can _________________.
3. The favourite breakfast cereal of snowmen is _________________.
4. When you cross a snowman with a vampire you get _________________.
5. A _________________ is the only bird that can write.
   
6. "__________________________________," sang the ghost to Santa Claus.
   
7. The favourite Christmas carol of parents is _________________.
8. The main difference between the Christmas alphabet and an ordinary alphabet is the Christmas alphabet has _________________.
9. At Christmas time the Mexican sheep sing "_________________".
   
10. If Santa goes down the chimney into a lit fireplace, you get _________________.
11. Which candle burns longer, a green one or a red one? _________________
12. Santa's little helper was feeling depressed because he had _________________.
13. People who are afraid of Santa are said to be _________________.
14. If you deep fry Santa you get _________________.
15. A large cat on a beach has _________________.

So, enjoy them, and for your enjoyment here are some of the answers we found so far!

1. At the school the young elves learn the elphabet.
2. The reason Santa has three gardens is so he can ho, ho, ho!
3. The favourite breakfast cereal of snowmen is Frosted Flakes.
4. When you cross a snowman with a vampire you get frost bite. Although, we now have additional answers of cold-blooded, and a cold-blooded killer.
5. A penguin is the only bird that can write.
   
6. "I'll have a boo Christmas with out you," sang the ghost to Santa Claus.
   
7. The favourite Christmas carol of parents is Silent Night.
8. The main difference between the Christmas alphabet and an ordinary alphabet is the Christmas alphabet has No L.
9. At Christmas time the Mexican sheep sing Felix Navibaaaa.
   
10. If Santa goes down the chimney into a lit fireplace, you get Crisp Kringle. A hilarious and popular suggestion tonight was chestnuts roasting by an open fire.
    
11. Which candle burns longer, a green one or a red one? Neither, both burn shorter.
12. Santa's little helper was feeling depressed because he had low elf-esteem.
13. People who are afraid of Santa are said to be Claustrophobic.
14. If you deep fry Santa you get Crisp Kringle.
15. A large cat on a beach has sandy claws.

News Update

Another week has flown by here on the shore of Lake Superior. The blizzard held off until Sunday evening, but then gave us a big dump of snow. Wendy and I were shovelling and snow-blowing for a couple of hours Monday morning. The remainder of the week featured calm, cold weather with one day even dropping to -30—quite cold for here. It's back to a more comfortable -10 to -15 for the end of the week. And yesterday, we got our car back. It has a newer engine (only 84,000 clicks) and the price was $3389.38—just the neighbourhood he was talking about! Now, I have to check out whether this engine has the enhancements to overcome the previous problems—Google here I come.

I've been working with my partner, Wes, in revamping the boardroom at work into a virtual office. We installed the Smartboard, installed the data projector from the ceiling and adjusted the furnishings for the teleconference and the polycom. Wes also gave me a lesson on using the Smartboard, and installed the Smartboard software on my computer, so I shall try to build my next presentation with that facility. On Friday, we had the office Christmas party; that was a nice event as well. I have had a lot of calls for OnSIS assistance as the schools head toward the Christmas break.

Wendy has continued to battle her cold, and we think it's gradually getting better. I came down with the edge of a cold, myself, but have taken some extra rest and seem to have it beaten back. Wendy has kept busy with Christmas baking—shortbread cookies, butter tarts, lemon puffs, toffee, pumpkin loaf; I'm challenged to keep up with the eating of the same! Fortunately, she finally stuck the butter tarts in the freezer—I like them better that way!

Travis has completed his exams, but has kept busy working with one of his contractors on a store renovation that includes an office for Trav! He has been doing quite a bit of graphics work for this guy, and the prospects are now that it may develop into a business relationship as Trav finishes university next May. It's not an easy time to operate a business—let alone start one!

Erin continues with her work and care of Kristian. It's been a great blessing to be able to access the number of professional workers to diagnose his hearing issues, get him fitted for hearing aids, and provide training and support for his language development.

We've been enjoying hearing from many of you with end of the year newsletters as well as the regular updates. In one of those was a photo in celebration of our 38th Anniversary—thanks Tom & Mariette.
Eric and the boys come down on Friday evening to spend the weekend. It's nice to have them around. Erica has remained at home in Kenora to catch up on things there. She's also been working on roping me in to a duet with her on Mary Did You Know? for a Christmas Eve presentation. And that's about it for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior in the grip of winter. We got two good dumps of snow this week, so I've been able to exercise the snow shovels and the snow blower. Colder temperatures hit us in the middle of the week, but it's almost up to zero today–probably in line with the blizzard expected over night.

As mentioned last week, the car has been taken in for repairs. The mechanic called early in the week to confirm that the motor was needing to be replaced. He allowed that the cost would be in the three thousand dollar neighbourhood—not a place I was even thinking about visiting!

I have worked on a couple of small issues with my schools this week, and started development of the data project I hope will be approved later this month. Otherwise, it's been the snow clearing and the development of a small rink in the backyard for Kristian. It's now ready, and he got out for a short skate today—his first try, and I can't say that he enjoyed it a great deal!

Wendy has continued with Christmas preparations. Short bread cookies and Christmas cake are available in abundance, and the gander is getting fat! She finally managed to get a Wii, so that's one off the list. She also bought an artificial tree, so decorations have begun with that.

Of course the big story of the week has been Kristian's new hearing aids. He has taken to them very well, and we've delighted in his experimentation with lots of new words that he is hearing much better now. The ear inserts will need to be replaced every three to six months. Kristian chose the colours–a head-shaker for sure!

Erin's work continues; she has had to work around various appointments for Kristian's fittings and speech therapy.

Travis has now finished his exams for this semester, and is doing a bit of extra work on the advertising and promotion front with one of his employers. He has decided to end the pizza delivery for now. And, with his extra funds, he's contemplating a pay down of his demand loan.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the snowy shore of Lake Superior, on the edge of winter! Christmas preparations are fully engaged; the old crow is still fat; EI (Employment Insurance) beckons.

The week has been quite busy. I have worked through a four-day conference involving three presentations. All have gone well, and I'm satisfied to look forward. Working with two colleagues, I have begun development of a data project. This is still awaiting approval, but indications are positive, and we have determined to go ahead with at least a model of it whether approval is granted or not! Then, if approval is not forthcoming, I shall present the model at the February conference, and apply for funding again. Fortune sometimes favours the persistent! I have completed my application for EI; my ship should arrive soon!

Wendy continues to be engaged with her various home businesses, and her constant home busyness. An extra feature of the season is baking—just in case this old crow begins to fade away (fat chance!). She also has been scouring the stores in search of this season's illusive gift–the Wii. No luck so far, but she does have a couple of rain cheques. With the temperature ranging from -5 to -15, I don't expect any rain!

The big news this week was about Kristian. He has finally submitted to what the doctors feel is a somewhat legitimate testing process and they have a diagnosis. They have confirmed what we have long been telling them—the boy doesn't hear much! (And we don't even know how much he listens!) The testing showed next to no transmission of sound signals through the cochlea. Now, I know he does hear some things, so I hasten to reassure that his disability is not as bad as 'they' say, but it is certainly a problem. And now that 'they' agree, he will be fitted with hearing aids next week, and we're looking forward to the difference. Naturally, most of us (not including Kristian) are more than a little unsettled by the situation.

Other distressing news of the week concerned our car—actually, it concerned us; our car couldn't care less! Some funny (we're talking fun as in dysfunctional) sounds began emanating from the motor! It was probably instructive that when I typed 2.7 into Google, a number of suggested searches arose! Sure enough, Chrysler has some known issues with the 2.7 engine. These engines are known for timing belt problems; well, we knew about that one. My brother in Medicine Hat had advised on that one, "Replace the timing belt about 150k; it's going to fail." Well, we hadn't, and we're now pushing 200k. But my recollection of timing belt failures was that no sound emanated from the engine! So, on to issue number two–"There is a tendency for sludge to build up, and starve the engine of oil." This is due to a design flaw, according to my mechanic who was well (and perhaps too happily) aware of it. Chrysler continues to fight the class action lawsuits, "That's not a bug, that's a feature." Any way you slice it, it is not good. The car is now with the mechanic; we await word concerning our loss!

Travis is in the throes of semester end tests; that should be completed next week. Otherwise things go well with him.

And that's about it for this week.

Sauce for the Goose

Many foibles in our elected leaders are forgiven; others are mocked, ridiculed, parodied and soon forgotten, but hypocrisy is often viewed as the unforgivable sin. And thus we come to the current state of affairs in Canada. Our fearless leader has apparently failed to read the newspapers, nor attend to radio and television and is thus unaware that the economy is struggling. Echoing the fickle words of US candidate McCain, our prime minister and his feckless Finance Minister have assured us that, “The fundamentals of the economy are strong.” (Again, if they were students of the media, they would surely have chosen other words!) And therefore, while the economy drops 71,000 jobs in November (the worst showing in twenty-six years), the TSE drops below 8000 (my pension was starting to look possible a few months ago when the TSE was above 14,000), and the dollar drops to 77 cents US (yes, it was at par in July,) our government has decided that nothing need be done. And, since they're afraid that the opposition parties may actually have a plan (to do something!), they have determined that parliament should go on a two-month holiday!

All this may be written off as bad strategy, lack of planning or foggy thinking, but then the politics begins to get played! The opposition parties have not only sensed that the fundamentals of the economy are not strong, but that this misstep by the governing party represents an opportunity. Now politicians are, if nothing else, opportunists, so they've tried to jump on this opportunity. They have held their back room discussions and determined that the iron is hot enough to strike! Collectively, they have written to the Governor-General offering to take over since the current government is not wanting to do anything. Ah, and the response by the Prime Minister is harsh in its ridicule and stern in its judgement. “This is a threat to the country;” blasts Mr. Harper, “the evil separatists are at the gates!” Therefore he has considered the situation and determined to avoid parliament and the confidence vote that could end his appointment as PM. Perhaps, he thinks, by the end of January the economy may have improved, or at the very least, we may be able to come up with some sort of a plan! In the meantime, he has decided to hide from accountability to parliament and take to the political battles in an attempt to defang the beasts across the aisle.

How things have changed in just a few years! Back in 2004, it was Mr. Harper who was leader of the opposition in a minority parliament. At that time, it was he who was arguing that that parliament must meet. "If the government wants to govern, it has to come to Parliament and it has to show that it can get the support of the majority of members," opined the Stephen Harper of 2004, when the shoe was on the other foot! [http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/harper.html] Back in 2004, it was Mr. Harper who organized a coalition among the opposition parties and wrote to then governor-general Clarkson offering to take over and run her country for her! And it was Mr. Harper who co-signed with the NDP and the Separatists (say it ain't so, Steve!) [http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2008/11/taking-power-without-election.html]

The press has briefly flapped over Mr. Harper's forbear, Mr. Day, and his dalliance with the Bloc back in 2000, but that never amounted to anything as Mr. Day had the good fortune not to put his name to paper. It will be interesting to watch as the scribblers get off their duffs and dig up the juicy details on this little bit of hypocrisy!

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. It's been quite busy, as I've been working another contract as Territorial Student Counsellor all week. The weather has been varied, with a few skiffs of snow, followed by melting temperatures. A little snow that fell on Friday still lingers, partially masking the dying lawns.

I have been completing two assignments for the Territorial Student Program. I have been working as replacement counsellor for twenty days now, and I've been developing a data base of all students in the program to help the regular counsellor operate the program more effectively. Both tasks are now complete, and my final paycheque has been issued. I have my Record of Employment (ROE), so I now qualify for Employment Insurance. I plan to work my way through those regulations next week! Of course, I have continued to field questions as part of my old job as MISA coordinator as the first set of report cards for the year won't write themselves!

Wendy has been disappointed to find out that she didn't get the accounting job she applied for—we were both expecting a positive answer there after we found out her references had been called. She continues to search, and I have applied on a couple of jobs as well. Otherwise, she has undertaken a major house-cleaning—it's not spring, so this must be a Christmas cleaning! She is running a home-based sales enterprise this weekend with Pampered Chef (cookware), Tupperware (plastics), PartyLite (candles) and Mary Kay (cosmetics) covering every available horizontal platform in the dining room, living room and hallway. I retreat to the bedroom or my office!

Erin had Kristian to the audiologist again. Kristian cooperated more with the testing, so they're starting to get some confirmation of a hearing loss. He'll be back for further testing next week, and a consideration of remedies. He continues to be a delight, and is particularly devoted to his Cars movie. I think I've seen it three times this week!

Travis celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday on Thursday. He continues to do well in his work and his education. One of his contracting bosses took him out for lunch this week.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

The Obamabots are Coming!

While the President-Elect is busy assembling his cabinet and has yet to lead/rule a single day, many among the Reichwing are expressing fear and trepidation reminiscent of the pinko-Russki-red-baiting days of fifty years ago. Even as the Republican campaign raised negative emotions by playing the fear card, the race card, the security card, even the religion card...
"He's pallin' around with terrorists."
"He's different than we are."
"He wasn't even born in America."
"He's anti-American."
"This is the real America." (i.e. the part that supports me!)
"He's a Socialist."
"I wish you would investigate our politicians and find out who are anti-American."
"He's a wealth redistributor."
"He's a Muslim."

Now we see how it has given licence to the neo-Nazis, the KKK, the white supremacists... and we hear the chants from the campaign trail "Traitor" "Kill him" echoed and raised in the chants "Assassinate Obama" that even school children have been trained to express. It is truly a sad state of affairs when the rhetoric descends to this level purely on the basis of bias since the poor man hasn't even had a chance to do anything!

Meanwhile Barack Hussein Obama (some lament that his middle name wasn't Roger or Robert... so we could call him BRO!) works to manage the transition, strategizes for clearly needed changes and chooses his cabinet members. And here, we see many supporters express their concern and chagrin over the names of candidates the transition team carefully leaks to the blogosphere and the news media. The progressive side of the Democratic party wrings their collective hands over the prospect of candidates too far to the right in the political spectrum.
"He's too pro-Israel."
"He's too pro-business."
"He's not for net-neutrality."
"She's a DINO (Democrat in name-only)"

Some call for patience as they point to the best-managed, best-run campaign in history and express their confidence that the man who has coalesced their hopes into a successful Whitehouse run will also express their dreams in his governance. Many others on both the left and the right (as if such a thing as left actually exists in American politics!) express their doubts that Obama will achieve their wildest dreams, or their fears that he will achieve their wildest nightmares!