News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. I am now found alone here as Wendy left today to travel with Erica to Germany for the next surgery in her long series. We pray they will experience good travel, and successful surgical outcomes. I know Wendy will be a big help, just as she was for me in my recent trip to Toronto. My eye continues to improve; I have a followup appointment on Monday to see just how well things are going. One of the things I've noticed is that the vision is returning differently from before. Now, I need reading glasses for my left eye only—the renovated right eye manages without! However, vision is still cloudy there, so we wait to see! Wendy hosted a gathering here on Wednesday afternoon, so all decorations are fully up,

All decorations in place!

and all tools are fully hidden—mostly in the spare bedroom! She also had a Sweet Adelines Christmas sing-out—a full week!

Wendy is in the middle of things!

The Keto Gingerbread turned out well, so I made another batch this week.

Wendy laughed at my thickness guides! 

Looks good! Tastes good!

This week on the markets started off very badly as Trump mused about not completing a trade deal with China until after the next election! Then, he started threatening a trade war with Europe. By Thursday, his admin was walking those back and announcing progress in the negotiations with China, so we had a big relief rally on Thursday and Friday, and I managed to complete the week in the green. Oilers had a good week, and have returned to first place in their division. Pens are coming off back-to-back shutouts! Now, if we can just get the Leafs flying—good game tonight, boys! As expected, the Jayhawks were rewarded for their tournament victory in Maui. They've been elevated to #2 in the country. Now, to live up to that status! They won tonight, but it wasn't good enough for me—21 turnovers! Bake Shop Jayhawks!

Erica reports a busy week—wrapping up projects at work and gifts at home before her departure to Germany today. She was advised that for the low, low price of $2300, she could upgrade to business class—she remained in coach! She suffered through a number of flight delays out of Saskatoon, and her plane was finally declared mechanical. So she had to rebook, while Wendy sat and waited in Toronto. Eventually, Wendy convinced AC to change her flights so she could accompany Erica across to Europe—always an adventure with those two! Liam made an epic wrapping job of a package of batteries for his RU Christmas party. It looked like a dinosaur. Impressive!

The reality!

The Fantasmologisaurus! 

Eric discovered that he gave his students until the 20th to turn in their major paper. Good news, he won’t have to mark papers for a few weeks. Bad news... well, lesson learned! Haaken continues with work and animation projects in Victoria. He will be heading home next weekend.

Erin and Kristian had a busy week in Regina, but at least Kristian had Friday off due to a school PD Day. He managed the cleanup of the family room, and then assisted in the assembly of Erin's new chair.

Lucy and Sadie's new chair!

Apparently the cat and dog approve of the new install! Today, at Winston Knoll High School, they had the Christmas Party put on by Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services—lots of fun, games and pizza! Erin is trying to manage it all, and catch up at work where they've been short-staffed lately. Good work, mom!

Travis and Joanna continue to be very busy, and are now in the particular crush of getting orders completed and delivered in time for Christmas. They put in some extra hours this week for sure, but it will all pay off next month when they are sitting on the beach at Punta Cana!

And that's about it for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It has been quite a week for us. On Monday, we travelled down to Toronto for my eye surgery. We met with the doctor that afternoon, then, on Tuesday, the doctor removed an advanced pterygium from my right eye. It had advanced across the eye and completely covered the pupil, so that was an additional concern for her. After removing it, she extracted some tissue from above the iris, and transplanted it into the area of the wound. She has found this extra step a necessary and effective one to prevent the pterygium from regrowing.

Patched up for night 1

She applied a temporary patch over the eye until the next day, when she took that off and examined her work. She pronounced it "good", and discharged me to return home on Wednesday evening. Wendy and I also enjoyed a few special eating out opportunities while in Toronto, but now we're back to our more normal routine at home.

Sore, light-sensitive

My eye is very sensitive, and enjoys it when I close down the lids! I've been prescribed T3s, but I haven't had to resort to those after the first day or so. I also have medication to apply to the eye four times daily during these first two weeks. Then, I switch medications for another two weeks of healing. After that, I'm hoping that I'll be seeing well from that eye once again. I'm already noticing some improvement in that I no longer have multiple images from that eye, but it's still rather obscured. I still cannot read with that eye; that'll be a big day when that happens! The markets were mostly favourable this week, although the volumes were considerably down in light of the US holiday. I managed to complete the week and the month on quota, and with another month like this, I'll manage quota for the year as well. Sports this week has featured the Canada Cup of curling. Kevin Koe has advanced to the final where he'll face John Epping. On the women's side it'll be Rachel Homan facing Tracy Fleury. The Jayhawks won three games and the Maui Tournament. I expect their ranking to improve again this weekend. The Maple Leafs continue their improved play under the new coach, winning four of five. The Pens continue to fight through a plague of injuries while maintaining good effort and satisfactory results. The Oilers are at the top of their division, but they lost to the Canucks, tonight, sigh!

This week Erica was busy wrapping up files at work, getting ready for her trip to Germany. She asks for your prayers so the surgery goes well like the first three and she doesn’t get an infection afterwards, like last time. Both Liam and Haaken continue with work on animation projects. Liam is also developing a web comic which he hopes to have out soon. Eric is done marking his minor papers. He still has 25 major papers of up to 20 pages each. That’s 500 pages of marking—fun times!

Also a pic of their Christmas Tree!

Kristian has been enjoying a week of mathematics homework every night! Aside from work, Erin has been busy with home decorations and other Christmas preparations. Kristian helped her prepare for the staff Christmas party. They were short-staffed at work, so Erin got to be the boss! This weekend, Callum is over and the boys are having a fun time.

Chicken Strips, Fries & Veggies! 

Travis and Joanna continue through their busy season. They're trying to hold it to ninety hockey teams before Christmas. Travis celebrated his birthday on Wednesday, and we took them out to supper on Friday to continue that recognition.

Birthday Supper at BP

Andrew has decided that college is not for him and is applying for entry into the Navy. Gemma continues to thrive at university.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. On Thursday morning, we woke to a dump of snow,  about 19cm (8"). It was wet and heavy, but Wendy and I managed to push it to the side, and then I got the snowblower out and pumped it up onto the lawn. We're back to above zero this weekend, the streets have melted, and the driveway is clearing off as well. Wendy bought a new Christmas tree, and set it up. It's has the built-in LEDs and multiple programs for how they light up. Now, she will begin the application of decorations. 

New LED Tree

Wendy has pretty much completed the prep on the new sliding door; I'm looking forward to seeing it all painted up. I got the extra shelves installed in the cupboards, so I think that job is now complete. We have a rail strike distressing the markets here, and then Trump decided to do some more tweeting about China, so it was a bad week on the markets. I remain at quota for the month so far, but with next week being a short week, it'll be a challenge to get a full week's quota and complete the month properly. Sports have been a bit distressing this week. It started off with the Riders unable to score a TD despite being to the 5 yard line about 5 times. As a result, we'll be watching the Bombers playing the Grey Cup tomorrow against Hamilton. I'm picking Hamilton to win it, although I'd sure be happy for Collaros if the Bombers can pull it off! Then, the Leafs continued their losing ways, and decided to lose their coach as well. I was sorry to see him go. I hope they'll play hard for the new guy. They have won their first two under the new regime. The Pens continued to suffer more and more injuries, but still manage to stay in the thick of the playoff standings. The Oilers are doing well, and hold top spot in their division. KU has been raised to #4 in the rankings; they managed a comfortable win this week, but still had over a dozen turnovers—too many! Next week, they have a game that's on TV up here; it'll be nice to see them play. Rock Chalk, Boys. 

Erica spent a couple days in the North Battleford and discovered that they have at least two great restaurants and a good Danish bakery. Eric continued to survive in her absence. It was tough, but he made it through despite almost impossible odds. Liam is working on some animation projects. Haaken is back at work at Tim Hortons after a brief break for their renovations.

Erin and Kristian 'enjoyed' Parent/Teacher conferences on Tuesday. Kristian reports that it was not all sweetness and light, so I guess he'll need to renew his focus and efforts. Erin was not impressed with the teacher's attitude toward Kristian. If you hold low expectations, you can be pretty sure the student will not surpass them! They also need to go back to the audiologist to see if they can get his fm working for his hearing aids. Then, Erin is in charge of the staff Christmas party, so she's been buying and arranging presents for the party tomorrow. At least they had time to decorate their own tree.

Erin/Kristian Tree

Travis has been batching most of the week while Joanna was helping out in Toronto. She is back now, and not enjoying our snow! Meanwhile, they keep getting more and more hockey teams signed up for team and individual pictures. As a result, Travis is unable to keep up with watching his Pens play hockey! Still, things are progressing well with their work, and he got his new printer today! 

And that's about all for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We experienced a bit of snow and a lot of cold in the first part of the week, but it has returned to above zero temperatures and the snow has melted. Wendy enjoys her singing with Sweet Adelines, but with the upcoming trips escorting me and Erica, she will miss out on the Christmas production. She continues to work on the second side of the kitchen door—she's making good progress. I was cutting material for extra shelving for the cupboards today, now I need to get the edging ironed on, drill some additional holes and get them installed. I did a carb service on the snowblower, and it seems to be running fine, but the snow has disappeared, so false alarm! The markets were very helpful this week and I managed quota again. Impeachment pressure seems to be pushing Trump to settle with China, and investors are encouraged. The semi-finals were played on Sunday, so we look forward to the conference finals tomorrow with Hamilton hosting Edmonton in the East, while Saskatchewan hosts Winnipeg in the west. Go Riders, Go! Hockey continues to progress with about a quarter of the schedule played. The Oilers are doing well; the Pens are hanging in with an injury-depleted line-up, but the Leafs are fading, having lost five in a row. The Jayhawks are playing better, and cutting down on their turnovers, but their ranking has dropped to #5—rock, chalk, Jayhawks!

Erica spent the week working in Calgary. She claims it was kind of nice to stay in a hotel, have all her meals made, have someone make her bed—she's wondering if she could manage to make that happen at home! Eric spent the week at home. He says it was boring without Erica. Haaken found out his Christmas work-hours and all were pleasantly surprised that he has a few weeks off over the Christmas break. He is off from Dec 16th to Jan 4th, so he's planning to come home, so now they need to find some affordable flights. Yikes! Liam continues with RU and the Tunnels of Moose Jaw. This weekend Eric and Erica have snagged tickets to the Western Final in Regina. Erica has a presentation on Audit Committees, so they also have a hotel room. They are shopping for some warm Rider gear today. 

Erin and Kristian had another routine week in Regina. Kristian has given up bowling, but claims he's going to take up basketball this season. Erin is shopping for new skates for Kristian—it seems his feet have grown since last winter—who knew? He's been invited out to a friend's place in Lumsden this weekend, so that should be fun. Erin got her Roomba this week, so they spend exciting evenings watching it clean the room. 

Travis, Joanna and crew began the week by hosting us for supper. That was a nice occasion—thanks guys! Otherwise, they continue to be busy with work and school. I guess that's a routine week as well. After the snow last weekend, Travis got his winter tires installed this week. Joanna also had her car in for service, so I guess we're all ready for winter now. 

That's all for now. 

Novembrance Day

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, and it's Remembrance Day weekend! The weather has taken a decidedly colder turn, and we even got a dusting of snow last night. It's been melting on the streets today, but not on the lawns, so, this could be here to stay! I've been cleaning up some trim work on the cupboards and also turned the barn door; Wendy is now working on the other side of that door. I finished the drawer and got that installed. It worked out well.

The Glue-up

Adding the front

In place

Wendy continues to be very busy learning her barbershop music, especially the quartet music. I have put the truck away for the winter in the back storage pad, and removed the batteries from both the truck and the Cougar. I got out the snow shovels and the snowblower today. I need to do a carb service on the snowblower to prepare it for the season. The markets ran pretty well for most of the week, but then Trump stuck his oar in, claiming he wasn't agreeing to the trade negotiations his admin was making with China. So, the US markets took a dive, and we lost value as well. At least I had a good, green week, and the hope of better gains to come. The CFL conference semi-finals run this weekend, while the Riders rest and prepare for the final next weekend—Go Riders, Go! The Jayhawks lost to Duke early in the week, but came back to win their home opener. Rock Chalk Boys! The Leafs have picked up the pace winning three of their last four to improve their standing. The Oilers are in first place in their division. The Pens are getting a few guys back from injuries, and are having some success, but then tonight, Crosby was injured, sigh! The curling event this week is the Tour Challenge; Kevin Koe has advanced to the playoffs, but lost in the semi-final to Brad Gushue. I'm enjoying watching. 

Erica writes: "Haaken was back at work this week and he reports it was good. Liam’s work schedule has lessened with the change in seasons. He is now working about 3, shortened days a week, but he says he is doing okay because he saved when he was getting more hours. He saved—that would bring a tear to my cold accountant heart if it was capable of emotion! Eric and I had a pretty normal week, the last one for a bit as I will be travelling the next two weeks for work. I have concluded my pre-surgery medical tests and everything seems pretty good. Mom and I will head to Germany in a month. Our Lipdema group met with government this past Monday—first with the Sask party’s human caucus and then with the health critic of the NDP. We feel like they heard our concerns and they’ve committed to take the lack of support for Lipedema forward. We just hope something will happen. Lipedema is estimated to affect 60,000 women and 6,000 men in Saskatchewan. Our big request was to get a specialist, perhaps an Endocrinologist specializing in Lipedema, so patients have someone to see for advice and to champion their case when surgery is the right option for them." 

Erin and Kristian had a routine week. Kristian seems to have lost enthusiasm for bowling—don't know what went wrong there. He did forward me a writing piece he was working on, so I helped with the editing. Lucy had her final vaccination this morning. They have done some shopping for Christmas decorations, and probably will get serious about that next weekend after the tree is set up. It's Shawn's birthday tomorrow, so they'll have a celebration for that.

Trav and Joanna are here most days as they're very busy with PuckShots and BucketDecals. They often have multiple teams to shoot pictures on any given day. Trav is looking at buying another printer to ensure production in case of down time on his current machine. Gemma is recovering nicely, and following doctor's orders to take it easy. 

That's about if for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been cold, but dry. We drop into freezing temperatures most nights now. I had a job briefly! I picked up a flyer delivery route, I made my first delivery on Thursday to 66 houses in this neighbourhood. Thought it would provide an excuse to get out for a walk!

Flyer Boy - Short Career!

However, it also required a couple of hours of collating the various flyers and ads into my carry bags, and my arthritic thumbs just couldn't manage that, so after doing it one week, I quit the flyer business! Wendy keeps working on her Sweet Adeline music; she has a library of their regular music to catch up on, as well as the Christmas music they're preparing for the season, and the special selections for her quartet! It's been very musical around here lately. She's working the keyboard and singing along with the downloaded documents as well. Today, she was off all day learning some new choreography for their songs. I've made some further progress on the drawer I'm building for the kitchen. Wendy has pretty much completed repairs to one side of the kitchen door. Now, she'll prime it, and I'll turn the door around so she can work on the other side. There was a big turnout for Hallowe'en this year, and we almost ran out of treats—the final four chocolate bars mysteriously disappeared early the next day! Despite the TSX being red for the month, I managed to eke out some gains although not up to quota. Now, we are into November—these final two months are usually good ones on the market, so we hope Trump will be occupied by his impeachment and leave world trade alone. The World Series played out as a complete surprise to everyone as for the first time in MLB, NBA or NHL history, the visiting team won every game. I was also surprised to see the Nationals win it all—congratulations to the former Montreal Expo franchise on their first World Series Championship. The Leafs are falling in the NHL standings—pick it up boys! They did manage a shoot out win over the Flyers today. Oilers continue to play well. I was treated to an Oiler/Pens game this afternoon with the Oilers winning in OT. Riders played their final game of the season without their QB who was injured. So, that made it tough. However, they prevailed to clinch first place and get a week off before the Western Final. Go Riders, Go! The Jayhawks have finished their preseason games in good form and are ranked #3; I guess that means they'll have to try much harder! Rock Chalk! 

Eric is back from his week of teaching. He’s been busy marking papers: 25 students x 6 minor papers and 1 major paper—whew, too much like work! Liam is home this weekend as he has another iron infusion on Monday. His iron has been holding around 100, but the doctor wants to see it increase to more normal levels like 130. Haaken has enjoyed a break from work while the Tim Hortons has undergone renovations. He’s back at work on Monday. He has also continued to apply for animation jobs and we are praying the right position comes along soon. On Monday, a group or ladies, including Erica, are meeting with government to convince them to do something about Lipedema.

Kristian was ill, and did not complete his bowling on Sunday evening. Callum and Kristian enjoyed Hallowe'en activities.

Kat-Kid!

Kristian got his new ear-moulds; he reports they fit better, look better...

and hear better, too!

Trav and Joanna have been very busy with hockey team photos. He even missed his Pens game today while taking more shots of six more teams! And they're still pumping out the Bucket Decals as well. On the concerning side, Gemma has fallen, and is currently suffering with a concussion. We hope she's feeling well again, soon. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had another wet week, but it's nice this weekend at least. We've enjoyed a quiet week. I got some stuff done in the shop, Wendy cleaned up a few more things in the house. I installed the sliding door to the kitchen. She'll do more finishing while it's hanging there.

Sliding Door

I took advantage of the opening to work on my dust collection system. It works! It may need some tweaking as some dust is still getting through to the Shop Vac.

Double Bucket Dust Separator

Thein-Separator in top bucket

Wendy has been very busy learning her music for Sweet Adelines. Today, we walked over to Shoppers and got our flu shots for this season—didn't hurt! The markets have remained troubled, the TSX is now down 1.8% for the month, but I managed another green week. It was not up to quota, but I'm just glad to see green at this point! Hopefully, Trump will get so desperate for a distraction from impeachment that he'll sign some kind of trade deal with China. The pundits keep calling for a rally into the end of the year, and I keep waiting—nothing! The NHL continues to develop the story lines in the young season. Oilers and Pens are showing well; Leafs dropped one to their arch-rival Canadiens tonight. The World Series has surprised with the visiting team winning every game to leave them tied at two games apiece. The Bombers did us a big favour by knocking off Calgary last night, and the Riders battled back in Edmonton with a win on a last second FG to maintain our first place standing. Go Riders Go!

Eric was Professor Bailey this week. He taught a block class in Eclectic Relational Interventions for Change. You might be surprised to know that ERIC made up that title. He found it enjoyable and stressful all at once. Now he just has a bunch of papers to mark. Liam drove up Friday to attend and play drums for our friend’s funeral. The funeral was a nice mix of Craig’s faith and his love for Star Wars and Super heroes. Haaken is on a break from work as they finish up some renovations at the Tim Hortons. So he’s working on his animations.

Lucy had more vaccinations this morning; Kristian played the role of supervisory dad! Then, they went shopping for Hallowe'en stuff for Kristian. Callum's parents have asked if he could do trick or treat with Kristian this year. Erin has ordered a Roomba so Lucy won't get too comfortable! Aunt Erica suggested that Kristian make use of voice accessibility on his iPhone to assist with his reading. It's working well so far!

Travis and Joanna keep up the busyness in the business. Photoshoots, Bucket Decal orders from far and wide keep them occupied and keep the business thriving.

And that's enough for this week! 

Home Again, Home Again!

Another week has passed and I have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. It's been another great week, and I'm feeling well blessed. I opened the week on the shore of Lake Ray Hubbard. I enjoyed a great time in Texas with three rounds of golf and an amazing football game. Sunday featured assembly with CARE Church in Dallas in the morning, a delightful Mexican lunch, and an uplifting song service in the evening. The Cowboys were the only fly in that ointment! Then, on Monday, we celebrated Thanksgiving with tasty BBQ'd Ribs a la Jonathan. This included most of my Texas family; it was delightful to see them again. A family reunion is under consideration for next Fall in Dallas. Early Wednesday morning (2am is early, but is it really morning?), Viggo took me to the airport to catch my flight to Toronto, and thence onto TBay. All went well, my luggage arrived with me this time, and I'm glad to be home. Wendy has cleaned up or disposed of the extensive collection of kitchen stuff that was in our spare bedroom. She has also begun the redecorating project there. It will involve new flooring and a paint job, but otherwise that room is in good shape. We may look at reflooring our bedroom at the same time, but it requires other repairs. Today, she scored a piece of countertop for our island. It is the same arborite as is on our counters, so it was quite a catch.

Island Top

The markets have continued to veer wildly with perceptions coming out of the US administration. Now, an investigation has begun over whether this involves insider trading against the wacky tweets—it would make sense of it at least! I had only four trading days this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but at least I managed to make some gains. With under two weeks to go, I need some help! The Baseball playoffs continue with Washington Nationals advancing to the World Series where they will face the Houston Astros. I'm still picking the Astros to win it all! The Riders beat BC this week, but Calgary beat Winnipeg to rejoin the Riders in first place. C'mon Bombers! My Oilers have opened the NHL season in good form. The Pens are also doing well, and the Leafs picked up a nice OT win tonight. 

Erica writes: "This was a heavy week. A good friend of ours was in the hospital for what we thought was just an infection. We were fully expecting him to be back out. Unfortunately we discovered that he was much sicker than anyone realized and on Tuesday evening he passed away. He was only 43. Eric is in Winnipeg this weekend for a conference and then heading over to Caronport to teach his block class next week. Liam is back in Moose Jaw working and Haaken is in a Victoria working at Tim Hortons and developing his animation. We got to have a family chat over the phone on Thanksgiving. I miss us being together." They also installed Roman Shade curtains in their bedroom and living room.

New Roman Shade for Bedroom

Erin and Kristian had another appointment with the audiologist. While she confirmed the hearing loss in his right ear remains unchanged, she also reported that Kristian's brain is making the desired adjustments, and he's hearing much better from that side than he was in the previous assessment. Brains are amazing! Kristian has ordered new ear moulds: black, red and white! Great-Grandpa helped him with the purchase, so that was special as well. Meanwhile, Lucy has found a box!

Lucy is, apparently, a cat!

Travis and Joanna had a few recent disasters. Joanna lost a tooth she has been babying along since she was a teenager. So, that'll require some time, effort and cash! Then, another of Trav's tires died ignobly in a local pothole. He's about ready for a complete set of new tires, so that may encourage him to upgrade to better tires, but still it's also an unwanted expense. However, they continue to get and complete new orders, and they took pics of four hockey teams today, so that part is good. Gemma is enjoying her reading week, trying to catch up on sleep after midterms. Andrew is looking forward to reading week next week.

And that's about enough for this week. 

Boomer Sooner!

It's been a special week for me. I have travelled to Dallas and been treated to the OU/Texas game in the Cotton Bowl, along with another 100 thousand casual observers. Jonathan and Jennifer heard this was a bucket list thing for me—to see a big-time college game, and they offered to take me to the game if I'd come down to Texas. So, Wendy arranged the flights, Viggo & Nancy offered to host me, so I'm in Rowlett, on the shore of Lake Ray Hubbard, enjoying my time with them. We've managed to get out golfing twice which was great as well. But the highlight was today's renewal of the Red River Rivalry.

It helped that my team won!

Jennifer insisted that the experience must include Texas treats: Corn Dog, Funnel Cake, and a Turkey Drumstick. It's possible that some of them were not keto-friendly—I just hope I don't have gout tomorrow morning!

Corn Dog

Funnel Cake-Zero Carbs!!

Turkey Drumstick

Back at home our roomer has moved in. He's a pilot with Bearskin Airlines. Wendy has been assembling bedside tables for the guest bedroom as she moves that project forward. The markets have remained volatile, and I was able to make a little but not up to quota. The baseball playoffs have moved into the league championship round. The Dodgers lost, and I had them slated for the final. Now it's Yankees/Astros in the American League; I'm picking Astros and cheering for the Yankees. In the National League I'm picking and cheering for the Nationals over the Cards. The Riders lost a hard-fought game in Calgary on Friday night. Let's Go, Riders! 

Erica spent a few days in Toronto this week for training. While there she also got to catch up with friends from PA who live there now. They marked the occasion by taking her out to the Poop Cafe!

Friends: Pickin' the good cafés! 

What great friends! Liam is home this weekend for Thanksgiving. They're planning to make a Thanksgiving Meal featuring Rutabaga Lasagna. Eric continues preparing for his class—it starts in a little over a week. Haaken is working on animation projects of his own to start posting on the web.

Kristian bowled on Sunday night. He had two good games, but the other two were below average. Lucy had her surgery this week, and also got a chip implanted and an identifying tattoo in her ear. She seems to be right back to full activity as if nothing happened. Erin is serving as the care-giver for grandpa this weekend, while Kristian is providing cat-care for the family next door. Quite a responsible young man! 

Travis & Joanna are off to Minneapolis this weekend.

Pens run Wild in Minnie

Tonight they're enjoying taking in the hockey game between the Wild and the Penguins—a comfortable win for the Pens, and a great time for Trav & Joanna.

Date Night in Minneapolis!

Wendy is caring for Minnie and the bird. Gemma and Andrew are taking care of the house. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be variable with more precipitation than expected. I finally managed to get the lawns cut on Friday. I also got out for some golf that afternoon. Otherwise, I've been working on the crown moulding in the downstairs bedroom, and I got that done. Now, I will turn my attention to the same task in the family room. Wendy has been stymied by the rains, so she's turned her attention to the kitchen cupboards both upstairs and down. She's doing some touch-up painting, and also working on the organization of the various drawers and storage areas. She must be having success as the bedroom pantry is gradually emptying! She has completed her audition (successfully) for Sweet Adelines, and is enjoying singing barbershop once again. She's also been invited to practice with one of the quartets! I now have my appointment for eye surgery in Toronto. It's set for November 26th; Wendy has booked our flights and lodgings. The markets have remained troubled as the Trump trade wars are starting to hurt back at home. He fails to understand that if you wish to be a trading nation, your potential customers need to be doing well so they can buy your stuff! I have continued selling out of the market, and with good gains on Thursday and Friday managed to survive the week. The hockey season has begun and I'm watching to see the changes made by my favourite teams. I hope the Oilers can manage to advance to the playoffs this season. Baseball has already entered the playoffs, and the Blue Jays are reduced to the role of fans. I am picking the Astros to prevail over the Dodgers in the World Series, but on the way there, I'm also picking Yankees over Twins, and Braves over Cards. I'll be cheering for the Yankees. I'd love to see the old time rivalry of Yanks vs Dodgers, but I feel Houston pitching is just too strong. Tonight was the biggest football game of the season so far as Riders hosted the Bombers with the winners claiming first place. It was a hard-fought game, but Riders pulled away late for a big win! 

Eric and Erica came to a decision about their decks, and have purchased composite decking for both front and back. Now, we'll need to put together a plan for the supporting materials, and prepare that order. Then, we'll have to see when Liam is going to get home to do the construction! 

Kristian did not manage to match his stellar set of matches of the week before in bowling. His first two games were over 150, but then he faded in the final two. Otherwise things have been pretty routine at work and school. 

Lucy taking it easy!

Travis and Joanna are engaged with both hockey team photography and the steady output for BucketDecals. Joanna, Gemma and Andrew did a Rock-Painting class this week. I think the results are striking.

Dot Mandala Painted Rocks

Now, Joanna is off to southern Ontario again on assignment for parental care. 

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 very comfortable, and I've managed to get over to the golf course several times! I'm trying to get my game in shape for a trip to Dallas in October, where my brother and my nephew are waiting to beat me up! Wendy has pretty much completed upgrades on one side of the door—it's looking promising. I have begun work on my dust management plans for the shop. But now Wendy has decided it's time to add crown moulding in the bedroom and family room downstairs. So, dust control to the back burner; crown moulding to the top of my agenda! We continue to use the hot tub, but it also continues to frustrate as the thermostat works erratically. We'll be shutting it down soon and draining it for the winter. I managed another lawn mowing this week, and look forward to not doing that many more times! We're hearing of snow on the prairies already, so, you never know. It's been another down week on the markets, with weak US GDP data not enough to convince investors of rate cuts. Still, I was up nicely through Thursday, but then, I got Trumped on Friday. He came out with speculation about preventing investment into China! Never mind that the continual complaint of a generation of US administrations has been for China to allow foreign investment! Anyway, Friday was a deep red day, and my gains of the first four days bled away, sigh! The Blue Jays are playing out the final series of the season. There are hopeful signs for the future. The Riders dominated the Argos for an easy win in Toronto this evening. This puts them into a tie for first place in the west. Yay Riders! 

Eric and Erica enjoyed their tours around Amsterdam. Their extensive postings on FaceBook with both photos and descriptions helped us enjoy the trip as well. They have now returned to Prince Albert. Erica writes: "We are back from the Netherlands after a great anniversary trip. This week we took a journey north to see the huge dike, and we went to Haarlem to see the Corrie Ten Boom house. It was a wonderful trip. Now we are working through the adjustment in time zone. This morning we woke up at 4 AM really hungry! Haaken is working on some of his own personal animation projects and trying to figure out how to get them out to the public and gather a following. He also continues with work. Liam has completed some additional vaccinations so he now is going back to the specialist for some new medication. We are hoping this will heal his intestines so he can return to more normal health."

Kristian scored amazingly in his Sunday night bowling. I seem to recall his average topping out at about 70 two seasons ago, and about 120 last year. Well, Sunday night he bowled four games with an average of 186! Wowsers! He had a doctor's appointment to followup on his medical history. The doctor has promised to monitor his thyroid activity since that's often affected by Pendred's Syndrome. He'll need to get some blood work done for that. He missed one day of school this week with gastric distress. But, he got back for Friday and his class trip to the Science Centre. This weekend, he's celebrating his birthday one more time with Callum. Cute story, the boys approached Erin today with a request for cheese pizza for supper. They explained that they didn't want her going to the bother of preparing a supper, and then it going to waste while they ate pizza! Erin has rearranged her living area to accommodate the new cat and her climbing apparatus. 

Dog/Cat Fight in Living Room!

Lucy enjoys watching the Riders!

Trav and Joanna are here most days pumping out the customer orders. They're also back into hockey team photography for the new season. Gemma stopped by one day, so we were able to catch up with her a bit. She's enjoying her classes and feeling a bit more comfortable with university life, and the loss of so many classmates who didn't manage the transition from high school. She's an excellent student! Andrew is needing some upgrading as he starts his pilots course. His high school sciences were not up to muster for the program, so he's taking Physics—math, but all story problems! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed; the shores of Lake Superior continue to expand in the unexpected rainfall we're experiencing in my hometown. We hear of much rainfall to the west of us as well, and wonder whether the farmers are managing to get their crops off. This week has been more dry than wet, and we've enjoyed that, but it seems to have settled into a rainy weekend, sigh! I did get out to practice golf a couple of times. We've managed some progress on our renovations. Wendy bought a table and stools which we've installed—the table for the kitchenette downstairs, the stools for our kitchen eating bar upstairs.

New See-through Table

Island CounterTop still to come...

We tried out the new eating bar for breakfast this morning, and it worked perfectly. The kitchenette is nicely adorned with the new table down there.

Soon-to-be: Sliding Door

We've begun the next installation which is the sliding/barn door for the kitchen toward the side entry. I have the hardware installed, and Wendy has begun refinishing the door. We have found a tenant for the extra room downstairs, and the door will provide an extra measure of privacy for all concerned. I had a good week in the markets. I was all set up for a great week, but then Trump happened on Friday—the Chinese trade delegation packed up and went home, and the markets turned south quickly and hard. Still, I managed almost double my weekly quota which helps me catch up a bit. We're in the final third of the season in the CFL. The Riders have the bye this week, and Calgary took advantage by beating Toronto and moving ahead of us. However, Hamilton did us a favour by knocking off Edmonton. It seemed too much to expect Montreal to beat the Bombers tonight, but they came through for us with a last second win! The Blue Jays are playing out the final sets of series of their season. They have now won three straight series which is encouraging, and they've guaranteed themselves to not lose 100 games, yay Jays! Sigh!

The Baileys are off this week on their long delayed 25th Anniversary trip. They are in Amsterdam. They just got there on Thursday and are still adjusting to the time zone change.

Old style windmills are still there!

Their plans include the Anne Frank house, windmills, cheese making tour, Corrie Ten Boom house, Canal Tour, wooden shoes and, hopefully, they can see the dike that holds the ocean away from all this land. There are many stories that captured her attention to Holland as a child! They would also love to see Starry Starry Night, but it’s not on display at the Van Gogh museum. Maybe they can listen to Don McLean's tribute to the famous painting! Liam reports that he is busy with work and touring with RU. Haaken reports he is enjoying work. He got his first paycheque this week. Now he needs to put together a budget.

Kristian was away this weekend at a church youth group retreat at Echo Lake. He got back tonight. Last Sunday, he was ill, so he did not bowl. We hope he's ready to go this week. Erin had Lucy to the vet today to get her second round of vaccinations. Erin still has her garden in operation and is hoping to harvest some more strawberries before the season turns. Kristian lost the last of his baby teeth this week. He had to go to the dentist for a filling, but other than that, his teeth are looking good, and no reconstruction is being considered.

Trav & Joanna continue to be very busy. This week, work had to take a back seat for a while as Minnie went in for surgery and dental care. She is recovering quickly, and appears to have lots of energy. Gemma and Andrew are thriving in their new school year. Their schedules are quite varied and it's hard to tell who's coming or going, or when!

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 dry-wet-dry-wet... all week. Today was sunny and dry, and I was able to get the lawn cut, and practice some golf. We've accumulated a lot of rain this summer, and the Lake is much above normal levels. Wendy has done some experimenting with keto tortillas, and has succeeded in producing some good ones that she then turned into taco bowls, so we enjoyed taco salad a couple of times this week.

Very Yummy!

Last week, I had built a fire in the fire pit, but when we finally got around to having a fire tonight, it was well-soaked, so it took a while to get going. We eventually were able to enjoy supper out on the deck including brats roasted over the fire. I've been working on the crown moulding in the kitchen. We thought we were short of material, but Wendy found a 7' length that had been hiding, and we've made it. I never done crown moulding before, and I have to admit it looks sharp.

Finishing Touch!

Wendy has resumed her barber shop singing with the Sweet Adelines. She took an appointment with her chiropractor on Friday. On Friday evening, we had a meeting with a pilot who is looking for a place to stay while in Thunder Bay. I'm still waiting for the notification of my appointment in Toronto for surgery on my eye. The markets have alternated red-green with the weather! Unfortunately, there were three red days, and I ended up red for the week, sigh! The Jays are down to their final games of the season. They are sitting with 91 losses and trying to avoid the ignominy of a 100-loss season. The Riders hosted Montreal this evening and managed a last minute field goal to escape with the victory.

Eric and Erica are trying to wrap up a few things before they leave next week for a trip to the Netherlands. This included some work on the porch so they could get a coat of primer on and seal the freshly exposed wood.

Railing, Columns are Primed

Liam is back to work at the Tunnels of Moose Jaw and practising with the new RU members who are learning their moves. On the medical front, he has now concluded all his Hepatitis shots and can go back to the specialist for some new medication that will hopefully help him feel better. Haaken has has two weeks of work now and is enjoying it. He also finished an animation project and the customer reports they are happy with his work. He’s hoping this might lead to more animation work.

Kristian had his first evening of bowling on Sunday. It seems they're bowling four games each session this year. He seemed to run out of gas, as his fourth game was not up to expectations. He is enjoying his second weekend of birthday celebrations; I thought it was only we old folks that celebrated so long! There are rumours of a third celebration being planned for next weekend.

B-Day2, with Omarion,
Cake saved for B-Day3!

Kristian had an appointment with an ENT specialist this week; he is being referred to a surgeon in Saskatoon so they can start learning about the process for a cochlear implant.

Travis and Joanna keep busy. We enjoy having them here regularly. There seem to be a lot of orders in advance of the hockey season. Joanna got new tires on her car this week. Gemma and Andrew are through the introduction to their new classes.

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 variable with sunshine one day and rain the next. I haven't managed to get out for golf despite there being several nice days. I've been working on the hot tub controls, and have finally managed to get the high temperature switch to work effectively, so, we continue to enjoy that. I'm now having to build my own bonfires, so that activity has slowed down. I've managed to get the lawns mowed again, and both are pretty much back into shape. Wendy has continued to develop her plans for the new kitchen, gradually adding shelves and moving more of our supplies and equipment into them. We enjoyed company on Wednesday as Dave & Heather stopped in to overnight with us on their way east. On Friday, I had my followup appointment with the local ophthalmologist. He has confirmed a diagnosis of bilateral pterygium, and is sending me to another ophthalmologist in Toronto for surgery to remove at least the one that is obscuring the vision of my right eye. The one on the left eye is not bothering my vision so far, but is obviously a concern for the future. Wendy did an exchange on the flooring for the back entry. It's now a brown colour instead of the grey. Naturally, since this is new material, the time clock on acclimatization has been restarted! And since it's a new colour, Wendy is reconsidering the stair nosing solution—another project onto the back burner! The markets have turned onto the "Good News is Bad News" scenario again. We got bad news on Tuesday showing the USA factory activity contracting for the first time in three years (now what happened during the last three years to slow down factory output?!), but that turned to good news for the market since it should push the FED to drop interest rates soon. Likewise, we got great jobs numbers here on Friday, but that was seen as bad news since now the BoC will not reduce rates. The USA jobs numbers on Friday were weak, so the markets took off on this confirmation of the need for a rate cut—sigh! As a result, the TSX did not have a good week, and, while I was in the green, I fell short of quota once again. The Riders won the Labour Day classic, and today they played the return engagement tagged The Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg. A two-game sweep was not to be as the Bombers completely dominated them in Winnipeg. The Blue Jays are playing out the string and featuring their September call-ups—not seeing much of that ballyhooed talent so far! A special Canadian memory this week as Bianca Andreescu won her first major championship at the US Open over Serena Williams. 

Highlight of the week for the Baileys—Haaken got a job! He has been hired full time with Tim Hortons—a job to pay the bills while he works on his animation. He has a project he’s working on and hopes that will lead to more opportunities. Liam’s back with RU and has a busy schedule this fall with that and his Tunnels of Moose Jaw job. For the first time in many years, they have no one going back to school! Eric/a are back at work and home renovations. In line with her scheduled surgery this December in Germany, Erica has refreshed her GoFundMe page, LINK There is no charitable receipt with GoFundMe. But their church is accepting donations to go toward that surgery. If you want a charitable receipt, you can mail payment by cheque to: 

First Baptist Church Prince Albert Benevolent Fund

1351 28th Street East 

Prince Albert SK  S6V 6T4 

Memo line: Surgery Fund

Kristian has started back to school.

Back-to-School 2019

There have been complications working into a new classroom, and new teacher. The FM system is not working, so his ability to hear the teacher has been further compromised. However, while the sheer effort of it makes him quite tired, he is enjoying it. He notes that his brain is adapting to the new hearing realities, and that the situation is getting better. He starts bowling this Sunday evening, and has declared his goal of a 150 average this year. Go get 'em buddy! Today, he got a new pet kitten for his birthday!

Happy 14th Birthday!

Introducing: Lucy

Travis and Joanna remain busy. Joanna had the extra activity of a colonoscopy this week—never first choice for a fun activity! They also got a new bird.

Introducing: Mozzy

Gemma and Andrew are back at university and college; they posed (reluctantly) for the obligatory back-to-school photo! 

Back-to-School 2019

And that's about enough for this week! 

Happy Labour Day!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. While we started and end the week here, we also made a trip to Winnipeg. We left on Sunday with the biker convoy. Kristian rode with Eric/A for the first hour, then transferred to the car for the remainder of the journey. We enjoyed catching up with Dean, Kelly and crew on Sunday evening, then moved in with Tom & Mariette for the duration. They had just returned from a western Canada tour, but proved easily up to the task of hosting—thanks! We planned to golf on Tuesday, but rain and wind intervened, and the golf outing was cancelled. We drove home on Wednesday. The trip went well. Wendy and I got out for some golf today, so that partially makes up for the miss earlier. The weather was blustery most of the week, but seems to have settled a bit now. Without my best helper, I had to build my own bonfire this week—it worked out fine. We've also been enjoying the hot tub each evening. We haven't really gotten back into renovations, but Wendy has kept at the shopping; today, she picked up some material for the side entry flooring. I have assigned it to acclimation for the next while! She has settled on the plan for the stairs, so I can begin the woodwork to prepare the oak noses for that. I sold out of the market last Friday, and with travel early this week, did not get bought back in until Thursday. I remain with only a partial buy during these chaotic times, and am now facing September which is historically the worst month in the markets, sigh! The Riders are hosting the Bombers in the traditional Labour Day matchup tomorrow—Go Riders, Go! The Blue Jays continue to play out the string. Now that it's September, we'll expect to see even more of the young talent being called up. We hope it's talented, at least! 

Erica writes: "We left home 3 times this week, first from Thunder Bay, then Kenora and then from a brief stopover in Regina—all places we’ve called home. It was good to see friends and family, some of whom are old, and others whom we’ve just known for a long time. Liam was with the RU team at a camp at Lake Winnipeg. In fact, we passed just under him on the map during our travels. Haaken is working with BC government for a job in BC and getting some supports as a person with a disability. We are hoping and praying for some progress. However, as it is summer, many people are on holidays and will call back in September. This weekend, I’m working on a request for prayers and financial support for my next Lipedema trip. I’ll have more to share by next weekend. I’m also pondering how we can effect real lasting change to help others who don’t have the resources (or friends with the resources) to help pay for surgery. We have heard that BC has paid for one person. There are also a few private insurance companies in the US who, upon several appeals, have paid. And there is currently a class action lawsuit in the US against one major insurer. We have a meeting with our Saskatchewan government this fall. I’m just not sure how far we can get with our small group of hippy women. Prayers are appreciated!"

Erin welcomed Kristian home on Monday, and now he's getting geared up for the opening of his grade 8 year. He has some new clothes, in surprising sizes, and has most of his supplies ready to go. We're glad to see his excitement at getting back to school. Soon, it'll be another bowling league starting up, and he'll be back into the familiar routines. Grandma built a birthday cake for him, and sent it out to Regina with the Baileys. 

Coming soon to a birthday...

Travis and Joanna keep busy with their various jobs and contracts. It's good to hear the printing press grinding out the product downstairs. It's not nearly so nice to hear it beeping when it has a problem! Gemma has returned from England and is preparing for year two at Lakehead University. Andrew is getting amped up for his entry into the aviation program at Confederation College. 

And that's about enough for this week.