Ah, Omicron!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. I have taken the precaution of getting out the snow-shovels in support of the snowblower purchase, and that seems to have held off the snow for another week, however, they're threatening us with a winter storm tomorrow through Monday including up to 25cm of the white stuff! Our long Fall may be ending! Otherwise, we've had a pleasant week here, and I've managed a bit more work in the shop. But shop work may be headed into an extended hiatus, so I'm preparing to move some tools into the laundry room so I can do a bit more project work down there. 

Boom!

Sadly, the main story this week has been the sudden passing of Uncle Bernie! He was such a wonderful man, husband, father, grandfather and friend. We miss him. We extend condolences to our cousins and their families. We grieve along with the many others whose lives he has impacted and blessed. 

We have begun work on the kitchen stools. I have stripped one, and replaced the decrepit cardboard with some sheet aluminum I salvaged from an old sign. Wendy is choosing the materials and foam to recover them. She is also planning to refinish the dining room chairs from the same palette!

Getting Support!

Otherwise, I've been occupied with medical and dental appointments. On Wednesday, I visited the groinecologist to get an ultrasound of some bumps I've detected just where my abdomen meets my right leg. I suspect they are hernias, but of course the technician would tell me nothing, so we wait to hear about that. Then, on Thursday, I made a long awaited appointment with my dentist to repair a broken filling. It broke last Spring, but they were operating on a very limited schedule, and tight restrictions, so working that around our summer trip meant it only happened now. And that returns the discussion to the pandemic, and the newest buzzword—omicron. This 15th Greek letter designates the newly identified variant of Covid-19, and we are still in the initial phases of learning about it. So far, while it seems more contagious, it also seems to only bring on mild disease. We hope it remains a mild disease, and that its contagiousness allows it to replace other variants. At any rate, it is clear that we shall continue to be besieged by ever newer variants for so long as the unvaccinated and careless keep this virus around. As bad as things are in the USA, they have still ONLY infected about one sixth of their population, so there's lots of ground to cover before they reach herd immunity. If you add in the 59% of their population who are vaccinated, you can see that they might be getting somewhere if immunity holds, and if no further variants come along! Sadly, neither of those are holding true. Here we only have one province (Quebec) that is currently in the out-of-control range. In the USA, they have only two states that are under-control! Sad! Pandemic news is part of what continues to roil the markets, and we had another difficult week there. There were wild swings throughout the week, sometimes even within a given day, and I failed to make quota once again. I have been slowly selling off holdings during the downturn, but that also means there will be little to make gains with once things turn around. Sports continue to distract. Curling ended Sunday; Brad Gushue and Jennifer Jones won the respective spots to go to the Olympics. We wish them well. The Riders won the Western Semi-final over Calgary on Sunday! Yay Riders! They have advanced to tomorrow's Western Final against the top-ranked Bombers, in Winnipeg. It's a daunting challenge. Go Riders! My NHL teams are doing well, although the Oilers disappointed me last night with a loss to the Kracken! College football is winding down. Today the #5-Cowboys faced #9-Baylor in the conference championship game, but they failed against two goal-line stands, including one in the dying seconds! My other teams are just waiting on Bowl invitations. Basketball continues with non-conference games; the #8-Jayhawks looked good (although I didn't get to see them!) against St Johns. 

Erica writes, "It’s been a pretty ordinary week. Eric got a new toy - an ice chopper so he cleaned up our walk way. He also planned a date night for us on Friday and we got our tree up and decorated. Now we just have to figure out how to get the star to stay on. Last year a cardboard tube did the trick, but we can’t seem to get it to work this year. I think we might need zip ties. We were sad to hear of Uncle Bernard’s sudden passing and are thinking of his family as they find comfort together. It also makes us think about those we need to see and spend time with. I wish that we could all be together for Christmas."

Tree's up! Fire's on!

Erin and Kristian continue their usual routines of school and work. Both are doing well in those! Kristian has been achieving very well in his classes. Here's a pic he took of his cat, Lucy, for his photography course. 

Lucy

Nice to blur out the distracting stuff in the background. He's still getting UV treatments three times a week. He enjoys curling, and is thinking of doing more of that. New hearing aids are on order, we hope the upgrade assists his hearing. They are also hit hard by the loss of Uncle Bernie who spent some of his retirement years in Regina, and blessed their lives. Erin had an extra busy week at work as they were short-staffed due to a compassionate leave. 

Travis and Joanna continue with their busyness. More PuckShots, more BucketDecals... it is as it should be. However, now we begin to wonder what repercussions may come to sports activity with the arrival of the omicron variant in Ontario. Minnie had some veterinary interventions this week. We hope she will feel better, and enjoy her senior years. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Oh my, Omicron!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather continues to adjust the thermostat downwards, and we struggle to make it above freezing each day. We've felt some November winds as well. I have restarted my curling career with two games this week. I got a little woozy from the exertions of sweeping in game 1, so I had to take it a bit easier in game 2. At least I had fun! 

The box holds the playing pieces...

...the lid flips over to reveal the board.

I have continued work on my Quatro game, as I'm planning to send it west on Monday. Wendy and I have spent some time practicing the game, and agree that the expert adaptation is needed to avoid playing to a lot of draws. The labelling didn't work out perfectly, but I like it. I'm considering a few other designs for the game board, but not planning to build boxes for the playing pieces.

For her little boy...

Wendy has been working on a special cake for Trav's birthday. As always, it's amazing—hours of patient, loving, artistic endeavour! I'm looking forward to seeing his reaction to it this evening!

Art & Artist!

The markets have continued their topsy-turvy behaviour and that was accentuated, in spades on Friday. The week was beset by smaller volumes due to the USA Thanksgiving holiday, and when news broke of the new Omicron variant of the covid virus, investors just sold out to end the week. That left me feeling a lot of pain as well, and only two trading days left for some needed recovery. The biggest villains in all this include the anti-vaxers, and the jurisdictions (and people) that refuse to practice good health procedures. Those folks are keeping the virus thriving, and allowing it more time to mutate. For our part, we got our booster shot on Friday, and we will be following with interest the research on the efficacy of the vaccines against this new variant, and readying ourselves for more boosters if that becomes necessary. Most of my sports teams are thriving. Oilers, Pens, and Leafs are getting good results in hockey. The Longhorns won their game this week, while #7-Cowboys hosted #10-Sooners, so someone had to lose, and this time it was the visitors! The big exception was my #4-Jayhawks in basketball. They played a sloppy second half, with no intensity, and managed to lose to unranked Dayton. They can kiss their lofty ranking good-bye! The Riders host Calgary in the west semi-final tomorrow—Let's Go, Riders! I've been following the Olympic Trials in Curling all week. My picks both advanced to the medal round. Koe lost to Jacobs in the semi-final, while Einarson lost to local favourite, McCarville. However, Jones defeated her to advance to the final. Gushue and Fleury are waiting to play them in the finals tomorrow, and whoever wins, we'll have two strong representatives. 

Erica writes, "It was a pretty ordinary week at the Bailey house. However, on Friday, we got to take in a local dinner theatre production of a Die Hard Christmas. It was a spoof of the film with very low-budget special effects. We laughed! Greg had a small flood in his basement, but he got the water shut off right away so hopefully minimal damage! Liam and Haaken continue doing their regular activities. We are looking forward to Liam’s return home on the 11th."

Erin and Kristian had a good week in wintry Regina. Kristian's latest school reports are very good, and very encouraging—great work, buddy! Kristian has taken up curling as one of his recreational courses, and is enjoying that. He also benefits from several activities sponsored by his school program. Now that Kristian has given permission, they have put up their Christmas trees both on the main floor and downstairs. Now we wait to see how they are decorated! 

Trav & Joanna have been extremely busy all week. I'm sure that's what you want when you're in business, and they've been experiencing it!

Our baby boy turns 40! 

And the big event of the week was Trav's 40th birthday party this evening. We hosted them at our place. Joanna produced all the food, and Wendy built the cake! It was a good time! 

And that's about it for this week. 

Surging/Not!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has remained mild, and we are still enjoying green grass and daily highs above freezing. I credit it all to my purchase of a snowblower, but even that can only hold off winter for so long! I have continued my work on the game project, and am now at the top-coating stage (as if I know what I'm doing!).

But I call my game Quatro!

Travis found the actual game on sale in Minneapolis, so at my current rate of progress, I'm calculating a net wage of about $1 per hour. Wendy enjoys singing each week with Sounds of Superior. They recorded one song without masks as a photo-op!

Do you see Wendy?

Otherwise, she is doing lots of catch up on the treasurer work for the chorus; she enjoys getting back into the bookkeeping business. The markets whipsawed us this week with M-W-F as red days. That action left me well short of quota this week—better luck next week! The covid situation is taking an ominous turn as many locations are reporting increased rates of infection. The world increased 9% this week, and USA increased 15%, sigh! We've had some improvement here (-3%), and only Manitoba is out-of-control at present. However, there are rumblings from various provinces about success, and covid seems to take any such relaxation as an opportunity! The football season ends this weekend; Riders played Hamilton this afternoon, and lost. The game had no impact on the playoff standings, and Riders played a lot of backup players. Riders now prepare to host Calgary in the West semi-final. Go Riders, Go! College hoops continued with the non-conference games. Jayhawks won easily and maintained their #3 ranking. College football is also ending the season and moving toward conference playoffs. This week #13-Sooners beat Iowa State and #9-Cowboys shut out Texas Tech, but the Longhorns lost to West Virginia. Hockey continues to develop some interesting stories. Oilers and Leafs having good success. Pens are getting their players back from injury and covid, and are doing better; they beat the Leafs 2-0 tonight. One of the biggest curling events began today with nine teams competing on each of the men's and women's sides to be the Canadian rep to the Olympics. I'll be cheering for my long time favourite Kevin Koe on the men's side, and Kerri Einarson on the women's side. 

Erica writes, "We got more snow this week and it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas! Eric has been teaching an anger management class and that ended this week. Liam got another infusion of his medication on Friday. He has started his new regimen of every 4 weeks and we hope and pray this has a positive impact. I enjoyed a personal day on Friday. Our new firm gives us one per quarter and we have to use them—so that’s nice. It forces us to take at least one day to relax! Haaken and Greg are doing well." They have continued the demolition of the dining area ceiling below the upstairs bathroom. As is often the case, there was a surprise. When a previous owner was installing heating ducts, he just cut right through the floor joists for the upstairs bathroom! 

Not sure how those joists survived!

Erin and Kristian suffered through a full-scale blizzard in Regina, so they also have lots of snow. The back deck accumulations prompted Sadie to say, "No thanks," to offers of an outdoor excursion!

Brrrrr!

Travis and Joanna returned from Minneapolis on Monday. They got covid tests in Minnie, filled out the ArriveCAN App, and sailed easily through the border. They picked up the dog and budgie from us, and settled back in at home. Now, they're back to isolating and taking care of the pets. 

And that's enough for this week! 

Not Quite as Expected!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather was lovely early in the week, but has turned to more seasonal albeit less comfortable conditions. We had a wild rain storm on Thursday, and even heard of snow at higher elevations away from the Lake. Now, they're predicting day time highs of only a few degrees above zero for the next few days. Wendy continued with deck-board staining, but remains with one batch left to go! She is enjoying having in-person singing practise with the Barbershoppers each week. They have tight restrictions, including full vaccination and singing with masks, but it seems to be going well. I have continued to work on my game project. 

Box Glue-Up

When Trav and I played a game, he automatically called, "Quatro" when he won, so I've determined to rename the game. It is officially called Quarto (fourth), but I agree Quatro (four) is a better call for a game where you have to get four players in a row to win.

Quatro Playing Pieces

Today, I've begun testing transfer methods for the lettering on the game board. Otherwise, I have continued my curling practice sessions, and I'm getting more comfortable. I begin league play on November 22nd. The markets had a troubled start to the week as investors flinched while awaiting the CPI data. Their fears were confirmed on Wednesday, but they promptly turned it around and had great gains on Thursday and Friday—go figure! As a result, I was able to recover value, and have achieved quota for the month already. Covid is surging again. World-wide and USA cases are up 8% this week, and we're up 14% here. However, many provinces are improving their results, and now only Manitoba and Saskatchewan are rated as out-of-control. The football season is coming to an end, so playoff positions are getting locked in. Riders have confirmed their home playoff game with a win over Edmonton today—yay Riders! In college football, #8-Sooners took a big loss in a tough road game at #13-Baylor—first loss of the season for Sooners. Longhorns and #10-Cowboys played unranked teams. The Cowboys won comfortably, as expected, but the Longhorns somehow found a way to give KU their second win of the season! Basketball season has begun, and my Jayhawks have been ranked #3 to start the season. They've launched with three wins—Rock Chalk! Oilers and Leafs continue to play well, while Pens continue to suffer from injury and illness. Crosby is back from Covid protocol today, so we hope to see him playing soon. Brad Gushue completed the National curling tournament last week with a big win over Mouat. This week's curling feature in the Mixed Championship. It is heartening to see the Yellowknife team playing well, and having good success—finish strong guys! They've advanced to the medal round in first place. 

Eric/A enjoyed the first snowfall of the season in Prince Albert.

Snow No Go!

Erica complained that the newly installed back gate was malfunctioning,

Eric to the Rescue!

but Eric shovelled it clear! One day—no snow, by the end of the next day—a foot of the white stuff! Erica is on a girls trip this weekend with her friends Tina and Lori to an undisclosed location. They're enjoying some Christmas shopping and farm and crafters' markets. They also took in a dinner theatre with a musical production based on 80s music. It has been fun. Eric/A are still trying to decide what to do for Christmas. They would really like to see all their boys, but don’t think that is going to happen. 

Erin and Kristian are helping Shawn celebrate his birthday with an Oreo and Candy cheesecake, as soon as he gets some time off. He also received a new Christmas Tree—don't know if Kristian will approve of it being displayed yet! Kristian is continuing his UV treatments and achieving good improvement over his eczema. Kristian had his audiologist appointment and has picked out his next hearing aids—black with green moulds. He is also looking forward to starting curling on Monday. Snow has arrived in Regina as well, but Erin got her snow tires installed, so she's feeling confident! What about other drivers who don't have snow tires installed?! 

Trav and Joanna completed their jobs early in the week, and on Thursday, they drove down to Minneapolis for the weekend. We've been hosting Minnie (dog) and Mozzie (budgie) while they're away. We're hoping they remain safe on the drive, and in relation to the raging covid situation in Minnesota. I guess we'll have to isolate for a week after they get back. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Do you remember?

I do not remember war. I have not participated in one, although I do have a recurring nightmare where I'm in a war. I would never wish war on anyone. I would not agree to participate if at all possible. I have approached the beaches of Calais on a comfortable ferry boat, and felt the hair on the back of my neck rise as I viewed the surviving gun emplacements there. How did any of our troops survive in the face of those pill boxes? I have walked around the massive gun emplacements in Denmark meant to secure the access from the North Sea against the Allies. I consider how much we have 'improved' our machines of death since then! But I do not remember war. I shudder to think, and pray we will never be called to experience such horrors. Even so, I know that many people in many parts of the world continue to experience war even today. Please God, make it stop! 

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has continued to be mild, and we've enjoyed more outside and yard work. Wendy has begun staining the deck boards for the lower deck. It's a big job, and she may have to finish it next Spring. She has also been very busy with her Sweet Adelines; they are back to practicing together under tight regulations, and she has taken on the assignment of bookkeeper. That has turned out to be a lost more time-consuming than she expected! I am doing some woodwork in the shop. I am currently building a board game, called Quarto. I have decided to try a bit of curling this winter, so I've signed up for a local recreational league. The markets have continued to thrive, and established a growth record for Biden—the best year one results ever. And Congress has finally passed an infrastructure bill, so we can expect job growth and economic development to continue. Covid-19 is also thriving as world-wide cases have increased where total carnage has now surpassed 5 million lives. We have improved 4% in Canada this week, and now only Saskatchewan is out-of-control. In the USA, there are only six states that are categorized as in-control, and yet we have decided to open the borders to land traffic in the coming week—risky! In hockey, my teams are enjoying some better success. Oilers won a spectacular game last night over the Rangers. Leafs won a totally entertaining game over the Lightning, also in overtime. College football is nearing the end of the regular season. My #4-Sooners are off this week. #11-Cowboys won their game, while the Longhorns took a lead into the half, but then coughed up another one. Lots of curling news this week. It started with the Olympic Pre-Trials that ended on Sunday with Jason Gunnlaugson, Tanner Horgan, and Jacqueline Harrison joining Krista McCarville in the Olympic Trials coming up in Saskatoon. Other good news on the curling front, Brendan Bottcher, our national championship team, beat back challenges from Mexico and Brazil to secure our spot in the World Championships. They played a double round robin against the challenging countries in the Americas zone, and emerged with four straight wins. This week the curling feature is the Grand Slam of Curling National from Calgary. My guy, Kevin Koe, has advanced to playoffs, but lost to Brad Gushue. I've enjoyed watching both men's and women's play. The Riders won their game Friday night in Edmonton, but it was not a convincing win over the basement-dwelling Elks. C'mon Riders! 

Erica writes, "Eric has been teaching an anger management class for teens. He used all his skills this Friday to keep from being mad at the Riders! His work has been busy with new counsellor to train and students to teach. On Saturday he has his association AGM. He is busy! I had a regular week of work. I’m going to connect with some friends to check out the local craft fair. (They require proof of vaccination so we are feeling okay about going). I’m also on for worship team this week. Liam is busy so he won’t be able to join me on drums. Haaken reports he is back at Costco. It is encouraging to hear they welcomed him back!"

Kristian got some good news as a cancellation allowed him to get his next hearing appointment this month rather than having to wait until the New Year. Kristian's Art and Performance group, The Deaf Crows, is running a fundraiser of Purdy's Chocolates—sounds like a win-win! 

Travis and Joanna continue to be very busy. They're getting more team shoots for Puck Shots, and the Bucket Decals keep pumping out the door.

Nice installation job!

Still he found time to install a new TV downstairs in the family room. They also bid a sad farewell to one of their rats who was suffering with numerous tumours. Trav bought a refurbished computer for work. He had bought a new one, but he had to return it since some of his software was not sufficiently upgraded to run on it! Their local handy man installed new lighting for their kitchen counters. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Scary Good!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We got encouraging news from Regina as Dad has been moved to Wascana for further physiotherapy. We've been taking things fairly easy in our first week back, but then, that's the usual for us. The weather has continued to be very nice, and I have returned to my work on the lower deck. Wendy has been clearing out the weeds, and I have the framework completed and leveled. I think that will be it for this fall, as the weather can be expected to turn with the 'gales of November remembered," as Gordon Lightfoot sang it. I have caught up on assigned blood work for my "Clot Doctor", and we've both received the annual flu vaccine. Wendy fit in a hair appointment, but I didn't get mine cut since our clippers met their demise on the most recent operation!

Old vs New

I have been searching for a good used snowblower since mine quit last winter. This week I located and purchased the replacement. It is much bigger and has metal blades on the snow-thrower, so I'd better keep my fingers out of there! The covid situation has improved somewhat as our cases dropped 15% in the last week. However, while our troubled provinces (Sask, Alta, and BC) have improved, they remain at out-of-control levels. The USA has improved another 6%, but they still have 45 states with out-of-control infection rates. The markets have remained positive, and I managed a double quota in October to leave those sad memories of September behind. In fact, I've now managed to amass a full year's quota after only ten months. Thanks Uncle Joe! I never managed to make quota the last four years; it is a nice change to have sanity in the Whitehouse. Now, if they can just get that infrastructure bill passed, we can expect good returns for the final two months as well. Houston and Atlanta are engaged in the World Series of baseball. It's tight so far, but the Braves put them at the brink with a win tonight to take a 3-1 series lead! In college football, my #4-Sooners looked much sharper this week in their win. The hapless Longhorns gave another game away in the late going, while #15-Cowboys took care of business in the evening. In hockey, the Leafs and Pens have struggled in the early going. With the Pens, it's been injury and covid issues that have kept stars out of the lineup, but with the Leafs it's been poor play. Meanwhile, the Oilers have made a nice start to the season; I hope they can keep it up! The big action of this week is the Olympic Curling pre-trials. They are adding two teams for both men and women to the Olympic Trials coming up in Saskatoon, and there has been heated action all week. Local favourite, Krista McCarville won the first spot. The other three will be decided tomorrow. Riders eked out a hard-fought victory in Montreal tonight, so they're assured of a playoff position. Yay Riders! 

Erica writes, "Liam stayed with us until Wednesday this week. He had an appointment with a specialist who reports that the medication is still not at high enough level to do what it needs to do. He will start taking his medication more frequently and hopefully that will help resolve his issues. Eric and I had a relatively quiet week.

Wonder Woman!

On Friday, I celebrated Halloween early by dressing up as my favourite superhero, Wonder Woman. It was a lot of fun and I got a prize at work. To be fair, everybody who dressed up got a prize at work. Eric went for his flu shot today and as an extra bonus he got a booster shot for his Covid vaccine!"

Erin and Kristian had a quiet week in Regina. Kristian had Spirit Week as school and dressed as a different character each day. He's enjoying school. Erin bought a Christmas Tree, but Kristian would not let her put it up since it wasn't time yet. Then a better one came on sale, so she bought it, too! Now we hope she'll take one back!! 

Joanna returned from Toronto on Tuesday evening. Travis continues to be very busy, and he's glad to have his steady worker back on task! Today, Trav was installing a new TV downstairs at their place. Rhys and Gemma keep busy with work, classes, and life downstairs here. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Home Again!

Another week has passed, and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has not been conducive to outdoor activities, but we've managed to pack up in Regina, and drive home. We arrived here about 6:30 this evening, and as always, we're glad to be home. The courses closed in Regina, but we're glad to see they're still open here, so I may get in a bit more golf before the season ends. We had a special treat early in the week as we drove over to Moose Jaw to enjoy a meal with Liam.

BP's Gluten-free Brownie!

Then, Richard managed to convince the authorities at the hospital to allow Wendy to visit Dad. She spent a few hours with him on Tuesday, and returned much encouraged by his progress in the last two weeks.

Progress!

It appears he will be transferred to convalescent care early next week, whence he will continue physiotherapy towards a goal of being able to go home. We headed east on Wednesday, driving to Carmen, where we enjoyed a visit with Kim & Glen, a tour of their new home, and a lovely meal—thanks folks! Then, we completed our transition to Winnipeg where we moved in with Tom & Mariette for three nights. As usual, we were hosted graciously and fed sumptuously—thanks a lot! This morning, we took our leave and drove uneventfully to Thunder Bay. While in Winnipeg, we were also able to visit with Mike & Peggy, and with Dean, Kelly and crew.

Addy, Dean, Cassie, Kelly

It is nice to have fully vaccinated friends so we can enjoy such visits. The markets have performing positively this month, and I've already managed to make quota for the month, so I'm trying to recover some of the losses experienced in September. The covid situation remains a concern as the unvaccinated keep it thriving, and evolving. We hear this week of another variant identified in the UK, and tentatively named Delta+. It has also been found in North America. As we learn more, we will find out how dangerous it is, and possibly even give it a name of its own. At this point we have three provinces with out-of-control covid infections: SK, AB and BC. The USA has 48 states currently out of control. Despite that, Canada/USA have announced the resumption of cross-border travel commencing on November 8th. Not too sure about that idea! In MLB, Astros have taken out Boston to advance to the World Series. They will play Atlanta, and I'm picking the Astros as the favourites to win it all. In college football, the unranked Longhorns had the week off to lick their wounds. #3-Sooners did not play a good game, but it was good enough to dispatch an overmatched opponent. #8-Cowboys put up a good fight on the road against Iowa, but it was not enough as they fell by a FG. Riders waged a third straight battle with Calgary tonight, but we still do not have an O-line. However, a big effort by the D including three interceptions gave us the win! Yay Riders! Bombers remain the class of the league, but we only have to beat them once! Go Riders! Curling this week is the Masters event. Koe qualified for the playoffs, but lost to Jacobs, so it'll be Mouat vs Jacobs in the final. On the women's side it's Jones vs Fleury. 

Erica writes, "It was another quiet week at the Bailey house. We had chats with Haaken, Liam and Greg and everyone is doing fine. Liam is heading home for a visit this weekend as he has a specialist appointment on Tuesday next week. Eric and I are heading to Saskatoon on Saturday to see the Experiencing Van Gogh exhibit. We also have appointments with a Naturopathic doctor to see if he can shed light on our aches and pains. I suspect the diagnosis will be, 'You are getting old.'"

Erin and Kristian are back to their normal activities at home, work and school. Sadie and Kristian both got fresh haircuts, so they're looking good. Kristian got his school pictures on Wednesday; we look forward to seeing that. 

Joanna has been spending time with her sister in TO, as she undergoes surgery. Travis is keeping busy with orders. His prior record for October orders was 118; this month he's at 169, and there's still a week to go! Nice to see the return of business. Rhys & Gemma welcomed us home as they have completed their move into the downstairs suite. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Blessings Received!

Another week has passed, and we remain on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We got good news on Monday and Tuesday as both Erin and Kristian got their covid test results. We delivered Thanksgiving dinner to their door on Monday, and after the negative readings, we were able to have our Thanksgiving supper together on Tuesday. A recent schedule called for us to leave on Tuesday (12th), but we've been delayed, mainly due to the hospitalization of Dad. Richard has become the point person on that situation. Dad was moved from Emerg up to the ward, but the ward had a covid outbreak, so visitors are not allowed. Richard was designated at the only one with access. Dad has undergone a lot of testing, but without definitive results, so we still don't know what happened last week. His speech has improved, but remains problematic. His physio testing reveals some progress, but he is unable to perform as he could before the incident. The current plan is that he could be released to a convalescent care home next week. Much physical and occupational therapy will be needed to prepare him to return home. In the meantime, Wendy has completed her painting at Erin's. She has also completed the curtain project here. I cleaned up my jobs over at Erin's, and hanged the curtains here.

Nice work!

Wendy has redecorated the guest room, including repairing and painting—looking good in there! The weather has been cool and damp all week, but has turned nice for the weekend, so I was able to get out to the course one more time today, but it was closed and locked—can I take a hint? The markets have gradually turned things around and are back to making records once again. I have started to buy back in, and had a great week of gains. The divisional round of playoffs have concluded, and I managed to pick two of the four winners. Now, I'm picking Astros and Dodgers to advance to the World Series. My guy, Kevin Koe, won the curling event in Swift Current last weekend. This week they're curling in Penticton, but he didn't make the playoffs. The NHL season has begun, and I'm cheering for Oilers, Pens and Leafs once again. All three opened the season with wins! The Riders have the bye this week; I hope they're using the extra time to build an O-Line! In college football, Texas was dropped to #25 after their loss to the #4-Sooners last week. This week, it was #12-OSU who had the comeback victory over the 'Horns. I predict the 'Horns will be dropped from the rankings after going 0 for Oklahoma—C'mon Longhorns! Sooners had a solid win over TCU this week. 

Erica writes, "We enjoyed a relaxing Thanksgiving. Our friend, Tanis, headed home on Sunday and we watched some movies and had a family walk on Monday. Liam headed back to Caronport Tuesday morning. We had planned to have a quick visit to Regina on Monday, but with various health issues with the family, we stayed home. It’s been a quiet week." 

Erin and Kristian were relieved to get negative results on their covid tests. Kristian was able to return to school, and Erin to work. They have hosted us all week to painting and other projects at their place. I reinstalled the baseboard upstairs. I replaced the battery in Kristian's iPhone. I installed a new shower head in the bath upstairs, then, I repaired and reset her fridge door. It was sagging badly on its bottom hinge, so I had to bore new holes and remount the hinge. On Friday night, Erin & Kristian took us out to dinner at Olive Garden—there's some comfort food! Thanks guys! 

Travis & Joanna arranged to pick up my renewal prescriptions from the pharmacy in Thunder Bay and sent them to us here in Regina. Due to our delayed return, I ran out of my pills, so I'm relieved to have my refills—thanks, guys! Their business continues to recover with the arrival of hockey season. It's encouraging. Gemma and Rhys are completing their take-over of the downstairs as Mariana vacates. We are looking forward to getting home this week, and seeing our family there. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Thankfulness!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has continued to be summer-like, and I've enjoyed a couple of more golf games. I had another one scheduled for today, but that fell victim to covid concerns. The project this week has been curtains. I have taken down the old vertical blinds from the three bedrooms, and installed horizontal rods for blackout curtains in each of the rooms. The TV room is fully installed;

TV Room Curtains

Wendy is working on trimming the other curtains to the appropriate length. Nice brushed-nickel rods, and identical patterns of curtains for all three. Looking good! We took the car down to Weyburn on Thursday to get new tires from my old friend, Kerry. We took advantage of the occasion to golf at the familiar course there. We also enjoyed a visit with Kerry and LaVonne—it was a good time! Other news of the week was not so good: On Wednesday morning, Ellis took a turn. We still are not getting any clear diagnosis from the doctors, but he became quite disoriented, lost his ability to output speech or writing, and seemed pretty out-of-touch with reality. The paramedics did the usual check-offs, and determined he should be taken to emergency, from whence he was admitted to hospital, where he remains. Phone calls reveal some improvement, but he still remains far from the effective participant he was earlier in the week. He seems to understand everything said to him, but is unable to find the words to say in reply. Then, this morning, we were informed that Kristian had been exposed to covid at school. He is in three classes with the infected student, and she was there Mon, Tues, Wed before feeling ill. He's fully vaccinated, but will isolate until Sunday, then take a covid test, and we'll play it by ear after that. Anyway, I cancelled my golf today, and our Thanksgiving meal is in limbo as we await results. Otherwise, we seem to be bending the curve a bit on the delta variant, except in Sask and Alberta where their governments were recalcitrant. US and Canada are both down over 10% this week, but the US remains at a level about three times the in-control line. The markets turned around this week as the Republicans reluctantly agreed they should pay for the items they decided to buy! What a strange system they have down there, where they can pass legislation to make certain expenditures, but then, they have to decide later whether they will pay for it! At any rate, the markets took heart and I had a good week. Maybe next week, I can begin to rebuild my portfolio. In sports, the baseball season ended with the Blue Jays one game short of the playoffs. I've picked Brewers, Dodgers, Rays and Astros to advance to the next round. Riders played the return engagement with Calgary this evening, but fared no better—sigh! Stamps kicked a FG as time ran out to win the game. In college football, my #6-Sooners were playing my #21-Longhorns, so one team had to lose. This time it was my Sooners responding to a bad first quarter with a big comeback for the win! Two curling events this weekend; I've enjoyed catching some of that action on line. 

Eric finally completed his confinement on Thursday, so he's back in circulation. Erica continues with work from home or the office, and the fence is still standing. This weekend, they enjoyed a visit from their friend from Kenora. 

Erin had a tough week. She was ill with a migraine, and only got in to work on Friday. Then, Friday night she got the news of Kristian's potential exposure to covid, so her Saturday Thanksgiving dinner with Shawn and the children was cancelled. We're still hoping things are clarified and we can have Thanksgiving dinner with them on Monday. 

Travis and Joanna have been very busy with Bucket Decal orders, and the photo sessions for hockey teams are building up as well. It's great to be busy again. 

Another Minnie-stack ready for shipping!

And that's enough for this week! 

Good Fences...

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies.

Inside the Front Fence

Back Gate-no short people!

We completed the fence and an additional gate for Eric/A on the shore of the North Saskatchewan. Erica took us for a few lovely walks in the area. After spending a week there visiting with Erica and not visiting with Eric, we have returned to Regina. The weather remains beautiful. I managed a practice session at the golf course in Prince Albert, and then Kristian and I played a twilight round on Thursday. That was not easy this time of year with the sun facing us on many shots, and the leaves hiding/disguising our golf balls! We plan to try again Sunday afternoon. Wendy is back to her painting project at Erin's condo. She is still fretting over a plan to paint the stairwell, but I'm hoping she leaves it at just the landing for now. I think she needs scaffolding to do the stair well. September lived up to its billing as the worst month for the markets, and I turned in my first red month of the year. The indices were all down for this month: TSX: -2.9%; DOW: -5.0%; S&P: -5.7%; Nasdaq: -6.3%. It's little wonder I had a hard time finding winners! I ended up selling half of my holdings. In college football, my three teams won close games. I'm thinking it should be enough to move Texas into the rankings to join OU#6, and OSU#19. The Jays lost 2 of 3 to the Yankees and lost control of their own fate. Now with one game left, they must win, and hope Boston or New York loses. Riders had a tough road game in Calgary who are better than their record shows. As time ran down, we successfully recovered the short kick three times before they finally awarded it to us! We had a final chance to win! But we gave up an interception inside their five-yard line. Sigh! 

Erica writes, "We said farewell to our migrant workers this week. They have more work in the south, but we will see them again next season. Eric continues to be in his 14-day quarantine. On Friday, he went for his required Covid test only to find out that tests were no longer allowed for asymptomatic people. He had to plead his case and, fortunately, he was allowed to be tested to meet the requirements of his quarantine. Yikes! 

Across the back alley!

Early Saturday morning, we woke to sirens and flashing lights. The house behind us was engulfed in flames. We don’t know what happened, but are praying that everyone is okay."

The aftermath!

Erin and Kristian had a bit of frustration this week due to "issues" Kristian was having at school! Discussions ensued including teachers and mom, and we hope that is all behind him now. Kristian and I got out golfing on Thursday! 

Trav and Joanna are very busy with work as the hockey season begins.

A Good Day's Work Ready for Mailing!

That is good to see. Otherwise, they are enjoying good Fall weather down there as well. Gemma and Rhys continue to manage our place. Andrew and Patricia keep busy with their work and their dog. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Fence Building

Another week has passed, and we have shifted to the shore of the North Saskatchewan River in the parkland of Saskatchewan. We're visiting with Eric and Erica, but as misfortune would have it, we're really only visiting with Erica. Eric was supposed to be away to Montana for a conference related to his counselling work. However... insanity prevailed! First off, the USA border patrol decided his trip to that conference was not valuable enough to be allowed; his entrance to the USA was refused. So, he reluctantly turned around to head home—but not so fast there young man! You're coming back from the USA, and our rules require that you access our app, and establish your safety plan when you're returning from a foreign country that has high covid levels! Wait, What?! Yes, I kid you not. Eric was found in violation of our entrance requirements for the sin of never leaving! And his penalty—14 day quarantine! So, he's sitting upstairs in his room while we visit and work with Erica. In addition, we're building a front fence across their yard. We pretty much got that built today.

Stopping to reconsider the plan!

Erica and Wendy hard at it!

The markets had another down week, and all indices are down over 1% for the month. I had a better week as Monday was my only red day, but two of my holdings stopped out. Anyway, I'm a long way from quota this month. Covid continues to rampage on the prairies and both Saskatchewan and Alberta have filled their ICUs with covid patients and are unable to use them as intended. All organ transplants have been cancelled, and some triaging is occurring due to the the shortfall of beds. USA passed a grim milestone as they've now lost more to Covid-19 than they did to the Spanish Flu 100 years ago. In the world of college football, all my teams won, although Sooners required a last second FG to accomplish it! Texas had a blow-out win, and Oklahoma State won comfortably. The Blue Jays bats had a cold week, but they're still hanging on and with a series against the Yankees remaining, it seems their fate is in their own hands—but they have to win! The Riders scored two TDs in the final 2 seconds of the game, so it was much closer than the score reflects. First, they ran a QB sneak to score, and the convert made it a one point lead. Then, on the ensuing kick-off, it seem BC was too busy worrying about all their laterals they'd need to make to run it back for a TD, and they forgot to protect the ball, so Riders scooped it up and scored again! 

You've already heard about the perils of Eric. So, while he's sidelined with his own border issues, Erica brought in some undocumented workers to build their front fence! We're making good progress! We're enjoying spending time with them, even if Eric remains quarantined. 

Still have to cut to height

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. Kristian had a PD day on Friday, and I wish I could have been there to go golfing. We enjoyed a golf outing last Sunday as part of his birthday celebrations. 

16th Birthday-He drove the cart!

Travis enjoyed a trip to the Big Apple for a AEW event.

Central Park

He particularly enjoyed getting to see Central Park, along with some other special sights. His journey home was more than a little eventful, but after sprinting the airport in Toronto, he managed to catch his connecting flight home on Friday night! His luggage will catch up to him later! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Delta 👍🏼, Markets 👎🏻

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has remained temperate until today when we sweltered in 34°! I got out golfing with Dale on Wednesday. It was quite windy, and we struggled for control even more than usual; but, we still had fun! I've really enjoyed having so many golf games this summer with Kristian, Erin, Dale, Tom and Garnet. I have completed my library chair project to the dry-fit stage, and Wendy is painting it now, then I'll do the glue-up. I've done a few projects at 55 Laird for Dad. September is living down to its historic reputation as the worst month for the markets. The surging delta variant is bringing an economic slowdown, and all markets descended into the red for the month. I have three holdings nearing their stops, so I need things to turn around starting on Monday! We need the USA to get that stimulus package passed. As noted last week, the delta variant is running rampant among the unvaccinated. Alberta and Saskatchewan are running above 350 cases/day/million, and have, finally, taken note and imposed restrictions, but that will take some weeks before we see any beneficial effects. Meanwhile, USA is running at almost 400 cases/day/million—four times the "under-control" figure, and some states are over 1000! The Blue Jays have played themselves back into a playoff position, but it'll be close, probably right down to the end of the regular season. The Riders put up a spirited effort last night and beat Toronto. It was great to see an effective running game! In college football, my #3-Sooners won. OSU-Cowboys and UT-Longhorns remain unranked after their season starts, but they won today, the 'Horns in a blowout, so that may get them some consideration. 

Eric & Erica have enjoyed exploring in Germany. They flew back to Canada on Friday. The day was considerably extended as they left in early morning and arrived in the evening in Saskatoon. They'll be some time adjusting to all those time zone changes after a month in Europe. Of course, Erica continues a longer process of healing from her most recent surgeries; that will take some time as well. 

The big feature of the week was Kristian's 16th birthday!

Happy 16th! 

Much planning, organizing and shopping was required to pull it all together. Mom and Grandma ensured that it was a good time, and the party continued today as Astrid and Liam spent the day at their condo. And, since one of his prizes was a golf date with Mom and Grandpa scheduled for tomorrow—the beat goes on! 

Travis & Joanna have cleaned out their production office, and Gemma & Rhys are planning how to make use of it for their studies. Otherwise, life continues as usual for them, and they're getting encouraged about the likelihood of a hockey season this year. Gemma and Rhys have some in-person classes, some on-line ones. Rhys could do without the on-line work! They helped via FaceTime to dismantle the irrigation system to protect it from the potential for early frost. Thanks guys! 

And that's about it for this week! 

Delta Surges!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has moderated, and we're enjoying beautiful Fall weather. We managed to make our votes in the Federal election at the local office, so that's out of the way. There is a lot of advertising and another two debates this week. Our brightest hope is that no one will get a majority, so the parties will have to cooperate. I got out for another round of golf with Dale on Friday. We went to Tor Hill, but the course was not in good shape, and I always disapprove when they've top-dressed the greens without so much as a "by your leave"! I also got some more work done on my latest project, and the schedule is now looking possible for having it completed next week. Just one tough job left on that one which is installing the chair back into slots in the rear legs. Then, it'll be down to the sanding and applying finish. The wood is rough, and Wendy is dubious about its final appearance! Wendy has continued her work on repurposing clothing and equipment that Erin has no further need for. Wendy also has plans for more painting at Erin's. Her main target is the upstairs landing, while we continue to puzzle over how to paint the 16' stairwell! She cut my hair today, so I'm trimmed up once again!

Good for what she had to work with!

The markets were very bad this week. It seems the combination of concerns over how covid's resurgence will affect the economy along with the Democrats self-sabotaging of their own stimulus bill. So, it was a down week for me, and I barely remain in the green for the month so far. To be sure, covid is running rampant over the USA, and most of western Canada. The control level is considered to be 100 cases per million per day. All USA states are above that level with the country running about 450, and Tennessee leading the way at over 1000 cases. Saskatchewan is our worst case at just over 300 cases. Alberta is almost at 300, and BC is also over 100. Canada, as a whole, is right on the control line of 100, and has been increasing so we're not doing well, either. Riders dropped the Labour Day game to the Bombers, and fared no better in the return engagement, Banjo Bowl, today. C'mon Riders! Blue Jays ran off an eight-game winning streak and are right back in the playoff race. In college football, my two Oklahoma teams won (Yay Sooners & Cowboys!), but my Texas team lost—c'mon 'Horns! 

Erica writes, "Eric and I enjoyed a week in Bonn. We did a little bit of sightseeing including a side trip to Cologne to the Cathedral and a farmers market. I’m feeling a bit better and stronger every day and Eric is trying his best to make sure I don’t overdo it. I had a follow up with Dr Busch on Tuesday and again Friday. There is still a lot of swelling, especially in my lower abdomen, but that will continue to go down. On Thursday, we did a small trip to a couple music stores. At the first store, we saw the basic strumming instruments. At the second store there was brass instruments, and ukuleles in the window. We went inside and Eric was looking at a Banjo-Mandolin and asking questions. The owner showed him a ukulele-banjo and played it. Eric bought it and has been enjoying getting better acquainted. On Friday, we checked out of our hotel in Bonn, rented a car and drove to Kassel, including a few fun side roads. After all these trips, it’s so nice to see some of the country and it’s beautiful. We have had a few chats with the boys and they are all doing fine."

Erin continues her training on "bringing up a teenager"! It is not all fun and games! Once the boy is grown up, she will be ready! Sadie had an incident Friday night. We're not certain what happened, but she was screaming in pain. Erin thought she might have rolled over onto her and squished her poor little body. We're thinking she may have had some kind of seizure or heart event. She seems okay again today, but she's getting quite old for a dog, so we may be into the tough days of pet ownership. Kristian continues to have regular UV treatments, and we're thinking that is helping. Erin scored a box of local apples this week, and we enjoyed receiving many of those, so I was busy making apple crisp—delicious! 

Amazingly good Saskatchewan apples! 

Travis, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew continue to manage well in Thunder Bay. Trav is preparing for a trip to New York for a WWE event—sigh! The Fall colours are glorious in northern Ontario as well. Gemma and Rhys got back from their Labour Day weekend trip, and are now back in class. Andrew and Patricia are putting in lots of hours in personal care. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

All Hail!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather turned violent Tuesday evening with a major thunderstorm accompanied by hail! Lots of damage as the garden was flattened, vehicles were pock-marked, and buildings were damaged. Hailstones as big as 35 mm hit the city,  and photographs showed even bigger ones at other locations in Saskatchewan.

Cukes were easier to find!

Wendy holding hailstones

Hail-Stripped Siding

Inevitably, some farmers were hit by the "big white harvester", although much of this year's harvesting had already been completed. Erin's condo and RAV4 received thousands of dollars worth of damage, and some older buildings nearby were pounded severely as the UV-brittle siding shattered under the onslaught. We are all okay, and the weather seems to have settled since the big storm, so we can enjoy the fine fall weather. I got out golfing with Dale on Wednesday and enjoyed that very much, except for getting stung by a wasp! I have completed my planned work at Erin's, while Wendy is still considering some further painting. Still, Erin found some plumbing projects this week and we replaced the showerheads both upstairs and down. The markets ran in the shadow of the USA Jobs data all week. When it was finally released Friday morning, it was a big miss. One might have guessed that it could have been bad enough to be good, but that was not the case, and we lost value on Friday. However, I was able to make quota for the week at least, so September has started off well. The pandemic is surging, and we're not immune to the suffering here. Saskatchewan is showing the worst results in Canada, while Alberta and BC are also showing out of control numbers of infections. All USA states are out of control, but eight of them are doing better than Saskatchewan, sigh! The Riders were off all week preparing for the Labour Day Classic tomorrow against Winnipeg—Go Riders, Go! The Jays are really down to the crunch in the playoff race, and are trailing Boston in the race for the final playoff spot. College Football has begun, and my three teams (Sooners, Longhorns, Cowboys) all won their games. 

We enjoyed a gathering on Thursday

Eric and Erica remain in Germany. Erica continues her recovery after surgery. They get out for short walks each day, although one day they pushed it up to 5 km—that may have been too ambitious! As far as helping with the costs of this surgery, the surgery project through First Baptist Church is now closed, but if you wanted to support Eric and Erica, you can send her an etransfer at: eulrich11@yahoo.ca

Erin suffered a migraine and was off work one day. Kristian has started back to school. He approves of his new classes and being back to in-person classes. Unfortunately, there has been a covid outbreak at his school, so we're apprehensive as we wait to see how widespread it is. All schools have now moved to having a mask requirement; we hope it was not too late! 

Travis and Joanna have cleared out their production office downstairs in our house. Gemma and Rhys are away a trip, so Travis managed our house guests this week—thanks! They report getting some business for Bucket Decals; that's a positive indication of a hockey season this year. 

And that's about enough for this week! 

Kenneth Vern Sorensen

My cousin: Ken Sorensen