News Update

Another week passes on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been beautiful all week; the lawns and fairways are available, and some golf courses have uncovered the greens. I finally manage to get out for a bit of golf practice this morning. I start the week cheering as Kevin Martin wins the world championship in curling, and I also enjoy watching the Masters of golf.

Next week, I'm starting back on the road for visits to my various schools. This batch of visits will take from now until early June. I will specifically address data analysis with the principals this trip, and hopefully only need to assist the secretaries a little in signing off the mid-year submission of data to the Ministry. In fact, two schools have already managed to complete the submission pretty much on their own, so that's encouraging. I am also rolling out a new project on asset management and accounting to half of the school Boards.

So, this week has required me to put finishing touches on my preparations for the tour. Erica has helped a great deal by bringing her accountancy training and experience to the development of a series of spreadsheets for asset management. The boys have been with us for most of the week, and then Eric and finally Erica have also joined in, so we have a house full this weekend. Tonight we celebrated Eric's birthday with the whole family here, so that was a special treat.

Wendy's thoughts are turning to yard development now that the weather has turned nice. We are hoping to plant some cedars in the back yard, and also seed the lawn back there. I've got a new variety of grass seed, and I'm looking forward to watching how that turns out. I've pretty well finished up the drywalling downstairs, and Wendy is considering what should come next—probably the bathroom on the main floor!

Kristian has had a couple of sick days this week, but seems to be doing better now. We are glad that his eyes seem to be doing fine now. Erin continues with work, and is also looking at how she can complete her coursework at Confederation College.

Travis is basically finished University until the fall. He's looking forward to his summer work. Sylvia had a musical presentation this evening with a choir she sings in.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week passes on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has not been encouraging—we start the week with a layer of white rain, enjoy warm weather for a few days, and get another layer of white rain on Friday. So, we're waiting for the lawns and fairways to clear once again!

The week of work goes fairly smoothly, although there are the almost-expected hiccups with OnSIS as our schools are trying to complete another round of reporting. I complete my year end report and get that sent out for signatures. I send out the first aspect of another project I'm working on for management of what the Ministry calls Tangible Capital Assets.

I've been trying to follow the world curling championships taking place in nearby North Dakota, but coverage has not been good. I've followed a few games on-line on my laptop, and now the playoff games this weekend have been on TV. Kevin Martin is representing us well, and after finishing the regular round in first place has now moved on to the gold medal final, against Scotland, to be played tomorrow. I've also been tracking the Master's golf tournament this weekend. And with the baseball season starting, and hockey beginning the Stanley Cup playoffs, there's just been too much to keep track of it all!

Otherwise, we're back in Ballroom Dancing classes until May 12th—hopefully that'll be enough to get my ankle in good shape. And we're making a series of trips to the dentist for cleanings and fillings—expensive cleanings and fillings!

Wendy keeps busy with work around the house and taking care of Kristian. Erin continues with work, and is entertaining the idea of buying a house for herself.

We enjoy having Trav & Sylvia over for supper on Friday. Travis is now completed this semester of classes and heading into his summer's work. Sylvia is having quite a busy time at work as this month features the changeover from the fiscal year end at the University.

We look forward to Eric/A and the boys spending some time here next week.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another beautiful week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior. The warm weather has chased the snow away and we are seeing the grass on our lawns, and more importantly—our fairways!

It's been a busy week of work for me as the first of April marks the end of the government fiscal year, so I have lots of reports to complete. I also had a principals' meeting on Wednesday, but mostly I just pounded away on the computer. We are also into another round of reporting to the Ministry of Education from all of our schools. I am challenging our secretaries to do this one on their own, but already five have sent plaintive cries for assistance! When I've needed a break, I've retreated to the closet renovations downstairs. That is now completed, drywalled, and I'm beginning the work on the mudding.

As mentioned, the weather has been beautiful and temperatures climbing into the teens have made thoughts turn to golf. Of course it will be some weeks before the fairways dry up, but it's encouraging to see the grass! I have assembled my motorized bag carrier, and look forward to trying it out. I'll probably take it for a walk one of these days just to see what it's like.

Wendy has kept busy with various activities from her small business interests like PartyLite Candles to her babysitting of Kristian, and extra babysitting for another of her friends.

Erin keeps busy at work, but, to our (and her) chagrin, has not kept pace with her schooling. She is really glad of the return of baseball; we enjoyed a few games this week.

Today marks the beginning of the men's world championships in curling, so I'll be following our representative and my favourite, Kevin Martin and his team. Tonight they beat Denmark in their first game of the tournament. It's being held in Grand Forks, North Dakota (not far from our border), so I suspect he may have as many fans in attendance as the American team!

We enjoyed a couple of visits with Travis & Sylvia. Trav is completing this semester of studies in the next week, so he's busy with that, and looking forward to summer work.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior. With Easter behind us (the earliest Easter until 2160 someone has informed me!), we look forward to golf season. The weather is definitely turning, our snow is rapidly sinking away, and the lawn is appearing. However, driving by the golf course today revealed that it will still be some weeks before the course is ready!

We start the week with Eric/A and the boys here for Easter weekend, so that was a good time. We held over the family dinner until Monday. Then it was back to work for the rest of the week. I had a trip to Toronto on Thursday evening for a MISA Leaders workshop on Friday. We were informed that the program will continue in some form, as funding has been set aside, but we won't get the details until May. Anyway, this is some relief as we don't think our small schools are ready to proceed on their own. It may also represent further employment for me, but now we'll have to wait until we see the details to see how much funding is available.

I am enjoying the Women's World Curling championships from Vernon, BC this week. Canada has progressed to the final that will be played tomorrow afternoon.

Wednesday features another visit to my oncologist. He notes that my PSA is slightly better—8.10 instead of 8.15, and that he feels this is still caused by a chronic infection. He says that with the DRE everything feels fine—I beg to differ! He schedules me for another round of testing in August before a September appointment.

Kristian had a period of flu-like symptoms, but now he is back to his usual rambunctious self, so that's nice to see. He is off to daycare three days a week and seems to enjoy and participate in that very well. Erin is doing well at work, but is not making good progress in the final classes, and needs to get moving on those.

Travis is completing another semester of classes soon. We enjoyed supper out with them this evening.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

The week starts in Winnipeg as I complete my enjoyment of the Brier. Thank you, Mike & Peggy for putting up with me, and getting my days off on a stick-to-your-ribs footing with porridge each morning! I picked up Wendy at the bus early Sunday morning—she has enjoyed a cold trip down from Regina! It seems the driver who took over at Virden couldn't manage the heater controls.

The final game of the Brier gets underway in the late afternoon. It is a lack-lustre affair as the ice is unpredictable so the teams play conservatively. Eventually Kevin Martin (my pre-tournament favourite) prevails and is the new Canadian champion; he will carry our colours to the world championship to be played this year in North Dakota.

We enjoy another evening and morning in Winnipeg, before heading for Kenora on Monday. There we celebrate Erica's birthday, and then carry on to Thunder Bay on Tuesday. Erin and Kristian are doing well. Kristian seems to be doing much better with both his eye and ear infections seemingly under control.

I return to work with all day meetings (never a pleasant experience) on Wednesday and Thursday, and then the four-day weekend begins. Travis & Sylvia come over for supper on Thursday.

Eric/A and the boys arrive Thursday evening, so we have all our grandkids here for a few days. Erica is off with some friends on a shopping trip to Duluth for Friday and Saturday. Sylvia is also along on that trip.

Throughout the week, we enjoy regular Skype calls with friends far and near. And that's about it for this week.

News Update

The week starts on the shore of the Wascana as we celebrate Wendy's birthday. We enjoy fellowshipping with the group at Glen Elm in Regina on Sunday morning, and take it easy for the day.

On Monday, Wendy is off to Watrous for a weeklong retreat, while I continue to enjoy Regina and tech upgrades until Wednesday when I head off to Winnipeg. Thank you, Ellis, Rich & Sue for your hospitality. We get a batch of distressing news on Tuesday, as we find out Roger Peterson has passed on; and then later we find out that Aunt Carole's diagnosis has been confirmed as cancerous. Please remember these families in your prayers. The drive to Winnipeg goes fine, and I settle in at Mike & Peggy's--Thank you, Talitha for your room!

My Brier experience begins in earnest on Thursday. The tickets are great--I am four rows up near the home end. I enjoy great curling, and I am able to collect a full set of autographs from the players and coaches. The tickets include free use of the transit system, so that saves a lot of bother with traffic and particularly with parking downtown in Winnipeg! My long-time hero Kevin Martin is here representing Alberta, although he has a fairly new team these last two years. Of course, my sentimental favourite is Pat Simmons of Saskatchewan and they are also doing very well. I get to watch all the teams today as they play through three draws to determine playoff rankings. Alberta and Saskatchewan are on top of the heap. Another full day of draws on Friday narrow it down to three teams who will play the weekend. A last rock 'pick' (the rock caught on debris and went astray) costs Sask the victory over Alberta, so Martin is on the way to Sunday's final, and Simmons has to play Glenn Howard of Ontario in the semi-final.

The semi-final is Saturday afternoon, Simmons versus Howard, and it's another good game. Simmons comes back well from the shocking loss last night, and pushes Howard to an extra end, but we fall short by one. Too bad, but he was certainly the crowd favourite. Now we wait until tomorrow evening to see the final between Martin and Howard (both guys have two first names!).

Erin reports that Kristian is getting better, but has been doing a lot of sleeping this week. I've also had a few chats with Trav on line. Wendy attends the Roger Peterson funeral in Weyburn and is headed to Winnipeg via Greyhound over night. I'm expecting her at 5:30 tomorrow morning.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed while we are on the road, and far away from the shore of Lake Superior. We enjoy Sunday morning with the congregation on Highway 36 south of Abilene. Southalls are hosting us; Shepherd, Ruhtt and family join us, and we enjoy Jonathan Straker—the preacher there. His sister Jacquie is also there, so we are pleased to get some news of that family. After church, Shepherd & Ruhtt treat us to a fine meal at a steak house in Abilene, and then we head north up highway 83 toward Canada. We run into snow in northern Texas, but persist for the short trip across Oklahoma before finally giving up for the night in Garden City, Kansas.

On Monday morning we carry on northward in fine driving conditions for most of the day. We run into snow again south of Minot, but drive through it across the border and finally stop for the night at Weyburn. We complete the drive up to Regina on Tuesday morning.

We spend the remainder of the week with the all Wendy's brothers gathering in Regina, enjoying time with them and continuing preparations for the big birthday celebration this afternoon. It is Ellis' 83rd birthday—Happy Birthday!

We have enjoyed getting into using video Skype on my new laptop. Shepherd & Ruhtt are set up and be chat with them for hours back in Abilene. Erin also joins in from Thunder Bay, so we get to see Kristian as well. Verner joins in from Dallas—this Skype stuff is pretty good!

Kristian comes down with an ear infection, so he's on antibiotics for that. He is also continuing treatments for the bacterial infection in his eyes—poor little guy. Erin is working to manage this with grandma close by—good job, Erin! She also needs to catch up on her studies, so she's probably (hopefully) in for busy times.

I have been able to chat (typing on line) with Travis a few times, and hope he'll get onto Skype soon.

Anyway, that's about it for this week!

News Update

We start off the week in Dallas, and enjoy worship at Richardson East with Viggo and Nancy. Then in the afternoon, I go to the driving range with Viggo, Jonathan and Luke. All drives produce pain in my ankle, but I am encouraged by how things go, so I am encouraged about the prospect of some golf games. Monday has beautiful weather (28 degrees) and I enjoy a golf game with Viggo, Jonathan and Jennifer. It goes pretty well as I manage a 49-45-94 with not so much pain in my ankle. I am encouraged to keep working on the rehabilitation of my ankle, and I'm sure losing another thirty pounds will help as well. In the evening, we enjoy supper out with Viggo & Nancy at a lakeshore restaurant.

On Tuesday evening, we are out again to eat, this time at a fancy restaurant, to celebrate Verner's 65th birthday. After the supper, we complete our move over to Verner and Linda's place to enjoy the next few days there. This includes eating out at Babe's on Wednesday evening with a large crew including Luke and Jason. Then, when we return to Verner's we also get to meet Hillary (Luke's wife), that's the first time we've been able to meet her.

On Thursday morning, I go golfing with Luke and Verner. It's cool at the start and we both have difficulty shooting well, but we improve on the back nine. I play 50-41-91—a great improvement and the back nine is very good indeed. Then after lunch, we head off for Abilene. It's a windy drive, but we get there at 5pm. We are delighted to catch up with Ruhtt & Shepherd and their family whom we got to know while in Zambia. We are spending the remainder of our time in Texas with them.

Friday morning, we drive south of Abilene to visit with Bill & Gayla. It's great to meet Bill and to catch up with Gayla, whom we haven't seen for some years. Bill is a writer; we are pleased to get an autographed copy of his book on some of the history of Texas law. On Friday evening, we are invited out to the Southalls. They are friends of ours from Zambia. We met them in Zambia and were privileged to work with them in some projects there. We enjoy a wonderful Mexican meal with them, and also catch up with our nephew-cousin—long-lost-relative, Jonathan Straker and his wife who are now working with the Highway 36 church where Southalls also work. (I have now decided Jonathan is a first cousin, once removed, of Wendy.)

On Saturday, we visit the Abilene Zoo in the morning, and then attend a soccer game in the afternoon to cheer on Miguel and Nathaniel—it is not enough! In the evening, Ruhtt & Shepherd have arranged for a Zambia meal and have invited many people who have connections to the work in Zambia. It is good to meet some new people and catch up with many others. It is encouraging to hear of how things are going in Northwestern Province, up at Mumena where we investigated the situation and recommended the opportunity.

We hear only a little from back home on how Erin, Kristian, Travis & Sylvia are doing. So, that's about it for this week.

News Update

Monday is Family Day in Ontario, so we enjoy having Eric/A and the boys staying over. Sylvia and Trav have us all over for Finnish pancake breakfast so that is great, and Rauni is also there, so a complete Family occasion! Then Eric/A and the boys head back to Kenora and we complete our packing for departure southward on Tuesday morning.

When we get to the border, we pick up my new MacBook that is waiting for us there. I can hardly wait to get my hands on it! We continue on down to Minneapolis, to the Mall of America where there is an Apple store, so I use their wifi signal to get going on my laptop, check email, etc. I also get to drool over some of the other goodies they have on display. Wendy goes shopping at Legoland; we enjoy supper at Bubba Gumps, and then we get a motel for the night.

It's a cold morning on Wednesday, but we get mobile and drive through the day down to Lawrence, KS, where we catch up with our friend, Marti, and camp out with her and her mother. They are both suffering with illness, but gradually getting better. We enjoy the break there for Thursday, and then on Friday continue on to Stillwater, OK to catch up with more friends from Zambia days, Jack & Joann. It is great to reminisce, plan and dream over Zambia and our interests there.

On Saturday, we carry on to Dallas where two of my brothers live with their families. We move in at Viggo & Nancy's for the start of our time there. We look forward to time spent with them over most of next week.

News Update

A cold week comes to an end here on the shore of Lake Superior. It struggled to make single digits below zero each day, although this weekend, we're back into melting on the streets.

It has been a busy week of work as I have redone the budget to accommodate an additional $40,000 money bomb from the Ministry of Education. But that is completed now, and various others are now delegated to spend the bonus money, so I am able to head off on holidays next week.

We have planned a month-long trip down to Texas and back through Saskatchewan. We are looking forward to spending time with our families and with our dear friends from Zambia who are enrolled in University at Abilene. Finally, I look forward to enjoying the Brier—our national men's curling championship in Winnipeg. I received tickets to the event as a Christmas present! What generous children I have!

Kristian continues with his eye treatments. Medical reports are positive, but we still remain concerned. He started his first trial at the university day care, and seemed to enjoy it a great deal. The only unpleasant part was when Erin arrived to take him home!

Wendy has been busy, cleaning the house so we can leave?! and finishing up the financial year end for the church, as she does the books there.

It's a long weekend here in Ontario, so we're enjoying having Eric/A and the boys with us. And that's about it for this week.

News Update

A fine week of weather helps us enjoy another week on the shore of Lake Superior. Other areas were not so fortunate, as tornadoes ravaged our American friends, and blizzards closed down Toronto.

I am back on Noroxin, an antibiotic that my oncologist hopes will improve the health of my prostate and allow the efficacy of PSA tests. Thus on Friday, I also returned to the lab for more blood work. We'll see how that turns out! My ankle is improving apace, and my fracture physician allowed as how it was looking good when I checked in with him this week—not even an excuse slip to get me out of dance class!

It's been a busy week of work, as we enjoy our annual conference on Wednesday through Friday. I have workshops on two of the days. The workshops go well, and I am also glad to get a new MacBook as my payback! Another workshop I have organized does not go so well as my presenter can't get out of Toronto due to the blizzard, and there is quite a scramble to set up computer connections so she can provide the workshop remotely. In the end, that workshop is also called a success thanks to dedicated people going the extra mile and the technological wizardry of some of my friends here in the NSRA.

Wendy keeps busy with home and Kristian. Erin has good news as she will be fully funded for the university day care through my tax dollars! (It's nice to notice the benefit on occasion!) This also provides considerable relief as we look toward our anticipated month-long trip scheduled to begin on the 19th.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week passes on the shore of Lake Superior. We started with warm weather and showers; we ended with warm weather and flurries, but there was a spot of cold weather in the middle. Fortunately, we missed out on two storm systems that went by and hammered eastern Canada.

I drove up to Nakina on Tuesday to work with the school and board there. That finished, I drove back on Wednesday afternoon. The remainder of the week, I've been working on preparations for our annual conference next week as I'm teaching four sessions.

The cold spell left the streets and roads icy and our driveway was a sheet of ice. Then we got a little snow and getting around was difficult with the ice underneath. Thankfully, that has melted away this weekend.

Wendy has picked up a little extra babysitting, but that goes all right. Her scrabble games are going great guns! I've got back to doing a bit of the taping and mudding on the renovations downstairs when my ankle allows it. Actually, the healing is going pretty well, and ibuprofen takes care of the rest!

Erin has continued with her regular schedule at work, so it's pretty much same ol', same ol'!

That's about it for this week.

News Update

The week started off frigidly cold here on the shore of Lake Superior, but we're back near freezing with above zero and rain in the forecast.

I've had quite a week. I started off on Sunday, trying to take Kristian skating, but he was both sore from his ankle injury and tired, so I went on my own. That went okay, but I found my reconstructed ankle wasn't quite the same size and shape that my skate remembered so I had to quit after about fifteen minutes. On Monday evening, as I trotted from the parking lot to dance class, I hit a bad patch, turned my suspect ankle and went down in a heap. My ankle puffed up like it had a tennis ball attached and we spent the dance class in emergency! The x-rays were inconclusive, but the doctor feels the injury in limited to ligament damage and put me back in an air-cast. I'll get another check with my bone doctor later when the swelling dissipates.

Tuesday through Thursday saw me travelling to Armstrong (one of my schools) where I hobbled around and did report card training. The drywalling is on the back burner for a bit until I'm able to put more weight on my left foot.

Kristian finally got into see the eye specialist on Wednesday. It was none too soon; he has a serious bacterial eye infection. It has already resulted in some ulceration of the cornea, but not within the visual range. He's on antibiotics and steroids and really enjoys the cleansing operations with a warm potato twice a day as well as the drops and other medications. Poor little guy! Erin got new glasses this week, so it was a spectacular week for that part of the family!

Wendy continues with her usual babysitting and work around home. She is also enjoy playing Scrabble on line in the Scrabulous application of Facebook.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Our week comes to a frigid end here on the shore of Lake Superior. Temperatures have plummeted to -30 this weekend, and we're not enjoying it one bit!

I start off the week with office support and training in Adobe Connect. That didn't go so well, as the lady operating the meeting had the misfortune of having Vista on her laptop, and it doesn't want to play nice with Adobe Connect. Finally, I had to let her run the meeting from my laptop, while I tried to participate from hers! On Wednesday and Thursday I visited two of my schools, providing further training in Maplewood (our student management system) and in Adobe Connect. I also spent more time drywalling in the basement. I'm ready to start with tape and mud in that room.

We introduced Kristian to skates this week, and he's crazy about them! He clunks around in them all over the house! I got him a skating helmet, and he wants to wear that all day long as well. We hope to take him skating tomorrow, but he seems to have twisted his ankle jumping off the coffee table, so he's currently listed as day-to-day, a doubtful starter!

Wendy and Erin have kept busy with their respective work. And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another weeks rolls by on the shore of Lake Superior. It started out with rain, and the streets cleaned off nicely, but now we've received more snow and the slushy driving conditions have returned.

On Monday, Wendy, Kristian and I drove down to the border to get my Christmas gift—a motorized golf bag carrier. Now, I can't wait for golf season to try it out. I enjoy walking, but carrying the bag—especially picking it up and putting it down—causes pain in my right shoulder. Then in the evening we enjoyed Wendy's Christmas present—our first ballroom dance lesson. That went better than I expected—we were introduced to Foxtrot, Tango and Cha Cha. Lessons are supposed to continue for nine weeks, but we plan to skip the final two as we head south for a vacation trip.

A return visit to my oncologist on Tuesday provided the uncomfortable confirmation that my PSA is still elevated. Dr. Prowse still feels this is caused by chronic infection of the prostate, so he has prescribed another course of antibiotics to be followed by another PSA test, and of course, more DRE's.

Work continued through the week, and some progress was made. The next three weeks I will be back on the road for visits to a few schools.

Wendy has been busy all week with extra babysitting. Two days she took over our friends' daycare and had about a dozen kids to deal with, so she was tired! She has also been helping me with renovations downstairs. This week we picked up the drywall and plywood and I have begun drywalling the new closets—I hate drywalling closets, so much fiddling around. The progress is slow.

Friday evening we enjoyed a special Italian restaurant outing with Travis & Sylvia, Erin & Kristian, so that was a treat.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Well, here we are, almost a week into the new year on the shore of Lake Superior.

It's been quite a week with Eric, Erica and the boys here. A number of us have been ill, mostly with the famous 'flu-like symptoms' that imply we're spending too much time on the porcelain throne, and often cannot decide whether to sit or kneel! Eric was diagnosed with some kind of infection, so he's on antibiotics, but the rest of the laid-up crew seem to be otherwise attacked! Anyway, all seem to be on the mend, and the crew headed back to Kenora today. Once again, we are feeling well-blessed and thankful for their visit and other gifts they brought with them. I am now anticipating going to the Brier in Winnipeg in March. Thanks for the tickets!

The weather has continued mild, so we're back into melting once again. Kristian and friends are back to enjoying the trampoline in the back yard. I've had a bit of work this week, but the schools reopen Monday, so that will be official time for back to work. We try not to schedule too much travel during the winter, but I am planning three trips this month. I have some training and reporting to do.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We have enjoyed Christmas week here on the shore of Lake Superior. It has been mostly quiet, and spent around home. The weather has been nice with a little fresh snow, and temperatures remaining below zero. Unfortunately, with the amount of salt they apply to the streets and highways down here, that leaves us driving in continuous slush as we watch our metallic vehicles melt away before our eyes!

Wendy roasted a couple of turkeys on Christmas Eve (collectively the congregation cooked up about a dozen of them!), and on Christmas day we prepared a full turkey dinner for about 180 people at the Shelter House. I was not feeling well on Christmas and even poorer on Boxing Day when we had our special meal with Trav & Sylvia and her mother. Anyway, the meal was nice and the occasion even nicer—to share time with loved ones. Gifts were exchanged and we all turned out rather well blessed.

It has been delightful to share this Christmas with Kristian as he's really into this present-opening business. On Thursday, Wendy and I took him across the line to pick up a spring horse courtesy of on-line shopping—gotta take advantage of the loonie being stronger than the greenback! Now Eric, Erica and the boys have arrived from Kenora so we look forward to a good week with them.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has rolled through here on the sloppy shore of Lake Superior. The weather has turned mild with rain, and the snow is sinking. I shovelled the remaining slush off the deck so we have access to the barbecue and the hot tub.

Work is over until the New Year, as we had a closing luncheon at work on Friday. Unfortunately, I still have a bit of work to complete as one school still is not signed off for OnSIS, and that is due by December 31st. I will have to spend a bit of time on that next week. Erin is also on holidays until next Thursday. Eric, Erica and the boys plan to have Christmas in Kenora and then come down here for New Year's.

I went out on Friday for a bit of curling—just practice, as they have open ice each day at lunch time. It's been about six years since I curled, and with my rebuilt leg, I didn't know how it would go. It wasn't fully comfortable, but it was all right and I'm encouraged to try it some more. Wendy has us scheduled to try skating over the break as well. We'll see how that goes.

Wendy has continued with Christmas baking and shopping. Being a holder of both X and Y chromosomes, I feel no great need to go shopping until Monday!! Meanwhile, I surely am enjoying the baking.

And that's about it for this week.

Global Warming

It's nearly Christmas here in northern Ontario, but it's above freezing, rain is falling and there are puddles in my driveway. What is wrong with this picture? It must be global warming! Hey, everybody's having their say, and even winning Nobel prizes for their trouble! So, here's what I think—kinda matches with the title of the blog!

That global warming is happening seems to me irrefutable. I find the remarks of the naysayers about as absurd as the promoters. I think that the open questions are concerning the role that people are playing in causing global warming, and conversely, what benefit could be obtained by changing our behaviours. Most of us have been immersed in plenty of evidence that our little green planet is warming up. Videos of stranded polar bears, crumbling ice shelves, and wild fires are juxtaposed against graphs of climbing temperatures. In our own experiences (always a bad source of data) we note wild or at least unusual weather and are given to understand that global warming is the culprit.

At the crux of the matter, it seems to me, is the complexity of our planetary systems against our ability to know and understand them. When I experience a downpour while out golfing (despite the promises of the weather forecaster), I must admit that I am fairly skeptical that we understand the forces at play on our planet very well at all. If they cannot read and interpret the forces at play this morning well enough to protect my round of golf this afternoon, what would make me think they can understand the forces at play over the millennia well enough to predict the next fifty years!? Never mind the even greater knowledge and understanding needed to determine the relative importance of various causes and the expected benefit of particular changes in human behaviour.

I emphasize the benefit and value of considering more comprehensively the costs of my activity and endeavouring to tread more lightly on the earth. I have not been convinced that human activity is the sole source of the global warming we're experiencing; nor am I convinced of the efficacy of human activity in stopping it! I do not worry that there is an economic cost to making environmentally sensitive changes. We have long (always) been able to find economic incentives to get the jobs done that we determine need to be done. This won't change just because it's greener work! There's money to be made here as well!

News Update

Wowsers! Another week is gone already here on the shore of Lake Superior. That was fast!

Work this week has been from the home office, but a fair bit has been accomplished with one notable exception up in Red Lake! That part of the job has actually grown over recent days as the Ministry has served up another complication. However, we made good progress in Nakina and Mine Centre, so Red Lake and a new situation in Collins have become my biggest outstanding challenges for this month. And that's the deadline; all this batch of reporting is due at the end of December. On Friday, we had the office Christmas party.

Things have continued well here at home. Butter tarts are plentiful in the freezer—just the way I like them! The weather has been cooperative with comfortable temperatures and little in the way of precipitation. Kristian has added another dimension to his night-time game. Now, after putting his mother to bed, and playing upstairs for a while, he has decided he needs to come to bed with grandma and grandpa! So, we're trying to nip that in the bud!

Otherwise, that's about it for this week.