News Update

Kristian enjoyed time with the relatives in BC!

Another week has passed and we have journeyed from the banks of the Fraser, to the shore of Lake Okanagan, to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We enjoyed visiting with many relatives at Bordie's birthday party which extended into Monday, then we headed east. We stopped for supper with Lyndon and Janelle in Enderby, and then returned to our favourite Okanagan digs with John—thanks John! We spent Monday and Tuesday nights there, and enjoyed a visit with Warren and Evelyn who came out Tuesday evening. Then, we packed up once again and headed to Calgary where we enjoyed a night in the outpost cabin at Gary and Barb's—thanks! Finally, we drove back to Regina on Thursday, where we are once again ensconced with Erin and Kristian—thanks again! This weekend has featured the provincial championships in fastball, and our old home town, Earl Grey, is hosting this year. We drove out Friday and again today to watch them. They have advanced to the medal round which is set for tomorrow, so we'll be hoping and cheering for them to continue to win. The markets have had a dreary week, and I didn't manage to even break even—sigh! The Jays have now sold off three players, and more are on the block before the trade deadline at the end of the month. The Riders hosted the first place Stampeders tonight, and fell behind 24-0 early before staging a spirited comeback to make a game of it at least. They lost by 8. 

Eric and Erica enjoyed having the family together this week as Haaken was home from Victoria. Progress continues on the renovations, and plans are in place to complete another bedroom upstairs. 

Erin has continued her painting, and is making good progress on Kristian's room. We have also reviewed the plans for a drop-leaf on two sides of her kitchen island. That may proceed next week! In the meantime, we're eating tomatoes and trying stay ahead of her productive garden. The cucumber vines continue to suffer with powdery mildew, and we continue to treat it, but without much success! 

Kristian learning to drive

Travis and Joanna installed a projection TV in their room. Gemma has returned from Europe, so the whole family is together again—yay! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bordie!

Another week has passed and we have been travelling—same ol', same ol'! The Canadian team lost out in the playoffs, so we headed back to Regina a bit earlier than expected on Sunday. Australia ended up winning the World Junior Men's Softball Championship with a win over Japan. New Zealand took the bronze. We spent Monday in Regina, and then headed west on Tuesday, arriving in the Okanagan at John's place on Wednesday. We enjoyed several days on the shore of Lake Okanagan, where Scott, Margaret and Tori have been holding down the fort for the last three weeks. We enjoyed our time there very much. Wendy got some lake-time, Kristian enjoyed boating and a trip to a game farm with some very special game! 

Thanks for the boat ride, Scott!

Kristian and a Joey

John hosted us to some great relaxation, and a Rider win! Yay! The Blue Jays are enjoying a good series against Baltimore, but then, most teams are enjoying games with Baltimore this season! The markets enjoyed two good days at the start of the week as Trump returned much-weakened after the meeting with Putin, but then the Republicans decided they wouldn't stand up to him, and he gained courage to launch more trade threats against China, so the markets took a three-day dumper, and I lost my early gains—sigh! This morning, we drove over from Lake Country to North Bend to celebrate Uncle Bordie's 90th birthday. It was a good trip across. We saw the areas currently suffering forest fires near Kelowna. There was a lovely gathering in the community hall with much talk, laughter, eating and singing! 

Erica continues her recovery from her most recent surgery. Both she and Eric are back to work, while Liam continues the home improvement program. Haaken is expected home soon. They have also taken charge of the house-sitting assignment that we began. 

Kristian is travelling with us. Erin is continuing with her regular work and also trying to complete the second coat of paint on Kristian's room while we're away. Her garden continues to produce, but the peas seem to be reaching the end of their season. The cucumbers have fallen victim to a powdery mildew fungus, so we hope her treatment regime helps out there. Alicia has the same malady over at 55 Laird on her yellow zucchini, and is trying the same remedy. 

Trav is holding down things in Thunder Bay while Joanna and Andrew are visiting in southern Ontario. Andrew is recovering well from his toe surgery. Gemma continues her travels in Europe. 

Gemma makes a friend!

Trav has had to make a change to his icon for Bucket Decals as another firm thought his 'bucket' looked too much like Gretzky's old Jofa helmet! True, but sad all the same! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we remain on the shore of the South Saskatchewan at the northern end of the prairies. The weather has been fine with some very hot days, but cooling off nicely in the evenings. We open up the house, and it's generally been pretty comfortable for the boys, while we retreat to the air-conditioned comfort of our house-sitting arrangement! Project work is going well. Wendy and Kristian have done a lot of demolition upstairs, while Liam and I have been installing ceiling tiles on the main floor. Eric and Erica arrived home on Friday, so Eric and I completed the window areas of both the living room and the dining room today. I think it turned out well. 

Dining Room

Living Room

We've been attending the World Softball Championships all week for Junior Men. It's been very good and entertaining ball. Our guys won their pool to join three other teams in the medal round, but they did not fare so well there, losing to Australia and New Zealand to finish fourth. Japan is also still alive for the final day tomorrow. 

At the ball games!

Otherwise, we've been taking care of lawns and garden at the house-sitting, and enjoying our time in Prince Albert. The markets continue to be volatile with two up days and three down days this week, however, I did manage to make quota for a change! The Riders had a bye week, while the Jays continue to play and shop their better players, sigh! 

Eric and Erica started the week in Germany where Erica was convalescing after her most recent surgery. She got a final check from her doctor, new prescriptions for compression sleeves, and did a lot of sleeping! They flew back to Canada on Thursday, and then drove out from Saskatoon on Friday. Erica is feeling pretty good today. Haaken will be home soon for his summer break, and has made his determination to return to school in the Fall. 

Erin has made great progress painting Kristian's room. She showed it to us today via FaceTime. We'll get pictures for next week! Her garden is producing lots of tomatoes, lettuce and peas, along with a few cucumbers. The cucumber vines seem to have picked up a leaf fungus, and we don't know whether anything can be done about it. I've suffered with that in my garden back in Thunder Bay, also. Kristian has been doing great work here with us. He likes using the hammer to knock off the plaster and lath. He's also pretty good with the gooseneck taking structures apart!

Travis and Joanna are taking care of things back home, and it's a good thing! They discovered that something had been leaking in the main floor bathroom. They got the water turned off to the vanity faucet and sopped up the water, so that's good. We'll have to check out the extent of the damage when we get home. Thanks guys for being on the watch! 

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed, and we're on the shore of the South Saskatchewan River on the northern end of the prairies. After our weekend reunion at Weyburn, we cleaned up as much as we could on our Regina projects, and drove up to Saskatoon on Tuesday morning to meet Eric/A for breakfast and wish them well on their way to Germany. Then, we filled up with groceries at Costco and headed over to Prince Albert. Liam is hosting us here, and we're working on the living room ceiling as well as some demolition upstairs. Kristian is along with us, so he's been working on the projects as well.  

Kristian Demolition!

Living Room Ceiling

It's quite hot here, so we're relieved that Eric/A set us up for house-sitting in an air-conditioned place. The markets have continued to be rocky with Trump continuing his trade-war rhetoric and even extending more tariffs this week. I did manage to make a small gain, but well short of my quota for the week. The Junior Men's World Softball Championships are on here. They began today. I took in some games this morning, and Wendy joined me for the US/Canada game tonight. We won that one handily 10-3. The Riders won their game this week; that was a relief! The Jays continue to play, but are now considering selling off some of their players while rebuilding. On Wednesday, we celebrated our 48th Anniversary. Here's another picture from our wedding day. Wendy is wearing a cute "going away" outfit.

Eric and Erica flew to Germany on Tuesday. Erica had surgery #3 for lipedema—this time they focused on her arms. Liam is hosting us here in PA. He did some painting in the dining room. We're working mainly on the Living Room ceiling. We're applying decorative tiles, and installing pot lights. 

Kristian is along with us, so Erin has begun a painting project in his room. She's hoping to have that completed before he gets back. Her garden is producing lettuce and cucumbers. There are a lot of tomatoes forming, but they're not ripe yet.

Erin: cutting in the grey paint.

Trav & Joanna are taking care of things back in Thunder Bay. We hear it's living up to its name with big thunder storms, and plenty of heat! The lawns must be growing wildly—sorry about that! Gemma is getting ready for her trip to Europe to visit cousins and explore the area. 

And that's about it for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of the Souris River in the middle of the prairies. It's been another busy, but memorable week. I got out for two golf games, one with Dale, and the other with Kristian. My game continues to show progress on the path toward consistency. The weather has been nice, with a few showers and thunderstorms to break the hot days. My supplies have all arrived, and I have completed the drip irrigation projects for 55 Laird, and for Erin. There's still a bit of clean up to do on each, but they're functioning well. The markets continued to be troubled, and the DOW remains in the red for the year. The TSX is barely into the green, so I've also struggled. Thus, half the year is gone, and I am well behind my targets. I will keep trying! This weekend featured the 50th reunion of our graduating class. Five of the 21 have already passed on, and another six were unable to make it this weekend, so there were only ten of us, but it was a good and memorable time. Including updates from those who didn't make it, we enjoyed seeing or hearing from these longtime friends. The Blue Jays are playing a bit better, but are so far out of it, it's hard to be enthusiastic. The Riders played Montreal tonight, but fell short in a close game.

Grads of 1968

On Wednesday Erica drove to Caronport to load up Liam’s boxes and stuff to move back home. It took both vehicles. And just when they thought everything was fitting in—Liam pointed to his bike. So, they repacked both vehicles and headed to Regina for that night. Erica fit in a couple of meetings and then they headed home—now to catch up on rest! They are starting to make renovation lists—starting with the stuff that was supposed be completed last year. This will be a long term project. But that’s okay because it gives us an excuse to visit! Eric and Erica head to Germany on Tuesday for surgery number three. They were very encouraged this week by a God-incidence. They didn’t have all the funds yet in place to pay for the next surgery, and had been praying about it. Then one night they got an email announcing some unexpected funds! They were reminded of how blessed they are and that God provides: sometimes through people, and sometimes through random emails in the middle of the night. Not much news from Haaken this week as he continues at school.

Kristian completed his grade six this week. He seemed pleased with the announced teacher for grade 7. He has been puttering away, helping his grandmother organize his room to get it ready for painting and flooring, but there's lot of work to do there. On Friday, he went golfing with me, and managed three pars in a row during one stretch. He's swinging in a much more controlled fashion. Erin found more material, representing another project for me in her kitchen. We'll see how long before I get to that!

This week, Trav, Joanna and family celebrated Gemma’s graduation from high school. She won several awards including a full tuition scholarship to Lakehead University's Life Sciences (Medical Focus) Honours Bachelor Undergrad Program. She’s been offered this because she achieved an average of 95% or higher. She also has graduated with honours and was selected as the recipient of a generous cash award for academic excellence. She was also acknowledged for the level of French she achieved. She is one of 9 students in the school who achieved her nationally recognized bilingual status (DELF B1).

Gemma! A great kid! A wonderful woman!
Proud parents and grandparents!

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been favourable, and I got out for a golf game with Dale on Thursday. That went pretty well, at least for the front nine, then, my hook reappeared, and I was scrambling the rest of the way. I scored +15, which is not what I'm looking for, but 3 strokes better than Steinbach last week. I'll have to practice more! We started the week in Caronport for Liam's graduation exercises. He did us proud, achieving a high honours award for his average marks above 90%, as well as the Male Fine Arts award, and the Male Citizenship award. It was great! I've been working most of the week on drip-irrigation projects. I've completed two zones at 55 Laird, and am working on a third. I am also doing one zone for Erin. It's all coming together well, but there remains some installation and fine-tuning to complete. Wendy is busy preparing for our fiftieth school reunion. She spent two days at the provincial archives perusing photos of the era. Now, I need to get them organized into the slide show. On Thursday, she went back to her finger doctor, who froze and broke free another finger joint. It's a very painful process, but with T3's, she is managing. The markets remain troubled over Trump's trade wars. The DOW remains red for the year, and the TSX is only up 1.5%. We're almost half done the year, so it's been a hard way to make a living! I managed quota this week, but remain far behind our needs for our pension so far. I shall have to work smarter! I continue to follow the Blue Jays, and they continue to play not very good ball. The Riders played in Ottawa this week, but didn't play well on either side of the ball, so they took a good drubbing. C'mon man! 

The Graduate!

The Baileys hosted Sheena at their sweat lodge this week. It was only as she was leaving on Friday, that they remembered they had another AC unit they could have installed in her room! Erica had a meeting in Saskatoon, so Sheena travelled along, and then she drove her to Fort Qu'appelle for a visit with the Muirheads and Koops. Eric endured his colonoscopy and got the results. Things look relatively normal—which is good, but doesn't explain why he's experiencing so much pain. Liam is completing classes; he's done on Wednesday. Haaken is back at school for a few more weeks. 

Kristian is running out the string of this school year. He seems to have special tours or events most days. Among other things he had Track & Field, and a swimming pool day this week. Erin also had a special evening as her work place took a number of them out for a celebratory supper in recognition of their hard and successful work. Congratulations Erin. She's also been working on the development of her garden to fit in with her new drip-irrigation system. Today, Erin and Kristian joined me at the golf course for some practice time. That was fun. 

Travis & Joanna are managing back home. They celebrated Joanna's birthday on Monday. It's also the time of year end activities for Gemma and Andrew. This is Gemma's graduation year; she's already been accepted into university. Andrew has another year of high school. Time flies! 

And that's about enough for this week! 

Happy Fathers Day

Another week has passed, and we have journeyed westward from the shore of Lake Superior. We spent a couple of nights in Winnipeg—thanks Tom and Mariette! Then, we continued on to Regina where we're staying for the next little while—thanks Erin and Kristian! The trip went well, and we're adjusting to the two-hour time difference. I enjoyed a golf game with Tom on Tuesday. I shot 90; I am quite encouraged with the state of my game. I'm looking forward to scoring in the 80's soon. Erin had ordered flooring to replace the carpets in hers and Kristian's bedrooms. We borrowed Bern's truck to pick that up yesterday. Erin's freezer had recently quit, so Wendy took up that issue with Costco, and they agreed to replace it. So, we took back the old freezer and picked up the new one while we had the truck yesterday. So, it was a lot of lifting and moving for the old feller yesterday! I broke my 7-iron on Tuesday, so I took that in to Golftown, but after a day of consideration, they decided they couldn't fix it, so I went back in today, and convinced them they could fix it! Trump carried on with more lunacy this week, picking on his friends, and befriending his enemies. This caused a bad week in the markets, although Friday let me recover a bit. The Blue Jays continue to play mediocre baseball, so they're a long way out of the playoff race already and it's just June! The Riders opened the season last night against the defending champs from Toronto and scored an impressive win. Yay! Today, we drove over to Caronport for Liam's Graduation—the event that brought us west at this time. It was a grand affair! 

Liam's Grad

Eric and Erica are marking the graduation of their baby boy! This weekend the family has collected at Caronport for the two-day extravaganza graduation celebration. Way to go Liam! Haaken and Grandma Bailey flew in from Victoria. We drove up from Thunder Bay. It should be quite a weekend. Eric had a specialist appointment on Friday. They suspect he has Diverticulosis/Diverticulitis. This means dietary changes for someone who is already super picky, but it's better than some of the alternatives! We wish him well, and better! 

Erin and Kristian are busy hosting us now. They also travelled to Caronport for Liam's graduation. Erin was glad to see Costco replace her deep freeze, and surprised to see her dad carry the old one out and the new one in! Kristian was the hired man to load and unload the 25 packages of flooring material for their bedrooms. Grandpa got tired, so we haven't moved them upstairs yet!

Loading the Flooring

Travis and Joanna are enjoying the summer weather in Thunder Bay. As we were golfing Sunday afternoon, they issued a distress call. Their outside hose bib had sprung a leak and was making a mess in their basement. We found it had frozen and broken during the winter, but only leaked when they turn it on to water the grass. I told them just to let the grass die! Then, we took off the broken part, bought a new one, and installed that, so they're back in the lawn development business! They saw us off on Monday, and are now in charge of the house and lawns back there! Thanks guys! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been great, and I've managed to get out for a couple of golf practices. Wendy has been very busy again. She completed weeding and arrangements of 50 years of photos. Then, she turned her focus to Gemma's grad dress, and got the tailoring of that item completed just yesterday. I completed my latest renovations in the garage, and have begun assembling a few tools to take along next week. I took a harvest of the rhubarb patch, and got it cut up and into the freezer so we can enjoy it later. The markets were up this week, and I was relieved to manage to make quota for a change! We had our provincial election on Thursday. With the new electronic ballots, they were able to announce the winner about 15 minutes after the polls closed. However, we were not satisfied with the results! The NHL season ended on Thursday as well, and I was delighted with that result—well done Washington Capitals! Riders dropped their second preseason game to Calgary; now it's on to the regular season opener against Toronto. Go Riders, Go! I'm still waiting for one shipment of supplies for the irrigation project. It's supposed to be delivered to Regina, but I haven't been having success getting straight answers from the supplier, so we wait to see!

Liam is off on a camping trip to Waterton this weekend with his dorm mate—should be a great bonding time as they move on to the next stage of their lives. Haaken is enjoying college and reports that he is doing very well—getting good grades. Eric is still suffering with abdominal pain. Friday he stayed home sick as the pain was just too much. They are awaiting an appointment for a colonoscopy, and hope it comes soon, and they get some answers. Erica is getting to the end of her busy season. It's now less than a month before Eric/A return to Germany for the next surgery.

Erin and Kristian had a more routine week. Kristian had another eye appointment on Monday; the doctor was not pleased, as it seems Kristian is having a minor flare up. At this point, they're treating it with cleaning each day, and hoping to avoid going back on erythromycin. They rode their bikes to the park today, but it was so busy, they came back home and went for a walk to the store.

Trav & Joanna got a new deck to the back of their house.  It is very nice; we got to help them initiate it with a barbecue supper Thursday evening—good food, good company! Otherwise they keep up with work, and Wendy tries to help with Gemma's grad preparation by tailoring her dress. They bought new blinds for the dining and living areas. Trav and I got them installed on Friday evening. Today, they invited us along for a trip down to Grand Marais for a meal at a quaint taco shop. We enjoyed the outing and the supper.

Trav & Joanna's new back deck!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fine, with a few nice showers to water the lawns, and, hopefully, get our forests out of their extreme fire hazard. It's turned cool this weekend, so I'm not thinking we'll get out for our regular Sunday afternoon golf game. This week, Wendy has spent many hours working through 50 years of photos! There are many! I've done a bit more in the shop. Currently, I'm working to upgrade the ceiling finish. The markets received extra trouble from Trump this week, as he's decided to offend his allies with tariffs on steel and aluminum. Then, the conference with NKorea is back on, and all told, investors don't know what to think. Canada, Mexico and the EU responded with referral of Trump's actions to the World Trade Organization, and also announced counter-measures against US products. Now, we'll have to wait to see whether anyone down there can talk some sense into his head. In any case, I closed off May, well below quota. It really was a May to stay away! The Stanley Cup playoffs have completed three games, and the Caps have a 2-1 lead. Football has begun again, with preseason games already underway. Riders dropped their opener in Edmonton—Go Riders, Go! The irrigation project for Regina is all planned, revised, and planned again! I'm still waiting on the shipments of equipment; one has been delayed, so that will be a problem! 

Baileys rejoiced in the arrival of some much-needed rain this week. They installed the air conditioner upstairs, but didn't really need it. Eric had a follow-up appointment with his doctor—the initial tests point to the need for more tests, including a colonoscopy—oh, yay! So, we'll be waiting to see what those tests say. Liam is preparing for Grad this weekend; Grad is only two weeks away. They've been asked to submit some baby photos, but can't imagine which box those are in! Haaken continues to enjoy school. Next month Eric & Erica return to Germany for the next surgery. Please pray for them as they prepare and go through that. 

Erin and Kristian have had a good week except for a couple of incidents. Kristian missed the bus one morning, and had to walk to school. Actually he ran, and he made it on time! He had his final band concert and did well. He's decided to continue with band next year, and badminton, but not track and field. This weekend he has his friend Omarion staying over. Omarion's grandma has arrived from Jamaica, so his folks have gone to Winnipeg to visit with her, and Omarion decided he'd rather stay in Regina. They're having fun playing video games! Erin's deep freeze has failed. Her efforts to keep it odour-free have failed! Now, she just wants it moved outside! Sadie does not enjoy thunderstorms, and they've been having thunderstorms! 

Kristian and his buddy, Omarion!

Travis, Joanna and crew haven't been over much this week. Trav stops in once in awhile to get another print order underway. Joanna has stopped over a couple of times for a visit. Gemma and Andrew are playing out the string on the school year. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been great, and we've been enjoying it. We started the week with another golf game. We put in some practice at the range before that, and Wendy's game showed the benefits. I've also managed some more practice sessions during the week, so I hope my game improves as well! Having great weather for the long weekend was a special surprise! Wendy has been working on a sewing project most of the week. It's a big job! On Tuesday, we took advantage of the city's offer of compost and hauled two loads to improve the front lawn. I've been watering that in all week, and we've had a couple of nice showers this weekend to help. It's been very dry, so the forests of the northwest Ontario will benefit as well. I've been working in the shop as well; I've completed the router insert for the table saw, and yesterday, I built the fence with dust collection for it. It's working great! The markets were very troubled this week as Trumpty Dumpty suffered falls on both the China and the North Korean files—so much winning, sigh! As a result, I lost money this week. World Hockey Championships ended on Sunday with Sweden taking gold over Switzerland, and the USA winning bronze over Canada. In the Stanley Cup playoffs, we're into the final round. The Caps won their round over Tampa Bay, but the Jets fell to the upstart Vegas Golden Knights. I will be cheering for the Caps in the final which starts on Monday. I've also been developing a plan for an irrigation project for Bern & Alicia in Regina. I have ordered a batch of line and materials, and I am looking forward to installing it next month. I've also expanded my cooking experience with a Keto-friendly rhubarb crisp. It's pretty good, but I want to make some improvements to the topping. 

First Rhubarb Crisp this Year—Yummy!

The Bailey's enjoyed the reluctant good guy (Han Solo) in his origin story tonight! Earlier today, Eric and Erica went for a motorcycle ride. It’s the first time on a bike since her surgeries and she could feel the difference—her knees don’t stick out quite as far! Erica's work in La Ronge was only two days this week. May is a busy month as they have a lot of March year ends, so she's also worked a lot of evenings and weekends, but thinks this will be her last weekend of work for a while. Eric is feeling better. He has been trying to cut out sugar and that may have helped. He has an appointment next week with the doctor. Liam was home last weekend for the long weekend. They got two coats of paint on the dining room, but then he headed back to school. Not much news from Haaken, but he appears to be enjoying school.

Erin and Kristian enjoyed the holiday long weekend, and have had a good week. Today, they were at an art festival. There were able to walk there from Shawn's house. Altogether with stops at various parks, her phone said they walked 11.6km today! They're having a thunderstorm tonight, so Sadie is a bit upset over all the noise! 

Trav, Joanna and crew joined us for biking on Monday, and then stopped in for barbecued burgers. It was great, and Wendy's new burger recipe was a definite hit. She had also made Keto-friendly cheesecake and that scored as well. Travis continues to work out of the office here several days a week even during this low volume part of the business year. Joanna keeps up with her work. Andrew is also back to work. Gemma is recovering from her exhausting exam schedule, and planning her summer activities of work and travel. 

And that's about it for this week. 

May Long!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, and I've been enjoying working on the lawns, garden, yard and in the shop. Development has continued on the workshop, and I'm pleased with how it's going. Wendy has been progressing with applying the finish coat of paint on the kitchenette, as well as doing some paint repairs in the family room and one of the downstairs bedrooms. It's looking good! We started the week with a golf outing, as that is what Wendy wanted to do on Mother's Day. That went well, and we had fun. Perhaps we'll get out again in honour of May Long, as the Victoria Day weekend is known here. It was cool and rainy this morning, so we've been relaxing close to home, today. US markets declined this week as investors live in fear of Trump's frenetic trade and tariff talk, in fact the DOW is negative for the year so far. Fortunately, the TSX made some gains, and I was able to achieve quota. Stanley Cup playoffs continue in the semi-finals, but my two picks did not have a good week, and both the Caps and the Jets now sit on the brink of elimination! C'mon Caps! Let's go Jets! Elsewhere, Canada completed the round-robin and entered the medal round. They won their first game, but lost today to Switzerland, so they'll be playing the US for the Bronze medal tomorrow. Sweden will take on the Swiss in the Gold medal game. 

Erica spent a few more days working up in La Ronge while Eric spent a few days not working! He has had some stomach pain and was coaxed by friends to visit the doctor. He has had some tests and now we wait to find out the results. Liam is home this weekend for the Victoria Day long weekend. He is also playing drums on Sunday and is pushing to gets some painting done. We will see if he is successful. Haaken enjoyed a Queen tribute band in Victoria and continues to do well in school. He reports that his grades are “mostly A”s. We hope this translates into employment opportunities at the end of his course.

Liam was successful!

Erin and Kristian had a normal week for a change, although Kristian had the day off on Friday! They've enjoyed the spring weather, and have been out cycling to take advantage of it.

Spring Biking!

Travis and Joanna have had a good week. Gemma is celebrating the completion of her IB exams—we're sure she did well! Joanna celebrated the nicer weather by retrieving her bike from our garage and riding it home. The whole crew were over on Sunday to mark Mother's Day. Thanks!

And that's about it for this week. 

Mothers Day

Our mothers—no longer with us—always with us!

 

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been satisfactory; we even had a few light showers, and we managed to be out doing yard work and other outdoor activities including golf! Wendy and I both managed some golf practice. Wendy took in a musical, Anything Goes, featuring local children; she was impressed with the performance and enjoyed it a great deal. Otherwise, Wendy has worked steadily on the painting in the kitchenette and it's coming along well. Soon, she'll have it ready for the tile flooring and then, the installation of the cupboards. I have been pushing forward in the shop development. This week I got the mitre-saw table and fence installed. The lawns are progressing nicely; both got cut this week, and I sharpened the mower blade. The markets seem to be moving forward again after a few months of decline, but I suffered sharp losses in one stock, so that took the bloom off my rose this week! The second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has been completed. There are now four teams left, and I managed to pick three of them this round. Now that Boston has been eliminated, I like all the teams remaining. I will be cheering for Washington and Winnipeg to make it to the final round. World Hockey Championships continue; Canada took an unexpected loss to Finland today, but they should have enough wins to move on to the medal round at least.

The Bailey's continued with work and school. Erica was working at LaRonge this week. So, another week for Eric to ride the bike! Liam is finishing up his final semester of high school, and Haaken is into another semester of college in Victoria.

LaRonge: Life is tough!

Erin and Kristian had a difficult week. Well, mainly, Sadie had a difficult week. She was very ill, but after a visit to the vet, and a couple of prescriptions, she seems to be on the mend. Kristian has started taking the bus, in preparation for next year when he won't have the before and after school program to attend. Also, Erin's deep freezer seems to have called it quits; it's only around five years old, so that's pretty disappointing. She also lost some food that thawed unexpectedly due to the freezer failure.

Travis, Joanna and crew are in a transition with their work as the hockey season ends. Trav has picked up some extra work driving to deliver products in town. Gemma has started writing her IB exams—she has 15 to complete! Andrew is back at work outside of school hours; he's taking on lots of responsibility and bearing it well. We enjoyed tea over there yesterday evening.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, the trees are budding, and rhubarb and peonies are springing out of the soil, and my nemesis, the ground hog, is back and burrowing under the garage! Argh! The golf courses are open, and the greens seem to be in surprisingly good shape already. I haven't played, only practised—it's free! Wendy has continued with the preparation and painting downstairs. It's all primed now. I've been working in the garage/workshop. It's developing nicely; next in line out there is a mitre-saw station. We've also been able to get the bike wheels rolling once again. I got further blood work done this week; I should get a report on that next week. The markets have remained troubled, as investors are living in fear of Trump tariffs. However, they took the weak US jobs report on Friday as "bad news is good news" item, so I at least ended the week in the green, but short of my quota. The NHL playoffs continue in round 2 and my four teams are doing well. It will be a relief if Tampa knocks off Boston—if ever a team deserved to lose, it's Boston. What a disgusting exhibition—they've besmirched their name! The curling season ended last Sunday with Brad Gushue winning on the men's side, and Rachel Homan winning the women's championship. The World Hockey Championship has begun; we lost our first game to the US in a shoot-out. Go Canada, Go!

Erica was working up in La Ronge this week which gave Eric an opportunity to ride his motorcycle all week. The repairs on the shed door last fall made it really easy to get in and out of the shed. It has become the mini garage. Liam was home at the beginning of the week as it was his end of semester break. He spent his time making gluten-free cookies. Today Erica is off to Warman to speak at the Lymphedema Association’s Annual General Meeting on Lipedema. Haaken continues to enjoy school out in Victoria.

Lipedema Warrior Princess!

Kristian had a big day today to cap off a good week. He was selected from among youth bowlers to be in the opening ceremony for the Canadian Bowling Championships. He carried the placard for PEI. He also had a good week at school much to the relief of Erin, and the grandparents!

Yay Kristian!

Travis and Joanna have spent the week in Florida. They returned to Toronto today, and we expect them back here tomorrow evening. Gemma and Andrew have done a great job of taking care of things around home under the supervision of Wendy.

T & J enjoying the view!

And that's about enough for this week.

DVTs Updated!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and we've enjoyed being out and about. I've even managed a trip to the golf course for a short practice session. Wendy has been doing yard work, while I've been working on developments in the garage where I'm building a bench/project area. She has begun the painting program in the kitchenette as well. On Wednesday, I had my followup with the doctor concerning my deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The vascular surgeon reported that the blood work showed a positive result for antiphospholipid antibody. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that provokes clots. She needs to do another batch of blood testing to confirm this, so I'm scheduled for bloodwork on Tuesday. I have to be off my blood thinner for three days before the test as the Xarelto could make the test ambiguous. Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome gives rise to blood clotting like I'm experiencing, and increases risk of heart attack or stroke, thus the current regime of Xarelto (blood thinner) is being extended indefinitely, and can be expected to remain in place for the rest of my life. The ultrasound disclosed almost continuous clotting throughout the leg from calf to thigh, but showed a narrow passage of venous flow was being accommodated. She noted that further clearance of these clots was not likely, and that interventions to clear them surgically was contraindicated since the disease would likely interpret the intervention as further damage and produce clots to "protect" me! There is the possibility of laser treatment, and she is willing to refer me to examine whether I'm a candidate for such treatment, however, she did not indicate optimism for the benefit of laser treatment. Finally, she allowed that I might try to blame my daughter for not forcing me to the doctor earlier, since the extensive damage we're seeing was likely caused by the delayed treatment from the initial episode. However, she noted, I should instead thank her as she probably saved my life through her persistence in getting me to the doctor eventually! So, thanks, Erin! The markets have continued to be volatile. This week the new issue was the ballooning US deficits under the double whammy of Trump's tax cuts and budget. So, when USbonds had to increase above 3% to attract attention, the stock markets took a kicking, sigh! So, I felt blessed to make quota for a third week in a row. If only the month had started this well, I'd be in good shape. The first round of NHL playoffs has been completed. I lost one team as the Leafs couldn't overcome Boston. In the second round, I have Lightning, Penguins, Jets and Golden Knights! Curling this week features the final events of the season. The Champions Cup is in Calgary for all winners on tour this year. My favourite, Koe, has advanced to the playoffs, so I'm still paying attention! At the World level, the Mixed Doubles Championship was held in Sweden. Switzerland won the gold over Russia; we beat Korea for the bronze. In the Senior World Championships, we had a clean sweep (pun intended!) with wins over US (women) and Sweden (men).

After dropping off Haaken at the airport for his flight back to Victoria and college, the Baileys drove down to Caronport to see Liam perform with RU(Refined Undignified). One of the other guys has left the group, so Liam's role was expanded. His dancing is very expressive. Haaken's next term runs to the middle of July. Erica worked part of the week up in LaRonge; Eric held down the fort at home. Eric found out that his firm had won the prestigious Samuel McLeod business award for service to the public. Congratulations! Today, for Eric's birthday, Liam surprised him with a visit. He arrived in Saskatoon in time to catch them in a bookstore—quelle surprise! A bunch of friends, and the Bailey relatives gathered for a celebratory supper—nice. It was a fun day!

2017 Service Award!

Kristian was a big winner this season in bowling as well. He raised his average by 61 points—that probably won't happen again! Unfortunately, it seems he's decided to stop his school work to focus on his pro bowling career—big mistake, buddy! Get back to the books!

Super season in bowling!

Travis and Joanna had a busy week getting as much work as possible completed before their trip to Florida. They left on Friday with her dad and step-mom. It's a working holiday, as her dad needs the care, so they're helping with that. Wendy is helping take care of the home situation while they're away, so she's spending some time over there for the next while. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Home Again!

Another week has passed, and we have returned to our home on the shore of Lake Superior far from the middle of the prairies. We drove into Winnipeg Sunday afternoon and spent the night with Dean, Kelly, Cassie and Tommy! Thanks guys! Talking with Dean, we were able to firm up our plans for a winter trip to Mexico, so we will continue to work on that possibility. We were alarmed by reports of a Sunday snowstorm in Thunder Bay, but relieved to drive home on Monday in good driving conditions to find a blanket of um, rain, on our driveway. As you may know, all precipitation between April 1 and October 31st is, by definition, rain. It was troubling to have to shovel the rain off our driveway! However, it does seem to have turned out to be freakish storm as the weather has quickly turned to springlike, and we've enjoyed getting out for walks and even a bike ride today. The local golf courses are expected to open next week; I'm looking forward to getting in some practice time. I had another doctor's appointment this week. He revealed that my PSA is a bit lower this time, and that the MRI revealed no anomalies in my prostate, so that's good news. Kitchenette renovations are now in the hands of the painter. I am moving over to further development of the garage/workshop. I've planned a workbench, mitre saw station, and out-table for the table saw. I picked up some materials for that today. Wendy is developing plans for the kitchen renovation, but she'll also have to assemble some cash to pay for that! This week she's been catching up on laundry and book-keeping. She has assembled and fired off our income tax materials—I'm glad that's done, and that I'm not the one doing it! Today, she took advantage of the good weather to clean the car inside and out—big job! The markets continued to be volatile, so I felt blessed with a second straight week on quota—that hasn't been happening often enough lately. Stanley Cup playoffs are the biggest sporting news these days. Leafs are not looking good after a home loss to Boston, but they took a courageous road win tonight, so they're still alive. Jets have already won their series and are on to round 2. Pens are still looking good despite a home loss last night. In curling, the Players Championship ended with Koe winning over Edin on the men's side. Sinclair continued the good results for the USA as she defeated Jones to win the women's side; I think that's the first slam win for an American team. 

The Baileys enjoyed another week with Haaken before his flight back to school in Victoria. Otherwise, it was a delightfully quiet week in PA. Liam is completing his current trimester of grade 12 next week. Erica has continued to heal and recover from her latest surgery; she did score a fresh hairstyling as part of that process. In my completely unbiased opinion, she's looking good! And even more importantly she's feeling much better. As the week ended, Eric hosted a conference, in Saskatoon, for the Saskatchewan Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. 

Kristian had his final day of bowling today, and once again, bested his average. Next week is the bowling banquet and awards. Then, he will be ready for golf season! Erin and Kristian are also out cycling today, enjoying the improved weather. Golf courses should be opening there soon also. 

Travis and Joanna lamented the snow storm that buried their plans to present us a pristine driveway  and lawn on our return. Ah, well, we have it now! Several neighbours were out raking lawns today, but I avoided that. Trav got a lot of orders for HumboldtStrong stickerz, but now the Gofundme campaign is over, so, I guess, that ends that program. Gemma and Andrew are heading into the homestretch of the school year. Time flies! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

On the Road Again!

Another week has passed and we have begun the trip back to the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been improving all week—we're enjoying that. Today, we drove as far as Brandon, and are enjoying a visit with Bonnie and Charlie. We're a bit late on our schedule as Wendy and Dad were frantically working to complete the cedar chest so we could take it with us to Travis. They completed it on Thursday, and it is beautiful! 

A thing of beauty...

The markets were in turmoil again this week as the kakistocracy continues its topsy turvy world south of the border. The DOW has now lost 10% of value since January, so it's officially in "correction"! It doesn't look like a "correction" in my portfolio—sigh! However, I had a good week for a change, so we continue to look forward with hope. The NHL has moved into the Stanley Cup playoffs. I have picked the winners in each series, but some teams are not cooperating! Edin beat Gushue to win the world curling championship. This week, it's a grand slam event in Toronto, and most of the usual suspects have advanced to the playoffs. Niklas Edin has advanced to the final once again; he will play my guy, Kevin Koe, in the final tomorrow. Jennifer Jones will play Jamie Sinclair  of the USA in the women's final.

The Baileys have had a busy week—Haaken was home so they enjoyed that. He even cooked dinner for the family a couple of times; that was nice as well. He has a two-week break before going back for his next semester. They have also experienced a couple of great coincidences—someone is looking out for them! They tried to buy tickets on Sunday for Erica's next surgery in July, however the prices had increased substantially on flights to Bonn. When they tried to purchase the alternative tickets to London with accompanying trains or bus to Bonn, their card wouldn’t work. They tried during the day and evening—still no luck. Then on Tuesday evening they checked out flights all the way to Bonn again, and the prices had dropped! And their card was now working—amazing! Then, the provincial budget came out this week and they were pleased to note that the car they bought last weekend was conveniently purchased before PST was reinstated on used cars—another blessing! Liam is back at school this week and it sounds like it continues to go well for him.

Kristian reintroduced me to fractions, mixed numbers and least common denominator this week. We "enjoyed" a couple of sessions of that before he was demonstrating proficiency. We took in one final session of bowling this morning. He bettered his average once again. I think he has only a couple of weeks of bowling left this season. Erin enjoyed grandparent sitting one final time before we headed out and got out to a meal and movie with Shawn. Kristian and I enjoyed golfing on a couple of golf simulators.

...with his new clubs

Travis will be anguishing over his Penguins in the NHL playoffs for so long as they survive. The rest of the family will put up with this obsession! Joanna usually cheers for the Jets; I'm not sure if she realizes they're a top contender this year! Anyhow, we're looking forward to our reunion with them. We expect to complete our drive home on Monday.

And that's about it for this week. 

April Showers!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The calendar has turned to April, but the showers have been white so far! We're promised some improvement in the weather next week. We're completing our run in Saskatchewan, trying to finish a few things, and preparing for our trip home in the coming week. We moved over to Dad's on Sunday; we'll spend the remainder of this prairie sojourn with him. Bern and Alicia are away in Guatemala with a crew from their school. We've had a special visitor this week as Travis flew out for a visit. It was good to have him with us until Thursday evening. He even got to meet a lot of friends and relatives who gathered for high tea on Thursday afternoon! The markets have continued to be horrible, no good and bad as Trump has continued to abuse them with his silly pronouncements. This week, he targeted Mexico, China, NAFTA and China again! In between, he retracted some of the attacks, so investors, who hate the chaos, withdrew money from the markets and all indices lost value. I lost value along with them, sigh! China announced retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday, so Trump noted that he wasn't really proposing tariffs at all, it was only a negotiating position. So, we had a big relief rally on Thursday, but then, Trump came back to triple the tariffs and Friday was deep red on all indices. Weak US jobs numbers on Friday didn't help either. Now, we're waiting to hear of the response from China. Wendy and Travis worked with grandpa in the shop this week. Grandpa is building a beautiful cedar chest as a keepsake for Trav. 

In the shop, building a cedar chest!

In the sporting world the NCAA Basketball ended with Villanova claiming the prize. The main feature for me this week has been the World Curling Championships held in Las Vegas. Brad Gushue advanced to the playoff round and defeated the US this morning, and then defeated Scotland in the semi-final, this evening. He will take on Niklas Edin of Sweden in the Gold medal game tomorrow. I'm also sparing some attention for the first big event of the golf season which is the Masters Tournament. Lots of drama as usual around that event. Baseball is in the early weeks, while NHL hockey's long grind comes to an end. Next week, they will launch the second season as playoffs get underway. I am cheering for, and expecting, good runs from the Jets, Pens and Leafs. Sadly, we are also facing tragedy in the hockey world—the Humboldt Broncos were involved in an accident on the way to a hockey game. To this point, 15 have lost their lives so the impact is large and terrible. 

Erica was up in LaRonge all week enjoying the cold weather and the hot auditing! They got the update that their CR-V has indeed been written off, so they intensified their search for a replacement, and, today, purchased a 2014 Toyota Venza. Liam was home this week, and Haaken arrived on Friday evening. They brought Haaken with them to Regina, so we're glad to catch up with him as well. Liam is suffering with a cold, so he stayed behind in Prince Albert.

Baileys' 2014 Venza

Erin was mostly on her own this week as Kristian spent most of the week with us over at Great Grandpa's. Wendy prepared meals here as well, so Erin joined us for those. Kristian missed bowling practice on Monday, and was too late for warmups this morning. He's thinking this may have been the cause of his lower scores this week, and truly, he did beat his average in the third game! He has a bowling tournament tomorrow. We'll be interested to see how that turns out. 

Travis flew out to Regina, and we enjoyed spending most of the week with him. Joanna piled up the work for his return! He got back to that on Friday. He is still waiting for the recall on his car to be accomplished—Hyundai are replacing the engine for him. I'm hearing there may be a bit of repair  work, waiting for my return, on Joanna's car, as winter driving has taken a toll. We look forward to returning to be with our family there. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Madness Draws to an End

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather was very nice at the start of the week, and some of the snow disappeared, then it turn cold and windy, so March seems to be leaving like a lion! March Madness was not just a basketball tournament, as Trump continued to bloviate against his momentary targets, and investors bore the pain. All the North American indices ended in the red for the month with American indices down about 3%. Except for the Nasdaq, all North American indices are in the red for the year at the end of the first quarter. So, it's hard to make money! However, I had another good month, and am within reach of quota to this point. Wendy was gone most of the week, so Erin and I enjoyed executing several new keto menu items. The Turnip au Gratin was a taste sensation, and the Shepherd's Pie a la Turnip was enjoyed as well. The baseball season has opened, and the Jays recorded their first win today. Okay, Blue Jays, Let's Play Ball! The Jayhawks, on the other hand, ended their impressive run in basketball under a rain of three's from Villanova. Great season, Hawks! NHL is down to the last handful of games in the regular season, and still we find the Stanley Cup dance card is just half filled so far. The World Men's curling championship has opened in Las Vegas. Brad Gushue will represent us well. He opened with a win and a loss on day 1. Jennifer Jones finished off her run with the Women's World championship last Sunday. 

Erica and Wendy returned from Germany this week. Erica was seeing good progress in her healing and stamina, but the long flights back took her back a few steps. She's continued to progress with the help of MLD therapy and rest at Grandpa's house. She's almost feeling normal. In the meantime, she's starting to look at the next trip in July. With it being a busier travel period, she will need to book soon. Eric drove down to Regina on Wednesday, and though he tried his hardest to avoid a set of deer, they were insistent and ran into the CRV. So they're waiting to hear from SGI whether the CRV will be fixed or written off. In the mean time they're looking at potential replacements in case they need to do that. Liam is on a tour this weekend with Caronport High School. He will be performing in Caronport Sunday night. We plan to take in this performance, along with Eric/A. They will bring him back to Regina as he is on Easter break next week. Haaken has continued to enjoy school. He has a break coming up and will be coming home for a visit. They are looking forward to that.

We've had another good week with Erin and Kristian. One recent highlight for Kristian has been helping teach Sunday School with Auntie Alicia. He continues to do well in bowling as he beat his average again today. We had another outing to an indoor range on Wednesday. That was fun.

Trav and Joanna are enjoying having the family together again this week. Of course, the travails with the extended family do not end so easily, but it's good to be home. They continue with their Puck Shots work, now over 100 teams this season. Not bad for starting out by taking pictures of his own hockey team! School progress continues for Gemma and Andrew. With the arrival of April, we're starting to see the light of our reunion with the Thunder Bay branch of the family also.

And that's about enough for this week. 

The Madness Continues!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. Wendy and Erica left Sunday morning for Bonn, Germany where Erica had her second surgery for Lipedema on Thursday. Erica was released from the hospital today, and will spend a few more days convalescing in the BnB before flying home next Wednesday. In the meantime, I've been holding down the fort at Erin's place in Regina. I've completed the electrical upgrades downstairs, and got that mostly cleaned up today. Some drywall repair remains to be done. An additional electrical upgrade has been added to the list; we'll see whether I can get to that next week. The weather has been quite nice, although we did get a little snow and a lot of wind on Friday. Otherwise, I've been trying to manage the Trump-troubled markets. DOW has now dropped almost 5% so far this year; TSX is doing even worse, and I had a down week. Trumpeting new tariffs on the stuff his citizens like to buy caused over 1000 point drop on the DOW—he's probably not bragging about that! Still, the economy in both US and Canada is doing fine, so I continue to expect investors to look past the blowhard and build more value as the year goes on. March Madness, my favourite sporting spectacle of the year is on, and Kansas is still alive and in the Elite Eight. They'll have a tough contest tomorrow against Duke. Rock Chalk boys! Hockey is down to the last half dozen games and most playoff spots are still up for grabs. My favourites—the Oilers—are out of it, but the Pens and Leafs are well-placed. The Women's world championship in curling has been running this week. Jennifer Jones takes her undefeated record into the gold medal game tomorrow against the Olympic Gold Medalists from Sweden. The Men's world championship begins next Saturday. 

Erica has been away in Germany all week. We're glad Wendy was able to accompany her, but Eric is wondering where all the snow-shovelers are when another storm arrived on Friday! We enjoyed spending last weekend with them here in Regina. Liam is preparing for a short chorus tour in Saskatchewan the end of this week. 

Erin and Kristian are taking good care of me. Thanks! Kristian and I tried indoor golf practice on Wednesday. He got to break in his new clubs, and did very well. I'm setting his goal for this year to get his drives up to 150 yards; then, we will be able to play a regular golf course. He had another good day at bowling today, and has raised his average again. Erin and I made a Keto pizza tonight—Tropical Chicken—it was delicious! 

Keto Tropical Chicken Pizza

Travis has been holding down both forts back in Thunder Bay. Joanna has been away caring for her folks in Toronto. Her mom had hip-replacement surgery. Her step-mom was also ill and had to go to the hospital, so her dad needed hands-on care as well. It's been a tough go recently for Joanna, so it will be a bit of a relief now that she's returned home. Trav's main business attention recently has been the minor hockey playoffs in TBay. Of course, he's also responsible for keeping his Penguins progressing in the NHL. 

That's about enough for this week.