Winter has returned!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather remained mild with a couple dumps of snow, but with the weekend, the skies have cleared and it has turned cold with temperatures in the -20s, brrr! Aside from clearing the driveway a few times, I've also managed regular trips to the shop until it turned cold today. Still not making much progress on drilling all those holes as I'm not being successful in developing a jig to keep them all evenly spaced and in a straight line. Wendy has put the jigsaw puzzle away—too many other things on her plate. She has begun work in the side entry and stairs to the basement. She always seems to have lots of activity with the chorus, regular singing, books and banking. She has also begun an accounting job that has been a regular assignment the last few years. My back and legs continue to trouble me, and I'm getting impatient for the doctors to come up with some additional help. The markets have continued to gather value. Investors are easily troubled as the usual battle between fear and greed seems to be more susceptible to the fear side again this year. We're almost through the first month and all indices are nicely into the green. Keep 'er goin' Uncle Joe! The main fly in the ointment is if the USA decides not to pay their debts. That would cause a world-wide crash, so I'm keeping an eye on that situation and hoping cooler heads prevail. In the world of sports, my Oilers have continued their winning ways and are solidly in a playoff position. Leafs are in good shape, but are getting hit with injuries. Pens are a bit shaky, and are just on the edge of the playoffs at this point. As expected, the Jayhawks were punished for their losses and dropped to #9 in the rankings. They put together a big win today in Kentucky; that was a delight to watch! Now, we'll see if it's enough to arrest their drop in the rankings. 

Erica writes, "I had a couple days of training with the Indigenous services group. We touched on the history of the Indigenous people pre and post contact and learned a lot about what not to do. It was insightful. Eric and I also finalized our preparations for the trip to Punta Cana which included a bit of extra time at work finalizing projects so we could leave with a clear conscience. We left on Saturday morning and look forward to joining Travis and Joanna on Sunday. Our flights via airline points includes an overnight in Toronto. We haven’t heard much from the boys, but I believe they are fine."

Erin and Kristian are completing semester 1 of grade 11. Kristian had a few tight timelines at the end—how does this happen?! He starts curling playoffs on Tuesday! Hurry hard! Erin had a hard time swallowing the Jaguars loss in the NFL playoffs. She's decided to cheer for Bengals this weekend. 

Travis and Joanna are enjoying their vacation in Punta Cana. Their weather is running a boring +28° most days—tough work, but someone's gotta do it! Andrew has been taking care of Moxley and Darby over there, while we have Minnie with us! Jonas and Gemma got to attend Bruce Boudreau's final game with the Vancouver Canucks and reported that it was a lot of fun. 

Minnie

And that's enough for this week. 

Keep Going

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be mild and we've enjoyed that,  although we could have done without the slushy snow/rain midweek! I heard back from my doctor concerning the MRI on my head. He's only asking for a phone interview, so I'm concluding they found nothing of concern. We were able to get out for walks most days, and my back and legs didn't complain very much. We topped out at 2.4 km on Thursday, which did raise some complaints! So, there was no walking yesterday. I keep doing my exercises while waiting, impatiently, for more direction from my doctors.

Paddles can form as 4, 5 or 6

Development of the new game continues apace. This week I got a batch of beads to use as pegs, thanks Joanna! Now, that I have the precise size, I can begin drilling the holes. I will consider a variety of joinery solutions as I plan to build several versions with six paddles for each. I want to complete one, and see how playable a game it is before I consider building more. The markets were troubled most of the week as some earnings reports were weak, and investors decided that sometimes bad news is bad news! However, we got a rally on Friday as Netflix showed strongly. I had another good week and a strong start to the year. In sports, the Oilers are on a winning streak—yay! Leafs and Pens also doing well, although Leafs dropped one to the Habs in OT tonight. My #2-Jayhawks, however, had a very poor week (2 losses) and we'll see the ranking take quite a hit, I'm predicting. 

Erica writes, "The big event this week was the arrival of a box from Haaken. It was Christmas in January! I reminded me of the January Christmases from my Childhood, when a box would arrive from Regina or Dallas.

Christmas in January

It was extra magical as we thought Christmas was over and suddenly—more presents! Thanks, Haaken! Eric and I both had evening events throughout the week, so it was busy. We have one more week before we join Travis and Joanna in Punta Cana. Maybe they will return the favour and join us in Puerto Vallarta some day. (And mom and dad and Erin and Kristian, too?)"

Kristian has completed his regular season of high school curling. Once the exam period is over he will start into the playoffs on January 31st. He's also into heavy catch-up mode on some assignments that got surprisingly delayed! C'mon man! Erin suffered through the final game of her Jax Jags season today, as the KC Chiefs dropped them out of the playoffs! 

Travis and Joanna had a busy week getting as much product out the door before heading to the Caribbean.

Punta Cana

They left early Friday morning, and made a successful transit through Toronto on their way to Punta Cana. We helped them deliver the rats to their new owner, and took management of Minnie while they're gone. Andrew will manage the household and the other two dogs. Trav also got the accident damage repaired on his car, although that became quite a story as well—Insurance companies! 

And that's enough for this week. 

Enjoying the weather!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been cloudy, but very mild with daytime highs around zero each day except Friday (a cold and frosty Friday the 13th!) when we had a brisk, sunny day! It surely puts a dent in Winter when you have a prolonged warm spell in January like this. I've been able to get out to the shop nearly everyday, so, I'm making some progress on my next game. It's a Sorry-like game, but comes with a flexible board arrangement as you play with up to six players and four decks of cards. It's called Pegs & Jokers; there are a variety of rule sets and board designs out there. Wendy put one jigsaw puzzle away, and has taken out another, but hasn't put any time into it yet. She got measured for her cataract-induced lens replacement. Her vision is already quite obscured in that eye, so we hope the surgery will be accomplished successfully. She also enjoyed her regularly scheduled mammogram—surely knows how to have fun! She enjoyed getting out for a couple of coffee-visits at least. A bigger event was second-hand shopping where she scored two microwave safe cornbread pans! We have begun work on the stairwell from the side entry down to the basement. I had another MRI on Monday; this time, they were checking my head to see whether they could determine a cause for my hearing loss in my left ear. My non-prescribed exercise program certainly seems to be easing my symptoms, and the neuropathy in my feet seems much improved. My legs and lower back continue to ache. The markets enjoyed a Goldilocks-level batch of news on the jobs front, and on the inflation front—just right, thanks Uncle Joe. All indices are running green so far this year—keep 'er goin' boys! The main sporting event for me this week is Curling; the Canadian Open is running in Camrose. My guy, Kevin Koe, did not qualify for the playoffs, but my gal, Kerri Einarson, did. Tomorrow it'll be Einarson vs Fujisawa in the Women's Final, and Edin vs Bottcher on the Men's side. In hockey, my teams remain in contention. Leafs and Oilers had good weeks; Pens did not! On Tuesday, #2-Kansas had a spectacular comeback against OU as they recovered from ten points down with 5 minutes to play. Today, it was another tough conference game against Iowa State and the scored on their final possession for the 62-60 win. These are home games—how will they do on the road?!

Erica writes, "We had a pretty quiet week here in PA. I’ve been enjoying the new bathroom with the super large tub! I love it. I am back to intermittent fasting and keto and my joint pain has substantially decreased. I also started back on my nightly yoga routine. The first night was so painful I could barely lay flat on my back. But last night I felt good. So, I know the stretching and moving are a great help. Eric will be teaching a class this term on co-parenting. We continue to pray for an animation job for Haaken, income from art for Liam, healing for Greg, and patience and energy for Kiersten (Greg’s fiancée) as she helps Greg. We made a commitment to the kids to pray every day for them, and, we are, hopefully, awaiting a response."

Kristian has continued to follow the saga of the faulty VR set. They've written twice commending him for his patience, and admitting they still have no solution. Perhaps he just doesn't have the heart to tell them the toy has already been returned! His team lost their curling game this week, 7-6. Kristian informed me that the ice was bad, so the rocks didn't curl properly, and I thought, "Now, that sounds like a real curler!" He has one game left before the playoffs. Erin, Sadie and the cats continue with life as usual. Big day for Erin today, as her Jaguars came back from a 27 point deficit to win their playoff game! 

Travis and Joanna hosted us for supper—yummy Swedish meatballs! They were also over here for a games night, and brought Moxley along with them—he seems to be much larger than expected, but is a gentle dog. They have continued to be very busy with photoshoots and the production of PuckShots pictures for the players and their families. Travis has also adopted the Jags, so he enjoyed their remarkable success as well. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Another Day!

Another week has passed and we have returned to our home on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We celebrated the arrival of the New Year in Dryden and completed the drive back on January 1st.  The weather here has been comfortable with daytime highs reaching near zero. Our friends have kept the driveway mostly clear of snow, but the recent storm had left behind several inches  to greet our arrival, so I got to bring out the snowblower and clear it away. Since then, the sun has been doing its job of returning our driveway to black pavement. However, we are not fooled and expect several more storms before Winter gives way to the inevitable Spring! We had George and Anne over last evening for supper and to thank them for their snow-clearing efforts. As you may be aware, I'm having back issues. This came to my attention in late September, and I've been whining about it ever since! Although I had to postpone it while we were in Regina for December, I finally had my MRI late Monday night, so late it was actually about 1:30 am when we got back from the hospital. The doctor has called and informed us of the results. They do not sound good! They accentuate the difficulty we can experience if we don't take much notice of pain—we don't realize how ill we are! It's issues with my spinal column that are causing my pain and disability. I have bulging discs in my lower back that are interfering with the nerves. She cautioned me over symptoms that could develop that would reveal that the problem has become critical. In the meantime, she is referring me to the Spinal Group, and a Spinal Surgeon to advise us further. Aside from the pain in my lower back, glutes, the back of my legs, and the neuropathy in my feet, the nerves involved also control bladder and bowel control. She doesn't want me to lose those—I don't either! In the meantime, she agrees that the stretching exercises I was doing for periformis syndrome should be helpful, but that I need to remain watchful of neuropathy in my inner thighs as that would be an acceleration of symptoms, and should prompt me to report to Emergency. I will be asking the Spinal Surgeon if, or when, I may resume golf and curling activity, and also what therapy may assist in repairing this situation. I continue to hope/expect that surgery will not be needed. Otherwise, we have been easing back into our home routines.

Another day...

Wendy is putting a jig saw puzzle together.

...and done!

I am considering some small winter projects in the shop, but ran into a significant snag—my table saw wouldn't run! The other day when I switched it on, it ran for about 10 seconds and stopped. I speculated that it may have overloaded from stiffness in the cold, but was unable to uncover any reason why it was not running. I checked and confirmed electrical flow to the motor, but it doesn't even hum; so, today, I opened up the motor! I pulled out the brushes and scraped them clean. After I replaced them—zoom! There is a lot of extra sparking between the brushes and the commutator, but it's running, and I'm expecting the brushes to reshape fairly quickly. The investment year has opened red-green-red-green—same ol', same ol'! Fortunately, the greens have been stronger, and I had a good week. The highlight of the week in sports was the World Junior Hockey Championships; Canada beat Czechia in OT to win the gold! #3-Jayhawks continue their dominant play and won again today over WVU. Rock Chalk! The bowl games have run their course with only the championship game between TCU and Georgia left to play on Monday. NHL schedule has settled back into normal after the holiday and outdoor special events. My three teams (Oilers, Pens, Leafs) are all in playoff contention, but none of them inspire great confidence! Pens lost their latest game, Oilers lost in OT tonight, just the Leafs won today. 

Erica writes, "After holiday Monday it was back to work—back to waking up early and going to bed on time—yikes! We enjoyed some ongoing celebrations with a friend’s birthday dinner on Tuesday, box seats at the PA Raider game courtesy of MNP on Wednesday, and an impromptu hockey watching party with friends on Thursday. Yay for Team Canada! With all that fun, we are now exhausted and sleeping in on Saturday. Liam is back at Caronport. We’ve also chatted with Greg and Haaken and they are both well."

Kristian is back in class after the Christmas break. He is set to get back to curling next week. Erin continues with work—her break was brief and ended long ago! Kristian finally got an email from Meta about his non-functional VR set. They admitted that it didn't work, and that they didn't have a repair ready. We are very relieved that we were able to get that returned. 

Travis and Joanna are back to work although Joanna has been suffering with respiratory distress. Negative tests for Covid—was it RSV? Gemma and Jonas headed back to Vancouver, work and school. Jonas is mostly working on research at this time while taking one class. Gemma has been accepted into one program of interest, but has decided to wait until Fall to continue classes. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy New Year!

Another week, and another year have passed. We have begun the trip home, moving from the shore of Lake Wascana to the shore of the Assiniboine River on Friday, and finally today, ending the year in Dryden on the shore of Lake Wabigoon. I have received calls confirming two MRIs for me back in Thunder Bay with the first being on my spine for late Monday night. We hope this will allow them to complete the diagnosis of the pain in my lower back and legs. For sure the Piriformis exercises prescribed by Dr. Tom have brought a lot of relief, but discomfort and weakness remain. At least I've been able to avoid painkillers the last two weeks. We have enjoyed another week of family time while living in Erin's basement.

Some of our presents! 

Wendy has completed her regular regimen of oven cleansings—sure knows how to have fun! I have upgraded the mantle to nine stocking pegs, and then dismantled (see what I did there?!) and put it away until next Christmas. The weather has wreaked havoc on travel around the city and on the highways as a winter rain coated vehicles and roads. Another long time family friend has passed and when her funeral was scheduled for Friday in Virden, we decided to make that part of our schedule, too. We enjoyed catching up with many more friends as we celebrated Evelyn Muller's life. Then, we spent the night with Bonnie and Charlie in Brandon—thanks folks! Today, we drove only as far as Dryden as it was getting dark and we didn't fancy challenging northern Ontario moose, or New Year's Eve drivers! The markets closed off a troubled year with a bit of green on this short week of trading. This was the first quarter of the year where I managed to make quota, so while I made a bit of money to the bottom line, I fell well short of my quota—I shall have to work harder! We do hope for better market action in 2023. This year concluded with all indices that I follow, badly in the red. TSX: -8.7%; DOW: -8.8%; S&P: -19.4%; Nasdaq: -33.1% In my world of sports, it has been a mixed year. The absolute high was my Jayhawks winning the basketball championship! Rock Chalk! They have another good team this season. They are currently ranked #4, and completed a thrilling comeback today after a 15 point half time deficit. In hockey, all my teams made the playoffs last spring. Sadly, none of them won the Cup, but all three are in playoff contention once again. Go Oilers! Football was a definite downer as my Riders failed to qualify for the playoffs. My Sooners, and the other teams I follow in college football (Oklahoma State, Longhorns) all lost their recent bowl games. C'mon man! 

Eric & Erica celebrated their 29th Anniversary on Tuesday—congratulations! Erica writes, "We enjoyed a week with family and a couple of friends over Christmas and the following days. We even had a hootenanny at 55 Laird. We said good-bye on Friday morning and caught up with Neil and Darcy in Saskatoon and Chris Lock in Warman. This Sunday, Eric, Liam and I will be part of the worship team, so I’d better pick out some songs and get organized. Happy New Year!"

Erin returned to work on Tuesday, but the rest of us continued to holiday most of the week. Kristian and I have unsuccessfully attempted to get his new game working properly. We took it back to Best Buy, but they wouldn't touch it. They offered a replacement, but that didn't work either. An on-line chat revealed that Meta was well aware of the problem, but they continued to sell the game anyway—disappointing! I worked on Erin's door bell problem. The front door bell recently quit ringing as workers were installing siding repairs around the door button. They declined responsibility, but the facts remain that we're getting power to the button, and through the button, but it doesn't get back to the door bell while the back door bell transfers the power successfully. I'm guessing they broke one of the wires somewhere within the door frame, but that becomes an impossible task at this point. 

Travis, Joanna and crew worked through much of the holiday week, but also took time for family and pet celebrations! We look forward to catching up with that action next week! 

And that's enough for this week! 

Merry Christmas to all!

Another week has passed and we have returned from the shore of the North Saskatchewan River to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been beastly cold most of the week, but has improved a lot for this weekend. We have moved in with Erin and Kristian again, and really appreciate all the care they take of us. We started the week in Prince Albert with Eric and Erica at a special Rotary Christmas brunch and toy distribution. We drove back to Regina on Tuesday, and they followed us yesterday! Now, the family is gathered for a week of Christmas celebrations. We're surely enjoying that—lots of good food, lots of bad sweets, gifts for all, and family time!

with room for 7 stockings!

Kristian and I built a mantel so the stockings could be "hung with care, in hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there!" Wendy and I didn't bring our stockings, so we're borrowing some and going under pseudonyms of E and K with the hope that St Nick might be fooled into giving us something better than the traditional lump of coal. The markets were mixed all week, but overall had a good week, and I made quota for a change. Sports has a special schedule in acknowledgement of the holidays, so we had extra games featuring many of the teams who will now be able to enjoy a holiday themselves. In hockey the Leafs and Pens are doing well, while the Oilers continue to have some good games and some stinkers. The Jayhawks were rewarded for their good season so far with a ranking of #4 in the country. 

Fully Functional

Lovely new Shower/Bath

The Baileys got the bathroom back together and it's looking great! Then, they drove down here to celebrate with the rest of us. 

Erin and helpers prepared a Christmas Eve banquet featuring ham and scalloped potatoes this evening. We hear them planning a breakfast casserole and a complete turkey dinner for tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be yummy. 

Travis & Joanna, Jonas & Gemma, and Andrew are celebrating in heavy snow back in Thunder Bay. 

And that's the abbreviated Christmas edition! 

Visiting Prince Albert

Another week has passed, and we have moved on from Lake Wascana. We are now situated on the shore of the North Saskatchewan River on the northern reaches of the prairies. Despite the implication of the title, Prince Albert is apparently not here, but we are visiting Eric and Erica in the city named for the prince. We spent most of the week in Regina with Erin and Kristian who hosted us very well indeed. We enjoyed a morning of Carol Singing over at Selo Gardens; it was good to express once again our satisfaction with the level of care they provided Dad during his months there. One afternoon, we took in coffee time with Don, Sandra and Aunt Eloise. We enjoyed coffee and sweets along with sweet conversation. Bernard and Alicia joined in both of these outings. I am focusing on two main exercises for Piriformis Syndrome, and enjoying considerable relief. I haven't had to take muscle relaxants or painkillers the last few days. Wendy has worked on cupboard reorganization at Erin's and has now taken her home management program on the road. The slides about Ellis's life have now been posted to YouTube—lots of memories there. The weather was stormy for the first part of the week, so we delayed our departure from Regina. We saw some evidence of vehicles in the ditches and the median as we drove up, one was still there! The renovations are leaping forward here; the new bathroom is looking very good as the tiling around the tub has been completed. They treated us to a hockey game tonight, and the Raiders won! The markets were terrible, no good and very bad! The FED refused to acknowledge the improving inflation numbers or the declining consumer purchasing data and not only increased the rate by 0.5%, but also promised more rate increases in the future! Investors were not impressed, and sold off sharply! That cost me money as well! Sports are not going so well either. The Oilers and Leafs lost tonight, so only the Pens performed well this week. At least the #8-Jayhawks continued their impressive play with another big win this afternoon. Einarson and Retornaz won the Grand Slam-Masters on the weekend. 

Erica writes, "Last weekend was laughter through tears as we celebrated Grampa’s life. It was wonderful to hear from so many how he touched people’s lives. I also got to enjoyed a short visit with my good friend and maid of honour, Bonnie Baxter (McMillan) as she celebrated a milestone birthday. The bathroom project has progressed quickly this week. We have moved from having an open concept, minimalist design to walls, a tub and tiles. The floor remains unfinished along with the reinstallation of the toilet and our new, old vanity. We hope to have a fully functional bathroom soon. Haaken and Liam are doing fine. Greg continues to heal from his accident which was almost a year ago. In addition, he is now also battling Covid. We hope his health improves soon. Mom and Dad have joined us for a visit and to inspect the bathroom. So far the work seems to be up to par."

Kristian had curling practice on Monday, and his final game before the Christmas break on Tuesday! His team won, and remains undefeated in league play. Erin continues to be very busy at work, and has the extra duty this week of buying gift giveaways! Sadie got her haircut on the weekend, and her energy levels are elevated, but her vision is no better! Travis observed how she works her way across a room, indexing the location of objects by swinging her muzzle from side to side, much like a blind person uses their white cane. As children, we were given to understand that cats can sense the nearness of objects through their whiskers, perhaps Sadie does that as well. At any rate she seems happy enough, but often indicates an interest in going outside—when she checks the weather outside, she changes her mind! Anyway, we are thankful for their care of us during our weeks there, and look forward to letting them host us again sometime next week! 

Travis was here for the Memorial, and tried to return home on Monday. After several schedule delays, his flight was cancelled, and he was rebooked on Tuesday! As a result, they had to postpone two team photoshoots. Gemma and Jonas have returned from Vancouver for the holiday break. 

And that's enough for this week. 

It was a Celebration!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. Bed and breakfast completed, we checked out and drove from Winnipeg on Sunday—thanks Tom & Mariette. The weather was stormy and there was poor visibility leaving Winnipeg, but suddenly, as we reached Portage, it all cleared away and we enjoyed clearing skies the rest of the way. The only remaining issue was a heavy wind that we faced all the way. The drive completed, we moved into Erin's basement suite, where Erin and Kristian have been hosting us most graciously—more thanks!

Ellis Clinton Krogsgaard

The week has been consumed by preparation and execution of the memorial celebration for Ellis. It was an emotional ride, but truly a celebration of a life successfully run and well-completed. You can watch the slide show with the service and the tributes at these links: Service; Tributes I will try to get the slide show as a separate entry because it doesn't show up very clearly from the taping of the service. This morning we had the interment, which was for many of us even more emotional. It was so great to see that many people made an extra effort to get to Regina for the occasion—it surely was encouraging to the family. 

Other events of the week took a low priority, but I can report that the markets did not go well, and I did not do well on the investment side either. In the world of sports I have another curling event to focus on as the Grand Slam series is back with the Masters Championship. My guy Kevin Koe did not qualify for the playoffs this time—a rarity to be sure. Einarson will play Homan in an all-Canadian women's final, but it's Scotland's Mouat vs Italy's Retornaz on the men's side. College Football teams are preparing for their various bowl games. #6-KU played well this week in basketball and could see a further elevation in the rankings. In the NHL, my teams had a good week, and while none are in first spot in their divisions, at least all are currently holding a play off position. 

Eric, Erica and Liam were here for the memorial. It was good to spend some time with them. The contractors are working to rough in the new upstairs bathroom. They are also constructing a support wall across the kitchen to hold up that part of the upstairs. Some time, over the years, it seems the support wall was removed and the upstairs floor has been compromised ever since. 

Erin has been taking care of us, and we've been trying to return the favour some of the time. Kristian curls with the high school team, and this week took down Sheldon Williams handily. He has been invited to play with an adult team each week. It would be good experience for him. They took time off school and work to take part in the memorial activities and visit with the family. Today, Sadie got a haircut. She looks great, and seems to have so much more energy, but she still can't see. However, she manages to get around pretty well. 

Elfy Ears!

Travis flew over to Regina for the memorial. Joanna spent part of the week in southern Ontario helping out with the family down there. Then she returned to take over the pet sitting and business management while Travis came west. Andrew is back at work; Gemma/Jonas are getting ready to come home for the holidays. 

And that's about it for this week. 

On the Road Again!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, but we have headed west, and are closing out the week on the banks of La Rivière Rouge in Winnipeg. Thanks Tom & Mariette for taking us in out of the cold and storm! Tom even gave me a new potential diagnosis for my back/leg issues, Piriformis Syndrome, which he also suffers with on occasion. The weather in Thunder Bay has been comfortable with daytime temperatures above zero and while we've had some snow, we've able to clear the driveway and let the sun have its way. We had a good week with several appointments and medical issues to take care of before we were prepared to be away for some weeks. Wendy's eye appointment revealed that she's developing a cataract, so she'll be considering surgery for that after we get back. I had the remainder of my skin tags removed, and also got some followup on my back issues. I've been referred for an MRI, and also to the Back Pain unit. These, too, will be held in abeyance until we get back. The markets were roiled this week by a speech by Powell, and then, yesterday and today by Jobs data. The FED allowed as how it may be about time to slow down the rate increases, and the investors cheered. However, the economy showed up so strongly in the jobless claims and new jobs created that investors feared the FED would keep the rates rising. We're in the "good news is bad news" phase of the markets, so the strong jobs data brought about more selling, and I didn't make quota this week. Wendy has also been working all week to prepare the eulogy—lots of memories, lots of emotion, it's therapeutic. In Basketball, #3-Kansas paid the price for its first loss of the season and were dropped to #9. They won their games comfortably this week, so that helps. In football the conference finals are running this weekend and the teams I follow are not involved. The Oilers had a number of games this week, splitting the first two, and hosting the Habs tonight.

Yay Oilers! Yay Oscar!

A good game for the usual suspects, and Oscar rubbed it in to his dad. Pens also won their game tonight, but Leafs fell in Overtime. 

Erica writes, "When we could find the energy, we worked on bathroom destruction this week. On Saturday, our friends Tina and Guido came over to help. We are getting old and need lots of breaks. 1 hour destruction, 1.5 hour break for lunch.

Found more Knob & Tube

Then, 45 minutes of cleanup. Another break. Then about 1.5 hours of destruction with cleanup, and we called it a day. I don’t think any of us will have a career in construction any time soon. We chatted here and there with the boys and things seem to be good."

Kristian won an award as Athlete of the Week at school.

Well done! 

His main sport at present is curling. Erin is working through the transition at work as they separate the business of Lexus out of the Toyota operation. 

Travis and Joanna are very busy. They've had the photoshoots with about 80 teams already this season, which catches them up to their expected schedule despite the delayed start to the season. Lots of development and production work to do still, but not very many new teams to do before Christmas. They're in charge of things in Thunder Bay while we're away. Thanks guys! 

And that's about it for this week! 

Catching Up!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been great with temperatures above freezing, and the driveway and walks have cleared off nicely. We have quite a number of issues to clear up here before we will be ready to head west. The Celebration of Life for Dad is set for December 9th, 1:30pm at Glen Elm Church of Christ in Regina. We expect to see many of you there—you are all invited and welcome. We've both been attending to medical issues. Wendy had an ultrasound followup to her recent surgery. She's reporting good results, now we are waiting to see if the doctor agrees! I had a followup meeting with my doctor over my back/leg issues. She remains concerned, and ordered X-rays even though she doesn't expect it to reveal the problem. It didn't, but it's a required precursor to an MRI which she has now ordered. I'm still waiting on an MRI of my head to check what may be causing my hearing loss, but it seems MRIs are subject to delay! With the comfortable weather, I managed to make some progress on shop projects—seems there is no end of projects there! We got our roof reshingled on Monday—looks good. We've put off the soffit, fascia and eavestrough until the Spring; we're not expecting any rain for a while anyhow!

Nicely done! 

Wendy has been extra busy catching up on Sweet Adelines business that piled up while we were away. The bank continues to frustrate her efforts to conduct business on line. Market action was quite sparse this week with the USA holidays, but investors seem to be more optimistic and I had a good week. The Grey Cup had a surprise winner as the Argos shot down the heavily favoured Bombers. In college basketball, Kansas was upgraded to #3, but they lost their game yesterday, so they'll be dropped down the list a bit. #1-North Carolina also lost, and I was hoping KU might move up, sigh! The Leafs suffered a major loss as their top defenceman was injured and will be out for several weeks. Oilers are just not playing very well right now, but came back from three goals down to win their game today. Pens played the Leafs today, so somebody had to lose! The Leafs won this time. College football saw the 'Horns getting the week off, while my Sooners lost to Texas Tech in overtime. 

Erica writes, "At MNP, there were several events with the release of CFE marks. There were pre-parties and post-parties and lots of commiserating over the difficulty of the exam and waiting to hear if you passed. In addition, the office spent Saturday morning serving hot chocolate at the PA Christmas Parade. Last week was spent in Saskatoon so this weekend is here in PA. Eric and I are on for worship team on Sunday. We also cleaned up our recycling and cleared away several deck boards to make our natural gas meter accessible. As I suspected, this isn’t going to be as easy as the tech from SaskEnergy said. There is a beam within 3 feet of the meter, so, if we need a 3x3 clearance it is going to have to wait until summer. But for now the boards are gone and we hope they will accept this as a temporary solution. Liam has started a patreon account to raise money to support his art. He would be very happy to receive support. Haaken and Greg are fine."

Erin and Kristian are enjoying a brief respite in the winter weather, but are threatened with a cold snap coming their way! Kristian has completed one drama project, but continues with that early morning course. Curling has started, his team won last week, and tied this week. Erin is heading into a busy time at work as they're de-merging the Lexus part of the business from the Toyota business, so they will operate as individual companies. Fortunately her boss is getting back to work, so that should spread the load around a bit. 

Travis has recovered from his bout with Covid, and they're back to full-time photoshoots once again. We have set up Trav's birthday celebration for tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow is Trav's birthday, and we're planning a pizza and cake celebration here. 

Another Wendy Masterpiece

And that's about it for this week. 

Home Again!

Another week has passed, and we have returned from south of the Red River in Texas to our hometown on the shore of Lake Superior. A wonderful family gathering at Viggo & Nancy's in Rowlett concluded on Tuesday as we drove north to Lawrence. Thank you all for the wonderful time, and great grub! Aunt Helen provided a warm welcome and a Jayhawk victory on Tuesday evening—thank you so much! Then, on Wednesday, we returned the car to Marti's garage, and loaded up in Marilyn's minivan for a ride to the airport. The flight to Washington was uneventful, but that was the end of trouble-free travel for us! Shortly after arrival as we negotiated our way to our new gate, we started getting texts and emails explaining that our flight to Toronto was delayed. Each successive text announced a later projected departure time and our comfortable connection in Toronto started to look troubling! The issue, they told us, was that the plane that would take us to Toronto was still in Toronto! Eventually, it showed up, and with a quick turnaround, we were off to Toronto a couple of hours later than planned. No worries, we had used the ArriveCAN app (even though we didn't have to), and our transit through customs would be slick! However, it seems the folks at Pearson Airport had determined that since ArriveCAN was no longer required, it would no longer be used! So, we endured a 40-minute queue and then had to go through the entire process of customs declarations, again, sigh! Then, it was a rush across the airport to the farthest gate possible. Luckily, we were able to get one of those cart rides for much of the distance, and we made our flight. Joanna met us at midnight in Thunder Bay—thanks, Joanna! It's good to be home. 

We received news of Dad's passing on Monday, so our trip home was clouded by that grief. The remainder of the week has been largely consumed with conversations back to Regina and planning for a commemorative service. We had some snow accumulating in our driveway, but Travis and Joanna came by Thursday morning to help clear that away. My back and legs continue to be a bother, so that was very welcome. I have arranged an appointment with my doctor for further investigation. When this first flared up at the end of September, she had me checked for a kidney stone, but ultrasound ruled that out. I have endured a month of chiropractic and stretching exercises which have certainly caused a lot of pain, but no relief. The markets continued to be roiled by duelling issues of the election, inflation and the FED, but I was able to close off the week with a good green day. College football season is coming to an end, and soon they'll be in an interminable list of bowl games. 'Horns won their game easily today, and my Sooners pounced on their in-state rival, Oklahoma State. In hockey, my teams remain around the middle of the pack, and, all three won today. 

Erica writes, "We were sad to hear of Grampa passing on Monday. It’s mostly been a week of remembering and sharing about his life. Plus some destruction on the bathroom."

Down to the Lath!

Erin and Kristian are enduring a harsh start to winter with snow and cold in Regina. This week added to their grief with the passing of Papa. Erin is suffering with a cold of her own, again! Kristian's drama group toured their production with five presentations. He was on the stage crew. Today was the final show, and then they went out for a celebration at Western Pizza. 

Travis contracted covid, but he's vaccinated, so his symptoms were light; he seems to have recovered already. They continue to be very busy with Puckshots photo shoots. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Ellis Clinton Krogsgaard

Ellis Clinton Krogsgaard, 97, of Regina, ran into the arms of Jesus on Monday, November 14, 2022. “Ellie” was born on a farm north of Ogema, Saskatchewan on March 7, 1925. He was predeceased by his wife and sweetheart of 45 years, Evelyn Mary (Taylor); parents, Harold and Martha (Arneson); brother, John Malm and sisters-in-law, Ina (Johnson) and Jean (Osaka); sister and brother-in-law, Carole (Straker) and Bernard; sister-in-law, Mae (Ewing); brothers-in-law, George Elford, Elford Bell and Wilf Smith. 

Ellis is survived by his children, daughter-Wendy (Bill) Ulrich with three grandchildren, Erica (Eric) Bailey, Travis (Joanna Herbage), Erin; five great-grandchildren, Haaken, Liam, Gemma (Jonas), Andrew and Kristian; son-David; son-Richard (Sue) with four grandchildren, Aaron (Lorraine), Tori (Sharon), Tim (Krista), Tiffany (Layne); ten great-grandchildren, Jonas, Max, Finn, Ivy, Anders, Noah, Rosy, Dierks, Chet and Daisy; son-Bernard (Alicia) with three grandchildren, Kresten (Starlet), Ashley (Barry), Logan (Kaitlyn); two great-grandsons, Oliver and Keplar. He is also survived by one brother, Bordy; three sisters, Eloise, Ruby and Sharon (Rob), along with numerous nieces and nephews. 

Ellis walked in close relationship with his Saviour, reflecting the character of Jesus. He was a life-time teacher, song leader and elder with the Regina (Glen Elm) Church of Christ. In 1943, he began his 37-year teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse, Albert Springs. He went on to teach in Ogema, Radville (where he built the family’s first home), Ceylon and Pangman. After moving to Regina in 1964, he taught various subjects, including wood-working and English, concluding his professional years as Head of the English Department at Central Collegiate. Ellis took an early retirement to lovingly care for his ailing wife, Evelyn, for ten years. Ellie’s guitar playing and distinctive tenor voice highlighted various Tommy Douglas political events and many a family “pickin’n grinnin”. As his arthritic fingers began to limit his ability to strum his 80-year old Gibson, he often opted to select one of his seven harmonicas and stomped out a lively tune, to the delight of his listeners! Of the many talents that Ellis developed, he was happiest in his carpentry workshop, with every tool and machine strategically placed and immaculately maintained. He blessed the church and many family, friends and neighbours with his intricate handiwork. In his later years, Ellis was able to stay in his home, keeping busy with church bulletin edits, crosswords puzzles, competitive games of cribbage, as well as tutoring struggling college students with their essays. He forever had his red pen at hand to edit the newspaper or whatever his eyes found to read. His understanding of the English language was extensive; how it grieved him to see his beloved formal English become extinct, leaving colloquialisms to become the norm. Ellis’ greatest joy was his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, as well as all those who lovingly called him Grandpa and Uncle Ellie. 

Grandpa Ellis’ last few years were wrought with mobility issues that confined him to his wheelchair. Rarely did a complaint or bemoaning pass his lips. A champion of determination, he forced himself to walk the length of his house several times a day; he even ventured out to his beloved workshop on occasion. His children worked together to make it possible for Dad to stay in his home as long as possible, until his care required the expertise of the caregivers at Selo Gardens; there, he joyfully lived and flourished for the last eight months. The family wishes to thank Lorelei Fletcher and the competent workers at Selo for their care and compassion; Grandpa was loved and respected, being treated with dignity and courtesy there. “Grandpa, your presence will be deeply missed among us. Heaven was made a bit sweeter with your arrival. How that glint in your eye must sparkle as you unite with your Master, your sweetheart and all those you have longed to see! Until we meet again. Thank you for the legacy you have left. We love you.”

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Regina at the Glen Elm Church of Christ.

To leave an online message of condolence, please visit: Victoria Avenue Funeral

Texas!

The Siblings!

Another week has passed, and we have continued our journey through Oklahoma and into Texas. We enjoyed Sunday morning with Jack before continuing our trip. The drive down to Dallas went well, and Lucas welcomed us to their home for the week. Luc has accommodated us graciously, and we have tried to provide vittles for the week! Wendy and I have 'enjoyed' navigating around the high traffic thoroughfares of Dallas—quite a bit above our comfort level. However, we've successfully completed several shopping and touristy trips around town. Marti's car continues to perform admirably, and we've even learned how to work with the GPS. Luc and I got out for golf on Thursday. I'm still hurting quite a bit, so the golf was a tad tentative, but still very much fun. This weekend the weather has turned cold with overnight lows near freezing and daytime highs around 10°, so I don't expect to get out for any more golf. The markets were a bit surprised by the election results, and with the better than expected inflation data, investors piled into the markets and I enjoyed a good month this week. I haven't been following the sports as closely while we're on the road. Gushue did win the Pan Continental curling on the men's side, while Einarson settled for the bronze on the women's side. Jayhawks have opened the basketball season with two wins. Sooners lost another football game this afternoon, and the Longhorns lost tonight—sigh! Oilers and Leafs won their games today, while Pens lost in OT in Montreal. The family gathering is in full swing over at Viggo & Nancy's—thanks everyone for making it a memorable event. It was special to meet another nephew, Ken, at this event. 

Erica writes, "After some delays courtesy of the weather and a Westjet system crash, we got back to Saskatoon on Tuesday at 3 AM. We grabbed a few hours sleep at a Comfort Inn, then drove to PA. Haaken was more fortunate; he got home by 11 PM on Monday. Liam, Greg and Kiersten slept on the Airport floor in line for “customer service” which had an abundance of customers and a lack of service. Finally around 9 AM they got new flights and, since Greg and Kiersten wouldn’t leave for another day, a hotel room. Liam joined them for some proper sleep. Liam got into Regina at midnight Tuesday. Greg and Kiersten arrived back home on Wednesday at 5 pm. Eric is home this weekend, while I’ve taken off for our annual girls trip to Edmonton. This year we are attending The Price is Right, which should be fun. Thanks to my most wonderful cousin, Margaret Reil, we are saving on hotel costs! Thanks Dolly!"

Erin and Kristian are suffering through a pretty severe start to winter in Regina, but they're doing okay. The preliminary work is complete for the theatrical production that Kristian is in at school. They take it on the road for performances at several schools starting next week. He has also begun another season of curling. 

Travis and Joanna suffered the loss of their budgie this week. Somehow, it escaped the cage and the house. We are holding out hope that it will find its way back home before the cold out-of-doors prove too much for it. Otherwise, they are keeping very busy with work especially the Puckshots Photography side of the business. 

And that's about it for this week! 

Travelling!

Another week has passed and we have continued our trip. We began the week in Lawrence KS, saying good-bye to cousin Marti as she headed off to Finland on a Fullbright Scholarship event. We enjoyed a few more days with Aunt Helen (thank you!), and worked on a project for Marti involving air-blocking and baseboards in her front entry.

Foam flowing into the garage!

Wendy overdid the foam work, then I installed the wood, and she finished with fresh paint. It turned out fine; Aunt Helen will remove the painters tape before Marti gets home!

Painted up pretty nicely!

On Wednesday, we packed up Marti's car, and drove down to Stillwater OK where we settled in with Jack and Joanne for the rest of the week—thank you, Jack and family for hosting us so well. We plan to head south to Dallas tomorrow. Life at Jack's is always very busy and very interesting. We spent a lot of time reminiscing about our times in Zambia, and catching up on happenings there, especially the water situation. They've had early rains and the dams are filling up nicely. We pray that the rains will continue to be steady and that next April there will be a great harvest. Jack has obtained another NEW car to add to his collection. It's a 29 Ford Roadster that has been hopped up a bit with electronic ignition and a modern carburetor. 

29 Ford Roadster

I also got to drive his 29 Ford Model A which I had first enjoyed last time through, and this time Wendy joined in the fun!

Wendy driving the Model A

It was another topsy turvy week in the markets as the strong USA economic numbers battled with the FEDs determination to tamp the economy down, but in the end I had a good gain for the week despite the 0.75% prime rate increase. Employment was up big time in both Canada and the USA and that encouraged investors. The Pan Continental Curling served up a surprise on the women's side as Korea and Japan advanced to the championship game while Einarson will battle USA for the bronze. On the Men's side, Gushue will play Korea for the gold, while USA plays Japan for the bronze. The CFL divisional semi-finals will take place tomorrow with Hamilton in Montreal, and Calgary in Vancouver. Toronto and Winnipeg await the winners. The Pens have hit a bad stretch in the early season enduring a losing streak. Oilers ran off an impressive win streak, but now they've lost two straight. Leafs are not performing up to expectations either, but at least they won tonight! Houston captured the World Series tonight despite my picking them to win! Sooners dropped their game to Baylor today. 'Horns beat Kansas State this evening. 

Eric, Erica, Haaken, Liam, Greg and Kiersten are enjoying London. It's about time for them to return to a wintry reality check! Erica writes, "It has been quite a week. It is wonderful to have everyone under the same roof, even if that roof is across the pond. We have been having a lot of fun together as a family and getting to know Kiersten better. We’ve visited the Harry Potter studio tour, the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath and toured the historic Roman baths, did a walking tour of haunted London pubs, and have seen many other sites along the way. Today, we will go see The Lion King and see what else we can fit in on our last full day."

Erin and Kristian had a good week, although Erin succumbed to a migraine on Friday. 

Travis and Joanna are very busy, perhaps, too busy, with Puckshots as teams are rushing to get photos taken. At least the Fall weather is holding in Thunder Bay, although they have been getting some rain. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Fall—Still Summer!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather remains very comfortable there, but we have left, and are enjoying a comfortable existence in Lawrence KS where the colours are hinting of Fall even while the temperatures are indicating that it's still summer. Thank you, Marti for putting us up, and, in fact, for arranging this expedition. We're enjoying this part even as we look forward to the rest of it. We finished up a few things in Thunder Bay during the first few days and then flew south on Wednesday. That was quite an excursion and way too much exercise for my troubled legs (I still suspect Sciatica even though my doctor demurs). The trip started well as we flew down to Toronto, but sadly, things were not convenient or problem-free there! We had to go through security (again), and then through customs and immigration. It seems the Americans are taking their revenge for ArriveCAN, and have instituted MPC (mobile passport control). If you don't have a smart phone, you may as well stay home! And yet our travel agents made no mention of this necessity, and Travis did not have to use it recently when he went to New York, so, as far as we know, they instituted it just to trouble us. Anyhow, after getting through security, we got to a massive hall, filled with people, and, after finding the row for Canadians, there was a hint of something new in the air.

Clearly it's MPC!

A signboard with a QR code announced the MC, and the attendants assured us that it actually said MPC, and that we must download it! So, we followed the QR code to the app store and downloaded it... now what was our AppleID password? I don't know how these people assume that we all have smart phones, and that we're all so computer literate that we can manage this kind of process while standing in line, and shuffling our luggage forward! Once into the app we had to fill in a bunch of personal information and take a photo of our passport ID page and of ourselves. Sadly, the light was so dim in that area, that we couldn't get a photo. One attendant tried to light up my passport with her phone, but it still wasn't enough, so she took my phone and entered the passport information incorrectly, so I could be informed that the data was incorrect and I could redo it! Once we were through this process, we were awarded a QR code that got to see the customs officer, who considered our situation and finally allowed us to proceed to the gate, which had already been sending texts demanding that we attend there! Then, it was about 2km to the gate as we only had a puddle jumper jet to Kansas City and it required us to walk out side, give up our carryon luggage and climb the stairs to the plane. The gate was closed before we got there, but there was a line-up of similarly inconvenienced passengers, so they held the plane until we all got aboard! Other than that it was smooth sailing! Marti was there to pick us up, and we breathed a collective sigh with that ordeal behind us! Here, we're enjoying catching up with Marti, including a couple of sing songs—thanks! This evening, we've relocated to Aunt Helen's. The markets have had another good week; things were a bit tentative while we waited for the BoC rate announcement, but after they surprised with ONLY a 0.5% increase, the markets closed strongly, and I had another good week. Riders closed out their season tonight in Calgary with another loss—sad! The World Series has begun with the Phillies taking the first game and Astros matching that this evening. I've picked the Astros to win it. My Sooners were back in action in college football and won their game today. Pens have had a terrible tour of western Canada, dropping games in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Oilers are on a brief win streak; I hope they can keep it going! Leafs continue to struggle in the early going of the season. Homan and Edin won the Grand Slam event on Sunday. Next curling is in the Pan-Continental curling championships which begin on Monday in Calgary. Canada is represented by the Gushue and Einarson teams. 

Erica writes, "Eric and I met up with Greg, Kiersten, Haaken and Liam in Calgary this Friday. And just for fun, decided to head to London! This week has been focused on getting ready for our trip. We are looking forward to a week in London. Anyway, we are here in the UK all settled in at our air BnB, we’ve been fighting our natural inclination to go to sleep. Some have been more successful than others!"

Erin writes, "We woke up to a pile of snow on Sunday. Tracy (co-worker) had surgery on both feet on Monday, so, we’re short staffed again for a while. I got my winter tires installed on Tuesday. We had our 3-way conference (parent-teacher-student interview) on Wednesday, and Kristian had youth group on Thursday. Kristian got sent home sick on Friday, so today was a day of naps :) Just a regular week. LOL!"

Travis and Joanna are holding down the fort in Thunder Bay, and are busy, busy, busy with Puckshots Photography. We don't know our new tenant well, yet, so it's a great relief to be able to rely on Trav & Joanna to take care of any issues that may come up. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Fall/Summer

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The week began with windy, cold weather, and is ending with temperatures pushing 20° again—salubrious indeed! As a result, we've been able to maintain our outdoor walking, and even enjoying it in shirt sleeves! Such changes are common this time of year even as we head inexorably toward winter. I have continued with therapy on my back, although my discomfort now seems to be almost completely with in my right hip and leg. The doctor has ruled out sciatica, although I'm convinced it's more nervous system than muscular. In any case, I work through a series of stretches with heat and cold treatments, and most days I'm able to keep upright and walking! The Greedy game boards are nearing completion; it's a simple structure with a perimeter of sticks to enclose the cloth-backed playing area. The game operates under several names, and with a large range of rules. My computer-based version is called Farkle; you may also look it up under that title. I'm still planning to stain and varathane the wood pieces, then it rolls up in the cloth which is only attached to the bottom sticks. Maybe I won't bother to attach it—that seems to work, too. 

Greedy Game

Our concerns over the new variants of the coronavirus have reawakened. So long as people keep it going, it will continue to mutate, and there's always the risk that the mutants will be worse than the original. The latest variant seems to bypass the protections of all prior infections, but produces little illness among the vaccinated. While we've experienced more deaths already this year than in any prior year, most folks and governments seem oblivious or at least nonchalant. We're considering plans to travel in the near future, but this certainly gives us pause. We completed our teeth cleaning appointments this week with the trainees at Confederation College. The process takes much longer working with them, but we feel good about providing them the work site, and very good about only paying $20. Wendy has continued her struggle with the banks to get the chorus accounts working properly. It seems she's been at this a long time! It's quite surprising how difficult they seem to find it to put new names on business accounts and make them accessible online. The markets continued to be topsy turvy and volatile. This was another positive week, but only because we had three big green days against two big red days—not the formula for comfortable investing! At least I made quota. In the world of sports, the Riders played their penultimate game of the season against Calgary today. They'll complete their season, next week, with the other half of the home and home in Calgary. And then other teams will begin the playoffs, sigh! MLB has moved into the League Championship series. I managed to pick two of the Divisional series winners—big step up for me! I've picked Astros and Padres to advance to the World Series. Texas moved back into the rankings after demolishing my Sooners last week. This week the 'Horns were substandard and lost to Oklahoma State, while the Sooners took the week off to lick their wounds. The opening weeks of the NHL season have produced a few surprises, and some of them not good ones for my teams (Oilers, Pens, Leafs), well, actually, Pens and Leafs are doing okay. Grand Slam curling is on again this week in Grande Prairie. Koe advanced to the playoffs; I've enjoyed watching both the men's and the women's sides of the draw. Einarson has qualified on the women's side. The finals are scheduled for tomorrow.  

Erica writes, "This week, we heard that one of our friends passed away, much too young. Shelley Lock (nee Waddell) was a good friend at Western. When I moved to Saskatoon, she often hosted us at her apartment and gave us the lay of the land in her hometown in her gutsy Nova. She met and married Chris Lock the same year Eric and I married. Over the years, they have graciously hosted us at their home in Warman. Shelley has battled a variety of medical conditions in recent years and passed away in her sleep this week. Eric and I will be attending the service this weekend in Saskatoon." While we attended on line. 

Erin continues to fight her fall flu, while Kristian seemed to have had only one down day, and then was back to his usual good health. At least she felt well enough to get back to work, as when she is away, the work just waits for her to return! She's feeling much improved this weekend, but the weatherman warns of snow in Regina. Curling should be starting soon for Kristian; they had a curling meeting on Thursday. 

Travis and Joanna are fully into Puck Shots photo sessions now. The Bucket Decal work continues as well, as teams develop their plans for a full season of hockey. We hope that comes true, but, as noted above, we're pretty skeptical about how the various governments are failing to deal with Covid. Andrew "enjoyed" more medical work this week. Gemma and Jonas are progressing in their planning to come home over Christmas break. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Summer/Fall

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The first few days were summery with temps in the 20s, but then we turned to autumn, and daytime highs failed to make it into double digits. We've managed to get out for walks regularly, and I feel this is helpful therapy for my ailing back and legs. The muscles seem to loosen up after a kilometre or so, and there is little pain once that happens. I've also been doing my prescribed stretches, and had another appointment with the chiropractor. She's thinking that one or two more visits may complete this particular intervention. I've been swinging my golf club, and while it's a little tender, it actually seems pretty good. Of course, I can't swing as hard as I'm used to, but, some think, that may be a beneficial as well! I'm currently working on a small set of game boards for Greedy—that's going well. May have some pics next week! I had an ultrasound on my leg to see if there's any progress with the blood clots. I'm expecting to hear the results on that next week. On Friday, we started a series of teeth cleaning at the college. It takes them quite a while as they have to check and get approval from their instructors at each stage, but hey, $20! Wendy keeps busy with choral business and singing practice. It's a little strange for the listener (me), as she's hearing the music in her ear buds, but singing the bass line aloud! The markets have continued their wild swings. The wildest this week was Wednesday when option traders got panicked over the possibility of the markets hitting bottom and went into a surge of buying to cover their short positions! Interesting times—I recall in the early days of my market playing, it would be a remarkable day when we had a hundred point swing in the DOW. These days we sometimes see a range of 1000 points in a single day! Sports action is plentiful these days. The week opened with the completion of the first Grand Slam event of the curling season. The winning teams were Gushue over Edin on the men's side, and Tirinzoni over Einarson in the women's competition. MLB continues with the divisional series where I've picked Yanks, Stros, Dodgers and Braves. I had perfect results in the Wild Card series, managing to pick exactly zero of the winners, but only two of my picks have been knocked out so far in this round, and one has already advanced! In college football, both my Sooners and the #22-Longhorns prevailed today. Hockey season has opened and the teams I follow (Oilers, Pens, Leafs) have all managed to get their first win out of the way. 

Erica writes, "We had a short work week, which was nice. We celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday with Erin and Kristian, and took a moment to remember our poor family down south that have to wait until next month for their celebration. #NotEveryoneGetsOctoberThanksgiving. On Monday, we had a good, long visit with Grampa. He seems to be doing very well. I noted that he has survived the Queen and he reminded me that he was already a year older then Lizzie, so there! Liam joined us on Thursday to see John Mulaney on his comedy tour. John was funny, as expected, and also has the meaningful story of his journey from drugs. We laughed, we cried… In a couple weeks we head across the pond for a family trip. It’s been years in the planning—we are looking forward to the time together."

Erin and Kristian have had a quiet week in Regina, but Erin has been ill. It's probably that seasonal flu that's going around this year. She has been testing, but is negative for covid, however, it's cost her time off work. We hope Kristian manages to avoid it. 

Cutting Board project

Kristian completed a project in woodwork at school. It looks good to me! 

Travis and Joanna are very busy with Bucket Decals and have now begun booking team photoshoots for the PuckShots side of their business—busy times, but good times! Travis was off to Toronto for a few days to take in the AEW pro wrestling event. 

And that's enough for this week.