Fall

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has been fine, with seasonable highs from 15 to 20°. We are enjoying several outings with Bern & Alicia, and they have also taken the bikes out for a few rides on some of our excellent trails. Along with local visits to the Mission Island Marsh, and Hillcrest Park, we inspected Kakabeka Falls and the Flett Railway tunnel northwest of here one day, and hiked around the Sleeping Giant park on Sibley Peninsula, yesterday. It has been good to have their motivation to explore our touristy attractions which we residents so often fail to take advantage of. 

Fall Colours

Kakabeka Falls

Flett Tunnel—yeah, it's high, and about 200m long.
You can see the car at the far end.

Sea Lion—both sides

See Lions!

Hedge Trimming

We also have put Bern to work in the backyard, trimming the cedars and helping with the fence renovation. The latter action precipitated another fall—that of me, against a post I was trying to plumb! That hurt my back, and I'm still suffering from that; it also ended the fence repairs! At least we got the neighbours shed moved and the fence approximating straight! We had a sloppy week in the markets as CPI came in higher than expected so equity investors decided a 0.5% rate hike is no longer possible in November. Still, it was a green week as the strong USA economy pushed the indices to new record levels. In sports, the Grand Slam event ended with my gal #5-Einarson posting a big win over #1-Homan. On the men's side it was #1-Mouat with a surprisingly easy win over #2-Gushue. My men's team, #15-Koe has added a new player at second and looks to raise its ranking. As predicted, #1-Texas thrashed #18-Oklahoma in the annual Red River rivalry game. Riders hosted BC Lions tonight, and the win locked up second place for the Riders. We still have a chance for first place, but it's a slim one. Go Riders! The NHL regular season has begun, and all three of my teams (Oilers, Pens, Leafs) lost their opening game. In fact, none of them even scored a goal! Tonight, Leafs hosted the Pens, so someone had to win there—Leafs did! Oilers took on Chicago, but are still looking for their first win! 

Erica writes, "Liam’s home for the weekend and we are thankful. We hope to get the shed done—we will see! I have an appointment in February for Lipedema and skin removal on my arms in Bonn. So, pray that plans come together for that and that the surgery is successful. My pump arrived and I’ve been using it each night, alternating arms and legs. I’ve noticed a reduction in my pain and swelling so that’s good! Eric has a surgery date for his other eye on the 28th. That was sooner than we expected and we are glad! Greg has another procedure on his heart scheduled for the 21st—keep him in your prayers."

Kristian's bus pass finally arrived and he took advantage to get out for a meeting with his support group and to apply for three more jobs. We hope something comes through on the work front for him. He borrows his mom's car once in a while and goes shopping on his own—becoming uncomfortably independent! Work continues to go better and better for Erin as she works to perfect all aspects of her new assignment. 

Travis and Joanna are very busy this time of year. Joanna is also struggling to get back to full health. She thought she was all better last weekend, but is still fighting a cold and sore throat. It's the busiest time of year for Bucket Decals, so Travis has been pumping out the product! We had a lovely supper over there early in the week which was very nice—thanks folks! 

And that's enough for this week. 

Arrivals!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in our hometown. We have been working through medical appointments and fresh blood work with our doctors. So far, no big concerns are showing up, and that's a good thing at any age. The weather has changed to a bit more seasonable, and we have had frost on the local gardens. Bernard and Alicia arrived on Thursday; we are enjoying spending time with them. We have managed several games of Fast Track. Bernard helped with the fence repairs. Today, we ventured down to Grand Marais for a fun day along the lake. Otherwise, I had a dental appointment on Wednesday, and we had our usual choir practice on Thursday. The markets struggled most of the week in the face of global unease over the fighting in Ukraine and the Middle East, but, fortunately, the USA economy came to the rescue with blowout jobs numbers and we closed the week with some nice green—thanks Uncle Joe. Baseball has moved into the semi-finals in each league; there have already been some surprises. In college football, my #19-Sooners and the #2-Longhorns both have the week off to prepare for the Red River Rivalry game next weekend. Sad to say, I'm not expecting too much from the Sooners this season. The Riders had an important game tonight and managed a win in Edmonton to lock up a playoff spot. This week in curling is the first Grand Slam event of the season featuring the top 16 teams for both men and women. It will be #1-Mouat (Scotland) vs #4-Gushue in the men's final. It's two Canadian teams in the final in the women's final, as #1-Homan plays my gal, #11-Einarson. 

Erica writes, "I got my pump machine this week. It comes with pants that inflate intermittently to push fluid up my legs, and a jacket to push fluid up my arms. All together it looks like a costume for some comic book villain. We’ve been hauling sand to our back yard. We plan to level out a spot for the new shed. If the weather cooperates we plan to start building it this weekend. Liam has had several birthday celebrations with Mercedes this week. And he got another infusion of his medicine. We haven’t heard much from Greg, Kiersten or Haaken." 

Kristian continues with the slow process of his job hunt. He's expecting his bus pass, but everything about this effort seems to get delayed. Work continues to progress well for Erin. She's heading out for bowling tonight with some of her colleagues from work. 

Travis is very busy with work. He had a record month of orders in September, and October is continuing that trend. Joanna has been down all week with cough, congestion and sore throat—generally feeling yucky. She's finally feeling better and enjoyed the trip to Grand Marais today. 

Grand Marais Crew today!

And that's enough for this week. 

Summery Weather Continues

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The beautiful weather has continued into the Autumn and we're enjoying that. The lawns continue to grow, so I've been called upon to continue to mow! In anticipation of indoor times, I have begun an online video exercise series called ElderFit, although I am still managing enough outdoor activity so far. I have another fence section ready to go, and still many sections remain to be addressed later. Now, that the fence is basically repaired, I have found it handy to just do one section at a time. I have surveyed a challenging section where the neighbour's shed has fallen against my fence and pushed it well out of line. I will need to work with her to rearrange her shed before I can renovate that section of fence, but that probably won't happen this year. I played no golf this week, but I keep practicing the swing, which, I have determined (only took me about 60 years!), is the secret to effective play. We are into the Fall swing of activities, and once again, I see how easily I get myself trapped into too many scheduled things, sigh! The markets continued to see new record highs—I think the S&P500 has set over 40 record highs this year—thanks, Uncle Joe! As a result, September—historically the worst month for stocks, has turned in a very good gain. My #21-Sooners were penalized for their loss last week, but turned it around with a win today. #1-Longhorns kept their spotless record going despite losing their starting quarterback—young Mr. Manning is looking like he wants to keep the job. Curling is big this week with the top 16 Men's and Women's Teams in the country playing in Calgary. My guy, #5-Kevin Koe, lost out in the second round, while my gal, #3-Kerri Einarson, lost out in the first round. #1-Homan is the class of the women's field, but #10-Skrlik may give her a run for her 50K prize. On the men's side, #3-McEwen and #1-Gushue have advanced to the final, and, although my friend says to never bet against Gushue, I'm picking McEwen. At least the Riders came through for me with a win over Ottawa. That improves their chances of a home playoff game. NHL preseason games continue for another week, but, soon, the season will be on us. 

Sofa/Bed

Erica continued her 50th Birthday vacay in Costa Rica, and has now returned home, exhausted—but look who is trying out the new sofa! Who knew vacations were so tiring!? Eric continues his recovery from his recent eye surgery and things seem to be proceeding as expected on that front. They picked up a new sofa/bed in anticipation of the family Christmas gathering. Looks like it should do the job! Erica wrote, "Eric arrived back at home on Monday. His conference in Montana went well, and he enjoyed some adventure. He fit in an appointment with his eye specialist on the way. The specialist is happy with his progress and they will begin the process for his other eye. I returned very late Thursday night/Friday morning. The trip to Costa Rica was fun, challenging, very sweaty and at times relaxing. I faced a few fears—big ugly spiders, and heights. And, I met new friends in our travel group. It was really great, and I’m glad to be back home. Liam will be home next weekend. Nothing else to add from Greg, Kiersten and Haaken."

Hurray!

Big news out of Regina as Kristian was successful on his second driving test! Well done, young man! Now, to get a job as he continues his drive to adulthood. Erin's work continues to challenge and inspire, but she is pretty much in control of things at VW, even as she continues to be called back to help out at Toyota—don't be indispensable or you can't be promoted! 

Travis & Joanna are very busy, and now Joanna is also fighting a cold. Testing indicated a negative finding for Covid, so there is that! It's hard to have fun and games with them when they're short-staffed like this, so we look forward to her being on the mend! 

And that's enough for this week! 

And still more heat!

Another hot Summer week even as we move into Autumn! We ran up to 30° and beyond most days and it didn't cool off enough overnight either, so we ran our AC more than we have all Summer. It's cooler today, mid-twenties, so I took advantage to mow the lawn. I played golf on Monday, and puttered a bit in the shop through the week, but mostly, I remained indoors. The forecast is for more seasonable temperatures next week. Our expected daytime highs this time of year is only about 15°, which we find very comfortable. Wendy has begun her dental work under the new Federal Dental Program, and I am continuing my dental repairs. She continues with her Sweet Adelines, and we have both begun another session of rehearsals with Silver Sound Choir. That one runs until December 1st and concludes with our Christmas Show. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday to discuss a few issues including the pain in my upper back. She has assigned bloodwork to check on the need and efficacy of my current meds, and has approved my exercise program leading to more golf and curling! Yay! Only about another month of golf here, so we'd better start making plans to head south! Local curling will begin around Thanksgiving, and I'm planning to give it a try with my repaired back. The markets were pretty wild this week as traders speculated about what the FED would do on Wednesday, and then reacted and over-reacted to the actual 0.5% rate cut. Anyway, it made for a good week, and has turned an historically bad month in the markets into a nicely green one. #1-Texas and #15-Oklahoma were re-ranked after last weekend's wins in college football but the Sooners may be dropped some after their loss to #6-Tennessee today. The Riders put up a good offensive effort to beat Calgary this week and solidify their playoff position. Baseball is nearing the end of the regular season, so, soon, we'll all be Ser-i-es about baseball—well, not the Jays, they'll be serious about next season! Pre-season hockey has begun, and in a few weeks, we'll be back into the regular rhythm of the NHL. 

Erica writes, "I’ve spent the past week journeying across Costa Rica from the east coast to Montenegro with my “50” friends. We’ve seen a lot of wildlife and tropical forest and sweated ALOT! We met some new friends along with way with our tour group. It has been a good trip so far and we hope this continues next week. Eric had his follow up eye appointment and it is doing well. He is now in Montana for some training and touring around. Today he checked out Yellowstone park. Not much else to share." We have remained in contact with Eric as he travelled to Livingston, Montana for his workshop, and as he did some touristy stuff as well. 

Erin and Kristian remain fully engaged with her work and his drug trial. It seems there are frequently extra issues with his bloodwork, or potential side-effects to the meds, so he needs to get his licence so he can run himself around town to these appointments!! He takes the drivers test next Tuesday. 

Travis & Joanna keep very busy as usual. They did have us over for a pizza evening this week, so that was fun. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Struggling Forward!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been lovely with mid-twenties for daytime highs, and bright sunny days to enjoy. Wendy has pushed forward with weed work, and appears to be completing that job. The yard is looking good. I have been beset with aches and pains such that today, we even took covid tests again—negative, but why am I hurting? I certainly haven't been doing much physical work. I planned to complete the first two fence panels, and begin work on a third, but there was precious little progress on that front. I kept up with my golf practice swings, but no balls were hit this week—so, it's not that! I have a made a doctor appointment next week; we'll see what she suggests. On Wednesday, we attended the memorial for a dear friend who passed recently. That was a lovely chance to connect with many long time friends, of course, it was also a time to contract covid... we'll continue testing. On Thursday, we began choir practice again. We have nine songs (all new to me) to prepare for presentation in our Christmas Festival. The markets turned upward this week, and we staged a remarkable recovery such that we're back on quota for the month. Investors, apparently, have convinced themselves that the FED will cut the rates by 0.5% next week, and thus FOMO (fear of missing out) has motivated them to buy back in after selling for the first part of the month! "Prepare to be disappointed," is my mantra, when you're counting on the FED! #10-Einarson and #11-Koe both fell short in the curling playoffs last weekend, but Kevin at least improved his world rank. Riders have the week off to lick their wounds after back-to-back beatings by the Bombers. Blue Jays continue to play out the string, while trying to interfere with other teams who are struggling to make the playoffs. In college football, #2-LongHorns and #15-Sooners played well and won their games today, although, once again, the Horns were more impressive. 

Erica writes, "We enjoyed a weekend with Liam at the beginning of the week. Eric had his cross linking eye procedure on Tuesday. The first day he spent in the dark. The second evening he came out for a bit. By Thursday he could handle a couple hours teaching at the university. So far so good. I left him on Thursday to begin my epic girls trip to Costa Rica. Tina, Marina and I all turned 50 this year. We’ve made it to San Jose and today we headed for the east coast."

Kristian has received his upgraded resume, and continues to pursue applications for a job within walking distance of home. He received welcome news that the DHHS will provide a bus pass, so that may expand his search radius. Erin has had a hard week at work where she is not only completing the monthend at VW, but also called to help out back at Toyota—long days! Then, she also is called to attend to Kristian's travel to his drug trial appointments. 

We've enjoyed a couple of shared meals with Travis and Joanna. Of course, these also include some FastTrack games! Notably, the women won at FastTrack on Monday night—notable, because it's also rare!! Otherwise, they are keeping busy with work and their business. Soon, the emphasis will change from Bucket Decals to Puckshots as teams start to book their photoshoots. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Progress

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather is changing with the passage of time, and the single digits we felt this morning reminded us that summer is coming to an end. My main activity this week was on repairing the side fence. This had the unexpected benefit of regular visits with our neighbour and sharing the bounty of her garden—I love beets, carrots and cucumbers fresh out of the garden! I was able to dig out the broken post, splice it back together, install it the opposite way around and get the two sections of fence back in place. My plan is to completely rebuild that side fence—we'll see how far I get on that this year. I've made a few more visits to the dentist, with others still on the schedule. Wendy has continued to work on the flower beds and hedge rows. She has those cleaned up and we are able to enjoy the fire pit as well. She also managed to catch up with several of her coffee klatches, including a visit with our long term friend, Rauni. True to historical patterns, September seems determined to exhibit bad results for the markets. This week has been unmitigatingly red! In the world of sports, the Blue Jays are playing a lot of their prospect players and they're doing better than the "proven pros" they claimed to be using earlier! The Riders were unable to recover from their mistakes and dropped the Labour Day classic. Today, they returned to Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl and put up a pretty good performance, but left with the same result—sigh! In college football, the #15-Sooners and the #3-Longhorns were rewarded with a step forward in the standings. Each responded with another win today, although the Sooners did not impress! Curling has started up in the new season. My guy, Kevin Koe, has dropped to #12 ranking, while my gal, Kerri Einarson, has dropped to #9. I need both of them to perform better this season. This week, they're both playing in the Saville Shootout in Edmonton. Koe is undefeated so far, and will advance to the playoff round. Einarson has just one loss, so she should advance as well. 

Eric has another appointment to perform corneal cross-linking, this one doesn't include the lasik corrective work. We pray that will lead to some progress toward overcoming his vision issues. Erica writes, "Liam is home for the weekend. We read the instructions for the shed and it said you needed three adults so we figured we could build the shed. But, as we read more and more, we figured out that we actually have to get a permit. So, we checked out the car port and we have to have a permit for that, too. So we didn’t do either." Permits Prevent Progress! 

Erin and Kristian spent a lot of time and effort on his job hunt. He's working with the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Society. His resume has been enhanced, and he's ready for some company to add him to its executive branch! Erin is heading into another busy time at work with monthend rearing its head as it does every so often, about every month! 

Travis and Joanna are both quite busy. Joanna has been filling in for a short-staffed situation at work, and Travis is pushing product out the door in this very busy time for Bucket Decals as many hockey organizations are gearing up for the new season with all their potential NHLers. 

Another day's work out the door!

And that's about enough for this week. 

Catching Up!

Another week has passed and we have returned to my hometown on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather is beautiful here with temperatures reaching the mid twenties each day, and an occasional shower or thunder storm. We are glad to be home. There are a lot of things to catch up on here, and I also want to catch up on my reporting of things done in Saskatchewan, and during our trip east. We completed a lot of stuff at Erin's place.

First time doing round corners

This is an update of the storage closet, Wendy will paint it later. Wendy has a number of photos on her facebook posting. You can't access them unless you have a facebook id, so I'll post some of them below. 

Dad/Mom Krogsgaard

Before leaving Regina, we also took time to decorate Wendy's parents' plaque. We drove to Carman on Saturday where we moved in with Glen & Kim—thanks folks. On a very hot Sunday afternoon, Glen and I braved the heat to play a round of golf. There is a nice course at Carman, and we enjoyed the event. Then, on Monday, we drove home, arriving here about 7:30, and glad to be home again. Since then, we have been catching up on housework, yard work, and rest! I have begun repairing the side fence and, as usual, more issues crop up as I work on that. Wendy has attacked the undergrowth, overgrowth, and weeds! Another week should see most of those assignments behind us. Wendy had her cataract appointment on Tuesday; she has a follow-up for laser touch-up later this month. I had my dental appointment on Wednesday. He assessed that there is a lot of work to do, and began with 16 X-rays, and an initial filling. There is much more work to do, including the replacement of my partial plate. The markets completed another very good month as the USA inflation data and growth numbers came in better than expected—thanks, Uncle Joe! Now, we face the (historically) worst month for the markets so it'll be a challenging time. Riders play their traditional Labour Day Classic against the Bombers this weekend. The young guys for the Jays are getting their chance to prove their value, and are doing well. College Football began this weekend with big wins by my #16-Sooners, and by the #4-Longhorns. I'm expecting the Horns to thrive this season and advance to the playoffs. 

Erica wrires, "We spent the first part of the week recovering from our kayak adventure. It was fun, and we also enjoyed the water. But we used muscles we aren’t used to using. There is a cabin for sale at the lake and we checked out the listing a few times, but not sure we want to tie ourselves up like that. We enjoy going different places. Our new shed arrived on Friday in 3 large and very heavy boxes. We are heading to the Rider game so we will need to set up the shed next week! Some friends from Kenora are joining us for the game and for some visiting as well. Liam and Mercedes finished up a week of boot camp. Liam reports that Saturday will be his rest and recuperation day. Our neighbour, Elizabeta, finally has a next step for her aching knees. She will go in on Wednesday to have a scope done. She is nervous, but also glad to be doing something. We’ve been helping her get ready this week, and praying that everything goes smoothly for her. Nothing new from Haaken, Greg and Kiersten."

Erin and Kristian are back to their usual activities after the months of looking after us. Thanks guys! We're hoping that Kristian can get a job, soon. His resume is all spruced up, and he has begun making applications. He continues his practice driving in preparation for his next test. Erin continues to experience greater ease in her new assignment—so proud! 

Minnie

Travis and Joanna welcomed us home. It was good to catch up with them as well. On Tuesday, we had a come and go memorial time over the loss of their little dog. On Friday, we had our standard pizza and cards evening—thanks guys! 

And that's enough for this week.