Happy Canada Day!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. This weekend we are celebrating the 150th birthday of Canada. Tom & Mariette passed along a link to an orchestral, vocal and video celebration of the country—enjoy! We've had a full week. I walked an 18-hole regulation course without undue pain in my leg. The golf was not great: 47-48—95, but I will carry on and put more practice into my golfing, now that I know I can manage the walk. The markets were terrible once again; both TSX and Nasdaq were red for the month, and TSX is red for the year so far. I failed to make quota in June, and I'm now running about 1 month behind for the year—may have to go on short rations! We've begun painting at Erin's place. The colours have been selected, although that doesn't mean that debating the choices is over! Walls have been patched, and some of the painting is complete. Wendy and Erin do the painting; I work on aspects that cannot be seen on the surface! On Friday, we had an Earl Grey School reunion. We enjoyed trying to figure out who all those old people were since we left there 40 years ago. The Riders played their first home game in their new stadium, but the result was just as disappointing as an OT-FG-failure left them on the losing end once again. The Blue Jays are in a drought as well, and have fallen off the pace in their division. C'mon man! 

The Baileys got a house and a gramma! Gramma Bailey is visiting this week. It has been great to have her; the boys have been keeping her company during the day. They got possession of their new house on Friday and enjoyed their first supper in it. They have taken measurements, and now to have decide what improvements they can afford, and what will have to wait. With surgeries coming up, Haaken off to college, and Liam back to Caronport, some things, like new kitchen appliances, will have to wait. Eric is working with the marriage and family therapists' association (MFT) on regulations for mental health work in Saskatchewan. That includes some meetings with political people!

Supervisor-Cyclist!

Erin had Friday off work in lieu of the July 1st holiday, so we're all getting an extra long weekend. Kristian completed grade 5 on Thursday, and is now on summer vacation. Today, he graduated his cycling trials, and is now a full-fledged cyclist! Otherwise most of the week has been consumed with the turmoil of moving furniture, repairing walls and painting! 

Travis & Joanna have also seen the completion of another school year for Gemma and Andrew. Both are good students; Gemma is even a great student! They have completed grades 11 and 9, respectively. Both are now hard at their summer jobs. Well done, team! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. I enjoyed having a family barbecue on Sunday for Fathers' Day, and my children were generous as usual—thanks! The weather started and ended the weekly nicely, but we had some cool, showery weather in the middle. I got out for a round of golf with Dale on Tuesday. It was 18 holes on an executive course, and my leg handled it fine. My game was not so great, +18, but I'm satisfied for now. We plan to play a full course this coming Monday. I came down with a cold on Wednesday, and am still suffering head congestion and coughing today. Wendy continues to nurse her tender back, but that hasn't slowed her down much. She has been shopping for new lighting fixtures for Erin's kitchen and dining room, so I was consigned to install those. They look good, and really make the flavour more homey and intimate in contrast to the industrial fixtures the builders had installed. Next in line is to repaint the main floor; Wendy and Erin are busy with swatches trying to choose the perfect level of grey to apply to those walls. The markets have continued to whipsaw, and I was down nearly $1000 one day, but I had a good week overall, and am back on quota for the month. The TSX even managed to sneak into the green for the year with a tidy gain on Friday. The CFL season has begun; I am expecting better things of the Riders. It wasn't a good start, and I lay most of the blame on the coaching staff for a 1-point loss to Montreal. The Jays continue to struggle below .500 in baseball. They've tried 9 times this season to get to .500, and failed each time—sigh! 

Apple Pie a la Liam

The Baileys were down here last weekend; it was nice to catch up with them all. They got some good news this week as Haaken was accepted into Victoria College of Art. In fact, it appears he had been accepted back in April, but the email was lost in cyberspace. Haaken sent a follow up email and found out he was in! After a few days of consideration, he has decided to go for it! So off to Victoria he will go. Gramma Bailey came to visit for a week. In honour of this occasion, Liam made a wonderful dinner of homemade spaghetti, and gluten-free apple pie from scratch. It was very, very good and now he is assigned cook duty for the rest of the summer! Liam and Erica got to see the new doctor this week. She is rumoured to be very thorough so we are hoping she will have a positive impact on our health.

Erin and Kristian are hosting us well here in Regina. Kristian is closing out the school year with a variety of special activities from swim day, to assemblies, to sports day. Today, he enjoyed a birthday party for Astrid at the Science Centre. They had lots of chemistry activities and topped it off with cake and the ice cream they had just made! 

Travis, Joanna and crew are holding down the fort back in TBay. We chat with them from time to time, but it's not the same as being there with them. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we have relocated to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. We left on Monday morning, driving both vehicles and got as far as Winnipeg where we enjoyed the hospitality of Mike & Peggy. Wendy was driving the Sorento, and reports that the comfort of the well-known seats was agreeable to her tender back, so she experienced no pain. We enjoyed a day of rest on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, I ventured on my first golf game of the year with Tom, Mike and Dean. We suffered through rain showers on two holes, but eventually completed 9 holes, although Tom's attempted recovery from a cold encouraged him to call an early break so as not to suffer a relapse. I was pleased to complete the half-round although my golfing was poor. I was getting some complaints from my leg by the eighth hole, but I'm going to keep trying. I did finally make one par, and scored 47. Wednesday afternoon, we headed for Brandon. We stopped for coffee in Portage where we enjoyed a visit with Dave & Anita, old friends from Yellowknife. We got to Charlie & Bonnie's in Brandon late, and proceeded to stay up later, finally hitting the hay at 3am. So, we slept in a bit, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and then continued to Regina where we settled in with Erin & Kristian. It is great to spend some time with them. This weekend featured the 100th Anniversary celebrations of the congregation here. We've enjoyed catching up with many friends (all old now!), and meeting some of their children and grandchildren! We've also enjoyed having time with our own children and grandchildren. What a great time! The markets have been terrible, no good and bad! TSX has pulled back into the red for the year once again, and I suffered losses this week as well. Pittsburg Penguins finished off Nashville in six games to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions—I was glad to see that! The Jays continue to struggle, and are not making headway in the standings. The Riders played their final preseason game, suffering a severe beating at the hands of the BC Lions. Now that the real season begins, they will need to play better—Go Riders, Go!

The Bailey's are also in Regina this weekend for the Church of Christ's 100th anniversary celebration. Erica and Haaken were born in Regina so it's a special homecoming for them! They have closed conditions on their house. The home inspection came back with a few items they need to take care of ASAP, but they are all things they knew about, so no big surprises. They have discovered that the banks have become much more strict since their last mortgage. Last time they even let them borrow the down payment—no problem. This time they had to provide two years income history, proof they have RRSPs for the down payment, and they even wanted the cash to be in the bank account before approval. It sure seemed like a big deal for a $95K house purchase! But they got final approval on Friday and were able to sign off on the conditions—Phew! Just two weeks until possession date for the house and two weeks after that Eric and Erica head to Germany for her first lipedema surgery. They are praying that everything goes well on both fronts and they welcome your prayers, too!

Erin, Kristian and Sadie were happy to welcome our arrival. We brought a new bicycle for Kristian, and he is eager to give it a try. Sadie is glad to have someone around to give her regular walks and frequent treats! Erin has agree to give the Keto diet a try while we're here and see how it goes for her.

Travis, Joanna and crew are holding down the fort in TBay. They operate the office out of our basement, so that part of our home care works out well. They will also be maintaining the yard and watering the indoor plants. Thanks guys! Gemma and Andrew are already getting quite a few hours at their summer jobs—good work by two responsible people. We're proud of them. Before we left, we enjoyed a night out for dinner with them on Sunday evening to honour Joanna's birthday.

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

We've enjoyed another week of beautiful weather here on Lake Superior in my hometown. Well, enjoyed may not be a word Wendy would choose—she's been suffering with back pains all week. Chiropractic treatments, painkillers and Epsom salt baths have brought some relief, but she's still no where close to par, and she only has vacuuming to blame! I've managed to get the yard ready to turn over to Travis and crew—they're looking forward to it! I was able to practice golf a few times, but still no play. My leg is feeling a bit better, so I keep looking forward with hope. We're heading to Regina next week, so perhaps some of my golf buddies there will carry me around. The markets were pretty much flat for the week, but I got some great payoffs, so I am ahead of quota, and I feel blessed. NHL playoff final series is near the conclusion and the Pens lead 3-2 in games, so it will end soon. The Jays continue to struggle under .500, so improvement is needed! The Riders started the CFL season with their first preseason game. They played their first pre-season game tonight, held the lead until under two minutes left—then kicked a late FG to tie it up! We'll see what Don, my Rider-Expert, says when I see him next weekend!

Headline news from the Baileys: they bought a house! They got a cute 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house in Prince Albert. It is an older home, built in 1912, but it appears to have good bones. They will need to put some money and sweat into it, but in the end they feel it will work for them and doesn't require a huge mortgage. You can click on this link to see more details. Liam created an animation this week. He is using a drawing program to draw and animate on his computer. If they could only figure out how to get it saved as a video file, they could share it online, and we could all enjoy it!

Erin's Tomato Tree!

Erin and Kristian are closing out the school year, and things are going well. Sadie gets worried during thunderstorms. Erin got a tomato tree from Shawn. It's already producing, but she has nowhere to plant it!

Trav and Joanna are now getting quite a few photo-shoots for baseball teams. Trav is over here in the office most days designing and printing. Gemma and Andrew are also doing well in their work and school. Their classes end this week and then it's exam time.

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be great, and I've managed some yard work and golf practice. Trav let me try out their new battery-powered lawnmower and it worked great! I completed both lawns with power to spare. I had really intended to try some golfing this week, but my leg was not feeling up to it when the opportunity arose, so I was limited to some golf practice only. We were back at the doctor on Thursday. She updated us on the angiogram results. It seems there are as many as five areas of blood clotting/blockages in my left leg. It is unclear whether these have amalgamated. Circulation in general has improved somewhat, but remains substandard and especially so for the lower leg. Clearly the Rivaroxaban did not do the job it was expected to do of dissolving all the clots, but it does seem to have done the job of keeping me safe from other damage that may come from such clots. She has extended my prescription for Rivaroxaban and is referring me to Dr. Lise Mozzon, an internist and haematology specialist to investigate the situation further. We finally completed all the hoops at the bank and lawyers, and picked up our Santa Fe on Wednesday. We're enjoying the new features. Wendy has been busy with cleaning and reorganizing, but seems to have aggravated her back, so that has slowed her down the last few days. We are continuing the lo-cal diet, and pretty much enjoying it. No pie or ice cream, but plenty tasty all the same. I managed to get some more drywalling done in the kitchenette, and we picked up the set of cupboards, but the countertop had been constructed too short, so it will have to be redone. The markets continue to struggle, and with the loss of 1.6% in May, the TSX is only up 1% for the year. However, I've been blessed with monthly quotas for all months except April so far this year, so I am thankful. Weakening US jobs data and Trump's protectionist rhetoric have rattled our markets. Baseball plays on into a third month, and the Jays have improved—yay Jays! Stanley Cup playoffs have reached the final series. Pittsburgh won the first two games, but Nashville fought back with a home victory tonight.

Liam is enjoying improved health after his blood upgrade; we hope he's on a sustained upswing now. The Baileys continue to investigate realty in PA. They've found nothing that ticks all the boxes, but there are more options. Haaken continues with his art and his volunteering.

Erin and Kristian are preparing for summer plans as they work through the final month of this school year. We'll try to fit ourselves in as well as we can. Kristian had his sports day this week. We enjoyed it with him last year; he got sunburned on his own this time! With the nicer weather they've been able to get out walking and roller-blading this week. Sounds like it fits in with Erin's new active life style as well.

Trav & Joanna have embarked on the Baseball photography season. We expect their introduction to these teams will expand their business with this sport as well. Bucket Decals continues to get orders from forward-looking hockey teams; it's good to have the business! Gemma and Andrew are both completing the school year, but have also begun work on summer jobs as time permits. This week Trav & Joanna bought sod, and extended their lawns. Now that they have their fancy dancy lawnmower, I guess they can handle it!

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been beautiful, and the dandelions are flourishing in my lawns! I gave them a special watering one day, and they're displaying the characteristics signs of suffering that I was hoping for! The lawns are doing well in the surplus of rains we've been enjoying this spring. I'm still considering my gardening options as our summer plans are not set yet. I was able to get out to the golf course a few times, and that's going a bit better. My leg hasn't changed much, but I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor set for next week. I hope some new options are being considered. We have completed financial and legal arrangements for funding the vehicle purchase, so we plan to pick that up next week. Wendy has completed her painting, so I need to get the new fascia applied to the garage. The TSX suffered another red week although the US indices were all in the green. I made some gains, not as much as needed, however, I am still on target for the month. So much for the old saw, "Sell in May and go away." Maybe it's the new witticism, "Even the blind pig finds the odd turnip!" NHL playoffs have worked through another round and both of my picks have moved on to the Cup Finals. I'll be cheering for Pittsburgh, and have also picked them to win, but it won't be easy over the mobile defence and great goaltending in Nashville. Baseball continues, and the Blue Jays are playing a bit better. This weekend they've taken a series from the high-flying Texas Rangers! Yay Jays!

The Baileys had another interesting week. Liam went in to top up his blood supply on Tuesday. Then he complained of chest pains, so back to the doctor only to find out that the pain is a good sign, or at least a normal sign. He had a bit more blood work and goes back next week. Work has been busy for Erica this week. It seems that all her files are coming due at once—she is pushing through. Eric, Erica and Liam continue to look at houses and debate whether or not they want that responsibility again. Where they are is fine, but with the four of them and only one shower—they often wish for more. And they don't have the space to host friends or visitors easily. Then again, they have the freedom to come and go and not worry about repairs. They are looking at another place today.

Erin had a very intriguing day on Tuesday. She was called for Jury Duty, and put in a long day of preliminaries for a three-person murder trial before finally being excused. Kristian is taking new interest in cycling, so we're planning to take along some more options for him when we travel west in June.

Travis & Joanna are planning and working on yard developments this spring. They're planning to replace a flowerbed in the back with some new sod. They got a new 40W battery-powered lawn mower this week. We'll be interested to see how it performs.

And that's enough for this week. 

Happy May Long

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fine, but rainy and not as warm as we'd like. The rhubarb is developing nicely, but not ready for picking yet. I may try to add another root to that part of the garden. Otherwise, I don't know what I'll be planting for garden as we plan to be away for a substantial part of the summer, again. Golf practice is not going well, the short game is okay, but the full swing has not been improved by my gimpy leg. I had an angiogram done on it this week, but it'll be a while before we get results from that. I hope they decide there's something that can be done to bring about some improvement. Our keto diet program is going well, the suggested menu is very tasty, and we're feeling pretty good about it. I finally screwed up my courage and cut the waterlines for the kitchenette. That worked out fine in the end, but I hadn't used the SharkBite connections before. After doing a bit of PEX on Erin's place last year, I wanted to try some plastic plumbing, and SharkBite doesn't require the big clamping tool. The markets had another difficult week as Trump Trauma continues. We really only had one really bad day, but it takes time to recover from those! All North American indices were red for the week, so I felt blessed to gain more than my quota and get back to quota for the month. NHL playoffs are continuing in closely fought semi-finals. Both series were tied 2-2 this evening when the Predators won and took a 3-2 lead over the Ducks. Jays continue to struggle in the opening months of the baseball season.

Liam's red blood count has dropped pretty low, so he's going for a couple of units of blood on Tuesday. Haaken has been working on animation videos which he posts on YouTube. He also continues to work at the food bank. He does bagging, portioning and cleaning. Liam is being a handymen around the house. A drawer fall out over a month ago and he has fixed it. Eric/A have been looking at a few fixer-uppers this week. Maybe they will become home owners again. Eric says, "Don't hold your breath, unless you are looking at some of these houses." This was literally true—one place they decided at the door wasn't the place for them—even if it was only $40K!

Erin is still waiting for an appointment with the specialist. Kristian is doing well; he got a haircut this week. I also got a haircut this week, but I'm sure he got about four times as many cut! Erin was called to jury duty on Tuesday, this intrigues her, but she doesn't want to get behind at work, or have to use up her vacation time. They are putting together plans for the summer for Kristian. We hope to figure prominently.

We enjoyed a hike out to the Cascades with Trav & Joanna, Andrew and Mini on Sunday afternoon. They keep picking up a few paying contracts. Joanna keeps working at her other jobs. Gemma is working after school and weekends, trying to build up her bank balance for a trip to Europe. Andrew has a summer job, but that hasn't started yet. They had us over for supper one evening, and cooked a keto-friendly meal for us. It was great, with the grated cauliflower rice substitute being the real hit. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Another week has passed, and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, so we've been getting out for walks and cycling and even some golf practice. We returned from BC on Tuesday; it took us all day and then some to get here, and we arrived tired. So, we took it easy for a few days. We have started a ketogenic diet. We plan to keep to that until it's time to head west in June, and see how that goes. So, far it's been pretty tasty. Wendy has returned to her painting, and today launched into the fascia boards for the garage. The markets have been running downward again, and both TSX and the DOW are in the red for the month. Fortunately, I had an on-quota week, but I am still below quota for the month. The Stanley Cup playoffs have completed the second round; I did not do well prognosticating the latest results as I only picked one of the four winners. For the semi-finals, I am picking the Penguins and the Predators to prevail and move on to the finals. The Blue Jays are playing better, having won their last three series, but they're still not up to .500, so we're not planning the parade route yet!

Wendy's Mother's Day bouquet and gift! 

Eric is in Toronto this weekend for the Association of Family and Marriage Therapists conference. I'm not sure how the conference is going, but he got to enjoy watching the Jays win from a prime seat on the 3rd base line! Liam has been experimenting with gluten-free baking. A recipe that worked great in BC is falling flat in PA so he is trying to figure that out! Haaken has started a part time volunteer job with the Food Bank. It is good experience and a learning opportunity. Erica is also experimenting with a shift toward a Ketogenic diet to help with her Lipedema inflammation. It's too soon to make any conclusive declarations, but so far she's been feeling better at least!

Erin has accepted the referral to the specialist; we look forward to that being accomplished, and hope for some solutions. Kristian scored a lot of books at the school book fair, and is enjoying those. He has grand plans to fête his mother for Mother's Day—well done, my boy! Shawn is off to Winnipeg to bury his mother's ashes. I'm sure that will be another emotional time for him.

Trav and Joanna continuing in a slow season for their business, but Trav has revamped the websites and some orders are coming in. Joanna keeps up with her other jobs, so she's busy. Gemma and Andrew are in the closing months of school for the year, and are looking toward their summer work and activities.

And that's about enough for this week! 

News Update

Our Lady Marion!

Another week has passed, and we find ourselves on the shore of Lake Okanagan is supernatural British Columbia. It is election season here in Insanity by the Sea, and we promise to vote early and vote often! We flew out here on Wednesday to attend to the Celebration of the Life our our sister-in-law, Marion. She was a grand lady, to be sure, and that was ably accentuated by the friends and family who gathered here to acknowledge that fact. We dearly miss her, of course, none so deeply as our brother John, her soul-mate of the last thirty-five years, along with her step-daughter, and her children, and their collective families. It was good to be gathered with them to commemorate her remarkable life. Otherwise the week has been mundane. The markets were just a touch to the red side here, but a bit green in the US, and I managed a gain for the week, but not up to quota. The sports calendar continues to unfold. Brad Jacobs beat my guy, Kevin Koe, in the final of the Champions Cup of curling. NHL Playoffs continue and are due to complete the second round in the coming week. All teams remain alive, but all series are down to do or die scenarios for someone. However, the main highlight of the week is certainly the time we've been able to spend and to share here with family and friends. All my siblings are here, but one, and it has been a sweet reunion. 

Erica continues her investigations and lobbying over the Lipedema disease. Even if it comes to little for her, she is determined to do her bit, so others may benefit in the future. Liam is home from school now with his two semesters completed. We look forward to reports of better health for him as he recovers at home. 

Erin got her results for the Holter Monitor. We did not find them encouraging as her heart rate is quite high, but she seem reassured. We hope she will be able to take advantage of the proffered referrals to other specialists who may be able to suggest a better way forward. 

Joanna has been away caring for her father in Toronto for part of the week, but is home again. Trav took us to the airport early Wednesday morning. Thank you, son. We look forward to getting home late Tuesday night. 

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been terrible all week, but has turned nice for the weekend. That's two weekends in a row; don't know what to make of that! We had freezing rain both Wednesday and Thursday, so the streets were terrible, and it took some time yesterday to chip off the ice from the vehicle. It was only today that we got out for our first extended walk of the week. Golf courses that opened two weeks ago are closed again, sigh! Wendy has been painting downstairs this week. Along with a new batch of baseboard, she's also dressing up closet and bedroom doors. We finally got the plumber in to replace the main water line valve, so we're pretty much set up to get back to development of the kitchenette. Wendy bought the cupboards this week, so it feels like we're making progress. We've been listening to some podcasts and studying the ketogenic way of eating. We've decided to give that a try when we get back from BC. The markets started the week great, but then Trump happened. His farcical tax proposal, along with his protectionist threats, turned investors into a tailspin, and the markets headed downward. That cost me a few thousand, so while I ended the week in the green, I am below quota for the month—maybe next month! We continue our search for a newer vehicle; we currently have three under close consideration, but we leave Wednesday for BC, so we'll put this on the back burner for now. We're into the second round in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Six of my eight picks came through to the second round. Now, I've picked: Caps, Rangers in the East, and Oilers and Predators in the West. I'd really love to see the Pens and Oilers in the Cup final, but my head has over-ruled my heart! The Champions Cup is on in curling and my guy, Kevin Koe, is in the semi-final tonight.

Eric's Birthday Uke!

The Baileys celebrated Eric's birthday with dinner and a movie! Liam finished his second semester on Thursday and wrote his first of two exams. He'll complete exams on Monday and then return home for the third semester. His goal is to get healthy and work with his brother on a comic or movie. Stay tuned for more on that. Haaken met with his employment consultant people this week and he has secured a volunteer position with the food bank. It isn't a paying gig but it is good work experience nonetheless. Erica received a response from the Minister of Health regarding her request for support in her fight with Lipedema. The response was a no, so she will put together a reply with more facts and figures for him to consider, sigh!

Erin and Kristian had a good health week. She has an appointment set for Monday to review the results from her recent tests. She's afraid this intervention will call for better eating habits, and more exercise!

Travis, Joanna and Andrew for over for supper yesterday. The ice days meant that Gemma and Andrew has a short week of school. Puckshots is pretty quiet, but orders for Bucket Decals have already begun for the next season, so Trav is printing sets of those.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Cool, rainy weather marked most of the week, but it turned nice yesterday, and it's beautiful again today. You know something is messed up when the weather turns nice for the weekend! Some golf courses were open last weekend, but I haven't been out to play, just a bit of practice. The rain kept us from our walks as well, but we did get out yesterday and today. Wendy has been working on painting all week. We've also spent some considerable time and effort trying to find a new vehicle. We have not succeeded on that quest yet, but are starting to narrow the search. Our ideal remains the Santa Fe, but we have expanded our list of suitable substitutes: Tucson, Sorento, Sportage, CR-V, RAV4, Murano. We want to find a newer, and, more importantly, lower mileage replacement. The markets have remained troubled mainly by geo-political events, but also by poorer economic data in the US. At least, we experienced some gains this week, although all US indices remain red for the month. I had a good week, but still remain below quota for the month. The sports calendar is hectic. The first round of NHL playoffs often has three games scheduled one after the other in an evening! However, a few series have ended, and the pressure is easing on the over-stimulated fans! It was a shame to see Calgary and Montreal lose out, but we still have three Canadian teams in the race. The remainder of the first round will end in the next few days, then, I'll survey the carnage and make my picks for round two. I've already lost two teams from the first round. Niklas Edin of Sweden won the Players Championship to cement his tally of three Curling Slams. 

The Baileys got back from Victoria on the weekend, and assumed an almost normal lifestyle for this week! Liam is home from school for the week, so the family enjoyed all together time! Erica is participating in a conference on Lipedema, and we've been taking in many of the sessions on-line as well. 

Erin and Kristian had a good week—uneventful can be a relief! Kristian was off school and enjoyed the week at the Y. Erin doesn't have the results of her heart monitor, but at least she's feeling well. 

Trav & Joanna hosted us for Easter Brunch, and a celebration of Gemma's birthday on Sunday. Puckshots is enjoying a bit of a hiatus at the end of the local hockey season. They're hoping to expand their baseball team business this year. In the interim, Trav is working on the websites and trying not to pull his hair out over the annual politics of Thunder Bay Minor Hockey! It is not known yet whether his team will be awarded a franchise for next season! Maybe it's time for a year off! 

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, but the tarps are still on the greens—soon, I hope! We've managed to get out for some nice bike rides as well as our walks. I have a new record for walking—4km. Wendy comes along to encourage me, and to be able to go home and get the car if I run out of gas! The swelling really has not changed so far as I observe. We look forward to finding out if the vascular surgeon will have any new ideas or options. The markets have continued their downward bleed ever since the end of February. I have had another difficult week and am in the red for the month now. The geo-political turmoil stirred up over the bombing of Syria and Afghanistan didn't help, but the main issue is that no one has confidence in what the Trumpster will do next. The sports calendar remains full. NHL playoffs have begun, and my picks are in. I have Pens, Sens, Habs and Caps in the East, with Ducks, Oilers, Hawks and Blues in the West. Baseball is through a second week, and the Jays have only managed one win this week as well, sigh! Curling features the Players Championship in Toronto; Koe lost out in the playoffs today. Gushue is looking very strong in this one as well; he won the world championship last Sunday, and is into the semi-final here. The Masters ended with a surprisingly wonderful result—congratulations to Sergio Garcia! We enjoyed our Good Friday observance with our church group last evening, and look forward to Easter celebrations tomorrow—He is risen, indeed!

The Baileys spent the week in Victoria, visiting with family and celebrating Jelsing's life. There were many good stories and several were even true! Mike Koops gave a very moving recounting of the impact Jelsing had on his life as an adoptive-father figure. "Laughter through tears" is an apt phrase to describe the service. The service prompted some good conversations with the boys as they considered the impact they hope to have in their lives. Haaken took advantage of the visit to Victoria and had a meeting with the Victoria School of Art and Aura's brother, John, who works in Animation. They also enjoyed whale-watching as a family and afternoon tea at the Royal Victoria. The whale watching was amazing as the orcas felt very comfortable coming closer to the boats and we witnessed some breaches. The afternoon tea was surprisingly enjoyable and not nearly as proper as one might expect. There was much laughter and enjoying each others' company. They headed east on Good Friday and expect to land back in PA tonight.

Erin and Kristian have continued their health struggles. Both are seeing some improvement, but Erin is still suffering too much. However, they are at least recovered enough to enjoy some company. They enjoyed the final day of bowling today. They're hosting the Easter meal with Shawn, Astrid and Liam this evening.

Trav has been batching all week and taking care of the kids as Joanna has been visiting family in Toronto. All seem to have survived and Joanna returned Friday evening to complete the rescue. Gemma celebrated her 17th birthday today. We're planning to join them for some additional celebrations of that tomorrow!

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The first ships of the season have already come and gone; it was an early Spring for the seaway. The weather has continued to be beautiful, and we've enjoyed getting out for walks and bike rides. I have not managed to increase my old record of 3.5 km, but I will keep trying. I was back to the doctor this week, but that was just to get my Shingles vaccination. I've had that once, and didn't enjoy it. This decreases the likelihood of another outbreak, and the price was right! I have completed my teeth cleaning program. Markets have continued to be troubled; all US indices are in the red for the month, and TSX is under 1% green. We had jobs data that was surprisingly good, while US had surprisingly poor results, so that didn't help. Still, I didn't manage to make quota, so I'll have to work smarter next week! It has been a busy week in sports with the World Curling Championships, the opening of the Baseball season, and the Masters Golf tournament. Brad Gushue has represented us well, and is in the Gold Medal game tomorrow in curling against Sweden. The Jays have started the season poorly, winning only one game this week. There are a lot of prominent contenders at the Masters, so tomorrow should be exciting to watch. Jordan Spieth looks like the guy to beat at this point, but I'll be cheering for hard luck Sergio. College basketball ended on Monday with UNC winning it as I predicted. Sorry to see Gonzaga fall short, all the same. The NHL regular season ends this weekend, and the last playoff spot was determined tonight. Way to go Leafs! 

The Baileys are on the way to Victoria this weekend. Eric's dad funeral is set for Tuesday, so it's an emotional trip. The picked up Liam at Caronport after school on Friday and headed west. We wish them a good trip, and a good family gathering. 

Erin and Kristian have had a terrible, no good, very bad week on the health front. Kristian had a doctor's appointment, and was prescribed additional medications. It seems he is allergic to one of the medications, or to the combination. In any case, he is reacting with hives, and coughing. He was back to the doctor on Thursday who withdrew previous medications and added new ones! Erin was to the doctor early in the week as well to investigate her rapid heart beat. Then, she picked up the cold from Kristian and has been suffering all week. Kristian had bowling today, and bowled three fine games, each about 20 pins above his average—well done buddy! 

Travis and Joanna had another busy week, and that's a good thing. They were all over here for supper on Wednesday evening. We enjoyed that. Joanna took Wendy for lunch and shopping on Thursday. This weekend, Joanna is off to Toronto to visit her folks. Gemma and Andrew continue to do well at school. 

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 lovely, and we've been getting out to enjoy it. I was to see my doctor on Tuesday; she was both concerned and encouraging—I like that! She has ordered an angiogram to get an update on what is going on in my leg, and has referred me to a vascular surgeon who will analyze the angio, and advise us on options for further treatment if necessary. I have upped my walk game to 3.5 km. That represented forty minutes of continuous walking at a rate of 5.25 km/h—encouraging. Given that there are frequent rests during a round of golf, I'm feeling that I could make 18 holes for sure. We've been getting our teeth cleaned at the community college; Wendy has completed her sessions, but I still have one more. The markets have been troubled lately, and the DOW was in the red for the month. However, we've been getting improved economic data here, and the TSX has ignored the uncertainty in the US to provide me with quota for the month, and for the first quarter of the year. The sports calendar eased a bit this week, but heats up again beginning today as World Curling Championships have begun. Brad Gushue will represent us well, I'm sure. He started off with a win over Switzerland. The pressure is on him to duplicate the work of Rachel Homan and bring us another world championship. She won the gold last Sunday with a win over Russia. I guess March Madness is over, but the Final Four remains to play out in college basketball. I have two picks still alive as action begins, but I have picked neither of them to advance, and now both probably will! Anyway, with KU gone, I'm cheering for Gonzaga, but picking North Carolina to win it all. NHL teams have only a handful of games left and still some playoff spots are not settled. The Oilers clinched a spot this week, so both of my favourites are in. Sentimental favourite Toronto looks like it is going to make it as well. The Masters opens next week; I always view that as the real beginning of the golf season.
Update: Gonzaga and UNC won, and play championship game on Monday. 

The Baileys suffered a loss as Eric's dad, Jelsing, passed on today. We haven't heard the schedule of arrangements for his funeral. Wendy was able to get some advice from a local woman who has been suffering with Celiacs for years, and has passed that information along in case it may benefit Liam. 

Erin has been suffering lately with a racing heartbeat—this is not good. We hope she will get some answers over this issue quickly. Kristian continues antibiotic treatment for his eye issues, but the antibiotics bring their own side-effects. He had parent-teacher interview day on Friday; he had picture day in his bowling league today. 

Travis and Joanna have been busy all week as official photographers for the Bantam AAA Provincial Championships. They were still able to enjoy the hockey a little, but neither we nor their children have seen much of them otherwise! Gemma is now a fully licensed driver; she's been operating the school taxi this week. 

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 generally been fine, but we did get a snow shower on Thursday. It melted on Friday. We've been getting out for walks, and I've topped out at 2.2km now—progress! I think that my leg is a bit better. I was to the walk-in clinic on Monday. The doctor here was about as encouraging as the specialist in Regina, i.e. not! I have an appointment with my own doctor next week; I hope she will have some better ideas of how to improve the situation. The markets have remained troubled all month so far; investors can't handle uncertainty, and the new American administration just bubbles uncertainty. With the failure of their healthcare bill on Friday, I can only hope that folks have settled down before Monday. Anyway, I had a good week as my bus company had a good earnings report and made some nice gains. The busy sports calendar has been playing out. Pittsburgh has secured a playoff berth, and Edmonton remains near the top of their division in the NHL. In Women's World Curling, Rachel Homan has secured a spot in the Gold Medal game where they'll play Russia tomorrow evening in China—sometime overnight here! Good thing we have PVR! March Madness continues in basketball with the Final Four being determined this weekend. My Jayhawks made it to the Elite Eight, but put up a rough effort tonight and fell to Oregon. Rock Chalk is retired until next year!

Erica has completed 3 weeks of CDT. She has an appointment for a fitting of compression hose next Thursday. So, she has to keep wrapping her legs until the compression hose arrives. She did it by herself once last week and, including a rest period from one leg to the next, it took 2 hours to remove, wind and wrap again—Ufda! Eric returned home on Tuesday. His Dad is still in hospital. On the return trip, Eric's shoulder seized up and he's been struggling with the pain ever since. Haaken has posted some videos. He won't tell us where. But it's out there—somewhere. Liam has been practising with his worship team! The Baileys are looking forward to having him home to show off his drumming skills. 

Erin and Kristian have had a full week. Erin has been called for jury duty, but she's fighting that. There are strong emotions with the passing of Shawn's mother early Tuesday morning. Kristian had a good review of developments with his eyes at his doctor appointment. He will continue with medication until his next appointment in another four months. Kristian had league bowling again this morning, but that's the end of regular league play, so he's into the playoffs now for the next two Saturdays. 

Trav & Joanna remain fairly busy. This weekend they have the photographic assignment for the Montreal Canadien Oldtimers visit to Thunder Bay. Down in the office the printer keeps chugging stuff out. They had an issue with the new dishwasher, but Trav was able to Youtube his way out of that! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown! We took our farewells in Regina over the weekend, and on Monday. Then, we drove to Winnipeg on Tuesday where we luxuriated under the care of Tom & Mariette. Supper, pleasant visitation, a good sleep and oatmeal for breakfast set us up for a good drive on to Thunder Bay on Wednesday! We fought the wind on Tuesday, but conditions were ideal on Wednesday and we're glad to be home again. The weather has clearly been great here and the snow was gone. The fairways were pretty clear, but covered in water. It'll be a while. Then, we got a slushy dump last night just to remind us that we still live in Canada. I caught up with my barber on Thursday. I tried to get in to the walk-in clinic to check on the progress of my leg, however, it was too busy, and I decided not to wait. I tried again this morning, but once again, it was busy and I was impatient! They could not find any notice of my records being transferred from Regina, so I will go again on Monday and make sure I get in. My leg has seemed to improve with the trip, and, at least in the morning, looks better than it has since all this DVT business started. However, my attempt to get in a good walk failed on Thursday, and I could only manage a few hundred metres. Otherwise, we've been taking it easy, and catching up on our accumulation of mail. That mostly falls to Wendy—we both enjoy that fact! The markets were difficult once again, and I was penalized with a red week. This put me behind quota for this month, so I'll need more success the rest of the way. Sports have continued to occupy a lot of attention here. The week opened as the Brier ended; Jacobs fell to McEwen in the battle for the bronze, while Gushue beat Koe for gold. It was a great week of curling, and St Johns did itself proud in hosting it. This week the curling world is divided between the Grand Slam event for the men, and now the World Championship has begun for the women. Rachel Homan started off with a win over China. Then, there are the playoff races heating up in the NHL, and also that little thing called March Madness in basketball. Kansas won their first game easily, but face a tough Michigan State team tomorrow—Rock Chalk boys! 

Eric's dad is in the hospital. The doctors have concluded that he had a heart attack. Complicating matters is he also has some sort of infection, and there is fluid in his chest. Along with his other conditions, that makes it difficult for the doctors to treat any one thing. If they fight the infection, it is bad for his heart. If they treat his heart too aggressively, something else will go wrong. So they are slowly trying to treat everything a little bit. Eric and his brother Neil flew out to Victoria early Thursday morning to be with the family and visit with his dad. Erica has a potential surgery date in July in Germany for her Lipedema. This would be the first surgery of, likely, four. The CDT is helping; her legs are smaller and the fluid is being released. There is nothing they can do for the diseased fat cells that remain, and with menopause coming (another hormonal change), there is a chance that she will go through another bout of fat cell duplication and growth. She recommends changing the name of this disease from Lipedema to Fat Cancer or at least Fat Tumours, because really, that's what it is. Anyway, the purpose of the surgery is to remove as many of the diseased fat cells as possible through lymphatic-sparing liposuction. They can't get them all, and it doesn't stop the ones that remain from replicating, but with less to work with, the surgery may be successful in slowing down the progression significantly. They've been treating Lipedema in Germany for decades. We don't seem to even know about it in Canada. Erica has been digging and following up on leads from people on message boards and Facebook groups but has not found a surgeon in Canada who does Lipedema surgery. There are doctors in the US who do, but they are much more expensive. She is very seriously considering taking this next step. She needs to consult further with her doctor first—who had at least heard of Lipedema before, and thought there was a surgical option. Haaken had another meeting with his support group looking for work. We continue to hope that he will find something suitable. He is also working on his animation and has submitted some projects. No one has been allowed to see them—very secretive. Liam continues to do well in school. He still struggles with his celiac issues. We are advised that this could continue for some months. One contact advised that her daughter took about a year to really recover and start to feel 'normal' again. He needs to find an alternative to iron pills, as he can't seem to keep them down! Oh, and Erica turned 43 today! Good thing we're not aging that quickly!

Thank you again to Erin and Kristian for hosting us for so long. It was a great time staying there. Kristian celebrated our departure with a new quad-copter drone. We look forward to seeing how he has learned to fly it. Kristian had two days off school this week, but was not feeling well, so Erin stayed home with him on Friday. He had bowling league this morning, but he slept in! That won't advance his average, but it will probably help him overcome his illness.

Travis and Joanna were busy early in the week getting some jobs completed and out the door. Then, they brought Minnie over to visit us as they drove down to Minneapolis to collect Gemma and Andrew after their Florida vacation. They all got back tonight. We're grateful for their safe travel.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We have moved another hour west this weekend, and decided to mesh with Alberta for the summer. We intend to head toward home next week, but now it's an hour further away! The weather has been colder this week, and there was a terrible blizzard that blew across the prairies as well. Wendy is feeling better finally; that's a good thing. She celebrated her birthday this week, as did her Dad. Bern and Alicia hosted a joint celebration for them on Wednesday evening. We drove over to Moose Jaw on Friday to visit Grace; then, we picked up Liam from Caronport for the weekend. Baileys came down on Saturday, and we celebrated Erica's birthday with them here this evening. It's been quite a socially active week! There has been no improvement in my leg, so I look forward to what further therapies my doctors in Thunder Bay may advise. In the meantime, I continue with my blood thinner, elevation and exercise. The markets continued to react in fear, and not even the strong jobs' data on Friday, both sides of the border, could get things moving forward. I suffered losses as a result. The regular season in basketball has ended, so March Madness will now begin! The Jayhawks lost their final game, and will probably lose their #1 ranking as a result. Oilers and Penguins continue through their the playoff push; Calgary is on a run, and has pulled ahead of Edmonton. This week has featured the Brier, and I've been spending a fair amount of time watching the curling! Mike McEwen of MB led all week long, and entered the playoffs against Gold Medal winners, Brad Gushue of NL, Brad Jacobs of NO, and world champion Kevin Koe of AB. It was spectacular curling, but McEwen fell, first to Gushue, then to Koe, and finds himself playing Jacobs for the bronze medal. Koe will play Gushue for the gold, and I find myself in a win-win situation. Naturally, I will be cheering for Koe, but I will also be happy to see hometown boy, Gushue, emerge victorious. 

It's been a pretty ordinary week in the Bailey household. One notable aspect is that Erica has begun her Complete Decompression Therapy. Each day she gets a manual lymphatic drainage massage, then her legs are wrapped in compression bandages. She feels like the marshmallow man, but it seems that her calves are losing fluid. She expects that as she loses fluid from her thighs it will take pressure off her knees as well. Today, they drove to Regina for the birthday celebrations! A good time! 

Kristian had a great week in school which culminated in a school/family movie night on Friday. Erin took that in with him—they enjoyed Moana for about the 17th time! Today was bowling league, and Kristian failed to raise his average for the first time since we've been attending. We have continued to enjoy our time staying with them, and are very thankful to them for hosting us so wonderfully. 

Trav's team has lost out in the city playdowns, so they were unable to repeat their championship run. Still, it was a fine season, and Trav enjoyed coaching them. Trav and Joanna are busy with work—that is going well. They're taking Gemma and Andrew to Minneapolis so they can fly to Florida for Spring Break. We are looking forward to getting home to them next week. 

And that's about enough for now. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather is nice, and we're enjoying that. It is forecast to be around freezing for the next week. Wendy returned from her Moose Jaw weekend with a nasty cold and has been suffering with it all week. She has recovered most of her voice now, and was even able to get out for some shopping! On Friday we drove down to Weyburn to visit with Kerry and LaVonne, and buy a complete set of tires for the Sorento. It was a good time. It's been a discouraging week with my leg, as it doesn't appear to be gaining circulation. I have increased my walks to 2.0km, and my leg feels better through the workout, but it is still infused with fluids by the end of the day. The stretched skin on the calf is very itchy, and after scratching, my thinned blood flows more than I'm used it—sigh! I had a couple of webinars this week, and a good week on the markets. US markets made a big jump on Wednesday after the Trumpster seemed almost sane in his big speech Tuesday evening, but then investors realized he had provided no details on policy, and the US markets went flat. There was good economic data both sides of the border, and with the prospects of a FED rate hike in the US, the banks made good gains, and I have a few of them! The Scotties ended on Sunday with Rachel Homan claiming the national championship in an extra end. The Brier started today. I'll be cheering for Kevin Koe. Other strong favourites are expected to be Brad Jacobs (NO), Brad Gushue (NL) and Mike McEwen (MB). Kansas was elevated to the #1 ranking in basketball; they won another couple of games this week. I'm not entirely sold on their quality, but they go into March Madness on a high all the same. NHL hockey is nearing the playoffs. Several teams added talent for the playoff run. Pens and Oilers remain in second place in their divisions. 

Liam has returned to school, more energized and well fed. His recovering appetite is evident when he turns down junk food for gluten-free spaghetti! Haaken continues with some projects. He completed one animation this week and expects to have it posted soon. Erica was up on LaRonge this week for work, supposedly for the week, but managed to complete her assignment and get home Wednesday evening—that was a treat! She has found a consulting surgeon in the Netherlands on Lipedema. He has cautioned her to continue her current eating and exercise program. He advised her to continue with Complete Decompression Therapy (CDT) which is starting next week. She is waiting for a proposed treatment plan including cost estimates to discuss with her doctor. Then, if she decides to go with that, she can begin the battle with Sask Health to cover the expense! She already has one request for $2K for the initial round of CDT, but she's been advised not to hold her breath. She has yet to hear of anyone in Canada who has succeeded in getting funding to fight Lipedema. Perhaps when she wins the lottery she can set up a foundation to help people with the disease. She sometimes wonders and wishes doctors had figured this out back when she first became afflicted in high school, sigh! Eric is enjoying his Apple Watch, an early birthday gift. A friend was selling their used one, so Eric was the fortunate recipient. I has a Mickey Mouse setting complete with Mickey Mouse voice alarms. Erica thinks he should use that as the signal to end a counselling session!

Erin and Kristian have continued with their usual program of work and school except that Erin came down with something and even lost a day of work to that early in the week. Kristian had his usual bowling practice and bowling league. He bowled a 184 today in the league! His average will be jumping from his current 78. Erin picked up some new furnishings including an entertainment centre—some assembly required! So, Kristian and I built that today and it looks good in the family room. 

Some assembly required!

Trav and Joanna continue to fight the snow in Thunder Bay. We're hoping it's all cleared away before we head that way in another week. Trav's team is in the second round of the playoffs—the semi-finals. They are continuing to play comeback hockey—I don't recommend that! Gemma and Andrew continue with school, and by all reports are thriving. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we remain on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. Wendy is off this weekend to the Sisters Triangle gathering at Temple Gardens in Moose Jaw. The weather has turned cooler, but there's barely any snow left by now. Many people are reporting the return of the geese from their wintering grounds. My leg seems to be making some progress. This week, I upgraded my walks to 1.5km. Now, I only have to quadruple that to match the requirements of a round of golf! The markets are troubled, US bonds are recognizing that the economy is now a risky bet, and they are taking a beating once again. Stocks fluctuated this week; the TSX took a beating and administered one to me! At least I remain on pace for the month so far, and have only two days left. Perhaps things will settle over the weekend. We're running down to our final weeks here, and expect to be back in Thunder Bay the second week of March. Curling was the big draw this week, with the Scotties play-downs. It'll be Michelle Englot of Manitoba (Saskatchewan) facing Rachel Homan of Ontario in the gold medal game, while Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay plays Chelsea Carey of Alberta (Manitoba) in bronze medal action. New rules provide for greater flexibility of players to move around the country, so we see skips moving to differing provinces and achieving success. NHL teams are negotiating player deals as they consider their respective situations and decide if they are buyers or sellers! Oilers and Penguins remain well-placed in their divisions. Jayhawks won another pair of games this week and clinched a 13th straight conference championship tying John Wooden's record that he achieved in the 60's and 70's. However, no one has been able to approach his record of ten national championships in twelve years! 

Erica is also in Moose Jaw this weekend, and is undoubtedly the central reason why Wendy is there. The Baileys had the family together this week as Liam was off school. However, work continued as usual for Eric and Erica. Eric was the featured preacher on Sunday in Prince Albert; we're sure he acquitted himself well. 

Erin and Kristian continue to host us well here in Regina. Kristian was off school this week, so we enjoyed the extra time with him. He took us bowling one day; that was fun, and a good test for my leg. Erin has enjoyed the curling coverage with me, and this weekend we're anticipating the opening of the baseball season with the first spring training games. 

Travis and Joanna along with Gemma and Andrew continue their usual duties at home in Thunder Bay. Puckshots was awarded the role of exclusive photographers at the all-Ontario AAA Bantam level hockey tournament—quite a coup to be sure. Trav's team has begun defence of their city championship by sweeping the first round of the playoffs. The final game was a memorable comeback from a 4-0 deficit to win it in overtime. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been beautiful with lots of melting all week. I've been enjoying getting out for walks, but my leg is not getting good circulation, so it tires quickly; I estimate I can make 500m now. Wendy spent a couple of days over with Dad while Alicia worked; I went along with her some of the time. Otherwise, she keeps checking out as many of the local stores as she can, and drags me along when I'm having a weak moment! I had my followup with an internist on Wednesday over my DVT. It was not very encouraging. He said the clots should be dissolved by the end of the three-month prescription, but he extended it to six months anyway. He noted that full circulation might not come back ever, and that I will remain at risk for further clots. I have now completed my first three weeks into my prescription of Rivaroxaban. The doctor assured me that the blood clots would be gone at the end of three months. However, he noted that scarification of the sites often occurs, and that such scarification may prevent circulation from ever getting back to normal. He noted that the long delay in getting to a doctor with this was a negative factor on my chances of complete remediation. If only someone had suggested back in December that I should go to a doctor!! Mea culpa: I have no one to blame for this but myself. My daughter insisted I get to the doctor back in December. She is wagging her finger at me once again, sigh! The markets turned upward this week until Friday. I hope they were just holding their cash ahead of the long weekend, and not reacting to the train-wreck of a presser by Die Twittermaus! In any case, I had a good week despite losing some dough on Friday. Sports watching is coming into busy season. The Scotties started today; it's almost full-time just keeping up with that. NHL is getting down to serious season and the playoff hunt is heating up. Edmonton and Pittsburgh have improved to second place in their respective divisions. March Madness is just around the corner in basketball. My Jayhawks won two tough games this week by staging unbelievable comebacks. Rock Chalk boys! 

Eric, Erica had busy weeks. Eric has completed revisions on his final paper, and has received word that he has completed this course. Another course on the way to supervisor status. Erica is in busy season, so she's had some later evenings. She also had another appointment with her doctor; they now have a course of treatment on the lipedema. She will start a round of comprehensive decompression therapy in March to bring down the edema aspect of her lipedema. After that she will begin wearing compression garments. Liam had been sick this week, but recovered enough for Youth Quake, a youth rally at school. He comes home tomorrow for a week long break. Haaken continues to help around the house, and work with the Association for Community Living in search of work. He has also submitted some of his work to various studios. 

Erin and Kristian continue to host us, and we are thankful for that. Kristian recovered quickly after his illness on the weekend. He had a follow-up with the ophthalmologist on Monday. He approved of how Kristian's eyes were improving, but wants him to continue as a patient. Of course it was Valentine's this week, and Erin scored several bouquets, while Kristian enjoyed lots of treats from school. This morning was bowling league, and Kristian raised his average once again. 

Travis and Joanna are doing well. Trav's team lost the final in Superior last Sunday, but it served as a good preparation for the City Championships coming soon. On Monday, when they went over to the office at our house, they were delighted to find that the neighbours had cleared the driveway! It's nice to have folks like that around. It's nice to have Trav & Joanna looking after the place as well. 

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. We had a cold snap mid-week, but we're back looking at melting temperatures once again this weekend. My leg does not appear to be improving. I'm scheduled to see the specialist on Wednesday, so I look forward to an explanation of what I should be expecting—I hope it's not what I'm experiencing! I had a great week in the markets as the TSX rose to a new record high, finally surpassing September 2014. It has been a long 2.5 years of going sideways. And already we have pundits calling for a "correction", sigh! Wendy spent a couple of days over at her Dad's as Alicia was working—both were subbing! I got to go along one of the days. Kristian had a school holiday on Friday, but spent it being sick! That's no way to spend any day, and especially not a holiday. As a result, he and Erin did not come along with us to Caronport on Friday evening to see Liam in the school play. That was a nice outing, featuring a good job on Our Miss Brooks by the cast and crew. We got to enjoy it in special seats, complete with treats, and accompanied by Eric and Erica. Sports continues to make its way through the set schedules. Curling lineups are set for Scotties and Brier—that will consume some time in the next month! NHL hockey is pressing up to trade deadline, so the excited pundits are demanding our attention to every potential lineup change! Pittsburgh and Edmonton both hold down playoff positions, but only as third place teams in their respective divisions. NCAA Basketball moves ever closer to March Madness; this week Kansas was installed as the top seed in their bracket. However after two scrappy wins this week, over teams they should have beaten easily, it remains to be seen whether they will remain there. 

Eric completed all assignments as expected, and now works on edits and adjustments. Haaken is working through his assisted employment program. Erica's work progresses as usual. On Friday they drove down to Caronport to enjoy Liam's play with us. They subsequently took Liam to Moose Jaw to celebrate his performance, and still later returned him to Caronport and drove back home! Craziness abounds! 

Liam, with Our Miss Brooks!

Erin has been managing the department at work as her boss has been on medical leave, and only making sporadic visits to the shop. Kristian had a bad return with his eye infection, so he started the week in emergency, and is now back on antibiotics and hot compresses to his eyes. Then, on Friday he came down with fever and coughing. He's feeling quite a bit better today. 

We enjoyed a FaceTime visit with Trav, Joanna and Gemma the other night. Gemma aced her driver's exam, achieved her driver's licence, and is now licensed to drive! Trav and Gemma travelled with the hockey team to Superior, Wisconsin this weekend. The guys are 3-0 in preliminary action and are in the semi-final tomorrow. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie! The weather was very nice at the start of the week, but it has turned colder again. Uncle Bordie, Howard and Diane have remained here until today, so we've enjoyed extra visiting with them to make up for not getting to see them in BC. I'm on medication for the clots in my leg, but I haven't noted any particular improvement yet—soon, I hope! This weekend we celebrated both Liam and Haaken's birthdays. Liam's birthday was today, and we enjoyed a special supper, birthday cake, a movie and a bowling adventure with them. We plan to celebrate Haaken's birthday tomorrow with a dinner out. We've enjoyed another week with Erin and Kristian—thanks for hosting us! The markets have been crazy again this week, but a final month of Obama's jobs' numbers turned Friday into a big payoff and almost got me to quota for the week. I've been getting promising results paper-trading a new strategy, but I'm not ready to pull the trigger and put any money into it just yet. The NHL has returned to action after the all-star break, and Pittsburgh has returned strongly to action, while Edmonton has dropped a couple. The Jayhawks won a big game against Baylor early in the week, and then inexplicably dropped a game to Iowa State today. C'mon guys—Rock, chalk! 

As mentioned, the Baileys were here to celebrate Liam's birthday. He has been practicing for his school play that hits the boards next week, so he has practices this weekend as well. It was a struggle to fit in his birthday celebrations! The performance is next weekend, and we hope to take in the Friday evening showing. Haaken continues with his program for employment assistance. He is also helping out with cooking supper, and has been putting together pitches for stories. Eric is down to crunch time on his counselling supervision course. All assignments are due early this month, so there's a bit of extra pressure there. Erica is in busy season at work as well, and is working some evenings. What a fun life! 

Erin keeps busy with Kristian's schedule of school and bowling, and then there's her house guests to manage as well. Kristian is having eye issues again, so he's on medication for that. He has bowling league each Saturday morning, and bowling practice on Monday evenings. He's enjoying it, and beat his average each game again this morning. 

Trav & Joanna and crew are taking care of things at home. His team lost the championship game in the tournament last weekend. They continue to play well, and even better in tournaments. Gemma and Andrew are into second semester at school. 

And that's about it for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed, and, we are, once again, sojourning on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. We started the week in the Okanagan as we enjoyed our visit with John. He is struggling through his new life circumstances, and we have no way of really understanding all of what he is going through. However, we were also able to have our good times together, and gain the sense that he is, indeed, working through things. We completed our visit there in a luncheon at the seniors' complex in Winfield. It was a good meal, as always, and also reminiscent of our last visit with Marion as it also featured a meal there! Thanks for a good week, John! We drove as far as Canmore on Tuesday. We visited with Gary and Barb on Wednesday, and then continued on to Medicine Hat where we stayed with Jim and Carol—no wait a minute, I'm living in the past—we stayed at a motel. On Thursday, we stopped in at Caronport and Moose Jaw, where we coffeed with Grace, Kris and Paul, and finally completed the trip to Regina. We have moved into Erin's basement and are enjoying having some time with them. Thanks for hosting us! Erica was here when we arrived, so we even got in a brief visit with her. I finally responded to Erin's urging and went to the doctor about my sore leg on Friday morning. One event led into another and eventually I found myself in Emergency at the Pasqua Hospital where they confirmed a diagnosis of DVT, and put me on blood-thinning Rivaroxaban for the next three months. Since the symptoms first appeared before Christmas, it has become clear I've been living in denial and at risk for the last month. Thankfully, things are okay, and I'm on the road to healing. Markets continue to be troubled, but the TSX showed another small gain while US indices were up over 1%. I am on quota for the month with two trading days left. NHL teams are off for All-Star weekend; Penguins are 7 points out of the lead in their division, while the Oilers are tied for first place in theirs. My Jayhawks went down to a discouraging defeat in WV on Tuesday, but put up a thrilling comeback win at Kentucky today. Rock Chalk, boys! 

Erica visited with Erin and Kristian while working on a audit in Regina most of the week; she headed home on Friday in their newly repaired CRV. Haaken met with the employment support program for Autism; he has another meeting this week. He is working through his options and immediate plans at home in Prince Albert. Liam enjoyed another edition of Grandma's care package that we dropped off for him in Caronport. He is continuing his preparations for his play that hits the boards in February. Eric continued his work in Prince Albert. 

Erin continues her family-hosting business. Erica was there part of the week and now we have moved in! Kristian had Friday off school, so we took care of him. He was ill this morning, and did not make it to his regular bowling league games. He seems to be getting better by this evening. 

Travis and Joanna remain in contact via text, phone or FaceTime. They've had some decent weather there, but plenty enough of winter to suit their fancy. Gemma and Andrew are doing fine, relaxing as they have completed exams and a new semester is beginning. Work is going well, and Trav's hockey team is progressing well—this week they're 4-0 and into the semi-final tomorrow. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have moved on once again. This time we're situated on the shore of Lake Okanagan, far from the middle of the prairies! We left Regina on Tuesday, driving north and west to Sylvan Lake where we were graciously hosted by Jim and Carol. Thanks folks! On Wednesday we drove out to the Okanagan to visit John. The trip was terrible, easily the worst trip I've taken through the mountains. We were stopped several times while the crews cleared avalanches and plowed clearance on the highway. It was a long day on slushy roads; we took 12 hours to make 700 km. However, we finally made it and are enjoying our time with John here on the lake. We've also managed to fit in a couple of visits and meals with Warren and Evelyn—thanks for some great eating and reminiscing! We also managed a trip over to Salmon Arm today where we caught up with Lyndon and Janelle, and even more eating! It's been a good and useful time with lots of catching-up and not-a-few tears. The markets have continued their volatility in these troubled times as investors try to figure out what Die Tweetermaus will do. All US indices were red for the week, and the TSX was only moderately green as we are reluctant to make any move without big brother coming along. I managed a small gain, but nowhere close to my expectations or needs for the week. The NHL season plods along, and my teams (Oilers, Penguins) are just back of the lead in their respective conferences. The Jayhawks remain at #2, but reeled off two more wins this week. Now they head into a tougher part of the schedule and will need to be at their best—Rock Chalk, Jayhawks! 

The Baileys are playing to a full house once again. Haaken moved back home, where he is putting together a plan for next steps toward his dream of becoming an animator. We look forward to seeing those next steps. Liam is home for the weekend and a final appointment about his toe. It is now healed and though he will never be a foot model with his partially removed nail, he is enjoying the lack of pain. They have both vehicles back in running order. The CRV was repaired and ready for pick up in Edmonton on Monday, and since friends were driving up on Tuesday, they were able to coordinate to get to Edmonton and bring it home. Erica had a consultation with a specialist in the US who confirmed she likely has Lipedema and is starting to get Lymphedema in her legs and arms. She has further appointments with a therapist in Prince Albert and a doctor in Saskatoon. Treatment options include compression therapy, manual lymphatic drainage massage, wearing compression garments, anti-inflammatory eating, and surgery. 

Erin and Kristian have the place to themselves at least briefly, as Haaken has completed his paperwork at the university and moved home. They worked through some issues at school for Kristian and progress seems to have been made. 

Trav & Joanna have returned from Punta Cana and are enjoying winter in Thunder Bay! They keep in touch via text and FaceTime. We are thankful to have them there taking care of things, so we can travel without that concern. Thanks guys! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Elvin and the Women of his family!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. It's been cold most of the week, but the weather has broken and we're looking toward above zero temperatures and melting off the roads. I finally got the lab report from my surgery on Tuesday. It was a squamous cell carcinoma, and the surgeon reasserted his confidence that he had got it all, and that no further therapies were needed. On Wednesday, we had the bittersweet experience of attending the memorial service for cousin Elvin. It was good to catch up with many relatives and friends, as we remarked on a life effectively lived. The markets started off well, but a wild press conference by Herr Tweetermaus turned investors twitchy, and the DOW ended up losing value for the week. TSX was flat, but I had a good week, so I feel well-blessed. This marks the end of our time in Regina this trip, as we plan to head west next week. Wendy keeps busy taking care of us. Dad keeps busy with Crosswords, Sudoku and Jumbles! Hockey continues, and we've been able to help Dad cheer on his beloved Maple Leafs to a couple more victories this week. Pittsburgh and Edmonton have both fallen off the pace again. Let's get it going guys! KU won a couple more conference games this week, and I expect them to be raised to #1 this weekend; Rock Chalk, Jayhawks! 

Erica was in LaRonge and Saskatoon for work this week. She made a presentation to a school board conference and enjoyed that. Eric is in Saskatoon today playing card hockey in a league with his brother. Liam is hard at it in school. We delivered a care package to him on Wednesday. I hope he was able to protect it from the foragers in the dorm! Haaken is reconsidering the situation. He has decided the program at University in Regina was not suitable, so he's cancelled those classes. Now, he's reassessed long, medium and short term goals and next steps. Growing up is hard! They got the Jetta repaired—it need a new starter. The CRV remains in the shop getting repaired after being rear-ended in Edmonton. The Transit Authority has agreed to pay all related costs, including getting them back to Edmonton to pick it up when it's ready. 

Erin has also had car troubles that showed up with the cold weather. She got a new battery and a replacement cord for the block heater, and the car seems to be performing again. We attended Kristian's bowling league again this morning. He was able to beat his average again, but, of course, as you keep beating your average, it keeps getting harder! It's nice to see his enjoyment of the game as well as the improvement in his performance. 

Travis and Joanna have spent the week at Punta Cana DR. We enjoyed their pictures of enjoying the tropical paradise. Now they're back to wintry reality in Thunder Bay, but hopefully re-energized to get back to work. For sure they are enjoying being reunited with family and animals! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. The weather has turned cold, so it has made it uncomfortable for outdoor activities. Wendy did get out for skating with Kristian, but it was a short-lived outing. Dad continues to progress well, and is getting around nicely with his crutches now. He even does some experimentation with walking! Wendy keeps busy shopping and housekeeping so we all are well-cared for. The Markets got a late start due to the holiday, but were buoyed by continued strong economic data that pushed the DOW within a half-point of 20K. I was able to make quota, so a nice start to 2017. I have a couple new strategies in my paper-trading portfolios; we'll see how those work out. Bern, Alicia and Logan arrived early Thursday morning as they were all back to school and work Thursday. Today, we drove over to Moose Jaw for a visit with Elvin and Grace. As it turned out all the girls were home, so that was a special bonus for us. Elvin was failing quickly, and Karen informed us of his passing at 6:30 this evening! Our condolences to Grace and the families of the girls, as well as his many friends through his work with the Lions, and because of all the community involvement and development over a productive lifetime. The Junior Hockey World Championships were completed this week. USA beat Canada in overtime in the gold medal game. It was very entertaining even though we were cheering for the opposite outcome. We now return our attention to the regularly scheduled NHL season! Tonight, I watched my Jayhawks take Texas Tech down in a regular season game. 

The Baileys continue to live an "interesting" 2017. On their way home from Victoria, they decided to visit Edmonton and take in another viewing of Rogue One. However... the start of many a story, tall tale and poem! Erica feels a Dr. Seuss treatment of the week would be most appropriate. As they waited to make a left turn, a city bus decided not to wait! So, they had to work at finding transportation and repair solutions on a holiday in Edmonton. Eventually they made their way home in a rental van, leaving their CRV to an uncertain fate! The insurance company for the bus company soon informed them that they were accepting full blame for the accident, but demurred on accepting the full cost of such consequences! They were refusing to cover the rental van! So, Eric/A drove to Edmonton yesterday in two vehicles to return the van. This morning, their Jetta refused to start. They're staying another night in Edmonton! The rest of the week was pretty inconsequential, it seems! 

Erin has welcomed her boarder back, as Haaken started his second semester of university. Kristian was also back to school on Thursday, but we got in some more days with him before that occurrence. Friday night, Erin and Kristian hosted us for supper and a movie. Kristian and I also took the time to assemble their new trolley unit. This morning, Kristian had league bowling; we enjoyed watching that. He bested his average each of the three games. 

Trav didn't get a good start to the new year either. He separated ribs while coughing, and is still feeling pretty tender. That pain was eased by Andrew's operation of the snowblower, and by their current locale—Punta Cana, DR! We are officially no longer feeling sorry for him! Grandma has come up from TO to stay with Gemma and Andrew while Trav & Joanna laze in the sun! 

And that's about enough for this week!