April Showers!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The week opened in sunshine, but turned into heavy rain on Wednesday through Friday. Today was mostly overcast, but dry, so maybe we're set for a change. I haven't been over to the golf course, but have worked on my swing here in the back yard. Otherwise, we look forward to the promised May flowers. I have done a bit of work on shop projects. I've set up an air line, so I can use my air-powered tools over at the work area. I've begun work on a bank of drawers under the mitre-saw station. Wendy had doctor appointments with our family doctor and also with her chiropractor. Her shoulders continue to improve, but she's not back to par yet! Joanna is helping out by taking blood pressure readings for her to report back to our family doctor. She's also done some blood work for that purpose. Getting old is not for the faint of heart! Next week, we're looking forward to our first jab of Covid-19 vaccine. Our doctor has agreed to write on our behalf so we can shorten the delay between the first and second dose—hope that works! We have not been doing well on the pandemic front, and infection rates are at record levels once again. Vaccinations are not occurring quickly enough, and several provinces are being hard hit by the virus variants. The USA has been doing great on the vaccination front, which has encouraged investors. The markets are thriving, and both Canada and USA reported good jobs' data on Friday. I've already managed quota for April, but there remain a couple of weeks to see if I can hold these levels. The main sport I've been following all week is the World Curling Championships. Canada managed to qualify for the playoffs, but had a disappointing result losing to Scotland. Now, the remaining playoffs have been postponed due to a positive Covid test of one of the teams. The baseball season has opened, but the Blue Jays are not flying! The NHL is into the last few weeks of the regular season. It appears all three of my teams will make the playoffs. This weekend is the conclusion of the Masters Tournament which always marks the beginning of the golf season for me.

Erica writes, "I tried to kill Eric this week with certified organic, all natural, gluten-free, vegan, kosher, non-GMO, nut free, crispie rice squares, that also happened to be laced with shiitake mushrooms. Fortunately, Liam came home and read the ingredients before Eric ate the whole box. But since he was sick, and I was also under the weather, we got Covid tested—another negative test. Looks like I needed some rest, and Eric needed me to stop poisoning him. Go figure! Liam is home for the weekend to get an iron infusion, but mostly just to see us, right? Plus, we had gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cake for him, not laced with mushrooms. Haaken reached out to Liam and Aiden to talk about possibly doing a project together. I hope it happens—it would be great to see more of their original content. We sent a few Easter treats to Greg and Haaken. We are really looking forward to when we can travel again."

Erin and Kristian have had another week of "safe at home". Sadie and Lucy seem to manage the extra company just fine. Kristian is currently on school break, but next week he's back to on-line classwork. Shawn continues to recover from his bout with Covid-19. He's been back at work this week at least, although he tires easily. The vaccine availability in Regina has moved down to age 52, so it can't be too much longer before Erin becomes eligible. Tonight, they ordered a fancy pasta entrée for supper from Luigi's!

Safe at Home! 

Joanna has her test results and it's negative once again—yay! We were glad of the chance to celebrate that with them before returning to the Ontario Stay at Home orders. Andrew is interviewing for a couple of new opportunities and sure he doesn't want another fly-in camp experience! Gemma is nearing the end of her semester with a few projects to finish, and then it's exam time!

And that's about enough for this week.

He is Risen!

Wendy's Easter Project

 

He is Risen, Indeed!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, The weather has turned nice, and we're enjoying that. Today was 17°, the high for the week, I'm thinking. Wendy's shoulder continues to heal and we're grateful for that. She finished her accounting project, and got that delivered. She completed doing some alterations on Mariana's wedding dress as well. Mariana is off to home, and to visit her fiancé for the next six weeks, so we're on our own for a bit. I had another phone appointment concerning my DVTs, and I have another scheduled with my clot doctor for next week. The markets were positive again, although fears of the latest wave of Covid infections is raising fears. Anyway, I completed the month and quarter on budget, so I'm grateful. I haven't got back over to the golf course, but I have working on swing exercises in the yard and while out on our walks. A high note for us is that we got our vaccination appointments; the first jab is April 14th! Curling has taken over again this weekend as the Men's World championships are on. Canada has made a good start at 3-0. Hockey continues although the Canadian division was rocked by another team with Covid infections—Vancouver this time. However, the hapless victim in both cases has been my Oilers and they now have a lot of games to make up. The Pens and Leafs are thriving; after their recent weeks of fine play, we find the Pens challenging for the overall league leadership. March Madness lost some lustre when my Jayhawks fell, and it must be admitted few games have been very magical or mad, but tonight's semi-final game between Gonzaga and UCLA was fantastic! Baseball season has started: Okay, Blue Jays, Let's Play Ball!

Erica writes, "I’ve been getting into the new office this week. I enjoy working from home, but I think seeing people again has been good. Liam has an iron infusion at the end of the coming week and we will celebrate Easter with him a week late.

Guido's Easter Creation

Mom and Dad arranged for an Easter cake for us from our friendly German baker, Guido. He took several recipes and his own knowledge to make a moist and not crumbly gluten-free cake—an amazing feat. It proves my long held contention that baking requires a high degree of both science and art. Eric has been unsuccessful so far in getting added to the priority list for vaccination. Given his asthma and history of pneumonia, he should be, but his doctor does not know how such a thing is done so he’s been calling various health agencies to find out. We had our own Easter egg hunt today. We wanted to get some Cadbury mini eggs for Liam because he can eat those, but not too early or we will. So we went out today looking for the eggs: Shoppers, nope. Save-on-Foods, nope. Superstore, nope. Safeway, nope. The other Shoppers, nope... the movie theatre, nope. Nutters bulk foods, nope... finally found them at Bulk Barn, yay! We also found gluten free Oreos along the way!"

Erin and Kristian remain hunkered down in the Covid Hotspot of Regina. We sent them a Turtle Cheesecake for Easter.

Turtle Cheesecake!

 

Kristian finds it too chocolatey, but Erin loves it, and I'm betting they'll manage to eat it all! Kristian is doing a music project on Beethoven. Shawn is feeling some better, and tried getting into work for a meeting on Thursday. He's still ill, tired most of the time, when he's not exhausted! Sadie joined Kristian in the fresh haircut department; she was so energetic afterwards and drove Lucy crazy!

Sadie's Fresh Cut

Joanna got back home from Toronto, and is now isolating and recovering from those exertions. Once she's had her test and is cleared, we'll look forward to celebrating Easter with them. She did pick out a commuter bike to ride around on now that the weather is nice. 

And that's about enough for this week!

False Dawn, Perhaps?

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. We had a snowstorm on Wednesday, but we've returned to Spring-like weather, and have been able to get back to our walks in the neighbourhood. I think Wendy is getting tired of our neighbourhood; the other day she asked if we could drive somewhere else to have our walk! She continues to suffer due to the inflammation in her shoulders. She is treating it with ice, lotions and painkillers; we think it is getting a bit better. My left eye continues to heal, and now is better than the right. We are expecting unsettled weather to continue as that's the way Spring goes around here. Wendy has taken a repeat assignment on a book-keeping job. She updated the business books last year, and the owner has asked her to update them for 2020. She has almost completed that. She is also helping our downstairs' student with alterations to her wedding dress. I think she might have completed that assignment, as Mariana was trying it on this morning. Last weekend, I managed to get over to the golf course and hit the first balls of the season. That went okay, mostly chipping, but some full swings. I had a visit with my denturist on Thursday; he assessed that my partial plate is still fine after nine years—good to know! I need to get to a dentist to refinish a tooth that chipped off, but I've been holding off on that in hopes of getting vaccinated first. We did make another step in that direction, as the on-line site allowed us to register, and promised to contact us with an appointment when we became eligible. Otherwise, things are not looking good on the pandemic front as some of the new variants are not only demonstrating increased transmissibility, but also causing worsening symptoms and higher infection rates among a younger segment of the population. Ontario announced the commencement of a third wave; Europe has done so as well, and now we're seeing an increase in infections in the USA. Saskatchewan has been our worst case scenario for some weeks, and while we often look askance at the USA, there are now 24 states that are experiencing lower infection rates than Saskatchewan! The markets have been troubled this week by fears over infection rates, vaccine availability, and virus variants. Investors were reassured by news of great progress in USA vaccinations, including the doubling of projections to 200 million vaccinations in the first 100 days of the new administration—thanks Uncle Joe! That gave us green days in the markets for Thursday and Friday, and got me back on quota. In the world of sports, my Jayhawks lost in the second round, so they're out of the tournament. Still, March Madness remains a highlight of the sporting year for me, with more dramatic action this weekend and next. Mixed Doubles curling ended on Thursday with the team of Einarson & Gushue prevailing. They'll represent us at the world championships in Scotland in May. My Oilers had the week off as Montreal suffered a covid outbreak, and we lost our first games in the Canadian division. Oilers got back into action against the Leafs tonight, and enjoyed a solid effort and a good despite the OT loss. Pens are doing well, but injuries continue to threaten their success. They won tonight, but there were a number of names I didn't recognize! Baseball is in the final  week of Spring Training. Jays will begin the season playing out of their Spring Training facility in Dunedin.

Eric and Erica had a good week in Prince Albert. Liam was home for further medical appointments and intervention. Some changes were made on his prescriptions and we keep hoping these will lead to good health for him. He got notification that he qualifies for priority access for his covid shot—Eric is jealous! Eric/A got out for their hike, but took the precaution of using a well-known trail this time to avoid getting lost and putting in too many kilometres—they spent most of this week recovering from last weekend's over expenditure! They had an online meeting with Haaken to assist him with his tax filing, but he managed it mostly on his own. Greg has established an in-home gym which looks impressive.

Erin and Kristian are living life in the bubble city of Regina. Travel to or from the city is not recommended—yikes! On-line education does not work well for Kristian, so he's lagging behind a bit—c'mon man! Shawn is slowly recovering from his covid infection; we are painfully aware that many experience long term issues. He feels tired all the time, and spends much of the day sleeping.

Lookin' Good!

Kristian got his hair cut this week, and Sadie is scheduled for hers next week!

Joanna is in southern Ontario. She was able to assist as her dad and step-mom got their first jabs. She should get back here early next week. Travis was over today with his fancy screwdrivers for my laptop—thanks! I was able to get the back cover off and diagnose the swollen battery, so I'll now be waiting for the replacement to arrive. At least, with the pressure released, the laptop is back to working fine once again.

And that's about enough for this week.

Light on the Horizon!

Wendy's Easter Project

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and we've enjoyed getting out for walks regularly. Our pandemic infection rate continues to be high, but the last few days have seen reduced numbers, so we're somewhat encouraged—we're hoping that this light on the horizon is not simply from the time change! We're hearing that the vaccine is now available down to age 75, so we're hoping to be in the window in the next week or so. The USA has promised us an additional 1.5 million doses—thanks, Uncle Joe. Wendy is continuing to suffer with her rotator cuff inflammation; she was back to the chiropractor this week. She has a series of exercises to do, accompanied by painkillers, ice and other treatments. We're seeing some improvement, but she's still experiencing significant pain. I have managed a bit of activity on my woodworking both in the shop and some gluing inside the house. The markets have had a troubled week as fears of inflation surrounded a supportive report from the FED, and the Nasdaq suffered substantial losses. Fortunately, my stocks performed okay and gave me some gains. I am now on quota for the five months since the election—thanks, Uncle Joe. In sports, Bottcher beat my guy, Koe, in the final to win the Canadian championship. He'll now represent us at the World Championships coming up in Calgary. In hockey, my Oilers have been doing much better and are now threatening the Leafs for first place. The Pens have put on a good streak as well, and are positioned for the playoffs despite continuing to experience injuries. This week the Canadian mixed doubles championships opened in the Calgary bubble, but they're just in the middle of their pool play so far. March Madness has begun, and my Jayhawks won their first round game, and will play again on Monday afternoon—Rock Chalk!

Erica writes, "This was a very blessed week with birthday phone calls and best wishes on Facebook. I got mail from Mom and Dad, Mom Bailey and Grampa K and even a package from Haaken. We celebrated the day with our bubble—the two of us along with Tina and Guido. Guido made my fav—red velvet cake. Liam is heading home this weekend. He will join me on Worship Team this Sunday and then go to his specialist appointment on Tuesday. On Saturday morning, Eric suffered from a bad dream that I had! I woke up quite annoyed with him (well, if he acts like that in my dream, imagine how he acts in his!). Fortunately, he had preemptively supplied a cup of coffee, so I forgave him."

Erin and Kristian are engaging in lock-down as Regina is a hotspot for coronavirus variations that seem exceptionally easy to spread. Shawn has been infected at work in the group home despite all the precautions and PPE they use. He's been symptomatic all week, so we hope he turns the corner soon. Kristian's school work has reverted to being online-only.

Travis and Joanna welcomed Andrew home from his work at the remote camp—he's pretty sure that he's enjoyed all he can stand of that! Gemma continues her university courses. Otherwise life remains pretty quiet, and it's almost time for another trip to TO for Joanna. The difference this time is that the TO people may be looking askance at her coming from a covid hotspot!

And that's about enough for this week.

Relaxing Too Soon!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It was the week of Wendy's birthday, and we spent most of the week celebrating it!

Happy Birthday, Wendy!

On Tuesday, we enjoyed a celebratory Chinese Food supper with Travis and Joanna. We also enjoyed a Zoom meeting with our family that evening. The children chipped in to supply her with new slippers and a cash fund for more buys. It's hard to rely on gift certificates these days as we don't know which businesses will survive. On Thursday, we had a zoom meeting with my siblings. Special events for a special lady! We got a dump of snow on Wednesday, so we scraped that off the driveway. The rest of the week was lovely, sunny warm weather culminating in the 10° day today. A lot of snow has disappeared and the grass is showing up on our lawn. However, all has not been sweetness and light on the pandemic front. Our region has become a hotspot with increased numbers of infections, and expanded numbers in the hospital and in intensive care. Now, the hospital is overloaded, and some patients have been medevacced to London. Variant forms of the virus have also been confirmed in our area. We are informed that online booking for vaccinations will open on Monday, but that still leaves us weeks from protection. The virus is also afflicting the sports scene as the USA-based NHL teams keep losing games that they'll have to make up later, and now it's hitting college basketball. Two of the blue-blood schools, Duke, and my beloved-KU have been knocked out by Covid-19. Can you say, "Relaxing too soon?" I knew you could! The markets continue to flourish, although the Nasdaq has been "correcting"! I had another good week, and remain at quota for the fifth straight month—I'm very thankful! The Oilers returned to easier feeding on Ottawa after their spanking by the Leafs. The Pens are hanging in there, while the Leafs are having a tough series against Winnipeg. The big action of the week has been at the Brier in Calgary. My guy, Kevin Koe, has had a good week, won his pool and has advanced through the championship pool to the final tomorrow. Bottcher (AB) will play Dunstone (SK) in the semi-final.

Erica writes, "I started my new position at MNP this week, which included multiple orientation meetings and tech issues. Both firms have been super supportive during that transition. Eric finished the week with a conference so he was conferencing from home. It’s been a week of various birthday celebrations. It will be nice when we can do those in person again. Liam had another medicine infusion and he has an appointment with the specialist. We will see what the bloodwork says, but he says he isn’t feeling any better. Haaken is hoping to learn to do his taxes. And we’ve only had a brief conversation with Greg, but he seems to be doing well."

Kristian is attending school every second day, and reports that things are going well. His art course works through a variety of aspects: guitar, piano and media. Erin is doing well. Shawn has completed his probation at Ranch Ehrlo, however, he's dealing with a Covid outbreak there, and is currently in isolation himself.

Travis and Joanna were over to celebrate Wendy's birthday.

Companions & Food—Nice!

They brought Chinese food, so we enjoyed that. They also decorated the place, and the birthday girl!

It's her Birthday!

Travis has been playing with some stock picking and management ideas, so we enjoy discussing those. 

And that's about enough for this week.

Springing!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Ontario in my hometown. The weather has turned positively Spring-like and we are enjoying the melting snow and the walks. Dave and Heather stopped in for a visit on Monday as they were on their way to Kingston. We enjoyed the visit and  a special breakfast before they headed east.

Eggs Benny!

I had a couple of appointments concerning the DVTs in my left leg. On Monday, I had another ultra-sound. The technician was not encouraging, "I suggest the veins remain fully occluded." Then, on Friday, I had bloodwork requested by my vascular surgeon concerning elements of my blood chemistry that may relate to the DVTs. She'll be calling to discuss the results of both tests. We enjoyed a couple of family zoom meetings this week. On Thursday, we had meeting with my siblings as we shared and commiserated over the passing of Linda. Then, tonight, we had a birthday zoom with dad K with the Krogsgaard clan. Otherwise, it's been a quiet week. Wendy continues to ail with her rotator cuff tendonitis. She continues to ice it regularly, exercise it as prescribed, and was also back to the chiropractor this week. It is getting better, but still not good, and she is unable to resume her usual activities. The markets have veered wildly from one day to the next, mostly over concerns about the possibility of inflation-fueled interest rate increases. Finally, a positive US Jobs report on Friday allowed us to regain our momentum and complete a green week. I have managed to stay on quota ever since the US election which has returned a measure of calm to that administration. Sports began the week with the completion of the Scotties. My pick, Kerri Einarson repeated as champion, and now looks forward to the Women's World Championship to be held later this Spring. On Friday, the Brier began, so I'm looking forward to watching that all next week. My favourite, Kevin Koe, won his first two games. Sentimental favourite, Matt Dunstone of Saskatchewan, suffered a terrible loss today. As expected, KU was elevated in the rankings after they took down #2-Baylor. However, they only had one game this week, and they did not play well, although they managed to eke out a win. They now face the league playoff conference, as they complete preparations for March Madness. In hockey, my Oilers got a lesson in the game courtesy of the Leafs who polished them off three straight in a mini-series while blanking them twice. Time for some personal reflection for the Oilers. Meanwhile the Pens have been getting healthier and won a tight game today.

Erica writes, "Today is my last day at Deloitte. I’m officially unemployed until Monday, when I start with MNP (Meyers, Norris, Penny).  Eric’s office are under renovations so he got to work from home on Thursday. Liam continues to produce more RU videos and his own animated videos. We haven’t heard much from Haaken or Greg."

Erin and Kristian had a good week. Spring Training baseball has begun; Erin and I enjoyed watching a game together. Kristian is enjoying his current Quint subjects of Art and Phys Ed. Erin is getting a bit of a holiday in that regard as well—no homework for her! 

Joanna has received her negative test results on her covid test. We look forward to spending time with them now that she's been cleared. 

And that's about enough for this week.

Troublesome times!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, sunny and mild. We even had one night where the temperature remained above freezing—always a good sign when that happens! Wendy is suffering with shoulder issues due to inflammation in her rotator cuff. This certain prevents her from painting, but she has managed to complete the final puzzle of the season.

Puzzle #5

We are living in a covid hot spot currently, and are under lock-down, an unfortunate outcome of folks who refuse to take precautions. Our hospital ICU is currently packed, and folks are dying, sigh! We are advised that folks our age should be eligible for vaccination about May 1st, so there may be some lightening on the horizon, but it's a gloomy picture at present. There is also some positive considerations world-wide as vaccinations roll-out. USA has cut their infection rates from about 400K per day to around 75K. Saskatchewan continues to post the worst numbers in Canada, while most provinces have their daily infection rates under 100.

Sweet Treats!

At least we were able to enjoy a sweet treat from DQ in honour of Valentine's Day! I had an appointment with my oncologist on Thursday. He has decided I should have an MRI on my prostate, so I'm waiting to here the timing on that. The markets have had a bad week with investors reacting to fears of inflation by selling out of stocks, especially in the Nasdaq. I sold out of two holdings, and lost value this week, but remain on quota year-to-date. In hockey, two of my teams have settled into playoff positions, while Pens are needing some wins in their division.  Leafs and Oilers played tonight, so that was fun. Leafs won, so they had even more fun! The #17Jayhawks lost in OT in a tough road game midweek to #14Texas. Today, they played undefeated, #2Baylor—a big challenge! And they rose to the challenge—well done, Jayhawks! But my main activity this week has been the Scotties. Lotsa sloppy curling in the first half of the week, but it's getting better. The finalists have been declared, and it's the usual suspects: Homan, Einarson, and Jones along with Walker, a newer, but quality team.

Erica writes, "It’s been a busy week with several evening meetings but overall it’s been a good week. My transition to MNP should happen next week. All in all there isn’t much to report."

Kristian claims he had a good week in the warmer weather. He's back to school now every other day, and also the opposing afternoons. He finishes this Quint on Monday, then he has Tuesday off, and starts the next Quint (PhysEd and Art) on Wednesday. Erin seems to be enjoying some interesting menu choices for suppers. 

Joanna returned from southern Ontario on Sunday, so she's been isolating. She got her Covid test yesterday, so we're expecting results soon, but she's already confident of a negative assessment since she's experiencing no symptoms. Gemma continues to do well in her pre-med studies on line. Andrew has started work which involves a fly-in camp in support of a tree-planting crew; it's 2 weeks in, 2 weeks off, punctuated with multiple covid tests each way!

And that's enough for this week.

Winter has Ended... for now!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The polar vortex has retreated and we're enjoying getting out for walks in the melting snow. Wendy continues to suffer with a sore shoulder, so she hasn't been back to painting yet. She has completed another puzzle, and is now working on #5, which is supposed to be the final one of the season.

Puzzle #4

With the break in the weather, I'm starting to think about shop projects once again. Wendy wants me to install a new sliding door on the kitchen, using the current one for a sliding door on the laundry room downstairs. I can do some of the work out in the shop, but I still have to bring it in for gluing. Today, we had the service for Aunty Dr. Linda. That can be viewed on line. There's also a video tribute. Lovely lady! Wonderful mother! Award winning teacher! Great principal! And the job she loved most—nana! The markets have been troubled this week, and the pundits are back calling for a "correction", as if something is messed up! That does not make me comfortable, seeing as how the guys who call for the adjustment, are also capable to pushing for it to happen. Anyway, I did lose one holding, but managed to remain at quota for another week. Now, I'm slightly below my planned investment level, so I'll be looking to buy next week if all looks favourable. The pandemic continues to be a problem world-wide, but cases have been declining significantly, so we are hopeful that folks will remain vigilant until vaccinations are widely accomplished. We're experiencing some troubling surges in cases in our region—that's a concern. Curling championships have begun this week. They've set up a bubble in Calgary and plan to play the Scotties, the Brier and a couple of Grand Slam events there. The Scotties began today, so my TV watching is pretty much locked in for the next week! The teams have not been playing this season, so it's expected that results will be a bit less predictable. I'll enjoy it anyway! As expected, the Jayhawks were elevated back into the rankings at #23, and they had a couple more wins this week. Next week is set to be tough against two teams that are above them in the rankings—Rock Chalk boys! The NHL continues play, now approaching mid-season. The American divisions are hitting many postponements due to Covid concerns. They'll have to make up those games later. My teams remain in playoff contention. All three played tonight with Leafs (14-3-2) winning in Montreal; while Pens (9-6-1) and Oilers (12-8) won at home.

Erica writes, "I was up to la Ronge for work this week. It was nice to get out of the house. Eric is nursing his injured finger, which gets him out of dish washing duty. 🤔 I haven’t heard much from Liam, Haaken or Greg. Liam posted another interview in his series: Afternoon Today! It’s been a quiet week" 

 

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Kristian is having his winter break from school, so he's been enjoying home and catching up on some Lego projects—sometimes through most of the night! The cold weather has also broken in Saskatchewan, and they're glad to see the melting snow. 

 

Joanna flew down to Toronto for another week of Dad-Care. We're expecting her back tomorrow. Then, she'll be isolating for a week, and getting another Covid test. She is very careful, and this is part of her care regimen for us—we appreciate it. Trav has been managing the household and monitoring the rats! 

Caught in the Sock Drawer!

 

And that's about enough for this week! 

Frigid weather ending!

Another frigid week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior but we're promised a break in the weather next week and a return to single digits of frost. This week it has been mostly in the -20's overnight and a recovery only to the minus teens during the day, so, we have remained mostly indoors! Wendy has ventured out for grocery shopping; we both were out for my eye appointment on Monday. On that occasion, we were informed that the eye continues to heal nicely, and that it has progressed to 20/50 vision. The left eye has been my good eye, and my dominant eye, so I continue to look forward to its return to 20/20 vision at least—it used to be 30/20! In my pre-surgery testing it was 20/200! Progress! My improving vision took notice of my badly scarred laptop screen. This was due to a well-known scourge where the anti-glare coating degrades over time. Wendy suggested trying the silver infused Norwex cleaning cloths dampened with water. The effect was quick and marvelous, and I have a clear screen once again.

Reflecting well on me!

We had a lovely conversation with my siblings on Wednesday evening as we celebrated Nancy's birthday, and Verner's birthday. On Thursday, we were informed of Linda's passing. We grieve along with Verner, and the extended family, even as we acknowledge the blessing of her release from misery. Wendy has pushed forward with her puzzle; some work remains to be done there, and I'm still not of any effective use in that project. I have worked the markets, and had another good week as the North American indexes have pushed to record after record. I am now sitting at 4 straight months of achieving quota, and am feeling very blessed. The pundits keep trying to scare us with calls for a "correction", and we will try to notice and react quickly if and when it arrives! Sports, mainly hockey and basketball continue to attract attention. As feared, the Jayhawks were dropped from the rankings for the first time in a record 12 years. Rock Chalk Jayhawk! This week they won a home and home series against Iowa State; that may get them back into the rankings. Soon, we'll be turning our attention to March Madness—the highlight of the basketball season! In the NHL, the Leafs (11-3-1) have continued to dominate at the top of the standings, although they lost to Montreal tonight. The Pens (6-5-1), and my Oilers (9-7) look to be improving their play. 

Erica received notice this week that their division of Deloitte has been purchased by MNP (formerly: Meyers, Norris, Penny), so her paycheques will have a different header on them. Basically, their office is just being transferred to the new owners, so not much else will change. Otherwise, they have been sheltering from the polar vortex just like the rest of us, although under even colder temperatures. Eric and Liam put together a video for the church's Valentine’s Day dinner. Erica had a Valentine’s Day pedicure and Eric has a Valentine’s Day foot manly treatment. Haaken continues working at Costco and looking for animation opportunities. Greg is driving truck in Kenora. Today, Eric was trying out the new knives and managed to take a thin layer off his finger... knife, snowblower, saw: it's what we do!

Knife—sharp!

Regina established a new record of frigidity posting 109 hours of windchill lower than -40°. Not something to be proud of, to be sure, but something they successfully endured. Erin's new RAV4 handled the test with alacrity (or however you interpret the autostart feature!). Kristian has continued to go to school each day in what will be come one of those "up hill both ways" stories to be told to children and grandchildren in due course. 

Sweets for the Sweet!

Travis and Joanna had an extra burst of employment delivering Valentine's floral arrangements yesterday and today. It is anticipated they will deliver more tomorrow! Last evening they joined us for a Valentine's celebration around pizza and conversation. It was delightful. 

Thanks Trav & Joanna!

And that's enough for this week!

Dr Linda Ulrich - A tribute

Dr. Linda Ulrich

1950.01.15 — 2021.02,11 

(with acknowledgement to Leigh Hunt)

Dear Linda Ulrich (may her tribe increase!)

Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,

And saw, within the moonlight in her room,

Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,

An angel writing in a book of gold:—

Exceeding peace had made our Linda bold,

And to the presence in the room she said,

"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,

And with a look made of all sweet accord,

Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Linda. "Nay, not so,"

Replied the angel. Linda spoke more low,

But cheerly still; and said, "I pray thee, then,

Write me as one that loves her fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night

It came again with a great wakening light,

And showed the names whom love of God had blest,

    And lo! dear Linda's name led all the rest.

For sure Linda was one who loved God and her fellowmen. She was (by order of increasing relevance to her character and her identity) a beautiful woman, an accomplished academic, a dedicated teacher, a successful educational leader, a loving spouse, mother and nana!

We miss her!

Winter is Back!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, with melting each day, until yesterday! Then, a storm blew in with fresh snow, fresh wind and even fresher temperatures! We're into the -20s today, and they're threatening us with the Polar Vortex for the next week! I did get a bit more work done on the TV table shelf and the workbench vise, but that'll be on hold until it warms up. We shovelled out the driveway twice as the prolonged snowfall kept putting it back! And now, we're getting some of it drifting back in as the winds have continued to be nasty. Wendy has kept busy indoors with her latest puzzle, and her ongoing winter/spring cleaning. My eye continues to recover from the recent surgery. It is looking better each day, but still not seeing very well! I'm scheduled for my next ophthalmic appointment on Monday. The markets recovered from the retail investors revolt, and returned to the Biden bounce, so I was able to recover from last week's losses and post some good gains. All indices rose to all-time records this week, and I'm back on quota. Lots of NHL action and my teams are doing a bit better, although Pens (5-5-1) continue to struggle with injuries. At least they got two d-men back today. Oilers (6-7) are scoring better, but not defending very well. Leafs (9-2-1) are sitting in first place overall. As feared, the Jayhawks were dropped to #23, and after a win and a loss this week may be dropped from the rankings, entirely. Rock, Chalk may be in next-year-country, already!

Erica writes, "This Friday our Internet died! Tragedy! Fortunately, we have data on our phones, so we will survive. Liam has been busy posting videos for his own YouTube channel as well as for RU Ministry. We had a good talk with Haaken about support from CLBC (Community Living - British Columbia). They are providing some support; we hope they will find an opportunity for him to work in animation.  It’s -30 today, so we will pass on our walk in the forest. We will have to figure out another way to get in our km, today."

Erin and Kristian are also stuck in the frigid weather this weekend. Erin continues to experiment with new menu specialties—look delicious! We'd like to taste them.

Safe at Home

Travis and Joanna had another week as Joanna completed her isolation, and started preparation for her next trip to Toronto—a beggar for punishment! Really, we acknowledge the good work she is doing in helping with the care of her dad. There has been some progress with that in that they're getting some home care support at least.

And that's about enough for this week.

Vision Improving!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather turned quite cold during the week, even hitting -25° but has moderated to near zero again, so we were able to get out for a walk today. The vision in my newly repaired left eye continues to improve. I had a followup appointment here on Monday. The doctor was satisfied with progress so far, and booked me for another check in two weeks. My experience with my first pterygium surgery over a year ago predicts that I should have pretty much normal vision by then. I can already see better than I did before the surgery happened, but not for long stretches of time, so I'm often watching/reading with that eye closed.

Still a bit sore, and tires quickly

I have been studying a few more potential projects and have decided I would like to build a wood vise, and a drill press vise soon. I have bought the necessary threaded rod for both projects, so if the weather holds, I'll be able to get at those.

Colourful, isn't it?

Wendy has completed puzzle #3, while I've been struggling with my own puzzle in the markets. I do not fully understand what happened there, but it was terrible, no good and very bad! Some point to the unprecedented "short squeeze" where Reddit-inspired traders took on the big boys of Wall Street and punished them with up to 20 billion in losses. Others point to problems in vaccination deliveries into the arms of folks. Still others point to accentuated concerns over the new Covid variants that seem much more transmissible and may be more hazardous as well. As I noted, there has been a record surge in the markets since US election day, and sometimes this causes the pundits to start looking for a "correction". Whatever the explanation, this week's losses kept me from making quota for the month, and stopped out several of my holdings, sigh! Wendy has kept going on the Norwex clean-up challenges, although she decided to skip today's "Wash Bedroom Walls" call since we're getting ready for a fresh coat of paint in there. The NHL is nearing the 25% mark on the shortened season and my three teams are showing mixed results. Pens (5-3-1) have struggled for consistency while suffering with injuries. Leafs (7-2-1) are doing great! My favourite skaters, the Oilers (4-6), are definitely not meeting expectations. The Jayhawks were dropped to #15 after their three straight losses, took a win midweek, but then got pounded tonight, yikes! They need to get ready for March Madness!

Liam reports that he is feeling okay, but that he has had no noticeable improvement yet from the Remicade. We hope the improvement comes soon! He continues to volunteer with the RU Ministry. Since they can’t dance, he is helping develop more content for the web. He is also looking for work, as EI will be ending. Eric is enjoying his NHL package, especially this week as his Canucks won three in a row. Erica has been struggling with mental health. She wishes she could just take a year off and sleep, but since there are still bills to be paid, life must go on. She has reached out to counselling and her doctor to reconsider her medication. She is scheduled for another Lipedema surgery in late August, but that depends on the COVID situation. It’s been really cold this week in PA—like -40°! Haaken continues to work on his animation. Greg is working in Kenora. 

Erin and Kristian also had a frosty week in Regina, but Kristian bundled up and headed off to school each day. He has his regular in-person days, and then his afternoon tutorials. Erin continues to explore and enjoy new cooking options with her air fryer. Kristian's eczema is responding to treatment.

Joanna continues to isolate after her return from Toronto; she got her negative Covid test result today, yay! Travis has been over here a couple of times; we enjoy the visits. He also set me up with a Firestick TV, so I can enjoy more options for my viewing pleasure—thanks guys! Wendy even enjoys the prospect of Pixar and the Disney Channel. We also get to chat or text frequently.

And that's about enough for this week.

Starting to See!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has turned a bit colder, but is still recovering to single digits of freezing each day. We flew down to Toronto on Sunday for my eye surgery.

Arrr, me mateys! 

I saw the surgeon on Monday, underwent pterygium surgery on Tuesday, and had a follow-up appointment with her on Wednesday before flying home. I told the doctor that it seemed more painful this time, but she suggested I might be forgetting! She peeled off the pterygium which had started to encroach over the pupil. Then, she took a rectangular graft from the eyeball just above the iris, and applied it between the nose corner of the eye and the iris to prevent the pterygium from regrowing. The harvesting site, and the grafting location are the sources of most of the pain. She checked it over on Wednesday morning, and announced that she had done an excellent job!

You're right—it is sore!

Since she was the only one there with expertise to make such an assessment, I had to take her word for it! However, let's just say the T3s are proving very helpful. I also have an antibiotic ointment I apply to the eyeball four times each day, and another that I will use after the first two weeks. I'm scheduled to see my local ophthalmic surgeon on Monday to ensure that I'm making good progress. I'm already seeing better than I was before the surgery. Otherwise, I haven't been doing much! We had another good week in the markets as they set a record for the best performance from election day to inauguration day—thanks uncle Joe! If I can hold on for this next week, it'll be three straight months on quota!

Glue Up for Shelf

My new board is out of the glue-up, but I haven't begun the sanding. It will become a shelf in my pallet wood TV Tray. The NHL continues in the early season, but my Oilers (2-4) are not doing well. Leafs (4-2) and Pens (3-2) are doing better. The #9-Jayhawks are going through a rough stretch, losing three straight now. Their ranking will drop further this weekend—Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!

Erica is back to work this week, but they are both still working from home so it hasn’t been much of a change in scenery. Liam got his third dose of Remicade. We are hoping he will soon report an improvement. Eric has started destruction of the ceiling in the eating nook. It is under the upstairs bathroom.

More Knob/Tube and a Plumbing Puzzle!

They have found more knob and tube electrical up there, but they haven't figured out if it’s live or not. Other than that, it’s been a quiet week for the Baileys. 

 

Kristian is managing better with the new program of half time on line, and half at school. He also gets extra help at school on alternate afternoons. This week he got new ear-molds; the old ones were leaking and he was experiencing hearing loss.

New Ears—Better Hearing!

They got out one day this week to pick up the new ear-molds, and also got his SGI number so he can begin driver training. Yikes! How could he be old enough for driver training!?

Joanna flew to Toronto with us last Sunday to spend the week with her dad and family.

Ready to Fly!

She's arriving back home today, and then, like us, she'll be isolating until she has her requisite clear days. Trav and I have been chatting our way through hockey games—his team is doing better than mine! 

And that's about enough for this week.

World Record!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued mild with some nights even staying above zero. It rained pretty much all day yesterday, so the snow piles on the lawn have sunk quite a bit. We've been able to get out for walks everyday, and that's both nice and good for us. Mariana (our new student roomer) has settled in to her nursing program through the university—that's going well. The world continues to pile up new records on the Covid-19 front. We've now lost at least two million people! The CDC were mocked when they issued cautions in early November saying the USA could hit 400,000 deaths before inauguration if folks didn't get serious about the needed precautions. Well, they've already surpassed that terrible landmark, and, this weekend, they've had to admit they actually don't have a stockpile of vaccine—what a debacle! Wendy has continued her Norwex cleanup challenge, and also cleaned up the second puzzle.

One puzzle, or twenty-six?!

Both books 1 and 2.

 

I didn't help much, as I cannot see well enough to be effective. I received a couple of books for Christmas, and I look forward to being able to see well enough to read them, hopefully soon. The surgery is still on for Tuesday despite the raised level on restrictions here in Ontario. Our flights keep getting changed; we're now scheduled to fly down tomorrow and spend an extra day in Toronto. The mild weather allowed me to spend more time in the shop again this week. I built a jig so I can do jointing in the planer, and got my boards ready for glue-up in my new set of diy bar clamps. 

Bar Clamping with Wedges

The markets have been whipsawing all week with each wind of news, especially news of how serious the insurrection plans were, so it hasn't been productive for me. I remain on quota for the month. The NHL began the regular season this week, but my teams have not been putting up the big wins so far. Oilers are 1-2; Leafs are 2-1; while Pens are 0-2. Kansas lost a tight game early in the week, and then their game today was postponed as Iowa State had a Covid outbreak, sigh! 

Erica writes, "Eric and I are on the cusp of completing the English Channel virtual race. As of Friday we have 4.4 km to go and we expect to complete that this weekend. We should have been done by today but with the ice storm we did bit venture out for a walk for the past few days. Liam is back in Caronport and has been working with RU to put out videos featuring the team members. Liam is trying his hat at being Stephen Colbert. He also had his first blackout on his own and is in the market for candles and maybe a wind-up lantern. Haaken continues his work at Costco and Greg is still in Kenora driving truck." The Baileys bought snowshoes, so their adventures no longer need follow the trails—I'm reminded they weren't following the trails before!

Snowshoeing!

Erin and Kristian suffered through a terrible Saskatchewan blizzard. It did some damage to their condo as well as there were tornado-force winds. Kristian was sent home from school early the next day as they were suffering from an electrical outage there as a result of the storm. Fortunately, they had electricity at home. His classes are now operating as in-person/on-line on alternating days. Kristian has been accorded extra support in that he walks to school to get tutoring in the English Language Arts course work for the afternoon of the on-line days.

Travis and Joanna have been over to visit before the most recent restrictions. As I understand it, we're no longer allowed a family bubble even up here in northern Ontario. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Joanna is flying to Toronto tomorrow on the same flight as we are. She'll be helping with dad care down there. Gemma is back in class, but all classes including labs are done on-line. She is finding the Chemistry labs are certainly lacking compared to in-person experiences. 

And that's about enough for this week.

And the beat goes on!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be mild with melting each day, so we've enjoyed getting out for walks everyday, and my treadmill is feeling abandoned! Wendy has temporarily abandoned her painting and her puzzles and has taken on a complete Spring Cleaning of the house—must be the spring-like weather! The warmer temperatures have also allowed me to get back out to the shop frequently, and I've begun work on a few more projects.

Boy with his Toy!

I've got my new planer set up, and put through a couple of batches of pallet boards—surely produces a lot of wood chips! I built a double-sided jig to ride the fence. This side is for cutting tenons. The other will be for cutting splines, but I haven't finished that yet.

Tenon Jig

I needed the tenon cutter to make a mallet. I made it with a layer of walnut between two layers of white oak. It turned out pretty well, just needs the finishing now.

Mallet

 

 

 

My ophthalmic surgeon called from Toronto to inform me that I have to have a Covid test before they'll let me into the hospital for surgery, so I had that done this week, and the results came back today—negative. The Biden Bounce has continued in the markets; this was further buoyed this week by the twin wins in Georgia senate runoffs. Of course the insurrection, on Wednesday, did cast a pall over the markets, but investors got back to the buying on Thursday and Friday. As a result, I had a good month this week! On the sports front, we began the week with some disappointment as the USA Juniors beat us 2-0 to win the Junior Hockey championship. Jayhawks won their games this week; I got to watch the game today. However, their loss to Texas saw them dropped to #6 and leaves them in a tough spot in the conference. Rock Chalks Boys!

Erica writes, "Eric returned to work this week. Liam had a few more days at home and then headed back to Caronport on Friday. It’s been a pretty quiet week. Liam approved the second proof for his story and it is now available for purchase. It is hardcover with higher quality paper and full colour illustrations so it’s a bit pricey, but I think it’s worth it! We are hoping we will get some more stories out of him. Haaken continues to work at Costco and on his animation. We also had a good chat with Greg the other day. He has re-injured his arm, but he seems to be managing. We hope when COVID ends we can visit him again in Kenora."

Erin and Kristian enjoyed the time off over the holidays. Kristian got some new medicated ointment which has alleviated his eczema symptoms. Now, he's back in school taking Language Arts and Mathematics this Quint. The program is currently operating one day at school, the other day online.

We get to visit with Travis and Joanna regularly. We're certainly glad to have them around. I took the car in for a recall repair, and was fortunate that Travis was able to pick me up and drop me back off as needed. Business continues to be a struggle in these pandemic times, but they do what they can. 

And that's enough for this week.

Happy New Year!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. This brings us through 2020, and launches 2021. I am not one who lends any importance to the artificial designation of January 1 as the start of something new. If they had chosen one of the solstices or one of the equinoxes as the year beginning date, it would at least have some measure of reality behind it. Here, in the northern hemisphere it is certainly significant when the hours of daylight begin to lengthen once again. Anyway, the weather has turned mild, and we've enjoyed getting out for walks on the melting streets. The forecasters predict that we'll be enjoying this respite for at least the next week, and coming in the depths of winter, it certainly provides a break. The scheduling of special days has accorded us about three Saturdays this week, but we're trying to keep track!

One down!

Wendy has completed one jigsaw, and begun another, but her main preoccupation this week has been preparing for the transition of the room rental from Gemma to our nursing student, Marianna. Marianna and her dad arrived from southern Ontario this evening. I have been able to get out to the shop for several afternoons of project work. I built a small jig to make shims; that worked well. I am now rebuilding the drill press trying to provide smoother action on that. I am looking forward to cleaning up another batch of pallet salvage, and building a couple of projects before summer. Stay tuned! Action on the markets was very thin due to the holiday breaks. I managed to have a good week despite that the Senate Republicans threw a wrench into the gears by refusing to consider the expanded stimulus cheques. The good results in the 4th quarter allowed some recovery for the year. Otherwise, it was not a good year on the TSX which only achieved a 2.2% gain. In contrast, the DOW was up 7.3%; the S&P 500 up 16.3%; and the Nasdaq up 43.6%. I only managed 6.6% which is well short of my expectations and quota. In the meantime, the pandemic continues to go gangbusters. There are over 80 million cases worldwide, and at least 1.8 million deaths—tragic numbers! Our numbers are worsening in Ontario, while the prairie provinces are, thankfully, showing some improvement, although Alberta is still worst in the country. The main entertainment of the week has been sports as the World Junior Hockey Championships are underway. Our boys have gone undefeated through the preliminary rounds and are now into the medal round—Go Canada, Go! My three university football teams in the USA had a good week, all winning their bowl games. OSU had a tight win, while Texas and OU pounded their adversaries. In university basketball, the Jayhawks were off all week, and remained off today, allowing Texas to take an easy win in the Phogg! Unimaginable! Rock Chalk Jayhawk! 

 

Erica writes, "I haven’t written since last year, so this could be lengthy! Eric and I did a drive-by gifting for Grampa and Erin on Wednesday. We couldn’t go in, but we were able to drop off presents and do some caroling  with Grampa. Eric, Liam and I celebrated New Year's Eve on zoom with the Bailey cousins and a few aunties and uncles. Haaken poked his nose into frame from BC, so we got to see him as well. Eric and I completed our Bible reading plan for 2020 and have found a new one for 2021. We decided to do the Project Bible, Biblical Storyline Reading Plan, through our Bible app on our phones. It includes an animated drawing devotional before the reading. We also decided to join a virtual challenge for motivation to walk daily. Right now we are walking across the English Channel. If we manage to complete that task without being eaten by sharks, we will attempt another challenge. I have made my annual New Year’s resolution to avoid vacuuming. In 2020, I had a slip up with a shop vac. This year I hope to do better."

Erin and Kristian had a good week enjoying the Christmas arrivals in the comfort of their home. Sadie and Lucy did not get any time off, but Erin had Friday off!

It's what we cats do!

Sadie also fully employed!

It's busy time (year end) at work, and they also have an audit starting next week, so she's been working to ensure all T's are crossed, and most i's are dotted. Kristian is ready for school again, but it'll all be virtual this time.

Travis and Joanna joined us for New Year's Eve games and snacks. That was fun, although Wendy took the rest of us to School in the extended game of rummy. Apparently, she was trying to make up for Christmas when we proved perfect hosts in Greedy, letting them win all the games!

And that's enough for this week.