Over Quota!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We've finally had a break in the hot weather, and even had a few showers, so the lawns are showing some green. I was out golfing with Dale and Kristian on Monday—fun, even though I'm not playing well. I was supposed to travel to Willowbunch on Friday to golf, but that one got rained out. Wendy has continued taking Kristian to his UV appointments. We enjoyed a cool visit with Bern & Alicia after the Wednesday UV appointment. We spent most of the week working on renovations at Erin's condo. That is now pretty much complete, and is looking good. Wendy repainted the bedroom and then I completed the flooring. Today, we replaced the ceiling fixture, and returned the furniture to its place. 

New Ceiling Light-Pretty!

Flooring in Place

The markets have been running red on covid fears. TSX suffered six red days in succession before turning green on Friday. This allowed some nice recovery, and I almost made quota for the week. What is running over quota is the pandemic—infection rates are increasing! All USA states are now over the 100 per capita threshold; three are ten times that level! Three provinces are over the threshold, led by Saskatchewan as the worst performing jurisdiction. It seems the delta variant is causing infections and infectiousness even among the vaccinated, so a third jab is now being considered. Despite their win today, the Blue Jays are slumping and playoff hopes are dimming. The Riders, on the other hand, are performing above expectations and extended their season opening success with a third win as they beat Ottawa today. Now, they have the bye next week, and then host Winnipeg for the Labour Day Classic. 

Erica writes, "After some Air Canada delays we managed to get to Germany on Tuesday 6 pm local time (10 am at home). We have spent the week sightseeing and putting extra kms on our running shoes. We’ve seen three different segments of the remaining wall and several locations with evidence it was once there. We’ve also gone to the DDR museum and did a bunker tour. We’ve walked or ridden by many memorable sites. On Sunday, we head to Bonn to settle in. I have some pre-appointments tests to do early in the week; my surgery is scheduled for the 27th. Nothing much to report from the boys this week."

Kristian practiced and golfed with me on Monday. It was a breezy day, but the heat wave had broken, and we found it quite comfortable. Erin is back to work, but still supervising the renovations. She seems satisfied with our work!! Finally, she can move back to her bedroom. 

Happy Birthday, Erin!

We celebrated her birthday with a special menu (her choice) on Wednesday! It was also good to see Shawn again; he keeps very busy at Ranch Ehrlo, but he brought the cake for her birthday! 

Trav & Joanna remain in Thunder Bay. One of their rats died this week, so that was a sad loss for them. Gemma is managing our place and several jobs. She remains in contact each week. We've heard nothing new from Andrew, so expect he's managing fine in his new work. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Still spreading!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We've had a break in weather in the early part of the week and even had a nice shower of 12mm (1/2") which really brightened up the lawns. We may even have to cut them again... I took advantage of the comfortable weather to get out for two rounds of golf. The first went quite well, but then something changed/reverted and I started hitting inconsistently once again, sigh! We're into another hot spell, 35° or so, and I'm keeping within air conditioned locales. They're predicting a break in that by the middle of next week. I have begun work on Erin's flooring. I joined on to Kristian's floor and completed the upstairs landing. I managed the transition through Erin's doorway and have installed a few rows in her room, but then I laid the carpet back, so Wendy can proceed with painting that room. Erin also bought three new light fixtures, so I've begun installing those—two down, one to go! She's still shopping for a glamorous pendant set for her stairwell; that will be quite an effort to install due to the height involved. Wendy keeps busy with care of Dad, shopping, and meal preparation, and now she has begun painting. The pandemic is raging back to life with the delta variant becoming dominant. USA has retaken the lead world-wide in infections as so many states have relaxed health restrictions. All states are now above the threshold for a managed situation (100 cases per million per day). Alberta has regained the ignominy as our worst province, but at least it remains below the threshold (94.8). The markets have been choppy, but overall have achieved new record highs, and I had another good week and have reached my quota for the month. The Blue Jays are stumbling a bit, but remain within reach of a playoff spot. They had an excellent home stand, but are on the road now, and finding it tougher going. The Riders began the season with a win last week, and beat Hamilton tonight to improve to 2-0! Go Riders, Go! 

Eric and Erica have completed their preparations in readiness for their trip to Germany. We pray all goes well for their trip and the surgery. She writes, "This week has been a week of making lists of things we need to do, planning time to do the things, and then ignoring the plan and procrastinating until the last minute. So, Saturday was full of packing, last minute mending and deciding what is critical and what doesn’t matter! We leave on Monday at 7:24 AM or whenever Air Canada actually takes off. We are reassured many times over that we have the appropriate proof of vaccination and that it should be sufficient. We will see when we get to German immigration. We discovered an interesting phenomena with our medication. Since we are away for more than a month we wanted to get a 2-month prescription. That took several phone calls to the pharmacy, the doctor's office and more than one trip to Shoppers. Apparently it is highly unusual to get more than one month at a time. But after some persistence we got our way. Haaken stared a new job this week as a customer service call centre person for a transportation company. He’s been training all week and so far he says it is 'fine'. He can do the work from home and it’s full time so that should give him more income. I imagine he will rely on the advice his Grandpa gave him and treat this like an acting role, and if he does, he should do okay. Liam is in Caronport and Greg in Kenora and both are doing well."

Erin had the week off work and enjoyed the relaxing, the renovations and the golf. She and Kristian joined us for supper several evenings, so that was a treat for us. Today, they took off for their first golfing venture without grandpa—somehow, they still managed to have fun! They celebrated both managing to get their tee shots over the river! Kristian continues with his UV treatments, and his medicated lotion for his eczema. Obvious improvements are noted when he keeps up with the directed treatment program. 

Joanna scored a new keto bread recipe, it looks great, so I will look forward to trying it out as well. 

Joanna's Keto Buns

This week, they have been working on setting up their office in their lower level. Gemma is taking care of our place, although this week she had an issue with an LED bulb that wouldn't light up when the dimmer was turned right down!! The old wizard is always available to help! 

And that's about it for this week! 

Explosive Gains!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather continues to be very hot, and most days are accented by the gloom of smoke from the forest fires burning across western Canada. Eric, Erin, Kristian and I got out for a golf game on Monday—that was great! On Thursday, I got out with Dale for another round of golf; that was great as well. That's now three games this season, and all in just ten days! Kristian and I were out for a practice day at the driving range on Wednesday. It was great to have my girls and their families with us to begin the week and to celebrate my 71st birthday. Travis, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew fêted us before we left Thunder Bay, so I'm feeling royally blessed! A generous provision of green fees adds to the enjoyment! The delta variant is producing explosive gains in Covid infections world wide, and even more so here in North America. USA is up 35% this week, and now all states are doing worse than our worst province. But there's no joy here either as infections are up 56%, and even though we're at a much better level than the USA, it's a great concern to see an increase in infections while nearly all provinces are relaxing their vigilance. A case in point, at the Rider home opener, there was zero effort to prevent the attendance of infected individuals into a full stadium, while the Bombers required double vaccination to attend their game in Winnipeg—sigh! The Riders won, but I wouldn't have attended with that crowd on a bet! The markets have returned to explosive gains as well despite a lot of fears over whether the delta variant infections might impact the economy. I have now managed a full-year's quota since the election, with almost three months to go—thanks Uncle Joe! September is historically the worst month in the markets, so vigilance continues to be the watchword. The Jays have returned to Toronto, and have been playing well there to 30% crowds. They are in playoff contention for sure. The Riders opened the season against BC, and blasted out to a 31-0 lead in the first half before they squandered most of it in the second to escape with a 4-point win. 

Erica writes, "We started out the week fellowshipping with family. It was a really wonderful weekend and so good to see family again. Eric and I returned to work on Tuesday. Eric reports that the move back to cotton sheets has been good and he is feeling and sleeping much better. He still has some rash but it’s not red and angry like it was. I’m feeling good about getting most of my projects wrapped up this week. I have a few more things to do next week before we leave for Germany. Please pray for our trip—that travel and border crossings all go smoothly, and especially that surgery goes smoothly. I have ordered my cash to pay for surgery and the exchange rates are not favourable, but still less expensive than going to the US! I’m happy to get this done and pleased with the improvement it has provided so far. We are looking at getting a local company, Ashly Cabinets, to come in and help design our kitchen. They will do it at no cost and are very okay about the possibility that it may be years before we renovate. Liam is experiencing allergies. Haaken is looking at job options and has applied to the new Disney studio that is opening in Vancouver. Greg keeps on trucking." 

Erin has been back to work since Tuesday, but now is taking the next week off to help with renovations at her condo. We're looking to replace the rest of the carpet upstairs with hardwood, and also planning to repaint her bedroom. Oh, and I may have forgot to mention—we're also planning another round of golf! Wendy has taken over getting Kristian to his UV treatments three times each week, which also relieves Erin to a smoother work day. She even took him to a "Cat Cafe" where they celebrate rescue cats, and hope to find a home for them. 

Trav & Joanna are relocating their office equipment from our basement to their basement. This will open up another room downstairs for us, and we'll be able to add it to the accommodations for Rhys and Gemma. 

That's about it for this week. 

Pandemic of the Unvaccinated!

Another week has passed and we have navigated our way to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We left behind the relatively moderate temperatures in Thunder Bay, and now swelter under the heat dome of the prairies with daily thermometer readings in the 30s. We packed up and drove up to Winnipeg on Monday, where we moved in with Tom & Mariette. We enjoyed a good bed, great food, and I played my first golf game of the year, with Tom, on Tuesday! Great fun, for sure—thanks folks! On Wednesday, we continued our westward relocation onto Regina, where we moved in with Dad and Dave at 55 Laird. Erin picked us up as she was taking Kristian to his UV treatment. When that was over, we were able to stop by Bern & Alicia's condo where we hung out down on the lawn and chatted with them while they remained safe up on their balcony. Otherwise, we settled in, rested from the trip, and got ready for the celebrations of this weekend. Eric/A and Liam arrived on Friday, my actual birthday, and prepared a musical treat for a small gathering on Saturday night in recognition of Dave and my birthdays.

Kristian ran the lyrics on screen!

That was a good time—thanks, Dave, for thinking of this idea! Wendy took care of a lot of shopping and setting up our residence here, so we're set for a while. The coronavirus is surging among the unvaccinated; world-wide, infections are up 11%, USA up 51%, Canada up 56%! For much of the world, that's an issue of the first world not providing access to the vaccine. For us in North America, it's an issue of the right wing of the political spectrum foolishly making a health issue into a political one. So, in the USA, many states are seeing an exponential increase in cases. Only two states are showing lower infection rates than our worst province; all states are showing an increase in infection rates, with Florida showing their highest infection rates ever. The next few weeks will be important in the fight against the pandemic, and many jurisdictions are not putting up much of a fight! The markets have struggled all month, but all at least showed some green. I was able to make quota this week, and remain on quota year to date. Olympics are central on television these days, and I follow some of that. The Blue Jays have finally been cleared to play their home games in Toronto, and have opened a series with two wins. The Riders have completed training camp and are ready to play their home opener in the coming week. Surprisingly, they're allowing a full house to attend, and the game is sold out. I hope they're not making a mistake! 

Trav, Joanna and crew remain back in Thunder Bay. Gemma has moved into our house and is taking care of things there. We're comforted to have her in charge.

Joanna's new blue car!

Joanna has made a vehicle decision, and put a down payment on her chosen blue Chevy. We miss them all while we're away! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Delta Plus!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice with the heat wave ending and more comfortable weather until today when we surpassed 30°. Heat and wildfires continue to torment most of western Canada, including northern Ontario. We have had some very smoky days here. Wendy has been taking care of her friend's yard while they're away, and she also managed to get our yard all trimmed up; it seems a shame to leave it behind! I finished cleaning up the existing deck lumber, and prepared an order for the new joists that I'll use in the rebuild. I will wait for the fall, and hope for lower prices by then! I had an appointment with my oncologist this week, but things did not go as expected—not entirely surprising! He has been away teaching a class at Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury Campus, and it seems his directions did not transmit. So, I had no ultrasound, since it had not been booked! He checked things over as carefully as possible by hand (and by finger), and has promised to book an ultrasound for after we get back from Saskatchewan. In the meantime, he feels (literally) that my prostate has not increased in size, and assured me that it feels normal! He was heartened by my report of father and siblings who experienced enlarged prostate, and he agreed there was likely a genetic component to the enlargement. In any case, the PSA had actually declined a bit: 14.1, even though that's considered quite a bit higher than normal! He further opined that I did not have a hernia, but did agree that the lymph node on the right was clearly larger than the one on the left, and that it warranted further investigation, and thus the ultrasound, to come! In the meantime, we plan to take advantage of the fully vaccinated status of ourselves and our family, and do some travelling! Covid-19, however, has been travelling as well, so we remain vigilant, and wish all others did as well. World-wide cases are up 6% in the last week. USA cases have increased 59%, as they gained the most cases of any jurisdiction in the world. With opening up across the country, we have also seen an increase in cases by 14% this week. Delta variant and inflation fears carried over into this week's market action. We had a deep red day on Monday, but then we recovered the rest of the week, and I'm back in the green again, although not up to quota for this month. I still remain on quota since the election—thanks Uncle Joe! Baseball is about all we had going early in the week, but the Summer Olympics have begun, so there's lots to watch there. The Blue Jays have not come flying out of the All-Star break, sigh! Football training camps are making their final cuts, and getting ready to open the season the first weekend in August. Go Riders, Go! 

Erica spent the week working from home and getting over her cold. Eric has been suffering with a bad rash all over his body. He’s met with his doctor who has referred him to a dermatologist. In the mean time he has a lot of ointment to help ease his suffering. However, some thought and a bit of Google searching may have pointed in a helpful direction. Back in June, they got some really nice bamboo sheets that are extra breathable and supposedly good for allergies and asthma. However, it seems that bamboo is also a part of the grass family. Eric is allergic to grass! So, today, they are going to pick up some cotton sheets to see if that helps. Liam is heading home this weekend to be part of worship team and to visit. A brief chat with Haaken and Greg indicated that everyone seems well.

We have been texting, emailing and calling Erin and Kristian as we look forward to seeing them next week. We are making plans for some renovations and painting at their condo, and I hope Kristian will take me golfing! Maybe Erin will, too! 

Trav & Joanna hosted us for a lovely birthday party today, and a generous contribution toward my green fees! Thanks guys!

Blackberry Cheesecake, Yum!

I'll look forward to another birthday party with the Saskatchewan family next week. Fun times. Gemma is house-sitting for us while we're away, a prelude to her relocation to our basement suite in the Fall. I was glad to get my rebuilt battery back for the lawnmower (40V battery-powered) today, so she won't have to bother with the long extension cord. 

And that's about enough for this week!

Delta!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been uncomfortably warm, but we're not suffering like the folks in western Canada where they're being hit with a range from crops being burnt to crops being hailed out. In addition, the thunderstorms have lit many forest and brush fires all across the west and here in northern Ontario. We're experiencing smokey days and blood-red sunsets.

Lower Deck sans Decking!

I've been working on the lower deck, and now have it stripped of planks. I have discovered that they used ten deck planks to make five of the deck joists! I plan to take those apart and replace them with proper lumber.

Up the Ladder, Again!

Wendy has returned to painting, and to climbing the ladder. She has the ceiling finished in the side entry, so I've been able to reinstall the light fixture. Now, she's working on the walls. It is hard to know which is the bigger story lately, the pandemic, or climate change. Both are taking lives at an alarming pace. Heat waves, massive rainstorms, devastating droughts, heat-induced firestorms—all things we've been warned about, are all coming at us, and we're unable to deal effectively with them. The delta variant of Covid-19 is striking hard world-wide among the unvaccinated. All USA states have experienced a rise in infections and deaths. The world has experienced a 16% increase in cases this past week. USA is up 67%, while we have been able to see a decrease of 27% thanks to massive efforts at vaccination. But, we are also seeing some reluctance among the ignorant to get the jabs, so we find many people still at risk, and all provinces are opening up which gives the variant more opportunities. C'mon man! The markets were victimized by uncertainty and fear all week with only two green days. Friday was the worst as data showed inflation increasing, and investors decided they would no longer accept the central bankers' assurances that it is only transitory! So, I had a red week—I do not enjoy red weeks! Baseball was mostly off this week as it was time for the All-star festival. The Blue Jays are playing a bit better, and we look forward to their second half with some optimism. The football training camps are underway, so we look forward to the season, albeit with an abbreviated schedule, to begin early in August. 

Erica writes, "This week I decided, or rather my body decided to take the week off. I woke up Tuesday with a sore throat and cough and it just got worse as the day progressed. I did get Covid tested just to be sure, and the test came back negative. But, I spent three days in bed sleeping, coughing and drinking tea. Eric had a quieter week. He didn’t have as many supervision clients outside of regular work. And, he fit in a card-hockey game. We are making plans for our Germany trip. We now have flights and accommodations booked for most of the time. We are planning to spend some time in Berlin before surgery so we can have a short holiday. The boys are all doing fine—not much to report."

Kristian enjoyed a quiet week, mostly indoors out of the heat in Regina. Erin had a regular week of work, along with Kristian's trip for UV treatments. Kristian has now been fully vaccinated, so in a couple of weeks he should achieve maximum protection. That's a  relief. He experienced no side effects other than pain at the injection site. They also did a big clean up, so our room is available, but our plan would be that Erin would move down there so we can renovate her room. They have a visitor: cousin/nephew Liam. 

Trav and Joanna have taken off for southern Ontario along with Daisy to deliver the dog to Joanna's newly widowed step-mom. The trip is going well, and Mavis and Daisy seem to be hitting it off just fine. We're taking care of Minnie while they're gone. Gemma is taking care of the rats and birds! 

And that's about it for this week. 

Hot Times!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. As promised, the weather moderated during the week, but we're looking at warmer weather again this weekend. At least, we're keeping it below 30°, so it's not like they're suffering under in western Canada. We had a little outing on Sunday to mark our anniversary—just our usual treat at DQ.

51st Anniversary Outing!

I've been able to attend to a few projects outside—the lawns got mowed, and I've begun taking apart the lower deck. The deck job has proved problematic as some of the screws are determined to stay in place! I have resorted to taking out what I can, and then using the reciprocating saw to cut off the recalcitrants. Otherwise, the yard is looking nice even though the heat is drying out the lawns. This morning, Wendy took time to perform another hair cut!

Sheep to the Shearers...

Thanks for the Trim!

I have done the bloodwork in preparation for my final appointment before we can travel west. I didn't notice anything untoward in the report, but then, I'm no doctor! I am awaiting an ultrasound, and an assessment from my oncologist. Dr. Prowse, more aptly named Dr. Sterns, could also be called proctologist or groinicologist (thanks Archie!). We don't chat until July 22nd, at which meeting, I hope he has comforting words for me! Meanwhile, there are no comforting words on the Covid front. The delta variant is widespread and creating particular havoc among those who refuse or are unable to get vaccinated. The lambda variant has also arrived in North America, and scientists are beginning to study it to see what danger it threatens. The world has experienced an 11% surge in cases this week. USA, drifting backwards on vaccinations, shows a 25% increase in cases. Even here in Canada we are seeing our vaccination rates drift, but at least we achieved an 11% reduction in infections. What we are seeing is most jurisdictions in Canada, and even more so in the USA dropping all protections against Covid spread, and we're seeing alarming case rates reported as we surpass the 4 million deaths world-wide. I am confident the actual infection and death data from the pandemic is much higher. As some wag observed, the markets operate on fear and greed. This week was a troubled experience as traders found new things to fear, and new opportunities for greed! Early in the week the fear of inflation was raised, causing a sell-off. Then, they switched to the opposite extreme fearing governments would not do enough to reflate the economy, and that created another sell-off. In between, and again on Friday, greed took its turn, also called FOMO (fear of missing out), and the markets surged—sigh! All told, I managed a green week, but not up to quota. Tampa Bay Lightning struck the final blow against Montreal and won the Stanley Cup 4 games to 1. The Blue Jays continue to perform below my expectations as the hitters are not able to keep up with all the runs the pitchers are giving up! Some new pitchers are arriving, so we have hope! 

Eric has been fighting a skin condition and then, on Tuesday night he had such bad stomach pain that he decided to go to the hospital. It turns out he had another gallstone. Now, he has medication to try to deal with further stones. We haven’t heard much from the boys, and Erica just had a regular week of work. They try to shelter against the severe heat wave in Prince Albert. 

Erin and Kristian continue to shelter from the heat in Regina as well. We hope they get better weather before we consider venturing west! Kristian continues with his UV treatments. We hope to see the improvements when we get there! 

Travis and Joanna are enjoying their newly sheltered deck. They set up a joint celebration of our anniversaries on Thursday evening when they took us out to eat on the patio at the marina. It was great! They are continuing to dog-sit the new dog for her step-mom and look forward to delivering it to Toronto soon. We'll have Minnie while they're away. Andrew was by today to check out the Andrew-on-deck chair, and to pick up a desk table for his new digs. Trav & Joanna are starting to feel like empty-nesters; there's a situation I do not enjoy! 

And that's about it for this week! 

Golden+

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown and it brings to completion the 51st year of wedded bliss for me! Wendy has always been entitled to her own opinion on that, and has sometimes been allowed to state it publicly!

Sweets for the Sweetie!

We've enjoyed a beautiful week of weather, but it has turned hot this weekend as the remnants of the heat dome has arrived into eastern Canada. We're looking at 35° today, but are promised nicer weather next week.

Peonies in bloom!

Wendy has been busy all week on the flower beds, and decrees them presentable. The irises are about finished, and the peonies are blooming—lovely! I have harvested another batch of rhubarb, and if it stands up to the current hot spell, I will get another gathering later. The lawns are ready for another cut, but I'm trying to wait for the weather to be a bit cooler—benefits both the grass and me! I've been out practicing golf from time to time, but didn't play any holes this week. It's not such an attraction when you don't have a regular crew to golf with. We're making great progress on vaccinations here, and most provinces are relaxing the restrictions—hopefully not too soon, or too much! The delta variant remains a big concern, and it is making rapid inroads among the unvaccinated areas of the USA, as well as the developing world. World cases have risen 3% this week, USA cases have risen 11%, while, thankfully, our cases have dropped 17%. The infection rate in the USA is now triple what it is here, and that is considered to be due to the regions which are reluctant to get their vaccinations. The markets have continued their winning ways, and I have completed another month on quota. This completes six months this year on quota, and in fact all eight months since the election—it's sure easier to make stock decisions when you don't have early morning tweets to disrupt an orderly market! Anyway, eight straight months is the best I've ever done in my dozen years in this game. The Stanley Cup playoffs are on the cusp of completion, and despite my picking the Lightning, the Habs have failed to win a single game—quelle surprise! The Blue Jays are playing better, winning 7 of their last 10 games, but are still dropping games they should be winning! They could be a very good team with just a bit more pitching; they did place three starters on the All-Star team! Football has begun preparations for an abbreviated season. Go Riders, Go! Major soccer tournaments are underway as well around the world, and I'm taking some note of that. Denmark has advanced to the semi-final in Europe. Then, there's Wimbledon, probably the biggest name in tennis! 

I messed up the Lipedemia Website link last week, try this one. 

Erica writes, "It has been a very hot week here in Prince Albert. We’ve escaped to our air conditioned bedroom early most evenings and spent a the bulk of Canada Day in there. Today is plus 36! Too hot for me. Liam returned to Caronport on Tuesday. Eric and I have booked our flights to Germany and Air BnB for the time we have to be in Bonn. We have some time before and after so we are hoping to visit some tourist sites, so long as things remain open to tourism. If things close up again, we will have extra time to isolate, but as it is now, fully vaccinated people do not need to isolate. If you want to support this surgery and get a tax receipt, you can send a cheque to:

Bailey surgery project

First Baptist Church

1351 28 Street East

Prince Albert SK  S6V 6T4

You can also do an etransfer to finance@fbcpa.net along with an email that the donation is for the Bailey Surgery Project and providing a password for the etransfer.

If you don’t care about getting a donation receipt, you can etransfer to me directly at eulrich11@yahoo.ca or mail to: 

Erica Bailey

801 15th Street West

Prince Albert SK  S6V 3R7 "

Erin and Kristian have also been hunkering down against the heat in Regina. Their back deck receives shade beginning in the early afternoon, so it has been pleasant to spend some time out there.

Lotsa room for clubs in the RAV4

They've also managed to get in some golf! Kristian has completed this school year, but has had some more driver training. Kristian would also like to take in some golfing, camping, fishing, garage-sale-ing, and visiting Papa  this summer. Erin writes, "He also needs someone else with calmer nerves (grandpa) to practice driving with!"

Trav and Joanna got their delivery of material to complete the pergola, so we spent a day over there getting the shades installed—looks great! It has roller blinds on the sides, and an UV sail on the top. 

Pergola complete!

We also enjoyed a meal with them on that occasion. Gemma and Andrew have returned from southern Ontario. Trav and Joanna have taken possession of a dog that will soon be transferred to Toronto for her step-mom. 

Cute little gal, isn't she?

And that's about it for this week! 

Hot Feet!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful and we've enjoyed doing more yard work. We had a few days that were a bit too warm for us, and we're thankful for an air-conditioned house to escape from that. Wendy put in a lot of hours cleaning up the flower beds and transplanting several hostas and bushes. Tonight she celebrated with her feet up by the fire!

Hot Feet!

We spent Thursday over at Trav & Joanna's to build and install their new pergola. That went well, and I also took advantage of the opportunity to recharge the AC in his car using the remnants from when I did the same job on my own car. We are now three weeks past our second vaccine dose, so we're pretty much at maximum protection. We're starting to plan travel in July, but are still delayed by some medical work for me. The world-wide pandemic data did not improve this week, and we're closing in on 4 million deaths, sigh! The coronavirus situation in Canada continues to improve and all provinces have reduced the infection rates below the concern threshold. The single fly in that ointment is in the combination of the delta variant along with the number of people who remain unvaccinated. Ontario is taking the next stage of reopening next week, and most other provinces have announced similar removal of the restrictions. The majority of infections and deaths has now switched to the unvaccinated. My concern relates to the fact that if the virus is allowed to infect people, it will also have opportunity to mutate into even more variants. The markets had an up and down week, but the up days were really good, and I've managed to make quota for the month, so long as I can hang on for the final three trading days. The US Open golf championship went to Spaniard, John Rahm. The Blue Jays continue with their inconsistent results, mainly due to failures by their relief pitchers. They are playing a series against Baltimore, but that ends tomorrow. The NHL has moved onto the Stanley Cup finals. One of my picks actually won a series—the blind pig found a turnip! I'm picking Tampa Bay to win the Cup; that is Habs' fans you hear cheering! 

Erica writes, "We’ve enjoyed Liam’s visit this week. On Friday, Liam went to a walk-in and got his second shot. We are starting to plan for my surgery in Germany. Germany has now opened its borders to fully vaccinated travellers. The church benevolent fund approved this project for me; I'll pass along the particulars, soon. On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Lipedema launched its website. I gave a talk on Lipedema and my journey so far. "

Kristian has completed his final quint of this school year and is now on summer holidays. He achieved great results in Social Studies and Mathematics, his second best quint of the year. Well done, Kristian! Erin managed to score her second vaccine dose, so she's on her way to being as fully protected as she can get at this time. 

Travis and Joanna bought the lumber and connections for a pergola on their upper deck. We worked with them on Thursday to assemble it. It went together well, and looks impressive.

Back yard decks! 

The sail on top provides UV protection and shade for them to enjoy their new deck chairs. Gemma continues her summer job for the University, although she has to work from home. Andrew is in a training program as a personal care worker. He is enjoying that. This week, they are off to southern Ontario to visit family down there. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Happy Father's Day!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had our first little hot spell of the summer, and are glad to see that our air conditioner is working just fine. It was not working in the car, so I got some refrigerant and recharged it, and now we're in the cool again! This weekend, the weather has turned cooler, and Wendy has enjoyed getting out in the yard. She's has cleaned up most of the flower beds, and also trimmed back the climbing vine we have on, in, under our deck! It just keeps spreading, so once in a while, it needs to be cut back.

Below Decks!

I've made a bit of progress with the AoD Chair. Now, I need Andrew to prepare some more materials for the legs and seat.

Chair is taking shape!

I've practised golf a couple of more times, and even played a few holes. It's not as easy on the course! I've heard it explained that there are three ways to swing in golf: the air swing—a practice swing in the air will usually be your best! The range swing, when you're hitting a bucket of balls—normally goes pretty well! The real swing—on the course—reawakens all your flaws! We continue to monitor the fight against the coronavirus. Wendy had an extended reaction to her second dose, but seems to be fine now. World-wide case numbers have improved by 6% in the last week, and Canadian numbers have improved by 26%! Manitoba continues to improve and is down to 111 cases per million, and, that's almost down to good performance. They remain, the only province with troubling numbers, but are much improved, so we're looking forward with hope! The markets have been terrible, no good and bad! Investors got a shock as the FED made it clear—they are looking at rate increases! That left me with a red week, sigh! The Stanley Cup semi-finals continue. Habs lead my pick, Vegas, 2 games to 1 (yer welcome, Habs fans!). Bolts and the Islanders are tied at 2 games each! Blue Jays are struggling as their relief pitchers are not providing relief! They did manage to win today. I am also following the US Open golf tournament where Canadian Mackenzie Hughes is tied for the lead entering the final round. 

Erica writes, "Liam is home for the weekend. He has an appointment this week so we will hear more about how he is doing. Haaken is applying for some government grants to support him making a show. We are hopeful that he has success and is able to get his creation off the ground. A pop up clinic came to my office on Thursday so we were both able to get the second shot. We are now fully immunized!"

The week in Regina has been blistering hot with several thunderstorms accompanied by hail and tornados! Sadie does not like thunderstorms! Kristian has been practising his driving in the new RAV4—Erin is plenty nervous! All is going well so far. Kristian is completed his final pair of courses and ending this very strange year. It has not been easy! 

The special event this week was Joanna's birthday party. We planned it to be our first restaurant outing, but when impending rain precluded a fun time on the patio, we relocated to our dining room and it was still a great time!

The Birthday Girl!

Trav and Joanna are planning to add another shaded area to their back deck. We have picked up the lumber for that, at the cost of a small fortune, but are still waiting for some of the other equipment to arrive. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Two—We have two!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather turned rainy part way through the week, and we enjoyed several thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. The most troubling storm was on Thursday morning when I got up early to see the eclipse and saw only heavy black clouds! It was too bad as we were directly in line for the best viewing angle! We were blessed to see two complete solar eclipses while we were in Africa, and there really is nothing quite like a total solar eclipse. We were in a group of thousands near Lusaka at the time of our first eclipse, and when it finally went dark, everyone began applauding! What an experience! We took off our fancy glasses and looked up at the back side of the moon lit by earthshine! Amazing—I recommend it highly if you ever get a chance! My understanding is that such never happened during this annular eclipse since the sun does not actually get blacked out, only reduced to a ring of fire, so, I'm doubting that you can safely take your solar glasses off in such a circumstance. The big experience of this week was our reception of the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Wendy got hers on Monday afternoon, while I got mine on Tuesday morning. Wendy had quite a reaction at the injection site, and even now it remains swollen and tender. I experienced a dull headache, and some nausea the following day, but otherwise have returned to my normal. Now, we look forward with some anticipation of being able to travel in July. All provinces are doing a better job of managing infection rate, and only Manitoba is still above the 100/day rate. The improvement is mostly due to restrictive regulations, but the improved prospects have more to do with vaccination success. We're now ahead of the USA in first dose administration, and closing in on second doses. I did manage to get in some more golf practice a couple of times this week, but was also hoping to play—maybe next week. The markets began the week troubled as investors reawakened to their fear of inflation, but then, on Thursday, as we got data of actual inflation, they changed gears and gave us two big green days! Go figure! Anyhow, I was able to recover and get back to quota. We're into the semi-finals in the Stanley Cup playoffs. None of my teams and none of my picks have survived! Habs fans have paid me off to pick Vegas to win that semi-final; I'm picking Bolts win the other semi-final. The World Hockey championships ended on Sunday with Canada winning the gold over Finland, while USA beat Germany for the bronze.

Erica writes, "It’s been another quiet week. Sask Lipedema has set a launch date of June 22 at 7 PM Sask Time, which is currently the same as Mountain time. I will be doing a Facebook Live presentation about my own Lipedema journey. Eric is fighting allergies. His skin is really bothering him—it’s that time of year. We haven’t heard much from Haaken, Liam or Greg."

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Kristian got his first dose of Pfizer vaccine at school. He received his learner's license in the mail, and also got to drive with his driver trainer for the first time. They drove all over town for about two hours, including parallel parking! It's amazing to think about! Now, he looks forward for more practice driving with his mom. Lucy seems to be feeling better, but it's still a bit unclear. 

Travis and Joanna have been working through plans for another pergola for the upper portion of their deck. The planning stage seems about complete, so now they'll need a second mortgage to afford the lumber! Andrew has not been over, so we've made no progress on the Andrew-on-deck chair! 

And that's enough for this week.

Booked for #2

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, perhaps a bit warm for my liking, and we've also enjoyed several thunderstorms. I have finally done the reseeding on the front lawn over some of the patches which were lost to the chinch bugs. I hope it takes, but it always takes a couple of weeks to find out! I have also continued work on the hole in the backyard, adding more fill and leveling as it sinks. I have the sprinklers set up on zones to hasten the settling, and to keep the seeds wet. Wendy has herself in a variety of on-line programs, so that keeps some of her days programmed. The Sweet Adelines choir she's in has completed an on-line choral program. It turned out very nice, with a lot of effort in the editing. Here's a link for your enjoyment. The markets were a bit troubled this week as fears of inflation raised their heads again! Thursday was quite red, but we got some recovery on Friday, and I returned to the green for the week. The world-wide circumstances for the pandemic remain at high risk even as the situation has improved. Unless and until the world is vaccinated the virus will continue to have opportunity to mutate and put us all at risk. The program has advanced a lot here, and now we've been scheduled for our second jab in the coming week. All provinces are making headway, and only Manitoba remains at a high-risk level for infections. The NHL has moved on to the second round of the playoffs. The three teams (Oilers, Pens, Leafs) I cheer for have all been knocked out! I am fielding offers from fans asking me not to cheer for their team! Canada has recovered from a poor start to reach the gold medal game in the World Hockey championships. USA plays Germany in the bronze medal game, while we are up against Finland for the gold, tomorrow.

Erica writes, "It’s been a quiet, hot week. We’ve enjoyed ordering out a few times to avoid heating up the house. Fortunately, Eric had installed the air conditioning unit in our window. We’ve had the bikes out a few times. Unfortunately, the best weather for riding is roughly 15-20 degrees, and it seems like the weather here is either colder or hotter. But, a hot day on the bike is better than none! June is Lipedema month, and I’m working with SaskLipedema on an official launch of our website, designed by @Ulrichdesign. Our official launch will be June 22nd, 7 PM and I’m scheduled to share my story as part of the launch.  I’ll share the web address when it’s ready."

Kristian and Lucy are both feeling better.

Kristian and Lucy

Kristian got a fresh haircut, and has been enjoying getting out in the sunshine as the UV machine remains down waiting on parts that are stuck in customs! He has passed his written test, and now is scheduled to begin the driving portion of driver training starting next week. Erin has her first vaccine jab and is looking forward to eligibility to complete the process as Saskatchewan enhances the vaccination program.

Travis has now scored his first jab—yay! So, all the kids have started the vaccination program. The Adirondack chairs turned out well. They have decided to go with a natural wood colour, so we've delivered their new chairs to their place.

Chairs and a Footstool

Andrew and I continue to work on his new improved Andrew-on-deck chair!

And that's enough for this week.

Progress for Sure!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been comfortable and we've enjoyed getting out for walks and bike rides. I have continued my crusade against the dandelions, and have them pretty much under submission on both lawns! The front lawn continues to recover, and I haven't done the reseeding yet. Andrew and I have had another session of work on the Adirondack chair. We have the main supports cut to shape, sanded and ready for seat and back. We got all the boards planed and ready to cut to size and shape for the arms, seat and back. He plans to come by one day next week to work on the next phase. The Covid-19 situation continues to improve with weekly infections down 16% from last week. It is also improving here, and we only have three provinces now over the target line of 100 cases per million. Manitoba continues to suffer the worst of it, but it has also improved some. Saskatchewan and Alberta are almost down to the 100 mark! Ontario announced that the scheduling for shot #2 will be advanced, and that we can login to book it soon. We're looking forward to that. It was a short week in the markets since we had the Victoria Day holiday, but it was a great week, and with only one trading day left, I have gained quota once again. It's now seven straight months since the election—thanks Uncle Joe! Wendy has continued therapy, and, we hope, healing of her shoulder. She had an appointment with her chiropractor and has another with her doctor next week. I had an appointment for an MRI on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to a report from my doctor on that procedure. World Curling ended last weekend. Sweden beat us to win the bronze, while Scotland won the gold over Switzerland. There are now 67 countries officially competing in curling, and some of them are making a habit of beating the teachers! The first round of the NHL playoffs is almost complete. Two of my teams (Oilers, Pens) were knocked out—so, it's Go Leafs Go! My pick to win the cup, Colorado, did win to advance to round two. 

Erica writes, "We enjoyed having Liam all week. He worked really hard on this week’s YouTube Animatic video. He timed himself at one point and it took him one hour to do about seventeen seconds of video—yikes! We had a nice break on Victoria Day, and hung out together. Eric is enjoying the riding the motorbike to work on a daily basis. I continued to work from home this week. Next week, I’m back in the office."

Kristian is managing pretty well with his two subjects in this final quint. There is some discussion of adding more in-person time as the pandemic ebbs. His eczema situation is not improving since the UV radiation machine went down. And Lucy is still not doing well, yet. 

Joanna, Travis and Wendy picked up their new Adirondack chairs and delivered them to our shed. They're working to choose appropriate stains and finishes before moving them home. Gemma and Andrew got their second vaccine doses—yay! Joanna got her first dose—yay! Travis is scheduled for his first dose—yay! 

And that's about it for this week.

May Long!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The long weekend in May marks the unofficial start to summer and the gardening season for us. We're not planning a garden, but the rhubarb is coming nicely. The weather has been beautiful, punctuated by some nicely timed showers, but we're threatened with the first big thunder storm of the season tonight. The last two days have been pushing 30°, so it shouldn't surprise us to see a thunderstorm. I have continued harvesting dandelions as I contemplate when I should over-seed the front lawn. Once I put on the seed, I won't be able to dig dandelions for some time! More of the lawn appears to be making a comeback, so I've also been revising the area to seed. On the pandemic front, we're seeing some improvement world-wide as reported cases have declined 14% in the past week. Alberta has shown significant improvement, and is down to 190 new cases per day from its height of over 450 in the last few weeks. Manitoba has taken the lead in infamy, and has been sending ICU cases down here this week. Also, on the bright side, we have made great strides on the vaccination front, and now have a higher portion of our population with a first dose than even the USA. We continue to wait with expectation that our second dose may move forward a couple of months as vaccines have become more available. The province allowed the golf courses to open today. I drove by two nearby courses, and found the parking lots filled and overflowing, so I didn't go in! We had an unexpected and unwanted surprise this week as the water heater quit! Fortunately, my local plumber had the necessary parts to replace the igniter and flame sensor, so I was able to get it going again this morning. The markets suffered this week with four red days. I managed a gain, but not up to quota. Still, I remain on quota YTD, and I am grateful for that. The World Championships in mixed doubles curling have been running this week. Our team, Einarson/Gushue, have acquitted themselves well. They have qualified the country for the Olympics, and will play Sweden for the Bronze medal tomorrow. Scotland plays Norway for the Gold. The first round of the NHL playoffs  is underway, and there have been some surprises! My Oilers have dropped their first two games—c'mon Oilers! The Leafs have split their first two games with the surprising Habs, and lost their captain to injury in the process. Pens are tied 2-2 in their series. Blue Jays continue to play pretty well, but are also finding novel ways to lose games—Let's go, Blue Jays!

Erica writes, "I got a call last Saturday from Sask Health advising that I was identified as being in contact with someone having Covid. Eric and I both got a tests on Saturday and went into isolation. I had a second test on Wednesday and all results were negative! It has been two full weeks from exposure, two negative tests and, now, we are free! Liam is home this weekend for an iron infusion. He and I are on worship team this Sunday."

Kristian was receiving regular UV treatments for his eczema; but now the UV machine is down, so we keep waiting. Lucy is better, and back to her usual self. Erin has been reconsidering the development and use of her back yard area. It's small, but if she could use it all, it would provide a nice area for her box garden and relaxation. Shawn has been promoted at Ranch Ehrlo, and that changes his shifts a bit with four days on, four days off. He's feeling pretty well in his recovery from covid-19.

Joanna is noting significant improvement in her blood pressure, and we hope the will coincide with a wide range of health benefits, including to her eye issues. Travis and I commiserate over the Stanley Cup playoff results so far. Andrew and I have started work on his Adirondack chair. I picked up some more pallets and he cleaned up the necessary boards that will form the main parts of the chair. It should be ready for some pictures next week. 

And that's about it!

It's a New Season!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and we've enjoyed time in the yard and around the fire pit. I have steadily worked at filling the 6m trampoline hole in the backyard—now to begin the leveling process as it settles. I still have a couple of yards of fill left for that task.

Filled!

The warm weather is pushing me to get the reseeding done on the front lawn. We had an infestation of Chinch bugs last year, and much of the grass was killed. I don't really know if they're still there waiting for me to provide a new crop of food for them! The usual treatment for chinch bugs is Diazinon, but it is no longer allowed. There are replacements available if it comes to that, but for now, I'm hoping the bugs are not there! I've been able to get out regularly to practice golf, but the courses remain closed despite the medical advice to the contrary! The next deadline is June 2nd, so unless political decisions change, we remain locked out until at least then. While news on the pandemic continues to slightly improve with world-wide reported cases down 10% in the last week, the grim milestones continue to pile up. We're now looking at 3.4 million deaths world-wide with the USA pushing toward 600,000. Here, Alberta continues to lead the way, but their case rate has decreased at least. The markets were very bad this week as fears of inflation (higher interest rates) worried investors. Fortunately, things turned around Thursday and Friday, so, while I sold off some holdings, at least we saw some recovery, and I remain on quota year-to-date. World Women's Curling ended on Sunday with Switzerland taking the gold again. In the coming week, they will begin the World Mixed Doubles in curling from Scotland; Brad Gushue and Kerri Einarson form our team. The NHL season has come to a conclusion and the new playoff season has begun. My three teams are ready to go with Oilers vs Jets; Leaf vs Habs, and Pens vs Islanders. Let's go Oilers! Blue Jays are playing satisfactorily in the first month of the baseball season and we hope they'll do better as the injury situation improves.

Erica writes, "It’s been a busy week. I’ve been trying to catch up on work. Eric had a couple of presentations on mental health for Nurses Week. I got a call this morning from the health unit and I’ve been identified as someone who has been in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid. So, I’ll go for testing today and isolate for a few days and then test again."

Erin has had a difficult week. They're short-staffed at work, so she's having to help out with the extra work. Then, she got a rock in the windshield of her new RAV4—that first ding is especially painful! Kristian has been suffering with his eczema, and even missed school one day. They've been consulting further and trying out other meds and therapies. Kristian is currently getting UV therapy three times a week. Lucy has also been ill, probably a bladder infection, so she's been to the doctor as well—what do you mean Sask Health doesn't cover that?! 

Travis has managed to get appointments for his Covid vaccinations—yay!

Soda Stream Mama!

The whole crew was over for Mother's Day observance on Monday, and to deliver a Soda Stream for Wendy. She's been enjoying that all week. Joanna has decided she wants some Adirondack chairs; Wendy tracked down a local craftsman to build them. I have decided I should try to build one as well with some of my pallet wood, Andrew has volunteered to help. We'll see how that goes. Gemma won a competition for a job at the University this summer—congratulations! Joanna had a consultation about her vision problems, and is reassured that either it will improve on its own, or at least that it's easily treatable.

And that's about enough for this week.

Happy Mother's Day!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has been nice, but we're still waiting for some heat before reseeding the front lawn. In the meantime, we've taken delivery of a load of topsoil into the backyard to work with there. I have redone the lawn edging. I will undertake the moving of the soil under my usual "45-minutes equals a day's work" protocol, so it'll take a while! Otherwise, it's been a quiet week for us. Wendy keeps up with therapy, healing, and has started an exercise program using resistance bands at her chiropractor's recommendation. I bought a set of them, and plan to join her in the workouts; there are lots of such programs on YouTube. We have also determined it was time to upgrade our phones. We were both sporting iPhone 6's, and iPhone is now at 12. We've bought used phones and moved up to level 10. Wendy also scored a new clock—part of her birthday present.

Wendy's Clock!

The markets ran nicely this week, a good start to the new month. Friday was indicative as both USA and Canada had big misses on the jobs report, but the markets roared ahead. Apparently, we're at the stage where "bad news is good news" as it supports Biden's contention that more economic support is needed. The vaccination effort continues, but we need it expanded. We're still hoping to get our second dose and do some travelling this summer. Alberta continues to be our worst manager in the pandemic, and is now worse than any of the USA states that we used to look down on! Manitoba has moved up there as well, and now only one state is worse than Manitoba, sigh! The big sporting activity of the week was World Women's Curling championship. It was not easy to follow as covid struck the broadcast crews and no TV was allowed from Sunday through Friday! Our team, Kerri Einarson, fought back from her poor start and made the playoffs, but she lost out to Sweden today. So, it'll be Russia vs Switzerland in the gold medal game, while USA will play Sweden for the bronze. The hockey season is grinding to a close; all three of my teams have qualified for the playoffs. Pens finished up today in first place in their division, while Leafs and Oilers have a couple of games left and sit one-two in their division.

Erica writes, "This week was a no-good-very-bad week technology-wise for me. With the transition, I currently have three different ways to do work: 1-old Deloitte files on my old Deloitte laptop, 2-partially transitioned files on a special environment which allows us to use the legacy Deloitte software, and 3-files that have been transitioned into the MNP software. First, my Deloitte laptop locked me out. Then, the special environment locked me out. Finally, when we went into a file in the MNP software, all our work was gone! Maybe it’s a message that it’s time to get out of the audit gig. By Friday afternoon, I was back up and functioning. I guess we accountants don’t have very exciting jobs, so we have to find our fun somehow! Eric had a quiet week of work and card hockey. Liam got his first shot. Haaken and Greg continue on as normal."

Kristian managed Mother's Day planning for his mother and grandmother—what a guy! I'm sure they will both enjoy the fruit of his promotions. Kristian is in his final Quint of this unusual school year, taking Mathematics and Social Studies. Hopefully, the new restrictions in Saskatchewan will not mess with the plans for him to attend school each day. Erin was able to get her vaccine jab this week—yay!

Joanna has returned from an emotional time at home as they said good-bye to her dad. She has isolated, and now tested negative for covid. Then, she arranged for her covid vaccinations. Yay! Further medical interventions have revealed an anomaly in her eye, so she has been referred to a specialist about that. This weekend, they're busy with Mother's Day floral deliveries. We hope to get together for Mother's Day Pizza later this weekend.

And that's about it for this week.

It's not getting better!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice and we've enjoyed getting out for bike rides and hikes. I've been hitting golf balls several times, and they are going in the general direction I had planned! Wendy continues with therapy on her sore shoulders, but it's slow going. Our covid situation is still not improving. Part of the problem is delays in the arrival of vaccines, but the main issue is folks are not being careful. You combine that problem with the variants that seem more easily transmissible, and you have the recipe for what we're seeing. Alberta is still our worst province, with only one US state doing worse now, and the gap is narrowing! I've been working on a couple projects in the shop. I had to replace the handle for the hoe. The old one had broken, so I drilled it out, and shaped a new one. It's too bad—I was thinking the old handle would manage all the hoeing I wanted to do! I'm also assembling materials for a toolbox step stool for Wendy, and a library chair for Eric/Erica. I have installed the air piping, so I can leave the compressor in the far corner and avoid some of the noise! The markets were troubled again this week with 3 red days toward this weekend, and a flat week overall. Fortunately, I was able to close out my sixth straight month since the election on quota, as Biden turned in the best 100-day total on the markets since FDR. The NHL is into the final weeks with most teams having only a handful of games left. The Pens and Leafs have clinched playoff spots, and my Oilers are getting close. Einarson and Mouat won the Players Championships to open the week, and now we're being treated to the Women's World Championship. Einarson is our representative, but she has not had a good start to the tournament, losing to Sweden, Switzerland and Russia to sit at 1-3, sigh! Jays are starting to play a bit better in the early part of the baseball season. They're in second place in their division.

Erica writes, "This week Eric celebrated his 51st birthmas. We had some good phone calls, including catching up with the boys. Liam had an iron infusion on Friday, so he is home for the weekend. It’s April 30th, so we had a tax party at the firm. For those who don’t know, a tax party is where we all bring in our tax returns and fill them out together. There are prizes for the best returns and quickest to complete. (Just kidding!) It’s been a busy April and May looks to be busy too, but summer is coming. We hope that with the vaccine we might be able to go somewhere." 

Kristian is completing this Quint (Industrial Arts, Phys Ed) this week, and then will move on to the final pair of Math and Social Studies. The plan is that he will be able to attend school each day with this set, which suits him better. Shawn continues to improve. Erin continues to do well, while struggling to prepare enough food to fill up a teenage boy!

Joanna has been in Toronto all week assisting with the care of her Dad. He passed on Friday morning. Condolences to the family! Trav has been taking care of things here. It's tough being separated at times like this. Joanna expects to return home tomorrow. 

And that's about it for this week.

Dismal Days Continue!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, and we've enjoyed our walks and I've managed a few more golf swings. Sadly, golf has been outlawed in Ontario, so playing a game is not possible. Maybe this extra work on my swing will pay off when the courses reopen. The pandemic has surged again, world-wide, and we're included! Our per capita infection rate is currently worse than India, and we now have some cases of the newest variants coming from there. When you allow the virus to proliferate, it is inevitable that mutations will thrive, and some of them will be worse than the original. Of course, countries that took this seriously like NZ and OZ, are not seeing such troubles, enjoying full stadiums for their games and open economies. Alberta remains our worst case, with only two US states performing worse, but, here in Ontario, we're not doing much better. Part of our issue is the inadequate rate of vaccinations. In the USA, they're really pushing forward on that front. Biden pledged 100 million doses in 100 days, and the critics made fun of him, but now he's accomplished over 200 million—thanks, Uncle Joe. Virus fears caused a couple of down days on the markets. Then, Biden reassured investors that yes, he was serious about taxing the rich, so that brought about more market turmoil! It's been a wild ride this week with 3 red days and 2 green days, but the overall result was positive for me, so I'm grateful to remain on quota for the six months since the election, so long as I can hold on for the next week! Wendy continues to regain her strength and mobility in her shoulder. She's even talked about painting again! I've done a bit of project work in the shop. I had the gas-fitter come by and install a NG port on the deck, so I have my gas barbecue operational.

1999 Mazda B-4000

The brake system had failed on the truck, with significant leakage from underneath, so I took it to my favourite mechanics. The news was tragic, and I was not willing to invest that much more into the old truck, so it's now gone to the wrecker. Still looks like it should run, but all those years of Ontario salt have done a number underneath the skin. The main sports entertainment this week is curling. The Champions Cup was won on Monday by the Mouat team from Scotland. Then, the Players Championship began, and has now progressed to the championship games, set for tomorrow. My usual favourite, Koe, did not make the playoffs this time. On the Women's side it's Einarson vs Homan; on the Men's, it's Gushue vs Mouat. Baseball continues with very low attendance allowed. My Blue Jays are playing at about .500 level. The hockey season is nearing the conclusion of the regular season. My three teams are well-positioned for the playoff season!

Erica writes, "We started our week with a zoom baby shower for Victoria and Tyler Utman. When Haaken was a wee baby, we hung out with Michael and Sheena a few times. Victoria and Haaken weren’t very far apart in age. It reminded me that we are getting older - and that we need to get our home Reno’s done because our house is definitely not baby safe right now. Anyway, we sent a copy of Liam’s book. We hope they enjoy it. Eric and I both got shot this week. Mine was a last minute 'we have extras' situation. Haaken and Liam both have appointments. Other than that it’s been a quiet, busy week." 

Erin and Kristian had a good week in Regina where Kristian continues with on-line learning, and Erin with her work. There was an improvement in Shawn's situation. He reports feeling better, and managing work well, but still gets tired more easily than he'd like. At least he's up to having Astrid and Liam on the weekends, and that's progress. 

We stopped by Trav and Joanna's for a back yard chat. They're (read: Joanna) entertaining some more construction on their deck, so I took some measurements. They're still discussing the extent of the project! Today, Joanna got news of a significant downturn in the health of her dad, so she's off to Toronto again. Gemma is rejoicing as she has completed exams and another semester. 

And that's about enough for this week.

Another Grim Milestone!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, and we've enjoyed getting out for walks again. I even managed two golf practices. I make it a priority to work on my swing at the start of each season. I usually find that I play my best golf early in the season, but it gradually declines after that—could be a lesson there!

Jab1 on Wednesday

We got our first vaccine dose on Wednesday. I had a sore shoulder that night, but both of us have felt fine since. We're not scheduled for our second jab until August, so our travel wishes remain in hiatus. We'll try to get that to happen sooner, as that wouldn't be fully effective until the end of August, and we wish to travel in early summer. The pandemic has deepened here in Ontario, and in most of Canada. Alberta remains our worst province; in fact, only eight US States are doing worse than Alberta, but there are actually five provinces doing very poorly, and we're one of them. Apparently, "avoiding it like the plague" is not something that people actually do! World-wide, we've now tallied over 3 million deaths from Covid-19, a grim milestone, and testament to how badly things are going. We're so locked down here currently that we have guards on the borders with Quebec and Manitoba! I did a couple of small projects in the shop this week. The first was a hose holder for the front lawn. The old plastic one had broken last Fall, so I built one from some wood scraps. Then, Travis needed some pallets to hold up his storage bins in the back yard, so I modified some pallets and they seem to serve the task well. 

Getting them off the ground

Wendy has been working on her Barbershop music for a virtual performance they're planning. She sent in both the singing and a video for that project. The markets had one bad day this week, but recovered as positive data keeps coming in, and I made quota again. The week in sports began with the final round of the Masters. I was delighted to see Matsuyama win it; he seems like a fine representative to win the first major for a Japanese golfer. The curling was delayed, but finally completed with Edin from Sweden winning his fifth World Championship. This week it's a Grand Slam event with most of the top teams in the world playing in both Men's and Women's divisions. They're in to the playoffs now, and my favourites: Einarson and Koe, are in the thick of it. The NHL continues to struggle along, making schedule revisions as Covid invades team after team. Pens, Leafs and Oilers (my teams) have maintained playoff positions with about a dozen games left in the regular season. Oilers and Pens won tonight, while the Leafs' game was postponed due to the Covid issues in Vancouver.

Eric got scheduled for his first vaccine dose. Erica is much too young to qualify! Otherwise, they had a quiet week. Erica and team are on for music at church tomorrow, so we'll tune in for that. 

Kristian is back to on-line school. That's a tough way to do Art and Phys. Ed.! This week he was doing a project on one of my heroes, James Naismith. With the declining age of eligibility, Erin should soon qualify for her Covid shot. Shawn is eligible, but must wait until he's fully recovered from his recent bout of Covid. 

Trav, Joanna and crew are doing their stay-at-home program as well. It's discouraging not being able to spend more time with them. Gemma is completing her semester and writing exams. She always does well. Andrew is interviewing on new positions here in town. I don't know how likely it could be that new work will start up in our current pandemic situation. 

And that's about enough for this week.