Another week of Adventure!

Another week has passed, and we have travelled from the shore of the North Saskatchewan in Sherwood Park to the shore of the North Saskatchewan in Prince Albert to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. As the last weekend turned, we were enjoying a family reunion in Sherwood Park, featuring much visiting and fun, and three rounds of golf! I enjoyed it all immensely thanks to the planning and preparation provided by Scott, Dolly and Tori. Great job, folks! We are already looking forward to the next reunion being considered for Dallas. We closed the weekend with a sloppy round of golf on Monday. The course had endured 35mm of rain on Sunday, and often required a lengthy trek to get out of the casual water. It probably should not have been played on at all, but we matched the course with some sloppy play of our own, and still had a good time! Then, on Tuesday, we drove over to Prince Albert to adjust the front and back gates, only to be greeted by other issues! The city (no fault of the city, thank you very much) had got sand into the water supply, and it had plugged up several lines. It seemed whichever lines that were used first after the sand incident were plugged. So, the upstairs bathroom sink had no water coming out of either the hot or the cold side; and the washer had no supply from the cold side, and limited supply from the hot side. I was able to open up connectors and get the lines cleaned out. Then, I cleaned out the screens, and all were working well when we left. Then, on the drain side, even bigger problems. It's an old house, and we've seen issues with the drain lines before. It seems the plumbers forgot one of the basic rules of plumbing, "It doesn't run up hill!" The upstairs bath sink drain was plugged when they first moved in. Turns out it had drainage capacity about the size of a pencil! So, that's been replaced with a catch bucket! This time it was the kitchen sink that wasn't draining. We suspected the sand may be interfering there, but it turned out it was exacerbated by an uphill drain there, too! We did manage to get it to flow part way, but the old iron part of the line was completely clogged, so I cut it off, only to have the sewage water flow back at us! Yuck, that's not supposed to happen! So, I built a new connection for that into the 4" drain from the main floor bathroom. Now, it's running happily again. The plumbing work was unanticipated, but sorely needed.

I can see some light!

I planned to check the gates I installed last summer, and make adjustments. Both were rubbing a bit, so I adjusted them, and they're swinging freely once again. We had less success on the garage building front. The city claims the back lane that's been in use by the city for over 60 years, is not, in fact, a legal lane! The city says it's property of the lots behind the Bailey house, and they won't give a building permit that involves driving over someone else's property. Stay tuned! On Wednesday night, the Bailey's took us out to eat. It was a meal unlike any I've ever anticipated or experienced—truly fit for a king! I am unable to recall how many courses there were, nor the number of items for each course. It was at a place named Mabel Hill in Nipawin where they focus on farm-to-table menus. I recall wings, ribs, steak, new potatoes, green beans, arugula, many sauces whose names I've forgotten. It ran on for about three hours and was capped off by coffee and two desserts! Wowsers! Thank you, Eric/A—it was certainly an over-the-top experience for us! On Thursday, we drove down to Regina, where we are now hosted by Erin & Kristian. Investors are at a stage where good news is bad news, and thus they responded to the excellent jobs data from the USA by selling stocks, as it raised the fear that the FED would feel free to raise interest rates by 0.75%! So, it was not a good week overall, but the TSX has come in on my charts, so I'm working on a shopping list of stocks to consider next week. The Riders have this week off to lick their wounds; we hope they come out firing next week. The Jays are doing well, and added some players at the trade deadline, so we anticipate their good results will continue. 

Erica writes, "We started out the week in Edmonton at the Ulrich reunion. We made a motorcycle trip of it and clocked over 3000 km. By the end we were able to do up to 2 hours at a time! We made it home on Monday, just in time to get ready for some family. Mom and Dad stopped for a two days and upon their departure our kitchen sink, bathroom sink, washing machine, back fence gate and maybe front fence gate are all fixed. In addition we have started a minor fight with city hall! Imagine what could be accomplished in a week! We also enjoyed a wonderful meal at Mabel Hill in Nipawin. Liam had a specialist appointment this week and found that many of his levels have returned to normal but he still has a lot of inflammation in his bowel. We had a quick chat with Haaken and he has applied for another animation job. We hope he gets it! Please pray for his success. Greg continues his program of healing. He is working on writing a novel and drawing, both of which he enjoys and also help him recover from his brain injuries. We hope and pray for his continued healing." 

Kristian is home from camp this week and next, but then plans for a fourth week at Kenosee for the Creative Camp beginning on the 15th. We plan to begin heading east then, so it works out well. He is at the Exhibition today with the school group for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. It's nice that they keep sponsoring social events for the crew. Erin has been very busy with monthend accounting after a holiday Monday put them a little behind. Today, she and her mother went shopping for plants and flowers for the back yard and to take inside for the winter. They look good! 

Travis has rebuilt his main speciality printer, so he's up and running once again. Andrew continues to ail, and is a concern for all of us, especially his mother! Gemma is caring for our house and yard, wrapping up her time in Thunder Bay and preparing to move to Vancouver. Busy times for all of them! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Special Days!

Another week has passed and we have continued our wanderings away from our hometown. The weather has been hot, hot, hot in the Okanagan where we spent the early part of the week. It has been more comfortable here in Edmonton where we have ended the week. On Wednesday, we took a 3.5 hour pontoon boat ride on the Okanagan sharing remembrances, sharing the sights that John loved so much, and finally dropping his ashes into the Okanagan. It was a special time for sure. We were able to share it with family and friends, and particularly were delighted to spend some days with dear friends Warren and Evelyn in their Vernon home. After that we turned our wheels north and east for a two-day drive to Edmonton. Eric/A were supposed to ride along with us on their bikes, but they ran into tire troubles north of Kamloops and were a day late getting here. We're enjoying the hospitality of niece and nephew, Dolly & Scott, along with our niece Tori. They are hosting more of the family at a reunion here. The food, fun and activities have been plentiful and meaningful. We capped off today with fireworks and a birthday celebration for Scott and myself. Thanks folks! Eric/A is here with us; and I heard from Erin and Travis & Joanna, so it was a complete family remembrance—thanks. Kristian has been at camp all week as a camper this time. We enjoyed a golf game today, and plan for more over the weekend. The markets continued their upward momentum and I was able to achieve a monthly quota for only the second time this year—it helps! The Blue Jays are playing better, but are not cutting into the Yankee lead at the top of the division. The Riders are not playing well at all—dropping their postponed Sunday game to Toronto, and then dropping another on Friday to the BC Lions. Changes are needed there! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Heading West!

Another week has passed and we have moved west to the shore of the South Saskatchewan River on the western edge of the prairies. We opened the week at Glen Elm in Regina, where I was the featured speaker. Then, we took Kristian down to Kenosee for his second week as Junior Counsellor. We got to meet quite a few old friends there at the camp. Then, we headed back by way of Weyburn, so we could take in a visit with Aunt Ruby. I don't think she knew who we were, but she made a great show of chatting with us anyway!

Dad & Mom's Marker

We stopped by the cemetery where Mom and Dad's marker is. Then, we drove back to Regina. An early storm this week cancelled the Tuesday morning golf, but I was able to get out Thursday with Dale and Garnet—very enjoyable! 

Wendy has completed the painting,

Cat Approved!

I built a planter from the pallet lumber and the scaffolding 2x4s,

Planter from Pallet Wood

and we also cleaned up another couple of projects. Now, we're on our way to Vernon BC. It has been a good week. We've been able to get down to visit with Dad each day. He is doing well. The markets have whipsawed, as has been too common lately, but at least we gained some good value this week, and I'm back on quota for the month. Baseball was off for the All-star game, but the Blue Jays have returned to action with a bang—28-5 over Boston! They also won today! Yay Jays! The Riders have crashed to earth in more ways than one. They lost to Toronto in the Touchdown Atlantic game, and they returned home with 13 players and 5 staff in Covid protocol, with both #1 and #2 QBs sidelined! Their game has been pushed back one day as they expect to get enough players off protocol to field a team tomorrow, however #3 is listed as the starting QB—c'mon Riders! Makes you wonder what it will take for people to take Covid seriously again. We've met plenty of people in the last couple of weeks who seem to be taking no precautions at all, but our hospitals are filling up with the unvaccinated, and "elective" surgeries are back on hold! Sigh! 

Eric and Erica have joined us in Medicine Hat on their trip to Vernon. They are riding their bikes—quite a trip. Today, we met with them in Swift Current, and also with Liam at Maple Creek on our way west. He is recovering from his basketball accident, and continuing to work at camp out there. At least he reports improved health, and for that we are grateful. 

Erin has been hosting us all week while we work on projects at her house. She is glad to see the painting completed, but has ideas for more projects there as well. Kristian has been away at Kenosee all week where he is working as Junior Counsellor. He reports another good week, and is looking forward to two more weeks there as a camper. 

Travis and Joanna are about ready to produce a book on Bringing Up Puppies! It looks like they're having lots of fun with the boys! Andrew had a medical scare, and is currently under doctor's care to determine the cause the remedy for his illness. We anxiously await an update there. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Hot enough for ya?!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather is very hot with frequent thunderstorms from the daytime heating. We had an alarming time early in the week as we came in contact with potential covid infection. I isolated until Tuesday and our contact was able to report seven days clear testing results. Except for that interlude, we have been able to get down to visit Dad each day, and Wendy was able to carefully visit even those days as she had not had the close encounter I had had. I have managed to get out for three golf games, timing them to be through by about 10:00 before it gets uncomfortably hot. The golf went well, and, even better, I was able to walk three games with only one day of recovery between each—encouraging! Wendy has completed two stages of painting, so I have been able to remove all scaffolding now, and she has only the lowest six feet to complete. I am considering what to build with the now-surplus pallets, but first it needs to cool down outside. I have no interest in working outdoors in 35° weather. We got the windshield replaced in our car on Friday. It had one major stone chip, and a lot of pitting. We hope the new one survives our the rest of our trip! I am scheduled for another 6am golf game on Tuesday, and then, we'll need to prepare for our trip west. Investors reawakened their fears of recession as the Bank of Canada raised the prime rate by a full percentage point. The markets lost value this week, and so did I. The Riders lost their game this week to Toronto. It certainly was a winnable game, but a late pick-six proved the difference. Let's go Riders! The Blue Jays have been on a downer, losing 9 of 10 games at one stretch. C'mon Jays! 

Erica writes, "We are starting to get glimpses of the long range weather for our trip to BC. So far it is looking pretty good, if a bit hot, for a motorcycle trip. We have parcelled out our trip into shorter days so we can hopefully avoid the heat of the day and work within the confines of our middle aged bodies! Five hours on a bike is fun, but more then that and my legs turn to jelly! 

With audio chat up to 1.2km—Nice!

We ordered new helmets last weekend and are picking them up today. The bikes have been serviced and new back tires get installed on Monday. The current tires are pretty bald. Unless the weather changes to storms the whole way, we plan to ride out to Vernon over four days for Uncle John’s memorial, and then take two days up to Edmonton for the Ulrich reunion. Liam is still working at the camp near Maple Creek. He has been affected by allergies like his mom and dad. Eric is doing some proofreading for his brother Neil. Haaken got a new bed this week. Greg continues to work on healing."

Erin continues to put us up in her basement—we're liking that. Wendy keeps working on painting and other renovations. The stained ceiling is now stain-free. It's amazing what a bleach spray can do! Kristian has been at camp all week working as a junior counsellor. He reported that the kids behaved well, and most of them sang the group songs. He got back Friday night. He and Erin took me golfing this morning. Very enjoyable! 

Travis, Joanna, Gemma, Andrew and an assortment of animals remain behind in Thunder Bay. We get frequent reports on the progress and misbehaviour of the puppies—what a pair! Gemma cares for our place, and manages our mail. Thanks! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Into the Dog Days!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. I started the week with an appointment for my car to have the A/C looked at. The A/C wasn't functioning this spring, but I did a DIY recharge before we left, and we had a cool trip! Dave & Rich had recommended a local mechanic, so I took it there. He checked it over, pronounced it fit, and never even charged us. He could not find any leak even with the dye in the coolant I used. The weather is heating up, and producing the usual range of uncomfortable days followed by thunderstorms. We are comfortably ensconced in Erin's basement here in the Queen City, and making good progress on her painting assignment! We collected some pallets, salvaged some other lumber, and only had to buy very little materiel. Then, Kristian and I built the scaffolding so Grandma could reach the 18' ceiling in the stairwell. 

Working on the 12' Platform!

Wendy has completed tier 1 on the 12' platform, and, this morning, I reassembled the scaffolding just 6' off the floor. She has begun repair work at that level, and soon will be priming and painting there. At least, with the stairs, the area-to-be-painted is reduced as she descends! 

Tier 2 Work has begun!

I picked the rhubarb at 55 Laird and prepared a crisp. We picked up some soft-serve ice cream from Dairy Queen, and Dad really enjoyed the treat. (We did, too!) I did a repair job on Kristian's bar stool. It's one that we salvaged from the dumpster. It had a broken lower rung, and that appears to have been the issue that got it thrown away. It serves nicely at the island eating bar for him. The markets have been slowly, and not-at-all surely, turning around. I managed to make quota this week, and two of my targets are getting close to my buy-line! The Riders won again this week, this time over Ottawa—yay Riders! The Blue Jays are not flying well at all, as they dropped five straight to fall back, but still in a playoff position. The main issue seems to be injuries to the starting pitching. 

Erica writes, "Liam tested out his Ulrich genes with an attempt at a basketball dunk. Turns out he’s more Bailey than he thought. He sprained his left wrist, but at least did not suffer another break. Good thing, as he is left-handed. Greg is doing some writing with his time off. He trying to write a novel. He gets feedback from beta readers. We hope this is enjoyable for him and helps with his mental rehabilitation. Haaken is doing fine out in BC. I golfed at a Texas Scramble tournament today and enjoyed myself. My team was amused with my game of a 9 iron and putter. But I managed to get a couple of best balls in the short game. So, I feel good about that. We enjoyed a new-to-us restaurant in Nipawin last week. It’s a farm-to-table eatery featuring locally grown food. It was a good time with good friends."

Erin has had a busy week at work, but that has been considerably aided by having an extra vehicle around to attend to some of Kristian's appointments. Kristian and I got out golfing once—fun times for sure! Kristian had medical appointments and a haircut in preparation for his next three weeks at camp. We look forward to hearing how that goes. 

Travis, Joanna and crew are holding down the fort back in Thunder Bay. Gemma is managing our place—thanks. The pupsters keep growing, and, somedays, improving! Today, Trav & Joanna celebrated another Anniversary—Congratulations! 

And that's about it for this week. 

Happy Canada Day!

Another week has passed, and we have migrated to the shore of La Rivière Rouge, and then onto the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We have established residence here at Erin & Kristian's for the next while. I played nine holes of golf on Monday, my first play of this season. It was not pretty, but I did finally manage one par, and even better I was able to walk, which led to my attempt at 18 holes on Thursday at the Fly-In Club in Steinbach. I was very pleased to manage to walk 18 holes, and I also played better, so a very satisfactory experience. We enjoyed two nights in Winnipeg at Tom & Mariette's place—thanks folks. I was also able to make contact with Dean, Kelly and family. Dean golfed with us on Thursday! I got to catch Cassie's pitching, and was delighted to see how well she is progressing. In summary, we finished our obligations in Thunder Bay on Monday and Tuesday, then headed west on Wednesday, and arrived in the Queen City on Friday! 

Front door from inside

Today, we have started preparing for the renos here. We picked up some pallets to use for the scaffolding so Wendy can paint. Otherwise, I have completed three months now out of the markets except for my dividend stocks, and still I manage to lose money! I surely look forward to when the markets turn upward again. In sports, Colorado finished off Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup! The Riders regrouped from the beating by Montreal and returned the favour tonight—Yay Riders! The Jays are struggling with injuries, but are holding up pretty well. 

Erica writes, "Eric’s week at work has been chaotic. They are trying to hire more people, as with summer there are more referrals and no shows and it’s just part of the season. I finished up the week and am ready for a few days of sleep. It has been a busy month and season. I picked up a book on how to learn Danish by reading. So, now that summer has come, maybe I’ll have time to check it out. Haaken, Liam and Greg are all doing fine, celebrating Canada Day across half the country. We celebrated Canada Day with our friends, the Stenskes. It was supposed to be an outdoor BBQ, but it rained. So, we played guitar, uke-banjo and ukuleles around the living room table instead of the fire pit."

Erin and Kristian spent some time getting ready for their summer guests and we're thankful to have a place to settle in comfort. We're enjoying them and their animals! Wendy has started preparations for the painting project here. 

Trav & Joanna, Gemma & Jonas, and Andrew sent us off with a lovely barbecue and pizza supper. Gemma will be in charge of Kensington Manor while we're away. We're certainly glad to have her there. Gemma & Jonas plan to move to Vancouver mid-August. We wish them well! Andrew is working at Superstore and readying himself for school in the Fall. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Summer!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Summer projects have the house and yard looking great, and we wonder why we are heading out on a summer trip instead of staying here to enjoy the place!

The House in Summer

Deck, Back Yard, Yard Girl! 

Gemma will be taking care of the place while we're away, and we're glad to have her manage that. Wendy has completed the staining on the lower deck, and done lots of weeding. I have rebuilt the picnic table, but there's still some trim work to do there. The markets have continued to be troubled, but late in the week took a green tack as a new thesis has taken hold: it holds that the rate increases and monetary tightening by the FED will drive the USA into a recession, so the result will be that they don't raise rates so much after all! In sports Colorado has Tampa Bay on the brink, but the Bolts are still fighting—game six coming up on Sunday! The Riders took a beating in Montreal on Thursday night, and lost a key receiver, so there'll be some regrouping needed there! Jays are playing pretty well, but no one can keep up the Yankees so far this season. 

Eric and Erica had another busy week in Prince Albert with late evenings. They've managed to duck around all the thunder and hail so far! Headline for this week is: Eric is preaching on Sunday! So, we'll be catching that on-line. On Monday, Sask Lipedema has a meeting with the Minister of Health! We hope this results in some action and support. Liam continues working at Cypress Hills Camp for the summer, Haaken and Greg are also doing well.

Kristian is working his way through exams at school; that is now completed successfully! Congratulations Kristian—on to grade 11! Erin is managing her work and household. The cats are now tolerating each other. 

Travis completed his pet-sitting assignment as Joanna has returned from England. As often is the case, travel sometimes has hiccoughs, but we're glad they have successfully negotiated them all and made it back to us. We went out with Travis one evening to mark Father's Day. First time to Boston Pizza in a long time. The changes to the menu did not impress us, but we had a good time and a good meal anyway. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Happy Father's Day!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather was cool, windy and showery for the first half of the week, but has switched to sunny and nice for the weekend!

Our new front door!

The big saga of the week here surrounds the purchase of a new front door, and involves more than one week! Wendy has been wishing to replace our old, solid core wooden door for about (let's see, how long have we been here?) twenty years! Originally it was at the end of a short, dark hallway, so I got rid of the hallway, which necessitated moving the light switches (gang of four) so they were now behind the door! As you may well imagine, this did open up the hallway, and reduced its length to about 1 metre, but did nothing to removing the desire for a new door that swung the other way, and had a window in it! As we walked around the nearby (and not so nearby) neighbourhoods, she would delight in pointing out the windowed doors that evoked her interest. Finally, she settled on a half-light door; she wanted fancy glass that let in light, but didn't allow one to see through. And, she found one—at Home Depot! Well, sort of—it showed up in the online listings, and in their inventory, but not in the store itself! It was a virtual door! The workers there assured her there was no such door in the store. They opined that it may be on a customer's cart, and just hadn't gone through check-out yet! (I could have advised them that such an excuse would not fly with Wendy!) During the entire episode, we took numerous trips to the store. No, they assured us (in person, not just on the phone) there was no such door. There were also many phone calls—that virtual lady who "answers" the phone cannot be trifled with either! Wendy ordered one on-line (it'll arrive mid-July while we're in Saskatchewan!), but she was undeterred, (Do you understand that faintly resigned-look I wear on my face?) and finally, last Saturday, Wendy found the door. It had been "misfiled" among a batch of other-sized doors! It was up in the top storage area, but not out of her range of search. Ah, they agreed, we will sell you that door. So, she bought a second door; it, they assured us, would be made ready for pick up tomorrow. And so it was that Sunday afternoon, we cleared out the back of the Santa Fe in readiness for the new door, drove over to Home Depot, presented ourselves at the pick-up desk, and, the helpful clerk (also an apparent rarity!) there checked through his inventory, and assured us there was no door! He prepared a "pick order" for the folks in millwork, who, we knew, had no idea where the door was. In undue time, a fellow from millwork arrived to get the pick order, and Wendy went to supervise over there. Soon, she beckoned me to come over there. The door had been brought down, but the latch-side jamb was broken. The threshold is attached with two screws to the bottom of each jamb, and the wood (MDF) was broken off where the screws should attach. Ah, they agreed, this is not good! Ah, they assured, HD will reduce the price by about $20 to $30 and sell the damaged article. Ah, I'm thinking, for a $100 reduction, I'll take it. So, on Monday we were back to HD to try to discuss with someone in management what kind of reduction we might be offered. But, by this time, there was someone helpful in millwork who assured us that would never happen. They do not sell damaged goods, he explained. The door had been dispatched to trash, by which he means Habitat for Humanity Re-Store! At this point, Wendy had paid $650 for each of two doors and had neither! This kind of discrepancy does not sit well with her! She cancelled the in-store purchase of the non-existent door, and we made our way to Re-Store, but alas, there was no door. The helpful clerk there informed her that she should phone in regularly, and could thus find out when the door arrived from HD. On Tuesday, she advised us that the cube-van had been dispatched for commercial pickups, so we headed back to Re-Store. Sure enough, as we peeked through the window into the processing area, we could see our door. But no, the unhelpful fellow there informed us, it would not be processed today—better come back tomorrow. Back to the helpful lady strode Wendy, who after some consideration, processed the door, and assessed a value of $260. After some examination to assure ourselves it had not been further damaged in shipment, we bought our door, loaded it in the Santa Fe and took it home! Sigh! Some epoxy and screws repaired the broken area, and I installed the door on Wednesday! Looks good, I think, and the surrounding story is even better! Other news: Golf good! Markets bad! Hockey good! Riders good!

Erica writes, "Not much happening around the Bailey household this week… we got our summer tires on! It rained, a lot. And Eric is working on figuring out some new programs at work. All is well with us!"

Kristian's classes have completed, but he is heavily into yearend deadlines and exams. This week, he decided to give his bike to a Ukrainian refugee family—nice touch, buddy! Erin has scheduled the RAV4 for hailstone dent repair, and arranged a loaner. They are also getting our room ready! 

Joanna has been away in England this week, a bitter-sweet week to be sure. We look forward to her return next week. I got the bookcase re-assembled over at their place, making the final delivery of shelves today, and picking up the rest of my tools. It looks serviceable. 

Rebuilt!

And that's about it for this week. 

Heating up! Turning red!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather continues to heat up, and we're enjoying it so far. We only decided to use the central air one day. The lawns are growing too quickly and I'm already tired of mowing! Fortunately, my new-to-me battery-powered lawn mower works great. I am able to do three complete mows of both lawns on a single charge. We have continued work on the back deck. Wendy likes the process of installing three boards, then she applies a final coat of stain, and after that dries, I can install three more boards! Besides, by the time I drill pilot holes, and screw down three boards, it is pretty much a day's work for me! We have completed the decision-making, and issued a contract for new shingles, fascia, soffits and eavestroughs. Wendy has also ordered a new front door with a half-light, but we're not certain of a delivery date yet. I would like to install that before our summer trip. Wendy is not experiencing much difficulty with her shingles, but the vision problem still troubles us. The markets have turned red again as inflation fears lead to interest-rate-hike fears lead to recession fears! Pundits and investors alike have twisted themselves into knots trying to decide how to play this. We had almost recovered enough for my charting system to give the buy-signal, but now we're back to the waiting game. In the Stanley Cup playoffs the Colorado Avalanche finished off my Oilers and have moved on to the final series. They will be playing Tampa Bay Lightning. This is my first round of picking 100% correctly, although I hated to see my Oilers lose. I'm picking Avs to win it all. The CFL has begun, and the first week of games is complete. My Riders played Hamilton tonight and managed to start the season on the right foot—yay Riders! The Jays are playing well in baseball. I have too many options for what to watch next!

Erica writes, "Eric and I returned from Vancouver on Monday night. Vancouver is so busy—I don’t think I want to live there. Liam is busy working with a camp in the Cypress Hills area near Maple Creek. His work has expanded to include social media content which he enjoys. Haaken and Greg are doing fine."

Erin and Kristian carry on with their usual routines in Regina. Kristian has received good news over his application to Clearview Camp. So, he'll be there two weeks as junior counsellor, and then attend another week as a camper. That means we'll miss some of our expected time with him this summer, but we're also delighted that he's getting this camping opportunity. Erin is finally getting her vehicle booked for last summer's hail damage. Today, she let the cats get together—it did not go well. 

Joanna has flown to England with her sister and her step-mom. They are returning her father's ashes to his ancestral home. I'm sure it's an emotional trip for them.

Digging under the Fence!

Trav has been taking care of the pupsters while they try to escape the yard! Gemma has flown down to Toronto to take care of the home and dog down there while Grandma is away. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

What is so rare...?

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been comfortable, but not as warm as we expect for this time of year. At least it has been conducive to making progress on the deck building, and Wendy has been keeping up with the staining. Wendy has been diagnosed with Shingles, however whether it's our vaccinations, or the early intervention with anti-viral meds, she is not suffering much so far. She is experiencing vision issues in her right eye, so she was referred to an ophthalmologist over that. I also have a couple of indoor projects on the go as I'm rebuilding a book case for Travis, and doing some electrical work here at home. We are determined to get some major roof repairs done this year, and I've been getting quotes for shingles, eavestrough, fascia and soffits. In line with the latter, we've decided to add some pot lights to the front of the house, so I'm drilling the holes into the old plywood soffits, and will fit them into the aluminum once that is installed.

New Soffit Lighting

Also this week was the provincial election. I worked as a Deputy Returning Officer in charge of tabulating the votes. That went pretty smoothly, but the turnout was dismayingly low. We set a record for the worst voter turnout ever, so as it played out, 18% of the voters gave Premier Ford another majority government! The markets remain difficult, but have been steadily improving recently, so I managed to make quota in May—first month this year! In world hockey it was Finland again beating us in the final to win the gold. Another round is complete in the NHL playoffs; I managed to pick just one winner of those four series. I'm picking Avs and Lightning this time, but cheering mightily for Edmonton. I hate to be right about this prediction, however, my poor Oilers are down 3-0 in their series. The CFL has completed the preseason, so regular games are beginning next week—Go Riders, Go! 

Erica writes, "This week was busy with work. We got the car back on Monday with a new rear window and continue to do research on whether our lot has enough space to build a garage. On Friday, we headed for the coast. A good friend is getting married, and we managed to find some really cheap Westjet tickets! We look forward to celebrating with them. Liam has moved down to a Maple Creek area camp for the summer, where he is working. Haaken continues to work at Costco and on developing his animations. We pray that an opportunity in animation comes for him soon. And Greg is making wedding plans."

Erin and Kristian had a quiet week in Regina. The new cat is settling in nicely; the old cat? Not so much!! Erin keeps them separated during the day.

Great work!

Kristian's school club, Deaf Crows, but together an informative presentation titled "Deaf Shame, Deaf Same". It is being hosted at one of the Regina libraries until June 25th.

One of the displays

The hot weather in Regina even has them running the Air Conditioning already. 

Travis and Joanna had a celebratory week.

And smart, too! 

Gemma's convocation was on Friday, and we got to watch that on livestream. Her Honours B.Sc. with first class standing in Biology and Chemistry should provide some open doors when she decides how to continue her education. Travis and Joanna took a brief trip across the border for an early celebration of Joanna's birthday—nice! 

And that's it for this week. 

Green!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice all week, but has turned cool, cloudy and rainy for the weekend. I have made some progress on the lower deck rebuilding. Wendy has completed the first coat of stain, and is now doing a second coat after each few boards that I get screwed down. This works well, because that's about a full day's work for me anyway! I've kept practicing golf, but the dampish weather this weekend has interfered with my plan to play nine holes. Wendy was scheduled for surgery on Thursday, but after going through pre-op on Wednesday and then fasting and waiting for hours on Thursday, it was cancelled. She'll now be looking at an appointment late summer. I had my training day on Wednesday for my work as Deputy Returning Officer in next week's election. I also managed a bit more yard work in the annual battle with the dandelions. Investors seem to have finally begun buying again, and the markets had a fine week, and I cleared a month's worth of gains despite being less than 50% invested. If they'll keep this going, I may look to make more buys next week. Another round of Stanley Cup playoffs is mostly done as all series but one required less than the full complement of games. Oilers surprised and delighted me by beating Calgary in five games! Now, they'll be playing the Colorado Avalanche in the semi-final. Go Oilers, Go! Carolina will host the Rangers for game seven in that series with the winner advancing to play the Lightning; I'm picking the Lightning there. In the west, I am, once again, picking against my Oilers, sigh! The Blue Jays have been suffering from a lack of hitting lately, and have fallen away from the league leaders. 

Broken Window!

Erica writes, "We had a smashing good morning on Sunday. It started with a broken rear window! We took the bikes to church and played in the band, which was a smash as well. It is very busy season so I should have been working all weekend. Instead I took the weekend off and worked long days the rest of the week—fun times! The broken window has got us thinking about a garage. We are discussing design options and investigating code requirements along with Dad."

Welcome Elly!

Erin and Kristian have added another cat to their family in Regina! This is not my idea of a good time, as I couldn't imagine having one pet cat, much less two! Sadie seems to be taking it all in stride. We'll see how Lucy adapts to the arrival of Elly. 

Travis and Joanna continue to be exhausted from their efforts to train and control their new puppies—they are certainly bundles of energy. Otherwise, they continue with work on their business. Gemma's school year is over; her convocation should be soon, and then it's on to post-graduate options! Andrew is working at Super Store, and should be over to work on his chair soon. 

And that's about it for this week. 

May Long!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, the golf courses are open, and we've been able to get out for regular walks. The lunar eclipse was iffy on Sunday night, but the clouds moved aside in time for us to see the full eclipse and the light orange moon. I've been over to the golf course several times to practice. I may try nine holes next week. Spring came very late this year, and the snow cover was substantial, so it has taken many extra days for the courses to dry out enough to play. In my best year for golf, I completed 20 rounds before the end of May, but I was also about 15 years younger then! We don't have particular plans for May Long celebrations. I'm getting some yard work done, including mowing the lawn. I also plan to get in some golf practice. This week the polls opened for early voting in our provincial election. Wendy and I went to vote on Wednesday. They were recruiting election workers, so I applied and have been hired for entry of the ballots into the computers. The markets have continued to whipsaw red and green, but at least I had a good quota week—not having enough of those this year! The second round of playoffs have begun for the Stanley Cup. Only the Oilers advanced of my three favourites, but at least most of my picks have advanced. Oilers are playing the heavily favoured Calgary Flames—Go Oilers, Go! I have picked Flames, Avs, Canes and Panthers to win this round. What? I didn't pick my Oilers? Yeah, I thought it was the least I could do for them! Football has opened training camps. Riders first preseason game is against the champion Bombers—Let's Go, Riders! 

Erica writes, "On Tuesday the Saskatchewan Lipedema Association met with the Saskatchewan Party to share our information on Lipedema. After our meeting, we attended the legislative assembly and we were introduced to both parties. Eric attended a conference this week, virtually. It was hosted from the east coast, so he got to get up very, very early! Greg, Haaken and Liam are all fine. We are looking forward to a good long weekend. We hope to get out for a motorcycle ride."

Kristian had his interview for camp counsellor via Zoom. It ran for about one hour. Now we (especially he) are waiting to hear the outcome. Erin continues to struggle with the effects of her covid infection. She is starting to feel much better the last few days. Kristian is working to get control of his eczema again now that UV treatments are back on. 

Travis and Joanna keep busy. They got their first contract for Bucket Decal work for the Lacrosse League. But, I think the pupsters are even greater time-consumers! We've been over a couple of times this week to visit the grand-pups and to plan a building project for a new storage structure downstairs. Andrew is getting back in gear for completion of his Adirondack chair. Gemma is all graduated now with a First Class standing for her Honours B.Sc with a double major in Chemistry and Biology. This week she had a flat on her bicycle, so Jonas and I changed the tube for her. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Lunar Eclipse!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been great, especially during the days, although we've had two nights of heavy rain in thunderstorms. Anyway, the comfortable weather has allowed me to get back to my deck project. It's moving forward well, despite a few change orders! There is a lunar eclipse tomorrow night, about midnight Eastern time, and we're hoping for clear skies to watch that. I have kept at my preseason golf preparations, swinging the club every day;  today, I even got over to the driving range—yep, I can still hit a hook! Sigh! We completed Mother's Day flower deliveries on Sunday—that will pay for a few rounds of golf later! Wendy keeps trying her keto sponge cakes; she had another success this week with a lemon-flavoured one. The ones that crashed were also very edible! She also made another batch of keto ice cream—very tasty! Travis brought pizza and we celebrated Wendy and Joanna with pizza, cake and ice cream on Tuesday evening. Wendy has chorus practice each week, and still seems to have a lot of chorus related business in her role as treasurer. The markets have remained frenetic and I am all sold out of my trading stocks. Still, my dividend payers came through with a bit of money this week. Positive market movement toward the end of the week is encouraging. The pandemic infection rate appears to be easing although we're suffering from a lack of data collection, so we don't really know. Gushue beat Koe (again) in the Grand Slam final in curling. This is also the last event of this curling season, and many of the teams are changing personnel as they get set for the next Olympic Quadrennial. The NHL playoffs are completing the first round this weekend. Five of the series are requiring a seventh game, two of those games remain to be settled tomorrow. Of my three teams, Leafs are out, Oilers win and advance, and Pens play tomorrow. 

Erica writes, "This week we got some exciting news: Greg is engaged! We are very happy for him and are glad we got to meet Kiersten when they visited us a few weeks ago. It’s been a very busy, late night kind of week at work for me. Eric got both bikes out and running. He has been enjoying his all week. I hope to join him soon!" 

Erin continues to struggle along with the lingering effects of her covid infection. At least she's well enough to manage work and homemaker duties so long as she takes it easy. Kristian continues with his regular routines of school, home and UV treatments. He's had a bit of a setback on the eczema front as he missed a few UV treatments while Erin was in isolation.

Travis & Joanna continue to be very busy. They should soon be getting to the off-season, and a lower level of activity. One thing for sure, those new pups will keep them busy around the house. They've now begun training them for walks on the leash. 

They went to Florida, I got...

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy Mothers Day!

Mother's Day Flower Deliveries

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful and we've been enjoying getting out for some walks and cycling. I'm back to the renovation of the back deck. The deck boards that are still needing stain are up on the saw horses awaiting Wendy's attention. I'm working on leveling the joist system, and then I'll begin applying the decking. I must have about three fourths of the needed boards already stained and ready to go. I'm also working on replacing the top on the picnic table. And I try to take my requisite practice swings with a golf club each day. The fairways are still soggy, and the greens are still under the tarps, but we're getting close. The driving range should open this week; some private ranges are already open. This weekend, we're doing the flower deliveries for one of the local florists along with Trav and Joanna. Given the fuel prices, it's not as lucrative as it has been in previous years, but we enjoy getting around town, and learning more street locations. Google Maps hasn't let us down yet. The markets have continued their troubled and troubling ways, with the USA indices, in particular, bouncing wildly. This week I suffered three red days, and two green days to end up about flat. The difficult markets have me under 30% invested, but so long as they're red, I'm relieved to be out. Maybe I'll need to start playing the short side! Nah! Wendy keeps quite busy with the Sweet Adelines singing and business. In the world of sports, we have moved well into the Stanley Cup playoffs. I have picked Florida, Toronto, Boston and Pittsburgh in the east. In the west, it's Colorado, Minnesota, Calgary and Edmonton. Some of my picks (looking at you Florida) are already looking shaky! In curling, it's the final Grand Slam of the season being contested in Olds, Alberta. My guy, Koe, has done well, and has advanced to the final against Gushue. On the women's side its Einarson vs Gim (Korea). 

Erica writes, "Eric and I took a quick trip to Saskatoon—stayed over in town and enjoyed a nice dinner out. We also caught up with Darcy, Neil and the girls. Eric got the bikes out and running. Well, one is running. The other needs a new battery. Other than that it was a pretty basic week. Everyone is doing well here. Eric used his Christmas and birthday money to buy a new Apple Watch. He got the latest technology which includes an EKG. I asked him what it said. He replied, 'Apparently, I have a heart.' "

Erin writes, "For news, there’s not really any. I’ve just been so tired still. Sometimes, I struggle just going up the stairs. But other times I feel fine—it’s weird. I still have coughing fits and tightness in my chest. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday. Kristian got to see another Toyota Supra up close. On Wednesday, after his light appointment, we stopped by work because we had one in the shop."

Travis & Joanna had to make the quick acclimatization after returning from Florida. They have been very busy catching up on things and working with the new pups. A lot of Puck Shot business awaited their return, and Trav also had some issues with one of his printers. Then, they're working on the flower delivery this weekend! 

And that's enough for this week. 

May Day! M'aidez!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather is improving, and the snow is (finally) disappearing!

Two Months ago...

Now

I have serviced the snowblower, and put it away for the season. I've also pulled out the lawnmower, so I'm ready for summer! I've also found a guy to re-grip my golf clubs, so another summer prep is done! I'm still waiting on a guy who has been repairing my rototiller all winter long—it's not ready yet! Wendy has been putting in long hours getting our income tax documents ready for our Chartered Accountant—we got those submitted today! We had another physio session this week. I thought I was going to be done, but the therapist had other ideas! If they can figure out something that hurts you, they set up an exercise regime to tap into that pain! Anyway, we both have some additional exercises to do for the next two weeks. I did manage a 5km workout on Thursday, but I was a bit uncomfortable after that, but I'll keep at it. We got out cycling today—that was good, although pedalling really works the knees! The markets have continued to whipsaw with the variance in the news cycle each day. Overall, it was another red week to complete a red month. All the indices I follow are in the red so far this year, and so am I. The NHL season has come to an end, and my three teams advanced to the playoffs: Oilers vs Kings; Pens vs Rangers; Leafs vs Lightning. In World Curling—Mixed Doubles: Canada advanced to the playoff round, but lost out to Norway; Scotland won the gold medal there. Senior Men: Canada won over Czechia. Senior Women: Switzerland won over USA. 

Erica writes, "We started the week with a full house, but Greg and Kiersten left on Sunday and Liam left on Monday and we are back to an empty nest. Eric and I spent the rest of the week recovering from all the fun. We’ve both been dealing with spring mold and pollen—plus we are getting old! Speaking of which, Eric celebrated his 52nd birthday on Thursday. We had a low-key celebration with friends, Appies and an amazing chocolate peanut butter cake made by our friend Guido."

Erin was able to return to work this week. She is not 100%, feels pretty congested, but is getting better every day. Kristian babysat Shawn's cats this week; he learned that cats drink from toilets. He has also returned to his regular routines at school. Shawn, Astrid and Liam were in Winnipeg for Astrid's synchronized swimming event. 

Travis and Joanna spent the week in Florida, finally returning this evening. Gemma was also down there, and got home yesterday. So, the pets will soon be returning home. Minnie has been very easy to care for. Mozzie (the budgie) has terrorized me whenever Wendy lets her out of the cage. My head must look like a nest, or something! We spent some time at their house this week dealing with the flooding caused by the torrential rainfall last weekend. Some repair work remains to be done. Some other development needs to be installed to forestall any reoccurrence! 

And that's about it for this week.

Thunderstorm!

Another disappointing week, weather-wise, has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We have had some rain, and some fluffy rain as well! We've also had quite a bit of melting, and we're now seeing some of the grass on the front lawn, but it's nearing the end of April! We should be outside, cleaning up the yard and getting the garden ready. However, last night we had a thunderstorm—the first of the year for us, and that was nice to hear. It brought heavy rains (70mm), and that brought its own issues as you will read about below! They are forecasting more rain, along with a continued warming trend next week—I'll be holding them to that promise! Otherwise, we've had a quiet week. We enjoyed a visit with Dave & Heather early in the week as they stopped overnight on their way to Kingston. On Tuesday, we got our second booster shot of Moderna (fourth in total). We both experienced some pain at the injection site, but no other side effects. We have managed to get out for regular walks; I've increased my distance to 3.5km without any knee flareups, so I'm encouraged. I plan to push it to 5km next week. Wendy has been occupied all week with babysitting Minnie, Mozzie, and the pupsters! That has gone well, except for those occasions that she lets the budgie out to terrorize me! The markets started the week in positive mode, but then central bankers began musing about 0.5% or even 0.75% rate hikes, and investors turned to selling. This week's action has dropped all indices into the red for the year, and I have reduced my holdings to under 40% of my portfolio. It's hard to be patient, but it's necessary. On the Pandemic front, Ontario hospitals are filling, and elective surgeries are being cancelled. In the world of sports the NHL is closing out the regular season, and Oilers have joined Pens and Leafs in the playoffs. At the Players Championship last week, Mouat (Scotland) won the Men's side, while Hasselborg (Sweden) won the Women's. This weekend, the World Mixed Championship began in Geneva with Peterman/Gallant representing us. They won their first game over Germany. MLB season has begun, and my Blue Jays are playing well despite suffering a few injuries. 

Erica writes, "Eric, Liam and Erica returned from Victoria on Monday. It was a good weekend—sorry to say it's been over two years since we've seen the family in BC. We celebrated Easter with turkey and ham and all the fixings, including an apple crumble pie and cheddar cheese. No, it wasn't keto, but we enjoyed it anyway. The weather in PA keeps us on our toes. One day, we think spring might be arriving. And the next day, we find we are sorely mistaken. This up and down weather has been playing havoc with our allergies. I'm coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose and taking covid tests (all negative so far). Eric is scratching and taking his inhaler. Liam is here this weekend and has itchy eyes—fun for the whole family! Greg and his girlfriend Kiersten are here for a visit. She is also a Harry Potter fan so we took in the new Dumbledore movie. If Haaken could have made it out, we would have the whole family. It's been a fun time sharing old stories, and looking at old photos.  Liam and I, and maybe Eric will be on for worship leading this Sunday. This coming week, the Saskatchewan Lipedema Association will be meeting with government to share our ongoing health issues, and provide suggestions on how our health care could better address our needs. We will see if that has any effect."

Erin has remained sick all week with Covid; she still tested a light positive on Thursday, but tried to go to work on Friday. She got part way there, but turned around and went home. She probably should have gotten her booster shot! Kristian has remained covid-free even while he had his Easter break from school. That should make him the chief cook and bottle-washer! However, he seems to have avoided that as well! Skip the Dishes continues to operate! 

Travis and Joanna are in the other TBay—the one in Florida! Gemma has joined them this week. They are enjoying salubrious climes while we suffer and wait for Spring to fully arrive. The thunderstorm last night brought about some basement flooding at their place, so we were busy vacuuming that up this morning. It seems to be from all the rainwater coming down the downspouts and failing to evacuate from beside the house, so it's coming inside! Anyway, it's a bit of mess, but it's looking better tonight. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

...Can Spring be far Behind?!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We are now halfway through April, and still Spring refuses to make its entrance—very disappointing! This week the prairies suffered under a Spring Blizzard, and the tail end of it hit here. The TransCanada was closed in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba over the course of several days, but they're gradually digging their way out, and normal activities are resuming. I have managed to collect a few more pallets as I prepare for some wood projects once it warms up. I've also been practicing golf, and arranging to get some clubs regripped, so I might be ready if ever we get summer! And, we've been going to physio, doing our exercises at home, and walking. I am hoping to get enough recovery in my right knee so I can walk the course this summer as usual. So far, I have managed 3 km; I expect I need to build that up to at least 5 km. Wendy feels improvement in her shoulders and is starting to talk about golfing again, however, the paint trays are not coming out, yet! The Russian war in Ukraine continues, and they seem even more desperate now that Ukraine has sunk their flagship. Atrocities against civilians abound—what a tragedy! The pandemic is surging—another tragedy! Here in Ontario, they assure us that although we are probably experiencing 100,000 new infections per day, and our hospitals are at capacity, there is no problem, and we don't need to take greater care! Could it be that we're in an election campaign?! Sigh! The Bank of Canada took the first move on rate hikes, jumping it by 0.5%; I'm hoping that will get the financial sector moving forward. Otherwise, we had two red and two green days on this shortened week, and that left us pretty much flat for the week. In the world of sport, we continue to bask in the glory of the Jayhawks win! NHL regular season is closing out, and the Pens clinched a playoff spot this week, so it's just my Oilers still unconfirmed, but they're in good position, and playing better lately as well. In curling, Brad Gushue was unable to match Edin from Sweden, so he had to be satisfied with the silver medal. This week, the Players Championship is on in Toronto. My guy, Koe, qualified for the playoffs, but has lost out now. Edin is continuing his winning ways, and will play a Scottish team, Mouat, in the final tomorrow. On the Women's side, it will be Einarson vs Hasselborg, of Sweden. 

Erica writes, "This weekend, Eric, Liam and I are enjoying spring in Victoria. Apparently, they got spring this year! While we got another sprinkling of snow and sub-zero temperatures. It was great to see Haaken. We haven’t seen him since before the pandemic. He is doing well. We also decided to plan a family fall trip to London with all the boys and Greg’s friend. So that will be fun! Eric took me for a walk yesterday. Our walking adventures haven’t been as regular this winter. It was good to get out for a good hike through the BC forest, but I’m a bit sore today. We’ve also been hunting down various Easter treats—with a gluten-person and a nut-free person, the Easter egg hunt is challenging. We are back in PA on Monday; Greg will arrive on Thursday night." 

Erin has fallen ill, and it has been confirmed as Covid-19. She is suffering some ill-effects, mainly in the form of sore throat and stuffed head. As a result she has been off work starting Wednesday, but she hopes to get back early next week.

Nice colour combos, also!

In the meantime, she's enjoying her bedroom-living room that she developed recently with the help of Liam and Kristian. Kristian has not reported any symptoms. 

Travis and Joanna have had a very busy week getting as much product out the door before their Spring Break in Tampa Bay. They flew down early this morning. I'm sure they'll enjoy the weather there! While they're gone, we are hosting Minnie, the budgie, and, on occasion, the new puppies. On Thursday evening, we had a birthday celebration for Gemma.

Yummy!

Wendy made a lovely chocolate orange chiffon cake for the occasion, and Travis brought Chinese food. It was a feast suitable to the occasion and the celebrant! Gemma has completed her honours degree with a double major in biology and chemistry. We are very proud of her. Andrew continues to work at Superstore—that's going well. 

And that's enough for this week! 

If Winter Comes...

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to disappoint, and we had several days of showers—Wendy called them flurries, but you can look it up: "April showers bring..." There is no companion saying about April flurries! I take it as a matter of principle that all precipitation in April through October is rain! The week has progressed normally with the addition of a medical appointment, and a physiotherapy appointment. Dr. Prowse assured me, once again, that, "It feels normal." ["It does not," I responded!] Wendy and I both had physio sessions. We were well impressed with the care and professionalism exhibited by our therapist, and encouraged by his prognosis for improved function in the next few months. Along with the prescribed exercise program, we are getting out for regular walks, and I'm starting to feel that I will be able to walk the golf course by summer. The world is not as troubled as it should be by the war in Ukraine, nor by the resurgent pandemic. Our infection rates and hospitalizations have returned to peak January levels, but our government is in a re-election campaign and cannot admit that anything is going wrong. The federal government released their latest budgetary plan this week, and the markets were surprised and impressed such that we got some green on the screen and in my portfolio.

Jayhawks are Champs!

It was a big week in the world of sports for me. First off, my Jayhawks completed a record-setting comeback from 16 points down to win the national championship in basketball. That was wonderful to watch! Brad Gushue and team have completed the round robin in first place and advanced to the semi-finals in the world curling championship in Las Vegas. They will play Sweden in the gold medal game tomorrow. Baseball season opened with my Blue Jays coming back from 7 runs down for a win—why did they get 7 runs behind? NHL regular season is down to single digit games remaining. My three teams (Oilers, Pens, Leafs) are looking good for a playoff run, but only the Leafs have clinched a spot so far. 

Erica writes, "There is still a fair bit of snow on the ground, but according to my eyes and sinuses, spring is here. It took me several negative COVID tests and a night of being completely stuffed up to realize what the problem was. Wrong diagnosis = wrong medication. We are well into busy season at the firm so I’ve had many long days and weekend work. But it’s going well. Eric has been busy with CMFT meetings and conferences. Work is good and he got to do some professional training on Friday. Liam is heading to Victoria on Monday to visit the BC Baileys and Haaken. Eric and I will follow for Easter weekend. Then, Greg is coming to PA for a visit at the end of the month. Other then that we are looking forward to getting the motorcycles out this month."

Erin and Kristian are eagerly awaiting the opening of the golf courses in Regina. Meanwhile, she writes, "Ball season has started! Opening night was fun to watch. Kristian is down to one phototherapy session a week starting next week. 😊 Liam is on his way to hang out with us for the weekend, and then, I’ll take him to the airport Monday for his flight to BC." Kristian writes, "I have been working on getting a job at Clearview Christian camp as a camp counsellor. I have an interview with Angela coming up."

Travis and Joanna welcomed the arrival of not one but two new puppies.

Welcome Darby & Moxley!

They are heading to Florida for a break next week, so we expect to enjoy some time with Minnie and the new pupsters. 

And that's about it for this week. 

April: Showers & Spring?

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather is still sub-optimal and certainly sub-expectations! Official Spring has arrived, and the weatherman has completely ignored the date! However, the forecast predicts massive melting in the next week complete with the proverbial showers. We have some concern over flooding both here and in Manitoba. I even returned to the shop today and started ramping up my thinking toward some outdoor projects. Elsewhere the news is not encouraging. Putin continues to savage Ukraine while issuing contradictory press releases, and complaining about Ukraine hitting back! (You can't make this up!) Yet another covid variant is causing a new wave of infections in the few provinces still recording and reporting cases. Hospitals are filling up with the unvaccinated, once again. The markets remain volatile, and while I finally got a green month, I was red for the quarter, sigh! Wendy has kept busy with her Barbershop Choir group. There seems to be an inordinate amount of business issues to clean up, but arranging meetings to deal with them is problematic and time-consuming. She found a new recipe for Keto Brownies, and I've been enjoying too much of that! I made a batch of Keto Bread, and another of Keto Cornbread which supplement our breakfasts. In the world of sports, we were glad to see our Women win the Bronze Medal over Sweden. The Swiss won a third straight championship going unbeaten! The NHL is down to about a dozen games left in the regular season and my three teams are in playoff contention. Baseball is ending Spring Training; regular season begins next week. Let's go Blue Jays! March Madness has taken us to the Final Four, and my Jayhawks played solidly, sometimes spectacularly to qualify as the only #1 team left. They beat Villanova soundly in the semi-final tonight, and now only North Carolina stands in our way! Rock Chalk Jay Hawk! Today, the World Men's Curling championship began in Las Vegas. Brad Gushue is representing us, and opened with wins over Czechia and Norway. 

Erica writes, "The snow is still here. Usually, by now, we are pulled into a false spring, believing the snow is behind us before winter takes one last shot. This year we can’t even fool ourselves into thinking spring is coming. We had a few days of melting, but it turned to sub-zero temperatures again and all that was accomplished was to turn the snow to water then to ice. Eric is batching it this weekend as I join the ladies at the ladies retreat in Moose Jaw. I have the pleasure of leading the music, enjoying the speakers and the pool. Our group of ladies took the opportunity to enjoy the Little Chicago Connection themed escape room on Friday night and we are dressing up in 20’s themed dresses for the gala. (That is the 1920’s not the 2020’s)

Ladies from the Roarin' 20's!

I also had a chance to meet Liam for coffee, which was nice. He has found a summer job and hopes this will lead to more long term employment. Greg and Haaken are doing well and we have plans to see both of them this month."

Erin is trying to arrange another session of driver training for Kristian to prepare him and give him confidence for his driver's test. His curling is over for the season, but he's had a good introduction and is looking forward to curling again in the Fall. 

Travis and Joanna keep very busy, but the business is paying off, too. That's a good thing. The hockey season has turned out better than expected, and they have thrived on that. Gemma is continuing her search for her next educational opportunity. At this point, it appears University of Victoria is the most likely answer. If so, we'll certainly miss her here, but would consider moving to live with her there!! 

And that's enough for this week.