News Update

A cool, rainy week struggles to an end on the shore of Lake Superior. I haven't made it out for golf until today, but it seems that little has changed—one might hope it would! I did manage to get most of my planned yard work completed for the year, and the garden is flourishing. Kristian loves picking and eating the strawberries and peas right off the plants. We are preparing to head west next Tuesday, so Erin will have to keep track of everything while we're gone. I am now scheduled for my colonoscopy for August 11th, so our travel time is limited by that. And this afternoon we have to suffer through the indignity of watching the Riders being schooled by the Alouettes. Yuck! On the other hand, I do enjoy watching Tom Watson lead the Open, and I hope he can finish it off tomorrow.

I've had a bit of work this week as one school has turned up recalcitrant on its reporting requirements. It turned out they had not even done the first batch of reporting for the year! I have managed to get their October and March reports completed this week, so it only remains for me to do the June reports now.

Wendy has completed a retrofit of the flowerbeds both front and back, so they're looking good. She has also kept busy with gym work, shopping and a few picnics with family and friends.

Kristian has been making excellent progress lately. His vocabulary and expressions are growing quickly, and he's figured out the potty business completely. He's not just cute! Erin was off this week, so we enjoyed lots of activity around the house and yard despite the cool weather.

Travis continues with his work and working with me on the investment training. We've completed our research, and are now moving to the next stage of training. We're back in class on Monday evening, and we've decided to begin the investment simulation over from the beginning. It was a great week in that regard as the market turned positive again, and we made big profits. I now stand at 41.9% gain from March 9th. However, we've worked out a strategy to more closely approximate the actual investment experience, so we'll see how that goes. I took a webinar in Scotia iTrade on Thursday, so I have a better idea how that will work.

I enjoyed a Skype chat with my siblings and various members of their familes on Thursday, in honour of Tom's birthday. Spread out from Dallas to Winnipeg to Paris (and Thunder Bay) as we were, that went well and was fully enjoyable except that John was not able to take part.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has turned very nice and I've managed to get out golfing and practising a few times. My game came in at 85, so my handicap stays solid at 15.1. However, I am seeing signs of improvement, "Little green shoots," one might say! Let's hope they continue to flourish; I've been feeling like my golf game is in the Bush Recession, too! At least the Riders are thriving, as I was able to sit down and watch them punish the Argos this afternoon and move to 2-0 in the young season.

There hasn't been much work this week. I've helped one school with their June Reports to the Ministry, but that's about it. Investment work continues as Trav and I have a big assignment due next Friday. We've been struggling with our investments in the most recent downturn. The TSX has lost value for the last month since its high on June 11th. So, it's been difficult to make headway, but we've managed small gains and I now stand at 35.1% profit for exactly four months of work.

The garden is growing quite well now. The tomatoes are blooming, pea pods are filling, beans are blooming, strawberries are bearing. Only two potatoes came up (out of seven planted), but we'll see how the box method works for those.

Wendy has been busy with her flowerbeds so those are now flourishing (pun intended). She spent most of the week fretting about how to get to Ogema for the celebration at her grandparents' farm today, but, in the end, decided not to go. We are now planning to head west in time for the golf tournament in Dauphin (July 24th, 25th) and to remain on the prairies after that event instead of before it.

Erin has been at work all week, so Kristian has been at daycare. His potty training is showing signs of improvement! His communication is showing much growth—we're delighted! We've set up a wading pool for him in the backyard this year instead of the larger pool. He certainly enjoys being outside.

Travis continues with his work. This weekend, he's in Minneapolis as he gave Greg a ride down there to catch a plane to California.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Happy Anniversary to us! Thirty-nine years later and we're enjoying life on the shore of Lake Superior. It's been a slow-moving but eventful week. The weather has been cool and rainy early in the week and I haven't made it out golfing at all. I did practice a couple of times. The garden is progressing fine, and I did get a few calls for work. On Wednesday, we celebrated Canada Day. Happy Birthday Canada! And today, along with our anniversary, the Americans celebrate their Independence Day. Happy National Birthday to all my American contacts!

This week also marked the beginning of the football season. Friday evening's Rider game was a sloppy affair, but we won! My old coaching friend, John Payne, used to say, "If you want to make that many turnovers, you should open a bakery!" Fifteen turnovers! Yikes! But in the standings it just shows up as a win. So, well done!

Trav and I got back on track with our investments. It wasn't a good week in the markets as the TSX declined, but we turned a tidy profit. To recap, two weeks ago, we did bad! I lost 4%! But last week I picked up 1.7% and this week 1.6% so I'm almost caught up. Officially, I'm now at a 33.7% gain in just under four months. We are finished our foundational classes, and now we are working on a research project. When that is completed (due: July 17th), we move on to the advanced coaching and mentoring phase of the course.

Wendy has been busy with yard work, bedding plants and tearful good-byes. On Friday, she finally came to a decision on BJ, so that was a sad day for all of us. BJ was a very good dog, certainly the best dog I've been acquainted with. He was wonderful with little children. He is being missed.

Erin has continued with arrangements and preparation for her course work in the Fall. There is not much in place yet. Kristian is doing well. He likes playing ball, golfing and being outside. He is working on his potty training—some successes! He is communicating more by speech, but also relies on sign language for some messages. He is a bright and lovable little boy.

Trav has continued busily with his work. That seems to be going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has rolled by on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has turned hot; the air conditioner is running; summer is here! I managed to get out for a couple of golf games this week. There was some improvement as I posted scores of 84 and 86, and dropped my handicap to 15.1. The garden is doing fine, except for the potatoes—nothing there—I guess those Safeway potatoes must be treated with something to keep them from germinating. So far we've only been using radishes and rhubarb.

I've had a bit of help-desk work this week as schools scramble to complete student report cards and end-of-year reporting to the Ministry. Once this is surge is over, it should be the end of my work with the small schools of northwestern Ontario. Travis and I made back some of our money in our investment training. We also had our final class in the direct-teaching part of the course. Now we move on to a couple of research projects, and then the establishment of investment teams. A memory chip failed in my laptop, so it's at the University tech shop over the weekend getting a replacement chip. As a result, I can not tell you exactly where I'm at in investments, but it's improved a little, despite a mixed week on the markets.

Erin worked all week (Part time is not what it used to be!), and Kristian got back in day care. He's is talking more and more with us, but is often shy in groups.

Impact Promotions had its grand opening last evening, so we attended that and celebrated along with Trav and the rest of the company.

Wendy has continued to look after us in her usual style (To which we've become accustomed!); she has been spending a lot of effort in recent weeks to take care of BJ. He's still hanging on, and some days shows improved activity. We're not sure what to make of it. Wendy also continues to apply on jobs from time to time; nothing has developed from it yet, but we keep hoping.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed and summer has come to the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The garden is flourishing (finally) and the reseeded parts of the front lawn have germinated and are growing out nicely. I have finished a little data project for our schools, and taken a couple of support calls, but really there's not much happening on the work front!

As the week began, we celebrated Fathers' Day (early) and my children gave me a coupon for ten rounds of golf! So, that was great! And, with the improved weather, I managed to get out for two games this week. The second was quite satisfactory (and I kept both below 90) and my handicap remains at 15.3.

Wendy and I have had a couple of meetings with financial advisors this week. We're considering how we should manage our registered pension money and whether we should add to our investment in this house. We cancelled our satellite TV, our phone service and our internet service, and amalgamated them all with Shaw. Unfortunately, our phone installation had a problem, so we could not make long distance calls for most of the week! They finally fixed it this afternoon, so we're fully back in business.

Travis and I had a bad week with our investments. We made a mistake of going against our training and strategy, and the falling market early this week made us pay for it! As a result, we both lost money for the week, and I now stand at only 30.4% gain for the three months. Still, that's pretty good!

BJ has continued to amaze us with improved mobility and health. We don't know how long this will last.

Erin has completed her fulltime work, and I now working part-time while also getting her training program in place and enjoying the summer. Kristian continues to progress very well. He now has a batting tee, and enjoys playing ball in the back yard, the living room, the kitchen—what a kid! He also got a haircut this week; he's continuing the cuteness theme.

Travis continues with work as per usual; his major accomplishment this week was the purchase of a new iPhone 3G S! I can't even quite figure out how to operate the thing! In spite of being a techno-geek, I'm having trouble keeping up these days!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. It's been an exciting week in our household as the Penguins performed the improbable—coming back to win games six and seven to overcome the Red Wings and win the Stanley Cup. I did not think they could manage to beat Detroit in Detroit in game seven, but Travis did not lose heart. He explained to me that Penguins had faced four 'Game Sevens' on the road in franchise history, and had won them all! So, make it five! They've still won them all!

Otherwise, it's been a quiet week around home. I've been doing a little work on a small data project for our soon-to-be-former schools. There still remains a little work to be done with student data reporting at the end of the month, and then I'll be able to wrap things up. The garden is finally coming along, although the weather refuses to cooperate. I've reseeded some patches in the front lawn—it also needs some heat! And the investment training continues. Trav and I had a very good week, and I'm now at 34.3% for the three months. So, I've applied for my online brokerage package, and we'll soon see how it goes in reality! Scary!

Wendy has been remodelling the laundry room. I've helped with installation of some additional shelving and it's now looking much roomier. We have Eric/A and the boys here this weekend—I think we're celebrating Father's Day a week early! Anyway, it's nice to have them around.

Erin just has a few days of full-time work left. She bought herself one of those little netbooks this week, and it seems to run just fine. Kristian continues to develop and express himself better and better. We are much encouraged by the efforts being made with him in speech-therapy. It's paying off. He can express himself even better in signs, but we don't know the signs!

BJ seems to be making quite a recovery and is getting around pretty well now, although he still refuses stairs. He's also started eating better, so that's also encouraging.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We pass this week in our hometown on the shore of Lake Superior, but it is a momentous week nonetheless! The week begins with Eric/A and the boys here. We enjoy the visit. On Monday, we get the news that the Ministry of Education has decided to end the existence of the small boards who have been employing me for the last four years. This is a fair shock for me, although some of my colleagues claim to have seen it coming! (They might have mentioned it to me!) What it means is that I am unemployed for sure for next year. I have been expecting a contract for about one hundred days, so we'll have to think of how to replace the income! The prime option right now is to complete the transition to retirement. Wendy has dusted off her resume and is considering a couple of advertised jobs.

The weather has been decidedly non-June-like and I even had to cover my tomatoes one night as frost was threatened. I have managed to get out to practise golf a couple of times. The ball is not going particularly well! (Probably need to change brands of golf ball, or get new clubs!) The lawns are progressing well with the occasional rain even though we're not getting much heat.

BJ is doing decidedly better. He still needs to be carried around a fair bit, but he's back to walking some on his own as well. We continue to be concerned.

Kristian had a big session of hearing testing this week. He has learned enough of the process to cooperate effectively and the technicians were very confident that valid readings had been achieved. We look forward to the results once all their calculations are done. Kristian continues to develop more facility with vocabulary and communication, and he has a wonderful personality. Erin moves toward the completion of her full-time employment later this month. She is looking forward to a summer with lots of time for Kristian before he begins Kindergarten in the Fall, and she heads back to school herself. She will be working part-time doing some of her current duties while she goes to school.

Now that Trav had graduated, he is continuing to enjoy his work at Impact Promotions, as well as the odd project on his own. He's been particularly happy to see the resurgent Penguins come back to make a good series of the Stanley Cup playoffs, although tonight's 5-0 spanking did not impress him! He has also continued his training with me for investments. We had a scary week, but eventually it worked out well. I'm now at 31.3% gain in just under three months.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

The end of another week finds us back on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. It has been a full week. We started in Regina, and drove out to Gravelbourg on Sunday morning. That was a day of many reminiscences around my birth place and first home. I enjoyed seeing the new additions to the church in Gravelbourg, both material and personal. I enjoyed being asked to lead a song and 'try out' the acoustics of the new assembly area—it worked out well (perhaps a little more bounce would be helpful)! We enjoyed a wonderful meal with Gerry & Lorna, family and friends. We enjoyed a prairie rainstorm—not too severe, but providing plenty of moisture for the developing crops. ("A million-dollar rain," we used to hear it described as!) We drove by the old place and wondered at the trees—when did those spruce get to be so tall! As we headed north, past Trombergs and Rasmussens, we even ran into 'greasy' roads—more reminiscence than we wanted! We drove through Coderre and caught the highway to Moose Jaw.

There we went to visit Aunt Mary. But not so fast the sign told us—"Under Quarantine due to a Respiratory Outbreak"! Well, Wendy talked us through that, and we enjoyed a lovely visit with Aunty. We provided her various stories to ruminate over as she wondered at our arrival. (Visitors have been refused since early May!) We told her variously that, "We told them we're Danes, so rules don't apply." (She liked that one.) "We told them, we're not 'Visitors', we're 'Family'." (She liked that one as well.) She informed us that Grace & Elvin were out of town in Regina, but we decided to at least leave them a phone message—I was a little taken aback when Grace answered the phone! So, we enjoyed coffee [Does anyone need to be informed that Coffee always includes nothing but coffee?! (Where 'always' means 'seldom, if ever.')] and a visit there also.

After visiting and resting at Dad's in Regina, we headed east on Tuesday to Kenora where we stayed with Eric/A and the boys. (Thanks, guys!) And we completed the trip on Wednesday back to TBay.

Back at home we found Travis rejoicing (his Penguins are in the final) and all feeling concern over BJ and his continued convalescence. BJ has perked up a bit in recent days, so we hope he may rebound once again. He's an old dog—fourteen years, and clearly does not appear to be up to learning any new tricks! He mostly lays around, and often requires being carried outdoors.

Today finds us in celebratory mood. Travis is graduating from Lakehead University, where due to scheduling and diligence, he is achieving a double Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) with First Class Standing in Marketing and General Management at the spring convocation. We are so proud of him. He has a good job that he enjoys very much, and it holds the promise of providing a good income as well. Eric/A and the boys are down to assist with the celebration. A great day is had by all. It is capped by a nice evening with Travis and his friends.

Of course, we enjoy our reunion with Erin & Kristian. Both are as busy as ever, and having the Jays win a weekend series from Boston gets Erin into better spirits!

The garden is progressing well. Our investment training continues. Recent weeks have seen me fairly stagnant as over exuberant purchase prices entailed a lot of waiting, but this week everything sold, and I'm now at 29.4% overall gain in under three months. Yowsah! It seems that many (out there) see this as hard to believe—I do, too!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week finds us far away from Lake Superior and my hometown. We are in Regina; we have driven out here to attend and observe Tim & Krista's wedding. We plan to head home early next week.

The week started as a long weekend and we were enjoying have Eric/A and the boys with us. They headed back on Monday, and we continued with the regular business around home. I continue to have a few phone calls asking help from the schools. I have also been busy with the garden. We are only awaiting a few bedding plants now to complete the plan for this growing season. We have planted a lot of vines—cucumbers, several kinds of squash, pumpkins, and zucchini. Other than that we mostly have peas, beans and greens. I have tried to plant a bit more of peas and beans in the hope that we will have a continual supply during the season, rather than just a meal here and there. And I've also planted a bit of corn.

On Thursday afternoon we drove out to Kenora, and then on Friday we continued to Regina. Eric/A followed us Friday after work, arriving in Regina about 2:00 AM. Today was the wedding. It was very nice, and we enjoyed catching up with many people, and making some new acquaintances as well. Travis is along with us as he got off work early. He plans to head back with Eric/A so he can get back to work for the new week. We are glad to have the chance to spend a bit of time with Wendy's dad as well—thanks for putting us up!

Erin and Kristian remained at home and commiserated over the Blue Jays first extended losing streak of the young season. They are still in first place, but it's getting close! Other than that they are doing well. They are also caring for BJ who seems to be doing poorly. He is very old (for a dog) and is having trouble getting around lately. This will require some extra attention when we get home.

Investment training has continued. We didn't have a class this week since Monday was a holiday, but we kept at our investments. It was not an easy week since I had bought at higher values last week, and this week saw a lower market. Still, I managed a couple of sales, and have raised my over all gain to 28.1%.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. We are not in Kansas anymore. We flew back from on Tuesday night, arriving in TBay about midnight. The weather has continued variable, and not warm enough to give me comfort over my garden. The next week looks better, so maybe yard work (and golf) can get back in full-swing! We enjoyed our time in Abilene, celebrating Shepherd's grad, as well as the drive back and forth from Lawrence KS. And we found out that we actually were able to celebrate about seven graduations of friends and family from ACU.

I've had a little work around the office this week. I was offered a month-long teaching assignment in Hornepayne, and after some consideration was looking forward to accepting that, but it turned out they wanted me to pay for the privilege of working there—so I demurred! When I had taught for a week in another community last fall, I was paid salary and expenses. This time, they only offered salary, and when Wendy checked out expenses... it didn't pay! My buddy, Wes, opined that since I've been working for nothing so much, they now wanted me to pay them! So, we continue to try to live on EI (and love) and it's thin living!!

Investment training continues. This week, I took the lecture while in Lawrence KS. The internet is certainly a wonderful facility. Investments have not gone well this week with both Energy and Financials down over 7%, but I still managed two sells and raised my total gain to 27%. I have all five stocks bought—and they're all currently at a loss position, so we hope things improve next week!

Kristian and Erin were both down with colds while we were away and continue to suffer a bit this week. Travis seems to be much improved, and watching his Penguins advance to the next round in the Stanley Cup playoffs really improved his outlook!

As this is long weekend, we are glad to have Eric/A and the boys visiting with us. Hopefully, the weather will smarten up tomorrow...

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed, and we have wandered south, away from the shore of Lake Superior. We are in Abilene to celebrate graduation with Shepherd, our friend from Zambia. We flew down from TBay to Lawrence KS on Thursday afternoon and met up with our old friend (well actually, I shouldn't call her an old friend, but our longtime friend who is actually just a young thing), Marti. She drives us down to Abilene on Friday. It is great to spend a bit of additional time with Shepherd and Ruhtt. We also get a special treat of catching up with another old Zambian contact Ryan and his wife. Then, while we were there, we also Skyped to Kadonsi in Zambia. It was good to hear his voice. Of course, there were a number of other Zambian contacts attending the graduation, so we also were pleased to catch up with them. We also discovered, to our surprise, that we had connections to about half a dozen of the graduates, so it was good to celebrate with them all.

The graduation itself was a great celebration of Shepherd's efforts and achievement in the masters' program for Human Resources. We hope he will be able to provide great administrative service in Zambia now for many years.

The week started with the usual things around home, and I also had a conference session on Thursday before we flew out. The garden is developing well, in its new location. We are planning for many more vines (cucumber, squash, zuchini, pumpkins) that we will grow along the borders of the back yard. And of course, I'm also trying that potatoes in a box idea! It will be interesting again to see how things develop.

The investment training continues. It was an interesting week as the markets were rising, and we found we did not have an effective strategy for buying as prices increase. After our lesson on Monday evening, we had new techniques and raised our prices for Tuesday. It did not work; prices rose again! So on Wednesday we chose a new strategy of picking a price much higher than the current quote, and were successful in buying all our stocks (in a falling market) at prices much higher than we should have paid!! I guess this was a learning experience! Anyway, the markets rose again on Friday, so we did fine. Overall, I am now up 26.4% in nine weeks. It is too good to really believe. Especially after my experiences with professional managers over the last ten years where I've learned that the only way they could make me a millionaire was if I had started with two million!

Wendy has continued with house and yard work as a part of her rites of spring. As usual whatever she does, she overdoes, so she has been suffering with aches, pains and blisters as a result.

Erin and Kristian are doing well. It is delightful to hear his little voice as he begins to be able to hold short conversations and learns more and more words.Erin continues to work on her options for work and training next year.

Travis is doing well with his work. He has been suffering a bit of ill health this week. Perhaps it's just seasonal allergies.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather has been nice so we've enjoyed some out doors times. Kristian loves playing in the back yard where I built him a sandbox and installed a slide. Actually, he thinks the larger sandy area I have developed for the pool is even more attractive, so we usually find him there. He also likes time on the trampoline, and practicing his golfing. (Where did he pick up that interest?!) I've been working on the garden, and have it pretty much ready to go. I plan to start planting soon.

My health concern continues. I visited with my oncologist on Wednesday. He was happy to see that my PSA was somewhat lower, although still too high. He says it is further evidence that the elevated levels are just caused by a chronic infection. I also had him check out my little growth. It was his opinion that it was not a thrombosed hemorrhoid, but he referred me back to my family doctor for further investigation. So, I was back to see her on Friday, and she feels certain it is a thrombosed hemorrhoid. She cannot understand why I report no pain! She says I must have a high pain threshold. (Translation: I don't suffer from pain, I'm just a carrier!) She is referring me to a surgeon for a sigmoidoscope, possibly a full colonscopy and whatever surgical action he decides is appropriate. So, the saga continues. Meanwhile, I'm on those suppositories. We hope for a reduction in stress, distress and inflammation!

I have had only a little call-desk work this week. Next week, I have our annual spring conference, and then we're flying south to celebrate our friend Shepherd's graduation in Abilene. Investment training continues to go well, and I had a great week with my stocks. I'm now up 22.8% in eight weeks. Let's hope it continues.

Wendy has continued her dedicated efforts toward spring cleaning. Furniture is being moved, floors are being renovated. Adjustments are being made! Improvement is evident.

Erin continues to move toward furthering her education while continuing to work part time. Lots of planning need to be accomplished to put this all in place. Kristian continues to progress with his speech. He understands nearly everything we try to tell him, and his expressive language is growing bit by bit.

Travis is doing very well with his work, his projects, and the investment training he's taking with me. Now that the next round of playoffs have started, he's unavailable during Penguin games. And now that they're trailing, he'll have to cheer even more!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been spring-like, although we started off with precipitation that is only rain due to my definition that all precipitation in the months April through October is rain. We did not enjoy the white fluffy rain, but it disappeared the next day, and I still managed a couple of trips to the golf course, so it was an okay week in that regard.

I had two days of work this week in the Territorial Student Program, so that impacts the bottom line, but not very much. I lose almost the same amount in my Employment Insurance! My investment training continues to go well. I am enjoying the classes each week, and also having continued success in the five stocks they allow us to invest in. I am now up 19.4% in seven weeks.

I have a medical concern, so I went to the doctor mid-week. She assured me that it was 'rhoids—not the kind that make you faster, stronger and meaner, but the kind that make you walk slowly and sit down carefully (possibly a bit meaner)! "Thrombosed hemorrhoid," she opined, and hastened to assure me that she knew I was in great pain, but that a prescription of suppositories would take care of the pain in short order. (Man, those things are hard to swallow–why do they make them so large?!) In vain, I tried to inform her that I was feeling little pain. Anyway, I have the prescription order in case I ever decide to get it filled! In sum, I am more than a little skeptical about her diagnosis, but since I see my oncologist next week, I'll wait until then to get more information. He's as enthusiastic with the DRE as she was tentative, so I'm guessing he'll get to the bottom of this! (pun intended)

Wendy has continued and completed the removal of the old tiles in the kitchen and dining area—it looks so much better! It was a lot of work, and some clean up remains, but it's surely an improvement.

Erin is working through a plan to return to school. Her work has agreed to let her reduce to part-time, so she's investigating course options. She would like to improve her financial/accounting qualifications. We got very good news on behalf of Kristian this week. Woodcrest (the school with specialization for hard-of-hearing children) has accepted his enrolment for the fall in Junior Kindergarten. They have already obtained permission for a full-time aide to work with him on development of his communication skills. So, unless his hearing deteriorates even further, we are very optimistic about this plan.

Travis is working steadily with his job at Impact Promotions, and also picks up contracts for other graphic or web-site projects from time to time. He is also taking the investment training program along with me, and cheering mightily on behalf of his Penguins who managed to finish off the Flyers this afternoon—Yay!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

As the week began, we were up in Kenora, but now we are again on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We started off watching Kevin Martin lose to Scotland in the world curling championships. That was disappointing! Then, we watched Angel Cabrera win the green jacket at the Masters—I was cheering for Kenny Perry, although I'm happy enough with Cabrera's victory. And then, Eric/A arrived home, so we enjoyed a short visit with them. On Monday afternoon, we drove back to TBay and are enjoying springtime yard work, house cleaning, and a bit more work on renovations.

I am changing a few things about my garden project. I'm moving some of it to catch more sunshine, and I'm adding a 'potatoes-in-a-box' project. The lawn appears to be recovering nicely and I look forward to seeing whether my fancy 'green' grass can kill the quack grass! There are a few golfers out, but I haven't tried the course yet—just a bit of practice! My investment training continues. It's now six weeks, and I've managed to gain 18.0%. I've made fifty-three purchases, fifty-one sales and only three were at a loss. Now that I've learned more, I realize that two of those losses shouldn't have occurred either, so that's a very positive indication. I am determined to keep learning, and improve my discipline. As the course would describe it, I'm too emotionally attached to my purchases! (Imagine me being too emotional!) Anyway, that is how I understand my one bad purchase, and several other close calls!

Wendy has returned to wall paper and tile removal in the dining room. We haven't decided what to do about either flooring or painting, but we are committed to doing something!

I had another two days of work with the Territorial Student Program, and I have two more scheduled for next week.

Erin and Travis continue with their work. Kristian continues with his learning and growing. He enjoys the outdoors, but doesn't like to get his hands dirty. I think he would rather fall on his face, than have to use his hands to touch the dirt!

And that's the kind of week it's been.

Happy Easter!

Another week has gone by here on the shore of Winnipeg River, in Kenora. We are staying at Eric/A's with the grandkids while Eric/A are vacationing in western Canada. We drove up here on Sunday afternoon, and have enjoyed the week here. There have been a few projects for both Wendy and I to put our attention to, so that has kept us busy. And I've also had a day of work for the local school district teaching about data exploration in TinkerPlots.

Throughout the week, I've enjoyed tracking the progress of Kevin Martin (my favourite curling team) in the world championships. After a ten-game winning streak, he has suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Scotland, and now he must fight back to beat them in the final game tomorrow. The baseball season has started, so we've been following the early season success of the Blue Jays. And, of course, it's Masters time! Almost too many things to watch!

It's a beautiful spot here on the shore of the river, where we can usually watch the deer grazing on the lawn or playing on the river ice. We've been able to get out for pleasant walks as we explore the neighbourhood.

My investment training has continued with a class on Monday evening, and my investments have continued to grow as well. I've now managed 17.0% increase in my first five weeks.

The TinkerPlot workshop on Thursday went well. I enjoyed working with an old MISA comrade up here, and I am continuing to find it to be such a useful way to get information out of the overwhelming mass of data we collect in our schools.

Easter weekend provides four days off school for the boys, so they're enjoying that. And we're enjoying spending the time with them.

Erin and Kristian are holding down the fort back in TBay. Trav has finished his university program and is dedicated to his work and various projects. We plan to head back on Monday or Tuesday.

So, that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has blown by here on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. A change in the weather has blown away my illusion of an early golf season, as a major dump of wet snow on Tuesday night has obscured lawns and fairways from view. Boo hoo! However, as we moved along toward the weekend, rain and warmer weather began to reduce the drifts and increase our hopes!

Mid-week and the turn of the monthly calendar also brought with it the end of the MISA program that I've been working with for four years. Thankfully, this has also resulted in my getting paid for the work I've been continuing to do (for nothing since November!), as I have now been authorized to bill for services rendered. Of course, this demands an elaborate tracking mechanism, but I guess that's the cost of business. Speaking of business, I've continue to progress in my investments training and investment success. I've now gained 15.7% in just four weeks. The program anticipates such growth in seven months, but not four weeks. Clearly, I've been fortunate to enter the program while we experiencing at least a temporary Obama surge in the stock markets. However, our teachers counsel us that the Bush recession is likely to last into 2010, so not to get too excited!

Wendy has continued with her therapy and as she is experiencing success with her initial back and shoulder problems, has now extended the work to her feet. She has long-standing issues with her feet (I know, but it just demanded to be used!), and is hopeful for some improvement.

Erin continues with her work and is doing well despite the many frustrations there. Kristian continues with speech therapy and doctoring. One doctor is suggesting a potential source of his problems in genetics (Pendred Syndrome), so they may be sending him to Sick Children's in Toronto for further investigation. He got this idea from the CAT scan, as he observed two of the tell-tale characteristics in his inner ear. This can only be confirmed with a genetic check for the defective gene. Unfortunately even if this is confirmed, it doesn't point towards a therapy or solution. But who knows with stem cell research, perhaps some day...

Travis has completed his classes, but has one exam left and at least one paper to complete. Then he'll be able to leave the slack life of the student and get to work!! Actually, he has been working very hard both in his studies and in several jobs throughout his university years. We are very proud of his accomplishments!

Next week we plan to spend in Kenora, taking care of the grandkids as Eric/A take a short vacation, but that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has flown by on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. The weather has been cool and we've even had some freezing rain to create a day of driving and even walking havoc. I've been working as counsellor in the Territorial Student Program all week. One of my students fell on the icy sidewalks on Tuesday morning, so I spent most of that day in the emergency department of the hospital as she was checked over and eventually out. I definitely got the feeling that a greater degree of caution was being exercised after the unfortunate death of Natasha Richardson (well-covered by this Globe and Mail article) However, after the various diagnostic tests and images were examined, it was eventually decided that my child's back was not broken and her skull was not cracked. They even were refusing painkillers despite her protestations of headache and other pains. They wanted to be sure to get as clear evidence as they could from her. The remainder of the week was dull by comparison!

Travis and I have continued our investment training. And my investments under their program have continued to do well—14.3% in only three weeks! That can't continue!! Fortunately, they had me heavily invested in Petro-Canada when word came down of Suncor's attempted purchase—that turned a tidy 20% gain. Trav's university semester is ending, and we look forward to his graduation in May.

Wendy has continued under chiropractic care and seems to be doing much better and probably is near the end of her course of treatments. She enjoys playing multiple Scrabble games on line at the same time, and has recently taken up Sudoku. It's good to keep the brain active.

Erin has been working extra hard lately as issues seem to be piling up at work even as the economic pressures mount in the automotive industry. Kristian is progressing and the testing and referral process through various experts continue as well.

The fairways are starting to show up on the local golf courses, so the golf juices are beginning to flow, even though it will probably be a month before they actually open for play. Golfers who have an off-season, always imagine that some new technique or piece of equipment is bound to contribute to this being the best season ever! We look forward to finding that out!!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has strolled by on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. As the week started, we watched the Brier final and cheered my guy, Kevin Martin, to another championship.

The weather has been lovely, so Wendy and I have managed to get out for several leisurely walks. The dropping snowbanks have turned dark and ugly. The deck is cleared off, so we managed our first barbecue of the season on Thursday evening. Ah! I missed that flavour!

One thing I've failed to mention that last two updates is that Trav and I are now taking an investment training course on line. It has started well, and we've begun "paper trading"; I'll try to remember to keep you up-to-date on how that goes! So far it is going very well (7.4% gain), but we've had eight days of rising markets so I guess it doesn't take a genius to profit on that! I don't know how long it will be before we begin investing in reality!

I've continued to have a little work on my various projects. It's year end for MISA, so I've prepared the annual financial and progress reports. I'll be emailing them in on Monday. It'll be about six weeks before I hear anything further as far as project funding for next year. I'm hoping for at least one hundred days of work over the next year.

We got word on Thursday of our cousin Karen's passing after a battle with cancer. Another family memorial in a week full of them as both our mothers and several other family members are remembered this week.

Wendy has been getting treatment all week for her back. She seems to have a pinched nerve in the back of the shoulder, but it's been improving a lot this week.

Erin has begun looking for a different job as her growing lists of responsibilities at work has not been marked by a commensurate increase in compensation! She is also considering returning to school for more training. Kristian continues to progress in his speech. He is also getting more testing as they try to determine not only the extent of his disability but also what may have caused it.

Travis continues to keep busy and do well with both work and school.

And today, as a special treat, Erica & Haaken drove down from Kenora, so we're celebrating Erica's birthday in person! They head back tomorrow.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been showing the promise of Spring, but also provided a blast of winter in the middle of the week and gave us another dump of snow. However, we're back in the plus territory again, with a prediction of rain! (The weather reports used to be characterized as 'promising' something, but I've grown too old, experienced and jaded to consider those expressions as promises!)

Wendy enjoyed a week out in Regina, although the weather was not congenial. She celebrated her dad's birthday with him last Saturday, and he returned the favour on Monday! She flew back home on Thursday. She continues to suffer with a pinched nerve in her back, and was to the doctor yesterday. Hopefully that will be overcome soon as I don't like rolling over onto a bag of frozen peas in my bed (or any other kind of peas in my bed!)

The rest of us survived at home as everyone pitched in to help out. Erin proved a good cook on occasion, and Kristian kept us entertained. Travis and I have begun an Investing course, so we'll see how that goes. Are we rich yet?! We had our first session on Monday evening. I have continued development of my Data Exploration workshops, and now have all three sessions planned. Now, we'll wait to see if anyone buys them! Actually, I've already sold the first two a couple of times, and I look forward to presenting all three in the next academic year.

The big distraction this week is curling. My curling hero, Kevin Martin, has cruised through undefeated so far and is in the final tomorrow against his old nemesis, Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba. Of course, he beat Jeff during the regular draw, so now he has to make it two in a row! Last year, I got to watch him in person at the Brier in Winnipeg as he won the championship. (My children are generous!)

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

The week starts with us driving up from Minneapolis to the shore of Lake Superior. It's nice to be home again. The weather is nice, and the snow is melting each day, with some rain helping the process. Wendy headed west on Thursday, flying out to Regina to help celebrate her dad's eighty-fourth birthday! Happy Birthday, Ellis!

Erin, Kristian & Travis have taken care of themselves in our absence, and it's nice to be home with them again. Kristian is progressing in his speech, and sometimes in his toilet training! BJ continues to get older, deafer and blinder! Some days he cannot even find his doggie treat!

I have been catching up on a few outstanding issues with some schools while calls and emails continue to bring new requests. I'm also developing an advertisement, update and request for continuing the funding of the data project. I can see this providing a regular thirty days of work per year if the Boards will keep funding it. The project is important for the schools and interesting work, so I hope it keeps going. I also make my regular lab trip for more blood-letting so they can check my PSA levels.

The daylight-saving time change weekend also makes us think of spring. It's a nice time of year as we seek renewal after the dormant time of winter. Although a little extra dormant time this week has been welcome as well! We're feeling refreshed in many ways.

And that's about it for this week.