The Madness Has Begun!

Another week has passed in the middle of the prairies. We spent most of the week on the shore of the South Saskatchewan River, but drove back to the shore of Lake Wascana on Thursday. We got to Prince Albert last weekend, and enjoyed the week with Eric/A. We managed to get a few projects done there. Now, we're back in with Erin and Kristian. We are being hosted marvellously wherever we go, so that makes things very comfortable for us—thanks guys! The weather has been very nice, mostly sunny and melting each day. Spring is upon us, and we're enjoying the relief. Madness continues in the White House, and the markets continue to dance as investors alternately fear or rejoice in the possibilities! Trump has piled up an additional 1 trillion in national debt in his first 14 months—investors didn't like to hear that! Anyway, I had a great week, and I am back on quota for the year to date. March Madness has begun in college basketball—one of the great sports spectaculars of the year. Kansas was installed as a #1 seed, and has rattled off wins in their first two games to move into the Sweet Sixteen. The big story was the win by UMBC; the first time a #16 seed has beaten a #1 seed. Virginia, who I picked to win it all, becomes the answer to the trivia question as the first team to lose to a #16! Curling has been on all week as well with the Elite 10 from Winnipeg. My guy, Kevin Koe, has moved into the playoff round. John Shuster's gold medal winning team is there, and had a nice feature on their team history and the great win at the Olympics. The women's world curling championship began today; Jennifer Jones will represent us well. She won her first two games, but the competition is tough. The NHL continues the playoff push in the final weeks of the campaign. This evening we celebrated Erica's birthday with dinner at Boston Pizza, followed by dessert and music at Grandpa's. 

The Bailey's hosted a rowdy couple this week! We introduced them to several shows, including Anne, which Erica really liked. She started binge-watching Thursday night and now she is eager to find out what happens next!! It was a good week and we enjoyed the company. The lights in the bedroom got fixed along with a fair amount of tidying and cleaning around the house. After Wendy was done cleaning there is an extra sparkle and crispness to things. We're not sure exactly what she does, but it looks good! I also got to try out my newest keto pizza recipe and keto cinnamon buns—both were hits! At least we were able to have a meal ready to eat and company ready to visit when they got home from work! Eric/A drove down to Regina for the weekend; Wendy and Erica are set to leave for Germany on Sunday morning. On Tuesday, we joined Erica and her church's prime time group for their devotional time and singing. Erica thought she was there to minister to them by leading singing and sharing her testimony. However, she was wrong! She was ministered to in prayer and encouragement and left very full! They feel richly blessed! Liam returned to Caronport last week and experienced a flat tire along the way. He now has a CAA membership! I took the car to Kal-Tire on Friday to see about repairs to the tire, but it is lost and the others are worn out as well. They were planning to replace all the tires this summer—summer has come! Surprise! Haaken continues with his studies in Victoria. We are hoping to hear soon about how this semester has gone in terms of grades. 

We're back at Erin and Kristian's now. On Friday, Kristian and I went to Golf Town to try out new golf clubs. The pro there assessed his swing from both sides, and confirmed Kristian's plan to switch to the right side. He has pretty good swings from both sides, and I've been in situations on the golf course (Okay, off the golf course!) where that would have come in handy! I have bought him a new set of right-handed clubs, about 1.5" longer than his old ones. We are now looking forward to the golf season! I'm planning an indoor practice session this next week for both of us. Kristian had another great day at bowling this morning, averaging 148.7. That's about 30 points above his average, which will increase again! Erin and Kristian enjoyed parent-teacher interviews on Friday! 

Travis and Joanna had another full week. Joanna returned to southern Ontario for her mom's hip-replacement surgery. She spent most of the week there, and plans to return to TBay on the 24th. All seems to be progressing well for all concerned, so that's a relief. Trav is busy with the closing weeks of hockey season; there is plenty of playoff activity in TBay. Those are all photo opps! Then, he has two houses to take care of, but fortunately only one driveway! Thanks guys! 

And that's about enough for this week! 

Brier Week

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We had a big snowstorm to make the prairies really feel like we remember! Today, we moved to the shore of the South Saskatchewan River on the northern edge of the prairies. The Brier has been the major focus of my interest this week. I was able to follow all games on TV, and was pleased to be able to attend three draws. Wendy and I attended the wild card game, and also the Thursday afternoon draw. Mark hosted me to the Thursday evening draw. Everyone wanted to use their own tickets, so I'm limited to watching on TV this weekend. Four of the provincial/territorial representative teams qualified for the medal play this weekend. Alberta knocked Northern Ontario out this afternoon. Newfoundland and Ontario remain in the running as well. After our week at Erin and Kristian, we drove up to visit Eric and Erica, so we're in Prince Albert now. It's been another up and down week in the markets as Trump's top economic advisor withdrew over the tariff plans. Trump still pushed them through, but excused Canada and Mexico from the effects. Quite a thing when you put in a tariff against foreign steel and then excuse the main supplier! At least I had a great week, and am almost back to quota year to date. Otherwise, I did an R/R on a set of blinds for Erin, and kept track of the curling. We celebrated Dad's 93rd birthday with him on Wednesday, and did the quick turnaround to celebrate Wendy's birthday on Friday! The NHL is in the final season games and the playoff push is on. The Leafs are doing well, including a big win over the Pens tonight! The Oilers are playing out the string at this point.

The Baileys have been digging ourselves out of the snow this week. Fortunately they got some help from a few enterprising kids who shovelled the entire walk for $20. They thought it was such a good deal they even threw in a big bag of candy. Liam was home last weekend because of a doctor appointment—well, the appointment was cancelled on Monday morning due to the snow and Liam stayed over an extra day due to the weather. It was nice to have him home for a little bit longer. Unfortunately his trip back was eventful. He got a flat and when he tried to change the tire, it proved difficult to get the spare out of the trunk. They struck a deal with CAA to get him a membership and go help him out. The pros had an equally difficult time, but they eventually freed the spare from the truck and got Liam on his way. Other than that, Haaken continues with school while Eric and Erica continue with work.

Erin could not get out after the storm, so I drove her to work a couple of times. Kristian went to bowling practice Monday evening, but the other team members did not show, so he just practiced sans coaches for a while, and we carried on. It was quite a mess on the streets for most of the week. Kristian came home with a cold on Thursday, and was also home Friday. He had bowling this morning, and put up above average scores once again. He's having a good season. We spent the week with them and enjoyed a relaxing week—thanks guys!

Joanna had a trying week in Toronto and has been enjoying some TLC back in Thunder Bay this week—richly deserved IMHO! We are glad to hear from them from time to time, and learn how things are going back there.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been very comfortable with daytime highs consistently around zero. Today, we got a bit of fresh snow, but we also have warning of a Colarado Clipper that may bring more snow to the southeast part of Saskatchewan. We've had a good week here hosted by Dad. Bern, Alicia and Logan returned on Monday night, and are back to work and school. We took a trip down to Carlyle today to curl in a tournament down there. We lost the championship in an extra end by about 1 inch! It was fun! Wendy has continued with therapy on her two newly awakened finger joints, but it hurts! The markets have continued to be dismal. February was completed as the worst month in years, and March has begun badly as well. New FED chair, Powell, was testifying before the Senate this week, and once again showed he has failed to master the art of the spiel. Then Trump began crying for attention, announcing ridiculous taxes on his own citizens for aluminum and steel. The markets crashed again. It is pitiful that, in pretty good economic times, these guys can crush my needed market gains with their ill-advised rhetoric. So, I had another tough week. I have completed two months, just a little under my quota, but I need to have a good month of March to get things on an even keel. In the NHL, teams are installing their new acquisitions and we're seeing how it will work out. In NCAA basketball, the Jayhawks had one good game to complete their conference championship, and then had a stinker against Oklahoma State today. It's time for March Madness, and there will be no room for more bad games—Rock Chalk Boys!

Erica was sick with a cold this week so it was rather uneventful. Eric managed to keep up with the house and supply the NeoCitran. Haaken discovered the reason he hasn’t received his student loan is that the Canadian student loans people need confirmation of his enrolment. The fact that the Sask Student loans people already had that in order to be approved doesn’t seem to matter. So, they are hoping with one more piece of paper he might actually get his student loan this school year, sigh! Liam has a doctor's appointment on Monday so he is home this weekend, which is really nice.

 Erin and Kristian are getting ready to host us. Kristian has been down a bit with a cold this weekend, so he's taking extra rest. I'm planning to get him shopping for new golf clubs soon. I expect he's outgrown the old ones. 

He has grown since then!

Travis and Joanna have been battling the snow as well as their work in Thunder Bay. This week Joanna was called home to assist in the care and planning with respect to her dad. We feel for her as she works through this difficult transition.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies! The weather has been improving all week, and is currently sitting at zero. There have been no storms, and we're enjoying that. We certainly could use some snow for the fields of Saskatchewan. Wendy was able to spend some time in the shop with dad helping with woodworking projects. Then, she had her appointment to get her finger joint broken free. The doctor agreed to do two of them, and the pain is significant! She's getting by with T3's, and pushing the therapy as much as she can stand. We hope it will afford her significantly better strength and grip. I have continued with my usual market work, and added in further work in the garage to get the new sensors activated. That required new wiring, with some of it in hard to reach places. The markets have continued to be highly volatile with two days seriously red, and three days seriously green! The main issue continues to be the chaos and changes in the US administration—this week, the new FED chair released his first minutes and dropped the market 450 points that afternoon. It's tough going on the tummy to be in these markets, but I had a good week all the same. Still needing a lot of catch up to make money this month. The Olympics wrap up this weekend; the Canadian team has done very well. My main interest—curling has not gone according to my expectations or wishes. I felt Koe had a reasonable chance to be in the final game where he might be in tough against Edin (Sweden), but he lost the semi-final to Shuster (USA) and the bronze medal game to Switzerland. Then Shuster went on to an historic, albeit surprising, win over Edin. I'm pretty happy for the American guys. On the women's side, I expected Homan to win the gold. Last year she went through the World Championships undefeated, but she did not have it this week and didn't even make the playoffs. Tonight, it was Hasselborg (Sweden) over Kim (Korea) for the gold. The Korean team was a joy to watch, and Hasselborg is one of the top ranked teams in the world. Our hockey women lost the gold medal in a shoot out; our men won the bronze over the Czechs. The NHL has been high profile this week as the trade deadline looms. Some moves have been made, more are expected before Monday. On the ice, the Pens are challenging for first place, and the Leafs have moved up as well. The Jayhawks were elevated to #8 in the rankings last weekend. They played great in an easy win over OU, and then faced #6Texas Tech in the biggest conference game of the season this afternoon. It was a great effort, and a great win—marking 14 straight conference championships, an NCAA record! I'm expecting another elevation this weekend.

The Baileys enjoyed having Liam at home this week. Unfortunately, he was sick with a cold most of the week, but he got some sleep. They enjoyed hanging out together, but for some reason the parents didn’t get to bed on time much this week—wonder why?! Liam also took on the chimney in his room. He knocked off the plaster. Now they have a mostly bare chimney and a pile of plaster on the floor. Fun! Haaken continues to enjoy school and living in Victoria.

Liam, the Chimney Man! 

Erin enjoyed a week of work without the morning and evening trips to school. Kristian had the week off, and enjoyed working on a project with Grandma. He also built a solar-powered robot with Grandpa. His bowling today was not quite as good as it has been recently, but he did beat his average again. That keeps getting harder! He's doing well.

Trav & Joanna conferenced with us via FaceTime during the week. They've had snow in TBay, so 'enjoyed' clearing the driveway! At least they got some extra help; thanks Max! Looks like we have three workers, and one camera operator!

TBay Cleanup!

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we have completed our transit to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been variable this week with one cold day, and one day above zero with rain—wild times we live in! We enjoyed our weekend in Dauphin and then drove over here on Monday. Wendy had a doctor's appointment referral on Tuesday and that seems productive. She has been booked for another finger-unfreezing, and also referred to another specialist who will consider replacing the fused joint on her index finger with a hinge. We'll watch that development with interest. We have settled in with Dad, and developed a good working program. Wendy has been working with Dad in the shop, and progress is being made there as well. I replaced the ballast in the troublesome fluorescent in the shop, so that's working again. Then, it turned out, the garage door opener had failed just before we arrived—timely, I know! I spent some effort trying to repair it, but failed. As I like to brag, "If I can't fix it, it's not broken, it's ruined!" Not true, but in this case, we declared the opener ruined and were glad to find that Lowes had a sale on. I installed the new one; it works pretty well, but the installation was not problem-free, and is also not completed! It turns out the new electronic opener is not compatible with the old sensors, so I shall have to replace the sensors as well. Fortunately, sensors were supplied, so it's just a matter of removing the old ones and wiring in the new ones! The markets reversed themselves several times this week, but at least US markets made some gains which helped a lot; I had a good month this week! My sports calendar is full with Olympics, NHL and NCAA! I've mainly been following the curling at the Olympics. Koe is doing well and currently in a playoff position, although he dropped an entertaining game to Edin (Sweden) last night, and another to the Swiss tonight. Homan is not doing well, but she finally won last night over the USA. She probably needs to win the rest to make the playoffs, but she is certainly capable of doing so. Olympic Hockey doesn't raise much interest since the best players are not there. This evening I got to enjoy the Pens win over the Leafs, and the Jayhawks comeback win over West Virginia. 

'Hey, it's good to be back home again!" Eric and Erica celebrated Valentines Day with a cooking date. They purchased a spiralizer and made spiral veggies with steak! Erica added a cream sauce. This weekend Erica is at a Ladies Retreat in Moose Jaw with a group of ladies from PA; Wendy is there, also. It promises to be a good weekend. Liam is preparing for Youth Quake. He plans to come home on Sunday to catch up on sleep for a week. Haaken enjoyed this past week off, but he decided to stay in Victoria. He must like it out there! Eric was on the radio on Valentine's Day with a special on relationships. 

We've caught up with Erin and Kristian here in Regina. Kristian had Friday off school, and he spent it with us. Then, we all enjoyed his bowling league this morning. He continues to raise his average, and is the best bowler on his team. Erin had more car problems this week. The interlock solenoid on her steering column decided not to recognize her key! The replacement was over $1000, but then it was discovered that this was a recall item by Nissan, so the part could be purchased for less than $100. Finally, Nissan allowed as how they should be replacing the part gratis! So, it ended well. 

Travis, Joanna and crew are taking care of things back in TBay. Joanna returned from Toronto, and jumped right back into the swing of things at work, and in the business. We are certainly grateful to have them there taking care of the house while we're away. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed, the weather has improved, and we have moved! On Thursday, we drove up to Winnipeg, where we enjoyed the hospitality of Mike and Peggy. Today, we drove out to Dauphin where we're enjoying time with a longtime friend, Marilyn, and looking forward to catching up with our other friends in the area. We plan to complete the transit to Regina on Monday. It has been a busy week as we completed what we could of the home projects, and prepared to be away for the next while. I had an MRI on my prostate on Thursday—I hope I'll get feedback on that by the end of next week. It was certainly preferable to the biopsy! The only disagreeable part was all the noisy claxons placed by my ears! The drive west is going well! The markets were terrible this week; Trump has expanded the deficit by 84% in just one year, and investors are concerned. US indices are down 7-8% this month, and are now in the red for the year to date. I have suffered along with them, but was blessed with a good day on Friday to recover a bit. The Olympics have begun, and I've mostly been focusing on Mixed Doubles Curling. I haven't been able to follow my sports as much this weekend as we've been travelling. Our team has advanced to the playoffs in Mixed Doubles, and our snowboarders are picking up some medals. The Maple Leafs continue to do well. Pens are also doing okay; at least they're in a playoff position. The Oilers are struggling, and I don't see a way for them to make it to the playoffs. KU was dropped to #10, and after this week's action will probably drop further. They won their home game, but lost today at Baylor, so it hasn't been a good week for them. Rock Chalk Jayhawks! 

The Baileys are doing fine in PA. We expect to see them, and even visit them in PA, during our sojourn in Saskatchewan. Erica spent this week a little east of Edmonton for work—helping out on a few files. It was long days, so she logged a lot of hours. But it was also fun to meet some of her colleagues from Alberta. She even waved at Dolly while I was there—virtually, over the company network. Eric spent the week at home enjoying a rental car—a Toyota Corolla. It's not his dream car, the Tercel, but they don't make those anymore. Liam had a few doctor appointments on Monday with the family doctor and the specialist. They were encouraged to see that he has gained some weight and his iron is up a bit. He still needs to improve it further, but he is definitely doing better. Liam had his 18th on Sunday and Haaken had his 21st on Wednesday. It looks like Haaken had a good birthday with a trip to Mr. Mikes with the Baileys in Victoria, and a Simpsons birthday cake. We were going to call him, but he told us he would prefer that, for his birthday, we do not call him... so we didn't. We will probably give him a call this weekend.

Kristian has been collaborating with us as he works on projects for school. It's pretty amazing to watch him work in Regina while we're in Thunder Bay. He had a school ski trip yesterday, his first try at skiing. He took a lesson, and seemed to do all right, but feels a bit nervous about it. He also tried snowboarding, but didn't enjoy that. Today, in bowling, he scored 137, 137, 135—amazing consistency! 

Travis and Joanna remain busy. Joanna was away in Toronto most of the week visiting her dad. It was bittersweet, and there are family meetings to discuss options for his ongoing care. Trav took care of things at home and over here in the office. We are glad to have them around to take care of the house while we travel. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The temperatures took a brief break mid-week, but it's been a week of bluster, blizzard and cold, and whether the groundhog saw his shadow or not, we're expecting many more weeks of winter. It has not been a good week in several ways. I initiated the week with a lovely feast of chocolate ice cream on Sunday evening, and by Monday, my gout was in full flare! Even after beginning a course of Colchicine, it took several days to break the pain in my right foot. Now, I'm recovered, and with a new respect for the necessary discipline of avoiding high fructose corn syrup! The disabling issues of gout also forced me to forego my curling activity this week—so, I had to satisfy myself with much curling on TV. It is the week of the Scotties. Four teams have survived the round robin action and enter the playoffs. I was cheering for Northern Ontario representative, Fleury, but she lost out this afternoon. Now, I'll be cheering for Einarson to complete her run, however, she'll have to beat NS (Arsenault) in the semi, and MB (Jones) is already waiting in the final. The markets put on a terrible, no good, very bad week, dropping several percentage points in the turmoil of Trump's America. I completed January successfully, making quota even though the TSX was down 1.6%. February has begun with red ink. Wendy has persisted in another puzzle, and wrapped it up tonight, even though she was convinced there were pieces missing! She has also taken over driveway clearing duties while I've cheered from the sideline with gout. She spent some time on preparations for our sojourn on the prairies; we intend to leave by the end of next week. Hockey has resumed after the all-star break. The Leafs and Pens are holding down playoff spots, but my Oilers are continuing to flail helplessly. In college basketball, the Jayhawks were dropped a couple of spots to #7. This week they played one good game, but couldn't shoot this afternoon, losing a home game to Oklahoma State. They will be dropped further!

Eric and Erica are progressing through their first winter in the new/old house in PA. They enjoyed being back together this week. It's getting into busy season so there has been a lot of work going on, not much of it on the house. They did have some new friends over for dinner and as luck would have it, the guy does house Renos. So they did a tour and talked ideas. Liam is home this weekend for his birthday and for two doctors' appointments on Monday. He brought a friend home with him. They all went to Saskatoon and watched a movie to celebrate his birthday. Haaken is doing his classes. He is also doing some tracking on why he hasn’t got his student loan money. Haaken is also considering a weekend class on making a movie.

Kristian and Erin had a remarkable week. It started with Kristian falling ill and missing school on Tuesday. He recovered, and on his return to school found he had been awarded Safety Patroller of the month for January—good job, Kristian! Today he had league bowling and put up a combined average over 140 once again. 

Congratulations Kristian!

Travis and Joanna remain busy—always a good thing when you're in business! Gemma and Andrew are heading into the second semester work in school. Gemma is graduating, so is also busy with plans and preparation for university. Joanna is off to Toronto tomorrow to spend some time with her dad. 

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 very mild, with some days above zero, and we've enjoyed getting out for walks on the slushy streets. We expect the weather to turn colder in the next week, after all, there remains another month or more of winter yet to come. I have completed my intended electrical work in the garage, although Wendy is calling for some new electrical fixtures out there yet! Wendy has cleared the kitchenette floor down to the cement in readiness for tile, however, I think she is planning to hold off on further development down there until we get back from the Prairies in April. She completed the 1000-piece jigsaw of Ottawa, and has moved on to another puzzle. She also has completed a set of reindeer ornaments that she began way back in YK days! The markets have been roiled by the Trump administration who announced four differing stories on their dollar policy in the matter of three days! Finally, on Friday, investors determined it was all nonsense, so the US dollar resumed its decline, while the US markets surged. The TSX has not kept them company, and has barely struggled into the green for the month. I did not make quota this week, but I remain on quota for the month. The Canadian Open ended on Sunday with Switzerland's deCruz winning the men's title, and Chelsey Carey winning the women's title. In junior curling, New Brunswick won the women's title, while BC won the men's side. This weekend, the Scotties has begun; I shall be well engaged in that for the next week! Hockey is in a brief hiatus for the all-star break, and all teams are assessing their situations, and deciding whether they should be stocking up, or selling off! My Jayhawks lost in Norman OK this week, but returned home to win today over Texas A&M. They were raised to #5 in the rankings, but it is questionable whether they will be able to keep it after this week's mixed results.

JigSaw #3

Who said I would never get done?!

Erica spent the week busily engaged with driving and work on the road between PA, Regina and Saskatoon. She was hoping to get some some visits in with family. Unfortunately, the time not spent driving was working or sleeping. It was a busy week. She did get one evening in with Liam, which was nice. Eric had a busy week at home fending for himself and he even made some progress on the living room. It looks much more spacious with the boxes and building supplies out of the way. Haaken and Liam continue with school. Haaken is following up on his student loans. He has been approved and submitted his banking information, but payment has not yet arrived. Eric has been selected for a radio assignment on Valentine's Day where he'll be discussing relationships.

Kristian put up two excellent sets of bowling this week. He first caught up for his missed games last Saturday, and then bowled consistently good games in league action this morning. He averaged over 135 in the first set, and then pushed it to 142 this morning! He's doubled his average since last year at this time. He got his hearing aides repaired this week, so he had to spend some time without them, and other time with less adequate loaners, but he's back to hearing (and listening) once again!

Travis and Joanna continue with a lot of work at their various assignments. We're glad to see them around the office here most days. Trav has also been experimenting with some of our keto recipes, and really enjoys the pizza dough. The rest of the crew gave it an approval as well.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been mild with some night time temperatures even remaining above zero. Along with these systems, we've had some fresh snow and also some rain! At Wendy's insistence, we've taken time to clean the driveway down to the pavement. I've also taken the opportunity to work outside, doing some electrical upgrades in the garage. The garage is my next area of focus as the main house project remaining is the kitchen, and that's just more money than we can manage right now. Wendy is removing a piece of carpet in the kitchenette in preparation for tile in that part of the room. We have purchased 1/2" tiles for a thermal-break from the cement floor, so that's about ready to go once the painting is completed. Wendy has also put many hours into a 1000-piece puzzle; there are still a few hundred pieces left to go. The markets have continued their volatile ways, made more-so with the political chaos across the line. If it weren't such a concern, it would be amusing to see how a party in control of the legislative branches and the executive can't get legislation passed! The TSX is not moving up much (less than 1%), while the US indices are up over 5% this month. The main index down there was up 24% in Trump's first year—bigly! However, it falls far short of Obama's first year (35%). The main concerns for the US is that job gains have fallen to the lowest level in six years, and they're putting all their eggs in the trickle-down basket, so their dollar has fallen 10% in the last year. At any rate, I had another good week; so far, so good! The Continental Cup came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday with the North American team eking out the narrowest of victories over the World team. It was also a wonderful display of sportsmanship as the players seemed to realize that it's just a game and no one's national pride was devastated by the result. This week the curling feature is the Canadian Open. My guy, Kevin Koe, made the playoffs, but he lost the semi-final to Edin in an extra end. It will be Sweden vs Switzerland in the final tomorrow. On the women's side, it's Englot vs Carey. It is also the week of national junior championships in curling for both men and women. Good thing I have a PVR! KU moved up in the rankings to #10. They managed a big road win this week, and then returned home for this evening's win over Baylor—far closer than it should have been! In the NHL, Pens and Leafs are sitting in playoff spots, but the Oilers remain a long way out. C'mon Oil! 

The Baileys are enjoying their new/old house through their first winter. We look forward to getting updated on that project when we're out that way in the next month or so. Otherwise they continued with organizing and moving into their master bedroom. They sorted through clothes and have a big pile going to Value Village! Liam had a ski trip to Fernie. No news from him, except that he made it back. It must have been a fun time! Haaken continues with school.

Kristian was not feeling well this morning, so he missed his league bowling again. In his make up games earlier in the week, he put up some nice numbers with an average of 125. He'll have to make up today's play as well. Erin has decided it was time, so, she took down the Christmas tree today! 

Trav and Joanna returned from Punta Cana on Sunday night, and have got back into the swing of work and home. Trav is taking an adult hockey skills clinic, and finds it quite a bit of work. 

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 crazy, with above zero temperatures and rain early in the week, turning to a deep-freeze and fresh snow later to create quite a mess on our front steps and our vehicles. We've managed to get that mostly cleared away, but they're threatening milder weather and more snow tomorrow. We've made some progress on the projects downstairs. With Trav & Joanna away, I've taken advantage to do some work in their office area. I built a small cupboard to cover over the water metre and the plumbing connections for the new kitchenette. There's still the painting to do, but my part is done! The TSX is struggling here while the sinking US dollar and corporate tax drives the US indices forward. At least Oil has recovered value as a result, and that helps a large industrial sector here. At least, I'm managing to make quota this far into this new year. The big sports attraction this week was the Continental Cup. Kevin Koe is one of the teams representing North America; I've enjoyed watching these games. North America holds a 1 point lead over the World team heading into the final day. In basketball KU is ranked #12; they managed two wins this week, although not impressively! Oilers continue their mediocre season in hockey—I was expecting so much more after their playoff run last year. Pens are doing a bit better at least, and, along with the Leafs, are sitting in a playoff position. 

Plumbing Cupboard

The Baileys are enjoying being home after their travels over the holidays. One special activity during the break was attending the wedding of their friend Tamara where Erica was part of the entertainment. They have also completed the master bedroom, and have now moved in there. It looks good. Plans are coming together for Liam's grad. Hard to believe how the years have flown by. 

At Tamara's wedding

Looking like home!

Erin and Kristian are hunkered down against the cold in Regina. In the cold this morning, Erin was hoping the car wouldn't start so they wouldn't have to go to bowling! But it did, and they did. However, the bowling did not happen as the computerized scoring malfunctioned and, apparently, these kids can't figure out how to do manual scoring! So Kristian will have to make up those games on Monday evening. 

Trav & Joanna have been enjoying their time in Punta Cana. Wendy has been occupied with caring for their animals, and supervising the children. They sometimes come by to eat, but truthfully, Gemma and Andrew have been doing a great job of taking care of things at home. We expect Trav & Joanna to get back tomorrow evening. 

And that's about it for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had a cold introduction to the new year as we've seen the temperature drop to near -30, but they're telling us that it's over for now, and we're looking toward single digits again. We've stayed near the house most days, and have enjoyed a quiet week. I had an appointment with my oncologist and he's agreed to go with an MRI instead of another prostate biopsy—colour me: relieved! Wendy keeps plugging away on the puzzle, and I throw in a piece once in a while. She has also taken down Christmas decorations, so our rooms have returned to near normal. I've begun planning improvements to the workshop in the garage. We're nearing the time when we will get the last of our appliances out of there, so I'd like to rearrange the saws and workbench so we can get the Santa Fe inside. My hope is to have plans ready for work come spring. In the meantime, I need to complete the kitchenette, so I've also turned some attention there. The markets have opened to the green these first three trading days. On Friday, we got impressive jobs numbers as our unemployment rate dropped to the lowest since 1976. US had their poorest year of job growth in the last six years, so that's a concern as the US dollar weakens, and our exporters face the headwind. There are further concerns that the Bank of Canada will raise the prime rate, while the US Federal Reserve, suffering poorer performance, may not. So, I'm playing things cautiously. Trav & Joanna left for a week in Punta Cana, so we have Minnie living with us, and we're supervising over at their house as well. The sports calendar continues to be busy. I've started my month of league curling—fun so far! The Junior Hockey World Championships concluded this week with our boys bringing home the gold! Olympic Trials for Mixed Doubles curling have been running all week, and I've been following that. We're into the playoffs now, and my favourites, Gushue/Sweeting, have advanced to the final game against Morris/Lawes. The Oilers and Pens continue to have inconsistent performance in the NHL. C'mon man! The Jayhawks lost a home conference game while putting up a poor performance. Rock Chalk boys! That is unacceptable. They had recovered to #10 ranking, but may drift quite a distance after that effort! They played much better tonight for a road win.

The Baileys found a break in the weather to make the return trip to PA. The roads were good and they enjoyed the good hospitality of Uncle John (thank you) on New Year's Eve, and found a great hotel deal in Banff. It’s funny how a trip that they used to make in a day now takes three! They’ve mostly relaxed this week as they all came down with colds along the way. But they also made some headway on the house, finishing the floor in the master bedroom and purchasing a new mattress for Liam. They filled out the week with efforts to make gluten-free cookies for Liam. Haaken heard this week that he has been approved for a small student loan as well as a grant given in recognition of his autism; that will help with his schooling.

Master Bedroom Floor

Erin and Kristian are back to work and school. Kristian had his regular league bowling today, and rolled all three games over 100. His average has been bumped to about 110! Good job! He is backlogged on Lego projects as he got too many for Christmas! Just kidding—according to Kristian, one cannot have too much Lego!

Travis and Joanna cleaned up as many orders and work as they could; then, they left on Thursday for a week at Punta Cana. We've assumed care of the children and animals—Wendy has done most of that! She spends each night at their house, while Minnie stays here with me. Gemma takes care of driving Andrew and herself to school and other engagements, so that's very handy. The vehicles are running fine now that they have new batteries. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Happy New Year!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, and we find ourselves at the end of another year. We enjoyed a family Christmas celebration here. We wish you all well for each day, and of course for the New Year! The weather has turned very cold suddenly, and we've already enjoyed all of that we can stand. The forecasters are threatening continued cold weather over this weekend before it moderates. I even broke down and plugged the car in overnight! I haven't been feeling well this week; I seem to have come down with a cold, and I think it invaded my right eye, but it's getting better. Anyway, I didn't feel up to much production this week, and the kitchenette continues to wait. I did get some electrical work done at least. Wendy has broken out jigsaw puzzles; one is done, another well under way! The markets were only open three days, and it was just as well, as they did not help! I finished the year short of quota, but my accounts grew a bit despite us withdrawing funds each month for our needs—so that part was good. I'll be spending time over this long weekend analyzing the situation, and planning changes to my investment strategies. I try to do that several times each year, a bit each weekend, and even more so on long weekends. It's a job! Regular league play continues in the NHL, and I have to admit the Oilers are picking it up a bit. I'm not seeing improvement in the Pens; they seem unable to produce except on the power play, so they may need to make some changes, and perhaps even bring in some fresh talent. The Jayhawks opened league play with a road win over Texas—that was encouraging. They've been elevated to #11, and further changes will be seen in the next rankings as #1 Duke went down to defeat this week. The big event on now is the Junior Hockey World Championships. We lost one game to the US in a shoot-out, but have prevailed to win our pool, and now move on to the medal round. Go Canada, Go!

The Baileys spent the week in Victoria where they enjoyed the reunion with Haaken and a week of visiting with the Victoria Baileys! On the way out, they just made it to the ferry ahead of the bad weather. Christmas was very generous to all of them, but their greatest pleasure was seeing the boys feel the joy of watching others receive. They enjoyed a family trip to see the latest Star Wars. Haaken is enjoying school; he has been getting good grades. Hopefully, this will result in employment possibilities. They concluded the week celebrating the wedding of Tamara Jacobs, a friend from high school. This beautiful event took place at the Mann farm today. They plan to begin the drive back tomorrow, Sunday, the 31st.

Erin's week was marked by vehicle issues. Cold weather invaded Regina, and her car refused to start. It turned out the alternator was defunct. After it was rebuilt, and a new serpentine belt installed, Shawn also felt the battery had been compromised by operating at low charge in extremely cold weather, so the battery was replaced as well. As it turned out the battery was replaced under warranty, and the alternator was rebuilt, so the costs were kept remarkably low—a blessing all on its own! However, in today's cold snap, the car refused to start once again. Maybe it requires being plugged in under these conditions!

Building Lego keeps him warm!

Sadie requires a fur coat and sweater!

Travis and Joanna have been putting in long days this week. Joanna had extra work with her catering side, and they both had lots to do for Puckshots and Stickerz. Anyhow, we enjoyed Christmas together. We took in the latest Star Wars edition, and then we celebrated around a turkey dinner, and a Christmas jigsaw puzzle. They've both had nagging car issues, and finally bit the bullet and purchased a new battery for each of their vehicles. It improved to -15 today, and their cars were running well.

And that's about enough for this week and this year! 

Merry Christmas!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been mild, but we've had a few flurries along with that change. I've cleared the driveway a couple of times, and didn't enjoy it at all! Wendy has been busy with preparations for Christmas, and has also continued with her refreshment to the office and living room. I've continued with the kitchenette, but she has come up with some additions needed upstairs, so I'm wiring in two more electrical outlets up here. It's always a challenge adding electrical after the fact! I hope the mudding is done in the kitchenette, but we'll see what it looks like after the primer coat goes on. I've bought some LED strip lighting, so we'll see how that goes under the upper cupboards down there. If it's approved, we'll be adding some to the kitchen later. I've a couple of weeks with the compression stocking and I'm seeing improvements. There is less discolouration in the lower leg, and a lot less fluid build up each day. It's been a poor week in the markets with thin trading as we approach yearend. I only have three trading days left, and I don't expect much from those. Oilers have had a good week, and a playoff spot is at least becoming a possibility for them. Penguins are also close to a playoff spot, and there are rumours they'll be trying to improve their lineup through a trade. Jayhawks came back with a couple of wins this week, and should see some improvement from their current #14 ranking.

Eric, Erica and Liam are on the way to the Island today. The last report this evening had them on the 10PM ferry. Haaken awaits, along with the extended Bailey family, so we're wishing them a Merry Christmas out there! From the photos they've sent our way, it appears they got the bedroom floor ready for stain and polyurethane before they headed west—good job! 

Erin and Kristian seem to be all ready for Christmas in Regina, with several festive meals being organized. They're expecting cold weather there, so we wish them a Merry and warm Christmas! 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew are celebrating Christmas with us here in Thunder Bay. We're planning to take in the latest Star Wars film as our traditional Christmas movie. Merry Christmas, and May God bless us, everyone! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been cold, and we've had a little bit more snow. We're promised melting temperatures over the next few days, so I'm hoping it doesn't bring snow with it! We drove some of the back roads on Sunday afternoon until we found a likely-looking tree, and brought that home with us. Wendy has busily dug out lights and decorations and hung more than the tree can hold! Lots of memories in those items! My fancy $200 compression stockings have arrived, so I struggle into one of them each morning. I've continued work on the mudding downstairs. It's getting close! Wendy has continued with her painting on the main floor. She completed the living room, again, and, put another coat of paint in the office walls. The markets have been whipsawing, and the TSX has returned to red for the month, but I've had another green week, so I feel well blessed. I got out for curling again on Wednesday, and have agreed to play with a team for the month of January on a regular basis. The Olympic Trials ended on Sunday with my guy, Kevin Koe, winning on the men's side, and Rachel Homan winning the women's side, so they'll be our representatives at the Winter Olympics. In hockey, Oilers and Penguins are improving, but there's more needed! Leafs suffered a significant injury, and have been having a tough time while Matthews is out. Jayhawks fell to #13 in the basketball rankings, and didn't look impressive in their win over Nebraska this evening—Rock Chalk boys!

NOEL

O Christmas Tree!

There's only one week until the Baileys have Christmas break! They scored themselves some early Christmas presents as they picked up a new palm sander and also some sand paper for their pole sanders—they surely know how to have a good time! They hope to refinish the floor in the master bedroom this weekend. Of course, with this being the opening weekend for Star Wars, there are competing priorities! Liam is spending the weekend with his Auntie Erin and doing some Christmas shopping. They are looking forward to the break, but still have a week of work to go!

Congrats Eric!

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Kristian's bowling league had their Christmas party today, so the bowling was just for the fun of it. Kristian scored a nice remote-controlled truck at the Taylor Christmas party last weekend. They keep pretty busy with Christmas preparations.

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew enjoyed last weekend in Minneapolis, and returned home on Monday. Minnie and Beaker stayed with us while they were away. This week they were hard at work, trying to get as much as possible done in time for Christmas. Gemma and Andrew are closing out their school activities before the break.

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. I flew back into town Sunday evening after the bonspiel in Toronto. I have now informed one of the local leagues that I'm available for curling as a spare. I'll also continue practicing, as I've been away from regular curling for 12 seasons until this year, and there's plenty of rust! Winter arrived Monday night after a day of rain, so it was a slushy mess on the driveway on Tuesday. Wendy and I spent a few hours working on that and finally got it cleared away. Wendy is painting this week in the living room and office. This weekend, we inherited the animals from Travis & Joanna, as they're off with Gemma and Andrew for a weekend in Minneapolis. Lucky them! I've continued to work on the kitchenette, and we're slowly making headway. The markets enjoyed solid economic data and, except for the Nasdaq, have progressed into the green for the month. I had another great week and am back on quota. Sports this week has been pretty much full-time curling with the Olympic Trials on for both men and women. Kevin Koe has advanced to the final tomorrow where he'll play Mike McEwen. On the women's side, it'll be Chelsea Carey against Rachel Homan. Lots of great curling all week long. Jayhawks lost to an unranked team, and are bound to tumble from their lofty #2 ranking. The #1 ranked Blue Devils also lost, so there will be a substantial reshuffle. Oilers are showing a bit of progress, but are still playing substantially below expectations. Pens are pretty much in the same category, just unable to make much headway in the standings.

Eric got confirmation of his certification as a Clinical Fellow, congratulations! Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet week, nothing much going on except getting ready for Christmas. Well, Erica did set up a fund-raising site so everyone would have an opportunity to support her upcoming surgeries. Here's the link.

Kristian put up good bowling scores again this week, and may have raised his average again. Good work, buddy! Erin scored a used computer from work, just needed to replace the hard drive, so Kristian now has a computer for his room as well as the laptop. Christmas has come early!

Trav & Joanna put in lots of time and effort getting product out the door this week. Then, they took off for the weekend excursion this morning. They're just relaxing in Minneapolis, but I'm sure they'll have fun. Gemma and Andrew are off with them, while we try to take care of things back here. We got notification that they'd arrived safely in Minnie—we wish them a good and safe trip!

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, but I have ended the week on the shore of Lake Ontario. To make a long story short, I accepted an invitation to curl in a bonspiel in Toronto and I have enjoyed it a great deal. A team from Dallas/Fort Worth was one player short, and Viggo mentioned it, and I bit! So, I've been practicing for the last month, and am starting to get comfortable playing again. We played three games here in two days, and that was a bit much, but I also saw progress in my play, so it's encouraging. I intend to keep playing back in Thunder Bay, and also when we travel out to Regina later in the winter. Viggo has another crew wanting to come to Thunder Bay at some point for a spiel, so I'll be working to try to set that up. Otherwise it was a busy week, as the appointments for investigative work on my DVTs have continued with blood work and a lung scan. I've never had a lung scan before. First they had me breathe in some radioactive gases, and then they took a series of shots with an Xray machine working in a circular path around me for about 20 minutes. After that, I was injected with some radioactive fluid, and then had another 20 minutes of Xrays. Finally, I headed to another Xray room, and had some regular Xrays taken. Apparently this allows them to see the extent of air penetration of my lungs, and also of blood circulation. It should also help them determine whether I've had any damage from a pulmonary embolism. The search continues! I got a bit more work done on the kitchenette, the taping is complete, but further mud remains to be applied. After I took off for Toronto on Thursday, Wendy started to work on the living room wall. I thought that wall was already finished, but apparently there were some imperfections, so it's being fixed! The markets ran well to end November, and I've almost got back to quota. December didn't start well, but it's only one day. The week began with an exciting Grey Cup game in snowy Ottawa; I was delighted to watch Toronto win it. NHL play finds the Pens playing better, the Oilers playing better, and the Leafs near the top of the league. KU Jayhawks continued their winning ways, and have been raised to #2 nationally.

Eric had some exciting news. He is now, officially, a clinical member. It says so right on the AAMFT site! He is so pleased to be done. We are pleased to congratulate him on this accomplishment! Erica got her new compression “fancy pants” and recalled what it was like when she got her first ones. When the therapist took her measurements a few weeks back, he commented that there were some big changes. Here's some pics to make the comparison. The bulge out just before the knee is now a curve inward. And there's a knee gap!

From left to right, top to bottom:
April 2017 when she got her first pair of compression,
July 2017, right before surgery,
July 2018, 10 days after surgery,
November 2017, new compression.

Haaken continues to enjoy school and living on the coast. They are still working on jumping through the hoops for student loans—was it always this difficult?! Liam is doing well at school and is making the most of his grade 12 year.

Erin and Kristian are doing well in Regina. Kristian had a big game of 216 in bowling today, and raised his average to 137! Wowsers! Well done, buddy! He has also been emailing me more about his book. It's been a fun experience for me. We've decided that we're now email pals!

We enjoyed celebration Trav's birthday last weekend, but then it was back to work. Travis and Joanna continue to be very busy with Puckshots and Stickerz work. Joanna has determined to stop doing her contract work as a phlebotomist for now. Perhaps she'll pick that up later. She's enjoying her work at Fox on the Run, and we all benefit with some good eats from there as well.

And that's about enough for this week.  

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, and the yard and driveway have cleared off again. Wendy has continued to work on the clearing and cleaning. She's almost done the office now, and she's continuing to dispose of stuff as she digs it out. I continue to apply mud to the kitchenette, but there's a lot of work to do there yet, but bit by bit, we're making progress. Wendy has completed research on insurance for the house and vehicles, so that's behind us for another year. We did change companies, so I was glad of that. The markets were thin this week as the US Thanksgiving interrupted trading, and many traders took extended time off. However, I was able to have a good week, and am back on quota for this quarter at least. I've kept working at getting back into curling. I've been added to the sublist at one club, and invited to join several teams, but I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. At present, I'm just trying to get ready for a spiel next weekend in Toronto. This weekend is Grey Cup weekend, and the Riders are not playing. They lost a tight game to Toronto last Sunday, so it'll be Toronto vs Calgary in the Final tomorrow. I'll be cheering for Toronto, but expecting Calgary to win. My hockey season is not going satisfactorily—the Oilers are playing much below expectations, the Penguins are playing below expectations. Of the teams I follow, only the Leafs are performing well. Maybe I should start cheering for the Jets; they're playing well! The Jayhawks rolled off two easy wins this week in college basketball. 

Not much news from Prince Albert this week. Eric/A are continuing with work. Haaken and Liam are continuing with school. They're making plans to enjoy the holidays together in Victoria next month. They made some progress with the renovations. Eric finished priming, so now they can apply the final coats of paint. Progress is slow, but there is progress! Eric has finished the required hours for clinical status—yay! Congratulations! He submitted his paperwork the next day to AAMFT, only to realize that everything south of the border was closed for four days over Thanksgiving.

Every great condo has a tree, and a dog!

Erin and Kristian are continuing to get ready for the holidays by dressing up their condo. This week, they decorated the tree—looks good, doesn't it? Kristian did not make it to bowling today; that will not help his results! He's enjoying reading and researching around a new book: Ryan and Jimmy And the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together. It sounds very interesting. 

Kristian's new book

Travis and Joanna put in long days these weeks as their busy season continues for hockey pictures. They try to get as much done and out the door in time for Christmas presents. This weekend, we'll be celebrating Trav's birthday. Happy Birthday, son! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather had remained mild, but showery, so it has not been pleasant to be outside. On Thursday and Friday we got some snow, but with temperatures climbing above zero, it's turned to a slushy mess. We scraped off the driveway on Friday, but we didn't get enough sun to dry it away today. More snow is predicted, but we hope things dry up and freeze first! Wendy has continued with house-clearing—she's moving out stuff that has been stored for many years, and eliminating some of it. She has also increased my reno project downstairs, so I've purchased and applied more gyproc, and I am back to the taping and mudding. We also bought some LED pot-light replacements for the family room. They installed easily, but were too bright, so we got a dimmer switch installed and now they look great. We got my electrical work inspected, and the guy was very complimentary of my work—thanks Uncle Rob! So, that issue is behind us once again. We're shopping for house and vehicle insurance, and hoping to change companies after what they put us through. Both the electrician and the inspector told us the re-inspection was bogus and a waste of time and money—our time and money! The markets have remained volatile, and I had some big days in both directions, leaving me about flat for the week, and still in the red for the month. C'mon man! The Riders scored an impressive win over Ottawa on Sunday to advance to the East Final against Toronto tomorrow. Go Riders, Go! Hockey continues to produce some interesting storylines and some very entertaining games. Oilers are starting to score more, but are still inconsistent, and lost ground this week. Leafs are playing solidly. Pens still struggling to score, but playing mostly winning hockey all the same. It's Grand Slam curling, again, with the National event this week. My guy, Kevin Koe, has qualified as usual, so I've been enjoying watching the action. I got out for curling a couple of times myself, and have decided to accept an invitation to curl in Toronto the first weekend of December! Special thank you to my children for the early Christmas gift to fund that trip! The Jayhawks continue to develop well in the early going of the college basketball season. I'm having trouble with my site that affords me the opportunity to watch them, but was able to make it work again this week—Rock Chalk! 

The Baileys only had to cook one meal this week. Nice! However, not quite as nice as having a live in Mom though! Liam was home last weekend and had some doctors' appointments on Monday. The doctors now think he has Colitis and maybe not Celiacs disease, after all. He is on medication for Colitis while still avoiding gluten for now, but his test results are showing improvement so that’s good. Eric is down to two hours of supervision left, which he should complete this coming week. It has been a long road and they are looking forward to the day when he has his Clinical status. They got the dining room and bedroom primed and picked up the paint for the bedroom. So, soon, they hope to have both rooms done. 

Liam percussing at the Cheesecake Cafe!

Merry Christmas!

Tree's Up!

Erin and Kristian are continuing with work and school, and with preparations for Christmas. Kristian got a set of novels in the school book fair and just can't put them down, even for bowling! (It's great to see his love of reading blossom!) Erin scored a new Android box for her TV, so she's arranging to get that set up with her desired apps, and anticipating more hours of comfortable winter time napping! 

Bowling? What bowling?

Trav & Joanna are working through their busy time, printing lots of product, and getting it out the door. Gemma has made application to a University of British Columbia pre-med program in Kelowna, so we're cheering for her on that one, although mom may not be ready for her little girl to leave home! (Where 'may' means 'is definitely'!) 

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 cool, even cold, and showery, and today we're getting some snow. The forecasters predict the next week of above zero temperatures, so we'll see whether the snow can survive that! I busied myself with electrical repairs early in the week, and completed the marrette replacement program on Tuesday. Now, we wait for the inspector to check it over again. I've also begun the mudding and taping in the kitchenette; slowly, but surely, we're making progress on the renovations. I've continued to practice curling, and also played two games this week. The leg is accepting the extra activity well. Wendy has been catching up with some painting, and also doing some general clean up and clean out of several rooms. We've also been going through the rooms and upgrading the bulbs from CFL to LED. It's now brighter; we old folks need it bright! The markets have been terrible this week. Investors have become frustrated over Trump's inability to get anything done in the US congress. It was further exacerbated by the tax plans that have come out showing ballooning deficits and no tax breaks for the middle class, sigh! As a result, it was a losing week for me as well—c'mon man! Sports stories continue to attract some of our interest. The Riders play the Eastern Conference Semi-final tomorrow—Go Riders! I've taken time for several hockey games this week: Leafs are doing well, Pens and Oilers are not quite measuring up to my expectations. NCAA basketball has started, and I got to watch the Jayhawks run off an easy win last evening. It's interesting to see the new personnel each season and to contemplate how Coach Self will develop them as the season progresses. Baseball had a sad story this week as historical Blue Jay favourite, Roy Halladay, died in a plane accident. Curling has begun the Olympic Qualification round, so I've been keeping up with that.

Liam is home for the long weekend. The Baileys are moving around the furniture to take advantage of the opening provided by the installation of the washer/dryer in the new laundry room. So, the living room is actually starting to take its final shape, although there's a lot of demolition and construction still in the plans for that area. 

Erin and Kristian are facing winter in Regina. Kristian got his school photos back—handsome dude, isn't he? He had bowling today, and maintained his average over 100. 

Grade 6 Scholar!

Trav & Joanna continue to be busy with photos, sometimes even busier than they expected as an extra team may decide it's time for pictures. Joanna is also busy with her two other full-time jobs! Gemma has been accepted to Lakehead University. She has also applied to other schools out-of-province, so we're waiting to see what comes of that. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had a good week, managing to get renovations going again here. We've completed the hanging of the drywall, and now I need to get to taping, mudding and finishing it so Wendy can paint. But, that plan has been interrupted by the electrical issues. This house was built in the 1970's, and was wired with aluminum wire. That was later determined to be a potential problem, so, Eric/A were required to get it fixed. That fix amounted to the electrician's application of penetrox on each connection, before fastening the wire-nut (marrette). That was ten years ago, it was inspected and approved. But, our insurance company has decided that it must be reinspected. So, we applied for that, paid $300+ for the privilege, and were further dismayed to have the inspector tell us the job was unsatisfactory! His story is that the marrettes used were not the approved ones, even though the installation was inspected and approved! The electrician's story is that the code has changed! Our story is we can't get insurance without a certificate! Yikes! After some discussion, the electrician has agreed to supply us with the marrettes, the inspector has approved the marrettes, and all that remains is for yours truly to open all the boxes and replace the non-approved ones! Sigh! According to the invoice of the earlier work, it took the electrician 11 hours to do the job, so I'll be at this awhile. I have now completed all the switch boxes, and began work on the receptacles today. Good economic data this week both sides of the border should have buoyed the markets, but the TSX demurred! However, I was blessed with quota, so I won't complain. The World Series was very entertaining, even strange, baseball, and it went the full seven games. In the final analysis, the Astros won two games in Los Angeles, so you have to give them credit for the victory. Hockey continues to entertain as well, my highlight was a game between the Pens and the Oilers—very exciting, even though my team lost! There was another enjoyable game between the Pens and Canucks tonight. The Riders completed the regular season this evening with a meaningless loss to Edmonton. Now they move on to the conference semi-final next weekend against Ottawa. Go Riders, Go! I managed to get out for curling practice a couple of times, and even played a bit this evening. I am delighted with how it's going!

Eric is getting excited to be near the end of his qualifying hours for Clinical counsellor status. If everything goes according to plan, he should be done by end of November! His current count is 9 hours of supervision left! Liam was diagnosed with Whooping cough this week. He thought it was a made up sickness. Now he is on medication for that. Poor kid! He just wants to be healthy. Haaken started some new classes this week. His school is designed to do fewer, more concentrated classes at a time. He is enjoying his time there. On the renovation front, the washing machine was reinstalled, minus the Teflon tape. They did a test run, it worked and there is no leaking! They also picked up some primer last weekend so they can finish their painting duties.

Yeah, I didn't recognize him!

Don't know this guy, either!

Kristian had a busy week with Trick 'r Treating early in the week and bowling this weekend. On Hallowe'en, he enjoyed both going out for treats, and being able to hand out treats at home, so he was multi-tasking that night. His first game of bowling did not go well, but games 2 & 3 were good and pushed his average back over 100. Maybe warmups are a good strategy, hey, buddy?! Otherwise, they're hunkering down and enjoying their refurbished home out of the winter weather in Regina.

Brrrrr!

Trav & Joanna are busy with hockey photography this time of year. We were glad to find time to have them all over for supper on Friday evening. It was also great to catch up with Gemma and Andrew. He is about a head taller than the last time we saw him in June before we headed west. Gemma is in the process of filling out applications for university—how did that come about so soon!

And that's about enough for this week.