Happy Father's Day!

Another week has passed and we've begun our early summer tour of western North America. We left Thunder Bay on Thursday, and are now on the flooding shores of the Missouri River in Lawrence, Kansas. But there's a bit of a story to that transition. First off, we completed a few more kitchen renovations, so the island is all ready except for the counter top. 

Island—also Barn Door in background.

Then, we put things away, including the live trap—it'd be hard to call it a "live trap" if we were leaving the poor critter to starve! Wendy got one last car wash, and we headed out on Thursday morning. Our trip has not gone as expected. Our first surprise was as the weather warmed up and we put on the AC—no cool! That was not cool! We're getting that fixed here in Lawrence, to the tune of $200 or so! Wendy had booked us in to a bnb in Minneapolis, but that didn't turn out as expected. We arrived at the location to discover that the owner was not there. Fortunately, another guest just happened to be in the house, so he, somewhat reluctantly, let us in. Turns out he's a student who has travelled from Germany to meet his internet girlfriend. He was a nice young man, and, for sure, saved our day. The bnb had promised to send us an email with the check-in instructions—that never happened. The bnb had promised to provide a fully stocked kitchen and fridge for all our eating needs—that did not happen. The bnb had boasted, "No mobile service—no problem!" Turns out that was incorrect as well. We finally found his phone number, and began making inquiries. "Oh, the food? Yeah, I've cancelled that offer." Not a good surprise. "Oh, towels? Yeah, I'll be right over with those." He finally put some wet towels in the dryer at 4am, but since the dryer was so overloaded, they were not dry in the morning, sigh! "Oh, and breakfast? No, that's not provided either." Puts quite a different colour on bnb! "Oh, TP? There should be TP." Yes, I agreed there should be TP, but there wasn't. We ate out that evening, and bought groceries for breakfast. Somehow, he forgot to offer reimbursement for that as well. On Friday, we headed south again. Wendy used her trusty GasBuddy app to find us a deal on fuel. Hey, it was only 50 km off our course, but at least it was west, so we could then head straight south to Lawrence, right? Wrong! All the roads took us back to Kansas City! The result was we saved $2.40 on Fuel, and spent $2.25 on tolls! But hey, fuel for $2.09 a gallon is pretty good! And, best of all, we arrived at a superior bnb here in Lawrence—meals, towels, TP, everything! Thank you, Aunt Helen! Today, I went golfing with Larry. The regular course I've been golfing here for years has had some great upgrades. It was a nice experience. I turned in 93 for my first game of the year. The markets have returned to troubled. The world economy is suffering a lot under Trump's trade wars, and the US economy is pulling back as well as his tariffs really bite the US consumer. I managed a green week, but not up to quota. A bigger prize was from my dear children who provided me a bench sander for Father's Day. I've long wanted one, even tried to buy one on line (but that's another story!), and now I have one!

Producing dust like never before!

A couple of sports seasons have come to an end. I was delighted to see St Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup, and the Toronto Raptors win the NBA championship. The Blue Jays continue their mostly sad-sack season, but now, the football season has begun! The Riders lost their first game in Hamilton, but more ominously, lost their QB to a headshot on the third play of the game. Go Riders! 

"Eric is playing love the rainy nights on his iPhone. It’s a rainy day here in PA, but we got out to enjoy the street fair anyway. We stopped by a local women’s clothing store and I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of items that fit me and were on sale! Bonus! (Yes, Dad, another new outfit.) Eric also got a new rain coat as the one he was wearing had a big hole in the side and we found one half price. Liam had an interview and received an offer to work at The Quest camp in August and his employer in Moose Jaw has granted him a leave so he can accept. Haaken continues to work on his portfolio. He has applied to two jobs and is preparing to apply for a third. He would appreciate prayers for his job search."

Erin and Kristian had a good week in Regina. Kristian had a sleepover at Omarion's, and got to hold the new baby sister, Ariana.

with Ariana

He had a PD day on Friday, so no classes that day. The school year is definitely playing out at this point.

Trav and Joanna bought a new pergola for their back deck. They had an assembly party, and have it all in place with their deck sofa. 

Mmmm, comfy!

Makes for a very comfortable set up there. Their new cockatiel seems to be settling in well. 

Dr. Bunsen

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

It's been a week of beautiful weather here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Today hit 30°, and that's where I draw the line—just getting too hot! I've managed to get out to the golf course a couple of times, but it seems I'm just getting older, not better! I took some time for a bit of a diversion this week and got the old Cougar out. That's always fun!

Took my best girl out for ice cream!

I've pretty much got the garage cleaned for now, and have returned to work on the renovations and a couple of woodworking projects. With the expected sunny days, I watered my dandelions, and am expecting a good kill rate. The critter has not been back, so the trap sits in place, unoccupied. I'll have to put it away when we head south next week. Wendy has been pushing hard on the kitchen. She has moved a lot of stuff back into the cupboards, and also unpacked other stuff that has been waiting in storage downstairs. She has been working on the painting, staining, and finishing. It's really looking great in the new kitchen.

I like how this is turning out!

I expect we'll wait until after our summer trip to get the countertop for the island; in the meanwhile, a couple of countertop remnants make it quite serviceable. Tonight we were out for a musical event featuring the women's barbershop chorus and other local musical talent—it was very well done. Trump has been traveling this week, but he's still launched a few broadside tweets. However, GOP senators have been expressing some resistance to his tariff wars, and that seems to have brought some moderation, so we had a good week on the markets. Friday was more poor economic news in the US as the jobs report was dismal. However, it's at the point where bad news is good news for the market, as it is seen as assuring the FED will push a rate cut to try to moderate the damage. This weekend, he dropped his tariff threats against Mexican goods, so we look forward to starting next week positively as well. The NHL playoffs are nearing their conclusion, and the Blues are ahead 3-2, with game six in St Louis tomorrow. Raptors are a surprising 3-1 leader in the NBA finals; I hope they finish that off in Toronto on Monday. Blue Jays continue to play sub-par baseball. The young guys show signs of potential, but also signs of inexperience. 

Erica has a date for her Telehealth session. It's set for 7pm, June 20th. She'll be explaining her Lipedema journey to people across Saskatchewan. We pray that this will be successful in getting a good attendance, and that it will help more women who are dealing with this disease. Eric/A have started to settle into a more casual pace as their busy seasons come to an end. They have begun scraping 100 years of paint from the front deck pillars. They hope to have them ready for painting by the time the paint sales come on in mid-June.

Paint Prep in PA

Liam continues to work in Moose Jaw. He is also considering working up at Quest Camp for August. Haaken is in his final term at Victoria College. He is getting his portfolio together to apply for animation jobs. We pray for a workplace for him where he can use his gift, and where people have an understanding of autism. 

Erin and Kristian have enjoyed a quieter week. Work was still really busy for Erin because they're currently short-staffed with Gayle away. Erin has had to learn some new stuff like how to post fleet sales to rental companies. Kristian is preparing a presentation on Golf for his class at school. He has grandly titled it Everything about Golf—I wish I could attend and get that information myself! Kristian also got to go swimming and to the Lawson Fieldhouse. End of year activities have already started. 

Travis and Joanna are looking at the purchase of a cockatoo. They plan to pick it up tomorrow. It is even bigger than Beaker—woe is me, and my toes! They have also been working on enhancements to their house and yard. They've installed a small set of patio blocks so they could move their barbecue down to the lawn, thus freeing up some deck space. They're also thinking about getting a pergola to provide some additional privacy. 

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 beautiful, and I've got out to practice golf three days. Wendy has continued work on the island, and has chosen the shade of teal for the main colour. We haven't bought the countertop for that, so I applied some of our old counter as a temporary measure and as a test case so we can check on sizes for the eating bar part.

Checking out Island Options

I have continued work in the garage; that's progressing as well. I even had the Cougar running today! We've had some company this week as Bram has graduated from the University. May and Rose stayed with us for a couple of nights. May and Bram were here for supper last night, before they headed west early this morning. Lloyd and Pam were over for supper this evening, and we expect them for church tomorrow. Hay-fever season has arrived for me, and I didn't anticipate it properly, and my Reactine has not caught up with it yet. The losing period for the markets has extended to a sixth week as Trump opened a new trade war with Mexico. As a result, May has been a write-off, and I've even fallen behind my planned pace for the year-to-date. The preseason has begun in football, and the Riders dropped their opener in Calgary. Baseball season continues; the Blue Jays provide entertainment, but not many wins. Stanley Cup final continues; the Bruins won tonight to take a 2-1 lead. I'm even paying a bit of attention to the NBA these days as the Toronto Raptors are playing in the final series.

Eric’s office has been experiencing some turmoil as one of their counsellors is diagnosed with cancer. He would appreciate your prayers for Marlene. On the upside, Eric got some sanding done on the back room. He installed (stuck it in the window) the air conditioner so they can sleep in comfort! Liam informs us that he is dating a girl from Briercrest. I’m not sure why he thinks he is allowed to date as he hasn’t reached 30 yet. Haaken has been posting some of his work on an art site linked to his LinkedIn account. So if you are Linked In with him you can see it. Otherwise check out haakenbailey.artstation.com. June is Lipedema month and the newly formed association is working on possibly doing a webcast! Erica may be sharing her story across Saskatchewan. We’ll let you know more once plans are finalized.

Erin has had a busy and difficult week as a co-worker lost her father and has been off work. She was already covering for her boss who is also away! Then, she got a call from Kristian's teacher that he has not been working up to expectations. She's hoping for a relaxation-break this weekend. Today, they went to Mosaic with Shawn and the kids. They were able to visit the pavilions of Scotland, Africa, China, Ukraine, Hungary, Philippines and Greece, but then Kristian ran out of energy. Still, it was a good day. Kristian also seems to be stuffed up from seasonal allergies.

Trav and Joanna have been working over here several days. Joanna is suffering with seasonal hay-fever as well, and she is not getting the relief she needs through her medications.

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, with frequent showers, and a couple of thunderstorms. We've been making steady progress on the building of the island. Wendy has not been feeling well most of the week, but she's kept at the painting while I've been building the legs out of the oak flooring. I've also been working on improvements in the shop. Now that I have a good shop vac, I want to use it as the centre of a dust collection system. We finally moved the china cabinet (built by her dad) from our bedroom to its honoured location in the dining room.

It has finally arrived!

Wendy is unpacking stuff unseen since 2000, and she's moved some of those items into the china cabinet. The Trump Trade War (so easy to win—sigh!) continues to take its toll, and the DOW is on a losing streak not seen since 2011. We don't make much progress when things are going badly for our biggest trading partner, so I'm feeling the pain as well. In sports, the NHL playoffs have finally reached the ultimate series with the Blues taking on the favoured Bruins. I will certainly be cheering for the Blues! The Jays continue to exhibit the blues and took a terrible beating today!

Haaken reports that he finished a project for his drawing class. He is nearing completion for one of the projects he is doing for his animation class. Today, he learned how to do live-streams. Eric joined Erica on a trip up north for work. They encounter four bears on the trip; sadly, one appeared to have been hit by a vehicle.

Didn't appear to be hitch-hiking!

Eric's parents used to live in Beauval so Eric enjoyed looking over old haunts. They stayed overnight in La Ronge, and will head back home this weekend. Liam has been fighting a cold, on top of his regular illness, but he soldiers on.

Erin has been working on summer plans for Kristian. She has him set up for camp at Clearview, and also for a golf camp in Regina. I'm looking forward to taking in the latter with him. She located some pallets for me—I should be able to build a house!

Much pallets for many years! 

Travis had a minor disaster with the support files for his BucketDecals website, so he's put in quite a few hours working on repairing that. Joanna keeps busy, and has also been suffering with her seasonal allergies. We've enjoyed a couple of prolonged visits, all the same, so that's been good. Gemma has completed her semester, and is on to her summer work activities. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy May Long!

Another week has passed, and we're enjoying May Long on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown! The weather has been nice. We've made good progress on the kitchen renovations. It's looking good so far. 

So far, so good! 

Wendy has begun work on the island that will be placed just under that trio of lights. She is also in the process of assessing the kitchen supplies currently in the spare bedroom, and returning some of it to the new cupboards.

Time to move the pantry

It's been quite a process, but we're in the end game now. The old shop vac died this week, but Wendy found a used one on-line that fills the role admirably. On Tuesday, my trap sprang into action, and we caught a skunk. I had designed it in compact size with the idea that a skunk would be unable to spray. Whether the design worked, I cannot say, but at least the skunk did not spray. We hauled him out of town and released him where we hope he'll stay!

A full trap into the truck

Away he goes to his new home!

The trap is back in place. My main purpose is to catch a groundhog which comes by once every few weeks, and does a lot of digging around the back of my garage. I have been working my way through my cohort of doctors since we returned home. This is now pretty much completed except for one follow-up with my oncologist. Blood work has come back with all good results except for my PSA, which remains high, and which keeps me going back to my oncologist. This week, I was to my optometrist; sadly, he had a concerning diagnosis: I am suffering with a corneal pannus in my right eye. This is a condition where blood vessels grow in and obscure vision. He is referring me to another eye specialist, so we'll see what comes of that. At this point, I'm experiencing blurry vision in that eye, and there's no expectation of improvement. Trump was back in action this week with new tariffs for the American people to pay. The farm community is suffering a lot over this. Later in the week, he also launched action against Huawei, which causes great suffering to American chip manufacturers. All told, the markets suffered this week, and I barely managed to eke out a gain, far short of quota. NHL semi-finals continue, with the Bruins already advancing to the final. I can only hope that the Blues will prevail and give me someone to cheer for! Fact is, I'll cheer for whoever plays the Bruins. Blue Jays continue to play entertaining, if unsuccessful, baseball.

Last weekend Eric and Erica attended Lobsterfest—a local fundraiser dinner. It was Eric’s lucky night. He won a $25 gift card, a 45-piece ratchet set, a battery booster and an electric scooter. Guess which of these Eric played with first—the scooter!

Eric scored the big win!

They took in the Raiders game on Sunday night. That didn’t appear to be helpful so they stayed home to watch on Monday and they pulled through to win the WHL championship and advance to the Memorial Cup. Liam is back at work in Moose Jaw. He’s enjoying doing the tours. If you have a chance, check out the tours of Moose Jaw! Haaken continues with school. They found out this week that there will be a presentation evening on July 19th, not the 22nd as previously thought. So they are adjusting their summer plans accordingly.

Erin had a jam-backed week at work with several special events. Shawn and the kids came over to spend Friday evening with Kristian while Erin was at another executive-level function. Today, she is suffering with a wrenched neck, and is on Advil and using an icepack.

Trav and Joanna had a bit more of a laid-back week including a day-trip down to Grand Marais. We didn't see them over here much, but we're looking forward to brunching with them tomorrow after church.

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy Mothers' Day!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, but we've been mainly consumed with the kitchen renovations, so, we haven't even made it to the golf course—misplaced priorities, you say?! The counter tops arrived on Thursday; we got those put together and installed on Friday. Today, we dropped in the sink.

Counter Sink! 

Wendy even has some of her kitchen stuff moved from the bedrooms into the cupboards! I'm enjoying getting back into the shop where I completed the live varmint trap.

Not even catching attention!

I've begun work on the decorative oak trim for second electrical bulkhead. Wendy has decided on the design of the island, so I've also begun planning what needs to be done there. (With enough time spent thinking, imagining, designing and planning, you can delay having to do the work for quite some time!) Today, we enjoyed our annual Mothers Day weekend event as the local barber-shoppers put on their musical show—that's always quite a treat. Unfortunately, Trump has resumed his tariff war, so the markets were decidedly terrible this week, and I lost value. He still refuses to acknowledge that tariffs are taxes your own citizens must pay so they can buy foreign goods, sigh! The second round of Stanley Cup playoffs have been completed, and I've improved my record to 50% for this round! In the semis, I'm picking the Canes and the Blues. The Blue Jays are back to playing about how I expected—the pitching is doing fine, but most games we're failing to score. At the World Cup of curling in Beijing, Canada has qualified for all three gold medal games. Kevin Koe will play China; Jennifer Jones will play Switzerland; and the Walker/Muyres team will play Norway. Go Canada Go! And since tomorrow in China is already well underway, I'm proud to acknowledge that Kevin Koe has won the Men's World Cup for Canada! Jennifer Jones has won the Women's World Cup for Canada! While Norway prevailed in the Mixed Doubles.

The Baileys had a busy week. Liam had his iron infusion. We were praying that he wouldn’t get sick like last time and he felt fine after! Great! He headed back to Moose Jaw on Tuesday and started practises for the Chinese workers tour. He has a lot of memorizing to do. On Monday, Erica was working on a project on Saskatoon, Eric had a meeting there, and Liam has his infusion so they had a mini holiday at the hotel! Eric has been preparing a sermon for Mother’s Day. Also they managed to score some tickets for the Raiders game on Sunday! The Raiders are playing in the WHL final this year—Go Raiders!

Erin and Kristian began the week hosting Kristian's friend Omarion for his birthday celebration. Otherwise, the week has been pretty routine.

Trav has been doing his annual Mothers Day flower deliveries this weekend. That started on Thursday! He's amazed at how many folks order delivery, but have neither house numbers nor working doorbells! We seem to be planning a Mothers Day movie outing with them for Sunday. Rumours are it will include a trip to Merla Maes for the first soft ice cream treats of the season!

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather cleared in front of us as we drove east from Regina. We spent Sunday night with Dean, in Winnipeg, and then completed the trip on Monday. We were able to review the Mexico plans with Dean one more time, and are beginning to look forward to that trip which is set to begin in mid-June. In the meantime, we have returned to our renovations here, and that continues to progress, albeit slowly. The weather has turned nice, and the golf courses have opened, so we were able to get over to the practice area this afternoon for some fun activity.

First Golfing in TBay this season

My friendly neighbourhood groundhog paid us another visit while we were away, and tried to dig his way under the garage. I have employed a fair number of concrete slabs to slow him down! In any case, I have determined to build a box trap for him, so I spent a bit of time on that this week. I've also managed a bit of millwork in the kitchen—with the cupboards taking up most of the wall-space, there isn't much millwork to do. The markets were troubled this week as the FED chair got in front of the mic and said things investors didn't want to hear. But favourable jobs' data turned things upward again, and I was able to make quota. The second round of NHL playoffs continues, and already one of my picks has been swept away. (Sorry, Islanders, I know you asked me not to pick you!) The young Blue Jays are playing a bit better than I expected, so that's fun to watch. My guy, Kevin Koe, lost the Champions Cup final to Bottcher. Looks like it will be quite a battle in Alberta between those teams for the next few seasons.

Erica reports that it's been a busy week at work! Yes, April 30th has come and gone, but when all your clients are non-profit, the tax deadline means nothing! And when you have a bunch of government entities, the business has just started! Eric was scheduled to speak next week, but found out late this week that the conference has been cancelled. That's too bad, but due to various advertising, he is making connections and might end up with other speaking engagements. (If anyone needs a last minute replacement, he has a fresh talk all ready to go!) Liam is heading home this weekend for a visit, and to get a iron transfusion on Monday. We hope this helps his energy and doesn't make him sick like last time. They had a good visit with Haaken last weekend. On Monday they were able to take him to school and pick him up after to get in a few more minutes before they left Victoria Monday evening. They also enjoyed a second Christmas this week as the snow fell! Fortunately it has quickly melted.

Kristian is back to school this week. Erin has work as usual. This weekend, they're hosting Omarion and helping him celebrate his birthday with a movie and a sleepover. After the storm blew through last weekend, Spring has returned to the prairies, and they are glad of that.

Travis and Joanna enjoyed the week in Florida, caring for and relishing time with Joanna's folks. Her dad is not doing well, so these are bitter-sweet times. They flew back to Toronto this evening, and we're expecting them back home tomorrow. Andrew has been taking care of things here at home, while Gemma was taking care of the grandparents' dog, in Toronto.

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we remain on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been beautiful and we've been out golfing a couple of days (okay, three, I went out three days!). I got my first lessons in jointing and planing, and was able to assemble a tabletop for my upcoming TV Table—thanks, Dad! It's been a good week. Even the markets, while shaky, cooperated enough to keep me on quota. We got Erin's planter established, so that's ready for her when she's ready to plant. Wendy applied some finish, so it looks great.

Planter and Trellis

Erin took Tuesday off work, so she came golfing with us that day. We played Joanne Goulet—Kristian's first effort on a regular golf course. All reported it as great fun, and Erin even picked up a lovely sunburn! On Friday, we drove up to Saskatoon to sup with the Baileys before they flew west. Kristian travelled along with us, but remarked that it was quite a lot of driving just to go out for a meal! The Champions Cup is being contested in Saskatoon this weekend. Kevin Koe has, once again, qualified for the playoffs. That competition will end tomorrow with Koe facing his young Alberta rival, Bottcher, once again for the championship. The first round of the NHL playoffs is over, and most of my picks suffered ignominious defeat! Although three teams called to request that I not pick them in the second round–here are my round two picks: Islanders and Blue Jackets in the east; Blues and Avs in the west.

Eric & Erica flew out to Victoria early Saturday morning to visit family out there, and catch up with Haaken. Liam is doing well, but not talking to the rest of the family until they see the new movie: Avengers End Game, so as to not share any spoilers! They plan to see it on Sunday—then, they can speak again, whew!

In flight entertainment, anyone?!

The Victoria Baileys are hosting! 

Erin and Kristian have been taking care of us all week—thanks guys!

First game of the season!

Travis & Joanna have flown to Florida with her folks to assist them with their vacation stay down there. While they were away their family suffered a loss with the passing of their conure, Beaker. "Today, our family said good-bye to our beloved feather-baby, Beaker. Beaker loved getting neck scritches, falling asleep on her humans, terrorizing the dog, and eating cheezies. We miss you, Beaker."

Beaker in better days!

So, in summary: Erica and crew are in Victoria; Trav and crew are in Miami; while we are making do in Regina with Erin and Kristian under the threat of a snowstorm!

That's more than enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, but we are not there! We are now on the shore of the Assiniboine River in Brandon, where we are enjoying the hospitality of Bonnie and Charlie—thanks folks! We are on our way to Regina, planning to spend the next week with Erin and Kristian while visiting in Saskatchewan. Before packing up, we did manage to do some further work on our kitchen renovation project, so, slowly, slowly, it is nearing completion. We have finished the kitchen/dining room floor, and have begun installing the upper cabinets. I completed the oak trim on the one bulkhead—the other will be another level of difficulty higher since I have to trim all four sides.

Glue Up

Installed

Wendy did a great job on the ceiling so this will trim it out nicely. From my salvaged pallet material, I built a nice set of folding sawhorses so Wendy can do her sanding and refinishing on the sliding door.

Folding Sawhorses

I also built a planter for Erin so we could bring it along to Regina in time for gardening season.

Planter

I completed my Spanish class, and got my marks—91%! I'm pleased, but really, I've just scratched the surface on learning the language. The markets continued to fluctuate, but the TSX got to a new record high, finally climbing beyond the level it has attained in January 2018, so it's been a pretty difficult time in the intervening year plus. Anyway, I had another good week. Kevin Koe lost another final, this time to Brendon Bottcher in the Players Championship. There is one more event in the curling calendar, the Champions Cup in Saskatoon. My NHL bracket has been demolished as so many of my picks have failed to advance. I'll have to pick up the pieces and make some picks for round two. 

The Baileys are enjoying the prospect of a long weekend. Their friend, Tanis, is visiting from Kenora. They enjoyed a hike at Waskesiu. Liam is on tour with his RU team; he seeks prayers for improved health. Haaken is starting to explore job opportunities. Several studios are hiring for numerous positions in Victoria, Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. We pray there is a great job and studio that is just the right place for Haaken to share his gifts.

Kristian and Erin are enjoying Easter Weekend with Shawn and crew. Kristian is looking forward to a week off school, and the chance to catch up on his math homework! We're looking forward to helping both of them enjoy next week. 

Travis and Joanna have cleared up several jobs as they prepare for some time away as well. We hope their trip and family time will go well. Gemma has completed her exams and is looking at several work options. She'd like to find an opportunity with a pharmacy. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Spring warmth has remained hard to come by, and we even had some white rain on Thursday and Friday! However, they're promising some nice weather next week—are these guys ever right?! I have found a source of pallets that I'm using as a source of wood for some small projects.

Lotsa good wood, but dismantling is tricky!

We've had a good week of progress on the kitchen renos. Wendy did some touch up work on the paint, and that's looking great. That led to beginning work on the new flooring. We've had to do some repairs to the old floor, and since that, we've been working to install the new stuff. We bought it second hand, and some of the boxes were opened. It's tongue and groove laminate, and as we began installing we found some of the pieces had damaged connections. That took a lot of extra time recutting those so they could fit together. These are the kind where you have to put a whole row together at a time, and then you can lock them into the prior row. It's slow going, but it's looking good. The markets were productive this week although we had some downturns over world trade concerns. At any rate, I've been able to remain on quota so far. I have completed my dental work—that's a relief! I do not like dental work! The expense doesn't help either! Kevin Koe lost the World Championship to Niklas Edin of Sweden. This week's event is the Players Championship in Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Kevin has had a good week, including a victory over Edin! He plays in the final tomorrow against Brendan Bottcher. The NHL playoffs have begun, and already several of my picks are in trouble! I picked Bolts, Leafs, Caps, Pens in the East, along with Flames, Sharks, Preds and Blues in the West. Blue Jays continue to play down to expectations, but they did win today! This is also a big week on my golf calendar as the Masters is being played.

This week brought an end to Erica's sojourn in Calgary. It was a good learning experience and she enjoyed getting to know the team there, but she's also very glad to be home. Liam started his job with Tunnels of Moose Jaw. He is still struggling with his health so we ask for continued prayer that he will feel healthy on a more consistent basis. Eric has one more week of evening classes that he’s teaching. He is also pulling together material for a conference where he is presenting. His topic is Trauma, Tragedy and Stress; his working title is “More Than Coping.” He presents on May 9 in Melfort. They've decided to spend some of their tax refund on a trip this fall. They’ve booked flights and an Air BnB in Amsterdam. They are very excited to be travelling overseas for a visit instead of medical treatment! The Saskatchewan Lipedema Association received official status as a Not for Profit Organization! Haaken continues with classes and enjoys living in Victoria.

Kristian has been suffering with seasonal allergies with the arrival of Spring in Regina. He missed school one day, and could not manage bowling this morning either. Erin is treating him with Aerius, and that is bringing some relief. They have relinquished their foosball table, and have installed an elliptical machine.

They'll be wonderfully fit in time for Summer, no doubt.

Travis and Joanna flew down to Toronto this week for a conference on Graphic Arts and a family visit. That has gone well, and they returned home today. Trav is currently in anguish over the poor start to the playoffs by his beloved Pens.

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 not warmed up as we'd like, and we even had a skiff of snow overnight on Thursday. Now, they're threatening 25mm of rain tomorrow! Wendy has kept at the painting in the kitchen and dining room and has now completed that. We will try to complete the installation of the base cabinets and see how far we can get with the upper cabinets over the next week. I have been working out in the garage. I've found a source of pallets, and have dismantled a few and salvaged some good lumber. Now, I've begun making a set of sawhorses for Wendy so she can do her painting and sanding out there. Her next project is a sliding door for the kitchen access from the side entry. We have picked up a nice used door, but it needs filling of the old hinge and lockset holes, and complete refinishing. I've started a series of dental appointments. My recent teeth cleaning revealed a broken filling, and some damage caused by the clips of my partial plate. So, those fun meetings will continue next week. The markets have run well for me this week, and I've caught up to quota once again. The NHL is completing the regular season this weekend. Then, we begin the second season of about three months of playoffs! Pens and Leafs are in the playoffs. Oilers are not, sigh! Winnipeg and Calgary also made it, so we have three Canadian teams making the cut this year. The baseball season is in full swing, and my Blue Jays are playing right about expectations—sigh! March Madness will conclude on Monday with Texas Tech taking on Virginia. I'll be cheering for Texas Tech. I've been watching the Men's World Curling championships all week. My guy, Kevin Koe, qualified for the playoffs and has advanced to the final with an extra end win over Switzerland, tonight. He has won two world championships and will play three-time winner, Niklas Edin, of Sweden tomorrow. 

Erica is home for the weekend. She has one more week of work in Calgary. She spend some time with cousin Carolyn this week and really loved that! Eric has been practising banjo and ukulele all week while Erica was away. He can almost play Rainbow Connection from the Muppet Movie. Liam was home for a visit last weekend, and had a doctor appointment. His iron is low again, so he is scheduled for another iron transfer. Eric/A have decided to fly out to visit Haaken in Victoria at the end of the month to ensure that he's okay! 

Erin and Kristian had a normal kind of week. Erin's pretty busy with month end activities. Kristian threw two great games this morning in bowling, but he was feeling more and more ill, so they went home rather than bowl the third game. Erin has been working on plans for her summer box garden. I'm practicing dismantling pallets and working on designs for the planters. Should be fun. 

We'll reuse the supports,
but I think that plant is finished!

Travis and Joanna stay busy. Now, they're planning a trip to Toronto for a family visit and to attend a conference. We'll watch over things here while they're gone, and try to take care of ourselves 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 okay, but cooler than we hoped. The snow continues to disappear, and the fairways and greens are showing up again. Sadly, there's still plenty of snow out in the trees where I normally play! Wendy has made great progress on the kitchen/dining room painting. I've been working in the garage building new shelving and storage for lumber. I got the old pantry installed out there to store other materials, so I'm being called to get things a bit more orderly—we'll see how long that lasts! The nicer weather is also calling us to get for more walks in preparation for an active summer. I've had another appointment with my vascular surgeon, and at her insistence, an appointment with an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. My bloodwork did not confirm antiphospholipid antibodies, so autoimmune disorder has not been confirmed as the cause of my DVT. Xrays, and MRI confirm an almost continuous clot is still in place from calf to upper thigh, and that there is only a small amount of venous flow through the affected deep vein. She noted that the treatment using Xarelto will continue indefinitely. Since I've been experiencing nosebleeds, she referred me to the ENT doctor. I feel the nose bleeds are due to dry wintry air, and that they're only more troublesome because of the blood thinner. The ENT agreed with me. He offered to cauterize a vein in my left nostril, but I declined. The vascular surgeon has scheduled more bloodwork over the course of several months, so we'll see if she figures anything else out. To this point, she holds her diagnosis of DVTs with no known cause. I'm doing fine; I wear a compression stocking on my left leg everyday, and that has been effective in preventing fluid build-up. So, all told, things are good. Wild market action continues with world trade issues and the rate inversion troubling investors, so while I was in the green, I didn't make quota this week. The NHL is nearly finished the regular season, but still some playoff positions are up for grabs. March Madness continues into the final challengers, with the Final Four to be determined this weekend. World Men's Curling championships began today with Kevin Koe representing us in Lethbridge. He opened with wins over Korea and Russia. I'll be following that all next week. MLB has begun the season; Blue Jays are off to a winning start in their first series.

Liam is home for the weekend. The Baileys have been taking advantage of a music store sell-out to expand their musical empire.

Band Van! 

A second banjo player in the family!

Eric is working the Ukelele, Banjo and Bass now. Liam has added a second banjo—dueling banjos coming soon? And they've also picked up a cajon drum and the cowbells. Yowsah! 

Erin and Kristian had a good week, although Kristian did have another sick day. Now they have a house guest for the weekend. Kristian's buddy, Omarion, got a new baby sister, so he's staying with Kristian while his parents welcome the new child. 

They're happy with the arrangement!

Travis and Joanna have not been over as frequently this week, but the printer keeps pumping out the product downstairs anyway. When you're in business, being busy is good! 

That's enough for this week. 

Spring has Sprung!

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been great, and the snow is disappearing. The back deck access to the grill has cleared away, and it's barbecue season once again. As someone observed, "If we didn't have Winter, Spring would not seem so wonderful!" Anyway, we are really enjoying the coming of Spring. Wendy has continued with her painting work in the kitchen/dining room. She's doing a great job, and only a little bit over the top! I have managed to make some progress on the oak trim. I need to cut the material down to size and refinish the cut parts, but it's looking good. With the warmer weather, I've been able to get back in the shop. I built a corner clamp to help me in building the oak trim for the bulk heads.

Homemade Corner-Clamp

I have also picked up a few pallets which I'm using as a source of wood for my projects. The markets were terrible, no good and bad this week. Weak US economic data in light of the ongoing trade wars led to the FED announcements of financial easing, so that put investors on our heels. Then, we got the news of a rate inversion, and we had a full-fledged panic on Friday. So, I have fallen back below quota, and I'm hoping for better things next week. I've been following the World Women's Curling championship all week, but Chelsey Carey did not have a good week, and did not make the playoffs. It'll be Sweden vs Switzerland in the final tomorrow. The NHL is in the final crush, and my Oilers are on the outside, looking in, sigh! Baseball is just about ready to start. March Madness is underway, and I really enjoy that tournament. Of course, I'd enjoy it more if KU had kept the run going. They won their first game this weekend, but they couldn't manage to advance to the Sweet Sixteen next weekend. That was about the limit of my expectations for them, but we're into next year country now! Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!

Liam got a new job with Tunnels of Moose Jaw! So, if you are in the Moose Jaw area—go check it out! He was working at a retirement home, but a lot of that work was in the kitchen, in contact with gluten, and he's been feeling ill. We hope that this is a more healthy situation for him, in addition to tapping into his acting skills! Erica is back home this weekend! So, while Eric is planning to finish up his card hockey today, she will have a relaxing day at home! Haaken is enjoying a visit from Auntie Mary and cousin Andrea in Victoria, along with his schooling.

Erin was extra busy this week as her boss was in Mexico for the week. Then, another co-worker called in sick Thursday and Friday so she was doing triple duty. Evenings were relaxing. Teacher conference was on Friday so Kristian had that day off. They were going to stay with papa for the weekend but uncle mouse felt better on Friday so they’ll hang out with him another time. Kristian, Astrid, Liam, Shawn and Erin went to the new How to Train Your Dragon movie at the big theatre with our Christmas gift cards from the Baileys so that was a nice treat Kristian's bowling was above average again today!

Travis and Joanna keep busy with hockey work, and they also picked up a basketball team—I think that's their first basketball team. They are really more interested in targeting an audience that doesn't overlap with the hockey season so much. Anyway, they're still keeping busy, and we're glad to have them around. Gemma is completing her second semester at Lakehead. Andrew is carrying on with his grade 12 year.

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

We've had a week of interesting weather here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It's been mild, with daytime highs above zero, but the biggest feature was 24 hours of major rainfall that really melted down the snowbanks. We're encouraged! Wendy has made good progress on the kitchen painting, and I've started on the flooring. However, Wendy is now having second thoughts on the flooring material, so that's at a standstill. We found a good deal on some oak flooring, just over $1 a square foot for a couple of end-of-line boxes, so we picked them up. It is 3/4" solid oak, tongue and groove. I plan to use that material to build the decorative boxes around the light bulkheads, and we're thinking about ideas to make use of the rest of it.

Oak!

Otherwise, we've had a fairly quiet week. This evening, we went skating at one of the local arenas. Wendy has new skates and enjoyed getting to try them out. I was glad to be able to skate without pain—well, we'll see how my legs feel tomorrow! The markets were more settled this week as the US/China trade war has been postponed for a few months. I was able to make quota, so that was encouraging. My sporting week started off with a highlight as Kevin Koe won the Brier. He is now preparing for the world championships which are set for Lethbridge. Today, the women's world championships began in Denmark; I'll be keeping track of Chelsey Carey and her team all week. The NHL continues the grind toward the playoffs; my teams have had up and down play this week. Basketball is pushing toward March Madness that officially opens tomorrow. My Jayhawks had a good week in the conference tournament. Iowa State beat them in the championship game tonight. They'll probably be about a #5 seed in the March Madness tournament. Rock Chalk, Jayhawks! 

Erica continues regular work in Calgary. Eric joined her there for a weekend adventure and an early celebration of her birthday. Today, they rented a car and toured west into the national parks.

Exploring Banff

Banff Weekend

Eric has some new potential projects; they are trying to obtain funding and grow their business. We pray those plans will come to fruition. Liam continues with work and RU. Last weekend, they performed in Nipawin at a youth rally. He has further performances scheduled: Apr 7th: Chinese Methodist Church in Regina, Apr 18th-21st: Easter Tour, Apr 27th-28th: Provost Performance. No news from Haaken this week. 

Erin and Kristian had a tough week, but now seem to be recovering their health. Kristian missed two days of school, and he's catching up on homework today. Kristian had good results in his bowling this morning, beating his average every game. Erin took part in a fund raiser at work for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: all told it came to $4500.00. Great job! 

Travis and Joanna keep busy. We have regular visits with them, and regular traffic from their clients picking up completed projects. The booked a local arena for more photography this evening, so we took advantage to go skating as well—thanks guys! Gemma is in the final stages of the semester, completing projects and preparing for final assessments. 

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 nice; we're getting some melting, and we're starting to think about Spring. We have continued to celebrate Wendy's birthday all week, including the official day today. She received a lot of acknowledgement and some beautiful gifts, including some bouquets as shown here.

Today, we got out to the Rotary Display home and to Re-Store. We both enjoy that! We continue to make progress on the kitchen renovation. I also tried out a new entrée—pasta-baga! I spiralized a rutabaga into fettuccine shapes, and then cooked it up—excellent!

Chicken Fettu-Baga Alfredo!

We've been watching the Brier all week. My guy, Kevin Koe, remains undefeated, although he had to escape several tight games. He's in the final waiting for the semi-final game between Jacobs and Bottcher. I like all three teams, so I don't mind who wins out, but I'll be cheering for Koe. The markets have continued to be terrible as the effects of Trump's trade war are depressing world economies. Then, US jobs' data came out, and that was a big downer as well. Apparently, when you shut down the US government for a month, it has an effect! Who knew?! Anyway, I had a red week, so that's not good. The Jayhawks are playing out the regular season, and for the first time in 15 years will not win their conference—that's a record that should last a while. The Oilers have been playing better, winning 6 of their last 10, but the Leafs beat them tonight, and they remain far out of the playoff picture. Pens are doing well. 

The Bailey's big news involves an addition to the family. It's a 4-string Alabama banjo! Eric is learning to play to add to his expertise in piano and ukulele.

EJBailey-musician!

The rest of the family are carrying on with their regular activities! 

Erin and Kristian had a bit of a down week as Erin was ill. She's just now getting over it, so they got out for league bowling today. Kristian had good games and beat his average by 15 pins per game. Shawn and the kids have a swim meet this weekend. 

Travis and Joanna have a visitor this week as her mom is up from Toronto. They were over here several days, pumping out the product from the office downstairs. Gemma continues with her house-sitting assignment for a couple of more weeks. She is also running through the last few weeks of her semester at university. Andrew has spring break this coming week. Travis made quite a splash with his tribute for Grandpa's Birthday! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weekend blizzard cancelled Wendy's flight home from Regina, so she didn't get here until Wednesday. However, the main blast missed us, so I didn't have much snow to remove except for the pile the grader dumped at the entrance of the driveway—I wrote the city to complain! (They have not answered, sigh!) This week the weather has been nice with single digit highs each day and some melting. The bright sunshine has raised our spirits as well. I got a bit more work done on the electrical and drywall repair list. Then, when Wendy got home, she added to the list! She continues to work on the newly manipulated finger; we hope it will provide her greater facility in her activities. She also got out skating on one of the open-air rinks near our place. We have begun the celebration of her 69th birthday, which comes next Saturday. We got out to DQ for Royal Treats, which thankfully, did not bring on gout! (Blizzard-bad; Banana Split-okay!) Then, we enjoyed a celebratory supper last night with family here, along with lovely flowers—thanks folks! The markets have been troubled this week as Trump experienced failures with both China and North Korea. That was combined with news that the US trade deficit is actually increasing despite his tariffs, and it adds up to a bad picture. At any rate, I completed February still on quota YTD, so I'm grateful for that. The Scotties completed in surprising fashion on Sunday as Homan gave up steals in both the final and extra ends to allow Chelsey Carey to win our national championship. Carey will now go on to represent us in Silkeborg DK in the world championships. So, after a brief breather, I'm now fully engaged with the Brier that opened last night in Brandon. I'm picking Kevin Koe and Brad Gushue as the favourites. In the NHL, my Oilers are doing a bit better, but are still far out of playoff contention. Baseball is in the preseason, but my Blue Jays are not expected to challenge this season—we'll see; everyone is a potential champion in the spring! 

It has been, what has become, a pretty normal week in the Bailey household. Liam is working part time and doing RU in Caronport. He isn't getting full time hours, but he's getting a few days a week, and that is working for him. Haaken continues with his studies, although he has a break coming up this month. We haven't heard what his plans are for that, but the -30° weather in Saskatchewan is not piquing his interest! Erica was in Calgary for three days this week. Her work will continue part time in Calgary until mid-April, with the corresponding bonus in Aeroplan miles! Eric worked all week and had a teleconference today on being a supervising counsellor. So, not very eventful, perhaps, but definitely full. 

Erin and Kristian have also had an uneventful week, but that fell apart toward the end of the week as Erin took sick. She feared it was her old nemesis—strep throat, but she's now feeling a bit better and thinking she's been spared! Anyway, her downtime today meant Kristian missed out on regular league bowling, so he'll try to pick that up later. 

Travis, Joanna and crew matched the rest with a normal week—lots of work and production for their business, along with the usual work assignments for Joanna, and school/work for Gemma and Andrew. We were glad to have them over for Wendy's birthday-supper tonight as I tried out my keto quiche on them, accented with keto ice cream! Both seemed to find approval! 

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been mild and we've enjoyed the more comfortable temperatures, but we got a dump of snow early in the week, and now we're facing a blizzard this weekend from a mass of moist air arriving from Texas. I'm running out of places to store snow! Wendy flew out on Monday to spend the week in Saskatchewan. She had a medical appointment to get her finger joint broken loose, again, and that just looks painful! 

Owey, owey, owey!

This weekend, she's over in Moose Jaw at the spa, enjoying a Ladies' Weekend. She's due back tomorrow midnight, storm permitting.

My finger-joint jig works!

I've been working a bit on the kitchen renovations and spending the bulk of my time watching curling! It's the Scotties. I picked Homan and Jones as the most likely winners going in, and was cheering for my sentimental favourites of McCarville (NO) and Silvernagle (SK). It was a delight to see both of them qualify for the championship pool and then advance to the playoff round. McCarville lost to Homan (ON) this afternoon, so she's out. Silvernagle lost to Carey (AB) this evening. Tomorrow, it's Homan/Silvernagle in the semi-final, while Carey is waiting in the final. Sandra Schmirler's team was honoured as the greatest women's team of all-time, while three members of Jones team were named all-time all-stars. Only Schmirler's third, Jan Betker, broke through that vote. Now, I'm even more interested to see who is voted the greatest male curlers and team, after the Brier opens next Friday. The markets have continued to be erratic as folks try to figure out what Trump will do next. This week it was concern over tariffs and trade war with China. I was blessed with a good week, and remain on quota for the month and the year. In the NHL, the Pens and Leafs remain in good position. My Oilers remain out of the playoffs with the season dwindling, but at least they won tonight. KU has had some good play lately, but they got demolished tonight—Rock Chalk Jayhawks! It's been a tough day for me on the sports front, so I consoled myself with a bowl of ice cream. 

Liam started his new job this week. He is doing basic cleaning and other duties at a retirement home in Moose Jaw. This is such an answer to prayer; it works with his RU schedule (so far), and will, hopefully, generate enough income to pay his bills! Haaken continues with school. A couple of conversations took place this week. He sounded good, and continues to be happy out in BC. Erica spent part of the week in Calgary. She will be back and forth for a few weeks, filling in for another manager who is on leave. It was a good week, and a bit of an adventure living in a new city, even if it is for a short time. She had been feeling a bit stir crazy being tied down to the medical visits. She's in Moose Jaw this weekend, at the Sister Triangle retreat with her mom. Eric had a good week at work. This weekend, he's visiting with Neil and Darcy in Saskatoon and playing some card hockey games.

Erin and Kristian continue to struggle with the nasty cold snap in Regina. They hope better weather will come soon. Kristian had an amazing day in bowling today. In the first game, he scored his first ever Turkey (3 strikes in a row), and he liked that so much, he did it again in his third game! Needless to say, he beat his average by about 150 pins! 

First ever turkey!

It was so nice, he did it twice!

Travis and Joanna seem to keep very busy. The machines downstairs keep pumping out the product, and the people keep knocking at the door to pick it up. They have now served customers in every province and territory of Canada! Gemma was away on a brief semester break holiday, but is back and house sitting again for the next couple of weeks. 

And that's about it for this week.