News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice most of the week, but has turned cold for the weekend. We did get a bit of rain and snow midweek to add to the driving excitement! It has been a troubled week on the markets as the stocks declined on all North American indices. However, I was blessed with the decision to buy oil last week and even though I sold out short of $99, I managed to make enough to have a very profitable week. My bus let me down one afternoon this week, as it blew the high pressure oil line and drifted to a halt on the side of the highway with a full load of students. After about 25 minutes, the mechanic showed up with a replacement bus, so I was able to transfer my students and carry on. My bus was repaired and ready the next morning. I had my follow up with my oncologist on my most recent PSA results. The week of antibiotics have taken it down some, so he continues to feel that it's only chronic inflammation that is producing the higher than expected PSA levels. We enjoyed have Eric/A and the boys down for the long weekend; they drove back on Monday afternoon after a lovely family day brunch involving all family members. I've been watching women's curling all week. I've been cheering for my old home province, Saskatchewan. They finished the round-robin in first place, and got into the playoffs. They won the semi-final this afternoon over Ontario, so they'll play in the championship game tomorrow.

Wendy has had a busy week with work at Walmart, taking care of all the rest of us, and battling a cold. She is feeling some better, but still coughing a bit. She's off at work again this evening.

Erin & Kristian are doing fine. She also suffered some with a cold early in the week. Kristian seems to be eating a bit more lately, so we're hopeful he'll put on some weight. It's not a difficulty that I can relate to! He's developing so much in his speaking ability; we are proud of him.

Trav's hockey team has completed their regular season and are now started in the playoffs. Of course, that can end quickly, but we hope for good results. He keeps busy with work and Joanna. Joanna has been quite sick, but finally accepted the need for antibiotics and is recovering nicely.

News Update

A warm week of melting and showers has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The cold of last week dissipated in the face of +10 degrees, and the streets have cleared and dried once again. Erica arrived several times this week, as she came here for courses, continued on to Toronto for other sessions, and eventually returned for the weekend. Eric and the boys arrived last evening; we're enjoying the long weekend with all three grandsons, and all three children! The markets have been favourable this week, as investments in gold and oil were blessed handsomely and got me back on track for the year. Today, the Scotties (Canadian Ladies Championship) began, so I am settled down to a week of curling overload! Bus driving has continued well, but this week we're informed that there will be thirty-two fewer drivers needed next school year, so my latest career may be a short one!

Wendy has been suffering with a cold all week, but has carried on with work and other duties in spite of it. Even this weekend, she continues to suffer, but is improving. Otherwise her work is going well. She got positive news on her recent medical tests; we're all grateful for those results. She continues preparations for a trip west next month.

Kristian has passed along his cold to his mother and his grandmother; meanwhile, he's back in good form. On Thursday, he finally got a long-awaited ride on grandpa's yellow school bus. He really seemed to enjoy that as he accompanied me on the afternoon run. Erin suffered most of the week with the cold, but maintained her schedule at work as well. She is also feeling much better by the weekend, and is perking up with the Blue Jays spring training news as well. She only wishes she were in Florida enjoying it with them!

Trav is doing well. Work and hockey are progressing. The Penguins remain a concern; injuries have severely depleted their lineup. Joanna has been down with cold or flu or both. As the Zambians would say, "Our family has been hit!" We hope no more will succumb to illness, and that all who continue to experience disease will soon be fully recovered.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Here's that young couple with their family forty years later!

It's been a cold week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The forecasters told us it would warm up early in the week, and then they kept pushing the warming trend off, until it finally arrived on Friday afternoon! Now, they're promising +10 in the next few days, but the cynical among us have determined to believe that when we see it. Canadian markets have been pretty wild this week as investor sentiment roiled with each new rumour out of Egypt. When the welcome news of Mubarak's departure came, commodities took a hit, and our commodity-heavy market along with my commodity-heavy portfolio went down as well. So, it was a down week for me, but I'm poised for recovery next week! Bus driving continues to be an enjoyable excursion each day, and they pay me about seventy cents per kilometre as well!

Wendy continues with regular shifts as Walmart. She is looking at further opportunities there, and also at a job with her chiropractic clinic. The change in weather seems to have got her renovation juices flowing again also, and she's been regaling me with dreams of what the new living room will be like!

Erin and Kristian have taken turns being ill this week. Kristian missed some days of school and daycare. Erin kept at her work, but is not feeling well even now as she sniffles her way through the weekend.

Trav's team had a good result, winning the consolation trophy in last weekend's hockey tournament. They are soon moving into the playoff part of the regular league schedule.

News Update

Perhaps you will recognize some of these folks: (Photos from our wedding—thanks, Don)

We've enjoyed a wonderful week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and even more strikingly so as we watch the inconveniences visited upon others in snow and ice storms, or even more drastically, in cyclones. We got a bit of snow on Friday, but otherwise the streets had melted and dried off, and I even enjoyed a walk home from work one day. I plan to do that more than once each week, but it does take a bit of coordinating to get the car home from work while I walk. And the 5.5 clicks is not something I want to do every day—unless it's on a golf course! The markets have been performing surprisingly well, and I have caught up to my goals, so I'm feeling very blessed in that regard. Bus driving is going well; I enjoy the daily interactions with the students and my fellow workers.

Wendy continues with Walmart several days a week, and with the household 24-7! This week she even surprised us with cookies! (Kinda puts the walk home into the useless category!) She is having problems with her feet, so, she's getting some therapy for that.

Erin and Kristian are doing well. Kristian was sick over last weekend, but seems to be back in form again. He's also expressed some discomfort over his hearing aids, but we don't know whether this is real or an excuse! Erin is busy with work whenever slippery conditions help people run into each other and need replacement transportation!

Trav is one of those, as he backed into a parked vehicle this week. The truck is okay, but there was some damage to the grill of the other car, so it needs repairs. We enjoyed supper with Trav, Joanna and family on Friday evening. His hockey team is thriving in the late going of the regular season, and seem positioned for a good spot in the playoffs. This weekend, his team is in a local tournament—so far, so good!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed here on Lake Superior in my hometown. It was a week of getting back into my routines—daily driving of the school bus, and puzzling over the markets. The TSX has not progressed this month, so I'm feeling blessed to be up a couple of thousand with just one trading day to go. It's much short of my targets, but since the market has lost 100 points in the last four weeks, I'm grateful to be in the green. Bus driving has been going fine, and I'm very comfortable with my route. This week was exam week for the High School students, so they were not on the bus much; on two afternoons I had no riders at all for the High School run. We've had a little bit more fresh snow, so I was back into shovelling, but the weather had moderated so I've spent most of the week in slushy driving conditions. I've been able to catch up on curling in the Continental Cup where we prevailed over the World team, and also the TSN Skins where I watch my old favourite, Kevin Martin, eke out a win over David Murdock of Scotland. This weekend, Kevin lost out to Jeff Stoughton, so, I decided to cheer for Jeff, but he lost out tonight. I've also been following the Australian Open tennis, but was disappointed to see our Danish lass lose out in the semis, but glad to see Kim Clijsters win the final. I'm cheering for Djokovic on the men's side.

Wendy has only had a few shifts at Walmart this week, but is busy again this weekend. I'm guessing this is part of the price you pay as a relatively new person on staff. Anyway, she's doing a great job there, so I have to expect that eventually they'll figure out what a valuable commodity she is, and offer to put her on full-time. By this time, she is the virtual manager of the shoe department, but is not recognized nor paid as such. It is simply the usual dedication and ownership she takes of her job responsibilities. I am proud of her. While she is just glad I'm home to take over the snow removal duties!!

Erin is enjoying her new car. Kristian is not so sure they wouldn't have been better off with a van. He liked travelling in Great Grampa's van with its higher seating and better viewing angles. He's progressing well at school, and is off to another birthday party this weekend—more Lego, I'm sure! He had two special treats this week as he got to talk on the phone with his special aunty Erica, and then she had a brief stopover here on Friday on her way home from Toronto. He just squealed when he saw her in the car!

Trav has continued with his usual program and has taken on additional support of coaching other hockey teams just to help out. I hope to complete his top-corner targets this weekend.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

This week marked my return to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. The trip was eventful, so I've given it an entry of its own. Otherwise my week was the grand range from the sublime to the mundane! On Sunday we enjoyed the fellowship of the congregation in Palm Springs where we encountered quite a number of snowbirds. Some have escaped for so long, I'm thinking they've changed species. We found former Torontonians, Edmontonians, Calgarians, even Dauphinites! Glen & Gwen Dods are working with this congregation—it was quite a surprise to find them there! We enjoyed lunch with them and Ernest Andersons before heading out to golf at LaQuinta Dunes. Finally, on Monday afternoon we played our sixth and final round at Indian Canyons. What a wonderful week! Thank you guys for a great time. The weather was wonderful with day time highs ranging from 23 to 32—the latter a little uncomfortably hot for me. The golf was quite satisfactory, although Sunday did bring my thirty-five years of keeping it under 100 to an end! Monday, I started a new streak! My luggage arrived home on Friday morning, so at least I have my clubs for the weekend!

The stock market in Canada has shown a decline this month, so I've struggled to make money. The US markets are up, so I'm encouraged that we'll turn it around. I've bought a few stocks on what I suppose to be dips! Now, I'm ready for a rally! I got back to driving my school bus on Wednesday morning. My body has now experienced +30 and -30 in the same week; I must say, it was easier to get comfortable in the -30 weather here at home. I almost quit the golf game on Monday afternoon, but finally got some relief with an ice-water cloth on my head and neck.

Wendy has been taking care of things here at home including dealing with some fresh snow. The pile on the lawn is getting quite high; I'll have to get the snowblower out and move it away from the edge of the driveway so we have more room for additional deposits. She's also been picking up shifts at Walmart where she does daily battles with shop-lifters. So far, the shop-lifters are winning!

Erin got her new car—a 2009 Nissan Altima! Kristian thinks it's a nice, big, grey car. He's continuing to progress at school, and with his speech. It was clear to hear better sentence composition after just one week away.

Trav has continued with work, contracting, hockey and Joanna; I won't speculate on the order! This week he's trying to build top corner targets for his hockey team to use in practice.

And that's about it for this week.

The Voyage Home-The Search for ?

This morning I headed for my hometown on the shore of Lake Superior. My flight was at 6am, and Dick and Kerry got me to the airport in plenty of time. It was mostly downhill from there!

I was scheduled for a multi-leg flight: Palm Springs - Phoenix - Indianapolis - Toronto - Thunder Bay, but US Airways wouldn't book me past Indianapolis. They wanted me to collect my bags and recheck there. I finally convinced them that since they were all the same big company (Star Alliance) that they should be able to check my luggage through to Canada. At that point they made the giant leap of checking them right through to Thunder Bay despite my protests that I should probably clear customs in Toronto! And they charged me for each of the bags, a total of $60. But I still only had boarding passes to Indy.

When we got to Phoenix, with a pretty quick connection, I rushed to the next terminal and gate, only to find the plane had "gone mechanical". Air transportation companies are never behind schedule—aircraft "go mechanical" or "take on a delay"! In this case, it was delayed for an hour and as I result I wouldn't make the connection in Indy to go up to TO. So, they started work on a new connection through Philly; it would get me to TO, but too late for my flight to TBay. There was still a chance my original flight would get ready to go in time to make the connection, so I waited a while longer. Then, it "took on a further delay", so I headed back to customer service. I asked them if they could reroute me with a different airline, but they said their rule was only to reroute with a different airline after a four-hour delay. I returned to my line about "all one big company", and after a bit of work on that story, they agreed to call Air Canada about the direct flight from Phoenix to TO. Yep, they had a seat available. US Airways said they would put in an order for my luggage to get moved over to that flight, and I headed to the AC desk to get my boarding cards. AC called down to the baggage area, but my bags had not arrived. They sent me back to US Airways. US Airways admitted they had not found the bags, but that they were still working on it.

I headed back to AC gate and my 1pm flight (Original departure from Phoenix was 9:35am) only to find it had "gone mechanical" as well. It didn't take too long, but we were late getting away, and late getting into TO. Fortunately, I had no luggage, so it was a quick trip through Customs & Immigration. Then I had to go back through security, and try to get to the gate for the flight to TBay. I knew I was late, but this time, the plane had "taken on a delay" for over an hour, and I made the final leg to TBay arriving here at about 11pm without luggage! Maybe it will come tomorrow, but in the meantime, I won't be able to go golfing!!

Palm Springs

Another week has passed and I have travelled far from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. I have joined three friends for a week of golf in Palm Springs, and it has been great! We have been playing a round of golf each day, and enjoying the warm weather. It has been sunny every day and the temperatures have ranged from 23 to 28—almost too hot for me! The golfing experience has been wonderful, and sharing it with friends just makes it more special. We've been mostly cooking for ourselves at the condo and have been enjoying a delicious array of barbecued feasts. Cold Stone Creamery is nearby, so that has made for a featured treat as well.

I left TBay on Tuesday morning, and the trip was an experience all by itself. When I got to the airport, I was informed that I had a piece of missing information, without which, I would not be admitted to the US. I didn't have the precise address where I would be staying while in the US! Fortunately, Wendy was standing by, so I dispatched her to get an address and email it to me while I flew to Toronto. Of course this delayed things in Toronto, so I missed my flight as the US closed down security for the flight before I could get my bags and the new information to them. Fortunately, the Air Canada staff there was very helpful and rebooked my trip directly to Las Vegas and that caught me up to my original flight down to Palm Springs. I was glad to get there!

Otherwise, I spent some time each day working on the investments and that turned out well as I recovered all my losses from last week and gained a healthy profit as well. I've been keeping track of things back home and commiserating with Wendy as she shovels snow, wonders about using the snowblower... ah, what a blessed man I am!

I can't tell you too much about home, Erin, Kristian, Travis etc. but, what I have heard indicates that all is going well for them. Erin still doesn't have her new car, so she's still driving a rental.

Anyway, that's about it for this week. Next Tuesday, I return to the land of snow.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The first week of the new year was not good in the Canadian markets, although the US markets did well. As a result, I lost over 1% as well. Fortunately, I'm less than 50% in the market, although less would have been better! Well, better luck next week! The weather has been more wintery with normal temperatures of around -20 over night and -10 for day time highs. Fortunately, the storms seem to be passing south of the lakes and hitting Toronto instead of us. I've been driving bus all week; it's going fine. We suffered through the World Junior Hockey Championship as the Russians served up a five-goal third period to come back and defeat our guys in the final game. I was back to Dr. Prowse this week, and he's not happy with an increase in my PSA; he's putting me on antibiotics for a week and then having me do the lab work over; he's hoping that reduces the PSA. He thinks it may just be elevated from chronic inflammation. If this doesn't work, he's thinking of doing another biopsy; trust me, nobody wants that!

Wendy has been working all week at Walmart. She's picked up extra shifts as well as her own, and she's tired tonight! We're also hosting house guests this weekend as Gemma and Andrew are with us while Joanna and Trav travel with the hockey team to Minneapolis.

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. Erin was in an accident last Sunday when another driver making a left turn ran her car down. The car is a total write-off, but Erin is okay. She has decided on a replacement which she's getting from her employer, Budget Rent-a-Car. It's a 2009 Nissan Altima. Kristian has been running the folks at school a little ragged with his little games, but they're starting to catch up! He is an amazing little character!

Trav is off to a hockey tournament in Minneapolis this weekend. His team only won one game, so they're not in the championship games. We expect them back tomorrow evening. In the meantime, he's concerned for his Penguins as captain Crosby is out with a concussion.

And that's about it for this week.

Happy New Year!

Another week, another month, another year has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had more strange weather with above zero temperatures and rain. Then as the week waned, we got freezing rain and snow. It's a bit of a mess on the streets and coated on the vehicles. The closing weeks of the markets has continued with thin volumes, but some progress in values. I managed a small profit again, and finished the month almost on target. However, spring and early summer losses kept me from meeting my goals for the year, so I shall have to work harder! We've enjoyed having some company over the holidays. Eric/A and the boys were here until Tuesday. Joanna & Trav have been over often; Kristin & Erin are with us all the time. So, it's nice! Trav & Joanna were over for New Year's Eve; Joanna helped Wendy put a puzzle together. This afternoon, we went out to Bob & Linda's and enjoyed supper with them. I'm back to driving the bus on Monday morning.

Wendy has been busy with work at Walmart all week, but not so busy that she couldn't make more tasty treats for all of us to enjoy!

Erin has been back at work, but has an extended weekend to enjoy now. Kristian has managed to get all his Christmas Lego assembled, and reassembled. He plays with his Lego stuff a lot.

Trav had the week off and enjoyed that. But his Penguins lost the high profile outdoor game tonight, and he didn't enjoy that.

And that's about it for this year—enjoy 2011!

Glædelig Jul!

It is Christmas time on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We've enjoyed a week of pleasant weather with just enough fresh snow to confirm the Christmas card appearance of the landscape. That it would be a Merry Christmas was confirmed for me at 3:30 this morning as Eric/A and the boys arrived from Kenora. We were not expecting them, so it was a wonderful surprise, and thus we had the joy of having the whole family under our roof once again. Wendy pulled an all-nighter on Christmas Eve as she stayed up to bake, stuff stockings, stack presents under the tree and get ready for today. She climbed into bed at 6am, and was gone again by the time I rolled over at 7:15—crazy woman! I drove a charter this morning, then joined the family for cinnamon buns and opening of gifts. Then I drove the second half of the charter. This afternoon, we all gathered for turkey dinner with all the trimmings. As always, it was very good. It was a shortened week of very thin trading on the markets, but I was blessed with good earnings, picking up more than my target of 0.5%, once again.

Wendy has been working at Walmart all week, as well in Christmas preparations around home. Kristian has been enjoying all the decorations and helping his mom shop for presents. He has been insisting that Grandpa and Grandma want Lego for Christmas!

As I look over his collection of gifts, I realize I should have bought some Lego stock! Liam has scored a drum set as his major gift, and Haaken has added to his DVD collection. As a rookie, Wendy has lots of shifts at Walmart scheduled in the next week.

Erin has been fighting a cold this week, but seems much improved today. She has a pretty much regular schedule at work next week. Kristian has been flying pretty high all week, and now is busy with Lego construction and floor hockey—a gift from uncle Trav. Kristian is on holidays from school and day care for the next while.

Trav has the next week off. Joanna and her children, Gemma and Andrew, joined us in Christmas celebrations. It was great to have everyone together. Joanna only has a couple of shifts next week.

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 started off cold, but moderated as the week went on, and we're back into single digits of frost, and some fresh snow. It's beginning to look a lot like a Christmas card! I've been driving bus all week, but school closed on Friday, so I'm off now until January 3rd. I have picked up a charter for Christmas morning. I'll be touring around town to pick up parishioners for St. Dominic's Church, and delivering them home as well. The markets were a little shaky this week, but I managed to eke out a gain of almost my target 0.5%, so, I'm feeling blessed. My cold has finally been overcome, and that's a blessing as well.

Wendy has continued with shifts in the shoe department at Walmart. As a rookie, she also has many shifts during what the rest of us call, holidays! She supplied us with shortbread cookies this week. Trav noticed them as he was dishing up supper and exclaimed, "Oh, no. This is not good! This is going to hurt!" Christmas goodies are the universal diet killer!

Kristian has been more and more busy with Christmas parties and preparations. He's keeping up with his Lego Advent calendar, and is sometimes even ahead! He also finished school on Friday, but he's much too early in his school life to properly appreciate and enjoy holidays. Erin has been busy with work and special Christmas events for Kristian at school.

Trav has been busy with work, extra Hockey photo projects, and his hockey team. His Penguins took it on the chin a couple of times this week, so he needs to get them whipped back into shape as well. Joanna's car is being repaired and should be ready this week. She is completing her exams and practicums in the meantime.

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 fairly comfortable, mostly clear, and a little colder. We also got a bit more snow, so I did some shovelling on Thursday night. I've been driving bus all week, a two-hour trip each morning and afternoon. On Wednesday, I had a Safety Meeting for the morning, and on Thursday, I had a Defensive Driving course all day between runs. As a result, I have now completed my licensing requirements. I have put my name on the list for driving charters during the holidays; we are off effective next Friday. The markets were not helpful to me this week; I wasn't around for three of the mornings so that hurt also. In total, I lost a bit of last week's gains. I have continued to fight my cold all week, and I'm still hacking some.

Wendy has kept fairly busy at Walmart; her shoe department won an award for total sales. She's been thinking about Christmas baking lately, so that's an encouraging sign for the rest of us!

Kristian has been working through some management issues at both school and day care. Apparently there's some confusion about who is in charge! He thinks he is! Otherwise, he's enjoying Christmas busyness, lots of treats, his daily Lego advent prize—it's a kid's life! Erin keeps busy at work, and has now taken a gym membership. She wants to improve her cardio-vascular and build some muscle without losing any of her precious fat—I have a surplus I'd be glad to share!

Trav has continued with work and hockey pretty much as usual. Work is going well, his hockey team is in second place in the league, and his Penguins have just won 12 straight games! Joanna had a crash on Friday morning when some one ran her car down. She's okay, but she missed the exam she was headed for; we hope that's not a major problem.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It started sadly with the Riders losing the Grey Cup 21-18. We certainly had chances to win, but have to give Montreal credit for playing a better game. So, we're back in next year country, once again! I have completed my training, taken my written and driving tests and am now a licensed school bus driver! I bid on a run, and at the end of the day on Friday, I was informed that I have been awarded that run. I have roughly four hours of work per day, delivering 104 students to one of five schools, and returning them home again at the end of the day. The morning run allows me to get back for the opening of the markets at 9:30 each day, so, I continue with that as well. The markets have been flat or slightly downward since November 5th, but I managed to have a good month in November, and have achieved more than my 0.5% again this week, so I'm pleased with that progress. The weather has dried out and turned sunny, so the streets and driveway have cleared off.

Wendy is busy with shifts at Walmart. Her work times vary a great deal, and she often works until midnight. With the turning of the calendar, she relented to Kristian's pleas and put up the Christmas tree and decorations. Kristian is a great help in this effort!

Kristian developed a cold early in the week, and has since recovered, but not before passing it along to the rest of us! Erin continues with her work, and has started a trial gym membership.

Trav continues with his work and hockey. This weekend he is with his team down in Wisconsin for a tournament.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It started with the glorious Rider victory over Calgary that has propelled them to the Grey Cup game tomorrow. Go Riders Go! I have been in Driver Training each morning this week; that is going well, and they project that I will be taking my driving test by the end of the coming week. They require twenty hours of class work, and twenty hours of successful driving before the test. It's a lot of preparation for part time work, but the safety of the children is important. It's been a difficult week for investments as troubles on the Korean peninsula, and economic troubles in Europe have occupied investors' minds and caused a decline in the markets. I made a good gain on an Oil buy, so I only ended with a small loss for the week. We've had a couple of wet snow storms, so it's a bit messy around town. They're predicting some warm weather in the coming week, so we hope that helps clean up the ice.

Wendy has been busy at Walmart all week. She is enjoying the work, and has decided to help the company by buying a new TV! We look forward to enjoying that for the big game tomorrow. As usual, she prepared the birthday cake for today's big event.

Erin and Kristian have continued with their usual activities. Erin is not enjoying the slushy, icy weather with her car rental business. Kristian enjoyed making a snowman last Sunday. Grandma helped him make it, but then the slushy weather was causing it to wilt, so grandpa tried to straighten the slumping man—alas, the base snowball collapsed and we were left with a short snowman on the lawn. Kristian was not impressed, "Grandpa broke the snowman!" When he got out of the taxi Monday afternoon, he commented on the poor snowman. So, I asked him if we should try to fix it. "No," he allowed, showing his disdain for my snowman building capabilities, "Grandma fix it."

Travis turned twenty-nine today. We enjoyed celebrating his birthday with him. His work is going well, and he has picked up some extra work making individual and team pictures for several hockey teams.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It started off with an exciting overtime victory by the Riders; now they're set to play tomorrow in the Western final. Go Riders, Go! The weather has turned wintry and we have our first snow. It melts a bit most days, but it's gradually building up on the lawns, so it appears that it may stay. The markets have remained troublesome, so I've been playing lightly and carefully. We had up days on Thursday and Friday, so I managed to make a small gain for the week. My training program for bus driving has continued all week, and promises to run all next week as well. I've also been busy preparing a lesson for Sunday, since I'm the assigned speaker this week.

Wendy has been donning her blue vest and working at Walmart this week. She's doing a good job (of course) and is even enjoying it. The Dollarama people still want her to work, so she may pick up some shifts there if she has any free time.

Erin and Kristian have had their usual schedules this week. Kristian has delighted to see the snow. On Friday, he wanted to play in the snow on the lawn instead of getting in the taxi, so grandma was chasing him around in the snow while still dressed in her slippers.

Travis has been away in Pittsburgh all week. The Pens won two of three games for him, and I expect he had a great time. We're expecting him back this weekend.

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

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, but we are promised a change, and not for the better! They are predicting snow for tomorrow—I hope the Riders and their Air Show will not be grounded! They play BC Lions in the semi-final Sunday afternoon. The branches and junk that got spread around in the hurricane are getting cleaned up. I cleaned out the eavestroughs and got the hot tub ready for the winter. I bought and installed a new battery in the car—man, that was a pain, you have to take off the passenger wheel and take out the battery from under the fender! I was trying to get an oil change in the truck today, but the weather man has mentioned snow, so Kal-Tire didn't even have any parking spaces left on their lot, so, I went to a quick lube.

It was a troubled week in the markets as investors worried about G20 decisions, European debt and Chinese interest rate hikes. I kept my investments light, and ended up with only a small loss. We'll see if this is the correction they keep promising us, or just a short blip. I am in the training phase for bus driving; that carries on all next week at least. I guess we will see how long it takes to learn all their protocols.

Wendy has been working all week at Dollarama; they've been setting up the store and finally opened on Friday. She found it very tiring, and hard on her feet to be walking on concrete all day long. Today, she went to her orientation for Walmart; she enjoyed that quite a bit. She starts there on a part time basis, so we'll see how that goes. She also intends to keep working at Dollarama for the next while at least.

Erin and Kristian continue with life as usual. Kristian had another birthday party this afternoon. He's progressing well at school; he is ready to read, and will read (or pretend-to-read) books and magazines.

Trav is off to Pittsburgh for the next week; he drives down to Minneapolis tomorrow and flies to Pittsburgh Monday morning. He has tickets for three Penguin games, so it'll be a special week for him. His team lost the final of their hockey tournament last weekend in a shoot out. It was a very good showing for them, but they were disappointed to fall short of the ultimate prize.

And that's about it for now.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been lovely, with one particularly summer-like day giving us a respite from the big storm. Economic news has been very helpful and the markets have reached levels not seen since before the Bush crash in the Fall of 2008. The central effect on our economy is the US economy and things have not been going well there for some years.

However, as the chart shows, the job losses in the US, that began back in 2007, have been arrested and jobs are being gained, thanks to the Bailout initiated by President Bush, and the Stimulus initiated by President Obama. Friday's announcement of 150,000 jobs added in October are the latest indicator that the US economy is starting to recover. The improving situation has allowed me recover as well, and I had another week of above-expectations gains with our investments.

Now that it's over, I do apologize to the Texas Ranger fans; my perfect record of picking all the losers was blemished only by the Phillies winning their first round playoff. The World Serious of Baseball was won by the San Francisco Giants. It was the first trip to the series for the Rangers franchise, and the first victory for the Giants since they moved from New York over fifty years ago. The CFL regular season is ending this weekend, and we looking forward to the playoffs there as well. The Riders ended the season on a winning note, and will host BC Lions in the divisional semi-final next weekend. Go Riders, Go!

I have completed all the prerequisites and have been accepted to begin training as a school bus driver. That may start next week. One highlight of my medical was the vision screening as my laser enhanced eyes graded out at 20/20 (20/15 actually) and I still only need to use reading glasses occasionally! I am very pleased with the continuing benefits provided by the PRK surgery six years ago. Wendy started work on the Dollarama job today, and she has continued interviews and the hiring process with Walmart as well. She begins a training phase there next week. It appears we may soon have more employment than we can stand!

Wendy and I have completed another round of teeth cleaning with the local dental hygienists' program. It takes longer, but it provides training opportunities for them, and an inexpensive dental checkup for us. I have finally learned a technique for flossing my teeth—old dogs indeed!

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Kristian did have a bad time on Wednesday when he discovered he was not a participant in the Pizza Lunch at school! He would not accept that while many other students were getting pizza, he had to get by with the lunch his mom had packed for him! He ended up having a quiet lunch hour in the principal's office, where he finally decided to eat his own lunch.

Trav remains busy with work and preparations for his trip to Pittsburgh. This weekend, his hockey team is in a local tournament, so that is keeping him extra busy. But they're doing well, and have finished the round-robin portion undefeated so they're in the semi finals.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

We've had a spectacular week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. They called it a mid-latitude cyclone or a weather bomb, but by any description it was a hurricane. It set a record for the lowest pressure reading ever developed on mainland North America, and it produced a category three hurricane. The eye settled between here and Kenora for almost a day, and the winds tore in all directions around it. Northbound winds across the lake were more severe than the gales of November that took down the Edmund Fitzgerald thirty-five years ago. Trees and power lines were uprooted. Semis were blown off roads. West of the eye, the southbound winds brought down Arctic air and produced snow and ice storms across the prairies and down into the Dakotas. It hung on for a long time; friends of ours along the lake had no power for 45 hours out of two days, including 35 hours straight.

Otherwise, life was more like usual. Investments went well, and I completed a month that matched expectations for the first time in a long time—I feel blessed! The World Serious has begun, and I almost feel the need to apologize to Texas Ranger fans for choosing to cheer for them! The series has not been going well. Fortunately, they won their game tonight, so they're kind of back in the series. In the CFL, the teams are playing out the final games of the regular season as nearly all play off spots have been determined. I got my medical for driving school bus, so now I need to pass written and driving tests and take the training program. One special treat this week is that Wendy got me a compound sliding mitre saw. I have long wanted one, and this one is actually a level better than I was hoping for—I will try to use it well.

Wendy got a job this week. She starts next week at a new Dollarama store opening out the back gate and across the street. On the same day she got that job, she also got a call from Walmart for an interview, so she may have a better opportunity there. She interviews there next week as well.

Kristian has had an exciting week of Hallowe'en preparations. The Jack o'Lanterns are ready; the TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) costume is ready; the treats are ready—well, truth be told, the treats have been steadily diminishing all week long! He also had a birthday party today. Erin and the rest of us are also enjoying Kristian's excitement. But my big moment with him was yesterday. He read me his little book for the week! It was priceless.

Trav has continued his usual pursuits. His hockey team is progressing well, but his Penguins have had a tough week, although they won tonight. He's still looking forward to going to Pittsburgh for a three-game set in November.

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 more Fall-like, with cool winds and a few showers. Wendy and I have still managed to get out for our hike most days. The week started on a discouraging note, as the Riders fell to Calgary. The loss to Edmonton tonight finishes our quest for first place, but we're assured of second place. As it stands, we need to concentrate on improving the team play, and getting some injured players back in anticipation of the playoffs. Baseball playoffs continue with the World Series (Serious, I like to call it, since it's the time when the world gets serious about baseball!) ready to begin next week. Texas Rangers have advanced to play against San Francisco Giants. We were cheering for the Phillies—next year country once again!

I have been enjoying good progress in my investing since we returned from our summer travels, and I'm up about 5% since then, but this week was not a good one! The markets were mixed, and I made some wrong choices, so I was down about 0.5% for the week. On the health front, I'm feeling recovered! The chiropractor still wants to see me every two weeks, but I'm able to sleep without pain. My arms and shoulders are probably as good as they're going to get in this life, and my ankle is ready for the challenge of trying to curl and skate this winter. I've heard nothing further on my school bus driver training, so, I'm just studying the manuals while waiting for the next phase.

Wendy was to the doctor this week. Her doctor wants more heart testing (echocardiogram, or ECHO) to assure herself (and us) of how the heart is functioning. She continues with her gym work, and walks with me most days. She's also applied on more jobs.

Erin & Kristian are carrying on pretty much as usual. Kristian is excited about Hallowe'en and Jack o'Lanterns and the prospect of candy! This evening we went pumpkin hunting, and picked up three to decorate and turn into pie! His school work is progressing, and he's beginning to read the small pattern booklets. His most recent Lego preoccupation is castles and knights. Somehow this ties in with Lego Star Wars!

Travis continues with Joanna, work and hockey. He has his Penguins playing good hockey even while they wait for injured players to return. The team he coaches is winning as well.

And that's about it for this week.