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I was reading through a financial investment email from my bank.

The articles they were highlighting sounded interesting, but the footer “teaser” was even more so!

$3,850,000

The winnings (in US dollars) that Bianca Andreescu took home from the U.S. Open.

(Source: U.S. Tennis Association)

I find this an exceptional amount of money – I grew up when you wanted to be a millionaire – now your house costs more than the million that was going to bring you lifelong security.

Bianca has worked hard.  She is exceptional.  She deserves honour.

But I still scratch my head – where there is no hair.

What is the rest of the world worth? 

Is the true measure of worth in what we do – or cannot do? 

Or more to the point, is our worth based on our marketability – and consequently on the market?

Working on a podcast with my pastor.

Interesting approach – the two of us are steeped in church background and work.  We are both rural at this point.  Our voices are easy to listen to (subjective assessment!).  We will cover a number of rural church topics and hopefully have some guest speakers join us.

The step we are at right now is finding the best hosting site and getting the podcast episodes on line for all sorts of people to stream and download.  I think we are just about there. 

We have put together a few episodes (each about 10 minutes long).  More to come.

Coming soon to an electronic device near you!

Many years ago, my brother and I built a deck. 

Now, almost 40 years later, we are at it again!

The first deck was at the end of a summer of fine furniture construction.  We had decided to create wood (oak mostly) art pieces for others.  Even our side tables were unique.

Then my wife asked for a deck at the back of the house.  Made out of spruce.  About two or three feet high.  Nothing fancy.

We decided to use only dowels, with unique decking boards, and to size.

Which size ended up looking more like a dock than a deck.  Quite literally you stepped out the back door and, in winter, slide to the end of the deck and down the stairs.  A masterpiece that is no longer on the house (yes, I have driven by the old house in Regina – they got rid of the deck/dock).

NOW, things are different.  We are using special lag screws, the decks (we are building two decks, one in front and one at the back) are made of treated wood beams, joists and decking planks, and the sizes . . .

The front deck is around four feet off the ground and is eight feet by thirteen feet.  The back deck is 12 feet by 20 feet.

No docks here!

I love to research historic events.

Often for assignments or on commission.  Sometimes for my own curiosity.

As I enter the life of the historic actors, the play becomes complex.  There are no small characteristics in a person’s life.  As in Jenga, all the pieces hold the whole together.

For many, reading a fiction book is a pleasure.  The reader begins to see the character as shaped by the author.  They enter their lives and guess what comes next.  A good author keeps them guessing while holding true to the essential person they have created.

Historic research is the opposite in many ways.  The character’s final actions have been mapped out previously.  Now the researcher is given the task of finding out the character of the subject.  When, in their own minds, they guess wrong, they go back to the archives.  Searching once again (re-search), they find a new narrative line.  Tested against previous action, the description of the subject is altered to remain true to history.

And I suppose that is why I love to read the last chapter of a book first.  Here is the archive of the characters.  Here is the final result of the actions taken.  Now, in mystery type fashion, I construct the story line.  If a cursory examination of the book (called skimming) shows the results are what was expected – I leave the book.  If there are anomalies, I’m driven to searching the book to find answers.

I like to create the life from the final results, and not necessarily journey through the life to final end.