Heat, A/C, Heat!

 With daytime high temperatures in the +35C range this week it was wonderful to have a break this afternoon in a friend’s air conditioned living room. (and yes, we followed all the pandemic protocols)

Going for a walk, even of the short 30 minute variety like today’s walk to my friend’s house, requires some preparation and heat related safety protocols. The outfit: a relative short cotton sundress, bare legs and arms covered in 50 SPF suntan lotion, sandals, a straw hat with a brim, sunglasses, the COVID19 mask of course and my good old Lee Valley Water Balloon Do Rag around my neck. Those do rags are the best: there are two soft tubes sewn into the scarf that contain tiny bead like “thingies”. I soaked the scarf in a bowl of water for an hour, allowing the beady things to soak up the water and thus inflate the little tubes. Then it tied around my neck, leaving one expanded water filled tube under each ear. It looks like a slightly puffy do rag and the water keeps me cool even in the intense heat. 

Tomorrow morning when I take my early walk around the lake I will go through the same procedure, although it should be about ten degrees cooler. Perhaps I will be able to leave the annoying hat at home.

Later in the day I may be having another chance to be in air conditioned surroundings for a few hours again, with a Canada Day bbq to boot, IF my friends do not have a reaction to their second COVID19 vaccinations they received today. If they do react and the festivities are canceled it just gives me something to look forward to another day.

On the family front, Ruth is now confused most of the time she is awake, but that is far less often than it has been. She has been taken off the antipsychotics as they are no longer useful and is getting more morphine and sedation. The oncologist is still prepared to move her to hospice this week if the rest of her body remains strong enough for the transfer, but an aneurysm or embolism could form and take her out quickly.

Mom is surviving the heat with the help of her facility staff, some repairs on the air conditioning unit on her room and the hope of forecast thunder storms this weekend.

Tonight I completed all the overdue house cleaning. Praise the Lord!

The Waiting Game

 Today is a case of hurry up and wait.  Yesterday Ruth was fairly lucid all morning but by afternoon she was completely delirious, so I am waiting to find out today what is going on....is she closer to end of life now?  Why is she not yet moved to hospice?  How are my husband and Raymond coping right now?  Is everyone there coping okay with the intensity of the heat wave?  Has there been another meeting with the palliative care head honcho?

This morning I canceled my visit with Kat and Val scheduled tonight. We were going to drive out to the farm south of town where they have a huge vegetable garden, but I am in waiting mode to see what my husband has to tell me about the situation with his sister and whether or not I am going to be flying out west shortly as she nears the end of her life.  

I decided that, just in case things are as dire as they appeared yesterday, I would get the housework finished up as quickly as possible, get my hair cut and prepare a suitcase to save time if I get that call.

The phone rang I don't know how many times this morning when I was trying desperately to get some work completed.....aaaaaargh!!!   I did get to talk to Kat, so that was the call I needed to get, but the rest were a combination of scam calls and other non-personal calls I simply didn't need to deal with today. I managed to be ready to walk to the hair dresser with a few minutes to spare when the phone rang again.  It was Mom in a tizzy because she got a phone message saying someone had compromised her Social Insurance Number.  It took awhile for me to make her understand it was a scam call and to erase the message and ignore it.  The time ticked away and as I hung up from talking to Mom I realized I would JUST make it to my hair appointment in time.  100 yards from home I got a text message from my husband asking if I had time to talk right then.  Sigh.....no, I did not.  Could I talk to him after my hair appointment?  Maybe, he texted back.  Why couldn't I talk right away?  I stopped walking again and texted him back the reason. Then he texted me again to wish me a good hair cut etc.  I didn't have any more time to fool around with text messages, so I raced as quickly as possible to my hair appointment and got there only 2 minutes late, thank goodness.  I didn't know this old girl could still move that fast!!! hahaha  Didn't even trip over my own feet and fall down either.  It's a miracle! hahaha

By the time I got to my appointment I was ready to toss my cell phone in the trash and I also wanted to rip the home phone out of the wall.  It never fails that when I am in the biggest hurry I get calls from people needing my immediate attention. To be totally real and honest, I hate talking on the phone at the best of times for more than ten minutes.  Drawn out, hour long conversations bother my ears and irritate me.  How much can two people have to say to each other when it is just "chatting" and not particularly important?  Well, if phones and cells and texts are my worst irritation in life, I am pretty good shape! hahahaha  

When I got home I texted my husband to say I was now available but he responded to let me know he had just arrived at the hospital to take care of Ruth, so our conversation will have to wait until this evening. Sigh....our window of opportunity and I missed it for a haircut. Sigh....

Well, I am going to console myself by cleaning another room in this dusty suite....as long as the phone doesn't ring again with more scam calls or people with nothing better to do than make unnecessary phone calls because they are bored.  I guess I just don't understand that. When I have nothing to say and am bored, why on earth would I make a phone call and expect someone else, who has just as little to say and is just as bored, to entertain me? hahahaha  It's a puzzlement!

So Much To Be Grateful For!

  I am praising God this morning!  Not only did my husband make it safely to Edmonton last night, but early this morning was granted immediate permission to go into Ruth's hospital room to spell Raymond off!  With all the pandemic restrictions, this is almost a miracle as no exceptions have been made to the visitor rule in months and months at this particular hospital.  He texted me from the hospital this morning to let me know.  What a help this will be to Raymond and to Ruth too.  I am sure the staff will appreciate Raymond even more as they get to know him AFTER he has had a chance for a few hours break in his usual 14-16 hours a day at Ruth's bedside and gotten some desperately needed sleep.

My husband took a family favourite book with him to read to Ruth in between her many naps each day: Dickens' Christmas Carol.  Their mom used to read it to them every Christmas, a chapter each night, culminating with the last chapter of Scrooge's revelation before they went to bed on Christmas Eve.  They were not a religious family, other than their dad, but their mom had very righteous morals and vigorously taught them the Christmas spirit of good will to all people.  Ruth seems to be enjoying hearing the story once again.

I am also praising God for his help overnight and this morning with one of the first big migraine attacks I have had since about 1990 or thereabout.  I can only remember one or two other times in the past 30 years that I have had to fight through one of these miserable events that used to happen every few weeks for a number of years in the '90's.  As is usual for me, it didn't start with typical symptoms and by bedtime I thought I was going to be calling a taxi this morning to go to the dentist as one side of my jaw and teeth were in extreme pain. But then the pain started moving up behind my eyes and top of my head and into my shoulders at about 2am.  I finally figured out that it was a migraine attack, so by 3am I was practising the relaxation techniques that the Lord gave to the priest who prayed for relief for me that 30 years ago.  By 8am the pain was nearly gone and now, at 11am I am just fine, as if it never happened at all.  Thank you Lord.  I have experienced two prayers for healing where I saw an actual healing happen to my own body and am so grateful that the prayers for help with migraines is one of them.

So my original plan to go grocery shopping at 8am, then come home to clean the bathroom, has been pushed back quite a few hours, maybe even to tomorrow and that is just fine.  It will teach me patience to have to wait an extra day to tackle all the dusting and vaccuming this suite needs currently.  This incident has also reminded me that I need to take better assessement of my own stress levels at this time of intense family stress. I have always suffered from being very unaware of my own self and need to keep better tabs on how I am actually feeling about everything that is going on these days.

Time for a very hot shower, washing my hair, finding something comfy and cool to wear for the rest of the day and making things up minute by minute until I know it is safe to start cleaning and shopping and doing what needs to be done. 

He Finally Made It!

 Got a text at 10:30pm that my husband arrived safely at his destination. Whew! Thanks prayer warriors! He was incredibly tired when he left home.

The holdups along the way were twofold: a long, slow stretch of highway under construction near Saskatoon and a mandatory breathalyzer test on the Anthony Henday. My poor husband gets stopped at those every single time, no matter the city, no matter the province. He could probably do his own testing at this point and save the police the trouble, as it has happened so often! He never has so much as a sip of alcohol if he is driving, so he always passes. 

Now I can relax and 😴 💤.

Spent at least two hours on the phone this evening with a number of my husband’s cousins, so that was a nice treat and passed the time. Grateful for their calls.

Very hot in our suite today so made a large bowl of potato salad to have at dinner, and for tomorrow’s meals along with some ground turkey burgers I will make at noon. Easy peasy hot summer day food! I love ground turkey nachos too. 

In the morning I will pick up a few groceries before starting on the house cleansing.....or not, as the fancy takes me!

Aaaaaand He’s Off!

 My husband is on the road at last. He promised both Raymond and I that he would text us updates along the route. There have been too many vehicle related fatalities in their family and it has been a long time since my tired husband has made a drive of so many hours by himself. 

As he drove away I felt my own stress start draining away. I ate my lunch without getting an upset stomach. My muscles relaxed. I think I will be able to have a nap after another short sleep last night. I took chicken out of the freezer and potatoes out of the bin so I can enjoy a few days of summer food on the hot days this week. 

I am going to rouse myself to do housework each morning and try to connect with a few friends later in the day. I have to be sure I don’t sit around vegging, over eating and not exercising. My husband and I have been flaked out in front of the tv, stress gorging since we got home from the last trip....not good!

Okay, before I begin my disciplined regimen for the rest of this week, I need a nap! Hohoho!

Heading West Again

 My husband was all set to leave for Edmonton tomorrow, but this morning Raymond called to say Ruth’s cognitive function has deteriorated rapidly so he should come right away. He wants to fly my husband out there, but it is too early in the declining COVID19 numbers for my husband to feel safe about exposing himself in an airport or on planes, so as soon as he finishes packing and tying up some loose ends for work he will head out around noon today in the car. Physically Ruth is still strong on terms of basic organ function. Raymond needs pastoral and family care right away.

So, if you are of a mind to do so, could you pray for safe travel for my husband, especially in this hot weather?  🥵 Thank you so very much!  

Decisions Being Made

 After some prayer and discussion between ourselves and with Ray, I think we have decided how to handle the next trip to see Ruth in Edmonton.

She still has not been moved to hospice care and seems to be moving down the priority list for transfer to their hospice of choice instead of closer to the top after nearly ten days in hospital, so on MOnday Ray is going to talk to their worker and see what other hospice facilities do have a bed open and get her to wherever it is as soon as possible after this weekend.  It may be a far less posh facility, but she cannot possibly stay much longer in a regular hospital ward with nurses who are not trained in palliative and hospice care. She is becoming more agitated, the hospital is starting to call Ray several times during the night so that he can talk her down, so he is NOT sleeping much at all during the night after 14 hour days at the hospital.  

I think we have decided that as soon as she is moved into hospice, therebye allowing my husband to also visit her, he is going to drive himself to Edmonton and leave me here.  If he goes on his own he can stay indefinitely at Ray's and Ruth's house, be there as much for Ray as for Ruth, to provide pastoral care for both of them without the expense of the hotel he would have to stay in if I am there.  He can hook me up with Zoom to have a few short chats with Ruth myself while he is with her, so she will know I have not deserted her.  I can be at home tending to not only our plant babies, as we have no one to look after them when our usual plant baby nanny is on her holidays, plus I can deal with some of my medical issues that need dealing with the first week of July.  We did look at the possibility of him flying out there and me having the car here, but the cost of flights is ridiculous right now, plus he would have to rent a car.  With the days of +35C looming here in Regina I will not be needing a vehicle as I won't be leaving the house!! Period!!  There is nowhere I need to go in this wee city anyway that I can't either walk to in the cooler early mornings, or take a transit bus or taxi.  This decision is, for now, giving us both great peace. Ray and my husband need some buddy time without me being in the midst of their man chat.

So nice to have a plan...whether or not this turns out to be what actually happens, it is still good to know we are not so dibbled that we cannot come up with reasonable plans for the coming days.

Post Travel Discombobulation!!

 I am doing my usual "thing" after a stressful time away:  enjoying being at home so much that I am staying up too late at night and not getting enough sleep, racing about catching up on home and away errands, thus wearing myself out by dinner time and being as clumsy an oaf as ever there was due to being so tired and distracted by our family concerns that initiated the trip in the first place.

Yesterday was a good day of banking, grocery shopping and doing piles and piles of laundry, which will require some ironing time this afternoon, but that is okay. I find ironing to be a relaxing chore. Hopefully I can get to my other relaxing chore of dusting tomorrow. Wow, the dust in here is embarrassingly thick.  Between the strong prairie winds that blow in the dirt from surrounding farm fields, the buildup of dust for the past 50 years in these poorly maintained buildings and the disintegrating carpet on all the floors, there is more dust in this place than I can keep up with at the best of times. Yuck!!  However, there is nothing like the feeling I get when I attack the dust with a thick cloth and leave the surface of all the tables and bookshelves, tv and computers looking clean and fresh once again.  Since I have not been able to work away from home for quite  a few years now, dusting and other housework chores give me at least some tiny sense of accomplishment each week.

I am also very clumsy when I am this tired and distracted.  Yesterday I dropped a small piece of paper on the kitchen floor and it took me a half dozen tries to pick it up and get it into the garbage. I kept dropping it, over and over again.  I tripped on the basement stairs with a laundry basket full of towels and nearly fell backward with my load. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to at least drop the basket and grab the handrail to keep myself from disaster.  It took forever to find all the towels as they had spilled out all over the floor and through the gaps between steps into the big bins where we put items to be recycled. Sigh....such an easy task carrying a basket of laundry upstairs and yet.....

This morning I was taking the same basket back downstairs to the laundry area and managed not to fall, but when I got down there I somehow managed to bump the baseket against my husband's old computer that he has set up on a big table for scanning photos.  The computer fell onto the cement floor, along with the phone I was carrying my other hand. The phone survived the crash, thank goodness, but the computer is lying in myriad pieces all over the floor and table.  Sigh.....my wonderful and compassionate husband was there when it happened and he was so kind to me about it.  As he reminded me, we got it a couple of years ago out of recycling for use in a specific project that has been completed now and it owes us nothing.  At this point it has been a convenience but with our other computers working well, it is no big loss.  God bless that man!  Also, as he reminded me, losing a few things by accident over the next year will help us with our need to downsize by the spring and that may be the only way we can shake ourselves loose from some old items we truly don't need, but have trouble letting go of.  Bless him again for he is so right about that.

I am excited to discover I have been given a gift of some greeting cards from a dear friend who knows how many of such things I use in the course of a year. She found some particular ones I want when I have been unable to and bless her, she is sending them to me.  What a wonderful encouragement during this stressful time, such a loving thing to do. Thank you Penelope!

Well, I must go and mail some things. I am so grateful there is a post box only 3 blocks from here.  It isn't too hot yet today, so now is the time to go for that short walk.

Ruth is still holding steady and Mom is NOT having her usual post-visit funk as she has some good things coming up to look forward to.  No word yet on Ruth's move, but we are discussing various scenarios for returning to see her, how long we should stay, whether or not it would be better to fly my husband out there on his own so he can afford to stay longer at his brother in law's place than if we go together and have to get a hotel (long story).  Anyway, we are trusting the Lord to make the way clear at the right time.

Have a great day everyone!

Eli's Art Show Is FINALLY Opening On The Weekend! Hallelujah!

 

NEW STOREFRONT LOCATION: LOWER EAST SIDE 105 HENRY STREET (STORE 5) NEW YORK, NY 10002

Eli Bornowsky, Isogonal25_D41mod17, 2020, 30 x 30 inches (76 x 76 cm), egg tempera, gesso, muslin, baltic birch

ELI BORNOWSKY & YU NISHIMURA June 26 – July 25, 2021 Opening Day Reception: Saturday, June 26, 6–8PM 105 Henry Street (Store 5), New York, NY 10002

An excerpt from Alan Longino's exhibition essay: "...Whether a painting and its picture take on the visual presence of geometry and its inherent abstraction, or a painter take on the qualities of the figure and portrait, the process of their pursuit is rooted in the same language that cannot be spoken but only renewed. As information becomes more and more surplus, the images and pictures created demand a higher sense of identification and recognition. And, it is not only the public that demands the immediate identification and authentication of the artist, but technologies of deep-learning and AI that rely on annotation and set parameters to identify a form and its relationships. This increase of identification from parties both human and non-human progresses even further the re-establishment of beauty as a primary desire within pictures.   While some scholars would argue that a participation in politics is necessary for forming an avant-garde identity, it remains all the more important today that beauty—and the pursuit of beauty—be central to the political program of the arts. I believe that this constant redefinition of the program helps not only resist against permanent identification and classification—which only adds to authority and power—but increases the abilities of human understanding and bonding that feels forever political."

Yu Nishimura, blue marine, 2021, tempera on canvas, 15 x 18 inches (38 x 46 cm)

Eli Bornowsky (b. 1980) is an artist based in New York and Vancouver. Over the last ten years, Bornowsky has shown extensively in Canada. He received his MFA from the Milton Avery Graduate School of Arts at Bard College. Recent solo and group exhibitions include White Columns Online (New York, NY), Burnaby Art Gallery (Burnaby, Canada), Canton Sardine (Vancouver, Canada), and Unit 17 (Vancouver Canada). Bornowsky will be in a group show this summer at KAYOKOYUKI Gallery (Tokyo, Japan). Yu Nishimura (b. 1982) is a painter living and working in Kanagawa, Japan. Nishimura recently staged solo exhibitions at KAYOKOYUKI Gallery (Tokyo, Japan) and Galerie Crèvecoeur (Paris, France), both in 2020. Selected recent exhibitions include The Ueno Royal Museum (Tokyo, Japan), Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) Hongo, (Tokyo, Japan), Gallery Vacancy (Shanghai, China), and Shane Campbell Gallery (Chicago, IL), amongst others. For inquiries and more information, please reach out to Alec at alec@kingsleapprojects.net

105 Henry Street (Store 5) New York, NY 10002 Thursday–Sunday 12-6PM & by appointment kingsleapprojects.net info@kingsleapprojects.net The gallery is wheelchair accessible

Home At Last....For A Few Days At Least

 Dear God: thank you for a chance to come home tonight, to clean up, regroup, rest and get ready for the next depressing foray to Alberta.  Thank you for a chance to relax and sleep in my own bed tonight.  I am totally grateful! Amen!

This morning we received confirmation that Ruth is still second in line to receive a bed in hospice care as beds come free.  So, we were told she will likely not be moved until the weekend or even the first part of next week.  We slept badly last night, finally falling asleep from about 5am until just before 8am, so we got up and ate breakfast, packed up everything and put our belongings in the car, checked out of the hotel and then called Raymond to see where we were going to be traveling today.  Home it was!

It was a peaceful, uneventful drive back to our little abode on the prairies.  Instead of our usual race out of the hotel at 4am to barrel home as quickly as possible, collapsing as soon as we arrive there, we didn't leave Calgary until nearly 10am and took our sweet time driving along in the bright sunshine, wind and heat.  We lunched in Medicine Hat at our favourite old fashioned bar and grill, Mauro's.  It isn't classy, but the food is excellent and since we didn't arrive until after the noon lunch customers had finished their lunches and left, we were the only people eating a meal.  The dimly lighted space was relaxing for our eyes and calming for our spirits.  

A gasoline fill for our vehicle and back on the road east. There is so much road construction in The Hat that while we had our choice of which of three routes to go to get out of the city, all of them were backed up for blocks!  Utter chaos has been created by the launching of road construction projects on every major route through the city. hahaha What a hoot trying to navigate the long lines of barely moving traffic. Thankfully we were in no hurry.

We arrived home just before 6:30pm there lo and behold there was our flower care and mail collection friend going about her duties with our plant babies.  How lovely to arrive home to find a friend there on our back porch.  We had a short visit with her before going inside to unpack, report our whereabouts to my mom and our son and make grilled cheese sandwiches with dill pickles for dinner.  

While we ate our dinner we watched last week's episode of Alone on tv.  It was a good one....survival shows, TRUE survival shows, (not so-called Survivor on prime time), are something we both enjoy very much. This season's contestants have been dumped off at Chilkote Lake in BC....rugged and filled with grizzly and black bears. The show was recorded in early fall, just as the bears were looking for extra food as they prepared for winter hibernation, so all the contestants were given bear bangers, bear spray and bear bells to protect themselves.  Aaaaargh!  I am more terrifed of bears than of anything else on this earth so every time one of them approaches one of the contestants my heart is in my mouth and I break into a cold sweat!  This is as close to an adrenalin rush as I ever want to get!  (and as close to actual bears as well)

Now it is nearly 11pm and I am still road buzzing, so it will be diffcult to fall asleep despite the lack of sleep last night. My husband is sound asleep and snoring softly.  He is happy to be home in time to go to the annual Blessing of the Oils meetings tomorrow with his fellow clergy. It will be good for him to be with other people and think about things other than his dying sister.

I didn't do my usual "instant unpack and put away" job when we got home tonight.  I still have my suitcase of clothing to unpack and toss into the laundry basket. There is little in the way of clothing items that have not been worn, as we were away a few days longer than originally planned and packed for.  After I do some away from home errands first thing in the morning, I will spend the rest of the day doing laundry and getting ready to repack with a moment's notice, as our plan is to return to Edmonton for a couple of days to see Ruth once more once she is in hospice, where we will be allowed to visit any time we want to.  Since we don't know when exactly that will be, it seemed unwise to return to Edmonton today and pay a lot of money for hotels and meals for more days than we need to when we can't even see Ruth in her present hospital room.  Poor Raymond usually spends about 14 hours a day with her and we are praying so much for the Lord to give him strength to continue. Ruth cannot handle it when he is not with her, so he is pouring himself into an all day hospital visiting routine for her sake.

 

Wow....it is so good to be home! Thank you all ever so much for your prayers for all of us.  Thank you Lord for allowing us some visiting with Ruth while she has been lucid enough of the time to carry on a conversation. Thank you for how well Mom is doing....she participated in a residence and staff fun event this morning with a parade of everyone dressed in pink outfits, a music event, pink lemonade and sugar cookies and, best of all for mom, a wonderful visit with a woman who was her neighbour in her former room there before Dad died and she had to move.  On Tuesday Mom has her appointment to try to get more help with her hearing....o Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.....(no pun intended....)    

Should We Stay Or Should We Go?

 Another frustrating night with only two hours of sleep.....four sleepless nights out of the past eight have left me worn down and worn out. I slept so well for the past two nights, tonight not so much. The problem in hotels is that I do not have a separate space to put on the light in the middle of the night so that I can read myself back to sleep without awakening my husband. I end up taking my book or iPad into the bathroom and sitting on the toilet seat lid all night trying to get sleepy. I read this morning from 1am until 3:30am before crawling back into bed and staring into the dark until just after 4am. Now I am under a blanket “tent” here in bed trying to write this post without waking my exhausted husband, hahaha.

I am having trouble relaxing because we still do not know where we are going today. I went to bed last night with nothing packed, not knowing what time we will be leaving the hotel in the morning, where we will go; home to get a rest and a time to do laundry before repacking for a second trip to Edmonton once Ruth is finally moved to hospice, or running around purchasing a few necessary items so we can stay on another couple of days in Edmonton because Ruth is finally being moved today or tomorrow??? 

I am not good with limbo! 

We were able to have a visit the other night with long time friends. It was fabulous! They have created a pandemic friendly visiting space on their giant front deck. We had so much fun talking and talking and talking some more. What a treat. It was a warm, sunny evening. The guys exchanged old mountain climbing stories that are hilarious. We sipped proper “made fresh from teabags” iced tea. We didn’t have to wear masks. Have I mentioned that it was fabulous??? 

We had another great day with Mom yesterday. She trucked up and down every aisle in London Drugs and had so much fun buying things she will never use, but to be shopping on her own, not online, made her giddy with excitement. Too cute!!! 

So now it is 5am. I will give Sleep one more try I guess...here’s hoping!

Not Much News On The Family Front

 We had a delightful day with Mom yesterday. We took her to the bank and to her favourite grocery store. She has not been shopping in person since last September! The joy on her face as she wandered up and down every aisle, basket across her walker seat filling rapidly with desserts, haha, was wonderful to see. Since we were there to help her she purchased three baskets full to the brim with various items. She was flying pretty high by the time she was done.  Today our trip out is to London Drugs, her favourite store. Yesterday we took out chicken Caesar salads from Swiss Chalet for her lunch treat and today we are scrambling to try to find her a Chinese food restaurant that is open at noon, but I don’t think we will be successful. 

Ruth continues on in about the same state: sleepless nights moving between lucidity and complete cognitive dysfunction, followed by daytime tears and fears, but with generally more consistent cognitive function. She calls Raymond early every morning to please come to the hospital as she cannot feed herself, cannot fill out the daily menu without help. Yesterday he was at the hospital before 6am and was there for over 14 hours. Since she is on a surgical recovery ward waiting for the transfer to hospice care, the nursing staff are not trained in palliative care, so she is unable to have the nursing attention she needs. There are no palliative beds free for her at present. Please pray for strength for Raymond. We are as worried about him as we are about Ruth. 

Our son’s art show is finally opening Friday evening. It has been a long wait of just over a year since it was originally scheduled, only to be shut down by the pandemic. The personal invitations have been sent out at last. Our prayer is for a published review to use in his next visa application. He is very excited! His girlfriend has had her latest play selected for a September review and reading by an important arts board, so she is also very excited. Her possible law career may be out on hold after all, haha. It appears they will be accepted by the rental board to move into the apartment of their choice this summer, so that is also good news. 

My husband and I are wrung out, but coping ok. God is good. Today we should all find out when Ruth will be moving to hospice care and thus where we will be traveling tomorrow: back to Edmonton or back home.

Feasting!

 Today has been encouraging! Ruth did very well today. Mom did very well today. We did very well today.  The weather did very well today. Yay today! 

Mom had such a great time picnicking here in our hotel room at noon. She ate and drank lots more than usual and told us she felt as if she had been on holidays. The last time she went anywhere other than a medical appointment was in early October last year! Unbelievable! She is very excited to see what we come up with for lunch tomorrow. I hope we don’t disappoint! 

Icing on the cake today for all of us was a series of texts and phone calls from our son in honour of Father’s Day and Missing You All So Much Day! He is desperate to come home for a visit. We are starting to make tentative plans to get together at Christmas so that we can meet his girlfriend in person at last, but he is hoping to come home for a short visit on his own first, as soon as the border opens.

For dinner tonight we ordered food from the Little Chief....a massive and delicious chicken Caesar salad, tender, moist beef on a bun with cassava chips and a fantastic dessert each: chocolate raspberry quinoa cake with coconut and avocado chocolate icing, plus a French lemon cream tart with baked blueberry juice, 7 minute icing, chocolate droozle and candied lemon slices. Oh. My. Goodness. Created and baked on site. Worth every penny.

The desserts made US feel as if we have been on holidays!!

Dad’s Expressions

 This morning when we woke up the rain had ended and the sun was shining through the clouds still in the sky. I thought immediately of my dad, whose favourite weather related expression was, “It’s going to clear up and be cloudy.”  Most people thought it was an hilarious saying, but I knew exactly what dad meant. By “clear up” he wasn’t referring to a newly cloudless sky. He only meant that whatever precipitation had been falling from the clouds in the form of rain, snow, hail, or sleet, was going to cease falling, leaving only its now empty “cloud casing” behind. This morning’s weather brought forth that memory of Dad who passed away a year and nearly two weeks ago. He was delighted by his own turn of phrase and I always got a kick out of that.

My husband remembers his sister getting in trouble as a little girl for something she had said and it became one of their family sayings: “Can’t nobody says nuthin’ around here without somebody says somethin’!!” Cute!!! 

Apparently when she was very tiny she was trying to copy her dad’s use of a hammer and accidentally pounded her own hand. Of course she started to cry. Her visiting, very proper British grandmother told her not to cry. Grandma said, “Now Ruth, when your daddy hits his hand with the hammer he doesn’t cry, does  he?” “No Grandma,”, a sobbing Ruth responded. “Daddy says, ‘son of a bitch!’” Proper British and now thoroughly shocked grandma said not another word! Ruth’s parents delighted in that story for the rest of their lives! hahahaha 

Aaaaah, family stories. They’re the best!

Next Stop

 Yesterday, with Ruth stabilized for now, we headed to Calgary to see Mom. It was a rainy drive, but uneventful with a pit stop in Red Deer for a mid day snack along the way. Our hotel in Calgary allowed us to check in three hours early, so we had time to unpack, have a sleep and have a light dinner in our room before going to see Mom. She looks amazing. With all the nagging minor health issues she has experienced in recent weeks I was expecting to see her looking ancient, haggard, wizened up and generally ill and miserable. Instead she greeted us all dressed up in a new outfit, new fancy glasses, her hair freshly styled and cut.....it was shocking in all the best ways! What a treat! My husband reminded me that she likely will have some sort of setback after we leave, as she always has, but for now I can relax and enjoy the visit. Thank you Lord for this bit of encouragement during a very tough time for our family! Today we will do some online shopping together and have a “picnic” in our hotel room for lunch. We went to Safeway last evening and purchased a variety of fresh fruits and fried chicken, potato salad, sandwiches, chips and dip so Mom can have a choice of fun foods. Tomorrow we will start taking her to a few appointments. Tonight we will get another update on Ruth. So far she is holding steady.

A More Normal Day

 Aaaaah, refreshingly good day for us all thus far! Thank you Jesus! 

1. Ruth’s blood clot is dissolved and her symptoms of the past ten days have disappeared. Prayers answered and we are so grateful for them. Raymond is checking out the possible hospice facility she will be moved to, as the doctors expect she will live fairly well for a few more weeks. Once she is moved to hospice we will be allowed to visit her. If she is not moved by the time we are done visiting Mom in Calgary, we will go home as planned, my husband will perform a baptism on the long weekend, then we will return to Edmonton for a couple of days to see Ruth again. 

2. We have a “day off” today as we worked hard at the house yesterday. Raymond’s appreciation is touching. So, we slept in, then went shopping for a few items my mom needs. It was frustrating as what she needs is hard to find. So, I have decided that when we get to Calgary I am going to take her online shopping. It will be easier on her than dragging her from store to store and not having any success anyway. 

We masked up and treated ourselves to a soup, sandwich and fish ‘n’ chip lunch at Brown’s Social House. It was wonderful to get a break from takeout burgers and bread and cheese meals in our hotel room. SO happy! We felt almost festive after the stress of the past few days. Thankful for our one hour “holiday”!

We will meet with Raymond tonight or tomorrow morning to say farewell for now. Looks like we can leave on a much more positive note than we originally thought. So grateful!!  

Temporary Sunshine

 Two items of brightness this morning: 

1.  Outside the sun is shining for the moment at least before the next set of dark clouds on the horizon roll in.

2. A massive blood clot was discovered in Ruth’s lung late last evening, so it is being dissolved slowly in hopes it will not travel. It is likely responsible for her serious breathing issues and subsequent weakness, as well as preventing proper oxygen flow to the brain. So, perhaps another bit of temporary relief for her, for a few days at least.

Not As Smooth Today!

 Ruth had a terrible night last night with wakefulness, confusion and constantly trying to get out of bed. She fought the nurses trying to keep her in bed and eventually fell on the floor, bruising her face and side. Fortunately she has no fractures. In the ten hours Raymond spent with her today she only lucid for a total of about ten minutes. He came home tonight completely frazzled. Our planned bbq dinner became French bread, hummus, cheese, red peppers and tomatoes. None of us felt like eating at all, but we managed a bit of it. Ruth had to be moved out of palliative care after her day long assessment and into the main hospital to an isolation room right beside a ward nursing station where she can be watched every minute around the clock. The doctor will read the palliative assessment report and let Raymond know on Monday what facility she will be moved to. She can no longer feed herself, losing that ability in less than 24 hours. She refused to eat more than three spoons worth of food at each meal. So, despite having a strong heart, she may have only a few more weeks or even days to live. Her move to the main hospital means my husband will not be permitted to see her due to pandemic restrictions. Oh well.....

We spent a productive day over at the house. I cleaned and my husband did a series of small home repairs. It felt good to do something useful and actually helpful instead of sitting around wondering what to do next. We wanted to take another walk, but gale force winds and rain showers canceled those plans. Maybe tomorrow? 

So, we shall see what tomorrow brings!

Smoooooooooth.....

 Today was amazing! We got Ruth out to the car and into her appointment with the oncologist this morning. We got her back into the car afterward and over to the palliative assessment centre, driving across Edmonton on unfamiliar roads with no problems. We managed to cram in a lunch of Safeway sandwiches. (Interesting.....) We managed a brisk one kilometre walk in between trips. We had a rest in our room for awhile this afternoon until it was time to take burgers over to the house to share with Raymond for dinner. Lord willing, we MAY be permitted to enter Ruth’s facility for a very brief visit the morning we leave. Everything for Ruth went clickety click, smooth as butter....an incredible answer to prayer! We didn’t get lost driving all over the place. We DID manage to back into a concrete block in a parking lot and dent the rubber on one side of the back bumper, but we may be able to hammer it back out and if not, it is a small issue in comparison to all the GREAT things that happened today. 

Last night’s and tonight’s phone chats with Mom were difficult as it seems she is starting to get confused about a few things....sigh..... I am hoping she is experiencing some distraction or stress over our upcoming visit with her because she is so excited about it. I don’t know yet how concerned I should be. Well, a matter for me to take up with God in prayer.

My husband is coping rather well, all things considered. I am proud of his practical view of earthly life and death.  I said my goodbyes “for now” to Ruth today just before she was admitted for assessment, so I will be okay if I can’t go into the assessment centre before we leave. 

Sunny and windy today but no rain! Yay! Looks like we may be battling rain for the first couple of days with Mom. Oh well.....no biggie.

Safe Travel.....

 .....in good weather and surrounded by responsible drivers on the highways. It was a good trip to Edmonton today! Thank you Lord and also praying friends!

We arrived to find my husband’s sister sitting up in bed, not looking terrible healthy and struggling to breathe, but very lucid. We spent a few hours alternately talking in brief bouts and watching her sleep. She enjoyed her few bites of sushi for dinner. 

Now we are relaxing in our hotel room and preparing for a busy day tomorrow. We will wrestle her downstairs from her bedroom and into the car for a trip to the oncologist. Then we will take her to the palliative care assessment centre. The addition of oxygen and sub cutaneous fluids there will help her breathing and blood pressure. After two days there we hope to help move her into a full time palliative care facility. We will however see what really happens.

Mom told me tonight she is getting new hearing aids, finally, at the end of June. I am praying so much that they will help her at least a little bit because she is missing out on too many conversations. 

Must sleep! Busy day. Lots of stress. Fulfilling day though!

Thunderstorms tonight!

Hallelujah! There IS a Plan In Place Now!!

 It is a hot day today.  I feel kind of wilted already mid afternoon, but it is because I have been racing around getting ready for our trip: keys to cut for our house sitter, getting rid of various food items that won't last until we get home, packing, AND BEST OF ALL, making all the rest of the arrangments for our travels!!

After a week long wait, everything came together within an hour's time this morning!  YAY!!  Dell's brother in law called to let us know it is time to get out there pronto and only a few minutes after that the email I have been waiting from from my mother's facility director arrived with all the information I needed to set up a few days of visits with Mom.  I called Mom and confirmed the dates and times, sent that info to the facility director, who has given it to the front desk staff and that is all set up for when we arrive there.  The hotels in both cities are now booked and confirmed.  

Of course, once everything got set up and we could relax, my poor husband had one of his infamous tummy attacks and is currently stretched out on the bed massaging his stomach with frozen freezer packs to deal with the pain.  I can hardly believe that only today has he truly equated his tummy turmoil with long term stress!! Aaaaaargh!!  Finally HE discovered this bit of information! hahahaha

When my husband's brother in law called he had spoken to the oncologist and my husband's sister is going to see that dear doctor in a couple of days. We will be there to help load her and her wheelchair into her husband's vehicle and get her there. Once the oncologist has seen her, she will be moved immediately into the pallative care assessment unit at the hospital.  We will help with that transfer. She will spend 2 days there being assessed and then move directly from there this weekend into a full time palliative care facility and we will assist with that move as well before driving on to Mom's.  Fortunately my husband's sister was lucid when these plans were put into place and has agreed to all of them.  Now she is fighting to hang on mentally until we arrive.  Now that there is a proper plan in place for her continuing care all of us have calmed down.  Thus my husband's tummy episode, but he is on the mend.  We are relieved for the brother in law. He has been dealing with all this stress of home care on his own for several weeks and is at the end of his tether, understandably. So thrilled we can go to help. 

Well, I must go and get some more things done for the trip.  Thank you everyone for your prayers and concern for my husband and his family and for my mom.  So appreciated by all of us!

Still Waiting......

 We thought we would be able to have our travel plans firmed up by now for this coming week, but unfortunately more problems at the other end have kept us in limbo once again.  This whole venture has reached "ludicrous speed".

Sadly, my husband's sister had some more health issues over the weekend that may have resulted in her being hospitalized once again today.  Dropping oxygen levels and blood pressure issues became a problem.  Hopefully her EMT husband has been able to deal with the issues at home so that we are all able to be together this week.  If she has been admitted to hospital there will be no way of knowing when she will be released and with the pandemic protocols in place, only her husband will be admitted to her hospital room, ergo, pointless for us to travel there until she is back home.  Once again we are waiting for the information phone call...."tomorrow".  Tomorrow there will be a phone appointment with her oncologist IF she is still at home and by tomorrow night all of us hope the plans for our visit there and with my mother, in a different city altogether, can be confirmed and reorganized.  I am currently waiting for confirmation from the director of Mom's facility that we will be allowed to visit at all, and then once I know when we can go there I will have to make the arrangements with Mom as to what days and times she wants us to visit at her facility and what days and times she needs us to pick her up for essential appointments.  Each visit has to be individually recorded in a log book well in advance by the staff and making changes in the schedule has proven difficult if not impossible in the past.  So, here we still are in Limbo Land and our dear relatives are also on tenterhooks wondering how this is all going to work out.

I thank God daily for my husband's parish congregation because they are so willing to make the necessary arrangements to accommodate his absences for family problems.  They are such a compassionate and understanding group!

This weekend has been kind of a bomb as far as accomplishing much.  My husband admits he has spent far too much time on his sermons and hymn selections, etc. for the Zoom services in recent weeks because it is such a great coping mechanism for dealing with the stress of what is happening to his sister and her husband, so we had some conversations about that.  We spent a long time dealing with the new leaks in our basement walls after the flooding rains on Friday....the flooding was so bad in parts of the city that we made headlines in the national news broadcasts that night!  Thankfully the patching my husband did on previous cracks in the wall was successful even with the deluge of water soaking deep into the ground.  Tomorrow he will use what is left of that material to patch this new leak and next time we have heavy rains we will see where the water breaks through in new places along our basement walls. hahahaha

I got the laundry done but haven't ironed yet. There isn't much to do so I will do it in the morning in among other errands I need to run.  I made a vanilla banana cake this morning and we took half of it this aftenroon to an elderly friend for his birthday.  He seemed quite delighted!  I hope the actual enjoyment in eating the cake is equal to his enjoyment in receiving it! haha

We didn't even attend my church Zoom service this morning!  We needed to do some of the residual cleaning up left from the basement leaks and we needed to have a long talk about some other issues and we needed to figure out how late we can be booking hotels for our trip, just in case we actually go on it soon.  I watched the service this afternoon online and then we both enjoyed my husband's church Zoom service this evening.

And so the weekend drifted past us.......watching a few boxing matches on tv and reading an entire book both yesterday and today were both great escapes for me.

Mom is doing well.  Son is doing well.  We are doing well apart from the mental apathy that ongoing stress about my husband's sister's and her husband's health situations are producing, but that is pretty natural I think.  Neither of us had any reaction to our second vaccinations. Even our sore arms are much better already today and we didn't get the full day of incredible exhaustion we both experienced after the first injection.

The warmth and sunshine today were a welcome change from the week of overcast skies and two days of soggy rain.  We planned to go for a walk to the pharmacy this afternoon, but in our laziness and stress induced stupor we didn't quite get around to it until it was too late to go for a walk, so we drove there instead.  

Since we should know by tomorrow evening exactly what we are going to do about visiting the relatives, tomorrow morning we will get our suitcases out and all the clothes and personal items needing to be packed set out on the side tables so we can just toss everything in before bed the night before we leave. That way we can be out of here the following morning after a quick breakfast and make our way to the family as early in the day as possible.  We have cleared the refrigerator of any and all foods that cannot be frozen while we are gone and made everything in the suite as ready as possible for our departure, whenever that turns out to be. A friend has graciously agreed to check mail and water plants, so that is a huge hassle off our minds.  With the change over of tenants in our court in recent months we don't know anyone in here now well enough to do those neighbourly things for us.  It is an odd feeling!

So, who knows what is going to happen tomorrow and for the rest of this week.............??? Well, God does of course, but he's not telling........not yet, anyway!

All Done!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!

 Yesterday my husband had his second Pfizer vaccination and I had mine this morning.  It is a wonderful feeling to be finished with that process and to know that in a couple of weeks' time we will be as safe from getting bad COVID19 symptoms or spreading them to others as it is possible right now to get!  Whew!  Done and done!!

We celebrated by stopping for take out sandwiches at Naked Bean on the way home and by purchasing discount gasoline from the pumps closest to the building where we had our injections.  The saving per litre was just under ten cents!  Worth a bit of standing in the rain to pump it into the tank!

The heavy rain this morning created havoc with the underpasses downtown.  Wow!  It was difficult to tell how deep the water was in the Broad Street underpass, but it had been closed off for some time before we went past it.  At the Albert Street underpass there was a utility vehicle nearly completely submerged in the water.  All we could see as we went past was the roof, the top part of the driver''s window and the utility ladder strapped to the roof.  The firemen were hanging onto ropes as they walked through the deep water, submerged up to their necks trying to access the vehicle, looking for possible passengers.  The police department was there with their search boat. It was very dramatic. Having said that, we don't know if the situation was an actual emergency, or if it the submerged road was being used for a training exercise for the emergency responders, but the situation looked very serious indeed.

We drove through some deep water along our route to the clinic, as many of the storm drains were unable to handle the heavy flow of water, but we kept the engine in our vehicle dry and arrived at the vaccination clinic with no problem.  We didn't have to change our route significantly to complete the errands we had to run after my appointment, so that was a bonus for us.

I found the new compression stockings my mom wants this morning, so that was a relief. The best place to get them where she lives takes an age to drive to, it is tricky to find, and the prices there are much higher than they are here. Depending on when we end up going out there to see her, I will either mail them to her on Monday or just take them with me when we go.

The rain stopped pounding down just before noon in our area of the city and now the wind is howling again; not nearly as badly as yesterday, but I am glad I don't have to be out walking in it!  Next week we will be in the +30C range for several days once again.  I wonder if the whole summer will be one of swinging between weather extremes.

Scenery Closer To Home!

 A couple of weeks ago the pavers arrived to repave our parking lot, post winter water main break:

Then the day before yesterday the lawn care crew arrived to even up the dirty, mud heap on the lawn. They carefully raked it out and spread tons of new grass seeds on top, knowing the rain was about to come and water them.  Ooh, the rains came alright.  They followed a giant wind storm yesterday that knocked out our power three or four times during the course of the day.  When the rains did arrive they dumped over two inches of water in less than six hours on top of the re-seeding project and this morning this is what was happening out there:

Four different families of geese brought their wee ones and teens over from the lake to ingest all the freshly sown grass seeds,  bathe in OUR "lake", and waddle about in the mud. 

 

 

I am guessing that grass never will get re-seeded, since the pile of sand directly in front of our car, also left over from the work on the water main break in the winter, has not been removed.  You can never accuse our property management company of overkill on any of the yard work done here, hahahaha.

All On A Saskatchewan Evening

 My friend Kat enjoys taking photos of the scenery all around Regina.  Here are two beauties she snapped the other evening just outside of the city:

The Trinity

Update On Cee

 After a frustrating wait of several hours in ER, Cee finally received prescriptions for three very strong pain killers and late tonight the pain is easing at last. Finding which pain killers he was given tells me just how serious his pain levels were today. Many thanks from Cee and Nan for your prayers for him. These episodes can last up to 24 hours but the pain was so intense this time there is no way he would last that long without help. Thank you prayer warriors for your concern for him, and thank you Lord for getting him some help at last today! 

Another, Very Disappointing Covid Cancellation

 The pandemic has certainly cancelled the retirement plans I have been researchingfor the past three or four years and getting prepared to put into place next year. Sigh....

I suspect many of our friends and family thought, when I first mentioned the idea of our retiring in Panama, that I was either joking, or pipe dreaming or developing a new coping mechanism for life by thinking about something so unlikely to ever happen in reality.

Nope, to all of the above ideas.  I spent many months researching, planning, looking at the required income levels to emigrate there, the medical plans for foreign retirees, accommodation, cost of living,  the required paper work for both countries, etc. etc. etc.  Originally I had a target date for leaving in 2022.

Now, with the onset of COVID19, not so much.......

The Canadian friends and aquaintances we were looking forward to being neighbours with in Panama were issued notices last year by the Panamanian government as COVID19 took hold of their country as well; the long and the short of it being that they were all sent home to Canada and this is the end of their only partially fulfilled retirement plans as well.  All of them were well established there, enjoying life to the fullest, only to have all their plans and dreams for ongoing retirement life grind to a complete halt.  They have spent the past few months restoring their lives in Canada and it has not been easy to relocate back to this land of snow and very costly living. Most of them are stuck living in rural areas where housing is less expensive.  Eek!  The idea of having to move to another small town in Canada is repulsive to me, let alone to our friends who have experienced the joys associated with their Panamanian lives, only to have them  unexpectedly jerked out from under them in one heck of a hurry.

Well, time for a new direction for us as well.  I am very grateful that circumstances here meant we were unable to leave for southern climes any sooner, or we would also be striving to reinstate ourselves in Canada somewhere after  a very brief glimpse of what we had hoped our new lives would be.

I feel protected from that upset for myself, but I feel terrible for our friends who have been through this horror of relocation when they thought their retirement experience was secure.

So, back to the proverbial "drawing board".

Please Pray For Cee!

 For those of you who have been praying for Cee, there is a huge problem today. He woke up early this morning with the worst neuropathy pain ever, after many weeks of being nearly pain free after some IVI treatments.  The pain was and continues to be SO bad that every 20 seconds or so the intensity of the pain causes his body to jerk.  At present, mid afternoon, he is in the ER, hopefully has been triaged by now and getting badly needed pain control meds of some kind.  This is a terrible shock after the success of the recent IVI treatments, so Nan is struggling to as she watches her husband suffer this kind of pain.  Thank you SO MUCH for praying for them.

Mr. Meticulous and His Mom, the Limp Dishrag!

 Last evening when I was talking to my son he filled me in on more details about his recent art works and why so much time and energy were require to complete them.

I didn't realize that making his own paint was not the only long and involved process for these works.  He has been studying in detail a 100 year old text on how to create paintings in similar technique to the old Italian Masters.  So, his paintings were not done on canvas.  They were done on birchwood slabs that required a LOT of prep work, including a covering of rabbit glue, that he also had to make himself, to prepare them to receive the paint without the wood sucking it up, or causing the paint to buckle as it was drying.  He also discovered another technique using lighter wooden slabs that he could cover with a thin layer of masonite after treating the wood, then treating the masonite so it could allow the paint to adhere properly to it; even more work involved, but it makes the paintings much lighter for moving about.  The preparation of the wooden slabs to take the paint takes far longer than creating the painting itself.

No wonder a half dozen paintings took so much longer than his former works used to take.  Wow....he has his father's patience when it comes to work projects!!  I have NONE in comparison and could never be an artist or artisan of any kind as a result!!  (oh, and also the fact that I have zero skills for creating artistic works)

 

Yesterday was so busy and so filled with phone calls and personal visits that I experienced sensory overload by the end of the day.  It was wonderful and fantastic and a taste of pre-pandemic life....and it wore me out completely!!  I could barely manage to shower and get myself dressed in actual clothes this morning so I could drive my husband over to a friend's to advise her on some landscaping work she needs to have done.  I couldn't even force myself to get out of the car and greet said friend decently.  She stood outside the car window, sagging physically from a reaction to her second COVID19 vaccination that was administered yesterday and I sagged physically on the car seat from a reaction to all the fun and "people stimulation" I was so blessed to have yesterday!  hahaha What a sagging, exhausted pair of women we are today!

While my husband consulted with her on the landscaping project, I hauled my cell phone out of my purse to check for messages back at home and in the process discovered I had over 20 saved messages on that phone, some from as long as 3 years ago!!!!  I always forget to clear the old messages off that phone as I use it so rarely.  I had a lovely time replaying them and deleting them. It kept me busy for most of the time my husband was chatting with our friend.  

Driving home there was quite a lot of road construction along the route, I took an incorrect lane coming off the ring road and ended up being forced back onto the ring road heading toward the next exit....or I should have been forced back onto the ring road heading toward the next exit, but I noticed there was room for me to make a "special" right hand turn onto the road I should have been on and avoided having to drive miles out of my way on the way home.  Driving to our friend's house had been frustrating enough as I ended up behind a vehicle doing 20km per hour in the 50 zone, with no way around it, then suddenly, without any advance warning, an orange sign appeared in front of us telling us the road was closed and to detour....somewhere....detour somewhere....aaaargh!  I managed to follow the snail around some side streets until we finally discovered a way to reconnect with the route we needed.  A few blocks before finally reaching our friend's house there was another significant and unexpected road closure and some more fancy re-routing  occured. Aaaaah, ya' gotta love road construction season! Making me face those sorts of things when I am tired, is incredibly irritating. hahaha  Anyway, despite barely being able to keep my eyes open we did manage to make the round trip, road construction and driver error and all!

My husband is creating pita pizzas for us for lunch as I write this....he is no ball of energy either.  For some reason he wasn't able to connect on Zoom with his Tuesday morning men's group, but I think maybe it was just as well as he is tired too.  All my celebrating wore him out as well.  hahaha What a pair of old codgers we are turning into....eek!! 

Well, We TRIED To Attend Zoom Church on Sunday!!

 Church was an absolute circus yesterday for some of us.  My husband and I attended the adult Sunday school session for the first time since the new term began a few weeks ago and it was very good.  However, church was a bit of a zoo for everyone.  

It began well enough.  The first fifteen minutes looked promising and then without warning our entire neighbourhood experienced a power blackout. hahaha  By the time we were back online there were only ten minutes left in the service, but at least we caught the final hymn, prayer and postlude organ extravaganza.

The people attending the church also experienced disruption but of a different type.  Just near the end of the sermon my minister fell deathly ill and had to be escorted out. Fortunately one of the retired pastors in the congregation was able to take over to lead and serve the communion and bring the service to a close.  It is possible the minister had a reaction to the COVID19 injection he received the previous evening....another Astra Zeneca reaction it appears.  Poor fellow, I hope and pray he is alright today!!  

The rest of the day was pretty quiet.  I finally got the laundry done and will get to the ironing tomorrow I hope.

 

Today was a wonderful day from start to finish!  I woke up in plenty of time to eat breakfast and get to the grocery store by 7am, yay!  Once I got the groceries unloaded back at home, my husband and I reloaded the car with the recyclables and the water jugs and headed off to do our morning errands.  We were able to get everything done with minimal fuss and bother, so were home just after 11am.  We both felt we had accomplished a great deal for a change.

 Got some chores done around home until it was time to go for our 2pm pub lunch at Knotted Thistle.  Oh my.....the food is quite average, truth be told, but the atmosphere of the pub is relaxing, and since we deliberately went well after the lunch rush, we ended up being the only patrons in the place for our whole visit there. It was awesome.  On March 16, 2020, Knotted Thistle was the last place of business we were in before the very first COVID19 lockdowns of all local businesses began the next morning!  Being there today felt like a kind of "book end" experience taking the whole pandemic situation of the past 15 months into consideration; being there at the start of the issue and now being there again as we prepare for more reopenings in light of the number of vaccinations that have been adminstered here.

 Thoroughly enjoyed my Guiness burger and even my overly dressed Caesar salad, brown lettuce and all, hahahahahahaha.  Since it is my birthday today I also splurged on a full pint of lemon-ginger Radler, hang the carbs and the climbing blood sugar for once....at least I didn't have dessert too! hahaha  I couldn't face any dinner tonight, so ate a fillet of steel head trout and a third of a cup of saffron rice at 8pm.  I felt like I was forcing it down under duress just so I don't wake up faint and ravenous at 4am!  

When we got home it was to a mail box filled with birthday cards and an email programme full of e-cards, phone messages that I had a glorious time returning and the arrival unexpectedly of a good friend for a back deck visit.  Shortly after that I was off to Kat's to collect some of her fresh rhubarb in exchange for her favourite fruit, watermelon!  She and Val wanted to visit on her spacious front porch for awhile, so that was a lovely treat. Kat sang  Happy Birthday to me using her best Donald Duck voice and I cracked up laughing. hahahaha. She is so hilarious.

I arrived home feeling humbled and blessed about my day, to discover I had a message from my first and only post high school roommate, so I called her back and we had a great talk.  I barely got the phone hung up after her call when my son called and we chatted for about an hour as he walked home from work during the last hours of the day's heat wave. He is happy and healthy and enjoying life, so it was a great boost to me and also to my husband as we chatted away the hour with him.  Once the border opens he is going to come to see us, twice if possible in close sequence.  YAY!

God certainly knew how to encourage me today. So many cards and calls and emails from people whose birthdays I can never seem to keep track of.  Every year I  think I have recorded their birth dates on my calendar, but every year I still miss most of those special days.  I have been blessed with the most forgiving and understanding friends in all the world....however, I have an idea up my sleeve for all of them that I will act on in the coming weeks, teehee.  The one cousin I know that keeps in touch with me also called today and we had the best talk.  Mom was cheery today and thrilled with herself for getting a card for me, getting it posted and surprising me; me who knows how much effort it took for her to get to a store to find a card.  Bless her. 

 The funniest thing that happened all day:

 I had just pulled my wallet out of my purse at the pharmacy this morning to pay for a prescription, when I heard my cell phone ringing from deep within my purse.  I grabbed it and hit the answer key, assuming it was my mother with another emergency, but it turned out to be some prankster friends from AB!  Unknowingly I had pressed the speaker phone icon and as soon as I said "hello", the entire pharmacy, including the very NOT amused pharaceutical assistant was waiting on me, were "treated" to my friends' crazy, off key rendition of Happy Birthday!!  Talk about a bunch of sour faced NOT amused people in the pharmacy! Well, except for me: I was totally amused, I was LOL amused, I was killing myself laughing amused as I tossed the money for the prescription onto the pharmacy counter and hied myself away out of there as quickly as possible. hahaha

 We have one sad piece of news to report: last evening we got a call that my husband's sister is not doing well at all. Suddenly she has started a downward spiral with her health and the plan at the moment is that we are to go to see her in about a week's time, after her many medical appointments this week and after we have all had our vaccines.  We need to see her before she is no longer sure who we are and to try to help her husband get some at home care for her. He cannot carry this burden much longer without endangering her and himself, as she has lost mobility as well.  O Lord, this is all very sudden....but not unexpected, unfortunately.  I just pray she will be able to recognize her brother still when we get there.  He is very sad as it is.  We have begun making travel arrangements, but will find out in a few days if her husband thinks still that it is the best idea to go right away.  Unfortunately  our first plan to wait until two weeks or more after the second vaccinations to make sure we all have maximum coverage is no longer viable.

So, we continue to pray that God will do what is best for her and for her husband, we pray that the travel plans will be able to come together now that there are no longer any border crossing issues between our two provinces and more contact between family members in her province is allowed now.  

Apart from that sad news that we have had to discuss today and make tentative plans for travel, it has been a good couple of days.  I am SO tired tonight after all the errands and phone calls and visiting that I MAY even sleep well for a change! Amen!!