Emancipation

It was actually sweater weather this morning!  11C at 7:30am, but it’s warmed up to 22C.  Why, you ask, was I awake at that hour?  Well, my lay minister visited early this morning and I had to be up for when he arrived, so I got up and somehow never went back to bed; I intend an early night tonight, though.  Jerry was annoyed this morning at being woken up early, then having someone in his house, and then I was on video chat, of which he strongly disapproves!  He’s been letting his displeasure show by scratching my legs and butting me with his nose, and then seeking attention by bringing his toy for me to throw.  Don was doing better today, too, the cooler weather is a lot easier for him to be able to breathe, and thankfully his legs and feet aren’t as bad as they were.  He’s also happily watching sports in between catching up on shows we recorded on the PVR, which (unsurprisingly) also contain games that overlapped others!  I’ve got a few other shows to watch when I can get control of the TV, all on streaming.

I got an email last night from my oncologist.  Not going to lie, my heart skipped a couple of beats and my breathing paused when I saw his name and I had a stab of fear.  The first line, though, made me breathe normally again!  He said, “I think we’re going to like the report when it comes in.”  He’d been checking the scan results ahead of our appointment later this week, and he said that from his read, there are no new spots!  That was a tremendous relief to me.  I’ll update properly after our appointment, but the early returns are that I can relax and hopefully sleep well for a while!  My doctor’s orders this week are to “have a nice dinner and get a good sleep,” and somehow I think I’ll be following those closely!

Today’s my dad’s 89th birthday; and it’s Emancipation Day— a holiday in Trinidad and Tobago.  We did a video call to share in the family lunch, cake cutting and “Happy Birthday” singing.  My sister and her boyfriend cooked a major feast, and Daddy had a healthy plateful (which he cleared) followed by cake and (lactose free) ice cream; he’s lactose intolerant.  The photo is of him, after lunch, when he was preparing to open his gifts (he really liked them) and he was just delighted to have everyone there — although he commented that it would have been better if his other daughters (my sister and I) had bought plane tickets to visit him.  He is, thankfully, in good health although he’s definitely suffering from boredom; since the pandemic he’s very reluctant to leave the house and hasn’t seen much of his friends and he’s stopped driving.  We’re doing what we can to keep him busy, but it’s true that’s easier when there are more people around to share the labour.  

Quick update on my niece’s “request”… after some intensive research and digging, I was able to find the pattern that I wanted.  I sent a photo to her parents and asked if that’s something she’d enjoy, and they said that she would, especially if it were pink.  (I’m going to hate pink at the end of this, I’m sure 😝)  I also found yarn in a pink that makes an interesting pattern, and was able, through even more intensive search, to get it at a lower price than I expected, plus a 15% discount.  It should arrive by Friday (or Tuesday, depending on the post) so I’ll begin as soon as it arrives.  Stand by for updates!  

Jerry has just abandoned me for Don, and it’s almost time to eat.  So, off I go for now.  Good night!