Learning and understanding

Can you imagine, it’s already the end of September?  Somehow 9 months of this year have slipped past!  Tempus fugit, really!  It’s warmer today than it was during the week, and the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid- to upper-20s this week coming.  October with almost 30C temps?  Unbelievable.  It’s difficult to imagine that this will last much longer, and I am not ready at all for winter… the older I get, the less I enjoy winter, so yes, I’m clearly in the wrong part of the world for this.  Jerry seems to have decided that games will now happen before he gets up, and that will involve turning in circles, running up and down the bed, scrabbling under the bed and then jumping up for cuddles before he’ll agree to me getting up!  Don is still not in good shape, and complains about pain and soreness.  He’s also engrossed with his sports, and has been watching various games since about 1pm today. You’ll be excited to hear that I cooked some bok choi today, but didn’t do anything to

It was another day that started off cool and warmed up by the late afternoon.  It was also overcast for most of the morning, and looked like it was thinking of raining, but instead it cleared up to a sunny afternoon and evening.  I wore a shawl to go out, which (as it turned out, I didn’t really need, but I wasn’t sure how chilly it would be!)  Jerry was rooted to me all day.  After a night on my tummy he then relocates to my lap and refuses to move.  He got tossed off because I wanted to read, and he insisted on wanting to play… he also decided to play in the morning, and danced all over the bed when it was time to get up.  When he did get off the bed, he ran under it — I just saw his little legs scrabbling under — and refused to come when called.  I climbed back into bed, and then he jumped up on me… spoiled dog.  Don continues to not feel great, although he’s in less pain than he was but still has difficulty walking and moving around.  There’s the usual line up of sports tonight, wh

Another lovely September morning.  Started off chilly enough that your breath condensed in front of your face and warmed up nicely.  I was looking off my balcony, and I can see that some of the trees are beginning to turn, although a lot aren’t.  I think I’ve got about a week to enjoy the colours before they begin to drop and the trees look bare and sad.  Last year this time I was heading to my sister for a long break with the small people, and I had all of October watching the Niagara Escarpment go from flaming colours to dingy grey by the time I got back home.  Jerry has not been leaving me alone at all today.  He spends a good chunk of the night on me, leaps into my lap as soon as I get up, and dozes off for most of the afternoon.  It gets uncomfortable for me to read or crochet, and if I’m engrossed in a TV show, he sits up to block my view… I don’t get it.  Don has been sleeping a lot today as he had a poor night last night, but he’s now watching a sport (and I hear little snores)

We’re in the middle, according to the weather reporter, of some of the best weather of the year.  We’ve got highs of almost 20C, overnight lows around 9C (excellent for sleeping) lots of sunshine during the day and cool, gentle breezes.  The leaves are beginning to blaze red, gold, and orange but there are still quite a few that are still green.  It’ll get prettier over the next couple of weeks, then the rains will come, and then… ugh.  Jerry is annoyed with me, as I’ve thrown him off my lap again so I could eat my dinner and then I could type a little.  He’s huffing by my feet and trying to jump up on me every few seconds.  Don is tucked under a blanket on the sofa, he’s feeling a bit better, but is still in some pain.  He’s walking a little more steadily than he was a couple of days ago, but he’s still not himself, except when it comes to his sports on TV — he’s glued avidly to the games, and now hockey is back in rotation.  For a winter game, it takes up a LOT of TV time when there’

It was a beautiful day today, and in the sun it was comfortable until the breeze blew… in the shade it was distinctly chilly, so I’m very glad I had my (Belgian) shawl.  Jerry was extremely annoyed that I was out without him, and barked when I was getting dressed, when I was leaving, and when I returned he sniffed at me disapprovingly then jumped on my lap and refused to get off for well over an hour!  He’s gone to cuddle Don for a moment, so I’m typing frantically!  Don is still feeling miserable, although he’s a little better today again.  He somehow manages to wake up to watch sports (and records them on the PVR to delete them the next day)  I’m sneaking in my cozy mysteries between games. I’m enjoying being able to get decent sleep at night, I hope that this stays for a while!  I am always tempted in the morning to stay in bed longer, but I’m really working on maintaining a sleep schedule.  My appetite is fairly decent, although my sister-friend will question that as I only managed

It’s getting cooler, and while it’s nice for sleeping I’m less than thrilled about needing sweaters and blankets all day because it’s saddening to admit that it’s going to be cold and snowing soon.  If we do manage a white Christmas, that would be lovely, and even better if it melts on January 2!  I’m not a snow bunny.  Jerry spent a large part of the day on my lap and almost fell off when I fell asleep myself.  He’s curled up on Don at the moment.  Don was slightly better this morning, but continues to be in pain.  I would like to do something to help him improve, but I’m out of ideas. My nurse was here today and my blood pressure registered quite low.  That’s unusual — well, my pressure is normally not high, but today was well below that level.   We took it 4 times, concluded that the machine was wonky, tried mine and while it was still low, it was higher than hers.  Today turned into a rest day as a result.  I cooked some spaghetti today, which was quite nice.  I’m sorry that I miss

Come come away, hail to the day, this is our land’s great morning; birds in the trees waft in the breeze, songs of our nation’s dawning.  🎶  Happy 47th Republic Day to Trinidad & Tobago.  I remember learning this ( Our Nation’s Dawning) , and God Bless Our Nation for the first one way back in primary school.  Any other Trinis remember these?  I’ve been playing them this afternoon and getting all patriotic and nostalgic at the same time.  Memories can be lovely.  Jerry is in a ball on Don’s feet, sulking because I’m typing and he can’t get back on my lap (he’s been here all afternoon).  Don is still not feeling well and now produces sound effects of groans when he walks.  I’d really like it if he could recover, it’s been almost 3 weeks now that he’s been out of sorts for different reasons! I’m waiting impatiently for my support worker to come so I can head out to the barbecue to which I was invited.  I’m already over 2 hours late, and I’m wondering how late is acceptable… part of t

I got at least 8 messages this morning to remind me that we’re now in autumn — apparently as of 2:49AM — and everyone seems to be hurrying to find and wear all their orange, pumpkin-themed clothing and drench themselves in pumpkin spice drinks.  (Not a fan.)  I did get a recipe from my long-ago and still deeply missed cooking classes of a pumpkin spice chocolate lava cake, which was not bad but definitely not amazing to me.  It was another nice day, and apparently it will be for a few more days before rain puts in an appearance.  The leaves are beginning to turn, and will be even prettier in about a week, but I can wait.  Jerry wants to play, and I feel horribly guilty that I can’t take him on long walks to play in the leaves.  He keeps me company when I do anything, and I wish that I could do more activity with him.  Don continues to be not well, although he seems to have somewhat less pain.  I hope that’s real, and not just me being hopeful, because he’s still struggling to stand and

Summer is hanging on by a nail… it’s another mild, comfortable and mostly sunny day with a light breeze.  Just lovely.  I’m feeling a little guilty that I’m beginning to suffer cabin fever, and I want to go out and do some stuff that does not involve hospitals, doctors or necessary errands.  It would be fun to do something unscheduled, don’t you agree?  I’d love that, even for a short while; I’ll have to spend a day in bed after, but it’s all good.  I’m always being told “don’t overdo it,” but why shouldn’t I sometimes?  At the moment, there is a small dog who is toy hunting and trying to find space on my lap along with the iPad, he’s very good at telepathy and making me (almost) feel guilty for not giving in to the melting brown eyes that he turns on me.  We’ve agreed that he’s not to be believed, especially when he complains about being neglected and unloved.  Don’s slightly better today, but still mostly under the weather.  I hope he begins to recover soon, it’s not pleasant seeing

Summer is coming to an end, but it’s going out so prettily!  It was another fairly mild day today, although it started off being chilly enough to see your breath, but it warmed up during the day.  It’s getting towards sunset — the days are shortening noticeably! — and it’s getting cooler now, so I had to grab my wrap.  Jerry is trying to mooch some of Don’s dinner now… he’s standing right against his leg, looking mournfully as Don takes each bite.  I’m trying not to laugh, because he’s ignoring me, and if he pays attention to me, I’ll lose my iPad and my typing time.  Don’s still not feeling good, and stubbornly refuses to seek medical attention.  When I say to his son, “Tell your Dad he needs to go to the doctor,” Junior just says, “He’s your problem now… good luck with getting him to a doctor!”  This is not new behaviour for him, because he really doesn’t like doctors, although he’ll ensure that I get to every one of my appointments.  I hope that he starts feeling better soon, really

Two lovely, sunny, late summer days with very cool overnight temperatures.  The days were gorgeous, although the sun wasn’t especially warm.  Fall is just a few days away officially, but we’re promised more sunny days until the weekend, when we’re starting autumn.  I always have a preference for summer, particularly late summer, with all the fresh produce!  Jerry is right now glaring as the cleaner is working on the floors… he doesn’t like the vacuum and would be chasing it and barking, except that he has his training collar on, and it buzzes when he does things he’s not supposed to do.  He just needs to see it, not even wear it, to respond.  Don is still not doing well, and is in quite a bit of pain so that sitting, standing and walking are all difficult for him to manage.  His appetite is very good, so that’s not a concern at least!  But he was improving yesterday, then today it took a small step back.  It’s frustrating, as you can imagine, but things don’t magically disappear when y

Lovely September day again, cool (20C) and sunny this morning, with rain threatening this evening — apparently we’re likely to have thunderstorms overnight.  It seems unlikely, but then… the temperature has dropped significantly since I was out for lunch today and I’m contemplating a blanket to wrap myself in now as it’s getting cool.  Jerry is sulking because I left him today, plus I had my nurse this morning and he wasn’t allowed to help her with monitoring me.  He whined so much that the nurse asked if he was in pain; I said no, he’s just attention seeking.  She was hesitant to play with him, but wasn’t worried.  Don was in the living room holding him, because he’s still in some pain and was having difficulty walking today.  I really hope that things improve soon; I don’t like seeing him in this much pain.  His appetite is still good, and he’s (as usual) finding every sports thing he can on TV, while I’m amusing myself with other things.  During the week there are somewhat fewer opt

As much as it was a lovely day today, I was catching up on my sleep… it’s still fairly warm, and it’s sunny, which is nice.  I had a few moments on the balcony this morning, but then returned indoors.  Jerry has been my constant companion all day, so much so that he lay beside me hugging me until I said it was time to get up, and then he spent every possible moment either on my feet or on my lap.  I’ve returned to my regular routine of being a dog bed and cushion!  He’s temporarily lost his chew toy, so instead he’s chewing on his blanket, keeping an eye on me to see if I’m noticing what he’s doing.  I only tell him to drop it if it looks like he’s about to bite a hole in it.  Don is still not feeling good, although he’s in a little less pain (judging from the moans when he moves) than yesterday.  As it’s Sunday, once I finished watching the Mass the TV has been showing a cycle of sports.  I look up, it’s baseball; blink, and there’s a an NFL team on the screen… so I’ve been losing mys

What a beautiful day it was.  We were expecting either chilly and overcast or sunny and nippy.  It was sunny with a light breeze and comfortably warm.  It’s getting closer to sunset now, and cooling off, so I’ve hunted for my blanket to wrap myself in and get cozy because I was out (more later) and shortly after we got back, I felt the drop in temperature.  Jerry is pretending to sulk at me because I was out this afternoon.  He’s on my feet, chewing on his toy bone, hiding it under a cushion or Don’s blanket, and then digging it out and having zoomie attacks 😆 I know that I spoil the little monster, but who wouldn’t?  I’ve negotiated a break to type, and he’ll let me know when I’ve exceeded the time limit!  Don is still not feeling great, and is in a lot of pain when he sits due to a spider bite in an inconvenient spot (he’s very allergic) which has swollen badly.  I have tried getting him to seek medical attention, but at this point I’ll save my breath to cool my tea… He’s now glued

Shana tova to all who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah. The weather is typical beautiful early fall style.  It’s been in the low 20s/upper teens, lots of sun but not especially hot.  Overnight is skimming the edge of frost warnings, so mornings are brisk (to be polite) as are late evenings.  Looking at the weather, it seems set to continue this sunny, cool break for a few more days, then rain is expected.  Glad I’m not in the Maritimes, where they’re expecting to be hit by a hurricane that hasn’t worked itself out yet.  If it continues, the UK might get a little drenched early next week.  Don continues to feel ill and has also been suffering bouts of nausea, shaking and weakness.  Poor guy’s been complaining of pain, also; he’s been keeping Jerry away, as his jumping and play attacks are quite painful.  Jerry was going through a phase of insane zoomies, racing around, tossing his toy and barking for attention when my support worker came over.  He jumped into her arms as soon as she opened

I apologize for skipping a day yesterday.  I’m still recovering from my trip and the travels, and catching up on quite a lot of sleep!  The weather has been pleasant, and is trending towards classic autumn temperatures with very cool nights and the need for a sweater during the day.  I’d love to be out more — I’ve actually got several invitations that I’ll be scheduling soon — but for this week at least, it’ll be lots of sleep and R&R.  Don hasn’t been feeling well since I got home.  He’s been staying away from me because he’s afraid that he might have picked up something catching, although I don’t know where/when or how that could have happened.  He’s been complaining of nausea quite a lot, but refusing any meds or attention from doctors, and sleeping a lot too.  Jerry is bouncing back and forth between us, but he’s mostly glued to me especially at night where he sleeps on my tummy.  He refuses to acknowledge that 4kg of puppy on a full bladder is a dangerous combination, so I’ve

It’s a beautiful, cool day today and yesterday, although yesterday was overcast and slightly chilly.  I spent the afternoon yesterday on the train heading back home to Ottawa.  We were maybe 20 minutes late, but I’d booked an earlier train, so I got in at 7 instead of my usual midnight.  It was much nicer, getting in while it was still light — the sun had started to set, but it was a lovely long twilight.  Don came to get me, accompanied by the tiny monster who yapped at the wheelchair attendant and the charming young man who was bringing my luggage.  After having ignored me for the 2 weeks I was away, Jerry tried to climb onto me, lick me and get hugs all at once!  He has had a challenge, trying to decide which of us to follow around.  I’m again a dog bed and cushion, and last night he spent much of the night on my tummy and tried walking over me to settle down.  He spent most of the morning on my lap, and is now cuddling with Don with one eye fixed firmly on me to make sure that I do

I woke up to a drizzle and cloudy skies.  It’s cooled down considerably, and the day remained overcast with occasional showers.  I needed a sweater to go out, although it was allegedly 20C, but the breeze made it feel cooler.  The boys had a cooler and more comfortable night, and they slept in this morning.  Jerry pretended to be asleep when I called, and closed his eyes when Don moved the camera to show me his face 😁  This dog, I tell you, has a really strong personality!  He let us talk for a few minutes, then moved to snuggle on Don’s chest and was kicking the hand holding the phone.  I think he misses me a little, don’t you?  Don said that he felt better and had deeper sleep last night, and his breathing was more comfortable as well.  All of these things make me happier, so I don’t worry so much about him when I’m away for a couple of weeks.  According to him, he’s running low on groceries so that’s my first errand when I get home next week. I also had a great sleep, and was allow

The temperature dropped to 17C this morning when it was time to go to school.  Such a relief after the sweltering heat of earlier this week.  Don said that he needed a blanket for a bit, as the temperature in Ottawa also did a drop and he had the doors and windows open.  Jerry looked at me for a moment before deciding that he was going to ignore me; I consider that to be progress!  I’ll be back home in a few days, so maybe he’s working out how to punish me appropriately for leaving him.  Don has sports again — this is the time of year when it’s almost incessant and I have to plan activities with other people to escape CFL, NFL, MLB, NHL… all that alphabet soup of leagues. Continued good sleep, and my appetite is consistent.  I had a mildly unhappy tummy for a couple of hours, for no reason I could see, but it may have been that I ate too quickly or that I ate too late or something similar.  I’ve been happily gorging on fruits — I mean, if you’re visiting an area called “Fruitland” you’