Learning and understanding

OK, it’s being described as the coldest day in October, and I believe them… it’s distinctly icy and cold, and I want an extra blanket and a hot cocoa!  I’m not a little ice block, I’m not, but it seems like this is my immediate future!  Jerry is still trying to hide because that annoying alarm is still  beeping every 30 seconds.  Thankfully they’ll be here in the morning to fix it… it’s really annoying!  Don was up early this morning, calling to try to get updates, and has been feeling much more alert today.  So far there are no sports, but it’s still early… he’s glued to his phone at the moment, and I am happy that’s he’s feeling better.  There will be more sports I’m sure, but I’ll take my pause 😝 I didn’t sleep too well last night, because of Jerry, of course.  I finally had to throw him out around 5am and then I got so sleep until about 10.  It took a while for me to get my bearings, because I felt so groggy… I was reading my grant applications and dozing off so that tells you how

This photo is from Maracas Bay, Trinidad where the river meets the sea.  What a beautiful day, even with the cloud cover, with such glorious water!  😔 That’s in direct contrast to getting the first snowfall of the season last night. After a lovely full moon, there’s a dusting of the white stuff, which thankfully didn’t stay past noon, but it was definitely present!  It’s apparently our earliest snowfall since 2000, which I remember as I was travelling to Banff over Thanksgiving and left here in swirling snow.  The alarm is still not fixed — it’s wired into the electrical, not battery operated, and I’m in negotiations with the property management to get it replaced, so meanwhile my poor Jerry is still traumatized and spent most of last night trying to hide under me in bed and he’s been occasionally shaking.  Don is the designated cuddler at the moment, I’ll take over later.  Don seems to be doing fairly well, which is good, and he’s been talking to the property management company and s

It’s the end of October in about 2 days and all of a sudden it seems that Mother Nature has just checked her calendar!  The temperature took a massive nosedive and it feels icy!  Apparently they’re calling for the s-word overnight into tomorrow; yes, I know the time is coming, but does it really need to rush?  I think not.  Since last night, the fire alarm in our condo began to beep every 30 or so seconds.  It’s unsettled Jerry badly, to the point that last night he tried burying himself under me, and today he’s been shaking and trying to hide!  When he’s on me, he’s trying to climb inside my shirt and is trembling badly, poor little guy.  He’s unnaturally quiet, and while I like him not barking incessantly, I don’t like him in this shaky state.  I’ve called the building manager, left a voicemail and an email and am waiting for a reply.  The longer I wait, the angrier Don gets, so I hope I am the one who answers any calls… Apparently if there’s ever a lull in “regular” sports, there ar

It’s warmer than seasonal, but wet… the rain comes down quietly, but suddenly, and you’re often caught unaware.  It’s OK, since I only need my sweater in the evenings; during the day it’s fairly comfortable.  Jerry… last night he lay on my tummy for (no lie) 14 hours.  I was very tired and went in early, and then lazed for a bit this morning.  He never moved, except once when he fell off the bed trying to fit into a space that was too small for his little self.  I was out of bed for a grand total of 20 minutes, when I sat down and there was a dog magically on my lap, stretched out waiting for his tummy rub!  I asked if 14 continuous hours was insufficient, and apparently it was, as he only left my lap for short periods, and jumped back on at the slightest opportunity!  Don has somehow managed to jolt a shoulder so it’s in pain and he’s having trouble lifting plates of food… I’m beginning to warn him that he’ll get sent to a home if he keeps this up.  He (unsurprisingly) doesn’t take me

I think the sky is mirroring my feelings; it’s been grey and miserable.  My dad  would say that it’s an example of pathetic fallacy, a literary form in which the elements and the feelings of the characters mirror each other.  Jerry has not left me alone since I got that crushing news, and he spends every minute near to me, either on my lap, on my feet, or lying next to my chair — and of course, on my tummy or feet at night.  Anyone who says that animals are dumb really has never spent any time with them.  He communicates his thoughts fairly clearly.  Don is being very supportive as well, and is doing his best to keep my spirits even.  There were no sports last night, so we watched a few shows together and just relaxed, and I spent most of the day dealing with multiple phone calls and messages from family and friends.  There are sports tonight, though, so I think I’ll just go in early and get some sleep in bed instead of in my chair! My body is reacting to the emotions that I can’t yet

I don’t know how to write this today.  Just yesterday I wrote that my dad was improving and strong; today he passed out, could not be resuscitated and died shortly before 12:30 ECT/EDT.  We are all reeling in shock.  It seems that this morning he woke as usual, had his breakfast, followed his morning routine and then just… stopped.  My sister called for an ambulance which arrived quickly (We’re essentially across the street from the hospital) and they tried reviving him; he was rushed straight in on arrival, where they continued to work on him for over half an hour, but he never revived.  My siblings who were there were texting throughout so that we (in Canada) were kept updated.  They showed us his body after everything was over, and he looks peaceful.  Thankfully, he experienced no pain or discomfort, just fell into unconsciousness.  He’s been moved from the hospital morgue to the funeral home while we try to settle on his final arrangements.  It’s so surreal; he was arguing and prot

An interesting curse… Geese are the mafia of the bird world and are absolutely dreadful creatures.  Vicious, territorial, loud, messy and otherwise awful.  They do look lovely, wandering in open spaces, but that’s about it… walking through the grass means avoiding lots of poop, and you’re at risk of being attacked!  So instead of wishing all sorts of awful things on people, just wish geese on them.  They can’t kill them — they’re protected — so it’s a truly awful state.  😈. Jerry is in the proverbial doghouse.  I was eating my supper earlier, and he was trying to beg.  I chased him off, paused to take a drink — and he stole my pot pie off my plate!  He lapped up all the gravy almost immediately and was away to the other side of the room before I could put down the glass!  He’s looking very proud of himself, but is curled up on Don expecting him to be a shield!  Don feels pretty good today, which is a relief, and is watching even more sports tonight! My nurse was here today and not par

It’s been a rainy, shilly, kind-of-damp-that-gets-into-your-bones sort of day.  I’m wrapped in a blanket and giving some serious thought to extra socks and a sweater.  I refuse to turn on the heat just yet, but I don’t think I’ll be able to hold out for much longer!  This is where the dog would come in handy, because he generates a lot of heat… but of course  he’s nowhere near my feet now that they’re little icicles.  He’s sitting by himself on Don’s blanket, not relinquishing it, chewing on one of his toys.  Don is watching what feels like his 20th football game of the day… and don’t tell me that it’s physically impossible.  Every time I look up there’s a different set of uniforms running around a field, although I admit that there were men skating at one point so there must have been a hockey game. WOO!  Finally, I got a support worker this afternoon!  Oh, what a relief 😅 She showed up on time, I got a shower, she changed the sheets, and generally made things fairly livable again.  

My sister likes sending out some really awful puns; I thought this one needed sharing.  Blame her, not me!  Jerry is sulking a bit because I threw him out of the bedroom last night as he had made himself fully comfortable but I was folded like an origami swan… I needed a little space, and there was no way that he was trying to accommodate me!  He got out until I had to go to the bathroom at around 5am, and then moved himself back and glued himself to the bed!  He’s been either on Don or myself for most of the day, and stole a piece of toast from my plate, so he’s looking very proud of himself.  Don’s watching several sports games — I’m surprised that he actually set timers for FOUR simultaneously!  That’s just mind-numbing to me! Sleep is erratic, as you might guess, but I am getting some.  I’ve taken out some chicken from the freezer to cook tomorrow; I’m not sure what it will be, but I’ll work out something.  I definitely need to adjust so I’m not ordering more than once a week becau

It’s overcast but definitely warm today.  It’s nice to have that instead of a chilly wind making me shiver.  The sky is getting dark, although it’s quite early and it feel like rain is imminent.  The weekend forecast is for more rain and the beginning of “seasonal temperatures” 🤢  I’ll definitely have to adjust a bit more to cooler weather.  Jerry was napping on my lap until I got up to arrange something for my lunch.  He would just adjust himself to present whatever area of himself that he wanted to have scratched.  Yesterday morning, in a fit of schnauzerness, he stole my socks (I usually wear a pair of socks to sleep) shook them like he was a rocker, and then ran off to hide them.  I still haven’t found one side, and he just looks very proud of himself when I ask for it.  There are days when I’d like to know what he’s thinking, but most of the time it’s probably a good thing that I don’t, because I don’t want to be reduced to “my pillow” or “food provider” or something similar!  Do

It’s a bit overcast again, and it was definitely cold this morning, although it’s warmed up a lot in the afternoon.  Jerry is right now settled in a little lump on Don’s lap and watching me suspiciously from the sofa.  Every time that I was on the phone today, he would jump into my lap, lie on his back and try to bat the phone out of my hand.  He’s been a shadow to me, so much so that I have to check where to put my feet when I’m walking across the room!  Don finds it hilarious, as I can’t even get a glass of water without being followed closely.  He’s feeling, he says, a little better, and has been eating pretty well.  Both of which make me very happy, as you can guess. I’m feeling OK, just a little tired today.  I had a little problem this afternoon, as my support worker was unable to come — her mother was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and something happened this weekend so she’s in hospital.  She called the agency to say that she wouldn’t be able to come and they were to

Another fairly mild day today, with intermittent sunshine between some light clouds.  The forecast calls for frost overnight, and down to just above freezing at dawn.  We’ll see how it goes; I’m less and less inclined to want to go outdoors as it gets colder, and I find it challenging to keep warm now.  Jerry was a naughty dog today.  His long, telescopic legs get him in trouble, and he managed to pull a box of some chocolates off the dining table, and he ate a couple of pieces before I realized what had happened.  He was then sick all over his blanket.  He’s trying to snuggle up and be all affectionate, and at the moment he’s licking Don’s ears and sitting on his shoulder.  Don is walking more easily and says that he feels stronger, which continues to be good news for me.  It takes a load off my shoulders when he’s doing better.  He’s got more sports to watch, and was interested to hear that cricket has been added to the Olympics for next year.  He’s not interested in cricket, but he

Another mostly grey day, although it was somewhat milder than the last few days.  These days with temperatures in the mid-teens will get fewer and fewer over the next few weeks, and I’m trying hard to not dwell on that or the longer nights, shorter days, and grey skies that are so typical of November.  I’ll work on that, or else I know that I’ll fall into depression and it will be hard to shake that off.  Jerry has just dropped himself on my feet after he’s tried and failed to plant himself on my lap and block my view of the TV, my book, and everything else!  He would leave me, go jump on Don, block his view of the TV, settle in for a minute then return to my lap.  Persistent, he is!  Happy that Don is feeling better today — he proudly announced that he made coffee today for the first time in 3 weeks, as he wasn’t feeling up to drinking any before.  Bear in mind that he normally drinks a few cups a day, so that’s a big deal.  I’d noticed that he didn’t want coffee, which is a sign that

I’m going to grumble about the cool until it starts getting really cold, then I’ll complain about that!  As I get older, I’m less and less fond of wintry weather, or crisp autumn days or drenching Fall rains.  I want warmer, late-spring, early summer, low 20sC daytime temperatures and about 14C over night.  I find that it’s more challenging to stay warm and I am not ashamed to grouse about it!  Jerry has just left my lap, where he was trying to disrupt my reading most of the day, and is now blocking the TV so Don can’t watch his hockey game.  When I was watching my shows earlier, Jerry was sitting on my lap, trying to block my view of the TV, and I think in his little mind it’s his way of trying to assert dominance.  Don, to me, is moving more smoothly when he relies on the walker, but he disagrees when I say something.  I know he can’t walk too fast or too far, but he’s able to move around a bit more.  He is, of course, settled in to watch hockey over Jerry’s head, in hopes of being a

It’s been a bit overcast today, although it was somewhat milder than a couple of days ago.  It’s late evening, though, so time for blankets and warm throws.  I’m waiting for the next half-hour to pass so I can eat after taking my meds and I’m looking forward to a hot cup of something to take the chill off the air.  Jerry is by my feet, guarding me closely, as I had taken a nap this afternoon, shutting him out of the bedroom.  As soon as I opened the door, I heard the click of his claws on the floor and was jumped on by an excited little puppy.  Don seems to be feeling a bit more like himself, and is up and around a little more, which makes me very happy.  I don’t like it when he’s sick; I’d rather put up with sports than with him being sick, honestly! So on Thursday I got my flu shot, and was swaggering that I had no reaction.  That lasted until I woke up yesterday and was so completely drained that I could do nothing.  I didn’t feel like eating, I had no energy, the world was uneven a

Fall is here!  The weather is firmly in the “seasonal” range, which, although normal, feels distinctly cold after the last few weeks and the heat wave.  We’re rapidly approaching peak leaf colour change, which means that there’s less green and a lot of red, orange and yellow all around.  Mornings are usually foggy, cold enough to see your breath, midday is chilly and evenings require snuggly blankets, the “OfDon” cloak, socks and hot drinks. I’ll definitely have to stock up on hot chocolate (that someone likes!) and look up soup ideas.  Jerry is exceptionally snuggly and has been complaining  anytime he’s not on a lap (usually mine) and has to amuse himself.  Don is a little more energetic, and moved around a bit more today, although that exhausted him and he’s catching up — I understand that, as I have the same issue when I do too much (or pretty much anything at all)  Surprisingly there’s no sports on tonight (or it’s on one of the channels we don’t get) so I’m happily indulging in s

The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain, but round here it makes itself at home and settles in for the long haul.  More rain today, and it was distinctly chilly today.  My warm stuff is getting an earlier use than I’d planned!  As for the dog, he seems to think that my lap is the only comfortable location in the house… I throw him off and he just yo-yos back up.  The only advantage is that my leg stretches are done with a weight so I work a little harder.  Don is doing reasonably well, and ate all the chicken I cooked yesterday sometime in the middle of the night — I came out to find an empty bowl this morning.  He’s got plans to do some cooking tomorrow, so I’m quite happy with that idea.  Anything that keeps him up, busy and functional.  There’s more sports on TV again and I really have to wonder how long hockey — a winter  sport — is played during the non-icy part of the year! I had an uncomfortable night due to a dog who refused to move and settled himself so I couldn’t stretch

It’s been a very chilly, rainy, grey day, with a distinctly “have a cup of hot chocolate and wrap up in a blanket” days.  Jerry certainly got that hint, as he’s been surgically attached to me all day.  As soon as I sit in my chair, he’s on my lap and sitting looking disapprovingly at me for wanting to read, write, crochet or even watch TV.  Don is feeling reasonably ok, and was actually watching something other than sport for a while.  That’s temporary, as he recorded 2 games and watched another one this afternoon when I wasn’t controlling the remote.   I seem to have a pattern of sleeping reasonably well after a few nights’ interruptions.  I had a decent night last night, although I woke up around 3 to look up something that was bugging me in my sleep, then back to sleep again.  I cooked today — oven-fried chicken wings, rice and lentils — and had a fairly decent serving.  Reports from home are that Daddy had an OK night, and is settling better today, which is good.  We’ve arranged fo

It was definitely cool today; I think it managed to inch its way up to 12C today, accompanied by grey skies and drizzly fall rain!  Could have been worse; this is from a couple of weeks ago, when it was cool but sunny; I needed a boost.  Jerry has turned my lap into his personal dog bed, pulled Don’s blanket off so he can make a nest on the ground (right NEXT to his own blanket!) and generally let me know who’s in charge!  Don spent a lot of the day dozing, although he ate quite well.  He also spent the day watching assorted sports, one after the other!  At this point, I don’t think he knows what’s on or not, but I’m not yet going to try changing the channel… the reaction might be bigger than I’d like! My tummy was in better shape today than yesterday, although I had a horrible moment where I had to excuse myself from a meal and race to the bathroom while I negotiated to keep the food down.  I felt weak and shaky from the exertion, but otherwise ok… and I slept for quite a while this a