Learning and understanding

Don’t unfriend me!  This horror is from my sister who insists on tormenting us with bad puns regularly.  This was yesterday’s offering.  It was mild-ish today, and Jerry was wriggling and excited to get in the car.  He kneaded my legs, rolled on his back and just looked ecstatic as we drove… Don was fairly alert today but was running low on energy by this evening.  He’s now watching some really creepy murder mysteries full of extensive obscenities but heavily star studded.  I’m not really making sense of them, but he’s glued, so I guess all is good? So I haven’t lost my appetite, which is awesome.  I found a container of meat sauce (chicken) that I made a while ago and froze.  Happily it tastes fabulous and goes perfectly with macaroni and cheese, so I’ve had 2 fairly large bowls between dinner and lunch today.  It had a decent selection of vegetables in it as well, so it was quite filling.   I had an appointment at the hospital today, and Don dropped me off at the main entrance.  I kn

It’s getting really cold now.  Yesterday we started the day at -10 and overnight it was close to -15; today was slightly warmer, up to 0.  The cold is discouraging.  Jerry continues to snuggle and try to get on my lap for most of the day.  Doesn’t matter that I explain to him that after his sleeping on me all night, I need some  puppy-free moments.  Apparently that makes no sense to him and he settles on my lap.  Don, like me, is complaining about the cold and rolled up in his blanket.  There are games on later tonight, and I think that I’ll go cuddle under my faux-fur blanket while he cheers on his team. I had my appointment yesterday, and was disappointed to learn that I’ve lost more weight.  My appetite, though, is still fairly decent, although obviously not as big as I thought!  I’d ordered Chinese last night and had several servings but I’m not happy with the chicken… pity!  Take out is so expensive that I’m unwilling to throw things out, unless it’s likely to make me sick and thi

I looked out the window this afternoon and saw only swirling white!  It was snowing with a lot of enthusiasm, and looked like it was planning to settle in for the long haul, but thankfully it didn’t.  The snow lasted for about an hour, then it cleared up and we had a little sun.  I’d complain, except that it’s getting to that time and my complaints do nothing.  I have noticed, though, that it’s got suddenly quite chilly indoors and I’ve had to reach for the extra throw for warmth!  Jerry is eating at me right now — that’s where he trots off to his bowl, picks up a mouthful of dry food, runs back to me and chews it aggressively while staring at me.  He doesn’t particularly like dry food, and would much prefer to steal off my plate, but he can’t, so he shows his displeasure this way.  Don is dozing as usual on the sofa, while pretending that he’s fully awake.  Sports will be on later, so he’ll wake up and be glued to them.  He’s not too thrilled that new TV show releases aren’t out yet,

My friend was in Jamaica this weekend and shared this photo of the view.  So lovely and warm.  Ottawa was sunny and fairly mild, but 2C is not to be compared to 28C, not by a long shot!  Jerry moved from lying on my tummy to sleeping on my lap for most of the morning, and has been sulking every time I throw him off.  He’s right now curled up on Don, napping quietly… Don wasn’t feeling well today and has been napping all day.  We both had a small attack of the runs but mine cleared up, his left him feeling a little drained.  There are, though, the usual lineup of Sunday football games, keeping him busy. I slept pretty well again — I actually fell asleep before I turned off my light and I woke up about an hour later, turned it off and went back to sleep.  Again, I’m ravenous today, and I sadly am out of cooked meals!  I’m searching delivery apps for ideas now.  I’d cook, except that everything is frozen, so that would take some time.  At least now I have some stuff thawing for tomorrow,

Sunset photo today; I should really also try for a moon picture, as it’s a lovely full moon tonight.  Picture is from my sister, who just returned home from their visit to Trinidad with the small people.  The kids fell asleep in the taxi ride, and I imagine they’re heading to bed at the moment.  Jerry continues to be Mr. Cuddles, and won’t get off my lap unless I’m going to the bathroom, and he accompanies me.  It’s less amusing in person than when I describe it, but there you go.  Don is complaining about a pain in his shoulder, which recurs after he had a fall a couple of years ago and it tends to flare up in the cold.  There’s hockey on tonight, so he’ll be happy watching his team skating around. I’m STARVING tonight!  I ate 2 sarma, which my friend had dropped off a couple days ago, so I reheated and wolfed them down.  Normally that would be enough, but I was still hungry, so I had a can of Ensure, a fruit cup and some cheese and crackers.  It’s nice, and I definitely haven’t eaten

 It was lovely, sunny and relatively mild this morning; we’re expecting the weather to do some “interesting” wintry weather stuff upcoming; it is that time of year, but still… it’s got much colder as the sun set (so from about 4pm onwards!)  There are so many pre-Christmas activities underway — multiple tree lightings, craft shows and Christmas markets, Santa Claus parades and so on.  Jerry has been my shadow all day.  He spent the night on my legs, but wanted to play most of the night.  He settled down around 4:30 so I fell asleep after that, and woke up around 10:30, feeling more rested.  Don’s been moaning a bit about the cold and the pain in his leg as a result.  I sympathize, but then I have a half laugh that between the 2 of us, we make half a healthy person who walks easily!  Not the greatest, is it?  But there’s football and hockey this evening, so I’ll be losing myself in a book while he cheers on his teams. As I mentioned, my sleep was interrupted by the small dog who got a j

Happy Thanksgiving to my US family and friends.  I hope that you’re able to spend time with your loved ones, and that you can share happy memories.  Jerry is definitely pleased that I’m not tied up in zoom meetings for 8 hours a day, and was curled up behind my legs at night, and today was on my lap for a good chunk of the day.  Don is good, although he seems to have had difficulty sleeping last night… today, of course, there’s football running late, so he’s a contented man. Frankly, I’m exhausted and in some pain after the meetings.  It’s very much like the pain of travel.  At the end of each day, I’d effectively been sitting up and on a screen for a little over 8 hours.  I had to break and lie down a couple of times to give myself a rest, but even with that, each night I was in bed by 6pm band I slept deeply.  Day 2 I had to negotiate with myself to get up and in my chair about 5 minutes before the start of the session; I just wanted to sleep.  Today is easier; I’ve been more rested

Not manic, but it’s a cool lyric, and it is Monday after all.  Today was another cold, although mostly sunny day, and my blankets are assuming my shape!  Jerry had a reasonably quiet day and did his usual attempts to arrange my legs and stretch out on me.  Silly boy… he’s chewing on his toy bone and as long as he doesn’t throw it on my toes, that’s good.  Don was in a pretty decent mood, and is planning to make some French fries for dinner.  My support worker peeled and cut them, so he’ll be cooking them.  The Grey Cup was last night, so that’s one fewer sport taking up TV time for the moment, although hockey is almost a 24-hour obsession! I’m happy to report again that I was hungry yesterday and today.  Last night, in fact, I woke up at midnight feeling very empty, so I got up and made some cheese and crackers before going back to bed.  The downside was that I didn’t fall back to sleep until 4am, and I feel glassy and doped up today and inclined to doze off without warning.  Let’s see

It was fairly mild today, I was able to have the window open briefly! Nice to have some fresh air.  It’s bizarre that I can’t stay warm — how, may I ask, with no intention of being rude, do very tiny people stay warm?  I’ve lost all of my padding, and I have bones jabbing me in areas where there never were any before!  It’s so strange to be told, “well, those are your hip bones” (really?  I have those?  Where were they?) and “yeah, that’s your spine, tailbone and so on” Where did they come from, and is it possible for them to be less jabbing and sore?  Jerry doesn’t seem to mind the appearance of hip bones, as long as my lap and belly are still available to be used as either a cushion or trampoline, depending on his mood.  He was throwing his chew toy around, and how I regret buying him those ones!  They’re hard, heavy and he drops them on my toes!  I’m back in search of something softer for him to shred… I had to poke Don a couple of times today; he hadn’t moved for several hours, but

Insert standard weather complaint here 😆  It poured  yesterday afternoon, although it was fairly mild.  Somehow, damp days feel worse than dry ones, where the chill gets into your bones.  Today was sunny, by contrast, but not warm.  I’m wrapped in a blanket and trying to keep warm, since the dog is in his, “I want to go out, I need to come in” mood, and I’m tired being a doorkeeper.  He’s again spent most of his day on my lap, either on his back with his foot in my face, or sitting and blocking my view of the TV, especially at the climax of the show or approaching the reveal of the murder!  It’s deliberate on his part, I can see the look in his eyes.  I’m ashamed to admit that I missed his birthday this week — I’m going to blame my tummy.  Don ordered himself a case of chocolate pudding bowls, and is happily scarfing them down (I don’t like them; I’ll make my own, but I am not a fan of the packaged stuff).  He spent today again watching hockey, and I’m sure that there’s football or so

This is a factual summary of days now 😊  It will become worse as the weather gets colder, so be warned!  I have plans for tomorrow evening, and I’m half tempted to just cancel everything and roll myself in my blanket!  I won’t, as it’s a chance to spend some quality time with a close friend, and that’s worth putting on trousers and leaving the house!  Jerry had a fun time driving to a hospital today (a different campus) and he was eager to get out and examine a new lawn… he then curled up on my lap and had to be restrained from licking my (sanitized) hands as I didn’t want him to get ill.  Don didn’t sleep too well last night, partly from shoulder pain, partly from not wanting to miss the alarm, but we left on time, and he’s spent the afternoon watching hockey.  There will be more tonight, I know, so I’ll just amuse myself with other things. The scan went quickly — it took longer for the nurse to find and insert the IV needle (my veins are damaged from chemo) than to actually do the s

They said that it was a warm, mild day today.  It was cold.  Less cold than a couple of days ago, but still too chilly to go outside without a coat!  I’m going to gripe about the chill for a while, just saying… because like C. S. Lewis, I’m getting too old for “wintry weather”!  And yes, I know that I’m in the wrong country for that!  I’ll probably adjust better later on, but at the moment, I would prefer that it be above 10C during the day; it can drop at night when I’m wrapped in my (faux) fur blanket with thick socks.  Jerry, as usual, spent as much time as he could on my lap today, lying on his back so I could pet his tummy.  When the pharmacy dropped off Don’s meds, he went off like a little alarm, and refused to be quiet!  Don was happily watching the Ottawa junior team playing today which held a “school day” where a number of primary schools filled the arena and the children screamed their heads off with excitement— although Ottawa lost 5-1 and it was obvious that they couldn’t

I had a frankly lazy day today.  It was somewhat cloudy and chilly, but warmer than yesterday — the snow didn’t lie, and is all gone now — although you can feel the ice in the air.  Somewhat depressing, but it is November.  I woke up briefly this morning and it was dark outside, so I turned on the light to check the time… it was 6:45am!  And still dark.  It also gets very dark by 4:30pm, so either way, there’s very little actual daylight available.  Jerry liked my lazy day; he literally spent the whole  day dozing on my lap with his foot in my face!  I tried pushing him off my lap, which only worked long enough for me to get to the bathroom and as soon as I sat down, he was back in my lap!  Same with phone calls… he’s now playing with Don, so I’m taking advantage of the little break!  Don didn’t sleep particularly well last night, but made up for it today.  He’s sounding like he’s congested, and has been sneezing quite a bit, so he’s keeping his distance!   I’ve realized that if I’m ov

It’s snowing !  All day, wet and chilly.  I do not approve of this in the least, for the record.  I know that snow is due at this time of year, but that doesn’t mean I have to be excited about it!  I looked out and the streets were white… so not pleasant (doubly so because my clothes don’t fit!)  Jerry has been utterly inseparable from me for the past few days; out of 24 hours, he spent about 23.5 of them on me, either on my lap or in bed… I get to my chair, he jumps on my lap; he accompanies me to the bathroom; he races me to bed… loving little dog.  Don has been more up than down lately, which is good, and has been glued to hockey and football… I swear he watched about 10 games on Sunday nonstop!  And now there are the juniors who are playing and several tournaments which he watches diligently… you’d think he had an upcoming exam on the players or the games! So I’ve missed several days of blogging, I know.  The last post was on Thursday; and I’d explained that I had to focus on my as

I’m complaining about the cold… I haven’t been able to get warm all afternoon!  It’s cold enough that my teeth are literally  chattering, and I’m shaking.  It’s me more than the ambient temperature, I know; it’s not that cold, but I seem to have difficulty regulating my body warmth.  I’m wrapped in a blanket, wearing a sweater over a long sleeved top and still can’t get warm.  Jerry hasn’t left my side or my lap for more than about 15 minutes at a time lately… I know he’s trying to comfort me, and I do appreciate it and his cuddles.  I would also like a few minutes where I can do stuff without having my lap being rearranged and fluffed up like a cushion, or stretch out at night so I’m not twisted like a pretzel!  Don has been very supportive of my moodiness and unwillingness to talk for the past few days.  He’s feeling reasonably ok, and moves easily with the walker, so I’m relieved and happy about that.  He still has visions of going out shopping to some big stores, and I’m concerned

I was somewhat emotionally overwhelmed yesterday, and took the time to recover my equilibrium a bit.  I’m not fully there yet, but it’s improving.  The weather was more sunny than we expected, and it was a lovely fall day.  Right now, it’s a little overcast, and the temperature is dropping from 9C down to 5C, and it’s supposed to get much colder overnight.  Jerry is hyperactive today, and has been barking most of the day; I have no idea what’s causing that; there’s nobody in the hall where he seems to be directing his barking, nor is it particularly windy, so that’s also not a reason.  He then jumps up on a lap, burrows in, makes himself comfortable and scratches when nobody pays attention to him.  He had to get his training collar this afternoon, which he hates  but that hasn’t helped calm him down.  Don was watching sports until about 2am, then he slept like a log, and was again watching sports for most of the afternoon.  If it keeps him happy, then I won’t complain, as bored as I am

It’s slightly warmer today than yesterday, but that means very little, except that I was not totally frozen when I had to get to my appointment.  I only shivered most of the drive over.  At least I warmed up enough to feel comfortable on the way home.  Jerry is fully back to himself, full of vim, vigour and more energy than should be lawful!  He did not try to bury himself under me last night, which meant that I was able to get a fairly decent night’s sleep! He’s happily dozing on Don at the moment, after having a chance to run around, bark at a workman in his  house and try to drag me around the parking lot.  Don also managed to get a fairly decent sleep last night — that bleeping alarm was certainly disruptive! He even slept through the sports thing last night, which I understand was a big deal, at least if the news is to be believed.  He managed to get down to the car fairly comfortably and doesn’t seem to be in any extra pain, so that’s wonderful for me. I’m not happy to report tha

Oh man, it’s getting to be cold!  It was a HIGH of 0C today!  That’s as warm as it got; when I first woke up this morning it was -3.  😌 Winter lasts too long in this country.  And it just keeps hanging around for years at a time!  Well, it feels like that, anyway.  Jerry is a happy puppy tonight, and is running around eating and tossing his toy.  The alarm got replaced and upgraded this morning, happily, and the repair guy was here for all of 5 minutes to pull out the old one and install the new one.  Since the beeping has stopped, Jerry has stopped shaking and trying to burrow under us, which is lovely, and even better, he’s eating and drinking normally.  He wasn’t eating much with the noise; it really caused distress.  We’ll see how he is tonight at bedtime… Poor Don didn’t sleep at all last night, although we’re not totally sure why.  He’s blaming the alarm, I think it’s pain that he’s covering, but either way, he was up all night and finally slept today.  He’ll be tired again toni