Learning and understanding

It rained quite a bit yesterday and last night; I woke up to hear rain pattering on the roof and the wind in the trees.  Today was sunny and cool, which was quite nice although it was too chilly to be outdoors for me unless I was wrapped up and blanketed.  The boys continue to do well, I’m happy to report.  We talk a lot, and text even more, so I’m relieved that he’s doing well, although I’m not certain that he’s eating properly because he dodges my questions when I ask what he’s been eating.  The tiny dictator has not destroyed my cushions so I know he’s not totally furious at me and I’ll be forgiven for running off and leaving him.  I’m not deprived of puppy companionship as my sister has a small dog which is determined to make me trip… he attacks my toes as soon as he sees me. I’m sorry to report that I’ve been sick since yesterday.  I started off sneezing, sniffling, with a thickly throat, and I could not get warm at all.  I had to get an extra bla...

 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 ...

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 wi...

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 tha...

Fair warning… the next few weeks will be full of stories about the small people and what we’re doing.  They’ll all be tagged “ family ” so you’ll know.  That will definitely be my focus, so consider yourself advised!  My boys are both fine, and are managing without me, although I admit that I do miss them (and they me) and we talk about 5 times a day.  I’m fairly sure that Don is as happy as a “pig in mud” or perhaps a kid in a candy store, as there’s nobody there to tell him to turn the volume down to a dull roar instead of having the TV set to stadium alert level, or that he needs to eat actual food, and not just cakes, cookies, pies, chocolate… and he can watch 20 hours of baseball or football (American or Canadian) per day or all the true crime and prank shows that he can find instead of being interrupted by cozy mysteries or reruns of detective shows and all those other things.  I’m teasing, of course, since we do talk frequently, and text, and all those ot...

Rainy days today and upcoming.  It’s cool, but somewhat humid and rain off and on throughout the day.  Jerry was glued to me all night last night and during the day today… The few minutes that he wasn’t on me, he was on Don.  He seems to think that something is happening that doesn’t involve him, and is guarding us both vigorously.  Don was happy watching sports again — mostly baseball, as the Canadian football games are mainly on weekends and his NFL teams don’t seem to be active just yet.  It’ll get more intense in a couple of weeks, as the CFL gets ready for the Grey Cup and the NFL ramps up and the NHL starts the pre-game season.  Just too many games for my interest, so I’ll be working on other hobbies while he’s glued to various games. I went to bed last night before 9pm, fell asleep before 10, woke up at 2, and was in that half-awake doze until nearly 5, and finally slept until 8.  I tried to stay in bed a little longer in hopes of regaining some...

This was taken on the weekend at my friend’s patio; as I mentioned, it was a lovely relaxing day, and I thought I’d share this with you.  I have to admit that I’m less worried about my thinning hair than I am about my fading eyebrows and lashes, so I’m practicing my goddaughter’s tips for redrawing them so they look somewhat natural.  At the moment, I have a small dog lying on my toes, giving occasional barks at — I have no idea what.  I usually say that it’s the resident ghost when he does this.  Might be the sound of a leaf blowing in the wind, or his disagreement with the news or a complaint about the quality of his dinner.  It’s not constant, just every few minutes a small “yip,” almost like a reminder.  Don finished his errands this morning, finally.  A while ago the car began making an odd noise (you know the kind) and he was nervous that it was something major.  Thankfully it wasn’t too bad; when he went yesterday they wanted to keep it ove...

More great weather today, loads of sunshine few puffy white clouds and a cooling breeze.  In some good news from the fire zone, apparently the winds have died down somewhat and the skies are clearer allowing the airborne fighters to resume water bombing, as the smoke was too thick for them to fly for the last couple of days.  Here’s hoping for some rain soon to help bring things under control!  Don was out today running a long-delayed errand, and he left Jerry at home with me.  Jerry disapproved, loudly, of his departure, then planted himself on my lap and sulked until Don got home almost 3 hours later.  I couldn’t do anything, as he stayed so close to me that I was in danger of tripping over him!  He also complained that he couldn’t get any of the pickle that I was eating (I don’t know whether that’s allowed or not for dogs, but I decided to err on the side of caution!) and my legs have now taken on the shape of a little schnoodle curled into a ball… Don’s...

Another lovely, moderate day today.  I’m not complaining in the least; the cooler temperatures are very welcome especially after the stifling heat earlier this summer.  I almost feel guilty when I see the stories about the horrific fires in the Territories and British Columbia, where so many thousands of people have been displaced and lost everything.  At my end, I’ll just be thankful for what I’ve got, and not grumble about the conditions here.  Jerry is curled up on the sofa, tired out from a nice walk with my support worker this afternoon.  I’m wondering if I should be jealous of how excited he is to see her, and how he just loves her!  He was super excited to head out, and when they got back, he drank his weight in water (it’s hot out, especially if you’re small, fur covered and close to the ground) then went to get his harness to ask to go again 😆 Don was awake and energetic at an inhuman hour this morning, then said, “Drat!  I meant to do someth...

Summer time, and the living is easy… it’s been a hot, sticky day today with a bit of a haze over the city.  There were some clouds passing, with a pleasant breeze.  The tiny monster was over the moon today as my support worker arrived a little early, and he leapt on her like she was a made of dog treats!  He even wriggled his way into the bathroom as I was getting a shower, and tried to get her to play with him instead of bathing me!  He complained when she shut him out, but he waited patiently for her and then insisted on sitting on her lap for a while.  He then climbed on Don and wriggled himself into a small ball on his lap.  Don was still feeling under the weather this morning, but is a bit perkier this evening, thankfully.  His team lost their game last night in the last minute after having led for the entire game.  He was not happy about that, as you can imagine!  This evening he watched the running of the King’s Cup — 164th anniversary...

I think it’s Saturday; I’m in a bit of a fog as to where we are in the week… we didn’t make it for the day in the country, as it happens.  This morning, when I awoke at 6 (we’d have needed to leave by 7:30 if we were going) it was hazy/foggy/cloudy and distinctly cool.  I woke up Don to ask him if we were going and he gave a grunt, looked out the window and went back to sleep… so I followed his example and somehow never stirred again until 9:30!  I was stunned.  Obviously I was more tired than I realized.  Even Jerry let me sleep in, which is surprising in itself.  He made up for it by chasing his toy around and bringing it for me to throw to him then climbing on my lap, pushing my iPad and then my crochet off and getting some sleep.  Don slept for a large chunk of the day, so he clearly wasn’t feeling much like himself.  He’s up now, watching a sport, after I made him watch Easter Parade  and some (unknown) other Fred Astaire movie on the cl...

It was a cool, humid, sometimes cloudy day, with occasional gusts of wind.  This morning, just around 6am, when we were all fast asleep, I heard a crash in the living room.  I didn’t know what it was, it woke me up, so I got up to go see what had happened.  Accompanied by my tiny shadow, I walked down the hall to the living room.  I noticed that the room was brighter than usual, but as I rounded the corner I saw that the curtains over the picture window had fallen, complete with the rod, onto the floor.  A quick check showed that one of the supports had fallen but we’re trying to work out how this happened — the curtains fell about a metre to the left of the window, and it was the right-hand support that had broken, so you’d expect that it would have fallen straight down, or at least dangled from the left  side.  No idea, and I’ll have to work out what to do with it.  Annoying.  Jerry went to check it out, then came back to tell me that he ne...

Another fairly mild day today, although it was more humid than the last few days.  Oddly enough, the weather report noted that it felt close to 28C, but I found that I felt chilly for parts of the afternoon; go figure…  I’m currently wrapped in a shawl to get over the coolness of the day, but the weather reports it as fairly warm.  I’ll just assume that I feel cooler because I’m high up.  That, or else I’ve caught something, but I don’t feel sick so it’s not that.  I was on the phone for a while today, so that meant that I was turned into a dog bed and that the tiny dictator was working hard to try to knock things out of my hands and off my lap; he was evicted, and reluctantly went over to cuddle Don.  He’s feeling less that great, as his exertions on the weekend are catching up to him.  I wish there was something that I could do to prevent that, but there isn’t really. I’d really like an uninterrupted night’s sleep, so I don’t wake up several times fo...

Ah… excellent summer weather continues today.  Warm, not humid, not too hot, bit of a breeze, and I think that I may have got a little sun-kissed while I was outside on the balcony this morning.  The sun felt good for the few minutes that I was there — I try to limit my sun exposure because of my medications and the chance of burning easily.  Jerry was quite noisy as my nurse and support worker were both here, and he let me know that there were people in his  house.  We discovered that if we’re talking about him being naughty, he tends to look away, then looks at me as if to say, “Why are you telling such stories?”  Don was doing a few things today in the garage again, and has tired himself out from all the walking he did.  He says that the car just seems to move further each time he goes to the (assigned) parking spot. So I’ve discovered an unpleasant side effect to my chemo pills.  The little paper that accompanies the bottle lists about 100 pos...

Another lovely, sunny, not too hot day, with a couple of short showers to keep the humidity under control.  I enjoyed the weather and some time outdoors on my balcony where I was working on my crochet project (and resisting the call of my books!)  The tiny dictator was on my lap as much as he could manage, with his little paw in my face whenever he thought I wasn’t paying him enough attention.  He’s in a happy state now on the sofa, with one eye on each of us while he’s making a blanket fort to hide himself and his toy squirrel.  He really seems to like it; it’s the only toy that’s survived for almost 2 years, and he takes it to bed with him at night.  Don had a happy afternoon watching a sport, which his team won by a decisive margin so he’s grinning while he searches for another game on TV (there aren’t any with his preferred teams, so he’s scanning action shows.)   I had a little trouble sleeping last night; first, I was awake until almost midnight, then...

It’s been a rainy Saturday, but comfortable weather.  I briefly needed a throw this afternoon, as it felt a bit chilly, but nothing major… I like these cooler summer days, as I can enjoy a bit of time on the balcony, just relaxing.  I have to confess that I spent most of today lost in a book — one that I’m rereading, while I ignore the carefully balanced stack of new books on my end table — so I wasn’t as useful as I could have been.  Jerry was, as you can see, carefully guarding me to ensure that I couldn’t go off and leave him.  That’s his little, “Hey!  You!  This tummy won’t pet itself you know,” signal… If I take too long, it will begin scratching my face, his head comes up and I get a death glare, and he will then sit up and poke me.  I’m very well trained in tummy rubs now 😆 Don was down doing some stuff in the garage, so you know that he’s got some extra energy, which is something I always enjoy.  I was left to look after the tiny dictato...

It’s a warmer day today, with somewhat increased humidity making me pant instead of breathe comfortably.  Annoying, really.  Jerry last night managed to curl himself against my back so I couldn’t move without risking crushing him — which I would never  want to do!! — and then he rearranged himself to cuddle and scratch me (his nails will need trimming soon!) so I couldn’t relax or sleep properly.  Then this morning, when I was finally able to stretch out and get some sleep, he wanted to play.  He wasn’t my favourite puppy for about an hour or so LOL  I managed a short nap, which was interrupted by several phone calls, and now I think reasonably early bedtime is called for!  Don is in good, perky shape today, and has been on his computer wearing headphones for a while.  I don’t know, and won’t ask!!  There are many, many times when ignorance is bliss 😁 My tummy is a little off today; not entirely sure why.  I’m not nauseous nor do I have...

It’s been raining all day today; heavy showers, with occasional pauses, but a very wet day overall.  It’s still cool, with some brisk breezes, and I’m still wrapped in a blanket, because it’s definitely cool.  Don, in fact, broke out one of the lighter winter jackets because he complained that it was too cold to be comfortable!  I was OK with the blanket, but I was equally happy to cuddle down in bed and get comfortable.  Jerry parked himself on my lap as usual, lying on his back and patting my face with his front paw to let me know that I wasn’t doing my job of petting him!  Don was feeling perkier today, I suppose because he was warmer and wasn’t shivering badly from the wind.  He’s been catching up on his true crime documentaries, so I’m looking over my shoulder whenever I leave the room!   With all the rain, I had a nap this afternoon, and I feel refreshed from it, especially since I went to bed and covered, instead of falling asleep on my chair as...

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 o...