Learning and understanding

I know I was quiet for the last 2 days, but I was in Montreal.  The weather was mild, warm and lovely with loads of autumn sunshine, cold in the mornings and late evenings but beautiful during the day (and a couple of Canadians complained that 18C was “really hot”, silly wabbits!)  It was pleasant enough to discard coats and just have a shawl in case of cool breezes.  According to all reports, the boys were doing fine in my absence, although from all accounts Don wasn’t doing much eating or cooking, so I’m not sure what state he’s in when I get back tonight.  Jerry ignored me as usual when I was on the phone and wouldn’t even flick an ear to pretend that he was listening to me.  We had to leave him home when Don drove me to the station, and when he got back, Jerry attached himself and wouldn’t budge! Normally when I’m in a hotel or a strange room, I have difficulty sleeping; not this weekend.  I got into my pillow fort (I always build one in a hotel bed) sn...

We’re indulging in petit câreme right now; the weather is mild and sunny and pretending to be late summer instead of mid-autumn.  The day starts off cold — it was below 0 last night - but it’s quite warm this afternoon and pleasantly sunny.  The dog is happily shredding stuff and is quiet, which makes me nervous!  Don is taking a nap, and I rather think that his nights are often broken by pain.  I can’t do anything to help unfortunately.  His personal support worker is due to start tomorrow, so stand by for reports. I had such a lovely sleep last night.  I didn’t want to get out of my nice, warm, cozy blanket cocoon, but nature intervened.  I dropped into a deep sleep shortly before midnight and only cracked open an eye at a few minutes to 8am.  I went back to sleep shortly thereafter, and never stirred until almost 11.  So delicious.  No calls, no interruptions.  I had a fairly large lunch, which was quite good, and I’ll work out s...

The weather is beautiful for the last few days; sunny and warm, which is just lovely and a bit of a breeze.  I’m pleased that it’s warm and comfortable and no real need for for sweaters or shawls or anything of the sort.  Jerry has not let me out of his sight at all since last night; he’s been on my lap, wagging his tiny stump and wriggling to sprawl across my belly.  He’s been trying to type while I’m typing, so that makes for some interesting edits!  Don is doing well, not complaining about any pain, which is fabulous because I was a little worried about him while I was away.  They seem to have taken reasonable care of themselves, although there’s a lot of stuff to do still, but I’m taking a break and it will get done over time.  I have no idea what sports he’s been watching, but I just left it for a while; it will be sorted out eventually. I have to apologize for a week’s silence.  That cold and cough just knocked me out completely.  I fell asl...

The weather has improved over the last couple of days, and it’s warm enough that I don’t need the sweaters any more, which is nice.  I was also able to ditch the cozy socks, so my toes are happy to be free again.  Silly things that make me happy, I know.  My sister’s dog has a strong attraction for my toes, and he jumps on me as soon as I move… he’s got this habit of running up to me when I’m walking downstairs, which is unsafe for everyone.  Jerry is at least wagging his tail when he hears my voice, so there’s some progress in that area, at least!  Don has been on his own for 3 weeks now and I’m absolutely certain that he’s been glued to US politics and sports, and that he’s probably been ordering every possible cake/pie/sweet thing that he can possibly find!  It will stop when I get back home, sadly, and he’ll have to eat “real” food again… don’t tell him, ok? So yesterday I dragged myself out of bed, only because my room is also my sister’s home office a...

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...

Photos seem to be working again, so here’s a view of Niagara from a couple of days ago!  Today we woke up to pouring rain with lightning and thunder, and it rained off and on all day long.  Spoke with my boys this morning, and Jerry continues to pretend that I don’t exist, while Don seems to be in a good mood and it appears that his pain is fairly well managed at this point.  It is Friday, so he’s going to be glued to the football game, which is liable to be rained out, and I’ll hear about it either way… I really needed rest yesterday.  I slept for several hours during the day from noon to about 4 and I felt weak and dizzy.  That cleared up after I had a couple of glasses of water, so note to self:  drink lots of fluid!!  Today I got the PICC line dressing changed, but it refused to give any blood return.  We flushed it with about 6 syringes of saline, but not so much as a hint of red in the return… that’s annoying, to say the least, and might mea...

You’ll have to do without pictures again; I don’t know what is going on, and frankly I don’t have the time to deal with it now.  It was a beautiful day, lots of sun and a light breeze; it was distinctly cooler by the lake.  My boys are doing well, although the tiny dictator continues to pretend that I don’t exist!  I got a call today that I’ve been waiting for, although I’d given up hope.  The agency called to say that they had reevaluated Don’s referral and now he’s eligible for 2 hours of a personal support worker per week!  I’m very relieved. I had a good, late sleep last night, and did not come down for breakfast before school.  This was met with stern disapproval, and a complaint called upstairs before they left… I also had a good bowl of corn soup made by my friend; I could definitely eat more of that!  There’s food in the fridge for me, so I don’t have to worry for a while! I got a haircut done last night; my friend’s mom gets a hairdresser to c...

The little photo app gremlins are back at work, and I can’t access my pictures.  So, sadly, no images of lush gardens to share!  It was a beautiful day today, slight autumnal coolness in the air this morning, but it was pleasantly warm.  Definite shorts-and-tshirt weather and a lovely day to return to school.  I spoke with my boys this morning, and the tiny dictator acknowledged my presence by wagging his little nub of a tail, but he still refused to look at the camera, just rolled on his back and tried to knock the phone out of Don’s hand!  Don looks like his normal self, and seems to have a bit more energy, which I always like, so that was a good start to the day! I was awake at 7am because it’s the first day of school and the morning volume was unusually high 😝 I did sleep quite well, although that is far too early for me to be out of bed… I don’t remember how I used to manage to be awake, functioning and in the office by 7:30 regularly!  Honestly! ...

Lovely sunny weekend, with a bit of a breeze outdoors.  We found it was getting chilly last night and had to move from the back patio indoors, and same this afternoon.  Bit of clouds in the morning, and it’s distinctly cool overnight, which is lovely for sleep!  My boys continue to enjoy their grass widowerhood, and are apparently having considerable fun without me.  Jerry has now reached the stage of knocking the phone out of Don’s hand when he’s texting as well as when we’re on a call; so that conveys his opinions.  Don says that he’s eating — and today sent me a copy of a receipt from delivery — so I’ll have to believe him.  I’ve also asked someone to pop in and just check in on him, and all reports suggest that he’s behaving.  Either he’s turned over a new leaf or he’s getting better at being sneaky about stuff! In case you were wondering, I’m fine and having a great, if tiring time, with the family.  I slept late for the last couple of days, ...

It’s a lovely day today, with loads of sun and a bit of a breeze and not too humid, although I can see some lowering black clouds not far away, so it may change, but I’m fine with that.  I don’t have Jerry — who is ignoring me and refusing to acknowledge me on the phone — but I do have Radix, who seems to think that my toes are a snack and has been trying to lick every part of me that he can reach, when he’s not trying to climb into my lap or jump in my chair (where he’s not allowed)  I spoke with Don this morning, and he’s ok.  He said that he was sleeping late and that the temperature had dropped overnight.  I had someone drop by to check on him today, and she cooked so he’ll have something to eat for a day or so, which is a relief to me since I’m a few hundred kilometres away! So the train journey was, in itself, fine.  They fed me a delicious meal (chicken yakitori, rice and cabbage; with a berry cobbler for dessert) and I ate almost all of it, plus a piece ...

For reasons known only to the gremlins who live in networks, my photo app refuses to display and let me choose an image.  I’m sitting on the train heading to my sister and still a couple of hours from my initial destination (and a bit longer to the end of my journey). I have left behind one very unhappy, sulky puppy who complained bitterly that he was abandoned and ignored (partially correct; he didn’t come to the station to drop me off) and who will be entering a prolonged period of grumps until I return!  I’ll also be deprived of puppy snuggles and little warm hugs and scratches for attention!  Don is on his own for a while, so I expect that he’ll be blasting the TV (he complains that I keep turning down the volume; I maintain he needs his hearing checked and there’s no need to watch games with the volume set to “wake the neighbourhood”) and eating all sorts of things that he would otherwise not have in the house… I didn’t sleep at all well last night; it was another of...

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 n...

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 visiti...

Around 4am today I was woken up by flashes of light.  I thought at first that someone had turned on my bedroom lights but it turned out to be some rather impressive lightning flashing, accompanied by thunder — ranging from low grumbles to loud crashes — and then heavy rain hitting the roof.  I lay awake for a while listening to the noises of rain and thunder until I fell asleep again.  The noise scared my niece, who woke up crying and then ran to her parents.  My nephew slept on undisturbed by the storm.  When I called my boys this morning I told them about the storm and that it was a little cooler than yesterday; Don said that it hadn’t rained yet in Ottawa, and it was still quite hot and muggy.  Jerry concluded that it was too hot for cuddles and was stretched out by himself, just watching everything, until I called his name.  He just pretended to ignore me (I saw his eyes flick at the screen and then away) before doing his usual trick of trying to k...

A beautiful summer’s day, complete with deep blue sky, puffy white clouds, gentle breezes… also fairly humid so that being outside for too long meant gasping for air… it started off being warm and the heat built up from there.  According to the news there is likely to be a thunderstorm tonight into tomorrow so it’ll be a cooler weekend.  The boys were moaning about the heat last night and this morning; Don says it’s fine as long as he doesn’t need to do much and sucks on the breeze from the fans.  Jerry didn’t even bother to look up when I called, just moved to a different area on the floor.  When we continued talking past what he thought reasonable, he jumped into Don’s lap curled up into a ball with his head on Don’s belly.  The longer we talked, the more he moved up Don until he was lying fully on him, with his head under Don’s chin, very comfortable.  Then the paw came up to push away the phone… Very possessive little puppy he is!  They’re also hop...

It’s hot. Summer is holding on with both hands, just letting everyone know not to count the season out quite yet!  It was almost 25C at 8:30am, and extremely humid, just getting progressively worse throughout the day.  When I spoke with Don this morning, Ottawa was close to 29C and he was grousing about the heat and humidity.  Jerry did not approve of the heat, and jumped down from being cuddled to lie by himself in front of the fan.  Don said that he got a decent sleep last night, after not much the night before, so we spoke fairly late this morning.  I’m happy to report that he is eating a bit better, which is good news, but he was commenting that he wanted to get some stuff from the grocery… I know what my tasks will be when I get home!  Hopefully they’ll still have a reasonable selection of fruits when I return. Oh, I’m sleepy!  I slept quite well last night, although I woke up several times, none was longer than a few seconds during which I drank ...

Happy Labour Day to my fellow Canucks (and the assorted Yanks)  It was boiling hot and humid today — 30C by 11am, and even worse later, with beautiful sunshine and very few clouds.  I’m not sure if there are fireworks later, but it’s supposed to be quite hot for most of the week and no rain forecast for several days.  The humidity will be, to say the least, difficult.  When I spoke with Don this morning, rather early, he said that he hadn’t slept at all — I did get texts at 3 and 5am saying that he was still awake.  It was just before 7 when we spoke, and even then Jerry just looked at me on the phone, yawned widely, did his full body stretch and turned his back on me.  I’ve given up trying to talk to him on the phone, because he seems to enjoy ignoring me!  We chatted for a while, then I said that I wanted to get some sleep.  We hung up, I put the phone down… and it immediately rang!  Don said that he’d forgotten to tell me something, but it...

Yesterday’s outing on the tugboat.  For those who watched children’s programming in the mid-1990s this is apparently a familiar sight.  I remember Thomas the Tank Engine  which was a contemporary only because my godchildren used to watch that and Blue’s Clues .  I admit that my preferred children’s show was Sesame Street  and like many others of my generation, we can quote many of the clips and still use them in daily conversation, to the shock of others who didn’t have the same attachment we did.  My boys were a little challenging to get hold of this morning, and it took me a couple of calls and texts before I got them.  Don said that he’d apparently turned off his phone, so he called me back.  I teased him about screening his calls, and he just laughed at that, saying that he doesn’t get many calls, so he only answers his phone when I’m away (true enough) so screening isn’t something he does! 😝  Jerry reacted to my niece when we were ...

Warm summer weather rolled in today and it went up to 27C and was overcast before a short shower sprinkled down.  Given that it’s Labour Day weekend, I expected bigger crowds but thankfully it was not bad.  My boys were up this morning and we chatted; my niece came into the call and was showing off her new school items to Uncle Don.  Jerry went into his “ignore” mode and wouldn’t even flick his ear when I spoke to him.  It was funny; after a couple of minutes, he moved to lie on Don’s tummy and patted him to let him know that he’d been on the phone long enough.  Don says  he’s eating regularly, but I have my doubts.  Somehow he can’t remember what he had when I ask, hence my uncertainty. I had a pretty decent sleep last night, to the point that I thought today was Sunday!  I only woke up 3 times (that I remember) which is a major improvement over the last few nights.  We all woke up later this morning (weekends are usually more relaxed than d...

Oh what a beautiful day!  I have a beautiful feeling… 🎶 It was a gorgeous first of September, with lots of sunshine but not too hot or humid and really pleasant to be outdoors.  It’s a great day overall.  I spoke with my boys as usual this morning, and they were in fine form — Jerry has got the art of ignoring me to a perfect science.  He hears my voice, turns his back, rolls into a ball and then refuses to even flick an ear when I call him.  It’s both funny and sad, because I’m being ignored and rejected by my dog!  Don looks really good, and seems to have a little extra energy, which is probably due to having my little black shadow as his own.  He was joking that he’s not old enough to go to the bathroom alone anymore, because Jerry insists on accompanying him and sitting on his feet!  He’s been sending me sports updates, just so I’m “updated on the important things” 🙄 so I know he misses having me around while he’s watching his games!  O...