Learning and understanding

Once more, a shot from the islands, where I am not.  I’d like to be soaking in that at the moment, it would certainly be cooler than the weather in Ottawa today — it’s 32C now.  We didn’t sleep too well last night because of overnight construction right in front of our building, from 9pm to 5am, and they expect it to last all week long.  They are doing sewer repairs using a technique that doesn’t require drilling (thank goodness) but it’s certainly disrupting sleep — although I’m glad I’m not on one of the lower floors!  The noise must have been dreadful there if it was so bad up here!  Jerry was not a fan, and tried to hide under me for most of the night, so that added to not being able to sleep last night.  I made up a couple of hours this afternoon, which helped.  Jerry seems to be happy that his coat is clipped; he was so full of energy all day wanting to play and throwing his toys around (he knows which one he wants, so we have to throw that one a...

Happy Indian Arrival Day to everyone in Trinidad, and those of Trini heritage worldwide.  A little extra celebration of diversity as we mark almost 180 years since the first Indian labourers arrived in Trinidad to work in the cane fields after the Emancipation proclamation.  I’ll do the history lesson another time, but meanwhile, here we have a little groomed puppy, fresh from his summer trim.  He always looks so different when he’s been clipped, as he’s got a small body and long legs that aren’t as obvious when his thick winter coat is in place.  He’s also extra affectionate after his trim, so he’s been snuggling since he got back in the car.  His appointment was at 8am, so it was another early start today.  My nurse showed up at 7:30 yesterday, so I fell asleep for most of the afternoon.  Today I had a series of phone calls in the afternoon so no naps for me, but I’m optimistic that I’ll get a fairly early night!  Don was doing a lot today, and ...

Another photo from Tobago, this time, that I received and which I’m sharing.  It’s just such a glorious golden sunset and I transport myself there in my mind to listen to the sounds of the sea, music and people.  Today is certainly hot enough for Trinidad, it’s hot (30C) sunny and somewhat humid.  I’m officially resting today as yesterday, fun as it was, also had me feeling tired.  Jerry is quieter today since he’s had  company all day, and has even supervised my visits to the bathroom, complete with his dog toy… I try for privacy, but it’s not guaranteed!  Don was feeling off last night, with an upset tummy.  He didn’t sleep too well, so he has been sleeping this afternoon… sorry, he’s been “watching” sports.  The snores are louder than the TV though, although every time I changed to something else, a hand would come up and the channel would be changed back!  So I’ve lost myself in a good book for a while.   Since I rested today, my arm...

It’s the Ottawa Race Weekend, where thousands of people run races from 5k to a marathon.  It’s also one of the days when traffic is knotted into a snarl and it can take ages to cover even a short distance.  It’s hot today (27C) so the racers will be heavily tanned.  I live, of course, in the middle of downtown, where street closures abound, so naturally, I don’t leave the house! Except today, when I met 2 friends for brunch (the really bad closures start tomorrow morning) and we had a lovely time!  I’m so glad that we were able to meet up and share news.  Gotta love those kinds of days, even though I’m wiped out this evening, but it’s a good thing.  Jerry is glaring at me for leaving him at home while I was out, and he’s been letting me know that he doesn’t approve of my individual outings!  Don was happily glued to a sports game, and I think he only noticed that I was gone when I got back and turned down the volume on the TV from “stadium” to “househo...

Today would have been Auntie Ming’s 90th birthday.  I can’t help but feel a little sad that she’s not here; I still miss talking to her every afternoon, and I sometimes reach for the phone to ask her something.  I arranged for a memorial Mass to be celebrated for her this morning, and my siblings and I are lighting candles in her memory tonight.  I think she’d also like a cake and some ice cream, which are things that she enjoyed.  I didn’t update yesterday because it was an early start and I fell asleep around 3 — when I was scheduled to participate in a Zoom call — and didn’t wake up until after 6.  It also happened that I fell asleep this afternoon between the time my support worker texted that she was on her way over and her arrival 10 minutes later… Jerry was very excited to see her, and was wriggling from end to end while he got cuddled.  Don is settling in for the start of CFL season, as the Ottawa team starts playing tonight.  Hockey is getting...

 This is Daddy, taken yesterday.  I’m happy to report that he’s doing well, has a good appetite and when we talked, he was happy.  All good stuff (he was having Thai for lunch). Today started off with rain, then cleared up to a cool but sunny day.  Jerry was again spending as much time as he could on my lap, and when my support worker arrived, he went through a little dance of excitement for her.  Don is still working on his computer, and I am continuing to do anything else!  I also learned that hockey — a game played on ice!! — has a junior tournament in summer !!!  Clearly I’m not a sports fan, as I’m not interested in all these assorted “championships.”  The forecast is for 29C+ for Monday, so summer’s on the way!   We’ll have to see how everyone copes with the temperatures forecast for next week. I had an almost normal meal today!  I’d bought some frozen Indian entrées and reheated them along with some rice (I’m supposed to eat with ...

The weather was sunny and pleasant today, although it started off a little fresh.  I had plans to do all sorts of things today but my arm decided to flare up a few times.  Thanks for the tips on how to help it improve; I tried a few.  As I mentioned, I have full range of motion, but there are a few movements that cause pain.  I haven’t taken any meds for it — I’m honestly unsure which will work.  The stretches and exercises seem to help, as do the heat pack and massager.  Jerry has been guarding me all day, literally.  He didn’t get up until I did (at almost 9:30am) and then settled on my lap every time I sat down.  I couldn’t even go to the bathroom unaided  - I’ve had an ankle-high shadow anytime I got up.  I was right to stay out of what Don’s been doing on his computer… he confessed that he’d tried doing a cleanup of his hard drive and almost crashed his system.  I don’t miss using MS Windows, nor do I understand why he hasn’t u...

It’s Victoria Day, where we honour the late (several generations ago) Queen who made Ottawa the capital of Canada.  More importantly, to me, anyway, is that this is the climax of the Tulip Festival, so there will be more fireworks tonight (there were Saturday and Sunday)  My sister-friend “kidnapped” me this morning for breakfast and some time at the lilac walk.  Have I mentioned that I love lilacs?  Our timing was extremely precise, as my kidnapping was at 10, my nurse was due at noon and I returned home at 11:45 — at the same time as my nurse was calling for access! (She was early!) Jerry has complained that he was abandoned, so he spent time on my lap to ensure that I can’t sneak away again without my shadow.  Don has been doing something on his computer, and I’ve learned over the years that it’s not in my interests to enquire too much into his goings-on.  The results usually show up a day or so later in a box, and that’s when I have to deal with them. ...

It’s a long weekend, and today it POURED 🌧️ I don’t usually hear the sound of rain in my condo, as the roof is concrete and I’m 20 floors up, so I don’t hear it hitting the ground but the wind changed direction so I could hear my patio furniture getting drenched.  Any plants that were outside would also have got soaked, but nothing’s out yet.  Jerry was still in his zoomies mood, when he wasn’t napping on my lap or throwing his heavy gorilla on my toes.  He also took a nap (we all did) during the rainstorm and are slowly getting up and moving again.  Don was having some difficulty breathing this morning, but that seems to have settled, so the rain helped tremendously.  We’re now catching up on episodes of Jeopardy Masters  where I’m rooting for one particular contestant and Don is generally just enjoying the competition.  The semi-finals and finals are this week, so we’re not too far behind.  Jerry doesn’t care about this, and just wants someone ...

A very rainy day today, which is just what the doctor proverbially ordered!  I slept quite late, so I had more energy than yesterday.  This photo is from the Queen’s Park Savannah in Trinidad, sent on to me to add to my homesickness— I love this time of year at home, when the poui is in full bloom.  The hills are all gold and pink with the poui, and scarlet from the immortelles.  Utterly beautiful (as long as there aren’t any wildfires, which happens with the dry season.) My cousin tells me that the hurricane season has already started, which is early!  I hope that it’s not too severe. My tiny monster puppy has been getting attacks of the zoomies, followed by moments of scratching me on the leg to get more space on my lap!  He got evicted this morning because we had a disagreement on when playtime starts (not at 6am!). Don didn’t sleep too well last night; it’s the result of taking his pain meds too late at night combined with doing too many things.  H...

This is me, 6 years ago this weekend, when I was visiting my sister in Toronto.  At the time, I had no cane, was able to use public transit easily and could walk at the lakeshore over uneven rocks.    Time does make differences in life, doesn’t it?  Jerry was very excited when my support worker came over, and has been in a playful mood all day.  He’s trying to persuade me to give him another  blanket (he’s got 2) to add to his pile of comfort.  He’s also letting me know that feeding him dry dog food is an insult to him, please adjust accordingly.  (Not happening.)  Don is happy to have sold off a few things he no longer needs, I’m happy he’s happy, and he has a few more items listed for removal.  All 3 of his teams have been eliminated from the playoffs, so that just leaves baseball until the football seasons start.  I’ll have maybe a week of no sports in the next few months, and I’m trying to persuade him that we should consider a ...

Another cool day today, requiring a sweater and having the windows closed.  It was very sunny, though, which helps with mood - I am trying not to think of rainy days as “bad weather” but I admit that sunny days are better for my mood, but also are worse for my energy because I struggle to stay awake rather than take naps on sunny days.  I’ve got this childlike mindset that daytime sleep means that I’m missing out (FOMO, essentially) but on rainy days I’m comfortable with taking a nap.  Jerry has been on high alert all day, I’m not sure why.  When he wasn’t running behind me or lying in wait to trip me up, he was jumping on my lap and making himself a very long dog.  I’m constantly amazed at how this little dog manages to stretch out and fill half of a queen-sized bed or fit into a soup bowl, depending on who’s available for cuddling.  Don is feeling playful as well, so I’m watching them both for sudden outbreaks of mischief!  I don’t know which is more...

Oh my!  The temperature took a nosedive last night and today.  We had a frost warning for both last night and again for tonight, so it’s a good thing that our houseplants aren’t outside yet.  These sunflowers are the work of my friend at Elegant Designs Florals  who does some amazing floral work.  He’s also one of the kindest, sweetest people on the face of the earth, and he’s one of our adopted brothers.  I had a poor night’s sleep last night, no real reason for it; I just couldn’t fall asleep until almost 3am then was awake by 8 and I’m feeling a little ragged now.  Jerry is full of spring fever — he’s frequently zooming around at top speed, tossing his toys for us to throw or play with, and he stole my plastic bowl that I use for crochet yarn, and wants me to chase him to get it back.  HA!  I won’t, I’ll just wait him out!  Don is in a much better state today - this happens when the weather is milder.  So while he’s complaining a...

It’s been a great day.  I had lunch with an old boss and still good friend today; lunch was one of those where the company was excellent, and the food was acceptable; I was really happy to see her.  The pandemic wreaked havoc on my social life, and it’s so good to be able to spend time with people again.  The temperature has been spring-like, dropping 10 degrees in just over an hour — I went out and it was 17C, got out of the restaurant and it was 7, feeling like 3… Jerry was, of course, very  annoyed that I went out.  He somehow knew that I was planning to go out from the time I got out of bed and was on my lap and underfoot all morning!  He announced his annoyance to all and sundry as I was on the phone and getting ready.  Don spent a large part of the afternoon on the phone trying to sort out some confusion with a credit card, getting increasingly annoyed with the person on the phone — not unreasonably, in my view, as they seemed to be clueless on h...

Here’s Auntie Ming and I on the same trip as yesterday’s photo.  It’s so funny how I manage to look gigantic next to them.  The good thing is that I can look back and smile even as I miss them.  My hair was often a point of contention with my mother, as it just refused  to lie flat and would pouf out unless it was taken to the hairdresser and flat ironed into submission, especially after I stopped chemically relaxing it.  Funny how the things that occupied so much of our thoughts fade into irrelevance over time, isn’t it?  Jerry is under my legs right now, sulking because I said that I was typing and my lap was full.  He doesn’t approve of that!  I had intended to take him out today, but I was falling asleep on myself most of the afternoon; I had a few appointments/calls this morning to deal with so my intentions were good, but my body “mash brakes” and decided that I wouldn’t go anywhere today.  Don managed to sell his tyres last night, afte...

Here’s one of the last photos of me with my tiny mom; we were on holiday in Tobago; I’d gone to Trinidad after surgery and my mother, aunt and I went for a little R&R.  It’s amazing to see how much I’ve changed in the past 9 years.  Back then, I didn’t think that I’d have to face everything I’ve been through in the interim; innocence really is bliss!  Plus I really miss my mom. Today’s weather was sunny and warm, which is just great.  I needed today to recover from yesterday’s outing with the small dog, as I’m a bit sore from the walk and my hip is twinging.  Jerry is grumbling about things like how he’s neglected and unloved and generally an abandoned puppy.  My support worker was here, and he jumped (remember how his leg hurts and he can’t jump?) from my lap straight into her arms to complain about how he was neglected… Don went downstairs to sell some tyres, leaving Jerry with me.  He’s sitting behind the door howling right now…Hopefully it all ...

It’s such a lovely, sunny day today!  I’ve actually had someone call and complain that it’s hot!!  Just can’t please some people, can you?  I have a friend who would say that there are some people, who, if they got into heaven, would complain that the sky was the wrong shade of blue.  Jerry is a happy little boy today because this morning, even before I had my tea, he was taken out for a short walk!  Don asked me where I got all that energy so early in the morning… (It was around 9) To be honest, I was winded and we only did a half block, really, but since it’s the first of the season, I’m not complaining.  My plan is to do this as often as possible, so I get back into some form of conditioning.  Jerry was good and didn’t pull (much) so I wasn’t pulled off balance.  Then I came home and rested.  Don has been getting into some form of mischief, as he disappeared into the other room for a good chunk of the morning and I have no idea what he was...

Another image from the Caribbean, this time of rain coming in over the hills in Tobago.  I’m still in Ottawa, just vicariously enjoying the greenery.  I’ll soon switch over to Canadian photos as the green is sweeping through the trees, hills and gardens.  It will soon be lilac season, and that’s my favourite time of year for flowers.  I’m about to lose my Canadian status by saying how lovely it is to see dandelions on the grass verges — those little drops of golden sunshine spreading everywhere — I just smile when they’re there.  I’m told that’s because I never had to spend my childhood springs pulling them up by the roots to stop the spread, but the pollinators love them, and they just look happy.  Jerry is being a fibber… when he thinks he’s unobserved, he jumps up on the bed or sofa, but if I’m there, I get the puppy eyes!  Don is in his happy sports place (team plays again tonight) as there are so many games on that his hand gets cramped from chang...

  Isn’t that lovely?  A macaw in a tree happily devouring fruit… Sent from Trinidad again, and I thought I’d share this with you.  Today felt like it was summer — it’s currently 26C and hazy (the after-effects of wildfires in Alberta, several thousand miles away). I’m feeling really tired today, after making a trip to Costco, so this will be brief.  Jerry is letting me know that he didn’t approve of me going out today and leaving him behind !  Oh the puppy-nity!  He sulked when I got back, but I was forgiven as he got a treat so that helped.  Right now he’s trying to get me to play with his gorilla, and when he’s ignored he’s doing his best to get my attention (Don, unreasonably, needed to leave the room). He’s happy as his team won last night (they needed to if they wanted to avoid elimination)  I’m not exactly sure what my in-room status is, as although I was in the same room, I was busy doing something else, so I didn’t actually watch the game....