Learning and understanding

What a beautiful day for Easter Sunday.  It was sunny, mild, and really lovely.  The sky is a lovely blue, with a few puffy white clouds and in another place, would be perfect to be on the beach with a cold drink in hand, and a fried bake and kingfish for stuffing into your mouth!  Can you tell where my thoughts are today?  Jerry is in affectionate mode today, and has been guarding me all day.  He just jumps on my lap and settles in comfortably, ignoring any and all attempts to displace him, attract his attention or to tease him.  His concentration is amazing when he wants to ignore people.  Don is doing well, he was watching his sports earlier, and is now catching up on the news.  He’s been moving stiffly, but isn’t in more pain than usual, thankfully.  He’s right now the recipient of puppy affection, with the little dog curled on his lap and being petted like a small teddy bear and Jerry is lying on his back, long legs stretched up and he’s...

It’s a beautiful day, with mild temperatures and bright sun.  If the old farmers are right, it’ll be a hot, dry spring and summer, so here’s hoping they’re mistaken, although there are already burn bans in effect.  Jerry has been banished from my lap, as he seems to be able to find the one sore spot on my tummy, and then plunk his full weight on it.  He’s sulking at me and complaining to Don who is “watching” baseball (there are little snores that I’m hearing…) I was really sleepy last night, and conked out for about 12 hours, which was great this morning!  I felt more alert than I have for a few days.  I have to admit to being a little lazy this morning and not wanting to get out from under my cozy blankets.  Once again I have no support worker today, and I’m getting frustrated leaving messages with the agency asking “Where are my helpers?” I’d promised to share a short poem by Tagore, and I think today is a perfect time to do that.  I hope that you f...

Hot cross buns, one a penny, two a penny, if you have no daughters, give ‘em to your sons… My “brother” made a batch and tormented me with photos!  It’s been a lovely mild, windy few days — and it will be a bad year for crops as there was no rain (or snow) today!  Jerry is in major cuddling mode, and was slapping my face with his paw because I wasn’t rubbing his tummy enough this morning.  Don’s doing pretty well, although he had trouble sleeping last night.  The TV woke me up at 3am as he seemed to be having an argument with voice assist… Very annoying recording that just wouldn’t go away!  He finally sorted it out, which was a relief, around 4am. I slept well, other than the hour and a bit that the voiceover was announcing loudly everything on screen.  Today I didn’t have the energy to make some of the things I wanted to eat, but I had some salmon and macaroni and cheese for lunch.  I will see if I can get the energy to make what I want to eat, as I ...

Mild weather is here 😀  I hope that there’s rain tomorrow, as rain on Good Friday is supposed to mean a good crop yield in the summer.  I don’t know where that originated, but I had been told that by an elderly parishioner many years ago on a very wet Good Friday.  It’s different in the Caribbean, but here it’s apparently linked to enough rain for the crops!  Yesterday the little dog got groomed — there’s a lot less of him since his thick, shaggy winter coat is all gone.  He’s an affectionate little guy again, and his legs seem to have extended further!  He looks like a mini-greyhound right now.  The groomer nicked him just above his eye, but the vet checked him over and he’s ok.  He’s burrowed under the blanket and is snuggling up to Don who’s watching the opening game of baseball season.  Can anyone explain to me how you can have a “World Series” award when only one country plays in it?  I mean, in a sensible game like cricket, when t...

I’m not really grumpy, it’s just… well, I’ll explain below.  Another day where the temperature flirted with moving above zero, but with a coyness that would make a Victorian heroine blush!  I’m so eager for spring temperatures, hovering between 10 - 15C, with flowers popping up… I’ll probably regret this when the humidity moves in!  Jerry is temporarily not speaking with me today.  I have ONE sore spot on my tummy, and that’s where he tends to plunk his little 10lb self!  I threw him off because he was causing me pain, so he took himself to the sofa and is sending me recriminating glares when his back isn’t turned to me.  Don is playing on his computer, in preparation for his game later… although I think his team is now officially eliminated from the playoffs.  I won’t say anything, because apparently hockey is not “just a game.”  (I said that once and thought I’d stepped on a land mine!) My sleep is good, my appetite is decent and I’ve been sorti...

Sunny, cool day, which is actually milder than yesterday!  Definitely feels like warmer weather is starting up, although I don’t want to jinx anything!  But it’s the end of March, and according to legend, we should be in the middle of storms since it was so mild at the start!  Jerry is being a cuddler today.  He climbed on my lap every chance he got, including trying to knock the phone out of my hand while I was talking with my doctor!  Don didn’t sleep well last night; his pain meds cause insomnia sometimes, so he was up until almost noon when he finally started dozing off. I slept reasonably well once I did fall asleep.  I had one of those nights when it took a while to drop off, but it was ultimately restful.  So I learned this morning that sliced smoked salmon is lox!  I always thought that lox was some sort of spread, rather like the excellent salmon-cream cheese one that I get sometimes.  I’m not a huge bagel fan, but it’s denser than o...

Another cold day today, although it’s sunny, which makes it feel a little better.  Still below zero, and I’m really getting tired of the cold.  Jerry has an appointment for grooming this week, so I’ll have about a half a dog when we get him back… I love it when he’s floofy, but because of his thick curls, that leads to matts, and snarls, which aren’t good for him.  He’s been on my lap for as much as he can today, and is on my feet right now, pretending to be neglected.  Don is good, he’s recorded a couple of games, but is all caught up.  His team is out of the playoffs (as usual) just in time for baseball season.  I’m just grateful that basketball and golf aren’t part of his rotation! I slept like a log last night, but was still really tired this morning.  In fact, I’m “beppin” (as my sister says) which means that I’m nodding off on myself.  Early bed tonight, definitely.  I also had a fairly decent lunch, and will work out supper soon. ...

It’s been a temporary return to the freezer; the temperature hasn’t crossed 0 in about 3 days!  There was snow forecast, but it seems to have stayed east over the St. Lawrence and avoided Ottawa, not that I’m complaining.  I’m back in blankets and sweaters, and Jerry is stealing all the throws that he can pull off anyone.  He’s been good at standing on my lap and blocking my view of the TV, or sitting on my iPad so I can’t use it… very clever moves!  Don is good, and is moving comparatively easily for him.  He’s also got the order for his chest X-ray so that’s happening.  Can you hear my sigh of relief? Yesterday was more unsettled than I’d like.  I had an allergic reaction to something , I don’t know what, and was up for several hours coughing and sneezing until the allergy meds FINALLY kicked in and I fell asleep around 3am.  Then I was talking with my regular support worker, who’d been ill for a few days, and finally I made her get an ambulance...

It was -10 today.  MINUS.  Below zero!  I can’t say that it’s a huge surprise, as every year at this time we have a bit of a snowstorm, but today was beautifully sunny, even if frigid and blustery!  I’m not putting so much as a nose outdoors until it warms back up above freezing, thanks for asking!  Jerry is guarding my feet right now, after making an unreasonable amount of noise because he heard my neighbour drop off the paper at my door.  I think he’s tired out from that… Don’s doing pretty well, and his appetite makes me envious since he managed to eat a double-stuffed foot long sub and then went looking for dessert.  I ate half of a 6” sub and was stuffed.  What does that tell you?  (That clearly, my sandwich wasn’t as good as his.  Or something like that.) I had an early morning visitor; my lay minister arrived after early Mass, so I dragged myself out of bed for 8am, and after he left, I jumped back into bed and slept for another 2...

Spring is sprung, the grass is riz. I wonder where the birdies is. They say the birdies on the wing, but that’s absurd. I always thought the wing was on the bird. OK, there’s your silly springtime rhyme to start you off!  I will just note in passing, though, that it’s currently hovering around the freezing mark and there are little while specks falling out of the sky, so wherever the birdies are, I hope they’re warm and dry!  The tiny dictator was disturbed this morning by the monthly fire alarm test, and he sang along with the alarm but was shaking badly from nerves.  He then spent over an hour on my lap needing to be “soothed” from the trauma of the noise.  I’m trying to explain to him that I am not  a trampoline, but he just wags his stump at me and cuddles harder.  Don is good, and in charge of tonight’s supper, so I wait to see what he’s decided!  He’s grumbling that we’re out of shows to watch since he decided to binge all the stuff on the PVR, s...

It’s a cold, chilly day today, and a moment ago I looked out the window and saw… snow! ❄️. It’s a little bit of a shock, but it’s not totally unexpected as we’re still in March.  The snow can continue until mid-May when it wants to, but when there’s a long break the surprise is bigger.  Jerry parked himself on me every chance he got today.  I was on the phone and he settled himself in, stretched out on his back, put up his front paw and batted me in the face… when he thought I’d talked enough, he changed position, sat staring at me for a while then tried knocking the phone out of my hand.  He left me to go lie on Don, and is now glaring at me from the sofa.  Don had a doctor’s appointment today (🙌) and now has a requisition for a chest X-Ray which he’ll do in a few days.  The respirologist needs to see how his lungs are doing, so fingers crossed!  He’s suffering sports withdrawal, as spring training is dragging on and not accomplishing anything, and t...

The mild days took a break today; it’s been raining off and on, and it’s been around 5C all day, so it’s cooler than it has been for about a week.  We were warned, and there’s more of a cool down coming over the next day or two as it’s been frigid out west so it’s making its way over here.  As long as the snow is light, we’re all good!  Jerry just left my lap to sprawl on the sofa, after a good long while of being here and staring into my eyes and patting my tummy for a while.  He ate at me for a bit, crunching his kibble on my feet, then giving me a side eye as he ran off for another mouthful.  Little clown!  Don is good; he watched his games for a bit, recorded some more to watch overnight, and is now bingeing a new police procedural set in Canada, which looks interesting to say the least.   I slept like a log last night, and woke up precisely once at 6:45am then back to sleep for a couple more hours.  I feel a little sluggish today, but otherwi...

It’s raining, it’s pouring, Don is snoring… 😴 and so is Jerry, for that matter.  They’re both relaxed, which is good, and there are tiny gentle snores coming from both of them, while there’s a baseball game being ignored.  I’ll very quietly change the channel and pretend that the game is over, what do you think?  😆  Jerry has assumed his normal position on my feet, where he’s keeping my toes warm and trying to steal my blanket.  I mean, it’s fairly mild (although there’s a bit of a wind from the other direction; I only know from watching some leaves skittering around)  These crocuses are from New York; ours are beginning to emerge in warmer spots, and will soon be followed by daffodils and narcissi and all the lovely spring flowers! Last night, for reasons unknown, I didn’t manage to fall asleep until 6:30am.  It was one of those where I didn’t feel restless, but just couldn’t drop off.  That annoys me, but I’ve realized that it happens every co...

It rained for a good part of the day, but has now cleared up and is sunny.  It was also fairly warm, and that’s a continued benefit.  Jerry is, as usual, guarding me and alternated between petting me and finding the one sore spot on my tummy and using it as a trampoline!  It’s all good now, and my feet are being warmed by a small schnoodle.  Don’s doing pretty well, with no extra pain, although he’s been muttering about not sleeping too well at night.  He’s been watching recordings of his games, and we’ve been catching up on various PVR recordings so it’s been a pretty relaxed day, no stressing. I feel much more like myself today, thankfully, and was able to eat some meals that were more substantial than yesterday’s.  No nausea, which is even better, and my energy is recovering.  I slept a lot last night, and was late getting up today, all of which contributed to me feeling more alert today.  I just had an omelette and toast, and I’ll probably hav...

It was a lovely, fairly mild day, and there’s grass showing again, after months of brown and grey.  Flowers aren’t yet up, nor are the trees budding, but it’s coming soon.  Feels like it will be warm in no time, but there’s a cold front coming in, so the warm will just have to wait a while it seems.  It’s ok, although I’m nervous that the summer will be brutal.  I just have visions of low crop yields because of the erratic weather, dryness and cold in the growing regions and not enough snow, all of which point to higher food costs this summer.  I also don’t want to hear the idiots blaming the prime minister for this as it’s entirely due to the weather.  Jerry has been patting me on the tummy and snuggling up to me all day.  He’s being very attentive, which is so sweet.  Don is feeling a bit more like himself, and had a lovely sports marathon today while I had a nap.  He and Jerry took advantage of the weather and were outdoors enjoying the wa...

This morning started off overcast, but it’s cleared up to a sunny, mild day.  Spring is, apparently, about 10 days off, so it’s nice to have the milder weather.  Jerry is lying on his back on the sofa, with his little paws up in the air, and taking up a remarkable amount of space for a little dog!  He’s very comfortable, so I won’t disturb his dreaming.  He was on my lap for a while, curled into a ball and moved off reluctantly.  Don is up and about, feeling more like himself (I like that) He tried one of my spicy soups, and after a reaction for the heat, decided that he likes it, so now I have to share 😆 It’s ok, I keep trying to broaden his palate, so this works very well all around. Yesterday morning I had an early appointment with one of my doctors, so I had a somewhat broken night as I was afraid of missing my alarm… I did wake up before it, but didn’t get up, and fell back asleep for 15 minutes… sigh.  Anyway, we were up and made it on time; got back...

It’s been sunny and mild today, although yesterday was blustery, wet, cold and snowy.  I was none of those, as I was happy and cozy.  Today is beautiful, although it’s cool — early springlike weather in full force.  I’d be pleased if it stayed fairly mild for this week, especially early tomorrow morning, as I have an appointment at the crack of dawn, which is even earlier since the clocks changed yesterday.  It’s still light out, although it is getting late according to the clock.  Jerry has finally settled down and is sitting on my feet.  His PSW was here today, and he was very excited, but she petted him for a few minutes and he calmed down a bit.  He was bouncing around like a jackrabbit on a pogo stick and leaping on the sofa until she played with him.  Don is dozing off and on; he’s lying on the sofa and relaxing a bit.  There were several games yesterday that he recorded, so at one point I wasn’t sure if he was watching a live broadcast...

It rained a lot today, and the temperature is dropping.  The forecast calls for snow tonight, which is not happy news for me.  I’m tired of cold and snow and winter in general, although this one has been mild by Ottawa standards.  Jerry is rearranging the blanket around my feet and getting settled down for a nap.  He was lying on Don until a few seconds ago but apparently thought I looked lonely or something 😆 Don is set up to watch his sports, after a day of bingeing true crime documentaries, which are beginning to all seem the same to me.  He’s in prime position, lying on the sofa, with his head comfortably on the arm and stretched out with his eyes closed.  I know, and I won’t play with the remote either 😆 I slept quite well last night, and actually slept in this morning.  I woke up once during the night and it took about an hour to fall back asleep, and when I woke up this morning I was too warm and comfortable to move, so I just dozed off again....

It was fairly mild today, reaching a sunny high of 8C, which is much better than the rain and snow forecast for the weekend.  Jerry spent his day as usual on various laps and is now guarding Don in the kitchen as he’s making tuna salad sandwiches… Jerry is hoping for bits to fall on the floor so he can pounce on them and vacuum things up!  (Even if they might make him sick.  Stubborn puppy!)  Don is moving a little more easily than yesterday, for which I’m relieved, although one of his fingers is purple from the injury and looks really gross.  I have made efforts to persuade him to seek medical attention, but it seems that I should save my breath to cool my tea.  He spent a good part of today watching the team trades, so he’s happy, and I was rereading some stuff written by my friend from New Zealand and got as lost in it as the first time! I’m still trying to make sense of my world.  I feel a bit more at ease having made a decision and spoken with my ...

It was warm enough yesterday that I wore a summer dress and sandals to my appointment!  That felt nice and the nurse told me how happy she was to see a flowery dress after a long winter of greys, blacks and dark coats.  I agreed with her on that.  Jerry is over excited because his  support worker is here, but she’s doing my stuff and he doesn’t like being ignored like that.  He’s sitting on Don’s lap right now and whining in protest about being kept from running around her.  Don went to his medical appointment today, I was pleased and relieved that he did.  However, he seemed to be accident prone as he fell on the way back and one of his fingers looks awful and he is limping from having hurt his foot.  He’s sitting resting and staying off his feet today, so hopefully he recovers well. My news is frankly bad.  The scan showed that my tumours have actually grown  since we started chemo.  It’s like they were weeds that were planted in ...

This is my current situation… I’m a dog bed, and my tiny dictator directs where my hands go with that little paw that pats my face, shoves my arm or just pokes me!  He’s very  comfortable, lying on his back with his feet in the air and his tiny stump wagging hard!  When he doesn’t get the reaction he wants, the other paw comes up to let me know.  He effectively blocks my ability to read on my iPad (I’m in the middle of some fun books and trying to read them but then there’s a dog on my screen…) His other activity is to bring me his toy so I can play with it.  He’s trailing me everywhere, and tries to mooch whatever I’m eating.  Don is watching spring training (🥱) where the team isn’t set yet, and probably half of them won’t appear in the “real” games.  His hockey team has returned to trying to get to the bottom of the rankings as quickly as possible, as they seem better at losing than actually winning any games!  The only team that’s trying is th...