Learning and understanding

Stand by for the standard whine about the heat and humidity of an Ottawa summer day.  I used to say that growing up in the tropics I could handle it, but Ottawa has cured me of that vanity.  Yes, tropical humidity is oppressive, but in the city… No.  Just no.  Even Jerry is lying around lethargically and sucking up all the cool breeze he can manage… he’s even avoiding our laps because it seems to be too hot for him.  Don is experiencing a lot of pain today; walking was difficult and he joked he’d have to head down to the car about half an hour ahead of me so he can get there so we can leave on time.  I don’t know what to do (because, of course, he doesn’t do doctors) and the massager is going quite often.  My comment was that his legs are bored by too much baseball, but he ignores me. I apologize for skipping the last few days.  I was far too upset by the personal worker issue and couldn’t focus.  It annoys me that this bothers me so much! ...

Puppy tax!  This was how I spent the first hour or so today… I barely sat down before my lap was filled by a little, extremely comfortable, black dog who stretched out on his back and insisted on having a tummy massage!  He’s spent a little while chasing his ball, barking at my support worker and is now having a nap on his pillow.  Don is “watching” baseball, but I’m hearing snores, so I’m not sure how much he’s taking in — which is surprising, since his team is finally ahead (not sure that will last, though) Back to erratic sleep… I didn’t drop off until after 2am, and was awake practically every hour after that until 6, when I slept until 10:45.  It’s annoying, since the rest of the day I feel sluggish and droopy.  I’ve also realized that I am probably hungrier than I thought, but food doesn’t tempt me, which is a shame.  I may be paranoid, but I am now convinced that the agency is deliberately sending me male support workers.  How, after 4 years whe...

Truth… in a cute little image.  Today was hotter than it has been, and the weekend is forecast to warm up some more.  I’ve reached a stage in life when I am not crazy about either traditional Christmas weather or the dog days of summer.  I’m getting old, cranky and crotchety… sad, isn’t it?  My dislike is stronger since I’m not as able to be as independent as I’d like.  Jerry has managed to find ways to insert himself so that I’m twisted and he’s sitting in a strange position, but totally comfortable!  How does he do it?  Don is feeling a bit more lively which is encouraging, although I’m tuned out totally on the subject of politics and elections, which are sadly going to be a constant noise for the next 3.5 months. I’m happy to report that I got a different support worker today, who is one of the ones I requested as an alternate.  She says that she will be with me every Friday now, which is good, as she’s one who does look after me.  My regu...

It rained all day yesterday  and for a good part of today off and on.  Not as much as yesterday, which was lovely weather for blankets, warm drinks and good books.  Jerry seems to think that I’m his personal jungle gym, and has been climbing on me all afternoon, which would be fine except that his claws are remarkably sharp (they’re not long) and he puts his full weight behind his jumps… I try explaining to him that I’m not a trampoline and to please not jump on me, but he just continues… I’m bruised from his clambering, and he just curls up in my lap and takes a nap… Don is again finding sports to watch, and since the Olympics start soon there will be 24-hour sports, interrupted only by politics (I’ve tuned out, it’s just too nasty and pointless.) Although he’ll watch “news” all day every day if I didn’t interrupt with other shows. I didn’t sleep well last night because my mind was just turning over and over the issue with the ironically named care agency.  I involv...

Oh, I’m loving this weather, where it’s not too hot, not too humid and enough sun and breeze to make it enjoyable!  Jerry loves this kind of weather and has been patrolling the balcony and warning off the single pigeon who tries to visit… He’s certainly barked at everyone and everything in the neighbourhood and notified all the dogs within hearing that he’s out and in charge.  Then he starts shredding his bed; I’d stopped buying for him years ago but he stole a pillow as his, then ripped a hole in it and has been pretending that he’s a wolf disemboweling a moose… Don says that he’s feeling much better today than he was, and attributes it to the birthday cake, cherries and strawberries that he’s been eating for the last few days.  Whatever works!  I’m happy that he’s got a bit more energy, which is excellent. I am training myself to get back to a “regular” sleep pattern.  For reasons that it’s not sharing, my body insists on not falling asleep until about 1 - 2am...

Another beautiful day today; not too hot, not overly humid (at least, it didn’t seem to be) and nice and sunny.  It’s been pleasant, and there’s a forecast of rain and thunderstorms for later this week, but we’ll wait and see.  Jerry is a little cuddler and mooch who was trying to sneak some chicken off my plate earlier, and letting me know that he was not happy that I wouldn’t share (it had things like onion, tomato and garlic, which are not good for little dogs)   He’s been throwing his ball at me and making me bend over — which is probably good for exercise, but not great for my pain!  Here’s a photo of the birthday boy with his “slice” (quarter) of cake… it’s really delicious, loaded with many, many calories and real cream, and he’s managed to consume 3/4 of it in 2 days (doesn’t want it to spoil 😂)  It’s almost done, as are the cherries that I got him as an extra treat, so I don’t think he’s too unhappy with his food choices… I just need to find him some s...

Another comfortable, not too hot day, where the sky got progressively more grey as the afternoon lengthened.  It’s sprinkling now, and likely to rain all night.  As I selfishly have no plans to be outdoors tonight, that’s just fine by me.  Sorry for all the evening wanderers!  Jerry was, as always, parked on my lap for as much of the day as he could manage.  He manoeuvred himself into a position that any time I tried to text on my phone, he’d move his head or foot so I couldn’t, and would try to knock the phone from my hand.  I know.  It’s my own fault, and I own that.  The birthday boy in the house spent the day happily watching sports (thankfully he took a break from news!) and a couple of cheesy reality shows that he seems to enjoy.  I found the old British series Yes, Minister  and we watched a couple of episodes… still sadly very accurate, never mind being over 40 years old! Again, I had some difficulty getting to sleep… it was well...

' What an absolute stunner of a day it’s been!  Warm, not hot or humid, cool breeze, deep blue sky and puffy white clouds.  It was just so completely lovely and comfortable to be outside for a while!  No bugs, either, so definitely a win all around.  Jerry has been happily shredding his new bed and leaving a trail of stuffing all over my floors!  I tried having a conversation with him, and he just wriggled himself into a more comfortable spot on my lap, wagged his tiny stump and prodded my tummy to be petted.  He just disregards what I say and does what he feels like doing.  Don was left in charge for a couple of hours, during which time he didn’t answer the phone, ignored the pharmacy delivery and (I think, he denies it) had a nice little nap!  He’s been watching political coverage nonstop since sports are temporarily over, and I’m sick of it myself.   As mentioned (and shown in the photo) I was out for a late lunch today with a friend. ...

The rain has come, and with it cooler temperatures.  It’s dropped a good 15 or so degrees from yesterday and it’s about 22/23 this afternoon which is much more comfortable than high 30s with muggy humidity!  Puppy tax!  For your enjoyment, a snuggly little schnoodle being all spoilt.  He’s parked himself on my lap, stretched himself out and the little poky paw is temporarily retracted while his tummy is being massaged.  That’s a spoilt puppy who is in a happy place just making himself at home on my lap because he can!  He of course objected to being thrown off so I could eat and type, and he’s been on high alert all day; why I don’t know.  Don has been alternating between dozing and streaming stuff; as part of my Prime day purchases I added 3 subscriptions at $1/month for 2 months, so he’s exploring the options available on the channels.  We’ll see! It took me until about 1:30 to fall asleep last night (or this morning) then I woke up at 3:30 unti...

Joanne, this is for you 😈  A couple of others, too, but mainly Joanne!  Although, as I’ve explained to many people “my great-great grandmother passed it down; my great-grandmother passed it down; my grandmother gave it to my mummy, and she gave it to me, so I was born with it!” (With thanks to Alison Hinds for the lyrics)  Another hot, sticky day, and a little dog who was very  noisy when he was left in the car with me for all of 2 minutes while Don went to try to do an errand.  He barked, howled, whined and made such a stir that people thought he was alone in a hot car and I saw a couple approaching ready to break him out… then they saw that the windows were open and I was sitting under the dog and they stopped.  Jerry’s suddenly developed separation anxiety if Don is away from him and out of range… he howled when Don went to do his license tests, and again today.  If it’s me, he barks for a bit then goes to sit on Don.  We’ll have to work on ge...

We’re under a thunderstorm watch at the moment, and I’m seeing the results of a downpour in Toronto where streets are flooded, the subway is practically swimming and cars are being abandoned due to flooded engines.  Jerry doesn’t like the heat and humidity and has been off his food for a couple of days — he’s eating but not very much.  He doesn’t even run after his ball, just rolls it at me and flops on the ground.  Don is dealing with the heat, and finding it hard to breathe as well.  He’s been glued to news reports on the election in the south, and I’m beyond disgusted by the coverage, so I’m occupying myself with other things, just checking in once a day. I slept like I was drugged last night — I woke up a couple of times but dropped back off.  It was not a cool night, but I got to a point where I thought the fan was too cold!  Again, it was so hot that I wasn’t keen on eating, but I did, so at least that’s progress.  I’m somewhat annoyed by my care...

I’m over summer.  Or at least, the hot, muggy, can’t get a deep breath, it’s so unpleasant part of it.  It was over 40C today!  That’s just not a temperature for civilization to experience, especially if you’re not living in a desert or a jungle.  I remember days of being in the forest at home on a very hot day; it was cooler under the trees but still muggy and sticky.  Not a fan, I confess.  Jerry was most distressed today and was howling at me, scratching me, trying to bite me all because Don was out for a while… He’s now on my feet and surveilling Don to ensure he doesn’t sneak off again!  Don is suffering from the heat, and complained that it was brutal today, even with the air conditioning in the car.  I feel for him; it really is hot today, and I should probably quit whining, but not quite yet! I slept quite well again last night, and apart from lying awake for about an hour in the middle of the night, I got a good rest.  My appetite is...

For some reason, I can’t get photos to work, so no cute image for you today.  It’s been another hot and muggy day, and it’s a bit challenging to breathe easily, but I’m not gasping, which is fortunate.  Jerry was in cuddle mode most of the morning, and while I was watching the Mass, he sprawled himself across my lap, stretched out his legs and poked me in the face to get back to petting him!  Silly boy.  He got evicted while I was watching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  because he was standing on my leg and blocking my view!  He is not happy being evicted, I’ll just say… Don is struggling with the humidity which is really challenging, especially for him.  He’s got several games (all of which his team lost) on the PVR; he recorded them but watched them live anyway.  Luckily none of my shows are affected, or there’d be problems! I’ve slept for almost 30 hours in the last 2 days.  My blast of energy the day after chemo was unusual, I know, and t...

It’s stopped raining, but the heat and humidity have settled in and are getting a bit too comfortable for anyone’s liking.  Personally, I’d like it to be about 10 degrees cooler, but you can’t have everything, can you?  It promises to be a bit less cloying over the next few days, so we’ll see.  Jerry is not happy, as I don’t allow him on me for a couple of days post-chemo (I’m still somewhat toxic, and he’s vomited after licking me before, which I don’t like)  He lets me know that he disapproves strongly of this, and right now is at my feet sulking ostentatiously and ripping the stuffing out of his bed…  Don is recuperating from yesterday; he didn’t sleep well the night before for fear of missing his alarm, and sat in the car while I was getting treatment so was in discomfort when we got home, not helped by the humidity.  He’s been dozing off and on all day and is looking less pale than before.  We did have a heated political debate yesterday, and my s...

It’s been pouring rain all day; the remains of the hurricane as she pours out the rest of her water.  Jerry is right now being very noisy because his  worker is here and he wants to play; he doesn’t approve of her working and looking after me.  Don’s having a lot of aches today probably because of the weather and he’s been suffering quietly.   I slept very well last night, thankfully.  I’m hoping that it will help with tonight as I’m planning an early evening and have my alarm set for 6am.  I had several small meals today — I’m actually hungry, which is delightful!  I’ve got a frozen home cooked meal ready for tomorrow, so at least I don’t have to worry about eating when I get home.  There’s another one for Friday as well, as I know I’ll need a few days coverage to keep me going until we cook some more.  I’ve got ideas of things I’d like to make, so now it’s just time, energy and availability of my support worker. I’m in the midst of a great ...

It’s muggy and hot and there’s an impending storm, and apparently the remnants of what was Hurricane Beryl are drifting this way.  It will probably help break some of the heat before the stuff that’s currently out west moves in this way.  Thoughts and prayers for the Americans under the ‘heat dome’ where temperatures are above 53C!  Hope the heat breaks soon.  Jerry is sulking at me and is right now by my feet giving me a stink eye… He wouldn’t stop barking when I told him, and refused to go to Don, so he got a ‘puppy time out’ and is punishing us for that… it happens every so often where he decides to be extra defiant mostly because (and I wish I could fix that!) he wants me to take him for a long ramble, and won’t accept anyone else doing it.  But I can’t, so there’s sulks and suffering (me) for a bit.  Don is preparing to watch the football match of Canada vs Argentina because he seems to have a commitment to supporting Canada in any international tourna...

It is meltingly hot here; 39C this afternoon, with higher humidity.  That’s the kind of weather where you’re panting as soon as you get outside, although thankfully not at the stage where you’re sweating as soon as you exit the shower.  I took a hot shower this afternoon and I feel fairly comfortable, thankfully! There have been a few storms in the last few nights, none of which lasted very long but each dropped the temperature a bit.  Jerry spent the night curled up on me for the most part, but had the urge to play every couple of hours and then spent part of the night hiding under the bed.  Don is walking cautiously; his pain is still present but seems to be somewhat muted.  His teams all seem to be bent on setting records for losses this year; the game last night, his team had less than half the score of their opponents.  They really are dreadful this year, and that’s from the non-sports fan in the house! I had a broken night last night, in contrast to t...

The end my strawberry cream cake… so yummy, very decadent, and I hope that it made up at least some of the calorie deficit!  We’re under a thunderstorm watch here, and it feels like it.  The air is oppressive and it’s very still and humid.  The kind of weather that would generate migraines in the old days when I suffered from those.  Just ugh! 😩 Jerry doesn’t particularly like this weather; he gets restless and unsettled.  It’s odd, since fireworks don’t seem to distress him at all, but thunder and wind make him want to hide under someone.  He’s been coming to get extra affection, and keeps moving from one to the other of us.  Don, of course, is glued to one of those never ending games that go nowhere, interspersed with watching cars drive in a loop endlessly… there’s a theme there, but I get mocked for watching reruns of The Simpsons! I had difficulty sleeping last night, I don’t know why exactly.  I was tired, my eyes didn’t want to stay open, ...

It’s so warm, and it’s just the beginning of July… it will get warmer over the next couple of weeks and the forecast has some hot days in store, it seems.  Last night we had a massive thunderstorm with a huge downpour which did a great job of washing out some of Bluesfest (I can hear the music from here, although it’s admittedly not very clear.)  Jerry is a tiny fur-covered furnace, who drinks lots of water then comes to pant on my lap before throwing his ball for me.  He was just running around making me feel warm and tired before flopping down on the ground.  Don has been putting together his new fan, recently delivered from Amazon after several delays, and refusing all offers of help.  I thought I’d share this little gem of wisdom that was cluttering my messages last night from my family punster… I had difficulty falling asleep last night; partly because it was warm, mostly because I couldn’t find a comfortable spot.  I’ve lost so much weight that my bon...

Summer is settling in; it’s forecast to be warm and sunny for the next week or so, which is fine by me (rain is also fine; as long as we have no ice rain, life is good.) Jerry is in the mood to play, and has been throwing his ball when he’s not jumping on my lap and he’s keeping Don from napping on the sofa.  It’s a sleepy summer afternoon, and if I were in the countryside, it’s the kind of weather where you’d sit on the porch with a cold drink and rock yourself asleep while watching the birds and insects… I am still working on trying to eat more.  Today’s substitution was cream instead of milk in my tea… I can’t yet use it for things like cereal, but it works with oatmeal (which I’m not really eating because it’s too low calorie.)  My fibre content, for those of you who are concerned, is coming from dates and prunes and the odd supplement.  (I rather like dates; and in a few weeks, I’ll be double fisting plums 😆)  I’m really tempted to sew a couple of fishing ...