Learning and understanding

Cue the grumbling about the weather… although I think I’ll hold off for a bit as it’s comparatively mild today and there’s lower temperatures forecast for later this week.  It’s overcast with a dampness that just drags life down a bit, but it’s really not too bad.  It’s getting noticeably darker earlier, and by 4:30 we’re already approaching brillig ( Jabberwocky  from Alice ) and it’s starting to feel depressive.  Many people point out that November is their least favourite month as it tends to be grey, damp, chilly and dark!  Jerry spent the morning firmly planted on my lap and refused to move, just batted  me in the face with his paw if I hinted that he should change position.  Don is still in pain from his knee, and is regulating his use of his pain meds as the side effects aren’t the most fun things!  He’s been running the percussion massager quite a bit to relieve some of the stiffness.  He has a doctor’s appointment this week, so that ...

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...

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...

This is the northeast coast of Trinidad this time, looking down a road towards a cliff.  The colours really appealed to me, so I’m sharing.  Another rainy, wet, cloudy and cool day, although the wind died down.  Jerry is in one of his moods where I’m not allowed to be alone for any reason longer than it takes me to sit in my chair.  I’ve noticed that I have a painful hip which gets worse with the rain.  Is that arthritis, old age or just a contrarian hip?  Don’s been saving his energy for tonight, when his team plays again, and I’ve been warned that I’m banned (but I was in the room when they won last time!) I’m still working on my crochet project, although I’m absolutely certain that I don’t have enough yarn to complete it and it’s a colour that’s been discontinued, because it would be too easy if I could just buy more, right?  😤  I’m now hunting through my stash to find coordinating yarn, and I’m debating whether I should scrap what I’ve done s...

Yesterday was rough.  I’ll just give you the Cole’s notes:  I finally got to my end station at 10:30pm, some 4 hours later than expected, so we got home around 11, and I was in bed and fast asleep almost immediately.  The news today reports that there were trees downed on the rails, plus the power outages and signal issues resulting in the cancellation of about 6 trains and several hours delay for others.  The photo was taken from the carriage and the trees are heavily coated in ice and frost!  Today I’m still tired and in some pain; I spent the day just sitting and trying to recoup some energy.  I did call Don, who was doing the typical “man” thing… I told him that I’d put some hamburger patties in the freezer — I threw out the box, as there were only 3 patties, and put them in a ziplock bag on a shelf.  He called to ask where in the fridge were they?  I said “freezer” and he said he couldn’t find them.  So I video called him to see where he...

My friend, who does floral arrangements, has been at work on spring wreaths and is tormenting me with photos of his work!!  You can see more on his IG profile here , and you may even order.  It’s really spring-like weather — started out below freezing, warmed up to about 4C but it’s quite chilly.  A friend of mine dropped over today and we swapped out my bed frame, so I’ve got a newer one that’s a little higher than the old one.  Jerry isn’t sure about this, as he has to adjust his leap and will be letting me know what his views are tonight after we go to bed.  Don is good, and was up to some mischief today, so I’m not concerned about him today 😆 We watched the visit of the US President to Parliament on TV and watched the security aircraft circling overhead.  The benefits of living near the “seat of power”  The motorcades roared past this morning, and streets remain closed.  There’s a helicopter hovering overhead at the moment, although I think t...

I am in some blistering pain this evening.  I’ve already had my friend lecture me about doing too much today, and I admit that I deserved that.  I walked for over an hour, although I paused frequently to catch my breath, but at the end of that, I found that I was aching.  By the time I got home and into a chair I couldn’t move… Jerry objects strenuously to this, and has been trying to get me to bend and throw things, in which effort he’s been very disappointed!  I would like to play, but ouch.  Don is fine, and spent a happy time watching baseball spring training, which he enjoys but I find dull.  It’s all fair, and I’m sure I manage to bore him with some of the stuff I watch…  I’m enjoying seniors’ discounts.  The pharmacy has a program where Thursday is “seniors’ day” and seniors get 20% off their purchases.  I didn’t expect to qualify yet, since I’m not yet at the age, but it seems that it starts in January of your qualifying year!  I...

Do you know that it's Tuesday? I had to check my phone, because I didn't know what day it was. I know it's past Boxing Day, but days all blend together for me. I differentiate by appointments, both social and medical, for which my phone will send alerts the night before. I don't know what I did, but my back has resumed causing me pain. We'd done quite well, no pain and reduced medication for weeks, but this morning when I woke up and began to stretch there was a stabbing pain that has stayed all day. Now it feels like a toothache in my spine, and it's draining, annoying, painful and a misery. Jerry has spent most of the day curled up on my lap, just snuggling and petting me on my tummy. Good little boy! Don was having a great time on the phone with his nephews and son - he (like many of the men I know) tends to keep phone calls brief, generally under 3 minutes, but I giggled as he topped half an hour on one call. I'm also happy (but don't tell him) that ...

Ouch! I'm stiff, sore, aching all over and struggling to breathe. This is the result of shopping at Costco and having a very full cart. (And I didn't get everything on the list either!) When we got home my support worker helped pack away stuff but there's more in the car that will be brought up when she's next here. I knew, halfway through the store, that I had run low on energy, but I couldn't stop. I'll definitely need to get lots of rest after today! Jerry has been on high alert today, and is unsettled. It started with the building's fire alarm testing-which he hates- then I was on the phone, and then we were out (he went to PetSmart while I got groceries) and then my support worker... lots of excitement! Don is also tired out, and he's aching also. Tomorrow is not a busy day-I have spoken! We're expecting a snow storm tomorrow evening so we will hunker down. It was a lovely surprise running into an old friend today at Costco. It was pleasant to l...

 Definitely a cold start to the day today. It was a lovely, clear blue sky, so very deceptive!  Jerry managed about 5 minutes before starting to hop on 3 legs. That didn't diminish his urge to be outside, though. He'd agitate to be let out, and almost immediately change his mind and complain about the cold. He then would curl up on a lap to warm up his toes. I spent a large part of the day searching for my Christmas decorations- unsuccessfully. You'd think that there aren't many hiding places in a 2- bedroom condo, but clearly, you'd be wrong. I dug through my storage area and came up partly empty- aalthough I did find a few items that I'd forgotten. The tree is therefore still undressed until I get to the storage bin in the garage. I did do some filing so it wasn't a total waste of time. Don just laughed at me while I hunted. Mean! So since I was hunting for decorations I was also listening to Christmas music. Now,  sadly, I never reconnected my stereo syst...

It was a full family day today.  I started by talking to my boys as usual, and again woke up Don because the time change hasn’t registered fully yet.  Jerry is now actively trying to shut me off when I call, probably because he thinks it’s way past time for me to be back at home.  I’m half expecting that he’ll change the locks or move house before I get home! He’s perfectly capable of that, I think… I’ll definitely have to suck up when I’m back in Ottawa. We did a beach lime today; my brother, sisters, niece and I were all there.  It was overcast, which made it cooler than if the sun was beating down on us, but we were still coated in SPF50, because skin protection is cool.  They all went swimming, but the waves were too large for me to manage, leaving me the job of guarding our stuff while they cavorted in the water.  At one point, the sky turned black, the mountains disappeared from view and the heavens opened up and torrents poured down.  When it fi...

The little dog is again tired out after his outings today, and Don is feeling more like himself, so I am a relieved and happy woman.  A lot of my energy comes from them both being in good health and spirits, so that’s a huge thing for me.  I took the little monster for a shorter walk today as I was feeling unsteady, but he seems to be fine with it (but he was installed on my lap as much as possible). I’ve realized that I need to manage my energy, even though I might feel healthy and energetic, but if I push too hard it will catch up with me a few days later and that’s not good.  I’ve also realized that when I’m due to see my pain management specialist my pain will spike, so I think that it’s probably a case of white coat syndrome.  I’d like  to swagger in to my appointment and say, “Ha!  No pain!  Watch me dance!” Instead, I’d be pain free for days, and the day before my appointment I’ll be doubled over in agony.  My next date is Tuesday, so I hop...

Remind me not to brag about getting lots of sleep 😴 because last night I lay awake until after 3am!!  AND my sugar did a nose dive again.  It was on the low normal side before bedtime, but then around midnight I was wondering why I didn’t feel sleepy, but I felt the annoying yet familiar signs of low sugar, so I checked, and sure enough!  Low.  I had opted against taking a sleeping pill last night (I think that was an error) because I wanted to try sleeping without any chemical assistance, and I’m rather sorry I didn’t.  Then I did a few things around here because Don is again not feeling good, and I had some energy (obviously adrenaline) and now everything aches, my back is spasming and my hands and legs have tremors.  I’m having some tea and being butted by a small dog to relax; I’ll go find something to eat before I go to bed as a precaution.  Jerry was a bit hyperactive today; my helper was here, and because it was hot and muggy, Don kept Jerry wi...

  I've had a couple of less-than- ideal days. I tried doing a few chores, only to end up in pain. Not at all what I wanted or needed. I'm walking slowly and feeling very elderly... this afternoon, too, for some unknown reason, my hands started jerking so it was difficult to hold anything. It's a little improved now, but I am not totally back to normal. Jerry has been unseated today. People have been walking along the hallway in front of the door, and going into the fire-escape stairwell. This annoys the guard puppy in him. He's got a very loud bark for a small dog, and he was quite annoyed. Don is doing reasonably well, although his leg and sciatica acted up a bit. My dad did his surgery for a hernia yesterday, and it all went well, thankfully. He was home by the afternoon, he slept and ate well and has no pain. All good! I will admit that if I miss more than a day updating here, it will usually be due to my dealing with an "owie "unless I've said that I...

Busy doing nothing but different from the day before…  yes, some “classic” Prince.  Today isn’t much different from yesterday, although I had a funny moment this morning.  My lay minister had messaged earlier this week to set up an appointment, and I accepted.  This morning, he called from the entry to say that he was here, and I said, “But it’s Saturday, you’d said Sunday!” When I went back to check the email, I read “Saturday” which was a little embarrassing.  But thankfully everything went well, and I received my communion, which I really miss when he’s not available.  Jerry, of course, objected to being thrown out of bed to have someone let in, and has been guarding me for part of the day.  Don is feeling a little better, although he’s still having problems walking and has started using his cane in the house.   The streets downtown were again closed off today because of another protest of drivers.  They decided to clog the highways and ma...

It’s been another hot day today, and it’s hard to breathe because of the humidity.  It’s not fun, nor is the fact that my back just keeps on aching which is beyond annoying.  I don’t like to keep griping about it, and I promise that I won’t keep focussing on it!  My tiny dictator and caretaker has been in his usual position, and is right now “patrolling” to see what mischief he can get into.  He’s doing his usual lap transferring, and will be trying to push the iPad off my lap and replace it with his little self.  Happily, Don is feeling a bit better today so I’m relieved.  The pup is now playing with his little squirrel doll and tossing it in the air. I think that I’m probably getting old and crotchety, because I keep rolling my eyes at a lot of commercials.  I’m sticking with my resolution to avoid watching the news for a while because it’s so full of all kinds of stories that just make me upset… I won’t even mention them because, well, obvious reaso...

It was a hot day again, but there has been a lovely cooling breeze that wanders through every so often, making it more comfortable. Don, though, had a lot of difficulty with the humidity and wasn’t able to breathe comfortably.  My support worker was here today, so Jerry was most annoyed at the invasion of his space!  He let us all know that he didn’t approve — although she has taken him out with me for a short walk, and he was ok with her, until we returned to the apartment and he let us know that it was not OK to have a woman come in!  He’s too funny with his little puppy moods; I know, he’s almost 7 so should be considered a “grown up” dog and not a puppy, but he has so much leftover puppy energy (thankfully) making it hard to remember.  The day-old birthday boy is now glued to a sport thing, so I’m free to get into mischief, as long as I don’t interfere with the TV.  Most frustratingly, my back is spasming again, and I’m having a challenging time finding a co...

Sigh… so my nurse was here today, and when he changed my PICC dressing, we found that I’d bled a little.  I’m trying to think of when and where I might have done something to strain my arm and cause the bleeding… we were half joking that it must have been shortly after the cause of my back pain (it’s been over a week, and a changed dressing, since the pain in my back, so the two can’t be directly related.). Then about an hour after he left, I reached over to pick up a glass of water, and there was a shooting pain up my side, and I’ve been waiting impatiently since then for my pain meds to kick in!!  Don was complaining of pain also — triggered by his epic grocery trip and assorted other activities — and he’s walking like an elderly man today: very unsteadily and with difficulty.  Jerry has decided that he must  be petted at all times, and he noses his way onto laps if more than 5 minutes has elapsed since he got down!  So I’m on a timer 😂  I had a conversa...

What a stunningly beautiful and sunny day it was today!  HRH Prince Charles and his wife picked a picture perfect day to wander around Ottawa.  It was a little cool, but not enough to need more than a light sweater or shawl, certainly not enough for a coat!  I was not out, partly because my back was stabbing me and partly because I had bookings.  Jerry is sulking, because there were incursions into his house by my lay minister, and then a long phone call this afternoon.  Don was feeling more active and energetic today, which is good! we watched one of our recorded programs (the PVR is getting full! 😳) so we’ve got to clear off some stuff.  As with anyone else, I’d be fine to erase a number of shows that Don’s recorded, and he’d like to erase a few of mine, but we’ve agreed not to touch each other’s shows and we watch and erase certain shows together.  But the temptation is a real thing, I tell you!  My shows better not disappear next week, is all...

It continues to be hot and thankfully not particularly humid, at least while I’m indoors.  The sun feels like I’m being hit by tiny rubber bands when I’m outside.  Jerry hasn’t been taken to the park because neither Don nor I can manage with the heat and as I mentioned yesterday, he’ll develop heat stroke if he’s out too long.  So we’re trying to keep him (and us) cool and hydrated.  A few minutes on the balcony is great, as we can take in a bit of the “city view”and relax. So nice. I feel wonderfully loved today.  My lovely friend and her hubby visited today and brought me some homemade paella.  It’s absolutely delicious,  My only regret is that I can’t have any alcohol, as this would be even better with a glass of white wine.  But that’s a very minor issue, and I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.  Thank you, Miriam and Mike!  It was wonderful to see you, and the paella is just a bonus.   My niece is preparing for her confirmation at the...