Friday, May 31, 2013

Thursday's events

Usually I go to Martini night and have my usual Sprite and enjoy my time with friends at the club.

I deviated from my norm last night and joined my friend Jeff at ArtWord/Artbar on Colbourne Street  near James North.

I had popped over the mall to get a few things as I was running out of postage stamps.  I checked out to see when the new supermarket is opening but there still is no sign saying when.  It is definitely not open now.

The Scotiabank machine has been moved as well to close to the dollar store near the Sheraton Hotel.

Things are changing at the mall.

I got home about 5:30 and had something to eat before going over to ArtWord/Artbar.  My friend Jeff had offered to pick me up but I declined as the bus stop is right in front of my house. He brought me home though which was good.  I missed the bus at 7 and had to wait for the next one at 7:30. which made me late for the beginning. Fortunately for me, he had saved a seat for me as it was very well attended.

It was a sing along which I really enjoyed.  I love to sing, especially the old Irish songs.  Len and Valerie joined us later on as they had been sailing.

It was a grand evening, most enjoyable.  They have a web site.  The address is here:

www.all-together-now.ca    Telephone  519-763-5881.   The performers were Sam Turton and Jane Lewis.  They do events such as this or can come to parties to entertain as well.  They were both marvelous and did a fabulous job.

They will be appearing again  on June 27th at 7:30 at the ArtWord/Artbar.

All in all, a wonderful evening.  Tonight also, I am going to have a Spanish Fiesta evening which includes dinner and music at the club.  Something else to look forward to.

Thanks for dropping by.




Wednesday, May 29, 2013

An interesting day

Darts picked me up  to take me to the foot doctor.  I schedule an appointment every three months and this has worked out just fine.  I like Chris very much.

I found out from him that the Podiatrist and a Chiropodist is the same, Chiropodist is more the English word for it and Podiatrist is the American word.  They essentially do the same work.

Somebody had asked me so now I know and will tell them.  There was no trouble at all in picking me up at the front door this time, thankfully.  Chris and I always have a lot to talk about and I always enjoy seeing him plus he does a good job on my feet.

The ride home was easy and again no problem with off loading me.  My address may get blacklisted for DARTS though as it is a dangerous area with all those buses sitting there.  I have no idea how we can solved this problem as I do need them from time to time for doctor's appointments and difficult to reach places.  I like the drivers as well and they do a wonderful service.

There are so many good points about living downtown but pick up and drop off is not one of them.

It may be that the drivers will have to come in our back entrance but then they will have a difficult time to find it as there is no address on it!  Complications, complications, complications!

After that, I went over to the mall to meet a new friend Daniel.  He is from Hong Kong originally and has been here for forty years. We have been corresponding for quite some time.  He lives in Burlington and is a little younger than me but that doesn't matter as we are just going to be friends.  It is always nice to have more friends and we have some things in common.  He offered to buy me something to eat but I said no thanks as I was not hungry nor thirsty so I suggested we just walk around the mall and sit on the benches and chat.

I learned a lot about China from him and the Chinese way of life.  It was very interesting.  He is a grandfather and a proud father of 3 children who have all been educated and lead good and positive lifestyles.

He offered to drop me off at my home, but I said that I could walk so we parted.  Him to get his car in the parking garage and me to go home.  I think that we may become good friends in the future as we had plenty to talk about and in fact, talked for two hours.

Alas for me, I had not realized that it was pouring rain outside and so just walking that short distance got me totally soaked to my skin.  Even my purse was soaking!

Needless to say, I was glad to get out of those clothes and into something warm and dry.  Brr. Brr. Brr.....

Daniel gave me his business card which was nice of him and took my e-mail address and phone number and he said next time we meet,he will take me out to lunch.

I spent a cozy evening at home, just thankful that I was indoors and not out there in the rain.  The lightening and thunder woke me up several times during the night but thankfully I was able to get back to sleep again.

All in all, an interesting day for me.



.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Fifty Point Conservation Area & ArtWord/Artbar

What a busy day it was for me yesterday, but oh so nice!  My energy has started to return and this certainly lifts my spirits!

The day itself started off wonderfully well with sunshine and warmth but no humidity to make it miserable.  I went to St. Paul's in the morning and went downstairs for coffee after the service and to chat with folk.  Several people came up to me to ask how I was feeling which was very nice of them.  There was a virtual feast there with sandwiches and even some sweets left over from a concert.  Most enjoyable.

Jeff, my poet friend, called as arranged and we each brought a lightweight chair and a few nibbles and went to sit by the water.  This was planned since our mutual hospital days, and it was a very quiet and nice time.  We went to Fifty Point Conservation Area which I had never been before and had always wanted to see.  It is beautiful out there.

Here are some pictures.

A wonderful spot to sit - in the shade

A photo - caught unaware and very natural

Jeff brought along his ukulele and sang several songs for me which I really enjoyed.  It was extra special heard in the fresh air!  I told him that for my next party in two year's time, he needs to play for the guests.

We sat near the pond where fishing is allowed
It made me so happy to see families play together, fish, and spend quality time just relaxing in the great outdoors.  There was one family in particular which interested me.  Two little boys and the parents.  The boys brought back memories for me of when my son was their age.  I am so blessed to have a family myself.  I can revisit memories by looking at pictures in my photo book, and in the later years after they were all grown up, on the digital images on the computer.  I really must get my act together and put the many photos on CD's and label them.

We sat around, nibbled on the sweets we had brought, drank water and read our books that we had brought, conversing from time to time, but essentially just resting by the water.  A most peaceful and happy time for me.

View photo in message
Engrossed in my book, oblivious to what is going on

He very kindly invited me to ArtWord/Artbar to hear some music and before that, we went down to Pier 8 and had some ice cream.  Scoopes has moved which was quite a shock to me as I haven't been down there since the little bus stopped running in September.  Actually, they have expanded and gone into a very modern, clean environment which is more accessible for people in wheelchairs and walkers.

We drove over to ArtWord/Artbar in time for the opening musical act called The Euphonics and they were great, playing some of their own original work.  The second set of musicians included some of the first set and it was folk songs.  Their name was "What a Folk"  I was in my element and enjoyed everything so much.

It was so good to see Ron and Judith again and they were so welcoming.  Ron came over and sat with us for a few minutes.  The entrance fee for this concert was only $5.00 which was really reasonable.

The place was packed with very appreciative fans.  Jeff drove me home to the back entrance and helped me to lift the things out of the trunk.  I am still under a prohibition about lifting things. In any event, I am of the old school and think a gentleman should assist a lady in such things.

It was way past my bedtime - got to bed around 12 midnight but well worth it.

All in all, a most enjoyable time spent with a good friend.

Today both of us go to the hospital for follow up appointments at about the same time.  I am going by DARTS and he will probably take his car.  Neither one of us knew that we had similar appointments at the same hospital.

He also will take me to the poetry event in June out in Stoney Creek.  Another thing to look forward to.  I am so happy that my mood has improved - it must have been the lack of sunshine and the long winter months.  I think I will be able to start writing again.  I have to edit a poem sent by a gentleman in Bahrain so perhaps that will get me started again.  Let us hope so.

Some more pictures from Fifty Point.

Taken from our sitting spot


Jeff posing near the pond.
My pal,  the Frieslander.
What a totally grand day it was.

Thanks for dropping by.

Friday, May 24, 2013

It's Friday - a day I used to look so forward to!

Now, every day is Friday for me as I am retired and happily so!  I must say that retirement is fantastic and the slower pace of living sure beats the rushing around, stress filled days of full time work. I don't know how I did it all, looking back. I worked full time, kept up with my housekeeping. my children, did volunteer work and still found time to be with my friends.  Mind you, I was quite a lot younger then!

I think also that living in a smaller city produces less stress for me than living in a very large and busy city such as Toronto.  I do love it here, especially the green spaces and my easy access to the water.

I am so blessed to have friends which I cherish to go places with, to talk with and to have a good laugh with.

Everything I need is here or a short bus ride away.  Soon there will be a supermarket in Jackson Square and that will fill a real need around here.  I am delighted about that as well.

I am feeling better today and I feel my energy begin to come back, however, I will not push it as it is only one week since the operation and the recuperation time is six weeks.

I am glad to be alive with so many people I care about and who care for me.  What more can any gal want?  It is people who count, not possessions.  The older I get the more I appreciate the many gifts of God that we are given on a daily basis - air to breathe, clean water to drink, medical care when needed.  So many peoples of this world do not have these gifts.

In my own way, I try to support others through charities I support due to their good works and the help they give to others.

Have a good day.

.






Thursday, May 23, 2013

The last few days

Instead of getting stronger every day, I seem to be going downhill.  For the first two or three days after the operation, I was full of energy.  Not that I moved mountains, joke, joke, but I could do little things around the apartment.

My friend Mary came from Toronto on Saturday as I already mentioned before and we had a great time.  I was well enough that she didn't need to stay overnight as originally planned.

From Monday onward, I started to feel weak but am in no pain.  Just weak and very, very tired.  I went to the Mother and Daughter event at St. John's but felt so tired that I left right after the speaker and came home.  It was all I could do walking home. I had just missed the No. 2 bus and so had to walk which in itself normally would be just fine.  The other buses on that route run every half hour.

I have rested the rest of the week, watching t.v., reading a novel, and sitting downstairs for a short period of time just to get some air.

I think I will call the ICD clinic today to find out if this is normal.  I go there on Monday as it is and they will take off the remaining bandages I think.

I am missing so many nice things right now.  Had a lovely invitation to go away for a retreat to Sauble Beach for the weekend with the gals, another dear friend invited me to go to a day retreat on the Saturday and on the Sunday, I have an invitation to go to a conservation area with a poet friend of mine which I sure hope I can do.  He is not too well either so we probably will just sit around there and as both of us love being in nature, it will be such a nice time.

Speaking of poetry and writing, still haven't done any of that for such a long time.  I hope that I can start again.  I love to write as I find it very fulfilling.

Tonight at the Club, there will be a live band and dancing which is unusual. The dancing is the unusual point here.  Henry plays jazz every Thursday night for Martini Night.   I will try and stay for sme of it.  I won't dance, of course, but I will enjoy watching others do it.

I am also considering strongly going to the Spanish night at the Club - dinner and Spanish music.

In the summer months things slow down everywhere so everything is happening now.

My friend Mary is considering coming out again as she doesn't like the sound of my extreme tiredness. She is a true friend.  We have been close for 40 years - going through many trials and tribulations and also many good times together.  What a blessing to have such a good friend.  I am so blessed with friends.  I thank God for every one of them.

Thanks for dropping by.  I have been invited to read some of my poetry in June in the country so need to get that organized.  I must ask if there is a theme to it.

Have a great day!




Monday, May 20, 2013

Mary's visit

She was able to catch an earlier bus so arrived before 11 a.m. which was fine with me.

She and Joe had just come back from Cuba just before my party and had brought me back some cute gifts.Unfortunately, she came back ill and thus was not able to be the clown for the party.  It took her a few weeks before she was back to herselfr.

We had fun looking at the gifts and then I suggested we go out for a walk which we did.  We had such a fine time of it, poking around the little shops of James North, going to the Harvest Moon for a late lunch, going to Edouardos for some good underwear and then going to the Giant Tiger where she purchased some things and I purchased some frozen food.  I had forgotten that they had all kind of groceries there.

After resting, we decided to go for a hike a Princess Point where we took lots of pictures and spend several hours there.

She got the 8:30 bus back to Toronto.  |We had a wonderful time together.

On the way back from Princess Point, we saw Ken on the No. 6 bus so he came and chatted with us for awhile.  She had not seen him for about 8 years.

All in all, a fantastic day with a dear old friend.

Thanks for dropping by.


A lovely view at Princess Point

Mary

Mary and I in my building

\Another nice view


We spent a lovely day together and she plans to come again in the summer with Joe at some point.  That should be nice.



Nursing home workers suspended after son turns over hidden camera video | CTV News

Nursing home workers suspended after son turns over hidden camera video | CTV News

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Mary, my dear old friend is coming today

I am looking so forward to it.  She doesn't need to help me as I am coping very well and she wants to take me out for lunch which will be very pleasant indeed.

Living so close to the mall, has many advantages.  Chief among them is that one can go and people watch anytime one is a little bored.

It is very handy if one forgets to buy something, less than a five minute walk and I am there!

She and I have been friends since I was 32 and she was 31.  It is so nice to be able to share memories and we always have fun when we get together.

There is a very good bus service between Hamilton and Toronto, every 20 minutes I think, and in the evening every half hour.

For seniors it is much more economical to take the bus than to drive into Toronto.  Even people who drive take the bus in quite often.

That's all for now.  Had better make my bed and get ready for company.

Have a good day and thanks for dropping by.


Friday, May 17, 2013

Back home with joy!

What a relief that it is all over.

They took me in a little earlier than the 10 a.m. as the person before me could not be operated on for some reason.

The pre-operation time was well spent at the Hamilton General, changing into a hospital gown, pinning my large print sign onto it, and talking with the nurses who were attending me.

One was a male nurse Brian and the other was a female nurse called Mary-Anne.  Both were very nice.

It does seem very strange to me to have a male nurse in attendance but I saw that the hospital wards are not segregated now.  Jeff had a woman in his room.  I noticed she kept her curtains closed all the time I was there visiting him.

I know in Quebec, for some years now, this has been the normal.

I would not be very comfortable with that.  I would prefer all women in the room.

Be that as it may, fortunately I did not have to stay after the operation.

The surgeon came in to speak to me  and I mentioned to him about the problems I had the first time and he said that I may be more sensitive to pain than others but they would do their best for me.

He explained that they would take the machine out, replace it and put in a new lead to replace the faulty one.

When I asked who the doctor of Anesthetics would be, I was told it was a woman.  As you can imagine, my heart sank so to speak and I point blank asked if it was the same woman as I had the first time.  You cannot imagine how relieved I was when I heard the doctor's name and knew it was not her.

This doctor, Hanna, came to see me, chatted with me, asked about other operations I have had, and because of that and her knowledge of her field, she found a local anesthetic which worked on me.

She used the same one as they used in the Henderson Hospital for the hip replacement. I did not know it was a local anesthetic at that time.

This wonderful doctor Hanna, sat right beside me in the operating room, talked to me, talked to her workmates but stayed right there with me.  In fact, I even joined in the conversation when they were talking about trips to Spain.  I had to bring my CPAC machine into the operating room but Hanna felt that with a oxygen mask on me, I would be fine and she was right.

After I finish this blog, I shall phone the hospital and tell them what a great team they had working on me and especially praise this dear lady.

I found out something, the anesthesiologist only comes in twice a week and the other times, the nurses give the anesthetic.  I am so thankful that Hanna was on duty that day.

The nurses would not have had sufficient knowledge (I would think) in order to change the anesthetic like she did.  The standard one does not work on me at all.

Ken stayed the whole time with me, but obviously, in the waiting room.  The operation was an hour and a half, then I was brought back to the unit where I started out and observed for about two hours or a little more.

The male nurse helped me to get back into my clothing and Ken had to carry even my purse for me as it weighs a ton!  All joking aside, I am so fortunate that he is a strong man, as I had my heavy purse and the CPAC machine with me all the time.  My suitcase was kept in the car and would be brought in only as needed.

He drove me up to Augusta where my pharmacy is and filled the two prescriptions, one for pain and the other an antibiotic. They were great there, they filled them immediately.  Normally there is a 24 hour delay in filling prescriptions but in the case of leaving the  hospital, they seem to make an exception.

It does pay to stick to one drugstore as they know you.  We then went to Ken's place and I sat outside on the front porch and enjoyed the flowers and the greenery and people going by.

Ken cooked supper and we ate outside on the patio at the back.  It was wonderful to be outside on the day of one's operation and to be in good company!

I decided that I felt well enough to go home so they drove me back home, Ken brought up all the heavy things and I just rested after that watching t.v.

He called this morning and left a message.  He is a good son.  My daughter and her husband also called from Kitchener.  I am so blessed to have such good children, including my son-in-law Bill.

As part of the recuperation for six weeks, I am not allowed to lift anything over ten pounds which means groceries, a child, in my case, a heavy cat, or reach up to anything on that side.  If I need to put a sweater on, I have to put the left side on first, and then put the right on.  For twenty four hours after the operation, I cannot drive (don't anyway) nor make any major decisions etc. etc. etc.

It is almost the same as the hip replacement procedures.

I am so thankful for all those wonderful people who prayed for me and for Sachin my neighbour who spoke to the operating doctor, and for the idea which came out of my brain, to pin a note to the hospital gown.  Everybody on the team read it.  I would sincerely recommend people do that if they have any problems as the people do read it.

On that note, I will close for now, thank you for all your prayers and positive thoughts and the love and concern which was shown to me during this difficult time.



Thursday, May 16, 2013

The day of the operation

I woke up at 5 all by myself so the alarms did not have to wake me.  Instead of trying to steal another half hour, I decided to stay up and do some housework.

I would hate to have to come home to a messy house - it would bother me.

I saw my friend the doctor in my hall last night and he told me he had already spoken to the operating doctor and things should go all right.

It turns out he will not be in the operating room himself.  Too bad, it would have been nice to see a friendly face.

I cannot say that I am looking forward to this as that would be a huge untruth.  I can only say that I will be glad when it is all over, one way or the other.

Many people are holding me up in prayer which I truly am blessed to have believing friends and find that an immense comfort.  Last night two Toronto friends called and yesterday my friends Jennifer and Jeff called while others have communicated through Facebook and on email.

I shall look forward to going to the waterfront to spend time with my friend Jeff once we are both feeling stronger.   This getting older sure takes a toll on the human body but the spirit within remains strong!

I am such a lucky person to have such wonderful friends.

On that note, if everything goes well, I should be back here on Saturday and will let people know.

Thanks for dropping by and I wish my readers all the best in their lives and the blessings of Almighty God upon them.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Devastating news

I just heard that Tim Bosma has been murdered.  This young husband and father, who lived in Ancaster which is part of Hamilton, has been found dead.

The Hamilton police have one suspect in custody but there are others involved too.

All for a truck for sale.

For those who may not have heard of this situation, he had a truck he wanted to sell and placed it on an on-line page on Kiji (spelling?).  Two male persons came to test drive it and they went for a spin with him and Tim was never seen again.  This was more than a week ago.

The police have done a super job, all the churches have announced it from the pulpits that he was missing, and the media and the social media have posted about it.

The community here in Hamilton and all over responded so well.  Social media can be a tool for good, especially in cases like this.

Now we can only hope that the other person or persons will be caught and that real justice will take place.

My condolences to his whole family.  From what I have heard and seen, he was a good young man, caring for his family and a good son.

This indeed is devastating news not only for the family but also for the community and the ability to trust a stranger and go with them in a car.  People will think twice and three times about that.

What is happening to Canada - have we lost our moral guidance?  From leaving our doors unlocked in a gentler time to now being afraid to trust a stranger.

As an older person, I look back to times when relatives lived near each other, went to church together, went to the same schools and neighbours knew each other. If children were seen doing something naughty, neighbours would reprimand them or tell their parents.  Children would think twice about doing naughty things as you can imagine knowing that they would be caught.

Canada is still a good country but has become more and more secular shutting God out.  This is not a good sign of things to come, in my opinion.

The young man who has been arrested came from a well-to-do family with every advantage.  Nobody knows yet who the other man was, but he will be found and brought to justice even if it takes years to find him.

Please pray for Tim's family and friends as they go through these devastating times and try and continue to live their lives which has been so altered by this evil deed.


The Hand of God

As the time draws nearer for the surgery, my inventive mind concentrates on the problem of the anesthetic not working on me.  I have written it down, verbally told the pre-op team at McMaster Hospital and even have typed out in large print a sign stating about the anesthetic and it not working two times before.  I will carry this in my purse and attach it to me after I get undressed so there will be no chance of somebody forgetting.

Human error is always possible and I am doing my utmost to make sure I do not slip through the cracks again and suffer as I did before.

I was deleting old emails when I came across a neighbour who wanted to rent my parking spot and by chance sent him an email asking if he still wanted it when it became available on August 1st.  As it turns out, they found another one fortunately for them. I mentioned to him that he would not see me in the hall of our floor for a day or so as I was going in for surgery.

He emailed me back and asked what the surgery was.  I had forgotten that he was a doctor.  I told him and here is where the Hand of God and the Mercy of God has come in so strongly.

He will be working himself in that unit and will speak to the operating doctor to make sure he knows about the situation and he will also come and visit me on the ward after the surgery.

He is a wonderful young fellow, a good neighbour and we have always gotten along very well.  It is such a relief to know that he will be helping.

My anxiety level has gone down considerably as he is a dedicated and good person.  My team will most likely consist of Ali, Sachin and others.  I like the fact that it will be an international team of doctors originally from India, an Arab country and of course, doctors born here.

I am so blessed to have so many people of different cultures as friends and it is reassuring to be surrounded and cared for by so many decent and good people.

Today I will go to the club to hang out and perhaps have lunch and tomorrow, weather permitting, I will walk by the water which is always so calming for me.

God has never let me down in all my years - sometimes I have had to wait and wait till the last moment but He has always come through.

Sometimes I didn't care for the answer and wished it were otherwise, but over time, saw that although it looked like a very negative thing for me on the surface, it was to my benefit over the long range plan.  We humans only have a limited vision, mostly through our own experiences in life as well as those close to us.

I have lived long enough to see what look like really bad experiences at the time, have turned out to be lessons I needed to grow in spirit and to learn to trust in God.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!


Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday mornings observations

I decided that I had better check the hospital bag that I have packed since my stay for two months at the Henderson.  Seven years have passed since that fateful day I went innocently into the hospital for a routine hip replacement and ended up staying for two months due to a cardiac arrest and an infection which I received while recuperating there.

I had not taken that bag out to check it since I packed it seven years ago and had some worries that things may not be right within its green canvas frame.

My cats all seemed to enjoy sleeping on top of it throughout the years, it being packed with soft things for the hospital.  First off was the piles of hair with a wet rag, then a stiff brush to take any remaining illusive hairs which might persist in staying!  The battle of the hair conquered, I proceeded to take out everything from the inners of the bag and wash everything that is washable and check my address book to see how up to date it is.  I have packed a wonderful writing pad with a fantastic patterned cover with pens ready to go in case I got some inspiration.  All was well there.  It just needed a little spiffing up and a second large pad within it and fresh pens to make it complete.

I then proceeded to check the cosmetic bag which I bought many years ago and which I love as it is beautiful and pleases me artistically.  I just need to put more hand cream in it and we are good to go.

I tossed all the washable items in the washing machine and they are now ready to hang up to dry so that is done.All that remains to do for the overnight bag is to put my cell phone charger into the bag and we're all set to go.

On the day of the surgery, I need to bring my CPAC machine as well.  That suggests to me that I may be kept in overnight.  On this operation, there is a 24 hour time after one leaves the hospital where one should not be alone.  Ken, my son, will sleep over that night and Mary, my Toronto friend, will come for a few days to take care of me if I need it.

I am looking forward to seeing my old pal and, of course, I appreciate my son being there for the 24 hours.  He will keep the overnight bag and the CPAC machine with him during the operation.  I know my dear neighbours will help me as well.  They are great guys.  I am so thankful to God for all the blessing I have in my life and the good and true friends that I have.

I plan to clean the apartment within an inch of its life so that it will be looking okay to come back home to.

On that note, had better get cleaning.  Some English poet friends of mine and I plan to go for a walk/hike at Princess Point this afternoon.  I sure hope that we can go as I love it down there.

Thanks for dropping by and have a good day.


Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mother's Day

I went to St. Paul's this morning and after the service the minister came over and chatted with me about the upcoming operation.  That was very nice of him.  Carmen and Wally also came over after the service and we chatted for about half an hour as I did not have the time to go down for coffee hour as I was being picked up for a Mother's Day lunch at Sweet Lemon Grass restaurant which I think was in Ancaster.

It was very pleasant.  I had that wonderful fried banana for dessert which was the highlight of the meal for me.

After that we drove over to Walmart in Ancaster. I have never been in that one and in fact, haven't been in Walmart's for years and years.

I did get a few groceries while I was there which was a big help to me.

All in all, a  very pleasant way to spend Mother's Day.

Thanks for dropping by.

Mother's Day Tea

The weather was quite cool and slightly overcast but in spite of that, quite a few people came to the annual Mother's Day tea.  As usual, my job was to pour coffee, tea, herbal tea and juice.

The bake table was laden down with wonderful German baking include tortes, homemade bread, and many other delicacies.  The Plant table was the first thing people headed to when the doors opened and I saw one man take out boxes and boxes of lovely plants for his garden.

We had chicken schnitzel on a large bun  for sale for $6.00 and it was very, very filling.

One could also purchase individual slices of the different cakes on sale.

It was also a bottomless cup of coffee, tea or juice for $1.00 if you did not want to have the lunch.  If you had the lunch, the coffee was included.

A very good deal!

The crowd was not as dense as usual but it was still enough people to make it worthwhile as putting this event on is a huge amount of effort and time invested.

Quite a few of my friends came and I was able to sit with them for a short period of time which was nice.

I did not go to the AGM at Tower this year as it would have been too rushed.

In the evening Mohammad and I went to visit our friend Jeff in the Hamilton General and had a nice visit with him.  He may have to stay in a little longer than he wanted to and I suspect he wants to get back to his regular life.  As is usual, we had our regular banter back and forth which we both enjoy.

On that note, had better close for now.  It was a very busy day yesterday but I am satisfied that it was a good day.  It was great to see Jeff not looking as bad as I feared and to see that he was in high spirits.

Today will also be busy, I am being taken out for Mother's Day for lunch which will be very enjoyable I am sure.

In continuation of renewal of life

Sweet Cherry tree\


This picture of the Sweet Cherry Tree has a wonderful story attached to it.  My friend Jennifer had bought this tiny little tree at St. John's Lutheran Church about three year's ago and planted it in her garden.  This is the result!  Yesterday at the Mother's Day Tea she was able to let the lady whose other tree it came from know how well it was doing and both ladies were so happy about it.




The pictures come in very large from her computer and I cannot seem to post them very easily but after trial and error, got some of them on my computer and onto the blog.

Hope you enjoyed this little snapshot of Spring in  backyard Canada!

Signs of renewal of life

 

My friend Jennifer sent me some pictures from her garden so I will post them here.   Aren't they gorgeous?

Friday, May 10, 2013

Lloyd Axworthy and Bani Dugal to address continued incarceration of Baha’i leaders

Lloyd Axworthy and Bani Dugal to address continued incarceration of Baha’i leaders

An update of the last few daysP

It has been a busy week and I haven't had much time to keep up the blog.  My apologies to those who faithfully read it.

On the Monday a lady friend of mine and I went for lunch at the club and enjoyed our time together, then on Tuesday I had to go to MacMaster Hospital for my Pre-op appointment.  It took four hours for that and I had Darts both ways.  They are so wonderful! The Pre-Op clinic was very well organized and I was met at the door by a volunteer who gave me a number.  A very, very friendly Indian fellow who was gracious enough to take me to the washroom instead of just tell me where it was.  I appreciated that very much as my short term memory is very poor.

Instead of having to run all over the hospital to get to different departments, it was all in one spot, labeled and easy to reach.  The staff were very friendly and smiled a lot I noticed.  It took four hours to get through everything and then it was time for my Darts bus so thing worked out very well.  I did note that the No. 1 King bus stops rights outside of the hospital, right near the entrance door.  That is good to know if others need to go there. On the front of the bus it says MacMaster Medical Centre.

I had the opportunity to speak to the anesthesiologist, it may be him or it may be one of his colleagues.  I asked if I could request that the former anesthesiologist  not be put on my case, and he said no.  I explained my reason why and he defended this lady to the skies as did the head anesthesiologist when I made the formal complaint at the time.  He also told me that it is not them who determines and administers the actual pain medicine, it is the surgeon.  I will keep phoning the surgeon's office so that that agony will not happen again. I know you have to be awake during this procedure but in agony because the local anesthetic did not work?   I have a few days left to catch him.  As of today, I have to stop most of my medications as well.

I have to say, due to the pain involved if it will be like the first time, I would rather not have this operation but with a faulty defibrillator, I have no choice if I want to continue living.

Now onto more pleasant things.  I hosted some English friends of mine who are visiting his family here in Hamilton.  They both are poets and the lady is also a very wonderful artist as well.  I bought his latest poetry book from him and I already have her lovely book which I bought about 3 years ago when they came from England.  We had a lovely time and both of them were very impressed with the club and its wonderful artwork.  We spent about 4 hours together.

On Thursday, I went to pick my new CPAC machine up and Julie looked after me that time.  Both Christina and her did a super job of explaining it to me and I picked the most simple model which was a very wise decision to make!

The new hose is a heated one so if one rolls over on it during the cold winter months it will be ice cold and also the condensation will be reduced or hopefully eliminated in it.  I tried it out last night and it worked very well.  Julie adjusted the humidity level to 3 as well for me. There is a little card in the back of the machine which gives a reading on how you sleep.  They were able to tell that I only stopped breathing twice in the hour rather than 20 times per hour which will explain why I am feeling much better, happier and energetic and beginning to take an interest in things again.

The CPAC machine has made a tremendous difference in my life and I have been told to bring it with me to the hospital when I go. Julie told me that the hospital should have distilled water and if they don't, then in a pinch, I can use bottled water or even tap water.  Never on a regular basis or it will ruin the machine and shorten its life.

As for the heated hose, Jeff told me to run the tap water through it about every six months and then drip it dry.  Not to submerge it like the non heated one.

I was supposed to have an appointment with the Sleep Disorder doctor that same afternoon but the time was all  off so we had to cancel it.

It was Martini night at the club and I went and chatted with some of the friends there.

Today I will devote to housework and trying to get hold of the operating doctor.  It is all written down in my paperwork about the fact the local anesthetic did not work on me either time, but I have to make sure that the operating doctor knows that too as he is the one who gives the pain meds.

On another bright spot, Saturday I shall be pouring coffee at the Mother's Day bazaar at St. John's. It is always a good event and very well attended with German baking for sale, a white elephant table, a jewellery table and a plant table. To top it all off, they serve a nice luncheon for a very reasonable price which most everybody buys.  Last year they ran out of food as there were so many people who came and wanted lunch.  The coffee and tea is bottomless as well.

It is good to be busy so I won't sit and dwell on the upcoming operation.

There is a six week recuperation time where I cannot lift anything over ten pounds and cannot raise my arms above my shoulders.  That means getting things out of cupboards will be out of the question unless I use my reacher.

My friend Mary is coming here from Toronto to stay with me a couple of days just to lend a hand if I need something.  I always say what goes around, comes around.  I remember when we were much, much younger, she had surgery and she stayed with me and the children for at least a week.  I also have had several friends here in Hamilton offer to help out when needed.

I am such a blessed person and I appreciate my friends and family so much.

On that note, shall go and thanks for dropping by.





 

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