later

I meant to get back at this the next day or so but other things got in the way. 

Last fall the oven door fell off.  It couldn't be welded but has served us well.  It was given to us when we built the cottage and was at least 30 years old then and we have had it for 25 years or so.   They don't build them like they used to.  Lifetime then meant probably 30 years or so and todays model may last 10 tears if you are lucky and don't use it too often.  We mentioned that we were in the market for  a good used stove  and lo and behold our son-in-law found one . It is not more then 5 years old, has a working clock on it plus a self cleaning oven and is beautiful and the price was right.  Never thought I'd be so anamoured with the likes of a stove but am smitten.

Last fall when Don made his annual batch of fruit cakes and when time came to put them in the oven it took the 2 of us.  Don would  put his knee to the door and open it easy and not too far and me to slip the tray of cakes in the oven.  The door only came part off once and it was a hot thing to put back in place.  This fall when cake baking time rolls around he should not need my help.

 

I usually read any letters I send but by the time I got the last blog done just forgot and when reading it over since, the mistakes in spelling and such must not do that again.

 

 On our trip to Digby we arrived in rain and most of the weekend it rained, misted then would clear but no sun till Monday afternoon when we were leaving. 

 

We arrived in Digby on thursday afternoon.  We went to the arena on Friday to register and Don had forgotten to register, he thought he had earlier in the year.  He then registered and we gathered at the meet and greet room.  There sure are a lot fewer who attend but we had one couple from Vancouver and one couple from Victoria so had a good time with them.   All are in their 80;s and so it is understandable that those who used to attend are no longer able.  In the room we had at the inn was a microwave.  We went shoping and bought some popcorn so we popped pop corn and as the executive meeting was in our room I had popped corn for the 7 members who attended. No one believed we had such a goodie  but they sure devoured it.  It was not raining when we went to the arena that evening for the banquet , rained hard while we were in but had quit when we came out after.  Good timing.  On Sunday was to have been a parade which had to be cancelled due to a possible rain.  Many gathered at the cenotaph to watch the laying of the wreaths.  As Don had a wreath to lay we attended that and no rain but very overcast and the rain waited till we were back at the arena. The committee put on a very entertaining afternoon entertainment. In the evening we had several back to  our room for drinks and popcorn.  On monday afternoon we took the ferry to St John and on our way to Woodstock.  As I was to watch for the turn off, and missed it we were going south instead of west.  Three quarters of an hour later, after realizing we were not on where we should be , we got on the road going west.  Wouldn't you know the sun was low and so bright and we driving right in to it Don could hardly see but the traffic was near nil so it was easier.  We found a motel and next morning we left for another motel.  Don has a wonderful sense of direction but each day, coming and going we managed to get on a wrong road. We arrived in Montreal on the next day and to visit Don's navy friend with a report for him and as we had been there the sunday before and found their home  we got lost again and had to stop and ask, and that is not a man's way , to ask directions but we did. We arrived home later that daay, happy to have gone but tired so home felt good.

 

Last year I had a ringing in the ears and at times I thought everyone could hear the ring and it is a wonder that someone didn't say, Answer that phone.  By Christmas time the left side of my head was so sore along with a major headache.  To the Dr and was prescribed therapy as my neck was so sore , that didn't work.   Then on antibiotics for an inner ear and sinus infection  and thay didn't help so off to a heart and stroke Dr as I had had a dizzy spell.  I had the appoinment the next week and he diagnosed it as temporal arteritis .  Never heard of it so on the interenet and read all about it.  I sure had all the symptons as well as the blood test said so.  I was on and am on prednesone  and am much better.  Not crazy about the side effects.  They don't know what causes it but it is an inflamation of the arteries of the head.  The biopsy showed negative.  It is not as rare as I thought as I have read of many reports of others suffering from the same thing on the interent.  This is what happens when medical science is bound to keep us all alive till past 100 or so and the old bod is trying to adapt.

 

June 1st was my 84th birthday and when did it show up so fast? I am now working on my 85th and plan on making it as we have plans for next spring as well as a bus trip to Myrtle Beach this October.  The day before my birthday we were going out for a celebration as we had been invited out to dinner at friend the 1st and when we arrived at the restaurant, there were our 2 grandaughters waiting for us .  What a welcome surprise.  They knew where we were going and at what time.  They spent the night with us then had to go back the next morning as work got in the way.

 

Have been to a few Red Hat affairs and fun there.  We have done some volunteer work and visiting so seniors can do a lot to keep busy and happy.

 

We were to have gone with the steam boat crowd this June but there were too many other things we had said we would do so had to miss that this year.

 

This past thursday evening it started to rain then came the hail.  It hailed and rained heavy for at least 5 minutes and I thought , my plants, but they survived.  The porch was covered in white as were the pots of flowers.  It was the size of marbles, never have seen that before. It has been cooler since as we have had some very humid weather. What a relief for a lot of people with breathing problems.  We are on our way to dinner, Have a good one all.

June 10

Finally after 2 months it is time to blog again. March was the last time I was so inspired and time to again.  Daughter #1 suggested that she found it dunnu about a citation we recieved on the dash of our car one day when we were in our local city. We had parked on a side street, not knowing how long we would be and parking fees rather on the silvery side, we went to a clinic.  When we returned there was a paper in a plastic bag, a miserable day it was, under the wiper blade.  On it was a violation for parking too close to a driveway.  No closer than .05 m is tolerated. And it wasn't a driveway, it was a piece of lawn the owner of the place had carved out for a parking lots for apparently more than one car that they possessed. We were at the edge of the spot.  At the bottom of the list of violations was a happy face.  As we have a veterans license plate on the car plus a NAVY sticker on the back window and the officer felt sorry for the old boy who was driving there was no charge.  Good for the officer.  It was during the day and no cars parked in the driveway. There is hope yet for we seniors.

  During the winter Don walked to the sseniors each morning to hear any gossip, swap stories and have coffee whle I went to the pool for exercise. We manaaged to play 6 handed euchre with 2 couples once a week or whenever convenient and generally enjoyed letting the days open like a rose. We attend the Legion most Sunday nights for a delicious dinner and a visit with whoever we meet there.

 

We visited the cottage near the end of April and a few mice had founf their way inside so a cleaning job to do.  Also the well pump had quit so we had to have a new pump put in probably due to the fact that we hadn't used it all winter.  As there has been a loy of country building most of the men who do pumps were busy but through a neighnour we found a fellow who came one night and installed a new pump so we were  once more in business.

A good navy friend of Don's who lived here in town died 4 days after we had a good visit with him the end of April.  As there was an annual navy  reunion

May`18th weekend in Digby, Nova Scotia the friend and wife were planning on attending and possibly driving with us.We were fearful for this plan as he wasn't good then but things do have a way of looking after themselves.   We often played bridge with he and his wife but his heart was so bad we all wondered that it had beat for  as long as it did without giving out before.

 

For several years we have had a lazy boy chair at the condo,  very comfy but was glad that we spent 6 months or so at the cotage and away so I din't have to look at it.  I didn't like the colour, didn't match anything.   We had it before we moved to Picton, which was 15 years ago and this spring it got to me.  The local furniture store was going out of business so a SALE.  I visited and liked what I thought would do altho the colour had to be changed .  I mentioned it to Don so another day when we were uptown I persuaded him to have a look.  He decided that a new chair was in order. The one we had went to a granddaughter who had just bought a condo with a finished rec room and a chesterfield but nothing else so she has the chair plus a new pretty blanket I won, to cover whatever,  It was delivered  after we moved to our summer place so have yet to have a nap in it.  We moved to the cottage thursday May 3rd and it has been lovely here.  As we have lots of wood and a neat wood stove we are warmer than in town with too high priced electric heating.   Our young retired lady police officer who lives next door helped us mopve the few things we bring back and forth each time we move.

On May 4th our son-in-law from the city came down to buy some lumber , cheaper than the city, and to deliver a new stove .  We all have a million stories to tell and the stove episode is one of them.  We had to hussle to get things ready as our son Tom came that night from Vancouver to help his dear old parents do whatever had to be done. We had it done. He was with us till the next the next thursday and we took him to Kingston for a flight to Toronto where he met his wife and they flew to England that night.  They were there  and in Ireland for 3 weeks.  Christine had a neice getting married and they wanted to go to the wedding.We had a good time with him and lots of visiting as well as work.  You don't have the younger ones around and not have them do a few jobs.On the friday we volunteered at the dialysis clinic, packed  and on Sunday left for the Nova Scotia.  It was Mothers Day and shortly after 7 a.m. the phone rang and it was Tom phoning from England to wish me a Happy Mothers Day.What a wonderful surprise.  He left a suuny week here to a rainy England.

We stopped in Montreal to visit Don's treasurer, Don has been President of the combined operations section of the navy since 1983, no one else wanted it, to find him ill with cancer.  We left there and started for Drummondville, a place in Quebec.  Don has a good sense of direction but it rathere left him but as I was the navigator I should have had a better finger on the map as we each day got on a wrong road but managed to fix that before we got completely lost.

The next day we drove to a place called Pugwash in N. S. to visit the Andersons.   Our daughter Sandy and their daughter Pat , when they heard that we were going to Digby decided the parents should meet.  They set up the whole affair  much earlier.  We met Pats parents over the phone and arrived at their place in the early afternoon.  The girls flew in to Moncton that evening and arrived after 7.  In the meantime we had a good visit with her parents.   her fathere has been in the process of building a house for some time.  If I had been Pats mother I would probably have said , You can't ask people here when we aren't built yet but that didn't bother them, and we had a delightful time with them. Don was showm all the wonderful things that have been put n the heat saving and energy conserving house and was very impressed.  It rained off and on whil;e there plus on Wed night it SNOWED.  On Wednight we had a lobster dinner.  Pat's dad went out about 4 and came back with 6   2 pound lobsters.  I never saw any like that before but then we don't have any lobsterd inland except in the restaurants.  I had my first lesson in unsheelling the critter.  It was so good.  As we left the next morning with snow and rain coming down I threw a soggy snow ball at the house.  Down the road from them was  more snow thewn as we got closer to Halifax it just rained. 

It is rest time so will continue another day. 

Have a happy one.

procrastinating????

Altho I keep a daily diary faithfully how come that I haven't blogged for some time? Wonder why! The last time was mid December. That was a busy month as we went out a lot and by the end of the month I had gained 10 pounds. The first week of January saw 5 of them gone and 2 weeks later the other 5 left. By this time we were back to smaller meals and more sensible ones. I usually serve our plates from the kitchen so as the experts say used portion control. Right now we are finishing up the chocolates, we each have 1, one that is, for noon dessert. I keep the box in the refrigerator and so take out 2 and put the box back. Out of sight out of mind.

I have been going to the pool each morning and the water has been lovely and warm so a pleasure to swim. A few exercises after tires me so it is good to get back home and look at the paper before breaky.

We went to Toronto for 8 days at Christmas time , had lunch with daughter # 1 then onto Brampton for the rest of the holiday with daughter # 2. Daughter #3 was travelling in Croatia for Christmas and to Vienna for New Years . We have enjoyed looking at the pictures she sent by e-mail. She said New Years eve in Vienna was fantabulous with celebrations all over the place. Many she thought spent all night partying. She was gone a month.

While in the city we took our 2 grand daughters to see "Wicked" a stage show. The music, staging and costumes were amazing. We did enjoy the performance. This was the Christmas present they asked for.

We had a delayed Winter season as far as winter went. Winter weather didn't start here till mid January. As our house faces the bay , we watched fishermen going out each morning till January 18th.

Our son-in-law Doug went with a church group to Nicaragua for 11 days in January to help with different projects and use their expertise in teaching how to build and so forth. He sure had his eyes opened as to how the other half live.

The Red Hatters have been busy going out to eat, gab, and generally have fun. St Patrick day is coming so we all wear green except for red hats.They are a must.

Have been visiting a chiropractor for a sore neck and back and that has been fixed. A sore back sure puts dancing on the back burner for awhile.

Our one grand daughter has just bought a town house and is loving this living by herself. She said if anyone comes for a meal they had better bring the food and cook it as she has yet to master cooking a meal for visitors or family. I can see what is going to happen if she decides to have Easter dinner at her place, as has been mentioned. I have sent her some recipe booklets that she might look over.

Since near the end of January we have had winter weather with a vengeance. Ice storms, snow up to near our clavicles, and cold winds. The winds haven't affected us here but other parts of the province have had power outages. No doubt now will be flooding when the warmer weather comes. O well, if we didn't have the weather to complain about we'd probably complain about our neighbour or something else.

A few of the dialysis volunteers have been to Florida or some warmer place so we have had extra volunteering to do there. Two of the patients have each received a kidney in January and doing well. So happy for them. Another one is having a transplant in August when her son has his 18th birthday . He is giving one of his to his mother , bless him.

My sister and husband came back on the weekend from the Dominican Republic and had a humid but sunny good time. We decided this year to stay home as we hadn't minded the winter so far and will be going to Nova Scotia in May. This packing, standing in line at the airport at each end, lining up to come back , wait for luggage and navigating through the crowds did not appeal to us this year. Must be we are showing our age. So far we have been too busy to take time to travel as yet. So far We have enjoyed staying home, attending meetings, going out for dinner 2 or 3 times a week and getting into our own bed at night.

Daughter #1 has a 9 year old Jack Russel dog. Last September he was lethargic and not up to his usual perky self so to the Vet. He had a thyroid condition. Medication fixed that until a week ago and then to the vet again. He has lymphoma, cancer of the glands. As she regularly massages the dog she felt the swelling in his neck so off to the vet. Her vet sent her to a specialist, didn't know there were specialists for animals, learn something new every day, and the dog is now on chemo plus plus plus . So far he is tolerating the drugs well. Hopefully the meds will extend his life for 6 months to a year or maybe a bit longer. Apparently thyroid conditions are often followed by cancer. Makes one wonder about all this so called fancy animal food that dogs when I was a kid never had. What are they putting in it? Our farm dogs ate left overs and whatever else they could scrounge. They lived for years without any serious ailments. Maybe the same thing is happening to people.

Must go as it is rest time. Must get at this sooner next time. Yeah!!!

At last

I manage to do my daily diary but the blogging letters seem to take 2nd place as it has been some time before I have taken time to blog. We finally moved from the cottage to town the end of November . It was time to move even tho the weather has been so nice since.  Today it is 50F and the sun is shining. A far cry from wet October and early November.  A neighbour helped us move in.  You would think that with both places equipped with everything that moving wouldn't be but a change of beds but not so.  The computer has to be moved as well as the TV plus food in the freezer and clean out the refrigerato.  It took the neighbour and us two trips each to get things moved.  We have had our cotttage broken in before so don't leave any think of value for them.Good thing we moved in on the 30th as the next day poured with rain all day. 

 

 I have started back swimming which has improved my knee.  It seems to have taken a long time for my knee to heal from surgery but I may be a dab impatient.

I can climb the stairs and walk but during the night  the pain sometimes wakens me.  As long as that is the least of my aches and pains.

 

On December 9th weekend we drove to daughter #2 to celebrate 3 birthdays.  My Don, Tamara our granddaughter, and Daughter #1 all had birthdays within the month..  We stayed till Sunday morning and wanted to be home by 12.30 for a reception and meeting of our new minister.   We made it in time .  That evening we attended the annual Christmas dinner and get together of our lodge.  We were invited out to dinner on the wednesday night and to the Red Hat and TOPS annual Christmas dinner on Thursday.  We met with Dons 2 cousins and one spouse on Friday for a large luncheon and are going to dinner again tonight so have had a holiday from cooking this past week.  No decisions to make, no dishes to do and how great that is.  I do weary of that chore every now and then.  My Don does like 3 meals a day.   I have him trained now to get his own breakfast. I'm still at the pool when he gets up so if he wants to eat he has to get it ready.

 

Our weather has been spectacular.  We just hope that it cools down soon or things will sprout and when frost does come they will freeze.  The skiers may not be too happy in this area but we oldies are. We have a son who lives in Vancouver and their weather has been terrible Snow, heavy winds and RAIN.  The ferries aren't running too regularly and they keep losing power.   There are a lot of things we can choose but we have no choice over what weather we get.  We wade through whatever is thrown at us, complain , and how we complain but there is nothing we can do.

 

We have our Christmas shopping done.  We did it at the table.  Our family doesn't need nor want anything this year, lucky aren't they?.  Instead they are getting gifts for others who are without.  We were introduced to World Vision, sooo  they are giving turkeys, goats, chiskens with roosters to needy families in needy countrys. Sure was easier than elbowing through crowded stores, making decisions and wondering if we bought the right gift after all.  Our contribution to Christmas dinner will be a turkey.

 

WE are taking our 2 granddaughters to see "Wicked" , their choice and that will be our present to ourselves as well.  We don't have space for anything else and after all what do a pair of over 80 year olds need.  We've had it all before. 

 

I do wish all a Merry Christmas and Happy Greetings of the Season .  May you all survive the festivities and start the New Year with a great attitude and zest for life.

rain, rain,rain

Two weeks have flown by since my last blog, how could they have gone so fast? We are still at our summer place but will be moving soon to town, altho with no snow it is quite nice to stay here.

 

We have lots of wood for our wonderful stove and it keeps us very comfortable. We have had the smoke stack cleaned out so all is OK there.

 

We sure have had a cloudy and very rainy November, so far, the wettest on record but then so have a lot of other places.   I made jalapeno jelly the other day and as I'm still in the imperial mindset the instructions said to use 4 ounces of Certo but the Certo package said 85ml.  Now I had no idea how much that was so called the 1-800 number on the package.  Isn't that what we are supposed to do or they wouldn't have given that nunmber.  The lady who answered the phone  didn't know but after 10 minutes, I can be patient at times, she had the answer for the 2 packages in the box.  She said as they package that material for the Canadian market it had to be in our current table so I suggested that they also include, in brackets, the amount in the imperial.  She said she would do that immediately.   I asked her where she was and she said Texas.   I asked about the weather and they sure would like some of our rain.  Wish I could send an inch of it as our water meter showed 2 inches as of this morning. As soon as it dries , if it does before winter, Don has a grading job as our hill took a beating.

 

Last week we drove to Belleville for me to see the surgeon about my knee and to buy the fruit for the fruit cakes that Don makes every year.   The Dr said he wanted to see me when the pain went away, like Jaunuary.  There is not much pain now but when I get out of a low chair it sounds like a velcro strip coming apart. Hopefully that goes away in time or else I get used to it.  

 

Don had a birthday a week ago and our 4 children and called him  which pleased him very much. I was going to take him out to dinner that night but friends called and wanted us for dinner to celebrate so now we have to pick another time.

 

Don has the fruit cakes made.  3 different kinds. He bakes them in small pans, 3 inch by 5 inch.  He has 28 pans of fruit cake.  They make good Christmas gifts. The  last one he made was a recipe he thinks he made once but that is doubtful.  I never go near the kitchen when this operation is in progress, but had to help this time.   There was far too much fruit and batter to stir so I put on the rubber gloves and with the big pan sitting  in the sink, the table was too high for me to reach, mixed the  concotion and put it in the pans.  From there on he was incharge.  All that is except the oven door.  The door decided to fall off its hinges.  It has worked fine all along.  The poor stove is over 50 years old.  They made them to last then.  A lady that Don bowled with years ago was getting a new stove and asked if he wantes it as she knew we were building a cottage.  She had had it for 25 years or more and wanted a newer up todate one.  Later she said she would have liked to have had her old one back. To put the cakes in the oven required the two of us.  Don to hold the door against the stove as he opened it and I to slide the tray of cakes in and out when done.

Tonight we are having a roast and it is going to cook on the wood stove.  No way do I want to wrestle with that oven door.

 

On November 11th was Memorial Day so we went for the morning service and to the cenotaph and many marched to the Legion.  It had rained hard during the night and eartly morning and while we were in church but not a drop while those who marched to the Legion , marched. Someone was watching .  After we left the Legion it was pouring with rain again but it was dry in here and warm. A great service. AS Don was in the Navy during the war he was decked out in his uniform and looked very sharp.

 

Our 2 granddaughters couldn't think of a thing they needed or wanted for Christmas , what a lucky pair.  The oldest one did say she would like to go to the stage show playing "Wicked".  I phoned and we have 4 tickets for that, That is their Christmas present to them,and us also.  At our age what do we need.  Now my wants are different but my needs??  Won't need much paper to wrap them. The others are a surprise.  If I don't end this soon as it will be a surprise if Don is ready to go to town and I'm not.

Did you know that an oldtimer is anyone who learned to ride a bicycle before it became a fitness machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

finally

Here it is several weeks since I last blogged. Pain, loss of energy and too tired to bother. Things are going along much better now.Less pain and I can move the knee,altho it has a clicking sound when I bend it back.  Will see the Dr next week so will ask him why .  Don figures I need a grease fitting but doubt that would help.

 

We had a great Thanksgiving (October weekend of the 9th).  Most of the family were here to helped put things away for the winter. On Sunday we had 14 for a turkeydinner and many thanks to my bevy of girls I didn't have to do much.  The girls also went to an apple orchard and picked apples as well loaded up with all kinds of squash.  The weekend weather was nigh perfect, warm and sunny.  We had rain earlier in the week and rain after but were blessed with good weather.It seems as if it has rained off and on ever since.  We have had a few snow flurries but nothing so far that has stayed on the ground.  We expect to move to town to our condo by the end of the month  providing we don't get a big snow storm.  As we heat by wood and have lots of it  we are plenty warm.  I will probably freeze when we move in as electric heat is not the same but will get used to it.

 

Tomorrow 2 younger people are coming to clean out the smoke stack.  Don doesn't like climbing up on the roof  and I'm glad about that.  Each year sure makes a difference in us physically but then we are a year older.  Thr 9th is his birthday and I had planned on taking him out to dinner but had a call today from friends  inviting us to dinner to celebrate his day on the 9th  at their home.   Will have to find another day.  We seem to have a busy week so it may be next week.

 

Janet, next door pet sits.  She has had 2 different dogs this week so brings them over for us to see.  One is a toy black poodle, so cute and very energetic.  The one she has for this weekend is a Jack Russel eager to go anywhere, anytime as long as it is now.  Our neighbour on the other side has a minature Australian Sheepdog.  It has long hair which is supposed to have a blue tinge when grown.  It is about 10 or 11 weeks old.  It has no tail and from behind looks like a wee bear waddling along.  She named  him  Matilda, naturally. The have another small dog  she found wandering the streets a few years ago , was so dirty and hungry and apparently no one who wanted her so Ann took her in and they have had her ever since.   She is still a bit skitterish but comes daily for a hand out.  I have been feeding her the odd tidbit from our dinner plus a dog biscuit  or two.  We have a large box of those.

 

Dinner is over, dishes done and time for knee exercises. Take care all.

done at last

Had knee surgery Sept 1.  It is 2 weeks and 2 days and the pain has receded greatly and I'm walking around without the cane while in the house.   At the teaching session the leader said that after the operation there would be no pain.  Now anyone with a grain of sense knows there is pain when you cut your finger so there is going to be pain when your knee has been overhauled. The morphine pump sure eases that.  I had a spinal for my procedure and that is the way to go.  A very nice anaethetist sat by me and we had a grand visit.  A drape was in front of us so we couldn't see what was going on and there was no feeeling .  If you aren't fussy about the effects of anaethetic the spinal is the way to go.   When the freezing comes out ,the operated area is going to hurt as much as  with an anaethetic.  No doubt about it the first week was very painful.  Unfortunately the tylenol #3 that I was taking near ruined my stomach so I put up with the pain but have been doctoring with a miserable stomach ever since.  In fact it has been more annoying then the knee.   The nurse has been to see me twice and the 2nd time she took the 22 staples out.  The therapist has been and said that I'm doing very well with the exercises. The idea is to get the new knee to bend back to at least 90* or more  and as soon as possible.  The new knee does not hurt just the incision is a dab sore .  Anyway I walk around outside , and do a bit to help Don.   He has been learning how to cook a few things so we aren't starving.

 

Pat's father, if your knee is giving you a lot of grief do visit your bone man and have a talk about the methods that are now being used.  I had the job done on Friday and came home Tuesday do they don't keep you long. I had to cancel the end of July date due to another problem but was scheduled for Sept 1  so not a long wait.

 

The trees are getting their fall colours, all too soon it seems and the birds are flocking off to their winter places.  Lots of Monarch butterflies from our place have gone and 2 days ago we saw the last of the hummingbirds. Can't believe that summer is nigh over.  May have to leave the flower garden till the spring or find someone else to dig it.

 

Have had time to read a lot but won't run out of reading material as the neighbour next door brought a load of books.

Not much else for now