finally she's home

 2:00 pm Wednesday… I’m back to the keyboard again and back to the hospital after a quick dash to Mom & Dad’s for a shower. Graham brought Dad to the hospital late this morning so I’d left Mom in Dad’s capable hands but unfortunately my timing was off so I missed the doctor’s second visit by 1 minute. Darn.

Last night and this morning were not the greatest for Mom… she was in a lot of pain and had to be encouraged to take her pain meds and to make it worse, the nurse didn’t wake Mom early for her scheduled dose so the pain got ahead of her. Note to self: keep on top of that! It took hours to ‘catch up’... She is getting out for a walk up and down the hall which shows that her strength is returning, alibi slowly.

I had an okay night but had terrible leg cramps so had to walk the deserted halls in the middle of the night a few times. Honestly I’m feeling done but luckily I have an amazing sister to step in so that I can go home tonight for a sleep in my own bed. Mom will be in good, capable hands so I won’t worry about her too much. 

I had a tiny breakdown this morning after a nurse came and got the sleeping chair 😥. Hopefully tonight’s nurse will be able to track one down for Kirsten. Fingers crossed that Mom will be able to go home tomorrow but there are a few things that have to fall into place first.

Thursday 7pm

After a lot of back and forth with the doctors and dietician we finally brought Mom home around 4pm. The dietician was concerned that Mom was getting enough fluids so we’ll have to work hard on that now that she’s home. I’ll build a database! ha ha… but I will keep notes on a white board ;-)

Last night I made it home by 7:30 - I probably shouldn’t have driven as my brain was fried but I was desperate for my own bed. I slept like I’ve never slept before! I felt much better after getting a bit of sleep.

—-----------------------

It’s all consuming, leaving few brain cycles for anything else, and certainly no creative thinking ;-)

The hospital is showing signs of neglect… the visitor bathroom, (which are few and far between), is shabby and looks dirty. The paper towel and hand soap dispensers are often empty. The hospital room bathroom isn’t faring much better and actually ran out of toilet paper :-( What the actual heck! Shameful…

Awesome!

“a hot and then cold shower"

"getting Mom home"

Baby steps

 2:30 pm Tuesday… I’m back to the keyboard again… Kirsten just took Dad home so now it’s me and a very sleepy mom… and I feel a bit chatty so feel free to skip over my babbling :-)

Last night the nurse rustled up a fantastic sleeping chair - it goes almost flat and with a blanket and a few pillows is reasonably comfortable so I was able to get some sleep which was great. I’d be in a very different state without that chair! The nurses have been very sweet and helpful which eases a difficult situation.

Mom has been steadily improving through the day (it’s now 2:30) and is quickly becoming more mobile. She’s off oxygen so is no longer tethered to the wall with only enough slack to get into the bathroom which means she can start to walk up and down the halls a bit. Each time out she’s a bit stronger on her feet. She’s also able to drink more than a spoonful of water - she had a whole carton of milk a few minutes ago :-)

The doctors did their rounds at 7am - a whole entourage of students, residents, and doctors crowded into the room with rolling carts that had giant monitors - the hospital is finally becoming more integrated and automated. They were able to address some of Mom’s concerns and give her a road map to getting out of the hospital.

Kirsten came with Dad around 11, leaving him with Mom, taking me to their place for a shower while she hit up the grocery store for some more frozen meals for Dad. She’s had a busy 2 days running back and forth while I just sit around like a lump - she’s good at that sort of thing though - it’s right in her wheelhouse (sitting around is my strength!). It’s great how our strengths mesh.

Olaf and Graham have been visiting via video chat which is perfect at the moment - yay for modern technology. Video chats have been a Godsend the last few years with COVID but now have a new importance - a whole slew of visitors is not the best for her at the moment but she does enjoy the contact and support. 

After supper Graham brought Dad over for another visit. Mom ate a bunch of soup, pudding and ice cream to fortify herself - eating is a step to freedom! The food is horrible… they brought Mom oatmeal for breakfast… she is on fluids… so I thought I could eat it. NOT! It was sickly sweet and inedible. Gag!

Awesome!

“comfy chair”

"The nurses"

"Kirsten again"

"Mom's carry on outlook"

"My hubby for holding down the fort

s-day

 I’ve written this on and off throughout the day - it’s my therapy so forgive me for oversharing…

Monday morning: 9am… Kirsten and I stayed overnight at Mom & Dad’s as it was an early start this morning. Mom was up at 4am so she could do all her pre-op drinking… I got up at 4:45 to get ready for a long day at the hospital. 

Mom said she got some sleep, and I got a bit too - after Kirsten and I stopped giggling in our room! We had a good belly laugh when I tried to swallow my meds (which is a big dramatic affair) - I think the stress added to the hysteria but maybe not - it’s almost guaranteed that she’ll make me choke with laughter whenever we are together! Kirsten may not have been so lucky in the sleep department - she had to put in noise cancelling headphones as I was snoring so loudly!

It was 5:30 when we headed to the hospital - Kirsten dropped us at the door and we got checked in quickly. I was able to stay with Mom until they wheeled her into the OR. I’m sure she was scared, but Mom would never let on and I tried to keep an upbeat demeanour as well. Full disclosure - I did have a bit of a cry as I walked away from her!

Yesterday was a beautiful August day, a bit cool but sunny. I should have pulled the cover off the outdoor seating but I was distracted and couldn’t settle well. There wasn’t much to distract me so I made a cake and some roasted zucchini to bring to Mom’s for supper…

I made the cinnamon roll cake but added some cocoa powder in with the cinnamon stuff… it was okay but I won't do that experiment again! That's what happens when you try to gild the lily!

Saturday was cooler and somewhat overcast but I did force myself into the pool! Maybe for the last time this summer (already!). Carm’s last day will be later than mine as he’ll likely go for a swim today. He’s even more hardcore than I am - for an Italian, he seems to have lots of viking blood! 

I took advantage of the overcast day Saturday to do a few more things with tomatoes (which are turning red faster than we can use them)... a few days ago I made a fresh salsa that had roasted tomatoes, onion, and peppers, as well as fresh tomatoes, cilantro, and lime. It was so good that I made 2 more batches for the freezer. I’ve been making tortillas with cheese, black beans, salsa, and avocado - an easy supper; and roasted mushrooms with black-eye peas, spinach, and salsa for breakfast - the breakfast of champions!

Friday we picked up Mom’s obturator (Kirsten drove to save me from the dreaded parking garage!), then the 4 of us (Nissa as well), had a little picnic of scones, jam, & clotted cream - a nice treat! 

It’s been a weird few weeks - I’ve been in some sort of suspended state, with reality pushed aside when I could. I’d like to say that I’ve been cool and collected through the last few months but I’d be lying. Most importantly though, never around Mom. I'm trying to model her outstanding approach to life and the problems that arise - I struggle but it seems second nature to her.

At 10:30 the doctor came to the waiting room to let me know she was done and in the recovery room. He said the surgery went as well as could be expected and he commented on her amazing constitution and outlook. Kirsten picked me up at that point and took us for lunch at Tim’s and a bit of retail therapy.

Back at the hospital, Kirsten and I stayed in the waiting room until the sign said ‘All Done’. It seemed to take ages, but finally at 2:30 she was out of recovery and on her way to her room. Still pretty groggy/asleep. Sleep is probably a blessing at this point! It’s hard to see my mom who has always been the rock of the family looking so small and vulnerable…

It’s been a long day for all of us… I’m hoping that the nurse brings me one of those sleeper chairs…

Awesome!

“friends praying for Mom”

“my Mom”

“Kirsten”

one more step

 I’ve managed to snag some bonus time outside the last few days, lucking into some blue sky when there was cloud in the forecast. The days of summer are quickly winding down… some of the trees down by the creek are turning brown - the hawthorns I think, the cicadas are in full symphony and even though it's 26C, there is the faintest undertone of snow in the air, or is that my subconscious getting me ready for the inevitable end of summer?

There have been a few trips to the hospital - on Monday Mom got fitted for an obturator, and today she went through all the pre-op stuff (bloodwork, paperwork, etc.). Friday she picks up the obturator, then we’ll find out what time she has to be at the hospital on Monday for her surgery. One step at a time but it’s seeming like it’s taking forever…

Carm dashed off last night to the trailer leaving me behind to take Mom to her appointment today… last night he had a movie night with Shawn to see ‘Oppenheimer’ and today the RV repair guy came to fix some stuff! Hurrah - a bunch of to-do’s are off the list. The trailer has drained our bank account a bit this summer! But we love it so it’s all worth it :-)

Now here’s a bit of a laugh for you - I, a grown woman about to turn 61, drove in a parking garage for the first time ever! It was a harrowing experience as the thing was under construction which meant weaving around poles and stuff, but I did it :-) It may seem surprising, but Carm does all of the driving and so the most driving I ever did was when I was 16, 17, and 18 years old - that’s a long time ago!

I read a bit about ‘flat-earthers’ and am astounded that people can be so anti science/government. It also seems that the government is putting chem-trails in the air that are filled with aluminium and other compounds to disrupt the environment. Apparently some people think climate change is done by world governments and/or Bill Gates. Interesting…

Awesome!

“bonus afternoon reading”

“parking garage!”

“my Mom”

billowing ash

 There was just a hint of breeze this morning, just enough to send billows of smoke from the brush piles across the road directly onto our property again. The farm across the road cleared a few acres of brush and trees and now all that plant matter is in smouldering piles that belch smoke and ash.

Monday morning I deeked into the city to help Mom move some of her plants to make way for the new fence… on my way home I had visions of lounging outside with a book… however, that was not to be. Ash and smoke rained down hard, covering every surface with black smears… luckily I caught on quickly and re-covered the sofa - after only 15 minutes there were already black smudges. Am I irritated? Yes. Why the F do they burn and pollute?

Summer is too short to have precious days trapped inside because of air quality.

As it turns out, I should have stayed in the city and gone with Mom to her appointment Monday afternoon - I thought it was just a form signing visit, but the doctor came in for a discussion about the surgery - I kick myself for not being there.

 Carm has a cold (he tested neg for covid), so I wore a mask in the car when I took Dorothy to her appointment at the local hospital for her surgery… Before Covid we never would have thought to wear a mask around vulnerable people but now it’s a no-brainer!

The wind shifted a bit this afternoon so we deployed the sunshade - with music playing and cicada song harmonising, I chilled with a book between rushing around harvesting herbs & cherry tomatoes, and doing some dreaded housework - it turned into a lovely day.

Awesome!

“a bit of time outside”

“packets of herbs chopped and frozen for soups next winter”

will she measure up

 Sunday morning seems like a good time to sit down and force myself to write something. I don’t know what happened to my muse but she’s been absent for quite sometime… Maybe it’s the weird summer we are having or maybe worry but this summer I have been somewhat disconnected… 

I’ve spent days and days futzing around in the kitchen to keep myself busy (and a bit of housework avoidance)... today I’m making Italian Zucchini Scarpaccia: thin rounds of zucchini mixed with a light flour and cornmeal batter which is then baked in the oven to a chewy crisp. We shall see… the first step was to slice the zucchini and onion using a mandolin, and then massage with salt for several minutes. After that, it’s put in a colander with a heavy plate for 2 hours… the resulting liquid is used to make the batter then it’s spread out thinly on parchment and baked for 40 minutes. Fingers crossed!

(update: the scarpaccia wasn’t crispy but I think there was too much liquid from the zucchini which made the batter too thin. Tasty though, will try making it again when the zucchini piles up!

Yesterday Trudie & Leo were guinea pigs for a ‘buttery braised onion sauce’ on fettuccine noodles. I slightly burnt the onions at the very end of the TWO HOUR process of caramelising them… hopefully Grace didn’t pick up on any of the swear words… it was too late to start over but everyone seemed to like it as it was and considered it a ‘make again’. Next time I’ll hover over the onions once the lid comes off.

Monday and Tuesday I wrestled those two giant zucchinis into 3 loaves of lemon zucchini bread, a double recipe of zucchini pancakes, 5 bags grated for the freezer, and I still have 2 cups of grated zucc in the fridge. Wednesday morning, before I went to Kirsten’s I made chocolate chip banana zucchini muffins :-) My freezer is seriously out of control! I found another good sized zucchini in the garden this morning, hence the scarpaccia today.

The zucchini extravaganza didn’t end there… I tossed some cubed zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and whole garlic cloves into a baking dish with a ton of olive oil and some sprigs of thyme. It baked in the oven for a few hours and emerged delicious. I took it to Kirsten’s on Wednesday for a pasta dish for girls night but at the last minute we dashed to see the ‘Barbie’ movie so just ate it with naan.

Jars of flavoured olive oil are cluttering up the fridge. Cherry tomato garlic & basil, zucchini tomato garlic, confit of garlic, chopped garlic in olive oil. I should have labelled them but can tell just by taste which is which. I used the zucchini tomato oil to make swiss chard with onion and sausage for supper last night.

I also made Szechuan Style Roasted Mushrooms… I marinated the mushrooms for a few hours before tossing them into the actifry. Talk about elevating mushrooms to another plane of enjoyment! I keep them in the fridge for a light lunch or healthy snack.

I just stayed at Kirsten’s one night this time, getting home on Thursday around noon - just before the heavens exploded with torrents of rain. I had planned on visiting Mom and Dad, but decided to sit tight and see if the storms passed in time for a late afternoon visit, but alas, the rain kept coming down. The city got the worst of it, leaving streets and buildings flooded.

Friday morning Carm and I zipped into the city - Carm to Costco, me to my parents. We didn’t stay long as we wanted to get the mailbox fixed up before it rained again… funny story… we had to replace the mailbox post a week or so ago and it left the mailbox several inches higher off the ground. We wondered if it was too high so Carm left a note: ‘Is the mailbox too high’ with a YES tab and a NO tab… the NO tab was taken, leaving (in our mind) a clear ‘Yes, the mailbox is too high’. As fate would have it, we passed the mail truck on the way home so pulled over to ask him how much too high it was… it wasn’t too high and was in fact the perfect height! He had taken the wrong tab 🤪

Mom and Graham came out later in the afternoon on Friday to bury Graham’s deceased pet Savannah Monitor, George. It was emotional for all of us as we remembered all the occupants of our little pet cemetery. But it’s done and Graham can have closure. 

Grace got a package in the mail a few days ago! Ruth sent Grace a toy that has metal measuring cups hung on chains with a bunch of other stuff dangling. It took her a day or so but now she loves it. We had to distract her with chips the other night so we could watch the new season of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ without a racket!

We haven’t had the sunshade up for days - it’s been raining almost every other day and we’ve been busy when it hasn’t been raining :-( There’s rain in the forecast this afternoon…

Awesome!

“Mom’s surgery scheduled”

“going to the movie with Kirsten and Nissa”

“so much pink”

“Grace playing with her new toy”

“a plethora of zucchini to play with”

“Lupa greeting Trudie & Leo without barking”

old work buddies

 It seems like it rained just a few days ago, but yesterday morning my plants on the deck were limp with their need for refreshments and needed watering from the hose… today they are getting soaked by heavy rain. Yes, we took down the shade JIC of a thunderstorm this afternoon but not before enjoying an afternoon in the sun yesterday.

Last night we met up at the Keg with some of Carm’s old workmates - it didn’t take long for work talk to start but we had strategically arranged ourselves around the booth with the workers at one end and spouses at the other end to minimise cross-talk… it was fun to catch up but so much tragedy in everyone’s lives :-( 

I was surprised at how empty the restaurant was for a Sunday night on a long weekend. We had a reservation but I don’t think we would have waited for long without one.

Ken & Francine’s son passed away a year ago using MAID - he had been struggling with a brain tumour for years and finally couldn’t take it anymore… I guess it’s a blessing that he was able to leave this earth without having to suffer any more but oh, so hard on parents. We skirted around the topic - it just seemed too tragic to discuss.

oops! These were hiding under some leaves in the garden!

For lunch we had a few crackers with an amazing cherry tomato confit that I made the other day. It’s basically a bunch of cherry tomatoes, some whole garlic cloves, a handful of basil & oregano, and a cup or two of olive oil, baked for an hour in the oven. The oil is infused with a rich tomato and basil flavour with a hint of garlic - it’s amazing by itself, but the tomato part is ‘da bomb’ on crackers or better still baguette to soak up the oil.

Today I’m making Grace’s mash in the instant pot but it keeps giving me C8 errors - we’ve restarted it over half a dozen times. Other than the occasional errors that it throws it’s been a great appliance but geesh! It’s not that old 😥

Awesome!

“rain stopping in time to get the dogs out this morning”

“tomato confit”

a plan and more waiting

 We’ve been blessed with another gorgeous summer day… not super hot (okay, not hot enough!), but pleasant for sitting outside reading. It’s been a lazy day with only the washing machine doing any work, but that’s okay as I needed a day chilling outside, a trashy book as a distraction.

Friday and Saturday I was almost paralysed with anxiety - my chest was tight, squeezing so hard it was difficult to breathe, doom was my companion. I did all my rescue tasks but nothing really worked. I’m pretty good at compartmentalising but sometimes emotion breaks through… Yesterday was the peak but the weather was meant to be perfect for entertaining, so I invited Jo Ellen and Don for an afternoon lunch, but I still needed a big ugly cry before I felt like I could go on again.

Of course it was lovely to see J&D - it had been far too long - how has the summer passed so quickly? I mentioned that the weather was perfect (it was) for relaxing outside. Lunch was a simple bacon and tomato sandwich on focaccia (yum), along with lemon orzo salad and some fried zucchini rounds. I forgot to add the basil to our sandwiches.

I’ll back up a bit…

Wednesday was another day of bingeing ‘Ted Lasso’ - I was so disoriented by the time I picked up Nissa I hardly knew what was real or what was fantasy. I can’t wait to continue!

Thursday I went with Mom to one of her appointments - it was a grey day and a bit cool (I was wishing that I’d worn long pants as my bare knees were chilly!). I was tired from a late night at Kirsten’s so didn’t accomplish much after I got home. (that’s my excuse anyway! This summer has been a mix of busy busy and slothlike lounging).

Thursday also had us watching the skies for tornados - our city has had 3 tornados this summer - unheard of! It used to be rare to even get one. We didn’t get hit but we were ready to take shelter. No more trees came down.

Awesome!

“cicadas”

“a rafter of turkeys on the front lawn (more this time)”

“finally seeing Jo Ellen & Don”

“tomatoes from the garden”

“shower from the hose”

binge

 Last day in July… the summer has reached its apex and soon tendrils of fall will start tentatively sending wisps of cold air to push out the summer heat. Already the overnight temps have dropped from 20C to 9C, cooling the pool rapidly back to icy waters. There’s sure to be another heat wave but there’s nothing in the forecast for the next 2 weeks.

I’ll have to conjour up some Viking blood if I’m going to dip myself into the pool!

Saturday it rained on and off during the day causing me to bundle up with a flannel shirt & wool socks… but the bad weather brought us some wild visitors - 3 adult and 7 baby turkeys hung out on the lawns around the house. We kept the dogs inside until we were sure the birds had moved back into the overgrowth below the pond - we might have had Thanksgiving turkey a few months early. 😱 

Yesterday was gorgeous though! Not too hot but nice enough to put the sunshade up and invite Trudie & Leo for a last minute supper. I spent the morning and into the afternoon happily puttering around the kitchen making ‘salads’, not the lettuce kind. I started with a bean & zucchini salad, got the makings for a broccoli salad prepped, and finally cooked up some orzo for a lemony summer pasta salad. With a few sausages cooked in the instant pot and jazzed up on the grill, we had a filling supper.

I’ll do a repeat of last night’s supper at Kirsten’s tonight. I think I’ll try adding a touch more lemon to the orzo salad before I serve it tonight. And maybe some cherry tomatoes. And perhaps a bit more basil.

Oh! The cherry cake that was in the oven the other day when we were hit with the storm was excellent. The cake was a little unusual as it had ½ cup almond flour as well as regular flour but I think it’s my favourite cake so far and I might consider using it as a base for the cinnabon cake that’s a favourite with everyone.

Well, that was all yesterday! Today was a fine day with a visit with Ruth and a nice evening with Nissa. Binge watching ‘Ted Lasso’ - I love it! 

Awesome!

“cherry cake”

“a beautiful afternoon relaxing on the deck”

“rain coming down so hard the visibility was close to 0”

“little grey dog curled up against my legs”

“chihuahuas piled onto my lap”