summer begins

First day of summer and we are spending the night in the villetta!

I’ve had a week of sleeping at home and today is Mom & Dad's first full day alone. Mom is getting stronger every day and I imagine it won't be long before she'll want to go out for groceries.  Last weekend Olaf and Steph stayed with them for a night - Sunday was my first day fully at home since the end of May! And today is my second! It feels a little weird to be back to a semi-normal routine, at least for a day, but instead of getting back to my fitness routine, I made a cake! 

Last Saturday after a night in my own bed, I went to Mom & Dad's first thing in the morning - it was Mom's birthday! Kirsten & Nissa joined Olaf & Steph for a badly sung song and some delicious lemon birthday cake.

I hope Olaf doesn't mind but I'm including the awesome photo that Steph took of us last weekend.

Then the next day, Sunday, Father's Day, we met up with Carm's family at the funeral home for lunch. The cemetery puts on a bbq for Father's day so we enjoyed a hamburger and a cooler while having a nice visit. I was glad that Carm got to spend some time with his family…

When we got home, Carm got the chainsaw out so we could clear a few trees from the gate going into the hayfield… it's haying time so the farmer will be by with his machinery any day now. Our field is usually the last one he cuts and since he needs 3 days with no rain it could be any time soon or not soon at all - it's totally weather dependent. I remember in our horse-owning days standing in the field, arms raised to the sky, asking Mother Nature to split the rain clouds and spare our little field. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes we got rain… Rain can wreck the hay or at the very least, make it dusty and hard on horsey lungs.

Our photo memories have had lots of foal pictures popping up this week - it seems that many of our babies were born mid June - oh the memories that it brings back 😀 It seems like a whole lifetime ago and even that it happened to someone else, but no! It was me crouched on the ground welcoming a wet foal into my lap.

It's a bit bitter sweet though - looking at the foals that had so much promise for our breeding program which was trashed by my illness. Petra was our first filly - my plan was to keep her. She would have been a good mare but alas, she was sold along with Fiorgyn and Ulfrun… both beauties with laid back, steady temperaments. I have to remind myself that I got to live my dream, if only for a few years…

I deployed the new, matching chair cushion in the villetta and I'm pleased! Along with a little lamp, it seems homey and comfortable, a little oasis away from home. I always get that ‘peaceful easy feeling’ when we settle into our home on wheels 😀 

Awesome!

“gathering with Carm's family”

“getting the trees taken care of”

“a dunk in the pool”

“Mom’s doctor appointment with her oncologist”

“an afternoon with Carm”

“supper with Nissa!”

a stroll in the garden

It's a beautiful sunny day again, but cool for Friday June 13th. I'm still at Mom & Dad's but think they will be okay overnight so I'll start spending nights at home and come back in the mornings. I've been letting them do more and more things on their own and they seem to be managing better every day.

Yesterday I left them to fend for themselves to make a dash to Ikea! I got to check out the new sofa on Tuesday night at the camper and thought that the matching chair would be nice… out came the measuring tape - yikes! There is no way that it would fit. Luckily a search on the Ikea website revealed a matching seat cushion for the existing Ikea poang chair  😉 so off to Ikea I went! Can't wait to see how everything looks!

Later in the day, Dad and I went to his doctor for meningitis vaccines that the Ottawa Health Unit arranged for us to get. I had an appointment set up for mine in a town about an hour from here, but Dad's doctor offered to jab me which saved me a lot of driving around!

This morning Mom made it downstairs to make her own breakfast! After she was settled back upstairs in her lair, Dad and I went for a walk. There are beautiful paths near their house that meander through treed and open areas. It's a lovely walk - Dad does it at least once a day and often twice!

Mom was downstairs again for a late lunch and afternoon of TV. She even managed to walk around her garden for a short while, but then she was exhausted and slept for several more hours.

It's 8pm - I'm home, have had supper, and am just about to move clothes from the washer to the dryer. Next up, a nice hot bath! And then a long sleep in my own bed :-)

Awesome!

“Mom making her own breakfast”

“walk with Dad”

“getting a matching cushion! Excited to try it out!”

“getting my jab”

“long charging cable”

tally rally o

This lovely Wednesday morning, way way too early, just at the cracking of dawn, I got up to enjoy the sunrise over the lake. Yes! I made it to Kingston for 1 day of the rally 😀 . Mom is doing so much better so we figured that with Dad's help she could be left alone for a few hours until Kirsten could get here, so I drove to Kirsten's where I caught a ride with Nissa to Kingston!

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this campground… after visiting with everyone, Carm and I went for a long walk through the park. Beautiful wooded areas, pretty campsites with flowers and a belvedere looking over the Cataraqi river were a welcome vista after days in a hospital and more days in the city. And we were blessed with an absolutely glorious day with sunshine and the perfect warmth.

Everyone at the rally had tickets to the theatre in Gananque so Carm and I did a bit of retail therapy. I should go shopping with him after being away all the time as he was the perfect shopping companion, carrying my purse and bags and bags of shopping as I gleaned the racks.

First stop was Mountain - I tried on a gorgeous fluffy sweater and put it on my ‘think about it’ list until I took it off and my black t-shirt was absolutely COVERED in pink lint - definitely a no go! It was an over the head type of sweater which isn't the best for me and my frequent hot flashes anyway so I wasn't too disappointed but gosh, it was so fluffy and soft.

At some other store I found a white gauzy dress that will be perfect next winter at the all-inclusive that we've booked for November. Did I mention that already? Olaf, Steph, Carm and I are booked into an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic! I'm excited to try something new. Carm and I went all out and booked a swim up room which should be fun!

Then at Columbia I found another little dress that rolls up into a wrinkle free ball that will be cute in the summer and perfect for November with its tropical print  😀 . Carm got a shirt with a tropical motif as well. The last stop was a deek into Laura and Melanie Lyne where just as we were about to go out the door I spied some blingy jeans on sale. I'm a bit like a magpie as anything bling or shiny draws me like a moth to a flame. The jeans are cute and will be nice for slightly dressing up. I love them!

There were a few more stops after the outlet mall - Canadian Tire for a better mat for outside the camper door - we wanted something that would grab all the vegetation from our shoes before we tracked it into the camper. Luckily we found just what we were looking for at Canadian Tire. At the beer store I grabbed an orange cream spritz that I thought would be like the old bacardi coolers that we used to get years ago… alas… at the campfire last night I cracked it open and was not impressed - yuck!

We weren't back at the camper for long before we decided to drive across town to Raxx for their fish and chips special. It was good but it left me feeling slightly gross from all the frying. By the time we got back to camp, everyone was back from the theatre so we all gathered around a propane campfire for an evening of conversation and laughter. I wasn't sad to get back to the villetta for bed. I slept well until just before 5am, and now here I am… 6:15… a bit bleary headed but I can't seem to fall back to sleep.

Everything is covered in a fine green powder and when the wind gusts the air is thick with pollen from the pine trees. It's excessive and makes me especially grateful that I don't have an allergy!

Later today we'll pack up and haul the trailer to Kirsten's, get set up, then Carm will go home and I'll go back to Mom and Dad's for another few nights. I think they'll be mostly self-sufficient in a few days.

……

7:30 pm. I'm back with Mom and Dad after a busy day! After our first morning coffee we put on our shoes and went for a long walk then visited with people for a while before slowly starting to get ready to head out. We had an uneventful drive to Kirsten's and got all set up by 5:00 pm. Carm went home and I came back here. It was a great break but now my back is sore and spasmy… who knows why, perhaps too much tension. We are waiting for the nurse to come to do a few things and then it will be an early night to bed for me!

Awesome!

“conversations in the car with Nissa”

“seeing my honey”

“getting to Kingston”

“a walk around the park”

“new jeans”

home

Sunday June 8th

early AM… Yesterday, after a painfully long day waiting in limbo, Mom finally got her discharge papers at 6pm… She needed a few sign offs, the pivotal one being the clearance from physio. She came in around 11:30 am and got mom up and down a flight of stairs - she did great! After that the doctor came, and then we had to see him AGAIN later to get the final clearance.

A quick stop at the pharmacy and we pulled into the laneway. Dad was already outside ready to greet her. With a bit of steadying help, Mom made it into the house, checked out her back garden from the window then climbed up the stairs to her bedroom with just a bit of help from me. It was great to get her settled in comfortable real clothes - no more hospital gown! - and into her comfy bed.

By the time we got her settled, the home care nurse was here to set up her IV antibiotics which she'll need for a few more days before switching to oral antibiotics.

It was such a relief to get her home that I will admit to stepping outside her room for a few tears of relief! My stress level is pretty much back to normal 😀 And joy of joy's I was able to have a shower! And not being trapped in the room is heaven, plus I’m up and down stairs which is getting my blood flowing 😉 I'm so used to exercising that it feels weird to be so sedentary.  I started doing lunges, squats, and wall pushups the other day just so my muscles didn't atrophy from being in a recliner chair for so many hours!

It's also nice to have access to real food as I don't know how much longer I could stomach Tim Horton's food! I love(d) the breakfast egg & cheese on a biscuit but don't mind if it's a while before I have another one. I'm pretty sick of hamburgers (I had 3 between Saturday and Thursday), and if I never have another Tim's wraps (breakfast or otherwise) I won't be sad. Yesterday I had a scrambled egg bowl which I thought would be a healthier choice - NOT - it was some scrambled eggs served over 2 hash browns and doused with some sort of slightly spicy sauce… it was okay but I won't order it again, not because it wasn't healthy, but because I didn't like it enough, or if I need to in a pinch I would just ask for the sauce on the side, or maybe skipped all together..

We were ‘lucky’ to be in an isolation room for the whole week, even though they had taken down precautions a few days ago - the nurse left the sign up but we didn't have to wear PPE anymore - it's so much easier to sleep without a mask and rubber gloves! But the room was quiet as there was a double door and certainly felt isolated… and let's talk about THE chair for a moment! It was fantastic. It reclined fully (if I pulled it away from the wall enough which I was too stunned to do one night), and it had a handy swivel table which I could eat at, plus it nicely held my tablet. I was pretty comfortable!

Dad is pretty happy that Mom is home - it had been a long long week for him without her here, and we just couldn't manage getting him to the hospital - I think he wore a path down the driveway with his pacing. One day he walked over 8000 steps without going for a walk. I can only imagine how hard it was to be away from her… hopefully he can relax a bit now. I think it would have freaked him out even more if he had seen how sick she was…

The public health nurse was in touch and will set Kirsten, Dad, and me up to get a vaccine that will protect us against meningitis since we are giving home care. Hopefully I can hopefully get that set up with my doctor early this week.

Meanwhile, Carm is having fun at the rally, although he does admit to missing me… he said the novelty has worn off a bit without me there. We are so used to spending all our time together that the absence leaves a big gap. And Pat is still with the dogs :-) They love her so it's no hardship for them that we are gone!

—---------------

7:30 pm Well! My stress levels went through the roof not long after I typed up the above. I got a text from Pat that Lupa was sick! She had been outside, vomited, then lay limp in the grass. Pat had to carry her inside. We were both freaking out but I couldn't run home right away so Pat kept an eye on her and I called every 15 minutes to get an update. The great thing about technology, specifically FB messenger, is video chatting. I could see Lupa and her behaviour so together with Pat we could monitor to see if we'd have to take her to the emergency vet. After 30 minutes she was starting to be more alert and after a few hours she was fully back to herself. What the heck could have gone wrong? She's never been sick before. At one point early on she had no control of her bowels and was pooping where she lay. Very scary! It was a relief to see her on the back of the loveseat later in the day.

The nurse came by in the afternoon to get Mom's IV set up again - they'll be by daily until Tuesday. Apparently she has to keep the ‘pic line’ in for 2 weeks though so she won't be unstuck from tubing for a while yet!

Kirsten and Nissa have come and gone. They did a big grocery run for us so we are well provisioned for the next while. They also brought supper :-) A yummy Costco chicken with their dilly salad hit the spot. Real food! Hurrah!

A stream of neighbours were at the door today bringing beautiful flowers and well wishes - Mom and Dad live in a fantastic neighbourhood where they all keep an eye out for each other. Dad had lots of meals brought over to him, the lady across the street came over and weeded Mom's front garden, and the neighbors on the other side kept a special eye out for him all week.

Awesome!

“Mom home!”

“lilacs at Mom and Dad's”

“yogurt and fruit for supper - no more Tim’s”

“turning the corner”

“chicken and salad”

“sore glutes after a million stairs”

one more day

Friday June 6th - Yesterday was a big day for Carm - he decided to go to the rally in Kingston so armed with a to do list that I threw together by gleaning old lists, he spent the last few days preparing to leave with little help from me. I was glad that I had done so much last week and not procrastinated on things so there wasn't as much to do as there could have been. 

Kirsten came to spend the night here Wednesday night so that I'd be home for his departure to look over his shoulder as he got the trailer ready for the road and hitched up. I had a little cry when he pulled out of the laneway - I was so freaking worried - I’m pretty emotionally fragile these last few days - probably the lack of sleep catching up on me. Finally in the early afternoon I got a message that he'd arrived safely which of course made me cry with relief! Okay, I'm tearing now! But I should have had more confidence in him as he made the trip without issue and got himself all set up with no outside help - he even managed to get the satellite working, which is the most frustrating part!

I got back here around 1 yesterday after dropping food and half my closet at Mom and Dad's - I'm ready to spend a few days there… we are hoping that she gets to go home today, but I think they have to evaluate getting her up some stairs first. They'll come by around 11 to see how she does. That's the only obstacle to overcome when she gets home. We can manage everything else.

Yesterday she started eating a bit which has given her a tiny bit more energy. I've been channeling Carm's Italian mother: Eat eat! Mange mange! And I'm a bit bossy too  😉 She takes it in stride! She probably remembers from a few years ago how bossy I am! But she finished ½ a yogurt, 2 puddings, an apple juice, and half a cup of a pudding type thing called ‘magic cup’. That's more than she's eaten since Saturday - a good sign!

I never thought I would see the day, but I'm pretty sick of Tim Hortons breakfast sandwich! Yesterday I brought yogurt with fruit again as well as some cut up veggies to have for lunch today. Oh, and I made popcorn and several dates with chocolate and peanut butter - my favourite indulgence!

A few weeks ago I bought 2 pairs of jeans that are like track pants from liquidation (Costco returns) and have been living in them since Sunday - they are super comfortable, even for sleeping :-)

Pat is at home with the dogs and Grace which is a huge load off my back. Yay Pat!

5pm… we'll be here for another night. Mom's fever has come back a little bit so out of an abundance of caution (the doctors words!) they want to keep an eye on her overnight. Maybe tomorrow. In the meantime my nephew Erik has been conscripted to help get her up the stairs to her room when she does get home. She's incredibly weak so might need a fireman's carry! Ha ha, just joking, kind of.

I'm sure tonight I will get a better sleep as I'm pretty exhausted. I don't think being home would help anything though so I might as well stay here. It looks like they will let us keep the private room for another night with its awesome recliner chair - I think I'd cry if I had to sleep in a regular chair at this point!

Awesome!

“Carm getting there safely”

“Mom eating a bit more”

blue skies

Tuesday June 3rs - The last few days have had it's ups and downs… but today is definitely an up day. Yesterday morning Mom was in so much pain and was feeling so nauseous and miserable that it seemed like a major setback. I'll admit that I was freaking out internally but aside from a few private ‘moments’ kept it together.

It was a busy day with an MRI, lots of doctors popping in, blood being drawn, nurses in and out - a hospital is not somewhere to go and rest! Then there were lots of phone calls and messages with the public health unit and struggles to get in touch with Dad's doctor as he needed a prophylactic antibiotic. The office was not answering their phone so Kirsten popped in on her way here to light a fire under them… finally today after another phone message and an email, they let us know that they sent the prescription to their pharmacy. I was able to get it to dad before coming into the hospital this afternoon.

look at the ☀️ sun... So much smoke.

Kirsten held down the fort overnight - apparently the night nurse was a bit of a Nurse Krampet and made Kirsten wear not only a mask, but a face shield. Which is weird, as none of the doctors wear anything other than a mask to come in! I asked the infectious disease doctor about it this afternoon and he said that she shouldn't be contagious anymore so I guess it's just protocol? There’s an upside though - she's in a quiet private room with a comfortable sleeping chair! Today's nurse is efficient and kind. I hope that the same overnight nurse isn't here tonight - Kirsten had a rough night trying to sleep with the shield!

I have to remember to ask the nurse to clarify on the instructions that Mom is to get painkillers overnight as for some reason Nurse K, figured they were unnecessary 🙄 which left mom in a bad state this morning.

Anyway, after getting home last night and doing evening chores (the dogs were ecstatic when I got home), I soaked in the bath for ages then had one of my favourite effort-free comfort foods - pasta with a jar of tomato sauce in the instant pot. I just had to dump the jar, plus some water into the pot, stir in the dried pasta, then set the pot to cook for 4 minutes. Easy and oh, so comforting. I gobbled a giant bowl!

I'm back to the hospital for the night tonight, this time armed with some healthy snacks. Greek yogurt with fruit, sliced cucumber, dates with peanut butter and dark chocolate, and some roasted tofu. I did have my third hamburger since Saturday though! I picked up burgers and frostys for a quick lunch for Dad and I - I figured getting us both some realish food would not be a bad thing.

I sort of screwed up though as I didn't realize that Dad couldn't have any dairy products for 6 hours before and 2 hours after the special pill… so he's under strict orders to not eat anything other than crackers and peanut butter until 8pm!

Mom and Dad's neighbors have been lovely, sending Dad food and checking in on him. As Kirsten pointed out - everyone jumps to help the man, but if the roles were reversed, there wouldn't be as much help for the woman! I guess everyone assumes that men are helpless… and maybe some of them are. Luckily for me, Carm easily holds down the fort so I don't worry about him at all. (although I do anyway!)

I did another screw up the other day by posting my blog about what was going on. It seemed like some people had not been notified so they found out on my blog. I felt so stupid, especially as Mom had given the okay to post, but I didn't confirm with everyone else that they had notified everybody. What a terrible way to find something like this out.

Meanwhile, at home, Carm is holding down the fort! He's considering going to the rally on his own - it would be his first time driving and setting up the trailer by himself. Of course I'll worry like a maniac while he's on the road, but have complete confidence in his ability to take care of himself. We had already arranged for Pat to stay at the house to keep tabs on the plants outside (which is another topic), and Grace, but now she's agreed to care for the dogs as well. That will free me up to continue to care for mom.

Okay, back to the plants! We took them outside last week, oh, maybe the week before, when we had a few nice days, but unfortunately the weather turned back to cold and rainy so everything is struggling. We've lost some vegetable plants that Carm carefully planted in the garden, and those plants that are still alive do not look robust. I think the weather is going to transition to blazing hot in the next day or two which won't help them much either!

Typing with gloves on is a challenge, especially on my phone, but today I remembered to bring my tablet. It took a bit to get the hang of it, but now I'm typing like normal.

Awesome!

“Mom feeling a bit better today and luckily not in much pain”

“a summer day”

“Getting a parking space”

bedside manner

Sunday May 31st (I think) - It's 6am and I'm sitting here sweating in full PPE at mom's bedside at the hospital. She made a trip here in the ambulance at 3am Saturday morning… Carm and I were at Olaf's in Montreal sound asleep after a night of celebrating the trip we booked for next November… we had barely been asleep when the phone rang…

It was a nice paramedic letting me know about the dire situation… Mom was unresponsive and Dad was at home freaking out. We jumped out of bed and I ran upstairs to let Olaf and Steph the situation and got on the road.

Kirsten was the next to get woken up with a scary phone call - once the shock was over, she and Shawn headed to the hospital as well. Olaf and Steph were on the road not long after us.

We stopped to pick up Dad then got to the hospital just after everyone else. Mom was not in good shape - she was not even opening her eyes. We were all keeping it together… barely. The doctors suspected a blood infection and started bombarding her with every antibiotic known to man, as well as an antiviral to cover all the bases.

It was a long day but hour by hour she slowly improved. By supper time she was having conversations. She's still in a lot of pain with a headache and body aches but Mom is strong and is ever positive. They don't know for sure what the problem is but suspect meningitis.

We've taken turns staying with her and Dad. I stayed overnight… which sounds more awful than it was. They brought in a sleeping chair which was quite comfortable so I slept pretty well until 5:30, despite wearing an n95 mask, gloves, and a sweaty plastic gown.

Kirsten and Olaf are both great nurses and probably much less bossy than I am!

Going back in time we had a busy week! Tuesday we went to Ikea for a new sofa for the trailer. With some difficulty and several bruises we got it onboard but then the real challenge started. How the heck were we going to get the old one out! It weighs about a million pounds which made it nearly impossible for me to even lift one end… and that's after a few months of lifting weights!

Out came the tools so we could try taking it apart! Which was a challenge. The thing is made like a brick s house with a heavy metal frame. We got 2 bolts out then hit a road block. Nothing would budge. We took some time to make a plan then got to work in the morning. The pivotal (as it turns out) bolts were nearly impossible to get at so Carm put a grinder disk on the Dremel and basically cut through them - suddenly we had success! We got it broken down into 3 easily carried pieces and it was done!

It didn't take long to get the new one set up! It's much more comfortable than the old one… which was also peeling like crazy, shedding all its crappy ‘leather' (I use that term with some chagrin).

The rest of the week was spent getting the trailer ready for our upcoming trip! I'm trying not to load every last thing that we might need for the whole summer!

Friday night we went to Olaf and Steph's for the night and now we are full circle!

It seems that there is always some crisis! We planned on 2025 being an uneventful year after the last two!

It's now after 7pm and I am back at the bedside after being home for several hours. Carm and I raced around doing preparation for the rally in 5 days… I feel pretty much under control and am thankful that I made myself do so much last week. Carm drove me back here. I think he was just tempted by the burger for supper and not my (no so) sparkling personality!

Tomorrow he'll go to the last class of Zumba without me… I'm sure he's not averse to being fussed over by a bunch of lovely women!

The results of all the tests came back confirming bacterial meningitis… the doctors said that it was a textbook case and they are pleased with her progress. Public health has contacted us and will be keeping an eye. They will arrange for Dad to go on antibiotics and may have the rest of us vaccinated for it. She wasn't too concerned about the rest of us (fingers crossed!).

Awesome!

“everything and nothing!”