what is lovely never dies

We lost a dear friend yesterday. Trudie was an incredible woman, full of energy and life. There was never a person that she wouldn't give the shirt off her back. She was generous almost to a fault. And she was always up for a party! Trudie & Leo were neighbors to the west of us, a mere kilometre of farm fields between our homes. Over the decades, many nights were spent together - the weather was never too bad for supper and a glass of wine (or two).

Trudie had a green thumb the size of a planet - her yard was filled to the brim with plants, flowering and otherwise. She and Leo would shlep pots and pots to and from the greenhouse every spring and fall, creating a backyard paradise. Her two magnolia trees in the back were magnificent! We have a giant Katalpa tree that was a baby from the giant one in their backyard.

We always figured she'd be close to immortal as her strength of will seemed impossible to tamp down, but alas, her body betrayed her and struck her down with PSP (Progressive supranuclear palsy), which is related to Parkinson's. It took her quickly. But now she is with all her dogs, birds, cats, and other creatures that she loved so much.

We got the call yesterday morning so quickly got cleaned up and drove to their new place a few villages away so that we'd be with Leo when they came to get her. It was sad for sure… We stayed with Leo then drove Andre home… my head was spinning for the rest of the afternoon…

This morning a bunch of us gathered with Leo for breakfast at our local greasy spoon. We made a pact to stay in touch… Trudie was the central character in our friend group. 

Again, I was exhausted when we got home so stayed in bed until supper time. Sometimes even sitting up seems too hard. I've been keeping my daily steps low which helps a bit, but I don't feel like I'll be on the treadmill anytime soon. I'm scared that I'll get stuck mentally and keep myself feeling low even if my body has recovered… am I really tired or just tired because I keep telling myself I am?

Tomorrow I have a treadmill stress test at the Heart Institute which will hopefully exclude any heart problems (and honestly, that is the last thing that I think is wrong with me - I think my heart, while weird at times, works pretty well!). My follow up appointment is in two weeks but I'm hoping for a miraculous recovery by then!

What is lovely never dies, but passes into another loveliness, star-dust or sea-foam, flower or winged air." — Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Awesome!

“friends coming together”

“eggs benedict”

“zucchini from the garden!”

a long and whiny post

It seems that I have fallen off the face of the earth, but no, I'm still plodding along. I've been having increasingly worse fatigue and can now barely get out of the house without a crash that puts me in bed for a day or two… not sure what's going on - I've had a few tests on my heart which have been fine but am scheduled for a ‘stress test’ on Monday, my blood work shows no problems - it's all a mystery. 

I'm pretty discouraged as it's not something that I can push myself through, infact it makes me way worse. I haven't walked on the treadmill for over a week - I stopped all together when I could only do 10 minutes - I don't think I could even do 5 now…

My years of mood and exercise logs have come in handy as I've been able to give detailed information about the ups and downs I've been experiencing since March to my doctor. There is a definite trend and unfortunately it's not going the right way! He has some ideas, but we have to do some more testing before a diagnosis can be made… meanwhile my fingers are crossed for a miraculous recovery!

Anyway, aside from that, summer is progressing quickly! I can't believe that tomorrow we'll be half way through July! We've had a good run of hot days without thunder storms so have been enjoying the deck and its shade cover. Today it will come down as the forecast has some pretty wicked weather including the possibility of tornados and large hail - ugh!

We've been managing a few visits a week with Trudie in the hospital. Her spirits are good but her body is not cooperating with her - we wonder if she will be able to go home again 😞 

A bunch of us were signed up for the Girls Mud Run this weekend but I've cancelled for this year and hope that next year is better! I was so excited for the challenge but know that I couldn't even walk the 5k, let alone do any obstacles. It's hard for me to not rail against myself!

It's been so long since I wrote that even Canada Day passed without a post! On 30th, Ken and Francine came for lunch - unfortunately it was a stormy day so we were stuck in the house. Later that evening Olaf & Steph arrived for supper and an overnight stay. Kirsten, Shawn, Mom, and Dad, joined us here on Canada Day for lunch - it was a scorcher but we managed a few minutes outside before we had to dismantle everything for the storm that was bearing down on us.

As it turns out, it was a good thing we put everything away, including the shade cover, as we were hit with what felt like the edge of a tornado. I watched out the back window to see one tree fall into the hay field and a walk around later showed another big tree down at the side of the house. It was a dozy! I've never seen the trees whipped around so much! 

Luckily everyone made it safely home, although some had to skirt trees on the roads!

Sadly, I still haven't recovered my energy from those few days :-( Lupa has been glued to my side and sometimes won't even go outside with Carm without me also going… she's a bit of a pita!

Oh! And we had a lovely visit with Carm's brother :-)

Awesome!

“summer days”

furniture

Since the last time I wrote, just after we returned from the rally, summer has mostly deserted us… we’ve had a few weeks of rain and cold with the odd bit of nice weather as a teaser. Yesterday was beautiful - we were in the city with appointments and errands - and today is gorgeous as well. It was actually nice enough to FINALLY bring out the patio furniture this afternoon. I'm writing these first few paragraphs outside on the sofa! Hurrah!

The wind through the trees is the perfect accompaniment to the sound of birds singing to their babies. There seem to be nests everywhere - between the trees that just won't stop growing, the grass that Carm is in a constant battle with, and the birds, squirrels and chipmunks, it's a riot of life.

We’ve only been swimming a handful of times because of the crappy weather which keeps the pool temp low. Today it reached a balmy 72F/22C… the perfect temperature for an in and out but not for floating around for ages…

The plants on the deck are struggling - some didn't come through the winter with flying colours… the ferns really took a beating, palms are mostly dead, coelous is leggy and ugly. Will a few more weeks of sunshine help them recover? Some I think are too far gone but it's too late to get replacements. I just won't take photos!

Carm’s been getting lots of rounds of golf in… I haven't been up to much other than lazing around trying to get myself going… I've had no energy to do much beyond a slow walk on the treadmill - I'm hoping to get my energy back soon!!!! It will happen! This is just another infernal blip…

Last Thursday Steph came to pick me up for a girls night at Kirsten's. We had a fun time with some black humour hilarity bringing tears to my eyes, I was laughing so hard. Why is it that the awful things are the funniest once the immediate trauma is gone?

Saturday I made heaps of cardamom buns for the family gathering on Sunday - Father's Day and a hurrah to Shenna for becoming a doctor. 😀 Mom made ‘Christmas Morning Wife Saver’ which is an egg, bread, cheese, and ham extravaganza - it wasn't Christmas but we enjoyed it just as well!

Awesome!

“finally getting patio furniture outside”

“a sunny June afternoon”

“finding a dress for Aura's wedding”

“summer suppers of salads”