Friday, July 31
We are currently in the thriving metropolis of Rockford, Illinois.
I thought we were going via Thunder Bay to drive across Canada because Ellie had said she has always wanted to drive across Canada but I took the second shift of driving and just followed what Ellie told me to do. My geographic knowledge of Ontario is more than slightly lacking so following signs saying Windsor did not twig me that we were going south. When I saw signs that said American border, I started to wonder. Yup, we had decided to drive across the US of A.
We needed to stop and stretch our legs and Ellie wanted some water so we got off the road and stopped at a small convenience store. They wouldn’t take Canadian money so she tried her credit cards. It rejected the first two and the clerk was told to keep the third card! When Ellie talked to her husband last night, he said that last week he had reported the card as stolen but had forgotten to tell her! Fortunately, I got an American Express card from Costco a little while ago so that one worked and we were on the road again.
We drove the ring road around Chicago and stopped in Rockford for the night. Today, we are aiming for Fargo, North Dakota then either Regina or Saskatoon for Saturday night. I would really like to see John and Carley and their new house. He was actually in Calgary again last weekend – there was supposed to be a 10 year high school reunion but it fizzled out however he did get together with some friends so it wasn’t a complete loss. Carley’s family had something going on in Canmore so she was out there.
Ellie and I are good travelling companions. We can talk or drive in silence without feeling put upon. Yesterday we covered quite a bit about our kids as well as a few friends. We laughed, problem solved, gave each other advice.
James is continuing to paint Dave’s house so when we arrive, Ellie and I can see what progress has been made.
On to bigger and better things.
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Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
I made it here!
I arrived safe and sound on Monday and Ellie was there to pick me up. The flight was on time and there was no extraordinary construction on the 401 so I was at Mom’s by about 2:00. She was thrilled to see me.
For the most part, she seems fine – there were odd moments here and there where I noticed lapses but overall, she was fairly competent. There are definite deficits in the problem solving realm, however.
I have decided we need to sort out her filing cabinet so she has room to file the stuff that is taking over the other surfaces in her den. She is quite reluctant to get rid of old condo board meeting minutes and stuff about pot lucks that she organized 10 years ago. She also has a 2 inch thick file about the garage sales the building used to have. I am trying to throw the stuff out in bits and pieces so it isn’t too obvious. Some she is okay with getting rid of but other stuff … When she is not in the room, I have been quickly adding to the shredding pile and getting rid of some of this. I am keeping far more than I think is necessary but in order to keep her happy, it is necessary.
On Tuesday, I opened the door to the laundry room and just about fell over – the smell was awful. I asked Mom is she had any food in there but she said no. I kept looking around and finally found a bag of liquefied potatoes! She then remembered that she had put them in there a while ago but because she doesn’t use potatoes very often, she forgot about them. I have Febreezed the room several times and it is getting better but there is still a smell. Mom hasn’t had any sense of smell for years and apparently one of her workers doesn’t either and I guess the others didn’t want to comment.
On Thursday, Mom got her bad news. We phoned Motor Vehicles and they confirmed that her license has been revoked for medical reasons. Apparently it was done on the 21st so she should have her letter within a day or so. She is still very angry that the doctors, who have never seen her drive, are allowed to determine that she is not fit to drive. From talking to the person at the Medical Review Board, it appears that the concerns are for her cognitive skills.
We saw her family doctor on Wednesday and Dr. G. said that she is not willing to speculate on why the other doctors decided she is not fit to drive. Dr. G. did, however, give her the name of a company who will do driver testing – we called there and they want $495 to do the test but there are obviously no guarantees that she would pass. Apparently there is a 1-1½ hour computer test (you don’t need computer knowledge to do it) then a ½ hour driving test in a car with dual controls. After a week or so, they let you know if you have passed.
Susan, Mom’s personal support worker, who comes in 5 days a week – in the morning and again just after supper, noticed a dripping sound yesterday. I had heard it but did not think about where it might be coming from. She checked the air conditioner and said that was what she heard. I have never had apartment style air conditioning so I didn’t really know that it should not have a dripping sound. On Wednesday afternoon, while I was clearing out boxes and piles of paper, I found that there was damp spot on the carpet. I realized it was probably related to the dripping sound from the air conditioner. On our way out on Thursday, we talked to the building office manager and she and a cleaning lady came up. They found that the water hose was blocked and was causing the whole thing to overflow. It is all cleaned out now but the blower is not sounding right so the building superintendent, who is on holidays, will need to have a look at it on Monday when he is back. Mom figures this will cost her money and it is necessary to have the work done because she is in a condo apartment so if she doesn’t do it, it could cost her lots of money if anyone else’s apartment suffers damage.
In some ways, this was the deciding factor about the car – sounds convoluted but true. She is very conscious about her budget and refuses to spend unnecessary money on anything. She accidently bought the wrong toothpaste and while she dislikes what she bought, she refuses to buy another tube of what she likes because that will cost her. While this seems like a nonsense issue, because she has to spend money on the air conditioner, she has decided she doesn’t want to risk money on the driving test so she has agreed to give up driving. This is going to be so hard mentally for her because she is not ready to admit she is having problems with her independence.
Today, I need to finish the shredding, vacuum and tidy the den, water plants and a few other odds and ends.
For the most part, she seems fine – there were odd moments here and there where I noticed lapses but overall, she was fairly competent. There are definite deficits in the problem solving realm, however.
I have decided we need to sort out her filing cabinet so she has room to file the stuff that is taking over the other surfaces in her den. She is quite reluctant to get rid of old condo board meeting minutes and stuff about pot lucks that she organized 10 years ago. She also has a 2 inch thick file about the garage sales the building used to have. I am trying to throw the stuff out in bits and pieces so it isn’t too obvious. Some she is okay with getting rid of but other stuff … When she is not in the room, I have been quickly adding to the shredding pile and getting rid of some of this. I am keeping far more than I think is necessary but in order to keep her happy, it is necessary.
On Tuesday, I opened the door to the laundry room and just about fell over – the smell was awful. I asked Mom is she had any food in there but she said no. I kept looking around and finally found a bag of liquefied potatoes! She then remembered that she had put them in there a while ago but because she doesn’t use potatoes very often, she forgot about them. I have Febreezed the room several times and it is getting better but there is still a smell. Mom hasn’t had any sense of smell for years and apparently one of her workers doesn’t either and I guess the others didn’t want to comment.
On Thursday, Mom got her bad news. We phoned Motor Vehicles and they confirmed that her license has been revoked for medical reasons. Apparently it was done on the 21st so she should have her letter within a day or so. She is still very angry that the doctors, who have never seen her drive, are allowed to determine that she is not fit to drive. From talking to the person at the Medical Review Board, it appears that the concerns are for her cognitive skills.
We saw her family doctor on Wednesday and Dr. G. said that she is not willing to speculate on why the other doctors decided she is not fit to drive. Dr. G. did, however, give her the name of a company who will do driver testing – we called there and they want $495 to do the test but there are obviously no guarantees that she would pass. Apparently there is a 1-1½ hour computer test (you don’t need computer knowledge to do it) then a ½ hour driving test in a car with dual controls. After a week or so, they let you know if you have passed.
Susan, Mom’s personal support worker, who comes in 5 days a week – in the morning and again just after supper, noticed a dripping sound yesterday. I had heard it but did not think about where it might be coming from. She checked the air conditioner and said that was what she heard. I have never had apartment style air conditioning so I didn’t really know that it should not have a dripping sound. On Wednesday afternoon, while I was clearing out boxes and piles of paper, I found that there was damp spot on the carpet. I realized it was probably related to the dripping sound from the air conditioner. On our way out on Thursday, we talked to the building office manager and she and a cleaning lady came up. They found that the water hose was blocked and was causing the whole thing to overflow. It is all cleaned out now but the blower is not sounding right so the building superintendent, who is on holidays, will need to have a look at it on Monday when he is back. Mom figures this will cost her money and it is necessary to have the work done because she is in a condo apartment so if she doesn’t do it, it could cost her lots of money if anyone else’s apartment suffers damage.
In some ways, this was the deciding factor about the car – sounds convoluted but true. She is very conscious about her budget and refuses to spend unnecessary money on anything. She accidently bought the wrong toothpaste and while she dislikes what she bought, she refuses to buy another tube of what she likes because that will cost her. While this seems like a nonsense issue, because she has to spend money on the air conditioner, she has decided she doesn’t want to risk money on the driving test so she has agreed to give up driving. This is going to be so hard mentally for her because she is not ready to admit she is having problems with her independence.
Today, I need to finish the shredding, vacuum and tidy the den, water plants and a few other odds and ends.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Goodbye Calgary, Hello Toronto
Well, I am in the Calgary airport waiting for my flight to Toronto to visit my mother, and hopefully, leave with her car for my cross-Canada trip with Ellie.
I was in to see Jerry, my G.P. last week to renew some prescriptions and we were talking about this “field trip”. He is about my age and he and his siblings had the same problem with their mother. She did finally accept the decision that she wasn’t able to drive but she too was not happy.
I think I will try to get Mom in to see her family doctor while I am visiting. When I had called the hospital earlier this month to alert them to the fact that she did not believe her license had been rescinded, the nurse said they would send a copy of the letter to the family doctor so maybe if Mom hears it from her G.P., maybe she will believe. The other thing I am hoping is that the letter from Motor Vehicles arrives while I am there – that way she won’t be able to deny it as easily.
I was also talking to Jerry about Steve’s lack of appetite and the fact that he is losing weight – which makes sense as he is not eating. I also told him that I think Steve is depressed. His comment was that it is not surprising considering his view of his health and medicine has been proven wrong. I hadn’t thought about it that way but it does make sense to me. Uncle Billy-Bob's Mountain Men Medicine Blog might not be right - surely you jest!
On a happier note, James is going gung-ho on Dave’s housepainting. Dave was telling Melissa that they are amazed each day when they come home and see how far he has progressed. Dave also told Mel that James is a bit anal about getting it right – this suits Dave perfectly because it means his house will be well done rather than a half-hearted job. The downstairs is almost finished and James is planning to do the wall up the stairwell – this will be a “feature wall” so a different colour than the main colour. I am looking forward to seeing it all done by the time I get home in 2 weeks.
I decided to bring all of the receipts and bank statements that need to be reconciled, with me. With Mom having several naps a day, I am planning to go swimming each day (planning – whether it happens or not remains to be seen) and then get my bookkeeping up to date – the last few months have been a real gong-show and I just haven’t had the energy to even start – this will be my opportunity to get caught up. I bought a cute little receipt scanner that I am hoping to put to good use.
Well, my internet access for the next 2 weeks is going to be questionable – it depends on which of Mom’s neighbours have unsecured access but at least I can keep my thoughts up to date.
I was in to see Jerry, my G.P. last week to renew some prescriptions and we were talking about this “field trip”. He is about my age and he and his siblings had the same problem with their mother. She did finally accept the decision that she wasn’t able to drive but she too was not happy.
I think I will try to get Mom in to see her family doctor while I am visiting. When I had called the hospital earlier this month to alert them to the fact that she did not believe her license had been rescinded, the nurse said they would send a copy of the letter to the family doctor so maybe if Mom hears it from her G.P., maybe she will believe. The other thing I am hoping is that the letter from Motor Vehicles arrives while I am there – that way she won’t be able to deny it as easily.
I was also talking to Jerry about Steve’s lack of appetite and the fact that he is losing weight – which makes sense as he is not eating. I also told him that I think Steve is depressed. His comment was that it is not surprising considering his view of his health and medicine has been proven wrong. I hadn’t thought about it that way but it does make sense to me. Uncle Billy-Bob's Mountain Men Medicine Blog might not be right - surely you jest!
On a happier note, James is going gung-ho on Dave’s housepainting. Dave was telling Melissa that they are amazed each day when they come home and see how far he has progressed. Dave also told Mel that James is a bit anal about getting it right – this suits Dave perfectly because it means his house will be well done rather than a half-hearted job. The downstairs is almost finished and James is planning to do the wall up the stairwell – this will be a “feature wall” so a different colour than the main colour. I am looking forward to seeing it all done by the time I get home in 2 weeks.
I decided to bring all of the receipts and bank statements that need to be reconciled, with me. With Mom having several naps a day, I am planning to go swimming each day (planning – whether it happens or not remains to be seen) and then get my bookkeeping up to date – the last few months have been a real gong-show and I just haven’t had the energy to even start – this will be my opportunity to get caught up. I bought a cute little receipt scanner that I am hoping to put to good use.
Well, my internet access for the next 2 weeks is going to be questionable – it depends on which of Mom’s neighbours have unsecured access but at least I can keep my thoughts up to date.
Monday, July 13, 2009
False Alarm 2
We have invited the kids over for supper for Sunday to have turkey – the one that I discovered when we cleared out the freezer on Canada Day! Mel referred to it as Christmas in July.
James had a soccer game – they lost 7-2 unfortunately – so I took him while Steve stayed home to take care of the food.
We have always put bacon on the turkey – no one knows why – we just always do it. It is a very well loved tradition and there is always a fight over who gets to eat more. Anyway, Steve says the bacon was ready to come off the turkey and James and I weren’t home yet from his game, so he decided to take the turkey out of the oven. This would have been fine with a 5 lb turkey but this one was 15 lbs plus stuffing, pan, etc – probably about 20 lbs. He hasn’t been doing any exercise since his heart attacks and he had been told to not lift anything heavier than about 5 lbs so this was not a good thing.
After supper, his shoulder and back were hurting and his chest was bothering him so he decided to take his nitro-glycerine. He took 2 shots, waited 15 minutes and took another shot but it didn’t help, so off the hospital we went.
After running a bunch of tests – heart reading and blood work, etc – they decided that he had chest wall pain and there was nothing serious to worry about. We were actually in and out of the hospital in under 4 hours which is pretty remarkable.
I hope he learns that there are some things that he needs to be more careful about – not lifting heavy things is certainly one of them.
James had a soccer game – they lost 7-2 unfortunately – so I took him while Steve stayed home to take care of the food.
We have always put bacon on the turkey – no one knows why – we just always do it. It is a very well loved tradition and there is always a fight over who gets to eat more. Anyway, Steve says the bacon was ready to come off the turkey and James and I weren’t home yet from his game, so he decided to take the turkey out of the oven. This would have been fine with a 5 lb turkey but this one was 15 lbs plus stuffing, pan, etc – probably about 20 lbs. He hasn’t been doing any exercise since his heart attacks and he had been told to not lift anything heavier than about 5 lbs so this was not a good thing.
After supper, his shoulder and back were hurting and his chest was bothering him so he decided to take his nitro-glycerine. He took 2 shots, waited 15 minutes and took another shot but it didn’t help, so off the hospital we went.
After running a bunch of tests – heart reading and blood work, etc – they decided that he had chest wall pain and there was nothing serious to worry about. We were actually in and out of the hospital in under 4 hours which is pretty remarkable.
I hope he learns that there are some things that he needs to be more careful about – not lifting heavy things is certainly one of them.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
False Alarm
I decided to go in to work today for a few hours because with going away for 2 weeks, I need to do a bit of catching up before I leave.
Before I left, I was out taking Willow for her morning leg stretch, there was a phone call from the agency that provides Mom’s homecare workers. They simply said that an ambulance had been called for Mom and they were taking her to the hospital but no details other than that.
On that basis that I might have to leave for Toronto earlier than I expected, I headed into the office and waited a bit until I called the hospital. All they would say was that she hadn’t been seen by a doctor yet so to call back later. When I bought a long-distance calling card about 2 months ago, I certainly didn’t expect to get this much use out of it.
I called to Mom’s friends, Eleanor, to let her know that Mom was at the hospital because she is one who checks up on her regularly and was one of the ones who found her back in early June.
I called the hospital again and the nurse I talked to said that they had run some tests but would be releasing Mom home shortly. She wouldn’t tell me why Mom was there but said there was nothing serious.
A short while later, James called to say that Mom had called the house and for me to call her back. I did and she wanted to know who had called me because she hadn’t given permission to anyone to call me. I said that the agency knows I am her nearest next of kin so if she was taken to hospital, it made sense that they would call me. She was still quite perturbed that I had been called.
Her story is that she was feeling wobbly when she got up so she lay down on the couch in the den. When the phone rang when her homecare worker arrived, she got up to answer the call and she tripped and fell, hitting the sewing machine desk drawers. She says she went to the hospital by taxi, not by ambulance so I don’t know what to believe. I will have to talk to the agency on Monday and find out what really happened. Mom says she got a cut on her shoulder and is badly bruised – I guess I will find out how badly bruised next week when I arrive.
Ellie said she was talking to her mother about my Mom and looking for suggestions on how to get buy-in from Mom about moving. Ellie’s mom took the problem to her ladies’ group and one of the ladies suggested I get one of Mom’s friends to come with us when we go looking. When I was talking to Eleanor, I asked if she was willing to come and she said she would.
This next week should be interesting.
Before I left, I was out taking Willow for her morning leg stretch, there was a phone call from the agency that provides Mom’s homecare workers. They simply said that an ambulance had been called for Mom and they were taking her to the hospital but no details other than that.
On that basis that I might have to leave for Toronto earlier than I expected, I headed into the office and waited a bit until I called the hospital. All they would say was that she hadn’t been seen by a doctor yet so to call back later. When I bought a long-distance calling card about 2 months ago, I certainly didn’t expect to get this much use out of it.
I called to Mom’s friends, Eleanor, to let her know that Mom was at the hospital because she is one who checks up on her regularly and was one of the ones who found her back in early June.
I called the hospital again and the nurse I talked to said that they had run some tests but would be releasing Mom home shortly. She wouldn’t tell me why Mom was there but said there was nothing serious.
A short while later, James called to say that Mom had called the house and for me to call her back. I did and she wanted to know who had called me because she hadn’t given permission to anyone to call me. I said that the agency knows I am her nearest next of kin so if she was taken to hospital, it made sense that they would call me. She was still quite perturbed that I had been called.
Her story is that she was feeling wobbly when she got up so she lay down on the couch in the den. When the phone rang when her homecare worker arrived, she got up to answer the call and she tripped and fell, hitting the sewing machine desk drawers. She says she went to the hospital by taxi, not by ambulance so I don’t know what to believe. I will have to talk to the agency on Monday and find out what really happened. Mom says she got a cut on her shoulder and is badly bruised – I guess I will find out how badly bruised next week when I arrive.
Ellie said she was talking to her mother about my Mom and looking for suggestions on how to get buy-in from Mom about moving. Ellie’s mom took the problem to her ladies’ group and one of the ladies suggested I get one of Mom’s friends to come with us when we go looking. When I was talking to Eleanor, I asked if she was willing to come and she said she would.
This next week should be interesting.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
When does it get better?
A friend gave me a book a few years ago called “Managing to be Free”. It was about getting organized and setting priorities as a Christian woman. I think the time has come to read it again!
One of the concepts that really stood out in my mind was the question of whether I am a thermostat or a thermometer – Do I set the atmosphere in my home or do I simply react? These days I am really a thermometer - and I really need to work on that.
Steve is still not feeling well – the doctor has given him something for the tingling sensations but it isn’t as effective as he wants. He is not sleeping well so he was also given a prescription for amitriptyline – which used to be called Elavil. It is actually an anti-depressant but can be used as a sleeping aid. He is supposed to start by taking one pill a night and he can keep adding pills – as soon as it helps, he is supposed to stop at that dosage, until he reaches a max of 15 a night. After about 4 nights he decided it wasn’t working! What this means is that he doesn’t sleep at night so he is napping on and off all day.
On Sunday, I decided my goal was to keep him up all day – I think he has got his days and nights mixed up – like the kids did as babies! I did succeed by going to the Farmer’s Market then Ikea. We had a good day, all in all.
I am really frustrated with him and while I realize some of what is going on is not under his control, that doesn’t stop me from getting short-tempered. He decided far too soon, at least in my opinion, to stop taking the pills so I guess I am blaming him for not sleeping.
I think he may be suffering from depression so I talked to him about it. Since then, things almost seem to be getting a bit better – maybe just realizing what is happening to him has helped.
He attended the Cardiac Centre’s exercise program’s information session today. He says he didn’t learn anything new but at least he went. Now he has to call them tomorrow to set up a time that will work for him to actually attend the classes.
Mel arranged for flowers to my Mom today for her birthday tomorrow. Mom called me tonight to tell me they had arrived and they are lovely. BUT, then she told me that she called Motor Vehicles and they have no record of her license being cancelled so she is planning to drive to the drug store and the grocery store tomorrow because she was really missing not having a car. I have called the hospital to ask them to look into this but now that she isn’t a patient, they may not be able to do anything. I told the nurse I talked to that there is nothing I can do from a distance and if she has an accident, they will have to deal with the fallout, not me.
My visit in 10 days time should be interesting! Wish me luck.
One of the concepts that really stood out in my mind was the question of whether I am a thermostat or a thermometer – Do I set the atmosphere in my home or do I simply react? These days I am really a thermometer - and I really need to work on that.
Steve is still not feeling well – the doctor has given him something for the tingling sensations but it isn’t as effective as he wants. He is not sleeping well so he was also given a prescription for amitriptyline – which used to be called Elavil. It is actually an anti-depressant but can be used as a sleeping aid. He is supposed to start by taking one pill a night and he can keep adding pills – as soon as it helps, he is supposed to stop at that dosage, until he reaches a max of 15 a night. After about 4 nights he decided it wasn’t working! What this means is that he doesn’t sleep at night so he is napping on and off all day.
On Sunday, I decided my goal was to keep him up all day – I think he has got his days and nights mixed up – like the kids did as babies! I did succeed by going to the Farmer’s Market then Ikea. We had a good day, all in all.
I am really frustrated with him and while I realize some of what is going on is not under his control, that doesn’t stop me from getting short-tempered. He decided far too soon, at least in my opinion, to stop taking the pills so I guess I am blaming him for not sleeping.
I think he may be suffering from depression so I talked to him about it. Since then, things almost seem to be getting a bit better – maybe just realizing what is happening to him has helped.
He attended the Cardiac Centre’s exercise program’s information session today. He says he didn’t learn anything new but at least he went. Now he has to call them tomorrow to set up a time that will work for him to actually attend the classes.
Mel arranged for flowers to my Mom today for her birthday tomorrow. Mom called me tonight to tell me they had arrived and they are lovely. BUT, then she told me that she called Motor Vehicles and they have no record of her license being cancelled so she is planning to drive to the drug store and the grocery store tomorrow because she was really missing not having a car. I have called the hospital to ask them to look into this but now that she isn’t a patient, they may not be able to do anything. I told the nurse I talked to that there is nothing I can do from a distance and if she has an accident, they will have to deal with the fallout, not me.
My visit in 10 days time should be interesting! Wish me luck.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
When I got home Friday afternoon, the new fridge and washer and dryer were here. It’s funny how you get accustomed to something and when it changes, it just doesn’t feel right.
The new fridge is about 2 inches narrower and 2 inches deeper than the old fridge. That is fine but what will take a lot of getting used to is that the handle is on the other side so when I go to open it, it doesn’t work! We can move the handle but for the time being, we will leave it and see if we can get used to it.
While we were moving the washer and dryer around the room earlier this week so I could clean under them before the new appliances were installed, I discovered that Steve had never finished grouting the tiles on the floor when it was laid 12 years ago! You can tell I don’t pull things out very often!
The washer seems fine but the dryer doesn’t fit in the old spot the same way. Also, the plug is larger than the old plug so it does not fit well at all. We tried at Home Despot (aka Home Depot), Canadian Tire, and Home Hardware for adapters but nobody had anything. Finally Steve and James ended up pulling out the plug and box and turning it upside-down so there was clearance for the plug.
This developed into a different problem. After doing the first two loads, when I went to open the dryer, I got a mild shock. I told Steve and James about it so when the next load was finished, James went to open the dryer and got enough of a shock that he says it caused him to jump. They pulled it out again and realized that one of the wires had a tiny bare spot and that was touching the metal box – therefore the shocks. They fixed that and it seems to be working again.
The thing on the laundry pair that I need to get used to is how long the washer takes! My old washer took about 35 minutes and the dryer took about an hour. The new washer and dryer each take at least an hour, if not more, so I keep going down too early. The new washer and dryer both use considerably less energy so it won’t be an issue – it’s just a matter of getting used to it.
Mel got one cast off this week – her elbow. Here is her arm with all of its stitches!
She is not allowed to lift anything heavier than a small coffee cup for the next little while. The doctor is not sending her for physiotherapy yet either.
She got a new cast for her wrist – how she is pretty in blue! The cast technician said exactly the same as the previous cast technicians – her wrist was not set properly by the previous person. I sure hope that at least one of the techs knows what he/she is doing. I realize that everyone has their own way of doing things but her wrist is important and it has to work for many more years.
Her boss has someone in as a replacement until August so she has a bit more healing time before she is expected back to work. Her short-term disability payments have also kicked in so that is a relief.
I am hoping this weekend to manage to finish getting my computer in order. I have the files I need on it but they aren’t all in the right place so my programs are not usable yet. I will have to look at my older laptop and follow where things were located then I should be good to go.
The new fridge is about 2 inches narrower and 2 inches deeper than the old fridge. That is fine but what will take a lot of getting used to is that the handle is on the other side so when I go to open it, it doesn’t work! We can move the handle but for the time being, we will leave it and see if we can get used to it.
While we were moving the washer and dryer around the room earlier this week so I could clean under them before the new appliances were installed, I discovered that Steve had never finished grouting the tiles on the floor when it was laid 12 years ago! You can tell I don’t pull things out very often!
The washer seems fine but the dryer doesn’t fit in the old spot the same way. Also, the plug is larger than the old plug so it does not fit well at all. We tried at Home Despot (aka Home Depot), Canadian Tire, and Home Hardware for adapters but nobody had anything. Finally Steve and James ended up pulling out the plug and box and turning it upside-down so there was clearance for the plug.
This developed into a different problem. After doing the first two loads, when I went to open the dryer, I got a mild shock. I told Steve and James about it so when the next load was finished, James went to open the dryer and got enough of a shock that he says it caused him to jump. They pulled it out again and realized that one of the wires had a tiny bare spot and that was touching the metal box – therefore the shocks. They fixed that and it seems to be working again.
The thing on the laundry pair that I need to get used to is how long the washer takes! My old washer took about 35 minutes and the dryer took about an hour. The new washer and dryer each take at least an hour, if not more, so I keep going down too early. The new washer and dryer both use considerably less energy so it won’t be an issue – it’s just a matter of getting used to it.
Mel got one cast off this week – her elbow. Here is her arm with all of its stitches!
She is not allowed to lift anything heavier than a small coffee cup for the next little while. The doctor is not sending her for physiotherapy yet either.
She got a new cast for her wrist – how she is pretty in blue! The cast technician said exactly the same as the previous cast technicians – her wrist was not set properly by the previous person. I sure hope that at least one of the techs knows what he/she is doing. I realize that everyone has their own way of doing things but her wrist is important and it has to work for many more years.
Her boss has someone in as a replacement until August so she has a bit more healing time before she is expected back to work. Her short-term disability payments have also kicked in so that is a relief.
I am hoping this weekend to manage to finish getting my computer in order. I have the files I need on it but they aren’t all in the right place so my programs are not usable yet. I will have to look at my older laptop and follow where things were located then I should be good to go.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Childhood Memories
One of my co-workers and I were talking about things our mothers told us.
I remember my Mom telling me that if I looked at the clock with a pouty face, I would stop the clock. I never managed to stop the clock so I guess I didn’t pout long enough.
I remember “I don’t care about the other kids, I only care about you”. Or how about, “If you head wasn’t tied on, you would lose that too”. Another favourite “Think of all the poor starving children in China”. I was young long before Africa was a known problem. How many of us were told that if we didn’t do up our coats in winter, we would catch our death of a cold?
I remember as a teen trying to understand the rationale of a curfew – something about the trouble I could get into after midnight. I have always lost my impetus by 10:00 so if I had any intention of getting into trouble, it would be long before midnight!
I also grew up in the age of mini-skirts – the first time round. My grade 7 teacher wore very very short skirts and if she bent over, most of the boys in the class were very attentive because you could see everything she had on underneath. That was in the time when teachers wore dresses and skirts – no jeans in my era.
I saw the local firefighters testing a hydrant a few weeks ago and I remembered when we would run in the water as they were emptying it out – that was great fun. Our moms would send us out in the morning and only call us back at lunch, supper and bedtime – other than that, we were free to roam the neighbourhood for hours on end during the summer. We knew approximately what time it was because the local church bells would ring on the hour and we could hear them.
Suzy, Joanne, Andrea and I would play with our Barbie dolls for hours. I am an only child, Suzy had 4 brothers, Joanne had 2 brothers and Andrea had 2 brothers so we were overrun with boys but only 4 girls. Because I grew up in the Montreal area, the rest of the kids on our block were French speaking. My Mom says that at one point, in the span of one block, there were about 80 kids under the age of 10 living there. It’s a good thing that Suzy, Joanne and Andrea all got along well.
I guess there was Little League but none of us were involved – it was baseball on the street or in Andrea’s back yard – her Mom didn’t mind the worn grass. Andrea and her brother Chris has mid-summer birthdays and their Mom always decorated really neat cakes. We also had a watermelon party one year. What fun it was to spit out seeds at each other.
We also played Cowboys and Indians, long before it was politically incorrect. There were many games of Hide and Seek and Red Rover as well. We drank water out of the hose and ran through sprinklers.
We occasionally played school but there was nothing on TV during the day and anyway, our mothers would not let us stay inside unless it was raining so out we went.
Well, summer time is here and the living is easy so go out and enjoy the season.
I remember my Mom telling me that if I looked at the clock with a pouty face, I would stop the clock. I never managed to stop the clock so I guess I didn’t pout long enough.
I remember “I don’t care about the other kids, I only care about you”. Or how about, “If you head wasn’t tied on, you would lose that too”. Another favourite “Think of all the poor starving children in China”. I was young long before Africa was a known problem. How many of us were told that if we didn’t do up our coats in winter, we would catch our death of a cold?
I remember as a teen trying to understand the rationale of a curfew – something about the trouble I could get into after midnight. I have always lost my impetus by 10:00 so if I had any intention of getting into trouble, it would be long before midnight!
I also grew up in the age of mini-skirts – the first time round. My grade 7 teacher wore very very short skirts and if she bent over, most of the boys in the class were very attentive because you could see everything she had on underneath. That was in the time when teachers wore dresses and skirts – no jeans in my era.
I saw the local firefighters testing a hydrant a few weeks ago and I remembered when we would run in the water as they were emptying it out – that was great fun. Our moms would send us out in the morning and only call us back at lunch, supper and bedtime – other than that, we were free to roam the neighbourhood for hours on end during the summer. We knew approximately what time it was because the local church bells would ring on the hour and we could hear them.
Suzy, Joanne, Andrea and I would play with our Barbie dolls for hours. I am an only child, Suzy had 4 brothers, Joanne had 2 brothers and Andrea had 2 brothers so we were overrun with boys but only 4 girls. Because I grew up in the Montreal area, the rest of the kids on our block were French speaking. My Mom says that at one point, in the span of one block, there were about 80 kids under the age of 10 living there. It’s a good thing that Suzy, Joanne and Andrea all got along well.
I guess there was Little League but none of us were involved – it was baseball on the street or in Andrea’s back yard – her Mom didn’t mind the worn grass. Andrea and her brother Chris has mid-summer birthdays and their Mom always decorated really neat cakes. We also had a watermelon party one year. What fun it was to spit out seeds at each other.
We also played Cowboys and Indians, long before it was politically incorrect. There were many games of Hide and Seek and Red Rover as well. We drank water out of the hose and ran through sprinklers.
We occasionally played school but there was nothing on TV during the day and anyway, our mothers would not let us stay inside unless it was raining so out we went.
Well, summer time is here and the living is easy so go out and enjoy the season.
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