Monday report: rain, Butch, hummers

  The day dawned. I woke with NO chills, NO headache, and I was so relieved. A bagel! I ate a bagel! It went right through me, but what can one do? 

The day wasn't perfect. As I sat here, trying to help JB find lightningmaps.org, I spilled my entire cup of coffee on my side table. You may giggle. It's OK. I swore. I did. I'm going to have to use some carpet cleaner on it, but not today. 

The only casualty was my fan. Now, we bought this fan on our 4th date in Cuba. I've broken one part of it, but otherwise it is good. It's a wonderful tool, for someone with power surges. I rinsed it off, but may have to do something else with it. Cinnamon inspected it, where it was drying in the bathtub. It smells like coffee!

We took off for a couple of days on Dec. 26, 2002, my birthday, while Caitlin looked after her brothers. They were due to stay with their father later that day. She drove us to the airport, in the minivan. 

Back to the present, I spotted a monarch sipping nectar from a clover blossom on Sunday. So lovely. You'll have to picture it in your mind, as I did not capture it.

We've had some nice summer heat, but today the call was for rain. I made JB go and bring my bench cushions in. Northern Ontario is getting a big storm. 

I decided to read on the back deck. Hoping to jinx it for some rain, I did! Coming indoors, however, it stopped. We are the stone in the river. The precipitation flows around us, breaking up over the land. I made JB put the cushions back out on the bench for me. It was lovely, in the wind, only two mosquitoes, sent to their demise. I still can't sit up for long. 

Having made some new hummingbird food in the morning, I cleaned and refilled the feeders in the afternoon. I'm taking small steps. Well, maybe not for the hummers. It's a big deal! My late mom's hummers used to peer in the window at me, after she died, if I didn't refill her feeders in good time.

My dear friend sent me a surprise. Bless your heart, Nat! She lives in Timmins. What a thoughtful thing to do. You see, I have friends, they are just far away. Bless her!

As I read on my bench I looked up, and there was Blond Butch, and Nutmeg. Cats have always had a peculiar relationship with Butch. surprise! 

 

Up top, on the deck, I'd noticed the cedar waxwings. They nested in one of the big pines one year. What I love seeing is that once the babies have fledged, they fly like a little squadron from large pine to large pine. This one landed in the lilac with another one. cedar waxwing  

We're watching another Britbox series, Bancroft, It's very dark, much like House of Cards, dark. It's a distraction, but it is cleverly written. It's almost like doomscrolling, as things go from bad to worse. Ya gotta love hating the evil female character! As we sat there watching, the heavens dumped rain.

We had 7.6 mm rain in about 10 minutes. Just a little pop-up cell. It was quite something. Today our high temperature is 12 C.  What's with this? 

 Unfortunately, this little storm went on to Mascouche, Quebec, and caused some havok, downing trees, damaging homes, and displacing 50 -100 people. The Red Cross was called in. Hooray for the first responders, too. Smashed windows, crushed rooves, and cars. A two-story house undergoing renos pushed off its foundations. We are grateful to be safe here. One dude opened his window to look, and couldn't get it shut, with debris flying into his house. Whoopsie. Lesson learned.

🍕JB hauled home a Hawaiian pizza for me for dinner. After food turning my stomach for a week, I had a craving. I'm sure there are protocols for those reintroducing their stomach to real food. I didn't follow them.  I was awake until 12:30 with cramps. Small steps! 

Today, with much relief, JB gets his quarterly cancer treatment injection. It's a process. He had a good PSA test last week, no change. He had his 2nd vaccine two weeks ago and, on the recommendation of our GP, and the pharmacist, after phone consults, he can now have his Lupron after this wait. Thankfully, he only has to go to out local GP's office in town, not Ottawa. It's complicated! 

We've no girls this week, as I recover. They had fun on Father's Day. They went strawberry picking, after doing up Papa's hair! Hooray for the photostream where we live vicariously. He's a good sport. They have so much fun. 

Monday into town

They are still working on the senior's home! I've been taking photos. I like watching a build.


The DAROU Farmhouse is being taken down for rebuild elsewhere. Again, I've been taking photos!


We had a purpose... I wanted to get a flu shot.
After my flu shot at the drug store

– we went to the cafe to pick up some lunch. We brought it home and had it in the peace and quiet. I had a beef bowl, hubby had pea soup, with his regular wraps at home. They have two salads, cauliflower and spinach. The bowls are my favourite. Hubby often brings me home a bowl for lunch. While he waits, he has a cappuccino.


Their map dates to 1950!



My new arrangement at the road.


Before the snow, and after!


Winter, bring it on!

Healthcare Appointment #60

 I'm not feeling well. Stomach cramps, high blood pressure, sick to my stomach. I've been having some extended family issues that have stressed me out. This is how my body reacts to stress, irritable bowel syndrome. It got really bad after hubby's surgery in 2013. It comes and goes.

We had a road trip, though.

That said we were off to another treatment appointment for hubby. Crows, traffic; what me worry? The sick guy was feeling fine! He's been taking good care of me.

It was a very nice day. Twenty three degrees C. We left at 10 a.m., most of the rush hour traffic was gone. The corn and sow beans are growing well, despite the lack of rain. I love the farms.


Through North Gower, where I used to live.


Kars, where I used to teach gr. 6.


We drive on River Rd., which has lots to see. It turns into Riverside Dr., where they are practicing dragon boating!


The homes are amazing. All I think of is all that house cleaning! I do find it fun looking them up.

1534 River Rd. is for sale! Only $2.5 million!

5 bedrooms, 5 bath. On the river.

Pool and hot tub, wine cellar, sauna, steam room, 3-car garage, you name it!

What I like best is the seating area, although we don't know that many people to visit!

This is only one of the large suburban homes!


These apartments look out over the Ottawa River. Ottawa is a lovely city.


Construction, it's going to be worse, they are redoing the asphalt soon.


The newly renovated Canada Science and Technology Museum.


Robbie's for lunch, as usual.


One man and his wife left an examination room, and came back out. They took him back in, and were looking for his wife. She was around the corning of the waiting area. She shook her head, NO. I was sitting in the middle and signaled to the nurse and hubby that she declined. They went in without her. I said to her, loudly, "I hear you, sister!" One can only take so much!

There was a man there with two ambulance attendants and a social worker. He was from another city to the south. The social worker was helping him fill in his forms, he would have to repeat his address and phone number for her to write it down. There is very little privacy.

We arrived for the appointment at 12:40, after lunch. Our appointment was for 13:15 and they ask us to be there 15 minutes early. Hah! We didn't get into our appointment until 14:05. They were packed, as they were on vacay last week. We should have been in here 12 weeks after the last one. The medical residents were young, and cheerful. Our visit was succinct.

The needle! We pick it up at our local pharmacy and take it to the appointment. It's delivered into his hip. He's sore this morning, which is to be expected. It's doing its job.


The sink reminds me of my friend Ruby's story about the woman who put her purse in a public sink, in front of an automatic tap. Her purse filled with water, and soaked her wallet, iPhone, etc. Then she dumped the water onto the floor and complained to Ruby, warning her that she needed to get someone in to clean up the floor. One of the 1% in Muskoka!


They asked him about his symptoms, reviewed his tests, and agreed to keep on carrying on. The good news is that the next two treatments, November and January, we can do nearby in town, with our GP. Yippee! We are at the watchful stage. Eventually, the treatments will no longer work and we will deal with that then. The cancer cells become inured to the chemicals.

We saw this building being built, that's how long we've been on this road!


Homeward bound. Would you ride on this bike? It looks scary to me.


As we drove home, the clouds began to accumulate. We had a bit of rain on the way, but none at home!


I heard a weather chaser tell us that if the precipitation is green, it's likely hail!


I tried to imagine the message I could put on these message boards as they were delivered to wherever they should be going!


Now, this is the reason why I gird my loins before we leave. We drive about the speed limit. We leave in enough time to get there safely, others would rather not. Two in a row, at first.



Home safe, I checked in (on-line) with Caitlin and her family. They have made it from Ottawa to Chicago, Turkey, Ethiopia, on safari in Tanzania, then Paris, Zurich to Singapore, having a blast. They are using travel points of some sort. They are on a world tour! We did Facetime a few days ago. They were in an AirBnB in Paris for a week. I'm writing them a book of their travels, they post blog photos for friends and family. It is fun watching them from my easy chair.