Normal for the world....

 Or normal for a McGrath?  I would really hate to be normal!  But I am really glad that your fears were unfounded.  I now have new shingles on my house and a dryer that works. Thank the powers that be that there are people who know how to do those things!  I would be a blubbering mess if I had to do it!  But now the bank balance I have been slobbering over has been reduced to basics again☹️  But at least I had saved enough to pay for it. I even had extra since the shingles were a lot cheaper than I expected.  So I am eyeing a couple of wooden chairs that the cat can’t destroy. Jim and I visited a friend on Tuesday, before the restrictions came into place. We drank a bottle of wine and ate a spread of meat and cheese and dips and veggies and snackers and sat outside in the sun. The next day it snowed. Welcome to Manitoba.  

Evidently I'm normal

 for my age, that is. My problem with memory is just part of normal human aging.  It was a lengthy test, and at one point I was so surprised, at how much trouble I had, that I started to cry, but he just plugged along.  They gave David a form to fill out--what he sees--and then she left the room and we filled it out together.  So I'm perfectly normal.  I don't want to be normal, I want to be exceptional, but I guess that could go two ways.  He did suggest that I might want to look further into the possibility that I might be depressed, but refused to comment any further on that.  My mental comment on that was "damn straight!".

So we carry on.  We have no idea what may have caused my headaches, exhaustion, and temporary confusion.  Prior to the test, and since, I am feeling very stressed--almost a fight or flight kind of stress.  I'm not sure how to deal with that, but a shower, two hours of "The Masked Singer", and a shot of brandy, followed by bed, might help.

Just wanted to let everyone know.

Rough day

 Yesterday I posted my feelings (see other blog) after hearing the new Covid restrictions that come into law at midnight tonight. The noon newscast had not been clear about how they might effect the Gallery.  However, going by the way things worked last year, I had every reason to expect that it would be closed, just as it had been when my show had been previously scheduled.  I was devastated and somewhat subdued ( and maybe a little weepy) all day.  But this morning's newspaper states that galleries and museums can be open with the same  reduced capacity that we've been working with all along.  I don't think I can express how relieved I am.  

Other than dealing with the emotional aspect of the above, yesterday was a very quiet day.  I puttered a tiny bit in the studio, putting foiling glue on a couple of the postcards, but nothing otherwise. I also looked through my Japanese Bookbinding book.  I had seen how one of the books shown in my Cloth to Codex book was made, and had thought that she might have been very influenced by this book, that she had recommended to us.  But not so.  So I have to go with my take on how the finished book she showed had been made.  My way should work, and now I'm glad to finally have worked that out in my mind.

I received the paper work for my appointment tomorrow and it is definitely with a neurologist, not a psychologist. I also received a letter informing me of a telephone appointment with a Neurologist at HSC in August. I won't reply in any way to that one until after tomorrow, and then probably cancel it. So the next step is to sit and wait.

Stay safe ladies!

"Show Hung" indeed.

 Pati, your message was happy and uplifting to know you are increasing your energy and actually out to the Show to hang your works. And apparently making more to take? And yes it will be interesting to see what your assessment might look like on Wednesday. And I expect I too, would pull out my books/notes and review a bit so Gail should maybe not giggle too loud. haha!

It is cold here and the heaters are on full strength in the greenhouses and after an initial look this morning I believe we should be OK yet  again. But running out of space to put them as they grow bigger and bigger. We saw a man at a stand in the next town with tomato plants similar in size to ours although we did not have a good look driving by, that he wanted $15.00 each. I could easily set up a table on our corner and make a few dollars if I wanted - which I do not want haha! 

So our gardening life continues on in nice days and in cold days. Very few of those days I looked forward to in sitting outside in chairs and relaxing. Maybe they will come later ( do you think?)

Time to feed the birds and let the cats out of confinement for the day. I have to cover the bird cages in this case as the cats still think it might be nice to catch a birdie or two.

Take care all, and keep in touch. Love XX

Show hung. (sounds suspiciously oriental, doesn't it?)

 We appear to be managing day to day.  This week I've had the energy to putter at the housework, but didn't get a lot done in the studio.  The brain fog is diminishing.  I have an appointment with the neurologist for next Wednesday.  That was quickly arranged, only a couple of days between referral and the phone call.  The lady who called said "this is about your memory", which gave me pause.  I'm now suspicious that this  may be a psychologist, not a neurologist?  Just my normal paranoia, I guess.  But, I've looked back to my days doing dementia assessment after dementia assessment, and have been studying, just in case. I told Gail that I was studying for my dementia test, and she had a good giggle.

We hung the show in Selkirk today. Probably using the "royal we" there, as two other ladies did most of the work and David and I just watched.  The fourth lady dropped her stuff off, signed the papers and left, but David and I hung around until spots had been selected for my stuff, and the reporter from the local paper interviewed me.  She was interviewing the other two as we left, but I was more than ready to get home.  I had driven out there--just my second time driving over the past month--but David drove home.  Part of being in the show is that I have to volunteer, at least once a week, during the show, and am hoping not to be a burden on David in doing that.  There were only a few other cards, and the ladies were taken with my postcards, so some of them have been placed on the tops of a couple of low plinths within the show itself, rather than on a separate table along with the other cards.  It was also suggested that I take even more out, so this afternoon I played around with some of the Lino blocks I carved last summer.  I may get 5-6 cards from those, and it will give me something to play with. 

David and I talked about the larger quilt top I found in the studio, and he agreed that I might want to send it out to be quilted.  I called the lady and she'll be in to pick it up tomorrow.  That meant that yesterday was spent getting the back and batting cut and ready for her.  

So I'm still struggling with my energy level, but my head is clearer. I'll be interested in what might happen on Wednesday.  Until then, I have energy for housework but not much left over for the studio.  And vice Versa.  I can't do both.  But--ta da--I'm sure sleeping a lot better with using all of what energy I have, along with a bit of a tipple before bed, of course.

Can there be too much eating out? (long)

 With my many interactions with the medical community, we have eaten out too much this week, and it's showing both at the scale and in the pocketbook. While I've been feeling that we might both need a bit of an award for dealing with all of the crap that's going on out there, but at the same time, I just haven't had the energy to both plan and prepare a meal.  David is a real help in that he gets most of his own meals together, but they tend to be quite routine, and not terribly in accordance with the National food Guide.

My doctor has told me that the assessment from St. Boniface did not suggest any correlation between Covid, the vaccination, and my recent difficulties.  He didn't yet have any results from the the MRI, as it had been done the evening before, and he promised to phone me with the results as soon as he has them. He agreed with the opinion from St. Boniface, and has referred me to a Neurologist from within the Clinic, believing that I could be seen within a month.  This is becoming quite frightening for me. It's not always a good thing to have some, but not a lot, of knowledge about such things. 

But I've given myself a job to divert my thinking.  We are increasing the pace of the dissolution of the studio.  It won't be easy when one can't use the excuse of knowing what might be done with something, without an accompanying idea of when and how it might actually happen.  So while I try to be honest with myself, David quickly removes things and gets them out of my sight, and, hopefully, forgotten.  We've only just started and very little has been accomplished, but there is intent on my part.  That's always been the stumbling block during other attempts.

The rest of the house isn't that bad, as we've spent some Covid time in sorting things, and throwing things out.  Not books though, so maybe I need to do a bit more work there. The daily housework remains a chore, but I'm trying to develop some sort of routine via my BuJo. I've set up target tasks and times, but have given myself permission to miss a deadline--even to the point of breaking a task down into components and listing the components separately.  Silliness, maybe, but it gives me a few non-demanding ways of accomplishing things, that work into my unpredictable energy flow.  I've been doing this for about a month, and to a certain extent it's working.  I'm also being quite vigilant in recording meetings and appointments in the BuJo, as a memory aid, and find that working very well.  But, there is nothing like finding that the book says I have a meeting today, of which I have no memory, and can't find the info.  That's always fun.  But I find that half of the meetings don't really matter, in any case.

Sorry this is so long.  Obviously I'm a little apprehensive about the future, but know that I can share with my sisters, and have their support, at a distance, in whatever that future holds.

I am so cold... I need some nice warm weather!~

 Good morning and hope you are all well as we approach the end of April. The weather is playing tricks on us with this cold and snow and it is starting to get to me I think. I lay shivering with cold all night so had a very restless night and consequently a little slow motion this morning. But I'll drink my coffee and start to unwind a bit by writing a few words. I just checked my Lottery numbers and even those showed no action. (ie I did not win)

Stayed inside all day yesterday because of the weather (except to take the dogs for their walks) and of all things cleaned the hall linen closet and organized it all, and have a few bags of unwanted items with which I have no idea what to do. I'll store some old sheets in the shed for potential 'covering up" outside as i know I will need those before this growing and harvesting season is done. And bags of new dishcloths ( why was I saving these anyway???) so I plan to use them now - just throw out all the grungy ones as i use them up.  And my next plan is to get the sealer jars organized so I will have them to make my Rhubarb Pineapple Jam in a little while. I have been watching the rhubarb gradually grow and I think I shall have a nice crop this year. I am anxious to get that done as I have NO jars of this jam left on the shelf from last year.

We continue to adhere to the restrictions in place and listen with great anticipation to the news all about our poor Premier who is getting a real lambbasting for the inconsistent messaging being put out by the government. Flip flopping with rules as the public protest. Someone on the radio called it a "gong show". 

So take care all...I am reading another Dorothea Benton Franks book.  Pati you recommended not to read them all back to back and you were right. The pattern in her writing is so predictable and i am tiring a bit of the way it is written - sort of rough colloquial language. But i will persist only because I can pick it up before bed and mindlessly read for a bit haha!   So long for now......💏

And so it begins.....

 Got a call yesterday offering me an appointment for an MRI late this afternoon. This was something quite new for me and not something I want to repeat.  I was tired and scared, walking in alone.  Then things got complicated with two nurses giving me different instructions, that I could barely make out as I wasn't wearing hearing aids--as per instructions.  One of them put in an IV, after having difficulty finding a spot to insert it, given the bruising I still have in both arms from my time in emergency.  She ended up putting it in on the back of my right hand.  I have to say, that after it was out, I couldn't see any mark to tell where it had been.  I mentioned that I was curious why it had been requested, and the technician read the exact instructions full of detailed obscure medical terms, with the only explanation being that they want to know if I'm suffering from some sort of degenerative neuromuscular problem.  I tend to think that the average 76 year old lady, slightly foggy brained, wouldn't know what he was talking about, or might have just enough general knowledge to be scared stiff.  However, he treated me well during the procedure, so I have to give him credit for that.

Tomorrow, I see my own doctor, and have a list of questions to ask.  If he's not rushed and in a good mood, he may answer them.  David will be with me, and I hope his questions are answered too.  I know he's worried about my headaches, the ones that I see as just another symptom.

Today, for the first time since my vaccination, I felt the "brain fog" lifting a bit.  I'm still very tired, but found myself able to putter, a bit, downstairs.   I now have my inventory list for the show, and everything is labelled and ready to go.  I want to type up the inventory, and will have to make my own tags for everything.  I'm just hoping that I have enough endurance to take an active part in the hanging next Sunday.

After a supper at A&W, and a shower, I look forward to relaxing for a few minutes before an early bed.

A quickie Federal Budget

 Just listened to the highlights of the Federal budget:

Congrats to those in our family who shall be getting an increase in OAS. Those of us who are left out of that increase shall applaud you and hope you spend it wisely haha!

I am sure there is more to come.......XX

Life in Neepawa

I finally got my first Pfizer shot yesterday.  I was fine after the shot, but this morning I had a headache, I was tired and my arm ached.  By evening my arm is still a bit sore, and I am a bit tired, but that is it. And in 6 short days I will be 53% protected.... in 13 days I will be 70% protected and they have no idea when I may be able to get my second shot.  They are no longer even guessing.  I took the dog for a walk this morning but the wind was so bitter that we cut it short.  Where we usually cut through a trail in the bush and then come back the half mile from the edge of the quarter we paused in the bush, out of the wind, and then came straight back home.  I have yet to have the privilege of driving the new car, but it is just about the same as the old one.  When I am in it I only realize that it is new when I look outside and see red instead of grey.  It does have lane warning and front pedestrian warning on it.  Hopefully I don't need them.  I picked up some material for Rrain when I was in Brandon.  First I had to find an employee to direct me to where I was going.  Then I took pictures and texted them to Rrain, and then she texted me back and then I had to pretend that I knew what the people in the store were talking about.  They were very friendly (staff and customers) and were talking to me about quilting and what patterns I was going to use the material for etc etc.  One woman told me she was buying for pajamas for her 7 year old granddaughter....I said I was buying for something for my 45 year old daughter. I had no idea what.  Material is expensive!!  I bought 5 metres at 55% off, with a membership card and it was still $63!  I am also really pissed off.  They did a credit check when we bought the car.  My credit rating dropped 12 points.  Jim's remained steady at 36 points higher than mine.  And who pays all the bills in the family?! Who said life is fair.  And the weather is not very nice either.  It reached 19c yesterday.  Today it reached 1C and it snowed agaiin.  My new mantra is "moisture....be happy".

Sounding as if life is moving on...

 Nice to read your message Pati that things may be better - at least you are programming yourself for "better" and that is always a good sign. And Cathy, how are you two getting along. Nice to be in your new car?

Quite a change in lockdown strategies here in Ontario now. The police can stop anyone out on the roads or streets and ask particular questions to ascertain their reason, since we should all be 'staying at home". 

Tomorrow is my first appointment in North Bay to see the Eye Specialist with intent for Surgery, I do not know if these types of Surgeries are cancelled in the growing list of cancellations at the Hospital for "elective" surgeries but I shall have my fingers crossed that it is not so. I am too anxious now to get my left eye fixed. We will take a chance while there to do a little shopping at Fresco likely to stock up again. We order from Amazon a lot such as cat food and bird seed etc but still like my fresh foods from the store haha! 

Lots of working outside yesterday in spite of cooler temperatures but I love the puttering and fixing up. I have two chairs set up at the back and we actually sat in them for a time with drink in hand. The neighbours across the street are going crazy with cutting down the big trees along their property parallel to the road. It looks so strange to see them all go especially when we have the same along our property line - it looked nice before with the two columns on either side embracing the road. Now they have stumps about two feet high on their side. I wonder if they plan to remove the stumps?

Time for some breakfast and then - you know it - on with my day haha! Take care 

Coming to the surface

 Starting to feel normal, but the exhaustion is still hanging around, so pacing my work is the new mantra.  Right now I'm working on postcards.  In these shows, where there are 4-5 people in the gallery at one time, there is usually a table set aside for displaying greeting cards.  These are often photos of various paintings the artists have made, but my art doesn't lend itself readily to that.  At least, that's my story.  The truth might be more along the lines of my computer skills not being up to making that sort of card, but my skill in making post cards is well developed, and they might just prove to be something different.  Gail has lent me a clear plastic device for displaying them, and my goal is to almost fill it, but leave just enough room for browsing.

The snow is leaving, but not quite as quickly as it came.  I'm now at the stage of do I or don't I put the duvet away for he summer.  I know it was cooler than this when I brought it out last fall, but I still find comfort in curling up under it to sleep.  I had to wash both the wrist brace and the arm splint on Thursday, and have now had two nights without them, sleeping quite well.  But, alas, they are both now dry and no more excuse.

Today, we went grocery shopping and found chicken breasts on sale.  They have been so very expensive lately, and this price could not be ignored.  I ended up buy four trays of them, all of which had filet attached so two extra meals there.  Tomorrow is a meeting out in Selkirk, and I will be driving myself (unless I wake up totally out of sorts, and end up begging David to take me).  I expect that this will mean me getting home and being more than ready to nap.  That will mean a lost day in terms of studio work, but I've promised myself to focus on self care for now.  It won't be easy to do, but do-able, as long as I remain firm in my resolve.

My new hearing aid bothers me a bit.  This is the ear in which I have been wearing an "in ear" aid for about 25 years, so I don't think I can blame "getting used to it", as an excuse.  I'll have to make a decision by Monday, about calling and making an appointment to have it seen to.  Instead of trying to position as many errands as possible into one day, I'm having to adjust my thinking to spreading them out--not a good strategy during a Covid semi-lockdown.

Supper's finished, and as much clean-up as is going to be done, done.  My very special Saturday night tv shows start in 5 minutes.  Sleep well and stay safe.

Still hanging in

 So much snow--probably more than we had at any one  time all winter.  After getting the patio furniture out just over a week ago, poor David had to re-organize his garage yet again yesterday, to get the snow blower out from where it had been stored.  He got the driveway cleared--there had been a fairly big drift right across just between the houses, as per usual.  We tried to leave early for my appointment at the Audiologist, and made it with about 5 minutes to spare.   So now I have my new hearing aid and a whole bag of "stuff" that goes with it.  It seems that they're really serious about how the device is cleaned.  I have sprays, wipes and cleaning clothes, and well as several different sizes of tiny brushes.  Then I have a little container that is plugged into the wall.  Every night I'm to put both devices into the container (without batteries) and close the lid. Then they are run through a 45 minute dehumidifying process followed by a sanitizing process.

There were so many stores I would have liked to visit while we were over on the other side of town, but common sense prevailed.  We came back to our neighbourhood along main streets, as they were less snow-filled and so less slippery.  Went to Walmart and picked up pills. Then we went to Smitty's for lunch.  We had both enjoyed our breakfast there awhile ago, and it was just as pleasant later in the day.  However, a more expensive menu was in place.  Finally, we stopped at the Credit Union, and paid off the credit card.  I had put the hearing aid on the credit card so as to create a bit of a paper trail.

Even with just these three things, and a good break/rest between errands, I was pretty tired by the end of the excursion.  As lunch had been quite late, there was no supper.  I managed the day without a nap for the first time in two weeks, but it was to bed early, and a solid sleep.

We had trouble starting the car, when we left the restaurant, so David is taking it in early this morning, so I'm looking forward to another quiet day.  Maybe I can play with the toys I got with the hearing aid yesterday.

It appears that finally leaving the house is dangerous

 Today we gave in and bought a new car.  The warranty is up on the current car (I don't want to say old since it is a 2018) and that was a deciding factor for Jim.  You can't even take these newer cars to your friendly mechanic since everything is computerized now.  We bought another Equinox.  The same model as our current one, but it is Cajun Red instead of the steel blue/gray that everyone seems to have.  Watch..... everyone is now going to buy a red car.  But now I am in debt again for the next five years .We also got the quote for fixing our roof and it was waaaay  less than I expected so that is really good news. And it is snowing here.  I have never seen so many people so happy to have snow in the middle of April. And all hoping that it keeps up!  I didn't take Lucky for his walk this morning, but he seems quite content to watch the snow through the window.  We did play in the snow a bit.  I shoveled off the patio and left it all in a pile.  He dived in and was burying his face over and over.  He chased snowballs and then decided that was enough.  But him not getting exercise means I don't exercise which is not that good.  But my joints can probably use a break for a while. Once again I am trying to type this with a cat sitting on my lap demanding attention.  She tries to sit on the keyboard so I that I have to pay attention to her.  So, other than spending thousands of dollars today all I have done is laundry and dishes.  Everyday is the same, but we have a home and food so we are way better than some.  

It appears to be Monday--again.

 I wish I could post an up-beat optimistic post, but it's not to be.  While I don't think the confusion continues, my energy level is dismal.  I'm managing to look after myself, and to keep up with the dishes ( a bit of a job, even with a dishwasher).  My sense of taste is not quite right.  I'm not even wanting to try coffee, and nausea ( but not vomiting) controls my food choices--which are not great right now. I appear to be living on bread and butter with a bit of chicken thrown in. We spend the day watching animal rescue shows on the higher channels of tv.  I haven't been in the studio in several days, but am working on perfecting my hand-done running stitch on hand dyed cotton Damask.  This is the most basic of all the hand embroidery stitches, and that's just fine with me.  I'm using some very good quality thread I was given, and I'm enjoying what is being done.

Loren was over for a bit on Saturday.  We had a good, socially-distanced visit.  He's doing a lot of biking, but still is looking even more like his father did a few years ago.  He talked more about his long range retirement plans.  Jeremy remains happy in a job he loves, but Gillian did not get into law school, although she remains on the waiting list.  Evidently, this list is not a dead end, and there is still faint hope of getting in, if not next year the year after that. But that means she has to think about getting more than a summer job, as she graduates this yea, with a degree in Criminal Justice.

Later that day Amber phoned, and we chatted for about an hour and a half.  After Jessica being diagnosed as learning disabled, the school made some adjustments in the way she is being taught, and she is doing well and enjoying school now.  She also, finally, got her first "A", in English of all things (93%).  This is a wonderful thing to happen for this family, although their finances have suffered with Darren not doing any guiding this spring.

With everything that's been going on, my appointment for my new hearing aid was pushed back, and is now tomorrow.  I dug everything I got with the last one, out of the drawer, and I'm shocked at how much there is and how little I've used over the past year.  And now I get as much again and more.  I think I need to start a better care plan for the darn things,  at least that's what all these extra supplies are telling me.

Well, that's my energy budget for the day.  Back to  wildlife videos.  Whoopee!

Wow!

 My day certainly can't compete with yours!  When I started to read I was going to make a snarky comment about some people getting rain, but after I finished I just shook my head.  I sure hope you are feeling better. We MAY get some moisture next week.  Quite a bit of snow is in the forecast.  Not my moisture of preference but we take what we can get.  A lot of farmers around here are trying to get some things planted just in case we do get some moisture.  And now Jim wants something so I must end quickly and see what is happening.  I'm sure it is just wanting to know if I want to watch TV.

Rain!

Yes, we had rain yesterday and it has appeared to have lasted most of the night, although not in any heavy downpour way.  It's good to know that it has been a bit rainy over most of the province and not just in the city.  Things are starting to "green up", and I even saw a rabbit eating the fresh new green grass, in the yard yesterday evening.

My reaction to the vaccine has lasted a little longer than expected.  Wednesday morning I was not in good shape and we called Health Links to see if this was just a bad reaction to the vaccine or maybe something more serious.  Toward the end of the conversation, after talking to three nurses ( in ascending order of rank) we were told that if we didn't take me into St. Boniface emergency, she would send an ambulance to take me there.  She said that she was worried about a "slow bleed".  She also said that she would be sending them a report about our conversation. So off we went.  David promised me that we would go out for dinner after he picked me up.

David dropped me off, just before 2:00, as he was told he couldn't stay.  We noticed 7 ambulances waiting out side the ER. I didn't get into the initial triage until about 2:45.  The waiting room was packed, and extra chairs had been brought in. As will often happen in such a situation, the people talk, and after awhile, develop a sense of comradery.  There was joking, but as well, a few miserable souls who refused to take part.  There were even cheers when one of the friendly group was called in, or when the drink machine in the corner actually produced a drink in response to cash.  When I was called for blood work, we discovered that I had been sitting next to another woman named Patricia.  We go to chatting and I found out she was a retired nurse, now living in Lorette. W had several concerned conversations about things we were seeing. My blood was taken in a major hallway just to the side of the ER.  It had been sectioned off, with screens, so as to allow free passage, but to also several allow small areas of privacy for patient care.  Finally, about 9:00, I was called for assessment and treatment.  I was taken to the usual small room with a bed, overbed table and a low stool, along with mysterious equipment attached to the walls.  No chair.  About 10:30, I was assessed by a nurse and a medical student.  Shortly after, I saw a doctor and the medical student again, to repeat several of the tests the student had done.  They went away to confer, and then the doctor on the next shift came in, and told me that they were sending me for a CT Scan. After a long time a nurse came to say that she had to start an IV for the CT Scan.  More waiting, and finally the fellow came to take me for the scan.

This next bit was the worst, most horrifying, part of the whole evening, and I'm talking about the trip to the scan area.  It was some distance from the area of the ER I had been, through several different hallways, none of which appeared to have originally been patient areas.  Every single hallway was full of either temporarily put together treatment areas or beds of patients.  Both sides of every hallway had full beds.  The space between the beds was barely sufficient for passage, and several times my chair was pulled to one side to allow patient treatment. It was almost a vision of Hell. Even pictures from foreign countries appear better than what I saw. No privacy, no washrooms, no where to change or dress.  Many of the people I saw were in bed, in street clothes.  The scan went well, and when I was back in my room, and the doctor returned, I told him how distressed I had been at what I had seen, and he commented that I had certainly "lucked in", in getting into the room I had.  He also commented about me telling my MP, as they had, and nothing had changed.  Anyway, I was discharged about 2:00am, twelve hours after entering.  Evidently I'm to expect a referral to a neurologist and a referral for an MRI.  I was also told that they had decided that my house was safe to return to. (??)

We didn't go out for dinner, but rather just home to a couple of pieces of cinnamon toast, which, by that time tasted wonderful. Yesterday was just a quiet day at home.  Today is laundry day, but, again, I can see the laundry being spread over two days.

Otherwise, not much going on around here.

Finally nice weather

 Outside in the yard most of day enjoying the great outdoors and puttering around. The weather is most favourable right now with above zero nights and double digit days. We got much done related to the greenhouses and plants. I have started to do some raking but took time to go the store before the State of Emergency was announced and Stay at Homer orders given. I bought soil and manure and brown leaf bags at the Hardware, and stopped at the LCBO for a wine keg and case of beer. I know that the LCBO will remain open with tight restrictions but the Hardware will close to in side shopping. I also stopped at the Storage unit to retrieve the spring and summer jackets I had bagged and stored there for winter. I could not open the door as it was blocked with something inside. After a few hard pulls I managed to open it about a foot and down on my hands and knees peered in to see a cardboard box and a metal box stuck at the bottom and stopping the door from moving. It took me about 20 minutes of maneuvering very carefully with my hand inside until I could get my head in to see what was wrong and then my arm in enough to start to move the obstruction which was very hard indeed. But, i did it and voila   it opened. Somehow during the winter these items had fallen and fell against the bottom of the door. of course if the shed were not jammed full of stuff it would not have been a problem haha! Anyway another little adventure for me to manage my affairs with success. Actually the true success would be to eliminate the need for a storage unit all together. But hey, life goes on....

So another nice day and I expect we shall be outside again. Hope all is well there. Take care of yourselves and be safe.

Vaccines

 Jim and I are both still waiting for our shots. It pisses me off a bit since we both phoned as soon as we were eligible and both were told we were getting the first available time, but people younger than us phoned and have already gotten their shot. They also set a pop up clinic for Neepawa but if you had a shot scheduled they wouldn’t let you re-book for Neepawa 😖. So Jim goes to Brandon on the 10th and I go the 17th. Other than that I cook, clean and walk the dog.  My life is so exciting.  We did have company on Friday night. They brought their camper and set it up by the Quonset. It was their son’s 18th birthday. His friends were only 17 so he played video games and went to McDonalds. Then he came here and drank with his family.  We haven’t been in to town since last week, but we will have to go tomorrow to pick up a couple of things. And take the garbage out. Chicken bones don’t do well after a couple of days. I sure wish it would rain. Every time some is in the forecast it disappears. Today they kept changing the start of the rain every 15 minutes and eventually dropped it altogether. Not only is there a fire ban in place but now all ATVs are banned on crown or provincial land or roads or any ATV trails. Our neighbours went out the day before the ban was put in place and they say the community pasture was full of quads out trail riding. All the frustrated sledders who couldn’t get out this winter cause there was no snow!  And people say climate change is a myth. So now I go back to the excitement of reruns on TV. (But there is curling everyday to keep Jim happy)

Sounds Good

Cathy, did you not say you got the vaccine?  I would think that you would be eligible by way of your medical history rather than age.  So now there is a light at the end of the tunnel for us.  I've been reading about your lockdown, Beth.  We're still trying to be careful, but we admit to being grateful for the privilege of buying goods that may not be essential, such as underwear and socks. Still, one cannot try on clothing before buying it and most places offer exchange but not return.  At the same time, we worry about the current surge in Manitoba, and wonder if we shouldn't just hunker down, for a few weeks.  We now have the joy of being able to be outside.  I think you've mentioned that Cathy, that you were grateful for being able to walk around your property.  I went for a walk, for the first time in weeks, yesterday, but went a little further than I should have, forgetting that I had to make it home again, as well. But that may have been residue from the lengthy, exhausting and difficult walk I made at St. Vital Centre last Thursday.  I only finished that one with David's help and by resting at every chair I came to along the way.  They had taken away all of the benches along the hallways, but left single chairs at good intervals, and I made good use of every one of those, that I came to.  I use that trip as an example of how poor my judgement was after having that shot, and how incapacitated I'm becoming.  Not a pleasant thought.

My last bunch of books from the library contained a few that I've already read. I really miss being able to look at a book before taking it out. I've ordered that Steve Berry book that you mentioned, Beth, but had a hard time finding it, as the library has taken the time during Covid closures to replace most of their books with e-books.  The hard copy books are listed at the end, usually several screens down.  A bit of a PINTA, but--I'm finding that there can be pleasure in reading a book for  the second time.  This is a surprise to me.

I have no more workshops scheduled, although I'm on the waiting list for one that may be released the end of April.  The cost will determine whether I signup for that one. This leaves me free for anything, studio wise.  Not always a good thing for me, but I am slowly looking at Mark Making, as a future direction for my creativity.  I did a bit , as part of my Cloth to Codex workshop, and am liking the look of it, and find myself asking "what if?"  This is always a good indication of my subconscious working away.

Maybe it's time to take my subconscious downstairs and turn it loose.  Have a good day and stay safe. 

Day two

  So glad you got your appointment, Beth, and one for the second dose as well.  We'll be called with our second dose appointment--sometime.  My brain is much less fuzzy today, and I've managed to get basic chores, including three loads of wash done.  Beds are made and we ate supper-sort of.  So, now with our showers behind us, we can relax for the evening and maybe earlier to bed than normal.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Yesterday I wasn't so sure.

Update on vaccination attempt

 Happy to say that I was patient this morning in waiting to get through to the telephone registration (only 2 hours). I have an appointment for this Sunday at 1:15 pm at the Arena in North Bay. I am happy now to be able to proceed with this. I was even given my second dose date for July 25 in North Bay as well.

That's all folks....now I am about to enjoy a Roast Beef meal with carrots, potatoes and gravy. It is sunny but cold so besides the hour I spent in the greenhouse this morning to water, I shall not be out there again today. I started to read the latest Steve Berry novel The Kaiser's Web while I waited on the phone, so now have another good read ahead of me. Yeah!  Take care XX  

We made it!

Yes, today was the day. After hearing stories of two hour waits and apparent chaos in the organization of the vaccine sites, we weren't sure what to expect.  We took the walker, so that, if there were those long lines with nowhere to sit, we could at least share the walker, while waiting.  We were glad to have it, but for an entirely different reason.  We got into the parking under the convention Centre, and up to the first floor.  It certainly looked chaotic, but we were quickly directed to a line, which moved relatively smoothly. This was a small area with three short lines, and looking around I realized that everyone in line was either handicapped in some way, or was the companion of a handicapped person. Glad we had the walker. I also realized that more able bodied persons were being directed to stairs/escalator to the third floor.  We were directed to a door, where our papers were checked, and our identity verified, after less than 5 minutes in line.  We sat down in long lines of chairs, two by two, all properly socially distanced.  It was a short wait and then into the actual  scrutiny and inspection area, through yet another door.  Here the first fellow was very careful to verify both our identity, and our appointment time. Our papers were marked in red with "On time". Then we were separated, as David's concerns and allergies required more careful scrutiny.  I was quickly shown into a separate room where I was again carefully placed on a chair, side by side with another one, and told to wait.  After about 5 minutes David appeared at the door and we waved and found each other. This waving elicited an immediate response from one of the personnel who thought I needed help, and sis not appear happy when I told her I was just waving at my husband.  But David sat with me, and we were both told to get our arms ready as the vaccine wagon was starting up out line of chairs!  Yes, the vaccine came to use, in a rolling cart and the lady giving the needle on a rolling chair beside it.  Some one else was loading the needles and getting them ready for her, and she just came along, greeted us cheerfully and gave us both the injection.  Another attendant told us that we would have to wait about 30 minutes before leaving, because of David's allergies, and we were again directed to a line of chairs against one of the walls, again two by two. After a minutes or two a paramedic came to find out why we were there ( we weren't the only people sitting against that wall), and to let us know that he/she was there in case he/she was needed.  There was a big video screen of a clock against one wall of the room, so there could be no mis-understanding of the wait time.  Most other people spent a 15 minute wait in the same chairs as they received he vaccine.  As we left, through another door, we were given a special parking ticket that would let us park for free.  All in all it was a very well run system.  This appeared to be partially because of of what they called "navigators".  There were people at every step of the way who directed you to where you needed to be. There was even a lady just outside the exit who quickly directed me to a washroom.  I think that was part of her job, considering this "handicapped" set of room, contained a lot of "women of a certain age".  I had asked the woman who gave us the parking ticket about a washroom and she had said to look for the woman in the red shirt.  Over all, with David's extra wait time, we were in and out in less than an hour.

However, I had a headache start while we were waiting to leave, and quickly started to feel "out of it", while we were driving away.  We had to make a stop at St. Vital Centre, on the way home, and stopped at the Food Court, thinking a drink might help me , as I had purposefully not had anything to drink at all up until then.  (Worried about washroom access) It was pretty obvious after that , that I wasn't doing well, so it was home and a nap, as quickly as possible.  I'm still feeling not quite right, but have been told that this is not uncommon, and usually passes within 24 hours.  So early to bed tonight, and hope that tomorrow is better.

Yes, the wind blows and everything closes!

 Official now....we, in Ontario, are now in total lockdown for 4 weeks. Probably will not make too big a difference in our lives except for the thought of it. Just in case though, we headed up to North Bay early this morning to take advantage of sales at the Metro Store. It opened at 7 am and we sat there in the parking lot until opening hour waiting.(that is to say, we were there early  haha!) But Harry had his eye on Prime Rib Roasts which were on sale at a good price. We got three and shall enjoy one of them for our Easter meal tomorrow. And i stocked up on paper goods and coffee pods and cleaning supplies. We ordered cat food from the net to arrive next week ( I hope) I have a full cardboard box of wine to get me going.  So all is well.

Hope you folks are doing OK. Let me know how it is there. I was on the phone for over an hour trying to book a Covid 19 vaccine. The local PHU put out a PSA to announce a clinic at the North Bay Arena over this long weekend and those 70 to 74 years could book an appt "by phone only". So picture me sitting with my phone ...busy ....busy.... busy  and then getting through and after pressing this and that got on hold with the booking people. After 15 minutes exactly the line was cut off. I did this three times until i spoke with a live person at reception who said because of the high volume of calls they were cutting off those on hold ( I wondered at the wisdom or even sense of that statement but said thank you and hung up for good!) I guess i shall have to wait for the announcement for my age group to register on line for the local Arena here in Sundridge the same as i did for Harry a few weeks ago.

Anyway I have asparagus and broccoli cooking in the steamer for supper tonight so better go. Have a lovely Easter weekend. Enjoy each others company at your respective homes and let's think about each other and send happy vibes. Take care XX