Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

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 In the country, even more than in the town it is best to be a hug-the-hearth during November. Except for a few rough-coated young stock the cattle and cart-horses have long ago been brought into stall and stables. All wild living things have sought shelter, many are already in a hibernating torpor.

The badger, with eyelids fast shut, is snugly asleep in his set under the green hill dreaming of succulent pig-nut roots; the hedgehog, rolled up in his leaf den, is in his fancy eagerly afoot after slugs and beetles . . . the doormouse, with his tail curled to touch his cold nose, sees in his quaint imagination hazel nuts more in number than he, with nimble forepaws, could have piled up in a lifetime of day-time reality.
~Llewelyn Powys, The Twelve months, 1936

It's getting to be that time of year when we all wish we could curl up in a burrow and go to sleep for a few months. There is a bite to the wind now that was not there even a few weeks hence.  Christmas is now less than a month away.  

How does that happen? Each year it seems to sneak up on me with the stealth of a ninja. This year is no different than any other in that respect, although I do have most of my cards bought, etc. I only need to write them out and post them.

 

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Dad appeared to be in a much better mood when we went in to see him last evening.  They have him back on solid food now, so he was very happy about that. He had had a few good meals under his belt. Eating is one of his pleasures these days. He really enjoys his meals out on Wednesday nights and his breakfasts out at the weekend. He goes to a different place on each Saturday and Sunday mornings. The food in any of the places is not really all that good, but I have come to realize that it is not about the food for him, it is about the getting out and about and seeing people. 

With each year that passes his world has gotten smaller and smaller.  With the loss of much of his mobility and his hearing, and his dimming memory, it must seem a bit like he is being swallowed up in a box and the desire to get out must be really strong.  I do not blame him. He really enjoys going for his cups of tea in the afternoon, and for these other little jaunts out and about. I wish I was a more confident driver and more capable of keeping him upright. 

In any case, we are hoping that he will be able to come home tomorrow. He has had his blood infusions, or one at any rate. I am not sure if they are going to do another one today or not. Hopefully with this his energy will come back and he will perk right up. It makes me sad to see him feeling low as he is usually such a cheeky Chappy.

 

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This afternoon I have an appointment at the regional hospital in Kentville for an Echocardiogram. It's a good 50 to 60 minutes away, depending on traffic. It is a rainy day today, although not terribly cold so there should be no expectation of snow. We always go on the old highway. It winds through all of the little towns and villages here in the valley, past farms and orchards and rolling hills and fields. It is quite picturesque any time of the year.  You get to see all of the things that you would normally miss seeing on the new highway. 

At one time it was the only highway. Before "progress" cut off the heartbeats of the towns along its way. It may not be the fastest route, but it is the prettiest route.  It is a drive which is filled with memories for us as we have travelled it many times through the years.  It sings the song of our hearts. We have been travelling it since 1966. That's a pretty long time.

Oh, there have been changes for sure. But it has mostly stayed the same.  That's how I like it. I abhor change most of the time. It never comes easy for me.

 

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Yesterday was a sad day as Cindy and Dan had to make the heavy decision to have little Mac put to sleep. His condition was worsening to the point where it was really becoming a struggle for him. And for them. It is never easy to watch your beloved pets suffer.  His breathing had become very loud and poorly. There was really not a lot more that they were able to do for him here. He had a good life however short it was.  He was loved and well cared for.  Mr. Personality. He was a real character. It was impossible not to love him. 

We have not told dad.  Mac always liked sitting next to Dad on the arm of the sofa when dad was sitting there. Dad really enjoyed him. He enjoys all of the cats, really. We felt it was too much for dad to take in at the moment with all that he is going through himself. There will be time to break it to him when he gets home. Hopefully then the sadness of it will be tempered somewhat by the joy of his being let out of the hospital.

Yesterday was already a hard day for Cindy, and this just made it harder. 

 

This Was Meant To Find You

Charlotte Freeman

This is something I constantly need to remind myself of.  I need to learn to give myself the grace that I so freely extend to others. I hate to always be asking for or needing help. As I get older, I find myself needing more and more to reach out to others for help. 70 has been a particularly bad time of it so far with one thing or another.  She says not, but I am sure whenever Cindy's phone rings and she sees my name she thinks to herself, "What now?"  She never makes me feel like a burden though. Never. I just feel myself to be a burden. 

When I think about it, there is nothing that I would not do for my loved ones if called upon to do it, and I have done many things through the years for them. I am just not that great at asking for help myself. If I ask for help it is because I don't have an alternative. 

On Monday she and Dan came over and helped me to flatten all my carboard for the garbage pickup and then put it all out by the roadside for me. I normally am quite capable of doing this myself, but with my arm the way it is after my fall, this week it was much harder for me to do. I really appreciated their help.

When I first moved back here, I thought I would have my son, who lives just in the next town, to help me with these things. Unfortunately, that is not the way it has turned out. I know if my other two sons lived near me, they would be here all the time doing things for me. 

My older son kind of alluded to what the problem is with my younger son the last time we were talking. Apparently, my youngest son does not believe that I was not complicit in what Todd did. He believes that I must have been in the know and gone along with it. Nothing could be further from the truth than that. I would expect that perhaps strangers might think such a thing, but not someone who knows and loves you. 

I admit that, until it happened to me, in the past I might have thought the same thing about the wives of offenders. I might not have believed that anyone could live with someone like that and not know.  But having gone through it, I know first-hand that it is possible to live with someone for a very long time and never know who or what they really are. Especially if they are a psychopath and you are a person who is prone to believing the best of everyone.

I fear sometimes that his misdeeds will haunt me all the days of my life.

 

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I was able to get my bed changed yesterday.  I had been planning on changing it the day that I fell.  Yesterday I felt that I had enough movement back in my arm that I could get it done. It took a while and a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and maneuvering with a cat trying to get in the way through the whole business, but I did get it done.  Eventually. 

How lovely it was to crawl in between clean and unwrinkled sheets last night when I went to bed. I hate wrinkled sheets with a passion. I am like the princess and the pea.  The least little wrinkle feels like a chasm to me.

Anyways, the bed was changed and it felt great!

 

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I watched another good film on Netflix last night. It had Julia Dreyfuss in it. (From Seinfeld.) It was called Enough Said. 

"Enough Said is a warm, witty romantic comedy-drama about Eva, a divorced masseuse who starts dating Albert, only to find he’s her new friend’s ex-husband. Balancing romance, friendship, and her own insecurities, Eva navigates love and second chances."

It was only 1 1/2 hours long. That seems to be my tolerance limit for watching anything all in one go. Any longer than that and I seem to lose interest for some reason.

 

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Tomorrow is the American Thanksgiving. I freely admit that I love the timing of it. In the U.K. I always had a Thanksgiving celebration at the same time as the Americans. For one thing it was much easier to get a whole turkey to roast at this time of year and for another thing, there were usually American Missionaries serving where I lived and I wanted to make a Thanksgiving Dinner for them. It just seemed to help to usher in the Festive season in the best possible way.

I wish for all of my American readers and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. I wish I could be there enjoying a turkey dinner right along with you!

And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*"Give thanks for

blessings• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 

already on their way.• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。*  

In the kitchen today, Cranberry Streusel Sweet Potatoes.  This is different than the usual Sweet Potato Casserole in that it is not overly sweet nor is it slathered with melted marshmallows.  Just buttery mashed sweet potatoes topped with a buttery breadcrumb, cranberry and pecan streusel topping. It is delicious!

I really hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.  May it be just the day you are hoping for.  Don't forget!

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And I do too!