I spent the morning with Dan up at my friend Jacquie's place yesterday. Dan was cleaning off all of the siding at the front of her house and her garage door, etc. She lives in a place very similar to mine, except hers is right on the main highway, so she gets a lot more smut. He did an excellent job as always.
Jackie has a beautiful home. It is much more modern and filled with light. In her complex there are only two houses attached so they have lots of windows on the side as well as the front and back. Her place is light and airy. Whenever I have a visit with her I come home and think my place is so cluttered.
That works as an impetus for me to switch things around, which I did yesterday afternoon. Cindy was with dad all morning and so we took the afternoon off and went to visit last night for a longer period of time.
It gave me a chance to do a bit around here. I moved a few things around, vacuumed, did laundry, etc. I also had the chance to go to the shops to pick up a few bits.
Little Miss Fussy, Cinnamon, the royal Duchesse of Estate Lane, has decided that she doesn't like any of her food. For the last week no matter what I put in front of her, she has only given it a cursory sniff, a bit of a lick and then walked away. She is clearly hungry though. Just not liking what is on offer. So, I went to the store yesterday and got a completely different brand of food for her, which she has gobbled up both times I have fed it to her. Nutmeg, he would eat anything I give him, and hers too. He is such a little glutton. She is much pickier. I hope she likes this brand, for a while at least.
Cats can be so fussy. There are five cats in Cindy's house, and she is always having to switch things out, and none of them like the same thing. Cats really do have slaves.
Dad's cat, Princess is looking for him and missing him. He is missing her also. Cindy takes photos of Princess every day to show him when we go to the hospital.
There will be no visits today. They are taking dad by ambulance to the QE11 Hospital in Halifax for his procedure. Cindy is going there and back in the ambulance with him. He is having an ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) under sedation. As with any medical procedure there are risks involved, and of course with his age, they are heightened, but hopefully all will be well. Cindy needs to be with him, not only for moral support, but she is his ears and his mouth. His hearing is so poor that he only understands a fraction, if anything, of what most people are saying to him. She can interpret and then relay things back to him. And because he is French and has his own patois of speech, she can relay back to the professionals what he is saying. It sounds complicated I know, but it really isn't. We understand him perfectly, well at least most of the time anyways.
He has a habit of singing under his breath, almost continuously and it sounds like a stutter or like he is having problems breathing. It has caused more than a bit of confusion for the nurses and doctors caring for him. Also, his name. His first name is Joseph, but that is not the name he goes by. He goes by his second name, Antoine. A French Catholic thing. They are all Joseph's and Mary's. It is the second name which counts.
God willing all will go well today and they will be back here in the Valley at the end of it all. I expect they will both be exhausted from everything that they have to endure today.
It was hard leaving him last night after our visit. I felt quite tearful. You just never know, but I am hoping for and believing in the best outcome.
Twenty homes have been swallowed up in the Wildfires now. They have been battling this particular fire, the Long Lake wildfire, for over two weeks now. I am trying not to keep checking up on it on Facebook. There is so much fearmongering going on and I find it very unsettling. I am just going by the no news is good news theory now. I am prepared if I have to be, but until I get an emergency alert on my phone, I am trying my best to ignore it. It is burning not too far from where I live and the smell of smoke is heavy in the air. The worst was last Sunday when the winds from the latest hurricane were causing the fire to double in size. No rain, just wind. We had terrible skies, with thick smoke-filled air, ash falling, etc. The sun looked like a red ball in the sky. Of course, any photos of the fire and the smoke billowing from it were and are quite frightening.
We continue to pray for rain and lots of it and for one of the few times in my life, I am praying for a hard Winter filled with lots of snow. We need the snow badly for the moisture that it will bring.
We did not get much snow at all last winter and that combined with the dry spring and extremely dry summer is what has contributed to our drought conditions.
So more rain and more snow. We need it.
I have a gnat problem in my place. This has been ongoing for over a year or so now. I cannot seem to get rid of them. I have poured bleach down all the drains and keep doing it regularly. I rinse out any tin cans, jars, etc. promptly and put them out in the recycling. I do not keep any fresh fruit or vegetables such as potatoes or onions here in the house. I have my potatoes and onions in the garage, and still they plague me. It is a real nuisance. I don't know what else to do.
Because of the fires and the air advisories I have had to turn off the air exchanger and the heat pump as well. I have noticed the back of the house smelling musty and damp again because of this. There is an ongoing problem of damp and mold in these places.
I don't know if that exacerbates the problem with the gnats or not. I am about at my wits end with them and don't know what else I can do. Any and all suggestions are welcome!
I got something very interesting in my letter box this week. Mail from Afar. I don't know if it is a one off or what, or who sent it. It is fascinating. Inside was all kinds of information about the Great Barrier Reef. I have not read all of it yet, there is quite a bit to take in. It is all very interesting.
I am assuming this is a special kindness afforded to me from someone on my Facebook page as it was addressed to Marie Alice Villeneuve, and that is the name I use on there. I changed on there five years ago to disassociate my personal page from you know who. I must keep the name Rayner professionally however as that is what all my books, etc. have been authored by, and I guess, legally that is who I am known as.
Anyways, thank you very much whoever you are who sent this special letter to me. It really made my day and I am really enjoying it! THANK YOU!
I will put a thanks onto Facebook as well. What a kind and generous action on someone's part.
Today will be a bit of a quiet day for me as compared to how the rest of my days have gone this week. I will try to get things done around here that I haven't been able to get done earlier in the week. Do some tidying up, rest, etc. Wait to hear from Cindy and what's going on with dad. My church congregation is supposed to be travelling down to Annapolis on Sunday to attend with the group that meets there. I think I am going to skip it, however. I am just too tired. I feel as if every one of my 70 years is showing. I have been falling into bed at night like a stone. I think I need to keep Sunday as a day of rest, other than visiting dad.
And with all of that being said, I will close this missive now with a thought for you.
A thought to carry with you . . .
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ ••。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
a piece of good news.
The good news is that you
~Anne Frank ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
In The English Kitchen today . . . Easy Swiss Chicken with a Mushroom & Tarragon Cream Sauce. Delicious and yet very simple, quick and easy to make. Great for the family, but also for a special occasion. Its just plain good.
I hope you have a wonderful Friday. Whatever you get up to in your corner of the world, be happy, stay safe, and don't forget!
I hope all goes well for Antoine:)I am a Marie also..Marie Murielle Monique..in my case I got three names but Monique IS and has always been my name.J is Jacques William Joseph..so no order that is correct I guess:) Both catholics here.My girls have Marie in their names also. Ive not had one fruit fly this yr.But it happens..I cannot give you advice wish I could.You are falling into bed as even a 60 yr old would with all you have going on..Worry is tiresome.Take care.
ReplyDeleteMy dear, Marie, prayers that your dad’s procedure will go well. That’s a fair trek to Halifax. So glad Cindy is allowed to go with him in the ambulance. It’s confusing to be known by your middle name. I know because my parents called we three children by our middle names. I’ve gotten used to recognizing my first name at the pharmacy and doctor’s office as my health card has my full name on it. People forget when you tell them you want to be called by your second name. I keep reading about the fires, too, and pray they can get them under control. Did you read Susan’s new post? Very long and fun to read. Love and hugs, Elaine
ReplyDeleteHoping everything goes well for your Dad and the procedure, waiting is the hardest part. I have had it done, no complications, but there is always a risk. My husband goes by his middle name too, and it seems no matter how much you tell them they still use the first name, which he doesn't respnd too. But legally he has to put that name down. We had about 1 cm of rain yesterday, it seems to rain for a few hours but that is all we got. Take care, find jobs to do, and the day will pass quickly.
ReplyDeletePrayers for your dad and all your family…this is tough, but so is your tight knit family.🙏🏼 Dan is a treasure. Love the quote from Anne Frank! The chicken dish looks yummy. Wishing you a good day, Virginia
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