Greetings everyone. This is David, Ruth's son.
Ruth passed away last night. She lived a long and full life, and did it her way until the very end. She had a relentlessly positive outlook on life, an inspiration to me and many others. Her last words to Suzanne and me were "My bags are packed and I have checked off my list. Now I need you to organize my medicines."
All the Best,
David
Early this morning, Ruth took her last journey and passed away. Having tucked into bed yesterday, with stronger medicine for her pain and her Pennsylvania quilts keeping her warm, she went peacefully in her sleep. Our hearts break for the loss of an incredible woman - a mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother - but are comforted by the fact that she is no longer in pain.
Ruth was planning, down to her final moments. She informed us that she would celebrate her annual Christmas and birthday party on the 9th, and then she would be ready to go. And she followed that plan, to the letter. Though her body would not let her attend Saturday's gathering, her family and friends toasted in her honor and visited her bedside afterwards. Ruth a was a generous soul, and planned for her life to be celebrated in this time-honored holiday tradition.
Still, we mourn the great emptiness she has left in her wake. Ruth lit up any room with a personality that was larger than life. She left a lasting impression on everyone she met with her intellect, her tenacity, and her keen sense of humor. She often held court in her home and her work, and always had an eye and an ear open for the thoughts of those around her. We remember her "-isms", and always snapped to attention when she began a reflection with "I find it fascinating..."
In all her rambling, from her life in Canada, to Ken's residency and Andrew and David's births in Texas, to her picnic group in Maryland, to her career in D.C., to her globetrotting from Mississippi to Mexico to Texas to Canada and many other stops along this way, Ruth met and befriended countless people. She married Ken and grew a family of sons and daughters-in-law and granddaughters, all of whom she loved and encouraged to "press on to the next steps, whatever they may be." Ruth hardly sat still in body or mind, and when her body became weak and her stamina diminished, her mind worked valiantly to keep processing the world around her. She smiled to hear the words of love and comfort from her friends and family, near and far - of which there were many.
Ruth rambles from this world a loved and respected woman. As we reckon with the loss of her, we cherish her memory and the lessons with which she has left us. As we toasted her on Saturday, we raise a proverbial glass in her memory now: Cheers to Ruth, and her ramblings, and the great wake of loved ones she leaves behind.
Monday, December 11, 2023, Sleeping
Greetings all. It is Suzanne writing for Ruth today. She is in a place where she is unable to direct us as she would like so I am taking it upon my self to share what I think she wants me to. Ruth is asleep most of the time now and is taking stronger medicine to help her with the pain. When she is able to speak with us she is making plans and organizing things as was her way when getting ready for a trip. We have no idea when her last journey will take place but she is as comfortable as we can make her. As we all know, Ruth is a stoic and somewhat private person about her challenges and is ready for us to leave her be. We will return as soon as we are needed. Yesterday, she enjoyed speaking with her brother and having Christina, Molly, Mary Frances, David and I around as we continued the tradition of Sunday brunch. We read her the cards and texts that arrived and shared stories and laughter. There were three birds sitting in the tree outside her bedroom window yesterday evening as she went to sleep. It is a beautiful sunny, cold and crisp day here in Madison and Ruth is resting. She knows she is loved and I believe, she is ready for her final trip.
December 10, 2023 The Christmas Party
Greetings all. It's Suzanne and David. We are here in Mississippi for Ruth's annual Christmas Party. It was held last night at the Yacht Club as it has been for many years. It has always brought Ruth joy to throw a party especially for her friends and family and last night was no different. Ruth made a valiant effort to attend, donning a lovely navy dress, however her body would not allow her to get there even though her spirit was determined to make it so. We toasted Ruth in her absence and shared a wonderful meal with her Mississippi family. Those who were able came back to the house to share their love for our gracious hostess. Ruth enjoyed seeing everyone and most of all she was happy that the party was a success. Cheers to Ruth and her memorable celebrations over these many years!!
This is the last post I will be doing for Ruth's blog. I leave tomorrow to head back to Ontario for all the Buckley birthdays (including Irene's 90th birthday) and Christmas festivities that Ruth was planning to attend.
Ruth started this blog when she turned 70, intending to do it for 10 years. It has now been going for 16 years as she continued to travel and update everyone on where she was and what she was doing. But her traveling days are over, and Rambling with Ruth is winding down. As Ruth's annual Christmas/Birthday party is being held at the Yacht Club this weekend, family and friends will be gathering, and hopefully someone will step up as the guest blogger. I'll be checking every morning with my coffee in hand!
As Ruth says, much love!
Ruth is 86 years old today! What an achievement especially given how active she has been until very recently. She heard from many friends and family who phoned or sent greetings by text, email, and social media. And others came by to see her and bring flowers which are sitting on the counter between the kitchen and living room. Her caregiver even brought a small strawberry cream cake, and we are trying to encourage her to eat some of it tonight. I spared her the trauma of listening to me sing Happy Birthday.
Ruth feels very blessed and grateful for all her friends and family and sends much love.
Wendy
Wendy again. Ruth was up early this morning sitting in the armchair in her little TV room off the bedroom, with the sun streaming in from over the reservoir. It is an absolutely delightful place to be.
Ruth ate some oatmeal, and made it quite clear I should not have put peanut butter in it, but she ate it and I felt better for sneaking in a bit of protein! In the afternoon she thoroughly enjoyed a wonderful homemade chicken broth brought by a good friend. Hopefully tonight we can get her to eat some more soup, and maybe even some ice cream.
Ruth really appreciates all the cards and best wishes. I've been reading Christmas cards and birthday cards to her as they arrive, as well as emails and texts. She also received a lovely Christmas flower arrangement today from a nephew and his wife in Canada which is brightening up her home. And best of all she had visits today from friends stopping by to say hello and check on how she's doing. It really helps her spirits.
Wendy again. Ruth always gives me a list of tasks when I visit and one of them on this trip was to help her complete all the envelopes for her Christmas Cards. The card is beautiful, with lovely pictures front and back of Ruth smiling, surrounded by her family.
The first night I was here we managed part of the names from one letter of the alphabet, with my asking questions about each one in my attempts to decipher either her handwriting or her cryptic short forms. She knew what everything meant, but it wasn't always clear to me, so it took a while. The list had 20+ years of changes and corrections, which were not always easy to follow. The intent was we would work away at the list a bit at a time, but it was obviously far too tiring for Ruth to continue. So I have done the best I can over the last few days to address the cards and today I drove to the post office, got stamps for them all and sent them off.
My sincerest apologies if there are errors or omissions, and I certainly hope that I sorted out the right names with the right addresses. I also apologize for the non-festive nature of the stamps, but apparently the US Postal Service does not have any Christmas stamps available, at least at the Madison PO. I mean it's only December!
This is Ruth's niece Wendy again, updating on activities here at Ruth's beautiful place in Mississippi. I started the day by cooking bacon and eggs, as I recall Ruth mentioning that Ken always made bacon on Sunday mornings. She had a bit of the egg, which I was pleased about, and some smoothie. Every day I make a slightly different flavour, and today's had some strawberries and banana in addition to the yoghurt and apple juice.
Apparently it is a tradition to watch Aerial America on Sunday mornings, and Ruth was up early (for her) to direct me to find the right channel so she could watch it while she ate breakfast.
The traditions continued as Christina, Mary Frances and Molly arrived at noon with wonderful brunch from Aladdin's Mediterranean Restaurant. Ruth was pleased to have them here, and listened to all the conversation around her, although she would have preferred to be more alert and able to take part in the discussions. Both the nausea and pain medications make her sleepy which frustrates her. She certainly did enjoy her taste of tiramisu, an early birthday treat, surrounded by loving family.
Sunday afternoon football continued today's traditions, as Ruth watched part of the game between San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Ruth does love her sports. Normally she would have talked to my dad, Dave Buckley, about the various sports games they'd watched but phone conversations are difficult for her now.
Today was the first day of having a caregiver on Sunday. Her regular daytime caregiver only works Monday to Saturday, but given Ruth's condition she now needs someone here every day. Now there will be someone here all day and night, 7 days a week, to help ensure Ruth is well cared for.
Sorry I have been remiss in posting Ruth's blog. This is her niece Wendy (Buckley). I arrived in Mississippi on Thursday and have been hoping to get Ruth's input on the blog, but she is really struggling so I will just go ahead and post for her.
Ruth is certainly not doing as well as she would like. For someone who has always been active and taking charge of everything, it's tough to see that right now even communicating her needs is a struggle. We've been trying to find a solution to her constant feeling of nausea and her difficulty eating. We're trying smoothies which hopefully will help get some nourishment into her.
Ruth is getting a lot of love and support from family, friends and neighbours and has a team of caregivers coming in to help her out day and night. Christina will be here tomorrow for the traditional Sunday brunch, and David and Suzanne arrive late next week. I'm here until December 8th so will try to do a better job of keeping everyone up to date.
When living in Ontario or Maryland, the leaves fall quickly. The people rake the leaves regularly into big piles. Once a week the county picks up the piles, then it's done. Thats the end of it. In a short period of time the leaves are gone and everyone is happy. Not so in Mississippi. The leaves fall forever! Every morning, homeowners are out raking their leaves. Everyday more bags - it is never-ending.
Same is true for the landscape company. The young man with the landscape company maintains the outside of our neighborhood and it never really looks wonderful because the leaves fall every day. Every day the leaves fall and every morning homeowners blow, rake and bag and that's the story of owning property in Mississippi.
Love,
Ruth
Before moving to Mississippi, I had never heard of The Egg Bowl. I couldn't figure out what it was all about. I discovered it was a fierce competition in football each year between Mississippi State and Ole Miss and was called The Egg Bowl. The teams first played each other in 1901. The game has been played every year since 1944, making it the tenth longest uninterrupted series in the US. In 1928, both universities wanted a neutral site to play and chose the JSU stadium in Jackson as the site. The term Egg Bowl came from several years of no score for either team. The two universities began alternating sites for the game at their respective campuses and it is extremely competitive. Now other states have picked up the routine and there are many in-state rivalry games, as in Mississippi, for the last scheduled game of the season. There is no such rivalry as Mississippi and The Egg Bowl! I overheard a conversation between 2 older men in my neighborhood about "The Big O". I had no idea what they were talking about, so I had to find out. I discovered as early as the beginning of the season that people start predicting what the score will be for that year at The Egg Bowl and that was what everyone was talking about. It's a very big deal in Mississippi! For several years the game has been played on Thanksgiving day and Mississippians plan their Thanksgiving meals around game time. If you want the real factual information, look on Wikipedia.
Love,
Ruth
Sports rivalries are interesting. They strike up for no reason at all and for no apparent reason. Many rivalries are college players who go on to become coaches and are just rivals- friendly rivals with no animosity, just fun in the competition.
Many rivalries strike up because of geography. The University of Texas and Dallas have never been friendly teams. They love to beat each other and for several years Houston was beaten. Sometimes teams hate each other for some reason that I don't understand. I really don't understand why Texas Tech and the University of Texas hate their football game, but they do. The same is true for Nebraska and Nebraska State. Today, the New Orleans Saints were playing against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta. Once while in New Orleans, there was a radio station, NOLA playing. Usually NOLA stands for New Orleans, La, but during the week that the Saints play the Falcons, the crawl on the station NOLA means, " No One Likes Atlanta". The Atlanta people were very upset. The game for the Saints today didn't go well, they lost. The same can be found for all sports basketball, hockey, baseball and right now football. What a weird world. People are hard wired to love their team. In fact, moving to Mississippi, I have tried to fair it out as to where their allegiances are. Some times it's where they grow up and it's certainly true for where people go to high school or college. They cheer their team forever. I really think it unites the country. It's very interesting to observe as I have no allegiance to any team in the US. I do however, cheer for the Cowboys and the Astros.
Love,
Ruth
Since Thanksgiving, we have been eating left over dinners. We've still been eating all of the goodies left over. We still have cheesy potatoes and the day after Thanksgiving, Donna brought over wonderful ham and sweet potatoes which we all enjoyed may times. We finally finished today, so we have enjoyed our dinners.
Tonight our across the street neighbor, Greg will be going to a fancy birthday dinner with Donna and Anne Avery. It is always difficult to celebrate a 60th birthday for a man. On one hand, he has everything possible to own, on the other hand you want to treat him for celebrating his 60th year. They have found some interesting gifts and the dinner at Caet will be be pleasant.
We have discovered Abe, Anna's husband has eaten sweet potatoes for the first time. I could not imagine any person being 62 and had never eaten sweet potatoes, but he had not and enjoyed them. We'll see if Anna cooks them in the future.
Tomorrow we will have another brunch with Christina and the girls. It has been a wonderful run of dinners and lunches with wonderful company and friends.
Love,
Ruth
This is an unusual situation where Donna and Anne Avery get absolutely no credit for writing this blog. We discuss the topic of the day but then I dictate to them what we are going to say. I speak the words and either Anne Avery or Donna write the words and then it gets published under my name on my blog. They are okay with that situation and I appreciate it. I have very often read books and that I knew that had been written by other people and I know for sure that other people wrote that book. Not the names that are supposed to be the writer of the book. Sometimes they are written as a ghost writer and sometimes not credited at all and I have never felt that that is fair. There are good authors whose work sell very well who always credited 30% of the profit for the ghost writer and I have always approved of that. So I will always credit 30% of my profit to Donna and Anne Avery and 50% of 0 is 0, that is very little. But the whole concept of ghost writing in the world of literature is very interesting. There is actually a long history of ghost writing now that they track people's words on the computer and determine whose writing is actually this author or the other author. They determine there is a large percentage of the writing that we ever knew before. So this week, Anne Avery is now home from college and we are enjoying it. But soon she will be gone again and Donna and I will be back again working. That is the story of todays blog. A little bit of nothing. Love, Ruth.
Fortunately the weather in Mississippi has been beautiful. Every day has been sunny with spots of rain, but the next two days will be heavy rain. The TV lady tells me that it will be raining, but who knows?
My life is not so easy because I am bound by pain medication and nausea medication. If I miss pain medication, I'm uncomfortable. If I am miserable from the pain, my nausea gets worse. It seems at 10:00 and 9:00 in the morning, I can regulate my medication, but the rest of the times, I don't do so well. I am still walking and talking, but mostly I can only do one thing at a time. Seems pitiful, but that's the way life is. I will speak to the hospice nurse tomorrow to see if we can do a better job. It seems that I should be able to do a better job. Our festive Thanksgiving feast was delightful, cooked by Christina at my house. Our traditional steak was delightful! But unfortunately, I couldn't eat much. Maybe I'll do better tomorrow.
Love,
Ruth
Anna and Abe were here a year ago, but he was recuperating from hernia surgery so they really didn't pay much attention to the foliage. This year they have paid more attention to Mississippi. Yesterday, they spent the whole day in the wonderful, downtown Mississippi museums. They left before 9:00am and arrived at home after 5:30. They had a wonderful time. They spent so much time with the carnage between the Spanish and the local people and the same type of carnage of the civil rights era of Mississippi that they were confused. It was interesting to see that people haven't changed a lot over the century, which is true. They lived in northern Alberta at that time and had no idea what was happening in Mississippi during that era. The whole thing was new to them.
We get a lot of rain in Mississippi as we do in Nova Scotia but not now in Ontario or Massachusetts. Life is dry in other places, but Mississippi is still green so they are enjoying the huge trees and the bushes. Like everything else, local people do not appreciate what they have, but Abe and Anna speak about it every time they come home.
What they came home with from both museums was, "Why were people so nasty?"
Love,
Ruth
Last year, it was a disaster. This year it will not happen again. My Christmas cards went out in April so it became an Easter card but this is not going to happen this year. On Saturday when all the cousins were here, we had a picture of me and all the cousins with me beaming in the center. Another picture included David, Suzanne and Christina. Clever Christina was quickly on the job and ordered the cards on Monday. They look great! Brittany is going to help. Though it does not seem appropriate to send a note, I''ll just sign the cards, address the envelopes and let them fly!
For Christmas 2023, my Christmas cards will be not be late this year!
Love, Ruth
I am delighted to be starting the next series of my blog. Today is a very special day because Anne Avery Boling, the younger daughter of my neighbor, Donna, is coming over to say a word from her to you all. Anne Avery has just returned from her first semester of college. I will be interested to hear all about it! So, enjoy my words and also Anne Avery's words. A splendid system we have going on here. Love, Ruth
Hello there! I am Anne Avery Boling. I am Ms. Ruth's neighbor and I am delighted to be a guest on Rambling with Ruth. As mentioned above, I am now in college at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. It has been great! However, I am so happy to be back home for the holidays where I am able to spend time with my family and also Ms. Ruth. I have truly enjoyed being neighbors with Ms. Ruth. She is such a wonderful person inside and out and she always has the best stories to tell me. It has been a delight to speak on this blog today and I hope I will be able to make another with Ms. Ruth some day. Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Anne Avery Boling
Good afternoon, folks! This is Mary Frances Dickie (granddaughter #4), coming to you live from Grandma's living room. Over my lifetime, we have always had some sort of meal-centric tradition. When my family lived in Bethesda, MD, we would get together with Grandma and Grandpa on Wednesday nights for dinner. Sometimes they would bring dinner to us, and sometimes we would bring it to them. On very special nights, Grandpa would make a delicious stew. When we moved down to Mississippi, the tradition shifted to Sunday brunch and has stayed the same ever since. Whenever Grandma and Grandpa were in town, we would have a Sunday meal together and catch up. So today, my mother Christina, my little sister Molly, and I have brought our Sunday brunch to Grandma's house: waffles and hashbrowns and bacon and eggs from Waffle House, per Grandma's request.
There is nothing quite like breakfast food when you crave it. And there is nothing quite like sharing a special meal with family and friends. Anna and Abe have driven down from Pennsylvania to join us in Mississippi, and we have enjoyed catching up with them. We are blessed to have a place to sit and eat together, looking out over the Reservoir, where white pelicans are currently dive-bombing their own Sunday brunch. And Molly has just begun putting out Christmas decorations, including a bottle full of colorful lights, a table centerpiece of pinecones and berries, and an ornament that looks like a pig with wings. "Prettiness all around," Grandma says.
You might think we're jumping the gun putting out Christmas decorations, but why wait till after Thanksgiving? We Dickies tend to follow tradition only when it makes sense. For example, most people have turkey on Thanksgiving, but we've learned over the years that we prefer steak. So this Thursday, we will have steak as our main course. What a treat! And with school, work, and life getting so much busier after Thanksgiving break, sometimes it's hard to find the time to break out your garlands and ornaments and numerous Santa Claus figurines. Therefore, we make do with the time that we have, and put them out before Thanksgiving. Decorations are all on display at my mother's house, too!
As the holidays approach, we are so thankful for the time we get to spend with family and friends. My sisters and I are especially thankful to have always had traditional time carved out to spend with our grandparents. We look forward to it every week, and we look forward to more family time this coming Thursday.
We had a wonderful weekend with all the cousins along with David and Suzanne. David and Suzanne worked all day. They bought a new television for me and installed it on Saturday. Friday night, Christina including Kate that came from Greenville for dinner along with Molly and Mary Francis. Saturday morning at 9:30, everyone arrived and we were all delighted to be together. The cousins were pleased to be together as well as the adults. Me most of all.
My wonderful neighbor, Donna, has agreed to write my blog as I dictate to her. What a blessing I have with my friends, so the blog will continue. Hallelujah!!!
Greetings, all! This is Kate Dickie on the blog. For those of you that may not know me, I am the eldest (and tallest) of the granddaughters. This weekend was the first time in a long time that we were all able to be together as a group. And what a lovely weekend it was. We had a marvelous time yesterday, as we spent the day playing games, eating food, and, as Grandma says, "putting our feet up". Some of us found ourselves tired out by all the fun we were having, so we took it upon ourselves to take a nap. It was the perfect refresher that gave us plenty of energy to take on the sushi smorgasbord that my mom (Christina) and Uncle David picked up. It was absolutely delicious and we enjoyed every bite.
This afternoon we brought Grandma some lunch, and spent some time in the TV room chatting. I announced that I had the perfect ending to the blog post I had written in my head, and Grandma urged me to write this post while I as here, before I fly home to South Carolina. Earlier today my sister and I were discussing blog topics, and we thought, what better topic than some of our favorite Grandma-isms? So here I will provide you with a list.
1) "Always have a plan."
This ensures that you are preparing for your future. It is also good to have a backup plan. And a backup plan for your backup plan.
2) "Pave the way with petals instead of thorns"
Tact and diplomacy go a long way to serve you in the long run.
3) You can get along with anyone by finding one thing you like about them.
Then you just focus on that good quality, and try not to linger on any negative traits.
4) "Sometimes, you just get lucky"
This is one of my favorites. Especially after a lovely weekend with the whole family, because I agree. Sometimes, you just get lucky.
Lots of Love,
Abby and Allison Dickie
Hello to the Blogsphere! The Dickie Girls are here! We are honored to be the second ever guest bloggers on Rambling with Ruth. It is Samantha and Sarah Dickie here, two of David and Suzanne's daughters. Ever since we arrived this Friday night, we have all been fighting over who will get to be the second-ever guest blogger. Thankfully, in our adult years we have become much more accommodating to each others needs and decided to share this beloved responsibility.
First paragraph from Samantha:
Well hello! We got here on Friday night and were greeted by our parents at the Jackson airport and promptly went to the hotel to chat before getting to bed for our big day on Saturday. We woke up this morning around 8 am and all got dressed, got our Starbucks coffee and teas and are now here at Grandma's house! I am coming from the University of Virginia, where I am a fourth year undergrad and also in my first year of my Master's of Athletic Training program. I am very happy to be following in the healthcare footsteps of the Dickie Family and when things get challenging, I often ground myself in the fact that the Dickie Family is strong, and we don't give up. The trip was lovely and very easy as I only took two hour long flights, unfortunately I am coming from the exact opposite direction of my other family members and did not enjoy a flight with my other three sisters Allison, Abigail and Sarah. This did give me time to take a nice nap on the flight and to catch up on some school work, which I was very pleased with. Now we are at Grandma's house, which I have always enjoyed. The view is very peaceful and the art collection is marvelous. Grandma told us we could take a small art memento from the breakfast room and I picked a piece that Grandma and Grandpa bought from New Orleans. I love it very much and am excited to hang it in my room in Virginia. My mom also said that because I am graduating from graduate school soon I get to pick two pieces of Grandma's downstairs collection like Sarah did when she graduated from Law School this past year. My mom told me to keep this to myself but I am so excited I just can't help myself. Additionally, if they are mad, maybe they should just go to grad school. Now I pass the torch to Sarah, who I am sure will wow everyone with her very smart law school vocabulary.
Second paragraph from Sarah:
Hello to all the Rambling with Ruth readers! I am quite honored to be a guest writer on the blog. As one of Grandma's granddaughters, I have been a reader of the blog since its inception, so I am borderline giddy after being asked to contribute. I arrived in Jackson last night after two short flights, one from Dallas to Houston and then Houston to Jackson. Luckily, I am located on the west side of Jackson so I got to fly from Houston to Jackson with Abigail and Allison. Flying with your sisters is so much better than flying alone. After an short evening of catching up with my sisters and parents, I woke up excited to see Grandma and spend some time together. I haven't seen Grandma in person in awhile because of my law school schedule, but we have talked on the phone consistently throughout my law school journey. She always keeps the calls short and sweet, checking in to see how I am doing, telling me that she's proud of me, and to encourage me to "keep my nose to the grindstone." As soon as we arrived, Grandma announced to us four girls that she wants us to pick out a piece of art from the small breakfast nook to remind us of our weekend here together. I have chosen a piece called "Canadian Geese" which will always remind me of my Canadian roots and my Canadian grandmother. Grandma and Grandpa's taste in art is something I am glad to have inherited. It is one of the many things from my grandparents that I intend to carry on with me.
We are currently all sitting in the living room looking at old photos and having fun conversations about good times and good memories. What a blessing it is to be all together, there is nothing like family.
Hi everyone, it's Suzanne Dickie, Ruth's daughter in law. David and I are visiting here in Mississippi and Ruth asked me to write her blog tonight as her guest writer. We arrived this morning after an easy two flights from San Antonio through Houston then landing in Jackson. Ruth has had a few visitors as well as us in the house so, it has been a busy day of chatting and catching up. We forget how lovely the view is from the house over looking the reservoir; very peaceful and serene. Ruth has a wonderful community of friends here who check in on her and share their gifts of food and friendship. It was nice to meet a few of them today. Ruth is in good spirits and as she would say, she is "walking and talking". We are looking forward to spending time with her, helping as we are needed and simply being together. The whole Dickie family will be here this weekend --all the grand daughters--which has not happened in a long time. I expect that Saturday, the house will be filled with laughter, conversation and fun! Memories will be made and we are thankful to be together with Ruth.
Ken and I never had trouble with our credit scores. To my knowledge, it was never an issue. Our scores were always high. But not so with all our helpers. Not so Anna in Canada but all our helpers here in Mississippi. This has been a constant refrain. Kendria could not get a credit card. And Ken china paid all cash. Portia worked hard to fix her score when she was returning to school. But my current helper has still a problem.
She needs a new car but she must out a large foe downpayment because she has poor credit. One morning I explored how she got poor credit. In high school she was sent two credit cards, which she used to buy stuff. And she never paid it back. It went from there to worse. Now she has a mess on her hands. And she has a mess on her hands. Evidently, being poor goes along with being pool.. Not easy being poor.
My neighbor brought me dinner last evening. Ans while I ate we watched Antiques road show. She loves the program too. And her husband was working in Vicksvurb do she joined me. And last evening they were showing two hours so we watched for the second hour too.. Britany leaves at 8 so Donna stayed to be sure I was set for bed before she left. I is pathetic but true that I do now walk across the house without Bethany behind me. So I was unable to write my wee blog last evening.
In the middle of the night I took a pain pill and this morning I was shaky I was unable to do anything except stay in bed. But now I am better So here we go again. And that is why I did not write my blog last night. Pathetic but true.
Of recent years, I have watched very little professional football. I have watched a bit of college ball, but almost never on a Sunday. So day was an usual day when I watched the whole game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadenphis Eagles. It reinforce my feelings abler the game. Do they players know the rules or to they ignore the rules because the referees only call half the penalties they see. Even then, the number of flags were huge. I bet there were 50 flags thrown during the game. There were more penalties than plays I think.
The game was exciting because the Cowboys were always on the cusp of winning. But at the end, the Eagles won. The Cowboys did not deserve to win. The whole game was ridicules. But it was still fun.
When Ken and I married, we were poor. We lived over a hardware store in not so desirable neighborhood . But we did fine. And we had a good life. The transportation was excellent. We had no car. We had no debt. We had one land line. I paid cash for my groceries so I never over paid in the store. And we bought nothing. No problem. I was teaching and Ken was at medical school. No problem. We did fine. After a couple of years we bought a car, a 1953 VW bug. We paid cash.
When we returned from Mexico the year Ken was ill, we got o know people who worked hand to mouth. They were poor. Thee difference was that they ended a dependable car. The public transportation is poor. So the helpers were required to have a good car. And they must have a smart phone, which is not cheap. So these helpers are poor but have expensive payments. Being poor in 2023 is not as easy in 1958 in Toronto. Being poor is not easy.
I have graduated to the chair in the shower. Ken Used a bench in the shower but it is not nearly as convenient as the chair. In Mexico, Wendy put a plastic chair in the shower as there were no hand hols on the wall but here in Mississippi I have four bars in all sided of the shower so I have had no trouble managing. But the Hospice nurse asked if I would like to have one, I said yes. And I must say that it is convenient.
It is a nice one. It is small and even though it has no arms, there are hand holds on the seat so I can easily sit down. And Britany did not even though she washed my back, she managed to stay drive. My shower chair is a winner,
It was not a surprise. David and Suzanne were coming to visit me in November. They were coming early on the Thursday and returning to San Antonio on Sunday. So I was pleased but not surprised. But then I received a big surprise.
All four girls are flinging into Jackson on the Friday. Now that was a delightful surprise indeed. They will all stay in a hotel and they will rent a big vehicle. I am not sure what we will do when they are here but I know we will have a good time.. David and Suzanne arrive in a week today and all the girls the next day. Now I am not in love with surprise parties but I was certainly pleased with my surprise. I was so pleased to hear.
Sarah was surprised and delighted with her surprise. I sen her four fancy cups and saucers as a house warming for her new apartment. Kate liked the sam surprise when she moved into her new apartment so I decided ti repeat it with Sarah. She was delighted. Now she will have a tea party with her friends. And I was pleased.
I like visitors. Yesterday an older man came from the ministerial branch of Hospice. He is a retired minister but he is a full time hospice minister. And I enjoyed his company. Fortunately, he did not stay too long. He also has a small congregation in Canton, just up the road. They meet in the funeral parlor. He likes his grongregation of 30. He will visit me every month, he says. He was certainly an interesting visitor.
My friend Linda was coming to visit me this morning but I rescheduled it until Thursday. My hospice nurse will come once a week. Soon to increases to 2. And my friend Donna coms over to say hello too which I appreciate. And of course, Christina and the girls come on Sunday. So I am well visited by my friends. I appreciate them all.
My Hospice nurse came to visit me today. At the moment she will come once a week. As time goes by, she will come more frequently. That will be the first symptom of declining health. When you look at me now, I look fine. In fact, the minister wo came to visit me today commented that I do not look like a Hospice candidate. My main symptom comes from my weak legs, I look fine, until I move.
My legs are unstable and weak. My cheeks remain cosy. But my legs can barely keep me up. I make sure that Britany is behind me when I walk around the house, That is the main reason I have increased the hours are coming from 8 to 8. Clever Christina thinks that I should have someone with me at night But so far I will not to it yet. My petite is still good and Britany makes sure I eat proper meals.
My Hospice nurse thinks that my symptoms will gradually increase. But not yet.
I listened two wonderful shows this afternoon on PBS. The first was the American Masters. This a biography of Marion Anderson. I have always admired her but today filled me in with all the details. And I admired her even more. I also got to hear many of her concerts which I also enjoyed. It was worth watching.
Then I listened to 90 minutes of the New Divas. 5 wonderful singers from 5 different countries. Some classical pieces and some pop songs. They were beautiful and I loved every minute. Again well worth listening thanks to PBS.
My friend Marilyn is encouraging me to keep my blog going. And I will try. My problem is my vision, which seems to get worse every day. I have already not been able to edit what I have written. It is too difficult so you have noticed that that errors have sneaked in. I just publish it immediately and hope that you the reader can figure out what I meant to say.
And of course I am nor going anywhere so I no longer rambling except in my mind. But I will keep it going as long as possible if only to monitor my symptoms which should be interesting. I began my blog when I was 70 with the intention to keep it going until ten years. I am now almost 86. So here we go.
I have never before had an MRI and I hope to never again take one. They are noisy and uncomfortable. I did not like it. During the test I went through all the reasons that I should have talked Dr. Sheehan not to tell her to agree with one. But it was too late. But I should have never agreed to take it. I knew what it was going to say. My spine is full od cancer cells. And my spine hurts. Which was exactly what it showed.
The day after the MRI I was called by the nurse , telling me to make an appointment with the neurosurgeon. I asked what the good doctor might do or say. She replied that he could suggest surgery or inject shots into my spine, neither of which I did not hear. So I refused to see the new doctor. I did not wish to see another doctor. I am getting pity in my old age. Perhaps I could ask the new doctor to look at the MRI to suggest recommendations. But at the moment, I am doing nothing.
I should never have agreed to take an MRI from the beginning. I made a mistake.
I was on the phone late in the afternoon. When my calls were over, I discovered the night had fallen and it was pitch lack. And I had not turned on any lights. I should have turned on my phone light. But I was clearly not thinking, so instead I laughed out in the pitch black to find a light switch. I knew the stair were not far away so I made sure to stay away. I walked toward the light switch, all in the pitch black.
After a long walk, I discovered that I was wedged into a corner of the kitchen. I could not move my walked. And I needed to sit down. But I have no chairs in the kitchen,. I was in a panic.
Using siri on the phone, I called Donna who immediately came to my rescue and took me to the TV room whee I recovered. But it was a terrifying moment for me.
The World Series will begin on Friday with new faces on the block. The Arizona DiamnindBacks, who just scraped in the playoffs will play for the World Series. Baseball is such fun because in any game and any series a new team can emerge. Talk about peaking at the right time.
I picked the Phillies to win the World Series. Now they will not even get into the series. Today they will clear out their lockers to go home. What a surprise.
The Diamondbacks will play the Texas Rangers who beat the Astros, finally, to get into the World Series. It has been a long time since they last played in the final. So now we await the games. One would think that they will win but the Diamondbacks are on a roll. So here we go.
As expected, my scan yesterday was terrible. The breast cancer has spread to the long bones as well as my pelvis. And lots more in my back, which is why my back hurts so much. Also the ribs. So I could have gone back on chemo which would sent my glucose levels souring again. Along with that with would have all the diabetic medicines.
Instead, I have decided to let nature takes its tome and I receive no further treatment. No more chemo. No more scans. Instead my geriatric doctor will register me for hospice where they will check up with me once a week until I need more care. I have already arranged for my helper to help me from 8 to 8 every day.
Unfortunately I will be unable to go to the Birthday celebrations in December. Nor will I make Mexico for the winter. Instead I will be snug in my Mississippi home. I am pleased with my decision. Now I will enjoy myself.
Well.. The Houston Astros will not play in the World Series in October, 2023. A new team, the Texas Rangers beat the Astros in the 7th game of the Championship series. And they beat the Astros decisively. For the last several years I got used to seeing the Astros in the World Series. But not this year. I always love to watch the Astros win. But I also always enjoy new blood, so I am happy.
And in the most unlikely game, tomorrow , the Arizona Diamondbacks will play against the Phillies to get into the World Series. I always thought that the Phillies would play in the World Series. But now we must wait for the th game tomorrow. Wait and see.
My family indulged me, especially if I am not at my best. Every Sunday they meet me at a different restaurant for brunch but this day, Mary Frances suggested they bring m brunch to me at my own house. And they did. They picked up food on the way at Bravo, after first ordering the food on line. And we sat in the living room to eat our very good food.
They they helped me with a bunch of little things that needed to be done in the house. And wee sat and visited while I enjoyed their company. I always appreciate my family but I especially appreciate their kind deeds. I enjoyed the good food but especially their company. IMy family indulges me.
Today, for the first time since I arrived in Mississippi, I am alone. Except Christina suggested that my helper come today. In truth, she thinks I should have more helpers, especially during the night. So today, Britany worker her normal times of 8 to 2. So I was only alone for the rest of the day. Britany prepared my main meat at noon and for supper she left me a bowl of seafood chowder, made by David. So I did fine.
I watched football late this afternoon while I was drinking my orange drink and watched Texas eek out a win over Houston. It was close but the Longhorns won. Tonight I watched more baseball, which of course, I always enjoy.
David is home safe and sound in Liverpool while I return to my solitary state.
My helper Britany, will have an increased work load after today because David is going home to Liverpool. He had been looking after me, making all our meals and generally just been looking after my needs. In addition, he has had a wonderful time , visiting the museums and the crafter center. And he had two unexpected birding excursions.
Yesterday Britany, David and I took a drive around the reservoir where we stopped to look at the birds. David saw 1welve white Ibeses, one of which was busily eating a whole live snake. When we first planned his trip her we did not know if he should stay for two or three weeks. We booked the three but I was fearful that by the third week he would get bored. But he was not and he enjoyed himself enormously. Now he goes home to see his dog. I will miss him.
FOR THE RECORD, THE MID SIZED DOG WAS KILLED BY A GREAT WHITE SHARK NAMED ROSE. THE OWNER Of the dog was out duck hunter, well in front of port Medway. His dog retrieved the duck after the owner shot the duck. The the dog clambered back into the back of the boat. The sharks eat the seals and he thought the dog was just another seal.
David spent a delightful few hours at the Mississippi History Museum this morning. He said it was just like walking down through the years of History in Mississippi. He said it was well worth a visit. And as he was at the Civil Rights Museum juat a few days ago, they did not charge him a second payment, which pleased him. So David was impressed.
Sharkes have been spotted all along th coast of the South Shore in Nova Scotia. Over they years, many have ben tagged so people who have the ap can track them as they cruise along the South Shore. David'daughter lives in New Brunswich and she has been good to report to David. While I was there, sharks have been spotted in Mort Mouton, Moose Harbor, the mouth of the Mersey River along with Port Medway. Up until now, there were no reports interacting with people. At least not until now.
Today, at Port Medway, a little dog was killed by a shark. Evidently, the dog went into the water at the boat ramp. When the dog swam out to retrieve a stick, the dog disappeared and was drowned by a shark. Not good. And the first time this had ever happened. Interesting but true.
The Museum is wonderful. We attended when it first opened a few years ago. The powers that be did a great job. They did not sugar coated anything. And it ends on a joyous note. David was appalled It made him ashamed. Britain dropped him off and picked him up after 2 and a half hours. He enjoyed every minute.
It starts with slavery and continues through the years. Finally, relief was in sight and it ends with the songs of the whole modern world with all the background of the marches. Everyone needs to see that story. Neither Britany or Portia had been to visit. Too painful they said. The story has been told for all to see and here. Well worth a visit.
My legs are giving me troubles. The hurt all the time. And I have the restless legs syndrome.
Finally in desperation, I took a sleeping pill which made me droseynall yesterday.. Not good.
Next is my vin which seems to deteriorates every day.
Finally are my legs which are unstable. Fortunately my walkers hold me up.
And my back hurts a lot. So I finally asked for some pain pills, which I thinker making me nauseated,
Not easy these days being me.
David has good use of his time in Mississippi. This afternoon, he was invited to go birding. Chris drives for a man to work every day of the week. And he drives him hone too. His name is Ray and he is a birder. Last week he invited David to go on a birding trip, which Chris drove. And today, Ray invited David to another good spot, this time in a cypress swamp.. Again, Chris drove.
They had a great time. David saw lots and lots of interesting birds. Chris does not go on the long walks. His foot is still not healed from his diabetic ulcer. After the trip, Ray invited David back to meet his wife and to have a glass of eggnog. David was pleased and got home at 6:00. Now this week he will visit the Civil Rights Museum. He has had a good time.
No more. David has been here for two weeks any my Saturdays are no longer solitary. But he leaves next Saturday on the 21st so I must soon revert to my old ways. Nut I am enjoying hhis company. And I appreciate all his help. He prepares my meals and fortunately he is a good cook. I will miss him when he leaves.
Today we had no plans so mid morning we contacted Christ to take us out for lunch. David suggested Shaggys, a new restaurant just across the causeway that David enjoyed. But I suggest that Chris find us a new place. Fortunately , when we contacted him did morning he was available so he picked us up at 1:00. He suggested that we go to Georgia Blue, I place I had not gone to. The food was great and we all enjoyed our lunch. I brought one of my shrimp tacos which I ate at supper. So we had a little excursion, which we enjoyed.
In addition, David sat outside on the deck, which he enjoyed. So we had a pleasant Saturday, and my day was definitely not solitary.
Every one who spoke to friend David in Nova Scotia and knew he was coming to Mississippi, all gave one piece of advice, which was to be sure to go to New Orleans. Chris offered to take him there and they planned to go for Saturday and Sunday this weekend. But David decided not to stay overnight. Instead, Chris suggested the could stay for a day. Yesterday was the day. The drive takes two and a half hours so the left at 7:00 in the morning and the arrived back home before dark.
Christ, my Lyft driver was born and raised in New Orleans so he knows the hot spots. And he was a good travel guide. They drove straight to Jackson square and parked From then on, they parted ways and met back at the car in 3 hours. Then David walked and had a wonderful time. He walked along the Mississippi River. but was unable to board a paddle boat but he saw them. And he took hundreds of pictures. He came home very happy after his day in New Orleans.
Now he would love to return for a weekend. But in the meantime, he loved the balconies and the French Quarter. They were fortunate with the weather. Not too hot or not too cold. It was busy but not crowded. David had a good day in New Orleans.
Today was the day I visited two doctors the same day. First I met my Ophthalmologist for a six month check. I really like Dr. Kosko. We talk travel. This May, he and his wife and four children visited southern Utah and Arizona and the loved the five National Parks they visited. Brice was on the top of the list. My vision is not going to get any better says the good doctor. He has changed one drop. But at least I have vision.
After lunch with my helper at Manships, we headed to the pulmonary specialist. All is well in my lung department. I took a breathing test plus an X-ray. After listening to my chest we both determined that I am well even though I had a cough since my return. So my two appointments went well. Next up will be the PET scan on the 23rd. I will doubt I will have such good results. But we will see.
Ten days before we left Nova Scotia, during a power outage, David went outside to shut off his generator. His back steps from his deck was slick and he fell, and hurt his shoulder. It hurt so the next morning he went to the hospital t0 get checked out. Sure enough, he separated the muscles from the rotator cuff. He was told he would be called to have an ultra sound . He was hoping it would be done before he left but no luck. Hw would need to have surgery but not until he got the ultra sound.
When he was walking down to the dock, he reached out for the railing and hurt it again/ I suggested that he get evaluated at the Mississippi Sports Clinic which he did the next morning. He was very pleased with the care from the Doctor, who had x rays. And gave him a cortisone shot which helped the pain. The doctor told him that the shoulder needs surgery but until he got home, he would be comfortable, which he is now. In addition the doctor suggested therapy here. David is very pleased. He has had two sessions with the physical therapist and has another one coming on Friday. David is pleased.
David has travel insurance but whether or not he will get compendsted remains to be seen. But in the meantime, David is impressed with the Mississippi Sports Center. Very impressive.
The Baltimore Orioles won more games this year than any other team in the American league. But they were swept by the Texas Rangers who just squeaked into the playoffs. That is baseball. In a five run series, any team can win. Throughout the season, watching the Orioles play was a pleasure. Both the offense and defense they played great baseball. But now they will be going home.
Many people expected them to play for the world series. But they must wait for another year. Now the Rangers await the team they play next. Houston Astros will play their game tomorrow and are ahead of the Twins 2 to 1. The Astros are expected to win. But Baltimore was expected to win too but they were swept. And that is why I love baseball.
Chris took David on another excursion today. He had no commitments after early this morning so he suggested driving to the Delta. Davi's son is a music buff so he urged David to check the Blues Museums in the Delta. So today was the day. Again, they had a wonderful day. The weather was perfect for a drive in the country. Sunny and 65. David came home having taken hundreds of pictures.
He came home with a cotton ball. And lots of combines harvesting cotton. The B.B. Museum wa closed for Columbus Day but the Blues Musem was open, which he loved. He brought T shirts for his sons from the museum plus a couple of mugs. And they had lunch in Clarksburg. That town once was a vibrant busy place. But no longer. But the good people of Clarksburg are trying to revive the place and turn it into the center of the Blues. But it is not yet totally revived.
Before David went to the Delta I warned David that the most important aspect of the Delta was that it is flat. Very flat. And it is poor too. But it has a mythical image for many people. And David enjoyed the day. Again, hats off to Chris.
I do like that funky little restaurant. The place has not changed since they opened the place, Many years ago.. I had warned David before we went for brunch today, but even with a warning David commented when we were walking to our table that this place is a bit tattered. And it is. But the food is delicious so we continue to go there.
The first thing we do upon arrival is that we order oysters on the half shel. And we devour the 2 dozen oysters. They are always big and succulent. Then we order our food. The first time upon I arrive from Nova Scotia I order their gumbo. After a summer of eating good but bland food in Nova Scotia, I am ready for some good New Orleans food. Christina order their boiled shrimp that she peels herself. Mollu too. Both David and Mary Frances ate snapper which they reported was delicious. So now I have my first taste of gumbo. And I enjoyed every bite.
I do love October with the Baseball Playoffs are in full force. I especially enjoy the division championships when 8 teams compete for the league championship. Last year I watched so many games at the level that by the World Series I was kind of sick of baseball. Today I watched part of three games and I enjoyed every minute.
Today I enjoyed watching the Astros win their game even they blew a five run lead. But eventually they won the game which pleased me. Then I watched the Arizona Diamondbacks, who just barely got into the series win their game. As I always cheer for the underdog I liked that too. The beat the Atlanta Braves which was a surprise. Then when the Arizona Diamondbacks were ahead by 9 runs, over the Dodgers I quit. Last year the Dodgers lost this series to the Padres and it looks as if they will chock too. You never know what will happen in a baseball game.
So here we go. Last year, the teams who I expected would win all lost. So this year I am not even going to predict. But for sure, some team will win. And I will be watching.
Chris, My Lyft driver took David on an excursion today. David enjoyed himself thoroughly. They left at 9 and returned at 5. Happy as clams. Chris took David to Vicksburg. This was the first time that David had seen the Mississippi River. They did everything they could do in Vicksburg. Twice they drove across the bridge into Louisiana. Every time was thrilling, said David. And he walked along the river both down close to the river and also on the bluffs at the top.
And of course they toured the battlefield and cemetery along with all the impressive monuments. He saw the boat with the paddle wheel too. They drove through the seedy and the good parts of Vicksburg. They ate lunch at a restaurant in downtown, favored by Chris.
I stayed home and spent the day with my new helper, who is definitely a keeper. At the end of the day we were both happy. David had a wonderful outing and I found my new helper, who I like. Hurrah for us.
Marlene was my new helper, learning how to be a good helper to me. Right from the beginning, she had some issues. One was her talking. She talked a lot, very often to David. But she seemed helpful and kindly so I thought I could work with her. The second issue was that she liked to tell me what to do.
This morning, she drove David to the Mississippi Sports Medicine Clinic for an evaluation of his shoulder. I did not tell her directly but David told her that I wanted her to drop David at the clinic, then come home. But she did not get home in a timely manner so I called her and she told me that she had parked the car and was then helping with David to fill out forms. So I told her to come home. But she refused. She said that she would not drive my car all by herself due to her liability. After several conversations to the company, she finally came home.By now it was almost 11:00.
When she arrived home I asked her. And she started to tell me the same story I had heard on the phone. So I interrupted and pointed out that she was supposed to do what I ask.. She kept talking. I again interrupted. And she took umbrage and Quit. Right then and there. So I called Ben to find a new helper, who will come tomorrow. I have fired many people over my life but I have only had one other worker quit.
Chris picked up David. When I asked David, and reminded her that she was supposed to go home, Marlene told David that he would only be there so she did not want to come back hone and then return so quickly. But I knew better. The liability issue was just an excuse. Anyway, she is gone. She just quit.
Last evening, David cooked our dinner. It was a magnificent meal. And I ate my whole plate. He cooked fillets which were tasty and moist. And he served mashed potatoes and green beans and sautéed mushrooms. Also a small salad. We ate watching TV so we were comfortable. Both of us are stuffed full. It was a delicious dinner.
He was clever and cooked enough to use a second night so tonight we ate half a fillet each plus plenty of mashed potatoes and beans. Tonight we were not so stuffed but was equally tasty. Clearly, David is a good cook and he is looking after me very well. I suspect he is working to add some pounds, or at least not continuing to lose wight.I am so fortunate to haveDavid looking after our meals. Lots of fun and lots of good food. Pretty nifty.
I have two new workers in my life in Mississippi. I have used the same cleaning service for years but this year a new lady was sent to clean my house. And I like her. Today was her first day. Elena cleaned the downstairs too and David reported that the place was as clean as a whistle. The upstairs was well cleaned too. She is little and cute and has 4 children so I know she needs a job. She was pleasant and efficient. And I was pleased with her work and her attitude.
Portia was a difficult act to follow. But she is back at school so Sitters Inc. sent me a new helper, Marlene. She is from Belgium and moved to the US just 5 years ago and to Mississippi three years ago. She is certainly a different helper but she is kindly and caring and hard working. She is learning the ropes here at my house. The good thing is that she is happy to take David to take places in Jackson. David is reluctant to drive with all the traffic here. Tomorrow, Marlene will take David to visit the Science Museum in Jackson, al place I have visited many times. It is difficult to know how I will enjoy her because David is here talking to us both. But she is smart and she works hard. I am pleased to have her as my helper but I still miss Portia.
I am pleased with my two new workers. Once again, I feel fortunate.
Monday morning I had an appointment with Dr. Gregg. She was alarmed because she thought I looked weary. And she read the results of my blood counts she called my Oncologist who was also alarmed so they decided I should go to the ER for further testing . Dr. Sheehan thought I would be admitted for further tests. My potassium and sodium counts were out of whack and my liver function was not good. So Chris my Lift driver took me to the ER along with David.
It took us over 2 hours in the waiting room but eventually I was in the ER on a gurney, while I began a series of testis. I sent David home with Chris. I had blood drawn again. And had a CAT scan. And they ran a urine sample. Of course, all these tests took ages. Eventually I met with the ER Doctor to review my tests. He was not so alarmed by the blood counts and the radiologist compared the CAT scan with my last PET scan which showed little difference.
So he sent me home at $:00. There was nothing to treat me in the hospital. I woke Chris up to take me home where I got a few hours sleep. So I had an adventurous but uncomfortable evening. But now I am home and really need to recover. And David too.
David and I had a busy day. David prepared us a very nice breakfast of yoghurt and berries. Then he explored the property. He likes it here. But he did comment that the climate is very different than Nova Scotia, which it is. Then we went for lunch with Christina, Molly and Mary Frances. We went to a new restaurant as the one we selected had just closed. So we found another, Zia, and it was good.
After a nap, David helped me to unpack my bags. Putting everything away would have taken me ages but with David along to help, we got everything done. I sat in the bedroom while he unpack and put away all the objects. Whew. What a help. With David carrying everything and with me giving instructions, we got it done. Both my little case and back pack are now put away in the closet. This included all the meds I had taken with me.
Next we attacked the new meds I had ordered at the drug store. And we sorted and put away everything into the correct place. With that, we had officially settled into our place. All chargers are inplace along with my reading glasses. Now I can function here in Mississippi. Until everything is in place, I do not really relax. Now I can thanks to th help of friend David. Now I am all set here in Mississippi to enjoy myself. Our recovery day is officially over.
I am home safe and sound in Mississippi. Now I must get organized. Our day was long but we are here. No major issues with the trip. But the flights are short so no meals served on either flights. I do not know why flying is so tiring but it is. Now after a day of recovery, we will be good to go.
Both flights were on time. Chris was there to bring us home. David already is have trouble with the accent. And he is delighted with my home. He was expecting a small bungalow. Now when the sun comes up and he can see the water he will be even more delighted. But for now, I must settle in. Tomorrow is another day. At the moment, both David and I are delighted to be here. Although my summer ws wonderful in Nova Scotia. Well worth the travel for sure.
Last evening I made a list. Anna and I were prepared. My truck is in the garage. My bag was packed. But I still had a long list of things to do this morning. Anna and Abe leave tomorrow to drive to Pennsylvania and she would really would have left early but I knew that my list was long. And would take time. I was correct. Anna left at her normal time of 2:00.
I am always astonished how many things need to be done at the last minute. But we did it. Every item on my list has a check mark. So I am ready to go. David is coming with me. First to Reagan in DC then on the Jackson. So off we go.
Finally, the Toronto Bluejays won a game in their 3 day series with the Yankees. The last time they played, the Jays swept. But not this time. They lost the first two b\games badly. But this evening they won, 6 to 0. This was important because Toronto is still trying to get into the playoffs, which begins next wee. Any three wins and Toronto is in the playoffs so they we hoping to sweep again. But no such luck. Now they are down to the magic 2.
For the past month, it has been an up and down concept. First Toronto was definitely in. Next definitely out. It has been keeping up. Now if Seattle loses a game and Toronto wins one, Toronto will definitely in the playoffs. But they are not there yet. Stay tuned.
Anna began helping me the summer of 2019, the first time I had come to Nova Scotia by myself. Her husband and I met a couple of times through the season and I liked him so at the end of the summer, I invited Anna and Abe out to dinner, to celebrate our successful season. And we enjoyed ourselves. We have been doing it every year except we begin including son Isaac tom the dinners. And we had a tradition going, which we all enjoyed.
Tonight was the day for our celebration except we added Sam, who will be married to son Isaac next July. So tonight, Helper Anna, husband Abe, son Isaac and soon to be married to Isaac Sam had dinner together at Lanes. And we all had a good time. I was delighted to see Isaac and Sam. Since last year, Isaac has become a successful roofer. We had lots to celebrate. Now on Saturday we will go in different directions. But we intend to reconvene next year. This is a very nice tradition. Simple but pleasant. Pretty nice.
Life is full of changes. Gill has just moved into her new condo in Toronto which is near Blood and Yonge. Her old one, which overlooked Lake Ontario has sold and settled. Now she is busily getting organized into her new digs, which is double the size of her last one.
Walt and Mary will no longer look after my Nova Scotia over the winter. They will be away for over 4 months so they are turning it over to friend David N..But first David will accompany me to Mississippi and stay for a visit. When he returns, he will begin the weekly checks. And he will repair anything that comes up.
Portia, my helper in Mississippi has gone back to school to get an RN. My new helper will be Marlene, who will start next Monday. Portia was wonderful so I hope that Marlene will be just as good. The company that I use, Sitters, Inc., assures me that I will be pleased and as I have never had a bad one from them I am sure she will be fine. But getting adjusted always has its issues. I am hopeful.
So here I go into a new season full of confidence that all will be well. So here we go.
I have never wanted to own or run a restaurant. There are at least 50 ways why I feel that way but evidently, many folks hanker to open a restaurant. Here is one example.
A couple retired to Liverpool and opened a coffee shop on Main Street serving coffee and croissants. It is called The Main on the Mersey. The sweet rolls were delicious and it was popular and always busy. The front holds a gift shop that is rented out to someone else and on the water side is a big deck where people sat and ate. It was crowded and popular. After three years they decided to open a restaurant across the street. They took over an office formerly held by a lawyer so lots of renovations needed to be done to turn it into a restaurant.
Their hope was to open the new place for the season. And they moved the coffee shop across the street. They hired a Japanese chef. Finally, the restaurant opened for business two weeks ago. The coffee shop was full during the morning and the restaurant was open for lunch and dinner. All was well. People liked the food. But disaster struck on Sunday when the new chef quit. They served 40 meals on Saturday night. And on Sunday the new chef quit and headed back to Toronto.
My caterer was asked to fill in until they were able to find a cook. But Tina is retired and already works part time at Lanes Fortunately , my work is over. But the poor owners. There is yet another reason why I would never want to own a restaurant.
We four met at 10:00 at Lanes today for breakfast. We are four ladies of mature age, all widows. Nancy L. was there along with Sandra S. And of course Carolyn and I were the fourth. I was the only person who knew everyone. so we had a lot to learn from each other. We had a wonderful time. We talked about travels. And we talked about our activities. And we talked about Liverpool.
And of course, the food was wonderful. We all ate a full big breakfast I ate eggs, sausage, fried potatoes and toast. And of course, we talked. And we talked. And we got home at 1:30. Everything worked out well and I was pleased that I organized our small event. Some times things just work out well. That was one of those days. Pretty nice.
Our outing was interesting. Our first plan was to go to the Quarterdeck for a late lunch. But first we had to master the truck. So far, Carolyn had not drive my old truck but before she could drive, she was required to get into the truck which is not easy. My old truck has no running board so the first step is a big one. Carolyn is short and is 89 so not sprightly. The first three attempts were not successful so she went inside to get the little blue stool. But we could not figure out how to get the stool back into the truck so on the next try, and with some hints from me, she got in. And we were ready to go.
But first she had to adjust the seat and figure out the controls but soon we were on the way to the Quarterdeck. But when we got there just before 2, the door was closed. And the lady came to the door to tell us that they had run out of food so they were closed until 4:30. I had just told Carolyn that they kept open all afternoon. But not today. So we drove down to the Seascape restaurant but the still only take carry out dinners. Bummer.
So we went back up the road to the Seafood Restaurant, who advertises as the worlds best clams. Carolyn ate lobster and I ate fried clams and fish along with chips., certainly not I would order at the Quarterdeck. But it was delicious I always eat fish and chips at least once in Nova Scotia and now I have done it fried clams along with fish and chips. Finally we ate our late lunch but much later than anticipated. And Carolyn never did get to dine at the Quarterdeck. But we enjoyed our outing.
Yesterday we drove to Petite Riviera t eat lunch at The Osprey Nest. Mal drove. We drove straight there on highway 103 and then down to the little town. This little restaurant opened four years ago and have done well ever since even though just opened after Covid hit Canada. That was their first issue. The second is the location is not conducive to finding it. The are up the hill from the little highway and at first they had no sign on highway 3. But now they have a sign. And Covid is over so they are thriving.
Pat and Mal actually discovered the restaurant a few years ago so they like to go there. And yesterday was their last chance before they headed home, which the did today. Carolyn of course has never gone there so she was pleased go. I had only dined there once this summer so I was happy too when Mal suggested that we would go there for lunch.
The day was glorious so we sat outside on their deck. And we ate delicious food, each of us eating a different entree. Then we drove home along the shore which was delightful. It was a fine excursion, enjoyed by all.
I have only one more dinner being delivered tomorrow. This is hard to believe but true. Tomorrow, Pat and Mal begin their long drive home to Barrie in Ontario. And Carolyn leaves for Virginia on Monday morning. As I only have Tina bring dinners when I have company, tomorrow evening will be my last catered dinner. This weekend, Carolyn and I will be fending for ourselves. We will go our for lunch both Saturday and Sunday, first to the Quarterdeck and then to Lanes. We will eat a light supper at home because Carolyn does not drive at night.
And my bag is packed too. Today, while we four went to the Osprey Nest for lunch, Anna organized the stuff in the garage. Now, next Friday, Anna merely needs to put the truck into the garage. Next is to carry my little bag and backpack downstairs so that when Mr. Gaskell comes to pick me up I will be ready. Things are definitely winding down at Western Head. By the 30th I will be ready. Then on to the next.
Mr friend Carolyn have come to visit me in Nova Scotia. I have not seen her since our 55th Anniversary celebration, which was held at the ranch in Texas in 2013. We were delighted to see each other. And we have been talking ever since. Carolyn and I became friends in Galveston in 1964. She married Tom shortly after and when he completed his PhD. at the U. of Houston, they shortly moved to Hamptden Sydney University in Farmvilly, Virginia, where Tom taught at the University. Tom died in the Fall of 2022 so this is her first venture after Tom's death.
We moves to Maryland in 1970, which is not far from Farmville so we visited back and forth many times. I always wonder how we stay friends for many years and why friends drift away. But Ken and I and Carolyn and Tom have been fast friends ever since. Now we are having a wonderful time, along with Pat & Mal who are staying in the guest House. We eat dinner every evening and today we all four went to White Point for lunch. Tomorrow we will drive to The Osprey Nest in Petite Riveriere. We will drive along the shore. And we will have a good time. I am pleased to have Carolyn visit me here in Western Head.
My friend Tome has gone to heaven. I will miss him. He led a full and active life. And a successful life too. His wife Joyce and I took all our swimming credentials together and we have all been friends since our youth. Tom was a man of many parts. He was a superior athlete. And he played tenor horn in the Salvation Army bands. His last affiliation was with the Heritage band. He loved playing in the band over the years.
He was a salesman too and a successful one too, supporting his five children all those years. When he retired Tommy and Joyve moved full time at their cottage just outside Peterborough. They both loved living on the lake. His best for life was high and I will miss his enthusiastic attitude.
The last time I saw him was when they visited us in Nova Scotia in 2018 , shortly after their house burned. But they rebuilt and have lived there ever since. This is another one of my buddies from my youth., which by now is few in number. Tommy will RIP.
Gillian will be first to leave. Tomorrow, she will fly to Toronto to take up residence in her new condo at Bloor and Yonge in Toronto. Her old condo has sold and is settled and she has purchased her new one ten days ago. Today, her floors are being done and on Friday her furniture will come out of storage. Then she will get organized. For two nights she will stay in the guest rooms in her new condo. Then the fun begins to put her new house in order.
On Saturday, Mary and Clif will drive home to Delaware. The drive will take part of three days of driving, with two nights on the road. Up until now, they have driven here. Bu this will be their last drive. Next year they will fly. And they will buy a used car which they will keep in their garage. Early in the new year, they plan to take a cruise from San Francisco to New Zealand, the same cruise that Ken and I enjoyed in 2014.
Early next week, Wendy and Clausen will begin their drive home to Potomac. They take bit of a vacation getting home, staying in a couple of lovely places on the way home. They head home with only one dog. Their greyhound died two weeks ago so they return with only one dog.
I fly to Mississippi on the 30th of this month. Friend David N. will accompany me and stay for three weeks. He is excited. While he is there, Chris, my Lyft driver will take him to New Orleans for a weekend. I remain in Mississippi until late December, when I fly to Ontario to celebrate Irene's 90th birthday before going to Mexico for the winter with Wendy and Ken.
Our plan is to reconvene in Western Head in 2024 in June. Now here we go, all heading to our other homes. We all agreed that our summer of 2023 was lovely. Again, we are fortunate to have each other.
I awake this morning to silence. No shrieking winds. No crashing of the waves into the shore. Over night, the storm disappeared on our shore. Now we will pick up the pieces.
My friends Walt and Mary are still without power, as have many others. Highway 8 is closed. Tress are down across the road all the way to Annapolis Royale. Miltom streets are closed due to downed power lines. Trees are down everywhere in Milton too. The causeway right beside me is closed due to rocks on the road. The wall is only half standing and some have crumbled.
Yarmouth and Digby are in a mess due to the heavy rain and high wind. Trees are down everywhere in both places. Also in Halifax. We were spared the heavy rain but not so Yarmouth and Digby. They had flooding along with the high winds. We mostly had high wins and waves. Both grocery store are still closed but McDonals was open bright and early.
At my house, all is well. Mal emptied the bathtub full of water. And we must return water containers to friend David. My driveway is still intact. I have not yet checked for erosion down by the shore. Those of us at Western Head came through the storm unscathed. We are the lucky ones for sure. I feel fortunate indeed.
This storm is a doozer. The noise from the winds were the loudest I have ever heard. All night and all day I have been listening an ever louder noise. And the noise is still continuing too. The hurricane hit just outside Yarmouth. Fortunately we were missed. But the winds were very strong and that alone did a lot of damage. A tree came down in Milton this morning which knocked out our power at 6:30 this morning. So we have been without electricity all day, with the power to be restored tomorrow at midnight. Much to my surprise, our electricity came on at 7:30, just in time for dinner.
During the day, the waves were huge. Spectacular from our front windows. During the day, as the wind got nosier, the wave got higher. Way too rough for the surfers to get into the water. The waves and wind removed the wall on the causeway. And the waves came over to the lake. Shortly this morning, barriers were installed on the road. Throughout the day, a steady stream of cars came out to see the waves, only to turn around and go back into town. So far, everyone out here is safe so after a good and noisy sleep, the storm will be over. The waves will be high tomorrow but should not be was high as today.
This was quite a storm. Hurricane Lee has had lots of damage. But we are safe and sound. And we hope the power stays on.
The surfers were out at the beginning of day light today. And they stuck at it all day. They are a resilient group. By 6:30, four surfers wee in the water. Bt noon there were 11. By six there were five. Of course, we have no idea who there are because they all look the same with their black wet suits. They actually look like seals, until they stand up.
The big difference through the day was the size of the waves. By nightfall, the waves were high and noisy. The surfers are hoping that the storm is far enough away that they will be able to surf. If the storm is too close, the waves are dangerous so they must get out of the water. This summer has been a bust for the surfers, until recently. Now the surf is high and the surfers are happy, especially with the weekend ahead of them. Several of our local surfers are teachers so they are happy for the weekend.
But no matter happens, we have a front seat view of the storm, projected to hit tomorrow. It will be spectacular.
Mal is getting us ready for the storm. Yesterday he brought over the propane tank from the shed and hooked it up to the barbecue. And it works just fine. If we lose power, he wants to cook over the weekend. Today he went to the grocery store so he has meat to grill. I do not know what he bought but I feel sure it will include steaks and chops. Tomorrow he will clean off the rust from the barbecue tools, which have not been used since Ken died. Also tomorrow he will fill our containers for water, the bathtub in the main house and the laundry tub in the guest house. He already checked the batteries in the flashlights.
On the weekends, we fend for ourselves. Tina, the caterer brings dinners Money to Friday but not on the weekend. Mostly we go out to dinners but if the weather is terrible or if we have more flooding, we might not be able to get out so we must be able to depend on ourselves. My brother and sister in law, Dave and Irene mentioned that I was fortunate that Mal will be here for the storm. And I agree. No one would be better to look after me and the house than Mal.
Of course, we hope we do not lose power. At the moment, the storm is tracking to hit Yarmouth but no matter what we will have heavy rain and high winds. And the surf will be spectacular. We are as ready as we could possibly be, thanks to Mal. Now we will sit back and watch the show. Here we go.
In 1962 Ken and I drove around the Gaspe Peninsula in the province of Quebec. We were traveling in our Volkswagen 1953 bug. And we were camping. We had a wonderful time. When we were traveling, we noted the lack of tourists. It was late in August but we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The topography was beautiful and the people friendly even though we did not speak French. And most folks did not speak English. But we managed just fine and we had a favorable opinion of the place.
Right now, Wendy and Ken are driving the Gaspe. I had encouraged them to make the journey. Of course, they are traveling in a different manner. They are driving a modern good sized car. And they are staying in hotels and inns. And they are eating in restaurants, which we did not. But the drive will be the same. And they have the internet to provide them information about where they are doing.
Their first day the weather was fine but on day 2 they had rain and fog. We were fortunate to have fine weather the whole time. But I will be interested to know how remote the place still is, or if there are now crowds of people. Wendy has never heard anyone else she knows who have made the trip, except for Ken and I in 1962. Wendy is writing a blog, called Wandering with Wendy, so I am eagerly awaiting every days events. I am having fun making this vicarious trip with them. And I await the similarities and differences. Such fun for me. And I wish them well.
Hurrucane Lee is coming our way. Depending what forecast your read, the storm will either hit us directly in Liverpool or will come closer to Yarmouth. But no doubt we will get nasty weather. Rain and winds and high surf. It may be a tropical storm. And perhaps it will be worse. Friday will be the day when we should get hit. And then the storm will head to the Bay of Funday. But the truth is, no one really knows what will happen. But we must be prepared.
Mal has already checked the flashlights. Wednesday we will make a run to the grocery store. Thursday we will fill the bathtub with water incase we run out of power when we are unable to flush the toilet. And Friday we must think about the outside furniture. So we should be ready for whatever comes our way. Of course, we might get nothing except rain and wind. And we certainly hope that the power does not go out. In our society we do not do well without electricity. But we will be prepared. So here we go.
Jan and Larry are the most gracious of hosts. Last Sunday, they invited me along with Pat, Mal and Gill to their home for lunch. We all had a wonderful time. We were invited for 1:00. Larry had redone their deck. And he had made two wooden tables to be used on the new deck so on Sunday for the first time, we ate lunch sitting outside on their new deck. It is a wonderful addition to their beautiful home and as the weather was lovely, we all 6 enjoyed ourselves.
Our lunch began with a glass of wine and spring rolls. Mal and I were the only two to abstain. But we enjoyed everything else, especially the new location. Larry even brought me a soft chair. Next we ate smoked salmon, bagels, creamed cheese, capers and onions. The food was marvelous. and we ate every bite. Next we ate apple pie brought by me from the lady at Atlantic Sands.
Our conversation was lively. And finally we headed home well after 4:oo. Our Sunday lunch was a delight, thanks to our hosts, Larry and Jan. I am indeed fortunate.
I found my nightshirt in my drawer. It is actually a men's undershirt with a V neck. It is big. 5X. Once upon a time it belonged to Ken but I stole it. And promptly forgot. It has been sitting in my drawer ever since. Yesterday I found it. And I remembered the last time I wore it.
Ken and I were at Corn Island, some time in the 1990's. The place was primitive. And hot. The ac worked a few hours every day and sometimes the water did not work. So to stay cool, I wore Ken's big shirt. For three days I wore the same shirt. Ken and I set out to walk around the whole island. Half way around we were thirsty so found a hut with a cocoa cola sign. While we drank, I noticed a lady doing laundry and I waved her over to see if she would wash my shirt. Of course, she spoke no English and I spoke no Spanish. But we managed.
No one else was under the little hut so I gave her my shorts and shirt and Ken gave her his shirt and she left to wash our clothes, leaving me sitting in my underwear. And we finished our drink. I hollered to the lady to return our still wet clothes and we paid her and left to continue our walk, but now with clean but damp clothes, which helped us to stay cool.
And that was the last time I remembered seeing that big soft shirt. I still like that shirt. Now that I have discovered that shirt I will wear it more often. Pretty good find.
David N. took his dog to be groomed. And he came out to check up on me. He discovered Pat and Mal just eating lunch with me and we had a pleasant visit. One topic we discovered was how much we all enjoy scallops. And David left to pick up his dog.
But we were in for a big surprise. Just after 6:00, David arrived with all the fixings for dinner for all four of us. He brought fresh scallops, green and yellow beans and french fries to be cooked in the oven. While Pat and I sat in the living room chatting, David and Mal cooked dinner. David cooked the scallops in butter and prepared all the other food. The smells from the kitchen just got better and better.
We four enjoyed our delicious dinner. I am not sure which part of the dinner was the best: the taste of the food or the unexpected surprise. But we all loved every bit. And we ate ice cream for dessert. Wow. What a dinner!!
Mal and Pat have come to visit me here in Nova Scotia. They have come every year since we moved here in 1999 except the Covid year when they were prohibited from traveling. Welcoming old friends is always a pleasure but Pat and Mal are exceptional because I have Pat must of my life. Few people alive today know all my relatives and family but Pat and Mal are a few still alive who knew my parents. And they are friends of lots of my friends too. So w will have have a good time.
In the past, Mal always worked alongside of Ken with any project but of recent years, Mal has self directed to be sure that all my lights are not burned out. He has already replaced a kitchen light. And as Pat has some mobility issues of her own, Mal is the only truly able bodied person in the house. So he is a useful fellow.
They stay in the Guest House and tomorrow they will visit the Farmers Market in town. I bet that Mal will play some band music for me to enjoy. Ken has a Bos speaker where you can listen through the good speakers but on your phone. Ken and Mal are the only people who can make it work. A little Salvation Army band music would be a good thing. So here we go, another beginning of a lovely visit.
