September 7, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Up To Date.

Getting to the end of the to do list gives a get sense of satisfaction. This evening, I have gotten everything done. Cameron came with a bill for the deck so I gave him a cheque, which pleased him. Workmen here are slow to give a bill so I was pleased he came by. He also put two blanks in the electrical box. So now we are totally finished. And I had Katie mail our cheque to the Earth Angels. They send me a bill via e mail and I write a cheque and send the funds via snail mail, just as we did years ago. When we first hired them, I gave them our new credit card but it failed to work. Turned out that I gave them a debit card which will not work. They were happy for me to just send them a cheque. Today I received via e mail a bill from Jaspro, our cleaning service. I had them put that bill on the credit card. I also received a bill from the caterer so I have a cheque in an envelope which they will pick up on Monday. So I am up to date with my bills. David e mailed me that he had paid our tax bill for Queens County and also our Band of Montreal credit card bill. So we are in good shape in Western Head. And after transferring funds from the investment account to our hearing account we should be solvent until we leave October 7. I took two months membership at the Emera Center where we walk so soon I must add on some weeks. One week the track was closed due to thew Hank Snow Festival so they extended the number of days we were unable to use the track. We must soon be out of membership. But I will wait to be told. For some reason, I like to clear my desk and keep current with my responsibilities. Now I am up to date in Western Head, at least for the moment. And I am pleased.

September 6, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Update.

Ken walked a whole loop at the walking track today without holding on the anything or anybody. Katie pushed the walker beside him and he walked right along the hand rail. But he did the whole thing by himself. Those who saw him months ago would be surprised to see his progress. Katie was thrilled with his accomplishment. This afternoon they walked to the garden with Ken as usual using the walker., But inside the garden, Ken used a cane so that is the first time he has used the cane since getting ill. Ken walks more laps but today was a first by himself. Last week he walked half way around but today was a milestone both at the arena and in the garden. On the other hand, he has swollen feet and legs and he has cellulitis in his lower legs. He has increased his meds for the water retention and he has started augmenten for the cellulitis, both approved by Ken's doctor in Mississippi. Ken is stronger, no question about that. He is up and down the stairs three or four times a day. Ken walks 4 laps at a time at the walking track, which is about one kilometer. I seem about the same. I am on the week off from Ibrance so my immune system has a chance to recover. I put my legs up every afternoon for an hour. I walk 8 loop[s at the arena with no difficulty. I am still heavy which the Oncologist says is just fine. She does not want to hear about any weight loss. Katie is a big help at home. She does the laundry every few days and she unloads the dishwasher. She changes the bed which I appreciate as making the bed is difficult for me. I often ponder whether or not we were smart to come to Nova Scotia, especially when Ken has health issues. Ken never wavers on that issue. We did the right thing in Ken's op[inion. Of course, time will tell. We have just over a month before we take the commercial flights to St. Paul and then the cruise down the mighty Mississippi. So far, we have done well I think. I am coping well with the limits on our social life. At the moment, our updates are both positive and for that we are grateful. Thanks Be To God.

September 5, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Bernard Bowles.

We arrived to find the china pot and cups all set out ready for our tea party with Bernie. Everything looked elegant and the tea was delicious too. Ken had wanted to chat with Bernie so we decided to ask if we could come for a cup of tea which he was delighted to oblige. I had called him at eleven this morning and gave hime the option of us coming in 45 minutes or mid afternoon. "The sooner the better," said Bernie. I had also warned him that Ken had no staying power and our visit would be relatively short. I also tried to prepare Katie as to what she was going to hear and see. Bernies home is eccentric. Today was the first time I had actually sat in his living room to admire his new look. I knew from his e mails that he had painted every room and switched around all his art. The new look is muted with the walls a mellow yellow but in the kitchen, living room and front hall. Last year each room was different, with the kitchen orange, the living room red and the hall green. His art shows well. Of course, sea gulls still hang from the ceiling of the living room, the snowflake Christmas ornaments on the kitchen ceiling and a hundred birds on the ceiling of his studio. So his home is muted but still a remarkable sight. He is still not painting. He said he is being domestic, making relishes and freezing vegetables. And he enjoyed sitting on his deck in the sunshine. He did make 18 charming cards, all; done on the three hot days when it was too hot to work outdoors. He iS 85 years old and fit. And he has oodles of energy and enthusiasm. He is a tonic. Katie was charmed by him. She loved seeing his home and seeing his art. He loves his life. It was a pleasure to spend 90 minutes with him today.

September 4, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Photobiomodulation.

Ken calls it lighting up his head. He does it once a day even though we have no idea if i9t does anything good. The system has been tested for depression and senility and has found effective. People get better. And there are one dotal stories of improvement with patients afflicted with Parkinson's disease. But there are no studies. But as the good doctor said to both of us, "There has never had anyone say it was harmful". So Kewn takes a treatment every day. The whole thing may be hokus pokes. Being a bit cynical, even the placebo effect will probably not work. And we have no real standard to compare one week to the next because PD changes almost every day. One day Ken's balance is good and the next day terrible. Ken thinks he is more alert since the treatment but we do not really know. A study is being done at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto so perhaps there will be results eventually. But at the moment, Ken hooks his head set to the charger every day and for twenty minutes he sits and chills...and hopes the device will do some good. The thing is, nothing else works so at least Ken is trying something even though it proves out to be doing no good. At least it is doing no hard. We just keep on going with this Photobiomodulation and laugh.

September 3, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. September.

September is a hidden gem in Nova Scotia. Often the weather is best. The days are sunny and the evenings are cool. And the breeze has just a hint of what is coming. The bushes are still in bloom as are the flowers. They have all past their prime but they are still beautiful. September is a lovely time of year here at Western Head. Carol and Ken used to be the only folks who came here in the Fall. They lived on a lake just south of Owen Sopund so their summer was busy. But by mid September they were able to get out of town and come to visit. They loved September in the Maritimes. This year we are having company in September, perhaps because we did not arrive until late in July. We will enjoy our company and hope the weather holds. There is no signs of changing leaves. I think we could not expect colored leaves until October. We hope to see Autumn colors in Minnesota and when cruising down the Mississippi. Our friends will be leaving in September. We begin the last suppers. We feel fortunate we were able to come this summer so we are enjoying our friends. This afternoon I sat on the deck by myself enjoying the stiff breeze and the warm sun. I knew it was September. And was pleased.

September 2, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Beets.

Who would ever dream of eating beets and fried potatoes for dinner? But when the beets and potatoes come from our own garden and are freshly harvested, they make a meal for a king. Beets were not a favorite for me until we began eating the beets straight out of the garden. Rita was here and we needed instructions from the internet. We had no clue how to cook them. All I know was that beets were often pickled and I did not like them. But we learned to boil them with about one inch of the tops still on. When tender to a fork, we put the beets straight out of the boiling water into a bowl of cold water, where we peeled the skins. The tops and skin roll right off. Then we cut them into a bowl and dabbed them with butter. Much to our surprise, they're delicious. We use the same system now. All we do is wash the beets and cut off the tops. And cook them in a pot covered with water. Even I can cook beets. The potatoes speak for themselves and were also delicious. But the beets made the meal. I never buy beets at the grocery store. I wait until we have them straight out of the garden. Joe is coming tomorrow to harvest the rest of the garden so we will have more beets to eat. Whenever I mention beets to people they always tell me they do not like eating fresh beets. My response is always the same I say,"but you have not tasted our beets straight from the garden. You would love them." Tonight was a perfect Sunday night dinner...beets and potatoes. Fit for a king and Queen.

September 1, 2018. Western Head, Nova Scotia. The Deck.

The glass enclosure needed attention. One of the standards had moved just a bit which meant everything had shifted too. When the hot tub has been removed, we decided to remove a set of stairs between the hot tub and our deck and extend the deck. We never used those stairs anyway. In fact, the rose bushes had grown so tall and thick that no one could have possible used those stairs. The man who bought the hot tub is a carpenter so we hired him and his crew to extend the deck, fill in the open space where the hot tub used to sit and shore up the glass enclosure. We will then move the table to the area of the enclosure so we could eat outside without the breeze. The two men started work this morning. They made progress. The glass enclosure is now secure. The foundation under the new deck over the stairs has been done. Tomorrow they will put down the planks for the decking. Next they will remove the hot tub and fill in the space. Ken and I will be pleased with the new look. For some reason, Ken and I never made a decision to install the new/used hot tub. I thought we were going to have George cover up the empty space and Ken thought we were installing the used one. So the hot tub appeared. Fortunately it was not expensive. But I will be happy to have it gone. And we thing the table in the enclosure will work well. The workmen today reported that the area behind the enclosure is much warmer than just the deck. Ken and I enjoy watching projects unfold. So today we were pleased with the progress. They have promised to be finished tomorrow but I expect the work might finish up on Monday morning. Then we can sit and admire the new look.