Fri, Oct. 16, 2020 - *** Well I just booked myself to get a flu vaccine. This is kinda new for me, but I recognize that I am actually 67 years old (when did THAT happen?) and this move is like "an abundance of caution", as the phrase goes. That phrase, by the way, I never heard before in my life and now it's everywhere - much like this dastardly virus. Anyway, although I have not been known previously to pracrtice an abundance of caution in my usual day-to-day life, I am doing so now.  I am not actively concerned about dying myself, but I would not want to pass it on to any of my friends, many of whom are older than me and possibly comprimised in some ways. Also, the long term effects of that virus sound dreadful - long term heart problems, lung issues, kidney damage - ugh! I just got my heart fixed - last thing I need is health trouble. So, I wear my mask when in town, and I wash my hands, and I only really see about 3 people (my bubble, as it were) and I will get a flu ...

 Tue., Oct. 13, 2020 ***  Yup - it's still 2020. We are expecting a big wind apparently, so I am making sure everything in the yard is safe and will not blow away or get knocked over. I cannot guarantee that I will not get knocked over, of course. Ha. Then the phone rings and it's my emergency POD person, Jane, and we get to talkin and I discover she is from Ireland. Well, that got us going. And that she used to live in Alberta - in Edmonton at one point, and in Strathcona! What! Small world isn't it sometimes. After the call, I continue to straighten up outside, fill some buckets of water inside and boom...there goes the power, right around 2pm. Well no use to hang around now so Sadie and I head to town to pick up Norah and get Sadie some new name tags for her collar. Very nice ones too - all rainbow coloured. I got two so they will rattle and at least I can hear her when she goes of the trail, Which I hope she never does again but of course she will.  So I pick up Norah...

October 12, 2020 *** Sadie got lost today. Charlie and I went for a walk in Channel Ridge with Sadie and Neimar, who love each other. We took one of my favorite trails off Merganzer and up towards what we lovingly call "the moonscape", the area where they tried to develop housing several years ago but were stymied. Anyhoo, I know there are bunnies where there is broom so I am usually cautious with Sadie in those areas, but today she had not veered off the trail at all so I was complacent. As we turned up towards the moonscape, she ran off ahead with Neimar - and then l00 feet later - no Sadie. We started calling and whistling, figuring she would return any moment. 5 minutes - 10 minutes - should we go back the way we came? Or keep going forward? We did both - after 20 minutes, I was worried. I had my phone on me so we stopped and I posted on the Salt Spring Exchange (using Charlie's prescription glasses since I cannot read the words on my phone without specs!). I also pos...

 Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020 *** Will this year ever end? Anyway.... I came thru my heart ablation surgery with flying colours. Dr Leather said it all went well and except for the extreme tiredness I felt these last 3 days, I feel really good. Last night was a 12 hour sleep marathon and today I feel pretty normal. Nice. And all at no more cost to me than my usual income taxes. I am so grateful to live in a place with health care for all. And good health care, too. I cannot even begin to imagine the cost of the surgery I just experienced. A ward full of nurses pre-op, about 6 people in the room (lab) where they performed the procedure, several more behind glass watching various computers and cameras and other fancy equipment, a giant camera and god knows what else in the room. Two hours it took, the doc said, and 5 hours of lying flat to recover from the surgery and the anaesthetic. Then to the hotel overnight and home the next day. It does take a village however. My friend Suzanne drov...