I hope you had an amazing summer. The weather was beautiful for the most part.
I got to go to the East Coast, early July, to visit my daughter Lindsay, her partner and the 4 Grands. P.E.I. was a blast. We went and got our Lobster rolls at Richards. OMG so delicious and so much lobster!
Being with the Grands again was so wonderful. We had one big birthday celebration. Mine, in August was the big 75. The twins turned 11 in July and their older sister 15 in August. Lindsay and eldest daughter made a delicious lemon curd cake. It was so yummy and gluten free. Lindsay makes the best cakes. We also had seafood chowder for our birthday meal. It was fun to celebrate all together.
The girls loved their gifts of clothes and Legos. For the oldest I got the Lego which was a bouquet of flowers. She had it done in quick order. In fact, the picture I took had her hands blurred. She put them in a vase with tiny lights below it. So gorgeous!
I also got to visit my friend Cheryl again while there. We had worked in Psychiatry at the Oshawa General so many years ago.
I also had a few outings with friends to Port Stanley for meals and walks plus the Hyland theatre for great movies.
We were to go to a cabin with the Barrie Grands to the KOA in Barrie this summer but had to cancel. The girls went instead to their cousins in Kitchener where they had a blast going to various places with them. My son and daughter-in-law went to Los Vegas for several days. This was the first time they had vacation without the kids. They had a wonderful time.
For my birthday I went out with friends to the Mandarin, then to East Side Marios with Jim. Yummy times.
Since April we have been dealing with Jim’s diagnosis of Pulmonary Fibrosis. This has kept us close to home as he is now on Oxygen. He is also on a medication that slows the process of scaring in his lungs. Although it is helping some of the side effects are difficult. We see his doctor on the 17th and he also gets another Pulmonary Function test to see what is happening in his lungs.
My coping method is to clean. The house is looking great! I do have to do it over a period of time otherwise I get so tired. We do have a house cleaner and a young lady who cuts the grass weekly.
I have also developed osteoarthritis on top of the P.M.R. Polymyalgia Rheumatica. It (osteoarthritis) is again in my shoulders, neck, hips and now in my hands. I got 4 more Digi splints from Exeter, as the one finger on my right hand was crossing over another finger! They are helping a lot. I also got cortisone shots in my shoulders and hips and that has helped as well, though I think it is starting to wear off a bit.
We have a lot of friends who have helped us out. Even just to be able to talk to a friend about what you are going through helps so much. Life can be difficult at times but with family and friends, they make it so much easier.
I bought a couple of Muskoka chairs for the front porch so that Jim can sit outside with his oxygen on. The colour is Marlow! Beautiful! The neighbours pop over for chats.
We are not sure where life is going to take us this year but we do know that we have people there for us.
If I am absent for a while with my e-zines, I am sure you will undersand why. Family has to come first.
I shared what I did in the hopes that it may help you if you are having some difficult life moments. Reach out to those you know will support you. Ask for what you need. Our sister-in-law brought us food for a week and another sister-in-law gave us a gift card for M & M’s. Sometimes cooking seems to be the last thing you want to do.
It is difficult to see your loved one fading. Jim has lost 40 lbs since April. As a big guy it is strange to see him skinny! Food does not taste the same for him and finding something he likes can be a struggle at times.
We do appreciate what we have right now and that is all you can truly ask for.
Sue