Staying In and Staying Warm

This afternoon it is 6C with wind up to 60km/hr.  I was sitting in my living room wearing my Rider sweater while we watched the Rider game on TV    At least the fans who sat out in the cold and wind had something to cheer about with the team finally getting a win.   If the Riders can finish the season on a winning note maybe there will be a little more optimism for next year.  

I wasn't feeling well earlier in the week so didn't go out much, but doing better by the end of the week.  Yesterday afternoon we went and got our flu shots.   I have gotten a flu shot every year since 1995 after I had pneumonia.  I usually get little or no adverse reaction from the flu shot, and just some mild soreness in my shoulder this time.  (Janice tells me to stop poking it to see if it is still sore.)  This was the first year that Elaine got a flu shot as well and had no adverse reaction at all.  The influenza vaccine this year has the same three components as last year: A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus, an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus, and a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus (B Victoria lineage).  There is no live virus in the vaccine but inactivated components that will develop antibodies to these or similar influenza viruses.  The A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus is the same one that caused the H1N1 scare two years ago and there was a separate H1N1 flu shot.   For the last two years it has been part of the regular seasonal flu shot.  

In other news we finally got our new basement windows installed on Thursday morning after waiting several months since the contractors are so busy.  The small furnace/ laundry room window had a single pane with wood frame rotting and has been replaced with a double pane PVC window.   We also got the basement bedroom window replaced with a larger one that meets the regulations for emergency egress.  The existing window met the minimum dimension but was just less than the minimum area.  It needed to be replaced anyway with a better quality window that stopped the wind from blowing through.  For that bedroom window we also got a larger window well  to meet the regulations.  This was done by the bobcat contractor when the soil build up and grading around our house was finally completed.   So slowly the work we need is getting done and maybe soon we can get someone to start working in our basement.    

October afternoon in the park

Yesterday afternoon it looked like it was going to be the warmest day for a while, with a high of 16C, so I dropped off  Elaine for a bike ride and then drove to the park to meet her there.   I dropped off Elaine at Kiwanis Park and she rode her bike to our usual meeting place at Pine Island in Wascana Park.  After she met me there I went onto the island and took some pictures while she rode her bike around the lake.
   

 It was a nice fall day with some sun and cloud but fairly windy at 30 km/hr and gusty.    You can see in the picture above the choppy waves with some rowers practicing.    That side of the island was facing the wind off the lake so I couldn't walk around a lot since the wind is hard on my breathing.   But I walked some and then stopped to take some pictures or sit on a bench for a while. 

 I put 5 of the pictures together in a panorama (using a program that came with our Canon SX130IS camera) of the view across the lake toward the legislature and downtown and the marina at the far right.   I posted previously a panorama of this view at sunset.  

Afterward we went around the lake opposite Willow Island where it was more sheltered from the wind.   While we were there sitting on a bench looking across the lake our friend Dale (Elaine's 2nd cousin) came along walking home from work.  He said,  "What are you doing here?    I answered,  "Just being retired sitting on a park bench."   We felt like we had not gone to the park enough often in the summer and the warmer fall days may soon be gone.  So we take advantage of the nice days when we can, and being retired makes our schedule a little more flexible.       

Rain and Mud

We need some build up and grading of the ground around our house to keep the water away from snow melt in the spring and from rain.    We had someone arranged who was not available until fall but that was OK for us.   However that contractor got tied up with emergency projects from the flooding in the southeast area.    I was calling other contractors but they were so busy I couldn't get people to even call back.   Finally I got a contractor who does bobcat work who said he could do it for us.   However the job he had ahead of ours dragged on a week longer than he expected.   He finally came last Thursday afternoon and got started and filled in at the back of our house with clay and topsoil.   The weather was just perfect and the soil was dry just right for working but he only worked for 3 hours and had to leave for the day. 

That night it rained all night and continued the next day.  In the picture you can see some temporary extensions on the eavestrough downspouts to try to get the runoff past the bare ground that turned to mud.

  The contractor left his small bobcat parked in front of our house beside the remainder of the piles of clay and topsoil that were standing in pools of water as the rain continued. 

Then over the weekend it seemed like it was drying up some.  The contractor came back on Tuesday and tried to do some work but it was still way too muddy to accomplish much.

The rest of this week we have had damp cloudy weather with fog patches and rain showers.   So the little bobcat still sits in front of our house in the mud with the remaining dirt pile.    The good news is that the forecast for next week is for sunshine so maybe it will dry up enough to get this project done, as well as other outdoor work.
  

Counting Our Blessings

We had a good Thanksgiving weekend here.  It is a time when we are reminded of all the things we have to be thankful for.  Back in 2008 on Thanksgiving I posted the song "Count Your Blessings." (Hard to believe I have had a blog that long.)  The words of the chorus are:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

The other hymn that really expresses how I feel is Great is Thy Faithfulness,  especially the words in the chorus "all I have needed thy hand hath provided"  and in the last verse "strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow."   God has provided all that we need and has given us strength for each day and a bright hope for the future.

I am really thankful for Elaine and our family, as well as friends and relatives and our church family.    I like being retired and am thankful that God enabled me to work my full term to have a pension that meets our needs.  And every day we try to remember to count our blessings for we have a lot to be thankful for.

On Sunday after church Janice came straight home and put the turkey in the oven and made the mashed potatoes and gravy.  Mike and Nicole came over and we had our Thanksgiving dinner together about 4 PM.  Elaine made the dressing and vegetables, and Mike and Nicole brought a salad.  We had a very nice meal and visit.  Then on Monday we had a quiet day at home and watched the Rider game on TV in the afternoon.  At least I can be thankful I don't have to figure out how to fix their problems.  There is always something to be thankful for.     

Beautiful Start to Fall

We had a high of 32C yesterday and 30C today which is a great way to start the fall season.  Yesterday after an early supper I drove Elaine up to northwest end of the bike path.  While she rode on the path along the creek I drove down to a park to meet her.  

I walked a short way along the path and enjoyed the view of the creek and islands while waiting for Elaine to arrive on her bike.   I met Elaine at another park along the way and then went down to Wascana Park while she rode there on her bike.

Just after sunset I took some pictures of the view across the lake toward the legislature and downtown.   I put 3 pictures together as an experiment with a program to stitch pictures together in panorama.   It was a beautiful evening with no wind as you can see by the reflection in the lake.     

A New Roof Over Our Heads

We got new shingles on our house and garage yesterday.  The shingles had been replaced about 15 years ago and we were not expecting to need new ones this year.  We normally come to our house from the north and don't often see the south side of the roof.   The shingles on the north side looked fairly good still.   But on the south side were in very bad shape as shown in the picture below including closeup in the inset. 

I expect it is from the heat of the sun on the south side of the roof that the shingles are worse with the surface worn off and corners curled up. This summer Chris was checking and cleaning our eavestroughs.  We thought they were plugged up on the south side with leaves and poplar fluff from a big tree in our neighbour's yard.  Chris found that on the south side the eavestroughs were all plugged up with the granular surface material worn off the shingles.   This is when we realized that the shingles needed to be replaced as soon as possible.  

 The crew came yesterday and took the old shingles off  and replaced with the new shingles over a synthetic underlay called BP Deckgard.   The new shingles we got are BP Harmony laminated shingles with fibreglass/  asphalt layers .  More of these type are being used now rather than the conventional 3 tab asphalt shingles.    The new shingles are silver grey.   The old shingles were originally grey but the surface was very badly worn off on the south side. 

The new shingles are called "Lifetime warranty" whatever that means but we hope it is a very long time.

Trach Examination

I had an appointment at the hospital yesterday for an examination related to my trach  by my ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.  I had a problem with a trach tube and it had to be replaced two weeks ago, and now to order new customized trach tubes for me the respiratory therapy department at the hospital needed a prescription from the ENT specialist.  I was to have an appointment at 4 PM yesterday, and at 6:30 we were still in the waiting room.    The doctor came out and talked to us to explain the delay that some of his equipment had not been sterilized since it had been used and he was waiting for that.  He is a very nice man and the staff at  the hospital keep telling us that as well.    When we were called into a hospital room and the nurse heard which doctor we would be seeing she said "He is a very nice man!".  We said "Yes we know that."    The nurse told us this ENT doctor did her 6 year old daughter's tonsillectomy.  Her daughter was afraid but the doctor was so nice talking to the girl about the surgery,  and now her daughter thinks the doctor is pretty well her new boyfriend.  

Finally the doctor came to do his examination and he had the bronchoscope with him.  He has done examinations in my airways with a bronchoscope several times before.  I posted on my blog back in 2008 that it was like having a microscope up my nose.  This time he did not go up my nose and around the sinuses and back down to the trachea with his scope.  He pulled out my trach tube and put the scope into the trachea through the stoma (the opening in my neck for the trach tube) and pushed the scope's fibre optic tube down my airway.

Bronchoscope inserted in the stoma (opening in neck for trach tube) to examine the trachea 

He had first sprayed anesthetic to freeze the area so I would not cough from the scope.  He was looking for any granulation  which would be scar tissue or sore areas caused by the trach tube. He was very happy that the trachea looked very good.    Then he got Elaine to look in the scope while he moved it to show inside my trachea.  He said "See how good it looks."   Everything has healed up well and the trach tube is not causing any soreness or scar tissue.   This confirms the respiratory department should order trach tubes of the same type and size for me.    Overall I felt very good about the results of the examination. 

When we were leaving the doctor asked if I would be willing to talk to some of his other patients that will likely need a tracheostomy.  I remember how uncertain I was 4 years ago not really understanding what it is or how it would affect me.  I have done this before for another specialist who asked me to talk to some of his patients.   I said I would be glad to do this.  He said he will call me when he has something arranged to have me visit someone who is in hospital now needing a tracheostomy.   I hope my experience can be an encouragement to someone else.  

    

More Birthday Toys

The family gave me 2 rc helicopters for my birthday.   I first got a small 3 channel rc helicopter last year for my birthday.   This year they felt I should move on to a bigger one.   When I first opened the larger helicopter I was fairly apprehensive about  a large outdoor helicopter but it turned out to be a manageable size to fly in the back yard.  It also came with a small indoor 4 channel rc helicopter (for when the weather isn't good for outdoors.)    

Elaine took some videos of me flying the larger helicopter in the back yard.   You pretty well need a time when there is little or no wind.  In the first part a breeze was coming up and the helicopter kept drifting over closer to Elaine.  When I tried turning it around it ended up landing in the rose bush right beside her.  Later the wind was calm and the flying was more successful.
I will also have to get some videos of flying the smaller helicopter around the living room.  My other birthday gifts were a wooden model of the Victoria blue bridge and a DVD of the documentary March of the Penguins.  I guess the family wanted to ensure I was adequately entertained in my retirement.