I got up and headed down to Rotary Park to meet the family and watch Gene perform with the jazz band. It was a perfect day and we headed to Encore for lunch after having a visit with Mom. Cassidy rode with me in the jeep as she didn’t remember it from when she was little.
Danika showed up to drop Emmy off as she and Malcolm are headed to a wedding in Creston. Gwen came in for a visit. She isn’t shy anymore and came to me easily.
After lunch, Kym, Cassidy, Lukas, Will, Sawyer, Emmy and I, all went to see Inside Out 2. It is a very good portrayal of anxiety, and the other emotional responses that kick in with puberty.
After the movie we met at Bill and Deanne’s where Roger cooked up a delicious BBQ. It was a good visit and meal. The kids had great fun playing with their older cousin Cass and soon it was time to come home.
Emmy fell asleep easily and now I should follow suit!
It was a jeep day today which always makes me happy. The sun was out and people are smiling. The day ended with my Poker league final. I came in 4th. The first three got money. I’m surprised I lasted that long as my cards were shite most of the night. All in all a decent day.
I worked after a good long sleep and then I went to Rotary lunch, which was very interesting as they had the representatives there from the new scooter program in town
Back at the office, I got a shite ton done before heading to Encore to meet my friends for trivia night. There were eight of us and as the Yeastie Boys we came in first
I started the day with an amazing call from a doctor at the urgent Care clinic who had read Mom‘s chart in full and we had a good discussion about her, possibly being over medicated and then need to make adjustments. I was very happy to hear that all of the things I’ve been pushing mom to keep doing like moving often eating small meals regularly and drinking lots of water were all on her list of checks. I found out that my brother Greg and his wife are driving up tomorrow and we will all meet with mom on Saturday to discuss things. She tends to listen to Greg.
I was thrilled when Dave and Deb showed up with their daughter, Autumn as they have finally moved Cranbrook and are trying to convince her to do the same. she is an RN and would be a valuable asset here, here
I drove home from Encore in the Jeep having to stop for gas left me driving in the extreme dusk. I called on my guardian angel dad to get me home safely as my headlights are still not working.
It worked. I am now home safe and tucking in for the night, sweet dreams all.
That is how I moved through the day after finally getting mom settled back at home and my head getting to hit the pillow at 2 AM which of course didn’t mean I could get to sleep right away.
It’s hard because they didn’t really find anything wrong. Just put her on some diuretic, but confirm there wasn’t anything wrong with her heart. Just don’t know why her legs are swelling up and she gets dizzy spells. I started her on a journal of food and exercise and marking down when she gets those spells so we can try to figure out if anything is triggering it Today, her cousin Rosie from out of town came and we had a nice lunch at Mom’s apartment and then Rosie took her to her doctors appointment after I ran around and got her pills and other errands for her.
I did manage to get a sufficient number of things done at the office that were piling up for people, but I had to finally stop as I was afraid I would start making mistakes from being so tired
I came home and made some food and sat nodding off in my chair, watching SNL and I’m now tucking in
I was just about to tuck in when a woman called from where Mom lives to say she had pushed her life alert and was found sitting on her bedroom floor. I met the ambulance at the hospital and they seem to have ruled out her heart causing her leg swelling and feeling like she’s faint. More bloodwork to come and I am grateful for Dr Bernard who is older, thorough, and has a nice bedside manner. I hope not to be here all night, but shall stay as long as she needs me.
Today I felt like I hit the ground running, was constantly watching the clock, and everything was hinged on everything else being on time. Unfortunately, my big payroll came in late, which made me late for an EdFest meeting, which made me late for the social I committed to and on it went, I am glad that I went to Judy‘s for the Rotary ladies potluck even if I showed up empty-handed as there was plenty of food and plenty of laughs among the eight of us or so that were there. it rained and hailed and sunned and did all the things today and I am now home curled up in my chair crocheting planning to hit the hay early as I have a lot again tomorrow, of course 
I’m too tired to even correct the punctuation above so good night
It was an action packed work day and I made it to The Heidout just in time for the Children’s Fest appreciation get together. As it happens there was only Monica, Julia, Galen and me. We had appys and drinks and desserts and great conversations. A perfect end to the day.
I forgot that yesterday morning I trimmed a bunch of the bad branches from my willow before I left. It was a surprise when I looked out.
I popped up to visit Gene to give him his birthday present of 4 nice dress shirts and had a visit with the fam while I was there. It was nice to catch up and I had some leftover Kraft dinner and a delicious Latte that Roger made me before finishing it off with a tasty cookie made by Lukas.
Gene was a good sport and re-enacted a photo from the day I met him.
From there I went to the office and worked until after 8 on the binders for MusicFest. They are only missing a few things. And that is a big weight off. There is much to do in the next 3 weeks. I haven’t even begun to plan my trip there and back.
It was late to eat but I made a good meal for tonight and lunch tomorrow.
I am now crocheting and watching Schmigadoon Season 2 which is just so perfectly odd that I can’t look away.
I was up at a decent time and headed to park outside Ashlée’s to walk down and meet everyone outside Morchella’s to watch the Spirit of the Rockies parade. On my way down I met Walter from Rotary working alone to get a barricade set up on the FireHall//Rotary Park corner. I stopped to assist and found he didn’t have someone to assist at that busy intersection so I volunteered to stay with him. We were a good team. It was a great spot near to the end of the parade and many needed to be turned away that were trying to get into the route to park.
Our Rotary Ambassador, Maria, took the crown this year, looking stunning in blue
The poor Ambassadors were several blocks away when the sky opened up and poured hard. People were scrambling and unaware of their interruption of the traffic flow, keeping the girls in the rain even longer.
I decided not to go to Balmont Park, but go to the office and work on MusicFest binders. I got 4 done which feels good and I hope to go in and finish them tomorrow.
I headed to the park in time to grab some food from the trucks and a good coffee and I also got to see Nikki, my friend from GroundFloor, get 10th her first time out for the Strong’Man’ competition. So happy for her.
50/50 duty was interesting tonight. My partner in crime, dropped his stuff and said he was leaving when others complained about him. I stayed out of it and took over, which ended up being way more fun in the end. The pot was good and I enjoyed that part of the evening.
The opening band was Flatline Phoenix, whom I had never heard of, but they were a great cover band, getting the audience pumped.
The next was Men Without Hats, and in spite of them playing three versions of the same song, they were fun and entertaining.
And then there was Loverboy, the band that most people had come to see. Mike looked like an old auntie, kept ducking behind an amp stack to cough, and, well, was beyond his best before date. So disappointing, and someone actually yelled out, ‘You Suck’ as they left. I am an avid, stay to the end, kind of person, but even I left early. I was glad I hadn’t paid to be there.
I loved when my friend Keon showed up with a cowbell, made my night. I bought one piece of merch.
Lots of work today. Started getting texts and calls before 8:30
Stopped at Encore for a bite to eat before heading to the Arena to do 50/50 for Rotary. The concert tonight was very poorly attended, maybe 250-300, but the bands were great
First up was Cameron Whitcomb from Nanaimo who was on American Idol back in 2022. He was my favourite of the night. Great voice and message.
Next was Julian Austin who even at my age rocked the stage
Finally, Jess Moskaluke, who was super interactive with the crowd and lovely to listen to.
Today was full with Chamber lunch at the Cranbrook Golf Club, where they made me a special plate due to my allergies, meetings with a client and their yearend auditor, Fisher Peak website changes, and so much more. It isn’t even 9 and I am ready to fall asleep. It’s also still 23 C out which is trippy for this time of year.
I did a little work from home and then picked up Mom for her appointment at the clinic to deal with the odd growth on her left arm. They used a canister to freeze it and we have to go back up to 5 more times depending on the results. I took a picture, but won’t post it here as it is icky. I gave her my spaghetti and meatballs from last night as they have green peppers in the sauce and I know she will love it.
Once I dropped her off, it was off to the office to work on paid and unpaid things until 730 or so when I came home and made a tasty meal. It’s not great to be eating so late, but that is the schedule these days.
I stopped for cat food earlier and saw this little puzzle piece all on its own. It is lonely to be out of the box.
Woke up this morning to have my Google tell me It’s not connected to the Internet only to find nothing in the house is. Saw that Shaw and Rogers is doing an update so didn’t think much about it but after coming home tonight, it’s still not working. I have rebooted my router and I’m hoping for the best
As my phone is about to die as well, lol this will be short. It was a busy day and there was a board meeting where some pretty topics were discussed, but we still went away as friends meeting at BP for a bevie after.
I really have to fix the lights on the Jeep though because I made it home just before dark.
I am not going to lie, I feel every second of my 61 years. My hips hurt today from all the yard work this weekend.
I managed to work through the chaos of my inbox and get a lot done on MusicFest stuff. I was happy to find a spot for a long time employee of one of the sound companies who has had some recent issues with his short term memory. I called and left him a message and we had a great conversation when he called back. He told me right up front about his troubles so it made it easier for me to address. He was happy to have the position I offered him, and I needed someone with experience to fill the spot. I suspect his muscle memory will help him do the job well. I also heard from a long time friend and volunteer who will be a perfect fill for the other’s now empty position. That is definitely a win-win!!
I managed to leave the office by 5 and was happy to drive the jeep in the lovely weather. It had rained overnight and was nice today. I made a nice dinner and am settled in my chair crocheting and watching my shows.
I hot up at a decent time and spent a good deal of time working in the yard. I feel good about what I accomplished and look forward to sitting out in the shade now. Unfortunately, the 50’ soaker hose I bought on Friday and spent lots of time putting it through my newly weeded garden yesterday, had a huge leak on the far end. I had to take it back to Canadian Tire and get another. I put it where I had had it previously and was already tired out from the sore muscles and heat of yesterday. After a short break, I did a bunch more weeding, but not all of it as I am achy. I mowed the whole yard though and will finish weeding and whippersnipping another time. I didn’t get to the tree trimming either, sigh. I was thinking about how much I enjoy the finished product, but having worked as a landscaper back in the day, I don’t especially love to work that hard 20 something years later, lol. I also shouldn’t procrastinate so much. Let’s not even talk about the inside of my house! There is just so much else to do and so much time to refill my tank.
Missy was happy for her spot being back.
I just realized it is only 6:30 and I am ready for bed. I am sore though so I am going to soak in a bath and head to bed.
I made the mistake of working for 3 hours, from noon on, in the yard. I weeded a long stretch and moved that small part. There is so much to do still, but I was exhausted.
I still need to trim my willow tree in a major way as it has apparently contracted Brown Blotch. I hope it doesn’t die as I love its glorious look and shade.
At 4, Lallah picked me up, then Nadine, Nikki and Leanne to go to the Kimberley Rotary club LobsterFest up the ski hill at the convention centre. We had a lot of fun, the Prime Rib was to die for, the lobster was work and I love crab more. I did win, in a Dutch auction, for $230 a $200 GC for a Coast Hotel. That will come in handy for the night before Tracey and I fly out from Calgary to Ecuador in September.
I started the day popping out to buy a BB-8 Lego from a guy who is getting married at the end of the month. It is a retired item and I was thrilled to get it. I also ordered a light set for it on sale as well. I will uncreate it into all its 1106 pieces and start from scratch.
I got a good amount done at work, and headed out early to go buy a new battery for the Willys ($200!) and go get my nails done. Minh and I ha good laughs and I do love just telling him I wanted something summery and pink and he does his magic
When I got home it was 34C in my yard! I had to adjust my thermostat to summer cooling in order to be able to sleep tonight
Gene’s birthday shirts arrived, I hope he likes them. Got to love an about to be 17 year old that loves button down shirts.
After getting my nails done, I wandered down to Canadian Tire and used the $30 GC and the $20 CT money to buy a brass split diverter and 50’ soaker hose to take care of watering on my timer while I am away.
I got the Willys running easily and headed off to Key City Theatre to sell 50/50 tickets for the Queen It’s a Kinda Magic show. It was fun and I sold 70 $20 tickets which seemed to shock everyone. The winner got $1130 when I drew the ticket with Brad on stage. That made me happy and the proceeds go to the theatre.
Once home, after discovering my lights aren’t working on the jeep, I set up my new hose which reached perfectly around the yard through my plants. I do love my beautiful irises that are blooming currently.
I picked up Mom at 8:30 and off to the Urgent and Primary Care Clinic we went as she doesn’t have a Dr yet. We were 4th in at 9 and finally saw a Nurse practitioner just after 10:30. It all came down to just wear compression socks every day. I am not sure there isn’t more going on as her feet are elephantine. We stopped at Canadian Tire after and I ran in and bought her a new walker as hers was showing wear. We figured if I got a new ride, she should too.
I made it to Rotary lunch in time and sat with the owners of Hyundai. Bob set me up to go see one of his guys after the meeting to learn more about my car now that I have had it for a week. The thing I was missing most was my Apple Car play. It turns out that my fancy car doesn’t have it bluetoothed as it interferes with the navigation system. The salesman was as shocked as I was that my old one did have it, but the new one didn’t. He did do research though and sent me a link in Amazon to order a dongle system so I don’t have to have a cord in the mix. I ordered it and look forward to trying it on Monday.
I dropped Mom’s old walker at the Mission Thrift store as I am sure there is someone out there who could use it and headed back to the office. I did get a good deal of work done although much of it was Music Fest and Fisher Peak ‘free’ work.
By 6:30 I was at Encore to join the crew to play Trivia. We had fun and came in second by only one point. I was crushed not to have answered Foghat to the one hit wonder question.
Big Bang Query – Kyah, Jeff, Zac, Roger, Andrew and Dee-Anne
When I got home I attached my dash cam to the windshield with the 3m tape I bought today, hoping it will stay put this time. While doing it, I managed to snap off my nail gel, but fortunately, not the nail. I will try to get them done tomorrow.
I so love this tracking picture from Rae-Anne’s phone.
I woke up just after 5:30 am and figured I may as well get up as I had a client that booked me for 10 in office to assist with her books and reconciling. I was at the office before 9 and worked on MusicFest stuff before she was to arrive… and she didn’t. She finally called at 11:30 as I was about to leave. I had promised Mom that I would pick up her pills in blister packs for the next 4 weeks and grab some healthy lunch while I was at it. I was looking forward to it taking about an hour and then I would get back to the office and my client would show up.
Of course that is not how it went…
First, one of the pills in her pack has no refills and the rest have 4 and I need to pick up the next batch before leaving for MusicFest, so I headed to the Urgent Care Clinic to get a phone appointment made so I could deal with it
Second, I showed up at Mom’s and her feet and legs are very swollen and I feel that she is not a hundred percent with cognitive either. She said it’s been going on for over a week. Sigh. I called the clinic and they told me that I can’t make an in person appointment, that I have to bring her in and wait… sigh. I made a plan to call her at 7:30 to wake her up and then pick her up at 8:30 so that we can be there to get in line for the 9 am opening.
We had a good talk as I made a Cobb salad for lunch and le her know that she has to let me know about medical stuff, not reply ‘Fine’ when I ask how she is doing. She said she thinks I am too busy. We had a heart to heart as I spelled out that I am the same busy as I was last year when I spent time every day at the hospital with her. I had to remind her that just because the lady across the hall had her daughter come visit her every day, that is not our relationship. I had to be a bit assertive to remind her that her social needs are being met there, that we have never had that kind of relationship and that I will always be there when she truly needs me. I think she understood, but I also think she is not truly all there at the moment. I will ask them to do a UTI test tomorrow as well. I had bought her test strips and found out she has never used them even though I asked her to do it weekly. I got her to do it while I was there and it shows borderline positive midday. I hate when I come across Momming her; I want to just have peace and love, but the roles are reversed now.
I stopped at Hyundai on the way to the office to be sure I got the proper mud flaps as every little splash shows up from my All Terrains. Had a good laugh with the sales staff when I said ‘Never sell me a car’ as the last two who did are no longer there. Not even a week later! They are going to see what will work with my new cars trim.
Back at the office, I let my client know I was back and she eventually showed up and after an hour left happy. (That sounds naughty)
When I was finally done with the day I wrapped up and headed home to work on my puzzle and watch the Circle.
Lukas and Roger stopped by as I let Lukas know that I had $US20.25 and he is leaving on his band trip to Disneyland tonight. They are taking a bus to Spokane and flying out of there. I am so happy for him. It is a very expensive trip, but he has done an amazing job fundraising.
While they were here, Roger and I had a shot of good scotch in honour of his Dad whose birthday was last week while he was away. Got to keep up the traditions and honours.
triumphgal 