Hey, everyone.
I am back from my 3 weeks of vacation. This is the first live post since then, and the first one I've written since my vacation started. I produced 25 blog posts that day, and boy were my arms tired.
Vacation was fine. I spent the first 10 days at the cottage with Patricia. Then, Cindy Clawford got pretty sick, so we took a day trip to the city to the vet, where she got some shots. It has been a hard row to hoe the last little while. We thought we might lose our little princess for a while, but she is eating again, and throwing up less and less.
So, that was 2 weeks ago today that we did that day trip to the city. We had to come back yet again 2 days later for a follow up appointment and we have't been back to the cottage since. On Friday the... uh, 2nd, we hung around the city for the day. The highlight for us was "The Wolverine". I feel I should have let Patricia watch that movie all by herself so that she could be alone with Mr. Hugh Jackman, but she finally stopped hooting and hollering at the screen for him to keep his shirt off. We liked the film a lot. I hope you see it.
The following day, Saturday, I began my week-long visit in the Valley. I stayed in the family home until this past Sunday, the 11th. During the week, when I wasn't sleeping, I was spending quite a bit of time with my mother. I took her several grocery bags full of magazines for her to read. She is becoming a voracious reader, and it is a delight to see this. She is learning stuff all the time. Just a few days ago, she quizzed me about fair trade coffee. A university town like Wolfville actually has 2 fair trade coffee houses. She wants to check one out sometime. I'll be happy to oblige.
I can't remember if I mentioned this, but Mom read the entire Ami McKay book "The Birth House", in a scant 4 days. She would get up early, stay up late, skip a concert or two, just so she could stay in her room and read a little while longer. (She also polished off her first John Grisham novel recently.) We went for a drive to Scott's Bay during the week in an effort to find Ami McKay's house. As it turns out, we drove past it a couple of times. Even if we did find it, what would we do? It's not like we could walk up to the door and say hi, cuz it might be creepy. She might have armed guards to protect her privacy or something.
It occurs to me that you might like to know a bit more about Ami McKay. She is an acclaimed Canadian novelist. Those of you reading this who aren't American would likely never have heard of her, but I hope that changes. Here: Check out her website.
The week in the Valley went by far too quickly. I watched my mother play bingo. We went for a jaunt around the nursing home parking lot as part of a "Walkers and Wheelers" exercise program. We played Lexicon with a bunch of other clients. I took her out for a couple of day trips and bought her a couple ice cream cones.
It was a pleasure to see my mother be intellectually stimulated, and getting some physical exercise as well. She reads so much and is so busy doing the other things I mentioned plus things I haven't, that she doesn't always have time to watch "her stories". She has watched "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "General Hospital" for many years. She was a devotee of "Another World" for an awfully long time as well. Members of the cast of the show often visited Nova Scotia when they were on vacation. At any rate, Mom is now too busy to watch these shows on a regular basis. Like that's a problem.
Also last week, I listened to the satellite radio I bought a few months ago. I like it, but it doesn't feel like real radio to me. The breadth of music on caters to every possible musical interest. There are quite a few talk channels. The comedy channels are disappointing. The all sex channel is actually quite dull. Many of the channels, particularly the talk ones, repeat material relentlessly, so they don't exactly reward people who like to listen to a kind of music of talk for protracted periods of time.
But it is a gas to be able to switch between the "Liquid Metal" channel to the "40's on 4" with the press of a button. Or to listen to Willie Nelson's channel after checking out some old-fashioned Opera. You understand.
All too soon, my stay at the house came to a close. I left for the city, knowing that I had done some work there that I had long put off. The computer desk now has a printer stand next to it, on which I store my printer, a computer tower, a scanner, and some paper. Some old electronics have been recycled. I swept. I cleaned out the fridge. I ate some good beef and haddock. Spent time with Newbie. Spent 30 minutes getting him into his carrier. He didn't talk to me all the way back to Halifax.
My vacation was over. I returned to work on the 12th. I have been back to work for 3 days. And I am wondering where all the time went.
Man, how many more years before I can get 6 weeks of vacation? And, how many years before I can retire, anyway?
You guys have a great evening. See you... tomorrow!!!
Bevboy
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