Nick, Bob and Flowers

Let's start with the flowers, shall we? Sue emptied the flowerpots almost two weeks ago, but somehow this small flower bloomed in the garden on a branch that was totally separated from any form of life support. It was just lying there in the cold, all alone but still living. Sue put it on one of the border rocks so it would stand out better in a photo.

Although she pulled all of the flower pots, several tiny white ones flowers still came to life in one of the pots — in a Canadian November if you please. It's about the size of a fingernail, but it still lives.

As for Nick and Bob, the former made this ↓ ↓ meal for the latter's birthday, which is actually today although we celebrated on Friday. Nick is a Ukrainian Canadian, so he made culturally appropriate cabbage rolls and perogies although you can't see the perogies in the picture. You do see Ukrainian beer and bread and also authentic kielbasa. Pretty good for a bachelor in his 70s. 

Before the lunch, Bob was sitting across from me in the living room. I put my phone into portrait mode at 4X zoom and clicked. This is straight out of the camera although I did apply some cropping because even 4X zoom didn't get me close enough. I shot, cropped and sent it to the boys via Messenger while we were still sitting there, or at least Bob and I were sitting while Nick was scurrying about. Sometimes, phones are simply the best.

I had made this card for Bob. I think it's appropriate for a photographer, but you have to read it to get it all.

I have reached the stage in life in which one-sided postcard sorts of greeting cards are sufficient. I've done about 4 zillion folding cards in my life, and I am done with them.

Mostly Bleak

Nothing much going on here, but you have seen me call November bleak, and I have the pictures to prove it. They are from the park yesterday. 

In fairness, even November can look better if the weather gods decide to allow us some sunlight. This was at the other end of the same park on the previous day, Thursday. The blue sky rather than the regular gray really helps too.

Phones and Meds

The new normal. Magazines in waiting rooms are a thing of the past. 

There were 11 others waiting to see their doctors. All but 2 were on their phones, as was I, so that is 83.3%, with me included. Of course, I am assuming that I can still math. No matter the age, we almost all do the phone thing these days. The two that weren’t on their phones were somewhat older, but not necessarily older than moi. 

I was there for my back and was disappointed at first to learn that I would be seeing a student doctor. But she seemed confident and thorough unlike my previous encounter with a different student. After listening and asking questions, she prescribed a topical prescription that would have to be compounded, 

We found a compounding pharmacy, not my usual pharmacy, and I took the script over. Dang it, this service isn’t covered by the government plan for seniors. That’s the second time recently although it has worked well for me for many years. 

She said that it would work well and quickly and instructed me to move normally once applied, like go for a walk or whatever. She’s given me repeats which I hope I don’t have to use extensively due to the cost. 

Speaking of meds, we also have a Jake update. He is also on meds 3x daily but seems to be on the mend. He is with direct neighbours to his own home, so he is familiar with the grounds and doesn’t have to navigate stairs  I expect that we won’t hear much more about Jake, but I’ll leave you with a final photo. I think you’ve seen it before, but I reworked it a bit. 

Looking back at Sue

Gone

We had Jake for 5 of the 7 scheduled weeks, but he needed a medical intervention on Tuesday. He had vomited several times in the preceding days and did so again twice that morning after one throw-up during the night.

He would need to see the vet, but his vet is in distant Kingston and there was a neighbour nearer there who had that information and access.

Arrangements were made, and by 10am, we were meeting with said neighbour in Perth at Shauna’s workplace to make the exchange. From there Jake would go one way and we the other way back to home.

Last photo of Jake after a vomit and while Sue was making arrangements for the vet and the exchange.

We disposed of blanket and pillow that he had thrown-up on enroute and went into Shauna's workplace to visit the commode before heading home. I had been up since 4 that morning and had had three coffees when two cups are my limit. We masked and headed into the COVID-rich seniors residence (yes, there is an outbreak), left as quickly as possible, and headed home.

Sue hadn't had three coffees, so we stopped at Dark & Deadly for a breakfast sandwich and coffee for her, but I was coffee-ed out so I had hot chocolate, which was rather delicious.

We feel badly for the old dog. After trying times in the first weeks that he was here, he had then settled rather well and was sleeping through the night with no bark-fests. Despite the sick-ups, he was still charging along on the walks. He was very perky for an old dog.

Five weeks of older people caring for an old dog was a long time and something that we would not commit to again, but we did manage to get rather used to the old fella. I will leave you with one of Sue's collages that I don't think I have posted previously. Sue was doing solo walking with Jake recently once my back started acting up.

Sue's Dad on Remembrance Day

On Remembrance Day, Sue and I only have had one soldier in our families to relate to: her father, who was a tank driver in the Canadian Army in WWII. Oops: I am almost forgetting her grandfather who served in WWI and was part of the famous battle of Vimy Ridge, but that was a very long time ago. 

We have this poor scan of her dad in uniform.

In times past, I did what I could with it, and I posted this version on Remembrance Day in 2022.

I decided  to see what AI might accomplish. Gemini: restore photo eliminating noise, spots and light leaks. the soldier's clothing canadian army of the world war 2 era. I don't think it did any better, and it didn't restore the light leaks. Mind you, I didn't restore them either but just cropped them away.

I had meant to ask Gemini to convert to colour, but I didn't get my instructions right, so I went to ChatGPT. I was disappointed with the light leaks and the ghosting on dad’s right side. 

From Chat GPT:

I’ve colourised the photograph with subdued khaki tones appropriate to Canadian WWII battledress, reduced noise and small surface marks, and softened the light leaks while preserving his facial features. Some deeper scratches and damaged texture remain; the colours are an interpretation, not verified original colours.

Whatever the case, here's to remembering Sue's dad and all armed forces who served. I will post a copy of his record that I first posted in 2022.

• July 03 1942 - Enlisted
• December 09 1942 - Qualified to drive a tank 
• October 18 1943 - North Africa
• October 21 1943 - Italy with Central Mediterranean Force
• October 23 - Wounded in action
• November 05 1944 - Wounded in action: bullet wounds to shoulder, chest, arm
• January 10 1944 - Awarded CVS Medal and Clasp
• June 03 1944 - Discharged from hospital
• July 03 1944 - Awarded Good Conduct Badge
• November 29 1944 - Allied Armies Italy
• March 9 1945 - France
• October 08 1645 - UK
• January 01 1946 - Canada
• January 24 1946 - Back in Toronto

Spasmed

I had a dental appointment for yesterday that I had on my calendar for a whole year. It was for 9am, but I phoned and cancelled at 8. 

I hate doing that, but as I explained to the receptionist, I didn’t know if I could get there and get onto the chair. Once in the chair, I wasn’t sure if I could stay there for the duration. Finally, I wasn’t at all confident that after an hour, I could get up and out again.

You see, I’ve had lower back muscle spasms for more than a week. I thought that they would surely be better by Monday morning, but if anything they were even worse. They aren’t exactly tickety-boo this morning either.  

Back spasms aren’t new to me. I’ve probably been getting one or two per year in the last decade. They are bad for a few days, but then they get better. This spasm bout isn’t as bad as some, but it is sure lasting longer.

I’ve given up on Dr Ho and Robax and so on. If time doesn’t soon begin to heal, I will hie myself thither to yon doctor. But they gotta get better soon, eh? This is getting ridiculous. 

More about Jake and also Charlotte

I think I have to plough (or plow) over old furrows this morning. I will bring you up to date on the Jake front, and with your indulgence, I need to get back the grandma and her embroidery one more time.

Jake

He visited me in my chair very briefly on Friday morning. When he first came to stay with us, he would spend time there with me in the chair but not lately. That day, as soon as I reclined the chair back, he left. If he is a little antsy at night, wanting treats or whatever, my chair going back seems to signal to him that I am done. At that point he usually leaves me alone, probably going down to sleep the night away.

  

And that it a very good thing — to sleep the night away. He's been doing that fairly regularly, something like 9 to 6 give or take 20 minutes here or there. I have even been the one to let him out the last three mornings. I have been up, so he's come into my room rather than rattling around Sue's room. If I am not already up, of course, I will not hear him, so Sue had been handling the lion's share of mornings and other times too. Specifically, she's been doing the walking recently while my back has been spasming. On one walk, Sue was able to use Jake and her umbrella to complete one of her photo prompts.

Grandma and Her Embroidery

I know, I know. I’ve gone over some of this twice already, but I redid that photo, or at least the font. It's clearer now.

And  . . . Sue had a photo of Grandma's three pieces of embroidery to pass on to me — of course, she did. My guess is that grandma did all three before she was married in 1913 and before becoming a mother several times over soon after that (see below). So, let us say that these peice are 120 years old and just leave it at that.

Here's a single photo of the one with the picture. I've made a guess, with Photoshop's help, to colour-correct it somewhat to reverse the yellowing from both the aging and the light, but who is to know.

Charlotte had four children after marrying in 1913. My mother was born in 1915 and my uncle Charlie in 1917. She then gave birth to twin girls in 1919. Ruth only survived for a few months from May 05 1919 to September 08 1919, but Ruby May lived to be almost 2 years old.

Following is what I have as a record for Ruby May. Sadly, aside from the dates, I have no actual record of Ruth's birth or death.

1919
Front: Charlotte Ann Robinson (Quinlan), Ruby May Quinlan
Back: Charles Peter Quinlan, Arthur Joseph Quinlan, Mary Elizabeth Quinlan (Rayner)