WHICH IN TURN BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES

Splashes of wonderful sunshine on this 38F morning perked my spirits and occasionally lit up the road ahead as Pheeps and I slowly made our way along a few country roads on this quiet Sunday morning.  So many things to think about and so little time to think about them.

It was another very quiet day at home here for Pheebs and I.  My interest in going outside and maybe raking a few leaves was just not there.  Luckily for me, one of my main hobbies is reading and the other is my blog which focuses much of my time and attention putting it all together.

 A SCHOOL BUS SHELTER AT THE END OF THE FARM LANE TO SHELTER KIDS FROM THE WIND, RAIN, AND SNOW, WHILE WAITING FOR THE MORNING SCHOOL BUS

 I HAVE A FEELING THAT MOTORHOME IS NOT DESTINED FOR THE WARM SUNNY SOUTH THIS WINTER

 THAT PIECE OF GREEN MACHINERY SITTING ON A TRAILER FITS ONTO THE FRONT OF A COMBINE AND IS USED TO HARVEST CORN

I talked with Kelly this morning and it is sad to hear her weakened voice.  It is the voice of someone trying to make the best out of a bad situation.   I have become very disappointed in our health care system in this country and I have become very disappointed in a hospital that I once held in high regard.  In these last few years of Kelly's health care, I have seen and heard things that are just not right.  University Hospital is a training hospital and that is admirable.  But, there is an unavoidable problem with that.  The vast majority of trainees are from different countries with different cultures and languages.  I had a perfect example of this two days ago when our phone rang and I saw on the message display the letters LHC.  I knew right away that meant 'London Health Center' and it was probably University Hospital calling, and probably something important.  When I said hello, the lady on the other end began talking rapidly in very poor English.  Try as I did and asking her twice to repeat what she said I could not understand her.   I recognized a few English words and the rest to me was jibberish.  I finally said, 'you must have the wrong number' and hung up.  Now, that could have been a hugely important call.  If so, why oh why oh why would the hospital have someone with such poor English skills call anyone????  What is the matter with people!!!!  Where has common sense gone!!!!  Although 'almost' everyone may be trying their best, it is obvious that there are huge communication problems in this world.  Couple this with the fact that our hospitals are overcrowded, and understaffed, and it is inevitable that mistakes are continuously made in the chaos and confusion.  In all of this, patients are being overlooked.  I have seen this firsthand in Kelly's case.  It makes me more sad than angry that our once great health care system in the country has deteriorated so far.  In the words of one of Kelly's nurse people, "Our health care system has gone for a #!*%".  Kelly was told yesterday that her abdomen would be 'tapped' today to relieve the pressure built up from Ascites. (the build-up of fluid in the space between the lining of the abdomen and abdominal organs) There is so much fluid in her abdomen that it is pressing on her stomach and it is uncomfortable for her to eat.  The fluid is pressing on her lungs causing her shortness of breath which I can hear in her voice.  That fluid is also pressing on her spine where the two compression fractures are and it is pressing on her bladder causing a whole host of problems there as well.  It is uncomfortible for her to lay down with all that fluid in her.  A doctor came in this morning and told her that "they would address the Asites problem tomorrow (Monday).  Very upsetting for Kelly as she tries so hard to put a positive outlook on all that she is going through.  And then there is her Prolapse situation that needs immediate attention but nothing (except a referral) has been done.  And, the earliest she could get into an Osteoporosis Clinic for her back is the end of January '2026' and that's over a year away.  Like Kelly said this morning, had we known this was going to happen, we would have moved away years ago to a different country with a far better healthcare system.  I feel we have many fine medical people here in our country but I also think that for them it is like trying to swim upstream in a fast-flowing river and they are all so very overwhelmed, over worked, and over tired.  There are just too many people on the Planet and we don't have the infrastructure to properly care for everyone.  It bothers me to write what I have just written but sometimes things just have to be said !! I am just so disappointed.  Update:: After writing the above earlier this afternoon Kelly called later and said a Doctor with an assistant surprisingly came into her room and commenced to 'tap' that Ascetis fluid from her abdomen.  She said they drained a  total of 6 litres from her abdomen.  She said she is feeling better and I noticed the change in her voice immediately.  The happy bounce was coming back and her voice was stronger.  She's now hoping there may be a chance she can come home tomorrow. 

OSAGE ORANGE TREES AHEAD

 HELLO, ALL YOU LITTLE GREEN OSAGE ORANGE GROUND APPLES

It is at the end of each day now these past few years that I appreciate that it is not the beginning of each day.  With the end of each day, all challenges for that day are behind me, unlike the beginning of each day when all of the challenges are still ahead of me.  At the end of each day, I know what the challenges were.  At the beginning of each day, I do not know what hidden challenges await me and the knowable challenges I do know about, worry me.  Hasten my slumber, bring on my sleep, and in the morning I may have a plan for the new day I must keep................A friend of mine on Facebook sent me these words today which in turn brought tears to my eyes as I read it thinking of Kelly.................. Ernest Hemingway once said: In our darkest moments, we don’t need solutions or advice. What we yearn for is simply human connection—a quiet presence, a gentle touch. These small gestures are the anchors that hold us steady when life feels like too much.

Please don’t try to fix me. Don’t take on my pain or push away my shadows. Just sit beside me as I work through my own inner storms. Be the steady hand I can reach for as I find my way.

My pain is mine to carry, my battles mine to face. But your presence reminds me I’m not alone in this vast, sometimes frightening world. It’s a quiet reminder that I am worthy of love, even when I feel broken.

So, in those dark hours when I lose my way, will you just be here? Not as a rescuer, but as a companion. Hold my hand until the dawn arrives, helping me remember my strength.

Your silent support is the most precious gift you can give. It’s a love that helps me remember who I am, even when I forget.

 ALL DECKED OUT IN THEIR SUNDAY BEST

 WHEN MY TRUSTY NAVIGATOR FEELS A LITTLE SNOOZY IT'S TIME TO HEAD FOR HOME

Al's Music Box:)) Too Late To Turn Back Now is the 1972 follow-up single of Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose to their debut hit "Treat Her Like A Lady". The single had previously been released in 1970 on the Platinum label.  Written by Eddie Cornelius, the song had great success upon its re-release, peaking at number 5 on the U.S. R&B chart and number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (behind "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers.  "Too Late to Turn Back Now" went to No. 1 on Cash Box's chart of the Top 100 Singles for the week of July 29, 1972.  "Too Late to Turn Back Now" is ranked as the 34th biggest U.S. hit of 1972. The record was awarded a gold disc on 2 August 1972 for one million sales by the Recording Industry Association of America.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( An incompentent counterfeiter spent all day making his funny money. At the end of the day he realizes he spent all his time making $15 bills.  He figures that the only way he's going to get anything from this batch of money, is to find a place where the people aren't too bright and change his phoney money for real cash.  He travels to a small town and walks into a small Mom and Pop grocery store. He goes to the old man behind the counter and asks him, "Do you have change for a $15 bill?"  The old man replies, "I sure do...How would you like that? An eight and a seven or two sixes and a three?"

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- Notice! Take lettuce from the top of the stack,or heads will roll!
- A TV can insult your intelligence, but nothing rubs it in like a computer. 

- I tried to get in touch with my inner child,but he isn't allowed to talk to strangers.

- I have to take my paycheck to the bank.  It's too little to go by itself.

- I must be following my diet too closely.  I keep gaining on it.

- Welcome to Megacomputer's 24-hour helpline.  If you have been waiting LESS than 24 hours, please remain on the line.

- Whenever I'm in a mood to watch the world go by, I just keep to the posted speed limit.
- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

- One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
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Prisoner: Look here, doctor! You've already removed my spleen, tonsils, adenoids, and one of my kidneys. I only came to see if you could get me out of this place!
Doctor: I am, piece by piece.

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings

Al's Art Gallery

KELLY WON'T BE COMING HOME SUNDAY AS SHE HAD HOPED

 PHEEBS AND I SHARING A TURKEY SALAD SANDWICH IN ZURICH THIS MORNING AND 'NO' I DO NOT NEED A HAIRCUT YET

Another rainy gray day.  First, I would like to thank everyone for all your kind comments, concerns, prayers, and general outpouring of feelings regarding yesterday's post.  I can't say enough how all your feelings are so much appreciated by Kelly and I.  These are difficult times at the moment and there will be even more difficult days ahead.  My blog has always been kind of a therapy for me over the years helping me through many rough spots on the road just as it is doing now.  Despite my feelings at the moment, it is my intention to keep the blog going in its same format.  The jokes, the cartoons, the humor, etc.  I will keep readers updated about our situation here but I do not want to fill my blog with sadness despite our situation.  I want readers to continue dropping in here for a chuckle and a laugh at Groaner's Corner, a memorable song in Al's Music Box, warm feelings in Al's Doggy World, something to think about in 'Meanings, and always something pleasing to the eye in Al's Art Gallery.  And hopefully always something pleasant to see in my photos.  So, with all that said, let's have another look into the daily happenings of the Bayfield Bunch:))

 A RAINY DRIZZLE IN THE AIR BUT AT LEAST IT WASN'T SNOWING

It was another dark and cold gray November day that Pheebs and I struck out into this morning.  Finding any photos of interest was a real challenge.  My camera is not at its best in low light situations but it is the enjoyment for me of simply being out there on our morning country road drives with Pheebs and my camera looking and waiting for something to catch my eye.

 A TOUCH OF BLUE COLOR ON A GLOOMY LOOKING GRAY DAY

 AND, A VERY RED FARM WAGON

I had figured on heading to Jerry Rader's Homestyle Catering & Market in Zuricl this morning to pick up some frozen chicken pot pies when an email came in from Kelly suggesting I go to Jerry Raders to pick up some stuff.  In fact, she already had a short grocery list for me.  So, under sullen gray skies, Pheebs and I headed out with a stop at Bayfield's Tim Hortons for a coffee to go.  Being a Saturday morning, Jerry Raders can be very busy but I caught a lucky break with only a couple other people in there.  Later, two ladies beat me to the cashier and I think each of those ladies had about a thousand items in their carts.  With a small cart, I loaded up Kelly's list of frozen foods.  Turnip, Chile, Potato Puffs, and Turkey Noodle soup.  Added to that was a chicken pot pie for supper tonight, some chicken soup in case I get the sniffles in this damp November weather, and a turkey salad sandwich for Pheebs and I to share on the way home.  I didn't tell Pheebs about the free piece of Saturday morning apple pie that I sneakily ate in the sunroom after we got back.

 AT JERRY RADARS

 A BOX OF FROZEN FOOD EXCEPT FOR THE PIECE OF PIE AND THE TURKEY SALAD SANDWICH

 HERE ON OUR KITCHEN COUNTER IS MY HAUL FROM THIS MORNING.....AND IT'S ALL FROZEN SOLID

In Friday's post I hadn't said much about the days activities so here's a short little catch up with a few photos to boot.  With a breakfast special coupon in my pocket, Pheebs and I headed straight away to A&W where I had myself a mess of bacon 'n' eggs, toast, and coffee with a hash brown to boot.  It's been a few years since I last took myself out for a breakfast like that.  From there, we headed down to the harbor for a few pics before heading back through town to Walmart and Pet Value.  With our load of dog and people food, we were soon home where I spent the remaining day indoors out of the cold and gray. With the exception of my weekly phone calls to Aunt Jean, I think I spent more time on the phone Friday talking to people than I've probably spent on the phone in the last 10 years.  I am definitely not a phone person.

 A LITTLE BIT OF SUN AND RAIN ON OUR WAY TO GODERICH FRIDAY MORNING

 STORM CLOUDS TO THE WEST OUT OVER LAKE HURON

 A&W'S ORGANIC COFFEE....WHAT'S COFFEE GOT TO DO WITH ORGANS ANYWAY??

PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY IN THE HARBOR 

 A DOG WALKER ON THE BOARDWALK

A LONE SURFBOARDER ALONG THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON

 PERHAPS A GOOSE WITH TWO NECKS

 EARLIER IN THE DAY AT A&W I HAD TO GET MY JACKNIFE OUT TO CUT INTO THE PEANUT BUTTER PACKAGE BECAUSE I COULDN'T PEEL THE @#%!!*# PLASTIC TOP OFF!!!!

Kelly's Update::  Our first time talking on the phone was around 11 this morning.  Kelly's voice was still weak and a bit strained.  She is finally getting regular food and the physiotherapy people got her up for a walk down to the end of the hall and back.  She said that felt good.  'One' of her main concerns was the Asites problem which is the swelling in her abdomen.  The fluid build-up is pressing on her stomach, her lungs, and her bladder making her feel very uncomfortable.  She found out this afternoon that they are going to tap and drain that fluid Sunday.  She said for the first time ever, her legs are now swollen.  As we talked, her voice did seem to get a bit stronger and I heard a few chuckles in there too.  And then something nice happened.  Kelly's daughter Sabra not only sent her Mom a bouquet of flowers this afternoon but she drove all the way over from Cambridge, came into the lobby of Unversity Hospital and phoned her Mother upstairs.  Between the two of them they cooked up a little plan.  Sabra, with a fresh Tim Hortons coffee and donuts in hand from the lobby's coffee shop, boarded an elevator and rode it up to the eighth floor.  The doors to Kelly's ward were closed with a big sign saying 'No Visitors'.  However, in the meantime, Kelly had enlisted the help of a nurse to walk her down the hall to the other side of those closed doors.  The nurse got a chair for Kelly to sit on because she was so weak.  With that, the door was opened and Sabra was able to step in with the coffee and donuts and give her Mom a big hug.  Kelly said their meeting only lasted about 3 minutes but both Mother and Daughter were crying.  A very emotional moment for both of them.  At this point, it does not look like Kelly will be coming home Sunday as she had hoped.  But at least one thing....she sure is liking that private room she has.  No noise, no gross washroom messes from other roommates, and nobody yammering loudly on their cell phone with no consideration for fellow roommates.  For Kelly this time it was almost like winning a 'single room' lottery.

 THESE ARE THE FLOWERS SABRA SENT HER MOTHER TODAY

 THIS IS WHAT SABRA MANAGED TO SNEAK INTO HER MOM TODAY

 KELLY'S FIRST FULL MEAL FRIDAY NIGHT SINCE LAST MONDAY

Below are a few of Friday's pics showing a lake freighter at the Goderich Grain Terminal.  

 MY FAVORITE GREAT LAKES FREIGHTER THE SAGINAW WAS DOCKED AT THE GODERICH GRAIN TERMINAL THIS MORNING

 FISHING BOATS SAFELY IN GODERICH'S INNER HARBOR FOR THE WINTER

Al's Music Box:)) Traces is a 1968 song by the American rock band Classics IV released as a single in January 1969, the cut served as the title track off the album of the same name. Written by Buddy Buie, J.R. Cobb and Emory Gordy Jr.  The song peaked at No. 2 on 29 March 1969 on the Hot 100, as well as No. 2 on the Easy Listening music charts, making it the highest-charting single by the Classics IV.  "Traces" was listed at 32 in BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century.

 OUR CHRISTMAS CACTUS IN THE SUNROOM HAS A FEW BLOOMS ON IT

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A retired man who volunteers to entertain patients in nursing homes and hospitals went to Walton hospital in Liverpool and took his portable keyboard along. He told some jokes and sang some funny songs at patients' bedsides.  When he finished he said, in farewell, "I hope you get better."  One elderly gentleman replied, "I hope you get better, too."

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An English man, French, Italian and German are standing at the side of a street watching a street performer.  The street performer noticed that they all have poor eye sight so he asked them whether they can see him and they responded: "Yes" "Oui" "Sì" "Ja"

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How do musicians pay their debts?  With quarter notes.

This young man was elated when he turned eighteen in a state where the curfew is 11:00 p.m. for anyone under seventeen years of age. He told his Dad how happy he was that now he could stay out until 3:00 a.m. if he wanted. Yes you can stay out as late as you want, but the car is under seventeen and it has to be in the garage by eleven, his father said.

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings

{Quote} We mature with the damage. Not with the years.

Al's Art Gallery