5C's Que Pasa

Thank you for all of your comments, Colin is touched.  He is on his way home and I thought he was landing at midnight but it turns out that he is arriving at 11:20PM.  Good thing I checked.

Westjet had a seat sale either late February or early March with great prices so I booked Colin’s flight to Winnipeg.  We had enough Westjet points to pay for his ticket so we only had to pay for the hotel and the car rental.  It was the most basic of airfares and we chose not do to seat selection as that is about $48.00 each way.  Your seats are automatically assigned and I assumed, incorrectly as it turned out, that we could change that selected seat 24 hours before departure, which you used to be able to do.  On today’s leg from Winnipeg to Edmonton he had been assigned seat 22B at the bottom of the photo ( middle seat ).  There were only two aisle seats left when I checked this yesterday, 24 hours before departure.

It cost me $25.20 including tax to change his seat to the green one, 13C. I knew that he would want an aisle after the last few days.  Turns out I made the right decision.

When he got to her room this morning she was ready to go out.  Mommio wanted to go to Walmart to buy some pretzels as she wanted some snacks to enjoy as she watched TV.   Something had been bothering Colin all night.

This is Mommio’s purse, leather is missing here and there. When they were at the mall yesterday they looked at purses and found one that worked perfectly.  Mommio decided she shouldn’t  have it but it was fun looking. But this morning Colin knew that he had to get it for her.  He bought it on the way to Mommio’s as a surprise for her. He just could not see her carrying that worn purse around.  All she had was $10.00 in it plus many of her personal items. Before going out today, Colin helped her switch all her contents to the new purse. She was thrilled.

A mere $50.00 before tax and Mommio had a new bag.   Mommio is very happy with her new purse.

This afternoon I asked Colin about all the bulletin boards we had put up a few years ago, with all the pictures  as well as all of her funny toys that danced and sang.  The toys have all been put in bags in the corner of her room. Apparently she was going to change rooms so they were packed up. It seems now that she will stay in this room.  Not sure if the toys will be brought out again.  Mommio doesn’t seem to be cheerful right now.  Colin found the empty cork boards in her small closet.  She said that  they were taken down because her room looked too messy.  So Mommio no longer has those photos of us from over the years up on her walls, all the special occasions and memories.  She said that she no longer has her old photo album to look at pictures from over the years and reminisce over 🙁  Not sure where they ended up.  In her purse where her treasures are, Mommio keeps “an envelope with 6 or 8 pictures –  2 of those photos are her with Luciano – the waiter at the Hotel Fort Gary.  The rest of the photos are of her/me and her” (Colin’s words).  She used to love to go with Colin to the Fort Gary every year, it was a highlight for her.  She loved those cork boards with all the photos as they reminded her of the good times and she remarked that it made her room feel more like home  She no longer has her violin nor any mementoes of her home .  For years and years we have mailed her ( or had someone mail it for us when we are away ) a greeting card every two weeks and we always enclosed current photos.  They seem to be gone. Many were in the missing album. Not sure about the cards we sent.  I will have to check with Colin. Colin, not having or sharing POA finds that there are many things he is not allowed to do in the handling of Mommio’s life. When he visits her he really works on having good fun times, lots of laughing and good outings.  He really splurges on her. She sings. He plays the guitar. The other night they were watching U-Tube videos of seniors doing the Swing.  She had a great time. Life is to be enjoyed.

This is on her bathroom door.  At least there are a few photos of Colin and our girls.

Mommio feels that she has no control of her life.  She was recently put into a wheelchair for fall protection because her arthritus in her legs makes it difficult for her to walk.  At 104 & 1/2, she is not as steady as she was and using a walker would require someone with her and the home just does not have the staff to do that, hence the wheelchair.  When Colin arrived he had to lift both her legs to fit in the car.  Today she did it on her own. She says the wheelchair is making her lose her ability to walk because she isn’t using those muscles.  So very true.  She is totally with it, her only problem is her hearing and of course her age and related frailty. The nurse says she is quite healthy.

She sure enjoys the special days here and there when Colin visits.  I imagine he is going to be very tired when he gets back home.

It has been extremely windy this afternoon. The lake has high waves with whitecaps.

Even at sunset you can see the branches of the willow tree blowing to the right.

Why do we call Colin’s mom Mommio?  She picked the name herself as she wanted to sound hip which she very much was and still is.  Since Colin last saw Mommio in September just before we left, he has had trouble communicating with her. While we were in Mexico for almost five months she could not understand anything Colin said over the phone but she knew that it was him and that was the most important thing for her. She does have hearing aids which she won’t wear, don’t know why, so it is almost impossible to have a conversation with her.  For some reason, here in Kelowna, there is a better chance of having her hearing Colin over the phone.  She told Colin that she would not be able to go out to eat ( as is their custom ) with him as she is now only able to use a wheelchair.  My understanding is that she uses her feet to propel herself.  However her landline phone  is at the head of her bed and far away from where she sits most of the day watching TV.  She has no cordless phone and has to wheel herself to the bedside table to answer her phone and sometimes doesn’t make it.  I will ask Colin to check if she is allowed to have a cordless phone.

She is able to transfer from the wheelchair to the commode on her own ( most of the time ). So Colin asked her yesterday if she wanted to go out and she did and to a specific restaurant.  It took him a long while to find a folding wheelchair.  And off they went.

He loves her so much as she does him.  He was thrilled to be able to take her to her favorite place, the  Red Lobster Restaurant. She had trouble hearing Colin in the restaurant and so Colin had to write down his thoughts/conversation in the restaurant.  So it was a write, read and then she talked conversation.

He finds her very very frail but she is still full of life.  Not bad for 104 and 1/2 years of age. She ate everything on her plate.

This morning he met her after breakfast and asked her what her wishes were for the day.  First off she said that she wanted to got to McDonald’s for a burger.  So he once again found that folding wheelchair and off they went.  It appears that she has not been out since Colin saw her in September.  So he drove her along familiar streets and areas that brought back memories.  After her burger he took her to the mall which she loves and pushed her around for a good two hours.  She loved it.

It is 11PM and I just got these photos. I didn’t know that they went inside to eat. Kudos to Colin for the multiple chair transfers.

He returned her to her room thinking that she might like to rest before her dinner.  She refused to eat their food tonight stating that she does not like it and that it has too much fat  😥  So Colin asked her what she wanted and she said KFC ( Kentucky Fried Chicken ).  So he went out and got some and she literally gobbled it down.  Obviously she enjoys a change of pace regarding her meals.  So sad that we are not living in Winnipeg as we would gladly bring her different take out meals a few times per week.  She told Colin that before bed every night she prays that she will not wake up in the morning.  I get it, both of my parents told me the same thing but Mommio is the Energizer Rabbit and just won’t quit.  She certainly deserves some special treats every so often.

Back in her room.  I put that poster on the back her door so that she had something nice to look at.  All she sees out of her window are A/C units.  No view at all.

Colin is very sad for his Mom. They are so close and always have been.  He was a three month premi and she saved him from dying. He was only 3 lbs.  In those days (1950) there was no specialized hospital care and Mommio was told to take him home or he would die.  She kept him alive by placing him on the oven door to keep him warm and she slept on the floor beside him for months and months. He was so tiny that the doctors had given up hope and it was her sheer strength and will that kept Colin alive. Even doll clothes were too big for him.  Hence the extra special bond between them.

Colin’s word’s “She does look much happier since I arrived”.  I do have to agree just by these photos.  Colin says that she never stops talking.  She must be so lonely when he is gone.

Colin’s word’s “She does think I was here 2 yrs ago and thinks she hasn’t been out of here for 4 yrs. sad. She has no control of her life. She would feel like a million dollars if she was allowed to have 100 dollars in her wallet.  She is afraid to ask for her money. She is classy but can’t feel that way because she is a prisoner in this society.”  So sad that she can’t remember that Colin was last there this past September and at least twice annually.

Oh Mommio, how we love you.

Monday morning we had a drizzle which resulted in a real mess.

Before I knew it Colin was out there powerwashing.  He washed both cars, the golf cart and then started in on our sidewalks and shed, etc.

Next he was doing our driveway. It has to be cold for Colin to be wearing a sweater.  Of course he continues to wear shorts.

Lovely sunset Monday.

Tuesday we awoke to some major concrete pouring happening around the outdoor pool.  They are pouring new sidewalks around the area.

The hills to the North are beautiful at this time of year. As the summer progresses they become dried out pieces of grass with no colour.

Love the zoom of my new camera.  You might just make out the tiny yellow spots all along the hillside.  Soon those hills will be full of yellow flowers, the Arrowleaf Balsamroot.

Which is Kelowna’s official flower. It’s indigenous to the Southern Interior of British Columbia and covers the hillsides of the Okanagan Valley every spring.

This is a link as to how the First Nations used this plant for a variety of purposes, including food and medicine.

This is the only piece of exercise equipment I own.  It is great for moving lymph though your system and for getting your blood moving as well as your metabolism.  I have had it for years. It was very helpful for all those years that I could not walk before I got my hips replaced.  As the weather has been miserable & wet and I was tied to my desk, I have been using it for at least a ten minute session daily and even twice per day a few times.  Sadly as I always tend to do, I over did it and now I have a sore knee because of it. I can control the speed from 1 to 17 and for the last few days I only went from 10 to 16 and of course that was too much.  The Ibuprofen is kicking in and in a few days I should be back to normal and getting outside to walk again now that the weather is better.

We left the house at 4:45AM today as I dropped Colin off at the airport. His flight to Winnipeg left at 6:10AM and he was off to see Mommio.

I sat and watched as he went back and forth through three rows to get to the security lineup. There are many flights that leave from here early in the morning.

I got back home in time to watch the sunrise reflecting on the snow up in the mountains.  Unlike Colin who napped on the flight I am still wide awake.  Hopefully not for long.

This is Channel.  She was our second dachshund.  She loved to play with toys, especially those that made a great deal noise.  In the top left she is hanging out in a hammock with Colin in the Baja.   Her eyes were so compelling, they just drew you in.   She loved birds and butterflies.  Whenever a bird or butterfly would fly overhead she would stop and watch.  She would even stand up with her front paws resting on a tree truck and crane her neck up.

Sadly by the age of two she had fallen out of the RV once onto concrete and while sleeping in her bed, a blind dog who was visiting stepped on her back.  She screamed at the time.  Several months later while we were RVing here in Kelowna she woke up in pain and could not move.  We packed in a hurry and drove non stop to a special critical care veterinary hospital on Boundary Road in Vancouver.  She needed urgent surgery.  The next day after the surgery she was still screaming in pain.  They called in a neurosurgeon on the Monday of a long weekend.  Before the second surgery we carried her outside to the grass where we sat with her for a few moments.  She had been given more pain meds and we just wanted to sit with her away from the hospital environment. She just looked at the sky and the birds passing overhead. Colin carried her inside and placed her on the operating room table and then we left.  She died on the table.  While trying to stabilized her spine they put a screw through her aorta by accident of course.  She was only two and a half years old.  We were devastated.

This butterfly over a doxies head was the perfect memorial for Channel.  That is Carmeh in the background.

She was a very special girl.  The last two photos were taken from blogs in years past.

I just want to add that in my post last month when I talked about Cloii, our first girl, I neglected to mention that she died of poisoning.  We suspected she ate something at a friends home that we had visited a few hours earlier.  It was also a very tragic, horrific and sudden death.   Our first two girls only lived a few years but we have so very many special memories of them both.