A TENT FOR OWEN

When Sherri was a baby it was very easy to take her camping. She didn't crawl when we first visited Algonquin Park so a collapsible bed with a screen top was all we needed for her comfort. 

I'm not sure if that first camping trip at 6 months was registered by her very young brain but as soon as she discovered she was pregnant with Owen she bought a baby's camping tent.

So last week when Leanne was here the tent was unwrapped and assembled.

In true Kelly fashion no one read the instructions, just laid the parts on the floor and started putting this inside that.

When you've camped as much as Mary has, putting tents up is very simple. They all seem to have the same basic technique.

Slide the fibreglass rod through the sleeve and hook the end into the strap at the bottom. That's pretty easy.

The rods become the tent skeleton, giving it shape and holding it in place.

So here is Owen's tent, ready for sleep or play it doesn't matter.  We are so looking forward to having Owen up here next week. 

Thanks for stopping by and good to hear from you Connie and Mike.

VISITORS

Leanne and Katie were here for a few days this week. It was great to see them and have some time together. Katie and her husband Matt own and operate a coffee company called http://www.manuallabourcoffee.com. Do a google search and see what they have to offer. Matt is a coffee connoisseur and their coffee is fabulous. They have a unique business approach and if you live in the Burlington, Oakville area check them out at the local farmers' markets.

 Here we are having a delicious breakfast of  egg omelet, back bacon and toast while enjoying the morning sun coming through our windows. Oh yes, the ladies had a delicious espresso coffee made on Leanne's machine.

Place the hot water in the plastic bowl on top.

See the black handle? That's where the coffee goes. Leanne uses Katie's fine grind and it makes the best cup of coffee by lifting the handles on the side and squeezing the hot water down through the coffee grinds.

No muss no fuss, one delicious cup of coffee. Are you ready for yours?

Next week Sherri and Owen are coming up for a few days. We are excited. Mary has been getting out the baby toys and preparing Owen's room so everything is perfect. 

Then Carol and Don are coming to look after me and take me to the Bellville Hospital for my walking cast while Mary returns to Toronto to be with Sherri during her surgery.

It is a busy time for us and we really appreciate all the help and support family and friends have shown. You guys are awesome.

Thanks for stopping by and safe travels Annie and Marvin.

TIPS

I have three wonderful sisters. All are talented and gifted in different areas. Sharon is a retired nurse and our "go to person" when we have a medical question.

So having a broken ankle, I have lots of questions and have been sending her e-mails on an hourly bases.

One concern was bleeding.  As you can see in the picture below it is obvious I have some bleeding where the incision was made. Should I be concerned? Is this normal?

Sharon's advice was to go back to the hospital and have them take a look at it. Not possible. At this stage of healing, going outside is just impossible. 

So what to do?

Sharon suggested outlining the blood with "magic marker" then we could easily monitor the situation and see if the bleeding was continuing. A smart tip. No expansion of the blood spot, no more bleeding. So far we are watching but haven't seen any change.

Thanks Sharon, a great tip and an easy way to see any changes.

Progress is good. No pain since getting home, unless of course I put some weight on the ankle. Everything is looking good.

Thanks for stopping by, more tomorrow.

LIMITED MOBILITY

When you have 30 lbs of plaster attached to your left ankle you're not very mobile. But there are certain situations I do need to leave my bed. Fortunately our home is all on one floor. 

Our first attempt at getting me to the bathroom was a disaster. Mary can't support my weight and my good ankle is bruised and tender so not much weight on it.

What to do?

We have come up with a solution and a routine using Mary's office chair.

The feet are wide and stable. It will take my weight and Mary can push me around the house no problem.

I'm now able to slide off the bed onto the chair without Mary's assistance, She makes sure the chair is secure before I slide onto it. 

When she brings me back to the bed I swing my good leg up onto the mattress and then roll off the chair onto my stomach. Very easy and without putting any stress on Mary's back.

On the 28th I'm off to Bellville to get my walking cast and then I can get around as I please.


Thanks again for all your notes and calls. So good to hear from you.

Be safe and watch out for moving ladders. Chat again tomorow.

FAMILY and FRIENDS

I must stay off my cast for two weeks, put no weight on it and keep it elevated. So what does one do when confined to bed for two weeks? 

This is where family and friends are so helpful. Your e-mails and calls actually speed up the healing process. Did you know that? Amazing but true. Our support systems (family and friends) give us encouragement, and a healthy perspective on life which in turn assists the healing.

I have been so encouraged by your e-mails, calls, prayers and words of encouragement. You make the stay in bed tolerable, not fun but tolerable. Don, I'm enjoying the movies you left.

I suspect my blog posts will be a little brief for a while. Can't take many pictures when lying in bed.

Thanks everyone for touching base. You are so greatly appreciated.

P.S.

Some of you have been asking for a view of the injured ankle. The blood you see on the side of the cast is from the incision to insert the pin. The bleeding as stopped since this picture was taken.

Now movement is another issue with all this plaster stuck to my ankle. My right ankle although not broken is still sore and tender and refuses to allow me to put much weight on it. Right now I'm confined to bed but hope to be up and about in a few days.

OUCH!

The last few days have been very mild here and yesterday I thought I would do a few outdoor jobs. 

I moved two skids of wood onto the front porch so they are protected and the firewood is easily available. I also moved one onto the back porch so now we have 2 cords of wood close at hand and ready whenever winter returns.

I have been concerned about squirrels getting into our attic as one gable end is still open. Nailing sheets of steel onto the beam would prevent the squirrels from getting a foothold and scrambling into our nice warm attic space.

Things were going very well as I was working on my own to get the sheets in place. One sheet left to do and I needed to lift the ladder just slightly to get the steel in place.

Bad decision.  The ladder decided to go left and I went with it, riding it down from the roof edge about 15 feet above the ground.

Fortunately Mary saw it happened and helped me crawl into the house.

We are blessed with wonderful neighbours and within minutes Paul, Steve and Doug were here to provide whatever help was needed. 

Since both ankles were just too sore to put any weight on, Mary called the ambulance and I was off to the Bancroft hospital.

After a few ex-rays they could see that my left ankle was broken so back into the ambulance and off to Beleville hospital to meet the orthopaedic surgeon. 

Charlotte another neighbour graciously offered to drive Mary to Belleville about an hour and a half south of Bancroft. The night was foggy, rainy and not the night to be out driving our northern roads. Thanks Charlotte you are wonderful.

So here's Mary in the waiting room. Believe me she wasn't smiling like this when the accident happened.

Once in OR the actual operation took only twenty minutes as I was awake for the entire procedure having asked for an epidural.

I'm home, resting, a little tender but otherwise fine.   Mary is a fabulous nurse and her cooking I'm sure will speed the recovery and I'll be up snow-shoeing shortly.

I can not say enough good things about the way I was treated. From the ambulance crew, to the nurses, doctors, radiologist  receptionists, everyone was friendly, professional, helpful and caring. Thank you everyone who came to my rescue. It is very reassuring to live in a country with such high standards of care and to live in a community with such wonderful neighbours.

Thanks for stopping by and stay off the ladder.

FOGGY

Spring arrived early and we're not happy. We didn't expect to see warm temperatures until March but yesterday we got up to +7*C and today may reach 9. Winter isn't what I remember as a kid. Back then the snow came and stayed until March. Now we get snow, then it melts, then we get more snow, don't even need the wood stove going all the time.

After lunch we decided it would be good to get out for a walk in the fog and see what was happening down at the lake.

The road has been heavily sanded wherever there is a steep grade. We shouldn't have any problem getting in or out this winter.

You can see how misty the conditions are. We've lost a lot of snow in the past 24 hours and the mist continues to rise in clouds.

Here's Lee out walking the dogs. He's very good to get them outside every day for some exercise. Love those long rope leashes.

Down at the lake it's obvious we need to stay on shore. The ice has melted and is unsafe. All the fish huts are off and back on land. No fishing for a while.

Looking across the lake it was difficult to see the other side.

Not sure what the plans are for today. As Don says, "No schedule"

Thanks for stopping by and safe travels everyone.