A wet willie

The loml and I went canoeing with Pam and Wally on Monday. At least that was our intention. Pam and Wally bought a 17' canoe (with paddles) at a garage sale and they had borrowed a 12' canoe from some friends of theirs. They were to use their canoe and the loml and I were to use the 12' one. Ha!

Once we got in our canoe it became apparent that it had little or no stability. That may have been as a result of its short length. We weren't sure. We shoved out just a couple of feet from shore and promptly capsized.

Next Pam and the loml tried it, their weights being more compatible (I outweigh the loml by 75 pounds). They pushed out a little from shore two times and both times Pam called out "Pull us back! Pull us back!"

So finally it was decided that Pam and the loml would use the 17' canoe, and Wally (who can't swim and who wasn't all that gung ho to canoe in the first place) and I would meet them at a boat ramp 4 miles down river.

I stayed with the canoe (and the coolers and the stadium chairs and everything else that Pam had unloaded because she didn't want to chance dumping it all in the river, while Wally drove my car down river to pick up the boat trailer and come back so we could load up the canoe that stayed behind. Two diet cokes and two jalapenos later Wally showed back up and we got everything loaded and took off.

It took the women about an hour-and-a-half to make the boat ramp (they were mostly just going with the current). They had a wonderful time. We all unpacked our lunches (the sandwiches the loml had made for us all and some string cheese and tomatoes and apple sauce) and ate.

After lunch the women took off for another boat ramp about two miles further on and Wally and I again headed out to meet them.

While I wound up doing no canoeing, I nonetheless had a relaxing afternoon. I enjoy Wally's company and their was a nice breeze to keep us cooled off. And, of course, the loml had a great time. Well worth the time.

Open mic

Last night Nicole hosted her first open mic at B & N at Geneva Commons. It's been quite a while since Susan used to host open mics there. I'm glad Nicole decided to start it up again. There were four poets and one monologist (is that a word?) and 12 friends and family of Nicole's who showed up to support her. I read about half-a-dozen new poems. I hope this is an ongoing success.

The loml had a colonoscopy today

Yesterday to help her pass the time without food all day we saw two movies: Waitress and Catch and Release. Waitress was definitely worth it. Catch and Release was not.

This morning we had to get to the hospital at 6:30AM for the loml to get signed in. After virtually no wait we were escorted back to a room (if you can call a place with a curtain for a wall a room) where she was instructed to undress and put on one of those wonderful backless night shirts. She filled out and/or signed all the appropriate forms and then, as she was being wheeled away, I was led to the day surgery waiting room. There were muffins...too many muffins. After about 45 minutes the nurse came and got me again. The loml was still woozy from the tranquilizers and seemed to have trouble staying awake. But after a bit she was released and we went to McD's to get her a sausage biscuit before heading for home where she went back to bed.

Bike riding day

Wednesday was bike riding day.

The loml got up and went to the store to buy bread, peanut butter and pickles, and then she came home and made five sandwiches (no - they weren't peanut butter and pickle sandwiches), two for Wally and one each for Pam, the loml and me. The jar of pickles, as it turns out, were mainly for me; the loml had two, Wally had one and I had the rest.

I loaded both of our bikes into the loml's Windstar and the we gathered up the sandwiches, the pickles, the watermelon, Skippy and his travelling crate and got into the car.

We got to Wally and Pam's at 10:00AM. They were over in the tractor barn. They got our bikes and fastened all four of our bikes onto the back of their car and we were off to a park in Oswego. We left Skippy in his crate in the downstairs of their house where it was cool.

We rode bikes for a total of an hour and twenty minutes, 25 minutes before lunch and 55 minutes after lunch. I only participated in the before lunch ride. I didn't want to overdo it on my first time out. After lunch, I just sat in the shade and meditated on what it feels like to be as puny as I now am.

At 3:00PM the bikes got loaded up again and we took off for Yorkville where we picked up a 20" pizza Pam had ordered. On the way, since we had some time to kill, we stopped at a "DON'T MISS THIS ONE!" garage sale. Wally and Pam are inveterate garage-sale-shoppers.

When we got back to Wally and Pam's, the loml took Skippy for a quick walk (to go potty) while we set up around the table downstairs.

We all did a reasonable job of attacking the pizza, and I, of course, overdid it.

At 5:40PM the loml, Skippy and I left for home to meet the Schwann's man (He finally had blueberry bars on hand.).

All-in-all it was a great day, and I now know that next time I can ride a little more. Next time might be a canoe trip rather than a bike ride though. We talked about that quite a bit.

Update

On Friday the sister and I went to a Renoir landscape exhibit at the art gallery in Ottawa. It was excellent, samples of his work from different periods. I especcially liked the way some of his paintings had an almost 3D effect.

When we got through we went up one floor to a showing of modern photography. Very interesting, hard to tell what the pictures were actually of, many studies in form and color.

We had lunch at yet another Indian restaurant. I had a spicy shrimp dish augmented by some nice roasted peppers, not particularly hot, but a wonderful flavor.

Saturday I was pushed over to the baby ducks again and on the way we came across a young rabbit.

After I got all packed my sister and I went to a salvadorian restuarant for lunch. I had what turned out to be shrimp cocktail.

The bus ride home was uneventful. Once again I didn't get much sleep. The loml got to the Aurora station just as the bus was pulling up. It was so great to be with her again.

We went to lunch in Geneva to a spot we'd been to before, upstairs over some gift shops katty-corner from Graham's Chocolate.

Skippy was happy to see me and we cuddled for a while after we let him out of his crate in the living room.

After dinner we got to bed for a much needed night's sleep. I got to sleep in Monday morning. The loml said that she'd wake up with Skippy both Monday and Tuesday because she was used to it and I probably needed the extra rest. We'll alternate days the rest of the summer.

I weighed 207 pounds(!), so I only gained two pounds during my trip. I would've settled for 210, so as it was I was very happy.

Monday afternoon I had an appointment with my neurologist at the VA hospital. Little if any change since my last follow-up. I guess at some point my neuropathy is supposed to get more painful and I'll need an increase in my gabapentin.

I got home at 6:00 and beat the loml home from her jazzercize workout. We got to bed sort of early again.

This morning I enjoyed sleeping in again. about 10:00 the loml and I went for a 2o minute bike ride following the route she likes to take. I don't know how well I'm going to do tomorrow when we go riding with the landlords.

I dropped the loml off at the library while I went to get an oil change for her car. They said they were too busy today, so I'll go back Thursday morning.

Now here I am at one of the library's computers typing this while the loml reads her book for a bit. Her book club is two weeks from tomorrow and she wants to be sure to be finished with the book by then since she's the one who chose it.

I'm not sure what we'll do for the rest of the day, but I'm happy just hanging out with the loml.

Where's the camera?

Wow. I slept in till nearly 9:00 this morning.

Yesterday we visited Parliament hill. On the way there I realized that I had forgotten to bring my camera, so naturally once there I saw all sorts of wonderful opportunities for memorable photographs. We didn't go into the building, but the outside of it is impressive enough. We walked (was pushed) all around the outside of the building.

We saw the homes for the feral cats, and watched some of them getting fed. Two large cats had a face-off over a can of cat food. After the can was emptied into a dish, they both just crouched there staring down into the dish very intently, ears plastered back on their heads. Finally one of them broke and moved away, and the other began to eat. A very peaceful confrontation.

After we had gone all around, we went about a block away where my sister bought me another camera, and then we went back so I could take some pictures. As we were heading toward the building we stopped as we first got on the grounds so I could snap a picture and just as I pressed the button two men walked through the frame. One of them came over and apologized and then offered to take our picture in front of Parliament. After he had taken it, he introduced himself and it turned out that he was a senator from Nova Scotia.

We we had finished our second cycle, we drove to Gatineau where we had lunch in a marvelous french restaurant. I had a duck pie. That's not what it was called, but that was what it was.

After lunch we went home and hung out and I watched the birds and squirrels some more.

After we picked up the b-i-l after work, we drove into Chinatown to have dinner at a restaurant my bus seatmate (from Toronto to Ottawa) had recommended. I had a disappointingly mild order of kung po chicken.

When we got home I went to bed and crashed and burned.

I woke up at 3:30 this morning and...

...couldn't get back to sleep, so I turned on the bedside light and read for a while, sampling some of the books my sister had picked out for me to read. Then I got out of bed, dressed and went and sat in the living room till the brother-in-law came upstairs and made coffee. After giving me a cup, he recommended several comic books to me and I started to read. While my sister drove him to work I got up and came to the computer. Now I'm blogging.

an unkindness of ravens
descends upon my soul
picked clean
it wakes to justice
in the cold stream
not knowing what to see
I sit and write this

Don't ask me. I just typed it.

Yesterday morning my sister took me for a push around the neighborhood and we wound up at the pond in front of the veterans home where she fed the ducks (including six little speed demon babies). After we got back, I just hung out in front of the window watching the birds and the black squirrels while she mowed the lawn. Later we drove into town to eat lunch at a thai restaurant. It was closed, so we went to the market where I got pushed around some more. We ended up eating at another Indian restaurant.

Sister: Is the vindaloo the hottest dish you have?
Waiter: Yes. It's very hot.
I: I'll have the seafood vindaloo.
Waiter: Very good, sir.
I: Indian hot.
Waiter: It's very hot, sir. Would you like some nan or some rice with that?
I: No. Thank you.
Waiter: It's very hot.
I: I'll be fine.

Later

I: It wasn't that hot.
Waiter: You're very strong, sir.

Another disappointment. Well, no. Disappointment's not the right word. It was very nice, a good flavor. Just not very hot.

Last night, as I slooped a large spoonful of jerk sauce onto my the jerk chicken my sister had prepared, it occured to me that I've been showing off. I need to outgrow that at some point.

Anyway. Yesterday was another nice day.

But I drank too much coffee (and I'm doing it again today).

Okay, okay.

Once again the loml was right. I should've brought a jacket. It was 4 degrees celsius this morning. Chilly (and with a breeze, chillier). The high is going up to 17 though, and the sun does appear to be out.

Yesterday was wet, humid and misty. My sister took me on a scenic drive to Gatineau Park, and when we stopped at a lookout point all we saw was what appeared to be l low cloud bank. We went down one stretch of road near the park where the countryside (according to our mother) looks like Ireland. We passed through a covered bridge, went on for a way, then turned around and headed for the park proper.

The search for (spicy) hot food in Ottawa turned out to be somewhat of a bust yesterday. As we were heading to the Indian buffet for lunch my nephew said that the hottest dish there was their beef vindaloo, but when we got there they didn't have any out. My sister asked a waitress if she could point out hot dishes for us, and all she came up with was a sauce that she said was "very hot." I soaked some beef curry with it, but it didn't seem hot to me at all. When we got to the caribbean restaurant last night I asked for the curried goat "super hot." My sister kept saying "I'm scared," while we waited for our food, but when my dish came, it was spicy and it had a wonderful flavor, but it was far from super hot. To me something is super hot if at first it gives me the hiccups, and this didn't.

I am really enjoying being in Canada. It is beautiful, even in the rain. And I love sitting on my sister's couch looking out at the chicadees, the goldfinches and the starlings (and the pigeons and the crows) outside the window at the birdfeeders and in the trees.

I feel very welcome here.

Whee

Well. I survived the bus ride. It didn't aggravate my back at all, but it really gave me a sore butt. Plus I think I slept for about just two of the 25 hours. I still didn't get to bed till ten last night, but I was so tired I overslept this morning and didn't get up till seven.

When I talked to the loml after getting here yesterday (4:35p), I told her that the five hours from Toronto to Ottawa were my favorite part of the trip; not only because the Canadian sights are so much more interesting than the American ones (at least the American ones I saw on the trip out), but also because my seatmate was a young woman who liked to talk as much as I do. The loml laughed and said "Yes. I know how much you like young women." Not the point I meant to make at all.

I wish I could explain why Canada feels so different from the US to me, but I can't quite put it into words. It's more than differences in architecture, colors, unfamiliar stores and brands and foreign sounding words. There's a ... quaintness? ... no that's not it. There's just a totally different feel to it. As I said, I can't really explain it beyond that.

My sister brought out a ton (Well, Okay. Maybe just half-a-ton) of poetry books (and books about poetry or poets) to show me and said that they'd all be on the night stand by my bed so I could read them. Whew! What an expectation I thought. No. She assured me; not an expectation, just a welcoming gesture. I felt better.

This morning she showed me a chikadee with a worm in it's beak entering a small bird house just off their front porch and had me listen to the insistent chirping of the babies inside. This afternoon we're going to an Indian restaurant for lunch and then this evening we're going to a Caribbean place for dinner; a double helping of spicy ethnic food. Yum! I'm going to like Canada.

She's rented a wheelchair for me, so we can go sightseeing comfortably while I'm here. She's just the perfect hostess.

Right now, while I'm blogging, she's frantically studying for the citizenship test she'll be taking on Monday (she just found out it would be Monday yesterday and she had assumed she'd be given at least a month's notice, so now she's cramming). She's seeking dual citizenship, a move necessitated by our last general election (She's no fonder of W (Sorry. that should be 'w.') than I am).

I think I'll go look at the coffee table book on graphic literature again.

I'm pumped

Starting tomorrow I ride a bus for 25 hours to visit my sister in Canada, Ottawa to be precise. She's lived there for years and I've never visited her there before. I'm really looking forward to this trip. I'm even perversely excited about the prospect of that bus ride.

Last night I slept alone (well, Skippy was in the room with me). The loml had signed up to participate in the cancer Relay for Life, an event where people from various organizations or groups form teams that will stay up all night to take turns walking around a track. Each person agrees to raise money for the cancer society. The loml was part of a Jazzercise team. They raised $1005. She was one of only three people from her team to stay all night. There were food concessions and intermittent entertainment.

When she got home this morning I made her breakfast while she told me all about her night. Then she took a bath and went to bed. I told her I would stay here to mind Skippy until she wakes up. Then I'm going to go to Borders to use up a gift card.

My next entry will probably from Canada!