Big Seizure

Sundays! I love them. And yesterday was a terrific one! It was bright and sunny most of the day, but cold. A perfect Sunday for lounging by the fire with pets. Sadly, there’s naught of interest on PBS or the Knowledge Network tonight, but The Great Canadian Baking Show and A Suitable Boy are on the CBC.

I made twenty-two Carrot cake muffins and ate only one a day for three days; the rest were successfully distributed to fellow dog walkers on Friday and yesterday morning forest walks.

I came home to rest. All the talking, the hosting preparation and then a meal and evening with friends, drained me. I loved the morning walk, but I could hardly wait to get home and lie down. I dithered through a couple of hours, and then went to bed for a nap. In the afternoon, I read and watched a movie. We did no second walk.

IN the evening, I had the longest seizure I can recall ever having. I was worried it wouldn’t end after what, I’m sure, was twenty minutes. (My seizures are usually less than a minute long now.) And for the rest of the night, I felt way off. I was glad to go to bed; I went looking forward to feeling myself this morning.

And I do. But I won’t know where I’m at until I meet my friends for our walk this morning. Only then will I have an idea of my current mental health status; I’ll know when I hear how my speech is. But I do sense some improvement from last night.

•

Yesterday, my accident, I deleted this entire blog. For a while, it was MIA. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to Google, “can I retrieve a deleted Blogger blog,” and found that I could.

•

I have no medical or social appointments until Dec. 24^th. We’ve even cancelled the big Sunday dog walks, but my little group of walkers will keep going. They will be my only socializing for three weeks.

•

We had snow last night. There’s about an inch on the ground but it is melting quickly. Still, this is an early start to a cold season for us. I lit a nice big fire this morning to get all of us warm.  

Birthday: Fabulous

Saturday was wonderful. I can no longer remember why, for decades, I hated my birthday. Being not a fan of Christmas and loathing the booze and kissing festival that can be New Year’s, I could’ve done without the entire month of December—especially when you add the onset of Winter, the shortness of daylight, and so much dreadful Christmas music. I heard from so, so many friends. It was truly wonderful. Until it wasn’t.

By mid-afternoon, I’d had too many calls. My speech was shite by mid-afternoon and by evening, my arms were killing me. My arms are becoming a challenging problem. The pain is almost unbearable.

I was, however, able to do all the cooking and cleaning I wanted to do in advance of the arrival of Eoin, François and Jay and our dinner together. The four of us have become a wonderful playtime unit. We’ve been getting together somewhat regularly for four years now, and last night was wonderful. I chose not to answer the evening calls. Speaking was impossible because all the calls, were on my land line and when I can’t see my friend, speech is too difficult.

But what a great, great day it was.

Today is clear, bright and cold. I’m going on the big community dog walk and then coming home to chill and recover. Yesterday took a lot out of me; today will be a day for a big fire and lots of couch time. 

A Day to be Cozy

I value these tributes to Stephen Sondheim, even though they make me cry. This is another one in NYC; this one in a beautiful setting in Central Park.

These are two photos recently posted by our new age Mae West. This woman, desperate for attention, is 63 years old. This is what $200,000 worth of plastic surgery can do for you. Spare me.

This is my beloved group of thrice-weekly dog walkers.

I gifted each of my fellow dog walkers with two muffins, nicely wrapped in cellophane and in a fancy candy bag when we walked yesterday morning. Regina has also brought goodies: Brownies for us. And they gave me a birthday card that Di had made which is an all-time favourite card acknowledging my passion for doggies!

Then I went shopping for the supplies I needed to make the dinner I’m serving tonight. Once home, it was time to prepare the sauces and many of the ingredients. Then it was back to my book and reading.

It was cold yesterday—not surprising given that Thursday night was clear. Tonight, there’s a possibility of some light snow showers. Spare me!

•

I wrote to my estranged cousin Ann early last week, and I included a stamped and return addressed envelope and card to make it easy for her to reply. I was hoping to hear back from her this week, but nothing arrived. I’m not giving up hope, but I’m afraid whatever made her dump me cannot be repaired.

•

I’m about to walk Her Highness, then I’ll come home to do a little reading, lots of tidying and cleaning and some food preparation in advance of my little dinner party. It’s cold and wet. It’s an ideal day for being cozy in doors.