Sunday ; Christmas Eve
Mostly sunny ... although for only three hours between sunrise and sunset. Brutally cold !
I was quite ill today. With a flare up of ulcerative colitis. My own fault. What a dumbass ! Yesterday I did not take my cholestyramine medication following lunch and dinner. The medication that I have been taking longer than any other, about twenty-five years now. Can't digest food without it ! Every few years, when I've been feeling "colon healthy" for a reasonably long period of time, I need to prove to myself that I still need this medication. That's it's not just " all in my head". So ... with brilliant timing ... I've made myself sick for Christmas ! What a dumbass !
GEEEEEZZZ ... if I was Merkin ... I'd run for President ! HA HA HA !
Ozzie was much improved today. Feeling hungry. First bowel movement after general anaesthesia, always a momentous achievement. I should know ! HA HA HA ! I am typing this ( at 7:20 PM ) surrounded by the smell of Tourtière ( French Canadian meat pie ) cooking, our Christmas Eve traditional dinner.
Joanne took me to the pool building around noon for the fourth of my seven planned cardiac rehabilitation substitute fitness sessions. It went well, I enjoy her company and appreciate her encouragement.
< mumbling under my breath > whip cracking Nazi bitch !
HA HA HA !
Monday ; MERRY CHRISTMAS
Sunny ! Cold ! We had a quiet day together, just the two of us, and the animals. By choice.
We slept late. We had our traditional Christmas brunch, waffles slathered with jam and ice cream. We took Ozzie for a walk. He's feeling very well, apparently completely recovered from the ordeal of general anaesthesia a few days ago. I administered his final dosage of analgesic this morning. Not sure he really needed it. He's active, and his spirits are high. Doesn't seem like he's suffering much pain.
We opened our gifts, mostly edibles like chocolates and special snacks. Ozzie is unimpressed with the gifts Joanne bought him. Emma is unimpressed with the gifts Joanne bought her. HA HA HA ... "hard to buy for" pets. My sister phoned and we had our annual Christmas chat. Joanne phoned her sister and they had their chat. Joanne got our turkey into the oven. We took Ozzie for another walk before it got dark ... around 4:15 PM !
We had a nice Christmas turkey dinner. As always, Joanne did a good job of feeding us. We watched some TV, and relaxed.
FIRST CHRISTMAS ;
- with Emma
- with Ozzie
- without Bo
- in Keremeos, British Columbia
- after triple bypass surgery
Tuesday ; Boxing Day
Sunny and very cold. We had a slow, lazy Boxing Day. That's what Boxing Day is for, n'est-ce pas ?
Around noon we headed to our park's pool building for our fifth of seven cardiac rehabilitation substitute fitness sessions. It went well. After lunch and a nap
I reassembled the pet steps that Emma uses to get on and off our bed. Yesterday
I glue repaired them. Last Saturday, while we were at the symphony ... Ozzie smashed them to smithereens by jumping awkwardly off the bed while still groggy from anaesthetic. He's not allowed on the bed, but when we're not home he sometimes climbs up on the bed to watch through the bedroom window for our return. As soon as he sees us returning, he gets off the bed. Usually he doesn't land on the pet steps like a ton of bricks, but the other day ... !
Wednesday ; Cloudy and snowing lightly all day. BUT ... that means it was warmer today than it has been for the last few days. Ozzie really enjoys romping in fresh snow. AND ... after being with us for three months, he is beginning to show his "sense of humour".
AND ... for the first time in the three months he has been with us ... he doesn't stink ! He came to us with stinky skin and fur, and very distinct odours from every ...
< ahem > ... orifice. Infected ears. Rotten teeth and infected gums. Impacted anal gland. And so on ! Yesterday, I cuddled right up to his face for the first time. And ... he smells like a clean, healthy dog.
With a teensy bit of coaching from Joanne, tonight I baked a batch of peanut butter cookies.
And one year ago today we met Emma for the first time, at the Humane Society of Yuma. She was emaciated and dehydrated ... near death. When I finished my regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking, I went into the cat wing to tell Joanne I was ready to go home. I found her brushing Emma, trying to untangle some mattes from her long hair. The first thing I saw as I walked into the cat wing was ... Joanne brushing Emma's tummy, and ... < sputter > ... Emma's flesh was tearing like a damp paper
towel ! ! !
She was thirteen years old when she came into the Humane Society of Yuma, a few days before Christmas. SO ... I am declaring today to be her fourteenth birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMMA !
Thursday ; WHEW ! Lots of snow overnight.
Ozzie really enjoyed our late morning long walk. He loves to romp in fresh, fluffy snow. Too bad he's the only one of us who enjoys it. HA HA HA ! This afternoon I clipped all the hair on his face and muzzle very short, to get rid of the long, dirty, slightly stinky hair resulting from his dental surgery. His face and muzzle look a lot different, slightly odd, but ... clean and not stinky !
When I told Ozzie not to worry, it's just hair, it will grow back, he will only look odd for a brief time, like I did when I had to shave for my surgery three months ago, Joanne said ... "oh ... no ... Ozzie doesn't look anywhere near as bad as you looked immediately after your surgery, with no beard, and grey skin colour". HA HA HA ! Thanks a lot, my dear !
Friday ; POST OPERATIVE THREE MONTHS
Three months is a bypass surgery milestone. “Basic” healing is completed. Most restrictions are lifted. ( I’m still not cleared for swimming pool or hot tub use. ) For patients with employment, return to work on a part time / light duties basis is permissible. Ten pound limit weight lifting restrictions are removed, common sense ... and sternum pain ... dictate lifting limits. Lifting arms above the head and shampooing were previously approved. Driving and sex were previously approved. Travel by aircraft is approved. Piloting an aircraft is not ! Sadly, my wings are clipped. My flying days are over.
< sigh > Heavy snowfall today. Ceiling zero. Visibility zero. DARN ... should have gone into town to refill our five gallon water jug yesterday.
Late this morning we went ( by car ) to the swimming pool building to do my sixth of seven planned cardiac rehabilitation substitute fitness sessions. Afterwards we drove to town ( Keremeos ) to refill our five gallon water jug. YIKES ! Atrocious driving conditions ! Especially for someone who hasn't done any winter driving in fourteen years. We were back home about 2:30 PM. We had a late lunch, and I went for a long nap.
It seemed as if every time we used the car today we spent more time cleaning snow and ice off the car than actually driving it. And the snowplow blade on our park's truck is broken, so we have had no snow clearing service in our park for the last two days of heavy snowfall !
BUT ... evidently my heart works just fine ! ! ! No high blood pressure ! No angina
pain ! And ... < insert drum roll here > ... no blocked arteries ! Well ... actually ... the blocked arteries are still blocked ... they're just bypassed ! HA HA HA !
Saturday ;
We spent a lot of today shovelling out from yesterday's snowfall. Well ... Joanne spent a lot of today shovelling. I mostly stood around somewhat uselessly. I cleaned snow off the car. I scraped ice off the car's windows. I broke the car window scraper / snow brush. < sigh > I actually did some of the shovelling. Perhaps 20%. The final "clean up" part. Joanne did all the heavy lifting, no doubt about that !
And while doing that, she informed me ... "never again !" She wants to begin shopping next summer for an apartment style condominium unit.
DSK
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