Tuesday 7 November 2023

 So ... update. Apparently I will live. Today is my last day of antibiotics and my PICC line gets removed tomorrow. Still have issues with my hands. Feels like I'm wearing gloves -can't really feel anything with detail, and anything more than lukewarm water burns. The surface skin on my quads is still numb and my feet also have numb spots.My skin still is still mottled and I look like an [old wrinkled] alien - Zindi comes to mind [Star Trek Enterprise ref]. And I am still losing my hair. [My sister is not sympathetic].

So no idea what happens next. Haven't found a local gp to replace my Owen Sound doctor. I went to went Owen Sound for a "follow-up" but my doctor didn't bother to show up. The doctor who did show up tried to tell me that there was no information about my hospital stays in Trenton or London but when I told her that the OS clinic had confirmed they had received all the info, including blood work results, she backtracked. The best she could tell me was "nerve damage [ ref. hands and fingers] takes about a year to heal and that's as good as it gets", and " very sorry this happened to you but there's not much we can do." She was out of the room before I could stand up.
SO..one more time... do your own research - get a second opinion - whatever it takes to be sure you know what you're being prescribed and why!!
PS the only good thing is my nails are hard as daggers. But it hurts if I stick myself accidentally because my skin is so sensitive! lol
Its lovely here in London - still warm, no snow. Good thing bcuz we couldn't find our winter clothes in the storage unit! Next week we will go to Kingston to finish winterizing the Goose. *sigh*
take care all!

Thursday 5 October 2023

 So it kills me to say this  but we cannot go south this winter. I was prescribed a drug by my doctor that I am severely allergic to ... Terbinafine. It has reduced me to complete skin breakdown. My hands and feet are so swollen I cannot walk .  I was hospitalized in Trenton; sent to Toronto for assessment; moved to London for hospitalization. again.

Doctors have no idea how to leach the 'poison' out of my system. This is a horribly painful condition and so many variables to what is happening to my body, and no guarantee t will get better or not have permanent liver damage.




The boat is put up in Collins Bay for the winter.Luckily we had friends in Ottawa come down to help Rick move the boat from Trenton - 11 hours to Collins Bay.  He has to go down on the 8th of October to strip the boat and get it winterized. Unfortunately, I can't help him.

Monday 25 September 2023

 So not sure what day this is literally, but we are in Trenton. Today is a blustery and we were waiting for tomorrow to move out to False Duck Island to do the crossing but I have developed this excrutiating rash and blisters all over my body. After spending a day at the hospital 3 doctors are of the opinion that they have no clue what it is so they are sending me to Toronto to a dermatologist. How?? "Well don't you have a car?" What part of travelling on a boat don't you understand? MY mouth is dry; water feels like oil; I have no appetite; its too hard to fold clothes bcuz I have no strength. I took a Benadryl yesterday morning and its still coursing through my system. Haven't felt that that stoned in decades!! And I don't like it

So far the weather has been excellent and will stay good to cross the lake as soon as I can be let out so enough whining. I will load some photos when I find the right back up

Monday 28 August 2023

Getting ready again!

 August 28 2023. Who knew it would take this long? In 3 days we move onto the boat and 10 days after that we leave for the sunny south. Sadly we will be leaving family and new friends here. Thats the problem with standing still to long. 

You saw the pics of the new galley [again] . I will post pics of the new rigging when the mast goes up in Castleton, NY. Until then we're a really awkward power boat. 

I was actually amazed that the blog is still active [cuz I wasn't!]. So stay tuned ! Stuff always happens to us!

Monday 23 December 2019

2019 beginning to end

December 23, 2019

For the last few of you who actually read my posts...of which there Have been pathetically few this year, here is an update.

January, we had a fairly cold month and not much going on. I was doing some general research for a company out of Tobermory...mostly at home - reading and scanning documents. In the spring we decided that we were not going back up to Tobermory...Rick's boss had decided to hire his daughter instead, so there was no point in me going back if he wasn't working.
We found what we thought would be ideal jobs...a boat tour company closer to home on the Sauble River...was not to be...the hours  were few and far between and it was not a very lucrative venture for the  owners. Rick enjoyed driving the tour boat, and I was in the ticket booth but it just didn't give us enough.  In the fall we found other jobs. I am currently working in a nursing home as a resident services worker...LOVE IT!  And Rick is installing for Shaw...he hates it...piece work covering hundreds of miles a day and no pay for  driving. He will be looking for something else.

Last February,  Rick had bladder surgery to remove some small tumours. We didn't say anything because we didn't want to alarm those who were far away.  He will be having the same surgery in January ...two more small ones, but the doctor assured him that these ones are not cancerous, but it means he will be off work for about 5 weeks.

I am having cataract surgery on January 16..yay! which means I will be able to see better and hopefully be able to enjoy picking up my paint brushes again. I can still see to sew and write but its just too frustrating to focus on colour and detail.  Luckily for my job, eagle-eye vision is not a requirement.

So the most excitement ...fun...we had this year was going to the Robbie Burns dinner last February; Rick trying to learn the bagpipes and going to the Fergus Festival for the 2nd time and meeting new Erwins/Irwins. My sister and her husband moved back to Ontario  and we became great- again. Rick's nephew in BC had beautiful twins and my nephew in Ontario had a gorgeous little girl.

Also the completion of the new galley in the boat!! It is truly an awesome piece of carpentry and he  did a fantastic job! This winter project is building the fridge and installing it this summer.

spare room in the apartment
Some other excitement [not the good kind] was watching Quentin struggle with his first year of college and deciding to postpone it for  awhile. He's now working at Tim Horton's in Owen Sound and just bought his first car.  He loves working the cash, and is okay with the rest of it. He struggles with the up selling.."Would you like a donut with that?"... because he doesn't drink coffee or eat donuts! LOL

So here are some pics from the year... and have a Merry Christmas and a safe and peaceful New Year!!
Great drawers for all the dishes and drop downs at the bottom for tray lids etc

New sink from Ikea [restore actually] and new counter tops

New flooring- vinyl that looks wood grain - everybody has this stuff now!

I'm in  my Erwin tartan and he's in his Wilson tartan  [paternal grandmother]

Quentin's new [old]car  2005 Honda Civic

our apartment living room...uh oh..I'm really liking this

Saturday 26 January 2019

January 2019



Happy New Year..mine starts today!

Good morning! I haven't been posting lately for several reasons...
1] my keyboard is making me crazy..I'm not the best typist but some of my keys are getting ornery and I spend as much time inserting missing letters as typing the words;
2] most of the time my computer is on, I am working on the research project or my boss. It's an interesting 'search and find' combing through documents and putting an order to them...right up my alley!!!
And 3] you all are having so much fun and adventures and what we're doing is pretty boring.
However, today is the first day of my new year, and as soon as I can get over this little bout of pneumonia, we are heading back to "boat and body works", preparing ourselves so the doctor will let us "out" when it's time.
Rick went to the Toronto boat show this week and got some really positive advice on the frig construction; we have torn out the galley again and found a lovely bright Arborite to replace the cool, sexy but useless black counter. Man repairs like rudders dodgers and bimini will have to wait until warmer weather or at least until I start poking him with a bigger stick.
I notice that some of you have missed the snow and cold as much as we did and are enjoying a real winter [Brent and Mary] and I see you posts and think I could do that...20 years ago!
They say age is only a number, and I believe it, but every time I see my doctor he tells me I am in really good shape...for my age. Whaaaaat?!?!?
We are going to Robbie Burns night with Rick's new friends- the McLaren Pipe Band next weekend. Love those pipes and drums!!!
Today we are all going to a Park restaurant for our birthday lunch with Liz Geoff and the kids.
Happy Winter!

Saturday 8 December 2018

Merry Christmas 2018

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T'was two weeks before Christmas and as we looked 'round,
We suddenly realized that we were snow-bound!
No sea breeze, no soft sand, no dazzling sunlight,
Just grey clouds, snow-rain storms, and really cold nights!
No sailboats or conch horns to greet the green flashes,
Just car horns and crowded last-minute mall-dashes!
We dream of warm water, and yoga on the beach;
Of meetings on Sundays to hear Cordell teach;
Of baskets, of dominoes and volleyball - what fun!
Of winning Rum bottles. Has "Trivia" begun?
The "Land" friends and family we cherish are here.
The grandkids, our treasures, are happy we're near [?]
We'll miss the Straw Ladies and this year's Junkanoo;
But mostly, our Warm -Winter friends, we'll miss YOU!
Work on the boat; keeping busy's the trick,

It's only two winters... but I sure miss KALIK!!          ©SMS