Hey Gayle and Glenda... recognize this gentleman??

For those of you who don't recognize him, this is Glenda and Gayle's older brother Geoff ..... man I love this picture of him!!!









This is Little Lake near Brighton.... the water was almost green today.... was quite beautiful!

I was inspecting today near Colborne..... was finished the inspection and was backing up to take a photo of the rear of the house... and I heard a rustling.......

and turned and this was what I saw.....

kinda made my spine tingle, actually!


ay yi yi!!!


after my last stop tonight, I stopped and visited an old friend..... emphasis on FRIEND, not on old!!

I've been threatening to tell a "septic/sewer" story...and THIS is the friend it is about!!




You will notice in Geoff's hand a rather large electronic device...

I'm not saying we're getting old... but would ya LOOK at the size of this remote???


I have GOT to get me one of these!!!!!! That thar's a jumbo remote!!

Making a bad day better....

Ever have one of those days??? that when you get to the end of it, you're totally spent??...

and you get frustrated and half freaked out cause there's another one of those days coming TOMORROW???

well.....I had one of those last week ........ and how God turned that day around for me, is ....to quote Paul Harvey, the rest of the story!

Though the day in question started out pretty decent, after 5 inspections, and nearly 575 kms.... I was spent..... the trip home from my last inspection took nearly 3 1/2 hours.

I was weary.... the more I drove, the more discouraged I got... mostly because I was thinking ahead to the next day...

If I am this tired NOW, how am I going to manage TOMORROW?????

It's no small wonder that Jesus wrote these words... He knew we'd need to hear them....." do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" ( Matt 6:34 )....

By the time I backed into my driveway, I was a mess.....I was frazzled, stressed, keyed up.... and ready to quit just about everything....

When I get like that, I start cutting things out of my schedule.... cancelling dinner dates, not showing up at concerts, or social events that'd I'd promised to go to.... I just start cutting things out of my life.....

As I walked into my townhouse, I grabbed the mail that had piled up while I was away... and this is what I saw :

A care package.........

do you know how long it has been since I got a care package????

About then, my kids happened along, having been dropped off at the door.... I hardly even noticed them .... I was busy opening the care package....

this is where the story gets interesting....

The blogging community in which we're in.... is like a family..... it's a support group, I suppose... it is for me.... sometimes it's support because I can write my frustrations, and vent...

other times, I can read other people's blogs... or look at their photos....

and sometimes, the support is from the encouraging comments....

either way you look at it, we are community.....you ... and me....

at some point in the last little while, I made some friends ..... within this community....

with a family: a mom and a dad, and five kids....that I don't know.... I can't tell you their names; and other than the city, I don't know where they live...... I don't know their email address....I don't know their phone number.....

but I know them, and we're friends !

I have learned a lot about them from the clues they've given in their comments..... and I've read and re-read the comments..... partly out of curiosity to try and figure out the demographics..... and partly out of pure vanity, cause the comments are encouraging!!!

I've learned things like the fact that they are Habs fans .... stellar people then, obviously!

I've learned that they all, the 5 siblings, live in one little house with their parents....

I've learned that their dad is fighting cancer......

I've learned that they frequent Tim Hortons a lot.... and not necessarily to buy.... but to collect discarded roll up the rim cups.... and I don't mind telling you that while I was frantically buying (and blogging about it ) and winning only 2 out of 27 , they collected discarded cups in Tim Horton's parking lots and on street corners.....

and not only did they clean UP God's green earth, but at last count, according to their comments, they'd won 11 times....

ELEVEN TIMES.............!!!

anyway... back to the care package....

.... in as much as the care package was anonymous, it wasn't...... there were enough clues to let me know it was from them..... my friends.....

That God knew, that I needed this, on the day that I got it.... was only something that God could do!

and what the package contained was the piece de resistance....

A Habs patch..... several encouragement cards, not the least of which was one that read " NEVER NEVER QUIT" ....wow!

Even the stamps echoed sentiment.... hockey players!!!

plus there were 2 roll up the rim cups.... both winners..... my 2 for 27 just went to 4!!!

I won a CAFE and a BEIGNE!!!!!!!!

and as I felt the stress and the "frazzle" fall away like sand through my fingers, I began to read the letter.......

.....

.....

and I cried......

click HERE.... so you can read it......

.....sigh....

To this day, I do not know how they got my address.... I may never know....

but what I DO know is this.....


that this has touched me deeply...... and has encouraged me in ways I have a hard time expressing....

It has taken me several days contemplating, wondering how to even write about it.....

I find it hard to explain the closeness that I feel.... it's hard to imagine being this connected to someone that I have never met....

and yet the closeness exists....

so to you, LPP, and to Prayingsensfaninmontreal..... and to your family....

Thank You..... Eternity will show you how much this has meant to me.


and to the rest of you reading this..... I say two things...

First.... I'd like you to introduce you to some very special people! as you read their comments, you'll realize just how special....

and second.... would you do something for me?? pray for their dad..... That God would heal him.... and take away his pain....



For this reason, I kneel before the Father
from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives it's name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being.

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

and I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide, and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory, in the church and in Christ Jesus,
through all generations, for ever and ever. Amen" Eph 3:14-21

Taylor

my son is 18 today... it is hard for me to imagine that 18 years have passed so fast.....

I printed several of these photos today and gave him a birthday collage of some of the memorable photos over the 18 years..

This is Taylor sitting in his gramma's favourite chair in Belleville This is Taylor, holding Isaac... in 2003.....

This is Taylor with his cousin Isaac... at the Mink's Corn Maze in October of 2006

Taylor with his cousin Jacob at the Jays game last summer

Taylor at another Jays game
Taylor and the 3 amigos at Bass Pro

Taylor impressing Isaac with some magic tricks!! Isaac loved the tricks!
The 3 amigos at the Jays Game


Taylor at 2 months old.... I love this photo....

Taylor in the receiving line at his Grade 8 grad.... The tie wasn't long in being undone after the ceremony was over!!

Taylor and some of his buddies at Grade 8 grad....


Taylor and Jakey shooting toy guns from the loft of the condo in Lindsay, 2003

Taylor's new pellet gun for his 17th birthday!

A Christmas pose in the condo in 2003 ....

Taylor and his new bass.... this is at my folks house in Belleville...

Taylor and his new pellet gun....

Here's Gramma trying it out !!! She nailed the pop can on the fence post, in case you wondered!!!

Taylor and Jakey at the cottage..... either 2001 or 2002 I think....

Taylor as flagman on the line at a CBA soccer tournament.....

Taylor and Jakey again... at the cottage....

Taylor airborne on the tube at the cottage in 2006

the 3 amigos at the Jays game with their "Big Hurt" figurine..... proof positive you have to get to the park EARLY on bobble head day!!!

Taylor taking Gramma for a ride after he got his G1 ....

Taylor in my car... we can't remember where we were going when this was taken.....

Talking to Gramma and Grampa after grade 8 grad.....
Taylor performing in the One Act Play in 2007 at BCI .....






Taylor at age 4, helping out around the farm in Belleville..... with my dad, ALden Learned and Bob Finlayson....

The 3 amigos playing war......
Taylor holding on to Youppi ...... this is my very favourite photo of him as a baby.. Youppi is the mascot in Montreal, was the baseball mascot when there was a team there..... sigh..

Hope you had a GREAT day Bud... I'm very proud of you and love you tons!!!

A chorus from my childhood

He owns the cattle, on a thousand hills,

The wealth in every mine

He owns the rivers, and the rocks and rills

The sun and stars that shine...

Wonderful riches more than tongue can tell

He is my Father, so they're mine as well..

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills

I know that He will care for me!

LPP

LPP......

I have a post nearly read that I'd like your permission to publish...

it involves a care package that I just received.... that touched my heart like you may never know!!
I would like your permission to post it....

In other news.....Go Habs Go... I'm not any where near as nervous today as I was during the Boston series.....

sigh...Go Habs Go..

did I say that already???

Need I say anymore????

Game Update......

four things I've heard so far tonight, while watching the first period with my daughters...

[1] After Carey Price made a spectacular save, Abby said....

" You're tingling aren't you daddy??"

Yes Tigger... Yes I am!

[2] After Montreal Scored and I was standing and screaming.... Anna looked over at me and said..

Dad, you act like you're TWO YEARS OLD.

( I have no retort for that... I DO!! )

[3] Hey Dad, whats up with Don Cherry's collar? It's like SIX INCHES..... did he have a head injury? Is that to keep his head from flopping to one side?

No uh... it's to keep his mouth shut... and it doesn't work!!!



[4] After Carey price made yet ANOTHER spectacular save, Abby said, with tongue in cheek...


" He's not such a good goalie, you know "


It was then that I put her up for adoption!!!

Go Habs Go!!!

My POOR nerves..........

Dear LPP ......

Yes, I'm nervous..... and I've been trying to be positive all day..... The Habs game tonight is likely the most important and stressful hockey game of the year...

I have been thinking about it for two days straight..... partly excited, partly dreading it, knowing two things will happen if they lose....

[1] their season will be over, and the fun in watching the playoffs will be gone... though the CBC Broadcasters have made it difficult to enjoy anyway, because they have seemed to me, to be very biased against Montreal... ( I know, I'm still grumpy!!! )

[2] that my friends that are Toronto Maple Leafs fans, will come unglued; I find it very interesting how many people who cheer for Toronto, who've not called me in ages, all of a sudden find my phone #, after Montreal has lost...

They seem to take great pride in taunting me when Montreal loses..... Normally I love teasing, and I take it well... but when people choose only to bug me about Montreal losing, it gets old REALLY fast..... I guess I'm so passionate about the Canadiens that I take those ribbings personally....

ok, I need to take a PILL!!!!!

sigh..... You're right... lets not bother with watching corny bud light commercials... lets just pray...

if I thought it would work, I'd skip watching all together, and just pray.... not only would help my prayer life, but would certainly help lower my blood pressure..

sigh............... I'd say I'm going to go now and do some paperwork, but I can't concentrate... so I guess I'll go upstairs, eat some junk food to calm my nerves, and pace for a while!!!!!

Go Habs Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wide lense.....

I was in line this weekend, returning something at Canadian Tire.....

The line was long, the store was full... and the girl behind the desk, was really stressed ... so to lighten the mood, I started teasing her... after I'd made some sort of silly remark to her, she said..

"LOOKIT mister... I'm keeping my EYE on you!!!"

to which I replied...

"well I'm wider than average... so you'll need both eyes..."


without looking up from the keyboard where she was entering information, she nodded and said..

"that is so true..."


after about 10 seconds.... her face went scarlet.... as it sunk in what she'd just said....

I just smiled at her ...

"I did NOT mean it to come out that way!!!!"

oooooooooops!!

Therapy in Architecture.....

I'm not sure why... but I find looking at these pictures incredibly therapeutic.....



walking the through the basement of it, with all it's leftover remants of cows gone by, wasn't quite as therapeutic.... but then again... aroma therapy never was all that effective for me!!

anyway... I still like the view with an old barn in sight....

sigh.....

Playoff Standings as of April 20th

Montreal Canadiens Tied with Boston Bruins 3-3

Philadelphia Flyers Lead Washington Capitals 3 - 2

Dallas Stars Lead Anaheim Ducks 3- 2

Colorado Avalanche Defeat Minnesota Wild 4 - 2

San Jose Sharks Lead Calgary Flames 3 - 2

Pittsburgh Penguins Defeat Ottawa Senators 4 - 0

New York Rangers Defeat New Jersey Devils 4 - 1

Detroit Red Wings Lead Nashville Predators 3 - 2

The Duck and the golden egg.....

The Duck and the golden egg.......

Saw this on my way home Friday night.......

The Letter

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa Humbug.........

so the Habs lost.... there goes my diet....

I eat, when I'm grumpy........



I just put on 12 lbs.......

now to go find some CHOCOLATE

Montreal Canadiens......26 and 0 after leading 3-1

26 times, the Montreal Canadiens have lead a Stanley Cup playoff Series 3 games to 1 ....

and of those 26 series, they never lost one!!!

Go Habs Go!

Go Habs Go

Playoff Standings - by series....

Montreal Canadiens Lead Boston Bruins 3-1

Philadelphia Flyers Lead Washington Capitals 2-1

Dallas Stars Lead Anaheim Ducks 2-1

Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild Tied 2-2

San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames Tied 2-2

Pittsburgh Penguins Defeat Ottawa Senators 4-0

New York Rangers Lead New Jersey Devils 3-1

Detroit Red Wings and Nashville Predators Tied 2-2

Quote of the Day....

Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion...



You must set YOURSELF on fire...




Fred Shero ( 1925 - 1990 )

Phildelphia Flyers Coach 1971-1978

Battling Anorexia......

After the hockey game tonight, Wendy Mesley came on the tv screen, announcing the evening news....

As she read through all of the titles for tonight's news pieces, I only heard her say one thing...

Battling Anorexia.......

I was, at the time, celebrating the Habs win... and had just dipped an arrowroot cookie into some chocolate pudding......

as I heard her say "Battling Anorexia" ..... with my mouth full,

I hollered at the TV..... "I'm DOING MY PART WENDY.... I'm DOING MY PART"


sigh.... I've lived alone too long!!

I have to say............

that a Habs win.... goes a LONG WAYS towards removing the punchiness!!

I'm just sayin.......!!!

Still punchy......after all these years....

so lately, I've been kinda punchy....

so then, kind sir.... define punchy...

well .....impatient.... a little irritable.... easily annoyed.... intolerant and generally speaking... grumpy..

y'all should come over...... it's worth the trip!!!

I am quite aware that this is likely medicinally induced, and enhanced by sleep deprivation...... but regardless, I'm grumpy just the same....

I've hardly driven lately.... I sent the car home with my kids for almost a week... which was a good thing... cause when you're PUNCHY ..... idiotic drivers on the road ( which annoy me at the BEST of times ) just about push me over the edge....

and telemarketers get an ear full ...... Bell Canada phoned last week..... to thank me for my loyalty..... and tried to sell me some more features...... that's just wonderful... reward my loyalty by hiring some out of the country company, to call me and try to put my bill up higher...

sigh.. take a pill Paul.....

the most annoying contact I've had with humans ( said Grizzly Adams ) ... was when I stopped on my way home from the Dr's last week.... stopped to grab milk at the grocery store in Ancaster..... a fairly wealthy WASP city.. white, Anglo Saxon, protestant.... snotty for the most part.....

but I needed milk!!

On my way to the milk aisle, which as you know is in the VERY BACK CORNER........... I spotted a sale bin...... Redpath Sugar had all of their sugar on sale... 99 cents a bag..
well... you can't, as a person that bakes, walk away from a deal like that..

I loaded up, grabbed milk and lined up in the shortest line.....

and there I stood, in line... with my bag of milk.... and 9 bags of sugar..... 3 icing sugar, 3 white sugar, and 3 brown sugar....

( The kids and I BAKE.... we go THROUGH stuff like that....... shut up! )

anyway.... I'm waiting in line, and very likely not patiently. The kid running the cash... was this 19 or 20 year old guy..... who sounded more like a girl than a guy.... and he's got thissssssss lissssssssp thing going on.....

and he's chattier than ANY cashier should be...

he was involved in an in depth discussion, with the lady in front of me...... about how lovely his house was.. HIS HOUSE... jeepers boy ( and I use the term loosely ) ..... you're not even 25.... and you're in ANCASTER... any house that you can call YOURS belongs to your parents......

and he's going on and on about flooring.... well when we built our last house.......he says, we decided ( WEEEEEEEEEE DECIDED... SHUT UP! ) ... that we would go with hardwood.... better for the kids' allergies.....

good grief I'm grumpy...

and then he went on and on about the cottage they'd just bought.... and that it had been empty for years..... and when they first moved in, he found some old cleaning stuff under the sink that was YEARS old... and then he found some old Deep Woods OFF under the sink.. and how SHOCKED he was at the % of DEET content in this stuff... that was obviously made before the new Government restrictions....

i stood there..... patiently, waiting for my blood to come to a rolling boil .....

finally the girl leaves, and he turns to start scanning my stuff.....

and then he looks at me.... this 140 lb teenager eyes me up and down... looks back at my pile of sugar and says in the sweetest Richard Simmons voice....

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ... SSSSSSSSOmebody's got a sssssweeeet tooth....

BOOM! .

know what you get when you combine sugar , milk and some un-vented anger????

a very sticky cashier.....

......with a sweet tooth..

OK, with no teeth...



sigh.... I'm going to go take another pill.

an old photo.....

just found this photo tonight...... several members of our family got to go to a jays game last summer.... Bruce and his kids came from Belleville, Dad also came from Belleville, Carol and David came from Oshawa and my kids and I came from Brantford... it was a reallly fun family experience... everybody except my mom.... she figured the walk to and in the stadium would be too tiring.... either that, or she just plain doesn't like the jays!!
My sister took the girls shopping.... and the rest of us went to the Jays Game...

Isaac had never been to a Jays game.... he watched very closely!!

It was BJ Ryan Bobble head day.... This is Eva, holding hers

my favourite memory of that day was sitting in front of Eva... ( my brother's little girl ) .... she took great delight in taking my hat off ... all afternoon, in fact....

Her mother wasn't quite as thrilled as Eva and I were about the hat stealing.... ( sorry Tanya!! )

Here's my son Taylor.... an AVID Jays fan Here's the gang after the game.......

and the girls after they got back from shopping...


the picture of Dapper?? I think not!

Taylor and his cousin Jakey

The Stadium

Bucket List.....

I haven't seen the movie... but I want to..... in short, it's a movie about two old guys ( Played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman ) both terminally sick with cancer.....who each have a list... a bucket list.... a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket..... they escape from the cancer ward and set off to do some of the things on their list.....

thinking about that made me stop and think about what things I'd put on MY bucket list.....

not that I'm old... nor am I close to KICKING the bucket... I hope....

anyway....here are some of the things that I would like to see... or do, before I kick the bucket... and though they are numbered, they are in no particular order....

[1] I want to see Alcatraz....

[2] I would like go to the West Edmonton Mall

[3] I want to see my children settled in life... and happy..... again.

[4] I want to own a house.... again.

[5] I want to go on a cruise.... not desperate to go.. but I think it'd be fun...my luck, and I'll get sea sick and spend the week in my room barfing.... I can stay home, cook for myself and save my self $2000!!!

[7] I would like to see the Holy Land......

[8] I would like to see the Leafs win the cup..... ok, i'm just kidding!!

[9] I would like to write a gospel song and have somebody famous record it.

[10] I would like to sing on the main stage of the National Quartet Convention....

[11] I'd like to have people listening, when I sing on the National Quartet Convention stage!

[12] I would like to own a Dodge Ram Rumble Bee



Sigh..... with the price of gas the way it is..... i think this one may have to be cut from the list !!!

Ultra Sound....

so today I had to go back for my follow up ultra sound....


My boss was concerned about the potential of me going on maternity leave!!!
he told me he noticed that I was starting to show!! jeeeeeeepers!!

anyway...

my kids had my car this week since I wasn't driving ...... my son brought the car home on his lunch... and I had to have him back to the school for 1:45 .... as soon as I dropped him off, I went to the hospital.... I was early .... quite early......so had to sit there for a while....let me say that again.. yes.. I WAS EARLY.... quite obviously, I'm not well! duh!


so I checked in, gave them the same info I've given them the last 3 times I've been in there... yes I still live on stanley street, yes David is my next of kin ( AND WOULD YOU PLEASE not put it that way...... sheesh ) ...... nothing has changed in 3 days.......

so anyway...... I'm checked in and sent to the waiting area......it's full of people..... with a few seats left.... over near the tv....

the tv is set on the Cartoon network..... and of course, there's no remote.

That's a nasty thing to do to a man.... let him sit in the same room with a tv, and not let him hold a remote....


and not only was the tv set on cartoooooooooons...... the screen was all off center.... half of the screen covered in black.... I couldn't find any buttons to adjust the vertical placement... so I had to just sit there..... other than the two pregnant girls on gurney's in the hall, I was by a country mile the youngest one there.....

and we were ALL watching cartoons....


I decided I'd try reading...... and reached for a magazine.... the choices were mind boggling.....



[1] Chatelaine.... pfffffff..... I don't think so...


[2] Victoria's Secret Catalogue... no, I'm serious.... a VICTORIA's SECRET catalogue... IN A HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM...... I looked around...... thought about it... and didn't.

Too many people here.. don't dare read THAT...


so I opted for door # 3


[3] a 1975 National Geographic ....


JEEPERS

You can tell the hospital budget is stretched when people are bringing in magazines from HOME!

Anyway....I got nicely involved in a story about the USS Monitor... an iron clad ship that sank on Dec 31, 1862 on it's way to South Carolina..... yawn........

and just as I was about to get to the exciting part, where they dug up 22 artifacts from the silty waters where the wreck was found...... I heard my name..

Paul Ma KAY ......

Paul Ma KAY ......

do you mean MACKEY???? ( the funny part about my name is... people either say it right or spell it right, but never ever both! ) ...

I looked over at the nurse.... and shuddered..... nice enough looking lady.... late 50's I'd say... but had one of those COME OVER HERE AND DON'T COMPLAIN looks on her face......

"FOLLOW ME, MR. MA- KAY"

and I DID.

now let me say... that normally..... the words.... " Go in here and take your trousers off" ...... well.... YOU JUST DON'T HEAR THAT EVERY DAY.......

but cause the woman SCARED ME, I did...

I went into this little bathroom type cubicle change room... you know the type: 2' x 3' .... where your love handles rub on both sides , and you don't dare turn around cause you might get WEDGED.... one of THOSE kinda rooms!

and the walls are cold steel... probably chilled... to maintain the quality ambiance of a hospital....... ugh...

HERE... she said.... remove your trousers ( Yes, you MENTIONED THAT )

.... and put on this gown.....

I held up the little folded cotton thingy .......

"I own folded Handkerchiefs that are bigger than this, lady! "

so I removed my trousers... and start to unfold the one-size-fits-some gown...

as she heads down the hall....I hear her holler ... LEAVE THE BACK OPEN

well lady, I dont' have a choice.... this isn't a gown.. it's an APRON.

AND BRING YOUR CLOTHES WITH YOU......

so I got my TROUSERS off.... draped the One-Size-Doesn't-Even-Come-Close-To-Fitting-Me Gown around my uh.... front.... leaving the back and part of both sides open..... as instructed.

I opened the door... and stood there.... with my hands up on the top of the door posts on both sides.... and just stood there like a Victoria's Secret Model....

Picture it.....

Long sleeve button down shirt, underrrrr the thread bare gown, tied as best I could...

with my knobby knees poking out under it..... and two black socks on my feet.....

READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD.....

and there I stood... and stood and stood..... I peered around the corner..... no nurse

she was gone....

I looked to the right.... another waiting room...... but there was a PERSON in there....

and not just a person... a woman..... and not just a woman... but one of those.... "Hi, I'm 60 and never been kissed" women....

ugh... I'm not going out there looking like this.......

I dont' know if it'd be prudent to go out there looking like ANYTHING, to be honest...

so I waited... legs crossed now, standing in the doorway of my lovely cubicle..... gown on, socks still on...... Brad Pitt eat your heart out!

Finally I spot my nurse.... heading down the hall away from me..... so I holler...

oh HELLO.... where would you like me to go?? I'm READY!

to which she replies.... oh, there are no rooms available.... just go out and wait in the waiting room....

and nods towards the room to my right... yup, the one with the woman waiting for her knight in shining gown.....

shudder.

i looked towards the waiting room, looked back towards the nurse, who'd continued walking and was gone by now....

I looked out again, towards the waiting room... and made a split second decision....

I went back in to my cubicle, shut the door...... and put my TROUSERS back on.

I walked out into the waiting room, fully clothed, with the gown still on..... holding my shoes and my coat...

and sat down...... 10 seats away from my suitor... just in case!

and waited...

and waited....

and waited....

this is the LAST time I'm coming early to an appointment...

after a few minutes of thumbing through Christmas recipes of Decembers Good Housekeeping, my feet started to get cold....

so I reached for my shoes.... and decided to put them on... i mean, I'm SITTING OUT IN A WAITING ROOM.... I should have shoes on..

so just as I get my 2nd shoe on, a door opens up... and my loving nurse comes out... and just as she is about to disappear around the corner.. she stops... and looks over at me... and GLARES.

I blushed..... and took my hands off the laces and said.. uh.. my feet were cold!!

she frowned... and said.... It's your leg right?? We're doing an ultra sound on your leg??

Yes...

and she glared again...

BUT YOUR TROUSERS are on......

i just looked at her..... and in my peripheral, I see movement....

MRS I've never been kissed is giggling.....

I looked back and forth between them .... and in a voice that sounded a lot like mine, I hear the words...

But I'm BASHFUL....

she rolled her eyes... and walked off....

oh this is NOT going to be good........................

I looked over at uh... the giggler... and she is still giggling....

"no sir ee".... she says, "I wouldn't sit out here in my underwear EITHER...."

shudder.... mental IMAGES... MENTAL IMAGES.....

before I had long enough to worry, I heard my name again..

This way Paul....

oh dear......

So I followed the tender woman, into the Ultra Sound room..... and had to .... you guessed it.... REMOVE MY TROUSERS.....

shudder........

so the next few minutes are a blur.... really they are.......

I remember three things.....

ONE..... she kept poking and prodding my thigh... my UPPER thigh.... and that little prod thingy was making me REALLY squirm......

and, she kept moving higher and higher on my leg....

At one point, she says... this might feel a little uncomfortable.

"Good luck at the Understatement-of-the-Year awards lady"

I lay there.... shaking.

the second thing I remember is... that she warned me she was going to grab my calf....

out of the blue... she just says... ok, I'm going to be grabbing your calf.

ok then.

I mean, I really didn't care..... she was moving south... away from the upper thigh... this is a good thing.

after a few more minutes, which seemed like hours which in reality were only seconds....

she throws a towel at me and says lovingly... we're done

oh yeah... we DONE lady.....

and then she said words that actually meant a lot... she said: there's no sign of a clot at all...

phew.............

ok... PASS ME MY TROUSERS!!!

Side Effects of Medication.....

So...... inspite of the soft warnings on the medication bottles, I have found the side effects of my particular meds to be uh... interesting to say the least....

here are a few random effects, in no particular order...


[1] I feel like there is a volcano going off in my upper rib cage... keep in mind, though... I AM cooking for myself.....

[2] I am regretting the fact that there is no bathroom in the basement where I sleep.....

[3] I am regretting the fact that I don't sleep well when in the basement worrying that I may not make it up to the bathroom in time...

[4] I realized that I can no longer take the stairs three at a time....

[5] I find that carpet burn on my chin from trying to go up the stairs too fast.... leaves a funny imprint.....

[6] I am rethinking the whole "Goatee" idea.....

[7] I am ALSO rethinking the whole diaper idea.....

[8] My mattress is too heavy to move upstairs ... by myself....

[9] I am dreaming like CRAZY.... dreamed I was back living in my parents basement again...

oh wait.... that part is true... never mind!

[10] I find myself quite punchy... pity the next telemarketer who calls.... in fact, pity the last THREE that called... ugh!


[11] I have a whole new appreciation for Winnie the Pooh.. who said, and I quote...

"I've got a Rumbly in my Tumbly"

[12] I have not been this dizzy since going on that one ride at the Paris Fair...

[13] I am not GOING to the paris fair this year..... I'm going to take 3 of these pills, go up and sit outside my bathroom and just HANG ON FOR THE RIDE....

[14] I find myself quite LOOPY.... borderline STUPID......

[15] I have realized that when UNDER the influence of strong medication, the kitchen is no place for me.....

[16] the bathroom is.... I'm just saying....

[17] I have realized that when attempting to cook and bake when on medication.... well... I shouldn't....

[18] I have realized that when making pancakes, one should not go to the basement to finish his blog....

[19] I have realized that smoke indeed DOES make the smoke detectors go off....

[20] I have realized that the batteries are good in both my smoke detectors....

[21] I have realized that the electric hand mixer... does not go in the fridge....

[22] I have realized that my memory is not what it was.. 10 minutes ago!

[23] I have realized that my memory is not ... ok, never mind....

I am thankful that in spite of the above.... my leg appears to be back to normal.... the swelling and pain are gone... the "spot" where the clot is, is still there, but not warm or painful..

I have a follow up ultra sound ( NOT FOR THE BABY Kimberlee!! ) on friday afternoon...

so then... on that note.... I'm going to meander upstairs, and wait in the living room for the next onslought of Winnie Pains...

ttfn!

the show of emotional support....

so... to show you how encouraging my friends have been..... I am including some of the comments and thoughts people have shared with me this week......

in attempts to make me feel better....

[1] You have a blood clot because you don't drink beer.... BEER is a blood thinner you know

[2] I think it is cause your boxers are too short... ( Shut up Gord !! )

[3] ( In reference to the warm red spots on my thigh : "

Hi Paul,
So, you're saying you have hot thighs? :) "

[4] Re. Blood Thinners : You should probably be on a Fragmin injection for longer if it is a clot. I’ll be happy to come over and STAB you !!!!!!

[5] PS I’ll help babysit the twins if needed

[6] Forget the stool. our Church has an opening for a 'stand up' comedy Worship Leader. Our present leader is getting too old to stand up!!

[7] is your foot just sore from continually inserting it into your

 mouth? Hmmmm?"

[8] 

I am glad you are keeping on top of this and not like most men, who think if they ignore it, it will go away

you are very important to a lot of people, (sniff, sniff)

on the other hand, twins would be great????

[9] my personal favourite....

 "I got thinking. And not to make you worried or anything,
but you do sound pregnant, the more I think about it.
Having to keep your feet up.  Ultrasounds. Getting BP
tested at Shoppers. Swollen ankles. BGH ( which is Brantford
General Hospital )  (wha-?) / ObGyn.?

Are you SURE it isn't twins?

sigh... I LOVE MY FRIENDS!!!!!

Update....

well ... the Dr's office just called.... that'd be the Thromboembalist clinic guy....

it's a wonder I picked up... I'm a tuba player... and the fact that they referred me to a TROMBONE player is just UNacceptable...

aaaaaaaanyway... they reviewed the Doppler ( the ultra sound ) ... and it shows normal....

The clot is superficial and treatment is basically symptomatic.... hot and cold compresses, alternating..... foot up for a week... and I should be back to normal ( if they ONLY knew!!! ) ...

so here I sit.. with my feet up.... suffering like the MAN I AM!!!

thank you for praying!!!

my Leg....

Some of you may or may not have heard this yet... so will try to give a broad update..

I have been having symptoms of cellulitis in my left leg again.. since Wednesday last week there were red blotches on my ankle and instep, and the blotches were starting to streak....and they were warm to touch.......

I went to my Family GP on Thursday and started fairly heavy meds for the infection..... by Saturday the swelling and redness faded and the area was no longer warm to touch..... but the pain did not... the pain has continued, in fact began moving up the leg.... Saturday it was in the shin just below the knee... and sunday it was up past the knee and in the fleshy part of the thigh just to the inside of my left knee...... as I felt it going higher, it worried me... because if it was poisoning, it will work it's way to the heart and could prove deadly...

I checked my BP at Shoppers yesterday... it was inflated, (though those machines are not very accurate I'm told ).... anyway...when I got home from taking taylor to work Sunday afternoon, I felt the spot in my thigh.. and it was warm to the touch.. which worried me..... Anna helped me get my stuff to gether and I went to the hospital....

after 6 hours there, they were pretty sure that the "spot" on my thigh was not cellulitis, though the ankle spots likely were.... they feel that the meds were early and strong enough to nip it in the bud...

I spent most of the afternoon today at the hospital, had another ultra sound and it was seen by two different doctors...... They are pretty sure the spot on my thigh is a blood clot. It is in a surface vein and not an arterie which is much less dangerous, but there is still risk....

They prescribed an anti inflammatory med to help with the clot in the leg, gave me two blood thinner shots in the ER last night and have referred me to a blood specialist... who called today twice to book an appt.... very likely I will see him Tomorrow....

Then I will have to go back to BGH in 3-4 days to have another ultrasound.... my Doctor on Sunday told me.... that she was PRETTY sure it wouldn't be twins... !!

One of the serious issues of my life is the heinous number of hours that I have to spend at a desk doing paperwork..... which has increased dramatically in the 5 years since I started this job.... it may be that this will be a catalyst for change in my life as this particular phase of my life, living in two places and so many miles each week, has worn me nearly out....

I have retrofitted my desk in Brantford to be able to work standing up or at least at a stool, to help reduce the risk of damage to my leg...

anyway... that's pretty much the story up to now..... thank you for those who called and have been praying.... it means a lot....

I will keep you posted....

Go Habs Go

Well.... I got to go to an NHL game this week.... it was the first NHL game I've seen live since 2002 .... and WHAT A GAME IT WAS!!! My son and I drove from Brantford on Tuesday morning to my parents house in Belleville... there, we met up with my dad and rode with him to Ottawa to see the Habs... our VERY favourite team, take on the Senators.....

I went with fear and trepidation, knowing two things......

[1] First that the Sens are not my favourite team... though I have quite a deep respect for Mike Fisher

and [2] knowing that the Habs have had trouble with Ottawa all season long.....

In the 7 games leading UP to Tuesday's game, Montreal had lost 5 of the 7 games, and had been outscored 28-18..... I was thinking it COULD be a long ride home after the game if Ottawa had their way with my TEAM!!!!!

But it was not to be that way on Tuesday..... Montreal showed up to PLAY!.... and BOY what a game they played.......

The arena was laced with Montreal sweaters.... and the ROAR of the crowd when Montreal scored was deafening...... That served to be disheartening to many of the Sen's fans...... I felt kinda bad, but only for a second!!!!

My brother gave the tickets to us, as a birthday gift for Taylor, who turns 18 on the 28th of April..... what a THRILL of a game!!! THANK YOU BRUCE!!!!