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Friday January 29, 2016
Today was the first day that I got to see Mom, but first I went out to Okotoks where my good friends Gord and Emily had my winter boots, a jacket, and were lending me their hot little Bug. It makes it so much easier when a person has their own transportation and gas is around 69c a litre. Traveling in this gorgeous countryside with the Rocky Mountain backdrop is one of my life's guilty pleasures....
I pulled in to a 7-11 to try to activate my Canadian cel phone which should have still been active from last June, but no, they had already given my number away. I was given a gratis SIM card by the nice folks at the 7-11 then had to wait until the evening when I got back to the computer to actually activate my service. My new number is 403-970-2510 for this next week.
I tried to stop and see several co-workers and friends real quickly but wasn't greatly successful. I will make time to see more people next Tuesday when I need to be in Okotoks for several appointments and then wing night at 5pm at Original Joe's.
Seeing Mom for the first time was a bit of a shock and I honestly don't think that I would have recognized her. She has shrunken so much that her false teeth don't fit and she looked more like Auntie Laura before she passed on. It also made for tough conversation because she talks so low, and you have to figure out if you are hearing English or French, so the brain has trouble processing this, and you are never quite sure whether you heard what you thought you heard.
When I walked in I didn't say a word and Mom stared at me for a minute, then said "For Pete's sake!" and smiled. Later she asked me if my wife had come with me, so we know that the grey matter still has some areas working.
My sister Yvette and husband Lou from Ontario were also there so Mom was happy to see all of us. It also gave a bit of a break to my brother Fern and his darling wife Eileen who have been so very caring and proactive during this whole process with Mom.
We chatted with Mom for a bit then it was obvious that she was tiring so we let her nap for a couple of hours while we played cards in one of the lounges. Then we came back and fed Mom a bit of supper, and I do mean a bit... She doesn't eat much, so she will soon waste away, it is inevitable, and we are resigned to it. She really enjoyed sipping on orange juice though. We put some music on, one of her favourite artists, and she was moving her arms in time with the music and smiling. This was truly quality time with her and we are thankful that we have come here before it is too late.
I don't know why I always have a craving for fish'n'chips when I am in Canada, so we went to a nearby Joey's and satisfied our appetites.
Driving back to Fern & Eileen's place I was in the wrong lane to go where I wanted and I ended up downtown so I boogied north up Centre Street and saw the gorgeous skyline in the rearview mirror so I turned off on the North Hill for a shot for you.
I hope you enjoy the photos. That was the day's
excitement, Cheers,
Al
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| The windmill where Deerfoot meets McLeod Trail |
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| I miss the majesty of the Rockies |
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| Snowcapped in the winter, and there is no mist like in the summer |
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| I never got tired of this view every day |
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| That is a lot of mountains! |
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| And this is horse and cattle country |
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| Another lovely day in Alberta |
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| It was so nice to live in the foothills |
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| The snow has its own beauty |
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| These are much stronger mountains than the Andes |
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| This is my Alberta |
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| And this is my fun Bug for a week |
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| The Calgary skyline from the north hill |
