Bill and Carol: An Orange Theme for Post #6

For the benefit of any new readers, I will repeat this introductory paragraph for each post that Bill and I write. His surgery in April and a life-threatening septic infection seven months later, as well as various other complicating factors, caused several episodes of delirium that resulted in cognitive dysfunction.  While he isn't fully recovered yet, the improvement is dramatic and he continues to show steady progress.  It is my great joy and privilege to be by his side to witness that as it happens.  All writing in black is by Bill, as transcribed from his memory journal.  All writing in blue is by Carol.  Thank you so much for reading this.  If ever you have a loved one going through surgery, you will need to be a very strong advocate for them.  Nurses and doctors work hard to bring their patients back to health but they cannot know your loved one as you do.  Report any personality or physical changes you see in him/her and follow up on that report, no matter how the medical system seems designed to resist your efforts.  The danger is not over when a patient wakes up after surgery.  Delirium can turn up a day or two later and mild cases can go undetected for months.  A sudden trigger can push a mild case over the edge.  Understanding that could very well save a life.

Because it is Friday, I am going to begin with some Orange You Glad It is Friday pictures taken in the past few months, but never posted.  I apologize for posting last week and not writing one comment to this wonderful meme.  I will do better this week.  Maria works hard and does an amazing job to keep that meme going.  I am grateful to her and know that she would love it if you take a few moments to check out some of the other photographs people have taken that feature the colour orange. 

This nice lady was going to a football game.

She kindly allowed me to photograph her happy face and wonderful hat.

This is the entrance to an apartment building at the foot of my street.

This painting-like scene was just along the seawall.

This was in David Lam Park.

I took this on Davie Street as I walked to the hospital a few weeks ago to visit my dear Bill.

This one was just a few feet further along the way.  I liked it so much I took it to show the nurses and Bill.  Even the people in the coffee shop across the street loved it.

By the skateboard park.  I am addicted to trying to capture action shots.

Wednesday, November 27th 

Carol and I went to Fitness World gym for the group cycling class.  Sophie was the instructor and we did interval training.  I just kept my own pace and completed the exercises easily enough.  

Next we walked towards Pacific Centre to look for running shoes.  We became somewhat lost and a very nice lady directing film crew traffic helped us with her smart phone to find directions to a Sportchek store.  We were in and out of the store within ten minutes with the help of a very knowledgeable clerk. Picture taken at home this evening.  Don't you think it also works well for Orange You Glad It's Friday?

We walked to the Mainland Street Bean Around the World for a delicious latte and cookie.  Carol's cookie was vegan and sugar free.  She is so grateful to Eightfold Eats for these cookies.  Bill's cookie was neither vegan nor sugar free but it had a unique, homemade look that I feel surely added to its deliciousness.

I left Bill napping and went out for Black Jack's walk just after sundown.  I remember this apartment with its symmetrical arrangement..

being one of the first to be decorated for Christmas last year.

Black Jack and I walked along the Yaletown Ferry dock where I enjoyed the reflections and the lit-up Cavalia tents.

I spotted this sculpture/birdhouse at the side of a building, tucked almost out of sight.  The inside had criss-crossed branches for tiny birds to perch on.  

This evening after supper, Carol took pictures of me and the new runners.  Stay tuned for our plans for tomorrow.

I wonder if Bill is thinking something along the lines of: "Look what I've gotten myself into!" 

Bill writes in his journal just before bedtime.   

Thursday, November 28th

As it turned out, our plans for yesterday included a lot of rest and no pressure for Bill to do anything whatsoever.  Perhaps, the gym membership will not be used a whole lot for now, but it will be there if and when Bill feels ready.  In the mean time, I think those wonderful shoes kept Bill's feet comfortable for a happy walk to Harrison Galleries for deliciousl lattes and cookies.  This is fast becoming one of our favourite haunts.  Tables scattered about a large space that has extraordinary art on the walls, great coffee, treats that include Eightfold Eats vegan-sugarfree items, and superb service is the perfect recipe for a go-to place that always makes us feel good.  Here are a couple of photos taken there yesterday:

Two shoes snuggling on the Roundhouse Railway Turntable.

Friday, November 29th

This morning, Bill and I listened to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on CBC, complete with Colin Davis, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the Boston Symphony.  I wasn't able to find it in a youtube version, but did find one with paintings, two different choirs and canons as well.  It is at the end of this post and I recommend it if you have time for a listen today.  

Bill's ears perked up when he heard the CBC version.  He wrote this in his journal: 
Listened to Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture, a wonderful rousing piece of music, much loved world wide.  He began writing it on October 12,1880 and finished it in six weeks.  It was to be performed at the opening of a new cathedral and was also to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Alexander the 2nd.  Alexander's assassination took the wind out of those grandiose plans and the overture's premiere was delayed until 1882.  It was a fairly low-key performance taking place in a tent as the cathedral still hadn't been finished.  It was really interesting to Bill and to me that Tchaikovsky traveled to New York City to conduct a performance for the dedication of Carnegie Hall in 1891.  "Who knew," said Bill, "that Carnegie Hall was that old."  That thought took him to the photographer, Bill Cunningham, whom I have written about before.  We recently watched a documentary about him, and though we had seen the movie in the theatres, enjoyed it every bit as much the second time.  He was a talented, driven, sweet soul. You can watch the documentary about him at this link from Knowledge Network.  

Bill Cunningham lived in a small apartment in the Carnegie Hall building.  What a rich history surrounded him in his tiny apartment.

Have a wonderful Friday and a beautiful weekend too.  Every minute is precious.  Bill and I both thank you for stopping by.  Your visits and thoughts mean a great deal to us.

Bill and Carol: Post #5 - We "Tripudiate" for the good life.

For the benefit of any new readers, I will repeat this introductory paragraph for each post that Bill and I write. His surgery in April and a life-threatening septic infection seven months later, as well as various other complicating factors, caused several episodes of delirium that resulted in cognitive dysfunction.  While he isn't fully recovered yet, the improvement is dramatic and he continues to show steady progress.  It is my great joy and privilege to be by his side to witness that as it happens.  All writing in black is by Bill, as transcribed from his memory journal.  All writing in blue is by Carol.  Thank you so much for reading this.  If ever you have a loved one going through surgery, you will need to be a very strong advocate for them.  Nurses and doctors work hard to bring their patients back to health but they cannot know your loved one as you do.  Report any personality or physical changes you see in him/her and follow up on that report, no matter how the medical system seems designed to resist your efforts.  The danger is not over when a patient wakes up after surgery.  Delirium can turn up a day or two later and mild cases can go undetected for months.  A sudden trigger can push a mild case over the edge.  Understanding that could very well save a life.  

I am posting this to ABC Wednesday for the letter T.  Our new word of the week is tripudiate, which means, according to this list of unusual words that begin with "t", to exult or dance for joy.  Probably, most of this post could fit into that theme.  I am definitely tripudiating (exulting) in Bill's progress.  While he is not fully in gear for dancing with joy, he is definitely showing tripudiation in the good life we are having together.  Right, Bill? Yes, I agree with all of the above.  

I woke up yesterday morning thinking that this might be the day to talk Bill into joining Steve Nash Fitness World, the gym I have belonged to for several years.  When we first met, we went to the gym together, but  Bill eventually decided he wasn't a gym-going sort of fellow.  I have been thinking about attending the classes after a hiatus of a couple of months and figured attending together would be good for both of us.  Our conversation resulted in these words in Bill's journal.

Carol is certain I will profit from joining her gym but I am somewhat uncertain, to say the least.

I also asked Bill about his family background yesterday morning because I am embarrassed to say many of the details become confused in my mind.  I learned that he was a bit hazy about a few details himself.  In his journal, he wrote:

Must talk to Phyllis (Bill's sister) about Mom's ancestry.  On the Keffer side, I am OK but I am hazy on the Glass side.  Phyllis emailed some information almost immediately.  Thanks, Phyllis!

I had planned to jump in right away and take Bill to a gym class yesterday morning, but something in his expression suggested it would be better to go a bit more slowly.  We decided to go for a walk in David Lam Park instead.  Bill wrote:

We walked in David Lam Park and encountered a distinctive seagull that Carol has named Tupper (as in Tail Up or Upper)

Tupper has been scoring the occasional dog treat from me, though I know that feeding birds is a poor idea.  He approaches much more closely lately, and this morning, walked along  beside us.  I felt like we were taking our crow (I have a few that also follow me for treats), our seagull and our dog for a walk.  Black Jack doesn't really approve of my giving away her treats, but she remains fairly respectful of the crows (thus far unnamed) and Tupper.

"My" crows rarely caw at me, but they do stare quite demandingly if I don't leave at least a couple of treats for them.

Bill was happy to feel the warmth of the sun, and we both loved these mauve berries.  I thought they went very well with the mauve in his coat.

Tupper quickly figured out that Bill was an easy touch.  Here, he walks determinedly down the steps toward us, waiting for the treat that would come from Bill.

Another seagull came along, causing Tupper to lift off. This is the most interesting picture I feel I've taken of him.

This one worked pretty well too.  Love that tail pointing up.  In all the years I've been watching seagulls, I've never seen a tail do that.

The high rises around False Creek sometimes catch the light and offer incredible reflections  that I enjoy.  Bill wrote in his journal: Kaleidoscope-like reflections in False Creek.

Since the gym was still on my mind, I thought it might be a good idea to break Bill in gently with a few outdoor exercises using the "equipment" around us.  Bill wrote: Testing my balance skills.

Still haven't tipped over!

Gate to Aquabus Hornby dock.  Today I noticed these two aquabus models that had probably been there for years.  I had never noticed them before either, though I had passed this spot hundreds of times.

They are tiny and easy to miss in this zoomed-out view.

Can we make a closet organizer out of this driftwood?

Extraordinary balancing act.

A gaggle of geese flew by.  I couldn't (and never can) resist trying to capture birds in action.

By the time we reached Davie and Denman, I was due a latte and blueberry square.

Carol finished her soy latte which is why she smiles.  Black Jack is eying crumbs on the ground.

We were walking along Davie towards home when we encountered a complete stranger who said he was happy I was feeling better.  It turned out he had been reading Carol's blog since meeting her a couple of years ago.  He told us his name is Peter.  Just knowing that strangers are concerned about my health really made my day.  (Mine too!  Thanks for stopping to tell us that, Peter.  It was one of the highlights of our walk.)

Davie Street is gay friendly.. 

and that is a good thing.

As we walked by Howe Street Fitness World, Carol suggested we check out the membership deals.  I must admit I was somewhat sceptical but Jyn and his alter ego, Superman, won me over.

Walking along Davie, I looked across the street through fast moving traffic and caught glimpses of some skateboarders in Emery Barnes Park.  Bill watched in fascination along with me.  Check out the response of a mother and one of her two children,  The other child and the fellow reading seemed oblivious to the excitement the skateboarders (and I) felt. 

I only had my small lens, but was amazed that it was able to catch some fairly decent shots  from across the street and between the whizzing cars.

The traffic lights stopped the cars and helped me out with this shot.  I loved the focus, not only of the fellow doing the jump across the water, but also of his mates.  This was truly a group effort.

We attended a False Creek Residents Annual General Meeting with our MLA (Sam Sullivan) in attendance.  We both felt quite tired by about the half way point and decided to call it a day, but Bill talked at some length about his gratitude to people who put countless hours of time and effort into making living conditions better for all of us.  I learned a lot of new things from Sam Sullivan's talk.  For example, he said that people who live in high density neighbourhoods, as we do, have a far smaller footprint on the earth's resources.  He also talked about heritage buildings and the fact that some people put that priority over accessibility and even over the welfare of children in schools.  I do wonder, sometimes, that it seems so difficult to remain flexible and to set priorities within the limits of a good dose of common sense to keep things in perspective.  Anyhow, all to say it felt very worthwhile for us to have attended that meeting.

Today we were out and about for four hours during the day and another hour with Sam Sullivan.  I continue to be amazed by the progress Bill has made in just two weeks out of hospital and am so very proud of him.  Already, we have more to report today.  Stay tuned for that post.  For other posts celebrating the letter "T" do take a few moments to stop by ABC Wednesday!

Bill and Carol Post #4

I will repeat this explanation for each post that Bill and I write. His surgery in April and a life-threatening septic infection seven months later, as well as various other complicating factors, caused several episodes of delirium that resulted in cognitive dysfunction.  While he isn't fully recovered yet, the improvement is dramatic and he continues to show steady progress.  It is my great joy and privilege to be by his side to witness that as it happens.  All writing in black is by Bill, as transcribed from his memory journal.  All writing in blue is by Carol.  Thank you so much for reading this.  If ever you have a loved one going through surgery, you will need to be a very strong advocate for them.  Nurses and doctors work hard to bring their patients back to health but they cannot know your loved one as you do.  Report any personality or physical changes you see in him/her and follow up on that report, no matter how the medical system seems designed to resist your efforts.  The danger is not over when a patient wakes up after surgery.  Delirium can turn up a day or two later and mild cases can go undetected for months.  A sudden trigger can push a mild case over the edge.  Understanding that could very well save a life.  I am posting this to Our World Tuesday.  If even one person reads this and helps a loved one, it will have served its purpose. 

Sunday, November 24th

Is this where I do the Polar Bear Swim? (We were on the other side of False Creek, and looking across the water at our apartment building.)

Carol made me walk down here.  I thought it would be an adventure but Bill is steady on his feet :)

Reflections from Yaletown shore #1

Reflections from Yaletown shore #2 (My favourite)

Reflections from Yaletown shore #3

These people thought it was a good idea to make their dog jump to a height it never would attempt on its own.  They seemed like nice people but it is my theory that young people don't value the health of their joints, never mind the health of their pets' joints, until they are faced with osteoarthritis or other injuries.  The dog had to walk around the top of a long section of fence. To fall on the left would have been quite a drop into False Creek.  At just over the half way point, the dog bailed to the right and onto the wooden deck, but they insisted it jump back up (unassisted) and finish its assignment.

Dancers on Granville Island rehearsing for the musical "Seusical".

Granville in full Christmas regalia.

We skipped the roasted chestnuts sold under the red umbrella because of a prior bad experience.

We took the Aquabus home to David Lam Park.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Listened to Chopin piano concerto #1 played by Rosina L'Hevine followed by Beethoven's piano concerto #3.

I put a link to the Chopin in my last post, but am guessing most heard the slow introduction and decided against listening to more.  Here's a link to give it a second chance.  It is at the 50 second point that the piano enters.  Bill really enjoyed it this morning at breakfast time and so did I.  

 We took Black Jack out and met Barrie (my brother in law) who brought frozen items from 4434 West 7th Avenue, the house my Mom had owned since 1957. As of today it is officially the property of the new owners. Thanks to Phyllis and Barrie for the work they did today.  Below is a photo I took of the house several months ago.  I wish the new owners great happiness in their new home.

We went to PharmaSave on Pacific Boulevard, a two minute walk from our apartment. The staff there is so helpful.

Next came Winners for new pants. Shopping with Carol is quite painless. Bill and I have identical outlooks on shopping.  Get in, buy quickly, get out fast :)

Finally we had a wonderful lunch at Harrison Galleries on Homer Street. Next we came home and it was nap time for Bill while Carol kept busy trying to organize her closet.

Later we walked with Black Jack on the way to Urban Fare for more kale (very important!).

We have a beautiful route along False Creek (see picture below) on the way to Urban Fare.

Next we walked to Harrison Galleries where Carol took pictures to prove we had actually been there..

and enjoyed our delicious lunch.

Carol made me pose in front of Harrison Galleries (and ordered me to pretend I was having fun).

Pretty good effort, Bill :)

Finally we picked up some supplies at our local PharmaSave.  I really appreciate how knowledgeable and helpful the staff are there.  They even give Black Jack biscuits! 

Just after supper I had a memory flashback from when I was about eight years old. Mom (that link will take you to her obituary), Dad, my sister Phyllis and I used to take Sunday drives. Often all four of us would break into singing on these drives. Our favourite song was "She's coming 'round the mountain" which always seemed to end in gales of laughter. Very happy days indeed.  Bill's mother was a woman ahead of her time.  I think the obituary is well worth a read.

For other stories in the lives of people around the world, don't forget to check out the Our World Tuesday link.  Thank you, as always, for stopping by.