Collateral Damage

by annemariedemyen, posted in life
Fun Stuff

When the the first reports came out about Covid-19, I was amazed by the massive hospitals that were being built in China.

Part of my fascination with these hospitals came from my career in the construction industry. In 2019, we opened a new children’s hospital in Saskatchewan. It took twenty five years to ‘plan’, design and build the facility. If we were going to require a new Covid-19 hospital, it would not be built in ten days.

The other part of my fascination was the number of doctors, health professionals, and support staff who would work in these massive hospitals.  I wondered who was taking care of all of the people who would typically require health services. In most countries, certainly in Canada, there is not an overabundance of medical personnel. I wondered who could possibly be taking care of all the ‘regular’ patients.

My husband and I are fortunate in that we do not need medical intervention on a regular basis. We both have health issues which are generally controlled by our regular prescription drugs. I could be magnanimous in worrying about ‘others’.

I did think it was prudent to self isolate for the duration. I have asthma and I had pneumonia in February. At my post pneumonia check-up, I had been diagnosed with COPD. It made sense to to avoid a respiratory virus, even though I was feeling okay. A few days of warm sunny weather in April and I felt really good!

In the latter part of April,  our monsoon season arrived. Suddenly, I was struggling with the humidity. I checked out the website for our health clinic and it seemed to be business as usual.  (We have had few documented cases of Covid -19 in our province).  Still,  I was hesitant to call for an appointment as I balanced the risk of contracting the virus versus the struggle to breathe.

When I did call, I found that the clinic was booking phone consultations. That made sense. It kept the doctors safe so they could continue to help their patients and it kept vulnerable patients safe.  I requested a consultation and my doctor called a few minutes later. After a lengthy chat, he prescribed a new inhaler. He also made a call to a respiratory therapist to see if he could set up an in-person appointment for me. Unfortunately, therapists were on the long list of health providers who were not seeing patients. I tried the new inhaler and it helped a little, but it was not a great fix. On my follow up call to my doctor, he sent me for blood tests to rule out heart and/or kidney issues. The tests came back fine. He called the respiratory therapist again. They are to start seeing patients later in May and they will no doubt have a lengthy list of established clients to see. In the meantime, I wait.

I know, this condition will not be fatal. (- at least not any time soon.) I know getting stressed will just make breathing more difficult, so I focus on relaxing. I take short walks with Kat when it is not raining. I continue to do what I can – cooking, cleaning and laundry. I know it could be worse, but this is not fun. Every breath is a challenge – no effort is small. A short walk, a few stairs, lifting anything – and my heart is racing as I fight to breathe. I sit down and there is a weight on my chest. It feels like I am suffocating. It is exhausting.

I am grateful that I have access to my doctor. Grateful for the support and care he has provided despite his limitations.  I feel for anyone who is waiting for appointments, tests, procedures, treatments, operations, and therapy. It is unavoidable right now but it is still  difficult. I know.

I hope the worst of this pandemic will soon be behind us. I hope that we can soon be on the path to a new normal where people can send their kids back to school, get back to work, and once again have access to the services we rely on. Life will never be the same after Covid-19, but I look forward to the day when it is functional.

Out and About

by annemariedemyen, posted in life

Dan and I worked in the yard on Saturday. (Dan did most of the work but I am pretty sure that as his spouse I am entitled to half the credit.) Anyway, we decided to take a drive yesterday as a reward for all of ‘our’ effort.

Regina Pocket Park. The twisted green metal with the red stripe is a memorial to the Regina tornado of 1912. Fyi the ‘park’ does not look appreciably better in the summer.
Multi-million dollar bus terminal that our government built right before they closed down STC – our provincial bus line. The building is supposed to be turned into a new city police station at some point.
Saskatchewan legislative building
Side view of the Saskatchewan legislative building
At this point, Dan headed out of the city.
We drove past a church in the middle of nowhere.
This is almost the middle of nowhere.
Here it is! On a gravel road no less. 🙄
Driving past the RCMP barracks as we headed back into the city.

We made it home to have a slice of the most amazing salted caramel cake. Dan went shopping on Saturday morning and he drove ten blocks out of his way to go to the Co-op to get it for me. It was so worth it!

Signs of Spring

by annemariedemyen, posted in life

We had a couple of warmish days and a few spring showers. If we do not blow away today, we could be feeling like spring in no time!

Bedding Plants
Even our ground cedar needs a haircut
Another year with our poor old barbecue – we have been looking for a replacement for years but can’t find one with a rotisserie burner like this one and Dan loves it🤷
Greenish Grass and Dan’s ‘Tree of Enchantment’.
Almost all of our BIG Tree😉

For the Love of Elephants

by annemariedemyen, posted in life

For my second Christmas, my parents gave me a fluffy stuffed elephant. They may have been trying to insinuate something. I was a bit fluffy myself in those days.

My first elephant.

Forty years later, I started to seriously accumulate elephants. It began when my father-in-law passed away and I inherited my late mother-in-law’s elephants.

One of my mother-in-law’s favourite elephants. She received it from an artisan she met when on a cruise. She watched him make it and was so amazed by his talent that he gave it to her when it was finished.
I started buying elephants as souvenirs when we travelled. I bought this little guy for myself on our way home from my Mother’s funeral.

My husband, children and grandchildren started buying me elephants.

Dan bought me this elephant (piggy) bank when our granddaughter Maddy was about nine months old. She would come in and go straight to the bookshelf to feed the elephant toonies.
My son Mark picked up this ‘Ganesh’ statuette when he went to British Columbia with Erin and their son Dominic.
Gabby, Lucas and Cason picked up this cutie when my son Dan and Amanda took a family trip to California last summer.
This “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” trio of elephants was a birthday gift from my daughter Jennifer and family.
This bridge of elephants was a present from my sister Denise and her husband Ray. We went to visit them in White Rock, BC a few years ago and were able to celebrate our anniversary with them while we were there.

I have another seventy or so elephants right now. I have garden elephants, stuffed elephants, stone elephants – even a crystal elephant. I will share more pictures of my elephant friends in future posts.

Feeling Fine – Really!

by annemariedemyen, posted in dealingwithstress, life

I had no idea how detrimental my job had gotten to be to my health. Between the stress and the dust, it just wore me down gradually to the point where I had no idea how miserable I felt.

Due to concerns regarding Covid-19, I took sick leave on March 20th. It has been just a few days over a month. Fortunately, I have dodged the virus while I built up my immunity and my health in general.

The weather has been sunny and warm the last few days. I have spent a lot of time puttering around the yard, walking Kat, and generally relaxing.

I have also spent considerable time catching up on housework. I always did the basics but I just did not have the time or energy to tackle the deep clean projects. So far, I have cleaned all of the kitchen and porch cupboards, defrosted the freezer and fridge, wiped down the livingroom walls, cleaned the ceiling fans and scrubbed the floors.

Today while Dan was at work, I took down the window blinds in our bedroom, washed them in the bathtub, took them outside to dry and wiped down the bedroom walls. When I was done, I scrubbed the bathtub, took Kat for a walk, came home to make her a big batch of food and made our supper. I cannot believe I was able to do all that in one afternoon! A month ago, there is no way I would have had the strength to take the blinds down much less anything else.

Needless to say, I am pumped that I have come this far! It is so great not to have to struggle for every breath. It is so nice not to feel exhausted. I haven’t felt this well for years.😊

Earth Day 2020

by annemariedemyen, posted in life

I had every intention of writing a blog yesterday to honor Earth Day 2020.  However, it was such a beautiful spring day that I spent the day cleaning out flower beds, sweeping patios, walking the dog and starting a few more bedding plants.      Today, I am going to plant some lettuce, radishes and onions. With luck we have seen the last of any major snow storms for this season.

This morning I am relaxing on our patio looking up at our spruce tree. When I moved in here twenty years ago, this tree was no more than a foot tall. Dan’s Mother had brought it over and helped him plant it before I knew him and just days before she passed away. This tree was her final gift to him so obviously it is very special to him, and to me as well.

Today our little tree stands about forty feet tall and a good thrifty feet across. Dan has to trim it back every second year now so we can get down our walk and out our gate. It is home to numerous birds and a stopping off point for the occasional squirrel.

In a few weeks, the trees on either side of us will have their new leaves, the grass will be green, our vegetables will be growing and our flowers will start blooming.

After a long Saskatchewan winter, every warm spring day should be celebrated as Earth Day!

Senior Care

by annemariedemyen, posted in Social Issues
Mom with Genie & Rory

Yesterday was the seventh anniversary of my Mother’s passing. I remember her reminding me of the passing anniversaries of her parents. She always said how incredible it seemed that so much time had passed. I understand now because I feel the same way about her.

It would not surprise me at all to see my mother walk into the room, see her delighting in her grandchildren, see her loading the table with her amazing cooking and baking. I would recognize her voice in a heartbeat.

My relationship with my Mother was hardly perfect. She would argue over anything and she could nag the hair off a dog. Even during, maybe especially during, her last few years when she was residing in care, my Mother could be difficult. But, she was my Mother. She worked hard to care for us and to provide decent clothes, nourishing meals and memorable holidays through the years. She sacrificed a lot of her own wants and needs to raise us and she cared for us all to the end.

My Mother spent the last five years of her life in longterm care. It was a relatively small facility. She had a private room with a private bath. It was a relatively sizeable room and was always kept clean and well maintained. The staff were competent and caring. She was well cared for and we were in all treated well when we went to see her.

It is difficult to think of my Mother and realize that I cannot pick up a phone to hear her voice or take a drive to her town to see her.

As difficult as it can be to remember the loss of my parents, this year I have to be grateful that they are not here. My heart goes out to families of the vulnerable elders who are currently in care. I cannot imagine the devastation that is going through many nursing homes right now. I cannot imagine what seniors, their families and their caretakers are going through.

It is always difficult to lose loved ones. We were fortunate that my Mother was relatively comfortable in her final days. We were fortunate that my siblings and I (and our spouses) could take turns spending her last days with her. My heart goes out to those who will not have our comforting memories of their loved ones final days.

Regardless of where we live, this Covid-19 still poses a huge risk – especially to vulnerable seniors living in longterm facilities. Until there is a vaccine to protect them, it is our duty to do everything in our power to protect them. If we are out and about or living with someone who has to go out, we must assume that we could potentially be infected. We must assume that anyone we cross paths with, may work in a care home or may live with someone who works in a care home. We cannot be complacent in believing that we are relatively safe. It is not just about us.

Covidiots

by annemariedemyen, posted in dealingwithstress

Today I had my first outing in over two weeks. My husband is finally on days off . He drove me to our bank and then made a couple of stops where he ran in while I waited in the Jeep.

Our first stop was the bank. There was a guard at the door and people were lined up. Seemed simple enough, so I got into line – well back from the person ahead of me. The guard called down to ask what I needed. I said “access to an ATM”. He waved me to the front of the line and then seemed confused when I walked around vehicles to get to the entrance doors. I explained that this was the only way to keep my distance from the other people in line. He agreed, then as I stepped towards the door, he stepped right up to me to open the door for me. Arghh! I entered the ATM vestibule and there were four bank employees and one other customer in there. There was literally no where to step that would not mean coming within two feet of another person. I was committed at that point. I used the ATM that I was directed to. As I stepped towards the door, the guard stepped up to open it. I could not exit without coming within six inches of him. He was right in my face. Arghh again!

Next we stopped at the LBO. Dan ran in to grab a case of beer and a couple of bottles of wine (maybe a few bottles of wine). I didn’t notice what kind of performance they had going on at the door. I did notice that in a half empty parking lot, the two customers who arrived decided to park on either side of our vehicle. Go over there, or there, or anywhere!

Finally we stopped at the Dollar store. I watched Dan walk up to the doors. The exit door was obviously not in service so there was one door for traffic entering and exiting. In the vestibule, which is about the size of our coffee table, there was an employee directing one person out and one person in. The exchange of bodies was simultaneous and the employee was squeezed between them. 🤦

We live in a large province with a small population. We are one million people wandering around 590,000 square kilometers of land. It shouldn’t be that difficult to stay a few feet apart to control the spread of a potentially fatal virus until there is a credible vaccination and/or cure for it. But this is Saskatchewan! Land of the Living Skies and apparently the home of the covidiots.

Retirement Update

by annemariedemyen, posted in retirement

I am transitioning from employment to retirement, with a slight detour through a pandemic.  This detour has taught me a number of things about myself and my impending retirement.

1.  I am ready to retire!  I love the peace and calm of retirement.  I do not miss anything about my job – I particularly do not miss the constant pressure and conflict. 

2.  I wasted money when I was working.  I spent a lot of money on fast food and going out for supper.  I spent money on clothes – not designer labels or anything, but working in a construction company office is hard on clothes.  I always needed a new shirt or jeans or jacket or boots. 🤷 I spent a lot of money on OTC drugs like aspirin, antacids, immodeum and the like. I do need them anymore.

3. I save money not working. Our shopping has gone from pricey porkchops, steaks and chicken breasts to stewing beef, ground beef, and ham, pork and beef roasts, and whole chicken – which has led to some creative use of leftovers. It isn’t that I suddenly love cooking, it is just that I have the time and energy to do it. I even made a homemade birthday cake for Dan. I save money on gas and vehicle upkeep. This is partly due to staying home because of the pandemic, but mostly because my driving was primarily to work and home. Also, I will save quite a bit on planting our garden this year. Typically, I buy a lot of bedding plants. This year, for the first time in decades, I have been starting my own bedding plants from seeds. 🌾

4.  My health was worse than I realized and it is improving more than I thought it would.  With my stress level down, my asthma has eased off considerably  and out of the construction dusty air  in my office, I am breathing way easier.   I cough much less  and my blood oxygen level has gone from 91% to 97%.    That alone makes me feel far less stressed and healthier. 

5.  Our house was seriously messy.  I have spent hours deep cleaning since I have been home.  I still have many hours left to go, but the improvement is already notable.    It is also pretty exciting finding things that have been MIA for months.  

6.  I am not hating the idea of starting a couple of renovation projects.  Once I get finished with spring cleaning, I plan to redo the grandkids room.  The last time we did it was before Genie was born.  The wallpaper pattern is an adorable mix of baby toys – a little juvenile now that she is sixteen.

Dolly & Dolly

7. I am spending way less time on social media than I thought I would. I do enjoy blogging and hope to spend more time connecting with others on this platform. I have just been getting busy making my ‘transition’ lately.

8. I am really enjoying spending more time with Dan. It is hard when one half of a couple works traditional Monday to Friday hours while the other works twelve hour, twenty four/seven shifts. This could be my favourite part of retirement. 😍 I wasn’t sure how it would go once we are both retired and together every day but honestly, I think it will be great.