IIDS, GD: Saturday, August 18th, Chloë's 36th Birthday!

No one imagines that symphony is supposed to improve as it goes along, or that the whole object of playing is to reach the finale. The point of music is discovered in every moment of playing and listening to it. It is the same, I feel, with the greater part of our lives, and if we are unduly absorbed in improving them we may forget altogether to live them. -Alan Watts, philosopher, writer, and speaker (1915-1973)

Chloë Alexis!

Ayn P

Happy Birthday to my one and only sweet sibling Chloe Alexis! Love you dear sister xoxo!

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for the email.  Sounds like a great and busy summer you're having. 

Mike and I were in New England for 10 days in June for my 45th college reunion and to visit all our MIT Lamda Chi friends.  Stayed in a variety of homes, incl. one on Nantucket.  Elizabeth and I went to Seattle for a few days, my sister and I went to the Oregon coast (via the wine country) for a few days, Mike and I went to Long Beach WA for two days.  So lots of little trips.  Have enjoyed ourselves in spite of Mike feeling tired most of the time.

Mike and I are leaving for Paris on Monday, returning from Frankfort on Sept. 11. This is the same trip that we were to take last summer before Mike's anemia was so bad that he needed transfusions.

The anemia is still with him. His red blood cell count hovers between 9 and 9.4. Normal range is 13 to 17 or so. One of the heart valves that was repaired is beating up his red blood cells and causing them to break down prematurely (the condition is called hemolytic anemia). Based on our last meeting with the cardio-vascular surgeon, Mike is opting to have open heart surgery again when we return . . .probably mid-October. He has to get his daffodils dug, divided and replanted before the operation. I dread the three months that follow, since this time I know what to expect. 

But I have to admire his willingness to undergo all the discomfort and risk of this surgery yet again. As the doctor put it, "You can just limp along as you are or we can replace the mitral valve." Mike is just not happy with the quality of his life and the limits this anemia puts on all of his activities. So hopefully this will be the fix . . everything else has been checked and is in working order. They will do another angiogram the night before just to recheck the blood supplies to the heart, etc.

Pictures below are of grandson Paul and Mike on Father's Day. Elizabeth in Seattle at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit, and a variety of photos from Paul's 8th birthday party last weekend. (Older lady with flower in her hair is my 97 year old mother). Somehow Katie avoided the camera. Will be in touch when we return.

Hi Marilyn and Michaelo!
Simply wonderful snaps! Terrific to see everyone looking so well, Michael included, in spite of his anemia. Sorry to hear about this on-going struggle and the need for coming surgery! We all applaud his pluck, however! Clara,  Dusty and Cora Lee send their best wishes for the coming operation. Given the timing, we won't "burden" you with a stay on our trip south, before Christmas, as we certainly understand how exhausting the recovery process will be without having to worry about pushy Canadians. We would like to pop by, however, to say hello, perhaps have a cup of coffee, raid the wine cellar and then leave you in peace and quiet to grizzle at one another over nursing care, or lack thereof! 



Your short trips sounded most interesting and we definitely envy you your coming Parisian junket. Have a marvelous time in the City of Light, for us as well as yourselves, of course. 


Bon Voyage and Buona Fortuna! Cheers to one and all, Il Conduttore!

let's see how mike is doing in dec.  i think you're staying here will be fine    till later marilyn  Hi again, Marilyn!

That is very kind. However, as you say, let's see how Michaelo is doing, post-op. We'll chat. Again, have a delirious time in Gay Paree! Fondestos to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio!


Good pics.  Pinesol is an apt metaphor for retsina ordinaire.  Hi Stefano! For your workshop! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Deborah!

Lovely to hear from you but sorry to hear about the trials and tribulations surrounding your Mum and Dad! To a much lesser degree, we are experiencing some of the same, particularly with Cora Lee's parents as my Mom is well taken care of in the nursing facility near us.

Buona Fortuna with your parents! Cheers, Patrizzio!
 

Hi Robo Man and Whirlygig!

Am wondering if you two have been riding, (Not sipping, I trust!), of late, given the searing temperatures! From the reports I've seen/heard, Vancouver has been warmer than Winnipeg at times! Velospoke looks most interesting and I'm sure it would be worth while spending some time wandering around. Of course, I'll only be focusing on expensive, colour co-ordinated, lycra cycling garb to compliment my Madone. Cora Lee has been in constant "fuss" mode over what she feels is the shockingly inappropriate nature of my apparel, every time I head out, even though I explain that the deer and the squirrels don't seem bothered by my twenty year old squash T-shirts! Cheers to one and all, Il Conduttore of the Motley Garb!

Dear Retired Librarians and Staff,

We are pleased to invite you to the opening reception of Wu Han Chi Exhibition at the Asian Centre in September. For your convenience an official inivtiaton is attached. We would love to welcome you to the event.

Sincerely,  Leana  Hello Leana!

I'm delighted to attend the opening reception of Wu Han Chi Exhibition at the Asian Centre on September on September 13th. Thanks very much. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Big Al!

Done any fishing yet?  Cheers, Patrizzio!

Patrick

We arrived home last evening after a very successful fishing trip.  Details will be provided when you visit.

At Sicamous take 97A south along Mara Lake through Grindrod towards Vernon.  Just past the Fas Gas station take 97B up the hill towards Salmon Arm.  At the top of the hill left onto Gardom Lake road, then first right, first left and first right to 448 Helene Rd.

Let us know your ETA so we are sure to be home.  Travel safely. Lynn

Hi Fisher Folk!

Pleased to hear that fishing trip went so well. Thanks again for the invitation to stay and further directions! Much appreciated. Based on our plan to leave Falcon this coming Tuesday, August 21st, to spend that night in Kenton, we expect to stay overnight somewhere near or past Calgary, (I have to stop at Kensington Wine Market there to collect some Bowmore Laimrig, which I ordered online after reading their latest newsletter, a cask strength version, 57.7%, of the 15 year old Darkest, the whiskey originally made for the Swedish market.), the following night, Wednesday, August 22nd, to arrive in Enderby on Thursday, August 23rd. I assume that we should arrive at your place sometime before 5:00pm, depending on where we stay for the night and how long it takes us to make the detour into Calgary. We have your phone number and will call if we are going to be delayed. 

Hi Goils!

Happy Birthday, Chloë! What are your plans for celebrating? Once again, Happiest of Happy Birthdays, 36 Year Old!!! Love and Cheers, Mom and Dad!

Hi Goils!

Some snaps of the recently installed flooring, etc. Cheers, Dad!

 Hello! As you will quickly guess, this is one of those "gang" letters
that I send out, from time to time. I can't even call it 'Christmas
in July,' because we're now well and truly into August. So I guess
it's a late summer update. As a first step, I'll talk about what's been going on with Mum and
Dad, mainly Dad.  Earlier this year, Dad decided to run away from
home.  Actually, he's done this a few times now, with varying success.
 

 One of the more recent episodes involved him telling Mum that he'd
"had enough", he took five dollars, his coat, hat and walker, and
left.  Next thing we knew, the paramedics had collected him from the
bottom of an escalator in the subway.  Not sure where Dad thought he
was going... not sure how he fell... (the walker is unscratched)...
but Dad was once again taken to the emergency department at Toronto
General Hospital.  He has been there for falls previously.  We are
hoping he is learning from this experience because he totally detests
being in the emergency department.

On this occasion, Mum and I went down there around 1 p.m., thinking we
would collect him and take him home, only to find he was six hours
from being discharged, and we had to wait around. When I tried to
leave to go back to work, the nurse in charge, Betty, refused to let
me go, as I was showing much more adept at management of Dad than the
security guards. Long story short, around 7 p.m., we all decided we'd
had enough and we went home without getting the final reports.

On the whole, I am absolutely disgusted with our healthcare system,
based on this exposure. And, from talking to other people, I find my
experiences are not unique. So much for the government always
trumpeting on about what a wonderful healthcare system we have. What
really irks me about TGH is that they all sit around, tap tapping away
on their computers, while patients languish on gurneys or in various
rooms scattered around the ward. And in my Dad's case, nobody bothers
to come and see if he needs to go to the bathroom. He is not
incontinent, but he does need extra time to get to the toilet, plus he
can't get off the gurney unassisted. Long story short, any time he
has ended up at TGH, he's always been left lying to pee his pants and
has come home with wet clothes.

His next running away episode occurred about five days later. Late
one Friday evening, I was watching a movie at home with my friend, Arn
when I got the call from Mum that Dad had decided to go and she
couldn't stop him. Arn and I jumped in his car and zoomed off over to
Christie Gardens, where my parents live. Luckily it's very close.
Unluckily, there are two exits - whoever came up with the idea of
having two exits on different streets for a senior's residence? -
anyway, we zoomed by the first, then zoomed out of the parking lot
around to the second exit, no sign of Dad , so back to the first exit
and, while I was waiting to see what was going to happen, Dad came
plodding along. (First observation, he moves very S-L-O-O-O-O-W-L-Y)
He didn't expect to see me, and of course was rather surprised, but
when he recognized me, he came up, shook my hand, told me he had done
all he could for me, and was now leaving. 


I then spent about an hour trying to talk him out of it, he plodded along out to the street and I went with him, followed by the security guard. We then walked down the street to the small park adjacent to the building, and then down another walkway to the main street. This is the danger zone, because there's a bus on the main street and, no doubt, Dad was planning on taking the bus. He was very nasty, kept calling me names but, eventually, he admitted he was tired and wanted to sit down. (Second valuable learning: as long as I can exhaust him, I can get him back home!) So then the security guard and I escorted Dad back into the building and the security guard secured the exit so Dad could not get out that way again. I then left and, eventually, the nurses on duty came and persuaded him to go back home.
 
The upshot of all this is that he now has to have a caregiver with him. We've been very lucky to find a company that specializes in brain injury, dementia and similar conditions, and we have someone named Noemi who comes in four days a week, she works from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mum really likes her and everyone seems to be getting along a lot better. I think having an extra person around has changed the dynamic between Mum and Dad, so that they no longer get on each other's nerves as they once did. Mum makes plans to take Dad out on Wednesday, when Noemi is not working, and then they attend various activities in the building on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm hoping that Dad has finally seen sense, I made some modifications to his diet and he does seem a bit better in terms of temperament. He admitted that while he enjoyed the most recent Wednesday outing, it had left him feeling dreadfully tired and he told me that he felt he was "too old to keep going out like that". Hopefully, with Noemi in the picture, he will give up his ideas of escape. He did make another stab at it last week and the security guard had to run out and get him back into the building. Since then, touch wood, running away doesn't seem to be on his mind...
 
While my brother, Rod, has stepped up to the plate a bit more in helping out with Mum and Dad, this does still fall into the category of what I call "ceremonial visits". Either Rod and his wife bring lunch or they have Mum and Dad over to their house for lunch. (I am never invited). I still tend to do the day-to-day stuff, like cleaning the carpets to get pee marks or blood out of them and "exciting" things like this. I'm also the one who walks to the subway to get Mum's senior's bus tickets, and find myself with various tasks like that. Usually, Mum won't phone Rod because she "doesn't want to disturb him at work". Trouble is, I am still supposed to be working for a living!! Her most recent request is that I find for her some tomatoes, like the ones that Dad used to grow when we lived in Luton. I did point out that the soil might have had a bearing on how the tomatoes tasted but that hothouse ripened ones might come close. It's actually a good sign that she has gone back to these sorts of requests, rather than the "find Dad" sorts of requests I have been getting.

On the work front, I continue to act in TV and film productions when the work is available. Most recently, I wrapped a commercial for luggage to be broadcast in mainland China of all places. The luggage manufacturer is actually a Chinese company but, apparently, mainland Chinese do not like to buy Chinese-made products so the manufacturer uses Westerners in the ads to get the idea across that its luggage is "western-made". Given the amount of cheap Chinese product that floods our stores, I found this rather amusing. Also, a film in which I had a principal role, is going to have its North American premiereat TIFF - the Toronto International Film Festival - which has built itself up to be one of the top three film festivals in the world, on a par with Cannes. The film in question, "Tower", already had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival in Sweden. In the film, I play the protagonist's mother but, as I haven't seen the film yet, I can't say whether you should rush out and try and see it, because I'm not even sure how much me remains in the screen versus ending up on the cutting room floor.

As of now, the small apartment building I own and manage in Tonawanda,New York is full, but I've been having lots of "fun and games" with the newest tenants, who moved in in May. I must say in all the 11 or so years I've been running the building, they are flat-out, hands-down the worst tenants I've ever had. Those of you who live in the UK will probably be able to guess where these people come from when I say they come from one of the countries in the subcontinent that was formed after the partition of British India. (The more northern country - I'm hinting broadly.) Their latest achievement has been wrecking the kitchen counter, because, rather than wipe it with a damp cloth or sponge, they were using gallons of water, the way you might swab the decks of a ship. And, of course, they have demanded a new counter - which they will not be getting. Also, having told me that all their relatives were in the US and they would not be having dozens of people come from Pakistan, they then proceeded to populate the apartment with twice the legal number of inhabitants. Mercifully, I think these guests have since gone back to Pakistan. Unfortunately, legally, landlords are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, etc. etc. in the US. However, I think the next time any potential tenants from this particular part of the world land on my doorstep, I will have a better excuse ready why I can't rent to them. These current tenants were in a hurry to rent somewhere to live as they had to leave the prior accommodation in a hurry. However, it wasn't due to nonpayment of rent. The previous landlord gave them a glowing reference. (Ha ha ha). I do suspect they were evicted and I'm mighty curious as to know the reasons...

Other than that, life jogs along here. I seem to continue to enjoy good health, just as well, as all my "doctor's visits time" gets taken up with Dad. I had to attend the psychiatrist's appointment with him, Christie Gardens demanded that he revisit a psychiatrist and that's a whole other ball of wax when it comes to how the elderly are treated. Dad answered the psychiatrist's questions accurately, but the psychiatrist didn't like the answers. For example, when he asked: "Mr. Sawyer, what is the date today?", Mr. Sawyer looked at his watch - since he has the kind of watch with the date! - this is not an incorrect response, Dad understood the question and knew where to find the answer, but because he didn't know it off the top of his head, this wasn't good enough. Similarly, if you ask Dad where he lives: he'll say: "On the eighth floor". Again, it's not incorrect, that is where he lives. My suggestion to psychiatrists everywhere is that, if you want more information, you have to ask for it and break the questions down so that older people can provide the full information.

Anyway, I think that's enough from me, this being an abundance of reading material, and I will try and write personal e-mails to those I owe e-mails to. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying life! Deborah

Hello, again! Just realized, on re-reading, that my voice-recognition
software misheard me and moved Locarno to Sweden. As we all know, it's
in Switzerland. Will re-double proofreading efforts in future...Deborah

P, in K'lowna in 40 degree heat. Here for a couple days for a wedding reception -- outdoors...! 

Ray & I had three sprints this week, early morning. Perfect. Safe riding , W

 Hi Fahrenheit 451 Man!

Another good reason not to touch the ground, at least in Kelowna. Sprints! Interval training will be next. Time trials. Ragin' and company are starting to look like better riding companions!!! Any good maltage at the open bar? You imbibe while I grunt and grind!!!

 Was a very cloudy day, with threats of showers, all morning, so I didn't set off until about 12:40pm. Hadn't decided what my destination would be so I decided upon the South Shore Loop as a starting gambit. Once I'd completed that the forceful head wind made me think twice about a jaunt to Rennie River as I wasn't keen on fighting the wind, either way, and knew from bitter, past experience that it could dog me both coming and going. At any rate, I decided to give it a try once I'd reached the turn-off for West Hawk, knowing I could head for Ingolf if the gales were too, too strong. I surmise it is the very unsettled weather, of late, which is responsible for these maddening, constant gusts.

Once I'd reached the quasi-shelter afforded by the surrounding forest, I decided to go for broke and made for Rennie. At times the wind seemed to come from behind and I made fairly good headway. At other points, I was battling it head on. The only thing that kept me going was the thought that on the return leg I'd be whizzing along with a strong push from the prevailing hurricados! My main concern, aside from the slogging push, was that I had to be back at Ace Bay by 5:45pm, at the latest, as I had to shower and change and be ready to go by 6:10pm. We were going out for dinner at West Hawk, at the Chinese restaurant there, West Wok! Cora Lee had driven to War Eagle shortly after I left on my ride to spend the afternoon with Pam. Greg was in a golf tourney at Falcon and she and Dustan would return with Coriandre to join us for dinner. Afterwards, Pam would come back to Falcon to drive Greg's car home. This way he could have a few drinks at the tournament banquet. Knowing how fussed Dusty becomes if one doesn't leave at the agreed-upon time, I was determined not to be late. I estimated that I would be home in time, based on a conservative 20kph AVG speed but I was rather worried that that rate might fall if the wind was even stronger on the return leg.

By the time I was 10K from Rennie I felt pretty good and decided to go right into town. When I rolled down Main Street, (The only street in town!), I had 71.5K on the clock and about 44K to cycle back to Ace Bay. Of course, the wind was directly into my face once I was heading back so I felt rather annoyed with myself for not aborting sooner. With nothing to do but put my head down and pump for dear life, I did just that, figuring I'd make home close to 6:00pm, given my 20-22K average speed on the flat, although that dipped considerably on the many small hills, even standing up, on account of the wind. Cursing the wind gods, I heard a slight noise behind me and much to my surprise another rider appeared alongside me. Full lycra and a fancy road bike. We said hello, exchanged a few words and when he discovered I was going all the way to Falcon he suggested I draft behind him as far as West Hawk, his destination. I was more than delighted to do so but told him that I probably couldn't keep pace with him. He said he would ride around 26K and I said I'd do my best, at least for a little while. As you might imagine, the drafting really helped as we were pedaling directly into the tornado. Whenever there was a lull, of sorts, we chatted about one thing and another. Discovered his name was Mike and he is a radiologist at St Boniface in Winnipeg, hospital where I was born! Anyway, on the flats I managed to keep a pace between 27-32kph. This continued for about 20K with Mike slowing down whenever I fell behind on a rise or a hill. The upshot that the distance whizzed by and by the time I was about 20K from home I knew I would be there by 5:30pm, or shortly thereafter.

My legs did feel a bit rubbery at times but overall I was truly pleased at the completely unexpected company and the push which resulted, putting me back in easy reach of being back at The Falcon Lake Fontainebleau in time to get ready and leave on time. When Mike learned I was from Vancouver he asked about the Whistler Gran Fondo and I told him I had flirted with the one out of Penticton. He plans to ride in it next year so I told him I'd look for him. No excuses now!!!

He took off about 5:00pm, just before we reached turn-off to Caddy lake so I had approximately 17K to manage on my lonesome. By now I was so exhilarated that even my full bladder wasn't an issue! I pressed on and pushed as hard as I could manage with every brief respite from the unrelenting gale. Delighted to report that I "breezed" into the Durston's driveway a 5:34pm with 117.3K on the odometre, AVG 23.3kph over 5:01:00. Had plenty of time to have a leisurely shower and was changed and ready to go at least 10 minutes before Dusty drove Rosita and I to the West Wok. Ironically, we had to wait for The Sisterhood for almost half an hour! Nevertheless, the meal was more than delicious:
Sweet & Sour Shrimp; Back Bean Garlic Beef; Szechuan Chicken; Pork Chow Mein; Vegetarian Fried Rice and Chicken Fingers with Fries, for Dustan!

Back home to digitate while the others watch TV or read. I'll drive Pam to the South Shore when Greg calls to be collected. Plan to take it fairly easy tomorrow as far as riding is concerned. Want to vacuum and wash my car as it is pretty bug encrusted by this point. Enjoy the heat while you can. All the best to Kerry. Is Tia along? Fondestos to Your Sisterhood from My Sisterhood! Cheers, Il Conduttore!  

Hi Chloë:

Guess you and your friends will be in full swing by now! You'll be riding 100K soon!!!!  Love Dad!

Hi Patrick,

As always, you seem to be having a great time. Very interesting that 145Km from Winnipeg you reported few if any bugs. As much as we all hate mosquitoes on an individual basis, if the population suddenly disappeared that would be a huge cause for concern. Cheers, Robert.

Hi Robert!

I don't think we need to worry about the mosquitoes! As I think I mentioned, the extremely dry weather has left fewer places for them to breed. Two years ago we were literally eaten alive. Cheers, Patrizzio!  

Patrick,

The 24th will be fine.  I expect that there will be a parade of honor down Robinson Avenue with much of the Naramatian population out to welcome you.  

The food pictures look great, especially the dilled beans.  They're a great garnish for Caesars.

The golf tournament at Summerland went well, as I came home with more value in prizes than the entry fee, plus had lunch, beer, etc.  Perhaps time to join the SuperSenior tour.

Have a good drive across the prairies and mountains and we'll look forward to seeing you.

Ciao, Jugos don pedro

Hi Jugos!

Thanks for confirmation of reservation at the Naramata B&B! Cora Lee is ecstatic about the parade and insists on shopping for a plethora of new outfits to impress the hoi polloi. I assume the masses will be turning out for the new Arnold Palmer/Jack Nicklaus as well as the Kenton Goldilocks Celebrities! Great work on the links. Is there any transfer to bidding?

Fondestos from Imelda to Lurking. Cheers, Patrizzio!

hey pat,

i'm concerned to hear you chose to hang out in the tenderloin district of winnipeg's north end.

please be careful, if you continue to venture into "fort apache" as i know it.

"there be dragons there"

or did i misunderstand your message?

Garlic Roasted Potatoes aka "patates me skortho"

2 lb. large potatoes, peeled

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp dried oregano

3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

salt & ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup water

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths lengthwise & place in a large, shallow, baking dish.

Add the remaining ingredients & stir the potatoes to coat. Bake @ the top of the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until lightly golden, crisp on the outside & soft inside. rearrange the potatoes & add a little more water during cooking, if necessary.

Vietnamese  Java aka "what sally, travis & i drink every early morning & as we have "tweaked" the original/traditional recipe"

Prepare as much strong coffee as you need to enjoy, based on 1/2 mug per person.

For each mug add 2 heaping tsp of sweetened condensed milk & add milk to about 1/2 way up on each mug.

Mix very thoroughly.

Heat each mug in your microwave oven until near boiling.

our microwave runs @ 1200 watts & we set the dial @ 1 minute 10 seconds per mug or 2 minutes 25 seconds for 2 mugs.

bring out the hot mug (s), carefully froth w/ a spoon & top up w/ the coffee.

that's about it.

& that's also about it from me.

yours truly,

filmer, husband of your dear darling cousin sally, daughter of emil & tretty daniel, granddaughter of  ????

ps

please never worry about sally.

she's looking after me in royal fashion & seems to have herself in a point of confident command.

Hi Minute Man!

Thanks so much for the wonderful, wonderful recipes. I plan to use the Patates me Skortho at Cora Lee's Friends of VPL bbq on August 29th. I'll be drinking your java from now on! Braves from Fort Apache don't mess with dudes from Granville Island as I just bring out a pouch of BC bud and we smoke a peace pipe or two! Thanks again for recipes. Take care of each other. Fondestos to Your Sisterhood from My Sisterhood! Cheers, Patrizzio Running Bear!   

Fishing? No!  Its been very hot here in Vancouver and I try as much as I can to avoid the heat. Reported to be 32 in Squamish.  Latest problem is my back or maybe its the hip.  Anyway, for the past day or so the right side of my lower torso is giving me lots of pain whenever I get up from the chair or move around.  Today I journeyed out to Maple Ridge to collect a used treadmill we bought for Joey's birthday.  I think he has made some birthday resolution to recapture his youth.  He's 36.  Remember 36?  Didn't we all make such resolutions then, and look how we fared.

Hi Big Al!

Terribly sorry to hear about your back! What a complete drag. Just a word of advice. You might want to make sure that your hip isn't the problem. If it is, the sooner you deal with it, the better. I know from bitter experience! Buona Fortuna. Cheers, Patrizzio! 

4 ibuprofen tablets and a couple hours under the heating pad seems to have cleared up my problem, I'm happy to report.

Hi Big Al!

Washed down with Single Malt, I trust! Cheers, Patrizzio!