SNAP THAT

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Fall is the Perfect Time of Year: Scenic Sunday, October 3, 2010

I think Fall is the perfect time of year. I can never get enough of the Fall colours though when I see the leaves fall, I do get saddened that winter is around the corner. I was never one who loved the snow. Though I might enjoy snow for a few days, I think the childhood memories of freezing cold, freezing a few toes and winters which dragged endlessly on, are never far from me. I do love one thing about winter which I will leave for the winter season to blog about *smile.

In the meantime, let me leave you with some final snap shots of Kamloops. These are likely the last photos I will take before I depart for my home on the coast on Sunday. It is Fall now but these shots are landscape shots of the city from the vantage point of the mountain. As you can see, the city is beautifully located alongside rivers and nestled in the valley. When you drive in at night and see all the city lights it is particularly beautiful. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

I hope you enjoyed these photos of Kamloops. If you would like to see some of the city in it's Fall splendour, please click here. Otherwise do join others here from around the globe for more beautiful Scenic Sundays.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Vapour Trails in the Sky: Skywatch Friday, October 1, 2010

These photos of vapour trails were all taken this month in Kamloops, BC. I took them "on the fly" usually as I waited for a bus to take me to downtown or to the hospital.

Speaking of the hospital, mom is to be released on Monday if all goes well. I couldn't believe it and she is very happy though I won't be here to bring her home this time. My brother will arrive over the weekend while I finish packing mom's things. I am trying to pack as much as possible before I go back home for a rest. It has been a rough week as there is so much here to sort through. I won't be done when I leave but I will have done most of the hard work. Whew!

As one daughter of an aging parent, I ask any of you out there who are also aging, "please do not put off getting rid of junk, personal papers, old documents or new documents with identification on it." One day if you do not take care of this stuff, it is likely your older daughter will have to do it for you during an already stressful time. I've tried for more than two decades to help my mom sort through things. She wouldn' t hear of it. She always wanted to do it herself.

In the decades that followed, mom never got to enjoy any of these items as they were all boxed up waiting for the day when they would be sorted. While she did make some progress getting rid of some items about five years ago, it seems that clothing, papers and photos were an area of difficulty to deal with. This is mostly what I have been dealing with at a time when I am also trying to deal with her many needs and issues at the local hospital and attend to the business of finding her a long term critical care placement. It has been a very challenging week and I'm just glad I've been physically able to handle as much of the packing and sorting as I've been able to get to. While mom is coming home in a few days she knows, and has agreed to being put on a waiting list for a nursing home.

Check out what's happening in the skies across the globe by clicking here.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Fall Colours: WW, September 29, 2010

To view more beautiful Fall colours join other participants in this week's Wordless Wednesday. Click here.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Crisis Update

Today was a tough day.

This is the end of the sidewalk leading up the hill to the hospital. The road below leads into the main part of the downtown core. Today as I walked to town, there were several emergency vehicles just a few blocks from where this photo was taken. A young man had been run down as he was jay walking. I pray he is all right.

I wasn't planning on going in to the hospital to see mom as I am packing at her home. Although I have made a lot of progress in sorting and packing, I still have quite a lot to do before I leave town for my own home and attend to personal business there. When I left the hospital last night mom was doing well. But when I called the hospital this morning to say "hello", a nun who was visiting mom answered the phone and said I must get to hospital immediately as mom really needed me. I guess she was having a nose bleed.

I didn't think too much of this since I thought the nun could help mom while she was there. I protested that I had a cold coming on. If mom contracted a cold due to my presence she could possibly be in more danger from lung problems than from a nose bleed. The nun insisted I get there quickly. That got me moving as fast as I could.

By the time I arrived at the hospital mom's nose bleed had stopped but as it had been going on for 2 hours she looked like she had been in a terrible fight. Her clothing and her bedding were full of blood and no one had tried to wash the blood from her face. I set to work to start cleaning her at which point the male nurse said he could do it. I declined as I didn't want mom waiting any longer to be changed.

It is Fall now in Canada. These are the colours of most deciduous trees, although we also have some deeper red colours on maple trees. The most glorious Fall colours are found in eastern Canada. This view is from the top of the hill just before get to the original hospital entrance.

After spending several hours at the hospital, I also got a chance to meet the attending doctor. He was only attending to mom today. Her family physician called him in especially to address the issue of the nose bleeds which have been happening daily for the past several days. I don't know how to spell the doctor's name but he was such a godsend and such a delightful man. So kind and gentle and very clear in his presentation of mom's condition. He readily informed me when I asked him for an update on several issues of concern. Then he turned around and proceeded to repeat everything to mom.

The doctors in Emergency were concerned that she might get a blood clot in the leg that is infected with cellulitis so they have been administering a blood thinner medication daily. It also seems that a possible blood clot in the lungs were found in the x-rays taken yesterday (Sunday). When I visited mom Sunday evening she did complain of sore back and asked me to rub it as she felt something there that was bothering her. Now I don't know in retrospect if my rubbing the back was a good thing but mom seems to think I saved her life by doing this.

Today she was spitting out a lot of blood clots during her nose bleed. From what she says about the ordeal, it is the worst nose bleed of her life even though she has had some doozies in her lifetime. The specialist ordered blood work which was done at noon and by 2 p.m. he prescribed another IV medication to neutralize the blood thinner. He says they will have to monitor her carefully and that hers was a complicated case since they do need to continue to give her blood thinners.

I left the hospital at 3 p.m. and apparently before the doctor left, he told mom he would not likely be back to see her but that the nursing staff would call him if need be. At 9 p.m., mom called very briefly to let me know the nose bleeding had started again and that the doctor, who was then in the Emergency Room was expected to pop around and see her again. I didn't get any call from the hospital so am trusting everything will be all right and will call the hospital first thing Tuesday. More things happened today that made it a very tough day but I thank God I survived the day relatively intact and feeling less tired and sore than yesterday.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:7

For my readers in Africa, I just want to say how impressed I am with the attending doctor today and with the attending doctor in emergency on Wednesday evening. Both of these good and knowledgeable doctors are from South Africa and we are so blessed to have them here where there is a shortage of good doctors in the country.