Each passing year seems to go faster, and it’s hard to believe it will soon be 2020.

It has been a year of some changes for us. Our golden retriever, Hayley, passed away on October 17th. The day before her death she walked to the highway and back with us to pick up the newspaper. Although she had gradually been slowing down, she was still eating and drinking normally. On the morning of the 17th, she got up and made it down the back stairs and then collapsed and was unable to stand again. Doug carried her outside, and we were fortunate that it was a nice day and we were able to be outside with her in one of her favorite spots. The Vet came and told us that her vitals were low, and Hayley died peacefully. She would have been 14 in December so she lived a long life for a large breed dog. We miss her as she was a great companion.
           
Our family made the decision to put the Wakaw Lake cabin up for sale. This was a difficult choice given that we’ve owned the property for 39 years. We have happy memories of our time at the lake. Many of you reading this letter will also remember spending time at Wakaw Lake, waterskiing and being taken on exuberant tube-rides, followed by beer and wine on the deck along with meals. There were also many special, quieter moments searching and finding the eagles’ nest and listening to the call of the loons on the lake. We listed the cabin in September, and, so far, it hasn’t sold. So, we’ll see what the spring and summer brings.
       
Doug finished his 40 Ford Convertible and was able to take it to the Okotoks Show & Shine. Lorraine drove the 40 Ford Deluxe Coupe in as part of the Library display. In the fall, Doug sold his 56 Corvette Race Car to a man who lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Given the variability of the weather and the distance to a race track, Doug found that he wasn’t able to drive the race car much. After that sale, he bought a 67 Ford Fairlane. For his winter project, Doug is working on the 38 Ford.
       
Working on cars, golfing in the summer and curling twice a week in the winter keeps Doug busy. He spends a great deal of time on yard work—mowing in the summer and plowing/shovelling in the winter. We had snow in September this year, and the snow/thaw/freeze/snow cycle seems to be firmly in place.
       
Lorraine is still on the Okotoks Public Library Board, and a new, expanded library has just been approved as part of a Learning Campus. Construction is slated to start in April 2020; occupancy in the summer of 2021. The fundraising will become even busier now, and it is a challenge in these tough economic times.
       
Lorraine enjoyed an eight-day trip to Southern Italy in November with some members of her online writing group. She visited Rome, Pompei, Naples, Cabri and the group was based in the lovely small city of Sorrento. It’s a beautiful area, and the pasta and pizza were good too! We also did some writing in between touring and eating. 
       
​We hope you and your family are well. If you’re in the Calgary or Foothills area, please call or come and visit.

I hope everyone had a great summer. I said I’d be back after berry season was over. I picked the last of the raspberries on Thursday, September 26th.

We had some excitement in the neighborhood earlier this month. I was down in the garden picking raspberries when there was a commotion in the trees in the ravine. I started to sing loudly and continued picking. I thought it was probably deer because we have one that likes to sleep in the garden in the summer—the moose take over the garden in the winter. I had often felt like something was watching me when I was down in the garden this summer but told myself it was imagination. We had noticed the pin cherry bushes and Schubert chokecherry tree had been stripped of berries. There had also been some scat on the road that looked suspiciously like bear-scat.

About three hours after the garden commotion, our neighbor sent me a photo of a black bear in a tree. Apparently, it had also been seen strolling down 206 Avenue.

We were cautious when the grandchildren were here and kept them in the yard. We weren’t able to go and see how the pumpkins in the garden were coming along because I didn’t want them to be that close to the ravine. But, I had to keep picking those raspberries. There was only one day that some of the raspberries seemed to be missing so I thought the bear had either moved on or didn’t like the thorns. Someone told me that they don’t like music so I played some music on my iPhone when I was in the garden.

We heard that a black bear was captured on the Spruce Meadow grounds and relocated. I thought maybe that was our black bear. But, the scat was back on the road a few days later so I think we might have a permanent resident. They do hibernate though--right? 

​Now, it’s September 29th and we’ve had about eight inches of snow since last evening and more to come overnight. The unripe raspberries, all the annuals and probably all the perennials will be finished for the season. I trimmed most of the perennial beds leaving the ones that were still blooming, but didn’t get to the rock garden. It will wait for me as the forecast is for above zero weather in a few days. In the meantime, heavy, wet snow is blanketing the area. It’s pretty—as long as I’m sitting in the den looking out the window. 

I'm inundated with saskatoons--huge clumps of almost blueberry-sized saskatoons. Now the raspberries are ripening. You probably won't hear from me for several weeks. I'll be in the berry patch. 

This musing was written early in the morning on July 5th, but I just found out that I had to use Google Chrome in order to add postings to my website now.
 
I apologize for not getting to my musing before now, or did anyone notice that I hadn’t posted for some time and not as promised close to the end of each month?
 
The only reason I’ve resurfaced is that I took half a Tylenol 3, and narcotics of any type ‘zoo me out.’ So instead of sleeping at 1 a.m., I’m writing. Before someone calls for intervention, I should tell you that I had a cyst on my right foot removed today. It was a ganglion gone from bad to worse ending in a huge cyst that even the podiatrist labelled as ‘awesome’ in the most negative way. And, he’s seen a lot of cysts on many different people’s feet! Oh well, we all have to be awesome at something; with me, it’s growing an awesome cyst.
 
Not only was I in some pain most of the time, but I couldn’t wear closed-sides shoes. That latter fact makes it difficult to go outside in a climate where no one can physically wear sandals year round without frostbite or worse.
 
I had waited the recommended six months to see if the cyst would disappear and/or heal on its own, but all I got were two rounds of antibiotics for infection. I also caused one radiologist to go ballistic when the ultrasound tech showed her possible bone infection. I have never received such quick service for an x-ray. Fortunately, the infection hadn’t quite reached the bone, but it was too close for comfort. I got a sound scolding from my daughter, a former I.C.U. nurse who has witnessed bone infections. Apparently, the entire right side of the foot is not supposed to be red and inflamed…oh dear. I know now that no one should fool around with a possible infection. No wonder my foot hurt so bloody much.
 
Oh, and I should fess up and say I’m also writing this musing because I feel guilty that someone (anyone?) might have been worried about me not surfacing for two months. So, I chose to resurface.
 
My experience earlier today at the Bowness Clinic in Calgary was usual and unusual. Firstly, I had to wait for the good doctor/surgeon. That’s where the usual ended.
 
Unusual was that the clinic was clean to an extreme. A sign at the door said remove shoes or put on the blue booties so Doug and I removed our shoes. The second unusual event was the friendliness of the receptionist, a ‘mature’ woman whose hair was bundled in a scrub cap. She was not in the operating room, but she certainly set the tone for hair under control. Everyone was friendly, no one rushed my questions (although there were some I should have asked but didn’t) and I really felt like the patients were the center of attention. Interesting fact: This clinic is privately owned, but the doctor who operated on me is paid by Alberta Health Services through the public system. I haven’t had such good service since I had my hip operations also done by a surgeon in a private clinic. Both of my hip surgeries were paid for by Alberta Health Services. (There’s a message here, but I’ll let you determine the political implications of what I’m trying to say.)
 
The anesthetist was the talkative type, unlike the taciturn but ‘ballsy’ podiatrist as the latter was called by an unnamed doctor for even attempting this surgery. Apparently, the skin on the side of the foot is thin and not easily successfully stitched—I hope mine is thick enough.
 
I explained to the anesthetist that anaesthesia in general and narcotics in particular send me on trips, and I’m not talking about fun trips to Ireland or Italy. After previous surgeries, I thought that squirrels were chewing on my toes and dragons were dancing on the bed. So, the anesthetist assured me that he would give me just enough local anaesthetic so that I didn’t feel the pain. I think he achieved that as much as he could because I was comfortable. I got to hear the conversation in the operating suite as they discussed the benefits of renting versus buying a place to live right now in Calgary. No definite decision was made, but the newest member of the surgical team thought he might continue renting for now.
 
My hearing of this conversation without being able to contribute is proof of what I once read: Hearing is the last sense to leave us and a reminder for all of us to be careful what we say around people who appear to be sleeping or, worse, leaving us permanently. (Now that I have lost most of my readers as they are ‘googling’ that fact, I will carry on for those of you still dedicated enough to be reading.)
 
I was fitted with what’s called a healing shoe—a rigid piece of hard plastic with straps and velcro straps meant to keep my foot immobilized. Imagine the ugliest sandal you can, and you’ll know what it looks like. Two weeks until I get the stitches removed, and, hopefully lose the healing shoe. Here’s the real kicker: I have to wear this shoe day and night—yes, you read that right: a shoe in bed!
 
So, short of having someone scrub the bottom of that shoe every night, I will definitely be limited in how far I travel. I’m also supposed to keep the bandage underneath that shoe clean and dry for two weeks. The efficient recovery room nurse explained how to shower—plastic garbage bags and tape. She was kind but reinforced the fact that it’s probably better for me not to go digging in the garden or weeding the flower beds for a couple of weeks.
 
I can still enjoy my family’s and friend’s visits, calls and emails although I will miss playing and working outside with the grandchildren. Doug has kindly volunteered to do my pleasant outside jobs and the unpleasant ones too for hopefully just two weeks. The pleasant jobs would be picking saskatoons and spending even more time in the yard after he’s completed all his usual outdoor chores. The unpleasant ones might be pulling that pesky chick-weed that crawls everywhere and cleaning up the bat poop by the front door after their nightly hanging-out sessions. Of course, I can still do the library volunteer work, at least the part that can be done while sitting at a computer. Maybe I’ll even complete my musing on time.
 
I have eight books to read—do you think that’s enough? 

Hello everyone.
As many of my readers know, the Okotoks Public Library is very important to me. I want to share some of our plans with you. Note that I will be walking in the 'Book It' event. Please join me if you live in the area. I would also appreciate pledges if you are so inclined. Thanks for reading and please support the local library in your area.

The Okotoks Public Library Board, Director and Staff continue to be very busy with several fundraising activities in addition to the regular programming and services offered by our library. Here are some events of note:

April 22 – May 7: In-Library Silent Auction
If you need a Mother’s Day gift, some updated kitchen accessories, a pail of goodies for the gardener in your life, or a special treat for yourself, check out our 10 Silent Auction items. We have a wide assortment in a range of prices: books, a certificate for a massage, gardening tools, kitchen accessories, gift certificates for tickets to Okotoks Dawgs Baseball games, wine, chocolates, a family day pass to Kayben Farms and even a chair!

Friday, May 3, 3:30 p.m.: Unveiling of the Donor Wall of Fame
Please join the Okotoks Public Library Board as we reveal the Library’s Expansion campaign Donor Wall of Fame. There will be a short program and cake and refreshments. Everyone is welcome.

Thursday, May 23, Plant It: Create a Succulent Container
Where/When: Thursday, May 23, 7 – 8 p.m., Program Room, Okotoks Public Library
Instructor: Jane Ervin, Library Board Member & Former Owner of Okotoks Flowers & Things
Maximum Enrollment: 30; Pre-register by May 17 at www.okotokslibrary.ca or in person at the library
Cost: $35; Pay online when you register or with cash or debit in-person at the library
Description: Jane will help you create a succulent container. Materials supplied, but please bring heavy gardening gloves and/or tongs. This is a fundraiser for the Okotoks Public Library.
 
Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. – Noon: MAJOR EVENT: Book It – A Fun Walk/Run
NOTE: No registration fee, but we need participants to register by May 27th.  
For more information, to register, and for copies of the waiver and pledge form, please see: http://okotokslibrary.ca/content/bookit
Please consider participating in “Book It” and/or pledging someone to walk/run as we really need your support. Note that both the Library Staff and the Board Members are forming teams, so you can add pledges to our pledge sheets if you wish! Email us at [email protected]    Thanks.
 
Monday, May 27:  The Next Step for a Proposed Arts & Learning Campus on Riverside Drive 
Okotoks Town Council passed motions on January 7th and February 25th for the exploration and then preliminary conceptual development plans for an Arts & Learning Campus on Riverside Drive. The Okotoks Public Library is one of the potential partners. The next important date is May 27th when the funding and phasing aspects of the proposed plan go before Council. Remember, everyone is welcome to attend Town Council meetings. If you are interested in attending to show your support, a delegation from the Library will be going. You are welcome to sit with us if you wish. Please contact me at [email protected], and I’ll let you know the approximate scheduled time for that agenda item.

             Well, spring is definitely in the air, and the forecast is for scattered showers over the next few days. I hope those showers scatter here because we need some moisture.
            On my way to Okotoks this morning, there were about a dozen Trumpeter Swans on a pond southeast of our place. The trumpeters make a stop there every year on their migration route through, and it’s always an exciting day when their large white bodies can be seen—often bottoms up—as they feed. They are only there for a few days. Of course, I had to stop and try to get a photo or two—I was parked on the road so the photo on my Home page is somewhat blurry.
             I checked my “Birds of Alberta” book when I got home though just to make sure they weren’t Tundra Swans which also migrate through this area. But, the Tundra Swans don’t have the distinctive curved neck of the Trumpeters so I’m sure I have my sighting correct. (However, if any ‘birder’ is reading this and can get a good idea from the photo, please do let me know.) Their calls were also very loud and bugle-like while the Tundra Swans have a higher-pitched, quivering call.
            The Robins have been back for a couple weeks now, and I enjoy their cheery songs. We haven’t seen any male Mountain Bluebirds yet, but there have been lots of sightings in the area so I think they might be avoiding our houses. We cleaned the birdhouses out in early March, but bluebirds are notoriously fussy about their real estate, as my Dad used to say.
            The mule deer have moved into the yard as they wander about seeking the green sprigs of grass that are starting to emerge. Hayley dog is getting quite deaf now so the mule deer bother her less although she still barks if they come too close up the path.
            The moose spend most of their time in the environmental reserve behind us. They have been in the yard, but we haven’t seen them up close—just the evidence. Soon, it will be time to shovel all that out of the yard and garden.
            The windows look very filthy in the bright spring sunlight so that’s another job that will need to be tackled. Of course, the entire house could use a good spring cleaning, but the chances of that happening look increasingly unlikely as my volunteer Library Board work continues to take over.
            Best Spring wishes to all of you. Thanks for reading, and please do respond to me if you have the inclination. It’s always nice to get comments so it doesn’t feel like I’m talking to myself.

The woman hurried along the sidewalk boots up to her knees, a down-filled coat, toque pulled down severely and thick mitts on her swinging arms. A typical Canadian winter scene, only this was on a sidewalk in Oceanside, California, in February. The locals and snowbirds there for the weather were not impressed with the 37 Fahrenheit morning temperature—that’s plus 3 Celsius to the world outside the United States—and the cold wind off the brown waves of the ocean.

The waves were brown for several reasons. The main one was that on Thursday, February 14, there was the worst winter storm in 40 years, according to a security guard at North Coast Village. I stayed in the condo, watching as palm trees bent almost double in the wind, and the waves brought in debris from places near and far. Branches, a couple of entire trees, all kinds of garbage and unidentifiable objects were hurtled onto the shore in what became an approximately 10 feet wide and 4 feet high barrier. Apparently, the main source of contamination is raw sewage dumped in the ocean near Tijuana. The mess was still being cleaned up when I left: bobcats at work and huge garbage disposal bins.

The rain came in sheets, causing all kinds of havoc including flash flooding, closed streets and accidents on the freeways. My daughter had cautioned us to avoid driving in the rain because people down there do not know how to drive in rain! About 3.5 inches of rain fell in Oceanside that day, and when the soil doesn’t absorb moisture, that is a problem. In what Californians call the mountains, 10 inches fell and some of that was snow. I only ventured down to the parking garage to make sure my rental car was not submerged; fortunately, there was just a small amount of water on the garage floor.

For me, the weather was incidental once the worst of it had passed and it continued to be cool with periodic showers over the next few days. After wearing the same red cardigan for 12 days, I did notice the fact that it hadn’t warmed up. My reason for being there was to spend time with my granddaughter—and her parents too, of course—and to help celebrate her 6th birthday.

Packing for a couple weeks in Southern California is always a crap-shoot. I have learned to take one set of clothes for very warm weather and one set of clothes for very cool weather. I learned to do that after one September when I had to buy a sundress and spend most of my time sitting under a fan when the temperature sky-rocketed. Fortunately, the condo where we stay has laundry facilities so I only need to pack one carry-on bag.

But, this past two weeks I certainly didn’t need to worry about a sundress! At the same time, Doug was home coping with bitterly cold weather and plowing and shovelling every day as the snow continued to accumulate. We split our trips to California this year so one of us was home with Hayley.

Our Calgary family joined me for eight days, and the three grandchildren had a great time at Disneyland. My favorite rides are still a couple of the originals: the teacups where my two granddaughters kept us spinning by turning the wheel as fast as they could, and the roller coaster named Thunder Mountain. 

Back in Oceanside, the kids had fun playing in the sand on the beach before the big storm, and on the playground and in what was accessible and uncontaminated of the sand after the storm. The harbour area was quickly cleaned as it is a city-owned beach. The area near the condo was the worst in terms of debris. There was still a definite brown line near the horizon beyond which was what looked like cleaner water. Needless to say, there was no swimming or wading.

My granddaughter spent February 18th, our Family Day and the U.S. Presidents’ Day, with me and had her first sleepover. On our walk to the pier, she was invited to play in the sand along the sidewalk with a couple of little girls. Their parents told me they had moved to Oceanside eighteen years ago from near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The father explained that he worked repairing hail damage on vehicles and basically followed the hailstorm path in the spring and summer. He starts work in Louisiana and Texas and then moves on to the Midwest United States. He was curious about our hailstorms in Canada but would need a Visa to work here. When I asked, I was told that there are never hailstorms in Southern California.

Three days later, San Diego had some hail. My daughter drove in it on her commute home, and she knows hail. The fellow sitting beside me on the plane home was out for a walk after his conference sessions ended for the day and got caught in the hail. He’s from Edmonton so he knows hail. All we got in Oceanside was huge raindrops which I thought might turn into hail, but stopped short. As I drove my granddaughter home, we saw a full rainbow—the first one she remembers seeing.

“Seems it never rains in southern California … but girl, don’t they warn ya? It pours, man, it pours…”  And, yes, it did hail for a few minutes one day in February 2019.
 

Autumn/Fall has always been my favorite season. When I was a child, the excitement of returning to school was paramount. Now, as an adult, Fall means a release from hot temperatures and unending acreage work. Yes, it is beautiful here in the Foothills, but it also means many, many hours spent doing acreage work. 

We enjoyed several visits from friends and family this summer with lots of fun activities, particularly with our adult children and grandchildren. Thanks also to our friends reading this post who came to visit. 

We did some travelling in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Of particular interest was a 'cousins get-together' at two ranches, one in southern Alberta and one in south western Saskatchewan. We had first been invited to visit in 2007 so it took a few years, but we finally got there. In between the two ranch visits with lots of visiting and great food, we enjoyed quality accommodation, wonderful meals and friendly hosts at the Historic Reesor Ranch. Check it out if you're interested in a holiday in the Cypress Hills area.

Back at home, we had several sightings of black bear scat in our garden, near the back deck and on our laneway. We didn't see the black bear or bears, but I was more cautious, particularly with the grandchildren. (My husband says he can out-run me so he's not worried!) We think it may be the black bear first sighted in 2019 with evidence of scat sighted in the intervening years. The ravine behind our home is an ideal place for all wildlife, and the saskatoons--both wild and domestic--are a big draw. 

We picked and froze 75 - 750 ml containers of saskatoons so we'll definitely be eating saskatoons every morning until late next spring. We leave the wild saskatoons for the birds and mammals. One morning when we went down to pick saskatoons, there were many berries scattered on the ground so that was further proof that there was a bear as they are messy eaters. We also saw prints in the garden after a rain. 

The raspberries were good while they lasted. Unfortunately, as in most places, we had swarms of wasps. For the first time here, the raspberries were totally covered by wasps who make pulp of the berries. So, I was only able to rescue about two-thirds of the raspberries. I also got stung once which was enough for me! 

I had a busy summer volunteering--obviously not running--at the Half-Marathon Run to the Market in June and at the Priddis & Millarville Fair in August. The Fair set an attendance record of 7,000 people over the two days. Our Adult Horticulture area (Flowers, Vegetables & Fruit) had a total of 217 exhibits and 64 exhibitors spread over 21 tables, up substantially from 2023. We were delighted to have several new exhibitors to our bench exhibits. We had five long days setting up, assisting the judges, chatting with the visitors to our display, and then cleaning up. We had 12 wonderful volunteers in our area along with a total of about 250 volunteers for the entire 117th Fair. 

I hope that you had a good summer, and that the swarms of wasps are leaving you alone now that we have cooler weather. Enjoy autumn! 

I know I’m not alone when I say that a great deal of time and effort seems to go into maintenance—not of my vehicle, but of myself. The time spent just to keep myself from falling apart seems to increase with each passing day. Yes, I know that I’m fortunate that I still have to do maintenance as the alternative is not to be here to do it. I also realize that my maintenance is not life-threatening. But, I have to write about something in this Musing!
 
In April 2018, I told my dentist during a regular check-up that my four bottom teeth were loose. “Loose?” he queried, as he wiggled them. “Teeth are supposed to move somewhat.”
 
Well, this was more than somewhat. I appeared to be in competition for losing those four teeth with my oldest grandchild who was starting to lose her baby teeth.
 
It took some convincing that something needed to be done, but the dentist started to discuss alternatives with me. I was tempted to just have all my teeth removed and stop what I predict will be an ongoing saga of dental work and huge bills. Of course, the advice out in dental world is to keep your own teeth for as long as possible. So, I agreed to have teeth implants.
 
You probably don’t want all the gory details so stop reading if you’re squeamish. I went to an oral surgeon on May 30th and so the eight-month ordeal began. I had to sign off on a form that said I knew cadaver bone was being used for a better result—in short, the implants needed better bone than I had.
 
I was told that my mouth is very small—so take that all you people who think I have a great deal to say! The dental surgeon removed the four teeth, and I was told that to heal well, it was advantageous if I could go without a partial plate for at least two weeks.
 
First of all, the oral surgeon—who is well over 6 feet tall with linebacker shoulders—had large hands. Remember, I have a small mouth. In fact, a pediatric bite blocker had to be located because the adult small was too large. Having said that, the oral surgeon did a very good job and the overall bill from his work wasn’t as high as everyone had predicted.
 
Unfortunately, after any dental procedure, I am prone to canker sores. Apparently, some patients get canker sores, there isn’t any way of preventing them and they are caused by stress. Obviously, I was stressed. The canker sores were more irritating than the surgery site itself which healed well. The dental surgeon prescribed a rinse. However, a clerk at the local Shoppers Drug Mart recommended a couple of products that worked even better: a ‘grown up’ topical anesthetic similar to what I used to squirt on the kids’ gums during teething and an oral wound cleanser.
 
I went to a denturist and had more impressions. She made a partial plate so that I could at least appear in public without looking like ‘an upside-down vampire.’ There was only one catch, of course: the partial plate had to be removed to eat. Since the front teeth are used a fair amount in biting, speaking clearly and so on, it became an eight-month endurance test.
 
It was handy on Halloween though, and my family either got used to seeing the upside-down vampire eating, or they were too polite to say anything.
 
Plan on seeing the inside of a dentist’s office very frequently if you embark on such an adventure: at one point three times in one week with a bill to match. There was some excitement in that I couldn’t seem to keep the temporary crowns on, regardless of the fact that I cut up my food into bite size pieces similar to what you’d do for a one year old starting on solid food. Two temporary crowns fell out. I swallowed one that had been replaced—I’ll leave the details of that result to your imagination.
 
Finally, on January 23, 2019, the implants were literally torqued into place. So far, nothing has fallen out. The greatest result is that I can actually eat in public!
 
As per usual given my age and stage of life, there is always more maintenance, specifically the regular mammogram. My theory is that the technician makes all the difference in this experience, and I lucked out this past week with a very capable and fast technician.
 
After the mammogram, I was booked for a bone density. I was glad to relax on that table, wedge cushion under my knees. The technician explained she was having difficulty locating me in the system based on a name search. I encouraged her to try alternative spellings of Cathro. No, that didn’t work either. She asked if I’d changed my last name. Finally, she keyed in my health card number, and there I was.
 
“According to this, your last name is P H Y.”
 
So, not only do I have new front bottom teeth, but, apparently according to Alberta Health Services, I am now Lorraine Phy.