Saturday, October 21
I awoke at my normal time but I was excited. My brother-in-law was coming to visit today! I haven't seen him or my sister-in-law since the beginning of July. Unfortunately, my sister-in-law isn't coming to visit because she has a cold and doesn't want to spread it to me.
Hubby and I enjoyed our leisurely coffees and then decided to embrace the warm day as Brother-in-law isn't arriving until mid afternoon. Hubby had to return his work van to work so we decided to enjoy our favourite fast food breakfast out. While waiting in line to pay for our order, a female behind us was coughing loudly without covering her mouth. Ewww!!! This is what makes me afraid to go out in public. Uneducated people who are willing to spread their germs and viruses with the rest of us around them. I immediately left the line and found a table for us to sit at. We did enjoy our breakfast despite the line-up incident.
After dropping off the vehicle, we went home to clean and tidy up the house. I know that Brother-in-law doesn't really judge us based on how messy the house is, but it was time to tidy and clean. We had just finished when Brother-in-law arrived from out of town. After using hand sanitizer which is kept at our front door, he enveloped me in a nice big, warm hug. He then gave me a backpack that he had brought in with his other overnight bags. "This is for you for in the hospital." What a thoughtful present!
Inside the backpack was a colouring book, a large sudoku book (I love sudokus), a small blanket with a note indicating that it is them giving me hugs when I wear it (awwww), pencil crayons, a pencil sharpener (great idea!), moisturizer lotion (for when my skin is dry), 2 bags of candies and a box of chocolates. So much thought went into this! There was also a lovely note from my sister-in-law. After looking through the backpack, I felt the warmth of family love and caring.
We enjoyed catching up with Brother-in-law and, at one point, when it was he and I sitting on the couch, he commented "You look great! You would never know you have cancer." I notice that my hair is thinner but he didn't until I mentioned it. I am feeling great right now and have energy and pink cheeks. My weight is good and I do look healthy. We all continued to visit and catch up until it was time to go for dinner at Brother-in-law's and one of our favourite Greek restaurant downtown. We had reservations. I had been looking forward to having dinner there as it has been a long time since I've been there. We had a great time and enjoyed our meals as always. The drawback to this restaurant is it is small and loud. However, the food is amazing! I started my meal with the escargots. I am always torn whether to have the escargots or the Saganaki. When our children were small we always called it the "Flaming Cheese". Brother-in-law had the Saganaki and was willing to share a piece of it so I was able to enjoy both my escargots and some Saganaki. I then had the restaurant's renowned lamb shank. Again I always look forward to it. I know that I should try some of the other entrees on the menu and I always say "someday". Then when I get to ordering my meal, I get the lamb shank. I'm never disappointed. It is always so tender that you don't even need a knife. It just falls right off the bone. The au jus or sauce is always spot on. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
After dinner, we came home and continued our visit. We were all very full. I think I was home for about 30 minutes and I suddenly was very tired. I went off to bed and slept for a full 10 hours! My body must have needed it.
Sunday, October 22
I awoke around 8 a.m. I did the morning routine of changing Frodo's (our cat) water and feeding him. The house was quiet and I was hesitant to make coffee. Our kitchen sink is directly above the guest bed in the basement. I was afraid of waking up Brother-in-law. I had already been using the water to change the cat's water so I figured I had already inadvertently woke him up. I made a full pot of coffee and settled down on the couch to do some knitting while the coffee brewed. I love my morning coffees and when my taste buds were off, I missed having my coffee. But I couldn't stomach trying to drink coffee that tasted like stale cigarette butts. I'm glad my taste buds are settling down right now. Perhaps I appreciate my coffee just a little bit more. So back to the present. While knitting, I heard Brother-in-law moving around in the basement. He came upstairs and admitted he had been awake about 30 minutes before he heard me moving around in the kitchen. Good! I didn't wake him up.
We chatted about life until Hubby made his sleepy appearance. He is NOT a morning person. We all enjoyed cups of coffee and then Hubby made his specialty breakfast. I am so spoiled and I truly appreciate that fact that Hubby can cook well. After breakfast, we continued visiting and before we knew it, it was mid afternoon and Brother-in-law needed to get on the road to return to his home (about 2 hours away). At one point during the afternoon, a childhood friend of mine called and I enjoyed a visit with her across the many miles. We caught up and will hopefully be in contact through electronic methods while I'm in the hospital. It was just after her call that Brother-in-law indicated it was time to get on the journey home.
We waved goodbye as he drove down the street. What a warm and gorgeous day it is!! Hubby asked if I wanted to go out on the motorcycle. Absolutely!! This would be a short ride as the days are getting shorter. I love riding on the back of the Honda Goldwing. I always feel liberated as the wind blows against me and I get a better full view of everything around us. Hubby and I got suited up and off we went. The Fall colours are past their prime but I was able to get a sense of the brilliance that would have been in the woods just a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to get out due to chemo and how I was feeling. However, this was good and very enjoyable. As we ride, I like to look for wildlife such as deer, turles, foxes, etc. I really didn't see any today but I still enjoyed my ride. We did stop to fill up with gas which allowed us to go further. We ended up at a park on Lake Ontario. We stopped because I had made the comment, "I've never seen Lake Ontario this still. It's like glass!" We enjoyed watching the water very softly and gently lap against the shore. There were mallard ducks, seagulls and a lone cormorant just floating on the still water. We took some "selfie" pictures and then decided to get back on the bike and head home. What a wonderful afternoon idyll for me to remember until next Spring. This was my last excursion on the Goldwing for 2017.
After returning home, we took all our gear off and put it away. It was now dinner time and I hadn't pulled any meat out for anything for dinner. Hubby suggested going to a local diner for fish and chips. We haven't been there in over a year and it's funny, because I was craving fish and chips while on the bike. So off we went. We've been eating out so often lately! It's not from being lazy and not wanting to cook. And it's not from lack of food in our home. We are celebrating each day and visiting the restaurants we enjoy while I can.
When we returned home from our dinner out, there was a voice mail from my son. So I called him back and enjoyed a visit with him. While he was talking to Hubby on the phone, a call waiting occurred and a voice mail was left from my brother. After Hubby was finished the call with my son, I called my brother and enjoyed a lovely visit with him too. When our visit wrapped up and I hung up the phone, I realized it was 9:00 already and time for my favourite series "Outlander". Hubby and I watched and I fully enjoyed the program.
I normally would have gone to bed immediately after watching "Outlander" but instead I got into watching a program that Hubby had "pvr'd" (personal video recorder). Meaning, he had taped this program called "The Secret Path" which was a taped version of Gord Downie's last solo tour. Gord Downie, the front man for the Canadian band "The Tragically Hip", passed away from brain cancer this past week. I really enjoyed "The Secret Path". As soon as it was finished, I was off to bed and asleep immediately.
It has been an awesome day!!
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