REVENGE OF THE PARENTS

The little guy in this picture is my Grandson. He will soon be 10 months old. In that time he has learned so much. How to recognize people, how to make different sounds, how to chew and the best of all....... how to be his grandparents instrument of revenge.

Since he starting crawling he , naturally, has been curious about everything he can possibly get to.This , as far as we are concerned is a good thing. As for his parents, BABY PROOF!

My daughter was over the other day and was telling us that earlier she had to change a wash in her house. She left Owen in the basement while she ran upstairs to do this one minute job. As she came back down into the basement, there he was on the first landing , 6 steps up, sitting quite proud of himself. When he saw her , he just smiled and clapped with the " look what I can do" enthusiasm of a little devil.

While he was here, he was sitting and crawling around on the floor. When something caught his eye, he immediately went after it. Natural curiosity. However, when he was told no, what did he do? Exactly the same thing his mother used to do. He looked my wife straight in the eye, all innocent, and the whole time, his little hand was reaching for the one thing he had been told no for. When we laughed and said he was just like his mom, she said,"no I was a good kid". And she was, for the most part. But she would look you straight in the eye and her little hand would be reaching out to touch what she had just been told no for.

He has also learned to pull himself up to a standing position using furniture and tables. He can then reach what he wants. We have a little stool in the room and he knows he can move it to where he wants to go and then get up.

We are going to have to baby proof our house also.I don't mind that. Better safe than sorry. What I really am looking forward to is the little munchkin giving his mother as good as she gave us. (PUT IN EVIL LAUGH SOUND HERE)

HOSPITAL ROOMMATE

For those of you who have spent time in the hospital, you know that you do not get a choice of roommates. During my recent stay,I got to know one of the fellows in the next bed fairly well.

On Wednesday night, I did not get a lot of sleep because this older gentleman kept complaining that he was cold and would constantly ring for the nurse. Of course, every time she came in, enough noise was made to wake both myself and the third guy in the room.This older fellow, Harold, would be constantly ask for a warm blanket because he was cold. It seemed to me to be about 90 in the room and I remember thinking, "how could he be cold?"

All night long he would complain , so I didn't get a lot of sleep.

The next day, we started talking and he told me about himself. He was in for a broken hip, thigh and knee ,all on the left leg.No wonder he was in pain. He had been there for over 3 weeks. As the day went on this older lady came to visit him and we talked for a few minutes. She told me that Harold would most likely have o go to an assisted living facility where he could get help during the day or evenings if he needed it. She also informed me that she was Harold's daughter, not his wife. She was 68 years old and Harold was 98. I could hardly believe it. Here was a very nice fellow who had been living on his own for a number of years,who was 98 years old. He was as sharp as a tack. He could remember things from before I was born. To put it simply, he was amazing. When my family came in, they saw his daughter and they too, thought it was his wife. He certainly did not look to be as old as he was. I am still in awe of the clarity of his mind. And when you think about how many old people die from broken hips, I could understand why he was in so much pain.

During the next day and a half, we spent a lot of time talking and I realized a lot of his pain and complaining was simply because he was lonely and wanted some attention. I can't say that I blame him. Only his daughter came to visit until the day I was leaving. The staff was short with him and sometimes treated him with very little compassion. I know it is there job to make sure he gets moving, but there are better methods than some of them used.

When you think about all he has seen or done in his 98 years, it boggles the mind. Not only has he seen the turn of a century, a new millennium , but he has almost lived for a century. He has witnessed the development of planes and seen men walk on the moon. He has gone from crystal radio sets to television and the Internet.

So Harold, Here's to you. I hope you make your century

WORLD'S RICHEST MAN

When I came home from the hospital last week, I did so with great joy. Even though all my kids do not still live at home and one has a baby of her own , I knew I could count on them.

On the Friday I was released, my oldest daughter, who works for the provincial Government, took the day off work so that she could help my wife get me out of the hospital and home safely. I know my wife is more than capable of doing this job by herself, but Erin wanted to be here for me. I also think it made her feel better that she was able to see for herself that I was alright. When we arrived home she helped me into the house while my wife put the car in the garage. She carried in my bag and made sure I was as comfortable as possible.

My son Jim was home from work and immediately came up to greet me. He didn't stick around long but just knowing he cared was enough. He has since done a ton of things to help out around the house , to make sure I have whatever I need.He has also done so much to help his mother and make it easier for her. If I do something I am not supposed to,I hear about it very quickly.

My daughter Kristin comes over with my grandson to prepare my lunch and help clean up the house. She knows that Owen brings me such joy. She always phones first to see if there is anything I need or want.

Craig, my youngest has been great. He works from midnight to 8 A.M. When I get up, the first thing he asks is what I want for breakfast and do I want a shower.Maybe he is trying I tell me something with that one. LOL. He helps me get in the tub and washes my hair and my back for me. He doesn't mind doing this at all.

Because my wife still works, she is away most of the day but when she gets home, she makes sure I am comfortable and have whatever I need. Even though she has arthritis in the hips, she is still up and down for me

This is my great support network at home. All my kids have lives of there own but they make time for me. And for this , I am very very grateful. They feed me, help me dress, sometimes just talk, but they always show they care.

Because I am surrounded by all this love, I am the richest man in the world.

Back Surgery

This is the scar. Having trouble getting pics to stay pblished. Suggestions?

BACK SURGERY

This is my new back scar. It is about 8 inches long and has 27 staples

NO MORE KNUCKLE DRAGGING

I'm Baaack! First of all, a big thank you to all of you for your good wishes before I went into the hospital spinal fusion. The picture at the left shows the outer manifestation of the surgery. There are 26 staples holding me together here. The vertical marks you can see are from the corset that takes the place of a cast to hold everything in place. The scar itself is about 8 inches long. Guess my bikini days are gone. (Stop laughing Lin.)

Before I went into surgery, I told the surgical team that my wife wanted them to add 2 inches. Great roars of laughter! No! No! to my height you clowns. I remember them starting the anesthetic and then waking up in the post-op ward.

As it turned out, the surgeon only had to fuse the Sacrum to the L5 vertebra. He did have to do a lot of cleaning out of scar tissue from injuries I had gotten over the years. In fact he said for someone who had never had back surgery, I had a LOT of scar tissue. He figured he got all of it anyway.

The pain that was and is there now is from the surgery. The pain that I was experiencing before the surgery, as near as I can tell , is gone. Each day I have less and less. Still hurts to cough.

Wednesday June 6, was the day of surgery. Thursday, bright and early, they have you out of bed and walking. This is a little scary at first. For about 3 steps when you realize you can stand upright and move no problem for the first time in a year. By the afternoon, I could go around the ward twice.To get out of bed is an art form. You must raise you knees up and then roll to the side like a log. As your legs go off the bed you must push up into a sitting position all without bending or twisting your back. To get back in, you reverse the process. The worst part is trying to get straight in bed, You must slide across the bed on your back. This is painful as you are sliding on our new scar.
This is also one of the best days as they take out the catheter. What an instrument of torture that is. And when you first pee with it out, be prepared. Burn


Most hospitals all seem to be the same. They want you mobile, peeing and passing gas as soon as possible. And the food is not something I would feed to my dogs. Disgusting!Some of it was so dry that even with a mouthful of water , I was unable to swallow what passed for meat.

Thursday was a busy day. Occupational Therapy- learning how to put putting on corset, going up stairs, getting in and out of vehicle, dressing, showering, using the toilet. X-ray-making sure everything is still where it is supposed to be. Walking- you cannot sit for more than 30 minutes without going for a walk.

The drainage tube came out and they took me off the morphine on Thursday. On to the Tylenol 4 or Percocet as needed.

Friday Morning: 7:00 A.M. Surgeon comes in and says (music to my ears)-" you can go home as soon as occupational therapy passes you, Home on Friday afternoon
Now it is just a matter of healing and building my strength back up. Was it worth it. YOU BET! My knuckles no longer drag on the ground. Anybody with any questions, please feel free to ask

And again to Lin, Bruno, Scott, Babzy ,Catmoves- Thanks again for your good wishes

TIME OFF

Today will be fairly short. I will not be blogging for the next week or so as tomorrow I go into the hospital to get fixed. No, not the kind of fixed that you do to a dog. The kind of fixed where hopefully the doctors can relieve your pain.

For over a year now, I have been off work on disability. I have what they call spinal stenosis. This occurs when you rupture a disk between your vertebrae. Then one bone rubs on top of another bone and also irritates the nerves. On the disk above, I also have a cyst growing in the spinal canal and pushing in the spinal cord. This causes pain to start at your hip and shoot down to the bottom of your foot. In the last year, I have had trouble standing for more than five minutes. Makes it impossible to hike or fish.

So tomorrow I get fixed. Two titanium rods joining three vertebra, then a bone graft over top. Eight to twelve weeks of recovery after that. During this time I will have to wear a special corset(n0, there won't be pictures) and use a walker to get around while the graft takes. No up and down stairs, no mowing the grass, no gardening, no hiking fishing or golfing. But most of all, no PAIN.

So, take care all, see you in about a week.

Oil Rant

The following is a little story sent to me by a lady I work with. It is true since the big oil companies and our Competition Bureau insist that there is no collusion between oil companies in so far as price fixing is concerned. According to both, the price is solely determined by supply and demand. I guess if you shut your refineries for maintenance during the busiest time of year, yes demand can outstrip supply. Or if you live in the largest Province with the highest population , your gas ,by DIVINE RIGHT, is cheaper. Especially if you live in the CENTER of the UNIVERSE-----TORONTO, then yes, your gas is cheaper Or if, you simply want to have your company make obscene profits, then yes, there is no collusion.
However,if you are one of the peasants, hold tight to your purse strings The Sheriff of Nottingham and Prince John and there is no Robin Hood in sight.

A lot of folks can't understand how we came to have

An oil shortage here in CANADA

Well, there's a very simple answer.

Nobody bothered to check the oil.

We just didn't know we were getting low .

The reason for that is purely geographical.

Our OIL is located in

Alberta

Newfoundland

Saskatchewan

And

B.C.

Our DIPSTICKS are located in OTTAWA

GRANDSON OWEN

This is my grandson Owen. He is the first for Mrs. Moose and I. You have seen me write about him before. Today, he is 9 months old and he is already a ladies man or is that baby girls baby boy.

All his life he has been surrounded by people who cuddle him and kiss him. This is not unusual as most babies experience the same thing. And, most of the time, until they are a little older, it means absolutely nothing to them except to make them feel good.

My daughter belongs to a baby group where mothers of new-borns get together. This is not the same as mothers of old-borns getting together.

At the meeting yesterday Owen was sitting in the floor with the only little girl in the group. He reached out and took her hand and gave it a kiss. The mother of the little girl either didn't see it or didn't understand it. She asked my daughter what was going on. My daughter told her and then to prove it, Owen did the exact same thing. Took the little girls hand and gave it a kiss. That's my little moose. Maybe babies do understand more than we think.

He is at the age where he is trying different things just to see the reaction he gets. He was at our house on Thursday night and while Mrs Moose was holding him he started. She would pretend to blow him a kiss and he would look at her and blink very slowly. After about the third time, he would start to coyly bow his head and then blink slowly. When he figured that he had done it enough he stopped doing it.

He has also started to blow. He sits, purses his lips and blows, making a motor boat sound. He does this for five minutes or so and then looks at you with the biggest smile and the "Aren't I smart look".

It is just amazing how kids develop and I am enjoying it for all it is worth.

HIKING THE ROCKIES

Welcome to the Alberta Rockies. This is a country where mountains soar like spears to the sky and lodge pole pine grow straight up. This is a country of wild beauty and deafening silence. This is where Mrs. Moose and I like to hike.

When you are attuned to the silence you can hear the birds chirping and cawing and twittering to each other. You can also watch eagles and hawks soar and screech their hunting cries. You can listen to the trees blow and scrape against each other in the wind. The babbling of small brooks and streams making their way to larger rivers can be also heard. As you listen carefully, you can hear the sounds of rock splintering off mountains and crashing to their deaths as dust at the base of cliffs. You can become one with nature in such a place

When ones hikes here, you let the park rangers know where you are going and how long you should be. This county belongs to nature. It is the home of elk, deer, Big Horn sheep, and mountain goats. It is also home to cougars, wolverine, black bears and Grizzlies. When we hike, we carry dried food(n0 smell), lots of water, a compass and water-proof matches. We use hiking poles to make the climbing easier, for we are no longer young moose. We also carry a machete and bear spray. I hope I never have to use them.

The pictures at the left are of the lake at the base of Angel Glacier. The glacier itself is shaped like an angel and is on Mt. Edith Cavell. This is only a short hike of about 45 minutes from the parking lot to the lake. It is actually a very easy hike and only 9 miles south of Jasper town site.

The lake itself is glacial water and extremely cold. It melts off the glacier, down under the moraine and into the lake. The icebergs, like the ones in the back of the top picture, can be 50-100 ft long and 30 ft. high. The ones in the foreground are about 15-20 ft long and 5-8 ft high. They come in a myriad of shapes and like snowflakes ,no two are alike. And what you can see is only 1/10Th of what is actually there. The rest is underwater.The water is a gorgeous aquamarine colour and very very clear.

These pictures were taken on a beautiful, mid-July day. The temperature was a warm 23Celsius(73F) and a great day for shorts and T-shirt.

If you like to hike and camp, come to the Rockies of Alberta. Come to Alphonsedamoose country!