KELLY'S LAST PLASMAPHERESIS TREATMENT TODAY

 IT WAS A NICE AFTERNOON FOR A WALK IN A LONDON FOREST

Not surprisingly, I had a few of my medical appointments mixed up.  It was this morning I had to go for the blood work and not Thursday morning.  And Thursday is my X-rays and not Friday.  It's a good thing Kelly keeps track of things.  My short-term memory is practically non-existent and I consider it a minor miracle when I wake up some mornings actually remembering who I am.

 MORE ENCOURAGING SIGNS OF SPRING TODAY

 FORSYTHIA

Under cold cloudy skies, I was at the Dynacare Lab this morning on the early side and was actually in and out of there before I was even due to be there.  Home again, the Subaru had hardly cooled off when all three of us were in it again and heading for London's Victoria Hospital.  It was 11 a.m. and Kelly had an appointment at 12:30 a.m. for her hopefully last plasmapheresis treatment.

 HEADING TO LONDON UNDER COOL CLOUDY SKIES

 PHEEBS AND I DROP KELLY OFF

Dropping Kelly off at 12:15 Pheebs and I hustled over to the nature area behind Parkwood Hospital and minutes later we were out of the car and onto another trail.  Cold today but not as cold as Monday when we had flecks of snow in the air.  I had planned to re-walk the north shoreline trail of Walkers pond but that idea was quickly thwarted when we found the pathway still too muddy.

 HEADING OFF ON THIS TRAIL WE DIDN'T GET TOO FAR

 THE TRAIL WAS STILL TOO MUDDY

 I THINK IT WAS TOO CHILLY FOR THESE MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS TO OPEN

 HEADING DOWN TO THE WATER'S EDGE AT THE EAST END OF WALKERS POND

 A GRAY AND AND MOODY SKY REFLECTED IN WALKERS POND

 A TOUCH OF EARLY AFTERNOON SUNSHINE ON THE POND

Doubling back a short distance we re-walked another area where the Veteran's memorial bench is located as well as three old cement foundations from days of buildings past.

 VETERAN'S MEMORIAL BENCH

 I LOVE TAKING CANDID PHOTOS OF PEOPLE JUST BEING THEMSELVES

 WHEN THESE THREE YOUNG FELLOWS APPROACHED, PHEEBS RAN UP TO GREET THEM BUT THE FELLOW ON THE LEFT WITH A FISHING POLE WAS SCARED OF HER AND RAN AROUND BEHIND HIS TWO BUDDIES WHO NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED PHEEBS FRIENDLINESS

 PHEEBS AND I HEEDED THIS SIGN AND DIDN'T FOLLOW THIS TRAIL UNTIL WE BLUNDERED INTO IT LATER ON FOR A SECOND TIME IN TWO DAYS

Almost back to the car I spotted another faint trail leading off into the hardwood bush so off we went on that one to see what we could see.  It doubled around and joined the 'dogs must be on a leash' trail so we only walked a short distance on that one before I spotted another trail leading off in the general direction we were wanting to go.

 SPOTTED ANOTHER SMALL SIDE TRAIL SO OFF WE WENT

 PHEEBS BLAZES THE TRAIL AHEAD

 IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE WE BLUNDERED INTO THE 'DOG LEASH' TRAIL (FOREGROUND)

 A WELL-WORN TRAIL INDEED

 PHEEBS SOMETIMES WANDERS OFF THE PATH

 SPOTTED ANOTHER SIDE TRAIL WHICH  QUICKLY GOT US OFF THE 'DOG LEASH'' TRAIL

 PHEEBS SCOUTS THE WAY AHEAD

 SHE ALWAYS KEEPS ME IN SIGHT AND MAKES SURE I AM STILL COMING

 TWO DAYS AGO WE CAME THROUGH HERE FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND I HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL COMING DOWN THE MUDDY GRADE

 I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH MY RIGHT LEG OR HIP AND POWERED RIGHT UP THIS GRADE

 THIS IS A NEW SECTION OF TRAIL FOR US

 CAME ACROSS THIS TAG ON A FENCE AND YOU CAN SEE THE TREE BELOW

I didn't take my cane on this walk and despite some steep little grades along the trail I once again never had any problems with my hip or right leg.  We encountered a number of muddy spots but were able to circumnavigate them.  Well, at least I was, while Pheebs just plowed right through the mud like it wasn't even there.  Some parts of the trail were the same parts we had walked a couple days ago and most parts were new.  We eventually found our way back to the green grass of the two large ball diamonds and from there to the car on the other side.  Our energized walk had lasted one hour and ten minutes and was the best thing for my legs.

 THE PATH WE WERE FOLLOWING LED OUT OF THE FOREST INTO A FIELD

 I THINK THAT MIGHT BE THE CORE OF DOWNTOWN LONDON ON THE FAR HORIZON

 THE PATH AHEAD LED IN A DIRECTION I DIDN'T WANT TO GO SO WE TURNED AROUND HERE AND RE-ENTERED THE FOREST

 WE CAME ACROSS THE GREEN CROP OF MAYAPPLES

 MAKING OUR WAY BACK THROUGH THE FOREST AND BEGINNING TO SEE MORE SUNLIGHT

 LUCKILY, THIS MAJOR WATER HOLE HAD DRIED UP

 ANOTHER NARROW SIDE TRAIL WITH A LOT OF SNAIL SHELLS ALONG THE WAY

 FINALLY, WE MADE IT BACK TO THE DOUBLE BASEBALL DIAMOND AREA

We reached the car at 1:40 p.m. and slipped into our waiting routine of me reading and Pheebs snoozing.  It was 2:35 when my cell rang with Kelly on the other end saying she was ready to be picked up.  Pheebs and I were there minutes later and we were once again on our way home with a quick stop at Wendys on Adelaide Street.  By this time the skies were clearing and we had a nice-looking blue sky drive all the way home.  We rolled into our driveway at 4:35 this afternoon.  Mission accomplished:))

ON OUR WAY BACK TO PICK UP MOM AT THE HOSPITAL

 'YAAAAAY':))

 HEADING UP ADELAIDE STREET WE SPOTTED THIS SIGN DEPICTING THE NEW RAILWAY UNDERPASS

 IT WAS NICE TO BE HEADING HOME WITH NO FURTHER  LONDON MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS FOR AWHILE

 GOTTA LOVE THOSE BLUE SKIES AND ESPECIALLY SO AT THIS TIME OF YEAR

It's a good feeling knowing we do not have to run back to London in a couple days and with today being Kelly's last plasmapheresis treatment we may not be back there again but......the last thing the nurse said to Kelly today was that 'depending how long the itching stays at bay, Kelly may have to come back on a weekly basis'.  Encouragingly, Kelly had another itch-free night last night.      

 KELLY HOLDS HER BLOOD PLASMA BAG WITH ALL THE TOXINS IN IT

 AND THESE WERE HER BANDAGED ARMS TODAY

 AND THIS ON THE BACK OF KELLYS SHIRT TODAY SAYS IT ALL

A friend of mine inquired about my thoughts on why my hip and leg were not hurting me at the moment and I am again able to walk without pain.  My Nurse Practitioner told me last week to begin taking Tylenol 1000mg 3 times a day and Glucosamine 1500 mg once a day for 6 to 8 weeks to see if it helps.  That is my only explanation as to why I have been able to walk and move around without pain in my leg.  I can still feel occasional tweaks and twinges and that is enough to remind me not to push my luck by doing something stupid.  We'll see what tomorrow's X-rays turn up............

 ONE OF THE OLD VETERANS  ABANDONED HOSPITAL BUILDINGS STILL STANDS IN THE AREA WHERE PHEEBS AND I PARK

 AND OF COURSE, WHERE THERE ARE OLD ABANDONED BUILDINGS THERE IS ALWAYS SOME FORM OF GRAFFITI

Al's Music Box:)) Call Me The Breeze by JJ Cale from the album 'Naturally'.  1971

 THE CLOSER WE GOT TO HOME THIS AFTERNOON THE BETTER IT FELT:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A blind man walks into a store.  He grabs his guide dog by the tail and lifts it into the air then spins it around his head.  The store clerk, alarmed by this strange behavior said, "Can I help you?"…. "Nope, I'm just looking around."

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What did the train conductor say to the kangaroo?  “Hop on!”

What animal jumps when it walks and sits when it stands?  A kangaroo

What’s a kangaroo’s favorite candy?Lollihops

What do you get if you cross a kangaroo and a sheep?  A woolly good jumper

What kind of music do kangaroos listen to?Hip-hop

What do you get when you mix an elephant and a kangaroo?  Big holes all over Australia

A spider, a snake, and a kangaroo walk into a bar...It’s a normal day in Australia

In Antarctica, a little kangaroo is sitting with some penguins, sneezing and grumbling, “Stupid student exchange program"!!

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