IT WAS SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT WHEN THE AMBULANCE CAME

 I SNAPPED A QUICK PIC OF THE SUNSET LATE THIS AFTERNOON ON MY WAY BACK FROM THE GODERICH HOSPITAL

It was shortly after midnight when the ambulance came.  Kelly had been having increasing difficulty with her breathing.  Her abdomen had filled up again with fluid which was obviously pressing on her lungs.  She was coughing more and about half an hour after helping her to bed she was up again saying she couldn't lay down.  Tried to make her comfortable in her living room recliner but after 20 minutes her breathing became harder.  As much as she did not want to call an ambulance and go back to the hospital again it was obvious she was in distress and I called for an ambulance.

 HEADING TO GODERICH THIS MORNING ON SALTY ROADS WHICH YOU CAN SEE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD....IT HAD BEEN FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET BEFORE 

I headed off to the Goderich hospital first thing this morning and Kelly was still in Emerge but stable.  Luckily, shortly after I got in to see her the doctor arrived and talked to us.  Kelly has refused to go back to London so the doctor said they will do everything they can for her at the Goderich Hospital.  The doctor had been in touch with Kelly's London liver doctors and they said there was nothing more they could do for her except some radical experimental treatments with bad side effects.   Kelly said 'no' to that.  Some fluid has already been drained from her abdomen and a surgeon will hopefully be 'tapping' her abdomen to drain more.  And, all the signs are there that she is bleeding again so it's only a question of time before she will be throwing up that blood and then it will be blood transfusions again.   I stayed with her for about an hour and a half in which time she sent me out to bring her a coffee and a donut from Tim Hortons.  Later, I was able to help her get some food down.  Just before I left the nurse said they would be moving her to ICU (Intensive Care) shortly.  I slipped back to Bayfield, grabbed a bite to eat, and made some necessary phone calls.  

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A few hours after that I headed back to the Goderich Hospital.  I knew she was feeling a touch better when I walked into her room and her first words to me were, 'hey, look at this nice room I'm in'.  It's a spacious room with a big window and she has it all to herself.  I stayed about an hour and a half.  She is still too weak to sit up on her own but she asked me to get her iPhone out of her purse before I left and that was a good sign.  Also her hair comb too, and that was also a good sign.  She was able to read an email from her London liaison lady Amy who sent her the following note::  Gail (Kelly's real name is Gail) – you are an inspiration – and your battle was tough.  “Warrior” is a very appropriate name for you.  Your strength (both physical and mental) was a force to be reckoned with.  It was an absolute pleasure walking with you on this journey.  I wish you only the best......

 SHE WAS QUITE HAPPY WITH HER ROOM IN THE ICU

 IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD SIGN TO SEE KELLY ON HER IPHONE

 ANOTHER GOOD SIGN TO SEE KELLY COMBING HER HAIR

 SHE INSISTED ON TAKING A PICTURE OF ME IN THIS YELLOW BANANA GOWN...THE NURSE TOLD ME WHY I HAD TO WEAR IT BUT I'VE LONG SINCE FORGOTTEN WHAT IT WAS

I heard rain on our roof last night.  When I looked outside this morning the ground was white, skies were gray, trees were bare, and our thermometer sat at 27F.  And so it begins.  I will be back to Goderich in the morning to see how she is doing.  We are waiting for some medical people at the moment to give us some direction and indication as to what the short and long term future holds for us now.

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Al's Music Box:)) I Can't Help Myself is a 1965 song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label.  Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, "I Can't Help Myself" is one of the most well-known Motown recordings of the 1960s and among the decade's biggest hits. The single topped the Billboard's R&B chart for nine weeks (being named the biggest R&B single of the year by Billboard) and also peaked at No.1 on the Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks, from June 12 to June 19 and from June 26 to July 3 in 1965. It replaced "Back in My Arms Again" by label mates the Supremes. It was first unseated at No.1 by "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds, then regained the top spot before being replaced by the Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Billboard ranked the record as the second biggest single of 1965. "I Can't Help Myself" was the Four Tops' first top 40 single in the UK, peaking at No.23 at the end of 1965, then reaching No.10 in its early 1970 re-release.  The song finds lead singer Levi Stubbs, assisted by the other three Tops and the Andantes, pleadingly professing his love to a woman: "Sugar pie, honey bunch/I'm weaker than a man should be!/Can't help myself/I'm a fool in love, you see." The melodic and chordal progressions are very similar to the Supremes' 1964 hit "Where Did Our Love Go", also written by Holland-Dozier-Holland. According to AllMusic critic Ed Hogan, the title "I Can't Help Myself" is an oblique acknowledgment by Dozier that he could not resist recycling his previous hit. The bracketed title "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" appears only on certain oldie reissues of the single.  Billboard described the song as a "spirited, fast-paced wailer performed in [the Four Tops'] unique style."  Cash Box described it as "a rollicking hand-clappin' thumper about a fella who is delighted 'cause he's head-over-heels with the gal of his dreams."  Record World said that the "Tops will be helping themselves right up the charts with this grinding number about love."  Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song at No.483 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It has been covered extensively since 1965, including versions done for several television commercials. In 2019, Applebee's used the song for one of their advertisements.  Interesting trivia. It was originally labeled "I Can't Help Myself" but after people kept asking for "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" That was added in parenthesis on the label so sellers could find it and when it was played at home people could find it in their record collections. it was also added to the label on public jukeboxes. After the re-labeling requests and plays shot through the roof because it became easier to find. It became colloquially known as Sugar Pie Honey Bunch. When Dick Clark first introduced it on American Bandstand in rehearsal the dancers didn't know which song he was talking about. Back then the kids had certain dance routines for specific songs. When they knew which song was going to play, they could immediately go into the routines they had prepared for that song. Nobody knew what I Can't Help Myself was, but they did know Sugar Pie Honey Bunch which their routines started with. it was important to hit that first line with their first steps or they'd be off for the whole song. Dick and the producers noticed this and made the adjustments when he announced it on air.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Before going to Europe on business, a man drove his Rolls-Royce to a downtown New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000.  The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan. So the businessman hands over the keys to a Rolls-Royce parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything checks out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.  Two weeks later, the businessman returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.40. The loan officer says, "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is: why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"  The man smiled. "Where else could I park my Rolls-Royce in Manhattan for two weeks and pay only $15.40?"

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A tourist asks a man in uniform, "Are you a policeman?"  "No, I am an undercover detective."  "So why are you in uniform?"
"Today is my day off."

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After my husband and I had a huge argument, we ended up not talking to each other for days.  Finally, on the third day, he asked where one of his shirts was.  "Oh," I said, "So now you're speaking to me."  He looked confused, "What are you talking about?"  "Haven't you noticed I haven't spoken to you for three days?" I challenged.  "No," he said, "I just thought we were getting along."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery