A LITTLE GREEN HAPPY FACE GUIDES ME IN & OUT OF THE CT SCANNER THIS MORNING

ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK

To say we awoke to anything but a dull dismal rainy day would be an understatement. Heavy cloud cover was only a couple hundred feet off the deck as I Jeeped my way east for Stratford Ontario. Tops of tall microwave antennae's were lost in the clouds.

HOW NICE TO HAVE A SPIFFY CLEAN JEEP TO DRIVE TODAY:))

It’s a pleasant hour’s drive from Bayfield to Stratford if one knows the quiet & paved back roads. Having spent most of my life in this area, I know all those back roads. Despite the moderate & steady rain I enjoyed rolling through the South-western rural farm lands. Always nice to see old familiar places & touch base with old familiar memories.
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I was 50 minutes reaching the outskirts of Stratford & I was plenty early for my 11 a.m. CT Scan. I always make it a point to be early for wherever it is I am going. In this case I was early enough to stop at Sobey’s Grocery Store near the Hospital & pick up a few groceries. It was my first time in a grocery store since returning from Arizona & as usual I was dismayed at the price of things on the shelves.
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Another couple of blocks had me at the Hospital & having lived in Stratford for 20 years between 75 & 95 I knew where to park & avoid the heavy parking fees at the Hospital itself. A short 4 minute walk in a bit of drizzle had me at the main entrance in no time. I had skipped breakfast this morning so was anticipating a nice egg salad sandwich near the Hospitals main lobby. Whoooops, forgot it was Sunday…..snack bar closed!!

 

SCORE ONE FOR THE SQUIRRELS TODAY
Checked the directory board to see where the ‘Imaging Center’ was located & off I went on the main floor to the new section of the Hospital. Instantly recognized it as the area where I had met my Uncle Harry last year when he had been brought in from Mitchell by van for a CT Scan himself. Only difference this time, I was the only person in the whole department. Not a single person around anywhere, no people waiting, no staff, nobody. The whole Hospital seemed all but deserted. Now, how nice is that for a quiet little fellow like myself.

NOW, THIS IS HOW I LIKE TO SEE A WAITING ROOM…..EMPTY
As previously stated, I was very much on the early side so enjoyed looking at all the modern architecture & design of the new ‘Imaging’ waiting room with it’s 40 foot ceiling. Choked down a boring, but mandatory bottle of water & waited. At 10:45 a staff member walked in & registered me. She then took me to another room & made me take my clothes off.

MY HEALTH CARD SITS ATOP A VACANT DESK AWAITING SOMEONE TO PAY SOME ATTENTION TO IT

In a cubicle of course, & put on a blue backwards hospital gown over my shorts & socks. Well, over my shorts anyway. Socks were just too far away to put anything over. Another few minutes in a nearby waiting room & a second lady appeared in sweatshirt & blue jeans. She took me into another room & told me to lie on my back on a narrow bed affair with my arms & hands backwards over my head, or else.
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I right away recognized the big vertical doughnut CT Scanner from my previous trip into one 4 months ago in Tucson, Arizona. Well, I remember parts of that trip that is. They had me on intravenous Morphine at the time so my experience of traveling on a gurney to & from the big round doughnut machine is a little sketchy. The thing I remember most about my CT Scan in Tucson was the number of cell phone calls coming into the Scanner’s operator. Think I remember 7 or 8 calls he had to handle while processing me in the big round tube.
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Today’s procedure, with nothing more than a tasteless boring bottle of water in my system, remains much more vivid. First thing I noticed when looking up as I was automatically slid into the scanner was the little green profile of a ‘Happy Face.’ How nice I thought, the designers of the machine had incorporated some soothing humor into the large foreboding look & workings of their machine.
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YEP, STILL LOTS OF SUMMER STUFF TO GET OUT OF THE SHED YET

The machine was all awhirl with sounds I’m sure I’ve heard before on the deck of the Starship Enterprise. “Take it up to warp speed Scotty”. “Aye Aye Captain”. The theme from Star Trek was interrupted by a loud recorded voice saying, “Take a deep breath”!! The little green Happy Face switched to an amber little puffy face holding it’s breath. Cute:)) The bed under me moved back taking me out of the scanner. The big voice boomed, “Breath.” Thank you:)) I was then moved back into the scanner & the same procedure repeated about 4 or 5 times. And, that was it. Total time spent in the big doughnut….maybe 5 minutes, if that. Before rolling off the bed I winked a silent goodbye to my new found little green Happy Face friend & his puffy faced buddy, Amber boy.
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The lady scanner operator told me my kidney stone is definitely on the left side. She also told me to go get dressed & hit the road. Well, not exactly but she did wish me well with my Doctor’s appointment this coming Wednesday. Minutes later I exited the sleeping Sunday hospital, saddled up my Jeep & headed for home. None the worse for wear I may add. However, I know this is about to change & that change will soon be ramped up a bit beginning Wednesday when the Urologist has the CT Scan results in his hands. And, he has me quivering & shaking on the other side of his big desk:((
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I KNEW WE DIDN’T HAVE A LOT OF SNOW THIS WINTER WHEN OUR OLD WOODEN RAIN BARREL ENDED UP ONLY TWO THIRDS FULL OF WATER >>>
Again, nice drive back to Bayfield enjoying the scenery & listening to tunes of the 40’s on my Sirius Satellite radio. Rain had stopped & the skies had brightened. I miss seeing my mountains all around but the rural scenery here in south-western Ontario is pretty in it’s own right. Even on a rainy day kind of…………….:))
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And welcome to our latest Blog Follower INGER who I am assuming was a Swedish native at one time but now lives somewhere in the mountains of California. Welcome to our blog Inger & hope you can hang in long enough until we are in travel mode again:))
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Oh, & to clear up a sharp eyed reader’s concern that I was driving my Motorcycle with an expired tag. First bike photo was taken yesterday after I had started it. Second rear view file photo from April 2011 was added later last night. Soooooo, just to set the record straight, I took a third photo this afternoon to prove that “yes” I do have the appropriate up to date tag on my bike for 2012:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( An old woman says to her friend: “You know, last night I was shivering all over from cold.”
Her friend: “Do you remember if your teeth chattered?”
The old woman: “I don’t think so. We haven’t slept together for ages.”
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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- If one's thoughts are positive about the landscape, one's eyes will appreciate what they see...AL.
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
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