THE MIND CAN WANDER ITS WAY THROUGH MANY CHANGES

 HURON HOSPICE PUT UP THEIR CHRISTMAS TREE TODAY

The phone rang this morning at 7:15 and it was Kelly and she was in distress.  I hurriedly dressed and headed for the Huron Hospice House.  The front door was locked but a cleaning lady let me in.  Kelly was in a state of agitation and I was able to round up a nurse person right away.  Unfortunately, as we have so often seen with medical facilities, it was yet another case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing.  Not all of Kelly's medical condition info traveled from the Goderich Hospital to the Hospice.  Also, at Hospice they had pinned a call button to her jammy top yesterday but Kelly, in a fog from medications, forgot it was there.  When she needed help Saturday night (pain) and again early this morning she kept pressing a button on her bed that she thought was a call button and nobody came.  I was able to point that button out to her this morning and then go looking for someone to help her.  It was an unfortunate mis-start at the Hospice House but things immediately began looking up after everyone quickly began to reorganize.  She became more lucid and asked for scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast although she didn't eat much of it.  After they finally got her meds straightened out she took several pain bills and became sleepy.  It was now around 9 a.m. and she drifted off to sleep.  I took advantage of that, slipped into Clinton to gas up the car, grabbed a Tim Horton's coffee, and headed home to get Pheebs some breakfast.  Pheebs is such a patient and darling little angel.  With my laptop in tow, I was soon back to Hospice where I found Kelly sitting up and feeling better.  At the Goderich hospital, l they had been giving her oxygen but it was 'another piece of information' Hospice didn't know about.  Luckily, when I told them about the oxygen, they brought in an oxygen machine and got her started on that.  I called Sabra and she was already on her way from Cambridge.  A couple nurses came in and helped Kelly get her jammies changed and gave her a clean-up.  Sabra rolled in somewhere around noon I think.  Thankfully, it was Sabra to the rescue again and she had brought an overnight bag with her and plans to stay with her mother 24/7.  

 HOW WONDERFUL TO BE DRIVING ON BARE ROADS WITH UNLIMITED VISIBILITY TODAY

WHILE FILLING UP WITH GAS AT A CLINTON SHELL STATION THIS MORNING I SPOTTED THIS SIGN

And, in my own fog, I forgot to publish my Saturday post to the blog.  I remembered to copy and paste it to Facebook, but not to Blogger.  I did post it this afternoon so for anyone who couldn't find it, it's up and published now under the title..Kelly Is Now At Huron Hospice West Of Clinton Ontario

What a treat this morning to finally wake up with milder temperatures and no blowing snow.  Roads were bare and free of snow and ice as well.  I almost felt joyous.  With Sabra now at Huron Hospice, I headed home.  I felt exhausted and kind of sickish and needed something to eat so I warmed up some Cream of Chicken soup that we had bought a couple weeks ago at Jerry Raders in Zurich, Ontario.  It tasted great along with two pieces of toast.  That took care of my sickish feeling, but oh dear....... my shattered nerves:((  

 SOME READERS HAD ASKED THE ADDRESS OF HURON HOSPICE

It was 3:45 when I headed back to Huron Hospice.  Kelly's sons Ben and Jason were still there but heading out shortly.  Kelly, tired and in true fashion said to the boys, 'It's time for you boys to go home now'.  I stepped out into the hall as sad goodbyes were said then Sabra, Ben, Jason, and I walked outside to the cars.  It was nice to feel the late afternoon's milder winter air.  It reminded me of Spring.

 A FEW PHOTOS TAKEN BY SABRA AND JASON THIS AFTERNOON

 JASON

I asked Kelly today if she would like me to bring Pheebs in to see her but she shook her head 'no'.  Maybe she will change her mind, we'll see.  In this final phase of life, the mind can wander its way through many changes.

 BEN FILLING UP A BIRDFEEDER OUTSIDE OF KELLY'S WINDOW

Al's Music Box:)) Both Sides Now is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Michell.  It was included on Mitchell's album 'Clouds', and became one of her best-known songs. It has since been recorded by dozens of artists, including Dion in 1968, Clannad with Paul Young in 1991, and Mitchell herself, who re-recorded the song with an orchestral arrangement on her 2000 album Both Sides Now.  In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked "Both Sides, Now" at number 170 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs.  Mitchell has said that "Both Sides, Now" was inspired by a passage in Henderson the Rain King, a 1959 novel by Saul Bellow.  I was reading ... Henderson the Rain King on a plane and early in the book Henderson is also up in a plane. He's on his way to Africa and he looks down and sees these clouds. I put down the book, looked out the window and saw clouds too, and I immediately started writing the song. I had no idea that the song would become as popular as it did.  "Both Sides, Now" appears in the album Joni Mitchell: Live at the Second Fret 1966 (2014, All Access Records, AACD0120), a live performance on November 17, 1966, from The Second Fret in Philadelphia, PA, which was broadcast live by WRTI, Temple University's radio station. This suggests that Mitchell wrote the song before 1967 (the year of composition cited in the Los Angeles Times article above) and precedes the first Judy Collins release in 1967.  Mitchell re-recorded the song in a lush, orchestrated fashion for her 2000 album Both Sides Now. The recording won arranger Vince Mendoza a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist.  In April 2000, two months after the album's release, Mitchell sang the song with a 70-piece orchestra at the end of an all-star celebration for her at the Hamerstein Ballroom in New York City.  The 2000 version is played during an emotional scene featuring Emma Thompson in the 2003 film Love Actually.  It was also played during the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

 SABRA TOOK THIS PHOTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A tough old cowboy once counseled his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning.  The grandson did this religiously and he lived to the age of 93.  When he died, he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and a fifteen-foot hole in the wall of the crematorium.

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Al's Doggy World

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Al's Art Gallery

KELLY IS NOW AT HURON HOSPICE WEST OF CLINTON ONTARIO

 HURON HOSPICE FRONT DOOR...JUST COME ON IN AND MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

My Saturday post didn't show so I am wondering if I forgot to post it.  I'll repost it now and my apologies if this i the second time.  My mind is a little more scattered than usual these past few days......More snow overnight and most of today up utill about 3 p.m.  I headed for Huron Hospice shortly before 10 this morning.  It was snowing but not as heavy as it would be later.  Sabra was already there having assisted with Kelly's 8 a.m. transfer from the Goderich Hospital to Huron Hospice a few miles west of Clinton Ontario on Highway 8.  What a beautiful place this is and as soon as you enter inside through old old wooden door you are immediately surrounded by a feeling of well being and comfort.  Luckily, I had met Sabra coming in and she led me to Kelly's room.  I of course took a lot of photos and I'll let those photos speak for themselves.  I will include some in this post and spread the others out over tomorrow and the next day,  It was apparent as soon as I saw Kelly that she had been heavily sedated for the transfer.  If she knew that she would be that much 'out of it' she would have been right ticked off about that.  In fact, both Sabra and I felt she had been over-sedated because she was barely conscious.  She would kind of float into awareness for a few seconds and then be gone again.  I stayed for about an hour and a half and at no time did Kelly show any real recognition that she knew we were there.  Knowing Sabra would be heading back to Cambridge at some point I told her I'd be back in an hour and a half or so.  While we were there the weather outside had begun to deteriorate.  It was touch and go in a few places so as soon as I got home I called Sabra and suggested she head for her home in Cambridge before the storm got any worse.  She did.  I fixed myself a coffee and a hot dog, had a rest, and shortly before 2 I headed back to Huron Hospice...in a snow storm.  Again, it was a nail biter but it could have been worse had there been any kind of wind.  Luckily, it was just snowing heavily with poor visibility.  Back to her room I found her slightly awake and she recognized me with a smile.  She tried talking but then slipped away again into a deep sleep.  I had taken my Kindle with me, and with a nice recliner beside Kelly's bed, I was able to make myself comfortable and read for an hour with nice soft ambient music in the background just like at home here.  It was close to 3:30 when I decided to head back home before the daylight began to fade.  Anticipating a tough drive home, imagine my surprise to see it had finally quit snowing.  Aside from a few small bouncy snow drifts along the way, I made it home okay.  I am so tired tonight that my face is dragging on the floor.  I am so thankful to have Pheebs here with me.  I couldn't ask for a better companion.  I will be back at Huron Hospice in the morning and I'm hoping Kelly will be out of her deep fog by then...............

 HEADING OUT THIS MORNING THE ROADS WERE CLEAR AND VISIBILTY GOOD

 PARKED BESIDE SABRA'S CAR

AS SOON AS YOU STEP THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR YOU FEEL WELCOME

 SABRA TRIES OUT THE RECLINER BESIDE HER MOTHER'S BED

 IT'S A BEAUTIFUL ROOM

 THROUGH THE WINDOW AT THE RIGHT AND THE PATIO DOOR AT THE LEFT IS A LOVELY COUNTRY VIEW WITH BIRDS AND SQUIRRELS AT HANGING BIRD FEEDERS

 SOOTHING AMBIENT MUSIC EMANATES FROM THE TV JUST LIKE AT HOME HERE

 THIS COUCH PULLS OUT INTO A BED IF ANYONE WISHES TO STAY THE NIGHT

 TIME TO HEAD HOME BUT FIRST I HAVE TO GET THE WINDSHIELD CLEARED

 A HOSPICE EMPLOYEE SHOVELS A WALKWAY

 LEAVING HOSPICE IT WAS HARD TO SEE WHERE THE LONG CURVY  DRIVEWAY WAS

TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE BIRDS I HAVE SIMPLY BEEN TOSSING BIRDSEED OUT ONTO THE FRONT PORCH

IN THE CARPORT ABOUT TO HEAD BACK TO HOSPICE

 IT WAS A NAIL BITER OF A DRIVE ALL THE WAY

Al's Music Box:))I Wish I Didn't Love You So  by k.d. lang is a song by Frank Loesser (music and lyrics) released in 1947.  Loesser wrote the song for the Paramount film The Perils of Pauline. The record was released at Capitol Records. I Wish I Didn't Love You So received an Oscar nomination in the Best Song category in 1948. 

A LADY IN THE HOSPICE KITCHEN ROLLING DOUGH I THINK

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I returned my lizard to the pet store as he wouldn’t stop telling dad jokes.  That’s not a lizard, the store clerk told me.  That’s a stand-up chameleon.

- What do lizards like to eat with their hamburgers?  French flies.

- Why did the lizard go on a diet?
Because it was overweight according to its scales.

- What do lizards put on their kitchen floors?  Rep-tiles

- What is a reptile’s favorite movie?
The Lizard of Oz

- What’s a lizard’s favorite sport?
Cricket.

- What did the Chameleon mother say to her nervous kid on the first day of school?
“Don’t worry, you’ll blend right in!”

- What is a gecko who knows magic called?
 A Lizard Wizard.

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BOY : I would go to the end of the world for you!
GIRL : Yes, but would you stay there?

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It was the middle of the night. Suddenly there was a loud rapping on the doctor's door, followed by a groan.  The doctor angrily thrust his head out of the window. "WELL?" he shouted.  "No," moaned the man. "Sick."

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Al's Doggy World

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Al's Art Gallery