Simply black and white

Playing with one of my photos. I like the effect.

You cannot hold back time . . .

I usually visit my mother on Friday after work and leave the next day. This time I had phoned her to tell her I was overly tired and would see her Saturday morning.

Saturday morning I stopped at a restaurant and got breakfast to go for the two of us. Someone was moving out of her building. Most of the people in her building know me so I walked in the open door and took the elevator to her floor. I discovered her in her bedroom on the floor. with the phone off the hook. She had fallen the prior evening.

I helped her up and asked if she was okay. She seemed to be fine. To be on the safe side I called an ambulance. The paramedics were great. She was taken to the hospital. I asked if I should go right away and they told be to wait for a few hours until she was processed. I spent the time cleaning up her place. I later found out she had fallen twice the night before. A  neighbour came over an helped her up but failed to pick up and hang up the phone that was knocked onto the floor when she fell. When she fell in the bedroom the second time she could not phone on the bedroom phone as the living room phone was not hung up.

Once I got to the hospital I found out that she had a broken hip. Drayton Valley hospital sends those cases to Edmonton or Red Deer depending on availability. I found out that she was going to Red Deer much later in the day. She arrived there at about eleven in the evening. It took that long to get transport.

I visited mom on Sunday in Red Deer where I was told she did not have a broken hip. She would eventually be sent back for rehabilitation (I later found out on Monday morning that her hip was fractured).

I worked Monday. Busy with work and making phone calls to her health care services contact (mom gets visits three times a week from health services), relatives, her cleaning lady, and people in her building. I think I covered all the bases.

Not sure what is happening in the immediate future. I am waiting for updates and more information. Obviously blog posts are not a priority.

Cpt Mo post

Random abandoned Saskatchewan

Somewhere in the vicinity of Hoosier, Saskatchewan.

The Fly

A brilliantly executed sculpture in Komarno, Manitoba.

Seeing this sculpture instantly reminded me of "The Fly" movies.  I enjoyed seeing the original on TV a few times and was lucky enough to catch the remake at a drive-in with an old friend soon after it was released in 1986. David Cronenberg is a master of body horror film . . . truly a Canadian icon. 

I remember watching the remake with Daisy (when she was nine months old) at her house in Henderson, Nevada.  As the film progressed and Jeff Goldblum transformed into the fly creature, she would bark at "the fly" on screen . . . I never thought dogs would be able to watch TV.  You should see her reactions when watching a nature show with wild animals!  Anyway, after all that excitement we had to go for a midnight walk around the neighbourhood . . . that settled her down and everything was back to normal.

Hallowe'en is coming up soon . . . a great time to watch a favourite horror film or two.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Ross Lake School 1930 - 1941

Southeast of Cardston, Alberta sitting on private farmland. One of the smallest schools I have seen. There is a little historical marker in front marking the years it was active. This is not far from the US border.

Kind of sequel to my prior post

My father had issues with blood clots from his early thirties until the day he died. He had been in and out the hospital a number of times during those years.

One time dad was in the Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary awaiting a bypass operation some years ago. A doctor was walking down the hallway past my father's room, stopped after walking by the doorway, took a few steps back and exclaimed "My God! You're alive!"

My father's response was "Goddammit of course I'm alive!" Dad was understandably a bit on edge after receiving that greeting. Especially being in the hospital for an upcoming operation.

The doctor quickly apologized and said that is not exactly what he meant. The doctor said who he was but by that time dad knew who he was. I remember the doctor's name, after all this time I have no idea how to spell it. The doctor was a blood specialist and had been one of many who treated my father years before when he had an extended stay at a hospital in Vancouver.

The doctor explained that when he was in the hospital in Vancouver they were concerned they were going to lose him and he was ecstatic to see him after all these years. As an aside, apparently my father's file was one that he used in seminars and was discussed through the years.

Later during his stay dad had a meeting with Dr. Goldstein the surgeon. This doctor told my father that he would refuse to operate on him unless dad quit smoking. There was a bit of a discussion on that matter, the end result was that dad agreed to quit.

I had asked my father several times through the years to quit to no avail, you just need the right person to ask. Dad kept his word, he never touched another cigarette for the rest of his days, which was probably damn hard since I think he really enjoyed smoking.

You can quit if you have the proper motivation.

The importance of peanut butter and jam

From Grade One to Grade Four I lived in a town in British Columbia. My parents moved around a lot but this was one place where we managed to stay for a few years.

My father had this habit of waking up around midnight, getting out of bed, putting two slices of bread in the toaster, having a peanut butter and jam sandwich and going back to sleep. A few pieces were usually shared with whatever dog we had at the time. If his moving around woke me up during the night there were times I would join him. Dad loved peanut butter and jam. I remember him having it for dessert after dinner several times.

Dad had a Grade Ten education and was a heavy duty mechanic. Across the avenue from us lived a family with the last name of Lane. David Lane was a university graduate who had his own firm and younger than dad. I do not think that Dad and David had anything in common yet they were friends. Our families spent a fair amount of time together.

In 1974 my father became quite ill and spent four months in the hospital, a fair amount of it in an ICU unit. I can remember going to the hospital with my sister and having to sit in the waiting area because we were not old enough to go upstairs to see him. That is what I was told at the time. It was a bit of a scary time as a kid, not knowing what was going on. He developed a problem with blood clots. At one time he was told clots had hit his lungs and they thought they lost him. After that he was sent to a hospital in Vancouver where they tried to figure out what was wrong with him.

Dad was in the hospital for an extended stay in Vancouver. At one point during that time David Lane and his wife were in Vancouver for dinner business meeting. Before their meeting they stopped to visit dad at the hospital. The visit was greatly appreciated, mom had us to look after and we did not see my father for months, never mind how tough it had to be for him. Dad's diet, among other things, was closely watched. David asked my father if there was anything they could get him. My father replied "I am dying for a toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich." He could not get one in the hospital.

David went to his dinner which was at a high end restaurant. After the meal the waiter asked if there was anything else. David asked for a toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich to go. From what I heard there was a pause and the waiter asked him if what he heard was correct. David said that was what he wanted. A period of time passed and the order was delivered to the table. He was charged six dollars for it and this was in 1974. Some lower level kitchen staff probably got sent out on a run to a grocery store to get a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jam, and a loaf of bread.

Right after the dinner the peanut butter and jam sandwich was delivered to dad by David to the hospital. Dad was damn grateful to get it and loved it.

Dad eventually got stabilized and released. He ended up taking blood thinners until the day he died. During Grade Four we moved and through the years we lost touch with the Lane family. Whenever a conversation got around to dad's extended stay in the hospital he would invariably mention the toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich and how happy he was to get it.

Dad died in 1997. I have no idea where our former neighbours wound up. If we ever cross paths I will be sure to mention a certain sandwich and how much it meant. 

Somehow I missed the Wednesday Cpt Mo post last week. So you get it this week.

Banff National Park.

Random abandoned Alberta

Outside Sundre, Alberta.

A little editing for effect.

Seddon School 1911 - 1953

Very rural old one room school near Mountain View, Alberta. 

Many times when I was in school I felt like I was in prison. This school looks like one.

Hard to believe this was southern Alberta today

Near Waterton, Alberta. 

 

Man in a Helicopter

Seeing a man in a helicopter in rural Deloraine, Manitoba was the furthest thing from my mind.

Some country fun!

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Bales in a Slough

Some bales in a slough near Cappon, Alberta.

Beautiful fall weather...even the bales are enjoying it.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Apparently I have a blog

I should also be posting stuff on it.

Posts took a bit of a recent holiday.

October 7 I came down with a cold, right before Thanksgiving weekend. Someone was generous with their time cooking a turkey for me. I loaded up some turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes and delivered it to my mom last Saturday. We had some for lunch and I informed her that I was not well enough to visit for longer that weekend. I left her with enough turkey to last her the next two days.

Took it easy when I got home and did nothing on Sunday. Watched "Never Say Never Again" which I think is one of the better Bond movies. I was never a fan of the gadget heavy Bond movies. By the way, whenever Bond is in some establishment like a hotel an assassin who is a staff member attempts to kill him. You would think Human Resources would do a better job of screening these people.

Caught a Walter Matthau movie "Hopscotch". Nice light comedy with some great dialogue. I wonder why no one writes stuff like this anymore. 

I found out on the following holiday Monday that her phone stopped working again. Mom used her neighbour's phone to call my cousin who then called me. I bought a phone from what was once known as Radio Shack and drove to her place. I found out my cousin had fixed the problem so I left the new phone with mom in case it was needed for a future phone issue and drove home. Back to be with the cold.

Apparently you cannot kill a cold with lots of red wine and leftover turkey. That is what my initial research tells me. I am not that overly sick with a cold, I am just trying to kill it off but it is taking its time. Coughing when you are trying to sleep is annoying.

Working all this week. When I am healthy things are relatively tame at work. When I am under the weather everyone seems to come out of the woodwork. I am looking forward to the weekend.

Random farm sign

Always on the lookout for a good ranch sign.

 

Herbie Needs Help!

I was on my way south of Vanscoy, Saskatchewan when I came across this green Herbie.

He really does need some help.

I have a soft spot for old beetles.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Very random late night music post

NSU Prinz Microcar

It's a rare treat to see an NSU Prinz "in the flesh," so to speak.  Not many of these were imported to North America.

It was one of Germany's post-war answers to the microcar.

This one has been somewhat modified but the the charm remains.

Spotted in Osler, Saskatchewan.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Blog update

Sidelined with a cold.

Of course it has to happen on a long weekend.

Mo has taken over Wednesday

You know you are in British Columbia when . . .

Abandoned British Columbia 50.2863828, -119.4126692

Recent summer trip into British Columbia. I had seen photos of this on the internet and it was on my list of places to visit. I have no history on it and saw no name on the church.

Fintry Dairy Barn 1924, Fintry, British Columbia

Believed to be the last eight-sided barn in British Columbia.

www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=18069&pid=0