State of the blog address

I consider November 30 to be the anniversary date of this blog. Or at least the date I picked to be the anniversary date.

Every year I think I will never find anything interesting or have any good road trips. Every year I manage to prove that wrong.

I have been busy lately and posting has taken a hit. Well, my contributions to this blog have taken a hit. I appreciate and thank people I know for allowing me to post some of their stuff. I have been so busy lately I have had not had to time to use the new camera I bought a few months ago. If interested, I bought a Nikon Coolpix P950. I have yet to take a photo with it.

Mom is still in the hospital. She will not be moving back home. She is at the point where she has to move into assisted living. She is still recovering from breaking her hip. She cannot get around without a walker and I very recently found out she has cognitive issues. I am going to have to look after more of her affairs. She understands she cannot live on her own and that we have to sell her condo. I am trying to get appointments with senior living facilities.

I made a few calls to relatives to see if anyone would be interested in a few items of hers. I have to clean out her place so it can be sold. I thought it would have taken me a bit of time to get rid of the bigger items like her couch and love seat. I lucked out and got someone to take it off my hands. It is going a bit better than I thought.

The placement staff at the hospital appear to be a lot of help so far and I think I can get her placed in Drayton Valley, which is what she wants.

I now have her 2013 Kia Soul that looks like it rolled off the showroom floor and only has 55,000km on it. I now have three vehicles so I will have to reduce the fleet. I am keeping the Soul, it is cheaper on gas than my other vehicles.

Just to make my life more inconvenient my dishwasher died about five or six months ago. I finally bought a new one ten days ago. I got a Bosch on sale, bought new hoses, paid for installation, and for them to remove the old dishwasher. I had someone disconnect the old one (my new one was being delivered a week later). Everything was dry, a day later a valve in the line connecting the dishwasher chose to fail and a small amount of water was on my kitchen floor. Unfortunately there was just enough water that leaked somewhere and caused the ceiling in the condo unit below me to have a water stain on the ceiling. I called my insurance company to report a possible insurance claim and got a plumber in to check everything so that I do not have any leaks anywhere. There looks to be very little damage to the unit below. Of course my dishwasher delivery got bumped to December 5. Maybe I will get it in time for Christmas.

The blog has been a bit of a challenge this year. I still enjoy doing it, finding the time has been a challenge. There are unique benefits, people discover me and send me questions about posts from the past. This is always fun. Sometimes I get to meet people online and in person through this blog. The blog also lets me express what little creativity I possess.

Have some fun and get out and explore when you can.

Winter by Cpt Mo

I am a fan of minimalism. Sometimes less is more.

It's Hard To Get Good Help These Days

Spotted this past fall near Togo, Saskatchewan.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Ozark School - Courtesy of Jenn Tanaka

This old school is east of Big Valley, Alberta. This is a place that I have been to many times. A lot of people have sites that they will drive by if they are in the area to see how they are holding on. Jenn sent me these photos this weekend to give me an update on its condition and graciously let me post them. The roof has fallen in. It will not last much longer now.

Another one will be lost to history.

Elevator Friday - Courtesy of Dale Redekopp

Kelvington, Saskatchewan.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to our American neighbours from the countryside near Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba.  

Have a nice long nap after that turkey feast!

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Abandoned Alberta courtesy of Cpt Mo

Abandoned Alberta, courtesy of Tim Lockhart

Been here a few times. Compeer, Alberta is close to being a ghost town.

Love the way this was captured.

Numa Creek, Kootenay National Park

November 14, 2022.

"X" Marks the Spot

Spotted along Eagle Butte Road . . . a little north of the Cypress Hills in Alberta.

I've driven past this grouping of bales for the past six or seven weeks now. But today was "the perfect day" to take a few photos, if you know what I mean . . . "X" marks the spot.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

The Wednesday Cpt Mo post

The Tuesday Post (for lack of a better title)

Tuesday last week mom got transferred to Drayton Valley Hospital. She may not be back home however she is at least in the town where she lives.

She will be in the hospital for a while. Friday and Saturday were my most recent visits. She seems to be a bit confused but is well enough to complain about the food. I tried to get some kind of update from the nursing station. Apparently she has going to have a meeting with her doctor that has not happened yet so I know nothing new. My sister was there both days as well. We were starting cleaning up and cleaning out mom's place. That will take some time. Mom will not be living on her own again. She is not able.

Even though you have known someone for years you still find some things about them when you go through their stuff. In this case nothing earth shattering just some quirks.

Mom is cheap. She had a number of thrift store finds. Nothing wrong with that. A number of her thrift store treasures were practically new, such as two very nice corkscrew sets and mom does not drink. Her freezer had a number of miscellaneous leftovers in her freezer. Lots of new cloths and towels that I needed for my place. We found a number of things that my sister and I bought new for her that were put away and never used. This will be a slow and deliberate process.

Return of the lone tree post

 

Royal Canadian Air Force Park

Dale Redekopp who sends the occasional post my way served in Canada's Military. 

"The RCAF Park and Ad Astra Monument, is dedicated to the memories and history of members of the RCAF and the aviation history of the Edmonton area.  It is located in the Griesbach area of the City of Edmonton.  The entrance to the park is on McCrae Avenue between Colonel Newburn Road and Veterans Way (N53.61126 W113.51311). I toured the park with my friend Bill Buckham (BGen Retired) and my grandson.  Bill was the prime motivator and designer of the park.  For those of you interested in military aviation, this park is well worth a visit. Be sure to see the south end of Roundel Lake."

Happy!

"Happy!" says it all.

Spotted near Routledge, Manitoba.

- Michael Truman

Past Presence Website

Wednesday already? Time for a Cpt Mo post

Random Monday thoughts

I recently completed a twelve course program. About a month ago I got an email about the graduation ceremony. I emailed back that I was not attending.

I got a phone call this afternoon asking if I was attending. I politely said I would decline. I only took the courses because they were one way to fulfill the continuing education requirements for my job. I will have to hunt down some other courses to meet next year's credit hours.

Personally I just do not like attending ceremonies. I attended my high school graduation long enough to get my diploma. When I realized I did not have to attend some of these things to get the piece of paper then I was content to let them mail it to me. My college diploma was mailed to me as well as my university degree. At one time I posted on this topic before that I am not big on attending these kinds of things. I am not against them, they are just not for me.

If I attend any more courses that eventually add up to another certificate or diploma I look forward to not attending that event as well.

There is only one reason why you do it

Last Saturday I was supposed to visit my mother at the hospital in Red Deer. I woke up early Saturday morning not feeling all that well. It might have been something I ate the night before. No matter, my sister was going to visit her that day so she would have some company.

Previously I bought a cheap cell phone, a very simple flip phone, added it to my account, and gave it to mom so she could contact people. On my last visit mom was convinced she was being transferred and insisted I take the cell phone back so she would not lose it and I could give it back to her when got settled in to her new spot. She still has not been transferred.

An explanation. She is supposed to go back to Drayton Valley Hospital. The Drayton Valley Hospital is not accepting patients. Red Deer is experiencing a bed shortage. Mom is not an emergency case. She is supposed to go back to Drayton Valley but may be transferred to a hospital that has an available bed. The system works albeit imperfectly.

This being Alberta we just had to experience a snowstorm. My sister got about halfway to Red Deer and called it quits and headed back home. She called the hospital and left word that she would not be able to make it. I certainly did not feel well enough to make the trip, especially in a snowstorm. Mom apparently was upset no one was coming to see her.

Sunday I was marginally better. I pulled myself together. Got in my SUV and drove in the aftermath of a snowstorm. Got to see mom, gave her a bag of mini Kit-Kats and a book and gave her the cell phone back and told her to keep it. If the cell phone gets lost I can buy another one. I am reasonably sure she was happy to see me. Or maybe it was the chocolate she was excited about. It was a short visit. I really was not feeling all that great and apologized for not staying longer. I had not eaten all weekend and when I got home I went to bed. 

So why does one drive over an hour in the cold after a snowstorm when you feel like garbage? You do it for your mom.

Waiting for Halloween 2023

I had Halloween decorations on the balcony of my condo. I have been quite busy lately and someone was kind enough to take them down for me. Not everything got stored.

I came home to this.

Michael Truman has excellent posts

I invite you to read one.

Past Presence: День мертвих (michaeltruman.blogspot.com)

Busy for all the wrong reasons

My mother recently fell and fractured her hip. She is in a hospital in Red Deer, Alberta.

They did not operate as it is the type of break they do not usually operate on. She will wait to heal up and have rehabilitation before she is released. My sister and I have talked with mom and told her she cannot live on her own anymore and I think she has come to accept that.

I have run across a lot of complaints regarding health care in Canada. I really cannot complain about recent events. When mom broke was taken to the hospital from her home she was sent from the Drayton Valley Hospital to the Red Deer Hospital the same day where they could operate if necessary. The staff at both hospitals have been very helpful and accommodating and the care has been fine.

Mom has been in the Red Deer Hospital for about a week waiting for a bed to open up in the Drayton Valley Hospital so she can be transferred there. Unfortunately nothing has opened up in Drayton Valley. Red Deer is experiencing a shortage of beds and since mom is not an emergency case she may be moved to another hospital. I got that news yesterday.

I drove out to see her last night. From Leduc to Red Deer in ideal driving conditions it is about an hour and fifteen minutes. Being in a hospital is not enjoyable and I visit when I can. On the drive back it was snowing. Today we are having a minor snowstorm. With the weather I doubt she will be moved today. We shall see.

Quick Cpt Mo post