Visit Wednesday June 22nd.

Friends of Ed;

          I was running around town doing errands today so I didn't get to visit father until about 19:00.  In compensation I brought along an old friend - his Tenor Saxophone.  I'd been looking around the house for a few days to see if I could find a sax with all the parts and I finally found the Tenor in a room where I didn't expect it.  I had been wondering for a couple of weeks if father could handle a little blowing on his horn and he seemed agreeable to trying so today we gave it a whirl.  It was wonderful to see how confidently he assembled the horn and got it adjusted to his liking.  His short term memory may be poor but his long term memory is working fine! The horn had not been played in 6 months so the reed was dry and the instrument seemed to be quite reluctant to "sound", but after a minute or so it started to speak.  He played for about 20 minutes - nothing serious, just scales, exercises, and little snippets of tunes such as in the video below.  He said it felt really good and "familiar" to have the horn in his hands.  I must say that I was more than a little impressed.  I had not expected results from a "first try" to be anywhere near this good!  Father did say that he had to keep taking breaths in "all the wrong places" and that he was frequently on the verge of coughing but overall I think he was also very pleased with is first saxophone playing in over 6 months!

          Vince

Visit and Outing Tuesday June 21.

Friends of Ed;

          I had a really nice visit and outing with father today. After dinner we sat on his patio for a bit and then went out for a stroll with the wheelchair. The weather conditions were just perfect for an outing. Warm but not hot and not too sunny. We went along the same walking path behind Hillcrest High School where we went on June 10th and father remembered seeing the foxes on that outing - so there are certainly things that impress him enough to be remembered! We didn’t see the foxes this time, but lots of joggers, walkers, and cyclists gave us friendly greetings. We walked along the path as far as Pleasant Park Rd.  On the way back to Alta Vista Manor I detoured down the path that leads to Portage Avenue.  At this point father decided that he wanted to walk a bit so he did about 100 metres while pushing the wheelchair as a walker. We then followed Dauphin Road to Tweed. Unfortunately none of the neighbors were out, but we did take a little tour around the outside of father's house. It was a bit tricky getting the wheelchair into the back yard but I managed it by pulling the wheelchair backwards through the bumpy spots beside the back door of the house so father could give the garden in the back yard a close inspection.  We then wheeled back to the Manor by the route I usually take when I walk there. (Tweed to Hamlet to Dauphin to Botsford and then along the walking path to AVM)  Father said he thoroughly enjoyed the outing.  So do I!

          Vince

Outing June 19th.

Friends of Ed;

          Father, Davina Pearl, and I had a wonderful outing today.  The weather was gorgeous so we packed father's wheelchair and portable oxygen into the car and drove to Vincent Massey Park.  There we spent several hours exploring the pathways along the Rideau River all the way from the RA Centre to Hog's Back Falls.  At the Falls the concession stand was open so we had some ice cream and then posed for some photos with the Falls in the background.

          Father did do a bit of walking on this outing, but only for a few metres.  After going back to the car we returned to Alta Vista Manor where we kept father company for the second seating at dinner.  All in all it was a wonderful outing which father REALLY enjoyed!

          Vince

Visit and Lunch June 17th.

Friends of Ed;

          Today is the first anniversary of the passing of Bill Paris, father's neighbor on Tweed Avenue for 37 years. In commemoration of this day Joan (Bill's wife), Hubert van Wettum, and I had arranged to have a little lunch party with father at Alta Vista Manor. We had a nice table in the private area of the dining room. Joan brought a photo of Bill to put at the head of the table. We spent almost 2 hours having lunch and chatting. Joan, Hubert, Hubert’s children (3 teens) and two of their friends from the UK (Anne and Denis Thompson) just got back from a trip through the Rocky Mountains by train and then on to Alaska by cruise ship so we heard all about that. Not having seen father for a few weeks they were very impressed at how he has perked up since they last saw him!

          Vince

Visit Wednesday June 15th

Friends of Ed;

          I visited father over the lunch period again today to see how the new routine was shaking down.  The support workers showed up at father's room as planned and helped him get down to lunch for the first sitting so everything seemed to work out OK.  He is at the same table (#6) for lunch as he is at dinner so his lunch dining companions are familiar to him.

          Vince

Visit and Outing Tuesday June 14th.

Friends of Ed;

          I visited father over lunch today to make sure that having him take lunch in the dining room worked out OK.  It is well that I did because the kitchen got the message and didn’t bring him lunch in his room, but the support staff didn’t get the message so they didn’t come to take him down to the dining room. Oh well… I took him down to the dining room with him using the walker and he had a nice lunch. I checked in with the nurses about the situation and they have informed the support staff so things should go more smoothly tomorrow.  After lunch the physiotherapist came in and she took father for another little walk down to the lounge and back.

          Because it was a beautiful day I decided to take father for a wheelchair outing and did the same walk father, Davina, and I did last Friday except that we went all the way to Kilborn Ave. (I confirmed that the path does indeed go all the way to Walkley Rd). On the way back father asked to do some more walking (using the wheelchair as a walker) and he walked something in the order of 200 meters! I was astounded… he just kept going and going! When we got back to AVM I made sure he lay down and had a nap before having to walk down to the dining room for dinner. I hope he didn’t overdo things… His capabilities and interests seem to be expanding rapidly over the past month!   I went down to the physiotherapist's office to let her know what father had done and she was pretty impressed too!

          Vince

Visit Monday June 13th

Friends of Ed;

          I had my usual afternoon and over dinner visit with father today.  There was nothing remarkable about it and it seemed to me that he was coping well with having dinner in the dining room each day and it had settled into a routine.  I judged that it was perhaps time for him to also have lunch in the dining room.  I contacted Monique Robinson and she agreed to put the necessary changes in place.  I'll plan to visit over lunch tomorrow so I can see how things go.

          Vince

Visit Sunday June 12th.

Friends of Ed;

          As I do every day I went over to visit father for a few hours.  Today I kept him company at dinner and over the last few weeks having dinner in the dining room has become an established routine, with him walking to and from the dining room under his own steam!  Hooray!  I am starting to think that I should talk to the Manor about having father take his lunch in the dining room starting sometime next week.

          I see from the sign in sheet at the front desk that Anne and Dennis Thompson, friends of father's next door neighbors Bill and Joan Paris on Tweed Avenue, were in to visit father today.  They have been visiting from the UK and just returned to Ottawa from a two week trip (with Joan Paris and Hubert van Wettum) through the Rocky Mountains by train and then on to Alaska by cruise ship.

          Vince

Visit Friday June 10th.

Friends of Ed;

          I visited father late in the afternoon today and while I was there Maciek Mentlak and his daughter Norah visited.  They are one of Father's neighbours on Tweed Avenue.  Father then had dinner in the dining room and shortly after he finished Davina Pearl arrived for a visit.

          We visited with father for a while and since it was such a nice evening decided to take him out for a stroll in his wheelchair.  I know of some walking paths that go through the green spaces nearby so we headed over to one of them that starts at the intersection of Roger Guindon Ave. and Smyth Rd.  The path extends from there to Walkley road, a distance of about 2.5 Km.  The first hundred metres of the path winds through some trees and we had just started when Davina spotted a family of three foxes.  From their sizes we thought them to be a male, female and a kit, about half grown. We stayed in one spot and watched them for about 10 minutes.  It was one of those magic moment that you will remember for a lifetime.

          Eventually the foxes went off into the woods and we carried on along the path. After crossing over Pleasant Park Rd. we entered the area of the City of Ottawa allotment gardens.  At this point father decided  he wanted to do a bit of walking on his own so he got out of the wheelchair and walked on the grass through the gardens for about 50 metres.  We then turned around and made our way back towards Alta Vista Manor.  Some time ago Joan Paris had quoted the opening stanza of AA Milne's poem "Teddy Bear" (see below) to Davina and this had intrigued her to the point of looking up the whole poem and printing out a copy. We had brought it along so we concluded the trip with her pushing the wheelchair and me reading the poem.  All in all we have a very nice evening and certainly got enough exercise to prevent us from becoming "tubby" like Winnie the Pooh!

Teddy Bear  (A.A. Milne)

A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat,
Which is not to be wondered at;
He gets what exercise he can
By falling off the ottoman,
But generally seems to lack
The energy to clamber back.

You can see the entire poem at this link:
http://www.poetryconnection.net/poets/A.A._Milne/14277


          Vince

Visit Thursday June 9th.

Friends of Ed;

          I visited father today, as I do most days, over the dinner hour and he seems to have nicely settled into the routine of having dinner in the dining room every day.  I think I'll see if I can expand meals in the dining room to include both lunch and dinner starting next week. 

          For those of you interested in the video of the Centralaires concert of May 29th, I have dropped off the files with a friend and he is going to put them on a DVD.  Copies should be available in my father's room sometime in the next week or so.

          As many of you know my mother and father were always avid gardeners.  I grew up with the concept that gardens were good things to do, though in recent years I have mostly done the chicken side of the "farming" business.  Since I was in Ottawa at the appropriate time I thought it would be nice to plant the vegetable garden at father's house this year just as he used to do and hopefully he will enjoy coming over to see it once it gets going.  If I'm really lucky there will even be some vegetables to eat when I am back in Ottawa in September.  Today I marked out part of the back yard, hauled out the tiller, convinced it to start, and tilled up about a 4 metre square plot in the back yard.  Hopefully the garden gods will smile on my efforts!

          Vince

Hospital Visit Tuesday June 7th

Friends of Ed;

         Father had his appointment with the hematologist today at 09:30.  I again followed the plan of taking father over to the hospital in the wheelchair as the weather was good. They were quite efficient at the hospital so we did not have excessive waiting times. The hematologists report was very good. Father’s ferritin levels were well within range even though his last phlebotomy was about a year ago. The doctor says he should be good for another year before any follow up is required. He did listen for fathers breathing sounds through a stethoscope and then sent us for a chest x-ray. It isn’t fully clear to me at this time whether the doctor was reacting to father’s new “normal” breathing sounds or whether there was something specific that was concerning him. The trip back was as smooth as the trip to the hospital and we arrived at Alta Vista Manor  about 11:15 – just in time for lunch. Overall I was very pleased with how things went.

     Vince

Saxophone Quartet Concert June 6th.

Friends of Ed;

          The "Two plus Two" saxophone quartet visited Alta Vista Manor this evening and gave a wonderful concert.  It was well attended by about 30 of the residents and it was obvious that they appreciated the music. 

The "Two Plus Two" Quartet.  Ben Greenberg, Alex Dopplinger, Gord Price, Tina Leach

          After the concert father visited with the quartet members for quite some time.  Davina Pearl also came by for the end of the concert and visited with father afterwards.

          Vince

Outing Wednesday June 1st.

Friends of Ed;

          Father has an appointment with his Hematologist on June 7th and in preparation for this he needed to have some blood work done. I decided that since the General Hospital is only about a 15 minute walk from Alta Vista Manor I would try wheeling him over to the hospital in his wheelchair rather than taking him over in the car. This then save all the hassle of parking the car at the hospital, which could actually take more time than the walk for Alta Vista Manor! The walk to and from the hospital went well with no complications other than trying to pick the smoothest route over all the little bumps on the sidewalk and it being a bit windy. The people at the hospital were reasonably efficient and the whole trip took a bit less than 2 hours.

          I then went back to the house for a couple of hours because the drain of the kitchen sink had been draining slowly and leaking so it needed some plumbing attention.  Fortunately I was able to get the needed parts at the local Home Hardware and solve the problem.

          Recently father has started having all of his dinners in the dining room  and I wanted to make sure this process was happening properly so I returned to Alta Vista Manor about 17:15. The staff had properly taken father down for dinner (using his walker – not the wheelchair!) and he was having his soup when I arrived. They had seated him at a table with 3 other ladies and they were having a fine conversation. Pepper steak was the main entrée and father ate a good portion of it. Part way through dinner Judy Manning arrived for a visit bringing another rhubarb pie. Since father had just eaten dinner we didn’t consume any of the pie  at that time but out it in the fridge in father’s room for future reference. I was checking his mailbox when father decided he should go back to his room and he did it more or less independently without help from the staff - though Judy may have helped him a bit.

          All in all it was a pretty successful day!

          Vince

Centralaires Concert Sunday May 29th.

Friends of Ed;

          We had a pretty amazing day today!  The Centralaires big band, of which father is a long time member, performed a concert at the Aviation Museum.  Father had expressed interest in going to the concert so I worked out a plan to get him there and Davina offered to help.   We picked up father at about 1 o'clock and drove down to the aviation museum.  There was a very high turnout for the concert and the parking lot was completely full!  We got father into the wheelchair by the main entrance and Davina took him in while I parked the car.  Father REALLY enjoyed the concert!  The guest of honor was Howard Cable ,who is a composer, arranger, and band leader very prominent in the Canadian music business.  Father worked with him in Toronto in the 50s and 60s.  One example of his work would be the first Hockey Night In Canada theme music. Much of the music the Centralaires performed was composed by Howard and he even conducted some of it personally.  After the concert Father had a great time chatting with Howard and many of his other friends.

          When we returned to Alta Vista Manor we had dinner with father in the dining room and then visited with him for a while in his room.




Howard Cable conducting the Centralaires



Father giving standing ovation at end of the Air Force March Past


          Vince

Outing Wednesday May 25th.

Friends of Ed;

          I am planning to take father to the Centralaires concert at the Aviation museum this coming Sunday and I thought it wise to do a trial run to find out what the problems might be. Today was a beautiful day so I drove over to Alta Vista Manor with the idea of doing an outing. The on street parking was full so I had to use the parking lot. This meant that I approached the Manor from the side opposite father’s room. He was sitting out on the patio and he noticed me coming in and waved which quite surprised me – he was obviously being very alert! After getting a few things squared away I got father into the wheelchair with the portable oxygen and wheeled him out to the car after signing him out at the front desk. He was able to get into the car quite easily.

          We then drove down to Beechwood Cemetery and he transferred from the car back to the wheelchair.  I wheeled him along the stone pathways which was quite easy and then over the grass to mother’s marker. The wheelchair doesn’t roll over the grass nearly as well as the pathway but it wasn’t too bad. We stayed there for quite a while chatting and remembering things. I then wheeled him back to the stone path and along to one of the big round intersections where I parked the chair as father wanted to try walking a bit. This he did very well for about 100 metres. I carried the oxygen tank slung over my shoulder and walked at his side, but he didn’t need any help at all. It was great to see! When we got back to the wheelchair I took him on a gentle 45 minute walk around the pathways. It was a glorious day… Bright and sunny, a nice temperature, gentle winds, the birds chirping, the trees rustling in the breeze...

          We then drove back to Elmvale acres, taking the Beechwood / Vanier Parkway / Alta Vista route for variety. I drove slowly down Tweed Ave so father could look at his house, but we didn’t have time to go in. We got back to AVM about 16:45, so there were quite a few people waiting to go into the first dinner seating. I took father over to the piano and he did some playing – which garnered a bit of applause. I think he really could do better though if he put his mind to it – he doesn’t like that piano. Stiff action and some of the keys are sticking. At 17:00 we went in to dinner and table 5 had a couple of ladies at it today so father got into some good conversations with them.

          All in all we spent almost 4 hours out of his room and the oxygen tank still said about half full so perhaps the oxygen duration may not be as much of a problem as I thought. I wonder whether the chart I consulted is wrong, or is perhaps for a smaller tank. Maybe the flow rate is actually lower than marked on the dial or maybe the gauge is wrong? More testing is required, I guess.

          Vince

May 24th - Catching up...

Friends of Ed;

          Please accept my apologies for not keeping the blog up to date for the last couple of weeks. I was very busy finishing off projects in Victoria, then travelled to Ottawa on May 10th, and then have been pretty busy in Ottawa for the last two weeks visiting with and helping father most days, attending my high school's 50th anniversary reunion, visiting with and talking with friends, and catching up on things around the house.

          About May 17th Joan Paris, Hubert van Wettum, and Ann and Den Thompson (from the UK) visited father, which he really enjoyed. This will be the last visit visit from Joan and Hubert for a while as they are leaving (along with the Thompson's) for a cruise to Alaska in a few days.

          On May 20th Judy Manning came by father's house and gathered some rhubarb in the back yard. Her plan was to make a pie and bring it over to Alta Vista Manor (AVM) in the evening. This plan worked out VERY well. I was visiting father and Davina Pearl dropped in to visit too. Judy then arrived with the pie so Davina went down to the AVM kitchen and liberated some ice cream so we had a nice little party with pie, ice cream, and tea. Yum!

          With the coming of Spring father has been making quite a bit of use of the little patio outside his room.  I brought over some lawn chairs so that he can sit out in the sun and enjoy himself.  Getting outside a bit seems to have raised his spirits and he started thinking that he should get out of his room a bit more.  One thing he expressed interest in is having some of his meals in the dining room! Today I went over to AVM early and had a meeting with Monique Robinson, who is also delighted that father is showing some interest in getting out of his room a bit more often. She had Alonzo come over from the kitchen and we discussed meal protocols and planned to have father take his dinners in the dining room for the next few days to see how it goes, and if it goes well, then to add lunch to the program. I’ll plan to be there at mealtimes as much as I can for the next little while, but Monique assures me that the AVM staff will take care of assisting father to the dining room if I am not there. 

          During the afternoon I prepared father a bit by giving him a good shave and getting him dressed up in his blazer all while we were sitting out on the patio – it was a beautiful day! I got him into the wheelchair and set up with the portable oxygen about 15 minutes before dinner time (first sitting at 17:00) so that we could go down to the lounge and have a look around. Everybody was friendly and we had a chat with Bob Arbuckle and a look at the aquarium. Father is seated temporarily at table 5 which has no other people sitting at it but AVM is thinking about which other table would be most socially compatible. Still, we had some nice chats with people at an adjacent table. Dinner was tomato/rice soup, sesame ginger beef, buttered noodles, green peas, ice cream and coffee. With a little encouragement father ate it ALL! After dinner on our way back to the room we had a couple of chats with people waiting for the second sitting (18:15) and were greeted in a friendly fashion by several more. I would say that all in all it was a very successful outing! 

          Monique and I also discussed the protocol for taking father on outings outside AVM and it is pretty simple. There is a book at the front desk for signing residents out - That's all there is to it.  I am hoping to take father on a little outing tomorrow as a trial run before taking him to the Centralaires concert at the Aviation Museum this coming Sunday.


       Vince

Visit Thursday May 5th.

Friends of Ed;

          I had an email from Marie Claire Potvin letting me know that she visited father today.  He was out of bed and in the chair watching TV (or maybe napping?) when Marie Claire arrived.  They had a general chat and, because it was a sunny day, discussed the possibility of going outside to sit in the sun but they finally decided that it was a bit too cool.  Marie Claire's impression was that his mood was "just OK" and that he seemed a bit tired.

             Vince

Phone call Tuesday April 3rd.

Friends of Ed;

          I talked with father on the phone this morning for about 20 minutes.  It was a bit frustrating because intermittently there seemed to be a problem where I could hear him but he couldn't hear me.  He mentioned that John Kerr had called him and he was eager to know what had transpired in the election yesterday.  It seems he had not been listening to the radio or TV and nobody else had mentioned it. He also had been looking at appointments in his day book and somehow he had his June 7th Hematology appointment down for May 7th and he was in a bit of a panic about how he was going to attend the appointment. I was able to reassure him that I would help him attend the appointment on June 7th.  He says he is sleeping OK and the meals are acceptable.  Overall his situation seemed to me about the same as it usually is.

          Vince

Visit Saturday April 30th.

Friends of Ed;

          Alex Dopplinger and Davina Pearl visited father this evening.  It was a beautiful Spring day in Ottawa and father suggested going out to sit in the sun on his patio. I think this is a very hopeful sign that his mood is improving! They moved father's walker and a couple of the chairs outside to sit on and had a little Spring celebration coffee party.

          Vince

Phone call Friday April 29th.

Friends of Ed;

          I had a nice and fairly long phone call with father this morning. He enjoyed visiting with Davina yesterday and he had a visit from Will Thurlow today.  Will is Father's accountant and he was probably bringing father up to date on the income tax situation.  We also discussed the issue which came up yesterday about power failures at Alta Vista Manor and I was able to reassure father that the Manor was well equipped for the eventuality.  He seemed to be in fairly good spirits today, though a little out of breath as he had just been up and about when I called.

          Vince

Visit Thursday April 28th.

Friends of Ed;

          I had a phone call from Davina Pearl telling me that she had visited father this evening.  He was sleeping when she arrived but woke up after a while and she says they had a really nice visit.  Evidently the weather in Ottawa has been a bit rough lately and there have been some power failures.  The question came up of what happens to Alta Vista Manor and its residents if the power to the Manor is cut off.  This is something I investigated when scouting out the Manor and there is an adequately sized backup diesel generator.  During one of my walks over to the Manor in March I observed the generator being test run under load. It is reassuring to know that it is being properly maintained and tested so that it will actually work if necessary.

          Vince

Phone call Wednesday April 27.

Friends of Ed;

          I had quite a long phone call with father today.  Much of the discussion was about the upcoming voting day in the federal election and whether father would like to make the effort to cast his vote and how this could be made possible.  After considerable discussion he decided that he didn't really want to bother and I was unable to persuade him otherwise, though I didn't really work too hard at it.

          Otherwise he said he was feeling pretty good, the meals are still OK and he says he is sleeping well.  I did ask if the cannula is bothering his ears and he said no.  He has been wearing the headphones connected to the radio listening to the CBC "Tempo" program and in the past, if his ears were irritated, the headphones were the first thing to go.

          According to father there have been no visitors since Alex Dopplinger on Monday of this week.  Father is also expressing interest in my return to Ottawa.  It's less than 2 weeks now so he doesn't have too long to wait!

          Vince

Phone call and visit Monday April 25th.

Friends of Ed;

          I spoke to father on the phone today and he seems to be doing well and wasn't too tired out from the excitement yesterday.  He said his ears weren't bothering him and that his meals have been OK over the last few days.  He particularly commented on the beautiful Easter bouquet that was brought yesterday. While I was talking with him Alex Dopplinger dropped in for a visit on her way to quartet rehearsal.  Rumour has it she brought some Easter turkey with her to tempt father with!

          Vince

Visits Sunday April 24th.

Friends of Ed;

           Being Easter Sunday lots of people visited today.  I heard from Davina Pearl that she, Reg and Al Beaudreau, and Joan Paris all ended up visiting at the same time.  It must have been quite the party!

          Vince

Phone Call Saturday April 23.

Friends of Ed;

            I spoke to father on the phone today for about 45 minutes.  He seemed in good spirits with no complaints about his sleep or meals.  When I asked about whether his ears were sore from the cannula (see April 21 blog post) he seemed to tell me that it wasn't really too much of a problem.  He told me he had been watching a fair bit of TV today - evidently there was a lot of advance coverage of the upcoming Royal Wedding. 

          Vince
  

Visit Thursday April 21.

Friends of Ed;

          I heard from Davina Pearl that she visited father this evening for quite a while.  She said he seemed basically well, but was having a bit of a problem with his cannula irritating his ears.  Davina called the nurse in to have a look at the problem and the nurse re-arranged the cannula.  Hopefully the situation will be brought under control soon.  Davina told me one of the other things they did was watch some "Yes Minister" episodes on the TV.  For those who don't know, "Yes Minister" (and "Yes Prime Minister") are British TV series from the 1980s with half hour episodes featuring the career of "Jim Hacker".  They are political farce at its best and incredibly funny!

          Vince  

Phone Call Wednesday April 20.

Friends of Ed;

          I had a long phone call with father this afternoon (while I was feeding my chickens and collecting the eggs) and he seemed to be doing quite well.  He had a visit today from Joan Paris and Hubert van Wettum which he greatly enjoyed.  Interestingly enough, he informed me that he had been up late the night before watching a baseball game on the TV.  It is good to see that he is focusing some of his attention on the outside world.

          Vince

Visit Monday April 18th.

Friends of Ed;

          I heard from Davian Pearl that she had a nice visit with father this evening.  She reports that he was up watching TV when she arrived and in her opinion he seemed to have more energy that during her visit on April 14th.  This agrees with the impression I got when talking with father on the phone and I am certainly glad to have the impression confirmed. While Davina was there she checked father's mailbox in the activity room and there was a card from Kay MacKnight who was one of my mother's sister in laws.

          Vince

Phone Call Sunday April 17th.

Friends of Ed;

          I called father today at about 4 PM Ottawa time to see how he was doing.  As it turned out, Alex Dopplinger was visiting when I called. She and father were having a nice visit so I kept the call fairly short, which was just as well as I had to go out and do the second egg collection of the day.

          Vince  

Visit Saturday April 16th.

Friends of Ed;

          I had a phone call today from Marie-Claire Potvin (father's housekeeper for the last few years) and she said that she had visited father between 1:30 PM and 3 PM today.  Evidently he was napping when she arrived but woke up shortly thereafter.  In her opinion his color was good and he appeared to be eating well, but he rested in bed during her entire visit.  She said they had a nice visit chatting about many things.  While she was there Marie-Claire said she did a bit of cleaning up around the place...  I see she is still dedicated to her job!

          Vince

Phone Call April 15th.

Friends of Ed;

          I talked with father on the phone today for about a half hour.  It was about 8 PM Ottawa time when I called and father was watching some TV.  After he got the volume turned down we had a nice chat.  He said he had been sleeping well, but was also doing a lot of napping during the day.  I got the general impression that his energy levels were not as high as they sometimes are.  He didn't mention any problem with the meals so I assume things are OK there.  He did mention that he had visits recently from Reg Boudreau (his across the street neighbor on Tweed Avenue) and Davina Pearl, who's visit I mentioned in yesterday's blog post.

          Vince

Visit April 14th.

Friends of Ed;

          I had a phone call from Davina Pearl letting me know that she visited father for a couple of hours this evening.  She told me that he said he had been sleeping well, but had still been taking a lot of naps each day. From his perspective he said he had been feeling more breathless recently, but Davina said that his situation seemed to her to be about as usual, to the best of her judgement.

          Vince

Phone call April 13th.

Friends of Ed;

          I talked with father on the phone for about a half hour today and he said he was pretty breathless and didn't have much energy but otherwise things were pretty normal.  He mentioned that Davina Pearl had called to let him know she would be visiting on Thursday.  I also spoke with John Kerr today and he mentioned that he had made a social phone call to father earlier in the week.

          Vince

Phone Call April 11th.

Friends of Ed;

          I had about a one hour phone call with Father this morning.  He said he was spending a lot of time resting, but otherwise he seemed to be doing well.

             Vince

Phone Call and Visits April 9th.

Friends of Ed;

          I called father quite early today (06:30 BC Time) but he said he was listening to Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe program on the CBC so after a very brief chat I said goodbye and then called him up later for a much longer chat.  During the latter call he said he was doing well and having a good sleep at night.  Later in the day I heard from Davina Pearl that she had visited father during the late afternoon and evening and that they had a great time.

          Vince

Visit Thursday April 7th.

Friends of Ed;

          I heard from Davina Pearl that she visited father Thursday evening.  She and father had a nice visit where they shared some tea, family and music stories,  and listened to some music.  She said that father was  in a good mood and "up and about" when she arrived at about 7:30 PM and this is very good to hear!  Father seems to have been sleeping and eating well and says that he had a visit from Marie-Clair Potvin, probably sometime in the last few days.  Marie-Claire left some cookies that evidently went very well with the tea!

          Vince

Phone Call Wednesday April 6th.

Friends of Ed;

          I talked with father on the phone today for about a half hour and he seemed to be in good spirits.  His sleeping has been fairly good the last couple of days and he said had been up and about for a significant part of the day.  His relations with the kitchen seem to be at least tolerable as he says they haven't starved him yet!  One thing that he really enjoyed, he says, was watching a 2 hour "Nature of Things" special TV program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the program (I remember watching it as less than 10 year old kid in Toronto when it was presented by University of Toronto Professors Patterson Hume and Donald Ivey!) and David Suzuki's 75th birthday.  Father also mentioned that Reg Boudreau, his neighbour from across the street on Tweed Ave, was in to visit him.

          Vince

Phone Call Monday April 4th.

Friends of Ed;

          I spoke to father on the phone today for about 45 minutes.  He seemed to be doing OK... sleeping not too badly and getting reasonable meals to eat.  There really isn't too much more to report today.

          Vince

Visit Sunday April 3rd.

Friends of Ed;

          I heard from Davina Pearl that she visited for about two and a half hours today.  Father was up and about when she arrived and I think this is a very good sign, though he said his sleeping the last couple of days has been not as good as it might be.  Davina and father discussed some of the stories in Murray Ginsberg’s book “They Loved to Play” that I took over to father’s place some weeks ago.  The book is mainly about interviews with musicians who were active in the Toronto music scene in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.  Of course my father was a participant in that era of Toronto music so he connects very strongly with the book.

          Evidently it was a very nice day in Ottawa.  When I am next in there I’ll have to see about getting a few outside chairs for father’s patio.  Over the last little while I equipped father’s room for making tea.  If you are visiting, feel free to make some for yourself and father.  The kettle is on the counter and various mugs, plates, teas, instant coffee and other supplies are in the left hand cupboard above the microwave oven.  There are also some tea biscuits on the top shelf of the cupboard. Enjoy!

         Vince

Phone Call Saturday April 2nd.

Friends of Ed;

          Well, I arrived in BC safely and have dealt with some of the more urgent matters here so I had time to call father today.  He seemed to be in pretty good spirits and we chatted about various things for about 20 or 30 minutes.  He too was struck by the irony that the battery in his watch failed on the day that I left for BC!  He says he has been sleeping pretty well overall but is still trying to get in some naps during the day.  He also says that he and the kitchen at Alta Vita Manor seem to be getting along reasonably well, which is nice to hear!  He mentioned that Alex Dopplinger had been in to visit him on Friday evening.  He really enjoyed the visit.  I subsequently had an email from Alex and she said that father was looking very well and that they had a lovely chat. 

          Vince

Visit Thursday March 31st.

Friends of Ed;

          I have a bit of catching up to do here!  I visited father for about an hour on Thursday morning and everything seemed to be reasonably OK.  This will be my last visit for a while as I am travelling to BC for about 6 weeks.  I will be phoning father every few days so I will still be doing a few blog entries.  Seeing as I will not be in Ottawa I would be as connected to what is going on so it will be more important for people who visit  to either write a blog entry or let me know by email or phone how things are going.  I have met many of my father's friends over the last 3 months and I must say it has been a pleasure!

          I had an email from Davina Pearl letting me know that she had a nice visit with father this evening for about an hour and a half. She and father chatted about many things, including some of my father's musical career in Toronto, and then listened to some music together.  She also said that the battery in father's watch failed today (the day I leave - of all days!) so she is going to get it replaced.  Thanks Davina!



           Thanks...

                    Vince

Vist Wednesday March 30th.

Friends of Ed;

          I visited much earlier than usual today as it looked like a really nice day outside and I fancied a walk.  I am going to miss the nice weather here in Ottawa when I go to the rainy BC coast!  Father was sitting up on the edge of the bed today when I arrived and that was nice to see.  He still seems to have somewhat less energy than he had last week, but hopefully that will improve in a day or two.  I noted today that the gauze that pads the cannula tubes where run over his ears was looking pretty ratty so I had one of the nurses come in and replace it.  Hopefully I will get over to visit for a few minutes tomorrow morning before heading for the airport.  One of father's neighbors has kindly offered drive me there.

          I officially told Alta Vista Manor of my travel plans today and in return they gave me some very good news:  The Influenza A outbreak is officially over and the signs suggesting that visiting should be restricted have been taken down! 

          Vince

Visit Tuesday March 29th.

Friends of Ed;

          I visited father today for a couple of hours.  He was a little livelier today than yesterday and said he had slept well the night before.  The major excitement today was the installation of a small refrigerator so that we can keep milk and cream for coffee and tea available at all times.  I also brought a few of the small yogurt cups from the cafe to store in the fridge as father uses then to take his pills and sometimes the nurses forget to bring one.

          The "no visiting" signs are still up at Alta Vista Manor but judging by the sign in sheets the number of visitors has returned to about normal.

          Vince

Visit Monday March 28th.

Friends of Ed;

          When I arrived today father was having a nap but he woke up a few minutes after I arrived.  He said he had slept well , but he seemed to me to be a bit tired today.  This should not be surprising as yesterday was a busy day for him what with visitors starting to arrive about 13:30, then the concert, and the last visitors leaving at about 19:30.  He said he had really enjoyed the concert though!  I visited for about an hour and a half and then left him to get in some more napping.

          Vince 

Visit and Concert Sunday March 27th.

Friends of Ed;

          Father had a busy day today!  Several of his musical friends arrived to visit at about 1:45 and after hanging their coats and visiting for a bit, performed a clarinet quartet concert in the main Alta Vista Manor lounge. Of course I outfitted father with his portable oxygen system and he attended to concert.



The Clarinet Quartet

          The players (left to right) are Ben Greenberg, Gord Price, Peter Archibald, and Larry Sargent.



Father enjoying himself!



Concert at the Manor  March 27/2011 (Roberta Archibald to the right of father, myself to the left)

           After the concert there was much visiting and discussion about the concert. A few residents of the Manor came up to thank the Quartet personally.  When the visiting wound down I asked father if there was anything else he wanted to do while he was out and about and he said to take him to the piano! I am quite sure he meant this in jest, but I was NOT going to let the opportunity escape!  Off to the piano we went...  Davina Pearl came along to help cajole father into doing some playing.  We were at the piano for some time and eventually another resident of the Manor joined us in encouraging father.  After a while it dawned on me that the gentleman was Bob Arbuckle, Judy Arbuckle's father!   Judy went to High School in Ottawa with Sarah Roberts who is married to Ralph Roberts who is an Information Technology friend of mine in Victoria who...  Never mind - It's complicated!  Sarah had let me know a couple of weeks ago that Judy's father had moved to the Manor so I've been expecting to meet him sooner or later and now I have.  It looks like Bob and father get along well so perhaps father has made a new friend.   


          Vince

Visit Saturday March 26th.

Friends of Ed;

          I visited father today for a couple of hours in the late afternoon.  He said he slept well last night and was up and about the whole time I visited.  I think he had been watching some television today as he complained that all he could get was election news!  While I was there Judy Manning dropped in for a visit which was very nice.  She plans to leave the Manor on Monday as her foot is healed sufficiently for her to live independently.

          Alta Vista Manor still has the quarantine signs up advising people not to visit but there seems to be essentially no restriction in visiting rooms on the main floor.  If they are willing to have the Clarinet Quintet concert tomorrow I think that we can now go back to business as usual for visiting.

          In related news - I have booked myself a flight to BC on March 31 so starting then I obviously won't be able to visit father daily and won't be doing daily updates to the blog.  Hopefully others who visit father will write up the details here so we can all stay informed.

         Vince

Visit Friday March 25th

Friends of Ed;

          I visited father today for a couple of hours in the early afternoon.  He said he had slept well the previous night (which he seems to be doing more of lately) and he was up and about the whole time I was there.  While I was visiting cousin Louise called me on my cell phone so she and father were able to have a chat which was really nice!  I also checked father's mailbox today and there was a nice card from Kay MacKnight.  She is the widow of one of my mother's brothers.

          I have now confirmed with the Alta Vista Manor activity director (Cheryl Conley) that Ben Greenberg's Clarinet Quartet is scheduled to perform at the Manor on Sunday March 27 starting at 2:15 PM.  I hope to see you there!

          Vince