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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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The weather is hot, and hotter. Yesterday, all day, in the morning a cool breeze but by the afternoon it's a hot blast from a furnace.
The crows, a trip to Dollarama to vary their diet, some walnuts, almonds, most seem pleasantly surprised, but there's always one, "Peanut Allergy". He walks to a peanut, pecks with some boredom or lassitude, then comes back to stare at me.
It's amazing, I can read his mind.
He walks over and checks out the walnut, the almond as well, but he's really not that interested. He walks back and stares at me. Other crows creep in to steal his walnut, almond, peanut, he chases a couple of the off but then gives up, he doesn't care, he wants the cashew. And eventually I relent, toss him a couple, and his work is done and once fed he flies off.
***
Daily, checking my blood pressure and heart rate at the Pharmasave. I've become old, overnight and all of a sudden.
Today is bad news - my heart rate up to 66, high, compared to the past week (hovering around 48-54). I check it again.
Better, but again - well, a pulse of "0" seems a bit low.
I check it again, blood pressure varies, pulse the same.
I feel I should call the doctor, but - really, I'm not dying to spend more time in the hospital while they figure this out. If I'm dead I'm dead and probably I should have a drink to take the edge off...
***
Borrow a friend's car for the morning and head to the locker. I recover 7 boxes; time to get rid of some books.
Box one proves to be filled with candlesticks. I thought I was done, apparently not, another 4 pairs and half dozen strays to be dealt with. They are nice candlesticks, for sure, but I do seem to have too many. One maybe, an Arts-and-Crafts "Goberg" from the turn of the century, simple but unique, it won't realize it's value here. None of them ever do, but I'll keep the best for later.
A lot of these, I've had forever and technology has evolved so that - where I knew once they were unique of valuable I can now use Google Lens to snap a picture and get an idea of their exact value. Such is the democratizing influence of technology, that's made everyone an expert...
And it's an excuse to chat with the antique shop owners about maybe some sort of payment now long overdue before they go closing up for retirement...
Now that I'm not working it's time to call in a few debts...
***
Loot the books, take to the shop. Some have been damaged by water, this always breaks my heart, but - well, work around it.
I recommend this to the clerk:
"Think of a number" I tell her..."Any number..between 1 and 10..."
She thinks. "9" she answers.
I look her in the eye and tell her "9. You see that? I concentrated and memorized it. This book changed my life..."
Then there are the books I can't yet bring myself to sell, the N.L. (Bill) Barlee books on Gold Panning, The Silkameen, Ghost Towns, etc, vintage, hard to come by, not available online and still full of good information. I'll find a way to hang on to these...
***
Back home, the rest of the boxes, old photos of the kids, (save the photos, donate the frames), countless notebooks - Dollarama, from when things still costed a dollar, how old am I? sketchbooks, mixed media, I'm drowning in art supplies, and - even worse - a box of notes, sketches, writing, etc - this has to be dealt with but how? And this damned heart attack, the cowards way out of dealing with a lifetime of stalled projects, well, it's been indefinitely postponed, probably a good thing but I'm not entirely sure...
Obituaries...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
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A few new, of which I recognize only one, an older gentleman (80's) who used to hang around the mall handing out business cards to his website. He apparently worked his life in Transport in BC and had some things to share, always friendly, and never remembering that he'd already given you his card.
And then there's the neighbour, who tells me tonight that one of her best friends - the only woman I'd seen her hanging out with 'to party', which in her instance meant maybe a couple of Mike's Hard Lemonade, having sworn off Narcotics and the rest of it after Vancouver. Anyways, her best friend OD'd about 9 days ago, found dead in her apartment with a friend passed out; her friend still partied it seems, neighbour takes it in stride but living wild on the streets of Vancouver would habituate you to that...This was written up in the Nelson Star in the police summary as "Sudden Death", no name given, and she's unlikely to receive an Obituary; impossible to keep up in the is town with the graveyard churning as it does.
Weekend, Meds, Bleah Bleah Bleah
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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The weekend passes. Met with the owner of the restaurant, who offered me hours just "standing around" whenever I want, "Supervisory", and meals - again, whenever I want. I don't think I score that high on the Charisma, but I have to say they've been pretty kind.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday I'm bushed. Sleeping far more than I should; generally exhausted, in part probably due to my rapidly dropping heart rate - from 71 after the Cardio-Version to 51 yesterday.
My general "oomph", while lately not high, is now out the window. The heat, of course, doesn't help.
And I've found myself with an inexplicable sweet tooth. Every day, looking for candy or chocolate or ice cream, these are things that I'd crave normally maybe once a month, now it's daily.
Sunday I make Lasagne, time to use up some stale noodles in my cupboard. The Lasagne turns out good, substantially better than the Cannelloni, only now it's my meal for the rest of the week...
And chess, playing on LiChess to discover that my game has gotten significantly better. Who woulda guessed sobriety could have that side effect? Although I'd really rather be drunk and a lousy chess player...
Tuesday (yesterday) - a scheduled visit to the nurse. She notes my heart rate is too low, take me off a couple of medications, reduce another. The shame of this is that I've already paid for the prescriptions, and while I wasn't in a position to argue (I'm not a doctor, after all) I kind of suspected I was over-prescribed. The next meeting will be towards month end, and then in another three we'll do some more tests to evaluate function.
After the hospital, walk down to Baker and take a bus out to Balfour. The lake is dropping and I'm hopeful as to treasures.
I'm not wrong, a few flakes and these two:
This, a pretty simple basalt arrowhead, and another (broken, not sure if it was an arrowhead but shows lots of work)
Not a bad day, and the lake has meters yet to drop and large swaths of the beach were ignored so as not to piss off the Canada geese and the ducks. It's good to save a bit of the hunt, I'm sure I'll be bored again and making another trip.
After which, stop by the restaurant, visit, they're having problems getting decent staff. Or getting staff to commit to schedules. Typical Kootenays. So I work a couple of hours, keep it stress-free, take a few tables, I have to keep somewhat busy and they've been pretty kind, so this - well, it's the least I can do. A quiet night and the old ticker, it's not racing and probably I'm fine to work, but - well, doctor's orders...
Thursday
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Blog
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And Thursday it's back to the real world.
First thing, laundry, then head outside to feed the crows. Most of the crows have moved on, found other sources of food, but I've still the one with a peanut allergy and his friend. Peanut allergy, he'll eat a couple, then ignore the rest, he's waiting on the cashews. His friend is not so picky.
Then there are the pigeons. They - while reduced in number, still recognize me and flock my foot and beat their wings in my face to get my attention. They get only one round of attention per day, far from me, and I hope they begin to figure it out.
Then laundry, weeks overdue, pick up my prescriptions; I'm wondering where the Farmers Market is - usually it's every Wednesday on the far end of Baker, only somehow all this hospital time has messed with my internal clock and it takes a day for me to figure out it isn't Wednesday. Books to the bookstore and they thank me for the break I've given them; a chance to sell some of the hundreds I've dropped off.
Library, blog, home, nap, make dinner, and then be exhausted the rest of the night. I'm sleeping well, like the dead, strange dreams; largely disturbing, I try to watch a movie but I'm too tired...
Time now to get out the canvases and paints, I have some 4 weeks almost to raise rent and I have to get started. And time now to perhaps collect on my CPP - it being unsure that I'll live to that ripe old age to enjoy it better to enjoy what fraction of it I can in the moment. This is the plan.
And this is it, the rhythm for the moment. There are things to be done, and will be done and it's time now without the stress of work to start.
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