Go to the Water

 J ust r ecently I had a bronchial cold.  To quote my little granddaughter "and I'm not very happy about that". What I am really not happy about is the fact that I had Covid mid-June and then in September sick again.  Up to this point I hadn't been ill for years. I pride myself on my iron clad immune system or so I thought.  I actually attribute having good immunity to spending most of my life working with sick people and having a BCG.  I got a BCG when I was a baby because Dad had TB.  This vaccine is still identified as the best vaccine against respiratory infections.  I have copied an article at the end about the effectiveness of a BCG and Covid (it had a share icon which makes copying ok).  At the beginning of covid they were finding that nurses with BCG were less likely to get covid.   When my Granddaughter was born in Yellowknife, she was given a BCG and hepatitis within the first 24 hours of her birth.  All newborn babies in ...

Today my mom turns 88 years old.  How many 65-year-old people have the honor to be able to say that.   I realize that many of you reading this aren't as lucky as I am and have to visit your mom in  a care home or make a stop at the cemetery to celebrate your mom's birthday.   A s my mom ages I think of how wonderful it is that she is able to live in her own home, make her own decisions, be basically independent and continues to have a strong mind.  I tell Mom she has to hold it together because she has seniors looking after her and that can't be good.  One of my favorite pictures of us.   Enjoying the Brier My mom doesn't have perfect health and never has but she certainly is a tough ole bird.  In January of this year, fire took mom's home and all of her belongings.  We realize they are only things.  It soon became evident, the biggest thing that fire took from Mom was her way of living and her close connect...

My TV time consists mainly of watching HGTV or a show that has an elimination at the end of it.  Reality TV works for me because I don't have to think.  It unravels in front of me, I don't have to figure out a plot or follow multiple characters or understand anything.  Mindless TV watching is how I describe it.   I have been a super fan of Amazing Race since it started years ago.   I have traveled the world several times through this show.   I  always look forward to the Canadian version which recently aired.  Sadly, the  end of Amazing Race Canada has arrived.  I had decided Catherine and Craig, the team from Winnipeg was going to be my team to hope for.  They are dancers, singers and best friends.  Their friendship is undeniably a friendship that we all want. In 2013, Catherine was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and given the prognosis of two to six years.  Catherine says, "I have passed my expiry da...

  I realize now that I am retired, and I feel I am not as organized as I would like to be, that I did lead a very organized life.  It seems that the more chaos in my life the better I functioned.  With that said I have embraced the fact that I don't need to be hyper organized as often my days truly have nothing that needs to be accomplished. I put demands on myself for 45 years to be on a schedule, get up and get going.  I retired so I wouldn't be required to do that anymore.  Quite frankly, I do like it.  There are days when I accomplish very little and would be a wee bit discouraged about that.  I am trying not to use productivity and accomplishment to define me.  I decided today to share some of my organizational tips for you to consider.   Selecting clothes. In reflection, I had some pretty neat tricks that kept me organized once upon a time.  The number one thing that helped me sleep was my Sunday night preparation time.  ...

It only seems suiting that I write about the Queen on the day of her funeral.  Through technology we were privileged to beautiful ceremonies steeped with Royal traditions. I get caught up in those traditions as they are carried out in century old churches or other incredible buildings with absolute precision inside.  The hundreds of soldiers in unbelievable uniforms, each serving a different role to the Queen.  The large crowds, flowers everywhere and the list can go on.  What a long-lived life Queen Elizabeth II had, working literally until the day of her death.  She knew nothing else but to serve and serve she did.  How beautiful I have pretty much spent the last 11 days renewing my love and respect for the Queen through stories people share at the time of death.  Her death and everything that goes with being a Royal, has brought the little girl out in me.  The segment that spoke of the Queen's wardrobe and how she was involved in the ...

Have you ever though "What makes me feel like a girl"?  Years ago, I develop a mantra to get me through the day.  After some thought my mantra went like this: "get up, dress up and show up".  Depending on the day all three were accomplished, some days only one, but my mantra got me through days I just wanted to say, "not doing it".  When I retired and Covid was here, I added "go outside once a day" to this regime.  At that time, I made a decision to wear earrings and put lipstick on every morning even in isolation.  That would mean I was paying attention to myself, and most days it really classed up the pair of sweatpants I was wearing.  At one time I did the entire makeup routine, eye shadow, mascara, blush and lipstick, but I was just going to keep it simple in my new life.  I use Cover girl lipstick that I paint on, and it stays on for most of the day, no eating this stuff off.   For a couple of years no one was aware I even...

  This is one of my "Fayisms" I promote all of the time.  Let's face it, even the most understanding and caring man doesn't get it like another woman. The front runner for caring for other women is to have a "Bestie".  My Bestie and I call each other our BFFF.  If you know my bestie you will easily figure out the extra F. Having a Bestie and being a Bestie are important roles. A Bestie knows you better than you know yourself.  They know your secrets and you know theirs. They listen to you without judgment.  They offer advice when asked and the most important thing they do, they can relate to how you are feeling.  You can go long periods without a text or phone call, but that is okay you just pick up where you left off.  When you share you don't even have to say "don't say anything" because that is a given.  Besties look after you when you need taking care of and you do it in return.  Besties are the bestest.  We all develop a circle...

In May, my bestie and I were at the Moose Jaw Spa enjoying one of our rejuvenating time together.  We were celebrating our milestone birthdays and catching up on the time we had to spend apart during Covid.   We spoke of how we felt about being around water and we came to the decision that  "Go to the Water" was a perfect Blog title.  Oddly, naming your Blog is a difficult task and I wouldn't have wanted to make the final decision with anyone else. Besties have very important jobs and naming a Blog is one of them.  Water has been such an important part of my life. I hope that everyone has a surreal place that brings peace and calmness to your soul.  For me that serenity is achieved when I am near or in water.  I keep it real simple, when I need to center myself or clear my head, I have a bubble bath.  I am a much calmer decision maker in my housecoat.   I have always envisioned myself living in a cottage on a lake.  I'm sitting...

Retirement is a very interesting concept.  Google search has a pretty simple explanation.  Their meaning of retirement goes something like this: the time of life when one chooses to leave the workforce behind.  For me the implementation of retirement is where the complexity comes in. I was working at two occupations so I retired in two stages.  Stage one happened in December 2019, when I retired from the Nursing Department at the University.  I had made a promise to myself, when it was time to leave nursing, I sensed I would know and I would retire.  I did recognize my nursing career was over and that chapter of my life was over.  I wanted to leave with warm and fuzzy thoughts of my long career.  The decision seemed relatively easy and went very smoothly.  Little did I know that within 3 months the world would be in a pandemic like none other.  I feel someone more powerful than I had guided me make the decision to retire.  I would n...