July 14

If you are wondering why last night's blog entry was short and to the point without a dash of Alvin, it is because "Her Royal Highness" was looking over my shoulder ready to declare, "Off with your head." Tonight, I am hunkered down in the activity room at the lodge. I have already given the Queen some warm milk, tucked her into bed, and read her a bedtime story so I am back to taking some liberties as you can see. Judy is continuing to do well. We went for our mandatory 3 walks today. Judy even included some stairs. Judy's body is learning to breathe differently. Her recovery from this surgery has been significantly better than after her first surgery. A Few Observations: 1. Remember when you were in the work world and you longed for a day when you had no obligations, chores, or tasks to complete. Be careful what you wish for. My main job here is to show up for meals three times a day. Oh yeah, and I make the beds and do the Queen's bidding. One should not wish their life away waiting for Thursday. To pass the time, I have been reading, watching Ted Talks on Netflix, and playing games on the iPad. Every morning, I borrow a bike from the lodge and do some touring. Yesterday's ride was an hour. Today, I rode for 2 hours. I have toured the Expo site, False Creek Seawall, Granville Island, English Bay, and Stanley Park. Tomorrow's plan is to tour Kitsilano Beach and south. In the evenings, I go for a one hour walk. 2. There are 24 rooms in the lodge.Judy and I are the only foreigners. Most guests are here for chemo or radiation. Seeing people wincing in pain, wearing head scarves to cover hair loss due to treatment, and discussing their battle with cancer is commonplace. Some guests have been here for months. A person we have befriended has been here since February 26. So sad. The upside is: there is a sense of community here with people becoming acquainted, building friendships, then checking out of the lodge. I always rejoice when I see someone waiting in the lobby with their suitcases packed, ready to go back to family and friends. To overcome the boredom, guests utilize the lodge's library, watch TV, read the paper, etc. By far the most popular pursuit is assembling jigsaw puzzles. Without fail, there is a group of hens and a few roosters sitting around a table discussing the fine points of jigsaws. 3. The lawns in Vancouver are wooly brown. There is no prospect of rain here for at least 5 more days. Tomorrow is another day of making the best lemonade out of the lemons we are handed.