December 31

Almost midnight. I just left the hospital. Judy and I celebrated New Year's Eve together with intermittent texts from the girls feeding us a few inside jokes. Haley had invited me to join her and Dustin for the evening. Dustin had been away for 4 days snowmobiling in the mountains and I knew there are few things as romantic as spending New Year's Eve sitting on the couch watching "River Monsters" between Haley and Dustin with my grand dogs on my lap so I took a pass and spent the early part of the evening having wine and cheese with my neighbors. As I was leaving my neighbors, I had a brief visit with Jack, the rabbit who stopped by for a Happy New Year. Dr. Kanthan, Judy's surgeon dropped by today to inform her a cystoscopy will be performed sometime next week to determine whether the fistula has begun to heal. The catheter ran clearer today. We'll take that as a hopeful sign. Happy New Year, everyone.

December 30

I noticed blood in the catheter bag yesterday. Oh no, another thing for Judy to deal with. Apparently, she has a bladder infection; therefore, antibiotics are being administered. The antibiotics yielded almost instant results. There is no blood in the urine today. Nausea has continued to plague Judy for the last two days. Dear, sweet Judy is throwing up and asking the RN how her day is going. You know how she is. Hopefully, the nausea will settle down and the bladder infection will be under control so Judy can make another jailbreak soon.

December 29

Judy enjoyed her baking soda biscuits. Although David volunteered to use the baking soda biscuits for skeet shooting, they really were good and the cheese sauce that I made was truly a culinary masterpiece. The bottom line is: the Queen approved. When I visited Judy today, she was sitting in her chair reading her book. She had a good day. My task for today was to buy the Queen a pair of trekking poles. Judy has been using trekking poles for her physio exercises. Of course, I am worried because she now has two pointing poles to use on me to give directions. Oh for the days when she only had one pointy stick to deliver commands.

December 28

For the past 3 days, Judy has had intentions of coming home for a few hours, but she just hasn't felt up to the rigors of getting dressed, experiencing a blast of cold air, and leaving the security of professional care. She continues to be dogged by nausea, but she is still getting up for walks around the 5th floor and periods of sitting in her chair. We keep on staring at the fluid in her catheter, hoping for clear amber. Over the past two days, there have been longer periods when the fluid is clear, then the dreaded brown color reappears. You never fly too high or sink too low. Judy's nephew, Justin, returns to Vancouver tomorrow and David returns to Toronto on Wednesday morning. We have had a wonderful week of visits in front of the fireplace, long walks, afternoon beauty sleeps, and multiple trips to David's favorite haunt-Greek House on 33rd. Tomorrow, I plan to make tea biscuits and cheese sauce for the Queen. This is the one food that Judy has been craving, even if she has just a little taste. The Queen shall have her biscuit and eat it, too.

December 26

Judy had intended to take a day pass to attend a Boxing Day Dinner at Audrey's house, but was feeling a bit off. We visited her in the evening and she was doing quite well.

December 25

Judy had planned to be home for gift opening this morning, but she was not feeling well enough to leave the hospital. After lunch, we all went to the hospital to have Judy open her Christmas presents. When I went to pick Judy up for Christmas Dinner, she was dressed and ready to go, but she had another bout of nausea. The nurses were wonderful in getting Judy cleaned up and ready to go for Christmas. Having Judy spend Christmas with her family was their mission and they assisted Judy with zeal. One was running for catheter supplies. One was on her knees washing Judy. Another was giving Judy anti-nausea drugs through her pic line. Thank God for these wonderful angels of mercy. Judy was able to join the family at Haley's for Christmas Dinner. She sat at the head of the table and reveled in the experience of being with the family she loves dearly. These are precious times. This has been a wonderful, special Christmas. Thank you, God.

December 24

Tis the night before Christmas and I just finished doing the dishes. We have had many Christmas Eve parties at our house, but there haven't been any better than we experienced tonight. The main reason is: we had royalty in our midst. Yes. Yes. The King of Kelvington was present, but the main attraction was our beloved Queen Judy of Diamonds. David and I picked Judy up at 5 and we returned her to RUH before she turned into a pumpkin. The evening was filled with family, friends, and great food. Haley and Mary were masterful in laying out the spread in the tradition of their wonderful mother. There was love, laughter, and good conversation. A night to remember. Tomorrow morning, we will have the Queen on hand again as she doles out gifts from the Royal Treasury. Judy and I are truly blessed. Oh yeah, and Henrietta the Hen is still laying eggs and Jack is safely tucked behind the cedars in our front yard. Good night, Holy night. All is calm, all is bright.

December 23

Today, I slept in. You see, I played my final game of hockey last night and I am happy to say I went out on a high note, scoring a goal. The game was followed by a wonderful meal. Problem was: I was up from 2-4:30 digesting the meal. Oh well, I'm retired. I was up in time to get David from the airport at 11 am. After taste testing my perogies, David and I picked up Diamond Judy from RUH. As we entered our driveway, Judy said, "You don't have any visitors dropping by this afternoon, do you?" My reply was,"Absolutely not, Your Highness." There was one visitor waiting on the doorstep. Our neighbor's laying hen wandered over to our front step and laid an egg. I didn't make a fuss over the intrusion because of the cost of eggs these days. Furthermore, I like to keep peace with the neighbors because we have joint ownership of a rabbit named Jack. The next visitors dropped in at 2:30 pm. A group of four young ladies from the Saskatoon Children's Choir gave Judy a wonderful gift of songs. Kleenex time...especially when they sang Judy's all time favourite...The Irish Blessing. Thank you to Peggy and Brooklyn for the inspiration to give this gift. My job was to orchestrate the event by deception and secrecy. Judy also got to spend some time resting and some time decorating Christmas cookies with Haley and Mary. David and I returned Judy to the hospital in time for the Flash Mob in the Atrium. Of course, Judy was ready for a snooze after an eventful afternoon of singing angels, mobbing, and prank chickens. She says she still loves me in spite of my deceitful ways. Her day was wonderful and so was mine.

December 23 - Flash Mob Update

Yes, the Great Atrium Miracle is still on for 4:30pm today. Act like you're surprised when you see Judy.

December 22 - Flash Mob Alert

Judy was able to come home today for most of the afternoon. Tomorrow, we are hoping to have a repeat performance. David is arriving from Toronto in the morning; therefore, I will have an accomplice for the next week as I transport the Queen to her various gala events. Judy, if you are sneaking a peek at this blog, avert your eyes because The King is being his usual subversive self tomorrow. My plan is to walk Judy through the Atrium on the 5th floor of RUH tomorrow around 4:30 pm. If anyone wants to see Judy in the flesh, take a seat in the Atrium, an inner courtyard directly west of the main elevators. Needless to say, if you suspect a cold or flu bug, sit this one out. I will try to confirm this event on this blog tomorrow around 3:30 pm just in case Judy is not feeling well or The King has been flogged for treason. Hopefully, this little surprise will work out. Judy, if you are reading this, then you have ruined the surprise.

December 21

It's midnight and I just finished making 65 large perogies. The recipe is one that my Baba Kolach brought from Poland in 1928. Labor intensive, man! Six hours of work. It reminds me of two art activities I used to teach in school...water colors and papier mache. They seem like a good idea, then you remember why you resolved to never repeat the task again. Oh, by the way, Judy had a good day. The new pic line was inserted in the morning; therefore, tomorrow the Queen will be picked up in the Royal Carriage, then she will proceed to Silverwood Palace to check on her Northern Estate. I have most of the perogy dough scraped off the back splash, but I fear I may have missed some dough that the mix master flicked at the ceiling. I want to mention a pleasant experience that I had today when I was at McNally Robinson today. I noticed there were ukuleles for sale in various colors. I picked up one ukulele, tuned it, and strummed a few chords. Two little Chinese girls named Kayley and Sarah came up to me and asked if I could strum the same chords again. They said I was very good on the ukulele. Six and seven year-olds know ukulele talent when they hear it. I proceeded to tune another ukulele and taught them how to play a D chord. Another joy I had today was learning from my nephew's girlfriend who is a nurse on the surgery ward at RUH that many of the nurses are following my blog. They do love Judy. Of course, this makes sneaking Judy out of the hospital very difficult because they know my every move.

December 20

Judy did not get her pic line inserted today;therefore, she was not able to come home for the afternoon. Hopefully, the pic will be inserted tomorrow morning and a heist will occur in the afternoon. The good news...Judy was feeling well today and she looked as beautiful as ever. She had a shower, a blow dry, and a fresh new hospital gown with a snowflake pattern. Apparently, the LPNs reserve the snowflake jammies for The Queen. Seriously. She has influence. Judy also had her eyebrows threaded today by an esthetician. To all the men who read my blog, threading eyebrows is not a medical procedure and an esthetician is a beauty specialist not a person who wires your house. Threading is a beautification procedure to fight the uni-brow or to stop the eyebrows from growing over the eyeballs.

December 19

We had to call off the heist today. We had Judy hidden in a laundry hamper, but the nurses caught us. They heard Judy giving instructions to me on the proper operation of a laundry cart. Actually, the heist was postponed because Judy is in line to have her pic line replaced and there was a possibility the pic work would be completed this afternoon. As far as I know, Judy is still waiting for the procedure and tomorrow could be another day of waiting for the pic. Bummer! The line will be inserted by Monday at the latest. I am off to Mary's Fireside Singers Concert tonight. Judy sent Mary a text saying she will be imagining the whole concert and she will.

December 18

Judy had a good day today and we also had a good visit, as usual. The physio people continue to work with Judy on a daily basis. Today, she was practicing stairs in anticipation of the next "heist" taking place tomorrow. I already have the camouflage getaway clothes in the car and accomplices in place. I have to hit the hay now because you know what tomorrow is...Vim Day, the day after Friday.

December 17

Not much to report today. Judy had some nausea this morning and her arm is hurting in the area where the pic lines was reinserted. By the afternoon, she was feeling better. I know she was better because she started issuing royal orders. Although Judy is in her Queenly quarters, she is still sending out her servants(Audrey and yours truly) to buy Christmas gifts.

December 16

Judy, Audrey, and I met with Dr. Ahmed today for Judy's oncology review. The meeting has been delayed because Dr. Ahmed has been fighting a cold. This is what we know: 1. A CT scan was taken a week before Judy had her surgery on October 7. Judy and I have known since the day before the operation that Judy has cancer in her liver. We have sat on this news because Judy wanted to protect others. You know Judy...comforting those who are falling apart trying to comfort her. 2. A second scan was taken in early November. The CT revealed there was some growth in the lesions in Judy's liver. 3. A subsequent CT has revealed there are more spots on the liver. The plan going forward is for Judy to recover from the fistula that is causing contents of the intestine to enter the urethra or the bladder to combine with urine that, in turn, drains out the catheter. Sorry for the convoluted sentence. Judy is still on sipping water for another 2-3 weeks. She is also taking a drug that slows down the action of the intestine. The goal is for the fistula to heal. The healing is more likely if there is less content in the intestine. Once the fistula has been remedied, there is the possibility of further chemo to limit the growth of the lesions in the liver. I know this is hard news for readers of this blog, but rest assured Judy is still full of fight. My cousin, Gord, has give Judy a name that she is proud of..."Tough Little Westsider". She is an inspiration to all who know her. She is mighty and brave. She says she did not come through three major surgeries in five months just to give up. While we live, we hope. We live on hope. You don't know what tomorrow will bring. Sure, there may be bad news tomorrow, but the news may be good. We cannot live in fear. We must live in today. We always leave a door open for the miraculous to come in. This much I know today: Judy is feeling well enough to come home this Saturday to spend a day with the girls and me in front of our Christmas tree. Judy will also be here on December 23 to help the girls decorate Christmas cookies. On that same day, David will arrive with his gift of hopefulness. After yesterday, we are confident Judy will be able to handle being home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the family who will revel in having Mrs. Christmas in their midst. For these things, we thank God and rejoice. Beyond Christmas Day, all I know is we will all have one another. Thank you, God, for all my family, friends, neighbors, and everyone else who surrounds us with the love and support that is inspired by You and is born from You. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

December 15

So much for the heist being secretive. Even the nurses at RUH are referring to Judy's Great Escape as "the heist". They were even complicit in smuggling bags of something or other under Judy's garments. Judy's friend, Trish, helped me spirit Judy from RUH this afternoon. I made up Judy's hospital bed to look like she was still sleeping in the bed, but the nurses discovered the ruse before we even squealed out of the parking lot. Needless to say, Judy enjoyed her afternoon immensely. Just to breathe non hospital air is a healing balm. When we got home, I made a fire in the fireplace and we listened to Michael Buble's Christmas CD. Thank goodness Judy did not request the musical stylings of Kenny G. We'll save Kenny G for Christmas Day. Did you ever notice that Kenny G music seems to attract a lot of neighborhood cats? Judy withstood the rigors of getting out for the afternoon quite well so there should be no problem in going ahead with future escapes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A great day for Judy indeed.

December 14

This blogging business is a powerful thing. After exposing my grocery list to the world wide web, I got an early visit from "The Neighbor Lady" with a pail of spuds and a pound of butter. There is never a day that passes when I do not receive an expression of love and understanding from my family, friends, neighbors, and friends. Thank you, God, for I am truly blessed. I had a great visit with Judy today. Another stand up hug. Judy had all her staples removed today. The wound looks good. After Judy sat for an hour, we went for a walk around the entire 5th floor. Judy pushed her friendly pole while I trailed along carrying the catheter bag and her upchuck basin. Tomorrow is the day of the great heist. The level of secrecy around the event rivals the Manhattan Project. I will report the results tomorrow.

December 13

Judy had a good day today. She had her four half hour sits, a little walk, and a shower. She wants to give me a grocery list this week because I have the responsibility for making stuffing on Christmas Day and my specialty...mashed potatoes. Although the weight of this responsibility is monumental, I think I will be equal to the task. I am probably capable of making the grocery list, but the Queen wants to make sure I don't forget important items like the secret ingredient in every dish - butter.

December 12

Judy, as you know, is Mrs. Christmas. Before entering the hospital back in early October, she had most of her stocking stuffers purchased. Judy's sister, Audrey, took the Christmas stockings and the stuffers up to the hospital today so Judy could stuff the stockings to perfection. Earlier in the day when during my visit with the Queen, Judy and I discussed the logistics of performing a practice run to our home during the week. We have determined who will be involved in the heist, the escape vehicle, pick up times when the nurses will have their heads turned, escape routes to our home, and the strategy for returning the loot to her penthouse suite at RUH. We also discussed repeat performances of the heist on Christmas Eve, Christmas Morn, and Christmas Dinner. Judy, of course, is the ringleader in this major operation. I will let you know later in the week if we get caught.

December 11

Another good day. Judy had a new pic line installed today. The previous pic line was removed two days ago because there was a suspected infection. The new pic line will allow Judy to have a heaping helping of TPN this evening. I must take this opportunity on a slow news day to express my appreciation for the wonderful nurses on the surgery ward. The nurses who have cared for Judy over the last nine plus weeks have been wonderful without exception. They are young, bright, energetic, responsive, and most importantly...compassionate. Judy has received remarkable care. Of course, Judy brings out the best in the nurses who care for her. There is just something about a Queen that just makes you want to serve.

December 10

Judy and I went out on a date today. When I arrived at the hospital, there was a wheelchair in her room. After attaching the IV pole along with a few bags of liquid goodies and the IV monitor, we hung the festive catheter bag and the nephrostomy bag on the chair. We also took along the just in case basin in the basket below and off we went through the fifth floor, then wonder of wonders down the elevator to the mall area. You probably know that "mall" is one of Judy's favorite words. In the mall area, we took in the aroma of Starbucks. Aroma is quite inexpensive at Starbucks; actual beverages are expensive. We looked at the Starbucks mugs, but we didn't buy. Another savings. Our next stop was the gift shop where Judy did some window shopping. From the gift shop, we took in the main skywalk and the the skywalk leading to the Cancer Center. To conclude our journey, we caught the elevator back to the fifth floor and returned to the Queen's penthouse lodgings via the atrium. In all seriousness, the journey was an absolute joy for Judy who has seen nothing but surgery ward for the last 9 weeks. Judy was feeling quite well today. She has plans to do a test run to our home perhaps next week just to see whether she can handle the planned day trips on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

December 9

The Queen actually phoned me today for some routine discipline reminders and to make sure I didn't pilfer the royal treasury. Another positive sign: the Queen has been leafing through magazines. Furthermore, the flow of fluid between her staples has virtually ceased. In fact,the wound area looks very good. Judy let me style her hair today with the blow dryer. Judy was unable to manage the blow dryer because she had a temporary IV in her right wrist. The last female that allowed me to style her hair was our dog, Tori. Judy didn't caterwaul as much as Tori, but the resulting coif was reminiscent of Tori's Beatlemania look. The only downside today was two bouts of vomiting. Again, the nausea followed periods of sitting up and going for a walk. Two steps forward, one step back. That's a net gain.

December 8

Another good day for Judy. I have a further understanding of the fistula situation in Judy. Apparently, material is seeping from her intestine into her urethra or into her bladder, then coming out with her urine through the catheter. Viewing the liquid in the catheter back has become a new pastime for those who visit Judy. Will it be brown or amber? She was up in her chair for a visit with David this morning. David, Audrey, and I had a visit with Judy in the late morning so she was occupying her throne again. For an encore, she was on the throne (no, not that one)a third time when David and I visited her late this afternoon. She had some nausea around noon, but the rest of the day seemed fine. Judy even had the energy to thumb through a Christmas magazine. Another positive sign: she asked for her ear phones and a bath robe. That tells me she is ready to listen to some Christmas music and she is planning on walking a few laps of the fifth floor. For those that are interested, the Orange Creamsicle Ensure total has increased to 49 bottles. A courier brought a 24 pack to my door today. Apparently, a dear friend called the supply company and reported the poverty of Orange Creamsicle Ensure supply in the Saskatoon area. I am guessing a somewhat sheepish supply company paid homage to the Queen by sending the 2 4 package, gratis! Ironically, Judy isn't able to enjoy the heavenly elixir because she is only able to sippy sip water for oral gratification. Fortunately, David has developed an addiction for the flavor; therefore, he is drawing down the supply to make room in our pantry. David leaves for The Big Smoke tomorrow, but he will be back in two weeks. There will be Creamsicle Ensure waiting upon his return.

December 7

Judy has had a good day, so far. When I arrived at her room, she was standing by her bed blow drying her hair. Today marked the first day I was able to give Judy a hug while she was standing. Last week, Haley posted a picture of Judy on Haley's Facebook page. For most people, the picture was the first time they viewed Judy in over two months. Many people have expressed their gratitude for seeing Judy's beautiful, smiling face. I know that people are anxious to see Judy face to face, but she is still far from being able to have visitors. People also want to send flowers or gifts; however, Judy does not have space in her room for flowers or gifts. In true Judy fashion, she does not want to have extra items in her space unless it is properly stored in Rubbermaid tubs. There is nothing she needs or wants other than your love and prayers. Similarly, I want for very little other than companionship and encouragement. I am VIM certified and a passable homemaker;therefore the house is clean/tidy and I am far from starving. But people want to help. I can't count how many people have said, "If you need anything, just ask," and people are sincere in their offer. I thank God daily for the support of my friends and family. The only thing I can offer in response to those who want to do something...anything is: you may want to ask my girls. They are leading busy lives with full time work, looking after their own households, finding time for personal wellness, and visiting Judy. You may want to ask Haley or Mary whether they need anything. "Whatsoever you do to the best of these my daughters, you do unto Judy."

December 6

Judy's struggles with nausea continued today. She was running a moderate fever late in the afternoon, but by 8:00pm her temperature was down in the normal range. Hopefully, she will have a good rest this evening and be fresh as a daisy tomorrow.

December 5

Judy had a good day. The leakage has continued to decrease. She continues to struggle with nausea. Her hair stylist was kind enough to style Judy's hair yesterday. Of course, having her hair attended to was a great encouragement. I attended our ballroom dancing Christmas party last night at the studio where Judy and I take classes. I have been the resident line dance instructor for the class. Last night, I taught the crew how to do the Disco Duck. They enjoyed the dance as much as the grade six classes I taught in years gone by. I also led the class in the Hey Baby dance I learned in Cuba last January and I introduced the class to the Perogy Dance. Thank you to the lovely ladies at ballroom dance who twirled me around the floor. I even won a prize for doing the most moves in the rumba. Most of the moves were intentional. Toward the end of the evening, I videoed the instructor and members of the class as they passed on greetings to Judy. Judy truly enjoyed watching the video today during our visit. Tomorrow is: church, hockey, trip to the country to see Audrey and Mickey's building progress, visit Judy, and evening meal at Haley's...a day of rest, indeed.

December 4

Judy saw Dr. Kanthan yesterday. The plan is to be on sipping fluid for the next four and a half weeks to correct the plumbing leaks. Of course, Judy will be getting her nutrients via TPN. Dr. Kanthan said we can definitely plan to have Judy home for Christmas Day then deliver her back to her penthouse suite overlooking the river at RUH. Judy had a good start to yesterday, but the nausea blues invaded our afternoon visit. Judy and her brother have had the opportunity for some wonderful visits over the past two days and those visits have certainly given Judy a lift. Today, David and I are going up to check on his farm near Wakaw. Many of you know that I am his farm manager. I am paid in perogies, cabbage rolls, and coubassa just like in the old days. David has rewarded me greatly for overseeing the production of poplars, chokecherries, saskatoon berries, cattails, sowthistle, golden rod, many prairie grasses. My hands off approach has certainly led to a successful farming operation.

December 2

Not much new with Judy today. She still struggles with nausea especially after having a walk or sitting in her chair. Judy's brother, David, arrived today. Brother and sister had two visits today. We celebrated Haley's 32nd birthday yesterday. Haley, Dustin, Mary, and I converged on Judy's room for the gift opening and a selfie. Mary, Haley, Dustin, Morgan, David, and I met for the ceremonial pizza fest at Greek House tonight. The pizza powered me through my hockey game tonight and now it is time for beddy bye. Good night, sweet Judy.