Back on pace

This week started off with a busy, busy day! Eli and D had doctor's appointments in the city, and we were on the highway by 8 a.m. Their first appointment was with the neurologist to discuss Eli's medications and to address his hand tremor. This neurologist doesn't generally treat children, but all of the ped neurologists are unable to see him at this time. We think Dr I enjoys seeing Eli, at least based on his conversations with D. He's decided to request another EEG to determine if Eli is continuing to have mild momentary seizures that are not evident. D got a call later in the week with an appointment for early October in the city.

This appointment was short - I'd run to Value Village (no deals worth getting) and had arrived back at the office just as they came out.  We headed over to my son's house. He was fast asleep and we didn't wake him, but Saku (the cat) was happy to see me. Eli watched a bit of television, before I went to pick up lunch for all of us. We left about an hour before the next appointment and found a park where Eli could run and play. It was stinking hot and humid at 32C/90F and after 40 minutes I was more than ready to drop them off at the doctor's office. These appointments were with their GP. 

I made a run over to the nearby Home Depot to pick up nail strips so we can hang some peg board in the basement. There was a bit of time to kill, as I knew Dr J often runs late. So, I wandered through Walmart, and as I pulled back into the lot, I received a text from D saying they were ready. Perfect timing. 

Our last stop on the way out of the city was at the Costco. OMG, that place was insane. Eli wore his noise cancelling headphones and I was wishing I had a pair. We managed to get everything on our list...plus there were several impulse buys (my daughter). There is good reason why I don't let her grocery shop with me very often. We were home by about 4:30 p.m. I was exhausted by this point, so it was a quiet evening.

I slept late on Tuesday morning (until 7!). I was happy to see we'd had rain overnight, nearly 3/8th's of an inch. Poor Stanley wasn't happy because I didn't have my tea outdoors that morning. It was too wet, humid and buggy!

D had another appointment at 11, this one by telephone, so I took Eli out for an hour or so. We dropped by Canadian Tire, Pet Valu (where we visited with Marmalade, a wee orange kitten), McDonald's for lunch, and then a stop at the park where he played with several friends. He climbed the tree, the playground apparatus, and played in the splash pad. He wasn't happy when I said we needed to leave, so we drove around looking for houses numbered 303. Don't ask me, it has something to do with the video games he plays or maybe it is part of the videos he watches. His mom was just finishing up her conversation when we walked into the house.

In the afternoon, we decided to spend some time at the pool. It was closing on Thursday as the student lifeguards are going back to school soon. It was again, a hot afternoon but dipping into the pool to cool off, we spent over two hours there. I managed to read a portion of my book.

The temperature dropped a bit on Wednesday, but it was very humid. I did have my morning tea with Stanley in the catio, but only stayed outdoors for a half hour or so. The rest of the day was pretty quiet, as the clouds would roll in and it would look as if we were in for a thunderstorm, but then the sun would return. We decided to take the day off and got some meal planning and housework done instead while Eli played in the basement. He has the most interesting way of watching television!

BTW, the carrot he was holding in the Wednesday photo was one of the seeds he had planted. I didn't thin the plants as well as I ought to have, so I'm not sure how many more we'll see from his planting.

We had a thunderstorm roll through on Wednesday night and by morning we'd had about a 1/2 inch of rain. It is well appreciated. I did the weekly grocery shop in the morning and took Stanley out for a half hour or so just around lunch time. It was heating up, although the temperature was 23C (73F) with the humidity it felt more like 26C (79F). He didn't sit in the sun long, and found his way to the portion of the catio I'd placed in the shade. Meanwhile, I did some deadheading, pulled a few weeds, and gave the petunias in the front yard a haircut. They were getting very leggy but will come back fuller in a couple of weeks. When I got back to Stan, he was asking to be let out of the catio, so we headed back indoors.

D and Eli ran a couple of errands and then we all got ready to go the pool for the last afternoon. I was expecting a big crowd for the last day, but it wasn't too bad at all. I cooled off in the pool for a bit, then sat in the sun to read. It didn't take long to feel heated in the sun, so back in the pool again for another dip and back out for more reading. We didn't stay too long, just over an hour, but we all felt refreshed. At home, Stanley and I went out again so I could read and he could hang in the catio. The book I'm reading isn't very good, but I'm determined to finish it because I want to know, "who done it".

We haven't made it to the nearby lake and beach yet this summer, so Friday was to be our day. However, we woke to heavy smoke from the forest fires blanketing the area. I had left a window open overnight, and woke coughing about 4 a.m. It was closed in a hurry, but although I dozed a bit, I was up for the day.

It may look like rain, but that is all smoke. It didn't dissipate until mid-afternoon. D and I tackled some more housework including vacuuming and laundry. I also tackled the pantry, sorting and reorganizing. Eli was happy to hang out in his basement - it too could use some clean-up and organizing, but his mom says she'll wait until he's back in school before tackling that area.

This weekend we're planning to go to the rodeo in town. There are horse races both days, but on Sunday the youth rodeo will be held featured with barrel riding, steer riding, and the event I always find hilarious, mutton busting. Imagine a child (usually from 6-12) leaping onto the back of a sheep, that is being sort of held by two other youngsters. The goal is to ride the sheep for as long as one can...think seconds, not minutes. We likely won't stay at the park long enough to watch that event, but we'll see.

We had more rain overnight, just over a quarter inch, with thunderstorms expected throughout the day. Unless the sun comes out, I suspect we won't venture far today either. I've got rhubarb out to make a galette, the kitchen floor needs washing, and D has some things to do for Eli for school and fall activities.

Have a great week ahead everyone!