Rainy Daze on the Farm

Been raining most of the day, not too scandalously but heavier now than before. Our homes are high and dry and so no worries about a washout. The winter rains have drained from the farm back into the creek. 

Despite the rain, the farm must go on. Eggs to collect and ready for the farmstand. There are some chicks coming on Monday from a current hatch out as I write this. I simply cannot wait to see those teeny Serama chicks! Miniature chickens produce miniature chicks! There will be photos. Not all are coming home as some are already sold. The brooder box has arrived and is now set up in the barn with a brand new brooder plate to keep the chicks warm in absence of a broody mama hen. Peep peep peep!!! 

Tomorrow we get into the garden as the rains are hopefully passing. I shall be clipping around the pineberries, trimming dead leaves, cutting all their runners as they run wild in a tangle across the garden bed. I will be wearing gloves as my hands are like healing pin cushions still from all the sugar testing these past two weeks. Also from the constant hand washing and cleaning of things. Chickens, eggs, goats, and gardens are not the cleanest of situations to dig your hands into. And chicken bathing, lets not forget the chicken bathing. 

I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies today for us all. Had to substitute butter for shortening but they turned out pretty tasty just the same. I sent a dozen home with my daughter after we all had a good snack with milk as they came out of the oven. I have to say, we are eating well here on the farm. Tonight my daughter’s partner made home made burgers and perogies. 

N

Breathing In and Out

I finally made it to the farm. I turned on the fridge and hopped out, so happy to have made it without further delay. I was not feeling safe in the city at all. So much foot traffic by my RV, people touching my RV, and I was not feeling like I should be outside around so many people. Now I am parked between my daughter’s two gardens. She has a big dahlia garden with other flowering plants as well, and then on the other side is her vegetable garden. Garlic is coming up, daffodils are in bloom, and there is much to be done for the growing season ahead. My daughter is working on another farm in the morning and then when she gets home we will be diving into the gardening. Her partner is working from home tomorrow, so we will spend our day over by me, Their trailer is among the chicken and goat pens. 

I have taken on egg collection and preparation for sale. My first stop is at the purple coop where far too many Ritas are laying their eggs. The purple coop flock has been naughty lately and often lays out in the woods in one of many nests. We are always coming across yet another new wild nest, often too late to save the eggs. Naughty chickens. I blame the ayam cemani. She is the wildest one and I find her eggs the most. She is corrupting them all. I have decided to keep the out of date/date unknown eggs in a few different colours and dry them out. I get maybe a half a dozen or so Rita eggs in the first run. 

Then I am off to the school bus where the Ritas are supposed to be laying their eggs. There I find a couple dozen eggs, and some hens are still in on the piles. They are used to eggs being collected now and I can fumble around any of them to get what they are laying on. I think they like the warmth of laying on the eggs. No one pecks at me as I slip my hand underneath to collect. I take a look around to see if there are any eggs on the floor or other strange places. They will literally drop one as they walk across the floor sometimes. They will look around and give you a look like - oh, sorry, did I do that? 

From the school bus I head over to check the goat shed as some of the Ritas have also taken to laying in the hay of the goat shed, right under the feeder, or on the feeder. Naughty. I chase one hen out of there and take the egg underneath. Clean out a broken on that tumbled from up on the feeder to a rung of the lower. Naughty. Then I am off to see the Serama chickens. They are the miniature chickens. I forgot to check their nest for eggs. They don’t lay daily like the other girls. From here I take what eggs i have and head back to my RV. I cook up a few eggs for my salads today and tomorrow. Fresh as you can get them. Still warm when I put them in the pot. 

Time for breakfast and then for another collecting tour among the nests. I might get a few more at the purple coop, sometimes from the purple coop flock. Someone laid a very lovely blue egg, Aerie I believe. Thank you. They are so very pretty. A few more from the school bus and back here to sit down and clean them. I turn on the tunes and cut myself a few dozen pieces of paper towel. Each egg gets minimal dampness on a new piece of paper towel to avoid cross contamination. Mostly it is mud on the eggs from the girls dirty feet this time of year. Sometimes it is poop. They poop all the time. I got pooped on tonight when we were giving Cruella her nightly bath for some extra care. I had to take off my vest that she pooped on as I was gagging to vomit right there. I can take the smell of farm animals pretty good, but fresh chicken poop comes with its own pungent hum.....

Then I have the eggs ready to go. Three dozen are for a pre order who paid by e-transfer and one dozen for sale in the cooler. I pack up the prepaid order into a paper bag and label them with the woman’s name and stable the bag closed. Hoping that will deter any lookie loos. I pack the eggs into my big shopping bag from the Grand Canyon trip in 2016 and head for the farm stand. Not wanting to go close to the farmhouse where my daughter’s partner’s brother and his wife are expecting child number two any day now, I skirt by and duck across the creek and in through the gate to the parents side of the creek where the main house is, sticking along the fence and through the deer fence again towards the farm stand. 

Once through the last gate (all opened and closed with gloves on) I trekked the last leg through the woods to the farm stand. A quick cleanup of notebook pages that was blown about. People leave notes such as IOU or over paid, or will e=transfer etc. Pop the extra carton of eggs into the cooler and shut the lid. An open lid means they are sold out while a closed lid means there are eggs in side. 

That sorted, time to hoof it back towards my RV and take a break. Check in with Facebook and the rest of the world. Before long it is time for another tour to see what is going on with everyone. Treats for all as the eggs are laid for the day. Hang out with the goats for a bit in the pen. They LOVE banana chips. 

Then time to come back to the RV for a rest and to make dessert for tonight. I am on solar charge right now in the middle of the field, so have to use my mixer at 30-40 second intervals as I try to whip up the mousse. Thought I did enough but it was not moussey when we had it for dessert. Didn’t really matter, yummy anyway. I put together supper and have it good to when when everyone gets home. 

We stuffed ourselves, caught up on each other’s day and then they retreated to put the ‘kids’ to bed and went home themselves. Now I am ready for bed! It has been a busy day, but I was happy to be out in the fresh air most of the day. A whole new day tomorrow. 

Departure Day

Well the day has finally arrived. Departure day. Today I finally make my way out of the city that I love to go to the countryside I love - Salt Spring Island. My daughter lives there with her partner and his extended family. There are three households on the property - we will be isolating from the rest of the family and hunker down the quarter we are on. One household has a baby on the way any day and a toddler, and the other has two elderly parents. There are dozens and dozens of chickens, 3 goats, 3 cats (including Nash) and one dog. We will not get lonely. 

Preparing for this day has been exhausting. I had planned the trip a month or more ago as part of my regular monthly visit to the farm, and my daughter and her partner were going to take a mini-vacation from the farm and I would look after things. First they looked at a jaunt south of the border here, but then that didn’t look like a good idea. Then a Victoria visit for a night or two of hotels and restaurants. Then that was not a good idea, and now it is not an option. The plan was to head there last Wednesday, a week ago. We all know how that got derailed with my hospital admission occurring on Monday. I was discharged on Sunday. I have been gathering my medications, changed while I was in the hospital. The doc wrote the wrong script, so I have to go back and get that today. The drugstore where my scripts are does not carry the diabetic supplies that I need so had to go to yet another drugstore a couple days ago. Ya da, ya da, ya da. 

I have also been reorganizing the RV a bit, cleaning, laundry, defrosting the fridge, that sort of thing while my medication and supplies were being sorted out. I packed away my newly purchased work clothes. I won’t be wearing that on the farm at all. I will be getting dirty daily! Farms are not a clean place to hang around in bright skirts and dressy tops. I have had to pace myself as I am not back to 100% just yet and the amoxicillin has been kicking my digestive tract in the gut as usual. Today is the very last pill. Thank fuck. I want to feel good again. I want to go outside. 

I started making daily videos and tried to post here but the file was too big. I have had issues all day yesterday trying to post the day’s video in a variety of ways and only just now got it to post on Facebook. So that has to work itself out as I was more than irritated with the technology fail. I did not however, throw anything. I will be making a post once I finally get to the ferry terminal and park. My goal is the 1pm ferry, but I have a lot of stops to make along the way. First is the gas station, fill up my tank, fill up a gas can. Gloves all around. Then off to a different gas station for propane - need both my on-board tank filled and my 20lb tank topped up. From there I head to the RV Park to dump my grey and black water tanks, get rid of all my garbage and recycling, fill the water tank. From there my last stop before the ferry is a grocery store for the last of the stuff I need to make it through a month of isolation. It is a marathon, not a sprint, and so I need to pace myself to make it safely to the farm. 

I have self-isolated here in the RV since my discharge from hospital. I went out once to the drug store and that is it. I have been alarmed at how many people are still out and about. From where I sit in my RV, I can see Hillside Avenue, which has been busy day day and night it seems. The buses travel along here too. Most of them have been empty or have one or two people on them. There are parks down the road from me and people have been streaming past. This worries me. The school is down the road from me too, and I worry they are at the playground aka germ factory. Metal and plastic surfaces abound...I get it though, wanting to get outside. People have gone from going to work and school everyday, spending time outside was a part of life. Now we are meant to stay home and self isolate with our household. I miss my daily walks. I would typically paint rocks the night before, spray them in the morning while I am getting up and ready for the day. Then I would go for my rock walk to Tim Horton’s, hiding my rocks along the way. Now the rock hunt is on hold, and we are meant to stay the fuck at home. I am staying at home. I do not feel comfortable out walking around with other people passing me on the sidewalk. Not only am I still pretty weak from being ill, I cannot afford to get this virus. I have medical issues that would make it very difficult for me to recover from it. I realize others feel differently and take their family out for fresh air each day, bike riding, or walking in the neighbourhood. I do not wish to do that in a city. I will be more than happy to do it on the farm. On that note, time to get on with the day. Cleaning up the last of things, packing up the RV for travel, grabbing a shower and hitting the road. Stay safe everyone.  

It’s a whole new world out there

When I went into the hospital last Monday, things were just starting to unravel around the world and tighten up around town. I watched from the hospital tower, 8th floors up as things slowed to a trickle on the streets below. Today I was discharged and sent out into this new world of social distancing. Schools are closed of all types, all indoor dining areas are closed, all pubs and nightclubs are closed, playgrounds are closed, and so on. 

My daughter came to pick me up. That took some coordination in this new world. She was to bring me a change of clothes to leave the hospital in as my only clothes were dirty, having been worn for 36 hours of sweaty pain and fear...however I was several floors up, through two elevators, and there are no volunteers to do things like that anymore - most have been sent home. My girl was nervous about even going into the hospital so I had a health care aide wheel me down to the discharge waiting room, and I ran out to the car and grabbed my clothes (in my hospital gown and robe) and ran back into the bathroom to change into normal clothes and get the frig out of there. I ditched the gown and robe to a guy in the lobby, and out the door I went. Free! 

Our first stop was to go to the RV. I had to check my stock of everything to be sure I didn’t forget anything. List complete and explained in as much detail as possible to assist my brave daughter in her endeavours, we gloved up and I put a mask on, and headed to our first stops. She went off to Thrifty’s and I went off to Canadian Tire. They are next door so we knew would could find each other. Rules are, only one family member at a time in the grocery store. It was the bulk of the shopping so my girl knew it was her job as healthy young person to do this bit for her ma. We both had outside line-ups to stand in. Everyone was spaced 6 feet or more apart, and the lines moved quite rapidly. As each person came out the door, another was permitted in. Staff was directing the whole entire thing outside and people were listening, readily. This was the same at both stores. 

Once I was inside Canadian Tire, I noticed a big line at the Customer Service Desk, at least 8 people lined up for service there. I moved into the store area and it was sparse but not empty. I walked directly to the paint section and got 8 cans of spray for my rocks and turned around and headed straight for the door. I passed a couple of things along the way and grabbed at them, knocking one of my cans on the floor, scattering the lid off. Fuck. I have my arms full and should have gotten a cart, and didn’t. Now I have my arms full, not sure I can bend over and retrieve the can and the lid when all of a sudden, a woman appeared from around the corner and picked both up, put it back together and handed it over to me. I was in gloves and mask, she was bare. Hmm. 

Off I went to the checkout and self-checkout was always my choice, so fine with me. No outside bags are permitted so paper was provided for free. As I am checking myself out, the guy at the checkout next to me starts coughing...I froze and did a full on Chuckie head twist to the left and started - he had a mask and gloves on. Okey dokey. Back to what I am doing, throwing my shit in the bag and rushing the hell out of there. I went back to where my daughter was at the front of the line for Thriftys, checked in with her and went to sit in the car to wait. I opened both doors, partly as I wanted the fresh air, but also no one could park next to us if I left the doors open. I sat there for a bit while my daughter called me a number of times to confirm shopping items. Before long she was out with my items and we took off our gloves. Her policy is gloves off in the car, and use a new pair for the next outing. Clean zone is the car. 

The next stop needed to be the drugstore where my new scripts were meant to be waiting. They had been faxed over before I was even discharged, hours ago. I phoned them the day before to ensure any others were filled, as the insulin was faxed yesterday. We parked over by the drugstore and my brave daughter ventured in. She said it was very busy and the pharmacist was rude. Nothing was ready other than the insulin. Come back later. No worries, I hear ya, shit is busy right now. 

We then went in search of food and I had seen Facebook posts from Jones BBQ all week about how they are managing the newest restrictions now that all dining rooms are closed. They offer take out and delivery so we went off to Jones BBQ. I got out only briefly to look in at the menu to be sure they had what I was after. My girl went in and ordered then came back out again. Gloves were to be worn when using their debit machine. All food was packaged up and bagged on top of that. We didn’t have to wait long for our food and we were off back to the RV to dig in. Finally, food I can taste without wanting to vomit. I did not overdo it. I bought only brisket and had it with some bread when I got home. OMFG it was delicious!!! Real food again. 

My daughter then went back to the drugstore to pick up my stuff and it was all ready, but they were confusing her about what type of syringes I needed - wait a minute, I am using a pen style, why do I need syringes??? then she is being told to register for a sugar test meter right there on the spot. Oh for fuck sake. Why can’t they just give her the damn drugs and move the hell on. I had already called and talked to the pharmacist last night about it, gave them her name, that I had been to the diabetic clinic so had the supplies, just needed the insulin. Clearly this was not even registered. So now I have a third meter. I got one at the Diabetes clinic last year. Then they gave me one this week in the hospital and now I have yet another one. WTF. I only need one. So I am going to see what I can do about that tomorrow. In any event, she was able to get all my scripts and get home. I go through the meds - they gave me two types of diabetic meds - the new insulin and the old meds that made me sick...why the hell did my doctor order both? Sigh...so now I have yet another issue to deal with tomorrow. As well, I don’t have enough lancets or pen needles. He didn’t put any in for me. So I need to call the doctor, the pharmacist, and the diabetic clinic. I am already confused. Ugh...

We hung out at the RV for a bit but before long my girl was antsy to get back on the ferry headed home. I can’t blame her. Go my girl, get back to safety. I will follow in a couple of days. I have some shit to sort out first. 

There was a lot more people out today at the mall than I had expected and some were only picking up a couple of things. I am hoping I don’t have to go anywhere tomorrow and can resolve it all over the phone with delivery of items I need. I want to spend the day resting a bit, and being sure I have what I need to head for safety on Tuesday. For now, I am going to wrap it up here and crawl into my own bed. Nash, get your ass over here, Jude needs a cuddle. 

Flatten that Curve

Hi everyone. Here I sit again in the hospital tower, looking down on the sleepy city of mine below. It is just after 9pm on a Saturday night in the capitol city and hardly anyone life in sight down there. I people watched earlier today for about an hour. Saw one group of four out for a walk with their children and dog, two singles crossing the street at different times, and one person got on the bus. That is it and it was about 4pm. In one hour. I overlook two of the busiest streets on this side of the city. It is bittersweet - I hope it means people are listening and staying the hell home, but it also means - things have really changed since I have been in here. 

I have been on the internet trying to catch up with the world, trying not to fall down the freak out rabbit hole, but when I read that close to 650 people died in Italy alone while I slept last night, I was quite unsettled. What the actual fuck. Why are other countries not taking it seriously? I have already seen some of the best and worst of humanity. Reading stories about the punch-ups happening over panic shopping, getting what you need or what you think you need and all that goes with that. 

I have also read a lot of good stories that have come out of this, like the sharing of your beloved resources as best you can with those in need. Online Facebook groups have popped up everywhere to link people with what they need through community involvement. Need some cat food but you are elderly and it is not safe to go out - someone going to the grocery store that day will pick it up and leave it on your doorstep using sanitized and gloved hands. People are offering payment when they can, through e-transfers or trades of goods. Some are calling out for help as they have no money until the next check day, but have run out of foods or supplies. 

People are setting up social distancing activities like one group in the USA had a Zumba class in their back yards - as in someone stood on their back patio with a loudspeaker and music while everyone else stayed in their own back yard/patio/balcony and did the class along with her. Others are having driveway hang outs. You sit in your lawn chairs in your driveway and I will sit in mine across the street and we will have a coffee and talk about the day. Others are doing drive-by visit trips. One of my friends drove around to see her friends, taking her kids, staying in the car and just waving to them from the car to where they sat on their front porch about 50 feet away. The kids got a drive around the city for fresh air, saw their friends at a safe distance and then everyone went back to their home bound activities. 

One that really struck me heavy and when I told my nurse tonight, she had the same effect - in Waterloo, Ontario where I used to live and graduated university, there are some tall apartment buildings next to a hospital where at shift change when all the workers are coming and going from the building, people are out on their balconies singing and clapping for the workers who show up every day to take care of us. I am here in the hospital still and it is not at all lost on me the sacrifices they are making to come to work every day and take care of me. Nurses, Health Care Aides, cleaning staff, laboratory staff, you name it. Hospital life continues amidst the madness out there. Remember to thank anyone you know who is still showing up for work to get the job done because it is all important. Both the nurse and I teared right up. 

I spoke to my cousin today who is aboard his 41ft sailboat in the Bahamas, retired, poking around down there. We had a great chat about how things look north and south of the border. Florida is in denial it seems. I read stories about how the beaches are packed with spring break partiers. What the actual fuck? We are closing everything including provincial borders, schools, universities, workplaces, and playgrounds here to save lives and they are partying. America will be paying a heavy price very soon and the party will be over. I cannot understand their response. Or maybe I can. 

Hospital life continues, with my exit plan in place. I should be discharged tomorrow morning and then my daughter is going to do my shopping, pick up my meds at the drugstore, etc. We will have a bit of a visit then she is back on the ferry as she has a hundred mouths to feed over there too (chickens, goats, cats, dog, partner in no particular order). I plan to follow the next day. I just want a night at home to make sure I feel well enough to travel at all. I am on new medication, just leaving the hospital, etc. I don’t have far to go, just a 30 drive to the ferry, 35 min ferry and 10min drive to the farm on the other side. I am staying there indefinitely. It might be a couple of weeks, but it could be longer. We really don’t know. They may close off travel between the gulf islands and I will be stuck out there, but rather stuck on the farm with my only child than stuck in the city away from her. 

Now on my last night, a word about hospital food. We all hear stories or experience the terrible hospital food. My last hospital stay was in Melbourne, Australia and it was no better over there. here is a recap of what I have been fed.

- chicken salad sandwich. Sounds good right? Well imagine using no-name brand mayonnaise that someone has added equal amounts of water to, and mixed it with unseasoned chicken. I could have been eating wet erasers. 

- macaroni and cheese. I was hopeful. I was wrong. Imagine fake cheese soup with over cooked macaroni noodles in it. I could have been eating wet erasers again.

- Salisbury steak - well it was not the worst thing as I could actually chew it and they included a packet of Mrs Dash for flavour. My digestive tract disagreed and grumbled about it to the porcelain all night. 

- chicken Alfredo - I was again hopeful when it was described. I was wrong. The noodles looked like someone had scraped them off someone else’s plate after they had dried up from last night. There was no Alfredo sauce whatsoever. The chicken looked like someone picked it out of a can of cat food and chopped it up. 

- fruit cocktail - well it was a bunch of square things that might have been peaches, but all they tasted like was the heavy syrup they come in. There was nothing else in there but these square orange things. I could have been eating erasers again. 

- chef’s salad - it was the first thing I dove into with vigor and was not terribly disappointed. Cucumbers, tomatoes (I threw out as I don’t eat them in salad), a bunch of chopped iceberg lettuce, a bunch of shredded cheddar, and a boiled egg. No real salad greens like spinach or rocket, just lots of barely green lettuce. I ate the salad to the last bite because I was so damn hungry for anything fit to eat. 

I am not trying to criticize the cooking staff, but if anything was to make me sick in here, it would be the food. All but the salad has sent me to speak to the porcelain. Cooking in bulk quantities to feed the masses is never easy, but surely there is a way to add some flavour? I thought I was eating my meals at my friend Angela’s place. We kid her all the time about her lack of flavour as she refuses to add salt and spices to anything whilst cooking. It was worse than anything Angela ever cooked. 

I have noticed a dramatic change in the attention I receive from the care staff now that I am nearly well and going home tomorrow. I know they are busy and again, not criticism. Up until this morning, I was poked and prodded day and night for sugar checks, bloodwork every few hours, plus tests for MRI, CT scan, X-ray, ultrasound, etc. I had three IV’s on two poles going at one point along with a catheter. There was ALWAYS something to fuss with, bags to change, medication to administer, and beep beep fucking beep from yet another IV pump day and night as something is kinked, or ran out, or not wanting to work, who knows. It got to the point that I learned how to silence some of the alarms as every time they came into the room before my Covid-19 test was negative, they had to gown up, mask, gloves just to check a stupid IV pump. With the catheter in, I was bedridden so couldn’t even get up to pick something off the floor that dropped. Now I have no IV’s running and just get a few blood sugar checks today, and I think only one round of bloodwork instead of every 4 hours. I hardly see them! 

My elbows look like a junkie’s arms. I plan to use them to ward people out of my social distance space bubble - look at my zombie arms! RAHHHHHRROOOAR! I don’t know what a zombie sounds like. My IV’s will come out in the morning before discharge I reckon. 

I watched the movie Contagion last night. I had seen it a few times before but that was before we were IN a pandemic. Folks, give it a watch. We are that close to what you see in the movie. If you want things to go that way, keep up your stupid parties on the beach, but as for me - you will find me hiding on the farm as soon as I can get there. I am a socially responsible human on the earth. People need to strive for that - being socially responsible humans. I don’t give a shit that you are missing your blow out at the beach this year. Keep it up and you might not have a next year to go to. Word is out - America is going to be the next Italy and boy do they have a lot to learn. 

I am hoping to post regularly as I have found my writing helps me process things and have a little think about what the fuck is going on in the world right now. Stay safe everyone. And stay home.

Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?

By now the whole world is aware of the global pandemic facing earth. We saw it coming, they warned us, countries began to see more, things began to change. Canada has jumped onboard the social distancing and 2 week quarantine measures, and we will soon see if they are working. Some people are being stupid idiots and still going out to gather with friends, walk around town, and such. Please. No. Please stop. 

So in the middle of the craziness, just as things were taking off on Monday of this week, March 16, I was in the middle of a DKA event. Diabetic Ketoacidosis, among other things and found myself making the decision to come to the hospital during the global pandemic. I had put it off for 24 hours, but was in excruciating pain and didn’t really know why at the time. All I knew was I very unwell and needed someone to tell me what is going on. Going a clinic was pointless. I had been trying to get into a clinic for the past month with no luck. Long lines if they are open at all, which is more the case. Finding a page of paper taped to a window saying no docs for the clinic today became the party line. So off I headed to the hospital. In the middle of a pandemic event.

Turns out I would have likely died had I not come in that day. Good call then! My DKA was quite severe and my liver was also acting up on old sludge from before I had my gall bladder out. In any event, I have found myself in a hospital bed this week, with just a few days before I can go home.

It was eerie coming here. When I arrived I was stopped by a screener who asked about symptoms and decided whether you put on a mask or not. I knew I wasn’t sick with Covid-19, or assumed I wasn’t and thought simply my pancreas as I have had that pain before. Told her that I threw up, which I did. MASK ON PLEASE! And hand sanitizer. Righto. I am the only person waiting in chairs and one other person is getting checked in. That is it. I have never seen an ER waiting room so dead on arrival. No screaming kids, no homeless people looking for comfort, no drug seekers looking for a dose. Just a guy who slammed into a pole while playing tennis, gave himself a concussion. Off I go to be triaged, then I am brought into the second waiting area. Bigger, but still not many folks. I think I counted 4. Moved along to another bed for exam and then into yet another waiting room to wait for tests and doc, etc. Then I find out I am being admitted, possibly for a bowel obstruction (ruled out with xray), and then for possible pancreatitis, which I have had before. No bed for me, so there I sat, admitted, having had several tests, and med reconciliation whilst sitting in a chair all night. Beds are busy on the ward they say, which is entirely possible. There were five recliner chairs in my room. There were never 5 patients all night. It just didn’t get that busy. Word on the hall was people stopped treating it like a walk-in clinic with the risk of Covid-19 on the menu. 

Finally get admitted to a bed only to find it is a bed along a wall in someone else’s room. Whatever. I am so exhausted having not slept for two days, I did not care and I met my roomie, who was from Salt Spring Island so we chatted a bit. I was feeling quite miserable by that point so spent a lot of time in a fog. Doctors and specialists came and went, lab techs came and went, nursing staff, health care aides, etc not to mention the many nurses who tended me. I spent one night in that room only to be moved again the next day as it was just too crowded in the room for two medically complex cases. Can’t fit all the docs or the equipment needed to treat us! Fine by me - gave me a private room that overlooks the city I live in. I can see my walking route that I hide rocks on from here. I am still feeling like death must be imminent as life could not be this miserable. Tests, pokes prods, etc. Then I coughed and by god, you would think they all shit their pants. I had trouble breathing too, not unusual for DKA, but that was it - I think that was what drove me to get my own room. Soon there were signs on my door and full precautions were being taken. Full face mask with plastic splatter shield, gloves, and gown. Every single time they came and anyone came and went from my room, this happened. They had so much garbage to throw out at the end of the day with all of that, much needed of course, and that is not a complaint, simply a comment on how serious they were taking my health, their own, and the health of anyone they come into contact with. 

I was tested for Covid-19 and last night informed that I was NEGATIVE. Yahoo. Precautions could be taken away and then I could see the faces of the people who were taking such good care of me.

I am not going to lie - it has been a bit frightening to be in here during a global pandemic. I had my social distancing plan in place - I was meant to head to the farm on Tuesday to spend a week or more with my daughter and her partner and play with my grandanimals. Instead here I am, sitting on the 8th floor looking over the city I love, wondering if it will ever go back to normal, wondering just how crazy it will get. People are panic buying all kinds of shit, and causing such panic in others who cannot afford to stock up as they live check to check. Costco and Walmart seemed to be the nut zones. I have been here all week, so much has changed while I’ve been sitting high in the hospital tower. Schools have closed indefinitely, borders have closed, some provincial, university classes cancelled, workplaces closed indefinitely, Covid-19 assistance offered, mortgage freezing, and so on. Just how long have I been here??? How did it all unravel so fast? 

My plan is still to head to the farm and social distance myself with my daughter and her crew. I had only intended to pop over for a week, but the way this week has taken a turn, I may stay until the craziness subsides. I am not sure. There is talk of closing the ferries down to the small islands. I don’t like the feeling of being trapped, but where else would I be than with my daughter during such a time in our life’s history? The last global pandemic of this magnitude was in 1918 and 50 MILLION people died and 500 MILLION were infected. We do not want to go there. I am hoping this is the only pandemic of this size that my daughter has to face in her lifetime. We have had smaller ones like SARS, H1N1, and so on, but not to this extent with this amount of global reaction to shutting it down. Many countries are just closed. As in don’t come knocking, stay in your house and quarantine until we tell you it has passed. 

So for a few funny not funny stories from the hospital tower this week. I know you are mostly at home bored already with the isolation and having a house full of kids, so this is a long post. 

First night in with my roomie from Salt Spring Island, I had to get up to the bathroom. I have an IV at that point, and the pole must be unplugged each time and dragged with me to the bathroom. Not wanting to turn on all the lights in the 2am night, I thought I could get back from the bathroom, plug my IV pole in and off to la la land I would go, given the pain meds were good, and I was so very drowsy. Well no, that wasn’t going to happen. Instead I get all snarled up in the tubes to my arm, the cords to and from the IV pole and before I know it, we are all going down, with the pole headed towards my roommate...CRASH BANG WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN HERE?? I sat on the bed and pushed the buzzer. Someone else was going to have to sort this mess out. I was far too woozy to be on my feet. Lovely Health Care Aide Vincente shows up and sorts the whole mess out, no worries he said. 

Then last night, I want a gown change as the catheter that was once terrorizing my bladder is out, blood has been spilled along with food and I felt gross. Nurse comes in to help me out as there are three IV lines running now and two poles to manage. We disconnect from the one and roll the other into the bathroom. I think she was going to check the tape on one of my IV sites but oops, that was not just holding it down that was the actual IV. “FUCK I can’t believe I did that” says unnamed nurse. Then she apologized for swearing. I told her FUCK is the perfect word for the situation as I am pouring my blood all over the place, gown, floor, hand, etc. Sticking me for all the blood draws (every few hours) and new IV sites has left me a bit of a bruised state with collapsed veins. So she has to call the IV team - wait, they have a team that does this? Yup. Enter Sherry, the guru of all things vein related. Sherry sorted it out. Turned out neither of the sites were in the best shape and needed replacing with better stuff. I told Sherry, I am yours Yoda. Do with me as you will. And she did. Got some good veins after much looking and warm blankets for my arms (brings up the veins). 

And then we have today. I am wearing a hospital gown. They are not meant to look pretty, that much is clear. They don’t fit well, have missing buttons and snaps, and because I wasn’t planning to stay this long - I have long since run out of undies. Yup, my bare ass is hanging out and someone has forgotten to shut my room door as they left as I shuffle back and forth with my IV pole to the bathroom. I am not sure how many were flashed. I don’t even have a great ass anymore. I lost some weight recently and it appears to have come directly off my ass. Can’t even keep a pair of pants (or undies) up for fuck’s sake. No bum to hang them off of. I finally realize that the door is open and shut both the door and my back door and wrap the gown around me. Ah, hospital life. 

So there you have it, my first Covid-19 Global Pandemic post. I will try to come back and post as things evolve here. Who knows where this is all headed. Stay safe people and for fuck sake, socially isolate NOW! It is not hard! Someone is telling you to go lay on the couch and watch tv - friggin do it!

 This is what you draw on when you have no rocks to paint.