Life changes

Where do I begin? Suddenly life changes and reality takes its toll.

Monday night I took my husband to the hospital. R had severe upper abdominal pain which could have been a heart attack. Over a period of 8 hours in emergency, they determined it wasn’t his heart. An MRI showed stones in his gall bladder and blocking his bile duct. Another discovery, unrelated will be dealt with later. 

Surgery happened late that afternoon and problems resulted. On Friday, I took him for a procedure in Charlottetown which was unsuccessful. He is still in hospital.

I’ve had a cold for a week. This past week, I started treatment for a genetic condition which I’ve had my whole life, without my knowledge. At one point, we were both being treated in different parts of the hospital, our daughter running back and forth between us. There are definite disadvantages to being an only child.

Meanwhile we had freezing rain requiring cleats on boots and salt spread around. The next day, we had snow, enough to require shovelling. With our daughter and son-in-law’s help, I managed.

When it rains it pours!

I haven’t watched the news this week because we have enough to deal with. I am focused on our circumstances and thankful for the strength to handle what has happened thus far and I hope, for what lies ahead as well. 

Spring on the horizon

We ventured to the north shore of the island last week. Several rivers along the way had running water where ducks gathered. It was a treat to see ducks again since frozen conditions in Summerside have driven them away from the area. American Black Ducks and Common Goldeneyes 

filled a stream near the fishing shacks at Malpeque where ice still fills the basin.

We also passed two Ring-necked Pheasants which were feeding along the side of the road. They were difficult to photograph and flew off despite my best efforts to capture their beauty.

On the landward side of the sand dunes, exposure to the elements hasn’t been kind to the coniferous trees which struggle to survive there.

At French River, open water was home to Common Mergansers, disappearing below water to feed.

At Yankee Hill, the lighthouse stands vigil through the long winter. 

The bulrushes stood tall against the March wind, somewhat protected by the dunes. 

On the other side of the dunes, the channel has some open water, unlike Malpeque Bay at Summerside. 

The same scene last May

Meanwhile, along the boardwalk, one of the Bald Eagles is back at the sub-let from the Osprey. 

Finally this past week, undulatus clouds were the harbingers of a change in the weather as snow changed to rain with milder temperatures.

Have a good week!

The sky is the limit

 

We had a terrible storm last week which covered much of eastern North America over several days. Afterwards, it took our city three days to clear a path on the boardwalk so we missed some time outdoors. However, when we did walk there, the setting did not disappoint. Our first day back, the clouds winked at us. 

Bands of blue cloud in an overcast sky have come to signal that bad weather is on the horizon. The day before the storm, the sky foretold what was to come. Watching the sky is a winter pass time now.

One day, two crows in conversation in an old tree, made me stop and listen. They were happy to have walkers back on the boardwalk for some easy snacks.

Another day, two American Black Ducks skated around on the frozen stream. They looked ready for the spring thaw too.

We saw kite-boarders on the ice covered bay this past Saturday. 

Three kites took boarders along the bay in the breeze that day. 

At times the boarders were high above the ice surface. 

It looked like a perfect day for the sport.

Finally, this past week, we saw one of the neighbourhood foxes as it hunted one morning, crossing through the back yard. It stopped briefly under our oak tree before heading out as I photographed it through the kitchen window.

In a world which is more dangerous by the day, I wish you some peace of mind in your life this week.