Is 2020 over yet?

I am sure I'm not alone in wishing to see the end of 2020. Those years that you really feel like celebrating the end of those 365 days don't come frequently but when they do....We've certainly had lots to be thankful for, but no denying this has been a stressful time. 

September was a busy time with a quick trip to Ottawa for myself and the son in law to close/pack up the apartment and movers shipped the contents to this province. The teacher daughter has lots of room in two garages so stored the possessions until an apartment was located. Really tight housing market in the city now and finding a place to rent was a struggle but they finally managed to lease a two bedroom apartment with balcony in the west end of the city, near to transit station, free parking and heat included at the same price as their Ottawa spot. Another two weeks self isolation upon return (getting to be a pro) and more projects completed, more swims in the pool and books read. A few trips back and forth to the city as the baby continued to improve and all settled into the new routine. The family surprised me by coming home for the weekend of my birthday and we had the oldest and youngest grandsons together for a visit. 

October first saw the move to the new apartment for the now Nova Scotians. Thanks to elevators and extra son in law helpers all went smoothly. My job (the most important position) was hanging out with the baby. Didn't take long for the oldest daughter to get settled in (not her first move) to the cozy apartment and we made our way home. Having made a promise of weekly visits "to do something fun" I have honoured the intent and daughter and son in law managed to get out once for supper while I enjoyed the baby. October also saw a call from Sick Kids in Toronto for the grandson to be assessed for liver transplant as his biweekly blood tests remained the same. After the question of health insurance (interprovincial move) was settled for the testing, flights were booked through Hope Air (wonderful charity that does medical flights) and accommodation arranged through the David Foster Foundation. As traveling out of province, special permission was granted for Dad to attend as well, because with the pandemic only one support person is allowed. They spent a very busy four days of testing/appointments from 8am to 4pm daily including some sedation and fasting. The grandson handled it like the trooper he is. The two week self isolation was a chance to recover from all of the interventions. 

The two week post visit case conference advised that our grandson was being placed on the liver transplant database list and that they should pack a bag and be ready to go if 'the call' came. The team would like him to be 10 kg as better success with larger babies and since he was 6.5kg at that point some major high protein/fat diet required. The plan being that he would be Life Flighted to Ontario if a cadaver donor became available and only his mother would be able to accompany. They were also advised that a live donor is a better possibility if one could be located. It is possible for an adult to donate a portion of their liver as the organ is regenerative. Someone under 40, no health problems or lifestyle issues, BMI under 30 and passing all the screening. This situation was complicated by the fact that his mother is A+ and he is O+. Likely his Dad is O but doesn't know his blood type and has previously had hepatitis so wouldn't be a priority donor. Three of my children are A+ like their father and only one is O+ like me. This auntie didn't hesitate to put her name forward, filling out the 11 page health questionnaire and advising her principal of the situation. She has been moved along the system having bloodwork, chest xray, EKG, CT (for blood flow) and remaining an MRI (for vessel placement) booked for Jan 4th, both in New Glasgow as the first available site. Pretty impressive gift as this auntie has a two and four year old at home but as she said "my sister would do it for me" and this is true as well. I will admit that all this making me a bit misty eyed and reaffirming that I have raised good children. The transplant is coordinated through the Toronto General Hospital (adult) across the road from Sick Kids (peds) and there is a nurse for each service who are great supports. After all the donor test results are submitted, there are Tuesday case conferences where a timeline is given and the daughter would have to head up to Toronto two weeks early for pre op education and then a covid test 72 hrs before OR. I could arrive the day before, take her to the hospital, await updates during surgery then return to pick her up a few days later as there is no visiting in ICU or floor with the pandemic. An early discharge is hopeful if a private duty nurse accompanies to assist with care. Likely an AirBnB or a condo so meals could be cooked etc and assistance with the flight home once clearance is obtained. 

We had arranged for family photos mid November aiming to gather the clan before lobstering began and as it turned out, fortunately before travel/visiting restrictions were imposed again for the central region after multiple covid cases amongst the 18 to 35 yr old age group. We were lucky to have a window of cool but dry weather for the morning as only outdoor photos were being done and the photographer  and assistant worked his magic. We had some lovely group photos and really special ones with the grandchildren....priorities. 

I attended three of the local recreation department craft classes creating a painting, a stuffed snowman and

some tree ornaments until....I was excluded the final week for having traveled to
the city to visit grandchildren. The screening (no visit to exposure sites - mostly bars and restaurants in HRM) at the local hospital allowed me to visit a former coworker but the blanket statement of 'no travel to HRM' prevented me from craft class. No logic. 

Lobster season has opened in our area....one district began last Monday as scheduled, the remaining district is setting traps tomorrow at 4am. Of course the weather has been terrible with lots of gales and rough seas as it always seems to be this time of year. Our son and son in law have a week in now and have surely been earning their money. 

After multiple requests from my employer (as the pandemic arrived in Nunavut) and discussion with the daughters, I advised the manager I'd be available for a January Public Health contract. The plan being to head up before the donor daughter needs me, stop in Toronto on the return if required and extend if things are a bit delayed with the planning/ baby's weight gain. Haven't been to Taloyoak since 2014 so lots of changes and will get to hang out (after my first two weeks of solo living/self isolating except for work) with my jobshare partner and catch up. I've already started picking up baking supplies, coordinating the recipes and locating my winter gear. Looks like the only short to medium term trips available are work/medical travel. I've sent off my 2021 RN registration and named the city I travel from....awaiting my itinerary. 

On a lighter, more positive note...I've discovered an entertaining Wednesday evening activity which is live at 8pm Atlantic Time, but available for replay on FB Live, YouTube and Twitter:

friendsandfiction.com

It's called Friends and Fiction and five authors (Kristin Harmel, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe) interview authors such as Kathy Reichs, Sue Monk Kidd etc. It's a great hour of conversation, book readings and fun. Through my local library I've also discovered not only Libby but now Hoopla which loans videos etc. Since entering the 21st century and having fibre op installed we are actually able to watch Netflix, Amazon Prime etc. and enjoyed Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson in The Highwaymen (story of Bonnie and Clyde) this week. Much better than the CNN coverage that the shore captain has been addicted to the past four years. So. very. tired. of. USA. politics. Sigh

And today while running errands....I stopped at the local museum gift shop for a few small gifts as we're keeping the purchases to a minimum and...treated myself to a lovely scarf in the Barrington tartan...once a Barrington girl.... Gotta have your small pleasures. 

We have (for the first time ever) become the owners of an artificial Christmas tree. It's not very tall in our high ceilinged livingroom and requires a box to raise it up and still requires some 'fluffing' of the branches But...it is prelit and there was NO usual Grinch swearing of lights being putting on. Certainly a win. 

It blew during the night

Gnomes r Us

The shore captain has been keeping himself busy with (no surprise) multiple projects. He has begun repairs on the camp on crown land which hadn't been visited for over a decade. The side by side trips in over the rough road 'required' new larger tires (did you know that shipping truck tires through Canada Post in an option? our rural route driver was a tad unimpressed) and spacers to raise up the machine. He is creating lots of woodworking items in his workshop and even took on gnomes after a daughter's suggestion and YouTube videos. Now, if I could just convince him to look for the exterior lights before he is able to say that it's 'too late now, will do it next year' we'll be all set. 

I have my fingers crossed the living room floor will be installed in my absence this winter. Some things are best experienced at completion....not lived through. With a busy/unprecedented holiday season and packing for north, not sure when I'll post again. Happy holidays if they arrive before my update does. 

So much news...

We're well into August and I'm finally getting my feet on the ground to update the blog. It's been a busy summer since the last update in June. 

After I finished my two week isolation post Ontario trip, I welcomed the two middle grandkids for a stay with us. Their mother brought them down from the city, stayed overnight and in the morning as their auntie entertained them in the pool, she slipped back to ready their house for listing. Long days of painting, organizing and cleaning ensued and by the July 1st weekend they were ready to post a For Sale sign on the lawn and headed out back country canoeing/camping with the three year old granddaughter who was transported to and fro the exit to the national park by her grandfather. While they vacationed the realtors showed the house and accepted bids....a final offer well above asking was the successful buyer. A flurry of house shopping in the new job area ensued and they have purchased a lovely home in a newer subdivision with acreage lots which is quite near my niece's house. Lovely area. Lots of back and forth inspections to ensure that all was well with both properties. The daughter collected the grandkids and off to the city they returned. 

I reorganized the house over the two days and our oldest daughter and newest grandson were met at the airport by his grandfather, who was glad to finally meet him. Their arrival of course meant 14 days of isolation for them as they'd traveled into the province. We selfishly enjoyed having them all to ourselves for the two weeks with swims in the pool, fresh garden meals, and lots of baby snuggles. The first day off isolation there was an excursion to meet the great grandmother who was delighted. The following day we entertained aunties, cousins, friends and their children...it was a busy house. 

The following few weeks are a blur as the baby became suddenly ill the following day, in to the local ER (thankfully open) to stabilize and off to the paediatric hospital by LifeFlight helicopter. I drove my daughter and we arrived at the PICU to find it abuzz with activity. There had been a CT of his head upon arrival showing he'd suffered a bleed to his brain, they were attempting to improve his clotting so the neurosurgeon could take him to the OR to remove the clot and he was placed on a respirator. We managed to arrange the first flight in the morning for his father from Ottawa. Various meds were given and within a few hours his clotting times were satisfactory to the neurosurgeon who took him to the OR at midnight. A four hour surgery was complete, the neurosurgeon was guardedly optimistic and he was returned to his room. The morning brought large numbers of specialists to his bedside as the team worked to find out what had caused the baby to have liver failure and thus clotting problems. Due to pandemic rules our son in law and daughter had to self isolate in the room for 14 days and I had to leave when he arrived as only two people were allowed. Very tough job to walk away from them knowing that I couldn't return or be there for them if bad news was delivered. A week on life support ensued as tests (biopsies, MRIs, blood tests, U/S) to rule out the 40 to 50 differential diagnoses were completed. He was finally off the ventilator and although irritable from withdrawal of medications and post op headache he improved daily, making a great neuro recovery. He was discharged from PICU to the PMU where they continued to self isolate as more and more tubes were removed. Ultimately he was diagnosed with alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency - a rare disorder which can affect liver and lungs.  Due to frequent appointments for monitoring they are remaining in the city and my brother and sister in law have welcomed them into their home. They are much more comfortable out of hospital and are quickly catching onto the new regime of medications and supplements. The baby is bright, feeding and moving well, gaining strength and very much as before the surgery. Truly a miracle. I've crocheted him a couple of spiffy hats to cover his scar until his hair grows out and he wears them well. 

I'd made a quick trip home for the day last weekend as my sister was celebrating her 60th birthday and so I'd booked a photographer to record our family gathering. He captured some great shots. I'm heading home tomorrow for a few days and will be back and forth for visits. This week is the move to the new house, settling in to a new school for the teacher, pre-primary for the four year old, daycare for the 18mo old and all that entails. 

I found a colleague to work my Sept/Oct northern contract for me as clearly there is too much going on for me to concentrate or be so far away. I phoned a (very understanding) manager I'd never met to explain my situation and she being an eastern European grandmother was very accommodating, telling me to simply call when I was ready to come north and there'd be a spot for me. 

Speaking of colleagues....we were all shocked to learn that a northern nurse coworker (one of those larger than life types) had suddenly died in Iqaluit. She leaves big shoes to fill. Under 60 but looking forward to retirement in the spring. So sad. We just don't know what life will hand us do we?

Clearly hoping for less exciting news to convey in my next update. Only positive thoughts. 

What? Is it late June already?

Yes, it is really me after a long hiatus preparing to update you (in a lengthy post) regarding all the shenanigans since February. Thinking about the present state of our world and as recently as last year,  if I'd written some of the details I'm about share, they'd be considered fiction but....as the saying goes....you can't make this stuff up! To set the scene, I'm almost at the end of my third session of 14 day self isolation in four months (details to follow) and yes...I am getting pretty good at it. Last week was a beautiful warm, sunny, breezy time here spent in the yard, by and in the pool and watching vivid sunsets over the harbour. One evening in the gazebo, we enjoyed a BBQ burger and fresh garden salad courtesy of the gentleman farmer and strawberry shortcake with sweet biscuits I baked in the afternoon. Self isolation in the country is quite enjoyable. I had last shared my six week northern stint in January/February then a two line update in March to say we'd returned from Cuba and were managing in the 'unprecedented times' and here we are catching up. Now to recap:

I did travel (rather uneventfully on the way down) in February to Cuba as planned, flying through Toronto and in to Holguin. Processed very efficiently through the terminal and noted a nurse at the baggage carousel obviously scanning the crowd of tourists for ? unwell looking travellers? I'd arranged (through my professor Cecilia) for a taxi to Santiago de Cuba vs the bus as there were fuel shortages. It took four days for the driver to rustle up enough gas 10L/day x 4= 40L required for the return trip from Holguin and I was pleased to see Nieto's smiling face and vintage small red Moscovitch waiting for me in the parking lot. He phoned Cecilia to advise I'd been safely retrieved and we were off. It was hot and breezy and I napped on the drive. We stopped at a roadside bar for a bathroom break and I offered to buy us beverages but there was nothing to drink, only rum and coffee...no pop, water, beer nada....which turned out to be a harbinger of shortages. Nieto just shrugged and we climbed back into the car. Into the city in good time where I was safely deposited at my casa in Reparto Sueno and warmly welcomed by Maria and Luis who had been alerted to my arrival by Cecilia. A quick unpack, shower and a wonderful Cuban supper ahhh. A good sleep and a great breakfast then off to class the next morning.

Quickly into the routine of class, homework, errands, catching up online, watching the Cuban news on TV with Luis at 8pm and an early bedtime as the heat was really spanking me. The shore captain was in his third week of tropical stay on the island and dropped by at the end of the week for a quick visit - we arranged for me to travel by taxi to Chivirico the following weekend as I'd brought some gifts for friends and family. This year the staples of toothpaste, soap, shampoo etc were in really short supply and even more welcome. With the first visit I was also able to explain to her father that the 32 wk prenatal daughter was fine after being rear ended in rush hour stalled traffic on her way home from work. Her car was written off but she and the baby were monitored and were okay. The two weekends I visited were a series of pleasant encounters with friends who came for supper, a pig roast, lunch with our son in law's parents, a nice chat with our daughter's 'other mother' who I could really communicate with now (a long discussion about Cuba, the special period, Canada, our daughter etc) and lots of relaxing. We had originally hoped to arrange a weekend at an all inclusive resort near the city for us and our Cuban friends, but the approaching pandemic cut our plans short and we shelved the idea for 'next year'. On the first Monday morning I was up early to catch transportation back to the city, walked to the bus stop and...waited and waited. The local buses/trucks arrived and left but nothing to the city, very strange as there'd usually be 6 or 7 in this same period when fuel wasn't a problem.  It was over 45 minutes when the first vehicle leaving for Santiago arrived so I climbed in to...a large diesel truck older than me....but being a senior foreign female I got to ride in the cab for 30 Cuban pesos or $1.50 Cdn with the stick shift between my legs next to a very intense driver and a young fellow with a child's wooden chair on his feet. Lots of stops but made the trip in 90 minutes. Out on to the street in front of the bus station and hailed a moto taxi - able to now correctly convey the address of the casa - and ready myself for class. The second weekend I made sure the taxi was available both ways as the trucks were just not an option.

My Spanish classes went well and it was good to be back into stretching my brain with studies. There was a group of Canadian students from university in Alberta who have been affiliated with Universidad de Oriente for over 20 years, I occasionally ran into groups of them at various spots in the city - but they're all young, one of the jiniteros (tourist hustlers) told me as he glanced at me :). Cecilia and I were able to go out for a nice lunch at El Barracon (restaurant with Haitian decor but definitely Cuban cuisine) which we'd specifically chosen as they were selling cartons of juice at the cash register - beverages were impossible to buy in the stores with rows of empty shelves.  I occasionally stopped at the cafe in the Melia Santiago Hotel for a batitdo (milkshake) and sometimes an empanadilla (like a calzone) and read my ebook or people watched....not sure why because those elderly Italian tourists entertaining young Cuban chicas don't set well with me. One evening as dusk fell, I left the flat magnetic clip-on sunglasses to my bifocals on the table at the cafe. The following morning I searched my room and the living room but as Maria said "why would you have been watching TV with sunglasses on?" Finally realizing that I must've left them at the cafe I stopped (with Cecilia) and asked about the sunglasses. The waitress remembered seeing them on the table and since she thought they were broken had thrown them in the trash. It being the weekend, the garbage wasn't removed and she crossed the courtyard to the 'Italian' restaurant and spent 35 minutes out back digging through bags of wet garbage. She emerged triumphantly with my sunglasses and ran the clip-on through the dishwasher while scrubbing her hands and arms. Granted, I tipped her all the change in my pocket, but that only totalled about 4 CUC. What  other country in the world would provide such customer service?

Worldwide the coronavirus pandemic was moving quickly with large numbers in Europe and I found myself avoiding the Hotel Santiago where Italian tourists were present and stopped kissing upon greeting even though it was culturally expected. On Friday, Feb 13th our Canadian prime minister said "wherever you are, Canadians need to come home" and I realized that I'd have to put a plan in to action. On Saturday when I visited the life partner and stated I was going to change my departure ticket for the following week he declined accompanying me and said he was....going to stay and go fishing down the coast with the guys from the island as planned and had three weeks left so was going to 'take his chances'. By Sunday morning he'd reconsidered, tourists over to the island that afternoon confirmed there was a Tuesday flight from Santiago de Cuba and as I left for the city Monday morning I had plans to source us tickets on that flight.

A quick stop at the park to use wifi - couldn't do a thing online for flights and the Canadian news was increasingly frantic as the virus spread. Over to my professor's and my opening statement in Spanish of "Cecilia, I've got a problem and I need you to help me" was met by an alarmed look (later she confessed that she was concerned as to just how big my problem was...did I need help burying a body?) and we sprang into action. I phoned the oldest daughter - she was in the process of being sent home from her office to work at home - and she attempted to reach the airlines. Cecilia worked her contacts and after 90 minutes tracked down a travel agent colleague who found us an Air Transaat rep in the city. Absolutely could not have managed this without her extensive connections. I grabbed my passport, phoned the shore captain (who was lying in the sun) for his passport info, my credit card and we walked to the travel office. It was a very complicated, expensive process but $1100 Cdn later we had hand written 'tickets' on the flight the following afternoon and I could finally take a deep breath. Cecilia and I decided to celebrate our success with lunch at nearby Dino's where she chose lasagna and I had pizza - both great and the bill was $5 total. Mind you, Cecilia had to hoof it up the street for bottles of water as there was nothing in the drinks case but...it was Pellegrino she returned with. I stopped in the park for wifi again and set the prenatal daughter on to tickets from Toronto to Halifax. This two hour flight was ultimately more expensive than the international one costing $575 each and requiring an overnight in Toronto. Thankful for our offspring travel agent. There was a flurry of activity where the travel partner arranged for a taxi in to the city the next morning, I packed my backpack, gave away my remaining goodies, took the professor out to supper at El Lindon (delicious, cheap food) and booked Nieto to the airport.

I was disappointed to only have had three weeks in Cuba...the first week is always spent just getting back up to speed in Spanish, the second week I felt comfortable again and by week three was pleased with my progress and... had to leave. Sigh. Tuesday saw my travel partner arrive after breakfast and we headed to the airport. The Air Transaat rep checked to see all was in order (that is what a 5 CUC tip gets you for service) and we were quickly checked in, through security and waiting in the departure lounge with our fellow travellers. The flight was down only slightly after expected and as I said to the shore captain "if that plane arrives from Canada we're golden as they're not leaving a flight crew on the ground now" but was delayed on the tarmac. Finally the pilot came in to the terminal to explain that there was a leak in the plumbing which they were attempting to seal, we'd have hand sanitizer but no water in the bathrooms, bottles of water to drink and we'd be on our way...not what we'd have wished but there wasn't a murmur of dissent and we were off within a few minutes on a flight with only two empty seats. In to Pearson with a delay while we waited for flights ahead of us to clear Customs as numbers were being limited. The Nexus kiosks and no checked bags helped us greatly and after a thorough examination and questioning by a Customs officer with instructions to self isolate for two weeks, we navigated the huge crowds at the terminal to locate the adjoining hotel. We later learned that 1 million Canadians made their way home the week we did...I believe it!

The (same) hotel room cost double what the travel partner had paid on the trip down, the restaurant was closed and room service of a burger, fries and a club sandwich with one beer served in a brown paper bag was $100. We traversed a sparsely populated terminal and caught our flight the next morning. After having arranged with the youngest daughter/son in law to replace the freezer food at home and the second daughter/son in law to pick up groceries and leave them in the truck which they drove to the airport for us...all we had to do was drive straight home. The first few days were spent unpacking, doing laundry and settling in. We were pleased that neighbours and friends offered to pick up groceries or run errands for us and we even called in an order to the local store which delivered....if you wait long enough, everything comes around again. I managed to get lots of 'some day' projects completed - cleaned out the night stand, bureau, walk in closet, both bathroom vanities and 2/3 of the cupboards in the mud/craft room - creating several bags of donations. Took an online course through the London School of Tropical Hygiene about Covid 19 with 6000 other global students...interesting evidence based information. Spent a fair bit of time with bureaucracy getting travel credit for airfare from Air Transaat, West Jet and Air Canada and rebooking an earlier flight to Ottawa. Lessons were learned about using a third party booking company for accommodations as the Easter $1000 Holiday Inn booking in Vancouver was non refundable but would've been no problem if booked directly through Holiday Inn. Sigh. Baked/cooked large amounts of food and filled the fridge/freezer for my exit. Packed my knapsacks with clothes to take me through spring and in to summer, downloaded some patterns and stash shopped yarn for projects.

During this time my sister in law advised that my oldest brother had tested positive for coronavirus a few days after they arrived back from Spain. They'd flown in to Toronto two hours ahead of us and managed to fly home that evening. Thankfully they had self isolated and thus prevented transmission. In fact, my sister in law never tested positive. It was a long two weeks as my previously healthy brother suffered with fever, fatigue, nausea, muscle aches and constant exhaustion - and this was considered a mild case. My sister in law, although not a nurse, was an excellent caregiver and he finally got back to himself, but it took weeks. As I think of my brother's case, I am particularly annoyed to read on social media about this novel virus being milder than influenza, a hoax or only affecting the vulnerable. Still so many unknowns with this pandemic.

As soon as my self isolation ended I hopped an April 1st flight to Ottawa. I had tried several times to book non stop but the flights kept changing and so in the end I took a short layover in Montreal. At this point the prenatal daughter was being told she might have to be solo in the delivery room and if by some twist I was to be the one accompanying her, I would have first have to had self isolated for 14 days. The first week was spent with her doing her electrical estimator job from home while her hubby did morning online English courses and worked evening shift. We figured out how to do Instacart (personal shopper) delivery, online grocery shopping which the son in law and myself picked up or local shopping in person. I wasn't long figuring out Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes and Door Dash as many Ottawa restaurants struggled to stay afloat and we would've eaten out if any were open. Ultimately it was the low-key local diner (Tangerine Pizza) which appeared to have Middle Eastern owners, excellent food, great prices, huge servings and free delivery that won the 'best of' category. We sampled our way through pizzas, subs, wings and more - often the order was accompanied by soup, macaroni salad or poutine....eclectic arrangement but all delicious!

While there I worked on some projects crocheting an octopus, cocoon, waffle stitch afghan, chicken hat and fedora for photo shoots for the baby as well as a shawl for myself, a poncho for the youngest daughter, some dishcloths, a plant hanger,  pinafore for the granddaughter and began (needing yarn to complete) a baby sweater and poncho for myself. I'm not abandoning Mikey of the Crochet Crowd but if you've never seen Jonah the 11year old crochet prodigy, he's amazing. Here's his site for some creative inspiration:

jonahhands.com

We watched the entire series of Downtown Abbey and then topped it off with the movie...Ahh I'm addicted. I baked a bit and tried to make myself useful as the mother to be arranged things for our fourth grandchild and finished up a project management course as part of a program she's working her way through. We got out for walks on the trail and explored the largely blue collar immigrant neighbourhood as the season moved from flurries to tree buds. The prenatal appointments were routine although included a mask for both patient and physician, waiting outside to be called in so no one in the waiting room and only prenatal and well child attending. As the due date approached our daughter was advised that she'd be able to have one partner when in well established labour who would have to remain for her hospital stay and we were all relieved the son in law would be included.

After a weekend of my being a labour nurse again (25 yrs later) and much support from a midwife friend at home, I sent the expectant couple over to deliver at 9pm and woke to the message that we'd welcomed our third grandson to our family a 6lb 13 oz named Juan at 11pm. I was completely surprised, having decided this baby was a girl (although Mom had felt all along it was a boy) and relieved all was well. The family of three returned to the apartment by the following afternoon. With the pandemic there is no Public Health support for anything other than coronavirus and so it was good to be able to help out with newborn questions. Mom is very relaxed and breastfeeding went smoothly with the baby gaining weight rapidly. He'll be two months old on Friday and is very alert, smiling, getting to be chatty and enjoying books. This comes from not sleeping much at all. The first few weeks he was gassy, screamed in the evening and didn't settle well during the night...a high crier...but doing much better now. His aunties and uncle from NS sent him a swing which is a wonderful thing. He enjoys video chats with his Cuban and Maritime parents and is bilingual of course. The plan is for him to meet his older cousins here this summer as the travel restrictions/self isolation requirements change. It was tough leaving the little guy at six weeks and of course they change daily at this stage, so looking forward to seeing him again.

The shore captain was involved with some renovating for the second daughter and son in law in the city who are in the process of relocating due to a school transfer for her. He traveled to the city the day before my flight to replace the back deck/steps and while using a reciprocating saw with one hand he managed to cut his left wrist quite deeply. When he sent the ER photo, due to the location of the injury, I commented to my Ottawa daughter that he must've had to see a plastic surgeon. Upon questioning he replied that he had been seen at the DGH, xrayed and consulted to plastics at the QE2 then examined and plastic surgeon repaired the wound marvelling that he had missed tendons, ligaments and nerves with his injury. VERY lucky guy. His following day was spent supervising the son in law as he performed the manual labour tasks.

I had booked a non stop flight home and upon arrival at the airport found the departure delayed by 3.5 hrs. due to mechanical issues with the plane which had arrived and awaiting replacement. West Jet offered the option of flying over to Toronto at the original time, waiting an hour, then flying home from there. Although it wasn't my first choice, I (and my fellow passengers) chose this option as we were unsure the promised plan would actually arrive. So...I booked a 90 minute non stop flight between two domestic airports and ended up flying with a layover through an international airport arriving 5.5 hours later. There were no (or very limited) eating venues available in either airport and of course wearing the cloth mask for hours in terminal/plane (although I'm practiced from 45+ years of nursing) isn't amazingly uncomfortable. Having my temperature taken and scanning my own boarding pass isn't a hardship and one nice thing of physical distancing is that alternate window/aisle seats only are sold on the Dash 8 and 737 flights don't sell the middle seat. Such are the joys of traveling in a pandemic. I was annoyed to find myself seated on the second leg in a row with a commercial realtor from BC who was traveling to NS for a week, with a few days in Dartmouth and a few more in Sydney, CB all fully booked with meetings, appointments and plans to eat out. When I questioned him regarding the 14 day self isolation requirement he assured me that he was 'essential services' and this wasn't required. Obviously West Jet sold him a 7 day return ticket without issue and when I inquired at the airport arrivals of the Dept of Environment employee posted there, he assured me that a realtor isn't essential services in this province but there was no way to enforce this self isolation rule. I assured him that I had enough common sense to 'do the right thing' and dragged myself out to the waiting one armed chauffeur in the parking garage. I was annoyed to find that my chauffeur hadn't received a text indicating he pick up a sandwich and tea for me...in fact the text never did arrive - oh the wonders of technology.....and the Tim Hortons along the route had closed for the day. I glumly ate the expensive Reeses pieces bar I'd bought at the airport convenience store and drank the provided bottle of water I'd opted not to take my mask off for on the flight. A midnight arrival and crawled into bed.

My third self isolation has included more organizing projects, hanging laundry on the line, harvesting rhubarb and baking, cleaning out the grandkids playhouse, eating salads from the garden daily, perfecting sewing of olson face masks for myself, house partner and son in law, swims in the pool and lounging on the deck, a library book and...updating this blog. I'm getting rather proficient at being a hermit. We're planning for grandchildren visits shortly so will have lots of social interaction though. Stay tuned.

All is well....as well as it can be with our world situation

Hello all 

Just a quick note to say that all is well...as can be with a pandemic in progress. A quick return from Cuba, self isolation and now we're free of house arrest. Stay tuned for an update and stay well

Oh you're home? When do you leave?

As I ran some errands yesterday in the community I grew up in (hardly recognizable over half a century later) I encountered folks I knew through various stages of my life and the surprised statement "oh you're home" was followed by "when are you leaving again?" each time. It does at times seem a misnomer to call my house 'home' as I've not spent much time in it since last summer. It was wonderful though to sleep in my own bed, with the trio of cats Wednesday night.

So....a brief recap of the last six weeks adventures..... Often when you're a teenager you say 'when I get married I will never' and of course....you do, or before you have children you say to yourself 'I would never do that as a parent' and again...of course you do. But rest assured at my age when I say "I am NEVER doing that again" it is a certainty. If something isn't enjoyable...I'm just not doing it. Doesn't matter if I'm being paid well, visiting parts of our country I'd never see otherwise, not on call or up at night,  or working with great support staff - of course you always meet good people along the way. Nurses talk - which hospital, unit, region, manager has a bad rep? News travels fast in the nurse world. With all the studies, business plans, recruitment, bonuses etc. out there, the correct answer to nurse retention is ....R-E-S-P-E-C-T. If you treat old nurses well, they are loyal and...if you tick them off, they walk away. The warning signs were all there in the previous post and the slide continued.

On January 2nd at midnight I drove on clear roads to my nursing classmate's house, left my car and was met by the taxi I'd booked, then whisked to the airport. I hadn't been able to check in online and this was repeated at the kiosk so I was relieved that the counter agent found my ticket and attempted to check me in, couldn't check my bags all the way through to Igloolik so another lengthy wait in another line before my bag disappeared on the belt. Through security (thank you Nexus) and up to the departure gate where I was joined by friends of ours heading to Ottawa then on to New York to catch a cruise, Panama Canal, Fiji, Tasmania etc...ahh. Quick flight/nap to Ottawa and through the airport to the gate where I was told that Canadian North baggage allowance is no longer two pieces so I must pay $39.55 for the second bag which was now enroute. I encountered a retired RCMP buddy/insurance salesman heading in to do security in Pangnirtung and we caught up on the news. A routine but fully packed flight with breakfast, nap and no issues until...we approached Iqaluit and as the pilots attempted to put the wing flaps down, only one set would move. This required that we circle the airport while the flight crew ran through the checklist, a warning about a faster and harder landing than usual and eventually a clear runway with every emergency vehicle present and flashing, but down safely on the snow covered ground. The departure lounge full of passengers didn't get to leave as the plane 'went mechanical' and they were delayed until the evening flight. After a bit of a delay I boarded for Igloolik and my security buddy headed over to Pang with plans to get together should I make it over for the second half of my contract. About an hour and a half flight northwest into Igloolik through noon twilight then a sudden blizzard as we attempted to land. Still not sure how we made it down. No one to meet me, so I asked an RCMP officer if he recognized anyone in the waiting room from the health centre, he didn't but offered to call them and informed me that "Mark" would be along shortly. The caretaker arrived in the health centre vehicle and as I gazed forlornly at the collection of baggage I realized neither of my two flowered duffle bags had made it. I was deposited at the health centre (fortunately the same floor plan as Pond Inlet so I could find my way around) where I wasn't expected until the following day. The nurse in charge (we discovered we had met in Sachs Harbour last July as I was leaving on the charter) found me keys to housing and instructed the homecare nurse to drive me to the apartment to get settled - not a big job when you only have a backpack. I insisted on directions to return to the health centre in the a.m. as I'd be walking in the dark and he obliged by saying "walk towards the mushroom" and went back to work. I scavenged some food from the communal cupboard and crawled into bed at 7pm and was out until the morning. Never doing that travel in to a Baffin community in one day again, especially as we are paid a maximum of two 7.5 hr travel days only if it takes you two days and GN works at trying to save the cost of the hotel and the second day!

Nunavut Research Centre

Sign on an elder's wall 

The next morning, I walked in the dark and -48c temperature past the mushroom to the health centre where I stumbled in the door to report. I spent the first week in Igloolik getting to know the caseload and routine so I could orientate the full-time homecare nurse who had been hired. One of the larger challenges was the CHNs expended large amounts of energy attempting to have homecare do their work - a big problem as their scope of practice is much wider. On my first day of work the nurse in charge said "I know you're a CHN, are you interested in working as one here?" When I protested that I hadn't done a CHN contract for over a year she corrected me and said "I met you coming out of Sachs Harbour as not just CHN but NIC in the summer" for which I just stammered "I'm not up for it here, this looks like a busy sick community" and let me tell you, I wasn't wrong. As a buddy says "glad I did it then, even more glad I'm not doing it now" about his time in Nunavut. At the end of the week, a positive development was two CSAs arrived for me to sign with step 4 for Igloolik and Pangnirtung. The clients were lovely elders, the interpreter and home support workers were wonderful, the vehicle was a new crew cab truck and after I cleaned my way into the apartment I had a quiet first week. I picked up my Filipino replacement (and her husband) on Saturday and we settled into the household. The husband was a wonderful cook who prepared lots of Filipino dishes, kept the house immaculately and used up all the water by Wednesday! There was a  lot of entertainment at the community centre as 'return of the sun' activities were on the second week and I took in games night (won a prize) a fashion show and craft sale. When the nurse in charge changed, it was the young Ugandan guy who had been in Clyde River last year with me, so another familiar face. Our homecare manager came over for the week of orientation, but mostly worked

remotely while we did our thing. My replacement caught on very quickly and was often mistaken for Inuit until she spoke, so wasn't immediately viewed as a foreigner. Soon it was time for me to move on, leaving her to make the position her own.

Quick flight in to Iqaluit, over to the Frobisher Inn for supper and overnight. An early Saturday morning wakeup and cab to the airport for check in. Met the NP who'd been in Pond Inlet in May and one of the fulltime CHNs flying back in to Pond, the north is a small group of nurses. A clear 45 minute flight over to Pangnirtung past the mountains, up the fjord with wingtips VERY close to the mountains and finally into the bright yellow airport in the center of the community. Met by the manager and she gave me a tour of Pang with lots of photo ops of the breathtaking scenery. As there was no housing available for me in the nurses residence the first week of my stay, I spent the first night at my manager's and then moved on to a house sitting arrangement for a regional dietician who was away for the week. By Friday I was able to move into the residence for my final two weeks. I felt like a homeless person dragging my stuff with me and living out of bags.

Towards the National Park

Although Pang is physically beautiful, it is a very troubled place with lots of alcohol and drugs, suicides, violence and disrespect - thus the 24/7 health centre security. The nurses residence might have one intact window in the entire place. It is not a community where I would ever make a home visit alone without the interpreter, although the elders are lovely people who are quite dismayed at how things are now. As the regional office for department of health is in Pang, there is a sense of entitlement and frequent administrative interference, as well as overt aggression. I had found myself backing away with hands held up on more than one occasion while out and about and was almost creamed by a young couple (with very small infant in amauti) on a careening skidoo.

Out for a spin 

Further to this dysfunction, I found myself coming in to the community after an agency homecare nurse who clearly couldn't organize herself or the workplace. The office was a disaster, there was no schedule or plan, she sat in the office and gave me tasks to do, she called in sick my second morning, afterwards saying she'd taken a vitamin D tablet which caused a stomach upset. I wasn't introduced to the clients and when I insisted on day four that I must have a master list of clients with diagnosis to practice safely, she was unable to tell me any information. Our manager had fractured the head of her right humerus and so was off on medical leave with emergent situations being handled by one of the directors who stated she had NO homecare experience - helpful I thought. I didn't have online access for the first week as IT is still scrambling from the network crash and the homecare clerk was out for medical travel so I drove the home support workers around to their visits. As I said at report "I'm going better, only got lost once yesterday". I made it my goal to try to get the situation under some form of control to handover to my replacement and worked hard all week towards that plan. There were a series of young, new to the north nurses who arrived at the health centre as CHNs and although very keen, required mentoring. I had two of them as roommates before finally making room for my replacement. On Monday I picked up my replacement as we had 3.5 days together to get her up to speed. She had never been north before but had lots of nursing and homecare experience, so working in a remote area was her major challenge. We discovered we were both Parrot Heads and so got along famously, although she had been to more Jimmy Buffett concerts than me for sure! She's since updated me that the past week was a doozie as in...interpreter got in an accident with a skidoo, no one hurt but right front panel smashed off vehicle and windshield washer container is broken. One of the clients called the Director to state that my predecessor is not to come to her house and two of the staff have stated they will quit if she returns. Glad to have made my exit and those were tears of joy when the flight landed! It'll be good to not work for a bit as I'm headed back to Taloyoak in the fall for a six week public health contract and really looking forward to visiting the community after six years

I spent a lovely long weekend with the parents to be of my fourth grandchild and things are coming along with the new Canadian son in law. He is studying English Monday to Friday mornings and has begun work at Farm Boy (upscale grocery chain..think Pete's Frootique) in the produce department. He's thrilled to be making $15/hr (shhh don't tell him it's minimum wage) and enjoying his fellow immigrant coworkers. I smiled as he ran through the various types of apples with me - previously his knowledge as a Cuban of apples would've been...it's an apple :) Lots of new fruits and vegetables for him to write in his little notebook. Enjoyed a great Persian supper and also Vietnamese.  Yum. We did some shopping and planning for the baby. As daughter #1 said...we can pick these things up now, or you'll be the one getting them in April. I booked my flight to Ottawa for April 25th and will either be to see or wait for the grandchild. The weather wasn't great as we made our way to the airport on Tuesday morning, but at least no cancellations as in Toronto and Montreal. The shore captain was heading south so his flight to Cuba out of Pearson was delayed but did leave.

Uneventful flight with a beautiful arrival across Halifax. Can't recall flying over the two bridges with Halifax/Dartmouth spread beneath us. My nursing classmate met me at the gate as she volunteers at the airport and drove me home to her house/my car...that's service! I made my way over to Dartmouth, arriving shortly before the family made it home. We ordered pizza/garlic fingers for supper and an early bedtime for all was in order. The early wakeup time followed and I spent some time with the grandkids, then headed out to my rhuematologist appointment for realilgnment and injection. Stopped at two Frenchy's and scored great finds, finally making it home after dark. Ahhh

I've spent the past two days unpacking from north, doing laundry and storing northern gear/repacking for Cuba. I've gotten a haircut, a spa appointment tomorrow and run lots of errands to pick up last minute things. I've managed to get my travel claim submitted (hoping it'll be paid out before I get home in five weeks) opened all my mail/packages and paid some bills. Checked with the house/cat sitter that all is in order and I've cleaned out the freezer and the son in law stored it in the bait freezer...take that NSP! Collected up my study materials and am really looking forward to getting back to class. This weekend the oldest grandson is visiting and he enjoyed a 4H builders meeting as he's signed up for three projects which he hopes will take him to Pro Show next fall. He's a social guy and a big fan of public speaking so is pretty pumped.

He was more pumped when we booked accommodation for our Easter get away to Vancouver as I'm using my WestJet companion fare for a six day trip. And yes...Breakfast with the Bears is still on the list he Googled of 'what to do in Vancouver'. Let the planning begin tomorrow.

Looking forward to the fire hall breakfast on Sunday, some time with the grandson, then my 6 am Monday flight to the warm. Life is good.

In closing....to quote the physicist Richard Feynman...if you think you understand it that shows you don't