the pod bay door

.: Today, 15 July 2026, is Callie’s 10th birthday. She’s been a part of my life since November 2017. She’s been a good companion for the most part, and knows where the treats are kept and lets me know in no uncertain terms when she wants to go outside in the back yard in her harness. She’s a lap cat; I’ll be sitting on my loveseat watching tv and she’ll quietly come by, survey her surroundings, and hop up onto my lap, where she will stand for a few seconds before deciding how she would like to make herself at home, and subsequently plop down and get comfy.

So, Happy Birthday, Callie, and thank you for being in my life.

.: Once again, I have completed another lap around the sun. I detest being “this old,” but realize the alternative is to leave this mortal coil. I do resent my body sending me signals that old age is officially making its way through my systems. In addition to my non-Hodgkin lymphoma (in remission, thankfully) and T2 diabetes, I now have neuropathy in my feet and lower limbs, making walking a little difficulty. Anyway, no point in whining or complaining. Onward to the next phase of my small life.

Meanwile, 73 men sailed up, from the San Francisco Bay….

OK, it’s late in the day of my 72nd Birthday. I am still here.

.: So, at 01:05 hrs on 28 June 1953, I was born. I have made it to 71 years old, and every day I can feel it in my bones and elsewhere. But I survived another trip around the Sun. That’s all I will say this time.

Peace to everyone.

.: I had suspensionplasty surgery on my left thumb on 21 March 2024. Both basal joints in both thumbs have osteoarthritis, and playing guitar has become painful. Now that the first surgery is done, I have months of healing and rehab ahead of me. I’m hoping to be able to resume guitar playing later this year.

Post-surgery tensor bandage over a half-cast:

After tensor bandage and cast were removed, they were replaced with a plastic splint, which I will wear for 4-6 weeks. I will also go for rehab once a week.

And finally, for your viewing pleasure, a few “aftermath” pix:

.: Well, it’s that annual moment when I actually post to my blog about my birthday. Born at 01:05 CDT in Winnipeg on 28 June 1953. It’s been a long strange trip. Indeed.

The past 12 months have been extremely challenging. Last year on my birthday I was in the process of receiving 12 chemotherapy and 6 monoclonal antibody treatments over a 6-month period to battle non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A year later, I now receive monoclonal antibody injections every three months, in addition to blood tests to see how I’m doing.

On 11 January 2022, my mother passed away in Winnipeg. My brothers and I were at her bedside when she took her final breath. We knew we couldn’t have a memorial service anytime soon after, so we ended up planning for a service, reception, and interring her ashes on 25 August 2022, so it is forthcoming in less than two months.

We left Winnipeg on 15 January 2022. Chris and Todd returned to Calgary, I returned to Edmonton. We all tested positive for COVID after returning. I isolated for a while but seemed to get sicker as the days went on. My physician told me to go to the hospital, so an ambulance came by on 01 February 2022 and drove me to the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton. I was in Emergency for a few hours and was told I was being admitted. Little did I know I would be there for 10 days. I was in bed all that time with oxygen up my nose and remdesivir injected into my arm via IV to ward off the omicron variant. I had been triple-vaccinated through to September 2021, but the omicron variant didn’t appear until a couple months later in South Africa. The hospital confirmed I did contract omicron, so after being released on 10 February 2022, I eventually scheduled a fourth vaccination. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: the hospital confirmed that upon admittance to the hospital, I had contracted double pneumonia – pneumonia in each lung. Lovely. It took about a month to stop coughing and for the pneumonia to completely leave my system. Now all I am contending with is osteoarthritis at the base of each of my thumbs, which is resulting is some pain when I’m playing guitar. *sigh* Osteoarthritis is also causing me lower back pain. Getting old isn’t for sissies.

But I was treated very well in the hospital, and saw first hand what life was like on a COVID ward. The nurses work so hard and were always so kind and polite to me. Of course, the hospital food left much to be desired! 🙂

Anyway, thanks for reading. See you again soon.