On the elephant in the room, Jasper and my first weeks back at work

Margo

I started this blog entry with the last two items in mind. However, I quickly realized that I have to acknowledge the elephant in room: my aunt Margo has died.

She guided me into bicycle touring and by doing so opened up a new world for me. I would be a poorer person without her assistance in taking flight. I had been optimistic that she would be around to suggest replacement gear once I was fit enough to ride, but alas cancer had other plans for her. As it was, I gather that she hung on to life by her fingernails to meet her newest grandson, before letting go.

I had desperately wanted to go out to Vancouver to see her one last time, however by the time I might have been fit to travel, she was too far gone to receive me. There will be a celebration of her life in October.

I had been thinking about what to wear, namely should I wear my kilt, when a conversation at work gave me an insight. I was discussing her death with colleagues when I remembered a recounted a story she had told about her wedding.

To set the context, this was in summer of 1981, a few months after her eldest sister had died prematurely. Her Father was boasting to his friends about how he would be giving away two brides that summer as a niece had asked him to stand in for her deceased father. Margo, being a feminist and something of a rebel, disliked the notion of being "given away". However, she loved her Father all the same and as he had just lost a daughter, she made a deal with him (and mostly herself), by saying to him something like: "If you are going to give me away, you will have to wear your kilt along with the Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket." Her Father hadn't been thinking about doing so, but was quite happy to oblige her request.

So I'll be wearing my kilt.

Jasper

I have been following the news about the wildfire in Jasper. I am afraid that my rationale is based on the fact that I spent many a happy hour there, all of which involved the Canadian. I was relieved when a map of the affected areas was published here on the CBC. I was happy that the damage didn't seem to be as bad as some of the news reports had implied. One of the things I did see was that the new HI Hostel had been destroyed, something that this article confirmed. I had stayed there in 2019. At that point, it was so new that work was still being done! I thinking that it needed to age before it became a first rate hostel. Now the building never will.

My first weeks back at work

I have started my third week back at work. I have settled almost too easier into the routine. I will have to figure out if I will ask my doctor later this week to change to more hours.

 

Part of my routine is to have lunch at the mall across from work after my half day was over. Twice now I have been spotted by patrons who missed my presence. Today, it was an older lady who is something of a fixture in non-fiction. I was pleased when she told me that I was looking much better than when we had last met about six months ago. She also revealed that the staff had been very concerned about my health. I had known they were concerned but not the extent that a patron would be so empathic about it. I was touched more than I could express.

Of course, I am still a "librarian". So someone else at the mall asked me where I had I purchased my crutches. She was also an older lady and was walking with two hiking poles. She was hoping to get one crutch in that style. I told where I had bought them, but qualified it by saying that they were handed, so I didn't know if she might buy only one. In hindsight, I should have told her that the style of crutch is known in the trade as "Canadian crutches". Mind you, I wasn't on duty and unlike registered nurses, there is such a thing as an off-duty librarian! ;-)

On my first day back at work

As I was leaving work, someone asked me how did I feel the day had gone. My response was, "Well, at least I didn't cry." 

Actually, the half-day went quite smoothly, the only bit of trouble being that I left my mobile at home. Also, I'm no longer in charge of DVDs for the Youth department.

On penny farthings and a return to work

Mummy has sent me this picture of a picture of two of my great great uncles with penny farthings. They and their two siblings, one of which is my great grandmother, are in front of Bishop's Court where they lived with their parents and grandfather. The latter was the Anglican Bishop of Montreal. Bishop's Court was just above the Anglican Cathedral, thus between Eaton's and Morgan's Department Store (now the Bay). The family kept a cow on the premises to insure a supply of reliable milk.

In other news, on Monday, I finally managed to secure a doctor's note saying I am fit enough to return to work part time. The plan is to start on Monday. Me being me, I am both nervous and hopeful.

On a penny farthing and other topics

I was the last customer of the day for Jonas my wonderful taxi driver from Eritea yesterday. Saint Michael the Holy Mole had been his first at a little after 4 AM on his way to see Margo. Knowing I was a cyclist, Jonas asked if I had been following the Tour de France. I replied that I hadn't because I view the Tour de France to be something of a perversion of true biking. He was enthused by it as an Eritean was winning it despite being only the third best cyclist in Eritea. I said that I hadn't heard that, the only news that I remembered seeing about the Tour de France was that a cyclist had been fined for kissing his wife. (Which only serves to show how ridiculous the Tour de France is.) I was quite prepared to be happy for Jonas and promised to wave a metaphorical flag in support of the Eritean cyclist.

I have since discovered that the cyclist in question, Biniam Girmay, had "only" won two stages of the race, no mean feat in and of itself. He is also the first African of colour to win a stage in the Tour de France. Go, go, Biniam Girmay!

I had a few errands planned around the Alexis Nihon Plaza. These included mailing various things. Another errand took me a block away from the Plaza. On my way back, I caught sight of a person of colour carrying a penny-farthing bicycle on his shoulder on the other side of the street. I tried to get out my iPhone, but hampered by crutches, I didn't manage to get a shot. It is extraordinarily rare to see penny-farthings in the street. As in, I think this is first time I have seen one.

Yesterday, also saw the birth of Louise's baby boy, Patrick. I'd post the picture but I'm not sure that it is my news to post. Congratulations to Louise, Thomas and big sister Tessa.

I had a physio session today. While I have a long way to go before getting full angular mobility on my left knee and ankle, there was a first today, namely walking with only my right crutch. At first the physio was holding my left arm, but eventually he let me walk by myself. Me being me, I neurotically apologized for sometimes stopping to plan my next move. I also apologized for having paused to instinctively grabbed with my left hand for a support or crutch that wasn't there at one point. Muscle memory is always 100%. I will only be walking with one crutch in the safety of my narrow hallway.

Actually, that isn't quite true. At some point, I will be shopping as I have been with a shopping cart acting as a substitute for my left crutch.

On a coincidence of Griffins and other tidbits

Saturday of last week, Mummy and I went to the Farmers' Market in North Hatley. There, there was a three fold coincidence of Susans. We then went to LeBaron's. As usual, it took me more time to get out of the car than Mummy. While doing so, I thought I saw James' son Griffin arriving by bike and head into the store. I wasn't 100% sure it was him, so I said nothing. The floor at the entryway of LeBaron's is not 100% smooth, so my gaze was downwards as I came. I heard someone call a greeting to me so I looked up to see Griffin, the younger brother of Elliott the owner. I replied "Hi Griffin!" whereupon James' son Griffin looked up from his position two spaces behind Griffin, brother of Elliott and said "Hi Daniel!" I know exactly two people whose first name is "Griffin" and both of them were in line at the cash of the store.

Mummy told me that Elliott's older sons, Aiden and Orran, had been pushed around the store in a shopping cart. Orran was facing backwards, so when the cart when forwards he started going "Beeeep, Beeeep" like a truck backing up. It sounded like such a wonderfully typical small boy thing to do. I hope that doesn't sound sexist.

I went to see the movie Furiosa, a Mad Max saga yesterday. When I came out of the theater, it was about time for supper, so I hobbled along Ste-Catherine's street to Reuben's delicatessen and steak house. While perusing the menu, my eyes caught sight of one the more expensive offerings, namely a 40 ounce tomahawk ribeye steak. Elliott had mentioned that he never ordered steak at a restaurant as it would three times more expensive and not as good. On hearing about the tomahawk steak the Parents and I had enjoyed chez Elliott, Dominique had commented that the tomahawk steaks had been nearly fifty dollars each at LeBaron's. The ones on the menu at Reuben's were $165! Needless to say, I didn't order one.

I will say this about Reuben's. After my meal, I needed to use the loo. Normally, that would have meant climbing a set of stairs, however, I was directed by a waiter to an unmarked toilet on the main floor at the back of the restaurant. This involved multiple "Excuse me"'s to various patrons in the crowded restaurant. Everyone was very kind and understanding. 

I must say that people have been very kind to me about my condition. In fact, after the incident in LeBaron's with the two Griffins, I walked, well, hobbled over to the North Hatley Library to renew my membership, rather than having to get in and out of the car for the short trip. While I was in front the Club tennis courts, someone unknown to me drove up in an grey SUV and asked if I needed a lift! I politely turned him down saying that I was just going to the Library.

In other news, I have started climbing stairs in a more normal fashion. That is put one foot on a step, then put the other foot on the next step. It is a bit more complicated than normal as climbing with the left foot first involves making sure both arms are available to assist my left. I still can't go down stairs with my right foot first.

On revisiting a great day via the Internet

When I last biked in Newfoundland, there was one great day when I saw humpback whales feeding within a couple of dozen meters from the beach. It seems the whales have returned to the same beach for the same reason: the capelin.