Month: Oct 2016

Posted in Uncategorized

Senility or S.A.D.

Posted on by Bernie

Given a choice I would take Seasonal Affective Disorder and not senility but perhaps I have a touch of both! It’s a rather embarrassing new story to go along with an “old story” although it is rather amusing now that the mystery is solved.

The old story — I grew up in southern Saskatchewan and loved the bright open spaces and blue skies. I took my nurses training in Calgary and wasn’t super fond of chinooks but coped all right with the rest of the weather there. Then I followed my heart to my man and he was in Vancouver. I always say that if we had stayed there I would have been the first test patient for Prozac. I did not do well in that weather region as there just was not enough sun and too much rain and cloud cover. It’s a lovely place to visit and I still miss the ocean but I don’t miss living there one iota. So that’s how we came to end up in Saskatchewan. It was only supposed to be for a couple of years but that is an entirely different blog post.

So now to the new story.  Even here in Saskatchewan the winter months can drag on with so few hours of sunlight during the day; especially as I work in an area with no windows (heavy sigh).  I find in October that I start to struggle with rising and “shining” in the morning so a couple of years ago I purchased a “blue” light. They are used to treat S.A.D. and thought it was worth a try. I usually pack it away about March as the days are so much longer than I find I don’t need it.

I went looking for it one evening last week but probably got sidetracked to something else without being successful. Yesterday’s stellar weather left and today it was rainy or snowy for most of the day without a single stitch of sunshine. These are the days that I dread and it was worse actually because I had the day off. I’m used to being home in my house with 31 windows and always finding something to do in the sunniest room. But today was dull and so overcast that I thought perhaps I should find the light and turn it on. So I went searching and then searching and then thinking. I looked in all the same obvious spots I looked in last week and then I looked in a few less logical spots. Then I tried to trace back to where I had last seen it and for some reason I thought about the charger being in the kitchen “catch all” drawer. So I looked there which made me spot the Vitamin D (which I should be taking but I can’t seem to remember in the morning) which made me remember telling my mom that she should start taking Vitamin D. Bingo in my head and a quick phone call confirmed that I had leant the light to my mom in the spring.  We had even talked about her using it at Thanksgiving when she was up but it wasn’t until the Vitamin D that I remembered the conversation. My mom remembered the conversation about the light but had forgotten who she had received it from! She can be forgiven as she is 88 and actually as sharp as a tack! She remembers me knitting in the 80’s while lying down icing my sore back! Hell I hardly remembered that I used to knit!!

So maybe I need to worry just a bit about keeping the old noggin sharp! In the meantime my mom will use the light till we meet up again and I will buy flowers to keep my house bright on dull days. I haven’t solved the rise and shine issue but then perhaps I never will as some of us are just not morning people.

Bernie

 

 

Today's only ray of "sunshine"
Today’s only ray of “sunshine”
Posted in Uncategorized

I’m Back!

Posted on by Bernie

And just like that I’m back.  Maybe the touch is a little slower but the intent is the same. The team jersey colour has changed but the camaraderie on the bench and after in the bar is why I go out. 

There are probably several regular readers who will remember that I have bestowed a bit of physical abuse on my body from playing soccer. There are those reading who will shake their head as to why I have returned to the pitch. 

Truth is I’ve missed it. Walking and running  are solitary sports for me because let’s face it the dogs aren’t stellar conversationalists!  Biking is a group activity but without the same kind of team dynamics of “take one for the team”. I’ve missed it but didn’t want to go back into a regular competitive setting. Coed is fun because I play with Ron and our friends but I wanted a bit more. 

So this year when I heard about the 50+ league I definitely was interested. There are only two teams and it’s probably going to get pretty repetitive but if we hang in there this season I bet next year there will be more teams. I’m playing with players I’ve always competed against so it’s a learning curve for me. Well actually the whole team because it’s an amalgamation of a couple of different teams. It’s going to take a few games to gel and that’s ok. We worked out some kinks tonight and then bonded having drinks so it’s all good. With one game every 10 days that should give me enough recovery time. 

Cuz let’s face it I’m getting up there — middle aged and a bit pudgy. That’s why I’ve got to keep motivated to keep moving. The use it or lose it. And hey I look good in blue! 

Bernie 

Posted in Food, Random ramblings

Square peg round hole

Posted on by Bernie

Square peg  round hole. That is an apt description of me and a certain beverage. Although I suspect others could fill in different items for me where I don’t fit the “norm”.

I read this article about the Coffee cup and my friend Deirdre keeps blogging about coffee and tea as her work takes her around the world to some interesting locations. She recently spent time working in Ethiopia and was immersed in coffee. Which seems appropriate considering the country stands in 5th place for exporting the beans.

Never mind that this is a cream picture in a coffee post. I couldn’t find my way to the beginning of Deidre’s trip to Ethiopia on my phone. Well she went by plane not by phone! But I have no internet at home (which sounds like her life in Ethiopia)and so can’t find my way back to the beginning to do the photo Of how they do this coffee ceremony. So in the interest of actually hitting publish I just cheated with a different photo she posted of cream for coffee. But I digress again!

This prompted me, much earlier in the day, to look up some statistics about this beverage that, to me, smells gross. Who knew that there was a Coffee Association of Canada and that they have annual meetings? Not me for one.

I actually thought that the number of cups consumed out of home would be way higher than 29%. Like when was the last time you drove by a Tim’s that didn’t have a car line up. Or like the local hospital Starbucks where there is always a line up. And no I’m not exaggerating. Day in day out.


But it seems like coffee isn’t quite coffee anymore. I owed a young colleague for covering my call so I could go out for supper with our daughter on her birthday. So I bought her a coffee. Grande, extra hot blonde roast Misto; two pumps white mocha syrup, with whip cream and caramel drizzle to top. I kid you not. Like I had to write it down to get it straight. Interesting that it wasn’t super expensive though apparently because this  Misto is cheaper than espresso and almost as much caffeine. Or something like that.

Around the world coffee is consumed in frightening amounts and in various strengths. Ask an Auzzie about Canadian coffee or a European about American coffee. Did you know it sits second on the world trade stage after oil? Over half a trillion cups per year. Holy crap that’s a lot of money for something that smells bad. Plus time spent in line ups.

Makes me darn glad my favourite beverage is water; straight from the tap. Cold preferably but not ice. Not that anyone ever takes your water order though.

I’ve actually bribed my adult daughter to come visit me at work. You see she was a broke student and there is that Starbucks here. She consented to a picture on her last first day of school ever because I bought her a coffee. Not just any coffee but some fence vanilla something or other. Heck if I can remember. I’ve been marrried for 35 years and I can’t tell you if he takes cream, sugar or both in his coffee.

I would be remiss if I didn’t share my personal memories of coffee. Old school perking on the stove in the morning along side the fried eggs. Instant nausea. Add to that the smell gives me a headache and I had never tried coffee. I made it through all those years of nursing school and working nights without a cup of it crossing my lips.

Fast forward many many years. We’re in the middle of the demolition phase of restoring our old house. It’s hot as hell out and I’m pulling out insulation out of the attic. For someone who rarely sweats it was pouring off of me.  We had hired our friends teenage son to help along with our son. It was ugly work; add to that we had no running water so refreshment came from a thermos. After several hours that doesn’t seem very fresh. So when our friends showed up with iced Capps (I got a chocolate one for your Bernie, you’ll never know it has coffee. So said my friend Greg) I thought yes something wet and cold. I figured I could handle it. Well not so much. By the time it hit my stomach I thought I’m going to puke. By the time I thought that I had a full on insanely intense headache. And no it wasn’t a brain freeze headache — I’ve had a couple of slurries so I do know what that is. It was my bodies reaction to coffee.

Square peg round hole. All the more for you coffee drinkers.

Bernie