Driving up to Banff from Calgary late yesterday afternoon,  my original plan was to just go to the Upper Hot Springs for a swim and drive back. However the weather was sunny, dogs safely ensconced at my sister -in-laws farm, that I decided to take a mini vacation and play tourist for a day.

Booked in overnight at the Tunnel Mountain Youth Hostel and drove and hiked ( okay hobbled with crutches ) to some of my favorite spots: Bow Falls in the town of Banff, the Vermillion Lakes Drive where much evidence of early summer in the budding willows and nesting birds including  loons and red winged blackbirds, Lake Minnewanka for an ice cream and watching boat launching, a packed lunch stop at Two Jack Lake with many mountain sheep on the highway, all in coats in shedding mode, a cheeky Richardson's ground squirrel and two families of Canada geese and goslings.

Summer weddings......Attended the wedding of some young friends yesterday, perfect outdoor weather and came across this sign as I drove away.

....for the yard and gardens.

I have not blogged for a while but thought I would share some of the early summer scenes from my yard. Been back in the pool at least half a dozen times, kicking now with both legs and this has been one of the best parts of this recovery process.  Towels and suit needs to dry.

The yard has been a major focus for June digging beds, pulling weeds. Still more to go here and putting out annuals in different spots. Everything takes about twice as long but the end results are worthwhile. Those bedding plants for which I could not find a spot or ran out of energy have been placed in pots or boxes on the decks.

The sequences of blooms of the perennials are very predictable: day lilies and irises, lilacs, poppies, bleeding hearts   rose bushes and eventually. peonies. The ants are needed to assist the opening and have captured one here.

These green berries will ripen to red and purple… Saskatoon berries aka named from a sister province of Saskatchewan (just for all my American and Brit friends) These berries are very much like blueberries but grow on tall bushes and trees of which I am fortunate enough to have some in my yard, as well as raspberry bushes and an Evans cherry tree.

On to other notes: the shift from June into July has caught me with a rather jarring note of reality of time passage. Had been hoping to heading Calgary and Cochrane to cheer my brother in his x-c bike trip and then I looked at my daybook. I am back to work at the hospital for 10 days! This will be with crutches and all!

Not certain whether to be excited or overwhelmed. My planning back in May was for scheduling a few shifts throughout the summer a gradual re-introduction but all of a sudden here is reality.

So where do I struggle at this point in the recovery process? Probably not as much on the physical level, as pretty proficient on my crutches and walker, although lifting and carrying items can be a challenge. But it is more so on my energy reserves and emotional ups and downs. Limited energy…. two or three planned activities in one day is about all I can handle and everything takes about twice as long. Early to bed, late mornings and afternoon naps are pre-requisites. It is the moodiness that catches me unawares as I am normally quite positive and optimistic in my outlook on life. Now I am very aware from my profession of the grieving emotions (DABDA) and the likelihood of them hitting at about 3 months after the initial event of loss, but does that make it any easier! Rainy day blues are a reality, as is anger and frustration!

So gentle reader, I share this because recovery from an accident or any type of loss in our lives is not just the physical healing but emotional as well: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance or new meanings.

in this season of summer solstice am missing being in the north. Amelia is running this morning and hopefully will do well and even see some wildlife....the following video clip was of the race in Ancorage in 2006 and one family's experience.

Check out this clip at The 49th Reel:

http://www.49threel.com/preview6.html

Mayor’s Marathon — one of the most scenic and enjoyable marathons in the United States and part of the Neurofibromatosis (NF) and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training® programs.

If you might be also here is her blog link...

http://dreamingovertheocean.blogspot.com/

She writes.." Your friends, and your family members, who have been diagnosed with blood cancers (or, any other cancer, for that matter!), whether they have beaten it nor not, get up each morning and fight a battle.  It is far harder to walk that battle, than for me to race a 1/2 marathon.  As I have been raising this money, and training for this race, I have heard and met so many of you have been affected by this, as well as names of your loved ones.  Please send me those names again, so that, on Saturday, I can put them on the wings that I am racing with.  I want to honour their (and your!) journey!  This whole process has really just opened up my eyes and knowledge about blood cancers. "

Daily Photos http://dailyphotos.xanga.com

Challenge:

April / May theme - Spring... That time of the year when life (re)start!

On that theme here are a few shots.

these yellow day lilies and tiger lily on my back porch will add a bright touch ....Elephant ears with purple blooms on north side bed with very moist soil ....side garden of our church with tall Siberian Iris ....I love the blues.

 Arctic Bay is a small but beautiful community of about 600 on the top of Baffin Island.....did two work stints there in 2007-08 and follow the news.

This item is about a young man graduating from Trent with his Science degree....

CHEX Newswatch - Robbie Qammaniq

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGfhZBBw-kM

When all the world is "mudluscious" e.e. cummings. 

We have had really a variety of weather this spring that has included snow in May, but hopefully seen the last for awhile.

Most recently it has been both rain and sun, a good combination but for me with some interesting results.

One of my solutions to running the dogs is a drive to a leash free area about 20 minutes across the city. Dogs pop in the car side door and we do this " to the park, to the park, to the park. park, park ! " which gets them talking HUSKY back in anticipation of a run. Some days fairly muddy and yet to see any Hot Air balloons as the sign gives warning. Head for the first bench with my crutches which has been dedicated to the "dog tired " I sit and they run...good solution but often muddy pawed in back seat.

The  sun related activity is getting the beds around the house dug and planted....albeit rather slowly as I employ crutches and walker. A visit to the local greenhouse is inspiring with all the colors and possibilities.
 My lawn is pretty much the pits due to dogs digging. Dandelions were a good 6 inches.... cutting them down is all the management I do, and was very thankful last Sunday when hired a young teen friend to cut and bag the wet lawn for me.

A few shots from the yard here are the cherry blossoms against the trunk ...like the contrast of textures.....tall stately pink tulip and pink blossoms of elephant ear plant.

Don't know but this is the second time this week that downloading is slow or just quits when I try to get to other sites or my own....

Now that I am about 7 weeks post op from my surgery….trochanteric left femur fracture…thought I might reflect on some of the insights of this journey.

A view from the other side, well have both worked as a health care professional and now been a patient in the health care system.

Whatever side you may find yourself, I hope the following points may be helpful:

• Sleep with your sock on the injured leg, easier in getting dressed the next morning
• When helping on stairs, curbs or car entry, offer your elbow, don’t grab mine..it is sturdier that way
• Going up inclines backwards is easier in wheelchairs
• Backing up to open when on crutches or walkers non automatic doors is the easiest or asking someone
• Cloth bags are great for transporting everything but make sure they can go over your shoulder & forget about being a fashion statement!
• If you don’t know how to help or what is needed ASK, not knowing is OK!
• My lack of former independence is my greatest struggle. Don’t be offended if I rebuff an offer of help and don’t take it personally. I will figure a way and probably come back later.
• Food is always welcome, especially something I can freeze as by dinner time my energy level is pretty well depleted
• Anything that involves stairs in the initial weeks post-op is really scary, so just be next to me or carry my bag or take down the laundry to the basement
• Your provincial health care and Blue Cross probably does NOT cover ambulance services, including air ambulance. Before you travel out of province make sure you get travel insurance.
• Photo copy all your documents
• For medical appointments encourage me to write down questions
• Be a patient or client advocate in the hospital or rehab setting, especially in the early stages of the injury as meds and pain level may impair my short term memory
• “So on a scale of 1 to 10 what is your pain level? “  I don’t know it just HURTS!
• Say thank-you to those RN’s, LPNs, OTs, PTs, X-ray porters, hospital room cleaners, social workers, they need as much encouragement as you in their hectic, often understaffed days
• Do not regale me with stories of other’s similar accidents “ it could have been worse “ scenarios. I have probably seen most of them in my first few days post op on the orthopedics ward
• I know that “ all things work together for good “  but telling me that is the early stages of injury or loss is not helpful. Several months down the road, I will be able to reflect on the meaning and purpose of events but not right now.
• Don’t park in “H” parking spots unless you have a tag because there is someone that genuinely needs that space.
• Same applies to the use of wheelchairs at hospital entrances
• Be patient with my use of wheelchair walker or crutches: I move SLOWLY, but an offer to carry my bag is appreciated
• Good accurate information on my medical condition and prognosis is helpful; it helps me make good and realistic decisions.
• Share any insights you may have from your own experience or profession as how I might handle better my recovery and healing period. E.g. a retired physio at church said my steps with the walker “ were painful “ to watch. We practiced with my crutches, taking long strides with head up and back straight.  Abit of an attitude shift as well.
• A sense of humour really helps on both ends e.g. the card with Tigger about losing my bounce, bionic women and airport x-rays, “ Hop along Cassidy”
• Little things make a difference: holding a door, helping make a bed with fresh sheets, unloading heavy bags or the wheelchair from the car
• I have repeated my story many times but if detailed medical descriptions make you uncomfortable, let me know. Sometimes those of us who work in health care for get that those in other fields may be abit squeamish.

All in all it does get better with changes at 3 weeks and 6 weeks but bones takes 12 weeks to heal so the full recovery period is longer.

So with a little help from my friends and family…