Vacations


Had a checkup with my dentist Wednesday morning. No problems, just the usual struggle to answer Ian's questions while he scraped and probed at my teeth.

He asked why I wasn't heading down south for a warm vacation, like all the other retirees he knew. I tried to respond, mumbling that I was enjoying the return of a real (actually average) winter, after the boring mildness of the past few years.

When we were done I gave Jo-Ann a call and inquired if she wanted company. She did. On the weeks when she has chemo she's often too tired, and sometimes too sick, to entertain visitors. But every third week she gets a "vacation" from the therapy. And this was one of those weeks.

For the first time in a while we talked about things other than cancer: Jamie moving, the kids and their presents, Mom coming home with her new hip.

A few days before Christmas Mom got out of the hospital. She's doing well and is determined to keep living in her own apartment. The biggest change the rehab staff recommended was to replace her kitchen chairs with ones with arm rests. I had looked for some during the Boxing sales madness, but not found any.

At noon Jo-Ann and I went out for some food. She suggested we also check out another store for chairs.

We drove over to Tepperman's and saw some chairs that might work. Turns out though, that they weren't for sale, but desk chairs for the sales staff and customers. These chairs came from Monarch Office Supply so we went there and found exactly the right model for Mom.

In celebration of our success we decided to try something different for lunch. Down the street and around the corner was Hooters, doing a thriving business despite the opposition of a neighbourhood church.

The food was good and the waitresses were, as expected, cute and perky. What caught my attention were their well tanned legs. I wondered if they had all recently visited the head office in Atlanta. More likely a tanning booth in the back room, Jo-Ann replied.

Then she mentioned that she herself will be going to Florida in two weeks, along with our brother Rick and his family. As soon as she finishes her chemo that Monday they are driving over to Detroit Metro and flying from there to Orlando.

Her doctor thinks it's a good idea, she said. His only concern was that she can't qualify for American health insurance, because she has a pre-existing condition. If she spikes a fever she has to take some extra strength Tylenol and fly home immediately, within four hours. I asked if that was possible and how expensive it would be. Not a big deal according to the clinic staff, she said. Lots of their patients do this. There are many flights each day and the cost is cheap compared to Canadian air travel.

Indeed, Rick found seat sales at a little more than $100 return, plus taxes and airport fees. It's more expensive to take the train to Toronto, one fifth the distance.

I asked if she was going to visit Disney World or any of the other tourist attractions. Nope, only lie by the pool at the resort and read a book or two.

So we headed over to Chapters and bought a dozen books between the two of us.


Posted: Sun - January 6, 2008 at 03:27 PM          

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