Great Summer!

I spent the Summer at Arlene's houses and had the good fortune to have Craig Moffat join us for part of it. I spent quite a bit of time up the hill with Dave, Katie Skakel and their girls Grace and Delia, and part of it I rode my bike in the 4th of July parade and sat on the lawn afterward and enjoyed ice cream cones.

 

   

And we picked some of those yummy, sloppy peaches. It was a bit bumpy on my bike, but oh well.

    

I forgot so much but the pictures remind me about my good friend, Gordy, taking me to lunch with a doctor who experienced a similar accident while riding her bike. Different problems, but like me, Chistine Osbourne is struggling to get her life together but Gordy was nice to take us both to lunch at 3 Rivers. 

Now I did jet out to visit family in Ontario. This was taken at Cousin Marks' retirement party and here is a picture of Mark's Mom that Sweet Aunt Emie and my zany brother Jim.  Yes it's true we played a nasty joke on Jim, who loves Aunt Emie's butter tarts, in fact, he has been known to go straight to her freezer and eat them frozen. But this time we wrapped a box with rocks chilled in the freezer with words painted on the rocks in nail polish like "yummy" "runny" "joke's on you" ok he laughed but was very disappointed!

While there I enjoyed time with the "Giant Panda Bears" at the Toronto Zoo.  But "Giant" is a bit of a stretch as we've seen bigger black bears at the dump.  I also spent some relaxing good times at the Cottage in Haliburton.  But the weather was really hot when we werer in Windsor and Toronto and eveen the temp of the water dropped so I had many visits Ann & Chris Bishop, Dayle (Elstone) Hawkins, and Dave Thompson (down the road), swated mesquitoes and read many books.

 I was spoiled by Louise Johnston who lived close by and treated me to lots of visits where she picked up and delivered my laundry and always kept me in books. Leith Rogotte (to the left) was great and last winter spent more time as they (she and Jacques) bought a nice house on the golf course in Nicolas North sub division of Whistler.  So I expect to see them up here this year too!

I also had a wonderful evening at Maui Meyer's and his beautiful wife Jan's while John Trujillio (Tree), his wife, Stevie, and baby, Soliel, were visiting as they have been blogging while they've been wandering through South America tasting wine, climbing, kayaking, tasting wine.

Oh and here we are again with Gordy and Dave in front of a picture in the Hood River Inn where we just had a delicious dinner so, we had to get our picture taken in front of Peggy-o!

The gorge and all its crazy antics nothing like the 25 year (OMG) anniversary of the Pink Wedding where Lucy and Gary Gorman got hitched. Funny they always have some pink stuff to share. Maybe they look 25 years older but they never act it!

Well, I had a really great summer and I hope you did too cause I have lots more incriminating photos! I'll write again around Christmas time AFTER I open your gift!  (ha ha)

It's Spring!

Tom's Art

Home Sweet Home

Well Yes I know it is late but I'm trying something new...pictures tell a thousand words.so with Jane's help to put pictures into the right spot cause I still don't have my iPhone conected with my iPad. Anyways, I moved last month to a two bedroom apt in Chaplain Heights which is still in Vancouver but next to Burnaby and SE Marine Drive.

I'm at 3544 Naples Way. Same phone number as before 604-620-5852. No elevator, just straight in, or out.



Peg, Tom, Jan

Tom's Art

Front hall with my real brother, Tom's art, above the sign I gave to Queen Cathy and my fake brother Jake's Ann Frodel (Mom's Son) on the other wall.
Tom again helps my bathroom look more cozy, withe his painting of Arbutis Trees. But nothing like the picture of those 3 little kids (me, Tom & Jan) followed by my fake Mom & Dad (Ann & Pat Frodel) and my good friend Gordy Sato who gave me the nice plaque for my desk.  "Whatever"


 

Ann (Mom)

Pat (Dad)

The nice thing of this apt is that it has all my Mark Nillson art on the walls (ok 1 left to be sent by brother Jim of Mt. Hood) but having Mark's illustration of Tuscany above my couch and the sun soaked deck. Even though the kitchen is tiny it is just about perfect as I've got a movable butcher block and my dresser to add some additional space for storage, a micro and toaster oven. Sue made a nice collage of my photos including the blow up that Bob Nippolt (Hood River) gave me of our awesome date. Bob is around 80 (in my book club, played tennis in my early morning drill class) and he asked me to his reunion of the marines and would I wear a red dress? Well who could turn down an offer like that? He took a picture of me and the boys, with me in my red dress, blew it up and gave it to me. Now it is over my desk in my office.

Well, I was very fortunate to fly down to Cabo San Lucas to visit my friend Laura Vittery and her boyfriend Ross at their nice housenda in a gated community. My long time friend Rick Tennant and his wife/girlfriend Christy drove down from LaVentana which was fun to have a visit from them. We even made it to the beach a few times. Since all you could see was my rolls of fat, this is a beach shot of Laura (the bathing beauty with Ross and a neighbour ? in the background. Well instead of traditional margarita's if you look carefully this is really a green shit shake.

I had my first trip to Hood River to attend a concert and see some friends. All the blossoms and leaves were out, which was beautiful. My friend Fred Noble has ALS or Lou Gerigs disease so he had a fund raiser and I went with Mom and Dad and ate cookies and drank hot chocolate/coffee. The good news is that I'm loving and managing well on my own and it feels like I am SLOWLY waking up. At least I am! Today I rode my recumbent bike with my physio, practiced and made transfers to my more difficult side (left). Sue has me going to her Pinman Colin who is treating me with IMS (ask me and I'll give you the website) but I am encouraged and plan on working on every therapy cause sitting in a corner is pretty boring. I read a lot and really enjoy the TV that Jan, Tom & Jim gave me especially the Netflix. If you've seen a good movie, please zip me off the title. Well, I'm really looking forward to this summer. I hope I can fit it all in! May the sun shine and the rain stop! Enjoy!

 

Happy New Year! 2013

January 2013 blog


Out with friends, the best part of my day!

So here I sit after a lovely Christmas at Sue's and on New Year's Eve I watched a John Lennon special on PEACE on TV and thought about this extremely talented person with high ideals was blown away. Well I thought it was good to reflect on and at least his music survived it all and his message was PEACE. But I guess not everyone got it.
Well this year I thought I would get back to sending my friends and family well wishes of a Christmas letter talking about my year and wishing them well. I guess I learned a few things, cause in the future I'll keep a spreadsheet indicating their answer to my email asking if they want to receive it by email or snail mail, as I had no idea. So, if I missed you please blame it on my head injury! It has to benefit me somehow! And email me at peggylalor@gmail.com to let me know that you would like one by either email or snail mail and give your address.


Made dinner for Skip & Paula

Well this Christmas was one for reading books and watching my new flat screen TV (Provided by my bros Tom and Jim and sister Jan). It is nice having Netflix and glasses to see the screen. I read "Out of the Blue" by Bonnie Sherr Klein who suffered a stroke which is much like the brain injury I suffered. I plan to write a book in collaboration with my good friend Schultzie so I've been thinking of my 'angle' of the story and it gave me a few ideas to turn over.
This year has been really good for me as I've moved into my own place, although it's only temporary until the end of Feb it has taught me and my caregivers that I can do it and I like it. I feel so loved and fortunate so I just need to be patient and it is the hardest thing I can imagine. As of yesterday Sue and I checked out an apt and I thought it was pretty good, but Jean, a retired OT that manages the two apts in this building for GF Strong, found another one in Kitsalano. So, on Monday we are going to check it out. But either way it is nice that I won't have to share some Rubby Dubs cardboard while we live under whatever bridge.
I've got all kinds of things to look forward to this year and I'm getting stronger and better. I'm planning a week at my girlfriend's condo at the beginning of March in Cabo San Lucas, Mex. So Laura came by today so my PT could give her some pointers on the best way to help me to practice walking when I'm down there. They don't want me holding on, so it does take a bit and I was very pleased that Laura came by to do that.


Arlene's construction of her new bedroom addition.

Sue and my niece Kate are going to take a trip to Rowanda. It has been prompted by the project of her last year of school on Bowen Ialand, where she is writing a paper on "Children in refugee camps". It's interesting because there isn't even any waves to ride or mountains to ski so, she is quite different than I, but it's a different world and I'm proud of her and Sue is really looking forward to it. I read a book by Peter Dalglish called "The Courage of Children" which made me cringe to think how cushy I've had it when so many deal with changes to the planet due to whatever you want to believe on climate change.
Ok I'm over 30, but it'll be about the right time, I get to check out cause we'll have screwed up this planet and time for us to rest before starting a new one, but good luck Kate and Max and sorry!
I have really been thinking of becoming a vegetarian. Then I watched "Vegetated" and started thinking about a vegan. But I really like my cheese and yogurt and at least Canada has some good laws to protect the animals that provide the milk unlike our neighbours to the south and the GMO plants.


This place is close to friend and Yoga Master Andreas

I have really enjoyed the Yoga (ok I can't do much but I try) and I know it will help me and Andreas helps me a lot. So I am committed to it. My balance is getting better that's not to say I haven't fallen a few times but this week I worked with my physical therapist Jayne to learn how to get up from the floor if someone is nice enough to bring me my chair. My Neighbours are good but I don't want them to strain themselves and they are older so if they can just bring my chair and talk me through it even though the firemen just scoop me up, I want to learn how to do it for myself and I used to be a big mouth saying "if you're not falling (skiing), you're not learning.". So, I have to eat my words a bit, except I am falling so, I just have to learn how to get up.
Well, I'm rambling, so it must mean it is time for me to sign off. Wishing you the very best during 2013!
All the very Best and come to lotus land for a visit!
Thank you
Peg