Visits, Chance Meetings & Scooping the Bill

07Jul 

Saturday morning, and I don’t expect to hear from Carman for a long while! I had arranged with my friend, Mary, that she’ll be coming over for coffee on the deck this morning so I have the coffee pot ready to brew for us. She arrived around 7:40 with some of Lee’s homemade muffins (thanks for sharing Lee - not that he made them, they were just his!). We enjoyed a couple of hours in the sultry heat and then Carman appeard just after 10. We called Lee and he came over to visit as well. Mary drove our vehicle and I took Matt’s to return it to him at the hotel where he and Dj had stayed, then Mary drove us back to Barb’s. We then visited with the guys until Dj called to say their planned visits hadn’t worked out so they were going to head for TO with a stop in Cambridge for lunch.

I had most everything packed in the car already, and Lee helped me load the concentrator, while Mary cleaned up our mugs and tidied the kitchen. We had driveway hugs, made plans to have them visit us in TO later in the month, then piled into vehicles.

After getting back out of the car and opening the house again to go and look for Carman's phone, (it wasn't in any of the places he told me, so I thought it must be packed in his bag)...we finally got underway. About 20k before we exited to meet up with Dj & Matt for lunch, we heard it ringing so knew we had it. Turns out the call was from Jennifer & Max looking for directions to the Pioneer BBQ in Cambridge. They were on the way to London and thought they'd stop there for lunch. Once we were seated, Carman asked Dj to check for them so she went looking and found them in another section of the restaurant! They came and joined us at our table.  Now if we had tried to coordinate that...it never would have worked!

Shortly after we arrived back at our apartment Kyle & Laura dropped by. They were in town for a party with Kyle’s friend Dave (who lives a mere 2 blocks away). The six of us headed out to have dinner at the Keg Mansion (also a mere 2 blocks away). We made it to the end of our street andI sent the kids on ahead to get us on the waiting list for a table. Carman barely went another 50m and was struggling considerably to catch his breath. That’s when I noticed he was not wearing his Venturi mask but instead, was still using his nasal prongs...which part of “VM @ 50% during activity” is so incomprehensible for this man??? Ahhh, yes, the “activity” part. Carman seems convinced that activity can only be done in the Physio room and even then only while on the bike or treadmill! The reality is, although he is loath to believe it, activity is anything that is not sitting in a chair or sleeping - arghhhhhhh (unlike Dr. M, I am sadly lacking in the gentle enthusiasm department, having used that all up long ago and am now entrenched in the ranks of the fastidiously frustrated!). So, like Dr. M, I gently requested that he sit on his Rollator seat and then threatened him to within an inch of his life if he moved before I got back!...and back I went to our apartment to get the Venturi. About the time I reached the corner (yes, just this once Carman had listened and stayed put) I saw Dj coming in our direction from the restaurant. They had secured us a table pager and she had come back to walk with us. I just held my peace and let Dad explain what had transpired...it did a body good!

Once appropriately equipped, Carman walked to the restaurant at a strong steady pace (just like her would on the treadmill). We witnessed the miracle of prescribed equipment performing as it should in a given circumstance, he, on the other hand, likely thought he had just recovered from being winded and carried on...evidenced by the fact that when we sat on the bench outside to await our turn to go in (enjoying the last bit of the afternoon) he promptly moved to exchange the Venturi for the cannula. Needless to say there were 2 voices in the crowd that promptly halted that manouver!

We did let him switch once seated inside at our table - the Venturi mask does not mix kindly with consuming either liquids or solids, since it covers the nose, mouth and much of the chin. We enjoyed a great meal and eqaually great attention from our server Sarah - who as it turns out, just might be going to Dave’s tonight after work as well (Dave is a fellow Keg staffer). I think the best part for the kids was paying the bill...right under Dad’s nose...without him even realizing it until it was too late! This is a bit of a long standing competition where he is concerned, and not just with the kids...you should see him and my Dad try to out manouever one another and con waitstaff into ensuring nobody else gets the bill!..and you should have seen the look he gave Max at lunch when he thought the cheque for his and Jennifer’s lunch was for for everyone and Max paid! Though it wasn’t the case, it would have been cool and would have put Max another one up on Carman for getting the tab - yes indeed, even Max is in on the comptetion!

So there you have it, we managed to have a meal with all of our kids and their partners...not all at the same time or in the same city, but at least on the same day...a banner day at that!

While we were enjoying his parents' visit, Teddy kept busy going to the cottage with Tim and Carita for some ears flapping, waves lapping fun...by boat no less. Judging by the pre and post cottage pics, they must have kept him super busy on and in the water...