[Nkole:] 

What a lovely few days we’ve had! A break from anxiety and fear about the future. Some time to just be happy with our life.

I’m off work until January 2nd, so we’ve been able to really relax, take naps, enjoy copious good food and feel a little optimistic about the future.

Just before Christmas I talked with the medical clinic here on the East Shore. We came up with a new plan for getting Bernard updated testing and, hopefully, a clear, comprehensive diagnosis. Since he can no longer travel in the old Jeep, we had been a little desperate for a new approach and some assistance.

As soon as hospital staffing is back to normal, after New Years, Bernard will be taken by ambulance to the hospital in Nelson. Our East Shore physician, Dr. M, says he will book all the tests he’s able to, and Bernard will likely have to be sent to Trail, BC for some of them, half an hour from Nelson. Then the doctor will call in the local specialist who can look at the X-ray and CAT scan and will, hopefully, decide to have a new MRI taken.

Since we can’t do any of that at this moment, we have only to relax and try a little fun.

Bernard and I are living in my parents’ home, having worked out a suitable arrangement.  We live on the lower floor, while mom and dad are upstairs. We cook together, and generally, surprisingly, get along well. They’ve helped us so much. I don’t know what we would have done if they hadn’t welcomed us here.  I do what I can to keep the household going too, mowing the lawn, stacking wood, cooking, and now, snow blowing us out of the latest snowstorm.

My younger brother, Ryan, came home for a few days, from Calgary. So, we were all together, chilling out and eating far too much! Christmas Eve we made pizza, played with the kitten and watched some television. Then, in the morning we drank champagne with orange juice, coffee, and ate fruit buns while sitting in front of the wood stove opening presents. On Boxing Day we made a delicious turkey with all the traditional fixings, and enjoyed the festive moment. For this meal we pulled the dining table near to the bed where Bernard mostly must lie and had a slightly more formal dining experience. It was pretty, delicious and fun.

Ryan left back for the city this morning, after we shovelled a path through the heavy snow. Bernard and the kitten are now cozied up in bed napping as The Sound of Music plays on CBC television. Just good feelings all around.

New Years approaches, and with it the typical sense of new possibilities. Bernard’s 40th birthday is in a couple days too, and though he’s not impressed with that thought at the moment, we’ll try to have a fun time and make the best of this little homey holiday.