Winter Thoughts

If Noah lived in this country he would have had to build a big sled, chip the animals out of the ice, bundle up in furs from some of the not so lucky animals and then wait for a robin to find green grass. Why did I write that February is such a great month? It seems that Mother Nature has conspired against us and made it snow ever since. That myth about the goofy gopher sticking his head out of the ground, seeing no shadow and it shortening winter was certainly dispelled this month.

The next time I hear someone say that it is beautiful out, just because everything is white, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind. What's wrong with living where everything is green all year round. That might be beautiful, too.

I am constantly cold, my gloves don't keep my hands warm, my feet are freezing, 2 quilts aren't enough to warm me up at night and Gerry has turned into a night owl. She likes to stay up past 9:30, which is my preferred bed time. (Not actually true but I wish it was many nights.) My skin dries up every time I go in the hot tub, making the following days of scratching and itching a pain, literally.

The munchkins all have colds, GI infections, (what the heck is a GI infection Lee) sniffle, puke and poop way too much. The front hall in our house is always full of boots, grime and stuff. Nobody does the walks except me, (occasionally not so but generally so).

IS ANYBODY LISTENING OUT THERE? I think I'll pack it all in and go to Hawaii in 2 1/2 weeks. Then I'll just worry about getting sunburned, skin cancer, all the problems back home, won't be able to sleep past about 4:30 a.m. (3 hour time difference) and I'll continue on Dr. B's plan, only in a limited sense.

Love to all.

Organized Chaos

9:15 p.m., 5 grand children up, 2 x 10 month old twin grand sons with a slight stomach flu, 8 month old grandson with advanced climbing skills all over the house, frequent falls but no fear, 3 year old grand daughter and 4 1/2 year old doing laps in front of me, 24 year old son here with a female guest, (I don't know if she's impressed.) I'm sorry, did I say organized? I should say that the other son, the 30 year old one knows that Grandpa is affected by lots of noise, therefore he will do his best to elevate noise levels just to get a rise out of the old man. Parents of the twins are busy cleaning up, I think every blanket in the house has been through the washer/dryer in the past 48 hours.

Just a quiet Friday night. I love it!!

Joe Sports

About 16 months ago, Collin Smith aka Joe Sports was called by his wife during a commercial break in his radio talk show. Her call was a shattering confirmation that Collin had been diagnosed with leukemia. 45 years old, the father of 4 children, Collin was at the apex of his career, hosting a daily sports talk show and the sport's anchor for the most popular t.v. station in the Calgary market.

What a ferocious battle he fought. In June, Collin was donated bone marrow by his brother Nathan in a last ditch effort to change the course of the disease. The marrow transplant was a success, the battle to fight the effects of the transplant were too much and Collin left our mortal company yesterday a.m. I have fought tears, many times failing, for two days as I remember the very good person who he is.

Collin (Joe Sports) was renowned in the Calgary media. Yesterday the radio station on which he marqueed and Global T.V. paid hours of tribute to him. From my perspective, he was a cherished friend. Collin was the center of our golf trips. He referred to them as EFY for Old Guys. Jokes were fast and furious. He was quick to kid and quick to heal. We last had a golf outing in May, he, in the middle of his treatments but we were his guests. I will cherish the memory of that day.

He was a great elder's quorum president, an excellent teacher, an influential youth leader and a beloved husband, father, son and brother. He leaves to remember him, his wife Margaret, children Lisa, Laura, Brad and Sean. Our thoughts are with them. We love Cleon, Meridee and the rest of the Smiths.

Another reminder that cancer has no prejudice, we are all victims of this horrible disease.

We pray for Collin

The Birth of a Princess

February 14, 1986 was a crisp, cold day in Edmonton. The expectant mother felt a real sense of urgency as Dr. Morcus was scheduled to leave town on the 15th. At best, she worried about her new doctor delivering this child and the thought of a replacement at this late date was overwhelming. The compromise was that, although no sign of labor, he would bring Mom into the hospital, then introduce some chemicals that hopefully would induce labor. Hours passed and no reaction to the drugs and no labor. Dr. Morcus had set a time limit of 4:00 p.m. and if no labor by then, the intraveneous would be removed and nature would take its course.

The good doctor made rounds at 4:00 p.m. as promised, made a cursory check and announced that although there were no visible contractions, labor was started. It appeared that it would be hours before the stork made the house call and Dr. M. left instructions to be called when the time came. He had barely left the hospital when all **ll broke loose. By 4:35 we had our own little valentine.

She's a keeper. We wish her a very happy birthday. Consider yourself hugged.

February

Most people find February to be a forgettable month. Not me, to me it is the key to spring time. January is over and April is only 58 days away.

February is a month that holds fabulous memories. 37 years ago on February 7th, I entered the mission home in Salt Lake City. That was long before MTC and lengthy training. We received 5 days of teaching, then were dispatched to our destinations. My first destination was Provo where I spent 2 months learning Spanish, then off to Guatemala/El Salvador. 35 years ago I returned home, still have a mental picture of Dad looking out the window of the airport. On February 12th of that same year, I met Gerry Norton, a cute little 18 year old who was secretary at the Institute. She had been baptized the prior year on February 6th. This sweet, shy girl later agreed to be my eternal companion and now and forever holds my heart. Our little grand daughter, Anna was born on February 13 and, of course February hosts Valentine's Day, important but much more so because that is the day our little Carly came into our family. How did 21 years go by so fast.

Let it snow!! I love February. Spring is not only in my heart but almost here.

Dr. Cal Fletcher

One of my heroes passed away this week and I wish to pay tribute to him. I first met Dr. Cal Fletcher when I was in my late teens. We were in play-off basketball and in order to be able to compete, we needed to pass a physical. Dr. Fletcher stood in the Bonnie Doon Stake Center, leaning against the stage. He had us run a few laps around the gym, listened to our chests with a stethoscope and then pronounced us fit to play.

Over the next few years, I came to know him much better and then again more recently, even more so. When I was a young man, Cal used to invite me to travel with him when he had High Council assignments. As we travelled to Red Deer, Rimbey, Wetaskiwin and other places, Cal would teach me about life. I remember asking him one time what life was like when you had no financial worries. His response was typical, he told me that it made life fun. Cal was frugal and wise, yet enjoyed life. He was proud that he saved money throughout his professional career and enjoyed his retirement years.

His children, grandchildren and now, many great grandchildren are a legacy to he and Norma. They are close to one another, professionally accomplished, talented and share the quiet nature of the Fletchers.

Cal always had a purpose, whether it was professionally or playfully. He loved to tell stories about the ski trips he took with Kay Burnham and Burns Larson. Typically they involved all night trips, kamikaze skiing and self-treatment for serious injuries. He loved to tell about the time he broke a leg, anaesthetized it and drove home to Edmonton because his buddies wanted to continue skiing. (Pardon the artistic license with the story but that is my recollection.)

He was a first rate medical practioner. Recently my son-in-law Lee met Cal and they began to talk medicine. Cal was disappointed in himself that he had forgotten some of the various procedures and anaesthetics he used. His first love professionally was anaesthesia and he was good at it. He was current throughout his practicing career and practiced until well into his 70's. His last many years of work were spent assisting with dental procedures that required the patients to be asleep.

He loved to tell me about the time that he hit golf balls into a home made cage in the basement of the Royal Alex Hospital in Edmonton. After hitting tens of thousands of balls over the winter months, every time he was on call, he went out and won the Edmonton Doctor's Golf Tournament at the Mayfair Golf and Country Club in Edmonton. Sandy tells the story of his going over a dry water ski jump with predicted results.

I loved his story about the time the dock needed repairs at the Sylvan Lake cabin. Needing to make the repairs under water, he created his own SCUBA gear, using old oxygen tanks and surgical tubing. This was typical of his attitude.

A few years ago, they moved to Calgary as they recognized a need to be close to family. It was the forethought that he was famous for that brought them here. He knew that they needed to be close to Sandy as they aged. About 3 years ago, Norma moved into a care facility. Her very brittle bones can no longer carry her and she spends most days in a bed.

It was Cal's absolute dedication to his wife that kept him going for the past couple of years. Occasionally we had the privilege of picking him up to deliver him to the nursing home. Inevitably he was sitting on his walker outside the garage waiting for us at 3:00 p.m. When we delivered him home, I will always remember his walking into the garage and pushing the walker off to the side, as if to say, why am I hobbled with this?

During these rides, Cal was once again full of wonderful stories. He taught fiscal restraint, advised me that if I lost 10 pounds, I would feel better. A few times we would detour out into the country for a little ride and he mentioned those trips all the time.

Last Monday his heart gave out. Dr. Cal Fletcher was 87 years old. Norma tells me that they became friends when they were 17 years old and have been married for 64 years. He is my friend.

Waist Management

I have spent most of my life in waste management and haven't spent as much time worrying about waist management as I ought to have. Recently, however, that is changing. You know, when someone asks me how much weight I have lost, my typical response is about 1,000 pounds. That is to say, over the years, I have lost 15 - 25 pounds many times over.

Last year, I found that my energy level and abilities were substantially lessened and determined that it was now time for waist management. I also realize that I need checks, balances and goals in my life to really follow through on commitment. Several friends had lost significant weight on the Dr. Bernstein Diet, a serious diet for the committed. After doing some self-analysis, it was gut check time and you guessed it, the gut needed to recede.

I went to my initial appointment early in December and can report that, after 6 full weeks on the program, (I don't count my week in Phoenix golfing as a week on the program although I did not put on any weight) the scale at Dr. B's office reports a 40 pound decrease. There is a great deal of work to do but I'm keen for it. I look forward to feeling much better and do so right now.

The strategy of Dr. B is to get the patients to regularly report in, control the type and number of calories and subsidize oneself with appropriate vitamins and minerals. I have always taken a mixed cocktail of vitamins, chondroitin, glucosamine, calcium, 82 mg. aspirin, etc., so this is the easy part. Limiting my eating is more difficult. Actually SWFM (check prior post) has a difficult time cutting back on portions and always wants to provide the tastiest for her family. Christmas was very hard as there was always a goodly number of tasty treats on the counter.

Anyway, I now make my way to the Dr. B clinic 3 times a week where I bare one of the private cheeks or the other, receive a poke with a dull needle, purportedly filled with vitamins B6 and B12, weigh myself, review my foods for the past couple of days and get a small measure of encouragement. There are doctors on staff and I meet regularly with one of them but the fellow I saw last Friday was, at best, putting in time.

As to the waist management, down about 6".

Use my name if you sign up.

Ya Gotta Start Somewhere!!

Why didn't somebody tell me that you can't go backwards? It would have saved some time by not having to repeat myself. Taking the cue from our children, we will attempt to set up a blog that will give our friends and family the opportunity to stay in touch.

This BlOG (now whoever came up with that name?) will generally be written by me, Pops, with the odd comment from She Who Fulfills Me. We will actually celebrate 35 years of generally wedded bliss late in 2007 and consider ourselves BFF, in the very real sense.

What I will hope to accomplish by this BLOG will be to share important moments, humorous incidents and whatever slips into my generally vacuous cranial cavity. Family will be paramount and you will likely read more about grandchilren's foibles and kids activities than you might wish, but enjoy it please.

We have 5 children; 3 married, leaving, oh well you do the math. Current count is 9 grand children but we expect many more. We enjoy having any of them and all of them with us. Our home can become Grand Central Station in a hurry and the seemingly favorite place to play (read that as noisy) is very close to Grandpa's chair. You'll hear more about that later.

Well enjoy. This BLOG (there it is again) is intended for family and friends. It is not intended for bigots, critics or thrill seekers. We'll get back to you soon.