"The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men"

From the Robert Burns poem, "To a Mouse":

 

The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
          Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
          For promis’d joy! 

 

In this case, the "best laid schemes" mean Dad's trip east. He and his wife were to fly into Montreal on the 18th, then she go on to Spain with her sister and Dad spend a week there visiting family and friends, then come here for a week before heading home.

 

Alas, he's been in the hospital since last Thursday with pneumonia and is on oxygen (and antibiotics). He's not at death's door, but because of the fluid in his lungs, he can't breath properly without that oxygen. They are reducing it now, so he's improving, but I suspect the recovery will be lengthy, given his age (he's coming up on 86 in a few weeks).

 

I WhatsApped (it's a real word now, right?) with him on Sunday, and he looks pretty good, sounds fine, all things considered. The fact that he's in good health and active otherwise is a plus, his heart condition well-managed.

 

But....While I've always had a complicated relationship with my dad, he's still seemed indomitable to me. I selfishly don't want him to be diminished, to become a frail old man. I don't think he's at that point yet, but it's a stark reminder of mortality and (again selfishly) that when he passes, I will be an orphan. 

 

Anyway. Enough of that. I took another waterfront walk on Sunday, will leave you with a few pics from that jaunt. Again, they're best viewed enlarged. You can tell it was a blustery, cool morning!

 

Thanks for reading...It helps to put my thoughts/worries out there, if you know what I mean.

 

The only  heron I've seen all summer!

This dog was happily chasing after rocks his "mom" was tossing in.

Penitentiary Museum

Another favourite home downtown. It used to be abandoned and overgrown, years ago, painted an ochre colour. I would walk by and make up stories in my mind about its history.