A very good Monday Afternoon to all

Yikee!!!!!!! I have had a little turn for the worse. I spent the morning at St John Hospital here in Vanderhoof receiving 2 litres of Saline solution and a packet of anti biotics intravenously. I've been having a great deal of difficulty swallowing fluids for the past 3 days. Yesterday I was able to drink only a couple of ounces of water all day and even then, I aspirated much of it and it came swooshing out of my trachea tube. I've also had some diarrhea as well and became dehydrated. Martha Brown and Dolores have had sore throats and coughs for the past week and I have had the same. I suspect that the really cold snap we had last week with -38/40C for 3 days also contributed to my troubles.

So, this morning I went to the hospital with Dolores when she went to work and checked into emergency. I received very good care and I am now feeling so much better. Dr. Campbell asked me to try not to drink any fluids except for "thickened" water and I will receive my fluids twice a day intravenously. That means back and forth to town morning and night. I'm also to take Apo Cefuroxime twice a day for 7 days to kill any bugs/viruses in my lungs. If my throat and Epiglottis do not respond in that time Dr. Campbell will have me see Dr. Filatov on an emergency basis. I hope that it does not come down to that.

So, having said that, We're having a real winter storm today. Snow, wind and -10C. Winter is actually quite nice when it is like this and you do not have to commute in cities like Vancouver and Toronto. The cows don't seem to mind the snow or the cold, good thing since we do not have enough barn space for the whole herd. They just wander about carrying a load of snow on their backs. Weird animals.

I will be a shut in for the next 7 days, except for my daily trips to the hospital, while I fight this bug and get well. Luckily I am all prepared for Christmas as I hope you all are. We will have a grand day with most of Martha's family here as well as some grand children and friends. I am looking forward to it. Dolores and I wish you all have a very Merry Christmas and to everyone grand Ho Ho Ho from the 250 exchange in Central B.C.

Bye for now and love and hugs to everyone.

Rick

Yoski

Hi everyone,

December 6th, 7:23 PM and it's -20 C and getting colder. The high today was -13. It will be cold here in the Nechako Valley for the rest of the week. We are expecting some snow will be added to the +/- 12" we already have on the ground. Winter is now here at the farm. The cows don't seem to mind it at all nor do the outside dogs Duke and Lady. Mambo and Cheyenne are inside dogs and while they are big, they are sissies when it comes to the cold. Even our cats prefer to stay inside these days.

Milton is on a job/work share program with his employer (Central Interior Caterers) and he works 2 weeks on and then 2 weeks off. Currently he is babysitting a logging camp which has been shut down due to the slumping lumber markets. It is pretty boring work for him as he is all by himself for the 2 weeks and the camp is located about 2 and 1/2 hours south and west of here. The closest town is Burns Lake and that is 1 1/2 hours by car and a ferry ride across Francois Lake.

While he is in camp, I take over looking after the laying chickens of which we currently have more than 100. I gather the eggs in the morning , water and feed them and then in the afternoon I clean out the 2 coops and change their water. It is not difficult work but, it is time consuming. It gives me lots to do and gets me outside for a couple of hours a day.

I have joined the Book Club at the Vanderhoof Public Library and the group meets once a month September through May. Once a year the group decides what books will be read and on the 3rd Wednesday of those months we meet and discuss that month's book selection. The December 15th meeting will be my 1st meeting. I have also joined the St. John Hospital Auxiliary and am the 2nd male to join. The Auxiliary is quite active and is well thought of in the town.

Dolores is trying a new diet "Crack the Fat Loss Code" and believe me it is a tough one. She has a very strict regimen of what she can eat and on what days she can eat it. It is an off shoot of the Atkins diet but much friendlier on the body. In the first 7 days she has lost 7 pounds. I don't think she can keep that up, but she is determined to shed 50 pounds.

While she is doing this, I decided to cut down on calories and fat. I made the decision when Dolores took my blood pressure and it was 164 over 72. Well! I guess I over did it because I dropped from 182 to 175 in 6 days. 1,200 calories is not enough for me so I have modified my eating habits again. I am now really watching the amount of fat and sugar that I consume daily and I don't really worry about calories. My goal is to reduce my blood pressure to 140 over 60 by the end of December, Dolores thinks it is doable.

I will keep you updated on our success as time goes on.

In case I don't get another chance, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our house to your house.

Lots of love and good health to everyone.

Rick