Having slept in yesterday ─ or rather, forgetting that I had entertained notions of getting up early and going for a goodly walk ere daybreak ─ I hoped that I would manage an early morning shopping expedition today that would entail a 5.625-mile round trip hike to the nearest Real Canadian Superstore outlet (Google Map).
This would be my longest walk yet since getting extremely ill in October and spending just over 11 days in hospital diagnosed with "COVID pneumonia", a condition that had scarred my lungs and was further identified ─ in my instance ─ as long-haul COVID.
The hospital intended to keep me longer, but I pushed for my freedom (I was newly 72 years old).
Anyway, I checked the time once overnight after getting to bed near midnight and probably lying awake for well over an hour; but when next I checked, it was either 5:53 or 5:57 a.m. The store opens at 7 a.m., so I had wanted to leave here as close to 6 a.m. as possible. And since I do not drive, I would have to walk.
All I was after were two one-litre cartons of whipping cream. Real Canadian Superstore is the least expensive for this cream of any store I know of ─ as long as two of the cartons are purchased. As a pair, they are something like $3.59 each; but purchased singly, they are well over $5 apiece ─ possibly more than $2 more.
If I wanted to get away in the comforting dark and hit the store before the crowds, then I was going to have to smartly dress and go ─ without even taking the time to boil water for a little black coffee.
I managed to get out of here barely ahead of 6:10 a.m., finding that some snow had fallen overnight sufficient to cover the ground. It was fairly mild, and conditions were rather 'sloppy', but I correctly predicted that with the coming of daybreak's approach, the wet would begin to freeze.
I was only to have to deal with that on my return hike.
As I wrote about in yesterday's post, my wife recently got drunk partying with friends and withdrew $1,600 out of my monthly pension that was in our chequing account, leaving me with $158 and change in the balance. My pension only arrives in the late part of the month, and I have no other income.
She promised to somehow replace the money, but I cannot imagine how. She only works part time at a Thai restaurant.
She does not want me to, but I am going to have to tell her two sons what she has done. I cannot buy anyone Christmas presents, so I will have to explain that I want to be left out of any Christmas gift exchange. They will of course ask why, and that is when I will elaborate as to what their mother has done to me.
She has done this a number of times before ─ she gets drunk and then gambles.
I will further explain to them that they are going to have to cover all of the monthly mortgage that is due to be debited from my chequing account come December 22nd. Normally they collectively contribute anywhere from $500 to $600, but this time they will each have to come up with nearly $950 each.
The only way their mother is going to be able to restore what she took from me will be through some sort of credit action, for she does not have that kind of money, and she already just got paid.
And I have two bills coming up by next Saturday that will need to be paid that will require most of the $158 in that chequing balance. Typically in December I seem to get approximately half of my monthly pension just before Christmas, so I am hoping that I will have the money to pay another bill in the sum of $181.80 that cannot be ignored ─ and is primarily the fault of my wife, as is $118 of the bills that need to be paid by next Saturday. These are credit card payments that she racked up large balances on, but is unable to cope with the monthly payments. Stupidly, the credit cards are also in my name, so I am unable to wash my hands of them and let her suffer the consequences.
She typically spends much of her weekends somewhere in Vancouver, so she is not home today and will not be home until tomorrow. When she comes, it is then that I will let her know of the discussion I am going to have with her two sons (who are both in their 20s). The youngest son is especially harsh with her at times like this, but even the more tolerant older son is getting roundly fed up with this nonsense ─ and this time, it is probably going to cost them, as already explained. I usually pay the bulk of the mortgage with my pension, but I now cannot ─ their mother spent it.
So off I went this morning with just a $20 bill in my wallet to shop with. The whipping cream is what I use in my instant coffees, and is an essential insofar as I am concerned.
I ended up buying a 475-gramme tin of instant Nescafé as well, even though we don't need any (I already have three unopened tins in stock). I noticed that it was priced less than $9, whereas the cheapest price I know of is somewhere between $12 - $13, and everywhere else charges over $14. Thus, this deal was irresistible.
And now I only have change left over from that twenty, and nothing in my wallet.
As for the walk, the return soon enough became brutal due to how unaccustomed I am to the activity. Better than the last mile was beyond being a workout. My feet were bad enough where any pain was concerned, but my knees are almost crippled; the region beneath the kneecaps feels damaged, and I am presently indeed crippled. It will last the day ─ I hope that by tomorrow I will feel more myself and be able to resume the exercising that I have entirely passed over this weekend. At least today, I have cause to skip further activity ─ I got enough of that this morning.
I was back home barely after 8:30 a.m.
Fortunately I knew that my younger brother had a 10 a.m. Seattle Seahawks football game he wanted to watch, so I was not obligated to operate our Android TV Box and watch T.V. with him over the latter morning as is my daily routine otherwise. Instead, before it was 10 a.m. I was back in bed for well over two hours.
Incidentally, I noticed before I sought that needed nap that it was lightly raining outside ─ hopefully, the crunchy bit of snow cover and the ice from the earlier nighttime melt will all soon enough dissolve away.
Earlier I mentioned my scarred lungs. Anytime I take a deeper than normal breath, there is a burning. However, it is not a burning that actually hurts ─ there just isn't any other descriptive that applies. So it's a burn without the pain one would associate with the term.
Yesterday I wrote that in the two-month protocol that I began that day using serratiopeptidase and lumbrokinase wherein I planned to have a capsule of the former in the a.m. and a capsule of the latter in the p.m. as a measure to dissolve any possible micro blood clots my bout of COVID-19 caused, I revised that schedule as of today. I am now going to take two capsules of serratiopeptidase over the course of today; and tomorrow I will do similarly with the lumbrokinase. And every day thereafter, I will continue this alternation until the 60 capsules in each bottle have been exhausted.
By that time, I hope that any unknown capillary clots I might have will have dissolved away like I hope the rain will do to the little snow and ice that we have out there today.
Okay, yesterday I never quite finished setting up the Christmas lights around the archway just before our front door, so I will now try and complete that small task. Then I do believe that I will find myself a Christmas movie to watch while enjoying some dark rum for the emotional enhancement.
I also want to have a bath, so I must make time for that as well.
Back to normal tomorrow, I hope!
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