Major life changes
Saskatoon - Wednesday, November 21, 2012
by:Gerald Crawford
November 20th, 2012: Sorry to start this letter on a melancholy note, but I must tell you of the death of my beloved wife, Doreen, last April 20th.
We had gone on a bus tour to Palm Springs and Yuma in February; we both enjoyed it and thought it was the best tour we had been on. Doreen had an annoying little cough that she couldn't seem to get a handle on, but it didn't stop us from enjoying concerts, etc.
When we got home, she went to our pharmacist and asked if they had anything to recommend for her cough. The pharmacist listened to her breathing and insisted she see a doctor immediately. The doctor ordered X-rays; called her in because of a cloudiness and ordered a CT Scan. Next, she saw a specialist who did an EBUS, where they go down her throat with a camera, scissors and so on. By this time, she was having some pain which she had previously put down as muscular pain from the coughing.
Anyway, the diagnosis was small cell lung cancer – no treatment, no cure. On April 17th she wasn't able to dress herself and the pain was severe, so I took her to emergency and called the family home. She died on the 20th, about suppertime, in my arms.
On a happier note: In August, our grandson, Dave Grimson, celebrated his marriage to Brenna Da Silva in a lovely ceremony in New Hampshire with the ocean for a backdrop. Two weeks later they and some of their wedding party and family came to Grimson's farm at Mozart, SK, and had a reception and dance, which I attended. It was a great time for everyone!
In October, our granddaughter, Sara Crawford, and her long-time partner, Shannon Hards, surprised everyone by getting married at a drive-thru chapel in Las Vegas! Their purpose in going to Las Vegas was ostensibly to celebrate Sara's thirtieth birthday, but we now think that the marriage idea was firmly in their minds the whole time. Everyone was delighted!
Also in October was the wedding of our niece, Sara Malyk. Sara is the second grand-daughter of Doreen's sister, Lucille. Lucille and I were staying at my daughter, Sandy's place at Carstairs, so were able to attend the wedding. Again, a great time was had by all.
I am moving. Effective December 1st I will be living in a brand-new retirement home, and effective December 14th I will no longer own my house. Family has been working like beavers, emptying my house of chattels and planning my move. I just stay out of the way. What a wonderful bunch they are! The new place is half a block from the mall where I join a bunch of men from Wynyard and Foam Lake every Wednesday morning for coffee, so I will be in familiar territory.
And, more news: my sister, Cathy Hardman, is moving in with me! She hasn't sold her house in Prince Albert yet, but her family insists that she move now and let them worry about the house. Our new digs are a two bedroom, two bathroom rental apartment and we get all meals supplied, as well as activities galore. We both have our chattels pared down to almost nothing, soon will have no real estate, so our executors will have an easy time of it.
Cathy has wanted to move out of her house for some years, but was stymied because of her beloved dog, Freckles, a big, strong, rambunctious beast of indeterminate breeding, and also my pal. However, she has a neighbour who always has two or three dogs around, in a fenced yard adjoining Cathy's. There is a gate between the two yards which they leave open, and the dogs range back and forth freely. The neighbours love Freckles and said they would be happy to take him permanently. Problem solved!
Cathy and I made a motor home trip in my motor home, visiting Grimsons at Mozart, Mike and Marg at Spy Hill, and Lloyd at Whitewood. We found we could co-exist quite nicely without being at each other's throats, hence the idea that we could live together and share expenses without killing each other. Anyway, it will be an interesting experiment!
This wasn't really meant as a Christmas letter, but anyway, hope you have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
Love Jerry!