We Have a Date

On August 31, I drove to daughter's to dog-sit their two black labs while they have a week of vacation.  On Saturday they were going to a friend's wedding. They left Thursday morning.  Thursday afternoon, Hubby arrived on his motorcycle.  He had plans for lots of riding this week.

One of the dogs.  I'm not sure from the picture which one it is.

Friday, we rode the bike to Port Stanley. 

Port Stanley is Situated approx. 2 hours driving time from either Detroit Michigan or Toronto, Ontario. Set at the mouth of Kettle Creek, Port Stanley is Elgin County's playground. Attractions include train rides on the original London-Port Stanley-St. Thomas rail line, and fishing charters. Boating facilities, summer theatre, fine dining, numerous interesting shops and of course, a warm sandy beach keep visitors coming back year after year.

It is hard to see on the little map but Port Stanley is there. (I don't know how to do the little arrows I have seen people use to point to an exact spot.)  We planned to have lunch and walk around a bit.

While we were in the restaurant, Hubby's phone rang.  It was his doctor's office. We have been waiting for this call since he did his pre-op on July 5.  They want him at University Hospital in London at 10 a.m. September 6.  His operation to get a new heart valve will be at 1 p.m.

We thought we were prepared but suddenly we wonder how prepared we are. We paid for lunch and found a bench outside to sit and process.  We called our pastor. He was aware that we were waiting and asked to be kept informed so that the church members could be praying for us.  He actually prayed with me on the phone.

I had no desire to walk around playing tourist.  I just wanted us back at daughter's house.  That is exactly what we did as soon as Hubby had calmed down enough to ride.

We made calls to our three children.  Next problem - how to get the bike home. Hubby will be unable to drive for 6 weeks.  He contacted a couple of our biker friends and they were working on it.  Then, when he was talking to his sister, he came up with a plan.  He would ride home on Saturday and his sister would bring him back halfway (It is approx. 2 1/2 hours from our house to our daughter's house)  and I would meet them.  Which is what we did.  Hubby's sister has a friend who likes to drive so the two of them got to go for a nice Sunday drive.  It was a beautiful day.  The four of us had coffee before we went our separate ways.  Hubby and I stopped for supper on our way back to the house.

And now it is Monday.  We have read the book the hospital gave us over and over several times figuring out what to take on Tuesday and what can wait until later in the week.  During pre-op we were told he will be in ICU for approximately 24 hours and then he will be moved to a regular room.  We expect him to be in hospital for 5-6 days.  

Yes, we are nervous.  I believe everything will be fine but there are still those 'fear of the unknown' feelings.  This morning our son called to say he is taking the day off work to come be with me/us.  When Hubby wondered why son is doing that, I reminded him that he is not the only one involved in this procedure.  Sure he is having the actual operation but I will be the one caring for him, driving him until he can do it for himself again (which is one of my personal concerns as he does not like to be a passenger when I am driving which of course makes me more edgy) and listening to his complaining.  I know to expect that and am hoping I will remember to bite my tongue.