Today is a very special day for me.
Chris is going to bring my father's gun home and I am going to shoot it again. This is so exciting!
Getting the gun to Canada was not without challenges.
It started in Germany , with Dad telling me, that the gun was not registered. So when Dad moved to the nursing home, I suddenly had a non registered and therefore illegal gun on my hands. No chance to bring it to Canada!
My Cousin was kind enough to grant safe storage for the weapon , until I knew what to do with it.
There was never time to deal with Dad's gun while he was still alive and so I kind of forgot about it.
After Dad's passing and my subsequent grief , I went through some of his paperwork and found, guess what? The gun registration! All the angst, for nothing.
My relief was of short duration, the city of Neuwied was hot on my heals to find the whereabouts of Herr Kretschmers weapon.
My cousin and I talked it through and I forwarded his address to the city.
Because it took a while for Chris to find out, what rules and regulations to gun import from Germany applied, the German police got involved and hunted my cousin down.
He is now known to them as a unregistered gun owner. The horror of it all.
He was however able to ship the gun to Chris , who as a hunter and my stepson, was able to claim ownership .
The gun arrived Wednesday.
My cousin will be so relieved , that he is again an innocent man in the eyes of the law. Chris just need to provide him with a paper , stating the arrival here in Canada.
The best part today is not , that the gun is coming to me, but what I am planning to do with it.
Chris will find out today that he is going to be the official heir to this weapon.
He and my Dad hit it off when they met and I am sure Dad would love for him to own his Flobert.It makes me happy to give Chris something which connects him to my family and particularly to my Dad.
The only caveat is, I want to shoot it every once in awhile!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
February 12,2011 My Favourite Patient
It was about 3 years ago, that we lost a patient suffering from pulmonary embolism in the Cardiac OR. This patient was not only a fellow skier, but also a fellow German. The same night, another skier arrived in the cath lab , after suffering from cardiac arrest at the bottom of a ski hill.He was also from Germany and I was told , that he did not speak any English.
Next day , I went to see him , just in case he needed some one to phone his family.
It was deemed , that he needed coronary artery bypass grafting and I helped the surgeon to obtain consent. I stayed on, to explain in more detail, what would happen during the operation.
After his surgery was scheduled, I promised to attend him in the OR , to alleviate his fears.
During his recovery I made sure to visit him , every day . German newspapers, the odd piece of cake and later some real good cup of coffee, where little treats I brought to brighten his day.
We talked a lot and decided to stay in contact , even after , his surgeon released him to go back home to Germany.
Colourful postcards started arriving with news of his remarkable recovery from all over Germany .With it , his wish to meet during one my frequent visits in Germany.
After some long deliberation I agreed and I am thankful I did. He told me , how profoundly his meeting me during his touch with death had changed his life. After receiving all the encouragement from a stranger like me, he decided to change his life. He became less selfish and shared his good fortunes with less fortunate people. He reconciled with his family. He changed for a healthy lifestyle , quit smoking and started to eat healthier.
He believed in kindness again!
Sadly, he passed away in his sleep, 2 years after his first arrest, only 67 years old.
Meeting him, gave me the incredible opportunity to see first hand what impact my long hours of work in the cardiac OR can have. I cherish every conversation I had with this patient and it made me appreciate how truly wonderful it is to work as a nurse.
Next day , I went to see him , just in case he needed some one to phone his family.
It was deemed , that he needed coronary artery bypass grafting and I helped the surgeon to obtain consent. I stayed on, to explain in more detail, what would happen during the operation.
After his surgery was scheduled, I promised to attend him in the OR , to alleviate his fears.
During his recovery I made sure to visit him , every day . German newspapers, the odd piece of cake and later some real good cup of coffee, where little treats I brought to brighten his day.
We talked a lot and decided to stay in contact , even after , his surgeon released him to go back home to Germany.
Colourful postcards started arriving with news of his remarkable recovery from all over Germany .With it , his wish to meet during one my frequent visits in Germany.
After some long deliberation I agreed and I am thankful I did. He told me , how profoundly his meeting me during his touch with death had changed his life. After receiving all the encouragement from a stranger like me, he decided to change his life. He became less selfish and shared his good fortunes with less fortunate people. He reconciled with his family. He changed for a healthy lifestyle , quit smoking and started to eat healthier.
He believed in kindness again!
Sadly, he passed away in his sleep, 2 years after his first arrest, only 67 years old.
Meeting him, gave me the incredible opportunity to see first hand what impact my long hours of work in the cardiac OR can have. I cherish every conversation I had with this patient and it made me appreciate how truly wonderful it is to work as a nurse.
Friday, February 11, 2011
February11,2011 My Dad
Today is my Dad's birthday. Sadly , he left me October 26 , 2009, but he is forever in my heart!
Because of his work as a skipper on a German freight ship on the rivers and canals of central Europe I only had my Dad around when I was a child , before I went to school at age 6 and later on during holidays , when I was able to convince Mom that I wanted to be on the boat with Dad. All the other times , he was away working to provide for his family.
Oh, how I missed him while growing up!
Dad and I always had a special bond, I was Daddy's girl and I adored everything he did and I wanted to learn it all.
Mom was devoted to my half sister in the other part of Germany and she spend her energy to provide for her.
I remember sitting on Dad's lap while he spend hours driving the boat on the rivers . Pretty soon, I drove the boat as well , under his supervision of course.
He built me a play pen in front of the bridge on the boat , he gave me the biggest sand box a child could ask for , by letting me play in one of the freight compartments filled with sand.
He built me a swimming pool on the shore of a river , so I could play in the water, without being swept away from the current.
He showed me how to fish, preferably, without a license , which caused some interesting run ins with the river guards.
He taught me to shoot his Flobert and I remember the demise of a good number of rats. More about this particular gun at a later date.
When I was older, I actually earned money driving the boat for him .While he was in the galley to eat, I was proud to be able stear clear of all sorts of obstacles in the water and I also managed to overtake slower boats without a flaw. He was proud when Iwas able to do this and amused when I also copied his pendant to swear like a Rhine skipper(Rheinschiffer).
When I was even older I supported him even more.
Dad was never someone who drank a lot of alcohol, he plainly could not handle more than a few beer. One day Christmas , he was invited to the neighbours to help decorate the tree!!!. Where I grew up, that meant, one schnapps per ornament! Well, Dad arrived pretty wasted early afternoon at Christmas eve and my Mom was not amused. She was actually outraged and she let him have it. Poor Dad, he only wanted to be sick and than sleep it off. Of course , I helped him and made him comfortable and defended him with Mom.Somehow, the festivities for that evening were severely subdued. No matter, Dad was home , and I was excited!
Many years later, during one of my many visits from Canada , Dad and I took a trip to the Christkindl market in Nuremberg and we had a wonderful time. We ate, drank beer for lunch, smoked some forbidden cigarettes and shopped for lovely Christmas memorabilia. To this day , I still cherish all those mementos!
In his later years he selflessly devoted his life and his health to my mothers well being , who needed 24 /7 care until she suddenly passed on.
It was than, that I invited Dad to check out our place in Cochrane and perhaps see, if he would like to come and live with my husband and I.
It was not to be. His own health problems rendered him so helpless , that I had to make the difficult decision to find a place in a home for him.
From than on, we talked daily on the phone and I managed to visit at least twice a year. Whenever there was a crisis, I was there for him. Despite all his ailments he was able to visit us Christmas 2008 and he finally visited my new home with Werner. He loved it and I was proud to show Dad off to my new family.
He loved my attention and I loved giving him all my love.
His loss left an empty space in my life which I try to fill with as many memories of him, as I can.
I love you Dad.
Because of his work as a skipper on a German freight ship on the rivers and canals of central Europe I only had my Dad around when I was a child , before I went to school at age 6 and later on during holidays , when I was able to convince Mom that I wanted to be on the boat with Dad. All the other times , he was away working to provide for his family.
Oh, how I missed him while growing up!
Dad and I always had a special bond, I was Daddy's girl and I adored everything he did and I wanted to learn it all.
Mom was devoted to my half sister in the other part of Germany and she spend her energy to provide for her.
I remember sitting on Dad's lap while he spend hours driving the boat on the rivers . Pretty soon, I drove the boat as well , under his supervision of course.
He built me a play pen in front of the bridge on the boat , he gave me the biggest sand box a child could ask for , by letting me play in one of the freight compartments filled with sand.
He built me a swimming pool on the shore of a river , so I could play in the water, without being swept away from the current.
He showed me how to fish, preferably, without a license , which caused some interesting run ins with the river guards.
He taught me to shoot his Flobert and I remember the demise of a good number of rats. More about this particular gun at a later date.
When I was older, I actually earned money driving the boat for him .While he was in the galley to eat, I was proud to be able stear clear of all sorts of obstacles in the water and I also managed to overtake slower boats without a flaw. He was proud when Iwas able to do this and amused when I also copied his pendant to swear like a Rhine skipper(Rheinschiffer).
When I was even older I supported him even more.
Dad was never someone who drank a lot of alcohol, he plainly could not handle more than a few beer. One day Christmas , he was invited to the neighbours to help decorate the tree!!!. Where I grew up, that meant, one schnapps per ornament! Well, Dad arrived pretty wasted early afternoon at Christmas eve and my Mom was not amused. She was actually outraged and she let him have it. Poor Dad, he only wanted to be sick and than sleep it off. Of course , I helped him and made him comfortable and defended him with Mom.Somehow, the festivities for that evening were severely subdued. No matter, Dad was home , and I was excited!
Many years later, during one of my many visits from Canada , Dad and I took a trip to the Christkindl market in Nuremberg and we had a wonderful time. We ate, drank beer for lunch, smoked some forbidden cigarettes and shopped for lovely Christmas memorabilia. To this day , I still cherish all those mementos!
In his later years he selflessly devoted his life and his health to my mothers well being , who needed 24 /7 care until she suddenly passed on.
It was than, that I invited Dad to check out our place in Cochrane and perhaps see, if he would like to come and live with my husband and I.
It was not to be. His own health problems rendered him so helpless , that I had to make the difficult decision to find a place in a home for him.
From than on, we talked daily on the phone and I managed to visit at least twice a year. Whenever there was a crisis, I was there for him. Despite all his ailments he was able to visit us Christmas 2008 and he finally visited my new home with Werner. He loved it and I was proud to show Dad off to my new family.
He loved my attention and I loved giving him all my love.
His loss left an empty space in my life which I try to fill with as many memories of him, as I can.
I love you Dad.
February 10,2011 Hochzeitstag
Unique, 'cause to be in love on my 4th wedding anniversary has never happened before. What a wonderful feeling to wake up in the morning and to realize, that I love the man beside me and I am married to him . To know, that I can spend as much time with him as I want, And to know , that he loves me back and cherishes the time with me as much as I cherish my time with him. As if life only started , when we met. And life keeps getting better every day!
I am proud of my husband and proud to be his wife!
I am proud of my husband and proud to be his wife!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
February5,2011 What is exciting?
Having been either sick with a killer cold or unable to move because of a knee injury has certainly tied me down on many levels.
When I decided to do something new and /or exiting everyday this year,I did not realize, that that almost all the time included movement and activity.Motion to me seems to be the great initiator for creativity and Unternehmungslust.
Is being active the key to turn on my brain?
Never have I felt so sluggish than in the last weeks. Obviously , I am surviving , but barely.
On the contrary, I am regressing.
Catching myself going into retro thinking , mourning my parents ,revisiting conversations I should have avoided or changed in the past.
Navel gazing is all I am doing , to what result?
The most exiting thing for today is , to go on a "dump date" with Werner and later finally bottle my wine.
interspersed throughout the day, I'll lubricate my brain with some exercise on my bike , but I'll be off the treadmill for now, 'cause my knee can't take it.
Let's hope the wine is good , just in case the cycle kick start for my brain is not enough!
When I decided to do something new and /or exiting everyday this year,I did not realize, that that almost all the time included movement and activity.Motion to me seems to be the great initiator for creativity and Unternehmungslust.
Is being active the key to turn on my brain?
Never have I felt so sluggish than in the last weeks. Obviously , I am surviving , but barely.
On the contrary, I am regressing.
Catching myself going into retro thinking , mourning my parents ,revisiting conversations I should have avoided or changed in the past.
Navel gazing is all I am doing , to what result?
The most exiting thing for today is , to go on a "dump date" with Werner and later finally bottle my wine.
interspersed throughout the day, I'll lubricate my brain with some exercise on my bike , but I'll be off the treadmill for now, 'cause my knee can't take it.
Let's hope the wine is good , just in case the cycle kick start for my brain is not enough!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
February 3,2011-Fasting
Sounds like Fasching , ist es aber nicht!
According to my Moon Calender, today is a perfect day for Fasting! According to me , it is a perfect day for gummibears-many of them, until I get a "good" bellyache!
According to my challenges with Live Right Now, I should continue to eat healthy(fresh vegetables), give up a vice (this week wine and chocolate)and exercise(10 000 steps).
Okay,fresh fruit for breakfast with some nuts , salad for lunch with tuna, lots of H2O(another one of those LRN challenges)and some raw vegetables and fruit with chicken for supper. Interspersed throughout the day whatever little exercise I can do with my bum knee, 10 min spinning, 10 min walking without limping on the treadmill, 10 min spinning, some light weights and so on.
Is it a fast, not quite, but I hope the moon support is enough to get me through today.
According to my Moon Calender, today is a perfect day for Fasting! According to me , it is a perfect day for gummibears-many of them, until I get a "good" bellyache!
According to my challenges with Live Right Now, I should continue to eat healthy(fresh vegetables), give up a vice (this week wine and chocolate)and exercise(10 000 steps).
Okay,fresh fruit for breakfast with some nuts , salad for lunch with tuna, lots of H2O(another one of those LRN challenges)and some raw vegetables and fruit with chicken for supper. Interspersed throughout the day whatever little exercise I can do with my bum knee, 10 min spinning, 10 min walking without limping on the treadmill, 10 min spinning, some light weights and so on.
Is it a fast, not quite, but I hope the moon support is enough to get me through today.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
January29,2011
The end of my fund raising campaign for the Heart and Stroke Foundation has finally come. Ski for Heart in Lake Louise is reality.
Lucky for all the skiers , we had a nice snowfall , but the traffic chaos on the roads did not harm or deter anybody.
Sadly, due to my unlucky dance moves, I could only watch with envy while every body else enjoyed themselves in the snow.
Well there was yoga(or some modification of it) , a little walk to see the ice sculptures and socializing, so I was well entertained.
The best part of this weekend was the evening gala. Nice banquet, speeches and live music.
The Libin Team , which I belonged to , won first price for team effort and we got a trophy.Excellent!( The Libin Institute is our cardiovascular institute at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary)
And than I got a trophy as well, I was one of the top 10 fund raisers!Outstanding!
Never before have I ever won a trophy for anything, I am very proud and motivated to do this fundraiser again next year.
Lucky for all the skiers , we had a nice snowfall , but the traffic chaos on the roads did not harm or deter anybody.
Sadly, due to my unlucky dance moves, I could only watch with envy while every body else enjoyed themselves in the snow.
Well there was yoga(or some modification of it) , a little walk to see the ice sculptures and socializing, so I was well entertained.
The best part of this weekend was the evening gala. Nice banquet, speeches and live music.
The Libin Team , which I belonged to , won first price for team effort and we got a trophy.Excellent!( The Libin Institute is our cardiovascular institute at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary)
And than I got a trophy as well, I was one of the top 10 fund raisers!Outstanding!
Never before have I ever won a trophy for anything, I am very proud and motivated to do this fundraiser again next year.
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