The Music Man

Larry & Marj Middleton were the featured entertainment on the Veterans' Unit of Wascana on Wed Feb 23. As Isabel says: "They are so gifted and so willing to share that gift with us". The Veterans' Dining Room is set up like a Legion Hall Social Lounge with food and drink, birthday celebrations, and spouses and friends attending. We are grateful that Mum has always been able to find a corner with family and friends to enjoy the gift of music that her talented musical friends bring through keyboard and sax.

Wascana has an interesting array of formal and informal musical entertainment. The Regina Mandolin Orchestra practices there each Saturday; family members share their gifts of music day and night on the grand piano; and this week the Wascana Bluebells (the handbell choir made up of Wascana residents) entertained.

In addition, an informal group of residents gathers every Wednesday evening for two hours around the grand piano in the concourse. Almost every Wednesday evening for the last three years, a group of musicians has gathered for a jam session of '30s -'70s music. One cold winter day three years ago, a piano player who heads up a dance band in Thunder Bay took shelter in Wascana while out for a walk. He discovered the grand piano, sat down and played a tune, and "Wascana's Music-Man" has returned almost every week. His love of teaching and supporting other musicians has led to others bringing banjos, guitars, and flutes to join the jam. His three-year work contract in Saskatchewan has meant a tremendous gift to Wascana every Wednesday evening, and he will be sorely missed when he returns to Thunder Bay in April.

"We can do no great things ~ only small things with great love." - Mother Teresa.

15,000 Possibilities But Who's Counting?

Over the course of the last two years, Isabel has discovered the wonders of the DVD section of the Regina Public Library. Having made her way through the collection of the Wascana Library, she looked further afield. A visit to an RPL branch revealed that there are some 15,000 DVDs in that system. After the first winter of borrowing 12 per week x 20 weeks, Mum realized that she likely would never run out.

Our old family friend, Beth, whose grandparents Jeanie & John Willie Stilborn shared a friendship with Isabel's father-in-law William Barnsley, is our faithful go-between. Between the shelves in the library and the DVD shelf in Isabel's room, that is. Beth is a regular visitor to the public library and a perfect volunteer for this job. Each weekend, Beth appears with a new batch of DVDs and picks up the ones Mum has seen. They talk about what Mum has learned this week, and what might be choices for another week.

Yesterday, Isabel emailed her daughters: "I watched the 2006 Edinburgh Tattoo dvd last night-good." Hmmm....are you imagining what an Edinburgh Tattoo might look like? Make sure you google "Edinburgh Tattoo" rather than just "tattoo" or the images that pop up on your computer might be different than what you expect!

Isabel tends not to be a movie or TV series watcher. Rather, documentaries are a favourite choice. This past year health issues such as Yoga for Arthritis, Learning about Autism, and Exercises to Keep Your Brain Fit have been high on Miss Robertson's list.

Rick Steve's Travel Shows of Europe are another favourite along with geographical studies of different countries particularly related to bodies of water. Any shows dealing with animals make the grade. The Planet Earth series is a particular favourite. And for all you Abernethy quilters, have you seen "The Art of Quilting" which Mum has enjoyed twice this winter because of the vivid colours on a cloudy day? Garden documentaries from North America, the UK, and Europe also fill the quiet hours of a winter afternoon after a day's therapy.

There have many gifts of these last four years in Mum's life. And the kindness of a volunteer driver and the richness of a library system's resources are only two of them.

Ideas welcome for any of the favourite shows you have seen that just might happen to be one of the 15,000 found in Regina Public Library.

Three Years Past

Sunday, January 30 marked 3 years since Isabel's move to Wascana Rehabilitation Centre. As someone said "That's well over 1000 days and nights". Mum continues to find the staff and residents of M-5 welcoming. She has had lots of drop-in residents and staff given her new location. Isabel and Rufus lll treat departing her room as if if they have a red light as there is so much traffic. Nights are quiet.

Mum has mastered working the elevator on her own with her new long stick and hopes to have the confidence to travel completely on her own to therapy one floor away by next week.

This week a friend came from Okotoks for a sleep-over (at the hostel). A gathering of friends and family for supper; movies in her room at night; and everyone asleep well before midnight. Thanks, Gwen, for friendship and fun.