North-South Friends

Isabel has a new friend and together they are growing amaryllis.

Isabel's room faces north. She loves the huge window that drops close to the floor and covers most of one side of a long wall. Her view is of caragana trees in the distance with lots of open space before the shelter belt that stops wintery winds. Closer to her window is a long brick wall and the BICC garbage takes its leave from the other side of the wall. Suppliers with large trucks drop their wares at a door near the garbage disposal. There is action outside many times each day.

When you have a large window and a private room, you give THANKS even if it is not sunlit or facing a park.

So what do you do when friends gift you with amaryllis and you don't have a sunny warm window?

You make friends with your across-the-hall neighbour.

Until the arrival of the amaryllis bulbs, Isabel and her neighbour have had little to do with each other. But Lil was the first guest at Isabel's birthday party in December and they have had their own style of conversation ever since. Lil is very very hard of hearing. One has to listen carefully to understand Isabel at the best of times even if you have good hearing. Conversation is not easy.

But Lil has a large sunny window facing south and that's all it took for a friendship to develop. Isabel's amaryllis bulbs have grown 2-3 feet in Lil's windows this winter. Lil had never seen an amaryllis but was a plant lover for many years before she moved to the BICC.

Lil talks loudly so she can hear herself (we think) and gesticulates about many things. Isabel uses varied facial expression and points. Together they discuss the progress of the bulbs and whether a nurse or housekeeper needs to be consulted about watering. They each cruise the BICC independently with their wheelchairs so this makes for easier consultations.

Isabel has learned that Lil loves watching curling as much as she does.

There are four more amaryllis bulbs to bloom. And there are four major curling events that are televised. The Scotties have kept the attention of these new friends this week. And there is still The Briar and the Women's Worlds and Men's Worlds to come.

So far the bulbs have bloomed red. We will see what March and four more weeks of calling shots from behind the glass brings before the next bulbs bloom.

Gratitude for large windows and new friendship on a cold blizzardy day in February. Scotties finals tomorrow!