A More Normal Life:)

Hello Everyone,

     Life has settled down.

     The specialist thought it was possible that Ivan's medical event was caused by the small native heart vessels. She felt they may not be functioning as effectively as they should, however his angiogram showed that all the grafted vessels were patent (open) which is terrific.
     Dr. Wadge thinks it's fine for Ivan to head to Mexico as long as we have travel medical insurance (which we do). So we are now booked to depart Jan. 12.  We are both looking forward to the gifts of life in Chapala. Flowers blooming all year round, a festive culture to observe and enjoy, and a slower paced more relaxing life.
      Now we are busy with our ETSY sites re Christmas sales. Ivan's jewelry is improving as are his sales.
     Last weekend was the reunion of the folks that crewed aboard the Arctic Fox during the crossing of the Atlantic 38 years ago. Folks converged from different places including California, Seattle and Trail, BC. Many hours were spent fine tuning memories and recounting tales. Most of the crew (then in their twenties) had not seen each other since the crossing of the Atlantic. Gratitude was expressed to both Ivan and Marilyn for being great mentors and offering so much of themselves during the journey of many stories.
     Marcie plans to write about the adventure, perhaps a children's book, as she was only  8 at the onset and turned 9 in the middle of the Atlantic. Her experiences were that of a child (but a child with a great memory).
     I appreciated meeting the two people I hear about, Ianie and Michael. It was great to be the support person during a festive weekend.
     Ivan is still needing more rest but is slowly resuming swimming and other routines he enjoys.
    We have lots to do to get ourselves and this house ready to leave for 4 months.  But somehow it all gets done!

     Happy Holidays! Season's Greetings!
 
    Evi

November 24, 2014: Ivan's Swimming Slowly

Hello Everyone,

     Ivan returned to his important routine, the morning swim. He just swam for 15 minutes (usually he does 40 minutes or more) but came home feeling much better. It helps his arthritis and he feels nimble when he swims regularly.
     The damp cold weather is not improving joint pain, but each day is a step forward.
     This weekend is the reunion (about 37 years later) of all the folks that crossed the Atlantic aboard the Arctic Fox II. Ivan is so pleased that everyone has made time to come together.

   

Thing are Going Well! November 21 /2014

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick update on Ivan. As usual he tried to do too much in his jewelry shop this week, but quickly realized his energy couldn't support major tasks. He is now pacing himself and feeling much better.

We will do the Robert's Creek Craft Fair this weekend. We set the table up in the quiet of the early afternoon and look forward to a good turn out tomorrow.

His resilience is truly amazing!

Warmest Greetings to all,

Evi

Life continues....

Hello Everyone,

Ivan is glad to be home and rushed down to his shop on Friday to try and finish some orders for ETSY (he has 4 silver peace doves to make). We tried to encourage him to take it easy. (without success)

We were booked into a local Craft Fair at the Sunnycrest Mall that I did with lots of help. Yesterday was very successful for both my silks and Ivan’s many new silver creations.  Today was quiet, but doing shows is a great way to learn what is popular, what to make more of, and what the trends are.

Ivan has a sore back so stayed home and rested thankfully. Hopefully he will feel better tomorrow.

I will keep the blog happening every 4 days or so for another few weeks. 

Warmest Greetings

Evi 

The Bird of Paradise

Hello Everyone,

Dr Wadge just discharged Ivan from St. Mary's Hospital. I'm about to go pick him up.

He is thrilled.

He is feeling well.

I'm getting ready to do the Craft Fair at the Sunnycrest Mall Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 15 and 16.

Lynda and I plan to encourage Ivan to rest???

I will keep you posted!

Thanks as always,

Evi

Thursday November 13 /2014 ALL IS WELL!!

Hello Everyone,

I met Ivan at VGH early in the morning. His angiogram was scheduled for 10:00 am, with a 3 hour recovery period.

When I returned at 1 pm Ivan was out of recovery and complaining that they hadn't fed him! He looked great and was feeling fine. The good news is that the angiogram showed no blockages or any other problems. He was feeling relieved and anxious to get back home to pursue his projects.

The Cardiac Testing Center just does angiograms and has no time to chat with family members. They made it clear the results go to Dr Wadge who may need to do further detective work to try and figure out what caused last week's two episodes. (or maybe we will never know)

Lynda and Evi (after organizing all his jewelry) think he has been working too many hours. He has no "pause" or "stop" button and this is an ongoing problem. We hope to launch a discussion on "slowing down"  as soon as he returns home.

Ivan is on the 7:20 pm ferry in the ambulance that returns him to St Mary's.  My assumption is he will spend the night at our local hospital and get discharged in the morning.

I will keep his medical journey blog details going for another few weeks with the hope that we do get some explanations.

We are all delighted with the current results.

I want to thank you Tania for being there for me, Lynda for making me dinner, Kate and Ricky for making me breakfast and all my friends who have been so
supportive and caring.

Warmest Greetings,

Evi

             Seems like there is hope we might get to Mexico if life stabilizes:)

I expect there will be a follow up with our internal medicine specialist so  I will keep the blog going.

Wednesday Nov 12, 2014 - Yeh! Ivan will be transferred to VGH tomorrow at 5 am

Hello Folks,

The current plan is that Ivan will be transferred to Vancouver General Hospital tomorrow morning at 5 am by ambulance. (there is a 6:20 ferry) He should get the angiogram in the morning around 8 am.
I will meet him at the hospital and be there before and when the procedure is complete.

They will return him by ambulance to our local hospital for a short time and then hopefully he can return home.

Of course I won't know the results and details until tomorrow.

He is loving receiving visitors (so thank you all) and he had a good sleep last night and looks well.

I will put a post in tomorrow as soon as I am able.

Thank you all,
Evi

We don't yet know which day Ivan will be transferred....

Tuesday Nov. 11/2014

Hello Folks,

Ivan just saw Dr Wadge and she told him she didn't think he would be transferred tomorrow. (today is a stat holiday in Canada) She was a little worried he would go "stir crazy"  so she said he could walk around slowly. (he was told not to be active a day ago)
His major crisis was he couldn't get the NY Times on his Kindle, but I fixed that from home. He is enjoying all his visitors, so I encourage folks to plan short visits tomorrow (we are OK today, he has folks coming). Phone me if you want an idea of when a good time is  (604 886 8097). Ivan is in room 222 at St Mary's Hospital in Sechelt.
I will keep everyone posted when we know the transfer date.
Thank you all so much for your care, your visits and keeping our Ivan cheerful.
Here is a photo of Ivan and David during a spring visit!

Warmest Greetings,
Evi

Ivan is still at our local hospital, but comfortable

Hello Folks,

We (Lynda and Evi)  just visited Ivan at St Mary's. He is now in room 222, and more comfortable.

Since tomorrow is a stat holiday it is not looking very likely that Ivan will be transferred to Vancouver for the angiogram. He has been told to take it easy
(which is a bit confusing considering the day before the heart specialist told him to exercise?). But hospitals often don't make much sense.

He looks rested, has his ipad, kindle, music and has commented that the food is considerably better than usual:)

We are hoping he will be transferred on Wednesday.

I will keep everyone up to date,

Warmest Greetings,

Evi

The Are Planning to Transfer Ivan to Vancouver for an Angiogram Today or Tomorrow or the Next Day??

Hello Folks,

Good News! Ivan saw Dr Wadge and the plan is to transfer Ivan to a hospital in the city for the angiogram by ambulance, then return him to our local hospital. They are not yet sure it it will happen today, but hope it will be within the next 2 days.

It may happen as early as tonight.

This is the best possible next step.

I will head to town when Ivan does and be with him right after the procedure.

Send Ivan lots of healing luck,

Warmest Greetings,

Evi

Ivan's New Medical Events: Nov.9 - 2014

 at Hello Friends,

Ivan had two episodes of unstable angina this week. The first took place on Tuesday afternoon Nov 4. He ended up in an ambulance headed to emerg. at St Mary's Hospital. He came home 12 hours later.

He was given a stress test on Friday Nov. 7 and Dr Sara Wadge confirmed that he had unstable angina and he should slow right down. He was put on medication to assist but unfortunately on Sat. Nov 8, he had another event that landed him in emerg at St Mary's.

He is now under observation and the hope is he will be transferred to St Paul's or VGH for an angiogram to figure out what is causing the problem.

I spent the day with him and he feels much better. He has no chest pain and he was quite animated and conversational. However his blood test results are a concern and he is high risk until they figure out how to treat him.

Thank you all for your care and thoughts. I will do my best to keep the blog up to date.

I am extremely tired.

Warmest Greetings

Evi

Our Last Week, Presentation of My Silks at a Garden Show, Ivan's 85th Birthday Party Coming UP APRIL 8!!!

Thoughts During A Wonderful Last 10 Days

I've been on a roll hand painting silk during these lovely hot days. I took a 6 year fiber artist break so it feels good to be whirling colour into magic on our front lawn. The last couple of months I've dedicated to learn how to use two types of silk dyes and various techniques. It has been very rewarding, very messy but I plan to market not just silk scarves, but other interesting creations. (shirts, camisoles, sarongs, yardage etc.)

Wandering barefoot between pots of dyes in a hot country just warms my heart, reminds me of my long history (studying batik in Indonesia, doing jungle fern prints in Costa Rica  and selling them locally, climbing a mountain in Tahiti where the ferns were so tall they were over my head. Then gathering a myriad of different Tahitian ferns I had never seen before. I printed cloth by the South Pacific where I met a talented Japanese photographer who I taught the process. His results were inspirational!

 

I love walking barefoot around dye pots, and even don't mind this unexpected heat wave. I seem to be solar powered. There is a breeze in the afternoon, the house is always cool, birdsong and tropical flowers fill our senses.

We had a lovely break today above the lake where we swim for up to an hour beneath the palm fronds. It felt like a holiday as I've been a bit obsessed with (work) production, learning, and experimenting. I hope to set up some kind of studio back home and try lots of other methods.

It is our last week and we celebrate Ivan's 85th Birthday on April 8 at Vive Mexico. I have been sorting and packing and closing up this casa that we have adopted (or did it adopt us?). We even have a borrowed cat named Alibaba who will move to Livier and Verner's place. He provides endless hours of amusement and entertainment and he is a whole lot healthier than when he appeared. (ferile and starving)

Hope spring is coming to the Sunshine Coast day by day and that everyone everywhere is doing well.

We arrive home on April 13 if all our flight connections work out:)

I look forward to being with family and friends, hiking and completing my course at VCC during the next series of months.

Evi

Hand painting silk in the Sunshine - A Great Place to Experiment and Learn New Techniques

A Drive to Tamazulita - April 2014

                               Visit to Tamazulita – April 15 – 16 (2014)

      We visited Alberto and Natie in their new casa this weekend in a lovely pueblo called Tamazulita. It is two hours from here and about 1000 feet lower than Jocotepec on the highway 80 which goes to Barra de Navidad.

      Alberto has been an important person during our winters in Mexico. We first met him 5 years ago, as he was our neighbor in Roca Azul. He is an artist with passionate feelings about justice, oppression, and someone who shares many of our political and philosophical ideas.  

      He knows and loves this part of Jalisco and each year he has been our guide showing us "off the beaten track" places usually less than 5 hours away. Several years ago we explored Tapalpa, also traveled to a steamy river with large cacti on either side, nearby  was a gorgeous canyon in a state park. Many of the closer towns are famous for coffee, cactus bearing colourful fruit, handcrafted knives, and Tequila. Each trip with Alberto was always an adventure including a stop at a family style restaurant that provided enough food for an army! He knows the best place for ice cream, the most delightful plazas, and has an eye for beauty and culture. 

      We were delighted when he met and married Natie 2 years ago. She is such a sweetheart and now teaches grade school in their small pueblo of 2000 people. Their almost completed casa is high above the town with a view of the church, surrounding mountains, a picturesque plaza and donkeys and horses wandering by. Roberto says it is a nice safe town, with kind folk.  We were impressed with the cobblestones and freshly painted homes and buildings in bright greens, oranges and yellows as we meandered up the rough road behind a farm gate leading to their house.  Cows grazed peacefully on a sloped field, goats rambled around the trees behind the house. The tranquility and quiet coupled with the warmth and simplicity of their nicely designed home made us feel welcome.

       We experienced Mexican hospitality as Natie made a traditional Mexican brunch (impossible to eat all) accompanied by a delicious tea made from anise.   Later on Alberto drove us to a river where thermal water flows into swimming pools, each a different temperature. Ivan was pleased by this unexpected chance to do his laps.

      Ducks, chickens and roosters wandered around the campground, kids yelped with glee. I enjoyed a swim and returned to find Natie preparing a lovely picnic, table cloth and all. Out of a small cooler came empanadas, a mixed salad with olives & lots of fresh greens, taco chips, bowls of pumpkin seeds, red wine and a variety of salsas in containers. 

     We returned on a dirt road that went through the small town of San Martin,  offering great views of the rolling hills and mountains that turn emerald green during the summer rains. Alberto is so much part of the land and local culture it is a joy to travel with him.

     It was great to have a more Spanglish weekend, as Roberto finds speaking English tiring (and has forgot a lot) and Natie speaks only Spanish.

     We left before noon the next day as our car had some minor problems and we wanted an early start. I was inspired by their lifestyle. A walk under a full moon and a sky full of stars seemed preferable to a house full of techno appliances!  Alberto and Natie (both artists) are carving out a new and wonderful life and will soon finish the loft art studio.

     We hope one day we can show them our “off the beaten path wonders” as they would love to visit us in Canada.

Visit to Tamazulita to See Alberto and Natie - April 15/16 -2014

Settled, Productive and Enjoying Our Last 4 Weeks in Chapala, Mexico (March 2014)

Hello Everyone,

We are enjoying our routines, swimming three times a week at a lovely place with a view, watching Ivan's hibiscus flowers bloom (now he has 4 different colours). The little papaya tree is growing and if we are lucky it will bear fruit next year.

I continue to dancercize and exercise most mornings but my left knee is problematic. So I alternate between weight bearing activities and swimming. I plan to get a cortisone injection prior to departure. The one I got 4 months ago was like a miracle but sadly doesn't last forever.

This year I am determined to return home with my silk painted. I am enjoying the medium and started playing with colour on the silk scarves I am making. It is so wonderful to put the items out in the sun where they dry in less than 15 minutes. A small house in sunny Mexico never feels small with so much useable outside. It is good to find my "fiber artist self" and even better to recently have a job counseling. Normally I teach ESL in Mexico so my recent series of sessions was a great surprise after all those VCC courses and many years experience.

Ivan is watching his many plants; flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit trees flourish. This is late spring in Chapala and everything is growing with enthusiasm. He is also popular for his berry pies, lemon squares, chocolate eclairs and other delightful culinary treats.

This weekend we are headed south of Cocula (about a 2 hour drive) to visit our Mexican friends Alberto and Natie. They are both artists and just built a small home in a town of  only 2000 people. Alberto has been inspirational and knows this area so well. During past years he took us on many adventures to off the beaten track places, magical pueblos, beautiful canyons, a steamy thermal river and many local towns. We are anxious to see the place they chose as home and may spend two days there away from the internet March 15 and 16.

Hope everyone is well. We look forward to seeing family and friends so soon.

Abrazos!

Evi

Focus on Fiber Art, Exercise, and Watching Ivan's Tropical Flowers and Plants Flourish - March 12/ 2014

Flowers blooming, Val's Birthday Party, Marilyn's Gathering, Painting on Silk

Evi set up a silk painting station, dabbling, experimenting, not yet happy with results but fun to watch them evolve, so here are the first ones!

This and that, life along the lake, and every day starts with Bird Song and Sunshine