Vacation

   I will be taking my final week of vacation next week. Aside from having some work down on the house, and a trip to Regina for (more) medical tests, I don't have much planned. Thanks to an outbreak of tomato blight, our crop was ruined, so if I make salsa again, it'll have to be with store-bought tomatoes.
   I'll be back on Tuesday, September 4th.
   Meantime, I'm celebrating a bit of a milestone at GX94 Radio. Sunday will mark my 5th anniversary here. Our General Manager took the time to put a little collage together, with the following comment

   Congrats to Morning News Man Craig Wallebeck and his many personas, they are all celebrating 5 years with Harvard Yorkton this Sunday August 26th!
   Next month will also mark my 21st year with parent company Harvard Broadcasting, and next February is my 40th in the industry. Give or take.

TTFN

Another Smoky Day

   Smoke from wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia is again being dragged into our area after a change in weather patterns. The smoke was with us most of last week, but another change in the weather blew it out over the weekend. But a return to a westerly flow means it's back.
   Special air quality statements have been issued for a good portion of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and there could be some areas of reduced visibility. There are also potential health concerns for the elderly and those (like myself) with breathing problems if it gets much thicker. Luckily, I have not been affected so far.
   Getting smoke from distant fires is not unusual for this time of year, we've had it in the past, and a lot denser, than we're getting it now. And the change in the weather pattern also means a return to the heat we had last week, with Friday's high right now forecast for 33 C.
   We've got central air conditioning, so neither the heat or smoke will be an issue in the house.

TTFN

Hot, Hot Heat

   It's going to be blisteringly hot in our region for the next few days, with highs near 35 by the weekend. Not quite as hot as parts of Europe, but hot nonetheless. A trough of high pressure is sweeping hot air from the desert in the U.S southwest is responsible, and Environment Canada is expected to issue heat warnings in the next few days.
   It's not going to get a whole lot cooler at night, with lows in the mid-teens. Normally at this time of year, our high is 24, the low 11. One good thing about the system bringing the heat is the chance of severe weather is very low. Not out of the question, but low.
   Fortunately for us, we have air conditioning at home, in the car, and where we both work. A lot of people don't, so the advice is to stay indoors, stay hydrated, and try and get cool. Same with peoples pets.
   While it's going to be well above my personal "comfort zone" for the next few days, you'll not hear me complain. Especially since in 6 months it'll be -35, and we'll look back on this and wish for the warmth.

TTFN

I'm O-Kay

   Hopefully, this will be the last health-related blog I'll post for quite some time, but it does continue the theme from past posts (see below). After fracturing a bone in my wrist, it was strongly suggested I take on a family doctor. Something I hadn't had in well over 30 years. Why? Basically because I'm lazy, and procrastinate. The other reason is simple. I don't feel all that bad, aside from some aches and pains.
   But find a doctor I did. And I found out (not surprisingly) I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are both now being treated. I have yet to be subjected to a full physical, but my saw-bones did order some blood work and an ECG, which I have never had.
   The results from both gave me some encouragement. Aside from the blood pressure an cholesterol issues, he says everything else is within normal limits for a man my age and fitness. Or lack thereof.
   Now, I've just go to get off my duff, start some kind of fitness program and eat more sensibly. I'll let you know how that works out.

TTFN

I'm Bad

   As regular viewers will know, I fractured a bone in my left wrist 3 weeks ago after taking a tumble at home. I'd been in a half-cast ever since:

   But this morning, and even though it's probably at least a week early, that cast HAD to come off. Having the thing on hadn't been bothering much. Until this morning. For some unknown reason, my left thumb started to get painful. I admit I'm a bit of a baby when it come to pain, but I figured I'd "tough it out". I couldn't. The pain just continued to get worse, and there was no way I could go to the E.R at my local hospital to get it checked out. So, I did the thing I told myself not to do, and pulled it off.
   I know I'll probably be back at the hospital again to have another one put on, but I just couldn't take the ache anymore. And even after a couple of hours out of the cast, I still hurt, Like I said, I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to pain.

TTFN

Getting Better

   It's been 2 weeks since I had my fall walking to the car from my house (see blog entry below), breaking a bone in my left wrist and doing soft tissue damage to the right one. Went to see the doctor earlier this week, and he says the cast will stay on for at least another 2.
   As for "righty", that's just going to have to heal on it's own. Truth be told, the right wrist is feeling better these days, but will still take time to fully recover.
   Luckily, I can still use a keyboard almost as fast as I could before the accident, and my voice has finally recovered from my bout of strep throat.
   Just a quick update.

TTFN

A Rough Week

   I haven't posted anything for a while, and there's a good reason. I was off all last week sick. I started getting a sore throat back on June 29th, but felt fine on the Saturday. Sunday, it hit again, and Monday it was all I could do to even swallow.
   So last Tuesday, (Monday July 1st was a holiday) I trekked to my local walk-in clinic, got diagnosed with strep throat, was handed 2 prescriptions and went on my merry way.
   Until Thursday:

   I did that walking to the car to get some much needed food for the house. And somehow got a foot wrong while stepping from the sidewalk to the grass. I went down. Hard. Hurt both wrists, and also banged my noggin. There was no sign of concussion, so I went about what I was doing. Until Friday.
   I decided I'd better get checked out after my spill, and went to the ER at our local hospital. X-rays confirmed a fracture in my left wrist, but surprisingly just tissue damage in the right. I honestly thought I'd broken that one too. The upshot is I'll be in a half-cast for the next 3 weeks or so while I heal.
   I do have to give a thumbs up to the doctor who tended to me, though:

   He walked into the exam room, and tried to fist-bump me. Funny stuff, doc. 'Course, I got him back by asking if I'd be able to play guitar better after I heal. He said "yes", although he would've done a re-think if he actually heard me play.

TTFN