Thistle

It is amazing how beautiful a weed like this thistle can look when viewed up close. The field near my home is a flat, snow-covered expanse in the winter. Now, in mid-summer, it is turning into a veritable jungle with some weedy growth reaching ten feet into the air. At ground level there are thousands of different colourful flowers. It is different plot of land in August.

I'll be back! That's a promise.

I've got a good reason to get my health back.

Less than two months ago I was healthy. Oh, I've had health problems and serious ones. But teamed with the wonderful medical folk here in London, Ontario, I've surmounted the worst that has occurred.

Then in mid June in Sonoma, California, I suffered a serious V-tach event with my heart racing to 300 bpm. It took an emergency cardioversion (defibrillation) of 200 joules of electricity to shock my heart back into proper rhythm. I was given beta blockers to prevent a re-occurrence.

Then in mid July in London, Ontario, I went blind temporarily in my left eye. I was off to the hospital emerg again. I had suffered a TIA event, often a precursor to a stroke. I was given Plavix, a blood thinner.

Within hours I had an MRI of my head and neck to confirm what the doctors suspected, hardening of the arteries with plaque in my carotid artery. The good news: My arteries are clean. The bad news: I have micro bleeding throughout my brain.

Tuesday I must go to the Cardiac Institute and as the month progresses I have quite the number of medical appointments. What caused the V-tach event? Why is my brain bleeding? Am I reacting poorly to the blood thinner? Should I stop the Plavix? Was the baby Aspirin I used to take responsible for the bleeding? If I do stop all blood thinners, will I put myself in position to suffer a stroke?

I am beginning to feel as if I am starring in an episode of House.

All of this is taking a great toll on my free time. My blogging has suffered. My photography just isn't happening. And worse, I haven't been able to chase some very good local stories for Digital Journal.

Sorry team. I will be back doing my small bit for citizen journalism. Just give me, and my doctors, a little time. Who knows, maybe there will be a good medical story here. Now, I must go; It's time for my beta blocker.

Cheers!

No excuse for not exercising

I had an MRI last week. My arteries are clean. No plaque forming in my arteries. Ah, the benefits of a lifetime of exercise. I tried roller blades once but in the end I preferred jogging or biking. Today I just walk at a brisk pace. Despite some heart problems the doctors in London, Ontario, tell me the best thing I can do is stay active. If you don't exercise, see your doctor, make sure you aren't about to tackle more than is wise, and then get out there and work up a sweat. You won't be alone. Trust me; It's good for you.

Not everyone believes in helmets

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) each year about 800 bicyclists are killed in the States and more than half a million are treated in hospital emergency rooms. Almost two-thirds of these deaths and a third of the injuries involve head and face injury. The CPSC says helmets may reduce the risk of head injury to bicyclists by as much as 85 percent. Yet, only about 50 percent of bicyclists wear helmets.

I understand that in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Nova Scotia mandatory helmet laws apply to all cyclists. In Ontario only those under the age of 18 are required by law to wear bicycle helmets, but only when riding on public roads.

In this group of seven cyclists spotted zipping along a paved recreational pathway in London, Ontario, only one rider is not wearing a helmet. There are those who would come to this woman's defence. These people argue those bikers at high risk of suffering a head injury are those who do not obey traffic laws. And cyclists out at night would be wiser to put their money into some good lights before buying a helmet.

For more on the subject of helmets, check out the Wikipedia entry. It states, "Cycling is no more dangerous than being a pedestrian." And no one is arguing all pedestrians should be wearing helmets.

Let them eat worms

Did you ever wonder why bread and crackers are not good for the cute ducks at the park? If you're one of those folk who like to toss bits of white bread to the eager-to-feast ducks, don't! This is not healthy food for ducks. It enlarges their internal organs, making them fatty. Also, ducks have a small pouch in their esophagus to store food before passing it on to the digestive system. Bread gets stuck and blocks the passage of food. Let them eat worms, insects, seeds and leave the bread at home.

Original City of Toronto coat of arms found in London

Have you noticed all the beautiful bank branches that have closed throughout downtown London and in the area known as East London?

When the former Bank of Montreal branch on Richmond Street at Queens Avenue was painted red there was a big hullabaloo with even local politicians wading into the fray. Unfortunately, outside the downtown core it's a different story. This elegant former bank building, now painted a bright red is found on the edge of East London. Its humiliation has gone relatively unnoticed.

Curious about the coat of arms above the entrance? This presently  empty corner store was originally an elegant branch of the Bank of Toronto. A century ago the Toronto-based bank was known to display the City of Toronto coat of arms. For instance, a former Bank of Toronto branch in downtown Brockville sports a similar decoration.

Over the years the City of Toronto coat of arms had gone through a number of changes. These bank versions predate most of the modifications and for that reason are reportedly very close to the original sketch which was quickly drawn on a barroom floor and paid for with a few drinks.

It's odd to think that some of the best examples of the original City of Toronto coat of arms are to be found on former bank buildings scattered about the province and unappreciated they are in danger of being lost.

Ooooo!

Recently I spent almost six weeks traveling across the United States and Canada. For dramatic scenery, you cannot beat the States: Yellowstone Park, Yosemite, the Pacific Coastal Highway, the California Red Woods. For a beautiful country, Canada delivers. The Canadian Rockies are simply awesome.

After returning to London, Ontario, I took Miss Baby for a walk and little girl took one look at the purple flowered slopes across the street from my home, leaned forward for a closer look, pursed her lips and softly said, "Ooooo!"

And you know, as usual the little kid was right. I only had to travel a few mere metres to find a scene worthy of an "Ooooo!"