It took time and the London Health Sciences Centre to reach 73

I've reached the ripe, old age of 73. I have now enjoyed all the years promised by God in the Bible. It wasn't easy getting here. About 18 years ago it took a talented surgeon at the controls of a Da Vinci medical robot to repair my leaking mitral valve in my heart. The small, robot "hands" only needed a small entry incision to gain access to my heart. No breastbone splitting for me.

An interesting mix of drugs keep my TIAs in check while not aggravating my micro-bleeding in the brain.

And a pacemaker/ICD unit keeps my heart beating despite my having a one hundred percent heart block. I am now on my second unit.

My granddaughters call me a cyborg as I have both natural and mechanical body parts working together to keep me alive. When we go biking, my inboard computer speeds up my heart and when I lie down at night my pacemaker senses this and goes into sleep mode. My heart rate drops to 50 bpm.

I have been in an American hospital and it was excellent. I cannot say enough good things about the care I received while in Marin General outside San Francisco. That said, I prefer the hospitals here in London. Why? Cost. After just a bit more than a day of care in the U.S. I faced a hospital bill of about $40,000 Canadian. My insurance company tried claiming I was not covered as my heart problem was a pre-existing condition. I was hounded by collection agencies for eight months or so.

In Canada, in London, my medical costs are covered by the government plan. There is no worry about pre-existing conditions or of being dropped from coverage for any reason. And so far the medical care has been excellent. Hey, I'm still here!

Tornado Warning!

Judy and I got two phone calls today from Environment Canada. These calls were to inform us that a tornado warning was in effect for our area. We were advised to head for our basement and stay well clear of windows.

Judy took the advice. Me? I grabbed my camera. The clouds were certainly threatening and the wind got awfully high. It was the wall of water that drove me off the street and into the basement with my wife. I watched the rain approaching and when it hit, it engulfed me, soaked my clothing and caused me to flee for cover.

Was there a tornado? Not that I know of. We did get a third telephone call while hunkered down in the basement. It was the all clear signal. With that the excitement drained from the moment, and not a moment too soon for my wife.

The play areas are open!

Yes, the yellow caution ribbons are gone. Playground equipment out-of-bounds for months is again available to children in London neighbourhoods. And not a minute too soon I might add. Kids need exercise.

Balancing the threat of COVID-19 with the healthy promise of ample outdoor exercise was tough. I'm not sure the right balance was struck but we may have to weigh our options again at some point in the future. This viral battle is not over.

London is entering stage three of the reopening procedure.

People still visited the parks but in small groups or even alone. But today the province declared London to be in Stage Three of the reopening process. Soon small groups will being gathering again in the parks. Large parties, groups of up to fifty will now be allowed. Barbecues and big picnics will soon be common again.

The yellow caution ribbons are being removed from the park equipment and restaurants are now allowed to serve diners inside, and not just on the patio, as long as some degree of social distancing is being observed. Kids will be back in the pools and back using the numerous splash pads found throughout the city.

Parks are coming back to life

The parks in London, Ontario, are slowly filling, life returns, but the activities one sees are heavily influenced by the need to social distance.

Does tumbling, cascading grass make a picture?

The rain was heavy, the wind was strong and the grass growing tall in the wide ledge on the wall, arced downward under the pressure. 

I saw it and thought picture. Others saw it and thought wind-damaged grass. 

Others thought absolutely nothing. 

Hmmm. Some folk have no poetry in their souls. 😊

What DO we the public really know about COVID-19?

The largest neighbourhood park now has a seven or eight foot fence blocking access. Why? I've read reports stating that fomites -- contaminated surfaces -- are not an important source of COVID-19 transmission. Furthermore, bright sunlight and high heat, according to some respected sources, can quickly eliminate the viability of t he virus.

Of course, it is possible that there are so few COVID-19 patients who are known to have caught the virus from a contaminated surface because such a good job has been done at eliminating this threat from our lives. Playgrounds taped off, credit card stations wrapped in clear plastic which is wiped after every use and the list goes on.

After communicating with a chap on this very site, I decided to determine just what I did and didn't know when it comes to COVID-19. I'm certain masks work. I found lots of support in medical journals going back more than a decade.

I'm also certain that COVID-19 is not just like the flu. But there are some great similarities and the flu is a lot more dangerous than many like to believe. There's a reason this old geezer with a failing heart always gets his flu shot. He knows the flu poses a serious health threat to him and his wife. Both diseases leave behind a lot of dead seniors.

The big difference between the flu and COVID-19 is that COVID-19 leaves behind a lot more dead seniors. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, "Doctors and scientists are working to estimate the mortality rate of COVID-19, but at present, it is thought to be substantially higher than that of most strains of the flu. Link: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu

Note the words, "at present" and "thought to be." By the time I got to the second thing I was sure of, I was beginning to rely on fudging words. I never got to a third item for my list. 

This is a new viral threat. It should come as no surprise that nouveau means there are big gaps in our knowledge. At this time I will wear my mask and hope others do the same, I'll keep my distance, wash my hands and wash and wipe surfaces where possible. I'll follow the suggestions of those in authority and hope, and pray, they are right as they modify their actions based on the latest knowledge.

And I understand that that knowledge indicates we might, just might, open playgrounds to children. Enforced inactivity may be more dangerous to developing children than the threat posed by fomites found in playgrounds. What demanded a fence yesterday may be open to all come tomorrow.