The West Commences: Aged Ps and Asia

A lot can happen in a week in the life of a retired person living alone in a small town in BC, even if much of it is virtual action. In our Skype conversation last week, Jay and I agreed that the idea of a four-day holiday in Kyoto was unrealistic. When he merely suggested the possibility a couple of months ago, I embraced it. Don MacMillan said once that I reminded him of the line, “I’m just a girl who can’t say no; I’m in a terrible fix.” I thought it was funny at the time, but the more I live with myself the more I appreciate the fact that it’s true. If someone comes up with an idea, I’ll get excited about it. Jim’s comment that I was all sail and he all anchor has come to me often since he died. I realize the extent to which he kept me from blowing away, as Joni Mitchell would say. I did think that the flight to Kyoto, the rapid train to Osaka, the two full days in Kyoto and back on the train and plane might be hectic, but it was bound to be an experience. Jay’s final, more realistic assessment took into consideration moving around the five of us, including two young girls who have their own inalienable rhythms. So we will go on a more manageable excursion to somewhere in Korea. Whew! I feel more relaxed already.

Canceling the Kyoto hotel reservations that I had made and modified on Bookings.com was a snap. I have only good things to say about Bookings.com and Expedia.ca. I have made, altered and canceled many reservations with them in the last few years without any difficulties whatever. And for a person whose own mother used to call her “wrong way Corrigan”, that’s saying something. My assessment of Air Miles on the other hand is not as favorable. Trying to turn their points into viable travel is becoming difficult. We had lots of success with them in the past, but lately I find that by the time you pay the taxes and whatever else on top of the points, you might as well get a ticket through Bookings, Expedia or by going on the airline’s site. I think I will take Al Pollock’s advice in future and cash in the points to invest in some small stock venture. That at least is a get-rich-quick scheme that is a bit more realistic than buying a 649 ticket.

I have a few friends who, like me, have aged Ps, and we often talk about ‘getting the call’. On Saturday night at about 10:30, I thought I’d got it. The phone rang. Before answering it I read VIHA on the receiver and knew it would be from mom. It was. Dad had fallen again. She had gone with him in the ambulance to the hospital and now they wouldn’t let her go home until she had notified me of what she was doing. Dad has a small crack on a bone high up on the same leg he broke early last April. She called me again when she got home and told me a few more details, but she really wasn’t able to say much and was very tired, so we said good night. When I hung up, I didn’t know what to think but knew that in spite of that my mind would be spinning without fuel as it does so well. So I took a gravol, made a cup of herbal tea and read until I couldn’t focus on the words any more. I almost didn’t go on the Sunday hike but thankfully went. It was a wonderful warm day, the drive to Camel’s Hump was a rugged adventure and the views were spectacular. When I phoned mom at 4:30, she was in relatively good spirits. Dad had been more thoroughly bathed and shaved than he has been in a while and she was delighted with that. He wasn’t in pain and ate well. When he will be released is another question, but I guess maybe the Saturday night call wasn’t ‘the call’.

Last night, I helped a friend who prepares a snack for the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra musicians before their Vernon concerts. As a result, I got a ticket to their final concert of the season, ‘Asian Celebration’. It was a wonderful show; she said it was their best of the year. They played music from the Philippines, China, Japan and Korea. The highlight was the ‘Butterfly Lovers’ violin concerto played by Yi-Jia Susanne Hou. The story is a Chinese Romeo and Juliet. The violinist is the daughter of the man who was China’s most famous violinists prior to the Cultural Revolution. He is still remembered in China as the first violinist to play the song. He was imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution and moved to Canada as soon as he was able after it ended in 1976. She played wonderfully and received a long, standing ovation. She was very cute. After receiving a bouquet of flowers, she mentioned that as it was Mothers’ Day, she would like to take a ‘selfy ’ of herself with all the mothers in the audience standing and waving to send to her mom. We all happily stood and waved.

I’ve been on an Asian kick lately. The book I am reading at the moment is Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron. He’s a travel writer whose books I want to read more of. He’s as informed about the places he travels through as is Dervla Murphy, and his trips are just as rugged. He writes well.