I mentioned that we went to Vancouver in March for E’s annual testing. But I didn’t mention that he got a clean bill of health. Testing was at the hospital, but interviews with the Dr. and team nurse were by phone. They gave E his test results and spent some time asking about his general health. Both asked questions like how was his mood and what is his energy level and how much exercise, if any, does he get in a week. All in all a very simple process to be handled by phone. I guess made simple because he is healthy. One wonders if this is the way Doctor appointments will continue post pandemic.

Yesterday was the first day since September when we didn’t need to light a fire in the house. Woke up to eighteen degrees in the living room which is just fine for us. Even our granddaughter was warm enough. Last week I barely got anything done outside because of the crazy winds. It was freezing in here, so the fire was going all day. But those days are already forgotten as it is now 20 degrees out on the deck and 23 degrees in the house. Winter is over, done, finished and forgotten.

The swallows came back to their summer homes this week along with the hummingbirds, which is a sure sign that winter is over. Last year a one year old humpback whale, which we fondly referred to as Bobby, arrived during a very warm March and, although they often return to the same waters year after year, and we were hoping he had adopted our waters as his home, we had seen no sign of him.

Turns out that Bobby isn’t a big fan of the cold either because the wind died down, the sun came out and Bobby returned to the waters in front of our house today. Welcome back!

Our summer hours began today. We were up at five and in the garden by eight. I have tons to do in the greenhouse and both flower and vegies gardens, and E wanted to continue replacing the fencing around the perimeter.

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When the transplant team nurse asked E if he was getting any exercise he laughed. She asked what he did for exercise. He told her he walks the dog for an hour every morning and she said “Oh that’s very good” and then he described a typical day. Lifting 72 pound propane tanks on and off boats or bucking wood, splitting wood, unloading barges, loading trucks, lifting and working with 60 pound rolls of wire, pouring cement, building a bunkie, building a greenhouse or digging trenches. She was very impressed. I guess not a lot of 66 year old heart transplant patients spend their days working like E does. But I guess none of them have to keep a wife

like me happy