“Now remember, no lifting, straining or pulling” reminded Dr. Whitman as he finished removing the last staple from Fernie’s battle-scarred stomach.
“Can I lift my little dog?” pleaded Fernie “he’s only twenty pounds”.
“Well, that’s about fifteen pounds too heavy” replied the doctor.
So, here we are again, just like 2005-06 after Fernie’s other operations - Gerri, the weakling has to do all the grunt work - hefting the 46 pound generator in and out of the compartment, pulling the cord to hopefully start it, attaching the tow car with the heavy tow bar, lifting Caesar in and out, up and down, according to his whim. My muscles are now bulging like Popeye’s.
An associate of Fernie’s from his former working life, who is also his good friend (J), suggested several times that we should get in touch with his father and stepmother who spend their winters in Apache Junction just east of Phoenix. We were hesitant to intrude into their lives, but
‘J’ insisted that we should and we emailed them prior to Fernie’s sudden crisis and made arrangements to meet. A quick cancellation was necessary when Fernie fell ill but he felt well enough the following week and so we reinstated the meet at a pizza restaurant in Mesa where J’s father plays trumpet with a Dixieland band. They were a cool and delightful couple and the music was vibrant while we nibbled on the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. We enjoyed tales of some of jazz’s former greats; we’re truly pleased that J insisted because we had a wonderful evening.Phoenix to Yuma is only about a three hour drive and Fernie handled it easily. We pulled into the Cocopah Casino’s RV parking area and settled in for the next ten days. Our friends, P&C pulled in a few days later beside us..
Endless days of sunshine, the thermometer soaring to the high 80’s by late afternoon. The mornings were brilliant but cool and we’d venture out geocaching or swap-meeting making sure we got home by 3pm or so for Caesar before Maggie turned into a sweatbox. Afternoons were for lazing and lounging, sipping cocktails in the shade and swapping tall tales with our companions. Our relaxed laughter would ripple with the heat waves across the desert sand. Suddenly the tranquility would be shaken by a pair of low flying fighter-jets in formation or a heavy grey 4-engine bomber looking like a smiling whale from below and then the peace would return until the next flyover.
Yuma is the social hub of Snowbirdland and we enjoyed movies, lunches, dinners and get-togethers. Our social calendar was full. Academy award time was
approaching so that meant we’d venture out to see a couple of nominated films. The Oscars are an ‘event’ in our household and we read and discuss all we can in advance of the ceremonies. The Coen Brothers films have long been our favourites, starting with “Blood Simple” and what we consider the peak of perfection “Fargo”. So it was only natural that we’d choose to see “No Country for Old Men”. They created terrific character profiles, the acting was fantastic and the villain with his bland expression sported polyester pants and jacket almost like a leisure suit and a June Allyson hairdo. But the standout film for me this year was 'Juno'....I loved the quirky characters, the clever script and the simple story of a young girl who didn't conform.
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