Al Zylstra

So, it is Mothers day today. I am sad. Mom has been gone less than a month and I am trying to not grieve. I am trying to remember the amazing, strong, passionate, funny and loving person that she was.

It isn’t working.

So, I am in Kamloopsnfor a convention for The Interior Logging Association. This is an outdoor event. Good thing I dressed for it.

There are some massive pieces of equipment here.

Should be a fun event.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Your smile made my heart feel lighter. Your laughter was infectious. You made me feel loved. You were my staunchest supporter. You were there when I needed you most. You welcomed Alex into our family with open arms. You held me to a higher standard. Thank you for being my mom.

Your later years after Dad and Anna left us were hard for you. You became lost and scared yet, your smile lit up the room when I came to see you. I wanted so badly to take you away from all the fears.

You are my mom. I love you so much. Rest now. You have earned it.

So, there is going to be a Zylstra family reunion in Holland next month. Alex and I had originally planned on going, but, due to unforeseen circumstances, we are unable to attend. This event is somewhat monumentous. It is a celebration of my paternal Grandfather, Hantje Zylstra.

He was killed on May 4, 1945 near his home in Bolsward, Friesland, the Netherlands.

This is the official invite. Now, I see where my father got his good looks.

Here is a brief history of my Grandfather. Apologies for the bad translation. My Dutch ain’t what it used to be.

Suffice to say, I am somewhat sad that I won’t be able to attend. There is still next year. Alex and I will be going back to Europe. This time for a longer visit and try to see more of Europe.

So, bit the bullet last weekend and cleaned out the pond. Wow! These feeder goldfish are HUGE!

Bought a new lighting system, too.

Next up: rebuilding the rabbit pen.

It is still functional but, needs a new front for easier access.

Phantom is feeling a little neglected.

Beau is lounging while we make all these plans.

These two are almost ready to spend their afternoons on the deck arguing with the hummingbirds.

And these two are loving their new home.

And lastly, this tank is looking happy, too.

Who am I kidding? I loved doing this show but, I am so happy to be done with it. I need the rest.

So, I have been reporting on some of the plays that I have been working on at the Metro Theatre since I got involved with them. I have more of them to add in the coming weeks, but, I wanted to write about my latest one: UP & COMING – written by Eric Chappel

Here is a brief synopsis of the show: Philip Conway, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House is attending a party conference. But, tipped to be the new party leader, his campaign for power is in serious danger of collapse. Visits from rivals, fellow conspirators and the all-too-attentive Vicky coincide keeping Philip on his toes; the world’s press is in the lobby; there are threats of assassination; students are rioting outside the hotel: an uncomfortable evening is the result! Who will get his – or her – just deserts?

Here are some photos of the cast

The show runs Thursday – Saturday – February 23 – March 9 with two Sunday Matinees – Feb 25 and March 4.

Tickets are quite reasonable for a show of this calibre.

The Metro theatre is located at 1370 Marine Drive, Vancouver.

February 20 is still and now, will always be a day that fills me with ennui. This is the day that I said “goodbye” to my sister.

Words escape me.

So, here it is, February 1, 2019. The 16th anniversary of my Dad’s death.

I just reread my previous post about Dad. I don’t honestly think I can expound on it any better than I did when I first wrote it.

Check it out – scroll down to Memories of my Dad

So, my latest trip to Edmonton was not off to a good start. But, I am always the eternal optimist. I went back to Mom’s nursing home on Sunday with a determination that I was going to have a nice visit with my Mom.

To hell with Dementia. We were going to have a good visit. I left my friend, Pat’s place at 1:00 in the afternoon after having a very nice breakfast with him and Barb. We had Darth Vader pancakes and sausages. Pat is a little obsessed with Star Wars. So, for Christmas, his daughter gave him a Darth Vader Waffle Maker.

The sad part is that the end results looked NOTHING like this. They were still quite tasty, though.

After breakfast, Pat and I had a nice relaxing morning watching BBC Earth on the TV. That took me until almost 1:00 when I packed up and headed out to go and see Mom.

I got to Mom’s place in about 40 minutes. Mom was still asleep but, I was able to rouse her this time. The staff there were able to get her into a wheelchair and we were able to go down to the atrium in the facility. We had a nice long chat about life in general.

We were then able to call my cousins in the Netherlands who were absolutely THRILLED to speak to Mom. Mom was overjoyed to be able to converse in Dutch again. So they spoke for about ten minutes and then it was time for my cousins to call it a night. Edmonton is 8 hours behind the Netherlands.

After we finished chatting with them, I then got back on my tablet and called up Alex. Alex and Mom were able to have a nice chat for about 5 minutes.

Mom’s descent into Dementia seems to be speeding up. Her short term memory is gone completely. She cannot remember anything beyond what is entrenched in her long term memory. Those memories are from when she was a girl in the Netherlands. I am fortunate, however, that she still knows her family. I don’t know how long that will last, though.

Unfortunately, all things must come to an end. So, reluctantly after a couple of hours, I had to take Mom back up to her floor and get ready to head out. The wave of sadness and fear took hold of her and shook her with a vengeance. She begged me to stay or to take her with me.

She was so scared that she was going to be by herself. Fortunately, there were 8 nursing staff who were congregated by her room and as I gestured to them, I reassured Mom that she was not alone. These amazing people were going to take good care of her until I was able to get out again.

She wasn’t convinced, but, I could see that she was not as agitated as she was even 5 minutes prior.

So, I was able to make my way out of the facility and made my way back to the airport. My flight home was uneventful… thank goodness. Enough of an emotional rollercoaster this weekend. Didn’t need anything else to add to it.