Short Synopsis: Kayla does not do very well when no one is there for her. She thrives on people. If there are people in the room visiting her she is happy and forgets her pain.
Apparently, she had a good morning but by 1 p.m. it was downhill. She texts Mike and says she needs someone to be with her. She is having panic attacks. There is a big red rash on her back that is itchy and driving her crazy. They ordered 1% hydro-cordisone cream and benedryl for relief. Both are working. She has chest pain and is having trouble breathing. She is back on the ventilator a little bit more for help.
These things are not serious - it's just not her best day. She probably would have done better if a friend or family member was with her. I have to work harder to get her friends to come. I cannot be there 24/7 - it's impossible for one person to cover another completely.
Long Story: Oh my God!!! A baby hawk was born yesterday! Wowzers! According to the New York Times (5/7/11 A16, New York Section, Page A16) - "Nature, fortunately, does not listen to the experts...Since March 24, or thereabouts, a red-tailed hawk named Violet had sat on a clutch of three speckled eggs in a nest 12 stories above Washington Square Park...20 hours of sitting...on Tuesday, City Room declared the eggs unviable., barring a miracle....On Friday, a gray fuzzball with a black dash for a beak and dots for eyes, poked its head out from beneath the maternal breast...Happy Mother's Day, Violet."
They are not poisoning the rats in the area over the next bunch of weeks to protect this hawk family as this is a main food source. Also at a festival below, they lowered the decibel level of the music to not scare them. "Little hawks grow up fast....in about 4-5 weeks..once the wing feathers are about three-quarters out, you'll see them jumping up and down, attempting to fly."
I am not sure the other two eggs will hatch, but at least we have one baby to watch! The livestream cam will not go dead after all. The viewers have gone from 800 to over 3,000...
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Some mornings I need a break to stay home and do errands. I began my day going to Steve's Bagels to get coffee with my running club friends. It was a beautiful morning and a handful of friends were there. Geoff was beside us collecting funds for the veterans. He looks spiffy in his uniform and after people dropped dollar bills into the big jar, he would hand out a little red poppy. Coffee was wonderful in the warm sunshine.
They are not poisoning the rats in the area over the next bunch of weeks to protect this hawk family as this is a main food source. Also at a festival below, they lowered the decibel level of the music to not scare them. "Little hawks grow up fast....in about 4-5 weeks..once the wing feathers are about three-quarters out, you'll see them jumping up and down, attempting to fly."
I am not sure the other two eggs will hatch, but at least we have one baby to watch! The livestream cam will not go dead after all. The viewers have gone from 800 to over 3,000...
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Some mornings I need a break to stay home and do errands. I began my day going to Steve's Bagels to get coffee with my running club friends. It was a beautiful morning and a handful of friends were there. Geoff was beside us collecting funds for the veterans. He looks spiffy in his uniform and after people dropped dollar bills into the big jar, he would hand out a little red poppy. Coffee was wonderful in the warm sunshine.
After that,I went home to organize my various bags, which I keep going for my vagabond life. I have a big suitcase, a small blue backpack from the Ridgefield Equestrian Center next door which is filled with folders and research (it was a gift to Kayla from Wendy and Nina), a food bag, my huge purse full of all things I need like bobby pins, stamps, make-up; and my laptop. I change out dirty clothes for clean ones and empty food containers into the sink. It takes more time than I think it should, this ditty little stuff. Being organized has its merits.
There are bills to pay and medical bills to organize. The medical stuff has become a big fat pile to figure out. I am looking forward to stopping into my country church's yearly tag sale. It's always fun to buy a few things. They make fresh pies and food too.
I see Thomas in our driveway where he spends a lot of time working on all our cars. My Honda has been deemed unsafe to take into NYC these days. It has a big gouge in the front right tire and the nylon is totally exposed. It could blow out at any time on the Saw Mill Parkway - eeppppp!!! This was caused by poor alignment. He and Mike inspect it together and say - no go!
I watch as Thomas and Mike work together to get a compressor working in the garage. It has a frayed plug and it needs grounding. They go to the internet to get the information and the parts they need to set it up. Thomas will now be able to have power tool capability in order to fix our cars. This is a huge step forward for him. I have given him my half of the garage for his large chest of tools and for space for him to work. We took out a lot of boxes of Kayla's and put them into the hold for her. I actually look forward to sweeping it. Ah yes, the Spring, Summer and Fall - great times for working on cars.
Thomas and I trade cars. I move all my stuff into Kayla's sweet red Honda and he moves all his stuff into my blue Honda. We play musical cars all the time - me and Thomas. After he finishes the work on my car, I will get two new front tires after the work is done.
The tag sale is quick and fun and I see Kathy there. She is my training partner for the triathlon, which I am not really able to train properly for these days, but I will try. It is on June 5th. Normally I would do at least 10-12 bike runs before the big race, but have done none. If all goes well, Kathy and I will do our first bike run on Thursday night.
This race is called the Ridgefield Triathlon and it's in its 5th year. They have 400 entrants and it fills up in hours, just after midnight, January 1, every time. It's a 1/2 mile swim, then a 14 mile bike ride and finally a 3.1 mile run. The biking part goes right by my house. I can train by going out my driveway, getting on the course, go the 14 miles and then back into my driveway. With Kayla's illness, it has been impossible to train. I guess I will just do what I can and let it be. She is more important right now.
I am back at the hospital by 6 p.m. with a few small gifts in my hands - a basket with a ceramic fish on its front for Kayla to put her crafts in and a wooden puzzle for Steve's small son, Noah, who is 6. He is quite bored here in the waiting room. Our cozy corner gang is too adult for him!
I am refreshed and Kayla is happy to see me. I stay with her for a while and then she falls asleep. She is striving for more trach collar time and it tires her out.
It is now later in the evening and I am very tired but I want to see David and Mordechai's mother. I go in with David (once again pronounced Dah-veed). Judith is quiet, not a muscle is moving on her. She is lying on her back. Her closed eyes begin to flicker when she hears our voices. I am impressed by how clean and white everything is. Her blanket is perfectly tucked in on each side. She looks really good.
"She looks so peaceful," I tell David.
He has a bright effervescent look on his face. He rubs his hands together and leans in....
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