How I Spent My Summer Vacation - The End

Actually, it wasn't my end at all....just my left side. After a lifetime of right sided maladies (appendix, broken elbow, broken arm, smashed humerus ball, stitches in ankle, brachial cleft cyst) I finally damaged the left, most likely in an attempt to even things up a little. Late in the summer, immediately before returning to work, I fell off my bike. Each day, I rode around the park and every time I went down this very steep hill I thought, "Damn this would this hurt if I crashed." I survived the hill but lost control of my bike while riding up the next hill. My right foot slipped off the peddle and the bike wobbled out of control. Coming down the hill towards me was a family and some kids on bikes and I could only think about how stupid I looked crashing into the road. I landed on my left side with the bike on top of me. This lovely young woman pushing a stroller stopped to help me. She kept repeating, "can I help you up?" or "can I call someone?" I finally asked her to take the bike off of me. And then I let her know her baby was heading down the hill in the carriage. With baby finally parked, she removed the bike and I tried to stand up.

I felt the impact keenly in my face of all places and my nose was sore and bleeding. My left arm and knee had that classic look of imbedded gravel...something I have not experienced in about 40 years. I struggled to stand and called Rob to pick me up in the park. Swollen nose, immovable arm and with difficulty breathing I showered and went in to work for a few hours.

The next morning was bad and Rob drove me to Urgent Care for x-rays of my nose, ribs and shoulder. I left with a prescription for an anti-inflammatory but no broken bones. The black eye was attractive (my 1st) and the scabs were quite gross but my ribs hurt like hell. It was weeks before I could laugh or sneeze without screaming. If this was pain for bruised ribs, I can't imagine how painful a broken rib would be. As the ribs became less tender I noticed my left shoulder was still painful and I was certainly babying it. Any sudden movements induced a sharp pain and it was just getting worse. Around Thanksgiving, I called an Orthopedic Doctor and made an appointment.

I had an appointment for early December and I had to get my x-rays from Urgent Care before the appointment. Of course, I had to open the envelope and read the reports and try to view the x-rays. Guess what? My nose was broken! "There is a small fleck of bone off the very distal tip of the nasal bone and I question a small nondisplaced fracture. There is also some fragmentation of the in the maxillary spine anteriorly. Soft tissues are unremarkable." Unremarkable? Obviously, Wilfred Carey III, MD does not have experience with the Hollister nose. I couldn't find my nose x-rays among the thousands of files on this disc but I found my chest and shoulder.

You will notice the extra white stuff in my right shoulder just above ball. That must be calcium or something from the smashed "ball in the socket accident" from 1997 and explains why my right shoulder hurts too.

After a trip to Dr. Newman and an MRI and another trip to Dr. Newman, I find out I have a complete tear of the rotator cuff. Luckily, his surgery scheduler was on vacation so I get to wait until next week for the date. The surgery didn't sound too bad but the 1st round of 8 weeks of physical therapy (3 x per week for 90 minutes) will be a nightmare. If I had that much time in my life I would go to the gym and work out or something.

Happy New Year Everyone.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 6

Laughing

Rob had a booth at the Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival. This is one of my favorite shows because it is 5 minutes away from the house and it lasts for 3 days. With the 2 day shows we usually have to leave the house before sunrise, drive several hours, set up the tent and display and do everything again the next day in reverse order. With a 3 day show the middle day is a gift with no set up or tear down involved and I just hold court all day. It is kind of fun to just hang out in a lawn chair in the sun with a book and chat with all the people I know that come by. Of course, this is Syracuse and the sales sucked but I had fun.

I usually take quite a few pictures but this year I only took two. One day, Rob yelled (maybe yelled is too strong of a word...it is Rob after all), "You have to get a picture of this dog!" I grabbed my camera and tried to focus on the dog because....

I was laughing hysterically at the owner.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 5

Meet Irene.

Irene began life like most robins...in a nest safe from predators. Only Irene's parents had the misfortune to build their nest in the backyard of 311 Wellesley Rd. where the in-ground swimming pool claims the lives of many a small creature.

I often wondered if this pair of robins were the same pair to build a nest over the floodlight, but above the back door, in May of 2010. While the light nest was safe from cats and squirrels, the eggs got very little warmth from the parents due to our constant comings and goings. The tree nest was easier for me to observe on a daily basis and the parents never minded our backyard activities. Of course, I did move the grill so I wasn't barbequing directly beneath the small family.

The eggs hatched and the babies grew with the constant feedings from the parents. As they got bigger and bigger, I kept closer watch on the nest. One day, the unthinkable happened. One baby was found dead under the tree and the other was hopping around the pool, much too small to leave the nest in my opinion.

I spent the entire day in the backyard ready to dive in and save the bird at a moments notice. I was in constant contact with my friend Kerry, vet technician and pediatric emergency care nurse since I was concerned about the small size of the fledgling and it's inability to fly or feed independently. She suggested I pop him back into the nest so minutes before we were to leave for a Chiefs' game I made Rob drag the ladder up from the cellar so I could re-nest the baby. When I put baby 1 into the nest, baby 2 jumped out and eventually both were reluctant to remain in the nest. Meanwhile, the parents are nowhere to be found and I needed guidance. Jumbo beers and peanuts were calling me.

We came home from the game and I went immediately into the backyard to check on the babies. I could only find baby 2 and he didn't look good. I built a nest in a small woven basket and hung it in the tree with the hopes that his parents would find him before the neighbors cat.

Alas, baby 2 did not survive the night but baby 1 was alive and well and hopping around the pool edge. I spent another day at the poolside watching over baby 1 and even feeding him worms. Actually, the mother would hop down and feed him periodically but I was ready to put in a call to CPS for neglect. I dug up worms, washed them off, cut them in half and popped them into his mouth. Rob thought I was going above and beyond with the washing off part but he accepted my robin vigil.

Early the next morning, Rob found the baby in the pool...floating around on his side. He scooped him out and placed him under a bush in the garden and came inside to wake me with coffee and the terrible news. I blamed myself for intervening in the first place and getting attached and moped around the house in a funk. Around 9 am I forced myself to go check on the baby and he was still lying on his side under the bush, mouth opening and closing in silence. I wrapped him in a towel and carried him around for several hours like a baby...eating my breakfast, reading the paper etc with this bird. When it was obvious there would be no improvement, I took him outside and placed him under the Black-Eyed Susans to die. I returned from a walk about an hour later to a very loud squawking robin begging to be fed. Day 3 of not leaving the pool but now we were in the grips of an impending hurricane, Irene. I cared for him during the day and went inside when the winds and rain took over. He was perched on a ladder behind the shed and I went out several times during the night to make sure he was safe.

He survived the night and was promptly named Irene. At this point I needed to get into work and prepare my classroom but I was reluctant to leave the yard during daylight hours. Also I was worried that Irene was never going to master flying so he could manage the 6ft fence surrounding my yard. Rob was not open to the idea of driving him south for the winter. I turned off the pool pump and went to work, confidant that at least he wouldn't be sucked into the filter if he hopped into the pool.

I returned home later in the day and he had mastered the big hop...showing off by hopping up onto the top of a bush or the cross piece of the fence. He enjoyed the Moon Plant and the ladder, hopping up and down with a little flutter of wing. At this point, I was ready for him to leave since the stress was too much.
The next morning I checked on him before leaving for work. He was doing his hop-flutter step to the top cross rung of the fence. I was proud but happy I would not have to teach him to fly. When I returned home in the evening he was gone. No note, no good-bye...nothing. I hope he is happy.

Did I mention that Ian left for school days before Irene left the nest? I think I need a dog.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 4

Building a pump house! OK, I didn't build the pump house, I played with the dog. This is a long story so sit back and relax.

When I opened the pool in May and connected all the connections the pump was LOUD...very loud. Rob and Ian assured me the sound was no louder than normal but I was obsessed with the noise. I spoke to my friendly neighborhood pool man, Jared, at Tarson in Fairmount and he said pumps get louder as they age. (Kind of like Rich!) He recommended I take the pump to Syracuse Armature on Burnet Ave. I walked around for days just saying the word ARMATURE. I have never used the word before, doubted it was a word and had to look it up in the dictionary. Who knew? It is now my new favorite word but I have never had the chance to use it is casual conversation. The kind man at Syracuse Armature called me after several days with the sad news. The pump would cost more than $200 to rebuild. While I love to reuse and recycle it made sense at the time to just buy a new one. I spent the day making phone calls and getting prices and finally decided on a pump at Tarson on Taft...a place I have vowed many times to avoid. I dragged Ian and all the fittings and connections with me so Ian could be tutored on how to install the new pump. We spent a good hour in Tarson while the dumb ass in parts rebuilt the connections and explained to Ian how the pieces connected.

The next morning, Ian was to install the new pump while I was at work. Only I awoke to a note next to the bed from Ian. I saved the note because it was priceless and someday I will remember where I put it.

The note (paraphrased) said,
"Good News: I couldn't fall asleep so I decided to install the pump when the sun came up.
Bad News: There is no electrical cord to plug the pump in.
Good News: We don't own any guns so I didn't drive to Tarson.
I went for a run. Love, Ian"

I slowly walked to the window to look down at the pool and my naked son was cooling down in the pool. He made me check the box and the pump...afraid that I would find something he didn't. He was correct...no plug. I called the electrician (who answered the phone at 7 am) and explained the situation and the fact we have been pumpless for quite some time. No problem.

Of course, I was as hysterical as Ian that the guy at Tarson could not have bothered to mention that the pump needed to be wired. I don't feel I need to ask the question, "Does this have a cord?" every time I purchase an electrical appliance. As I recall, when I purchased the dryer the cord was separate and I thought that was inane...but at least they mentioned it so I could plug in the damn dryer!

The electrician wired the pump, Ian connected the fittings and we finally had water circulation. Except the PUMP WAS TOO LOUD! Actually, the pump was pretty quiet but the force of the water traveling through the hoses and into the filter was loud. Rob & Ian thought I was insane at this point. I called Tarson and they made a service call, spent 30 minutes connecting, reconnecting and twisting things and told me it wasn't THAT bad. In fact, he told me the noise wasn't as annoying as the dog next door and that he thought the pump was too big and I should have bought a 1 1/2 HP instead of a 2 HP. (Again I am thankful we don't own firearms since Tarson told me I needed a 2 HP pump!)

I was complaining fiercely to Justin, the music teacher at Tecumseh and he recommended I build a pump house and offered to build it. He measured and designed and even measured the pitch of the shed so the roof line would match. Justin bought the materials and came over 1 day with Layla to start constructing.He cut and nailed and I played with Layla. Layla was curious about the duck but wanted nothing to do with the water. I had to coax her to even put her feet in to get a drink. She brought a ball with her and would drop it in the pool and cry until somebody (me) would take it out. I had great fun.

I love the new pump house because it is so neat and clean. But it's still too loud.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 3

Visiting with family! July was a whirlwind of activity. Hilary, Chuck and Joey came to stay with us during the weekend of Garrett's graduation party. I was frantically trying to reassemble my home, yard and pool after the roof destruction but before their arrival. I think I was successful. We spent all of Saturday in New Hartford, feting Garrett and enjoying great food and drink with the Dinnie's and Evans'. I recall Ian climbing a tree to retrieve a ball and walking to the park to play a game. I stood in the sun so I wasn't prominently chewed by mosquitoes. A good time was had by all. Alas, I took only one picture the entire weekend. On Sunday, we stayed in Syracuse and Joey enjoyed the pool all day and into the night. The boy doesn't stop....on land or in the water. I happened to catch him disrobing behind the daisies and I made him stand there until I grabbed my camera....cracked me up. Still does. What a flower child....NOT.
The following weekend Ian and I went to Arlington to see Chris, Laura, Owen and Elliot during the annual pilgrimage back to the states. We had fun eating and drinking and visiting. On Sunday, the girls (with the little boys) went shopping at the Container Store and Crate & Barrel and had lunch while the big boys went shooting in the hot sun. I was nervous as I am not a gun person but I trusted Mike to keep Ian safe. Owen was alarmed that he had to spend the day with the women but Aunt Erika tried to make things right with a manly purchase. Again...only 1 picture all weekend and this one was using my phone. Ten years from now Joey will hate me for posting a picture of him naked in the daisies while Owen gets to pose with a rifle.

On the ride to Arlington I complained to Ian about Erika's directions. Granted, she probably knows best since she has driven north from Arlington for over 10 years but the route seemed so convoluted. It seemed to me that there should be a straight shot from Syracuse to Arlington instead of the the mass of 17 different routes, highways and exits we used to travel south. Ian suggested abandoning Erika's directions on the way home. Did I mention that we left Arlington about 7:00 in the evening and Ian had a 6 pack of Guinness assisting his brain function? He used his iPhone to create a route...said it might go a little west but we could pick up 81. He gave me the directions and promptly fell asleep. At one point I screamed him awake with, "IAN, WE ARE IN FUCKING WEST VIRGINIA!" We arrived home very late but safe and sound. There is a lesson to be learned here.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 2

Putting a new roof on the house! Actually I watched 8 hot, sweaty somewhat neanderthal men put the new roof on the house and I had the pleasure of writing a check for $13,000.

Apparently, while we were in the Cape my roofer called to verify that the roofers could begin on July 5th. Ian did not think this information was worthy of passing on to his mother so I was scrambling to confirm this date on the 4th of July....the day after we arrived home. The roofers started on the 5th at the butt crack of dawn and my week of hell began.

(Although I do have to admit the unsightly blue tarp covering really kept the house cool.)

People who crave order and cleanliness should take a vacation when having three layers of asphalt shingles and 1 layer of ancient cedar shakes removed. All the windows had to be closed and every inch of the yard (including flowers, grass and pool) was covered with a layer of cedar dust. The shakes come off in little pieces and create quite the mess. Every evening after they left I would hose off the concrete and plants.

I felt bad for these guys sweating and shirtless on my roof in the hot sun all day so I supplied a steady stream of lemonade and grape kool-aid and they ended the day with a swim in the pool. It was amusing to watch them strip to their shorts and dive in. Never has the pool been more appreciated.

Luckily, the roofers finished on Friday and were all cleaned up by 4:00. That left me almost 3 hours to clean the pool, yard and house before Hilary, Chuck and Joey arrived.

The roof was expensive and I don't really appreciate the new roof at all. All the neighbors stopped by at some point to talk to me and the roofers and I am told that the roofers did a professional job. I never really look at the roof...never...so unless there was water pouring into the bedrooms through the ceiling and a new roof stopped the waterfall...I just can't appreciate the craftsmanship. I think about the money and envision a trip to Prague to see Cyndy and Tom or a new Stickley dining room. Oh well.

Of course, the roof looks so damn good I want the old aluminum (.80 cents per pound) siding ripped off and new siding or repair and paint the clapboards and put in new windows. I have quotes but just how does one save $14,000 dollars?

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 1

Mere days after school ended for the year, Rob and I traveled to Provincetown for Rob's opening at Alden Gallery. We lucked out and found a great place to stay on Commercial Street that was a healthy walk to the gallery, restaurants and P-Town events. Our room at the Watermark Inn was pretty reasonable, cheap even by Outer Cape standards and was right on the bay. Well, the Inn was on the bay but our suite was around 15 steps away. I could hear the bay, smell the bay and be in the bay in a moment's notice. Good enough. The season rates didn't start until July 1st so our suite cost less than the skanky hotel we normally use in P-Town. Next year, I want the suite overlooking the bay.

During the days, I read on the beach while Rob painted. Painting takes a lot of prep work, including adding gesso to the canvas. I guess this wasn't a vacation for Rob. But more paintings = suite upgrade.

One of the finished paintings drying in our room. I spent a fair amount of time coveting the house that was right next to the inn.......and their birdhouse....
and their deck and view. Our room was on the 1st floor just past the port cochere on the right. Rob was cleaning out his brushes at the back of the car one afternoon so the rear hatch was open. I stopped to get something from the car and immediately said, "Oh my god, you have to see this!" I wonder how many times I said those exact same words because Rob looked at me with the face of death. (I bet you didn't even know Rob had a face like that, did you?) I persisted, he relented and agreed that my excitement was warranted. This baby sparrow was hopping around the front seat. Of course, I had to get his picture before carrying him to safety. I always hoped I would get a seal while on the Cape but they never appear suddenly in my car.
Only 4 days. Always so short and so much fun.

Object Permanence

Did you know that everyone else was blogging while my blog was dormant? I just got caught up with my family. Who knew?

The holidays....

By now, you have either heard about Thanksgiving or were a part of the festivities. No sense rehashing that fun time and you have seen the pictures from the "day after."

Christmas Eve was lovely at Rich and Diane's house. The food was wonderful, as always, and I even drove home! So unusual....

The highlight was Ian's gift from Aunt Diane - dickies! Just like the type made famous by Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
Ian spent the remainder of his Christmas break wearing the dickies with a variety of sweaters and shirts. I have to say he looked great in them, when worn appropriately of course. But he still wont let me buy him turtlenecks...go figure. A moose mug, some white leather shoes and belt and Ian has next Halloween ready to go!

Rob and I went to our usual Christmas tree location -- Luchsinger's Farms in Lafayette. This is our 1st foray into tree selection without Ian. We spent more time checking out the cows than the trees. Although our tree was beautiful, Rob would rather have brought home a cow.

Tip- Do not let a cow lick you....ever! Their tongues are rougher than sandpaper...I needed lotion on my hand for weeks to regenerate the skin cells.

Christmas morning was almost Christmas afternoon once Ian was finally up and awake enough to open presents.

As always, Santa brings a lot of books. I wish I had been able to capture Rob and Ian in the same picture reading their Christmas presents.

I'm back......

Things happen and the routine gets a little out of whack and the next thing you know 4 months have gone by. I have the next 4 days off, 6 books to read for school, a mountain of cataloging for work and a 2 page to-do list. So I will do what I do best and procrastinate.

Where have I been? Good question. Allow me to set the stage for my November trauma and offer a slight excuse for my incommunicado.

November 9th started like a typical Tuesday. I was my usual stressed out, trying to find balance at work self. Around 9 am I gathered some ILL and copying to take to the office. Sitting at one of the tables was a special ed assistant, Kristen, and a 4th grade student. I offhandedly said, "you're in charge" and left the library. I went to the office, used the bathroom and stopped by to see Joe so we could discuss what happened at the previous night's union meeting. Joe's door was closed so I returned to the library.

Kristen was no longer seated at the table but on the floor - dead. Eyes were open, mouth was open and her body was in an awkward position. The student was no longer in the library. I called 911 and immediately hung up despite their suggestion to stay on the line and then called the school nurse. I hung up the phone and started chest compressions. When Corrine, the nurse, arrived she called for someone to get the AED and she started mouth to mouth. When the AED arrived Corrine shocked her twice....still no life and no ambulance or cops or fire department. (Say what you will about city living but I trust emergency personnel will arrive within 3 minutes at my house.) After an eternity, or about 10 - 12 minutes, the ambulance arrived and took over. They shocked Kristen with the big paddles and were able to get a heart beat but continued bagging her. They loaded her in the ambulance and left. Very surreal as I looked around the library at the waste and carnage left over from lifesaving. No problem...I still had 30 minutes until my 1st class.

I called Ian (who unlike Rob always has his phone on) and had my melt down. He assured me that I did the right thing but that people rarely live after CPR...or at least that's what they teach him in CPR classes...so I shouldn't get my hopes up. I spent the rest of the day teaching and waiting for word about Kristen.

The principal stayed in touch with her husband and let everyone know that they lost her several more times but her heart beat was finally steady and they were worried about brain damage from the amount of time she was without life. She was put in a drug induced cold storage coma for 24 hours to preserve brain function. (laugh Rich...this is the non-medical version.) I spent the evening putting myself into an alcohol induced coma.

Her husband Steve was in the next morning to talk and pick up her purse and coat. It turns out she had some previously diagnosed heart condition that she was being treated for and her heart wasn't damaged from this. She just had some misfire and her brain never gave the beat signal to her heart. He cried and laughed and thanked me profusely saying the only reason she had any chance at all was because I started compressions. Have I mentioned I don't know CPR? I thought I was doing compressions to make her heart start beating and her breathing to start. In the beginning I felt like a failure because I couldn't bring her back to life and now this guy is crediting me with her only chance at life. Of course, all I can think about is the length of time she was dead and how horrible it will be when he and their 3 young children have to make the decision to stop life support because she was a vegetable.

By the next week she had a pacemaker and was home. Some short term memory loss and a few weeks of OT/PT and by January 2nd she was back at work. Good as new.

However, I spent some time eating too much, drinking too much and trying to control even more and sobbing in my doctor's office trying to explain this whole episode and getting my antidepressant dosage increased. I feel back to normal and have no desire to ever have the opportunity to save a life again. For god's sake....I am just a librarian.