I THOUGHT I'D LOST THIS FOR GOOD

 I am not sure why I decided to look for this old blog, but I did, and when I couldn't access it, I had a moment of almost panic.  It has been all but forgotten and neglected, but I don't want it to be GONE!

KATIE DAY

11 years ago today Guo Guo became Katie when she was placed into my sister's arms in Guangzhou, China.

 

NOVEMBER 5

11-05-90:  I started the police academy in Seattle.

11-05-04:  my father passed away from complications of diabetes.  He chose to die rather than have the second amputation to eradicate the gangrene from his system.   He died two days past the one year anniversary of my step-mom's passing on 11-3-03.

11-05-16:  We attended a Celebration of Life in Florida for my Uncle and Aunt who died 10 days apart in August.  They were married for 63 years. 

LATEST 'TOY'

Mav has wanted a boat for as long as I've known him.  He said he wanted a 10' or less fishing boat.  I'm not sure where he plans on putting it into the water, the river on which our lot is located is much too shallow and rocky.

Anyway, the other day he was checking his Buy Nothing page (if you aren't familiar with the Buy Nothing Project, learn about it.  It's a neat concept) and saw a post for a free boat and trailer.  He put his name in the running for this 'gift' and, after the first two giftees changed their minds and decided against it, the gifter offered it to Mav.  

We went out to look at it and talk to the guy.  He got it in trade for an old project car a few years ago, towed it to his home, parked it, and there it sat.  Uncovered and exposed to the elements and an errant baseball or something hard that shattered the left side window.   The gifter got the motor to start once while the boat was on the trailer, but never put it in the water.  He said the carburetors needed work and pointed to a box in which were, apparently, carburetor parts and other parts to who knows what.

Despite its rough condition (broken window, non running motor, sun split vinyl seat covers and who knows how many years of dirt and moss on it) Mav wanted it and we arranged to pick it up the next day.

That was a project in and of itself.  Only three of our vehicles have trailer hitches.  The RV has the wrong type, the Jeep hitch ball was too small, and the frame of the Toyota is too rusted to pull anything of any weight.  Both MGs were out, as were the Taurus and the Saturn.  The Explorer was the obvious choice, but didn't have a hitch or a wiring harness for a trailer.

A quick trip to the auto supply store scored us a hitch.  It cost us a whole $11.03.    We still didn't have a wiring harness so we drove two vehicles out to the gifter's house. 

The plan was that Mav would pull the trailer with the Explorer and I would drive behind it so that no one else risked running into it.  As we completely overlooked that the trailer didn't have or current, legal plates, driving behind him would also (hopefully) keep Mav from getting pulled over for expired plates.  (If we'd been thinking ahead, we could have gotten a three day trip permit from the licensing place on the way to the auto parts store.  We went right by it!)

We got the boat home with no issues and got it parked under the carport (another Buy Nothing find!).  The first course of action was to wash it, which I did.   We have a friend who has boats and does his own work on them, so I offered to take he and his wife to dinner if he would come and check it out and tell us just what we were in for to get it running.   In the meantime, there is more cleaning to do of the interior. 

Made it to the house and got it parked.

It's going to need A LOT of cleaning!

Personally, I'd rather get a new motor than try to figure out what this one needs to run.
 

First layer of dirt removed, section by section.  Clean on left, untouched on right.

This is the step up in the back.  The right side is beginning to look white again.

PEOPLE OF WALMART HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

We went to two separate Halloween parties after Hayden's birthday party.  We had decided on easy costumes:  People of Walmart.  All the costumes required were odd combinations of pajamas and accessories.  We threw in a couple of Walmart shopping bags as props.

The first party was the one we have attended a few years now.  It was hosted by and held at the barn in which Mav proposed to me.   We couldn't stay long though.  This year they used hay bales instead of straw bales for extra seating and it was too difficult to breath well.

The second party was at my friend (and hair cutter) Shelby's home.  We had a good time.  We were old enough to be the parents of everyone there, but it was a good time.   Our costumes were a hit.

HAYDEN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY

We celebrated Hayden's birthday at Alfy's (a pizza joint with a game room) with the rest of the family.  For the first time in a long time, all three of Mav's kids and all ten of the grandchildren were in the same place.  Of course, they were running around too much to get a photo of all of them.

Hayden chose to have his baby picture as the image on his cake.  He was a cute baby.  (He was five months old when I started seeing Mav, but was already a year and a half old when I met him after he and his parents moved back to WA from Missouri.

I only managed to get a photo with seven of the ten in it.  Kayden (11), William (10), Hayden (10), Haylee (8), Matilda (7), Henry(5), and Keriannah (2).   I believe Melissa is leaning over Wyatt (8), but I'm not sure.  Koree (4) and Jackson (1) are out of the photo.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY

Make A Difference Day is a nationally observed date of doing projects that help make a difference for other people.   Our friends, Edith and Randy, organized a project to Adopt A Trail up on the Mountain Loop which is where our river lot is located.

We were assigned the Deer Creek Trail/Snow Play Area/Parking lot.  We were warned that the parking lot itself was a hazard to tires due to the number of nails and screws present.

Deer Creek is the designated Snow Play Area for the county. It is not a camping area so there are no fire pits.  During the winter, when snow covers the parking lot, people will build and burn a bonfire right in the parking lot.  We found several burned areas on the ground where these fires had been built and the re-con information we had was correct.  Apparently the wood burned in these fires was from pallets and building lumber, and the nails had been left behind when the wood was consumed.  I spent a good portion of our time there digging the nails and beer bottle caps out of the dirt/gravel. 

When my knees/back protested about kneeling on the gravel, I joined Mav in going into the woods and looking for trash there.  We found several discarded bottles and cans, as well as several pieces of broken plastic sleds and a couple of car parts.

The plastic bag on the upper left corner contains SOME of the nails and screws I removed from the parking lot.  I wish I could say I found and removed ALL of them, but I fear I missed a good amount.

 

 

Something sad we discovered while traipsing through the trees was that dozens of the trees had had their bark stripped.   This can eventually kill the tree as the intentional removal of the outer bark layer stops food from flowing, causing the injured part of the tree to dry and decay.

A bit of irony:  Mav found a discarded coffee cup in the woods.  A close up of the wording on the cup showed:  Welcome to a Cleaner World.   

 

After Deer Creek, we moved down to the Youth on Age Interpretive Trails. There wasn't much to clean up there, which makes sense because the USFS has had it gated off due to fallen trees and the river undercutting some of the bank.

 

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY HAYDEN

Happy birthday to the third eldest grandchild, Hayden.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KELLY AND ERIC

28 years ago my sister Kelly married her husband Eric.  The wedding was well attended, but the reception had only a portion of the people from the wedding.  Unbeknownst to Kelly when she was calling venues to check and reserve dates for the ceremonies, the date that was available, and ultimately chosen, was the date of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University football game!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLY!

NORTH, TO ALASKA!

We took a cruise to Alaska for my birthday.  We departed Seattle on Aug 27th and returned on Sept 3 after making stops in the ports of call at Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau and Victoria, BC.   This post will be expanded and photos added later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY KOREE

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY HENRY

HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY CASEY!

GOODBYE GOOFY GIRL

 

Today has been a very, very sad day.  When I awoke, I was at peace with the realization that we may have to put Goofy down based on the medical evaluation yesterday.  However, when the vet called this morning, and after my visit with her on the way to work, I was convinced that I would be picking her up after work and taking her home.  The Dr. had almost completely weaned her off the oxygen and she was breathing regularly.  She was decreasing the amount of anti seizure medicine and was cautiously optimistic that Goofy could come home, albeit with some medications, if the seizures continued to abate.

However, at about 2:40 this afternoon while I was in a meeting, my cell phone rang and the caller ID showed the vets number.  I couldn't take the call and I spent the next 20 minutes worrying about the call.  I figured it had to be bad news because I had told her I would be there a little after 4pm to pick her up.

I called her as soon as the meeting was over, not even taking the time to check for a voicemail (which there was.  I still haven't listened to it.)  The Dr. said that after they ceased the anti seizure meds Goofy had another big seizure.  The Dr. also said that she was no longer trying to stand on her feet, but was laying on her belly and that they could not get her to drink any water.  The only fluids she was getting were through the catheter.  The Dr said she would not be comfortable releasing her to come home because she couldn't eat or drink on her own and was still having seizures.  The more often and strong the seizures are, the more damage is done to the brain.  The Dr. said there was no way of knowing how much brain damage she had already incurred, and how much of it may be reversible.  She had no way of knowing when, or if, Goofy would be able to eat and drink on her own again. 

Of course, I started to cry and told the Dr that I would still come up after work as planned to see Goofy again.  I left work early, after embarrassing myself by crying when I tried to explain why I was leaving.  I went to the car and called Mav and, crying again, relayed to him what the Dr. had said.  Mav had sent some lettuce and berries with me in the morning to give Goofy when I picked her up after work.  He asked me to offer them to her to see if she would eat for me before I made any final decision. 

At the vet, they brought her to me wrapped in a towel.  I held her and talked to her for a while.  She appeared bright eyed and alert.  I offered her the lettuce and she did not respond.  My heart sunk a bit because Goofy never refused a treat.  I offered it again and she closed her beak on the leaf, but did nothing else.  No chewing, no activity of her tongue to bring it back to her throat so she could swallow.  I had to pull it out of her mouth.  I then offered her the cherry.  She seemed to perk up a bit at it and bit it enough to break the skin, but again, did not make an attempt to actually eat it.  She did place her tongue against it and got some juice on her tongue, but didn't make an attempt to swallow.   At that time I was pretty sure that I would have to have her put to sleep if she couldn't eat.  I held her and stroked her head and chest feathers for several minutes when she had another seizure, a small one, but still a seizure, while I held her.  I knew it would be selfish of me to keep her alive in that condition and authorized the vet to administer the drugs.  I held her while the preparations were made and while vet administered the first shot of sedative.  It took effect immediately and knocked her out cold. I held her for 15 minutes after the sedation, just stroking her and talking to her and crying until the vet came back to take her away to administer the lethal shot. 

During the two hours I was there with her, I took photos and videos of her. I wish I could have recorded her voice, but she never made a sound after we got into the car yesterday to bring her to the vet. 

I don't cry often or much, but I admit to actually wailing a bit when I left the vet's office with her in a cardboard box (which they had decorated with her name, flowers and hearts) and not the temporary enclosure I had planned to bring her home in.  My eyes and head hurt from tears.  Mav has cried too.  We will really miss her even though she often times drove us crazy with all the noise she made.  Now it is much too quiet.

GOOFY UPDATES 1 AND 2

The Vet called about 8;40 last night, not long after I wrote the previous post.  She said there had been slight improvement with Goofy, that although she is still having minor seizures, she lifted her head and seemed a little more aware than when we brought her in.  They tube fed her and gave her fluids by IV.  They did an x-ray but can't see any bone damage from the leg trauma.  However, her blood work shows that she is anemic which could be caused by a chronic illness or excessive bleeding.  Since she isn't bleeding externally, it is possible she bled internally while thrashing around on the floor trying to free her foot. (The thread that caught her foot was the frayed edge of a towel or placemat that is under the bubbler water fountain for the cats).  They aren't sure though. 

I will go in to see Goofy today.  I went to sleep and woke up thinking about her and what decision to make.  I still don't know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The vet called again at 0900 this morning with an update.  Goofy has shown improvement.  (From the tone of the vet's voice, she didn't expect the amount of improvement she sees).  She will start to wean her off the oxygen.   She did have a couple of seizures this morning, one mild and one a little stronger, so the vet gave her a smaller dose of the sedative.

I stopped at the vet hospital at 1015 on the way to work and visited briefly with Goofy.  As the vet said, she was sedated because of the seizures this morning, but she was up on both feet and much more alert than she had been yesterday.  She was able to track my finger as it moved and when I went to pet her head, she pulled back a bit just as she normally does when she is unsure.  So there is brain function!!! She also wasn't twitching/convulsing like she did for almost three hours yesterday.  

I will go back after work and hopefully bring her home.  We'll have to keep her in a box without a perch for a while so there is no perch from which to fall, and we may have to have a couple of oral medications to give her with an eyedrop, but she has made an amazing recovery thus far.   :)

AND NOW WE WAIT

Twenty three years ago the parrot I brought to Washington with me from Michigan in 1989 flew away while we were out in the backyard.   For reasons I still cannot articulate, I decided to get another bird.  I had some specifics in mind as to what I wanted and didn't want.  I wanted a bird that was larger than a canary or parakeet (budgy), but smaller than a full sized parrot or cockatoo.  I wanted a bird that would sing, coo or chirp, anything but scream or squawk.  I also wanted a bird that could learn to talk.  I went to our local pet shop and told the sales associate what I was looking for.  I was routed to a Ringed Neck Parakeet, which, despite the name, is actually a small sized parrot.  I was shown a six month old that had been bottle fed and was (supposedly!) tame to hold, and I bought it.  It was too young to know the sex yet, but the store associate thought it looked like the colors were developing to show that it was a male and males were much better talkers.   I bought it and named it Jake.

It didn't take long to realize that the store associate wasn't totally truthful!   The bird had a terrible squawk.  It was loud, ear piercing and seemingly never ending!  It was not finger trained, and although it liked to sit on my shoulder, getting it there could result in a severe bite from a very sharp beak. 

Despite the bird not being what I had been told, I kept it.  After a couple of months, I noticed I had ceased calling the bird Jake and was always calling it a goofy bird.  I decided to rename it Goofy, as that is what I kept calling it.

Fast forward about a year or so and much to my surprise, my boy bird presented me with a couple of eggs!!!   So, it was a girl, not a boy.

Goofy has lived with me in four different houses and with five different cats.  She is the boss when it comes to the cats.  She has always had free range to be out of her cage and wander at will (She's never learned to fly).

This morning I was getting ready to leave the house when one of the cats, Sophie, was making a commotion at the door to the pets' room. I went to address the cat and found Goofy laying on the floor right behind the cat. She wasn't moving and I really thought she was dead. There was no visible injury on her and none of the cats were bothering her so I didn't know if they were responsible. I looked closer and saw that she had gotten her foot snared in the frayed edge of a towel and the thread had wrapped itself, tightly, around her left foot. I don't know how long she lay on the floor thrashing around trying to get herself free, but it must have been a while. If she squawked, which I am sure she did, we couldn't hear her at the other end of the house and I feel terrible about that.

I cut her free and held her close to try and warm her and increase the circulation to her now freed foot.  She trembled and was quiet.  She grasped my shirt or finger with her right foot, but not the left.  Her left foot could open and close, but she had no strength in it.

I cancelled the appointment I had been about to leave for and Mav and I set out trying to find a bird vet.  Of course, the closest one is closed on Sun and Mon.  His voicemail referred us to one in Seattle (40+ miles away!) which we didn't consider.  The next couldn't get us in until Friday.  The third could see us at 2:45pm, but thought we really needed to get her seen before that.  The fourth was an actual avian hospital and said to bring her in as an emergency patient and they would examine her right away without an appointment.  Great, but they were still an hour away.

I held her all the way to the vet.  She had started twitching shortly after I picked her up and I thought it was probably an adrenaline dump, however, she continued to twitch and bob her neck. Although she'd re-found her voice while we were attempting to locate a vet, she was totally silent the whole drive to Bothell.

The vet tech took her immediately when I walked in and while I was filling in admission forms, she came back and said Goofy was in critical condition with neurological damage.  The vet herself came in a little later and said that it is possible Goofy had a heart attack or stroke which was causing the seizures and convulsive twitching.  They have her sedated and on oxygen and an anti-seizure medicine (vapors delivered through tubes into the closed incubator in which they had her).   The vet said she can survive, but that she might need extensive hospitalization; it depends on how much brain damage she has sustained. 

We authorized the vet to keep her for 24 hours to continue on the oxygen and anti seizure meds while they checked her out for any trauma damage to her foot/leg/hip.   I will stop in after work tomorrow and see how she is doing.  At that point, I may have to say goodbye to her and do the humane thing and let her go.    I am praying for wisdom as to the right option.  Is it selfish to have her put down because on-going medical care will be very expensive or is it selfish to keep her alive if she won't be able to function as normal and have difficulty relearning how to do things?    She is 23.  Normal life span is between 20-30 years although in captivity some birds of her genus have lived until 50. 

The vet said they'd be in touch tonight, but they haven't called yet.  I don't know if that is a good or bad thing.