Ethan’s Journey

​Paul set up my bird feeder that alerts me when birds are eating. The birds have all told their friends about it and I have been enjoying them feasting on the open buffet we provided for them. Mama killdeer was on the road I walk the dogs on, with her babies this morning. She began squawking at me as soon as we started up the road. I cut the walk short so that I wouldn’t stress her out. Paul was worried last night because he asked me if I locked the camper door. I was in bed and had forgotten to lock the door. “No” I said.  “What if someone tries to get in while you’re sleeping.” “I am not going to get up at this point! I assure you that Moe will not let that happen.”  If someone was dumb enough to try to break into the camper with 4 dogs, they deserve the dog attacks they would receive. Survival of the fittest!  Also, MY first line of defense is biting. It causes a nasty infection and then dental records can be used to match the wound up to my teeth. I will be able to fi...

​today was a much sunnier and pleasant day than yesterday. We started the day with coffee of course, and one by one people started to go home to get back to reality.  I feel quite lucky that I am able to stay up this week with the dogs. I embrace alone time. It helps me think and process things. I checked on the killdeer babies this morning. The three babies that hatched were gone as well as their eggs. Baby number 4 was still trying to hatch. I was concerned this little thing wasn’t going to make it as it had started to hatch the day before and was still in the process. I checked back a little later and this little fighter was hatched and sitting alone. Mom was not in sight. Mom had been quite involved with the babies so I thought this was a little weird.  It was making soft killdeer noises and they were so cute. As the day went on, I noticed mom was attending to the newest baby. She would periodically disappear then come back. At one point I went up the road and saw the mom ...

​The weather was unfortunate for a weekend at the lake. However, a little bad weather isn’t going to get us down. Through the different showers we had, we were still able to enjoy the outside even if it was under an awning. The dogs got a couple walks in between the rain events. We listened to music, chatted and laughed remembering things from childhood or early adulthood. I checked on the Killdeer eggs. Two of them had hatched….OMG! It’s happening!!!! I had to get photos and share the news with the neighbor whose yard they were in. They were kind enough to protect this little family with cones, so no one ran over the nest. They are born with all their feathers and with the ability to forage for food on day 1. I kept peaking in on them. The babies are doing well so far! I will feel better when they are out of their road. What a crap day to be born! Nature is fun to watch! The afternoon was full of music, sitting and chatting and snacks! Just the kind of Saturday Paul and I needed. We w...

​I had to get the heck out of Dodge today. This week has been a lot! I left for camp about 5:15 am. The dogs were pumped. Moe was my co-pilot and made sure everyone was safe the entire ride. Anyone we passed walking on a side walk or crossing the street, he gave them his best hairy eyeball stare! Dario is doing great! However, he is navigating the world of what is considered a fatty food! He is gambling with his diet and will learn quickly what will cause catastrophic diarrhea (seat gripping diarrhea) and what doesn’t. He is on a low fat/ high fiber diet. Fruits and veggies as well as lean meats. I did a grocery order for them and Paul picked it up this morning. Ethan asked Paul for direction on how he can help prepare the barn for a concrete floor. Paul gave him direction and is delighted for Ethan’s help.  Paul also had a rough week. He was present to help his dad and step mom through this medical ordeal. He realizes they need help but they aren’t ready to accept that yet. I arri...

​wow! I woke up extra dumb today. It’s a “lack of sleep” hangover. I made it through yesterday but today….I needed coffee stat and hoped like hell I could become somewhat functional. I followed Ethan to work to park his car there. The plan was to condense vehicles and pay hospital parking for one vehicle.  On our way to drop off Ethan’s car, Ethan tried to straddle a dead, gross and bloated raccoon with his car. There was a car in the other lane so he couldn’t swerve. His tailpipe hit the raccoon and sent it swirling and twirling behind him. I think I barfed in my mouth. Ugh! Gross! Luckily it didn’t explode. 🤮 As I was following him, some guy waiting to pull out, honked at Ethan and gave him a thumbs up for his super Supra. He said he gets a lot of people appreciating his vintage ride. We got to the hospital on time. Parking at Strong Hospital is a bit of a disaster. We got the farthest away parking spot ever. I told Ethan walking to the hospital counted as his exercise today. We...

​my father in law was finally seen by a doctor. He was in pain for hours. The doctor came in after midnight. It turns out he has gall stones and needs to have surgery to remove his gall bladder. They started him on antibiotics. It then was after 1:00 am and they weren’t sure if he would have a room by morning. I took Joanne back to her house around 2 am. I told her that if she wanted to have a sleep over, there was a better way to go about it than this. It made her laugh. She is very anxious and I tried to lighten the mood. I explained that in the grand scheme of things, a gall bladder removal is a pretty good ailment to have. It can be treated. Once treated, he will never get another gallstone. It wasn’t cancer. It wasn’t a bowel blockage that would require risky bowel surgery. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, this one is best case scenario! I got a quick 2-3 hours of rest before getting up and heading back to the hospital. I dropped Joanne off with instructions to grab b...

​Ethan took a beating with the heat today. I had the house nice and cool for him when he got home. He was pretty bummed about having to pay the $12,000 back. He is quite stressed about it. I tried calling to set up a payment plan for him. Even though I am listed as an advocate, they still need to talk to him directly! Annoying! He is also upset about the Medicaid and how he is supposed to pay for his medications as well as testing. He will now cut corners. I know it! My father-in-law wasn’t feeling well. I drove to their house and gave him options of what he could do. He had already gone to the ER earlier that day but left after a 3 hour wait. We went to a different emergency room. We have been here since 8:30 pm. I am the driver. It is 11:30 now and he has been taken back, gotten his blood drawn and an xray. He still has not been seen by a doctor. I have a tooth that needs a filling removed and replaced at 8 am. Tomorrow is going to be a long day with back to back meetings with a numb...