My Staycation in Anchorage, Part 10, Barnacles and Vitals Thieves

Barnacles and Vitals Thieves

 

And yet another nurse arrives beside my hospital bed and says, “May I take your vitals?”

I reply, “If you girls keep “taking” my vitals, soon I won’t have any left.”   That one took a moment, but she got it.

All my smart-mouth joking serves a purpose.  Not only does it keep me on the bright side, but it also lets me know that everything is okay cognitively.  I continue to monitor myself assiduously for any signs of anesthesia-related cognitive decline.   That was my worst fear about surgery.

Later on, two nurses arrive for checks, and this time they want to see my five laparoscopic incisions.  I pull up my gown and they count the four near my waistline.

When she hesitates after counting four, I say, “The last one is up here near the barnacles.”   I am referring to the brown seborrheic keratosis that dot my torso and back.  They are caused by many factors like age, genetics, and exposure to sun, and are common in the elderly.

 

This time, all three of us started giggling and it took a while before the ladies could continue their exam.   They left smiling.  Score! I said to myself.   

 

Diane arrives with a bouquet of flowers.   They are a replacement for a previous bouquet sent by Diane’s daughter and two sons and were to contain specific flowers with specific meanings.   The daughter was not happy with the first lovely bouquet as it did not contain lavender, which symbolizes purity, silence, devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness. 

First flowers

Neither did the second bouquet—purple stocks.   Nonetheless, it’s the thought that counts and the flowers are lovely. 

Second flowers

Once again, I am wheeled down to the Ultra Sound lab where a tech locates and pinpoints the spot for another tech to drain the pleural effusion around my left lung.   This time, the half-liter of fluid is not milky and is a brighter red.   My “limousine driver” wheels me back up to the third floor and I get back in bed.  

Altogether, they have drained 1.8 liters of fluid from around my lungs.  Picture almost two Nalgene bottles of fluid, or close to four lbs.!

 If all goes well, I can expect to be discharged tomorrow.

Tomorrow arrives.   Another X-ray reveals only a residual amount of fluid around the right lung.  Not enough to worry about as long as I am breathing well.   

As I pack up to leave the hospital, I ask Diane what she thinks about giving the second bouquet to my roommate.   She approves.  We call the woman’s husband and give him the flowers.    He gives them to his wife and she is happy.

He says, “They put my single rose to shame.”

Ah, my.   So often my good intentions have unintended consequences.

Back at the hotel, we are in a new room as we had to change rooms when our original reservation expired.    

I climb into a sofa bed with an array of pillows that prop me semi-upright, per instructions.  

Then, I start to make plans to go home.  It’s now Saturday.  We canceled Diane’s original Friday flight home and rescheduled it for Monday night.  I get in touch with my friend Julie, who lives in an apartment on my property.  She is returning Sunday from vacation and I will get a ride with her.   Diane will have use of the pickup until Monday.  

Neighbors volunteer to go to Anchorage to get my truck and bring it to Moose Pass for me.   All is set and by Sunday late afternoon, a week after first going to Anchorage, I am home.

Then begins the at-home recovery process.  It will be marked by successes and setbacks, but no more hospital visits.

Notes from the Denali Highway: The Nature Hike, Part One

Leilani’s cell phone makes a bloop sound that indicates she has a message.   She looks, then says a friend had found upland sandpipers close to where we are on the Denali highway

“That would be a major coup!” she proclaims, so off we go.   We park, walk across the road, and start hiking up a dirt trail that’s lined with willows taller than us.   We hear lots of little chirps and tweets, but see no birds.

Eventually, the willows give way to open tundra and we are distracted by the numerous wildflowers.  The growing season is short here, and the plants and blooms are small as a result.

Bell heather

Perhaps narcissus-flowered anemone, with budding purple lupine

Frigid Shooting Star

Woolly lousewort

Perhaps hairy Arctic milk vetch

Pink Plumes 

Soon, she says she hears a whimbrel, and after a bit of sleuthing, we spot it.   This elegant shorebird with the gracefully down-curved bill gives us several good looks before flying off.

We go back to the truck, happy with our score.   It’s another lifer for me.

As we drive along, we see Jamin and Michael approaching, so we stop our vehicles in the middle of the road.

“Want to go for a hike?” Jamin asks.  He is going to lead us on a short hike to a small pond where he and Michael had been photographing plovers, a long-tailed jaeger and numerous waterfowl the afternoon before.

The lure of the long-tailed jaeger is strong.   It would be a lifer for both of us.

Just over that small mound at far left is where we hope to find a treasure load of birds.

To be continued

Gullible's Gazette

MUNDANE ITEMS
OF CASUAL INTEREST

 
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION:

I've been hearing about them so on a recent hot day in Anchorage , I stopped at McFastfood and ordered a McFlurry.

This is how it was presented to me:

The McMess looked like it was barfing.

MORNINGS AND EVENINGS:

Trail Lake in the morning

Summit Lake in the evening.  The camera can't quite capture the golden hue on the water.   That's a campground across the lake.

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, INSTANT GRATIFICATION:

Speaking of lakes, I stopped one evening at the Tern Lake overlook and took this photo.

This is the smaller part of the lake.

Then I drove down to the pullout where a photographer asked me if the view was better up above.   He climbed the hill, took photos, then later came back down to the lake.

He has a camera on a tripod, a camera hanging from each shoulder, and he's taking photos with his smart phone.   Instant posting instant gratification.  I wonder if he uses the phone to video an explanation of where he is so he can identify his camera photos?

FORGET ME NOT:

I came across these Forget-Me-Nots while picking up litter.  In covering 50 miles of Seward Highway, this is the first time I have seen this flower along the highway.

Not quite in focus on macro, but a better representation of the true color.  One of the reasons it's the state flower is its color--blue and gold.   The state flag is also blue and gold--blue of the sky and gold for the Great North Star.  The Big Dipper and the North Star are represented on the flag against a field of blue.

This is where I found the flowers, right above where my yellow litter bag is sitting.  I think the seeds were placed there intentionally.

Beautimous:

 CHANGING OF THE SEASONS:

Dogs shed, moose shed, bears shed, and mountains shed their snow white duvets.   This occurred yesterday afternoon while I was assembling the mow deck on my John Deere tractor.

The mountain somewhat behind my home.

It started in the cornice at the top.

                        

LITTER PICKING SPONSORS:

This summer's litter picking brought to you by Carlene, who told me about lamb's wool, and Celiene, who picked up four rolls of paper tape in Anchorage for me.

Warning:   Graphic Photo.   Sensitive eyes might want to turn away now.   Hide your children.

Ready to go.