Happy birthday, Dad!
Friday June 05th 2009, 10:59 pm
Filed under: Crohn's flare,Family,Wildlife

imgp1959I called my Dad today to wish him a happy birthday. (This is an old photo but I think it captures him so well.)

He gave me a mild scold that I’d been talking about birds on my blog and avoiding telling what’s going on.  I allowed as how that was true.  But they’re so cute!

So.  How ’bout them peregrines?  Two were snoozing at the end of the ledge this afternoon, and one gets up after awhile and decides it’s time to go play.  He (of course it’s Veer, who else) nudges his sister with his beak. She’s snoozing. He tries again; nothing doing. He picks up that big foot of his and gives her a decided shove.

Veer–let me explain this to you.  I am ignoring you.  I am ASLEEP.  Notice the closed eyes?

He puts his foot out again and broadsides her.  Waits for a response.  Nada.

Does it again, at which point she turns her head away and does all but roll her eyes, which are now finally open.  VEER!  I. Am. NOT. getting. UP!

On the other side of siblinghood, yesterday, when Kya was up on that roof drying off from her ordeal, a report came in this morning that said that she’d flattened herself down in the way that’s referred to as “pancaking,” the way the babies sleep, with feet out behind and bellies flat, to soon see one of her siblings (one report said Veer, one, Ilahay) who’d flown up there to keep her company.  The arrival pancaked down beside her and stayed there till Kya was ready to pick herself up and give it a go again.  She was not alone.

She ended up eventually safely back in the nest.

I don’t know if that was her on the ledge today with her brother or if it was another sister.  C’mon! There’s a gorgeous world waiting out there for us. I’ve seen it!  Let’s go fly!

Give it a rest for now, okay, Veer?

Oh, alright, be that way, and he half flew half ran off down the ledge and away.

——————-

And just because it’s Dad’s birthday and he wants me to, okay, yes,  I’ll add a report.  My Dr. R finally got back from his sabbatical, something I’d been waiting for (along with probably half the population in town, it must feel like to him.)

Bleeding below the endpoint of the colectomy surgery, pain above in upper GI, although less of the latter now.  So.  I’m to go on prednisone again while hoping it’s not enough to set off a diabetes reaction again, come in for x-rays next Thursday and see him again the next day, and meantime he scoped that bleeding stapled-off stump.  (The big G search engine is not my friend on any further description here and that’s probably more than you want to read anyway.)  Totally Crohn’s-y looking.  Further surgery is one eventual option, but not yet.  Biopsies taken.

And I had not told him anything about it nor said anything to her this morning, but it was all I could do not to snicker as he surprised me by telling the nurse I’d “already been prepped” for the scope: she had shoved a pamphlet at me last week with pre-sigmoidoscopy dietary restrictions.  I’d tried to explain to her that there was no colon.

She insisted.

No connection.  Does Not Apply.

She still insisted.

I drank my thoroughly-dairy-containing hot cocoa yesterday morning and this with a feeling that it was an act of defiance.

Guess who was assisting at the scope.  Not that I’d said anything to her, but.  A lesson to myself not to roll my eyes at any nurse ever, even just from within, because you never know when you’ll need them, and besides.  Who doesn’t need a little gentleness their way anyway.  It was probably at least partly a language barrier, which must be very difficult for her and I of all people, with my deafness issues, knew it.

Meantime, I am enjoying my time chuckling at the antics of teenage birds acting so much like my kids did and my siblings and I before that, while grateful to good parents who helped us learn to spread our wings well.  Happy birthday, Dad!


15 Comments so far
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I agree with your dad (Happy Birthday Alison’s Dad!!!) more news and knitting etc and less teenaged birds 🙂 Their antics are fun (I have teeneged human and cat boys)and entertaining but we all want to know how you are doing and to know that all is ok (or not).

Comment by Danielle from SW MO 06.06.09 @ 5:06 am

Happy birthday to your dad! I’m glad you have your birds to watch. Sometimes, we need a distraction, and sometimes, we just need a friend/sibling/whomever to plop down and just BE with us while we recover.

Comment by Channon 06.06.09 @ 5:33 am

Happy birthday, Dad! And prayers, as always, continue for your wonderful self.

Comment by Kristine 06.06.09 @ 7:03 am

I remember when hubby was in the hospital for kidney surgery. The nurse met with me to get his history, and I explained that he had only one kidney. The nurse wanted to know when/why the other had been removed. I explained that he was born with only one. She insisted. I said he has always had only one – she kept asking – she just didn’t get it. Until I finally grasped the word I had been looking for – “it was congenital!” She finally got it. Sometimes they just can’t see the forest for the trees.

Comment by Niki 06.06.09 @ 7:39 am

The poor nurse probably just thought you weren’t understanding her medical terms and didn’t know what a colon was, since everybody has one, right?

Comment by LauraN 06.06.09 @ 9:37 am

Your description of the nurse reminds me of Marie. Last Thursday in our neighborhood knitting/stitching group Marie began complaining about her counted cross-stitch. The colors weren’t doing it for her. Well… we said, if it’s too much yellow for you now, add the blues and greens sooner rather than later. She hadn’t thought of that.

A little later, she complained again. This time showing us all the colors she had. Lee suggested she could change the colors. Upon which Marie burst out very heatedly that she’s a four-square sort of a person. She does as she’s told; if she doesn’t like the result, she throws it out.

That explained a lot I hadn’t understood about Marie. My mind doesn’t generally tend toward what Marie is calling four square.

Comment by RobinM 06.06.09 @ 10:44 am

Well! Finally! A word about your condition! I am really sorry to hear that. Much worse than mine, which, I think, is finally getting better. My chiropractor is doing me a special favor today (Saturday) at noon.

You talk about falcons — Monday I will have some astonishing bird photos on my blog. No, not MY kids.

Comment by Don Meyer 06.06.09 @ 10:47 am

Well! Finally! A word about your condition! I am really sorry to hear that. Much worse than mine, which, I think, is finally getting better. My chiropractor is doing me a special favor today (Saturday) at noon.

You talk about falcons — Monday I will have some astonishing bird photos on my blog. No, not MY kids.

Fun time:

Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.

When two egotists meet, it’s an I for an I.

A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two tired.

What’s the definition of a will? (It’s a dead giveaway.)

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism, your count votes.

She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off.

A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

If you don’t pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.

With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

Comment by Don Meyer 06.06.09 @ 10:49 am

ah sweetie I was wondering what you were avoiding with all the bird stuff – not that I didn’t enjoy the bird stuff — see we all know you but only your dad was brave enough to call you out on it …..

btw love love love the picture — your dad looks like he has a bit of Dennis the Menace in him by the twinkle in his eyes.

Comment by rho 06.06.09 @ 11:11 am

Happy birthday, Mr. Hyde! And wishes for many more happy, healthy ones to come.

Prayers heading your way as always, Alison. Take care of yourself, and I do hope all will be sorted out quickly, in your favor, ASAP. (((((hugs)))))

Enjoying your bird reports! My hummingbird feeder is as busy as Grand Central Station. Not quite the same thrill as peregrines, but exciting just the same, for someone who had never seen any hummingbirds up until a year or two ago. Now they fly in and buzz me when I’m hanging my wash out on the deck!

Comment by Paula (mad angel) 06.06.09 @ 3:17 pm

Whoops! That would be Happy Birthday, Mr. Jeppson. Silly me. Brain not engaged. Have been writing too many listings on Etsy today and really should go and cozy up with some knitting or something…

Comment by Paula (mad angel) 06.06.09 @ 3:20 pm

What a coincedence, my dads birthday is June 5th also:) Happy Birthday to your dad too. I’m so sorry you’re still having medical issues. You remain in my prayers.

Comment by TripletMom 06.06.09 @ 9:04 pm

Happy Birthday, Mr. Jeppson.

Yes, Alison, I know. Sometimes it becomes just too much of a burden to answer the question: “How are you?” We all wish you well, and want to support you as best we can.

Comment by Barbara-Kay 06.07.09 @ 4:53 am

Glad to have an update, helps me focus my energies for you :-}
Re: being prepped. It reminds me of the time when, as a teen, I was in for abdominal surgery. The nurse came in all prepared to shave my back.

I insisted she look again at the chart, but as I was a teen I needed to be extra firm and repeat it several times before she’d listen.

Lets just say it was a ‘close shave’. She wasn’t happy and wasn’t as gentle as someone else might have been.

Comment by Diana Troldahl 06.07.09 @ 9:33 am

Happy Belated Birthday!

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Comment by Sonya 06.08.09 @ 12:24 pm



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