I pick Margie up at the hospital and then drive her through insane traffic and panicked moose safely to our home
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 4:03AM ;)
I slept with my iPhone right by my ear and so was awakened a bit before 11:00 AM by Margie's call to tell me that she would soon be released and so I could come in and get her.
11:00 AM - sounds very lazy. But I had not been able to go to sleep until 5:00 and I ran out of Vicodin two days okay and while it is possible that I could call the doctor and get the prescription refilled I have decided that I don't want to take it anymore and will just tough it out. I did not sleep that good. I bet my shingles woke me up AT LEAST 30 times. Maybe I should rethink that decision. We'll see. So, even at 11:00, it was very difficult to get up, but I did not want to leave my wife in the hospital, so I got up.
When I reached her, I was a little dismayed to learn that she has a plastic tube going into the place were her gall bladder used to be. Fluids drain out of that place into a little bag that she keeps safety pinned to the inside of her shirt. She must bear this burden until November 30, when I bring her back to see the doctor again.
Still, you can see that she was happy to be getting out of the hospital and headed toward home.
Anyone who read yesterday's post has probably already figured out that the building seen through the window is the hospital - the Alaska Native Medical Center.
;)
Soon, we were on the Glenn Highway, headed toward the Parks Highway and home. As you can see, the traffic was absolutely insane. For some reason, when I look at this picture, I hear that old TV jingle that used to accompany Chevy commericials on TV:
"See the USA in your Chevrolet..."
Back then, our family car was a Ford.
And today, I was driving a Ford.
Ford Escape.
"See the USA, in your Ford Escape..."
;)
There were school buses roaming about, packed with studious kids who would have preferred to remain at school, but now had to go home.
About this time, a text came to our phones simultaneously. Margie was free to look at hers. It was from Lisa. It was an iPhone shot of her and Melanie, in Carrizo, Arizona, White Mountain Apache Tribe, standing with their Grandma Rose, Margie's mom.
;)
Finally, we were in Wasilla, headed up Lucille Street. Just before we reached Metro Cafe, this moose crossed the road in front of us. When you see moose crossing the roads right in front of traffic and often dying in the process, they seem like pretty stupid animals. But I think in the woods they are pretty smart. Not as smart as bears and wolves, but pretty smart just the same.
If they weren't, they wouldn't still be here. The bears and wolves would have got them all and then the poor ravens would have had to make do without their moose carrion. It's just that living in the woods for how many tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands or milliions of years, moose had no need to learn about roads so they didn't. They didn't even bother to develop the capacity to learn about roads.
Now they are undergoing a crash course and maybe sooner or later the survivors will ultimately evolve to the point where they figure it out.
They might even start driving cars themselves; they might run over us, sometimes.
I asked Marige if she wanted me to pull into the Metro drive through but she just wanted to go home.
The moment we got home, Margie asked if I would take a picture of her with her iPhone so she could send it in return to Lisa and Lisa could show it to Rose and all present so they would know that their mother and daughter had made it home safely.
So I did.
Reader Comments (18)
glad she is home
I wish you and Margie (and all of your family) a happy and restful Thanksgiving. I'm so glad your lovely wife is home with you!
Welcome home Margie! Now both of you get the rest you need to heal properly. Bill, get the vicodin. I recently had a minor surgery on the inside of my ankle, developed a massive infection & was in a lot of pain. It woke me every time I turned over & I, too, tried to tough it out. The Dr. questioned me & asked if I needed a refill. Nope, said the tough pioneer woman, I can handle it. He then proceeded to bawl me out & asked how I expected my body to heal when I wasn't getting any rest & had the added stress of fighting the pain. I followed his orders to get a refill & was mighty glad I did. Since you need both rest and freedom from stress (pain) to heal your shingles, I suggest you do the same. OK - Nag over. :-) Take care, wishing you both a speedy recovery!!!
Great pictures, I especially love the one of Margie.
Lots to be thankful for, eh? Now you can enjoy an intimate Thanksgiving with your best friend.
Welcome home Margie! Glad things went well. Get your rest as those babies will soon be home and wanting their Grandma to take care of them and make Christmas cookies and curl up in your lap! Stay warm and healthy! Happy Thanksgiving to both of you! Hope the shingles get better BIll. Better get some more pills so you can get your sleep. We need everyone well for Christmas! Linx's first Christmas. Need a twinkly tree for him to watch! Again, welcome home Margie!
YAY.. Margie's home!
Take care Mr Bill :)
So glad Margie is home and doing well. You need to focus on yourself as well Bill. I must agree with Katz...get the refill, you arent doing yourself any favors by trying to tough things out. I remember when my grandmother had shingles and how painful it was for her. Take care of yourself!
I've had the scanner going and lots of moose vs vehicle collisions in the Valley lately. Seems like more than usual for this time of year.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours Bill.
Happy to see she's back home! I hope you have a sweet, sleepy Thanksgiving together. Now it's time to heal...
hurray! margie looks great!
bill, would love to see a picture of margie's mom and your kids in AZ.
I'm glad she's home and can't wait for her full recovery to be announced. :) Hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday together.
happy thanksgiving to you both. The best medicine you have for you both is your love and togetherness.......much to be thankful for. Love ya both. take care and get a lot of rest.
martyna
Twain - Me too!
ManxMamma - You have a happy Thanksgiving, too.
Katzkids - Yes, you are right. I am a bit afraid of pain killers, because of what happened to me the last time I was on them. But this time will not be as long as that.
WakeUpAmerica - Would you believe it? She is making pumpkin chiffon pie right now! I am thankful for every bite of pumpkin chiffon pie that I have ever had or ever will have.
Mrs. Gunka - I have not had my prescription refilled yet, but Margie brought some Vicodin home with her and after being in bed for several hours with no sleep, I borrowed one and was able to sleep after that.
Me - I will. You take care, too.
LisaJ - The same back to you this Thanksgiving - oh, your poor grandmother! And these poor moose!
Angel - It is not going to be the big Arizona family gathering Thanksgiving that we had planned on, but it will be good. And Caleb will be here to help us eat it.
Ruth - She does. I will have to see what I can do about that.
Velma - Give us one more week and I hope we can make that announcement.
Martyna - Thank you - and for anybody who doesn't know, Martyna is the one who brought Margie and me together. We love you, too.
aha...I see MARGIE ...!!!
Thanks and giving back to you Mr.FROSTY...
No need to reply...we do love you too!!!
Enjoy the family and the Wasilla people!!!
I'm glad she's home. I love that last photo you took to report her well-being.
Happy Thanksgiving Bill and family.
A favorite poem by Joy Harjo always comes to mind on Thanksgiving :
"...At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.
Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite"
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179782
Best wishes to you and Margie and your whole family, Bill.
The gathering in your home may be small this year but the rich fullness of the life you lead will people all the chairs in the room with those you love.
SO glad Margie is home! Love, love, love the first pic in the post!
Bill,
I am so glad Margie is doing better and I hope she's fully recovered by now. I also hope your misery will come to an end very soon; I can't even imagine what that feels like, despite your many descriptions...
I also hope your Christmas will be one of the best for your family and that it will open the door to a healthy, happy and prosperous year to all of you!
Hope, hope, hope... what would one be without it?...
Best wishes,
Your faithful reader - lily m.