Finally figured out my password... I finally worked out how to post from a kiosk (in the hospital)

Thank you all for your kind wishes re Don's health. Unfortunately he seems to be getting worse daily. He has been in Intensive Care now for almost two weeks on and off a ventillator. Everyt time they take him off, he seems to go through a process where he can't eliminate Carbon Dioxide and he quickly goes back into Respitory Arrest...so now the ventillator is in full time till they can figure out why. Also his lungs just keep filling up with fluid which is constantly being drained and he has a tube draining off from each lung.

I am very afraid for him and I know he is suffering dreadfully, but because of the ventillator tube, and his sedation which seems to be a bit too much it is hard to communicate with him apart from him nodding or shaking his head.

Melissa (eldest) was really shattered the other day when he accidentally bit through a little blue tube which goes down alongside the breathing one to hold it in place ...I think with a little balloon...a luttle gush of air came out and he looked straight at her, and we heard his voice for the first time in a while and he just whispered "Help me." Poor bugger. Then they descended en masse with trollies and doctors etc as he was unable to breathe effectively...

Hi will only survive if there is a miracle. I am hoping for one, but accepting slowly that it all may be too much for him.

I can't even touch his face with my fingers because he now has MRSA (GMulti resistant Staph where an arterial line was taken out...we have to glove up and put stupid aprons of plastic on...its a joke...the Staph is right throughout the hospital and has been since the 1980's when he fist caught it.

Hopefully today will bring some good news

Some help needed please

Hold this wonderful man in your thoughts if you can...he is very very sick and I have grown rather fond of him over the past 35 (hell...that long?) years...

and the wonderfully handsome doggie Thorn is never wrong...because he usually favours the girls...so has made Don and Honorary girl

and that is an honour coming from Thorn the wonder dog.

Away for a week or two.

Tonight Don was finally taken by Air Ambulance to Sydney (Royal North Shore Hospital) and hopefully will get some of his chest problems sorted a bit.

I'm driving down early tomorrow . Should be there about 2. Hopefully for no longer than 2 weeks...our eldest daughter gets married in just over a month and is awful to think we might be stuck down there so prayers or wishes that its straight forward and that they can help him and also get him back home in time.

I hate leaving this place...its like a sanctury from the world...but that too is an illusion and probably do me good to realise this fact. People are what matters most really ...

I found this lovely photo
taken of our youngest many years back ...she was 10 here and 29 now...when I look at thi I see the spirit of her, even though she was tying her Golliwog (wooo ahhh ) dollie to a tree stump necause it had been a bit bad,,,who could tell?

Easter Monday.

Today is one of those achingly beautiful days that you try to remind yourself to remember. There is a soft misting rain, and the sun is out here and there..all the trees are hanging droplets looking like multi coloured jewels, and dripping gently...its cool and quiet. Don is asleep...he goes first to the local hospital tomorrow all going as it should, and then Sydney. I really hate things getting out of our control, and hate being away from the bush about the house. I am in no way moved to travel, I see this place fresh every morning early (am a very early birdie), and its like its all new again for me. I am lucky this way I think.

I had an odd dream the night before last. It was so real. I was amongst family in the present time. But my 29yr old daughter was there as about 4-6 yrs of age. SShe had on a really wwell worn cotton T shirt nightie she used to love, which seemed to grown with her. As a child, if we had family visit, she would sometimes wait for me around corners and jump up into my arms and give me really good hugs...for no reason. IN my dream she did this over and over and it was wonderful. Each hug felt like it was lifting something...but I could smell her skin...all kids have a different smell.

(found this photo of her in that nightie - 1985)

It was much more special that how I am telling, she was not the wellest of kids, and always had a soft touch, easy to pick up and eyes you could drown in which seemed to be too old for a little kid.

(this has absolutely no relevance to this post but I just found it again...was taken about 6 months before Don had his accident and Melissa was 6 and Ali 3...Don was 32. It was very muddy. Alison used to wonder why she was sitting over by herself - sob- But I'll have to tell her that there's a bloody great uncomfortable bit of metal sticking up in between her and Melissa - they do love you Alison!!!)

Our eldest 32, was in the dream and as usual she was happy and smiling with her great flashing smile and lovely dark blue eyes, but she was the age she is today...odd dream.

In the dream I felt right. That things were wonderful...a gift dream I think.

American ?
Something I am curious about.... and raised in a comment with Mirk...

How come it is that Canadians live in North America but are Canadians.?
Mexicans live in North America but are called Mexicans ?
Peruvians live in South America and called Peruvians?
Brazilians live also in South America and ...yes Brazilians ?

But Americans live only in the United States and are never called United Stateians...but Americans as if they live and own the whole North and South of America...?

Is it just me or is this wierd stuff?

Australian Idol a few years back

- she is a "great" not many ofthem about...but they only want the chicken squawkers, who can only sound like Celine Dion, or Britany whatever her name is, or some Mo Fo from whatever wherever... but they have to be THIN...Casey is not thin and thats what people in our airhead world seem to focus on...not taletn and gift, but appearance.

Sling raised the subject of American idol and some singer called Sayanta or sommat




"Casey Donovan was nominated for an ARIA award last year as part of the highest-selling album category (alongside Missy Higgins, Anthony Callea, Delta Goodrem and Guy Sebastian) but the singer has become a high-profile victim of the "chew 'em up and spit 'em out" philosophy behind Australian Idol.
Donovan, who won the second series of the reality show, publicly revealed last week she had been dumped by major record label Sony BMG. But when S approached the company to work out what happened to Donovan's career, a couple of Sony BMG contacts first insisted they knew "nothing about it". (Apparently the decision came from the very top and was yet to trickle down to other staff.) Later, a Sony BMG representative said: "Yes, she is no longer with the label."
But a family friend of Donovan, who has known the singer for years, has revealed the behind-the-scenes reality of the Sony BMG dumping. He said Donovan was given the boot in March. "But that's after they strung her along for a long time," he said.
"The official reason she was given was [because] of their extensive Australian roster, they didn't feel they had the time [for her].
"I think she got railroaded."
A tentative plan had been put in place for Donovan's next album, but her appearance outside a Sydney court (while placing a restraining order on her father) earlier this year is said to have influenced the record company's call.
"She certainly doesn't fit their image, put it that way," the family friend added. But he said it was family issues, rather than any concerns about Donovan's physical appearance, that affected the record company's decision.
The good news for 18-year-old Donovan is that she's now taking time out to reassess her career - and work things out with her family - and she is considering offers from at least two independent labels.Source: The Sun-Herald"

Homeless
America Gone Wrong: A Slashed Safety Net Turns Libraries into Homeless Shelters
http://www.alternet.org/story/50023

public libraries have become de facto daytime shelters for the nation's street people while librarians are increasingly our unofficial social workers for the homeless and mentally disturbed.

Just a bit of silliness

NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND
I promise you cannot read these and not laugh out loud.These are real notes written by parents in a southern Indiana school district. Spellings have been left intact. 1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.
2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot.
3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.
4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating.
5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.
6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.
7. Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.
8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.
9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.
10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels.
11. Please excuse Lesli from being absent yesterday. She had diahre dyrea direathe the shits.
12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak.
13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.
14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.
15. I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear
16. Please excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday.

17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral.
18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines.
19. Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.
20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.
21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.
22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor.
23. Maryann was absent december 11-16, because she had a fever, sorethroat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever an sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.
Now we know why parents are screaming for better education.

A bit of a rough sort of picture...

still...Happy Easter y'all... every year our daughters tell us "no chocolate...no chocolate" and I post chocolate...usuallywith a pair of really warm winter Pjamas...we are going into winter here...

This year as I realised they are 32 and 29 I took them at their word and just bought winter Pj's for them and their respective boyfirends... ho hum! I even found "Little Miss Naughty Pj's and Little Miss naughty was a fvourite of theirs as kids... (part of the Mr Men and Little Miss series)

Little miss 29 said "oooohhh I'd just love some chocolates...just about 3 or 4 Lindt "

too bloody late now... its Good Friday and my very expensive registered mail is winging its way to them with pjamas for girl and gur inside...and no chocolates.... maybe next year I'll be asked for Chocolates

Well here we are,

( he is lovely isn't he??)
Only a little over a month from our daughter's wedding here in Port Macquarie (Australia)... today Don's doctor came to the house with all his notes and Xrays and a very serious look upon his baby face...and I tell you I felt like laughing at him when he came in all sympathetic and "caring" but I couldn't because we need him.
It appears now that Don has had a lot more fluid build up in his lungs, also new infection ...hm wonder did that come from when they tapped the lung in early March...and then forgot about us...
Don literally begged his GP for another CT scan which he finally had done on Monday although the GP said "wait another couple of weeks" Duh!
So this scan showed up lots more fluid, infection and lso a pocket of air which the Gp believed was caused whe they tapped the lung ...in early March.
The upshot of this is they now need to get Don down to Sydney next week by Air ambulance (he is too frail to go by car or commercial airline...) but before they do that there will be a day in the local hospital draining fluid and getting rid of that air pocket so his bloody lungs cope with the bloody pressure oin the air ambulance...
So! Back to bloody filthy Royal North Shore Spinal Unit...the capital of Golden Staph and infection... The capital of aircondtioning vents with threads of something alien hanging out of them....waving in the breezes of air I worry about breathing. They have whole wards of the Spinal Unit given over to MRSA (Golden Staph) and so much so that the docs don't even bother to wash hands any more.
I used to be a hospital cleaner (one of my first jobs) in 1972-73...in a Catholic hospital where Ajax was used, Metho was used, and we scrubbed and had adequate time for proper claening and almost no cross infection so I know what I am talking about. Modern big city hospitals are filthy...filthy beyond belief and proper hand washing is a joke...its all wipe wipe wipe with miracle solutions which are supposed to kill everything but germs are now immune to...
Don's not saying much but I know he is upset...there is a bit of concern that some of the results of that CT scan and blood tests point to lung cancer....so we are just hoping...he wants sooo much to be at Melissa's wedding, to escort her down the aisle and say something nice to her, about her later on...hopefully he will and hopefully he willstill be alive when the youngest marries...
the doc wrote us up a letter for this holiday weekend just in case there was an emergency and we needed to go to emergency... he said it was possible/likely...hope not.
I guess I am on auto right now...

(Melissa, Don and I in March)
But tonight when we go to bed, I will lay beside my lovely cantankerous husband and put my hand on his forehead, chest and neck (he has no feeling past there) and he will use his arm to draw my hand up into the hollow of his neck and we will sleep without worry as we do often.
He will talk in his sleep and I may snore a little (I do not snore he says I do but I do not)...old Thorn the red Kelpie will sleep quietly near our door and all will be right with our world and thats all we can effect... later on things may get out of our control...but now is all any one of us have got...and it is better to live now, draw comfort now, be stupid now, silly now, angry now whatever...
tomorrow takes care of itself I reckon.
.

Weasel Words


If you have had a gutful of trying to understand what anyone is talking about these days there are a couple of books or sites you might like to have a look at...like when my eldest sister came out of a meeting at the hospital where she worked and said she had no idea what that meeting was all about...because it had all been cloaked in Weasel words which sound impressive to the uninitiated...but mean nothing whatsoever. She bemoaned the waste of time which could have been better spend doing Renal Dialysis...the job for which she is paid, than to sit and listen to a table full of Human resources type people find new ways to justify their existance.

I have recently finished "Weasel words" by Don Watson and "Death Sentence (the decay of public Language)" also by Don Watson. I reccommend a look at the website
http://www.weaselwords.com.au/index3.htm

Some examplesof the clarity of political speak which make it all clear as crystal:-
"Biological agent'What John Howard and Alexander Downer call flour. The Age: 'Howard's bio-terror distortion.'Whack those HAZCHEM signs on your kitchen cupboards now.

'It's not an identity card ... it's an access card that's used to authenticate identity.'A spokeswoman for Human Services Minister Joe Hockey. From an article on ZDNet (thanks again to Michael Crowe)

'If you cannot read, this brochure tells you where to get lessons.'Centrelink leaflet on multi-cultural services (thanks to Ian McDonald

'If accepted, (and we note that the factual matrix on which this hypothesis rests is not made out), it would not help ...'Tasmanian Anti Discrimination Tribunal (thanks to Jennifer)

‘Policy is a mechanism for the translation of the priorities and values of the organisation into programs and practices to deliver outcomes.' A government definition of policy. (Thanks to Craig Hamilton)

'A new focus highlighting the role volunteering plays not just in contributing to the delivery of government services but also in enhancing social capital, as a vehicle for community education and behaviour change, and for building the capacity and connectedness of individuals and communities in Western Australia...'Premiers Circular 2006/09-Guidelines for Successful Partnerships between Public Sector Agencies and VolunteersFrom morris in the Forum