Recuperation journey: Late morning visitor

 A welcome sight through the window.

Recuperation journey: Looking at the sky

 I saw some beautiful clouds Tuesday evening while at a friend's house in Milford.

Recuperation journey: Looking at the sky

 Backyard view at 5:45 p.m. Thursday. 

Recuperation journey: Looking out the slider

 

 Starlings having suet for breakfast on a snowy morning.

Recuperation journey: Looking out the window

Berry breakfast in the snow.

Recuperation journey: Looking at the sky

 To the North ...

and to the West, two minutes later:

Have a nice evening!

Recuperation journey: Looking at the sky

   

 ... through the trees at 8:05 p.m.

Recuperation journey: Around the yard - Part 20

 Newsflash: Rain revives zinnia. 

Recuperation journey: Sunset, moonrise

Sunset view from backyard.

Today's waxing gibbous moon, 96 percent illumination.

Recuperation journey: Looking out the window

Inhale...

and exhale.

It looked to me like he was doing his morning neck stretch. Cardinal calisthenics?

Recuperation journey: Looking at the Monday afternoon sky

Sunset at 4:25 p.m.

Waxing gibbous moon is 82 percent visible.

Recuperation journey: Blowin' in the wind

 November afternoon in Derby.

Recuperation journey: Looking at the morning sky

Today's moon is in a Waning Gibbous phase, 52 percent illumination.

Have a Happy Halloween! 

Recuperation journey: Sunset serenity

   Sunday sunset seen from Ansonia Hilltop.

Recuperation journey: Looking at the sky

No visible sunset? No problem. The waxing gibbous moon was available tonight for a photo. 🌝 It will be a full moon Wednesday.

Recuperation journey: Gray day? No way

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and those who fill the important role of mom on this special Sunday. 
We don't need flowers, but we do enjoy them!

Recuperation journey: Celebrations

Tomorrow, May 5, is a day for celebrations.
There's Cinco de Mayo if you like Mexican food and margaritas, the Kentucky Derby if you're into horse racing and mint juleps, and then there's my first kidneyversary.

The actual surgery date is May 9, but there is another very important celebration I'll be attending that day, so tomorrow it is.

A friend who can't attend a small pizza party I've planned to mark the anniversary of my transplant sent me this lovely surprise today. 

I'm feeling blessed.

Newsletter highlights grand opening at Basement Systems in Seymour

Dear readers,

Today's Valley Voice newsletter highlights innovative entrepreneur Larry Janesky and a celebration of the opening of his ninth building in Silvermine Industrial Park in Seymour.

It also features my journalism mentor and longtime editor Bob Pollack's reaction to attending a press conference at Yale-New Haven Hospital that announced my participation in an 18-kidney exchange.  

Thanks as always for reading,

Patti

Recuperation journey: Today's the day

I could barely sleep last night anticipating today's event: a meet and greet for nine kidney recipients and their donors followed by a press conference at Yale-New Haven Hospital. 

I'm so excited to meet the person whose gift changed my life for the better! 

Recuperation journey: Expect the unexpected

I ended up spending Friday night at Hotel Yale-New Haven. 
It was a rather spur-of-the-moment visit. 

Without going into detail, on Friday I experienced a symptom I hadn't had before. It was concerning so I called the transplantation center. My kidney transplant was on May 9, and luckily I've had no complications since then.

My nephrologist had me go to the ER, where my daughter, Allegra, and I waited for more than seven hours before learning they wanted to admit me. 
We were surprised when they told us that, since an ultrasound had showed no problems with my new kidney.

Since I wasn't in any pain and the staff was busy with many patients coming in, we had to wait in the hallway. It was a perfect place for people watching. 

Some of the conversations I couldn't help but overhear were quite interesting. 
The best line was when a physician told an older man the procedure he was going to perform would have "no complications except for pain." 

Allegra and I were getting punchy at that point and thought that was really amusing.
I finally got into a room at 3 a.m. on the transplant floor. 

This was my view this morning:

But all's well that ends well. My nephrologist and the surgeon who performed the transplant visited me this morning and told me they were sending me home! That was a nice surprise. I was expecting more tests.

I have to follow up with another specialist this week. But that's no biggie. One gets used to all this stuff.

This was my nicer view in May, seen from the same floor but in another part of the building.