3 days, 3 hospitals

 I had a bit of a problem with my heart a few days ago. The local hospital wasn't equipped (I assume) to deal with me in Hawera, so they sent me by ambulance to New Plymouth, the largest town in the district.

Well, they weren't able to help, either, so I got a lovely night-time helicopter ride to Auckland's Starship Hospital where I met lots of nurses and doctors who came to introduce themselves to me.

After they all consulted and read my file, they ended up putting a pacemaker in above my heart.  Now, when they told me it was done, after I woke up, my mind went to an old episode of Cheers and Cliff Claven dancing like a puppet on a string because someone else had control of him (I guess that ages me!!)

Anyway, I had asked them to call Hubby each time they moved me and I'm very pleased to tell you that they did. So he knew where to go, since he's not the 'stay at home and watch tv' sort.

They let me go home after only one night away, with a big blob of glue of some sort covering the line of stitches.

I imagine they would have found a way for me to get home, but Hubby was there and talking to the staff and ready whenever they released me.

There was such a difference in my body from then on. So far,  I  don't complain of cold and I actually have energy to get up and do stuff! It's been a very long time since either of those happened. 

I think Hubby is just as happy as I am, cuz he won't have to bring in as much firewood as last year to keep me warm. But he always does a good job at keeping me happy :)

Surprise!

Hubby came home with this Christmas candy today.

I'm not sure what I think about it!

 

this life and the next

  I grew up watching TV. Even if there were only 3 stations to watch and they all went off the air at midnight, right after playing the national anthem.

Of course, there were conflicts among my older brother and sister and me. But they were both gone from the house when I was about 13 or so. After they left, I watched pretty much what I wanted--back when there was no cursing or intensely bloody scenes before 8:30pm.

 Now I watch favorites online. OK, I binge them on occasion.

Situations and writing have certainly changed in all these years (more than 60, I reckon) but I have noticed one thing that has stayed the same--people don't want to die.

As an onlooker in the various situations that are presented, people inevitably beg, 'Save me!'--even when they face an atrocious, extensive and/or painful recovery/life. They endure whatever forces of nature try to stand in their way to hang on. 

They rarely 'go' without a fight. Like the shopping won't get done or the cleaning or gardening if they don't do it.

And, I have to wonder if they just fear the unknown or they have an idea about the 'afterlife' and aren't in a hurry to get there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm in no hurry to die.  But, I'm not afraid to die.

Maybe it's because I have faith that I will eventually be with Jesus when this life is over, but I often shake my head at the dialogue.

Awatuna Stores Ltd

This little closed-up store, just down the road from where I live now, caught my attention very early in my Taranaki adventures. It is, like so many abandoned buildings, just sitting alone at a crossroads--although, the old Awatuna Dairy Factory is just down the road that runs beside it.

Over the years, it was left neglected. The gas pump was taken out and the building was left to become overgrown with weeds and vines.

Then, a few months ago, we noticed the weeds were being cut and piled up in the back. After much work, I was excited to see that there might be some life in the little place once more!

This is the original store.

Awatuna is a small settlement in South Taranaki, New Zealand, on the Eltham-Opunake road, south of Mount Egmont/Taranaki on the Waimate plain. Awatuna developed from the late 1880s as a dairy factory settlement.

The Waimate plain was once one of New Zealand's most densely populated rural areas in New Zealand. There were small communities, often centered on the dairy factory or school, at nearly every intersection of the grid of roads in the area. Awatuna was one of these settlements.

Click here for some history of the Awatuna area.