February 7, 2007

“Joe is HEARING, Winter’s vengeance, trip to Manhattan”

Joe’s son, Anthony and his wife, Jassley, have been concerned for their new son, David’s hernia operation, which resulted during his birth two months ago. It will take place at the Albany Medical Center on February 8. He is sooo cute with his beautiful skin and log dark hair. We will check on the family when they come home..

My dear friend, Hazel McShane, 92, has returned home from Jamaica, where she spent a month trying to resolve some business. While there, she was cared for by an aid who did everything for her. Hazel said “She spoiled me and now I am sooo weak.” She is feeling depressed. Please add her to your prayer list.

Winter is definitely here with frigid temperatures. Fortunately the sun has been shining which makes the condition easier to take. The winds have been extremely fierce, which drives the cold in even more. . You sure must be dressed for this weather. We are amazed that the tiny Chickadees and Juncos flit around from feeder to feeder without a problem. The GOOD LORD sees to it that they are protected. We watched a big doe and her youngsters cross the lot and timidly made their way across the icy road to the other side. They are so beautiful. There has been a few that didn't make it across. We saw one small deer hit and lay in the ditch a day or so ago.

The town of Hartwick was saddened by the unfortunate death of Potter, 22, over the weekend. He lost control of his pickup and he was ejected, ending down a steep embankment, where his pickup landed on top of him. The incident was not discovered till the next morning. I send my deepest sympathy to family and friends.

Joe and I just returned from Manhattan, where he had another refining appointment with his audiologist, Betsy Bromberg, at the Cochlear Implant Center on 23rd and First Ave. We left home with 8 inches of drifting snow, bitter temperatures, a large thermos of coffee and a packed lunch. They trip went very well. We stopped for a short time at his sister’s home and then took off for the Park and Ride several miles away. We got our ticket, which is $20.00 and affords us four rides. The trip into the city takes an hour and a half and we change to another bus to get to the VA Hospital, where we would spend the night.

In the morning, we were up and atom and ready for something to eat. I brought orange juice, which helps all the meds to go down. Joe had a bagel with cream cheese with his coffee and I, a JELLY DONUT. We were good to go. It was a bitter cold five block walk to the Cochlear Implant Center. Needless to say, we were glad to get in out of the cold. Betsy and Joe worked two hours to reprogram his processor. She knows her stuff.

Joe had his Cochlear Implant operation at the Manhattan VA on Dec. 14 last year and four two- week appointments at the center. He is doing so well that now we will have appointments once a month for two months. We have practiced conversing on the phone and also listening to music in the car while we make our trips. He recognizes instruments and can pick up the words. It is great to hear him sing along! Every time we meet with Betsy, she makes the sound better. Eventually we will only going back once a year for tune-ups. It has been a wonderful adventure that has taken Joe from a world of silence to actually hearing again. It is marvelous.

Have you ever experienced something that made you wonder? We left home with bitter cold and 8 inches of fresh snow on the ground. It was icy in spots and we wondered if we should cancel out on Joe’s appointment. We decided to “Go for It”. All went well. We made our connections by bus OK, but were running behind. We hopped in a taxi and told the driver- 23 St. and First Ave. He took right off, squeezing into the traffic with little space to spare. We hit every light. I noticed the street sign! He had gone past our destination by two blocks. I got his attention and he apologized, stated that he misunderstood. The meter said $5.70 and we had to walk back two blocks! We got out of the city and picked up the car at the Park & Ride and soon were on Route 17 heading for home. All of a sudden the traffic began to slow down and then it stopped. We were doing so well. Now we were going bumper to bumper for half and hour. Then I saw what happened… A tractor trailer and several vehicles had come together. It was not good. I thought-if we had been 15 minutes earlier, we would have been involved in it. THANK YOU GOD! We pulled into a Burger King for a bite to eat and began to chat with a FED-X driver, who told us how to alleviate our situation. We followed his directions and got out of our predicament and after a few miles, were able to get back on RT 17. OUR ANGELS WERE WORKING OVERTIME. . .

Several cars were swerving in and out. All of a sudden, a van on our right swerved in front of us nearly causing an accident. HE WAS ON HIS CELL PHONE! That action caused the car on our left to nearly go into on coming traffic. "Let’s get out of here!" We experienced no other incidents the rest of the trip and were thankful to get home, even if it was later then we hoped. . Joe’s friend, Doug Finger, took care of Joe’s Jack Russell dog and entertained us with her little Welcome Home Dance. Tomorrow is another day. . Thought for The Week: Please take the time to let me know what you think of my website. Drop me a line Corinne@corinnepollak.com. Thanks for your time. STAY WARM!