Finn and Other Things

It's been a wild and wacky few days…   Beatrice and I have been decorating our balcony with lights, which has caused Nedi to have great interest in the wires.  We have three strands of indoor/outdoor lanterns shaped like hot air balloons in five colors, along with five strings of both multi-colored and white LED lights.  The ballon run on alternating current, and are plugged into the (covered) balcony outlet; the LED strings run on batteries, and I have their power packs taped up under the balcony railing frame.  It looks good - I just hope it can withstand the winds that we get.  I wired the balloon lights to the balcony rails, and wove the LEDs through the balloon wires….  We'll have to see what happens.
   Finn had the sutures removed from his tail Thursday afternoon.  The stub was still covered with rough scabs, so it was decided to bandage his tail again, until another follow-up visit and vet check on Tuesday.  His owners will take him in that day.  Finn has been very good about going places with me - always happy to get in the car, and happy to get out.   However, if we go somewhere other than his own yard, he sticks right by my leg - no roaming and wanting to explore as he did before his accident.  I'm hoping that will come with time.  He still loves everyone he meets, but he's not an explorer any longer.
   Thursday afternoon, after Finn's vet visit, I had to make a quick run to the grocery store for one ingredient that I didn't have for a recipe.  Upon my return, as I pulled up to the gate, I saw an older woman sitting on the tree stump beside the drive and a young man, still a-straddle his bicycle, leaning over the lady.  The woman was in a jogging suit, and was very pale, and holding the side of her forehead.  I turned the car off and asked if I could help in any way.  Neither one of them answered me, but looked at each other.  The lady, Maggie, had been doing a slow jog and suddenly fell down, hitting her head on the sidewalk.  The young man had seen her fall, and had stopped.  I offered to call 911, or an ambulance, or anyone for Maggie.  She stated she  had already called her daughter, who was on her way.  Maggie looked teary, she had broken the lens out of her glasses, she was very pale, and had scrapes on her temple and cheekbone, as well as a bump the size of a large lemon on her forehead.  I asked her if she'd like to go up into the house to wait - her daughter could drive right up, as I'd leave the gate open.  Maggie refused.  I offered water or an ice-pack, anything I could think of that might be of comfort.  She accepted the ice-pack.  The bicyclist stayed with her while I ran up to the house.  I got a bottle of cold water, and a soft, round ice-pack from the freezer.  The young man left - continued his afternoon ride - when I returned.
   Maggie first took a small drink of water and then applied the ice-pack to her forehead, occasionally shifting it to her temple and cheek.  She was still shaky and teary.  This was Thursday afternoon, remember.  She told me she had been jogging down 4th Street on Tuesday, two days previously, during a time when we were having high winds.  Two blocks to the south of where she fell Thursday, a big tree limb fell from a tree and knocked her to the ground, striking her head and shoulder.  The limb had caused a bloody knot on her head two days before, and now she tripped and fell, banging her head again.  She also had new scrapes on her elbow and knee, joining the already scabbed places from Tuesday.  I was worried about a concussion, or, possibly, two, since she didn't seem to be able to keep her eyes focused on mine.
  When her daughter arrived, I told them both that I'd had multiple concussions in the past.  I ran through the concussion protocols that had been pounded into my head for both of them.  I told her that I wasn't licensed in any way, but I felt Maggie really should be looked at by he own doctor, or seen at an Urgent Care or Emergency Room - especially since this was the second blow to her head in two days.  They listened to me, thanked me, and headed for home.  They also invited me over for tea, at any time. I just hope that Maggie is fine.
   This morning, having taken Finn out for a long walk, we headed back home.  He likes to drink in the reflecting pool in his yard, so I turned him loose when we got back inside the gate.  He was running along in front of me, wagging his tail like mad.  I suddenly saw the puffy blue end of his bandage fly one way, while the flesh colored wrap started to unwind from his tail.  I let him drink his fill, having gathered up the two parts of his bandage.  I called the vet when we got back inside the house.  We jumped in the car and went to the vet's and had Finn's tail re-bandaged.  Thankfully, his folks will be home tonight.