MIRACLE MAYA

On a November day in 1998, my brother called and told me Maya was born, but was not expected to live through the night. She was born with a condition where her lungs could not expand and had to be resuscitated for 15 minutes. We were all devastated and I rushed to LA Children's hospital with my sister to help in this crisis. I am a Labor & Delivery nurse and just could not believe that there was such a poor outcome and that this could be happening to my family. When we saw Maya, it was just heartbreaking. Her swollen body was hooked up with so many tubes and her prognosis was dim. They were getting ready to put her on a heart and lung machine. However, they tried a an experimental treatment and she began to improve. We all took turns sitting by her, talking,singing, praying, caressing her frail little body. She spent over a month in the hospital and it was such a joyous day when she finally got to go home.

I have watched with pleasure, Maya grow into a beautiful young woman. She's smart, witty, dazzling, loving, unpretentious and tons of fun. As you can tell, I adore her. If you have read the "cowgirl tales blog", you will know that I am just one of her many fans. She is just an amazing kid.

I can't imagine life without my precious niece.MY MAGNIFICENT MIRACLE MAYA

FLYING KITES

I was driving into my driveway this evening, and it looked from a distance that there was a huge flock of swallows flying in the dusk. As I got closer, I was amazed to see that they were white-tailed kites. When we first moved here over 20 years ago, there was a couple who nested in a tall pine on the edge of the property. At the time, they were considered rare. They were almost extinct at one time in California. We were always pleased to see them nesting each year. If there was ever an extra-terrestrial bird, this would have to be it. They are a medium sized raptor and have a characteristic hunting technique of hovering in mid-air sometimes for almost a minute facing into the wind before diving for prey. They are just awesome to watch. I am thrilled to see that our couple has been fruitful and multiplied into a large flock.

So that is your ornithology lesson for the day!These pictures were courtesy of the internet.