Dave Tally Is Doing So Well!!!!!!!

Dave Tally, everyone's favorite Community Garden Coordinator was involved in a motocycle accident on Thursday, August 16, 2012.  Dave was compensating on a bad curve and only he and his bike were involved.  Being somewhat of a fanatic about safety, Dave was outfitted in helmet, gloves and protective outer wear.  These precautions probably saved his life and he suffered no road rash.  Our Dave definitely has a higher power watching over him; thank you!

The injuries he did sustain are a total of fractured ribs, badly bruised lungs and a broken collar bone, which was operated on and repaired on Friday. Dave came through like the champ we all know him to be.  I talked with his surgeon on Saturday and he told me Dave's only restriction not lying on that side for approximately six weeks.

Dave was put on a ventilator only to help the healing process by having the machine regulate his breathing so there wouldn't be additional pain. He is holding up well with the pain, the prodding, the pricking and the touching.

On Sunday his sedation was lowered in intervals to wean him off the ventilator.  As of this writing the doctor is still hopeful the tube can come out on Tuesday.

Dave's coloring and all his vitals are good.  I am his constant companion at the moment, but that will change as soon as he can talk and start giving orders verbally instead of my trying to read his fingers.  An example: Dave held up three fingers; three what I asked; he became somewhat agitated, holding up the three fingers again and sort of shaking them at me.  I looked again and the light went on----"W"?  The relief on his face was evident--he wanted water.  Dave gets his water through popsicle sponges he can suck on.  I, unfortunately, am weak to his requests and give him as much as he wants.  Sometimes the nurse comes and takes away my water cup and sponges; luckily Dave is asleep when this happens.

Now you know nearly all I know; his doctors and nursing staff are wonderful to both of us; his care is top-notch.

I have set up a special email account for any of you who want to let Dave know you are thinking of him: phonyup826@hotmail.com.  I will print out the messages for him to read.

Thank all of you for your caring, kind thoughts and considerations,

Georgie for Dave Tally
August 20, 2012

PS  Dave is not idle in the least; he had laid out some ideas with me Thursday morning.  One of his main ideas is an article for his Master Gardener publication about Escalante Community Garden with pictures; he could have done an article on anything, but he chose ECG.  This publication appears online and will be seen and read  allover the US; nice coverage.  I am working on it so as soon as Dave is able he can critque it and we can get it out there.

Nature's Amazing Work is All Around Us!

Escalante Community Garden has so many more lessons in store for us than just planting, weeding, watering for that delicious harvest. It's nature at its finest and all we have to do is look a little closer to find other amazing lessons.

Saturday was Volunteer  Workday in the Garden; we were building a wall around the wildflower area when Donnie, one of our IHELP crew found two "lizard" eggs and gave them to Gretchen Reinhardt, our premier volunteer and teacher .  Gretchen was so excited over them as she planned  to bring them to school on Monday to show her class. She put them somewhere safe and went back to work. A short time later Gretchen went to check on the eggs to make sure they were still okay when suddenly one of them basically exploded and a gecko was born. The gecko immediately slid down a hole in the table it was on and onto the earth below, looking for a safe haven.  Georgie joined Gretchen at this point to find the gecko and take pictures of it and the remaining egg. The result is shown below; that gecko came out of an egg exactly that same size only minutes before this photo was taken--truly, truly amazing.

Now it was time to watch the second egg as everyone wanted to see it hatch. It seemed the gecko was having somewhat of a difficult time so I helped out a bit with a small crack and then to remove the sac it was in and voila, another gecko.  This time I got it on video--incredible.

So many lessons learned, but one of the main ones is, if you don't come to help out in the Garden you miss so many great things plus make friends with some pretty special people, enjoy a potluck and get your picture taken.

Welcome Geckos to Escalante Community Garden,

Dave Tally
Escalante Community Garden Coordinator
August, 2012

Memoirs of Baby Chick (Jesse22) as told to Dave Tally

I arrived at Escalante Community Garden two weeks after Easter. Dave, my new dad named me Jesse 22 (really???), but everyone including Stephen Sparks, Dad's boss calls me Baby Chick. I was a baby and I certainly am a chick.

My first home was this wonderful box with all kinds of paper to keep me warm, a water station and a food station as well as a mirror so I could watch my beautiful self grow. When I got too big for the box, Dave Dad put me into a raised bed in the garden and it was huge for this little chick; I loved it. When I outgrew that I was allowed to run loose in the garden, but I never left the garden; I am also a smart chick.  For the nighttime, an isolation room was built into the chicken coop area for me to sleep.  I was isolated so the big chickens wouldn't pick on me.

Dave Dad hand raised me and I am his special chick.  He taught me tricks and I loved the attention these tricks got me. I became a great educational tool for the kids who came to the garden for classes. I was always gentle with them.
                    
I am no longer a "baby" being now fourteen weeks old. Probably in another month or so I will be laying some fabulous eggs. I have put on my big girl feathers and hang with the other ladies now, but I don't take any guff from them; I can hold my own even if I am the youngest in the coop.  Don't you forget that Ms. Alpha White. I am Baby Chick, the center of my coop.

Of course I will always be Baby Chick or BC to family, friends and fans. My Dave Dad will always be special to me for the wonderful home he provided and the care he took of this little chick.

Please come visit me, Dave Dad and the other girls at the Escalante Community Garden. We love company and I promise we will strut our stuff for you and if Dave Dad lets me, I might even do a trick or two.
                       
Dave Tally
August, 2012