Comments on: Surgery: I can’t have just one

By: TonyB

TonyB — Mon, 06 Sep 2004 04:33:43 +0000

It was my special privilege to develop a perianal fistula during grad school in 1976. The doctors at the school’s student health center knew I had colitis … or maybe Crohn’s disease … so they pondered what to do. My doctor decided on a fistulectomy, trenching open the fistula so that it would eventually heal up, leaving me with a discreet scar on my bottom as a can-you-top-this conversation piece. It is unnecessary to say that it was no fun, and that kind of surgery is slow-healing (though I did become rather fond of frequent leisurely soakings in hot baths, with collateral water damage to some of my textbooks). However, the end result (sorry, that was accidental) is indeed a discrete scar with no recurrence of the unpleasantness after nearly 30 years. I might add that getting out of grad school proved to be very good therapy for colitis.

Good luck!

By: Gary

Gary — Sun, 05 Sep 2004 21:07:42 +0000

Howdy Wes, Good to learn that this went well.

By: Wesley R. Elsberry

Wesley R. Elsberry — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 01:44:24 +0000

Guest,

There are people who reserve “austringer” for use in the narrow sense of flying shortwing birds, and others who adopt a broader usage that includes the broadwings. I am one of those who concurs with the latter group. The term “austringer” arose to distinguish those who did not fly the longwing birds, the falcons. This, IIRC, was also a class distinction, as the falcons were reserved for the upper class (the nobility in those feudal days). It is a contingent accident of history that the non-falcon birds worth the time and energy to train for the purpose of actually catching game at that time and that place resolved to one species: the goshawk.

For me, “falconer” and “austringer” form a partition of those who practice the art of flying raptors to game. You may not agree with me on this, but that’s my viewpoint. I hope that clarifies where I’m coming from.

By: Wesley R. Elsberry

Wesley R. Elsberry — Fri, 03 Sep 2004 00:52:35 +0000

And my best wishes to you and Sher. The time of uncertainty of how successful things were will be longer for you two. The worry is a significant aspect of all this.

By: Guest

Guest — Thu, 02 Sep 2004 23:28:03 +0000

Flying 1 harris’ and kestrels and redshoulders does not make you an austringer. I would call it presumptuous taking this domain having never flown a short wing. Austringer is a title reserved for a select few.

By: Gary

Gary — Thu, 02 Sep 2004 09:22:40 +0000

Hey Wes, best wishes. My wife Sher is about to have her next mastectomy about when
you go in for your next “biggy.” To quote TinyTim (the original), “God bless us every
one.”