Nursing Tales

I work on a cardiac unit, the busiest unit in the hospital, the unit that makes the most money for the hospital. And when I say busy I mean insane busy!! Gads! Some days completely SUCK, others are "ok" and some moments in a day are great, tho it seems the Good Days are not as frequent as the "ok" or BAD days.
I relate nursing stories to my mother; she enjoys hearing them [?]. I shared a Good Day story with my mom and she suggested I share it here.

I can share this story without jeopardizing this man's identity. I shall refer to him as "K-----". K----- is 74, from Ghana and he is here on a mission trip.
I received my assignment @ 0700. K----- was a status post stent from the day before. Ok, no big deal, I thought, but then saw that the man did no speak English, he spoke only French. Uh oh, I thought, I need to dredge up 3 years of high school French!! I walked in and said: "Bonjour, je m'appelle Heather. Je parle francais un peu." His face lit up, he smiled a great big smile and said: "Bonjour, je m'appelle K-----." He rattled off something else in French, he seemed very appreciative, and I dumbly smiled and nodded.
K----- was [is] also diabetic. I needed to give him some insulin coverage before lunch. I found a translation website on the web, entered the phrase "insulin for diabetes" (or something like that) and I wrote down the translation. I got the insulin drawn up and went in with my note. He read it and offered up his arm. We smiled; I said: "Merci."
K----- was to be discharged. I used our blue translation phone to explain the discharge process, some paperwork and for him to call his ride to come and get him at a certain time, and bring clothes to wear.
[sidebar: The blue translation phones are great! One calls a number, enter a code and you get a live person on the line. I have a hand-set, the patient has a hand-set. I speak to the translator, they repeat what I say to the patient. It's great!]
Well, K-----'s retinue showed up, 5-7 men (!), many from Ghana, and thankfully who spoke some English. I was able to print out the medication information in French, but the discharge instructions would only print in English or Spanish. (note to self: that needs to change, must write a note to the higher-ups to change that!)
K----- was apparently quite taken with me and sang my praises to his cohorts. They were pleased he was doing so well. He would be in the country for a few more weeks and would be able to follow-up with the cardiologist while he was still here. He also got a special "prescription" to allow him to get another visa in December to come back to the states for his 6 month follow-up! Gee, that's quite a $$$ follow-up visit!! Do you know how much plane tickets are to Ghana, Africa? About $2000+/-!!!!

I was glad I could communicate as well as I did that day. And my charge nurse know what I was doing too, and she was quite pleased with me. I wish I could have had the time to explain the exit survey we ask patients to fill out but it was too complicated to have the blue phone translator do it with me. So only I shall know I did good work that day, and now you do too! :)

I hope I made a difference that day, and our [US] healthcare system made a difference in this man's life too. He was fortunate enough to be here in the US and get excellent health care. (Even tho we are #37 in the world for healthcare!) Would he have lived if the same thing had happened in Ghana?
I wonder if I will see him in December?

Not the only one...

As of about two weeks ago (?), now I am not the only one on my block with a For Sale sign! Another townhouse, with a garage, across from the one that sold for 200,000 is on the market. This one is listing for $239,000....are they crazy? Just because their neighbor got 200 for theirs, do they think they'll get that for their house? What about realtors advising them on price in regards to other town-homes in the area?

House sales in my neighborhood for review:
(Note all these townhouses are the same: about 1400-1600 sq. ft.; 3 BR; 2.5 baths; may have a garage or not)
#112 (no garage) sold after 11 months empty for $181,000 in early August 2009
#115 (garage) listed for $225,00, sold in 2 weeks for $200,000 in mid August (Budwieser relocation)
[sidebar: he bought the house for $218,00 3-4 years ago; he lost money!]
#114 (garage) listing for $239,000, went on the market 2 weeks ago.

My house, #109, no garage, went on the market August 1 for $189,000. We (my realtor's recommendation) priced it this way because other comparable townhouses (not the ones in my neighborhood) are selling for this price; and the one that sold for $181,000 ruined it for my pricing. I have been reassured that my house will appraise ok.
It's frustrating. But I've also "given up" that I'm moving this fall. The kids are in school, and military (we have a VERY transient force around here) doesn't really move it's folks till spring. However, one can hope someone would take advantage of the $8000 tax incentive that expires 11/30; it's not just new homebuyers, it's also for folks who have not owned a home in 3 years!!! I have been told Spring is an active house selling/buying time around here.
The saga continues.....

Patience is not one of my virtues

House update:
The house two doors down from me listed about the same time mine did, for $225,000!!The guy bought it for $214,000 about 3-4 years ago.
The sign is down and a moving truck was there on Friday!
I was miffed!!! I called my realtor!!!
So what....he had a garage (1600 sq.feet) as opposed to my 1400 sq. ft. and no garage.
The interior pics looked like something out of a catalog: laminate floors, white furniture and the requisite appropriate dust collector centerpiece on the wood and glass coffee table.
(oops, do I sound bitter?)
My realtor called me today and said it sold for $200,000.
(He lost money!)
This house was found thru a Busch relocation service for someone who works at Busch.
(So, the InBev people are moving in!)
[sidebar: InBev is a Belgain (?) company that bought Anheuser-Busch last year.]

My realtor still thinks I’m priced right. I guess I do too.
If that sold for 200, then I will appraise well too.
I cannot leave until the end of November anyway, so it’s ok.
I’m just so surprised that it sold so quickly.
My realtor is also happy that now I’m the only one on the block with a For Sale sign.

(sigh)

Encounters

I was working at my part-time job today as a Hospice “companion” in our local Hospice House.
I was introduced to a new volunteer.
I shared with her that my house is for sale.
Then she shared with me that she and her husband were looking at a house with a family member in Oregon. The men were in the basement looking at the furnace. She was upstairs alone and began looking around and noticing that they were in a “Witch’s House”! (gasp!)
I nodded and smiled. A thousand thoughts racing thru my head.
She shared that there were “stuffed ravens and tarot cards” all around. (gasp!)
She said [paraphrased] that it kind of “creeped her out”.
I smiled and nodded. A thousand thoughts raced thru my head.
I had just met this woman, I don’t know her, I am in the conservative South and a conservative town. (sigh)
I smiled and nodded and said: “Well, I think folks should take some of that stuff down if they’re trying to sell a house.” [I did!!]
She said: “Well, I’m sure you’re not Wiccan.” [with a nonchalant wave of her hand] (Don’t make assumptions!)
A thousand thoughts raced thru my head.
It would freak her out if I told her I was “Wiccan” /Pagan!!! I didn’t want to get into that conversation. I don’t want to hide my spirituality, but something told be that non-disclosure was the better part of valor in this instance. (sigh)
The something distracted me, and the conversation was dropped.

Another incident: I recently had someone ask me out and when they discovered I was Pagan they told me they wouldn’t date a “NON-Christian”. Not very "Christian" of him was it? And probably a good idea not to go out with them anyway!

And, oddly enough, here I am “blogging” about this because it does bother me!
I have encountered this mind-set too often recently. (sigh)

Local Tourist

I took a small tour of Colonial Williamsburg today. If you live here you can obtain a “Good Neighbor” pass. Present a utility bill and pay $10.00 and you can get into CW all year long! Sweet deal!
I went for the sole purpose of seeing the Governor’s Palace and gardens and maze. I was told by my friend, Selena, that the center of the maze is a portal. She attended W&M in the 1960‘s and would climb over the brick wall to the gardens and discovered the maze’s “secret”. (I found the wall the climb over too!) I endured the guided tour of the Palace itself with the usual amount of parents, precocious (or bored) kids, and annoying photographers. Take time to look folks, instead of taking pics! (Yes, I forgot my camera.) Finally getting out to the gardens, I strolled along. I went into the maze (it’s small) and wandered the whole thing. The hedges are about 7’ high. One cannot really get lost in it, as over the years, shortcuts have been walked between the established paths, through the hedges, and it’s almost difficult to tell is a path or is it a shortcut? I stayed in there long enough to know I was the last one in there, despite what some kids said as they were running out: “We’re the last ones in there!” [no, you’re not]. I had a few moments of quiet in the maze’s center. I took some appreciative breaths and gave thanks for many things, with a few wishes and hopes. I would enjoy the maze and gardens on a moonlit night, but alas I doubt CW allows such activity!
After I left the maze, I began wandering the gardens, taking paths I believed to be less traveled. I discovered the pond by the Palace and the path around it. A great find! It was peaceful, sunlit, green with late summer. I saw a turtle sunning itself on a branch in the middle of the pond. Tree limbs brushed the water. Dragon flies galore. Plunks at the water’s edge from frogs or fish. Benches along the path invited quiet time. This is a place where parents do not take their children. No one on a schedule to see CW would come here. This is a new favorite place, and with my Good Neighbor pass I can come back anytime and watch the seasons change.

the word is...

"patience"....as I reflect quickly on the two previous posts: yes I know patience is "the" word for this time in my life. Patience with the house sale, patience with myself, patience with my patients, patience waiting for and wanting a relationship, etc, etc, etc.....
yes, I know....it's a practice in patience.
thank you for your patience with me. [grins]

House for Sale

I shall not give my street address in this forum for seemingly obvious reasons. The house will go on the market on August 1, 2009. If you are making a legitimate inquiry into this sale contact me and I will put you in contact with my realtor. I am posting these photos in part to show my long distance friends where I live. Incidentally, the first time home buyers $8,000 tax credit expires Nov. 30. Which would be a perfect time for me to close on the house! enjoy the photos!

Late summer update

Picture: Me and a resident cat at the Blue Heaven Restaurant in Key West, FL, December 2008.

Yes, yes, yes...it's been ages that I have written. Of course I think of groovy things to write on my drive home from work, and by the time I get home I'm not thinking of blogging but of food and sleep. It is a glorious sunny cool day here in VA in mid July, unseasonably cool and grateful for that!
So I shall attempt to make up for some lost time.
I am frequently on Facebook but often try to only lurk and quietly keep up with friends.

Big news: I am putting my house on the market [again] on August 1. Gads! The market still sucks and worse, a house, exactly like mine sold. It was empty for 11 months. They sold it for $181,000! This entirely ruined it for me! My bottom dollar was gonna be $190,000 and now I'm putting it on the market for $189,000. Now I have a new bottom dollar bargain basement price which I have been told not to reveal until I need to. At this price of $189,000 I am very reticent to offer closing costs and/or a carpet allowance. I was willing to do that last year. However, since my house is listing at less than I desire, so are other houses, and in that respect the field is somewhat leveled and I should still walk away with a decent "profit" and the ability to make a decent down payment. I have also been told to be prepared to be low-balled, something I am not looking forward to! However, apparently everyone is doing it, since it's a buyer's market. The houses I am looking at online in the Madison, WI [yes, that's where I'm moving to] are reasonably priced, but if I can low-ball them too, so be it.

Here is the description I wrote for my realtor to try and use:
BEAUTIFUL 1400 SQ FT TOWN HOME; 3 BDRM; 2.5 BATH; WELL MAINTAINED; QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD CLOSE TO SHOPPING; BUSCH GARDENS; I-64. FIRST TIME BUYERS DON’T PASS THIS UP! 10’ HIGH CEILINGS DOWNSTAIRS; GAS FIREPLACE IN LR; CELING FANS IN LR, KITCHEN, MASTER BR; MASTER BR WITH OWN BATH; LARGE CLOSETS IN ALL BDRMS; OPEN FLOOR PLAN; LARGE ATTIC WITH PULL DOWN; REAR DECK OVERLOOKS LAWN AND WOODED AREA; PERENNIAL FLOWER BEDS AROUND HOUSE. QUIET NEIGHBORS.
Perhaps I will post some house photos on the blog as well. If you desire more details please comment on this blog so we can get in touch with one another.

It is going to be a wild ride this late summer into fall & winter!

My job: well....It's busy to say the least! I am a hard worker, but I've never worked so hard in my life! I now know how it is to smile in the midst of hysteria, and what profound exhaustion is, to the point of wondering if I'm having a nervous breakdown. I question my mental health, seriously at times, when I get so tired I can hardly think. This state often occurs as I am leaving the building after 13+ hours. How do I every drive home? I like nursing, but I am learning I am not cut out for hospital floor nursing. I desire to teach more, have people learn to take charge of their own health, interact with the community more, bring in a spiritual aspect to my practice. This may sound idealistic, but why can I not do all this?

I took a Tai Chi class this morning, outdoors in a parking lot w/ several "older" folks. (in my opinion Williamsburg is a tourist town and a retirement community - hence: the "older" folks) At least these people have taken charge of their life and health, unlike some I see in a hospital bed! The class made me smile in that the instructor is trying to "dumb down" some of the energy and spiritual explanations of Tai Chi. It felt like I was standing amidst a bunch of muggles! (snicker) We learned about 3 movements out of a 24 form. I can come to two more classes and then my self-scheduling of work interferes. At least I may have a bit of a foundation and will continue to search for more instruction later.
I have also begun to exercise more regularly, about twice a week at a Pilates studio that has other classes as well. I have been cycling, BOSU, yoga. I like it a lot and have begun to see small changes in my shape. I feel a responsibility to my nursing practice to keep myself healthy in order to take better care of my patients. And I like it too. Though I am often tired and would rather stay home and surf the net, nap, sleep or watch a movie, it's better that I get out. I feel the energy benefit.

I am noticing the season change already since summer solstice. The sun is no longer as high as it was when I leave for work, it is still behind the trees. Is is much darker @ 8:45pm that it had been a month or more ago. Some leaves on trees are yellow and falling. Late summer flowers are blooming. The cicadas and crickets are singing all day and all night. The trees are a darker green, not the bright green of spring and early summer, but darkening into late summer, early fall, on their chromatic journey of color changes. I like noticing this subtly, and hope others do as well.

A healthcare rant: If I'm healthy why do I have to pay the same or more [for insurance] than people who are not healthy or practice unhealthy habits? Why did our hospital offer small monetary bonuses to employees who quit smoking? I don't smoke and I didn't get an incentive!!! Why to patients seem angry when they don't get better, like it's healthcare's fault we cannot fix them??! If they could only see the accumulation of their lifestyle habits that got them into that hospital bed in the first place! Now, I am well aware that genetics and other factors play a part in many dis-ease processes. I am well aware that when some people end up in a hospital bed and it's not their fault. However, it seems to me many of the people I attend to could have avoided that trip to my care. I also realize if everyone was healthy I'd be out of a nursing job, but that's ok! In some way, that would be worth it.

On a more personal note....I have remained single for a year now. I have been single for longer in the past. But a year "alone" after being "partnered" for 4+ years takes some getting used to. I don't like it. I yearn for a romantic, partnered relationship but that idea also frightens me very much! I am reluctant to give my heart away but am willing to do so at almost a moment's notice! When I get so tired after a long and frustrating day I wish for this [a relationship] more than ever. I desire to share my day with someone, to have some one at home, to be at home for someone else. Other days I'm so thankful for my freedom to literally go when and wherever I want to! [for example: one day last week I decided to go to the beach in the middle of the day, and I did!]
I am thankful for my mother to be there for me and especially my friends that are a phone call away to distract me from my thoughts. In recent weeks I have had a phone date with friends in Madison and we call one another and make martinis and chat for hours! It's great fun!
I am thankful for my health, my job, my house, my friends, my cat, my health, my job, my family, my cat. My mother often reminds me that I'm really doing ok, despite my dark moments. And I am. I am trying to believe in me more and that's a difficult thing to do.

I shall endeavor to write more often and keep up to date on the house selling journey which will probably occupy many of my thoughts in coming weeks/months. I shall try to share my plans and ask for input. I feel this may be a better forum for more extended thought than Facebook. However, knowing this blog is "out there" is a daunting prospect.
peace out! love, laughter! breathe! exercise, eat right and all things in moderation! smile!

this post is for you

picture taken by Nataraj Hauser

Yes, excitement in my life!
Recently I visited several dear, dear friends in Madison, WI. I went on a motorcycle ride; drank martinis; picked up branches in their yard; went to Olbrich Gardens where I got attacked by a red-winged blackbird (!!); I danced at a house concert and had an all around great time.
I also recently visited Manteo, NC, on Roanoke Island. near Nag's Head. What a quaint little spot!
The next excitement will be celebrating my day of birth with my mother: celebrating middle age: 1/2 way to 90!
peace out, love, laughter

Ladies Only...

Frustration and low self esteem abound!
This is about bra shopping. ugh! You know where I'm going with this, don't you?
Ok, let's try to start at the beginning:
I have never liked my boobs/breasts. I have always thought I was too big! When I began "developing" I remember making the conscious choice to slouch so as to not show them off. Hence I've slouched for over 25 years. And I'm just trying very hard to not do so, thanks to some pilates training (the first digression).
I have been wearing a 36C for many years. It seemed to work just fine. Years and pounds creep on; I try to maintain, but "my cup[s] runneth over". You know that little bulge over the edge of the bra in the front, not to mention the "back fat"! Then to compound it all it seems I always needed my right shoulder strap so much tighter, it would always fall down - annoying. Putting up the strap became a "costume habit" (like the Star Trek characters always pulling the waist of their costume when they stood up...it became a character costume habit...drove me nuts to watch it: the second digression).
I kept trying a variety of bras, mostly from Land's End [mail order], and all 36C. I even tried a Hanes bra [mail order]. Still spilling over or straps falling down. agghh!
The "shelf bras"/bralettes worked the best: no cups per se; no real support (who cares!); no underwires; very basic and very hard to find!
My pilates instructor suggested I get a bra fitting.
In the meantime I saw an article on the Huffington Post stating that the "old" popular bra size was 36C and now the new popular cup size is D and DD! Hmmm....I began preparing myself for another size.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/fashion/09bra.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
Well, today, I had some time I thought I try this bra fitting thing. I was more than nervous about what I would learn about my size!
I went to Maidenform at the Outlet Malls in Williamsburg.
(The third digression: by the amount of people shopping today it certainly seemed like the US economy is doing just fine! ha!)
Well, the young sales girl #1 sized me up visually. What? No measuring tape? No math? I'm a professional costumer, dammit, measure me properly! A 38DD! OMG! I tried on 3 of her selections. I began to sob in the changing room. These bras made me look FAT AND OLD! I was mortified!!! I came out (red faced & tearful) and continued to browse. I tried 6 more on in the size and styles she recommended. I continued to sob in the dressing room. I came out and another sales lady (the manager) asked me how I was doing? Red-faced, I tearfully handed her the selections and told her it was not a good self-esteem day. I was ready to walk out, wondering when it would be a good day to bra shop and not feel OLD AND FAT! She comforted me. I wanted pretty bras, I wanted "young" bras. I felt like I would be delegated to beige and white old lady bras! Bras with visible darted seams on the front, like Grandma's! OMG! All the pretty bras seemed to be in smaller sizes and all the BIG AND FAT boring bras were the ones that "fit" me!
Enter young sales girl #2. She understood, somehow. She found basic and lacy and colored bras for me, suitable for plunging necklines, push up bras! Bras that fit and made me feel much better albeit a new size. Up a band width and cup to a whopping 38D! Gads. Those of you that know me and how I look will say (and I agree with you) I'm not THAT BIG! But somehow the anatomy shift now fits the cut of [this] cloth. I'm still coming to grips with the size and how the bras look without clothes over them, and I seem to look "ok" with clothes on over them. And by gosh and by golly do I have boobs now! I think they make me slouch less.
I am going to write a thank you not to sales girl #2. I did thank her for her patience with me when she rang up my purchases. I will continue to shop Land's End with this new size and see what happens.
p.s. I have now discovered that these bras will not fit in my dresser drawer! So, they're actually all on one hanger in my closet!!!
Thanks for listening [reading].

THE CHOFA

There is a line from a Maya Angelou poem:
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family…
and so, now I do!
This was an "investment" for me. It's great for watching TV (the chaise part) and great for naps (the sofa part). It's quite a color too! I tried to talk myself into a more "traditional" [brown] color but I kept coming back to the red! It makes my once spacious living room look small[er]....but that's ok! I like "the chofa"!

A Walk in the Woods

I treated myself to a walk in the woods today @ a local county park.
When walking in the woods do you ever notice that the doors to the Faerie Realms creak on their hinges? I don't know if the doors are opening or closing as I walk by, but I appreciate the sound of creaking wood on wood. [smile] Others my think it's tree branches rubbing together but I prefer to think the former.
It is a beautiful Spring/Ostara Day. The Red buds are vibrant purple, the sky a vibrant blue and the new green of the Tulip trees are stunning; contrasting colors all at once. Sunlight dappling shadows in between new branches.
mmmmm........ [smile]

Bumper Stickers

When I was growing up I thought bumper stickers were cool. I am a compulsive reader. My parents didn't like bumper stickers, much to my dismay. The only bumper sticker they ever put on our car [van] was a "McGovern" sticker. Event though I didn't really understand, I thought it was cool we [finally] had a bumper sticker!
My rebellion is to have bumper stickers on my car. I keep them on till they look ratty and then I try to rotate them out every few years. Currently on my car: (the Christian fish symbol with the words inside) "& Chips" [kinda gotta see that one]; "Tree hugging Dirt Worshiper"; "Keep your [cigarette] butt in the car, the Earth is not your ashtray!"; "Ginger Rodgers did everything Fred Astaire did only Backwards and in High Heels." These 4 bumper stickers are my favorites. I also have some static cling stickers: "Coexist"; Triskell; Tree of Life; peace frog "Imagine"; "Life is Good".

Some of my favorites during my travels:
"Fear the Turtle" (Maryland Terps)
"Drive like you stole it"
"Coffee, Chocolate, Men: The richer the better."
"Don't believe everything you think" (My mom saw this one and passed it on to me)
on the back of a beer distributor's truck: Bells' Inspired Brewing: Not tested on animals, probably because we have so many volunteers.

I'm sure there are many more bumper stickers that have entertained me in the past and many more in the future.

Coming Soon

I feel I may not be keeping up with this blog as much as I would like to....I am formulating my next entry, however I want to research it first, to make sure my information is correct.
I'll be getting on a healthcare soapbox occasionally as I feel I have some things to say; some things to make others aware regarding how some healthcare is delivered and about insurance and life issues.
But for now let me say: Please give blood regularly. I have begun o do so. One can give every 56 days. And the statistic which I heard that shocks me is the US has only a 2 day blood supply at any time. This means if there is a nationwide disaster: we have 2 days of blood and that's it!
[Europe has a 30 day supply: why? They don't use it up as much for surgeries like the US does....and this opens up another whole can o'worms - which I won't get into right now.]
Okey dokey....more later! peace out!

p.s. the image above is part of Long Key Spit at Long Key State Park, Long Key, Marathon, Florida Keys, Florida, Southenmost United States, North American Continent, Western Hemisphere, Planet Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, etc...in other words: the "front yard" at our rental December 2008.

Adventures in Moving

Moving through.....life.........
I attended a "Code Blue Review" class @ work today. It was good to learn [again] that "stuff"; by coincidence there was a code and a few classmates went upstairs to participate (sidebar: the gentleman did not make it).
It is quite rainy and cold today in Eastern VA.
On the way home, I saw a somewhat unusual sight for this area, a homeless person with a sign stating "No Money, No Food, Please help, God Bless" [paraphrased]. I have seen this sight in Baltimore often. I know there are homeless people in my area, but the "metropolitan" spots are so spread out here, and the area is populated by cars more that foot traffic, one doesn't see the homeless [walking around] often, at least I don't.
I was on my way to Trader Joe's for some groceries. I was sitting at the light and she [the homeless person] was in my passenger side mirror. I sat there thinking about the rain and cold and nursing and helping people and how whenever I see someone homeless, I don't have money or food in my car, and how I've often wanted to spontaneously help.
I got to TJ's, and quickly purchased my basic groceries and picked up food that would be nutritious and be easily packed and carried: a loaf of bread, a package of roast beef sandwich meat; a package of string cheese, 2 bananas, 2 apples. I bagged the groceries for her separately. I went back down the road and she was still there (of course - where is she going to go on this wet cold day?). I did a U turn; I pulled up next to her, put down the automatic passenger side window, called out to her and handed her the bag, told her what was in it. She thanked me. I know the people behind me saw it happen. Then she ambled off into the woods - really a patch of undeveloped land.
Then....
I tried to put up my window, it didn't go up, it's raining and cold; I have a 30 minute drive ahead of me to get home. I pulled into a restaurant and went in asking for a plastic bag and tape. The young hostess happily assisted me. As I was in the parking lot, another restaurant employee assisted me. I began to drive home w/ a plastic bag making a lot of noise flapping in the "wind" and that lasted about 15 minutes. I made another stop to try to adjust the bag, moments later to no avail. Then I stopped again (3rd time), took the bag off and rigged up a "car blanket" over the window (you know, the blankets you keep in the trunk for just such an "emergency"). I made it home, passenger interior relatively dry. I made a "stop-in" appointment at Honda tomorrow to try and get the window at least up....but all this talk about the window really wanders away form the original topic and original intent of this posting.
What was the original intent? A random act of Kindness, thinking in other's shoes, wanting to help more [often].
Some of you will say: "But you do help, you're a nurse!" Yes, true. However, I don't see [immediately] I how much I help. Yes, I give comfort, pain meds, etc. I give discharge instructions and hope the patient follows our recommendations...but I don't often see [later] if all that helped....
Now I could launch into a discussion on "taking it on faith"....however, I shall stop for now and continue "discussion" later. Peace and Health to you all. Love!
p.s. the Bradford Pear trees are blooming, and what a lovely sight!

Me & Rachel

The thumbnail photo for this blog was taken in Scotland 2005. Rachel is the red-tail hawk I had the privilege of holding (for a small donation)! There was a "bird awareness" [?] tent set up at a strip mall where our tour bus stopped for the "pilgrims of commerce"/shoppers. I was so excited to have the opportunity to hold a raptor bird! (In the US one must have a license to do so, that requires several government agencies to agree to give you a license. I digress.) My camera was in the bus (why would I need a camera at a strip mall in Scotland?!), the bus was locked, so I went frantically searching thru stores to find other tour mates with a camera. The other bird is Golden Eagle named Duchess. The bird's handler said that the birds liked me because they were not flapping around on my hand/arm; and they were making small bird noises. I was able to stroke their chests as well. Magnificent experience! Magnificent creatures! The highlight of that trip!

Where the name comes from

Good day!
I have thought a lot about what to post on this blog and I have several ideas & comments to share...perhaps I need to keep a list?
Who is the Chief Forester's Daughter? I am.
Who is the Chief Forester? My father, Joe.
In 1978 my parents bought 22 acres of land in south central Pennsylvania, part of 300 acres (?) being split up and sold. Part of this land was an old Christmas tree farm, and all the evergreens had grown. My mother, Allegra, dubbed the land "Whispering Pines" and Joe dubbed himself "The Chief Forester". At one point my aunt Peggy had a plaque engraved with the title for the door of Joe's workshop. The name of this blog is in memory to him. My father passed away from brain cancer @ 61 in May 2003. I miss him.
Why do I call my father Joe? I was not "taught" to call him "Dad". My mother called him Joe, so I did too...and yes, I call my mother "Mom".

boo!

Ok....here I am, beginning this "thing"...first day of daylight savings time, and by the clock late for me to be awake...martini empty, stomach rumbling, I ramble....more thoughts later!
hello!