Over the Fence Chat -- March 24-30, 2002

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Another week gone! AND, next Sunday is not only Easter, but Monday is our very first Anniversary of BTS. Jim started this on April Fools Day -- was that appropriate? ;-)

Okay, sorry if I've mentioned this before and it seems like I'm rubbing it in. I don't think I did mention it though . . . I am going on a two weeks vacation. Going to Hawaii, where Julie and I have cousins. Going to the island of Hawaii, not just the state. This is also known as the "Big Island", as it is about four times larger in area than all the other Hawaiian islands put together. The cousins keep asking me when I'm coming back, so I guess that means they LIKE having me stay and sponge off of them! :-D Cuz was born the same year as I, and we've been good friends since we were about ten, even lived together several years (in college). We both met her hubby one of those years we were living together and were all part of a large group of pals, so I've known him as long as she has. Though not as WELL of course! ;-) They have one son, fast closing on age 16 -- but he's still a pretty nice kid for a teenager, and for some peculiar reason he thinks I'm pretty cool. Maybe because I still act like a big kid myself . . . .

They've been over there 9.5 years, and I've gone to visit them nearly every year. But this is the first time I've gone at this time of the year. I hope there will be more stuff blooming (I usually go in November or January). Cuz just turned 50, so I must go over and torture her about how old she is -- until 4 months from now when I will also be 50. Her hubby is 9 months younger than I, so he will be torturing both of us, I guess!

I really like Hawaii, and there are a couple of places that I would like to live over there (others you couldn't pay me to live in). I was seriously contemplating a move there back in 1995. But then a lot of things happened, and I ended up with endless critters, and now it just seems too difficult (not least, trying to find someone to take care of the critters when I would want to come to the mainland to visit!). All incoming animals have to go into quarantine. Birds can be quarantined in your home, but cats and dogs have to go STAY in a quarantine kennel, with a lot of expensive and complicated paperwork and vaccinations, etc. ahead of time.

So, changing the subject, is anyone planning to watch the Oscars tonight? I often have it on, but scarcely watch it. THIS year however, Fellowship of the Ring is nominated for 13 Oscars, and so, I will be watching. It's biggest competition for Best Picture seems to be A Beautiful Mind. Has anyone seen that, and what did you think? I didn't even want to go see it because it seems a depressing subject, and besides, I dislike Russell Crowe.

The weather has been up and down here -- mid-40's yesterday, colder today, then warming up again supposedly. I saw the first robins about two weeks ago, and the starlings are congregating in the trees, and the cardinals are singing their heads off. Lots of bare ground, but we still have piled up snowbanks from the last big snowfall.

That's all for now, time to go do something constructive!

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2002

Answers

Happy anniversary to us!!!!

Wow, Joy, how very cool to have family to be able to visit in Hawaii, way too cool! I wish you much fun and relaxation and lots of great sightseeing!

No Oscar watching for me, tonight is PBS night, lots of great programs on PBS on Sunday night here in SE Ohio, from the Athens Ohio station ( Ohio University). I really love their newer program, "American Family" about a Hispanic-American family in East L.A. I used to have good friends who lived in East L.A. , so it really is a "deja vue" type happening going on with that program! East L.A. used to be a nicer place than it is now, like back in the late 1970's and early 1980's. Not today though, very sad!!!

The phoebes are back just today, I sure miss their singing and carrying on, and that strange little tail flip thingie they do, almost as dear to me as the barn swallows and the hummingbirds returning for their annual visit!

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2002


Joy, Oh Joy! I love Hawaii, too, but I've never made it to the Big Island. I've only been to Kauai and to Oahu, but I love it. I think I would definitely NOT want to live there, though. Folks we know got island fever a few times (wanting to get back to the mainland).

I saw A Beautiful Mind. I thought it was interesting and the music was cool. Mr. S. hated it (he hates Ron Howard flicks anyway). As far as I'm concerned, Rings should win. It was technically superior and well adapted. Also, when we saw Mind, there were a couple of interior scenes where you actually see the microphone and boom at the top of the screen. Crappy, crappy editing! How quickly one can move right out of the mood!

Up to my ears in church stuff. Nice break to visit with y'all...

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2002


I've had a terrible past couple of days. We have been fixing the basement and put up ceiling tiles. I said, lets silicon it to finish it off. My husband said, let's do it right and put up trim. Well, I should have insisted doing it my way (again) The angles and fit isn't right and not all the nails hit beams and never mind the liquid nails won't stay where you put it on the concrete wall. (also, my husband believes you have to use a whole tube of the stuff for a section, with it ooozing all over the place)

I thought that if I paint the trim a totally different color, it wouldn't be so bad. Like it was meant to be that way. Blue/grey to match the carpet? My husband won't like that idea, just like he didn't like that I painted the walls to look like concrete blocks to match the blocks already in the basement. They came out good and everyone but he likes it (used a sponge and masking tape)

Anyway, the thing that makes it worse is that DH starts yelling and swearing when things don't go well and we already know that he hates this house in the first place. I fell off the step and hurt my wrist, that changed his attitude for a little while at least. Next is putting down the carpet. Will it ever be done??? (PS We've been doing this project for at least 4 years)

The goats are doing fine. I've decided to sell all babies as meat, including does. All my goats have a respitory problem (herpes) and I would hate someone giving the problem to their herd because of me. If they want them for breeding anyway, it will be up to them. Saving me money on dehorning anyway. Kinda thinking of keeping the brown buck as a compainion for the horse but do I really need another non- producing animal?

Heavy winds blew over two of my double rabbit hutches. Only one injury, broken toenail thank goodness. One I thought was in shock but she seems fine now. Took three of us to get it back right.

Joy...TAKE ME WITH YOU!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2002


Dee I'm probably a lot worse than your husband cuz I've been known to try to kick the crap out of my stone walls when things go wrong!!! Now thats DUMB!! Maybe temper tantrums are a guy thing??....Kirk

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2002

Hawaii-- wow! Have a great trip. Tell us all about the blooming stuff on your return. I've never been there and sure am curious.

Dee, I'm sorry to hear about how tedious the project seems to be getting. The past 2 months here have been spent on this third floor work and I am tired of everywhere being covered with tarps. I can't imagine 4 years!

I got some news from my brother today. He is a Fullbright Professor, currently in Ukrania. Here is an excerpt from his letter.

"In general, the food has been a good thing about Ukraine. Probably too good. It's ridiculously cheap. The landlady said she would cook for me, for $5 a day, but as that was the price of the room itself, I declined. And then I learned that I could actually eat out twice a day, full meals, in decent, even very nice, restaurants, for $4 a day. And the food can be very good, even if what I eat is just variations of chicken and fish with rice.

One walk through the market very near where I live is enough to make you not eat meat here. It's a lot of fun, but let's just say we should be very, very grateful for the FDA. Skip the next part if you've eaten recently -- the rabbits are displayed split open on their backs, so you can see the very red kidneys. One foot still has fur, I guess so you can carry it. And then there are the old women selling chickens, the whole chickens with the head and everything. Sometimes, perhaps out of modesty, the head is wrapped in newspaper. This is just on the side of the street and the chickens just come out of various, usually blue and red plaid, shopping bags/carry alls. Oh, and then there's the display of tongues. All of this is unrefrigerated, open air, usually on just newspaper or a dirty shelf or table. And I forgot the fish, sometimes in, sometimes out of bathtubs.

The nuts sold on the street are very nice, though. And, of course, this is all very sad, because people are just selling anything, things other than food -- shoelaces, soap, cabbage, flowers, etc., to supplement their pensions, which might just be $20 a month."

That was enough to remind me of how rich we are here.

Have a great day.

"

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2002



Wow, a whole year...............that is almost unreal!!! This has been such a full year what with all the events etc.

Our week has been trying to say the least. The middle of last week as we were preparing for bed we heard water running and found that our water heater has died and was leaking all over the place. Not only that, but had been probably slow leaking as the floor under is is badly damaged and will need replacing. We have the heater we want on order and it will not be in until the end of this week so I am heating all our water. If it were summer that would not be too bad cause we would have the sun and could set up a shower outside.

I am struggling with a dress for my granddaughter for Easter. This one will teach me to allow the child to pick out the pattern. There is so much to it and we all know that a five year old won't wear it all that much before they outgrow things. Learning experience for me to be certain.

As I sit here typing this I am hearing my husband using language he seldom uses as he tries to get the old water heater out of the space it is in. I have learned after all these years to not ask if there is something I can do to help and just stay out of the way.

There is no signs of spring here except shivering birds that would normally be singing spring time songs. It has been getting down into the teens at night for over a week and seldom going above freezing. I have no idea what this is doing to all the things that were forced out by the nice weather we had. I know that daffodils are rather hardy, but I don't remember sub zero wind chills in the past when they had begun to bud.

I hope that all is well with all of you and yours and that you have a great week. hugs to all

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2002


I'll sit here and envy you your trip, Joy - tho I hope by then I am able to get out in the garden! Enjoy the vegetation - and send us reports! Hubs has a good friend who lives on one of the smaller islands (can never remember which one); Royse keeps telling us to come visit - hubs says "Just as soon as I can drive it.." Won't fly. Big Wuss!! Do they still have passenger liners to the islands? Now THAT would be a neat vacation! My luck, I'd decide to go during typhoon season...

And speaking of MY luck, I haven't gotten one darn thing done that I've planned to do, lately! Every time I get ready to head out to the garden to do anything, it either rains or snows! I'm sitting here today, glaring - and I mean, positivly GLARING!! out the window at the weather; but it doesn't seem to be affecting it one darn bit! It's STILL grey and gloomy and cloudy and cold and windy and damp and just generally YUCKY! And from what I hear, it plans to stay like this all week - looks like we're gonna need the Jon boat to hunt Easter Eggs out in the yard...grumble, grumble...need chocolate...need caffiene...need SUNSHINE!!!

Co-worker Annie and I went to St. Louis for a clinical conference last Friday. First, we stood out in the weather (7*/WC -12*) to catch the Metroliner; then rode all the way across St. Louis with the doors opening every whip-stitch - in dress clothes and shoes, naturally. By the time we got to the terminal my toes were completely frozen, I swear! We were standing there waiting for the shuttle to the hotel, and they called for boarding for a flight for Cancun...."Annie, do you have a credit card?! I do!" I sez... She wouldn't go - don't know what is the matter with that girl! 'Course, it may have had something to do with the check in lines - I have never seen them that long - most of them you couldn't even tell where they originated. I guess you'd just have to find your check in desk and then follow the line back to the end - quite a difference from when the kids were flying in and out before 9/11. I'd venture a guess that there must be a lot of missed flights and reconnections happening! You fly safe, Joy - and head the to the airport early!

Sounds like everyone's frustration level is skyrocketing lately! My work schedule is screwed up again - anyone surprized? Was supposed to work last night on the wacky ward - cancelled; now I have to work tonight on med-surg instead. With 14 people working on our unit (only 12 of whom work the floor on a regular basis); we have three people going to school right now; three out on medical leave - one of whom is one of the ones going to school; 2 on vacation, one coaching a sport at her son's school and another helping with a catechism class at her daughter's school - I just know that I'm going to come in some night and find our staffing person in 4 points in the rubber room!! (I think I want a different job!!) I mentioned to my boss that I was thinking of taking the new massage therapist certification classes being offered at our local community collage; I thought the poor man was going to break down into tears at the very notion!

Well, I guess I'd better get off my rump and get something done around here, so I can nap this afternoon. I think I'll try to get all that clean laundry folded and put away so I can clean the utility room. Still need to finish cleaning the guest room and the family room. And the porch. And Jessie's bathroom. The kitchen. The yard. I'm not EVEN going to go upstairs into Pop's lair - I reckon they'll have to play their music in the living room this year since Uncle Ivan is in a cast and on crutches, so Pop probably thinks he's off the hook as far as housecleaning goes! He thinks wrong, but he's escaped to town to swill coffee at the Red Barn already this morning, so I'll have to wait to inform him of that 'til he gets home. And, yeah - the Honey-Do list is already made out and sitting at Hub's place at the table!

All you folks have a calm and pleasant week! (SOMEBODY ought to!)



-- Anonymous, March 25, 2002


Don't read this is you don't want to read my driveling on about the island of Hawaii. Dee, if you can squeeze down to the size and weight of a can of soup, Fed-Ex yourself to me, and I'll put you in my carry-on. When I get there, I'll float you in the Pacific and bring you back to the right size! 'Course, I don't know HOW you will get home . . . . ;-)

I am lucky that I am leaving Wisconsin from a small airport, and Hawaii from an even smaller one. I know there will be lines, but nothing like if I was going from O'Hare or LAX (have to change planes at those two, but I'll be past the security check-ins there -- YAY!). REALLY glad I scheduled a 10 a.m. flight instead of something like 6 a.m., but I will go early. Someone who just flew said the lines were quite long even early in the morning, and that any carry- ons should be on wheels -- she thinks she has a permanent gouge in her shoulder from toting her carry-on for so long.

The Big Island is different from the others. It is the newest, still has lava flows. Made up of 5 volcanoes -- one is most likely extinct (Kohala), but two are merely dormant (Hualali and Mauna Kea), the fourth is considered active but doing nothing at the moment (Mauna Loa), and Kilauea is actively flowing, since 1983. Plus there is another island being formed off the southeast coast (in line with the Kilauea flow) -- Loihi. That'll be an island in another 10,000 years or so . . . Much of the island looks like a lunar landscape. Lava flows 100, even 200 years old have nothing much growing on them, except clumps of grass here and there. There are something like 10 climatic zones on this island.

Up near Volcanoes National Park, the elevation is high enough that the days are cool, topping at about 70 most the time, and quite cool at night. Very beautiful, pleasant area (where the lava flows are so long ago that a lot of vegetation has grown up), but I wouldn't live there on a bet. The area I like is kitty-corner across the island, on the northwest side, in North Kohala. You can see Maui from there. Formerly sugar cane land (and timber before it was cut down a couple of centuries ago). Also love the small (but growing by leaps and bounds, sadly) ranch town of Waimea. That area has the Parker Ranch, which is a HUGE cattle ranch. You cannot see the ocean from Waimea.

My cousins live in Waikoloa Village -- very dry and scrubby looking, sort of like Tucson. They have to irrigate to have green stuff. Some call it Waika-blowa, claiming it's too windy. There is almost always a wind, but it isn't that bad. Feels kinda good when it's so HOT. The big tourist area is called Kailua-Kona (though some just call it Kona), on the west or Kona (dry) side of the island. It's hotter and more humid down there. I like to go down for a day of shopping, but that's enough of that area. Too hot, too crowded.

Hilo is the only city on the island, and it is on the east/windward/wet side of the island. It's a small city, about 130,000. I like to spend about one day there too, then that's enough. I hope to go on a whale-watch cruise this time. I've been out snorkling twice and seen spinner dolphins, but no whales.

I love Hawaii, the island and the state. Julie didn't like it (the island, hasn't been to the other islands), and my parents weren't impressed either! At least my brother likes it! But we never go at the same time.

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2002


After I signed off this morning I realized I had not commented on your trip Joy. I must admit to being bitten by the green eyed monster when you first spoke of your trip!!! My son and his family lived there for over a year, but unfortunately my father was in his final battle with cancer and I never got to visit them. I would very much like to just spend time going from island to island and seeing all the flora and fauna, to say nothing of the snorkeling that is there to enjoy. I hope you have a wonderful trip!!!

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2002

Thanks for all the "bon voyage"s! :-D You know what I wish I could send you all is the feel of the air, the scent of the islands, and the sounds. We can all look at pictures. I am not much on travelling -- the actual process of getting there, that is. But I enjoy myself once I get wherever I'm going!

Today was fairly nice and spring-like here. We could use some more moisture, but in the meantime, I don't miss the mud! I see bulb shoots and perennials starting to peek above ground, which is always nice, since everything else still looks brown and dead.

I did watch the Oscars. Fellowship of the Rings only won 4 out of their 13 nominations -- Cinematography, Visual Effects, Make-up, and Score. {sigh} Halle Berry and Denzel Washington won Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. There were special Oscars honoring Sidney Portier and Robert Redford. Those tributes were very nice. Whoopi Goldberg's jokes mostly stunk. And her outfits were mostly scary looking. A lot of the actresses presenting awards looked rather scary too. Weird dresses, weird messy hair (my cat does a better job on her hair!), even strange makeup. And it was LOOOONNNNNG!

Why is that when you should be getting ready to go somewhere, you suddenly start doing projects that you have been ignoring forever?! That's what I was doing yesterday. Oh well, at least something got done!

-- Anonymous, March 25, 2002



As a woman I can honestly say that dumbass tantrums are NOT just a guy thing. I've had my share and a few from others as well. Sometimes it just feels good to vent that rage and frustration off even if it means kicking something or hammering the bejeepers out of a piece of wood because you keep missing the nail and then you end up breaking whatever it was you were building BUT you are calmer after the outburst so its not so bad. ;Op Friday lamby number 3 was born and Sunday I found lamby number 4 hypothermic but crying so we warmed him up and got some calories into him and to make a loooong story short he is nursing on his own now. He is SO tiny!!! Itsy bitsy thing maybe half the size of the next smallest lamb we had. the one born two days before him to another ewe is probably 4 times his size, but puny guy is cuter! LOL Now I notice one of the 10 day old twins is stiff. Crap! I will get some selenium E today and see if we can't stop this. Hubby is away again but its not so bad this go round even if the kids are sick again. Bad news last night about my minister. When they attempted to remove a tumour they found more cancer and weren't able to remove the tumour after all so its not looking real good. Its so hard. This is what killed my brother in law two years ago this June (pancreatic cancer) so its hard to believe in the hope Don will beat this. He means a lot to me and I also worry about his wife and what will become of her. She and I talked about this about a week and a half ago. i won't bore you with it. Anyhoo, I have 4 lambs and 3 are rams so there will be something in the freezer next winter if all goes well. Time to order chicks and pigs!!

-- Anonymous, March 26, 2002

I'm trying to get over being really bummed out today. I worked on med/surg the other night, it was a really tough night for me professionally and personally. I came in to 2 extremely acute GI bleeds (CCU was full), one a surgical candidate who was scared silly, one a DNR in a coma; a young mastectomy, with physical and mental pain; a fractured hip (severe pain); and a post surg who couldn't speak/understand English, and to whom I couldn't explain the unpleasant and painful things that I had to do. The other two patients were not as acute - just pneumonia. I was doing okay, but then I lost a patient 40 minutes after he arrived on the floor. Oh, the family knew he was dying and couldn't be helped; but do you know what this man's last hours on Earth were like? He was taken out of his bed and loaded onto a gurney and put into an ambulance; driven 20 miles in an ice storm to a hospital, where he was transferred to another gurney. He spent 3 1/2 hours lying on a hard, narrow bed in ER; then was transferred to my floor, where he was moved into yet another bed. Before we even transferred him to the bed, I knew we were going to lose him, and very soon. I left the floor supervisor to hook his fluids up to his IV, while I left the room to call the MD and the family. The MD ordered the pain med I requested (the pt. was suffering excruciating back/abd. pain); the family member I reached said that they would come see him in the morning; though I had clearly explained that he was dying. I gave him the pain medication, and then I - a stranger in a white dress - sat on the side of his bed and held his hand while he died. And then I cried; as I'm crying now, while I'm typing this. Total time elapsed from arriving in my care - 40 minutes.

In the 13 hours that I had been inside the hospital, the weather had gone from rain, to sleet, to an ice storm; then 6 inches of snow on top of that. I walked out the door into swirling snow - and an unplowed parking lot. After helping push three cars out of the way (they were stuck in the paths between cars); I managed to get my own car out and headed home. The highways weren't plowed, the city streets weren't plowed, our country road wasn't plowed. I got off work at 8 am - home at 10:30; 27 miles. Mental trauma and adrenelin overdose on top of emotional trauma.

Sorry to dump this on y'all; but there isn't any dirt showing to go stick my hands into. Thanks for letting me vent.

-- Anonymous, March 27, 2002


Polly.................(((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))) been there and done that. God bless you for staying with him. Love yah gal!!! Get some rest.

-- Anonymous, March 27, 2002

Polly,

looks like it's your turn in the barrel this week. Sure seems to come in waves sometimes doesn't it? I'm sorry that you're having a tough time of it.

The Hagan's thus far have been having a tolerable week. The wife worked all day Saturday so she could take some time off with me during the week when my sister and her two kids came down from the Washington D.C. area to visit. The baby and I had a pretty fair day and though I stopped to interact with her frequently she still entertained herself outside with me much of the day. I was wiring poultry netting to the inside of livestock panels so I could set up a yard for the chicks now that they're out of the brooder. Still have one left to do that I'll get this coming weekend but three panels were enough to at least make a start.

Sunday I spent the day planting my tomatoes, peppers and egg plants now that our frost danger has passed. It went to 40 the night before and I think that was the last hurrah for old man winter this season. With the bedding plants out I cleaned out the used bedding out of the brooder so that I could take it down and put it away until the next batch of chicks probably next year. Ended up with about two full drums of manure rich shavings that I'll spread around the trees and blueberry bushes when they've leafed out a bit more.

Sunday afternoon my aunt came up from Wildwood with my sister, her two kids and my grandmother arriving from Georgia about an hour later. I must admit now that I've got a child of my own and nieces and nephews running around I've developed a new perspective on the way my grandfather must have felt when we grandkids were coming along. I was taking everyone on the ten-cent tour showing them the various plantings, the chickens and whatnot when I kicked a prickly pear cactus out of the ground (I have an eradication campaign ongoing). No sooner than I had done this than my ten year old niece reached down and picked the doggone thing up with her *bare* hand! Oh, she was very careful to avoid the big inch long thorns when she did it. I made her drop it, picked it back up with my Leatherman and pointed out the little hair fine thorns that she hadn't seen as explanation for why her were now itching. My five year old nephew refused to walk across the yard for fear of fire ants (he'd had a bad experience at the farm in Georgia the year before) and it took his mama and I a half-hour to convince him that he was not in danger of being eaten alive. On the way past the work shop my niece ran her hands through the barrels of bedding with me telling her all the while not to put her hands in it and then was annoyed with me when I told her it was full of chicken manure. Sigh… I'm being philosophical about this since it's only going to happen time and again until they grow up. It's a wonder our parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents didn't pinch our heads off when we were that age!

We had a big sphagetti supper Sunday night which I kept fairly tame compared to the way we eat in en family which is chock full of veggies in a rich meat sauce. My grandmother went on south to stay with my aunt for the week - a two bedroom house with three children ten and younger running around yelling and screaming isn't the most restful place for an elderly woman! Heck, it's not very restful for one almost 40 year old man! Monday we went to Silver Springs to boat and Jeep the kids over hill and dale then fed them a big barbecue supper in Gainesville. Tuesday my sister took her kids off to visit high school friends and then present them with a surprise trip to Disney World on Wednesday (today). They should be back at our place late tonight sometime where they'll stay until Friday morning when they make the trip back to D.C. Sure would like to get her to move back to Florida but she's still in love with the big city life and thinks that she can make more money there than she can here. Been trying to point out that it costs a lot more to live there too but the new hasn't worn off yet so I'll just be patient. Sure hate to see her kids growing up in that place in a single parent household (their dad decided to stay in Germany when the Army transferred her stateside to the Pentagon).

This latest weather front teased us with some rain but it never actually precipitated. Maybe the next one. The chicks are doing well in their new house and once they go over being suspicious are obviously thrilled about being allowed out on the grass. In fact they complain loudly if I'm not out there a half hour before dawn to open the door. They're still small enough to be owl snacks so I shut the door at night. Been a tolerable week so far.

.......Alan.



-- Anonymous, March 27, 2002


Polly, I am so sorry to read about your experiences.

I don't think any of us would want to plan our worldly exit like that. How hard and sad that must have been for you...and others.

God bless you for being there, no matter how your role played out.

You have my admiration.

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002



Watching my Mama during her illness, seeing how she was cared for; then watching Mama die - at home, with people who cared about her around her, and with Pop and I on each side of her holding her hands; made me feel that everyone deserves the same comfort. It was a big part of the reason why I went to nursing school in the first place. What I did was no big deal (ask Diane, I'm sure she's seen and done it many times) - I was ANGRY because I was all the man had there - just a stranger - and no matter what I felt, I was just someone who was being paid to take care OF him; not care FOR him. I was also angry because of the way he was dragged around here and there during his last hours, when he could have been medicated for pain and allowed to die comfortably in his bed - preferably with people he loved around him. I'm just grateful for the other staff on the floor - who took care of my blood transfusion patients, and kept an eye on the others - in order to allow me the half hour I needed.

Guess I just need to go practice some of my counseling crap on myself, and get over it! Tonight will be better, I'll be back on the psych ward (better even if it is a full moon!) I'll take my anger out on some of the darn dust around here today. And maybe the sun will shine and I can hang the sheets and comforters out on the line. Then maybe I'll make some snickerdoodles and take them in to the staff on the med/surg unit when I go in to work tonight. (And maybe I'll fill out that application for Hospice.)

Hugs to you all - and thanks so much for listening to me crab..

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002


Polly - THANK YOU! IMO no one should ever have to die alone. My youngest sister is a CNA with a hospice organization and some of the stories she tells make me mad enough to spit! Like the family that wouldn't visit their dying mother on Christmas day because it would be "too depressing". I hope that working with the loonies helps to cheer you up tonight. :)

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002

Sherri, they sometimes make me laugh; they sometimes make me cry - but I always go home thanking the Gods that I CAN go home!

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002

My first job out of college was working 10-hour shifts at the county charity hospital. I would do 2 hours of phlebotomy in the morning, then go work an 8 hour shift in the chemistry lab. Since I was the new kid I usually got asigned to draw blood on the psych ward and the prison ward. Quite an eye-opener for a sheltered little 22 year old girl! I had to take an armed escort with me when I was on the prison floor, and I was told that if any of the patients made a move I should hit the floor so I'd be out of the line of fire. The psych ward was more fun, I had one fellow promise that he'd marry me if I'd bring him a spoon. I also got to take blood from Jesus Christ, she was very nice about it. :)

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002

We had Stephen King last week (or so he thought) - now that was a little freaky!

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002

But did he LOOK like Stephen King? ;-)

-- Anonymous, March 30, 2002

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