CHIPMUNK TALE

On Thursday I came home and Emily and I were sitting in the living room chatting.

We heard this squeaky noise coming from the basement. I sounded like one of the cats toys that hangs tethered by a cord and makes noise when the cat will swat at it. We thought the toy had gotten carried to the basement.

But, who should appear but Jenny with some brown and furry thing in her mouth. IT WAS A CHIPMUNK and it was protesting quite verbally. She went into the family room and we had to decide which was the best course of action to get the rodent away from Jenny, but, how to do it.

Step one, open the door to the deck and get Jenny to drop the rodent. It was a good plan except we hadn’t told the chipmunk which way he/she was to go. Instead of running to the right and out the door, it took the long way to the left and into the main part of the house. ARGHHHHHHHHHHH

Run to close the doors to the bedrooms and bathroom. No where to run, no where to hide now little fellow.

It ran along the base of the kitchen cabinets and under the stove with two cats in hot pursuit. After retrieving the flashlight the furry fellow had managed to climb behind the cabinets. What a dilemma how do I get it out and worrying what if he dies back there….

We sat on the floor with a flashlight and two plastic bowls to pop on his head if he came out.

Phone call to Chuck who suggested barricading the stove. Meanwhile two cats were now sitting with us with the usual cat patience of waiting for prey.

Incoming phone call, while I was on the phone I hear that the chipmunk has escaped and Jenny had caught it again was had it in her mouth with the usual squealing.

This time Emily had my oven mitts and called “JENNY” Jenny picked up her speed away from us with her prize. Emily put on hand on Jenny’s rump and grabbed the rodent with her other.

“Open the door, I got it” I opened the door before the chipmunk regained his senses. Outside he went and ran like the wind. In all the commotion I neglected to take any pictures of this drama.

He was one stupid rodent to come in a house that smells of cats. Don’t these rodents have a good sense of smell???? I bought a new pair of oven mitts at the store today, wasn’t too sure about chipmunk germs, at least it didn’t bite, guess it was too scared.

I LOVE FRIDDAYS......

Another glorious Friday...actually they ALL are glorious..... I seems that I live for Fridays and other days off. On Monday I start my counting down to the weekend.....

Today I worked in the GI Lab...... You either get your stomach examined or your colon. For all those out there who have not had your colonoscopy done by the age of 50, it is time to do so. Just take Farrah Fawcet as an example. She has just died at the age of 62, what is recommended is that you have your first by age 50. If there is colon cancer in the family, you should have your first done about 10 years before the age that the person had their cancer diagnosed. For me that would have been at the age of 50. My mother was diagnosed at age 62, I actually think I had it done it earlier than 52. In fact my gastrointerologist said Emily should have hers done at age 40, she has a few years to go on that. BUT.... if you are having symptoms, all bets are off and a visit to your GI guy is in order.

People have all kinds of horror stories about them, I can honestly say that THE PREP IS WORSE THAN THE PROCEDURE.

If you have been hyming and hawing about it just call and set up the appointment. The prep is about equal to a GI upset kind of day, SO JUST DO IT......

One of the grad students I was working with today told me about a silicone toe guard that they make for runners. It is made to cover the affected toe and protect it while the runners are running. He said his wife uses it and it is suppose to be GREAT. Tomorrow I plan to go to the store and see just how effective this product really is.

When I wear sandals I do not have any pain. When I wear shoes it hurts a lot.......I can not spend the next 6 months with this nagging pain. I refuse to take Vicodan for my toe....Especially you would not want your anesthetist taking narcs....

NOT ENTIRELY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

My first and ONLY perm circa 1961.

AM I SAVING OR WASTING MONEY

Today is the beginning of a hot spell. It has been getting cool at night (58) but heats up during the day , it is 87 out there now. What I have decided to do is open the windows in the evening and turn off the AC. The humidity is low, now, my question is am I wasting my time and cash? Is this a good thing to do? If it was humid I would not consider doing this.

I am off today and spent the day looking for bargains. Actually a friend of mine told me to go to Dollar General to get good prices on cleaning supplies. They were priced good, as well as cat litter. I bought some things as well as two summer type t-shirts.

I had gone to the Mall and all the shirts I found or like had this stupid gathering at the bottom of it. Really, you need to be tall and thin to pull this off. The clothing stores wonder what will it do to get people to spend. I SAY QUIT DESIGNING STUPID LOOKING CLOTHING THAT WILL FIT A MINORITY OF THE PEOPLE. I do like my new shirts. Even though I bought them at Dollar General for $8 each.

I had gone to Office Max and they had a service where they would fill the printer cartridges for $10...I did this and LEXMARK (THE PRINTER COMPANY) would not accept the refilled cartridges of their own brand. I was quite angry, the ink cost an arm and a leg.

Lesson number one 1) Office Max refunded my money and 2) I will not buy a Lexmark printer again. I feel I am working with HAL who won't let me do things.

My toes still hurts, one of my friends told me that she had broken her toe and it continued to hurt for a year. I certainly hope not, I have taken to taping 2 4x4 bandages to my sock to create a cushion to prevent the irritation of the top of the shoe on my toe, you just can not wear sandals in the OR. My sister said I was lucky it was summer and I could wear the sandals, I said if it had happened in winter I would have had on shoes and not broken the toe.

Tuesday

As much as I try I still am in the doldrums of writing. I have tried to analyze my writing lethargy, but can't come up with an answer. We are working so hard at work, and I am REALLY looking forward to cutting down my days.

Maybe it is because the atmosphere is one of hamsters running and going no where on the wheel. We are working so hard and there is more and more to do. Maybe my age is just catching up with me. I am in very good health, and actually, my good health is no accident. It takes a life of watching ones weight, diet and avoiding vices; but I admit I like an occasional glass of wine.

I look at people who are much younger than me who are on disability and wonder exactly who is the fool here. I think it is me......I am talking about people whose health is ruined by their own neglect or poor choices. People Who live on the dole, while I am soon approaching 63 and still working my ass off. I am tired, cranky and irritable. This country is one who rewards bad behavior and punishes those who spend wisely and take care of them selves.

And I have to listen to the Washington rhetoric of taking from the "rich" and giving it to the poor. How about sharing my work ethic and my hard work. What has happened to this country that we have thousands of malingers who have their hands out with the cry of I am entitled so give it me???

Sunny at Last

ter the downpours of yesterday, it is finally bright and sunny outside. There was a lot of damage but my house was OK. Tomorrow is to have strong storms again. I think we have reached the rain limit. It rained about 3 inches in a matter of about 2 hours.

Toe is healing. The only problem is it hurts when I wear shoes. That presents a real problem. A few years back when I had plantar fascititis I purchased a pair of UGLY Birkenstocks and wore them. I had to resurrect them and there is a lot of toe room, so I am good to go. I just hope nothing falls on my toes.

Tomorrow I am doing plastic surgery. It will be a long day because the surgeon is meticulous. When you are having plastic surgery you want a surgeon who is like that.

Emily is finishing up her first year of Nursing School. To me that year went fast, she assisted last evening at the graduation.

I would like to put pictures in my heading, sort of a collage, I need to figure out how to do that.

I like the bright yellow of the daffodils. This was taken at the Phipps Conservatory.

SUNDAY'S BIG ADVENTURE

Yesterday started out as a fine day. The weather was perfect. Emily and I had a few things planned to do. First we dropped off the newspapers at the recycling bin. I wonder if they really recycle them, or burn them???

Next on to Half Price Books to peruse what the selection was. Emily found a few Nursing related books that might be of help to her. They study the whole time for their NCLEX Examination, after each unit they review, review and review some more.

In the same Shopping Center I went to the pet store to buy cat food. On the way in I somehow, managed to hit my toe on the cart wheel. If a person can see stars with their feet, I did. The pain shot up my leg.

On to the mall was a stop at Macy’s for a return and JCPenneys for shampoo. They were having a bUy one and get one for $1, this is the only time to buy shampoo. If you buy at Penney's they will also send you a $10 off coupon which Shawnna told me to add to the shampoo and it will be even cheaper. Thanks Shawnna…..

We walked around the Mall for a bit and the above mentioned toe was really hurting. Did a quick stop at the grocery store and then home. Toe hurting more, swollen and discolored by now.

In the early evening I decided that the toe was having more pain than it should be. Went to MED EXPRESS for a toe evaluation. What is nice about this facility is they bill your insurance for an “office visit” as opposed to a “ER visit” The difference is that the ER visit would cost me $75 and the Med Express visit will cost me $30. Plus there is not long wait, usually in, examined, treated and OTD.

Had an x-ray and my poor, now really black and blue swollen toe is broken. All they do it buddy tape it to the next. Got a Rx for pain medicine and a CD with my x-rays to take for a follow up.

This is the first broken bone I have ever had and the location is on the joint of the first metatarsal. Hurts too I might add. My foot was too swollen to get my shoe one, so I stayed home today and tomorrow too. I hope by Wednesday I can get my shoes on.

SATURDAYS EDUCATION SEMINAR

 

Yesterday I had registered for a seminar.   I was extremely disappointed.   The easiest thing getting up early and finding a parking space.    Parking was free and the day was warm.

My first irritation was the fact it was FREEZING COLD  in the meeting room.    I would believe it was about 62F.   I work in an OR and believe me I am accustomed to the cold.   I had on jeans, T-shirt and a jacket.   I could have used a fleece hoodie.

The next irritation was the guy talked for 30 minutes past his allotted time and that would make the meeting longer.   The second speaker spoke so fast and had no intonation, or punctuation marks in his presentation.  English is my native language and so was his but I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE MAN SAID.

Usually when you go to a meeting you have a chair and a table (like a banquet) where you can place your coffee and you have a writing surface for notes.   Also a hand out is given with the highlights or Power Point copy so you can add to the given notes.  They offered neither.

Soooooooooo, with the advent of the first break I left, got in my car and went to the library....Points or no points this seminar was close to torture and I could not endure eight more hours.

We have to obtains points of continuing education for our RN License renewal and I will find another venue for those  points.   I even passed up a free lunch...with the way it was going I would have passed out from lack of food because lunch was not until 13:30 and we had started at 06:30.   

Close to home or not, I will not sign up for that Seminar again.

Thursday Evening

I was just looking at my blog and realized that I hadn’t written since last Friday.  What have I been doing???  Working mostly; at this point in time my life is very mundane.    I guess I should not complain about that when I see all the ills of the world.  

I tried to add the daffodils, but somehow the last paragraph got split apart and when I restarted the print was no longer bold.   I am too tired to figure out how to correct it.

CONFUSED

Emily told me that when she clicked on one of the languages the resulting page was blank......I just clicked on Norwegian and my blog came up Norwegian???? But when I clicked on French, it was a blank page.
I have my doubts but I hope it is working.

This work week is over, I did a variety of things from Orthopedics, Urology, ENT, and today OB. The joint was jumping.....and all the beds were full.....When there is a sudden rise in deliveries we all look back 9 months and try to figure out what went on.....Like the major increase in births 9 months after the New York blackout.

So who knows, I am hoping it works especially on my Genealogy Blog because I am hoping, or wishfully thinking that perhaps at some point in time some descendant of my ancestors families will Google it and come upon their American cousins.

Tomorrow will be a trip to Blairsville PA and determine how to get to Torrence State Hospital, where Emily will go next week in fulfillment of her Psychiatric Rotation. It seems to be about a 45 minute drive and June is a good time to go. The dawn will be occurring and the trip will be in daylight. If it were winter I would suggest she and some of her classmates rent a room between day one and two. Blairsville is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and they do get a bit of snow in the winter.

FELT LIKE I NEEDED A PICTURE

 

Feeling a little prickly, so I guess this matches my mood.

Emily tried it and it failed.

 

What you might inquire.   The stupid Ultimate  Web Translator that’s what….One of my pet peeves in my life are things that do not work like they were designed to work.   This applies to ALL things.   When I buy light bulbs I shake them in the store and if I get them home and they do not light I will take them back.   Emily thinks I am cheap….but I just want to get what I pay for.

Sylvania was the object of my wrath one day.  It was about a year ago when the energy saving light bulbs were just out.   They are suppose to last 1000 years, not really, but for several years.   That particular light died in a few months.   So, I emailed Sylvania and they sent me a coupon for a new light bulb.  

With everyone of the GREEN bandwagon I have a question….Exactly where in the world are we to dispose of those GREEN lights????  They contain mercury vapor and I do not want that in the land fill or atmosphere…..   It appears, as of this moment in time, to save them for  when the county has a hazardous waste round up day, I will take them there.    I have heard rumor that Lowes and Home Depot now collect those defunct bulbs, I have to check this rumor, I have two to dispose of at this time.   A three way bulb went kerplunk.   I am now of the mindset that I have to save all my receipts and take them back with the documentation.

I haven’t decided what to do about the translator, I could go and try to glean as much information from the web site or just delete the damn thing………….