FISHING TROPHIES

Once again I thank Vickie for the pictures of our grandchildren. We are so very proud of them.
Isaac got a certificate and a trophy for his prize winning fish. These kids take fishing seriously!

CONGRATULATIONS !
GREAT JOB!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

I'm about frustrated with this allergy thing. This morning I felt pretty good.. not much but a cough here and there, not deep.. no wheezing, nose was clear and I had most of my real voice back. Wendell even noticed..
And then............. I decided to make us a light lunch. What could be easier or better than a home grown tomato right out of the garden.. stuffed with a goodly dollop of cottage cheese. I chose 2 lovely medium sized yellow tomatoes from the big bowl that Charlie brought over the other day.
By the time I got the tomatoes on the table (minutes later), I could feel my nasal passages filling up and draining down my throat.. followed immediately by a coughing jag and wheezing that sent me running for the inhaler. I don't get it. What is it? Tomatoes? Cottage cheese? I didn't so much as taste the juice of the tomatoes.. it was just on my hands which I rinsed off before going to the table.
So now I've finished off a box of Kleenex and am working on another. It's definitely allergy- it hit me square like a brick wall.
So here I am again- stuffed to the gills.. waiting for the wheeze to pass (which it has) and nervously wondering if my summer staple (tomatoes) are going to go on a list of foods that I can't eat any more.
I really don't know where to begin limiting foods.. I suppose I should start with bouillon and applesauce. Pretty hard to be allergic to those two.
I am scheduled to work tomorrow at the hospital. I'm hoping to be able to go.
Pray for us.. pray for relief of allergy.

DREARY DAY

I think the only ones who appreciate the rainy dreary weather is frogs and ducks.. and maybe a few fish.. It's certainly wet. I was inside most of the day, but as the rain keeps coming down, maybe we should consider.... an ark?
I wonder how Noah made it with all those animals? It would have been a full time commitment. I've shoveled the barn and I know that's a chore.. imagine his days.. the smell.. and where did he put the food to feed all these creatures, and how did he keep the peace? I wonder if God put the animals to sleep for that journey? Perhaps suspended them in time??
Thankfully, the world will never be destroyed by water and flooding again.. scripture says so and I see the sign in the rainbow after the rain has passed.

With so many parts of the world without water or rain, I feel blessed to live where I do. We seem to have just the right amount. Lake Blair overflows yet.

Feeling a tad better tonite. The medications seem to be kicking in. There have been few coughing jags, and then only when I'm up and moving. These are becoming more manageable with the meds.. When the spasms hit, the Proventil is the thing that calms the wheeze and the cough slows to a stop. I'm learning. This is all new to me. I will be using the Advair inhaler for a while- a couple of months- to keep the reactions short and less dramatic.

The kids were here today and we got to visit with them while their parents went out. We had a good time, too bad it was raining. They all wanted to go outside. So I made some popcorn and got out some corn chips and then cut up 4-5 apples and we watched the DVD.. I put on pictures of them from last fall and Grandma Camp. David laughed through the whole thing. He really enjoyed all the photos on tv.
Grampa got his birthday present- new pictures of Annabelle. That just made his day!

Tomorrow we plan to do some slow cleanup. I dont' think I can do any more than that which is necessary at the moment.

Have a super day and evening.. keep your powder dry!

JUST A BIT BETTER

Today I called the doctor.. this morning I had a chest Xray done and picked up a couple new scripts to manage the respiratory problem. One is an antibiotic (prophylactic I assume), and the other is an inhaler which I'll be using for the next couple months.. steroid. It's a low dose of steroid, so I'm hoping it'll cause me no harm.
The first dose taken, I haven't had to use the other inhaler since. Only one coughing jag, and now I'm settled again. The wheezing has slowed down..Amazing.
I'll await hearing about the Xray. Feeling just a tad better.

It really rained here for a long time today- like a monsoon. The streets in Butler were majorly flooded. Lake Blair was overflowing when we got home. It's still dismally overcast outside, but pleasant inside. Jane just stopped by to bring me a new jar of Vicks.. the price of this stuff is outrageous, but it works on anything. Then Charlie stopped by with a huge bowl of tomatoes from the garden, and a couple of zucchinis.. oh, boy !!!!!!! And fresh green beans too!!! woohoo!!
And did I see a couple of peppers in that bag?.. yes, I did !

I'm off to take a little nap before supper.. have a super day.. a dry day !
Pray for us..

ALLERGIES

Wednesday I saw my PCP for a routine check up. Labs were good, he changed my BP med, and pronounced me pretty healthy. Thursday afternoon after all the patients were gone and I was doing my paperwork, something triggered an allergy attack.. I suddenly had copious amounts of mucus draining down the back of my throat and I suddenly lost my voice.. or it became very nasal and gravelly. Eyes watered and itched...
It's been 3 days.. I worked 2 of them, but today have called off because of the wheezing and coughing, and the rest .. It's sure a bugger. I've been using my Albuterol puffer about every hour, and the cough has left me with sore ribs and a nasty headache. I'm going back to bed.
Tomorrow I'll call the doctor and see if I have to take yet another round of Medrol.

Nearly everyone I know who has any allergy problems is having a bad time this year for some reason... This is the worst one for me.. I've been 'hit' at least 3 times if not 4 with severe symptoms that occur on the spur of the moment. It got old pretty fast.
And , yes , I'm using Robitussin DM and Nasonex spray.. I tried Allegra D, but it doesn't do a thing.. Dimetapp is good.
Anyone have any other ideas how to combat this? I'm about out of ideas myself. Each round of attack seems worse than the last one.. no Epi-pens for me.. I bottom out with epinephrine.

Okay.. I'm done complaining... have a great day.. I'm heading for my bed.

HAPPY 45TH

AUGUST 18, 1962
HETHERTON RPC
CONGRATULATIONS
BILL AND CAROL IMM

MORE BIRTHDAYS..AUG 17

August 17..
2 birthdays to celebrate today.
John is married to Mandy
whose birthday was yesterday.
His birthday is today.
Happy birthday , John
Cheesecake for you too-
coming right up !

********************

I stole this picture from JJ's blog.
It's a good one !
Happy birthday
JJ !!

JJ , PAUL 2, AND WENDY

1994 BUTLER COUNTY DAIRY PRINCESS

BABY JJ

GROWING UP..

JJ'S SPOT WAS ALWAYS WITH GRAMPA IMM

GUESS WHOSE BIRTHDAY?

AUGUST 16..
GUESS WHOSE BIRTHDAY IS TODAY?
HERE IS HER BABY PICTURE...

CAN'T GUESS?
HERE IS ANOTHER PICTURE
OF HER GROWING UP
1981 WAS THE YEAR..

AND ONE OF HER
ON HER WEDDING DAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
AMANDA

DROWNING IN CPAP

JJ's computer is on the fritz... likely a power surge. UGH! She is trying to repair the problem herself rather than sending her computer back to Dell... I feel for her. I have repaired my old computer myself many times replacing parts and reformatting the thing at least 4 times if not 5. I finally succumbed to a new tower when the old one threatened to crash again. This one is great. I seem to be able to work pretty well with Vista Home Premium though many have told me that I'd regret not going to XP. I'm no computer brain, but what I got seems to be just fine.

It's chilly this morning- but a lovely day. I have a doctor appointment later on. I'm not worried. My labs were excellent but for triglycerides. I need to work on that .. I'll have to get back to fish oil. My weight seems under control too- I've lost a few pounds since last check up. It's all good.

I woke up this morning drowning in my CPAP. It's one of the hazards of using the machine that corrects my SOSA. It seems that I had the AC on last night all night.. and then turned on the warmer on the CPAP- and it makes a ton of condensation in the tubing that goes to the mask which covers my nose- thus the drowning sensation after 6 hours of condensing. Water everywhere- soaking my head, pillow, and jammies. UGH! I got up and made coffee.

It is 60 degrees. Rather chilly as I said before. But it will be in the 80s again today and sunny.
I love this weather! I'm a bit tired as I could have used another hour sleep.. Well, my day is set to begin as soon as I finish blogging.
Which reminds me.. I need to get going here. Have a super day!
Pray for us.. for leaders.. for the children who need to know the Lord.

HORNET NEST

After cake tonite, we took a look at the hornet nest in the tree.. John emptied 2 cans of spray on it at dusk tonite.. they still buzzed around..

The spray was a foam and was supposed to stop the hornets in flight.. right. They kept on trying to get in and they did finally. The foam kinda dripped off in big goopy blobs that looked like suds.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDELL

The Zombecks took us to supper tonite.. Wendell's choice.. this is where he wanted to go- they have the hash brown potatoes he loves..




He requested a cheesecake.. and that was what he got. I have to admit, it was one of my better tasting ones for some reason. Hmmm..

We are having a good day here. I made Wendell's cheesecake that he requested for his birthday. That was the easy part. Getting him to just have a little piece is the hard part.. and fitting all his candles on it.. maybe he'd opt for one for each decade?
The Zombecks tell me we are going out to dinner tonite to celebrate the birthday- likely the Olive Garden. Mmmmmmm Love the OG.

Lots to do yet today before going out.. cleaning, cleaning, decluttering and tossing and pitching.. whew! Makes me tired just thinking about it.. but I'm still on my feet.. so I'll keep going.
Little by little.. one little task at a time.

WENDELL'S BIRTHDAY

to my
WENDELL
whose day is
TODAY!!!

Elijah is baptized

Today Eli was baptized by his grandfather, Rev Valentine. Thanks go to Cory's mom for these photos.. I'm so very grateful to her for remembering us.

Gaylie's first dental exam.. she's such a big girl

SOUNDS OF SABBATH

Lots of sounds.. the alarm clock woke me up this morning.. and the sound of coffee brewing in the kitchen. I slept well.. how about you? It was a good day to be up and moving. And I was so glad to be not gainfully employed- that meant I could go to church without worrying about getting back and dropping Wendell off and running to the hospital.

Sounds.. Just thinking about all the sounds I heard today.. the kids were so quiet in church, you only heard an occasional whine from Annabelle when she wanted to be down by herself and crawling around. .. the sound of singing.. and the pastor's sermon. He talked about the sound of God's voice being like thunder on Mt Sinai.. and how the people wanted it to stop- it was so loud.

The reassuring sound of my car's engine as we drove today..

Right now I'm listening to the soft hum of the air conditioner in the bedroom.. so thankful for it.
Mostly, the sounds have been ever so quiet today.. a reprieve from the bustle of the previous week. A while ago Mandy and I were talking quietly and giggling about the sound coming from the bedroom- snoring! It is a great day for a nap for sure.

We took a walk around the perimeter and found little baby toads in the window well where the groundhog had tried to move in. He seems to be gone for now, but there was a big toad and then all the little ones hopping around- kinda cute.

We checked out the hornet nest- though they have emptied 2 cans of spray on it, they persist. I took a picture.. I could hear them buzzing around me. We quickly moved on.

Charlie has a rooster- at least one. I heard it a couple weeks ago practicing his crow- funny to listen to- more like someone with a sore throat. But he's got it down to an art now and it sounds more authentic.

The chickens followed us all over- waiting for a handout and looking for food (beetles, bugs, and other nasties) Mandy spotted a baby toad/frog and was horrified when seconds later a chicken spotted it too. Mandy tried to chase the hen, but it was too late.. she had her protein for the day.

We have a family of deer that live right directly behind our house. A mama and 2 babies and at least 2 bucks and another doe. Interesting how close to the house they stay. They eat the crab apples along the property line and then come back to the house to rest. The one baby is a yearling and the other is a new fawn with reddish fur and spots.. really a cute little Bambi. Charlie doesn't think so. They are eating the tomato plants from the tops down and have all but destroyed the beans.

Enough rambling for today...

GOOD MORNING

It is a beautiful day today. John has been busy loading up the dumpster which arrived yesterday morning. It's already half full, and it's a HUGE dumpster. The basement awaits yet- we'll see.

I realized I hadn't made a post yesterday and the last post was just a rant. It's been one of those weeks I guess. The computer threatened to shut down and stay down on Wednesday morning. After fussing with it again and again I finally got it to come on and I could read email at least. Wendell urged me to order a new CPU, so I did. I ordered it online from Amazon and got a fabulous deal with a $250 rebate.. WOOHOO! Wednesday evening I got online again and had an email from Amazon that said my order had been picked up. I got free shipping and was expecting the new tower somewhere between Aug 15-27. Thursday I had a call from UPS that said my order would arrive Friday. WOW! So Friday morning around 11am, the new tower arrived. I couldn't do anything with it then since I was gainfully employed yesterday evening. Surprise! They sent me home after 4 hours, so all last evening I was putting together the new tower. This one has the Vista Home Premium, and I think I'll enjoy it a lot. Already I'm getting the hang of it. It is so different from other computers I've owned. The old one will still operate, but we'll see.. not sure what I'll do with it. I thought the sound card went bad, but apparently it was the speakers.. so now that I have the new tower, there is still no sound. Gotta get speakers I guess.

Lots to do today.. still much to set up with the new PC.
Have a super day and I'll catch you all later

WORST WEATHER IN HISTORY?

Ranting again.....
The headlines read "worst weather in history".. I don't think so. I can remember way back in the dark ages when I was a child.. we had snow in winter that piled up over 5-6 feet high and the temperatures at the bus stop were below zero for weeks at a time. I also can remember very long and very hot summers.. much as we are experiencing now. I remember about 30 years ago having snow melting along the road into late June.
Rain and flooding? It depended upon where you lived. We never had any problem in Upper Burrell where I grew up. Nor do we have that problem here where I now live. When Wendell and I lived in Texas, we had snow flurries one morning- it paralyzed the city where we lived. How we laughed at that nonsense. But it was a good thing because many had never experienced driving on snow covered roads. Floods? Now that was something they all understood- but it was the streets that flooded to capacity like nothing I'd ever seen before, but THEY took it all in stride. I guess it's all in what you have lived with all your life. I do remember living there that we were invaded by crickets.. everywhere you stepped.. crunch, crunch, crunch.. no way to avoid the little creatures.
Looking at the pictures of people trying to drive in axle deep water in NYC.. makes me wonder about them- why would one even attempt that? Stay home and be safe. I understand the need for going to work- I work in health care and have to be there too- but not at risk to life and limb. They had a little tornado. I feel for them. We had a BIG tornado come through here in 1985- yes, it was scary. And I 'm not belittling their problem.. just saying .. when there is bad weather and trees down and there's been a tornado no matter how big- stay home and take care of your family and yourself. Help your neighbor. When all is taken care of, then go back to the job and be thankful.

LIFE GOES ON

Congratulations Barry Bonds. You now have your dream, so can we get on with life now? I was annoyed reading the news when I saw the headline about Ms Pelosi calling Mr Bonds to congratulate him.. not that I care, you understand. Good for her. But the next headline read : No Call From Bush. That's the one that irritated me. You see, he's the President of these great United States.. and it is not required of him to congratulate every athlete whose dreams of excellence come to pass. In fact, when is the last time any athlete called to wish the President well? hmmmm? I'm glad the President isn't immersed in sports- he has enough troubles on his hands- he doesn't need to be focusing on another person's athletic abilities.
Looks like NYC is under water. That's why I live where I live. I like it here. No earthquakes, no tsunamis, no landslides.. just clean country living in a quiet rural community where neighbors are neighbors and no one bothers anyone else. When we go out, we stop at intersections and let the other car go ahead of us.. no fist fights over whose turn it REALLY is. There are no 1000 person crowds waiting for a cab- we can get around just fine around here. I don't even know what a crowd of 1000 people looks like- I don't think I've ever seen one.. much less a rowdy crowd of 1000 people.
My cost of living is much less than these folks, but you will never convince me that I'm poor in any way. I have what I like around me, and enough financially to meet the bills as they come in, and at the moment, at least, we are not living beyond our means. Fresh veggies and fruit from the garden and roadside stands (locally grown produce) are on the table nightly, and I know how to make bread if the need arises.
I thank the Lord for putting me where I am while I'm here on this earth, and for my mom who showed us all how to garden and live frugally, and eat like a king in the process. I know how to can foods because I was taught how to do it by my parents. I have passed that on to my own children.
I think country living is the greatest. Anyone disagree? Take a look at the pictures in the news of NYC.. then tell me I don't have the best of everything.
Life goes on.....
-

ANNIVERSARY

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
RICK & SANDI

PHONE CALL

I had a special phone call today from Joyce. She belongs to Pioneer Girls and in that group she made a yarn Indian doll. This doll was entered in the farm show as an exhibit, and she was so excited to tell me that she had won 1st Place !!! Atta girl Joycie!!!!! I'm so proud of you !!
She also told me that the boys entered the pedal pull. She said the competition was heavy in Paul and Daniel's class, but David took 3rd Place !!! Atta boy David! I'm so proud of you too !!

RAINY DAY

I just heard that Butler county is one of about ..was that 54-58 counties? that were under mandatory drought conservation of water. I have to wonder about that. We have had tons of rain in the past few days.. and at the moment we are in the midst of yet another downpour with thunder and lightening. I have to wonder if we haven't had 6" on Sunday and then today we should have another 5-6"- it's coming down pretty hard. Lake Blair is now appearing on the driveway.. and filling rapidly.
I'm having a problem with my GI tract and then the aching from all the wet weather.. I called off work today. I just can't see me working when I feel so lousy. I always feel so guilty when I call off, but then, the alternative is going in and moaning and groaning all evening.. so I'm staying home. It's just as well.


I was thinking about the question of giving others advice and remembered telling someone another very important bit.. We live in a rural farming community. You have to go through a dairy farm to get to my house.. the advice that is given is this.. Don't ever run through the mud- it's not mud. Some people have to learn the hard way and their cars stink for a long time.

I can tell that not much will be accomplished today.. and I'm going back to my bed where I intend to sleep for a few hours.. peacefully.
Have a great day.. pray for us and for those close to you who are ailing. Pray for our leaders too. They probably need more prayer than most folks.
-

OFF WORK TODAY

So glad to be gainfully unemployed today.. I've had enough of the weekend fare. It's been a rough one for sure, and yesterday was just a tad short of the aggravation of the previous 2 days. Nonetheless, I came home sopping wet last night, cold and chilled to the bone and ready for my bed.
I had to park in the farthest out part of the North parking lot yesterday due to line painting that was being done in the parking garage. What a day for THAT. It was a soggy day all day, and then when it was time to go home, I got caught in a downpour, and thus, I was soaked to the gills.
I found that my car had no gas.. as I pulled out of the parking lot. Somehow I hadn't noticed that before. I knew I had plenty of fuel yesterday morning.. perhaps the trip to church? Well, I had to get gas in the pouring rain..and as I put my turn signal on to turn into the station I always use in Butler, the lights all went out- CLOSED. Oh, boy.. now what?,, so I kept on going and pulled into the 7-11 on Hansen. Nice new pumps.. I used my handy dandy debit card thinking I would be sheltered at the pump and wouldn't have to run into the store itself. Not so. The pump took the card, but refused the fuel and told me to see the attendant inside. RATS! Inside, the attendant told me to just try again.. and this time it worked. I put in 8.9 gallons.. I believe my tank holds 10.1- not certain of that, but it's close.
At home, Lake Blair was at least 4 times it's size for a regular downpour, and it was deep. I got through it and was just relieved to be home even if I was sopping wet from all my running in the rain.
Today, I slept in till 11am.. very unusual for me. I'd set the alarm for 8:30am figuring I'd sleep in till then, but I remember turning the alarm off and going back to sleep for 'just another 10 minutes'. HAH!
One really good thing is that the allergies that I've been fighting all week are calming down..I think. I still have the cough, the stuffiness, and the sort of gravelly throat, but it's less at least.
Another nice thing that happened today was that Wendell made the coffee .. I always make it the night before and just turn it on in the morning, but last night I was so zapped, I went pretty much straight to bed without my usual routines. AND... when I got on the scales this morning, I'd lost another pound bringing me to a total of 15# since I started my 'DOWNSIZING' program. It is painfully slow weight-loss, but the slower the better. It'll stay off this time.
With the allergies cropping up so much, I had decided to practice a sort of 'hypoallergenic diet'.. and now have been eating a lot of fresh raw fruits, veggies, and then just a little lean meat. I was going to eliminate dairy, but then decided to keep cottage cheese (in a small amount- 1/4 c serving), and butter.. can't go without the butter- in moderation. I don't want to exclude yogurt either, though I haven't had any lately. I'm also including nuts.. all different kinds.....raw and dry roasted. I'm trying to eliminate as much of the concentrated sugars that I can and then breads too. I take B vitamins, so I won't be missing that in the bread. I want to concentrate on whole grains, but so far I have been having Cheerios for breakfast, and that's pretty healthy for me.
Last night I had rice for supper with fresh fruit on the side.. and some rice crackers. It was enough.

I better get moving here.. time is wasting and I don't want to lose any more today than I already have..
Pray for us.. and for our leaders nationally and locally, and globally.

GIVING ADVICE..

I was thinking yesterday about advice we give to others. I wondered what advice YOU would give if you had the chance. So, here it is.. add to it if you wish..My advice to whomever will listen:

1. Take the time to slow down and thank the Lord for all he has provided you daily.
2. Moisturize , moisturize, and moisturize.
3. Never try to catch a baseball with your mouth open.
4. Always lock your car when you go out.
5. Even if you feel lousy, make an effort to smile at least once a day- it raises your spirit and makes you feel better.
6. Learn to laugh at yourself, don't put too much stock in other's criticisms
7. To have a friend, you must first be a friend- so be friendly to everyone
8. Treat others the way you would want to be treated.

RED SKY IN THE MORNING

As a child, I remember learning the adage "Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky in the morning, sailor take warning". I woke up this morning early- 6am. I made the coffee and went to the door to look outside. The sky is the most beautiful shade of red- everywhere I looked. The adage came back to me. It may be beautiful now, but there are storms coming today. I sat down here and checked the weather, and sure enough, we have a 60% chance of scattered thunderstorms today.
I enjoy checking the weather by looking at trees to see if the leaves are turned over showing their bottom side- a sign of rain. It's pretty foolproof. The other method that amuses me somewhat is when I note the neighbor's cows laying down in the field. It would seem the more downed cows, the greater the possibility of rain. I sometimes try to estimate the number of cows in a herd and then how many are down.. and sort of determine a % chance of rain by that method. It's hit and miss as you can imagine.
The other way to determine if it's going to rain is to consult my personal pain index.. my joints. They will tell me if rain is in the forecast about 12-24 hr before a storm.
We could use a little more rain.. it would give the plants a well needed drink and cool things down a bit from the 90 degree weather we've been having. I emptied the end of a bottle of Pepsi on the ground yesterday and wasn't certain whether I saw dust rise from the spot or steam.. who knows?
I'm tempted to put a baking thermometer in my car out of curiosity- to see how hot it is before I get in the car.
I probably should get one of those cardboard things I see people have inside their windshield to keep the sun from beating down inside, but then.. I wonder if they would really help keep the car cooler?
Maybe we just need a carport?
Enjoy the rain today.. I'm going to do just that.. it's a gift of God.

SUNNY,HOT,HUMID

It's a little after 11am on this sunny Saturday.. and already it is 83 degrees.. to be 89 again today.. The nights are warm and balmy too..it makes the corn grow faster and tomatoes ripen faster too. I can't wait for the big tomatoes to be ready!
I am gainfully employed this weekend.. not fun.. just work. I get behind on about everything but my routines, and even then, things get a 'lick and a promise'. 181 days today till I can call my days 'my own'. It'll be a celebration for sure. I find myself getting really tired of the nonsense I'm up against at the hospital. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing my job, but are others? And, should I really be picking up their slack? I find so many errors in the charts and have been doing so for the past few months. I'm a perfectionist, so I'm really aware of where things need to be on the chart.. others apparently are not. Last night was a fine example- after the 3rd chart with paperwork out of order (everything has an order so information is easy to find), I stumbled across a page of medication orders unsigned and left in the progress notes by a physician. I can't tell you how often this happens. It was a page that should have been with the rest of the med orders that the doctor signed. He needed to check them "no" if he didn't want them reordered, but he just left it in the PN unsigned.. in the wrong place in the chart. I finally growled about it to the staff, and they simply replied "how come these things only happen while YOU are here?" I replied "they are happening every time I'm here because I check the charts carefully". What does this say for other secretaries? They aren't checking the charts.
It is the responsibility of the secretary at the end of her shift to check every chart for missed orders and initial the pages in red ink. My initials are the only ones present on any of the charts as far as I'm able to tell. I have brought this to the attention of my supervisor, but it's worse since I complained. I'm playing my own strategy now- I initial in red when I take the orders off, the other charts should have been carefully checked by the daylight secretary, and since she did not tell me that she didn't check the charts, I am safe in assuming she has if she is doing her job. Last night I dealt with most of the charts and tried this method. I normally find at least one order in the charts left from the previous shift, and have decided to "push back" when it is called to MY attention that the order is missed. I will have to remind the staff that it was not MY error, but that my complaints were not being heard, so I'm taking responsibility for what I do, not what the others do. It's not like they don't have time- I take report at 3pm sharp and they don't leave for another 30 minutes. Most of the time they are in the locker room "resting" while the charts are there waiting for them to check.
I have nothing to lose here.. I'll be gone in 181 days..
So I'm off to get myself ready for another frustrating evening- I can't say I'll miss this job. I used to love it, but the strain of my perfectionism is getting the best of me. It's time for me to move on.

Now I will get off my soapbox and get ready to go.

HOT TODAY

Sure was a hot one today.. in the 90s, but I don't know just how high in the 90s we got. All I know is that when I left for the office this morning, it was balmy.. and the temperature was to go up from there.. my patients said it was quite warm outside. I wouldn't know- I spent the day inside. Tomorrow is forecast to be 89.. I'll be right in the midst of that one, as I'm working at the hospital for the next 3 evenings.

Just 183 days to go..

I got a call from Wendy today to tell me that Elijah will be baptised on the 12th of this month. Oh, how I wish I could be there. It's my weekend off, but not enough days to make the trip.

Wendell has gone out to get supper. Tonite we are having Long John Silverfish. It will be a treat for sure.

Not much happening here.. keep us in mind and in prayer..

THE ALLERGIST

I had a visit to the Otolaryngologist, AKA allergist today. He was very helpful. Yesterday I had to walk out to my car while the grass was being mowed, and promptly lost my voice.. it's coming back slowly but surely. I'm very allergic to grass obviously. Most people would have to be tested to determine that simple fact.. but I only get the severe reaction when grass is actually actively being mowed.. it's much less if it's just freshly cut and there is nothing flying in the air. So it's a nuisance allergy- one that I wish I didn't have, but know that I'm going to have to deal with.
The doctor gave me an inhaler for the wheezing and steroids to take when I have the more severe reactions. The Epi Pen is a bad idea for me- I react with severe hypotension in the dentist's chair if they use the novocaine with the epinephrine. On several occasions, the procedures have had to be cancelled and I ended up in Trendelenberg position (head down, feet up) till my color came back and my blood pressure came up when the doctors thought they could just slip me a dose of the offending drug. It causes the staff to have a little high blood pressure too- to witness this situation. Nothing short of scary for sure.
I'm doing better today anyway, but I got the prescriptions and am ready if it happens again- which, undoubtedly, it will.
Lots to do today.. have a really wonderful one.. stay cool- it's supposed to be 92 degrees today! Woohoo!
Hello summer!

TUESDAY

The YWCA in beautiful downtown Butler

Daniel and Paul stopped to pose in front of the sign..

I missed the bigger smile.. the camera is too slow!
Annabelle..

After the performance, outside the YWCA , the children, angels that they are, got their picture taken ..

A TRIP TO THE ZOO

As promised, here are the pictures from our grandchildren's performance yesterday..
That's Daniel without a hat in the background waiting for the show to begin..

Daniel and Paul played 'humans' going to the zoo..they did their lines perfectly!

If ever a perfect penguin, it is Joyce.. she is a darling little bird!

the cast.. Their 'animal hats' were the cutest!