IT'S HERE

At 6am, I noted that snow was coming down. It's not fast, but there. It's now 6:30am and I'm noting something more ominous. The wind is blowing and the snow is coming from the east. That is always the sign of severe or violent weather. I am afraid we are in for a nasty nasty storm.

NOT SOON ENOUGH

Retirement can't come soon enough for me. I'm awake at 4am thinking about the storm to come. Praying over the storm to come. Trusting that it won't be as bad as anticipated, and yet praying that the hospital will not find my services necessary today and give me the day off. I'm the 'extra' secretary today. We havent' had the need for one in the past several months, but it's my turn again to take that spot.
If there is one reason to be retired, it's so that I don't have to drive in the winter again. It's many times a nightmarish experience. I don't like it one bit.

It's 25 degrees at the moment. Yesterday seemed actually warm considering the deep freeze we have experienced lately. The big storm is to move in this morning and keep on till Wednesday evening before the snow is done. The officials say we should have up to 6-10" before Wednesday night. Traveling is discouraged on Tuesday- today.
I know I've said it many times before, but February is always the worst winter month. It's true this winter for sure. I should be retired before the next one hits. It made me think of my mother and how she always said that her dad claimed that if you could make it through February, you'd likely make it the rest of the year. That was before icy roads filled with terrified drivers entered the picture. I think he was in reference to pneumonia and influenza.
One could almost figure on having all the winter in one month, noting we had really no winter November through January. Perhaps this storm will be the end of it. I'll be praying for that.

CORRECTION

I just spoke with Uncle Bob. His surgery will be tomorrow, not today as I'd previously stated. He has a good outlook and is looking to getting on with his life without all the pain in his leg. Keep him in prayer.
thanks

PRAYER, PLEASE..

There are a few prayer requests that have been given to me today...

• Uncle Bob has had surgery and had his leg amputated this afternoon. Please remember him. The problems are not just amputation , but compounded by renal and cardiac problems.
• Ellen Brackett's mother in law in the hospital this weekend following heart attack..she is doing well.
• Ellen also wrote about a friend who had been in an auto accident and has a cervical spine injury with some spinal cord involvement.. add him to your list, please.
• Aunt Mary Jane- having a hard time with adjustments to pain meds, and rehab. Thanks to Lois for volunteering to go with her.
• And my own request- there is a big bad winter storm approaching and should begin tonite with a lot of snow tomorrow morning. I am gainfully employed tomorrow and need your prayers to get to the hospital and home again.. and also, Thursday at the office. The prediction at the moment for Butler is 4-8" tomorrow and then 1-3" on Wednesday.
• Pray for traveling mercy for all who have to be out in the bad weather.
• Pray for affordable health insurance for Wendell.

Thanks to you all !!

BAD WEATHER AHEAD

Well, it's 25 degrees.. I knew you'd all be wondering.. We are to make it to freezing today- 32 degrees.
The bad news is that starting tonite, there will be a front coming through that could dump some substantial snow on us again. UGH. Where is spring? The path of this latest weather isn't definite, but I don't like thinking about trying to go to work tomorrow in freezing rain/ice/snow/sleet.. you name it. Will it be 6" or 10" this time? I think the weather prognosticators need a new dart board.
I'm heading to the office today for a while to help and to straighten out my little problem there. I won't go into it, but I need to address it.
My day is not totally planned, but I do have some things on the agenda.. calling the insurance company with some questions, and calling my patients too for this week.
It was relaxing to be off this weekend and today will hopefully be the same.. tomorrow I'm scheduled the odd shift- 11a-7:30 pm. I don't like that shift..it takes a chunk out of my day that leaves nothing after. Usually, that person gets pulled to another department. I can deal with it.
Have a great day everyone..

I'm trying to be cheerful today. Making the conscious effort. So far, so good. It was another super busy night at work, and though I was assigned the west side, I still got a medium slam for the night. Plus, since when do we have one secretary on a Friday night? That's asking for disaster. Well, that's misleading I suppose.. there was another secretary who was to be there till 8pm and stayed till 9pm to finish up. But then, I was on my own. It'll be such a pleasure to retire- what is it now? 356 days? Amen. These are days till retirement, but not gainful employment days.. those are substantially less. Amen again. Though I was annoyed last evening with the lack of staffing, I decided to do my best, plug away till 11:30pm, pack up and go home. If there were things left undone, well... they'd have to deal with it. Then every so often I'd remember that I have less than one year left to go and I won't have to take all this nonsense any more. That's when the cheerfulness came into clear view.
I signed off my last set of orders at 11:25pm and got up and got my belongings and punched out. It was a good feeling.

Prayer seems to be in order for family and friends..
Amy has been dealing with a virus, as have Rick and Sandi, and now Mandy again. It's going around. I'm about over mine now, and am thankful for that.
Remember Uncle Bob and Aunt MaryJane with their serious health problems. Pray they will both be able to be home soon and on the mend.
Keep Nicki on the list too.. .she's still making her trips to Chicago monthly for treatments..
And don't forget Wendell.. he's having a good day today finally, but has a lot of doctor appointments set up in the next couple weeks.. and will be having a HIDA scan and endoscopy too.
Gotta finish up some things here before I get too far behind.

COFFEE'S ON

I woke up just about 30 minutes ago. Seems to be my habit to sleep for 6 hours and then I'm up. Wish I could sleep for at least 8. I think perhaps it might help with the grand crash in the early evening that seems to plague me.
That is so frustrating when I'm gainfully employed and can't keep my eyes open or think straight for a couple hours.
Even a cup of coffee doesn't normally make it at that point. It 's one of the reasons I need to retire.
I have a pot of coffee on and in a few minutes I'll have my first cup...it's hard to wait .. but at least it's not the 30 minute wait of the last coffeepot.

I was just looking at my birthday calendar and realized that today is February 9, and it's been 30 years today since my dad, George Imm, passed into glory. Dad loved electronic things and was a television repairman for many years. I remember when he went to school to learn "color tv" repair.. it was new then.
The first personal computers were put on the market in 1977 and these could be run with your tv as a monitor screen and of course, your memory was a cassette tape.
Jimmy Carter was President that year and the Yankees won the World Series. The first MRI was tested in 1977. Tagamet went on the market and smallpox was finally eradicated on the globe except for the small amount stored as biologic weaponry.
1977 was also the year Amanda was born..she never met her Grandpa Imm- he would have loved her as he did all his grandchildren. I remember groaning about that fact one day when Wendell put things into stark perspective for me.. "My mother never knew ANY of our children". Well.. he's right.

Yesterday evening I spoke with Wendell's doctor and made some plans for his care and treatment. He will be scheduled for the HIDA scan and some labs, and also an endoscopy to look at his stomach and small bowel. He has an appointment with the GI specialist in March.

It's still early.. and perhaps if I crawl back into bed, I might sleep for a couple more hours. The coffee has been good, but I don't think it'll keep me awake this morning.
Have a wonderful day.. Pray for us.

ANOTHER LONG DAY

It seems like I'm not getting much done these past 3 days. It's certainly frustrating. I've spent much time on the phone and little on the computer. That's good for me.. little time on the computer.
But I've been spending my days trying to get information about retirement and then reports from the doctor about Wendell. I now know he has sludge in his gall bladder.. but I think they will want to do a HIDA scan before proceeding with gall bladder removal. The HIDA scan can detect other problems that might be present other than just the gall bladder.
I'm waiting for a call from his doctor today to discuss these things and how to proceed.

More later.. gotta get something done today.

NEEDA CUPPA COFFEE

Gotta get my coffee.. I have it brewing. 5 degrees this morning. I have to say, I'm consistant- I complain about the cold weather because I don't like being cold. I don't like being too warm either, but that doesn't seem to be a real threat at the moment. I overheard some at work complaining about the cold weather, but these were the same people complaining about no snow and the lack of winter a month ago.. you just can't please everyone.

Ahhhhh... my coffee is done brewing.. it's hot and delicious! The best way to start my day.

Monday I was more like a crab.. yesterday I was the perfect slug accomplishing only 2 things- a pot of coffee and a pot of soup. I totally wasted the rest of the day. I'm not gainfully employed until Friday.
Sometimes a person just has to take a whole day and do nothing. It would seem like it would be restful, but actually I ended up about as tired as if I had cleaned house all day.

I talked to Essie yesterday about her new baby brother who will be born in March. She's already really excited about him.. "I'm gonna wash him, dress him in his jammies, and cover him with my blue blanket and snuggle with him on my bed." Now, there is some excitement. "And while Mama cleans off the table, I'm gonna watch him so he doesn't fall on his head".
Essie and I discussed the weather yesterday too.. "It's sunny here," she said, "it's always sunny- the sun follows us wherever we go."
Gotta get my Wednesday list together.. the todo list. It's gonna be long..
Have a sunny day.. pray for us.

BIRTHDAY TIME ..

TODAY IS MY AUNT MARY JANE'S BIRTHDAY
WE THINK OF YOU DAILY
AND PRAY FOR YOU TOO
GET BETTER, GET WELL
AND COME HOME SOON
HOPE THIS IS A HAPPY DAY FOR YOU.

THINK SPRING

The news weatherman says it's 5 below zero this morning.. I'm reading minus 1 here where I am. It doesn't really matter.. It's cold. No matter.. it's cozy here this morning. Wendell has the coffee made, and I'm having my first cup.
Usually I have a mental list of things I need to accomplish for the day. Today, I have nothing on the list besides washing dishes. There are many things needing done, but my brain seems to be in 'suspend' mode for the moment.
Last summer I took pictures of the beautiful flowers in our yard/garden. The one above is a Stargazer Lily that grows behind the trailer. They were exceptionally beautiful this past year. I love flowers. Speaking of flowers, I got to work last evening and found a vase of beautiful spring flowers on my desk. I was so curious who would send me flowers. AHA! Thank you JJ.. they are so lovely, and added a much needed reminder of spring to come! I had them squarely in front of me last night. I needed a breath of spring. It was an otherwise miserable evening- the grand slam was in force, and I was at the center of it all. I believe the only thing that kept me there and not walking out was the fact that I have a retirement date that is within reach. I am looking for a smaller unit within the hospital. I am the last person left from the original staff of 5East.
Gotta get moving. Lots to do..I just have to figure out which major task to do first.
Pray for us....and think spring!

NICKI,MARILYN

One of my favorite pictures..
I pulled it from the refrigerator this morning to scan and post.
It's Nicki and me when we were both a bit healthier

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS

TO MY 'OTHER SISTER'
ON HER BIRTHDAY..
HAVE A FABULOUS DAY,
NICKI
SENDING LOTS OF LOVE
FROM WPA

GREAT WEATHER FOR POLAR BEARS

To all of you out there who were fearful that winter would pass us by this year.. 'lissen up'.. You should be dancing in the streets. Of course, you best be wearing lots of layers with hat and warm gloves.. 'cause it's REALLY cold out there! This morning it's all of -2 degrees with the prospect of 9 if we are fortunate.
I woke up this morning feeling like a popsicle.. When I turned the little space heater on in the bedroom, the temperature registered at 49 degrees.. no wonder I was shivering. I made my way to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee..it's nice and hot and warming me from the inside out.
Days like today remind me of how much I love spring.. and how I long for it's arrival. I've had enough of winter now. There is about 6" of snow on the ground and main roads are dry, though the back roads have been hit with drifting which makes driving on them difficult by times. Our dear neighbor rescued us on Saturday by bringing his snow plow over and opening the driveway. He does this every winter when the snow gets deep without us even asking, and won't take a penny. I like to make cheesecakes for those who go the extra mile for us, though last winter I'd had a stroke and recuperation was a lot longer than I'd anticipated, so he didn't get his cheesecake then. Perhaps some delicious cream puffs will be on the 'thank you' list this year too.
Nick is what one calls a good, no, make that great neighbor.
Wendell and Paul2 went to the funeral home yesterday to offer support to their barber who just lost his wife. That meant he had to take me to work and pick me up after. It was a pleasure I don't often get. I am going to try for that again today. What a treat it was to go from the lobby front door into a nice warm car to go home.
Gainful employment awaits me yet again today. I need a day off... but I don't want to do it with sick time as I had last week. I'd rather enjoy the days off.
Have a great day today.. don't forget hats, gloves and layers if you have to venture outdoors..

5AM-5 DEGREES

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! It's cold here. I woke up shivering.. I quickly put on a pot of hot coffee and now am seated in front of a little space heater with my first cup. Whew! 5 degrees is cold. I could use a good dose of global warming about now. I cringe when I think that the high is going all the way to 8 today.
When the wind blows, we are warned that the wind chill will dip to -20. Certainly not my favorite kind of weather.. and it's gonna be here till at least Tuesday this week. So bundle up.. wear layers of clothing and hat/gloves when you go outside. Frostbite is not nice.
Charlie will not be in church today. He'll be up all night likely .. every couple hours to check on 'the girls' to make sure they are warm enough. I believe he insulated the henhouse, but these temps are a bit much for that little building. He and Wendell went out yesterday and put a new light bulb in the well pit too. It's also insulated and the lightbulb makes enough heat to keep the water from freezing. We may have to break down and turn some heat on in the living room. We've held off for all this time, but I think it's gonna be a necessity today and at least part of the week.
It was fairly quiet at work last evening. I did okay. It was busy... but only 2 admissions all evening. It was kind of nice to be back after being off with my cold/sinusitis last week. I can't say that was pleasant days off.
Normally I wouldn't call off work over something so insignificant as a cold, but this one really made me feel ill.
Fever, body aches, and chills lasted for a long time. I'm finding that the older I get, the harder these things are on me and the slower I recuperate. I was pretty stuffed up by the time I got home. Headache plagued me and my back too. I held off taking anything for it till I got home so that I could take something stronger and sleep.
It is peculiar to me that when I'm working at the hospital, I always end up very stuffy by the end of the evening. I think it's likely where I picked up the cold. I found myself using the hand wash more than frequently all evening. I became anal about it and made a point of using it every time I got up from my desk for any reason. Well, it's there to sanitize hands.. and I did.
Wendell says he'll take me to work today and pick me up tonite. He needs the car. I don't know if he'll make it to church or not. He hates to be in the car when his GI tract decides it's time for a visit to the BR. It just won't take 'in a minute' for an answer. Though it has slowed down with medication for the past 2 days, it hasn't gone away. He had his sonar yesterday. They told him he was early for his appointment which was scheduled at 10:30. I know that because I wrote it on the top of his order sheet along with the date when I made that appointment so there wouldn't be a problem. They decided to change his time to 2:30pm, but didn't bother to tell us about it. We never would have agreed, as I had to be at the hospital at that time for the evening. They finally agreed that since he was there, they'd do it. I guess so. Someone really should get that scheduling department straightened out. We did get a reminder call that simply said 'this is B***** Hospital Scheduling. You have an appointment scheduled and need to bring your order and insurance card.' I thought it unusual that they didn't mention the day and the time and where he should go when he got there. I mentioned that to Wendell and listened to the message again to make sure.
One way or another, I'll get the results by Monday.
I need to refill my coffee cup.. it's getting nice and toasty here in the bedroom. Perhaps it's time to go back to bed.
Have a wonderful day.. Pray for us.

WINTER

The thing that is on my mind this morning is how cold it is and how cold it's gonna get tonite. It's 7 degrees right now. It may get to 19 before the Arctic Chill arrives tonite. There are advisories out for anyone who has to be outside this evening. The wind chill is to reach between -10 and -20 degrees. Now, that's cold. For those of you who love winter.. this should make your day. As for me, I'm biding the time till spring.
So much for global warming. I don't think there really is such a thing in that even scientists can't agree on the issue. I can remember as a child going out to wait for the school bus in the morning when it was below zero. On those days we were permitted to wear slacks to school. No blue jeans, just dress slacks, and those were usually worn under the skirt or dress and removed once we got to school.
We had lots of snow then, sort of like 4 years ago when we had 2-3 feet in the front yard. I also remember when our children were small and we lived down at the farm. Getting from the main road to the house often had us walking, as the road was impassable. Those days we took sleds up to the top of the hill and left them there to carry children and groceries later when we returned. We tied large boxes on them and it made life just a little more simple.. the drifting in the driveway was sometimes 4 feet.
It occurs to me that God never promised all winters to be mild or severe, but he promised that we would have winter in it's season. I've lived through all kinds of winters.. I could not be convinced that the change of tenths or hundredths of a degree in the ocean temperature is an indication of peril to our planet. Yes, we have some violent weather.. it's been here before and will come again. This is life.
As for me, I am thankful and praise God for giving us the long stretch of mild winter that we had. February is always the worst winter month. It is so today.

Today Wendell will have his sonar of the gall bladder. His appointment is 10:30 this morning. It will be interesting to see what it shows.
I am gainfully employed again today. The hospital awaits my presence later today. Check out my ticker at the top of the blog.. the days are passing..I mentioned that to Wendell last night. The ticker is an encouragement to me. Each day another day disappears and I'm one day closer to retirement. Amen.

Stay warm. Don't go out without your gloves and a hat.. wear layers and don't get frostbitten.

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

February brings some birthday wishes to cousins..
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
BETH UCKERT
MAY THIS BE A JOYFUL
AND DELIGHTFUL DAY
FOR YOU TODAY !!

AND TO YOUNG
BILL TOWNSEND
WHO TURNS 12 TODAY
HAVE A GREAT DAY !!!

PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL PREDICTS

Today is Groundhog Day. At Gobbler's Knob in the small rural Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney, the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil made his entrance today. If he saw his shadow, the prediction is 6 more weeks of winter. This morning there was

NO SHADOW
HELLO SPRING!!!!!

BIRTHDAY WISHES

TODAY IS MY COUSIN SCOTT IMM'S BIRTHDAY
HAVE A SUPER HAPPY DAY!

COLD MORNING

It's nearly 5am..I'm up and getting myself set to go to the office again today. Long day ahead. The nice thing is that Wendell needs the car to go to the orthopedic surgeon today to get his stitches out. That means he can drive today and will pick me up at the office this afternoon. The car will be all toasty when he gets here.
It's cold again this morning, but not so cold that I can't function. 18 now with a promise of 30 as a high. Snow won't arrive till later today.. this evening. I'm going to the office tomorrow too- but just as general help.
It is February.. one year from my retirement.. and the worst month of the year for winter. It could get a lot worse before spring arrives. We'll see. Tomorrow is Punxutawny Phil's big day. Either we'll have 6 more weeks of winter or spring will arrive soon. I'm rooting for the latter of course.
This reminds me of the year Wendell and I sent Mum to California in February- late in February..to see her brother Bob. We noticed when we arrived at Greater Pitt that planes seemed to be taking off more rapidly than usual.. and indeed they were. In the hour we spent getting her on her plane, snow had begun to fall and they were attempting to get as many flights out as possible before they'd have to close down. It was awesome watching this all happen. On the way home, it was horrendous driving.. really treacherous with new snow on the ground and more dropping fast. We got several inches in a very short period of time. Hard for the road crews to keep up.
Right now the weather seems pretty stable.. and , hey.. did anyone notice the moon last night? Nearly full. Oh, boy..and I'm gainfully employed this weekend.
Do pray for us.. we have a lot going on here this week and need support.