Low Census

Morning dove


A good thing and a bad thing. I was grateful to come home last night as I was grumpy and not great to be around due to my shoulder acting up, but it is something I hope doesn't happen often.

Our census on the heart floor tends to dip this time of year as the farmers don't stop for anything during planting time, even a little heart attack. Yup.... have heard them call it that. And the weather is easier on the heart this time of year. We spend months bursting at the seams and then empty rooms. With our budget problems and benefits being cut the last thing we need now though is empty beds. It won't last though, we will be full and going nuts in a short time.

I worked the first 4 hours. Good patients for the most. As bad a shape as I feel I am in sometimes I see patients my age and younger in much worse condition. Things could definitely be worse. I can't imagine being on the meds some patients have to take and being so limited in my life. I need to take better care of myself. Try to ward off the diabetes and keep my exercising up. You don't use it..... believe me you lose it.

It is tempting when I am hurting this bad to limit my activity. Self preservation. Not the best thing to do though as you just create more problems. With that in mind I have been walking and doing as many of my regular exercises as I can without riling up my shoulder. Since it looks like it will end up being something I have to live with for a long time as I am sure work comp as no intentions of fixing me, I have to find ways to live with it.

I am still only down 10 pounds. Having the worse time sticking to my eating plan. I am eating good foods but just as always probably more then I should. Not riding my bike yet as it is still windy windy windy. The oranges right now are heavenly though aren't they.

I still have all my flowers. That stinky stuff works great. Not a single one eaten by the deer and no rabbits having babies in my whiskey barrel yet. I should have bought some years ago. My tomato plants got the first flowers one them, which I picked off, and the pepper plants have doubled. All around the yard the purple flowers are blooming and they smell heavenly. The woods are full this year.


My skin cancer tip. I hope your all covering up and using a good sunscreen. A friend we know was telling me about some friends of his mother. They all wear capri pants these days. 3 of them got skin cancer on those parts of their legs and 2 died from it. So don't forget the sunscreen on any part of the skin that shows. Make sure you put it on your ears also. The tips are a frequent place for skin cancer to show up.

Remember...... skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. Just because there aren't cute little pink ribbons and clothes for sale for it doesn't make it less deadly. There are some great products out now for giving you that tanned look that aren't as fakey and orange looking as in the old days. An ounce of prevention now will maybe save you an ounce of skin off your face like me. Which by the way looks pretty good these days. The scar is fading nicely.

I see the doc soon to have a few more looked at and removed. I decided to keep one more appointment. I will tell him to take off any that look bad now because with my insurance I don't see any way I can go every 3 months. So its now or never doc, LOL.

Well, I have to start supper and get ready for work. I am hoping for a light night and plenty of help. Have a great weekend all.


This is either the downy woodpecker or the Hairy. I will look it up. Pretty cute little thing isn't it.

The Robin's have flown the nest

The day after I took the pictures of the babies they flew from the nest. I didn't think they looked near ready, they just started getting feathers but Mom is proud and stands watch over their fledgling flights. It takes about 14 days from eggs hatching to baby robins flying.

The eagle babies will be leaving soon also by the looks of them. I see them flapping their wings and hopping up and down. One of these times they will launch off the nest. A successful story this time.

Hot blustery weather

The weather went right into hot summer weather with temps in the 90's and hot gusty winds at 20 t 40 MPH. Just dries you right out being out in it and my flowers have taken a toll. The african daisy like the one above likes to be dry so it is fairing well but the yellow mini petunia below didn't make it.


So yesterday I went and got some new one and planted them. We are hoping for cooler weather this week. Just in case we put the window air conditioners in because when you sleep during the day like me, the room had better be cool.

We are really a couple of months early to have such warm weather, and no Al, I do not believe this is due to global warming, LOL. It seems like just a few weeks ago, and it was.... that snow was on the ground. And I am not complaining. I like it warmer.... but its a trade-off every season.

In the winter going anywhere is a pain. Putting on layers and layers of cold weather gear. The car warming up right when you get to your destination. But you get wonderful thick warm soups and chili's. Cuddling up under heavy quilts, hot soaking tub baths.

Now we get little flying gnats all over. Climbing up and down the monitor screen at night. Reading a book in bed there are flying things landing on the pages. I like leaving the windows open for the breeze so these little flying things just come on it. And of course ticks. They come.

Not only are they predicting a big crop of dog ticks we are also suppose to get a huge crop of deer tick. Lyme disease. So it's probably a good thing the deer have been scarce since I put the smelly stuff on. And I haven't lost a single plant to any critters so far yet this year. Amazing. Even those back by my twig love seat. Usually I have a few that have been eaten. My tomatoes and peppers are undisturbed also.

Last night we did have a big raccoon in the yard. I went out with the dog and it wouldn't run off. It was after the corn in the feeders. Zoey went crazy trying to get at it, but she would have come out behind in a fight with a big raccoon like that so went back inside. I had a pet one as a child and they can get mean. Hope it moves on and doesn't become a freq visitor.

My shoulder has taken a real dump on me and it very painful. I have pain going all the way down my arm and it throbs all night. I just can't get comfortable at night sleeping with the stupid thing. I prop 3 pillows under it to keep it elevated and then my fingers are numb in the morning. This is getting as old as old can get. When it was just a dull aches it was much more tolerable. Hope it settles down again. And this is after my week off. I just start my long stretch on tonight.

We got some news they are cutting our bennies. On our 401 they matched our contribution. They are holding that for now. Its like a cut in pay. Between losing so much last year and then I cut way back on what I was investing in my saving for retirement has ground to a stop. I might as well stick some money under my mattress. They will be taking our raises away next and then hopefully not cutting staff. Hospitals are scrambling getting ready for whats to come. I just hope I keep my job.

Well, on June 20th my grandchildren are coming for 3 weeks. I didn't dare hope it would happen for the longest time. My son was suppose to drive half way and meet my ex DIL to pick the kids up. Now my DIL refuses that so my son will fly out to get them and fly back the same day. Triples our costs, but if you want to see them you do what you have to do. He is going to have to see a lawyer though. She keeps breaking her promises on the things they agreed on. Which is why they are no longer married of course. Promises seemed to be hard for her to keep.

Anyway I can't wait to see them. I will have to work a few nights and Rick will be watching them when Luke works. It should be interesting to see if old grandpa can still entertain them. I bet he is asleep by 8 every night, LOL.

Well, time to get ready for the week. I work the holiday, yippy, holiday pay. Have to save every penny so I can do some major spoiling when the grandkids get here. Take care all.

The payoff for campaign contributions continue.

I am hoping everyone is reading Kevin's blog, the Black Sphere. With satire and humor but honest truth and facts he tells the truth about whats behind every move of our new government. Check out how the unions just got their paybacks for supporting our new progressive, ( new speak for socialist), government.

And another thing I find disturbing is the appointment of Harold Koh. As more and more radical and dishonest people are appointed to leadership roles in the brave new world it is apparent where this is all headed. Remember whats been said, we are creating our future today. What future do you all want for your children?

Blood sucking Fiend

No, not the Indigo Bunting pictured above. The first tick of the year. Ick. I hate those things. Sitting there last night watching a movie and I felt something in my hair. Run my fingers through my hair and knew as soon as I felt it. AARRRGGGHHHH. Blood sucking fiend. It hadn't attached itself yet, but it would have soon. I hate those things.

I was just thinking it was weird we hadn't seen any yet. They are predicting a bumper crop this year. The kids were running through the woods Saturday and I told them to check themselves for ticks. Personally.... I stop going in the woods as soon as the purple flowers bloom. They seem to go hand in hand with ticks.

So do the people running like crazy in the woods get the first tick of the year? Noooooooo, its me.

So tell me. No one can tell me what use they are. What is their purpose in life? I can understand spiders. Don't like them but understand them. Flies are very important. I know that. But ticks. What purpose, what reason could there possibly be for them. Spreaders of disease and major creep me outs. I wish they would just go away.

When I saw the turkeys move into the neighborhood I was happy because my chickens used to eat a ton of ticks. Maybe the turkeys would also. Maybe we would be tick free. But no, it was not to be.

Anyway. Enough of that. I also saw my first Mosquito yesterday. A zebra mosquito. Those are the ones that carry the west nile virus. Another blood sucker I don't understand. Time to get the honey lotion bar on to repell these icky bugs so I can enjoy the hot hot weather today. Stay safe all.

Monday Date night

When we started our Monday date night it was when we were staying at my FIL's while he was ill and dying. We needed a night we could get away and not think about what was happening. Now, we still do the date night.

We kept it up when my MIL was ill, we still do it. Now we have friends join us often. We sat on the patio today, discussing everything and anything. Our own Area 51 which Jimmy could understand. We discuss politics, quanta physics, History, the pro's and con's of cars back then and now. Anything and everything. Drink cold drinks and have hot subjects. Argue, laugh, and forget our problems and enjoy our lives. I learned today I once was a french soldier in world war one, having trouble with that one, and that if you sear the end of a poppy it will stay in a vase fresh and new for a week.

It is a good time. A time to energize the brain, keep the cobwebs at bay, learn new things. A time to not feel my aches and pains, to not worry about bills and work. To look at Rick and remember that he can laugh heartily.

It is a good life, reason enough to keep it up for now. Reason enough to be happy. Simple but true.

The weekend

I finally got a shot of the catbird that has been visiting the feeder. I hadn't seen it before and thankfully my bird book has it listed. Who would have thought I would be a birdwatcher. But we get so many.

The bird below is a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. The male. Pretty cool.

We have 4 different woodpeckers that visit also but until I get them all I will wait to list them.

Saturday I had the family over for supper. We grilled steaks and I made potato salad, deviled eggs and corn on the cob. We had a couple bottles of wine. It was such a nice day out and it is good to be able to spend the days outside. The weather has not be very nice with rain and high breeze every day but that day so it was a treat.

I still haven't been on a bike ride. Way to windy. Wind is the enemy when you ride, especially when your in terrible shape, LOL. I have lost a total of 10 pounds though. Slow and steady. I cheat to often to lose quickly.

Well, I don't have anything really to say. Today I have to replace one of my flowers that bit the dust but so far none of them have been eaten by the deer, its a good thing. Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.