My Dash

Once upon a time my grandson left the little blue lizard in my van. I stuck it on the dash. I had fun moving it around when Rick wasn't looking and seeing how long it took for him to notice. Then I started added a few more, some fake trees, a large fake boulder, some fall leaves. A silly little thing that cheers me and gives people a giggle. I have thought about getting things for each season, Christmas trees, swimming pool for the summer, flower for spring but Rick is putting his foot down. It serves the purpose of having my son's not ask to borrow the van either, giggle. They lead the way. Sometimes you just have to indulge the child within. I used to have one of those cactus that ride on your antenna. I dressed it for the seasons also. Even made it a Santa suit, a beach suit, easter, St Patties day. It was so cute someone made off with it. Oh well. Hope they kept ole Spike amused.

Heard on the radio today. Some man said every time he hears Al Gore speaks he gets a little global warming as he makes him so hot. Had to get a giggle from that also. So I am having a giggly morning today.

Finally got my cookie dough. Peanut butter, sugar cookies, chocolate chip and some other type, can't remember right off what. I am going to bake them and make up plates for the son's. I got some cute platters to put them in.

Yesterday my granddaughter had to go to ER as she is sick. I asked my grandson who is 4 if he was going to the hospital with his sister. We aren't going to the hospital gramma, we are going to ER he say's. So I asked. If she has to be admitted do you go some place else to go to the hospital? Got to play with their minds a little you know.

It is still dangerously cold out. Being out yesterday was terrible. I hate wearing all the layers of clothes this time of year. Put 10 pounds on just dressing to go out. And yesterday we had some man go through town who was riding his bicycle to Brookston, ID! Yikes. He said he didn't recommend Iowa to other riders as it is so hilly but the people were very nice. I think he holed up for awhile up the road. I hate to tell him the route he is taking to get through the rest of Iowa is hillier. Maybe Rick and I should take a road trip and offer him a ride. Too cold to be out.

Well, Time to get on with the day. It is snowing and cold again today. Not even winter yet. My thoughts are with Dutch today as she has her surgery, Please everyone take a moment today to send warm healing thoughts and prayers her way. I will do the same tomorrow for you Donna.

Rant and Rave

Stuck in the house. Temp finally up to - 2. Blowing snow. Wind chill -32 so I am listening to the radio and working on photo's. And what do I hear. Things that tick me off.

I remember when they started making obesity the leading cause of all thats wrong in the world besides Bush. This was after cigarettes and after global warming and after car exhaust and after the ice age and after and after and after. They have managed to tax the heck out of anything they deem the worse thing. So really you can't tax cigarettes much more. I mean, aren't they up to about 6 dollars a pack in some places. The car industry is going down the tubes. I'll get to the the scam about global warming in a minute. So that leaves the fat.

Just tax them. Our governments answer to all the woe's of the world. Tax that sugar ladened non-diet pop drinking obese of the world. Tax those government workers who are obese in Alabama. "Just out of curiosity......What do they sell in their vending machines to eat for supper? Apples and fat free yogurt. I bet it chips and candy bars plus horrors of horrors.... POP. They should in turn turn around and sue them for not giving them healthy alternatives thus making them obese and ruining their health!" Just for the record I don't drink pop and I don't smoke so I this is not sour grapes. I am however obese!

Last year when the government started making this their newest cause.....besides global warming which I will get to in a second, I mentioned, "mark my words....they will find a way to tax this". And they have. Tax the pop people. Tax the obese. And I predict it won't be long before the government run health care system they will put into place will not cover you for all these sins. Don't work out daily? sorry can't cover you. Eat fattening foods? sorry can't cover you. Had any pop this week? Did you take seconds? Sorry sorry sorry. Not only can we not cover you, can I have some tax money for that?

You probably know I am against government in your face. I am against increased taxes. Oh and I do like seconds occasionally. Remember the pictures of all the people in China exercising out in the square before work. They have to show up early before work and work out. Its coming. Now....before you say anything. and I know your thinking it. Yes. Daily exercise is good for you. But it should be your choice. YOUR CHOICE.

Now as long as I am on a rant today I'll move on to global warming. You, if you have read my journal for long know my thoughts on that. I do believe in global warming. And global cooling and hot and cold. Did you know that the polar caps on Mars are also shrinking. Its a cyclical thing. It has happened since the beginning of time, before dinosaurs walked on earth, before man and long after man with our dirty little carbon footprints are gone.

Why do I think it is news now? I think it is because some rich man wants to get richer on it. He has created an entire company based on global warming. On selling carbon footprints, on taxing the guilt of people who feel guilty to be doing well, but not so guilty they want to give up anything. You can buy carbon footprints and drive green cars to offset your greenhouse emissions and sooth your guilty soul. You can toss your McDonalds sack and finished cigarette out of your SUV knowing you have purchased enough carbon credits from Al Gores company to last you a life time. Sheesh people.

This is not just the thinking of a silly little nurse in Iowa either. Leading scientists and people in the know have been trying to set the record straight for years now. Their funding has been cut, their books have been put on the back shelfs of Barnes and Nobles and their voices shushed. Because there is big money in this. Endless ways to tax the guilty. Who will be glad to pay. And pay big.

Wouldn't it make more sense to take care of our planet by picking up all the trash laying all over. To buy biodegradable packaging. To not toss your cigarettes and stop hacking goobers all over. Ride your bike or walk if your not going far. Reuse things. These are all good things. Demand manufacturers made things that can be repaired again instead of having to be tossed. Be repaired thus re-created all the jobs and businesses that went out of business when the toss and throw generation came to age. Shoe shops, small engine repair, appliance repair shops, camera repair, jewelry repair, shops shops, shops, and jobs no longer there. Simple things. Pick up your spring water bottle after your jog. Use the garbage bag. And trust your instincts. When someone tells you something wonder to yourself whats in it for them. And if it is lots of money, lots of power, a noble peace prize. Question it. Easy as that.

And one last thing. Why is it we feel guilty if we are successful? Don't we raise our children to believe they can be anything they want to be. Praise them when they are successful? Send them off to college with high hopes all their dreams come true. And then when people do become successful beyond their wildest dreams, like Bill Gates for instance, we get angry at them. They create jobs, new industries. Make other peoples life richer. But now they are the bad guys, the rich. Make them pay more. Make them feel guilt. Well unless of course your a football player or sports figure. The world is their playground. And who do they employ? Double standards and yes, maybe true sour grapes.

Well, If you made it this far congratulations. You don't have to agree with this. Personally I think you should, but you don't have to. Now I am getting on 4 layers of clothes to venture forth in - 2 degree weather with wind chills of -32. Because I still plan on baking cookies. Cheer all.

A year already

Nov. 1, 1921 to Dec. 14, 2007
It has been a year since my MIL passed away. Seems so hard to believe. The time goes so fast. I miss her. I miss the woman talk. I miss the things she used to do that made me laugh even when I was frustrated with her. I miss making Medisterpolse with her. I miss her smile. Rest in peace. Hope she making Medisterpolse with both of her sisters and mom up there and having a grand time.

We are making Medisterpolse this year. Rick saved the sausage maker and we have the original danish cookbook with the recipe we used all these years. Yes Betty, I will add the salt, LOL. If you have been reading my journal for long you will know this is a danish sausage we make a Christmas. I have always been on a low salt diet and my MIL salted her salt. So when we started taking over the sausage making she was very concerned we wouldn't put in enough salt. It was a big part of our holiday tradition, LOL. Her reminding me to add the salt, me saying ya ya I have it in and then watching to make sure she didn't add more and her watching me to make sure I added any. It won't be the same.

So today, whats new. We didn't go to the play last night. I got my new Netfix movies. Michael Palen's Himalaya's. What a wonderful series. If you haven't ever seen it I recommend it. We did go out to eat and I have an observation I will share. I have noticed that restaurents that have air dryers as opposed to those with paper towels are less sanitary. That is because most people don't want to take the time to dry their hands under the blower so they just don't wash. That includes the waitresses in some cases. Most people will wash when there is a handy towel ready. As I nurse I notice these things. I like the new towel things that are motion sensitive. So that is my observation. I should get a million to do a proper study on it but I know I am right. Start watching.

Last night my oldest son hit not one but two deer on his way home. Neither was killed, at least they ran away and since he wasn't going fast not much damage to his monster truck. Lucky for them all maybe.

We did marathon shopping yesterday. Got everything but the cookie dough and a gift that I couldn't find. We are going out to get that today and then I am done. Yippy.

We are making white chicken chili tonight and staying in. It is 3 above and going to get colder with bad weather heading our way. Bummer. Yesterday it was in the 50's. I did get some lake shots. The snow was melting away. We saw this tree I named the lure tree. How many bobbers can you spot in it?
Slowly the snow is melting only to be replaced probably tonight.



The warm weather made the middle melt but I bet it is frozen today.



Checkers anyone?


A beautiful sunset and then we watched the meteor shower for awhile last night, saw some good ones. Anyone else watch it?


Well, time to brave the cold. Have I mentioned often enough my love of my heated van seats, LOL

Worth re-posting

Why there are Grandchildren

My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, "62." He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"
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After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. At last she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"
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A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"
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A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."
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I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"
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Our five-year-old grandson couldn't wait to tell his grandfather about the movie we had watched on television, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." The scenes with the submarine and the giant octopus had kept him wide-eyed. In the middle of the telling, my husband interrupted Mark, "What caused the submarine to sink?" With a look of incredulity Mark replied, "Grandpa, it was the 20,000 leaks!!"
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When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."
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When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandma," he advised. "Mine says I'm four to six."
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A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said, "How do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'"
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Children's Logic:
"Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. Sure," said the young boy confidently. "It means carrying a child."
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A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. They use him to keep crowds back," said one youngster. "No", said another, "he's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs", she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrant."

Is it really Friday already?

I just wanted to ask people to please stop by Dutch's and Donna's blogs and wish them well. Why we are busy planning what cookies to make and gifts to by both of these wonderful ladies are planning surgery on the 16th and 17th. Dutch on a brain tumor and Donna on her leg. Now I know they will both be OK but it never hurts to have as many prayers as possible out there for them, you know. Be well you two.

Yesterday was a useless day. Work was so busy all week. It exhausts you physically and mentally. It is too cold to go out and take a long bike ride and it is light such a short time you never really wake up. So I spend yesterday just catching up on sleep and mental well being. I needed to recharge. I feel much better today. Sooooooo.

I am going to finish my Christmas shopping, finish my cards and bake cookies. Our meat store sells pre-made cookie dough, several different types. They are excellent and they are completely make, cut and everything. You just pop them in the over. They are each 6 dollars and makes 6 dozen. You can't make them that cheap. My kind of cookies. I want to make some for my son's. The lazy moms way, LOL.

Tonight we are going to a play downtown. It is a Christmas Comedy and I know the man that is acting in it, he is very good. Should be a good time. We didn't see the rose lady the other day so hopefully she will be downtown because I am late on my rose. I want it, I need it, I deserve it, right?

Not much elst going on. My wrist is still bothersome but I have noticed I can type longer and my hand doesn't seem to be going dead on me, just hurts, so maybe that steroid shot helped some.

I am sitting here this morning listening to Christmas music with my Christmas lights on drinking some good old red eye coffee. Its going to be a good day. Good Cheer all.

Well, class is over and I am good to go for 2 more years. We did a couple of mock codes and you all will be glad to know the patient lived.

I was well practiced as last night night 1/2 hour before I was suppose to go home a patient did code for real so it was like reliving last night. That gets your adrenaline running and then I had trouble sleeping when I got home. So I am so tired today. That is the 2nd code we have had this week and superstitious nurses believe they come in 3. So one more night to go.

I don't work until 11 tonight. We are going out to eat and and then I am coming home and napping. I hope to sleep until 10. Cross your fingers we aren't crazy busy tonight....except crazy busy goes by real fast which is good when your tired.

Got half of my cards mailed and I am getting cards from the card exchange in. Thanks Linda and Missy and Merry Christmas back at you. The card is in the mail.

Ornament

The ornament above I have sitting on a shelf looking at my Christmas tree. I thought it would make a cute card.

Clarification. The mammogram entry was a joke that my aunt sent me. I had something close like that posted the last time I had a mammogram, oh boy, aren't they fun.

Well, off to work for 4 hours and then class tomorrow. I studied this morning. I really study the drugs as I don't do them often. As part of the code team my responsibilities are the suction and recording. I don't think I have done the meds for around 7 years. So I always have to study the doses and sequence of meds. That will be the hardest part for me, that and the fact they copy these monitor strips and you can hardly see the lines to count your rate. These eyes are getting a little old for that.

We had a ton of snow today and it is 12 degrees out. Burrrrrr. Have I mentioned I love my heated seats in the new van? Well, we have been taking the old so if anyone slides out of control they will just dent my old van. So cold bottom for me. Oh well, worse things. I remember not have a heater in my car when the kids were small.