Just Breath.

Yes - I made it to the end of the week, pretty much intact to boot. My stomach has been in a knot, my chest feels tight. It was a rough, rough week - we were short staffed, the paperwork was piled high but I made it through. I saw Peds on and off all day - I am excited, they are excited. I start on Monday and will have a mentor - I don't think I'll be on orientation too long and then will have my own group of patients - I am very excited! My replacement is very nice and I spent a lot of time today going over how to order things, where stuff goes, where I hide the expensive wound dressings (nurses are like squirrels - if you put anything out that's something they might use someday they will take it all "just in case" - they'll hoard it and keep adding to their stash. So you think you have nothing and keep ordering and they just keep sneaking off with it. So you become an expert at hiding supplies). I'm planning on decompressing this weekend, I would have liked a couple of days off but that didn't happen. I am at this job for a week, then a week of training at KING OF PRUSSIA - yes you read that right AND it is VERY near to the mall. I go twice - now and later in the month. In other news Adam has made Sailor of The Day - that's very impressive since a carrier has a few thousand aboard - he is currently on the USS Truman and we got a very nice letter from the Commander. So it's been a pretty good day all in all. I'm going to knit of course this weekend, David has his colonoscopy tomorrow and Sunday will find us grocery shopping and So Forth. So Forth usually involves a trip to Dairy Queen which is super fun. We cannot celebrate tonight as David is on a clear liquid and has to do the "prep" which involves staying about 6 feet away from the bathroom at times,. We got another call from the Freeloaders, they were wondering why David drained the POOL they bought. David nicely explained it was because he had to cut the grass - I am not allowed to get on the phone because apparently I have Temper Problems and will not help the situation. That is what I've been told, it may or may not be true.

Chipmunk Fun!

Yesterday, in Pearl's yard she discovered a Chipmunk In A Pipe. We had no worries for the safety of the chipmunk, the pipe is about 10 feet long so if it couldn't stay away from the dog it was obviously too stupid to live anyhow. We were amused by her tactics - she's pretty smart and was picking up and dropping it in an effort to make it come out. The part I liked is it kept her busy for about 2 hours and out of my hair. I finally made her come in so the chipmunk could have some alone time which by then, he most richly deserved. David worked the shuttle last night so he was out of here by 1 am, he only does it about once a week but it's interesting for me to be on the other end of the spectrum. I worked nightshift for years and I didn't realize how disruptive it is to those of us trying to sleep. The alarm goes off at midnight, lights on, coffee brewing. I fell back asleep pretty fast but the pets get confused as they think it's time for breakfast and need to go out. I'll post pictures of my knitting tomorrow, I am very much liking the way it's coming out and the yarn is so pretty. I have a thing for yellow and green lately, no idea why. Maybe it's because I'm getting older - my tastes change as I approach my years of dementia and decay. But I suppose I have a few good years left. I cannot believe I'm almost 50, I certainly don't feel like it - I'm surprised by my own reflection sometimes, I think I do look my age and it's not a bad thing really. I do envy youth - when I see someone in their 20s and remember looking like that, but most of the time I'm pretty happy with the way I turned out. I look forward to the coming years, hoping for some true peace and quiet. The days I enjoy the most are the ones I spend with David, exploring the surrounding area, shopping, out to eat. The quiet afternoons reading, knitting, walking with the dog. I wish sometimes the boys would come home more, that we lived in a more rural area, but for now things are ok some days and I'll take that.

Wednesday

The end of the month is looming fast - I guess the reason I thought of it is when I left for work yesterday morning it was a little cool. Here fall comes early and I for one will be relieved, as you've all been reading it has not been a fun summer at all. But things are never all bad and they are starting to straighten out. I have plenty to keep my busy - David is having his first colonoscopy this weekend - he's at that age now. He was going to work on Friday but I reminded him there is a "prep" involved with these things and riding around in an armored truck for 10 hours was probably not a good idea. Unless of course you didn't like the other person then it would be Fitting Revenge. He has been super busy this week with all sorts of other things. I'm working to the end at my job, it has piled up and Friday is coming fast - but not fast enough. I have put all reading to the side, I have way too much to do, I still knit a few rows a night. I have no idea what I would do if I couldn't knit, when life gets over the top stressful I pick up my needles and within a few minutes my thoughts stop pounding and I can think. The stress has gotten so bad lately my chest gets tight and my stomach rolls into a knot most days. I cannot stand it. Leaving my job has been hard as everyone has been out so the work is double most days, I'm trying to get my stuff done and deal with a lot of other things at the same time. But I have my knitting and that keeps me going. I take Pearl walking in the woods in the mornings and that helps too, the dried up bog is a fun place to explore, the trees are up on their little islands. So when I get stressed, I just take a deep breath and remember - this always has an end.

Not Bad, Not Bad At All

Sunday was nice - I went into work for a couple of hours to get some more work done, I had to catch up with a patient and make sure he was alright, but it was still a good day. I drove down to the office and David met me there a couple of hours later so we could go shopping. We've gotten quite good at grocery shopping lately, due to our busy schedules we manage to get just about everything we need in trip. But of course we also manage to forget at least two things per trip. We remember them at some point after we get home. For instance last night we realized we had forgotten to buy more ketchup - and dog food. But we have enough to get by so things are good. I've got to start getting the guest room ready as Nancy will be here in a couple of weeks - I'll work on it this coming weekend, no one has stayed down there for a few months so it just needs to be freshened up. It rained again yesterday but that was alright. It cooled it off a little, not much but at this point we'll take anything. Sometimes when it rains it's like getting a break, like when the electric goes out at work and you have to go - I read and knitted, watched tv and sat with the dog. I'm hoping this next week will go smoothly, the 2 AM girl is in full swing of course but I caught up on my sleep yesterday afternoon. Pearl and I put on the air around 4 and out we went. We woke up around 5:30 and then back in bed at 8:30, Pearl was glad because she has only been getting 20 hours a day. I've heard from Adam, he is getting mighty bored on his 6 month tour, he is out of books already. This weekend I might box up some to send him, he is a great reader and runs through them as fast as I do. One of the greatest gifts I think I gave to both my boys was the love of reading and classical music. The rest is all them.

The Sun Came Up So I Guess I Will Too.

Today I was a limp rag. Given the current events, past, present and ongoing - I am done. Stick a fork in me and so forth. I had all sorts of plots and plans but by 8 am I was deflated and unable. And that's ok once in a while. I went to the office and did a little bit more clearing of my desk - I told the new manager to start moving her stuff in as it won't be long now. I hope. Read the previous entry on Jinxes. I headed out to Nazareth to The Yarn Shop which is on the side of the Kraemer's textile - they not only sell the yarn but they actually produce it. I LOVE THEM WITH ALL MY LITTLE FLUFFY HEART.

http://www.kraemeryarns.com/

I had bought a bag of mill ends a few weeks ago - it's the same as the "good stuff" but a deeply discounted. because the skeins are the ends and a bit uneven. I should have bought both bags but didn't so today I ended up spending more than I saved but was glad I would be able to finish the sweater. I made a brief stop to deposit David's check in the other account, since the renter has become a freeloader we've had to put David's paycheck in the tax account so we'll be able to pay the taxes on both the houses. I find it rather galling that my own kids are self sufficient and I am supporting someone I don't even know - glad to know the law is on the side of those of us that follow the rules. Back home on the ranch the yard has become a hot jungle like place - I drench myself in bug spray and we all sit outside under the trees. Pearl keeps a eye out for Pat The Neighbor who she likes a lot, when she sees him she wiggles over to get petted and be told how pretty she is - what's not to like? I put the air on in the bedroom when it's gets really hot in the afternoon - the pets and I hole up - the tv and computer are here so it's not bad. Since we're not home most of the day we'll get another one eventually, it's not a high on the list and until we get the renter thing straightened out, it's not even on the list at all. Of course there's another galling thing - the freeloader has central air and I don't. Gotta love the American Way.

Moving Along

The interesting thing about not being able to sleep is you get to watch a lot of weird TV - and it must be Free Movie Week because there is a lot of the F word being flung about this morning. The only thing I can see so far is we are not missing much. Our TV habits for the past year or so have slipped into home improvement and detective shows. The occasional knitting show if I can find it. We're boring, we admit it. There's plenty of stuff going on at the moment, most of which I cannot talk about as I don't want to jinx things. Anyone that knows me knows I'm a great believer in Jinxes - I will not say or do anything until whatever event or occurrence has passed and I am Safe. I also have a Magic 8 Ball that has the same accuracy of the local weather channel so I don't rely on it too much. It's supposed to be super hot this weekend as per the weather channel, we will be holed up in the house I suppose. I'm going to run out to Kraemers this weekend for a yarn run but other than than there's not much on the boards - we are truly in a holding pattern these days, too much going on to even deal with. David is working a lot, I might start looking for a dog walker for when I go away - he occasionally is out for up to 14 hours and that is way too long for the dog. We have a fenced in yard and I'd love to put a doggie door in - that would solve most of our problem but if she gets out during the day - I would be heartbroken. And I cannot take one more event.

Random Subjects.

I'm working towards the end of my job - the new manager has been hired and I think it will be a much better fit for everyone. But the transition is a forced march for everyone. Things are moving along slowly but surely, looking up a little but I don't get too comfortable. You never know what might be coming down the pike. David passed the physical so he has a new job on the horizon, he's done quite well being an armed guard and even though it doesn't pay what renovations did, it's steady work and not quite as stressful. The boys are fine, Adam continues to bob around foreign seas and Jackson is enjoying apartment living in California. We've been discussing getting another dog lately, we have to wait until things are settled with the Lake Ariel house - that continues to be a mess but hopefully will be resolved soon. With the two of us working so much Pearl is alone most of the time now, her whining has reached new heights to put it mildly. We'll be outside in the yard and she'll start in sitting right next to me, I try not to get mad at her but after a long stressful day at work, it's hard not to. We'll figure it out I suppose. I have two 4 day training sessions coming up in August - Lucky Me! the center is located near the King Of Prussia mall! EIGHT DAYS total of proximity to the mall - what ever will I do with my evenings! I continue to work on the sweater, I'm making an early run to Kraemer's in Nazareth on Saturday and hopefully will be able to get more of the yarn I bought - otherwise there will be some frogging going on this weekend. That would be a shame as it's actually coming out pretty good, but I have other yarn that I could use that would be more than enough to finish the project. It also might be a thin excuse to go to the yarn store.

Hot and Dry Just The Way I Like My Men

I don't really have that much to say, but I wanted to put these pictures of the sweater I started up so you could see I'm doing a semi-boffo job so far. My only worry is that since I bought a bag of mill ends, despite the fact my calculations say I'll have enough yarn to finish the job what I've used so far says otherwise. I'm planning on making a Yarn Run next weekend and will hopefully be able to procure more so I'll be safe in being able to finish the sweater. There would be nothing worse than only having half a sleeve left and no way to get more of the yarn. I've only been working on the sweater, I've stopped reading until I'm done with my job and onto the the other one. I went to make my reservation for the 1st conference and all the Bayada rooms are booked so I have to call in to the planner and find out what I do now. They're very well organized so there's always a back up plan. This is the last weekend and after this the nurses will be on call rotation so hopefully I can get some stuff done over the weekends. This weekend was just a lost cause between chasing patients and visits and so forth. The weather continues to be hot and that beastly sun beats down on us all day - the bog has completely dried up as you can see by the pictures, the mosquitos hover above the ground - they are way annoying. Anywhere you didn't hit with bug spray they get you. Pearl and I were mucking around down there, it's interesting because you can go where you normally can't when the water is there. I got to see what lies on the other side (pretty much the same stuff on my side), but I was careful as I didn't want to accidently hit a sink hole. I did that a couple of times as a kid and it was not a fun experience. I kept thinking while I was walking around about a storybook I loved as a kid - it was teasing the edges of my memory - and then I remembered what it was - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five_Chinese_Brothers

There were five identical brothers and one of them could suck up the ocean so his family could pick fish - there 's more to it of course but you would have to read the book itself as it's a very good children's book. Anyhow, that was on my mind while we pottered around - it was not quite as interesting as you would think and without the water it's not as attractive as it usually is either. Pearl had a good time and found stuff to eat - she always does - I didn't see anything I felt was to my taste so I ate nothing. David and I did the weekly shopping of course, we've gotten into a Sunday shopping day as he works just about every Sunday, if I wasn't on call every weekend I could probably get something done other than running around in circles.

Rain. More Rain. Stay tuned.

The weather continues to go back and forth between raining and hot and humid. But the summer is going by fast, isn't it? It's the middle of July already, as I get older the days seem to fly by at the speed of light. One month turns into the next before I know it, Thanksgiving and it's a new year already. Pearl was a puppy, Jackson was home, now it's just us, the cats and a full grown dog. But it's the way things go I suppose, time marches on and all of that. I'm on the last two weeks of work as of Monday and I'm scrambling to get it all together before I go. This past week has been completely disjointed but next week everyone is back and I can concentrate on my work instead of everyone else's. The sweater I started is going along much better than I thought it would, it looks like the picture and everything. I'm using my new Namaste knitting bag too! which I LOVE. It's like the Mercedes Benz of knitting bags and super swanky - even if my life is going down the john I have my bag! I've heard from Jackson a couple of times, he has been working hard but is enjoying apartment life. His roommate has a cat so I think he feels a bit more like he's home. He said he much prefers to have an apartment as opposed to staying on the ship, I think I would like that too. Adam continues to float around until December, he emails quite often - I still miss them.

Not a Picture From Today

The rain came down in absolute torrents this morning, the spout on the side of the house looked like a giant spigot it was coming down so fast. Pearl The Brave insisted on going out of course - I took my pink umbrella and followed her out as I was trying to get Vincent The Wet Rat to come back in the house. He'll go out when it's raining and then come in all dripping wet and trailing raindrops all over. He allowed himself to be chased in after he was satisfied he had enough rivets of water chasing down his tail to make a proper puddle on the kitchen floor, he is such a stinker. Anyhoo, the transfer papers for my new job are all signed, I'm off to two conferences in August, I cannot wait. Work is hard, but everyone will be orientated and back from vacation on Monday so the staffing issues will be the reverse - trying to find enough patients to cover the nurses instead of the other way around. I'm slogging through paperwork trying to get it reasonable before I'm gone and working on orienting everyone. David's working crazy hours but glad to be working - he's pretty much put away his tools for now and is just doing the guard thing. The economy is too shaky here for renovations and it's just too hard. The jobs are far and few between and getting money out of people is a nightmare. This job is steady and when it's done, it's done. He's taken a little break from working on our house and will resume it in the fall when the weather is cooler - the pool will stay that way for another year I'm afraid. We've been having money problems with the renter so the pool has moved way down the list for rehabbing. The frogs and salamanders have been granted a reprieve for another year.

Holding Patterns

After a couple of stutters and starts I decided on starting a sweater out of Simply Knitting. That is one of my favorite knitting magazines but it's printed in England so it occasionally sends me running to YouTube for an explanation of the directions. So it's all cast on and ready to go. I'm gearing up for the next two weeks, my job ends at the end of the month and with everyone out and on vacation it's been tough to get my work done and everyone else's. It's been causing me a great deal of anxiety quite naturally, especially since I also have to do patients on top of all of this. But I'll get through it. The weather has had a bit of a break, it's still hot but not an inferno. We do enjoy sitting under the trees around here, the pets especially enjoy the old stone walls that surround the property as it's stuffed with chipmunks. David has been working on Saturdays lately so Sunday is our only day that we really get to see each other, we usually end up doing our weekly shopping and then out to Dairy Queen of course! As you can see we're in a holding pattern, things are still a bit disjointed but settling down. We just roll along.

Help me I'm Melting

I'm sure everyone is aware how hot it is. We of course didn't realize how hot it would get here at the house. We've lived in the mountains, on the shore, etc - but we've never had a house in the woods. It gets insanely hot - the yard at times is unbearable. When I go into town it's not quite so bad but here in the woods it all seems to generate the heat. We'd decided not to do anything about the air until we saw if we really needed it but of course with it being summer, a heat wave and our usual lack of planning and foresight, all the stores are out of air conditioners. The few that have them are making a killing. It's not as bad as I'm making it out to be - we do have an air conditioner in the bedroom so whoever gets home first puts it on and shuts the door tight. Vincent the cat is on to us - he quickie eats his dinner and then plasters himself against the door to be let in, he parks himself square in the middle of the bed purring like a loon. That cat is no fool. I've been out seeing patients lately due to staff vacations, the stretch between the car and the patient is a quick trot, the sun just beats down. I found out the other day that I will not be able to start my new job until my position at the visit office is filled - I was upset as that was not what I was initially told. It's not a huge problem but you know how it is when you get something in your head and you count on it. I'll adjust, I always do. I'm 2/3 of the way through the baby hat I'm making and it's coming out well - it has tie so you can adjust the size to fit which I like. Babies grow so fast it gives the hat a little more use. David has been busy between work and the house, he put a screen door on the atrium which helps a great deal letting the heat out. It's an older one and has no venting windows so when the sun hits it it really heats up. The door has reduced the heat in there a lot which makes the house a little less hot. A little.

Happy Fourth Of July!

We barbequed last night - I had been out during the day and found some great redskin potato salad at Giant supermarket. I have no idea what they put in to it but I'm glad I bought the big one instead of the wee one. It is the heroin of potato salads, believe me, I was even thinking of having some for breakfast. So we had that, burgers and of course corn on the cob - what's a summer BBQ without that? Hopefully not much going on today, we're heading out early this morning as the local LYS is having a sale of 30% off EVERYTHING but only from 8am to 11. I have to say the Yarn Hater is not very happy about this turn of events, but he'll get over it. Eventually. I finished the socks last night so I have to get started on another project, I think I'll do a baby hat first and then there's a sweater that will be perfect for that yarn I bought at Kramers a couple of weeks ago. The Yarn Hater has been busy this morning he re-caulked the bathroom wall in the shower again, it's leaking a lot less, but it seems to be just one more little spot and it's driving him crazy. Of course I spent about half an hour yesterday scouring that bathroom from top to bottom so I was not very happy. It was perfectly clean and now is full of grout and dirt. The bathroom is all white and if it's clean it looks very Home and Gardens, but it shows every bit of dirt and muck so it's a pain in the butt. We're going out early today and then running home, the tourists are thick this time of year and if we don't get home by a certain time of the weekends we just sit and sit in traffic. I'm starting my countdown at work, I'll miss my co-workers but I'm very excited about my new job and can't wait to get started! Happy fourth everyone - have a skein on me!

Happy 3rd of July!

David and I need a wife. We need one that will clean the house, do the dishes, walk the dog and make our lunches. She needs to be good at ironing, budgeting, running errands and getting the mail. If she can mow the lawn that would be a bonus. However, we don't have one so we have to make due. David has ended up on a Saturday shift so I've been taking advantage of that and cleaning the house bit by bit. I don't know about you, but I find it much easier to get things done when I'm alone - when David's here there's a lot of distraction (HEY! Let's go to Dairy Queen!) or we end up doing a Home Depot run. I enjoy the quiet, I sit and read under the trees while Pearl does Chipmunk Patrol around the perimeter - I have to keep a good eye on her though. She snuck over to the neighbor's yesterday and I think she did a Sneaky Poo on his manicured lawn. I was like ACKK and was going to take a baggie and see if I sneak it back to our side of the border. But it was really early - they're elderly so I didn't want to scare them by waking them up to find some deranged neighbor waltzing around their yard with a handful of poo. Not to mention I wasn't entirely sure she had done the deed or not, so I opted to let sleeping dogs lie and I just make sure she stays on our side. The cats are entirely out of my control. Work continues on, I'm on the countdown now which just makes it torturous at times - our two nurses that have the lion's share of the patients are taking a vacation at the same time, the boss has been out sick and we're hoping she doesn't have pneumonia and I've been out on the road doing patients. Added to that load is the fact that I am leaving so I'm trying to get everything done before I go. It will end though. In other news - we got a solid offer on the Lake Ariel house! We'll have to take a bit of hit on this one folks but with what we'll recover in the Cat Pee house if we ever decide to sell it will more than even out. We just want to be done with that house entirely, this landlord thing is for the birds. I guess I'd better get moving, the weekend is always shorter than you think it is, isn't it? And I have to rest up as the LYS is having a 30% off sale on EVERYTHING tomorrow!