urgent care

My *friend texted me at just the right time that I got up and made it to the FNP at opening.  She looked in my ears and at my lesions and told me I have staph....again.  I won't even tell you where because it's gross.  Plus it hurts.  She sent my scripts in and bitched me out for trying to self treat.  Plus she told me I had put myself into a thyroid storm.  She honestly told me that lab people are the worst about all that.  

Larry and I have been friends forever and I've never toured his home so there I went after the doctor visit to pick up a very nice water hose and some dirt filled pots.  He has several pieces from Casa Grands estate sale in his place.  Ladybug greeted me when I got out of the car and went in for her morning cheese and crackers.  Then she plopped down on her bed next to the front door.  Next stop was the 'gentral for pimento cheese and turkey plus some OTC meds to clear up all this infection.  I'll visit C and C tomorrow for refills.  

Thank god I didn't hit any animals today.  All I saw was squirrels and they were too quick for the Camry.  In case you wonder what the fuck is up with our country, just breathe.  We're one nuke away from dust.  The entire world thinks we're nuts because of you know who.  That's why I figure we might as well enjoy the ride.

Peace ~

living like a refugee

I have been too lazy to go grocery shopping but it's going to have to happen soon.  I eat breakfast and lunch at work from their tantalizing menu *snort* and have started picking something up from a gas station on the way home for dinner.  The chicken store tends to bloat one quite a bit so I hit up Casey's today for a footlong sub that will make two meals.  

Yesterday morning in the dark on the way in I spotted a tiny black and white animal which looked kind of like a kitten.  I didn't see it until the eyes were shining in my headlights and couldn't avoid it so there went a soft *bump and I knew it was road kill.  I tried talking myelf into turning around about halfway into town but kept moving because that would not be a good picture to carry into the workplace for a day starter.  It's gone today so instead of assuming that the vulchers got it, I'll believe that it ran off into the brush to mama.  

My internet service is sort of at the end of the line for my provider because of the sparse number of houses out this way.  My brother pulled some strings way back when to get connectivity for my parents and me.  I've had three outages in the past few months which sometimes mysteriously go away.  Yet another repair dude is coming tomorrow to see if there's something going on with the line because tech support said that they're forcing bandwidth my way to keep my speed up to what I'm paying for.  The city has access at the golf course and airport which are right behind me but the local cable provider refuses to expand 1/4 mile for me and the neighbor.  

It rained off and on today so there's no watering to be done.  Yesterday I rigged up the hose on my Tennova green lawn chair and let it act like a sprinkler.  Work smart, I say.  The 'maters are inside looking healthy and special.  I still can't believe that peony came up so quick.  Now I know the proper time to plant something you've had your eye on!

The farther I move emotionally away from what I knew, the stranger I feel.  It's kind of like being at an in between place.  Corporate visits in May so I imagine the details of the cabin being moved ( or not ) will be worked out then.  I didn't realize, like DUH, that if there is no wifi the TV fire stick doesn't work.  Live and learn.  

I'm off tomorrow, Lord willing.  It's a good thing because I'm pretty much dragging ass.  Still shining though.  

Keep smiling ~

jumping ship

They say that the only thing constant is change.  I find this to be true in most every situation except where you really WANT it to happen which takes forever or sometimes never.  I've held onto the hope that things would get better in a certain area of my life yet every day I find that one more person is moving on.  This is my last weekend to work with Scotty and we had a decent day.  While I'm really happy for him, I'll miss him like crazy.  

I was stunned to hear that yet another co-worker has given notice.  He has fought the good fight for much longer than I ever expected his rebel self to do, yet it makes me incredibly sad because of our shared history.  I think that if I had the luxury of looking ahead to something better I'd be a bit less nostalgic.  As it stands, retirement is out of the question for my senior citizen self so I figure I'll die trying.  This is not what I expected for the "golden" years.  

I went without the SRUI one day too many and it's catching up with me in the form of little random tears here and there partly out of nostalgia and partly just exhaustion.  My friend the little General always spoke of peaks and valleys so I suppose this is a valley following a week of flying high on gardening.  It makes me not even want to water the straw, but I will because I've worked too hard to let it go.  

Leadership and community go hand in hand in more ways than one.  A true leader inspires and motivates serving as teacher and mentor as well as advocate.  When these qualities are lacking or the truth is varnished, the little people become weary.  Unfortunately those on the front lines are the ones who know the lay of the land best but are the least heard.  That really makes me tired.  

That being said, I refuse to give up and will continue to pursue plans B, C and how many other ones it takes to find peace.  That's just how I roll.  We had an interesting discussion at the sawmill today about Lent and Pentecost and the whole religion thing and I was in some ways preaching to the choir but it gave me some faith telling about how I became an out of my head Christian and into the heart kind at midlife.  

Onward ~

on fire for nature

I am having soooooooo much fun with this cool weather gardening thing.  There was a light frost last night but nothing severe enough to hurt what I have out.  As promised, I stopped by for tomato plants this afternoon and have them potted and sitting in the kitchen already fed.  They will be the cute little cherry kind.  It should be interesting frying up those tiny green ones.  Daddy's rule of thumb was not to pick a green one until you have a ripe one though I don't often eomply.

Somehow during the storm the other morning I lost my badge for work which  makes me like umm....not able to get in the door or clock in.  I was required to pay fifteen bucks to get another one and then figure out how to activate it myself with a little help from friends.  We're all just barcodes in this big old world.

Tree cutting and line repair continue daily.  The storm did quite a bit of damage and I must say that Dyersburg Electric was on it like donkey kong.  So was the EOC and all other emergency response personnel.  A situation like that is what tests the infrastructure of a town.  

I called my FNP for a refill on happy pills and was told I had to "be seen" meaning an office visit.  Just for shits and giggles I walked in on my lunch break, saw a waiting room full and dropped the door without setting foot inside.  I'll try again when there are fewer cars in the lot.  It's a conumdrum, so to speak.  The setting is an urgent care clinic yet the FNP is my primary care provider since Dr. Algee retired.  I'm not on much, but I need what I do take.  A kind person helped me with a work around on pills until I have a day off to sit and wait my turn.

As predicted, Trump's kingdom is already beginning to unravel.  If the Republicans who are speaking their minds now had done so earlier in the game we wouldn't be where we are.  It's a learning curve for all of us, I suppose.  

Today's totem is groundhog which I first thought was a squirrel and he was a really fat and slow one.  When he jumped in the ditch I figured it out.

Gotta go water that straw~ 

lenten intentions

I failed to get ashed yesterday except with white sage which doesn't show up too well.  As a Christian this period leading up to the resurrection of you know who is one of self denial or at least do no harm.  I don't see much of that in any direction that I look these days.  My only joy at this point is with nature.  

Me and the dogs slept in today and it was divine.  Those blinds keep the sun at bay until I'm ready to roll out.  I intend to do that more often because my body needs it.  A heating pad and ice block do wonders for osteo.  Also don't underestimate the power of tumeric.  

I have sawmill duty for three days and it will be my last weekend to work with Scotty.  When we first met he was from Missouri ( which he still is ) and he did the shifts nobody else wanted.  Low man, so to speak.  He and I became friends because we're both kinda' crazy in our own ways.  Me and him and a whole team of laboratory professionals have gone from doing CAP inspections on corporate to surviving and enjoying life.  His proximity to the beach is not something I will forget anytime soon.  Happy trails to you and Janet.  I will always remember you telling me what a kickass writer I am.  Google is our friend. He's a carpenter and creator and I asked him to make some frames out of old fence wood.  When he and Janet got married I returned the smaller one with a hydrangea pic that I took years ago.  It just matched, you know?

When I was shuttling for Quapaw Canoe he actually picked me up at a truck stop in Missouri and brought me home.  I don't even remember how I got to AK but I think it was by was of Blytheville.  There was this huge riverpark and I was waiting for Tony and the wonderdog to show up.  His friend Bob was from Iowa.  We all shared a beer on the way to the grab'n'go in Hayti.   Doggie dude had his own floaty vest.  

I first met John Ruskey quite by accident when he and his river partner Michael Clark did a Lewis and Clark gig at Dyersburg State.  There's not a lot of interesting things on the front page but that one caught my attention.  I contacted him in Clarksdale MS which is home to his custom canoe business.  He is an artist as well, with a beautiful wife and river daughter to boot.  Plus, a missing cat.  

Mike is in St Louis and there is an outpost in Helena.  The Mississippi River is a lifeline for our country and is being polluted daily by toxic waste from corporate America.  Billions of tons of potentially harmful substances are being shipped by barge.  Can you imagine if that shit caught on fire????

Long story short, somebody in Dyersburg had the vision to make our nasty little river better by cleaning it up.  The tour that John and Jim did with their folks was a real eye opener with lotso' tires and old appliances.  Their journey started in RoEllen and they floated all the way down to the farmer's market.  Genius.

farmer girl

Well, it's official.  I have turned into my farmer father only in a more earth friendly way.  I now visit Pennington Seed and Supply every other day to see what's new that I can add to the straw bed.  On my way out I noticed tomato plants on a cart by the front door and had already checked out.  I'll be going back for two of those to keep in pots inside until the end of April. This gal don't play.

While I was there I ran over and did a walkthrough at The Mill and was impressed with the progress.  It's almost ready for a Tencom move!   It really excites me to see this area of downtown coming alive again.  That street leads right to the river and it wouldn't take much to put a park there.  The farmer's market is right up the street as well.  

So today I planted romaine, onions and cute little johnny jump ups plus sowed some carrot seed.  While I was doing that I glanced over and noticed that the burgandy peony of Daddy's that I dug up the hard way is sprouting through the straw.  His finch feeder is filled and hanging in the pyrocantha.  All is well.

Grow your own ~

in the dark

I purposely left the box fan off so that I could hear the rain and thunder during the night and drifted off peacefully.  Sometime between 3 and 4AM the front rolled in bringing heavy wind and thunderstorms.  They say not a tornado, but 60-70 mph.  I had intended to take a shower this morning so I was kind of confused when the badass phone alarm went off and I found myself in the dark.  Alrighty then.  Here we go fumbling around for tea candles TOTALLY forgetting that Mamye gave me a battery powered lantern for Christmas.  I remembered it after I got to the sawmill which was also dark.  Very eerie for a hospital.  We have generators for emergency power and I could hear them roaring when I pulled up.  Inside it was dim because there's just a light here and there plus testing equipment on emergency.  Of course it was hot as hades because the air was off. 

As I turned into the street for work, I could see the shadow of a huge tree blocking Parr Avenue with a traffic cop guarding the path.  We were told that it would be at least six hours before power was restored and it took only 2 because the generators at the nursing home next door didn't work and....oxygen.  Since it was dark when I went in I was curious to see the damage in daylight.  There were signs flattened and awnings gone everywhere not to mention all the limbs and trees down.  I even noticed one of the street signs downtown this morning bent over at a 90 degree angle from the top.  

So now it's bright and sunny like nothing ever happened and we're lucky this time.  Others were not so fortunate.  It is so humbling to me to witness the destruction that weather can cause.  In the blink of an eye.

We were informed today that #4 of my co-workers will become grandma this year with one scoring two.  It should be an interesting time for all us old women.  

Over and out from the lane ~