trick or treat

Well, good old ATT tricked me again.  I was busy with exercise class this morning and an interview afterwards.  There was a payment set to draft on the 28th which would clear my account and I noticed that it didn't draft.  After I got home and was ready to relax, guess what.  No service.  Soooo....here I go to the ATT store to pay their measly 90 bucks to get service restored because you gotta' have a phone.  Needless to say, I am not a happy camper and they will hear about it.  Not that they care, but.  That's twice this month that service has been suspended because THEY failed to draft the payment on the assigned date.  Y'all are not playing fair with a very loyal customer, soon to be ex.   And now I'm in on hold hell.  No wait!  Disconnect.

My interview was quite interesting with the folks at the Dyer County Sheriff Department concerning their jail re-entry program.  More later on that.  I met some cool folks and got a lot of info.  The funny thing was that I turned my phone off so as not to interrupt what was going on and everybody else had theirs out.  Little did I know that I had no service.  

Just another day in paradise huh?  Keep the faith ^j^

on the town

Joy and Pearl and I sat in the colorful sunshine by the lake this morning watching turtles plop up and down off a log near the boathouse.  The temperature hit 80 but there was a nice breeze and leaves blowing everywhere.  It's mesmerizing to watch that water ripple in the wind.  She needed her hair did so we got that done and a little shopping at Buff City Soap.  We also wandered into the other crack store Pennington's and checked out their pretties.  These next weeks will be prime for their businesses and will have to tide them over 'til spring.  I finally bought a Soap Groupie shirt since I am indeed one of their biggest fans.  I watched from The Mill as that place sprang up out of nowhere.  Stanley was in the feed store and he told me that nobody else has any pecans either.  It's totally random depending on the weather which hasn't been too seasonal this year.  

I'm free tomorrow except for an interview after exercise class.  Two birds in one stone, so to speak.  I realized when I got home that my shirt was on inside out and I had been all over the 'burg that way.  Either nobody noticed it or they were being polite.  I prefer to look at is as "piping" on the shirt.  

It's gonna be a rainy Halloween so all of West Tennessee is doing their thing tonight.  I'm sure I'll get a picture of Reaves in costume.  

Peace ~

little band of skunks

I'm not normally out after dark but today I was and as I turned onto the lane I spotted the black and white critter skulking on the side.  Then another one.  I know from experience what your car and yourself smell like if you hit one.  There was a whole little family up and down the road and I dodged every one of them.  Then when I let Ellie out, she got sprayed.  Lerd.  She's outside airing right now.  

I spent a day watching movies and admiring the fall colors with Joy.  The ATT guy was in and out getting things all ready.  It was nice to have a day devoted to sitting with a friend and her dog.  She had a nice long walk today with Pearl while Gay and I peered over the deck thanking God for her good fortune.  She is truly a warrior woman, rattles and all.  

I am slowly getting my mojo back being careful to set boundaries for myself.  My appeal for home care jobs has been met heartily and I'm trying to work out something that still gives me time to be a retiree.  Since there was no TV the only news I know is that Sarah cried and there's a bunch of pissed off Americans.  Oh, and the Melania signing thing.  Lord help us all.

One of the movies we watched today was The Shape of Water and I was totally captivated.  I see now why it was so widely acclaimed.  Then there was a tearjerker and finally a really good Disney.  I have a date with friends to see Bohemian Rhapsody on Monday.  Matinee, of course.

Y'all enjoy the colors.  They were a long time coming ^j^

hospice philosophy

I was in the trenches of healthcare for 41 years.  About 25 years ago, I began to understand that people die all the time, some more slowly  than others.  Many of them are kept alive artificially by procedures like dialysis and ventilation.  Often, it is against what the patient's wishes are because next of kin makes the decision if the patient is not able to make his or her own wishes known.  People don't want to let go of their friends and family.  I get that.  That is when my focus turned toward palliative care.  I studied relentlessly about projects that embrace the "dying well" philosophy of Ira Byock.  Kathy George and I did a whole lot of leg work to try to put together a top ten list of diagnoses and codes for a study on end stage diseases.

Mama gave me a book one year by a doctor which was a clear, clinical practical guide to helping patients die peacefully.  If I had a nickel for every frantic end of life scene I've witnessed where nobody was getting along and many were in denial, I'd be rich.  The whole  hospice movement focuses on giving aid to those who know they have a terminal illness,  That gives a family six months to make peace with each other and the past.  No guilt.  It always helps to have your plans made and shared with a select few that you trust.

My friend Gigi almost died last year from meningitis.  It was sudden and critical.  She got hit with every med in the world over the next months and survived, thank the lort.  That is totally different from chronic disease wearing away at your body.  Chemotherapy is a booming business as is radiation therapy. The treatments are strong and harsh on your body.  If there was a recent surgery or another existing condition like heart disease or diabetes....well, you get the picture.  It's a hot mess.  I have worked in that setting and loved the patients to pieces, all the while hating the job.  

Some of my friends are freaking out because I have reached out to ask for their participation in my funeral, whatever it shall be.  My motivation for this is to keep my family from having to make decisions.  I've already made them.   If any of them are dead before me, Kay's got it.   Not to worry, I'm fine except for arthritis.

Which brings me back to hospice and home health.  The down side of home hospice is that there must be somebody there with the client 24/7.  Nurses come and go and the trusted ones are instructed how to medicate and treat.  We did that with my aunt Helen.  The one shift I took with her was the last time I saw her alive.  A DNR must be signed and visible in case somebody flips out and calls an ambulance.  Hospice care can be delivered in the hospital setting as well which is what we did with both of my parents.  Their multiple health problems and age just mounted.  I was still working there and was healthcare DPA so I had a lot of advantages, namely wise advice from a staff of healthcare professionals who loved both me and my parents.  Dr. Ategbole, bless his heart, is the one who told me point blank "Let your daddy go."  And we did.  He was at peace at the end.  In fact he told me two days before "i want to die."  His was an acute event that lasted about two months.

Mama, on the other hand, was long and drawn out involving many falls and CHF.  Many falls equals many surgeries on broken bones.  One of my main chores was taking them to the doctor as their advocate.  I wouldn't trade it for the world in gold but it was like five years of being on call.  I distinctly remember picking my mother up from rehab to see the orthopedic doc.  The pinning had failed and she was in terrific pain.  Osteoporosis is a bitch.  It was cold as shit and I had her wrapped in a blanket in a wheelchair.  When the film showed the screw hanging sideways we went to the hospital.  She did well with the surgery to repair but out of the blue developed a ruptured pocket in the colon meaning sepsis was setting up.  More surgery was out of the question.  Once again, a dear friend and co-worker said "it's over."  

Fast forward to hospice part 2.  It lasted about 3 days and I was there working so I could drop in at will.  She was comfortable and passed peacefully in the night with my brother Tommy at her side.  The day before it snowed, and Lauren napped on the little couch thing after she got off from her job.  We were all on the same page and together as a family.  Millette was there always for anything we needed.  

Hospice is about easing the pain and raising awareness of the patient's wishes by having family conversations, and with friends.  My attorney said that is the most generous thing anyone can do.  He will be speaking at mine, Lord willing.

This is probably a long ramble to keep from thinking about the past 72 hours.  Hey...whatever works ^j^

java

Nobody comes down this lane much at all.  When I was out walking with the fur babies today I saw a car cautiously creeping up the hill.  I smiled and waved as he passed and he was careful not to hit the dogs.  About three minutes later he was back asking about the delivery address.  When he told me I directed him down to Patrick and Bev's.  So he goes ALL the way down the hill to turn around and crept past me to his destination.  "Thanks ma'am" he said.  When he left he once again told me thank you.  Nice young man.  I should nominate him for employee of the month.

I've been on a roll this morning networking for an additional income stream.  There are write for pay opportunities all over the place you just have to research them.  My new writing word of the day is "pitch."  How to get your work seen, critiqued and published.  I am overwhelmed with the thought of a book.  I'm sort of an essay kind of gal. I'm also exploring sitting/personal attendant possibilities.  With my healthcare experience and compassion it's kind of a no brainer.  

The hate continues, this time in Pittsburgh.  About all I can say is "Jesus wept."  And God bless us all.  ^j^

taters and onions

As promised, I showed up on the square to help with the tater and onion part of the Community Cancer Fund event.  When I showed up I asked Jeff what I needed to do and he said for me to back up because it's a war zone up here!  He and the mayor were hard at it with plenty of help so I went to the back up tent provided by Hexpol and hung out with Yaya and her bunch.  I was able to get little snacks from them.  I watched those guys up on a stage doing their thing and fondly remembered my daddy and Joe Wood doing the exact same thing out of the back of a pickup at Moody Wadley.  They were the pioneers of that piece.  Tyson sold out of their dolla' sausage quickly.  It was gone by the time I ran into Vick and her empty bag.  She got her some taters though! I saw a lot of people I knew and met some that I didn't know.  It was a Norman Rockwell kind of event with community coming together for a good local cause.  Funds raised by this organization are kept locally for cancer patients whereas Relay for Life adds to the coffers of the American Cancer Society.  One of my dear friends, a colon cancer survivor, is on the CCF board.  She got the good news this week that she is dismissed from having to see her oncologist after 15 years.  Way to go girl!!  Keep up with those scopes :)

It already looks like November.  The trees are finally changing to gold and orange and it's cold and dreary.  So, um.  They caught the bomber guy in Florida, a registered Republican. Not that it matters by any means.  I mean the Dems are just as likely to send threats, right?  Hell no.  All we want is to reach across the aisle but there's nobody willing to move toward center.  Pisses me off bad.  House of Cards has got me fired up, even though it's the Dems in power there.  It shows me how the game is played at that level.  

Expect nothing.  Give it all you got ^j^

picture this

I'm all about supporting the growth on South Mill and have spent several years watching Tencom and The Mill Workspace come alive across from Pennington Seed and Supply.  There are now two cool shops next to his store, where I have spent the grocery money on more than one occasion.  The latest is Buff City Soap Company.  I went to their grand opening which was packed and they are STILL packed out most all the time.  Today was their ribbon cutting and I had just finished lunch so I just showed up with my mighty little phone camera and took some pics while we all mingled.  I actually saw my ex-boss there.  

The cutting was out front so all of us picture takers, including Chris on live stream, backed into the street.  The downtown development person from the Chamber was right there beside me and I actually walked into Chris' live feed.   He mouthed to me "live" and grinned.  Lord y'all.  You can't take me anywhere.  It all got done and I ended up there in with the street with Steve and the giant scissors for a discussion about a totally different project.  I wish I had a picture of THAT!  

Harvey is here today so I headed down toward the cabin to see if they were there and sure enough.  We did a walkabout and discussed the flow of the place once finished.  He and Bubba had just gotten the bad news that the same levee broke that did before.  That is major dirt work kids.  *sigh*  We chatted and hugged and talked about grandkids.  There's an easy relationship there with us and Bubba.  

That was my day and it was full of joy and opportunity ^j^