Sunday, December 31, 2017
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, December 29, 2017
Thursday, December 28, 2017
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Monday, December 25, 2017
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Sunday, December 17, 2017
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Friday, December 15, 2017
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Saturday, December 09, 2017
Friday, December 08, 2017
Wednesday, December 06, 2017
Tuesday, December 05, 2017
Monday, December 04, 2017
Sunday, December 03, 2017
Saturday, December 02, 2017
Friday, December 01, 2017
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Friday, November 24, 2017
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Saturday, November 18, 2017
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Monday, November 13, 2017
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Friday, November 10, 2017
Thursday, November 09, 2017
Wednesday, November 08, 2017
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Monday, November 06, 2017
Sunday, November 05, 2017
Friday, November 03, 2017
Thursday, November 02, 2017
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Monday, October 23, 2017
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Monday, October 16, 2017
Saturday, October 14, 2017
Friday, October 13, 2017
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Monday, October 09, 2017
Sunday, October 08, 2017
Saturday, October 07, 2017
The Monster’s Dinner
The Monster’s Dinner
All monsters and ghouls
had RSVP’d they would
all be to dinner
on All Hallows Eve.
In formal attire they would
attend this affair. The ghosts
in fresh linens of ghastly repair,
the goblins with grandiose garb
would appear and vampires
in new tatters and tales
topped off the list of regales .
The children excited to meet
their new friends, in the old
haunted house at the end
of the bend. What fanciful
fun this fantastical night,
all would be honored with
harrowing fright.
So, the cobwebs were spun
the dust newly lain
Skeleton Catering served
spider egg salad with
bat wing entrees.
With appalling appetite
the blood pudding was slurped.
Then all jumped to their toes
for a dizzying twirl
of the wing-a-ding whirl.
The monsters and ghouls
voted to add their young hosts
to their hideous guild
of gruesome goblins and ghosts.
The children now live
in the old haunted house
at the end of the bend,
prefer tricks with their treats
and their ghastly new friends.
All monsters and ghouls
had RSVP’d they would
all be to dinner
on All Hallows Eve.
In formal attire they would
attend this affair. The ghosts
in fresh linens of ghastly repair,
the goblins with grandiose garb
would appear and vampires
in new tatters and tales
topped off the list of regales .
The children excited to meet
their new friends, in the old
haunted house at the end
of the bend. What fanciful
fun this fantastical night,
all would be honored with
harrowing fright.
So, the cobwebs were spun
the dust newly lain
Skeleton Catering served
spider egg salad with
bat wing entrees.
With appalling appetite
the blood pudding was slurped.
Then all jumped to their toes
for a dizzying twirl
of the wing-a-ding whirl.
The monsters and ghouls
voted to add their young hosts
to their hideous guild
of gruesome goblins and ghosts.
The children now live
in the old haunted house
at the end of the bend,
prefer tricks with their treats
and their ghastly new friends.
Friday, October 06, 2017
Thursday, October 05, 2017
Wednesday, October 04, 2017
Sunday, October 01, 2017
Friday, September 29, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Monday, September 25, 2017
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Friday, September 22, 2017
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Monday, September 18, 2017
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Friday, September 15, 2017
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Monday, September 11, 2017
Saturday, September 09, 2017
Friday, September 08, 2017
Wednesday, September 06, 2017
Monday, September 04, 2017
Sunday, September 03, 2017
Friday, September 01, 2017
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Monday, August 28, 2017
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Friday, August 25, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Friday, August 18, 2017
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Monday, August 14, 2017
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Friday, August 11, 2017
Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Tuesday, August 08, 2017
Monday, August 07, 2017
Saturday, August 05, 2017
Friday, August 04, 2017
Thursday, August 03, 2017
Wednesday, August 02, 2017
Tuesday, August 01, 2017
Monday, July 31, 2017
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Friday, July 28, 2017
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Monday, July 24, 2017
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Friday, July 21, 2017
Thursday, July 20, 2017
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Friday, July 14, 2017
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Sunday, July 09, 2017
Saturday, July 08, 2017
Friday, July 07, 2017
Thursday, July 06, 2017
Wednesday, July 05, 2017
Monday, July 03, 2017
Sunday, July 02, 2017
Saturday, July 01, 2017
Friday, June 30, 2017
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Monday, June 26, 2017
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Monday, June 19, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Monday, June 12, 2017
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Sunday, June 04, 2017
Saturday, June 03, 2017
Thursday, June 01, 2017
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Monday, May 29, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Monday, May 22, 2017
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Monday, May 15, 2017
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Friday, May 12, 2017
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Tuesday, May 09, 2017
Monday, May 08, 2017
Sunday, May 07, 2017
Friday, May 05, 2017
Thursday, May 04, 2017
Wednesday, May 03, 2017
Tuesday, May 02, 2017
Monday, May 01, 2017
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Friday, April 28, 2017
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Friday, April 21, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Monday, April 17, 2017
Friday, April 14, 2017
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Monday, April 10, 2017
Sunday, April 09, 2017
Saturday, April 08, 2017
Friday, April 07, 2017
Thursday, April 06, 2017
Wednesday, April 05, 2017
Tuesday, April 04, 2017
Monday, April 03, 2017
Sunday, April 02, 2017
Friday, March 31, 2017
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Friday, March 24, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Friday, March 10, 2017
Thursday, March 09, 2017
Wednesday, March 08, 2017
Saturday, March 04, 2017
Friday, March 03, 2017
Wednesday, March 01, 2017
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Thursday, February 09, 2017
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
Monday, February 06, 2017
Friday, February 03, 2017
Memoir of My Nursing Career
I worked in skilled nursing for many years between one place or another. I graduated with my Practical Nursing diploma in 1981. I got my first job at an older hospital where within a year I took the charge position for the second shift skilled unit. Almost everyone on that unit was terminal with cancer or aging and needing special care.
I had no difficulty with death and dying. I think maybe because I’m a spiritual person, I’m not sure. I do remember that it became clear during training that pediatric and obstetrics didn’t suit me. Dying children and sick babies tore at my heart. Though not frequent, children in a general hospital do die and infants are born ill.
In October of 1982 I received a call from the hospital telling me not to come into work. They were shutting the doors and transferring all patients to other facilities. It turned out there was some sort of mismanagement. Out of about 50 LPNs put out of work that day, I had the least seniority. I spent weeks on unemployment before a position came available that wasn’t taken by someone with more experience.
I’d worked for the state facility caring for developmentally disabled persons as a direct care staff person. I applied to the State Development Center and received a job in their hospital. I really enjoyed both the skilled care at the general hospital and the state facility. The patients never bothered me, the administration often got on my nerves but I wasn’t alone in that.
I think we had two or three patients in the state facility with tracheostomies. and gastric tubes. Gastric tubes required feeding through a catheter or tube, directly into the stomach using a formula like Ensure. Tracheostomy, as many of you know, is a breathing tube through the neck into the trachea to allow breathing when normal breathing is a problem with chocking. In most of our cases that I worked with they needed traches because of saliva.
Eventually, the number of tube feedings and tracheostomies grew to enough to start a wing with only those patients. When that happened, I took a third shift or the 11 pm to 7 am position on what we called the Trach and Tube floor. I’ve worked in other facilities taking care of similar kinds of clients or residents as they are more accurately referred to now. It never slipped my mind that every one of them had a human soul and right to live to their optimum level.
However, there are times now that my own health is fragile that I don’t feel I’m doing all I should. I understand how the residents of the nursing homes feel when they’re forgotten or treated badly because of attitudes that don’t see us as deserving as they are. It takes a long time to come to terms with the fact that I can’t cook, or do a lot of cleaning, go outside in any weather, or even walk around my home without oxygen. I understand the fear of catching a bug from someone else and thus avoid crowds.
I don’t need sympathy any more than they did or wanted it. I just want respect and a little attention. My husband is my rock. My children are busy but loving and I have 10 grandchildren to make me smile when they’re around. I write and vlog. I’m doing my best to live to my best possible self, under the circumstances.
Thursday, February 02, 2017
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Friday, January 27, 2017
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Monday, January 09, 2017
Wednesday, January 04, 2017
Tuesday, January 03, 2017
Sunday, January 01, 2017
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