work challenges

After working the 3:30 pm to 12:00 am shift five days in a row, I'm still wide awake at midnight. I've been slightly frustrated lately with working full time. It seems I'm constantly trying to get things done at home but never quite reach a point where things are caught up. I never have time for anything extra, like sewing or having company. A good part of my time at work is spent in a small enclosed area making IV's. Lately it's been so hot and uncomfortable in there and I'm tired of sweating inside all the sterile garb. I sometimes miss going to a job where I can dress up and wear nice things. Schools are starting and the beginning of a new term always brings back memories and part of me longs to be there again. I'd like to wish away those feelings because it doesn't seem like the way is open for me to teach. That's probably enough sharing of the ugly, discontented thoughts I've been having.

Last night I made an IV drug I've never done before -- antivenom for a patient who got bit by a copperhead. I wasn't at work when the patient came in (sometime during the night) and this was a follow-up dose of the drug. It's amazing how often the unusual, crazy stuff happens on the evening and night shifts. I also had to make TPA (massive dose of a clot-busting drug for patients who are having a stroke) at least twice while working evenings last week. It is of utmost importance to quickly get TPA to the patient who is having a stroke because "time is brain". Every minute counts when blood flow to the brain is being blocked. In those kinds of emergencies, I don't stop to think about how someone's life might depend on the drug I'm making and how quickly we can get it to them. If I did, I'd probably stab myself with a needle or make some kind of mistake while compounding the drug. Staying calm is the best thing to do.

Last week we were so short of technicians a couple days that a pharmacist had to step in and do the work we techs usually do. I found it amusing that the pharmacist who was covering had a mini meltdown after a couple days of doing the hands-on work because it was too much to handle. 😄 Especially now, while our IV room is under construction and one person is responsible for making all the IV's in a 2 foot area, it does get to be too much sometimes. It takes mental and physical strength to keep your cool. 

I'm trying to have a relaxing weekend to prepare for next week's 5:00 am schedule. That is actually my favorite shift, but after working evenings for a week, I feel a little out of sync. Recently I had my yearly performance eval and felt encouraged by what my manager said about me. Knowing I'm a valuable team member helps me put up with some of the challenges and give it my best.

Summer Prose

She said, "Summer is overrated."

And I thought

Well.

Fall is beautiful too

But each year

I

Fall

A little more in love

With summer.

Summer

When the sun shines hottest 

Is when I feel the most alive

And 

My exuberance 

Tries to express itself

In a poem

That doesn't rhyme.

In August

The Sunday of summer

I feel the end

Is coming too soon.

And

I want to spend

More time

In the sunshine.

Nurture my flowers

Soak in 

The colors

And sounds 

of summer.

More time

Away from work

Slow down

Take a walk

Go to the mountains

Ride bike

Visit the lake

Sit on the deck

Go out for ice cream.

There is beauty

In every season

And I 

Enjoy them all.

But

Summer

Is never long enough

For me.

Hudson River weekend 2020

Last weekend we took our annual summer trip to the Hudson River Valley. I blogged about our trip last year here and wasn't sure I would give a report again, but several people have asked about it. 

We love going to this area of New York because it's only a 2 - 3 hour drive from here (depending where you stay) and it's beautiful natural scenery. The towns are really not that great... kind of run-down and old. This time we stayed in a basement apartment in Newburgh that I booked through Airbnb. The place was very nice but in a super sketchy part of town. I would not have felt safe being out at night on that street! Loud music, groups of people congregating on front porches and sidewalks, abandoned buildings, graffiti... get the picture? While I'm writing on accommodations, I will recommend a place we stayed at the first time we went to the area. The Gilmor Sloane House in Stony Point is an 1856 Victorian mansion with 11 bedrooms each uniquely decorated with antique furniture. It was an interesting place to stay! I couldn't find a place to book online; I think you have to call for reservations. Here's a link to the website. 

We like the Stony Point area best of all the places we've stayed. Once again we partook of burgers and fries at The Filling Station in Haverstraw and went to the Stony Point lighthouse for a lazy afternoon taking in the view.

The Filling Station - amazing burgers and fries!

Stony Point lighthouse is located at the Stony Point Battlefield historic site.

Earlier this summer we each bought a bike and have been rediscovering how much fun it is to ride! We got a carrier for the car and are now officially bike-toting Subaru drivers. 😊 They rode along to New York with us and we decided to bike the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie. 

Walkway Over the Hudson 

We've been on the Walkway before and it's impressive every time. There's a paved trail on an old railroad bed extending several miles from either side of the bridge. We rode over the bridge a couple times and took the trail on both sides for a total of 20 miles (not the whole length of the trail - we didn't reach the end). It was fantastic! The trail is flat, easy riding. It was a warm, sunny day perfect for feeling the wind as we rode. Sometimes I have the urge to ride fast and it's thrilling to zip along, feeling like a kid again. The bike ride was definitely the highlight of this trip and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys that sort of thing.

I think we might make it a tradition to take a similar trip every year for our anniversary. We've always gone in the summer, but I'm sure fall would be wonderful too. I'm already looking forward to next time!

winds of confusion, lessons from a tree

Is anyone else completely confused about life these days? Has there ever been a time before when so much conflicting information is being shared? How can a tiny germ cause such chaos, but more important issues are ignored? I have no answers and don't know what is truth anymore. News articles are published every day with one site stating a "fact" while another site states a "fact" that is the polar opposite. I don't spend a lot of time reading the news but skim headlines and hear other people's conversations. It seems like conspiracy theories, which I automatically mistrust, are everywhere, and I've finally concluded you can't believe anything. You can call me cynical, I know I am. Thank God this is not my permanent country! Unfortunately I can't bury my head in the sand, though. Somehow we have to cope with these accusations, recommendations, theories, movements, divisions, and riots that are swirling like dark clouds around us.

Maybe the reason this is on my mind is because I went back to work today after a two week quarantine due to a member of our household who was COVID positive. Cooking, cleaning, working outside, and being a homemaker was such a simple life. I never got bored, although I did get tired of cooking! Now I'm back to wearing a mask for 8 hours and following hospital regulations. I hugged a coworker and got reprimanded. (COVID! Social distance!) Another coworker still gets on my nerves. While driving to work this morning I purposed to be tolerant and kind. Unsuccessful. After two weeks of being around people who don't make a big deal out of COVID, going back to the high alert level of healthcare was kind of exhausting. On the bright side, more than one person told me I was missed and they were so glad to have me back. Maybe I am needed more than I realize! I need to focus on doing my small part instead of the restrictions and unpleasantness. 

Last week we went to Ohio to be with Chad and Keela and kiddos for a couple days. It was one of those spur of the moment decisions... I was quarantined and Cliff could get off, so we went! We spent part of a day at Lake Erie and I keep remembering something we saw there. The coastline is rocky, but at one place where we walked along, trees were growing in the boulders. At some places the roots were exposed on top of the rocks, then there were cracks and crevices where the roots snaked down to the water. I think there's life lessons to be learned from that. Overcoming obstacles, thriving in adverse circumstances, and staying strong when heavy winds are blowing were some of the inspirations that came to me. That's what I want to focus on instead of the turmoil around us!