Driving Lessons

I told you about mowing the lawn. Which is not dangerous because technically I don't leave the yard. Though I did get a brief lecture on leaving the blades down and the mower in gear when I got off of it. He said put on the brake and turn off the key. I told him he said that. And he said, "NO. Only in an EMERGENCY!" Now what sort of grass cutting emergency could there be I ask you? If my iPod fell off the mower while it was moving that would be a bona fide emergency in my book.

So, we have been working on driving lessons for SEVERAL MONTHS NOW. SEVERAL MONTHS. Right about the time I get good, my husband gets busy and can't take me out any more. I don't dare go by myself. Lord. I would be stuck on the side of the road somewhere. Hills are a problem. They are a problem because he can't tell me in less than 3 seconds what to do without telling me about gears spinning, things resetting, the difference between first and second gear, and asking me which gear am I going to use. I drove 2 Saturdays ago and I said, "I think I am getting the hang of this, let's get on the freeway!" To which he said, "Uh, no. Not a good idea." I drive and he says, "okay, gas off, now clutch, 1st gear, release clutch, give it gas" which I can do but it is the processing of what do I do when I am attempting a hill that is the problem. And then I start laughing so hard that I think I am going to wet my pants and then I really can't drive.

Oh the drama.

I think I want to be Miss Daisy and have him drive me everywhere. Then I could get a lot more knitting done.

He Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

I have been harping on my husband about the yard for several days now. Yesterday we were going to do it but my in-laws barn and office got broken into so dh had to go up there to get that all worked out. They live 45 minutes north of us. So, today I was ready to do it. I was so sick of the yard that I was ready to cut it myself. Could someone please go pick my mother up off of the floor? I'll wait. Reason: I have hated doing yardwork all of my life because it was a command performance once a week, twice weekly in the summer, and on the weekends at our farm. Hubs and I had a prenuptual agreement that I never had to do yardwork otherwise I wouldn't have married him.

Now that I have to be at work so early I naturally wake up at 5:15, which is totally inhumane. So, this weekend I have woken up at 5:15 and laid in bed until 6:30 thinking. I got up and got on the computer this morning and ordered shorts from JC Penney and Kohl's (much cheaper than Land's End) and then at 9 Hubs got up. I bet I asked 4 times if we were going to do the yard and then at 10:30 I said.....................HEY! LET'S DO THE YARD AND THEN GO FLOAT IN THE POOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I push mowed the edges and then did the riding lawn mower the rest of the way. We have a huge front yard. HUGE. My husband has a hard time telling you how to do something with limited detail. I expected our lesson to begin with, "In 18bladablada John Deere invented the tractor" but instead it began with showing me where the oil goes, the gas goes, lifting this handle thing up and down, and then we got out the riding lawn mower. Oh, LAWRD you don't even want to know the instruction that went into that. Finally I was like, "Okay, there is a turtle and a rabbit, obviously this means fast and slow, here is the brake, here is the key, this thing brings the blades down, and how the hell do you make this thing go?" and then he said, "If you get into an emergency, hit the brake and turn off the key." Finally, on my way. Rigged my iPod to hear music while I was riding with the iPod headphones and then headphones on over that. Then I discovered that my iPod was getting grass on it and I almost had a heart attack, but it seems to be okay. Got the lecture about how if you don't go in a pattern and cut evenly the grass will grow back uneven. Okay. It looked pretty uneven to begin with to me, but whatever.

So, I finished the yard, came up with my own pattern at the end because I missed a couple of spots.............ahem. But so far he hasn't noticed.

And NOW WE GO TO THE POOL.

Two posts in one day. But, wait, a third is coming. All about Hubs teaching me to drive my Jeep. Yes, I still don't know how to drive a standard by myself. It is sort of like swimming and learning to ride a bike which I mastered in THE THIRD GRADE. I think there is a support group for people like me.

Two reasons why I am glad I can no longer bear children

and other rambling thoughts on this Sunday morning.

Last night we went to eat and next door to one of the places we frequent is a resale kids/baby shop. These images were in the window. The tshirt says it all. Seriously, who would wear that? And if that is not the ugliest bathing suit I have ever seen then somebody slap me.

On occasion, we have hysterectomy patients who stay overnight at our surgery center. I told my staff the other day that we need to have a party when they come to the recovery room welcoming them to the other side. I cannot tell you how many times I have said, "Oh sister you may be in pain right now but welcome to the other side!!" Those of us who have had hysterectomies nod our head in agreement.

Yes, there has been knitting this summer. I am participating in Summer of Socks and I have completed one pair and am clocking through the next pair.

There has been a lot of work this summer. Right now I am putting in 60 hour weeks to get my department fully staffed. I have gone from having 4 Full time and 1 part time opening to only one part time opening right now. Know anyone who is a nurse and needs a Monday through Friday 9 to 2 job? I have been concentrating on getting my staff ready for the week I will be gone and I don't see that changing much right now. Do you think it is better for a staff to be able to function well without their manager there or not? I don't want to fix myself right out of a job but I do want things to flow smoothly while I am gone.

In 2 weeks we will be at Martha's Vineyard. I can't believe it. Must order shorts from Lands End today. I have decided to take my laptop because we all know how entertaining our vacations are.

In other news, we got a packet from the High School detailing the band info. for the year. There are at least 15 pages single spaced front and back. Have I read it? No. Lord, I could use the Cliff Notes version. Oy! That is on my list of things to do today.

Hope you are having a good Sunday. I am off to putter around the house and maybe float in the pool!

ABC Meme

Accent- Texan

Breakfast? - Yes, my new favorite is egg white omelettes.

Chore I don't like- cleaning the bathroom

Dog or Cat- Dogs, I wouldn't know what to do with a cat.

Essential electronic- my hot pink iPod.

Favorite Cologne- I don't wear it. Well, on occasion I wear the Bath and Body Works stuff, but that is it. It makes the patients nauseous. And I prefer not smelling to dealing with patient vomit.

Gold or Silver- Gold
Handbag I carry most often- Puhleeze. Whichever one fits the bill at the time.

Insomnia- sometimes, related to work issues usually.

Job Title- Post Anesthesia Care Unit/ Step Down Recovery Room Manager or PACU/SDRR Manager

Kids- 2 boys: 14 and 12.

Living arrangements- with my husband, kids, and dog.

Most admirable trait- I have no idea. If I say perseverance, you all say stubbornness. I can tell you what it is not. Patience.

Naughtiest Childhood Trait- Smarting off. No need to agree, mom.

Overnight Hospital Stays- Childbirth, hysterectomy.

Phobias- Some germs.

Quote- "Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." Robert Frost.

Reason to smile- My husband and kids and my extended family as well.

Siblings- A brother and a sister.

Time to wake up- Depends. If i have to be at work at 6 AM then 5 AM. If I have to be at work at 7:30 then 6 AM. Weekends, no later than 8 usually.

Unusual talent or skill- KNITTING. Writing, or so you tell me.

Vegetables I Refuse to eat- beets.

Worst Habit- cursing. I have tried to stop since the 3rd grade and it is like scratching for me. Instinctual. I know it is not ladylike but it just happens. I try and try and try and I just can't stop. Probably how a smoker feels.

X-rays- multiple. Last one I remember was my right foot 2 years ago when I stepped in a hole.

Yummy Stuff- Italian food, Mexican Food, well.....................food!

Zoo animals I like the most- Snakes, I don't know why.

Summer

The three Amigos...............or StoogesThe consensus is these are weeds, not slow to bloom flowers. Ahem.I found this on my camera. Let me know if you see it on Match.com.Hibiscus cam is back for another summer. And what would summer be without pool knitting?

A Word of Appreciation

Here is an email that I sent this morning:

Dear Mrs. __________________

I feel certain that you don't remember me but I am one of your former students. My name was Dawn ___________ and I was in your first period Senior English class in 1984-85. I was in the ______________ class of 1985. I am writing you a note to let you know how much your class has meant to me 23 years later.

At some point in your class we studied poetry by Robert Frost specifically the poem "The Road Not Taken". I had no idea at the time how profoundly this poem would affect my life.

When I left for Texas Tech in August 1985, I found a poster with the final words of the poem on it and I displayed it wherever I lived the entire time I was at Tech. I don't remember what happened to it but it played a very important role in my life and I have referred to it often, even purchasing a book with poems by Robert Frost so that I would have it as a reference.

My boss is currently at a Nursing Leadership Conference in Las Vegas and she called me yesterday in tears to share with me the words of the speaker for that day. He urged the audience to remember why they went to nursing school: to care for patients and to make a difference in someone's life. As managers, we get very caught up in the numbers of nursing, getting the patients through, and the monatary constraints of the healthcare profession. He relayed a story of a time when he was on a flight and was talking with a seatmate about what he did for a living (Operating Room Nurse) and she told him the following story through tears. Twenty five years ago, she had an emergency Cesarean section and she was in the Operating Room and everyone was running around trying to save her baby and the anesthesiologist was getting ready to put her to sleep. The nurse came up and removed the mask and told the physician, "I haven't had a chance to talk with her yet" and then proceeded to say, "My name is _______ and I am your Operating Room Nurse. I am going to be here with you the whole time and you will be fine. We are doing everything we can to take the best care of you and your baby and I don't want you to worry. I will be here with you the whole time." Her baby was fine and is now 25 years old. The point of the story was that to that nurse she was doing her job and it was just another day in her life, but to that patient her words meant everything. Because she chose to take the road less traveled by she made a profound difference in the life of another person. The speaker closed the session by reading The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost.

This story reminded me of how you quite possibly chose a road less traveled by being a teacher and while teaching the works of Robert Frost was just another day in the life of a teacher for you, it has had a profound affect on the life of another person: me.

Thank you so much for teaching me about Robert Frost and his works. You have no idea the impact your lesson has made on my life both personally and professionally. I will be forever grateful for how your profession has impacted mine.

Sincerely,

TexasPurlGurl



Words are powerful. They can build up and they can tear down. They can be a powerful gift that are more valuable than anything money can buy.

Express appreciation to someone today, it will make such a difference.

Dawn

Many of you don't know that my Dad named me. My mom named my brother and my dad named my sister and I. My middle name is Michelle. I have always liked my name, I think it has a nice feel to it. Dawn Michelle. Except when I was in trouble.

Anyway, I think my name is very appropriate for how I am. I like to get up fairly early in the morning. This morning I woke my husband up at 6 because I needed to talk about some things in my work life and bounce them off of him. I love our early morning chats. It is one of the many reasons I remember why I married him and why he is my best friend.

I am glad today is Friday. I will be blogging this weekend about some of my recent knitting.

TGIF!