Holly-days

Got a little crafty today. Made this swag out of Christmas tree branches, boxwood, nandina and holly from around the yard.
How I did it:
• 7 longer cuttings from the tree pointing downward and 5 shorter cuttings pointing upward, over lapping about 3-4 inches
• Tie together tightly with wire
• After that, slip in shorter cuttings of evergreen plants, including some with red berries. Besides these, you could also use ivy, mahonia-which mine are flowering right now, pine, cypress or yew.
• Finally, tie on a shiny bow (check Youtube for great bow-tying videos) and hang on a door or garden gate.

Death--It's not for Sissies

NICU-there for the first breath, and sometimes, the last.

I love my job. Granted the hours are long and working on the weekend and holidays kind of stinks. But it is never boring. Within our staff of about 100 nurses I work with a different set of 15-20 nurses on any given shift. We all have our strengths and weaknesss, our likes and dislikes. We work well together most of the time. We are not just friendly, we are friends. Not all of us are buddy-buddy but there is always someone there who you can connect with, who has an interest in you and your life and you in theirs. The work is exciting and tedious and often overwhelming. And that's where we really shine.
The hard days are the dying days. That's why I love my coworkers. They watch out for me when it's my turn to see a baby to their last breath. I do the same for them. I can't write specifics here. Patient confidentiality, HIPPA. But I've had 2 days in the lady couple of months that have brought me to my knees in grief, and in prayer. My people get it. It can't be explained to those on the outside. Those that do it, know.

Another Celebration

The weekend of August 4th & 5th, Mom and I drove up to St. Henry to celebrate Uncle Joe and Aunt Pat Romer's 50th anniversary. Jill, Trish, Gwen and Leah did a great job. It was held at Romer's Catering (distant relation I'm sure) on Sunday, August 5th. Aunt Irene and Barb were there as well as all of Pat's siblings. It made for a nice crowd! Dinner was standard Ohio country fare--fried chicken, chuck roast, corn, carrots, mashed potatoes, salad and wedding cake for desert--yummy! We went to mass at St. Henry Sunday morning then had lunch with the Romers at their house. It was great to catch up with the cousins, especially Trisha since I haven't seen her in more than 10 years I'm sure. Matt Kinkley brought Aunt Irene so we were also able to catch up since I didn't see him on our last visit in October 2011.

The Game of Life

We've come a long way, baby.

I can remember as a first grader in 1968 wondering what job I would have....Secretary? Stewardess? Teacher? And only until I was a Mother. Maybe this game would have helped me expand my horizons. I never considered Ballerina, Nurse, Model, or um, Middle Eastern Princess(?).
 
Well, I did become a nurse, but I didn't "have to" be a nurse. OK, technically I kind of backed into nursing since I couldn't quite cut it in Organic Chemistry, which eliminated some of the health care professions I had in mind. Admittedly, I did not love nursing school, but sometimes you just have to jump in, put in the work and keep the big picture (college degree, a job) ahead of you. Eventually you find what you were really looking for all along. I'm thankful every day that I found my way to the NICU. Nursing was the right choice for me.

You're Only Old Once

Two weeks ago I got to do something I've never done before. I attended Uncle Luke Borger's 100th birthday party. While his memory has become a little fuzzier and his body somewhat frailer, it is amazing to be in the presence who has really lived all of his 100 years! He and Aunt Mary were always on the go, but never placed themselves above their faith and obligations to others. I'll forever be grateful that they came south in the 1950's. Otherwise I would not be here today because Mom and Dad would never have met!

How much we need God

Greers Ferry Lake

Wonderful. Relaxing. Hot. But 102 degrees on the lake is way better than 102 in Memphis. Just saying'-if I gotta be hot then I'd rather sweat on the water!

It was strange vacationing without everyone there. Our family was all together for Saturday and Sunday Everyone but Garrett left Sun. So they could be back for work/school. Connor was pretty sunburned on his feet so he went back too. I really hoped he would stay, but he probably would have been miserable and extra bored and nobody wants to be around that! Mary, Tim and Steph were there all week. Timothy Sarah and Mitchell were just there for the weekend. Gary brought Mema over then went back for church, returning on Monday. Jon, Lesa and the boys got in early Wed. morning, so there was lots of coming and going. The guys endured golf on 3 different days. We just hung around the house either reading, eating or watching movies when we weren't out on the pontoon boat. Tim, Steph and I spent as much time as we could on the water. Jon brought their Sea-Doo. It looks like so much fun to drive. I was chicken and only rode it with Tim. But I think one of these days in gonna get me one. Maybe then we'll have our own lake house!

Caught me some birds

Vacation started at 7:15 last night when I strolled out of the NBC. Two weeks! As I settled in to my relaxing chair after dinner, I thought about the blueberry bushes. Production has peaked, but they are still loaded I had not gone out there for 3 days...then it hit me. The birds. I also had not gone to see now many were trapped in the bird netting. Ever since the berries started forming, I have had the bushes covered in netting. Lately, because of the heat and because they are birds who like nothing better than to strip my plants, I have had to check almost daily to see if any got caught up in the netting. There were 5. One was dead. Three escaped when I pulled the cover back. But one little guy was caught up in it but good. It was already dark as I tried to stretch and shake the netting to free him. It was so different looking bird. I'm no ornithologist. He had a long thin beak, a red patch on the back of his head, yellow on his chest, and he was brown and white striped. He was small and looked young and squawked like a baby crying when I got close. Long story short: with Steve's help and a flashlight, I got him released. Then I proceeded to pick blueberries by flashlight. If I had to give up the netting protection, at least I was taking the good ones that were left.

Now on to the garden to see what the critters have left me out there.

Hawaii!

Tuesday I bought our plane tickets to Honolulu! Finally--we are going to celebrate our 25th anniversary and 50th birthdays in a BIG way! Our flight leaves from Memphis on Oct. 6 and we'll be returning Oct 15 with arrival early on the 16th. Allowing the travel time, that gives us 8 full days to explore.

Introducing the Megabus

Today I took Caroline downtown to the MATA North-end terminal so she could board the Megabus headed to Nashville. She got on around 10:30 and left about 20 minutes later, arriving in downtown Nashville about 3:00. The ticket cost $9.50. For real. The bus was a new double-decker with wifi and she did not have to share a seat. What a deal! The earlier you buy your ticket, the cheaper it is. What a great concept. They don't have terminals; they pick up and drop off at designated street corners. Reinventing travel!

Something to Remember Next Year

The asiatic lilies grew really tall this year. Nearly 6 feet. Now they are drooping because the plant supports I'm using aren't tall enough. So next year I new to hold onto a few bamboo poles to use as stakes.

The blueberries are amazing! So far we've picked about 1 1/2 quarts.

Just another day

I still have worries about blossom-end rot and the grasshoppers are still around, but otherwise the HHappy Place is looking pretty good! Today I'll get the last of the broccoli out. Probably won't try that again-too many cabbage moth caterpillars. There are a couple of cukes to pick and squash too. The beets are starting to sprout; butter beans are flowering; corn is starting to tassel; there are 4 sizable cantaloupe. Today I'll be tying tomatoes for the second time. There are lots of romas and the jet stars are starting to set fruit. Still not many heritage, but I'll be patient. It is a lovely day sunny, breezy and t 80 degrees.

Remembering Ms. Simone

The best kindergarten teacher to ever stand in front of 5 year-olds now stands before the face of God. I get so teary-eyed thinking about how blessed Caroline, Ryan, Connor and Garrett were to have her as their first "big school" teacher. Superbee, letterbooks with Tig, Doll & Ed, Centers, Star of the Week, the Thanksgiving program and Square dancing at year end. She taught as a vocation, a real calling from God. We are all better people because she touched our lives.

Italian Festival 2012 Day1

It was a wash. Last year the weather was unbearable. Highs of 97-98 with heat index of 105-106. And so dusty. We had hoped for a little rain early this year. But, be careful what you wish for! We had torrents if rain starting around 3:00 and lasting an hour then a second storm came through around 7:00. It wasn't all bad. Since there was no c chance for team bocce, we all sat around our booth and visited. As the water pooled around our ankles, we laughed and joked and caught up. Silver lining.

French Horn Recital

This evening Garrett played in the year-end french horn recital. It is amazing how much he has improved since last May. He played Summertime from Porgie and Bess by Gershwin. It was slow and mournful, but a little jazzy too. He did a great job and made his momma proud!

Mother's Day

Happens to be Connor's 19th birthday too. And, moving home day from CBU.

I met Mom at 9:00 mass then she came over for breakfast. Later, all the Romers and Carricos were at our house for Sundaes on Sunday to honor Mother's Day and birthday cake for Connor. Somewhere in there Steve helped Ryan finish moving home from school. Then the seven of us went to Memphis Pizza Cafe to celebrate Connor's birthday that night. We sure do eat a lot!

A funny thing happened on the way to the cemetery....

Sunday we went to Calvary Cemetery to visit Dad's grave and see the new headstone. When we first got there we drove by the site on our way to Grandma and Grandaddy's grave, and it was obvious the marker was not there. Strange, since Mom had gotten a bill the week before from the monument company. After we placed flowers at their grave, we went back to Dad's and started exploring. The headstone was there after all. On the wrong grave. Luckily the management was there and after apologies assured us they would take care of it this week. We still had our picnic with Dad. Mom and I will go out there today to place the arrangement she made.