Pristine Waterfall

A springfed waterfall photographed in Honduras while hiking in to the ruins of Machu Pichu.

Just kidding- culvert in ditch down the street. Click to be unimpressed

Monday's Missives

• A friend-girl I hang out with some has a bad habit of pestering me about whether I've taken care of things I've casually mentioned I was going to do. Did you pay your insurance? Did you pick up your clothes? Did you...? Grrr- very annoying.
• See the emu Zac? Yes! Why is she sooo big? I don't know. Was God trying to be funny?




• Ever heard of a Hitler in golf? It's when your ball is in a sand trap and it takes 2 strokes to get it out- 2 shots in a bunker...



• While hanging out with the other ladies at the park watching our children play I called out,"Hey, stop running with that stick- you'll poke your eye out!" to Zac and immediately said,"Oh my God- I don't believe I just said that. I mean holy smokes I just turned into my mother. "I followed that with, "I know you don't have scissors, but when you do- run with them and no matter what- lean back in a chair- every chance you get.



• In the past two months I've eaten more beef jerky than I've eaten in the past two years.



• Last text meassage I received: U will make any woman happy! I know U will have the perfect woman that U so deserve!!

War Buddy Reunion

It's so weird bumping into guys you served with in Iraq. You're sitting there drinking coffee talking about jobs, kids and life in general then suddenly you can't hear a word they're saying. You're both standing there over that dead body. The breeze that had been blowing- cooling the sweat pouring out of every pore of your body causing you to shiver stops- the same breeze that must have incidentally carried away the smell of blood since you can suddenly taste it-that dirty coppery taste. You never forget it and you can't get it off of you until you shower and change clothes and then- maybe. It may linger for days.
There's a rushing noise in your ears and suddenly you're back. He tells the punch line to a joke and you both bust out laughing like crazy. You guys are having way tooo much fun the waitress says.

Dressed To Kill

Monday's Missives

• While talking to a friend at a restaurant about nursing a woman behind me said,"Can I ask what he does?" I turned and told her I was a nurse. She got up, stood in front of me and said,"Oh, I can relate." and started unbuttoning her shirt. I panicked and wanted to make a run for it, but she was blocking me in the booth. Thankfully, she didn't strip down in front of me and do a table dance, but stopped halfway down and pulled her shirt open to show me her open heart scar. Then she turned around and poked her butt out toward me and pointed to her hiney and mentioned some work she had done there. Then she said,"I like to learn about the history of things and stuff." and sat back down.


• Spellcheck hi lites hiney.





• My last patient was in the ghetto. When you turned the kitchen light on it threw sparks and hissed.





• I've never turned down a case based on the area they lived.





• I think most guys that hunt would think it's sexy for a woman to hunt.




• The other day Zac stuck a straw in his milk and stirred it, when asked why he said,"Because I want it to turn to strawberry." Did I mention he's three? Play on words especially ones he thought up himself are supposed to be beyond his grasp at this stage.

Man Eating Female Tarrantula At Mineral Wells State Park

• We met Rebecca Miller at the star watching party at MWSP. Man, she is short! She seemed gracious and good humored. She has a great laugh. She was wearing impossibly high platform shoes.
• Zac can now tell you how many moons Jupiter has and when he feels like it - how far away it is.
• That was the first time I saw Jupiter and all her moons.
• We ate sunflower seeds, beef jerky, cashews, pineapple and drank OJ and Dr Peppers.
• It was the first time I've had my children in one place in way too long.
• I told Scott we were going to walk all the way around the lake (650 acres)- he said fine. And camp halfway- sounds great. While sleeping in hammocks under the stars- sounds cool. And eat cold food and drink lake water we filter- sounds great to me he said.
• Me too.
  

Now That We've Gotten That Straight

Zac: What is this? while pointing to his nipple.
Me: It's a nipple
Do you have nipples?
Yes I do
Do grandma and grandad have nipples?
Yes
Does bubba have nickels?
Yes.
Does everyone in the whole world have nickels?
Yes, everyone.
Everybody?
Yes.
Do dogs have knuckles?
Yes.
Do cats have knuckles?
Yes

Wednesday's Digressions

• Best comment/compliment I've received in a while: "You have an expression that's kind of rough yet gentle at the same time."






• An old ex friend indicated once to an acquaintance he thought my 14 year old niece was hot. He had the decency to get killed before I could bump into him to hurt him.






• Zac recently said to his older brother's principal,"Why is your belly so big?"






• There were two generals on horseback during our War Between The States. When a shell went off between them from enemy artillery they neither scarcely even flinched, but one couldn't help looking down afterwards in a shudder to where the round exploded. For decades until his death he would lament in writing and verbally he showed less courage under fire than the other officer. I do not recall who they were, but simply love that story.






• Another one that always strikes me when I hear or read it- President Lincoln said of Robert E. Lee,"I cannot think of the man that I do not weep."






• I kinda thought a Mexican server was interested in me at a restaurant I frequent, but wasn't sure until I took a friend there who happens to be female. There was absolute murder in her eyes. Man, they're jealous. I could just see us a couple of years from now as she reverts to Spanglish: Hoto! Puto! Madre de Dios- I wish to Hey Seuss I'd never met you! All the while alternating between slapping me on the face and hitting my chest with the balls of her fists.





• When a person gets tattoos all over their face and neck they better get ready to stay right where they're at for the rest of their lives- they're saying this is all there is and ever will be.






• I give great presents to my nieces and nephews for their birthdays.
• I'll be at Mineral Wells State Park for a star watching party with my children Saturday October 9 2010. It starts at 430 in the afternoon. Last year there were 90 telescopes set up in the parking lot to the amphitheater.

If You're Not Part Of The Solution...

find someone else to blame.

Monday's Missives

• I hate using the library computers for this- too many stinky peoples. The guy next to me smells like butt, feet, sweat, cigarettes, moth balls and rotten teef- disgustipating. Can't decide whether to go with an air card or home land line service though and really don't want to be wasting money.


• I very rarely use the word hate. As a matter of fact there are relatively very few people who can say they've heard me verbally use it.


• Lunch and breakfast: two handfuls of dried pineapples, same of dried dates and honey roasted peanuts washed down with two glasses of skim milk. Let me just say dinner will be more substantial. My midnight snack will be the same as always though- protein shake and creatine in OJ. Workouts are going great. Although I'm no where where I want to be I'm coming out of shirts I bought only a month ago.


• Recently found out a good old friend and his wife were nudists at one time- blew me smooth away. I mean literally- I nearly fell over when he told me.


• My beautiful skin is not so awesome today. I changed soaps and since I was on the phone after bathing did not towel off well so I must have left some soap on me- I look like a leper. Contact dermatitis is the devil and diphenhydramine and Aveeno hydrocortisone ointment both some kind of avenging angels.


• I sort of knew hospice nursing was going to bring me someone special in my life however- the lesson was it would be many.


• If there's a good death my last patient died it. He just kind of slipped off with his family surrounding him saying Hail Mary's, The Lord's Prayer and telling him they loved and would miss him.

Saturday's Summary

• Went to Lone Star Gun Gallery this afternoon and busted off a 100 rounds from an M4. It's a very nice place and for 18 bucks an hour reasonable entertainment. Felt very good- after initial weird feeling, since I had not touched an M4 since the war. I've taught my oldest to shoot, but now need to teach him the M4 since that's what his life will depend on when he's in the Army. The circle of life I suppose.




• My shoulder is red and chewed up looking- cool.




• I had forgotten that Michael Stipe produced Being John Malkovich until I re watched it last night. Next up for my viewing pleasure: Donnie Darko. For the life of me I can't remember hearing Gary Jules Mad World on the soundtrack in the past although it's one of my favorite songs of all time.




• Going day after tomorrow to donate blood for a local child who required 62 units during a recent hospital stay.




• Zac wants a motorcycle and a boat (a big, REAL big boat) he specified- my kind of thinking there buddy.




• Saw a past hospice patients daughter in a restaraunt a while back. She looked at me like she was trying to figure out where she knew me from then her face got red and she became so sad looking I thought she would burst into tears. This is just part of the reason why it's generally a bad idea for continuous care hospice nurses to stay in contact with patients families. We see them in extremely emotional situations when they are very raw and vulnerable. They are also very self conscious of the fact they were not acting themselves and see it as you saw them being weak and maybe a little crazy.




• He was the one who after being unresponsive for hours and was very near death lifted his head and said,"What happened to you man? You lost yourself somehow." He was right- I had. Chills went up my back. He was one of the very few patients who I told the family I would have like to have known him when he was healthy. He was with it enough the first night I cared for him he said he would have liked to have known me when he was healthy. I think he was the first patient to say anything like that to me. He was one of those people you'd have to say, He was a good man.