Merry Christmas to Blogging Friends!

Sending my best good wishes to all for the holiday season.  May you and yours be blessed with happiness and good health!

In need of rest ...and exericse

Am so busy with work related matters that I have little energy for the rest of my life.  Am in need of a few restful nights and far more exercise than I can squeeze into my schedule at this moment in time.  Blogging and photography take a back seat as well.  Will be back in synch in a few more weeks...and the daily long commute goes away.  Until then, I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

Watching me watching him

Perhaps the sunflower seeds were not to his liking or maybe it is the constant chatter from the parrot but this tiny friend is perched outside the window peering in at the early Sunday morning household.  The sun does not rise here until about 7:42 am.  The daylight is elusive and brief.  Hurry up little guy ~ fill up now as sunset is less than 8 hours away.

"Sleep is when all the unsorted stuff comes flying out as from a dustbin up in a high wind" 

Pincher Martin

~William Golding 

Sleep was also elusive so no 'sorting' done last night.  My little chihuahua-pug mix was up all night.  She sometimes has a delicate tummy and sometimes even her regular diet sets her off.  She climbs up on the bed and paces over me (like a cat) to let me know she needs to be let out of doors.  Tiny insistent feet demanding that I rise from slumber and attend to business...happened perhaps five times during the night.  Now I would like to call it a day and sleep all day but there is work to be done and therefore retreat is not an option.  Must make the long drive to BI and finish an audit.  The staff will be dismayed to see me on a week end.  Usually my presence means I am observing and teaching.  Today is a paper day.  Did the clinical documentation happen as it was suppose to have?

Am reading "Stones into Schools"by Greg Mortenson.  About educating the youth of Afghanistan.  Very interesting.

Okay, it is off to the world.  A peaceful Sunday to all.

mushrooms, rest and dreams etc

The day began with a crisp,cold nip in the air and the weatherman just informed me that the high will be about 37F.  The early morning fog is beginning to lift and light clouds have vanished.  It is Saturday and my day of rest.  The house needs cleaning but it can wait.  Soft classical music plays in the background.  The dogs are enjoying simply lying around in their self-appointed spots and even the bad boy parrot is chirping quietly at the visiting birds outside his window.  Shalom ba byit (a rough transliteration for peace of the household).

"The kiss of the sun for pardon,

      The song of the birds for mirth --

                   One is nearest God's Heart in the garden

  Than anywhere else on earth."

~ Dorothy Guerney (1858 - 1932)

A brief walk outside informed me that the yard is full of autumn mushrooms.  I will have to look all these up:

I cleared out the part of the yard that the dogs use ~ but the rest were left in place.  Their shapes and color are fascinating.  I understand completely the belief that fairies live under them...sort wish they did.

The roses in the front of the house continue to bloom. The angelica is in full bloom in spite of the cold and earlier frosts.

Purple ice pansies standing guard at the front door are over-flowing their pot.

" 'We were walking along in the changing-time'  Doc said.  Any day now the change will come.  It's going to turn from hot to cold.' " 

The Wild Net and Other Stories

~ Gabrielle Roy

Winter's arrival is just 16 days away.  The 'hot ' is long gone and will be long in it's return.  My co-workers talk of putting studded tires on the car.  The New England in my mind can't fathom it.  'For several inches of snow?' it queries me.  'Isn't that why God invented the Subaru all wheel drive'?    So, at least for today, I will relax with the knowledge that somehow I managed many feet of snow for many years with my trusty Subarus.

One last note.  I had vivid dreams last night.  Didn't want to give into the insistence of the dogs that it was time that be let out and breakfast be served to them...it was sad to leave that dream land world.  But back to the dream.  I was back in the Acworth, NH house.  A thick blanket of snow was on the ground.  The river was iced in and silent.  It all felt to real and so normal.  Every guest room was filled with friends, old and new.  There was laughter and conversation through out the house.  We sipped on hot coffee and teas and talked about the world.  I must be a bit homesick after having the kids here for the holiday.  Am feeling not so much blue as wistful.  Missing an old home.  Moving is out of the question.  Far too expensive and I can't take my job with me. The new friends would be left behind.  Ah life....

Friday at last...

I am busy and happy but I am also thrilled that it is Friday once again.  My favorite day of the week is here and it arrives on a full moon and amidst the beginning of a holiday season.  Tonight after the final drive home it will be time to slow down.  I want to visit some of the local merchants in Gig Harbor.  The main street is being nicely decorated and looking festive.  The merchants have all planned to stay open until 8 pm on Fridays this month.  Celebrations are fun whatever the reason.  Bright lights in the face of winter darkness is a brief respite for the psyche.  Picking out a small special gift for someone you love is a joy.  Changing gears after concentrating on problem solving and searching for remedy is an ingredient necessary for survival.  

Planning to sleep in just a bit on Saturday is ....  bliss!  A good week end to all!

the quiet house

The grown kids have returned to their busy lives.  The house is quiet again and slips back into the usual routines.   The young adults are back to their usual life as well.  Their 'usual' is different... their heads are busy thinking about how to survive the current economic disaster in order to move on to successful careers and family.  They think about growth and the future while I fret about retirement.  However, while we were all together we kept the world at bay for awhile...basking in the pure joy of each other's laughter, stories and company.  I never tire of listening to my young people speculate about and plan for life.  How did everyone grow up so quickly?  

My son has become quite accomplished in the kitchen and produced a magnificent pumpkin soup (served in the scooped shell).  It was steamy warm, thick and absolutely delicious ~ hearty soup with mysterious herbs and spices....perhaps a hint of cajun.  It was a delightful surprise.  I always think of my family as forever young and as if I were not watching....they all grew up: honest, kind,  hard working and creative.  My life treasures!  That makes the quiet of the house seem 'ok'...the odd reward of a job completed.

a good place to read

Saturday my visiting family and I traveled up to Bainbridge Island.  My California kin were chilled to the bone by our damp cool Northwest weather but they warmed up quickly with a tasty meal at Winslow's and then we nourished our heart and souls by book browsing at the Eagle Harbor Book Co. across the street.  What a gem of a book store!  The interior is bright and warm with enough room to move around and yet see all that is new to read.  There are great selections along with little nooks to sit and read a bit. It is exactly what a book store should be ~ even has one section dedicated to the many authors that live on the Island....and I might add that is quite a number.  There are also some whimsical stocking stuffers arranged here and there through out the store.  If you find yourself in Seattle, hop on the ferry to Bainbridge and visit this neat little store.

Puddle and Leafs on the roof

"Man's real possession is his memory.  In nothing else is he rich.  In nothing else is he poor."

~ Alexander Smith

I was gazing out the window between classes. It is a moment between one group of learners and the next.  The staff and I had been chatting about communication in the face of a dementing illness.  From the window I could see wet leafs piled on the roof below.  It reminded me of the subject that so recently stimulated discussion...memory and and the mind struggling with clots of 'plagues and tangles'...of the frustration of the adult who knows she has something to say and can't find the word.  The reflection of the word ~ the memory of what she knows still a shadow in her mind, but she is unable to breech the mass of protein plague to let her care givers know what she needs or wants.   I am reminded that to think in abstraction is a gift of health.  To discuss 'communication' with a classroom full of people who want to understand is also a grace of health.  That I can look out the window and discern that it is a rainy wet day and that there is a puddle on the roof and leafs are piling up is a blessing of health.  It is all so simple and so complicated ~ at the same time.  It is moment when I feel the brush of the eternal.

Brenda's Photo Challenge: Ageless Bronze...

The bronze statue was recently installed in Enumclaw, Washington.  It is a tribute to the men and beasts of logging.  I thought the artist did a magnificent job of capturing a timeless memorial to the logging history of this part of the country!

You can almost feel the strain...








the snorting and panting

the sweat of man and oxen...

to get the days work done....

an old dog learns new tricks!

Have been teaching a course to care givers about caring for people with diseases that have dementia as a symptom (usually that's Alzheimer's disease but there are some 40 other diseases with that component).  Because there are so many who need the training and I wish to  1) not strip the units of staff and 2) not drive over time through the roof - decided to give the 8 hour training in 16 ~ 1/2 hour sessions.  It is soooo interesting to see how it is working.  It means stretching a course normally done in one long day or perhaps two 4 hour days into snippets.  The enthusiasm is higher among the participants.  People are actually amazed that time passes so quickly.  There is less time for questions but we manage to get a few in and no one stares off into space or falls asleep.  :-)  I'm betting I will see higher retention rates.  If individuals only retain 15 minutes worth of an hour lecture ~ so 25% retention, might these folks retain 50% or more with a half hour lecture?  The tricky part for me is to stop at the same spot for each session so people can get to the next part regardless of which day it is given.  Had to rewrite my entire course and put it all on index cards: part A on Mondays and Tuesday in 4 half hour sessions  and Part B on Wednesday and Thrusdays.  So far 42 people have attended class one with no over time and no short staffing on a care unit.  Pretty cool.  Will complete the entire course sometime in the beginning in Juanuary.  It will be so interesting to see the test results! Now my voice just has to hold up!

The Long Drive Continues...

The daily commute north continues.  112 miles a day.  Every day opens a new chapter in the 'what to repair today' book.  The fundamental problem with this work group is there is no "team".  Too many people for too long scrambling to get a job done but their effort was often incomplete or worse inaccurate.

“Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.”

Tom Barrett

We search for growth in the midst of messy  habits...people working without regard to outcome.  We ( the   administrative get it fixed team) externally impose order, reintroducing policy and procedure and  "best practice" concepts.  Which employees will survive this ~ it is not known yet.  First we need to get the focus back to what is in the best interest of the patient.  When they do that ~ everything else will fall into place.

 There is little time for my other life at the end of the day.  Home to a quick dinner, walk the dogs and fall into bed.

a 'sign' of life!

Joemma Beach State Park, Longbranch, Washington

the joy of old friends

I have loved the little Chickadee for many decades.  They are the hardiest of tiny souls.  All winter, even in the severe minus 30 and 40 below that the forests of New Hampshire can throw at human, beast and bird, these tiny creatures would show up in the yard and turn the bird feeder into a bustling train station.  Last night we had a frost.  This morning the new feeder finally had old friends visiting.  It is a simple joy.  Makes the new home in the Northwest feel like the old home in New England!

I am always amazed by the amount of energy they expend in seed gathering.  Chickadees do not linger at the feeder.  Each bird takes a seed and flys off to a branch to crack it open.  Then they make a bee line back to the feeder.  I suppose there is a life lesson here.

My parrot and love  bird are thrilled with the 'company' and as in New England have spent the morning chattering with the winged visitors just outside the window.

mid-autumn for a young tree

Washington's autumn seems suspended in time  or perhaps suspended between rain drops.    The process somehow drawn out in this mild, wet place.

tree moss soaks up rain

Ah November's endless rain ~ the various moss in trees are thriving:

November is Rain

"I think rain is as necessary to the mind as to vegetation.  My very thoughts become thirsty, and crave the moisture.  ~ John burrows

It is November.  Rain in November in Western Washington is ubiquitous.  This area averages 38 inches of rain a year.  The summer months are dry.  November is the VERY wet month.  The coast of western Washington is home to a rain forest.  The Cascade Mountain range forms a kind of barrier, those tall peaks create a rain shadow and keep  Eastern Washington arid.  The forest that surround us are lush and dense.  Trees seem to have shallow roots as many are ripped out of the ground in a strong wind.  The roots don't have to work very hard to bring nourishment to the rest of the tree.  Grass in western Washington is not drought  hardy in the summer.  Lawns turn yellow in summer but bounce back in the fall.  It is November and the gardener is still coming here every two weeks to trim. the lawn (bless him!).  That will cease in about another two weeks but resume in February.  When I lived in New Hampshire, my yard would be still be buried under feet of snow in February.

So what does all this rain do to a people?  I know many women are vitamin D deficient.  Is the rate of breast cancer higher in Washington because of that?  I also wonder if Seasonal Affective Disorder is high in this part of the country.  Seattle is home to famous coffee makers of the world ~ strong drink to ward off dampness.  What else?   Almost 7 million people live in Washington state.  60% of these folks live in the Seattle metropolitan area...60% of us are being rained on day and night in November. The mission is:  what does rain mean to so many rained on folks; how has it altered their lives or has it altered their lives?  What does rain do to the arts?  Does it change reading habits?  Recreational habits?  Work habits?

I  want to photograph rain as well as write about it. Explore rain so to speak...let the investigation begin.....

Moss and time

Moss in a moist environment is an amazing plant.  It makes a new home in a variety of places...even human clothing.  While exploring why trees would wear a thick coat of moss Google helped me find numerous articles about this tiny botanical wonder.  If it is of interest, here is one of the articles:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/crypto/msg0811170823473.html

Organic Condo living

Naturally Green...

"All art, all education, can be merely a supplement to nature" ~ Aristotle