July 11, 2013 - Msg 94127:
Good morning all! Just logged in on the motel's house computer. Mainly wanted to wish REV a very happy anniversary! You married UP my friend! (: But "hey" to everyone as well!
Vaca going great.
See ya alll later,
MDC
July 11, 2013 - Msg 94128: Great aloe story, Ro. I went out a bought a plant on sunday for sean to use on his chafing. I will have to ask how its working for him.

Thanks for sharing, Sterling! Sean worked as a dishwasher in a seafood restraunt last summer and he said it was horrible. Sounds like you learned some things about life on that job, though.

When I first started at the small hospital near home at age 21, I was terrified and very green. In my schooling I got plenty of book-learning, but not nearly enough hands-on experience. I walked into orientation barely knowing how to hang an IV bag. There were a few, middle-aged LVNs on the job who must have resented a young, inexperienced RN, who looked like a kid, coming on board and actually having to be in charge of them, but they had mercy on me and taught me the ropes. It has been my experience in nursing that the LVN's have always taught me the most. Love those women. I had some rough experiences, though! One time I thought I killed someone by injecting potassium choloride into an IV (hep lock, Ro will know what I mean). Normally you inject a few cc's of saline into the hep loc to keep it patent, but as I left the pt's room and headed back to the med cart, I noticed 2 vials there that looked almost identical...one the saline, and another the potassium. I stood there, terrified, wracking my brain to remember those moments when I drew up what I hoped was saline. Potassium Chloride will stop the heart if it is injected!! Surely I had looked at the label, as I was trained to do, but I couldn't remember. I knew I had to go to that room to see if the patient was alive or dead. I felt like the blood drained from my head to both feet and I know I was white as a sheet as I walked the hallway to his room. What a relief when I found him sitting up in bed watching TV! haha It was always some new terror on that job, especially when I transferred to the ICU. Yikes! I have lots of stories about that first job but will share in increments. ;)

Hey MDC, good to see you this morning. Hope you are having a "cool" time in Flagstaff! Wish I was there! I remember how nice it was there...and cool. :) I am dying for a vacation but need to wait a bit longer. There isn't much chance of my getting to a cooler climate since I would have to drive clear across Texas and into New Mexcio (and then up the mountain). :(

Better finish the coffee and get some things done. Mom is coming this evening. She is weaker and I will have to push her from place to place in the wheelchair while she is here, but I am so happy she is coming. We always have quality time while she is here. I spoil her real good with her favorite foods and such. I have to finish getting her room ready today. I always fix Erin's room up for her, since Erin doesnt mind sleeping on the couch or on a mattress in my room. Erin has a sunny, yellow room with a very comfy bed and I will put my aunt's handmade quilts on the bed for mom, since she gets cold at night. Well, enough about my world...

Let's hear some more first job stories! :)

Boo
July 11, 2013 - Msg 94129: Never tried aloe, Ro. But thanks for the idea. Since my fingers are usually good in the summer air I will try that the next time I get a flare up when winter arrives, which around here ought to be any day now. ;)

You'll have to excuse my lack of knowledge about abbreviations in the medical field, Boo, but what is an LVN?
Your story about trying to remember if you looked at the label of what you were injecting reminded me of when I would give Noah some Mylicon(stomach medicine) when he would have tummy troubles. Well, we would use the generic Walmart brand, and the bottle was similar to a bottle of wart remover that we had, and there were a few times when I gave him the medicine, and then had to rush back to look at the bottle again because I was frightened I maybe didn't look at it close enough and may have given him some wart medicine, even though I was positive I had the right bottle when I started.
I think you know you have the right thing, but it becomes such a habit of taking this one bottle or vial of medicine that you get used to doing it and you don't consciously "see" what you are looking at. Don't you hate when that happens?!
Another thing is if I would have mistakenly given Noah some wart medicine, I don't think he would have taken it willingly and calmed down like he did when he got the yummy tasting tummy medicine.

-Sterling Holobyte


July 11, 2013 - Msg 94130: Wart remover?!! How scary! That's how it is, though, you are 99.9% sure of something but when the stakes are that high, you are terrified of not being 100% sure. I am kind of OCD or something, anyway, like every night I check all the door locks...and then I just have to check some of them again..just in case. Crazy. ;)

I just did my grocery shopping. UGH!! Its gotta be 100 degrees out there and after unloading all my groceries, I was about to pass out. Its all uloaded and put away, though, so now I can rest for a bit. I will be so happy for this horrible heat to end...as usual.

Boo
July 11, 2013 - Msg 94131: Sorry Sterling, i forgot to tell you what an LVN is...you might know them as LPN's (licensed practical nurse). LVN's are the same thing only we call them licensed vocational nurses. They attend a year long nursing program but don't actually have a degree in nursing. They do almost everything an RN does these days but with less pay and somewhat less responsibility. They are not is supervisor or charge nurse positions and it used to be that they couldn't start IVs or administer IV meds but now they can if they are certified to do so.

Boo
July 11, 2013 - Msg 94132: Ro, could probably tell you more since I have not worked in the hospital in ages. I know that most docs hire LVNs in their offices because that is really all they need in an office setting and they are more affordable.

Boo
July 11, 2013 - Msg 94133: LVN? it sounds like a navel term for naming ships like CVN is:
C= carrier
V= vessel
N= nuclear

So is a LVN a "L"ovely "V"ivacious" "Nurse"?
and a LPN would be a "L"ikable "P"erson "N"urse?
and a RN..is just a "R"egular "N"urse?
So, now that there are many Male nurses are they called MN's? and if he is REALLY good they call them a MHN "M"ale "H"unk "N"urse?

...Curious, just Curious!

G-F.... (you girls started it)
July 11, 2013 - Msg 94134:
Hello my porch family....THANKS for all the anniversary wishes here and on facebook. 32 years with the love of my life. I am a very blessed man! Even though we were not together today she is flying up tomorrow to finish out this tour with me. She will be with me now until the first of August.

The tour is still going great and the new cd is being received very very well. Having a blast with the new concert. People are loving it but more importantly....I believe my God is pleased and that's my hearts desire :)

OK guys...since I'm in Maine now let's have a lobster feast. Spot get the cooker out and I'll bring the lobsters.

Well you all have a good night and always know you're in my thoughts and prayers.
Remember...Jesus loves you!
Love and prayers
-REV.


July 11, 2013 - Msg 94135: You're remembering it correctly, Boo, and I agree completely with your assessment of the abilities of the LVN/LPNs. Some of the best nurses I know are LVNs, and one is a male. When it comes down to the real hands-on aspect of nursing, you can't beat 'em! They may not know all about epidemiology, or some other totally unnecessary book-larnin' stuff, but they can take care of a patient. Texas is gradually phasing them out, which makes no sense economically, but at least most hospitals are offering tuition reimbursement to those who want to go on to become RNs. There's a career ladder in place that works pretty well, and much of it can be done online.

Oh, my! I'll bet you were scared out of your wits, with the potassium chloride thing. That can't happen now, because KCl is no longer stocked in our med carts. For IV drips containing it, the bag arrives from pharmacy already mixed, we no longer have to draw it up and add it to a bag. You are so right, the vials for saline and KCl looked identical, just a different colored cap. That's too close for comfort, and they were right to remove them from the med rooms on the floors. At least that's how it is at Baylor, and I assume other hospitals are the same. Scary!

There's nothing worse than that cold fear that comes over you when you think you may have made a mistake, and I think every nurse has experienced it at least once. You literally feel sick, nauseous, light-headed, weak. It's awful. It happened to me in my last semester of nursing school, and I had indeed made the mistake. I had two patients, both elderly ladies, one named Johnson and one named Johnston. Bad planning on my instructor's part, but that's not the point. Both were in the first room on the right, down a crosshall, just different halls. Anyway, I confused the two, and even though I checked the patient's wristband, I just didn't notice the slight difference in the spelling, and gave the wrong patient about six pills, all heart meds. A few minutes later, I went to give the "other" woman her meds, and realized I had already been in that room. At that point, cold sweat broke out, I double-checked and knew that the error had been made. I immediately told my instructor, and the "fix-it train" got underway, We reported it to the floor supervisor and the patient's doctor. He was livid, of course, and informed me that I would sit by that patient's bed for the next three hours, taking her vital signs every fifteen minutes, and I would tell her what had happened. I did, and that angel couldn't have been sweeter. She patted my hand, and told me that everyone makes mistakes, and she was glad I would be sitting with her, because "now we can visit all we want to!" Is that class, or what? Her vital signs never changed, she had no ill effects at all, and all was well. The next day, I walked into the office of the director of student nurses, resignation in hand. She refused it, and told me that any nurse who says she has never, ever made an error is probably not telling the truth, and because I had reported my error, she would now trust me much more than ever. This all made me feel better, but it didn't erase the lesson, and I now have two personal "checks" that I always use, in addition to the three required by nursing practice.

Well, off I go. Blessings! --Romeena
July 12, 2013 - Msg 94136: Thanks, REV! Wonderful to see you on the porch. :)

Wow, that must have been so scary, Ro, especially as a student. I imagine the instructor took some heat from that because she is the one responsible for the students. She sure wasn't thinking when she assigned you two patients with the same last name! When I think back over my career in nursing, I can only remember one time that I made a mistake with very bad consequences. It was in my first year as a nurse and was a judgement error in which I allowed myself to be pushed into something I wasn't comfortable with. Its been over 20 years ago and it still makes me sick to think about it. I was put in a position of caring for someone who was very ill and I wasn't experienced enough to make the decisions I had to make. It was a young, chronic alcoholic woman who had pancreatitis and was in liver failure, on a vent, unconsious. I was fairly new to the ICU and didn't get much of an orientation. The doctor wanted to move the patient to the xray department for a type of exam that couldn't be done in the unit, but she was very unstable and I didn't want her to be moved. I went to the doc and expressed my concern but he brushed off my concerns. It was around lunch time and the respiratory tech (experienced, but stupid) that was to go with us, was in a hurry to get to lunch and was rushing me to get the pt ready to move to xray. As it turns out, the tech was bagging the pt after we removed her from the vent, but she didn't have O2 on her...just bagging with room air. We no sooner had her out of the unit than she crashed and coded. That's when I noticed there was no oxygen being used. The girl didn't make it and I felt a crushing guilt and regret that I had trusted the doctor and the tech to know what they were doing. I knew in my gut that it wasn't the right thing to do, but I let them pressure me. I was the pt advocate... I should have refused. I would have if I had a bit more experience under my belt, I guess. I was forever second guessing myself. I was only 21 and had so much to learn, but that didn't make me feel any better. It still bothers me when i think about it, but I know the girl was so sick and the doc told me she wasn't going to make it because she had ruined her liver. Turns out she was drinking alot of since a very young age...poor thing. No telling what her short life had been like. It was a horrible experience but it taught me some important lessons. I think maybe I shared this story before but not sure...sorry if I repeated myself. Nursing is such a difficult job in so many ways...the responsibility of life or death situations is such a stressful burden at times. The stark-raving fear that hits when something is going to go wrong...then the adrenaline kicks in and you do what has to be done. I sometimes look back and wonder how on earth I was able to do some of the things I have done. I don't miss the fear!

Well, mom should be waking up soon and wanting her coffee. Erin and her friend Caroline are passed out asleep in the living room on a mattress. I really want to go back to bed but I know mom will need me soon. Last night was one of those restless, tossing and turning kind of nights and my eyelids feel heavy this morning. Maybe I can sneak a nap when Mom is watching her soap opera this afternoon. :)

Boo

Boo
July 12, 2013 - Msg 94137: .
July 12, 2013 - Msg 94138: Good morning, porch! I'm just stopping by as I move things to the car - getting ready to leave for Fredericksburg. I'd like to get on the road around ten, and it's 9:20 now. Oh well. There's really no deadline, that's just a target time I set for myself so I won't be dragging out of here at sundown!

Boo, that's a really scary story. I know how you must have felt. However, I do have to remind you that you did nothing wrong. You did exactly what you should have done - you expressed your concerns to the doctor. The decision was ultimately in his or her hands. The RT should have known better. The only time you bag without O2 is when there is no source available, and I'm just pretty sure that somewhere in that ICU there was a tank and some line, and I never heard of a bag without an O2 connection. The only other thing you could have done was refuse to participate, which would have done no good. They'd have gotten someone else to help, the outcome would have been no different except you might have been reprimanded for not following orders.

I think we went into nursing at about the same time - I got my license in 1979 - but I was 20 years older than you were. I remember very well what the atmosphere was like in those days. We still had one old-time surgeon, who tried to insist that the nurses all stand whenever he entered the desk area! No one did it, but he made a snide comment every time. He also hated the fact that nurses were wearing pants instead of dresses, and most weren't wearing caps. He remarked to our manager one day, in front of everyone, that he wanted to see the nurses in caps because "I can't tell the nurses from the housekeepers." Her response was classic. She said, "Sir, it's really not a problem. The nurses are the ones carrying stethoscopes. The housekeepers are usually carrying a mop."

Back to questionable situations. I don't know if this is universal now, but in the Baylor system, we have "Stop the line." This is in print, and the policy is in the admission literature. It means that anyone - doctors, nurses, patient aides, visitors - anyone who sees something taking place that they perceive as a threat to the patient, can simply say "Stop the line", and everything ceases until the question is resolved. Therefore, in that situation you described, you could have said "stop the line", and voiced your concern, which would have been heard by all in the room. Now, the doctor, who has the final word, would have overridden your objection, but you would have been on record as objecting. It wouldn't have saved the girl, but it would have protected you, and in some cases "stop the line" has saved a patient. Most family members and visitors won't use it, but just knowing they can makes them feel empowered and therefore more comfortable.

Well, gotta run. REV, a belated Happy Anniversary! I've just got to get a Porchsters' Occasion calendar built! --Romeena
July 12, 2013 - Msg 94139: I know you're right, Ro. Things like that make you think about responsibility, don't they? If you think of what lead up to the young woman dying, you wonder what brought her to that place. I suspect she was a victim early childhood abuse, probably s#xual abuse and that led to the early alcohol use. The doc said she had been drinking a few pints of JD daily since she was a child. So, the bulk of the responsibility for her death probably falls to the abuser/abusers. She was an adult, though, and made the choice to continue drinking and not seek help...who knows if she was even capable of it. I was never able to even talk with her, that I recall but some of her family members were around and they seemed pretty trashy (hate to say it, but that's how it was). Then you look at how the doctor handled things...poor decision to try and move her but then again, he had been taking very good care of her up until that decision and the test he wanted done was for her good. It was certainly never his intention to cause her harm with that decision, nor was it my intention or the respiratory tech's. I think I was taking far too much responsibility for her bad outcome. Very sad.

Ro, I started into nursing in 1983 and things were much different. The younger docs were ok and respectful for the most part, but the older ones..forget about it! They thought they were Gods and wanted to be treated that way. Some were also very free with their hands, if you get my meaning. I'll never forget the day on my first job, when i was at the med cart and one of the older docs walked by and patted my bottom! I didn't bother to say anything because it wouldn't have mattered back then anyhow. I won't even mention some of the bolder expressions I was a victim of over the years. Once the Clarence Thomas thing came out, things started to get better. The weirdest doctor I ever had any dealings with was this guy I'll call "Dr. B"...everyday when he came to make rounds on his pts he would ask for a glove and KY Jelly. As a new nurse, i was perplexed by his need to do a rect@l exam on each and every pt., but heck, what did I know? Nobody on the job seemed to be able to give me an answer and everyone just laughed about it and handed over the gloves and KY when he showed up. What?!! Why didn't any call this pervert what he was? I remember a new, young nurse came on the job and she mentioned that she had gone to him for chest congestion and that he gave her a rect@l exam in the office! I couldn't help but laugh but I wouldn't laugh now...I'd get to the BOTTOM of it! hehe...pun intended.

I like that "Stop the Line" thing! Never heard of anything like that.

Better go see about mom...hope you have a wonderful time in Fredricksburg!

Boo


July 13, 2013 - Msg 94140:
Hello Floyd, this is Barney Fife. Who's in the chair...well
get rid of 'em. I'm coming over and I'm ready for action.!
That's right I want the works. Shave, haircut, Witch Hazel,
O.D. cologne, toliet water...If it smells I want it.


July 13, 2013 - Msg 94141: Where is everybody? I think Romeena and I scared everyone off with the nurse stories. ;)

It is HOT here...I mean HOT. Hope the rest of you are staying cool. I am staying indoors and looking after Mom. Making some of her favorites for supper...roast, green beans sauteed in garlic, tomatoe dumplings like her mom used to make, and her favorite peach dump cake for dessert. Ya'll come on over...plenty to go around.

Boo
July 13, 2013 - Msg 94142: Well Boo, I ain't proud. I'd be dee-lighted to come eat your fixins. What is a tomato dumpling? Ya think it's something a novice like me could muster up? It's cooled down a bit today for us. We actually got some measurable rain this morning, the first in almost 2 months I believe. Upper 80's right now, but they are calling for triple digits all next week. And I have to be on top of a roof installing some new evap coolers all week. So all in all, it's a fun week I reckon.

Happy Anniversary Rev and Mrs. Rev. Hope it was/is a good one for ya. How are the newlyweds doing? Well I hope.

Hope MDC and his Mrs. are enjoying themselves also.

Been dealing with another gout flare. I declare they have been hitting me about every two to three weeks since the first of May. Spent all day yesterday on crutches. This one hit me in my left ankle. That's a first. All the others have been in my right foot and ankle, the one I broke real bad 25 years ago. I've been following a strict diet, and I don't drink booze, so I just don't know what to think. I'm wondering if it may be a side affect from some medicine I've been on to regulate my heart though. What do you think Boo or Ro? Diltiazam is what they have me on until next month. It's a blood pressure medicine, but they have me on it to slow down my heart rate in the event of another a-fib event. Total precautionary, but I noticed my first gout flare hit me right after I started this medicine about 2 years ago. Sure getting tired of it. This getting old stuff ain't for sissies I reckon.

Prayers for all.

Asa
July 13, 2013 - Msg 94143: I am wondering since REV is in Maine doing a gig, if he will come up with some new songs? "Lobsters looking for Jesus", "There's room at the table for you"! "Sweet Lobsters with butter by & by".
"When your order is called up yonder", we'll be there. And the all-time favorite "Rock" Lobster of ages. Just trying to give ya some ideas Buddy!

G-F......
July 13, 2013 - Msg 94144: Just incase if you all were wondering, Yes I did have a pet Lobster named "Larry"...G-F
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94145:
HI GANG! We're ba-a-ack after 6 great days in Flagstaff. Stayed at Little America, a wonderful hotel. I think there is one in Wyoming and Utah as well. Set right in the pines, weather about 80 compared to Phx 110s. My brother and sister looked in on dad at the new place, which gave C and I a much needed respite. Even Jesus "retreated" from time to time. We saw a few sights, but mostly just rested and recreated.
http://flagstaff.littleamerica.com/accomodations
It was 4 star livin'! (:
I'll post some pics on FB soon.
Ha, I see above that I swept the porch while on vaca!
I hope RO's trip goes well.
ASA- you be careful up there, we aint spring chickens ya know.
BOO- those were interesting stories, God was sure on your side regarding that med distribution! wow.
Oh, another good help for chaffing...good ol' Vaseline.
More later,
MDC
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94146: MDC...Looks like that Hotel offers just a bit more than a bed & a Bible, glad ya guys had some time to "recharge"...G-F
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94147: Good Sabbath Porch.
Hey MDC, Glad you are home and had a good time. Yes, there is a Little America in Salt Lake. I've never stayed there, but have dined there. Top notch for sure. Glad you got to get your batteries recharged. And yes, I'm for sure no spring chicken and I feel it everyday.I'm more an Fall rooster.

Those are some great song ideas you gave Rev G-F. Maybe you should go into the entertainment business. Song writing sounds like it's right up your alley.

Will VICKS help chaffing? :)

Asa
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94148: Asa, I don't know if you would like the tomato dumpings...it is something my grandmother made, and then mom. You just fry up a little bacon in a pot, add a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce to the drippings, salt and pepper, a coupel tablespoons of sugar, simmer it all together for an hour or so then drop in pinched up canned biscuits and let that simmer in the tomatoes with the lid on for about 10 minutes, stir and that's it.

I'm very sorry to hear about your gout attacks. I did a little google search to refresh my memory and learned some interesting things. For one thing, sometime blood pressure meds can cause increase risk of gout attack if the med contains a dieutetic. Not sure if your's does but might want to check. Gout, as you know, is caused by an increase in uric acid and diet doesn't usually prevent the problem altogether. NSAID meds, like Aspirin has been shown to be effective in prevention, but I think you said you were already taking a blood thinner, so you couldn't do aspirin on top of that. There are some meds that help prevent attacks but I read that they are expensive and not without risks so they are only prescribed in cases of repeated attacks. I read about a study that showed that 500mg of vitamin C a day is helpful in preventing attacks..just a thought? Also plenty of water, especially if you are going to be working on roofs in the heat. If I were you, I would talk to my doctor again and see what you can do. It may be possible to find a med that really helps...or it could be that your bp med is making things worse. Just an opinion...for what its worth. :)

Looks like a lovely hotel, MDC. So glad you had a nice vacation! I am overdue for one, myself. Having mom here these last days has been wearing on me. I enjoy having her but it is more work, and she wears adult diapers and can't put them on herself, so I have to bend down and slip them on for her and I keep feeling that pain in my right side where they removed my cyst. St. Susan is picking her up and taking her home this afternoon so I will just try to rest up and not work so hard for a few days.

Poor Sean has been working nearly everyday, and he did try vaseline yesterday and he said it helped. :) Turns out that yesterday he was on cleaning duty and had to clean bathrooms and stock the soda machines, etc...lots of extra work and he came home at 11pm exhausted. I am going to have to take him and get him some better shoes today because he is on a 6-day stretch at work and his feet are really hurting him.

VICKS?..hmmm...might burn, Asa. ;)

Won't be going to preachin' today... I will stay here with Mom. She is up and having her coffee but she will want her breakfast soon. See ya'll later.

Boo
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94149: Oh, by the way, the other day Sean's boss came up to him and told him he had received "a customer gram"...its an online message that customers can leave to either complain or praise an employee. She told him someone had written that he was very kind and competent. I love it. :) God is blessing him and those kinds of things help keep him from becoming discouraged, which is what he needs. I know the job is hard for him. He is down to 218 lbs, but he isn't very tall so he still carries some extra weight and that makes things harder. Last night, his back was killing him and I could feel knots between his shoulder blades so I spent some time rubbing them out. ouch. He'll get used to it, it just takes time for the body to adjust to the work.

Boo
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94150: Thank you Boo, for your response. I am really getting frustrated as I look things up on the internet concerning gout. So many things that contradict each other I come away more confused than anything else. One thing they all seem to agree on though is water, water, water. So even though I already drink a lot of water, I am going to increase my consumption. I know in the heat you can ger dehyrated pretty quick, so that may have some bearing. I have done a search on the medicine I'm on and found a small corelation with it and increased gout attacks. I am really thinking their is a connection there. And crash dieting has been shown to be a culprit. I did go on a strict diet near the end of April. I suspect that may have triggered things, but I am eating more sensibly now and still the flares. Oh well, just gotta keep on keeping on, right?
I'm so happy for Sean Boo, and that he is doing so well with his job. Has to be a big confidence booster for him, and for you. I have tried to make it a point to spotlight folks who do a great job in their work. Most folks will be quick to complain if they feel they are mistreated, but not many will put forth the effort when they recieve great treatment. So I always try to make a point of telling someones boss when I am treated well. I'm glad someone did that in Seans case.

Well no preachin for me either. The gout medicine I'm on assures me I best be in a position where "the facilities" are easily accesible (if you know what I mean) and I much prefer the comfort of my own "facility". Call me silly, but it fits like a glove. :) I know, TMI LOL

Asa
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94151: Yes Vaseline for chaffing, not Vicks, for as Boo says, it will burn. (:
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94152: Race fans its a good one....rain has stayed away from my end of the proch....so far...whew ..garden is flooded...ok...supper?..SPOT

July 14, 2013 - Msg 94153: Really wish you didn't have to deal with it, Asa..on top of everything else. Prayers, friend.

Boo
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94154: Yep, and ya don't want to put BenGay on a pulled groin muscle either.. Yeeeeow! :o G-F
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94155: Nope, you sure don't.

Boo
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94156: And never store your Ben Gay and Preperation H. in the same drawer. Could be painful if you get them mixed up. :)

Asa
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94157: Are you speaking from experience, Dear?

Boo
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94158: Howdy, porch! Just got home from Fredericksburg a couple of hours ago. Had a great time. Travis was wonderful as Will Parker in "Oklahoma!" The kid can act, he can sing, and he can dance, too. If you've seen that play, you know there are scenes where dancing is required, and he did it with a flourish! And of course, it doesn't hurt anything that he's waaaaay good-lookin'! Proud grandmas are entitled to brag. Everyone else is doing well, granddaughter Julia who just graduated from St. Mary's University has decided to remain in Fredericksburg and rented an adorable little cottage house there. It's tiny, just three rooms and a shallow loft, and if I know Julia, she'll have it fixed up beautifully pretty quick.

Asa, I would ditto everything Boo said. And you picked up on the most important thing. As you said - water, water, water. Keep those salts flushed out of your body!


Well, I'm pretty tired. I drove in rain for the whole trip, and that sorta wears you out. Starr was no help, she just snoozed the whole way. The good thing is, we got rain here at home too, and the temp right now is just 74°. Yippee.

Blessings, everyone! --Romeena
July 14, 2013 - Msg 94159: Glad you are home safely and that you had a good time, Ro. Is Julia Rob's daughter? What did she study at St. Mary's. I can't blame her for wanting to settle in Fredricksburg near family. It is such a nice area of Texas.

Bet you were mighty proud of that grandson of your's!

Can't believe it was 74 there! It was plenty hot her today and no rain. It clouded up but that was it.

Mom went home with St. Susan today. She said she enjoyed being with us a few days but I know she will be glad to be back to the security of her little bedroom. I thought she did really well here, though, and just needed a bit of assistance with things. She was able to walk from the bathroom to the bedroom and living room with her walker but I had to walk behind her.

I am pooped with a capital "p". Feeling sore inside of my lower abdomen so probably been doing too much. I will have to take it easier tomorrow.

See ya all in the morning. :)

Boo
July 15, 2013 - Msg 94160:
BOO- I think talcum powder can be good for chaffing too. Get some rest boo.
Saw your FB comment! Very funny!
Prayers for all,
MDC
July 15, 2013 - Msg 94161: Hi All
Will it going to be a hot hot hot week and a little rain maybe!

GRANDMA'S HOUSE UPON THE HILL
Sundays we would always visit
Grandma's house upon the hill.
With food her table overflowed
As with delight we took our fill.
From her lovely sun-kissed garden
Came a meal fit for a king,
As we lingered at the table,
We would eat, and laugh, and sing.
Filled our day with happiness,
Grandma's love was all around us-
How our day with her was blessed.
We never left with pockets empty;
With surprises they'd be filled-
How I loved those happy Sundays
in Grandma's house upon the hill.

Mr TOM
July 15, 2013 - Msg 94162: Thanks, MDC...I plan on getting some rest...as soon as I put in some laundry, change the sheets and load the dishwasher...hehe...no, I will do those things but I will pace myself and rest alot in between. :) You're a good "porch brother".

TOM, I LOVE that poem! The older I get the more I find myself thinking back to those days when we sat around grandma's table and had the best food in the world! Wonderful times. It is my prayer that I would live to be that kind of grandma to my grandchildren. There are so many impatient, grumpy and even self-centered grandmas these days and I actually pray that I won't someday be one of them.

Boo
July 15, 2013 - Msg 94163: Asa...Preperation H & BenGay getting mixed up? It puts a whole new meaning to "Lighting up your rear end"! I thought that is what Mom & Dad did when you acted up. Either way,.... Yeeeow!!

Thanks TOM, another good one! Try to stay cool, gonna be a hot week!

G-F....
July 15, 2013 - Msg 94164: Hi, porch! Wow! Guess I was more tired than I realized. I hit the bed last night, and I don't think I moved all night. Slept very late, and it sure did feel good! I'm at my window now, watching a very soft, slow, drizzling rain falling on the thirsty yard. No critters out there, guess they're all holed up somewhere, staying dry. The feed I put out before I left is all gone, of course. I'll put out more tomorrow, if the rain stops. I don't like to put it out in the rain, it tends to mold sometimes.

I brought some new plants home with me. Robbi and Richard gave me a beautiful desert rose for my birthday, all potted up and ready to go. So pretty! There's a neat little nursery/garden center in Fredbg, that sells only native or Texas-acclimated plants. I got an American Beautyberry shrub. I already have two, but one is not doing well, and the new one has variegated leaves, so will be a bit different. Really pretty. Loaded with little flower buds, so there will be a lot of berries in the fall. I got two purple salvia plants. The blooms look almost neon. They're a deep blue/purple, quite dark, but somehow have this glow about them. Very interesting plant. I also got a Texas hibiscus. The foliage looks for all the world like marijuana, but the big bright red flowers prove that it isn't. The kids teased me, and said I'd probably get pulled over by the highway patrol, if they saw the plant. It's quite tall and was clearly visible in the back seat. Well, guess what. Coming through Alvarado, almost home, a patrol SUV pulled me over! I was almost laughing when he approached the window, thinking that the kids' joke had come true. I tried to be a good citizen though, kept my hands where he could see them, and immediately told him about my pistol in the console. He just smiled and sad, "Well, just don't reach for it, and we'll be fine." I laughed then too, and asked him what I had done. Guess what. I'm a criminal. I had changed lanes without signaling a couple of times. He had followed me for about five miles, he said, and saw me do it twice. He was right, I had done it, so I apologized. He just smiled and asked if I'd promise to be more careful about that. Of course I said I would, so he told me to go, no ticket, and that was that. He never even asked for my license. I'm so glad, because I haven't had a ticket since 1975, and sure didn't want one now. He never mentioned the plant, so naturally, neither did I. Maybe he knows marijuana better than I do, and knew that wasn't it.

I brought home some peaches, but they're not the wonderful Fredericksburg peaches. They had almost no peaches this year, due to a late freeze. These came from East Texas, and the one I ate last night wasn't very good. Fredericksburg peaches are wonderful, just so sweet, and a very strong peach flavor. Parker County peaches are good, too - from west of Ft. Worth, but the ones from Fredbg are the best.

Boo, you need to not overdo things. I'm glad your mom is back home, and you need to get a little extra rest. To answer your question - Julia is Heather's stepdaughter. Her dad raised her, so she was part of the deal when Heather and Edwin married. And a good deal it was, too. She's a delightful girl, very level-headed, very sweet.

Well, gotta run. Lots of things to catch up on around here. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
July 15, 2013 - Msg 94165: Dadada,dadada,dadda,da,da,dadada!!! (Barney's lawman theme)...Romeena watch out!
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94166:
For a minute there I thought we were going to have the episode of the woman speeder, but alas, only a lane change. I was hoping for a big case at the county courthouse! ha The case of "packin' heat w/ locoweed planted by Quiet Sam!" lol
RAIN! finally we got rain this evening in the Phx area! So nice and refreshing, but it came with some high winds that caused some damage around town.
Keep well all, many prayers,
MDC
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94167: Well Ro, I'm glad it was Andy who pulled you over and not Barney. You'd have ink stained fingers now if it was Barney. :)

Asa
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94168: Happy Tuesday porch, I have been trying to stop by the porch for several days but seems like I always got detoured. been busy at work and at home.

looks like things have been rocking along though.

weather has been hot and dry the past couple days on my end of the porch. typical July weather for us.

Mr. Maude has been down the past few days with pneumonia in the left lower lobe of his lung. doctor took him off work this week. He is on the mend but still has a nasty cough.

My business partner has his surgery at Vanderbilt on Thursday. Please remember him and his family in your prayers.

well, guess I had better get to work now.
Prayers and blessings all around.

Big Maude
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94169: I guess that cop knew his hibiscus when he saw it. teehee..Hey, Ro, I think I may have been to that nursery you mentioned...does it have a little cafe/gift shop in it? I have about given up on the landscape roses...they are forever stripped bare by the cutter ants and they never grow any because of it. I put in a texas sage bush and it is doing great..ants don't seem to like it and it is thriving and blooming with little purple blooms. I am going to plant more of that, and get another crepe myrtle.

Well, I went out and did some shopping yesterday and finally hit a wall! All I could do is come home and rest. I still feel worn out this morning so I will rest...I promise. St. Susan is coming over this morning for coffee so I will sit and visit with her for awhile and then might even take a nap later.

Great to see you Maude...very sorry to hear that Mr. Maude is ailin'. Prayers for a quick recovery. I had a bad case of pneumonia when I was 19 and it took months to finally clear my lungs. No fun. Prayers for your business partner, too.

Boo
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94170: Good morning, porch! Hahaha! Yep, I'm glad Barney wasn't around. Or Gomer, for that matter. I can just picture him running along behind my car, yelling "Citizen's ar-rest!" Or maybe he just does that for U-turns.

Boo, that little nursery is out Llano St., to the north of Main St. It's fairly far out, toward the outskirts of town there, on the right as you drive north. There's no cafe there now, but this is its second incarnation as a nursery. There was another one on the site a few years ago, and before that, it was a stoneworks, where a man engraved headstones. There is a small gift shop however, and there's enough room that there could have been two or three small tables in it. It's probably the same place, different owner now.
There was another shrub I really wanted, but it prefers dry conditions and just about every place in this yard is covered by the sprinklers. It's called Mexican Bird of Paradise, or Pride of Barbados. Just Google either of those names, and you'll find pictures. The thing is gorgeous. My Heather has one in her front yard, down by the road, and it's so pretty. I may figure out a place for one yet.

Those dratted ants! There's got to be a way to get rid of them. That's just ridiculous, that they ruin your roses. The only hope, I think, is to locate their nesting hole and fill it full of something that will kill them. Miserable wretches.

There's a pair of very amorous, very energetic and acrobatic squirrels out back this morning. I think they could qualify for membership in the Mile High Club, or at least the Thirty Feet High Club. Such goin's on, such goin's on!

Maude, you take care of Mr. Maude. That pneumonia stuff is nothing to fool with. It can rock along and not seem too bad for a while, and then it can get really nasty, really quick. Prayers for both of you!

Well, gotta run. I've got to see my diabetes doc this morning, for a regular six-month visit. Eloise is still out in San Francisco with her sister, so I don't have anyone to play with. Guess I'll just come home after the doctor visit, and maybe get this desk cleaned off, finally. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94171: Romeena, No one to play with? Get a bone, throw the bone, watch dog run after the bone, dog brings bone back. Repeat...It's a fun day..Sorta like a guy going shoping with his Mother...

Or just go out on the highway and switch lanes back & foth for awhile...

G-F...
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94172: Alright, that's enough with the dirty squirrel talk, Romeena. ;)

Glad the policeman was nice when he stopped you at checkpoint chickee.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94173: Heehee...funny, Sterling (about the squirrel).

Ro, I think that was probably the same nursery from the directions you gave...its been a long time..could have been just a gift shop but don't remember. I am going to look up that Mexican bird of paradise.

Sean came home sick today with a sore throat and body aches. He told me he touches ALOT of shopping carts all day, which is true...guess we should expect him to pick up something now and then. I told him to carry some hand sanitizer and clean his hands now and then.

Sorry your buddy is out of town, Ro. Maybe it will be an opportunity to do some things you wouldn't otherwise do. I have been going through a cleaning out phase around here...cleaned out the junk drawer in the kitchen and moved it to the laundry room. I had been using a big drawer in the kitchen to just throw junk in that got lost in there over time...kind of crazy and now I am using it for something useful. I cleaned out some cabinets in the house, too, and want to get to the cabinet that has all my cups in it. I have way too many coffee mugs and plastic glasses, etc. Funny how things just accumulate over time and then one day you realize it and start getting rid of things.

Well, I was too tired to cook today so I ordered pizza. Better go pick it up...

Boo
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94174: Rain! We have rain! Beautiful rain! Wet rain! I am so happy!!! It's a steady downpour, just a little bit of wind, a little rumbly thunder, but no violent weather. Just beautiful, much-needed rain!

Boo, I need to do some cleaning out around here for sure. There's a little drawer in the kitchen that I know for a fact has at least three coffeemaker cords in it, and I don't even have that kind of coffeemaker anymore. There are probably a dozen or more of those little wire loops that come in the Easter egg dye kits. I have no idea why I save them, because you get a new one with each kit every year. As Gomer says, people sure are funny.

Wow. There's not even a little breeze right now, and that rain is just falling straight down. Sure looks pretty. I can almost see the grass growing, and the roses and other flowers are lifting their faces up to it. God is so good.

I'm sorry Sean is sick, but you're right. Handling those carts will do it. If he can get in the habit of keeping his hands away from his face at all times, washing as often as he can, and using sanitizer, he might be able to cut down on the germ transfer somewhat. Any chance the store would agree to make it part of his job to wipe those cart handles down with disinfectant a couple of times a day? Might help, and a little poster announcing the procedure, and people seeing him in action - might be good PR.

Well, guess I'll go scare up some dinner. Blessings, friends! --Romeena
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94175:
So, does every kitchen in America have a "junk" drawer? How about a porch survey? MDC = Yes. :)

Boo, do you still have any oregano oil around?
If so, 6 drops in water, stir, and down Sean's hatch! Also, our groc stores here have free wipes at the door. Sean's store might also?
REV- how goes the concerts?
RO-I think those squirrils are reading too much of the Mayberry After Midnight column! ha
MAUDie, prayers for hubby and business partner.
Later friends,
MDC
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94176: I have about 3 junk drawers, MDC. At least in the kitchen. We have some more in other rooms.

-Sterling Holobyte
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94177: Sterling, it might be time to do some cleaning out. ;)

Ro, our store, like MDC's keeps the antibacterial wipes at the door and I always grab one and clean my cart. I don't see very many people doing that, but I am going to tell Sean to grab one now and then and clean his hands or something.

Ro, do you have HEB grocery stores in your area? That and Walmart is all we have around here. I don't think Corpus even has a Kroger anymore.

MDC, I don't know if I still have any oregano oil but you will be proud to know that I gave him a garlic capsule this evening because of its antibiotic properties. :) I have started taking Tumeric, too...you should read up on that. It is a great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

As far as junk drawers, I used to think I couldn't survive without one, but it was mostly an excuse to be lazy, for me. I am forcing myself to put things in a designated space and when something doesn't have a place, I put it in the small junk drawer in the laundry room. Let's see how long that lasts! HA!

Boo
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94178: Just FYI Ro, in case you aren't familiar, HEB are the intitials of the original owner, Hubert E Butt. Naturally, they called the store HEB rather than "Butts". The kids around here joke that HEB stands for, "Hair Enormous Butt"! teehee

Boo
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94179: I mean, "HAIRY enormous butt"..

Boo
July 16, 2013 - Msg 94180: Good evening, porch! Boo, I'm very familiar with the HEB stores, and their origins. We don't have them here, but I wish we did. They're usually pretty nice. Are you aware of the presence of the HEB ranch at the headwaters of the Frio River? If you drive north from Leakey, along the river, you'll eventually arrive at Horse Collar Canyon. There's a place to get off the road, where there are picnic tables and such, and you can look out over the canyon. Far down below, in a bend of the river, you can see the ranch. There are several buildings, including a large covered pavilion. The place is used as a retreat, and as a camp for underprivileged kids. We used to go up there at night, and look down over the canyon. You could hear the kids singing hymns, and hear their laughter as they played in the river or on the baseball diamond or basketball court. If you go at night, and there's a full moon, it's absolutely gorgeous. The moon rises over the canyon, and it's spectacular.

The Howard Butt family was a strong Christian family, and the old man didn't allow liquor to be sold in their stores in San Antonio, even though the city was completely wet. Then when the old patriarch died, and the kids took over, they changed all that. I hated to see it. It was nice to be able to go in the store to shop and not have beer and wine stacked up in the aisles, but it all changed. Same thing here, only it was the city that was dry. Over the years, with one little option after another on the ballots, it got changed, and now it's everywhere. The face of the city has changed, the atmosphere is different, the demographics are different. It's rougher, and doesn't feel as Mayberry-safe as it used to, but that's "progress", I'm told.

As for junk drawers, I have three regular drawers and one very narrow one in my kitchen. Two of the regular-sized ones probably aren't opened more than once a month or so. I could dump the contents in the trash without a second look, and never miss a thing that's in them. I have closets and cabinets like that as well, and I'm about to get tired of it. One of these days.....

Well, I'm about to go watch "Perry Mason", and then go to bed. Laawww, he was a purty man! Those incredible eyes, so much like my Dale's eyes. I think I have a crush on him! --Romeena
July 17, 2013 - Msg 94181: Good morning Porch.
I gotta junk drawer. Boo's gotta junk drawer. All God's chillin gotta junk drawer. And I promise, the second you go through it and throw away the stuff you'll never use, you'll find you beeded that thing you just thre out. Happens everytime to me anyway.

Hope Sean doesn't get to sick Boo. Reminds me when one of my Daughters worked at a day care center. She was sick almost the entire time.

Prayers for your co-worker Maude. I hope his surgery goes well and it hasn't advanced much.

Romeena, I guess that change you mention is everywhere. Sad to see. I just sent you an e-mail that is eye opening.

Speaking of eye opening, I best open mine and get going. Pulenty to do.

Prayers for all.

Asa