March 30 2022

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2022

Good morning!

Joe, I hope you have less crazy day.

Not much going on today. Need to do laundry, housework and gym.

Have a great day.

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 30, 2022

Good morning all!

I slept OK last night. It will get me by. Today we are up early to head out to a friend's house for a jam from 10-12. Live, not online! Looking forward to it! The friend was at the Lake Havasu festival, in her RV - parked right across from us. We got to jam with her a couple times, and this will be special as we have not attended her jam in a long time. Now I'm retired, we will probably stop by once a month or so.

Oldest ds asked what retirement has been like so far? I told him I kinda don't know what to do with myself... I trimmed the front bushes. Broke a sprinkler. Cleaned the toilets. ? ? It's just too exciting!!

Have a good day!

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Mar 30, 2022

Good day, all!

Joe, I hope you have a less crazy day. We have choir practice tonight, too. For Palm Sunday's performance, we are going to have extra singers from the university, some instrumentalists; it's going to be quite the production for our little church. I like the music. It will either be good or terrible.

J22, I understand the frustration with the poor communication at the vet.

dianah, LOL about the levels of excitement in retirement, but it some ways it sounds like bliss! I will have to have something to force some structure on my days or I will be a depressed recluse with poor sleep habits and a worse diet. I think my sister is in that mode. She's 10 years older than I, widowed, and retired. Covid didn't help. She mentioned coming for a visit the last time we talked, and it would be great to see her. I hope she does. Even if she brings her annoying little dog. ?

Tweety, I'm really OK being a worker bee, too, but I do need some kind of growth/challenge. I've certainly got that with this new job. Who knows if I'll do this until I retire or decide it's not for me and go back to the bedside? Ugh on the need for $$$$ dental work. I saw the dentist this morning (everything's good) and decided to spend money on a custom night guard because I'm a grinder/clencher. I had one before but one of the dogs got hold of it. It's been a few years.

amo, happy Christmas in March! Enjoy!

Hello to everyone else!

I did get to feed baby squirrels Sunday evening. Things I learned: (1) baby squirrels when sleeping/nesting together will suckle on anything that seems like a nipple, so we have to check the males' privates for swelling and redness, then isolate them in a "suck sack" for a couple of days if they're looking sore. (2) with the smaller ones, they must be stimulated to pee and poop. This involves wetting a Qtip with warm water and stimulating their genitals. (3) We have to watch for aspiration. If there's a note that a squirrel aspirated some formula in recent feedings, watch for signs of pneumonia (lethargy mainly). Fortunately, the one I fed that had aspirated in the past couple of days was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed LOL.

Big storms last night with sheets of rain and some hail. The forecasters were saying half-dollar-sized hail but I didn't see it and doubt it was that large. It *was* loud, though. The cars look OK. Lots of thunder. Dory dog was whining but not too over-the-top, probably because of her trazodone.

Our next-door neighbor passed away in January but had been in assisted living for a couple of years prior to that. Her son has moved in and Hubs approached him and buying his mom's car, a Chrysler Sebring convertible. They agreed on a price but now the son has to find the title. It will be good to have another reliable vehicle and get rid of one of the 30-year-old cars my husband hasn't been able to let go. Twin A is oddly attached to the '92 Honda Accord that is the prime candidate for disposition. It needs either a new head gasket or new head. Hubs could do the work, but... And the air conditioner has a leak that would require an expensive repair. At some point, you have to decide if it is worth it to keep patching up an old car. Hubs is oddly attached to the '95 Neon and the '95(?) Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Goodness, I've rambled on. If you're still with me (or even if you're not) have a great day!

nursej22, MSN, RN · Mar 30, 2022

Hi Annie, Joe, Tweety and Dianah. And of course, you too, Stars and Amo.

My poor dog just isn't acting like himself. He was at the vet all day yesterday, and was quite lethargic when we got him home. He walked out on the grass once to poo, and then I carried him in because he looked like his back legs were weak. He slept all night, moved once to go from living room to bedroom. He is still subdued, not his usually bouncy, lets go for a walk morning. He flinches when I try to touch him, but he did give dh a little tail wag. Dh carried him outside where he finally urinated, first time in 24 hours. Im not sure if he is still drugged, traumatized, or in pain. He took a few laps of water, turned down his favorite treat.

Anyway, I went for a nice bike ride out at the bay this morning, sun was out but the wind was cool. Not too many waterfowl, gulls of course, mallards with their brilliant green heads shining in the sun, and a few Canada geese. And one immature eagle. I go to work at 3 today, to get hand off from my job share, then I start my week of shifts. I heard that our new supervisor has quit after 1 week, said it wasn't a good fit. She is a very nice person and I wish her well. I need to go a little early and get my glasses adjusted. Dh is getting a root canal and then a crown. Pricey, but better than another implant.

We typically keep cars for a long time. We just donated our 20 year old Equinox because it needed a new engine. The car that youngest ds drives is a 20 year old Subaru, that runs well, but now needs a new bumper thanks to an uninsured driver who hit him. Our insurance just wants to total it, but I want it fixed. And now they won't return my call.

I've heard that kittens need to be stimulated that way, too. Squirrels can be cute, but I tend to think of them as tree rats.

Joe, I hope your new work routine feels more natural soon.

I need to do some laundry too, before I leave for work.

Dianah, seems like you are craving more structure? Maybe a cooking class? Volunteering? I am counting down the months, myself. 8 months to go...

amoLucia · Mar 30, 2022

Ado - from which part of the world do you reign? You may have commented before, but I like to write down GENERAL locations. Like midwest must be ready to pass along some bad weather.

Got a ROBO-phone call from PSE&G 'that you or someone in your household is dependent on electricity for critical equip'. I am on their emergency notification list for power losses. Their recommendations - "have a plan B to use'. Duh! LIKE WHY DO YOU THINK I WAS ON YOUR LIST???? TY for your info! Duh! And then they rambled on & on re alerting them of outages. Like yeah, that's in my plan B!

Ado - stuff I'm learning today!

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 31, 2022

nursej22, re: structure? Hey, this is only my third day of retirement, give me a break, LOL!! I have a feeling I'll figure things out... Today we got up early-ish and left the house at 0930 to drive one hour to a jam. Arrived 1030, jammed till 2pm, then drove home and jammed with dh's Jamkazam (online) jam from 4-5. I'm tired!! Tomorrow I will go to the grocery store and get some necessities, plus ingredients for a recipe I want to make.

Ado, Re: cats and squirrels: Years ago we adopted four newborn kittens. We bottle-fed them every three hours for the first few weeks. Also, had to provide stimulation for bowel movements, (as dh would tell them, "to help your food go down") -- which involved stroking the body with a damp washcloth, much like mama's tongue would groom them to achieve same. So, yeah, we know about that part of raising young'uns. ?

nursej22, your poor puppy! I'd be concerned too, yet typically I adopt the wait-and-observe stance. Perhaps tomorrow will be better? He will have slept off most of the anesthetic and perhaps feel better?? Keeping him in prayers. // Sounds like a VERY nice bike ride. How are your legs doing, resting from jogging?

Not much else to report...

Have a good evening!

nursej22, MSN, RN · Mar 31, 2022

Dianah, legs/pelvis feeling a little better, and less sciatic pain, but I really miss my runs. I've been trying to ride a little more, weather permitting. I am to do a series of foam rolling exercises daily to work out "knots" in my legs. They are painful to do, but I think are helping.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Mar 31, 2022

Amo, Ado is in Oklahoma. I guessed from her name: Ado Annie is a character in the musical Oklahoma:

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · Mar 31, 2022

Yep, that's me! ?

Just now, Ado Annie said:

Yep, that's me! ?

ummm.... well... I mean.... not the "I cain't say no" part LOL

amoLucia · Mar 31, 2022

TY. A mid-westerner.