SIGH.....You know, it just never fails.

[AngelfireRN]

OK, my favorite bunch of medical minds, a little something to brighten your day, and maybe give you a reason to get up tomorrow. You never know how or when some small thing you've done for some person, and probably since forgotten, will come back to visit you.

So, yesterday was Monday, and apparently, it knew it.

How do I know this, you ask?

Well, let's see......

Where I live, the high temp for the last few days has been 20. That's 20 degrees FAHRENHEIT, and that's the HIGH. Therefore, the cat had to come in for the night. If the cat is in for the night, it's a safe bet that she will be in the bed with me. It's also a safe bet that if the puppy sees her, they'll do their darndest to level the house.

So, to start, the cat wakes me up at 5:30, scratching at the door to go out.

I open the door for the cat, and then have to settle the puppy, because as far as she's concerned, it's time to get up.

Approximately 30 seconds later, the cat is scratching at the door again, wanting in.

I attempt to get dressed and groomed, and have the sheer joy of chasing my clothes, shoes, hairbrush, and hot rollers (one at a time) down the hall. The puppy likes to help Mama get dressed.

I roll down the driveway, stop for the paper, and realize that the cat it still perched on the roof of the car.

I schlep the cat back to the house.

I head for work. It's freezing. The heater is being stubborn. The bridge is backed up. The Staties have set up a weigh station at the far end for the logging trucks. There are about 10 18-wheelers between me and the end of the bridge. It's a 2 lane road. Praise God for Mountain Dew and Rick and Bubba.

I get to work and find that we're having a fire sale on consults, and that today's special is a-fib. 3 consults in less than 5 minutes.

I get started, and get beeped for my first set of stresses.

I get to the stress lab, prepare to start, doc walks in behind me and scares the bejeebers out of me. He then offers me a script for what he calls "high-dose sedatives".

I run around like the proverbial headless chicken, putting out fires until lunch.

I head back to do more rounds, get beeped, and know that I'm not going to like whatever has happened when the receptionist starts the convo with "Are you REAL busy right now?"

I head back to the office to see a spur-of-the-moment clinic patient.

I decide to take a pee break.

I forget to take off my stethoscope.

The stethoscope slides off halfway, the earpieces get caught in my waistband, and I miss giving myself a hangman's fx by sheer Providence.

I head BACK to the hospital, get all the fires out, and beeper goes off again.

It's my DH. Seems we won't be getting that beach house anytime soon. Lovely.

And just about the time I am ready to commit a mortal crime.........

The patient that came in last month with a K+ in the basement, that we considered a chaplain consult for, walks in, hugs my neck and kisses my cheek. Why?

I was the only one who wished him a Merry Christmas the last time I saw him.

SIGH...............never fails, and the bluster went right out of my sails.

And how was YOUR day?

[Moogie]

Moogie, you must live up north! I don't know how y'all do it! I'm usually so hot-natured, and in Alabama, during summer, it gets up to 120 in the shade. You can imagine the misery there as well.

This morning, it was a balmy 11 degrees on the way to work. We're expected to get up to 2" tomorrow of snow, which, in Alabama is code for SHUT THE STATE DOWN! As I drive an hour to work, they know I might not be here, unless I can flag down a passing dog sled and mush to work.

I could not live in Alabama; 120 in the shade? And that's just the heat, not the humidity? I'd have it very tough there.

And when y'all get snow, everything shuts down---and rightfully so. Most folks in your area don't know how to drive in the stuff and it's dangerous when you don't know what you're doing. In MinneSNOWta, people only have temporary snow-driving amnesia until after the first snow, then until the first big storm. After there are dozens of accidents, the State Highway Patrol tells everyone to slow down and the frozen synpases thaw out and people suddenly remember how to drive in the winter.

If ya need a dog sled, I can suggest a couple of lazy Tibetan terriers who would be thrilled at the idea of spending some time in a warmer climate---though I am not sure how energetic they'd be as sled dogs. The DH once said he considered taking them to obedience class and I told him it wasn't worth his time. The dogs had him well-trained already.

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Well, snow for us. And I'm at work. And my Daddy is fuming because I didn't a) stay home, or b) let DH drive me. Sheesh!

Oh, and my poor guy is not doing well. He got sick and is back in. I stopped by to see him yesterday and was teasing him. I asked "Did you miss me?", to which he said yes.

I said, "You know, you could have just come by the clinic and said hi."

Him, "Well, I like to make a grand entrance....you're here, aren't you? Worked like a charm."

You gotta love it!

[vanderth]

LOL. I loved this wonderfully written saga. It was awesome and made me laugh...a lot. Thanks for the post!