Tuesday May 3 2022

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 3, 2022

Good morning!

Joe, hope you have a good day.

J22, sorry about your hand and hope it doesn't get worse. Cellulitis these days is no joke.

Ado, glad you got the CMS work done.

Dianah, always nice to have a trip to look forward to.

Stars, piglets?? I bet that will be cute. What will they do with them?

Finished up bowling for this season. The first place team decided it was the night to bowl like a first place team and they were on fire and easily defeated us all games sending us out of 2nd down to 3rd place to end the year. I'm a bit bummed because we were never out of 1st or 2nd and 3rd is the lowest. But I can look at it as a drop from first, or a rise from our last place position we ended last season. Next season starts up

Going to hang out at the beach later. Nice weather in the 80's but might rain later. Have a great day.

nursej22, MSN, RN · May 3, 2022

Good morning. My hand is feeling better today. The swelling is down and a bruise is starting to appear. I am watching closely for cellulitis, and I double checked on my tetorifice status and I good. Today is over cast but mild. Spring may finally have arrived.

I got a call from one of my sister's friends last night who is concerned about her, saying she seems very tired and weak. Sis texted me last week to say she was back in a fib and starting amiodorone. I've been texting every few days and she just says she's tired. I started to think she may be having a drug interaction, because amiodorone doesn't always play nice. I called and her and she is blaming the pollen, but I'm going over to see her on my lunch break.

Tweety, alas, another bowling season in the books. Was the potluck at least good? A beach visit sounds lovely.

Joe, here is to a normal working day! Glad that you are feeling good enough to exercise.

Dianah, that is exciting to be prepping for a trip! We just can't seem to find a weekend to go ourselves, just to get used to the new trailer. Maybe this weekend.

Ado, yes, some respite would probably do your hubby some good. I hope there are some resources around. Adult day health sounds like a great idea.

Stars, I've been thinking of herring, too. I used to love her stories about standing up for safe staffing, and her family.

Hi Amo, Rose, and any others.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 3, 2022

nursej22, what a relief your hand is going through the normal stages of healing. Did you ever consider "camping" in the driveway?? Just to try things out, see what you might need while you are close to home (and can run inside and get things)... Now, if you are seasoned campers, especially with an RV, then you kinda already know what you may need. ?

No Stars In My Eyes · May 3, 2022

Good afternoon to you and you and you and y'all~

Today it is, UGH, 88 humid degrees. May have some storms later today; the big, fat clouds are passing over us, but send down nothing wet as they travel. Poor Nannie doesn't seem to understand that wind and clouds move...every time they blot out the sun, she thinks it is about to rain. Every time the wind gusts, dies down or picks up again, she thinks it's about to 'start'. Then when the sun pops out she says, "Oh, well, I guess it isn't going to rain." I gave up trying to 'splain to her, I just tell her Mother Nature is messing with the meteorologist's forecasts, just because she can! We will know if it rains or not, when and if it happens...or doesn't!

Tweety, I am not sure of the Piglet Plans. I suspect some will be given away, and some raised for meat. They haven't made an appearance yet, that I know of. We keep offering to get a pet pig for Nannie, but, gosh, so far she says, "No." She says she doesn't care if they are smart and can be house-trained. // I remember (and may even have) a magazine photo of a woman who was 5'1" tall, walking her ENORMOUSLY TALL pet pig on a leash. When she stood on the other side of her pig, all you could see of her was her head! That's ONE BIG PIG!

Joe, I am reflecting, too. I see ads for hiring nurses, and contemplate what I might do, like for part-time work, for pocket $. Then I realize I'm retired and am already, in essence 'working'. And I don't really WANT to work any more. What I miss is seeing and interacting with other people while on-the-job. Speaking of work, it is time to go switch laundry loads (only 3 loads today).

J22, Glad your hand's feeling better. Now it's time to get your sister's meds straightened out. Better to know for certain if it is 'just pollen' or not. // Thank goodness hubby's PCP appt is tomorrow or Thursday. He says he is going to demand a scan and if there is fluid in the bottom of the left lung he wants them to draw it OUT! Says he can't sleep comfortably on his left side, and he is tired of it hurting. He is also p-o'd because he is out of respimat (sp) and because he is in 'the donut hole' he has to pay something like $400 for the med. I said to let Nannie pay for it, but he doesn't even want to drive over to WalMart to get it. Oh well!

We are watching a double-header 'twixt Braves and Mets. Hubby has already yelled at the players and announcers on TV several times and we are only in the second inning! SO! It promises to be a l-o-n-g afternoon. ~sigh~

Fried chicken livers for supper. If I had an electric frying pan, I could fry them myself, because MINE are much, much better than anything from the restaurant. I used to maintain that I hated any kind of liver, but a neighbor of a long-ago private-duty patient showed me how she fried them. I tried a teeny-tiny bite of hers and was quite surprised how GOOD they actually were!

As Ted used to say "peace/out".

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · May 3, 2022

Good afternoon!

Joe, hope your day continued to be good and normal.

Tweety, bummer to end up 3rd after a season of being 1-2 but "just wait 'til next year!" Hope you had a great day at the beach.

J22, glad your hand is healing. Sounds ouchy. My friends in Arizona pointed out a certain cactus that one has to be really careful around. I took their word for it and didn't get close. Hope your sis is doing well, maybe just adjusting to new meds?

Stars, that must have been some big pig. Piglets would be fun to see.

Stepson spent the evening with us last night and brought stuff to make tacos and margaritas. He's flying back to Indiana today. The tornado sirens were going off for about an hour while we were fixing/eating dinner, and we kept watching but our immediate area was pretty clear. Dory was scared but her trazodone and a squirt of Rescue Remedy seemed to help her calm down. Glad I wasn't at the hospital. At least the census was low. Expecting more storms with tornado potential tomorrow.

This morning when I got dressed and went out to the kitchen, Hubs was just going to the kitchen, too. There sat Gma at the dining table. Hubs asked me to get bananas at the store in the evening and I brought home 2 bunches. She had one bunch sitting on the table in front of her. At first glance, it looked like she had just separated them. But, no, those were empty skins. She had eaten 5 or 6 bananas. She'll be bound up for a week. Hubs said that will not be a fun mess to clean up. When he said something to her about eating all those bananas, she responded by getting mad and saying Twin B is the one who eats all the food. "That guy over there" (you mean your grandson?)

Yesterday and today Hubs was able to go play music, yesterday with my cousin, and today with same cousin and a bunch of other bluegrass fans. They do all sorts of music, really. Getting away to do that seemed to lift his spirits a bit. Twin B managed Gma at home.

I learned today that CMS specifically states that allowing providers to place orders via text message is not in compliance with the Conditions of Participation or Conditions of Coverage. I would rather not know this. It has been our practice at this little hospital (where we know the 2-3 admitting docs and the telemedicine doc pretty well). Why speaking to them on the phone is OK (though not ideal), but a text is not is beyond me. Seems a text would be less error-prone. Comes straight from the provider. But, now that I know this, I suppose I'm going to have to make them change. ? I admit that when I first came here, I was a little uneasy with it, but I had been at the large teaching hospital where even phone orders were rare -- the providers were expected to enter the orders in the computer. I'm sure sometimes that meant a verbal order was given by an attending to a resident in the middle of the night, and the resident put it in the computer. I'll quit rambling ?

No Stars In My Eyes · May 3, 2022

Lost the 1st game of the double-header (5-4)> The 2nd game starts in a few minutes.

Mother Nature threw Nannie a curve a short while ago. There was full sunshine, and rolls of thunder, some lightning; then while the sun was still shining, the rain POURED down, hard and heavy. "Gosh, I've never seen anything like this happen before." I'd say that being 92 years old, she must have seen a storm somewhat similar during all that time. But the Swiss cheese in her head leaks memories out of her ears.

I went out to search for a rainbow but none were evident.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 3, 2022

Ado Annie, what instrument does your husband play?? We are bluegrass fans too! Dh hosts a daily online jam, through Jamkazam. Of course, we will miss it when we are gone to the bluegrass festival. He has created the sessions, though, and so others will play, who show up. They have about 20 regulars, -- some show up one day, others the next day. They hail from NY, Georgia, Canada, SoCal, Washington state, Utah, Texas.

We always look forward to jamming at the festivals. A "live" jam is SO much better than an online one! To save bandwidth, the online jams are audio only, so no visual cues are available. The attendees have adapted, though, and seem to enjoy playing together. Music IS a good mood-lifter!

Hope Gma's banana escapades don't create a problem!!

Tacos sound good! I am planning "haystacks" for some friends on Sat nite, while at the festival. Same basic taco ingredients, but you stack the ingredients: chips on the bottom, maybe some beans and burger, then grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, olives, green onions, cilantro, lettuce and/ or chopped red cabbage, and avocado (if available). Top the whole mound with salsa and sour cream and dig in!

I have completed most of the prep work, and now need to carry things out and load them in the RV fridge: carrot and celery sticks, radishes (munchies), sliced sourdough bread (dh tops his with string cheese and a bell pepper slice and a grape tomato, and then heats it in the microwave = mini pizza!); and all the other things for eating and snacking. I don't have a real strict menu this time... whatever. ? We ALWAYS bring too much, so I'm sure we won't starve.

Later!

Ado Annie, ASN, RN · May 4, 2022

dianah, Hubs is a bass player. He started playing with a bluegrass group back in Indiana several years ago and misses them. He has an electric bass that's more portable but also sometimes takes this beauty out.

Haystacks sound yummy, and maybe easier for Gma to eat than a taco.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 4, 2022

Dh's first instrument is 5-string banjo. The one he plays the most is a 1982 RB800. Then he took up mandolin (tuned like a banjo) - Gibson F9 2002. Then he took up bass playing. We have a 1920's Alcoa Aluminum bass that has been restored. Yes it IS aluminum! Only about 500 were ever made; about 200 are still around. Dh also has a U-bass (ukelele bass), in case carrying the double bass is not feasible.

We have a gospel band, Sweet Tidings Gospel Jam. Photo of the four of us, below. Bassist, Eric, is an award-winning guitarist and a great vocalist, who owns his own studio in the high desert. He is frequently called to do mastering on projects in Nashville for WAY bigger names than ours, LOL! Fiddler K has her BA in Performance Piano, with a violin minor. She's the only one of us who fluently reads music, but we love her anyway. She has such a nice touch on the fiddle, and is quite creative with her breaks.

I play a 1989 Martin D41.

Dh CAN play Scruggs-style banjo but he has developed his own melodic style, which goes well with our band. We arrange old hymns and gospel songs, "our" style. A lot of them are available on Youtube.

That's the best photo I can find of the bass. If your dh is on Bass Talk (online site), dh may have posted photos there.

Thanks for letting me gab! LOL!

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 4, 2022

Dianah, I love your lifelong passion for music. That's a great pic.

J22, glad to hear your hand is on the mend.

Ado, hopefully gma won't have trouble with the bananas. Hopefully the fiber content won't bind her up. That's probably an old wives tale unless she has a history of bananas causing this. ?

Stars, we didn't even get that hot here in Florida. We were in the low 80's with a "feels like" temp of 86 with our humidity.