Tuesday May 14th 2024

Editorial Team / Admin · May 14

Hello all!

Joe, I know you will consider all the pros and cons of staying VS changing your present position. You know best your "fit" and comfort level.

I need to review the past few days' postings, as we have been gone to a bluegrass festival! Just returned home yesterday, after a grueling drive in LA traffic. We are glad to be home safely!

We had a good time at the festival! Weather got no higher than 88 degrees, and most days there were fluffy clouds than meandered by, blocking the sun at intervals (most welcome). We arrived Wednesday afternoon. The music started 1:30 pm on Thursday, and continued each day after from 9 am to 10 or 11pm! They had regular lunch and dinner breaks, at which time workshops were offered in various instruments. We attended a gospel sing on Sunday, which was fun. We and a few others brought instruments and played AND sang. It was held in a gazebo on the lawn of the little 8-room Lodge (the only place to stay in town), across the street from the only restaurant in town! I think the population is 16... but it swells to 1500 for the festival! There is a working dude ranch nearby that houses ppl in a bunkhouse, and they hold several rodeos during the year as well. After mining played out, the Varians bought the land and built the Cafe and then the Lodge, and most of the land is used for raising cattle (the Cafe prides itself on its steaks).

Parkfield is The Most Monitored area for earthquakes, in the US! It is mentioned in scholarly (geology) books in many languages, all over the world. I attended an Earthquake Walk with a USGS employee and professor, who told us all about Parkfield's past. No, they are no closer to predicting earthquakes! But they have lots of information about how plate tectonics works, and are ever receiving more data. Parkfield has a magnitude 6 earthquake, on the average, every 22 years. The Pacific Plate and North American plates slide past each other at the San Andreas Fault, just 1/4 mile from the center of Parkfield. A bridge that crosses a stream at that point, is noticeably curved to the right (for those who are interested, it is a right strike-slip fault). Parkfield's motto, displayed in a banner, is "Be Here When It Happens." It was a very, very interesting hour spent!

We had a good time meeting new ppl, jamming with our neighbors (very friendly and welcoming), hearing a few bands, and just absorbing the atmosphere, the energy of the festival. We missed the aurora borealis, as we 1. didn't know it was supposed to happen, and 2. we were asleep! People who were out jamming, related how cool it was to be jamming outside, with the glow in the sky! We had VERY poor connection. My phone was turned off most of the time. Dh was able to get a little, later at night, if he held the phone Just So.

More later, gotta unpack more!

No Stars In My Eyes · May 14

Good Afternoon!

So, I did not sleep well last night; turned out my light at 1:20 AM. Woke up at 2:45 AM, 3:50 AM, 4:30 AM, and 6:30 AM, and finally fell asleep. Got up at 11 AM, put out Nannie's breakfast tray with her meds, unlocked the doors, fed Momo, got some coffee and came back to bed. Dozed a short while and was awakened by those gypsies in my left knee, they were partying hard. Had to get up to put some Lidocaine patches on my knee, and here I sit, listening to the rain pouring down.

SiL came over and gave Nannie a shower and did her hair, then got her dressed, gave her the breakfast stuff, and then, blessed be, she took Nannie back to her house for the afternoon.

I need to get up and do something, like put away my dried and folded clothes, so I can use this time to get a few things accomplished. Truth be told, I'd just as soon stay in bed and read, but this opportunity is here and now, so I want to use it constructively; I know it will make me feel better once it is done.

Hope all are well!

nursej22, MSN, RN · May 14

Dianah, it looks like you had a great time and great weather. That is so interesting about the earthquake stuff. The visitor center at Mt. Saint Helens here in Washington has a fascinating visitor center, talking about volcanoes, the "ring of fire" and tectonic plates.

Joe, I hope you can find some symphonies to attend. There is nothing like an in-person symphonic event. And you seem to have a nice knowledge of music.

Tweety, I suppose you are traveling. I hope the airlines and weather is cooperating.

Hi Stars. Enjoy the nannie break. I know I will put things off for days, but feel so much better when I tackle even just a bit. Setting a timer and telling myself I will devote X number of minutes seems to trick my mind into wanting to get to doing.

I had a Dr visit this morning, got a RX for xanax, blood drawn to check cholesterol, and a referral to sports medicine to see if there is anything I can do about my cranky knees. This afternoon we'll go see youngest grandson to help him with his garden. weather is nice, low 60s, so a light jacket feels good.

No Stars In My Eyes · May 15

Hello again!

I actually DID get up out of bed and got some tasks taken care of in my bedroom! YAY, me! Cleaned up the bedside and the bedside table (it has big, deep drawers in it which I also cleaned out and rearranged), Changed the sheets on the bed. Collected laundry to do....maybe tomorrow? Tossed another stack of magazines out. Cleaned off the big and small dressers, hung a painting (copy) on the wall, that has been leaned up against the closet's door, waiting for three weeks to be put up, dusted most of room, unloaded the rocking chair near the window. Think I may move that chair so I am looking out over the woods to the side of the house, instead of at the neighbors chicken house and pen! But that will require switching the placement of the desk and the small dresser. Got half of the clean clothes hung up or put in the dresser, but there is still another laundry basket of clean stuff to put away. I will get that taken care of this evening. I still have to clean off and rearrange stuff on and in the desk, and also the tall set of wicker shelves that is supposed to be for displaying photos. It is extremely dusty and it is going to be a real beyotch to clean, so I am saving that for another day!

Nannie was returned at 5:30 PM, and SiL brought me some supper, minus the roast which didn't get finished cooking in the crockpot because they lost power for 2 + 1/2 hours. But I got mac'n'cheese, pinto beans, green beans, Summer squash, a few slices of tomato and cucumbers.....I scarfed it down in short order, and didn't miss the roast at all. Don't say I said so, but the roasts she makes are....I don't know what cut, but her beef roasts have always been tough and stringy.

Nannie seems quite tired and a little bit spaced-out; lots of staring at her shoes or at the floor, and hypnotized by the TV. Except she thinks the ads are part of the programs we are watching. I'll be happy to put her to bed in an hour and a half! I'm going to still attempt to keep to a 1 AM bedtime, and I will set my alarm for 10 AM, but it depends on how well I sleep, if I will pay any attention to it, or hit the snooze button, or turn it off and sleep longer. Stay tuned and find out tomorrow!

Editorial Team / Admin · May 15

No Stars, good you got at least some hours' respite, and a good meal besides! Hope the gypsies settle down. I'll be waiting with a worm on my tongue (bated breath) for tomorrow's word about how sleep went, and will "tune in tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel, to see if the dynamic duo is able to rouse No Stars from the Riddler's sleeping potion!"

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 15

Hello!

Stars, hope you get some sleep and feel better.

Dianah, sounds like a good time.

I drove to North Carolina. Took nearly 11 hours with rush hour in Tampa to get through, two heavy rain storms and breaks and lunch.

Settled in and had dinner and because of the late hour will see the family tomorrow.