Day 21 - What's Next?

I loved the TV show "The West Wing" for many reasons.

Today, one of them is for the line I posted:

"What's next?"

You see, I'm a person with a short attention span.

I need a little chaos in my life to function properly.

Some of my best studying in medical school

was in the ER.

I don't need white noise; 

I need heavy metal blasting, in your face, 

the walls are falling down around you noise.

And, I feel completely calm in the middle of it.

Going along with this, my DH comments that

I'm not myself unless I have the TV on,

with the computer on my lap, referencing my iPad

and occasionally glancing or texting on my phone,

all at the same time.

Which is probably why I have so many arts and crafts supplies

that I am planning an entire room dedicated to them.

Beading supplies will sit next to

quilting fabric which will be bordered by

scrap book papers and cutouts which will share shelf space with

paints and pencils and books about drawing alongside

sheet music and photography supplies and yarn and

and and...

I'm always looking for the "what's next...?"

and generally have several projects going on at the same time.

Now, for the first time in a while,

I actually have some free time to think about it...

What to do, what to do..?

Day 20 - Moo...

Before you notice that I missed a day there,

just take a few moments to enjoy this pastoral scene

involving cows...

Nothing can be wrong with the world when

you're looking at a field of Happy Cows from California.

Given that I now live in "Cream City", this is my view

on my commute in and out of town.

Of course, the neighbors sometimes come over to

say "hello" when I am pulling out of my driveway.

"Moo, cow..."

Day 18 - When the Patient Comes Home

Back in June, I wrote about my DH

the hang glider.

I wrote about how I've taken care of friends of his who

have had to come to the ED because of various mishaps.

And, now my DH has suffered an injury as well.

No ED trip for him though.  We were vacationing in Oregon,

and while I took some time off to just think about things,

he spent time with his friend and went hang gliding...

... and then at the end of the flight, he came in for a 

hard landing.

He came back to the cottage barely able to move his right arm,

and I had to help him with his clothing.

For a few moments, I was back in doctor mode:

check pulses, check range of motion,

check for fractures, think about RICE:

Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

We had some ibuprofen, so I gave him some of those.

Iced the injury.  Considered X-rays, but I didn't think they

were necessary.  Made him comfortable for the night.

Watching the video, and knowing what I know so far

about the aerodynamics of flight, I know it was a hard landing.

I'm glad he wasn't hurt much worse.

That was three weeks ago.

He still hurts.

And, I think there might have been a small 

avulsion fracture in his elbow.

It crunches when I range his arm,

and he has nerve pain.

At least it's not all black and blue like it was.

And, he doesn't hurt as much as he did,

but he still hurts, and he can't do all the things

around the house like he is used to.

It's been hard seeing him like this, but I keep checking on him,

wrapping his arm, trying to make him comfortable.

I'm just not used to playing doctor for more than

a couple of hours...  

Day 17 - Prompted

I couldn't think of anything specific to write about tonight, so I decided to see what the NaBloPoMo topic was.  Last year, close to this time, I wrote what I thought would be a post that would get a lot of comments.  A year later, close to a thousand reads on both my blog and on BlogHer and two comments...

You see, being an ED physician, we're on the front line of medical care.  We are the "gate keepers" to the hospital.  And, on occasion, we get very frustrated with what we see come into the emergency department.  We see the good, the bad and the ugly.  We see the best of people, and we see the worst that people can do to each other.  There are times when we wish for mandatory sterilization and the requirement of government permits to allow people to have children.  There are times when we wish we could enact frontier justice, but we can't... because we are bound by a higher oath to care for others.

Regardless, here's a link to the post I wrote.  Let's see if this time it garners a little more discussion.  Talk amoungst yourselves.

Weeping for the Future 

Day 16 - Natural Foods

We're blessed to be able to live in a natural setting...

Twenty acres of lush ferns and pine trees...

And one of the first things we discovered were some edible mushrooms.

Chanterelles can be found along our upper ridgeline.

These beauties can be eaten after cooking in 

wine or butter which they absorb and which

enhances their flavor.

This year at our annual Wine and Mushroom Party,

I learned we also have bolete mushrooms...

I thought they just looked like big alien 

pancakes.

But supposedly they are also very tasty and prized,

and my guests had a great time finding both

chanterelles and boletes.

Not as many as in years past because of the lack of rain,

but at least more than the one or two that were found last year.

Next year I hope it will be an even better hunt...!

If you do go out hunting on your own,

make sure someone is checking what you pick, because

there are some look-alikes that will get you sick...

or worse...

Stay safe, my friends...!

Day 15 - Time With Friends

Had our annual wine and mushroom party....

Still going on.... 

More when able...

Day 14 - Just a Little Something I Threw Together

I love to eat, and what's more,

I love to cook...

From traditional foods that I learned to cook

watching my grandmother at the stove

as I was growing up...

To some fancier, more challenging fare...

It's nice to have a day to just relax and cook...

crank up the Salsa music and see what's in the fridge

that I can throw together...

Yeah, that's about right....

bon appétit!