I managed to get up into the White Mountains this morning before the rain started and found that my 'old' body is not in very good shape. I took the tram up to the top of a mountain (about 4000+ ft) and in order to get to the observation tower, there was a narrow trail along the rim of the mountain. Some was uphill and then the tower stairs to the top but it was well worth the huffing and puffing. Then, I went down the the Flume area (all in Franconia Notch State Park) and that little 1.5 mile trail was mostly up! Another beautiful and well worth the hike trips and I just stopped and rested a few times. I talked with some folks from California who were resting almost as much as I was and so I had company on part of the trail (we thought we were on the down part but that was not the case).
When I was leaving was when the rain started so my timing was very good. I went into Plymouth, NH and found the hospital so I could try to get a suture removal kit (Fluff's stitches come out on Sunday). The pharmacy next door did not have any so I went into the hospital itself and the triage nurse gave me (free!) a kit. Then I found a sushi place and had lunch. I have food for dinner so I do not have to go out in the rain today again. The rain is supposed to move out by tomorrow mid-day so I can do some other 'sight seeing'. On Thursday, I am going to my B & B in Maine and will stay there for a whole week.

New York state arrival

We arrived in New York state yesterday after another stop at the vet for some 'probiotics' and a 'hard' collar for Fluff. She doesn't like this collar but it works better and that ear has to be protected for this week's healing to occur. I just wish she wouldn't wake me at 5:30am!
The weather has cooperated on the trip, so far, so I can not complain. Today I will go into Stockbridge to sightsee and visit with my brother/sister in law. Tomorrow I will head to New Hampshire where I hope the weather will continue to be nice so I can really see those mountains.

A memorable day in PA

Fluff had her ear surgery and she is 'home' now with an Elizabethan (soft) collar. I just hope it really keeps her from scratching the area that has a small open area for drainage. She got it off once on the way home from the vet and I had to fix it at a red light stop. She is on an antibiotic and I have a pain med to give her for a couple of days (only one dose every 12 hrs if she needs it). The vet thought she would need the pain med but right now she seems to be OK and, in fact, ate quite a bit when we got home. She is a little wobbly and can't jump up to things (though she was having some trouble with that before this) so I have done a 'step' thing with the carrier and a chair so she can get up on the bed. She is supposed to rest. Her stitches will come out in 10-14 days and we will be in Maine then. I have copies of all her records from today so I can show any other vet we might encounter. I am hoping to get the stitches out myself and not need to see another vet. The vacation expense has risen quite a bit from the original numbers but she is one of my 'babies' so, as any of you animal people know, you just do it when it is necessary.
I did a little sightseeing here and had lunch with my friend Sue and her sister, Nancy. We will not leave until Saturday so I'll see them again tomorrow.

'surgery' for Fluff

This morning I am taking Fluff to a 'Cats Only' veternarian and after talking to the doc on the phone, he is going to do the surgery to fix the bleeder in her left ear (lobe) so we can not worry on the rest of the trip. I will report on the outcome later.
We are in Montgomeryville, PA which is near my friend's house in Perkasie and will be here until Saturday when we will head north again.

Virginia now

Yesterday I did go into Charlotte's 'uptown' area and went to the Discovery Place where the exhibit was on sunken ships and Pirates. It really was quite interesting and there were lots of pieces from the Republic which sank in 1865 during her fourth hurricane encounter.
I was awake at 4am with Fluff crying but I still do not know why since I examined her and even fed her. Her ear is puffy and has fluid in it but not like the other night so I'm watching it and know it will need draining again.
I dozed on and off and then just got up around 6:30a.m. After some breakfast at the hotel, I headed north to Virginia where we are staying only one night before going on to PA tomorrow. I just didn't want to drive any further today. There is a buffet restaurant next door with good food so now I can have some wine and stay in for the night. The temperature is about 78 and that is so nice compared to the higher ones the last few days. The desk clerk said it was 55 here this morning so I may need sleeves tomorrow morning! I actually have turned the A/C off in the room because it was too cold. Didn't use A/C much in the van either on the drive.

Emergency Vet experience

Arrived in Charlotte, NC around 5:30pm and it was still about 95 degrees outside. I got settled into the room and rested. Driving that many hours (about 10 with stops) made my back ache and it needed to be rested. I went out to get some dinner (take out) and then watched the 1st half of the TV movie about the meteor. I was petting my 'kids' as I usually do when we are in a strange place and felt a 'funny' ear on Fluff. When I turned on the lights, I found her ear was swollen with fluid!
I got dressed and got some help from the front desk (cat lovers) and, thank God for GPS systems, we went to an Emergency Vet clinic. I am glad it was a Sunday night when traffic was extremely light and the GPS talks to me (especially on the dark roads). Her ear got drained and he explained it could happen again (broken blood vessel) but in the meantime I will be giving her Prednisone to help stop her itchy/scratching skin problem. By the time we got back to the room, it was almost 2am so I am not in any hurry to get out and do anything this morning. She doesn't seem bothered by any of it.
The weather is cloudy/rainy but that gives me temps in the 80's instead of 90's and that is nice. I will probably go looking for indoor (museums, etc.) places to spend my day.

Unemployed again

The job is over. I gave it 6 1/2 weeks and realized that this 'ideal' job is not the one for me. Not only did I not like the full time situation (lost my 'freedom') but there were several other things about the job tasks themselves that I just could not abide by any longer.
I learned alot about many things including myself and since I am no longer a zoo employee either (although I can volunteer), I am now a 'really' retired person.
I have thought about taking a trip, but with temperatures outside being so hot, I am not in any hurray to go anywhere. It was hard enough just going to the store today. The thermostat in my van that shows outside temps said 96-98 and that is 'stay at home in the A/C' weather.
I have things to do in the house so my time is being used and I am enjoying my minutes.

First week on the job

It has been a week since starting the new job and although there is much to learn for this 'simple' job, I think it is going to be great!
We have had an overview of the systems we will use and some documentation information and will start getting into the details this week. We still are not 'in' the system for us to 'clock in/out' but that should also be happening this week.
It was an interesting week being 'Nurse's Week' in that we got some sort of food treat everyday thanks to the work of the two Team Leads (our first line of managers to report to) and it was really nice to see how employees are treated by this company.

I have 'landed' a new job and it is in nursing (it does require my RN license). I will be using my nursing experience/knowledge along with my computer skills to evaluate the need for specialized radiology tests. It will be 'full time' and after nine years of not working 40 hours a week, it should prove interesting (a little scary) but that it is a 'sitting down' job and should be 'perfect' for me.
I am very excited and looking forward to it (starts May 4th). I expect to learn new things and keep my brain active. Before I start, I will take a short 'road trip' to visit my friends (Sue and Jon) in Georgia.

Seems like forever since I last wrote anything and, I guess, three months is a long time.
I flew to Chicago a couple of weeks ago for my convention of O.R. nurses and surprisingly, there were four of our 'group' there this year. The weather was superb considering we thought it might snow/rain and instead we had sunshine and tolerable temperatures.
That week goes by very quickly between educational sessions and seeing old friends. It really wears me out and when I got home I had my four days of work (at the zoo) to contend with after finding my 'main' computer monitor not working.
When the first day 'off' came, I decided to activate my new cell phone and that turned into a difficult task when I could not download my contacts into it and had to go to the Verizon store not just one day (after 'on the phone' for an hour) but a second day as well. I did, however, take the time to run some errands while I was in that neighborhood including a nice pedicure (been at least 9 months since one of those treats).
Back to work on Friday after 'cleaning' some of the house on Thursday, and am back in the 'work' pattern again. I keep thinking I should get back into nursing and leave this very low paying zoo job, but this one tires me out so how could I really survive a nursing position. I would be willing to try, however, and have resumes out to some folks.
So, that catches me up for now except for mentioning the 'road trip' to Kennesaw at the end of February for a few days. It is nice to have a friend just far enough away that when I visit it seems like a real 'road trip' and helps my wanderlust alot!

Holidays 2008

And Thanksgiving is done and over so onward to the December Holidays.
Thanksgiving was fun with Diana here. Our Cornish Hens (and the traditional 'trimmings') provided just enough food that we wouldn't have too many left overs since we went to St. Augustine the next day for Becky's wedding.
The wedding was beautiful and Becky was a gorgeous bride in a dress she hadn't thought would be 'her style'. We all had a lot of fun and being with 'our gang' of ladies made it all the more special. The sad note here is that grandpa, Don, who was past 91 in years and having a grand time at the wedding, suddenly passed on the Tuesday morning after the event. He was a great guy and will be missed by all.
I will probably be working a bit more at the zoo the last couple of weeks of this year since that is our 'busy, busy' time but that's OK with me.

almost Thanksgiving 2008

My downstairs room is finally finished and looks very bare with no furniture except the lone single bed. Everything else from down there went out in the trash when it was so badly destroyed by flood waters. I have not figured out what I want to use that room for so it will stay 'as is' for the time being. I love my new windows and door and without another '100 year' flood, we should stay dry for a long time.
I am enjoying my job at the zoo which is certainly easier than nursing! It doesn't pay a lot of money but is quite different and talking to the guests and kids is really fun.
I am looking forward to Diana's visit and our trip to St. Augustine to attend the wedding of Sue's youngest (Becky). With the reception being held in the winery, it should be wonderful.
The ceremony is in an old church so it will have a great romantic 'feel' to it all.

Post Tropical Storm Fay

Now that I have had the walls taken out downstairs after my 16" of water (lake overflowed into the downstairs room), I am awaiting the contractor to start remodel/reconstruction and waterproofing! I am thankful that the damage was only to that part of my house and feel quite 'lucky' compared to other folks in our area.
I am replacing the bottom couple of steps with concrete to prevent the seepage that occurs when heavy rain super saturates the dirt under the house. The waterproofing stuff will be applied there and all around the concrete block where seepage could occur. I am replacing the back sliding glass door with windows so there will be concrete on the bottom of those to seal too. The sliding glass door to the patio will become a 'french' type door. When it is all done, I will have the big problem of choosing a color to paint and then figure out what I'm really going to use that room for other than the storage in the closet. The only furniture left downstairs is the single bed which somehow survived the flood.
This project is ending the thoughts of a trip to the north this month so I will have to be content with my new room being my next birthday present to myself. I may, however, go to Georgia for a couple of days to spend the actual 'day' with my friend Sue and her husband.

Short trip to Georgia

I have returned from my short trip to Georgia (traveling with two cats certainly is easier than traveling with five!) and it was fun. I discovered the Augusta Canal -who knew there was a canal there established for the purpose of creating electricity to run mills so that Augusta would not become a ghost town and that the canal almost became a golf course in the 1990's but the people 'saved' it and it is a lovely 'green area' that is still able to allow two mills to produce fabric.
Then I toured the campus in Athens, Georgia - if only I were a young woman off to college, this would be a lovely place to study.
I then headed to Kennesaw to be with my friends and attend a 'wine themed' wedding shower. The wedding (in November) reception will be held in a winery in St. Augustine so doing a wine tasting for the shower was quite appropriate and since I wasn't driving, it was even better.

Santa Fe

Just returned from a great long weekend in Santa Fe where my friend, Diana, lives. The girls who I usually spend time with at our convention (we didn't go this year) joined us so there were five of us just having fun.
Diana took us to wonderful places including Bandolier National Park where we climbed to see the caves that the indians lived in 1000 or more years ago. We also visited the pueblo in Taos that is still occupied.
We ate and drank well and enjoyed each other's company and look forward to our next gathering.

zoo work and other

After my short trip to the west coast of Florida (a surprise 60th birthday party) and the panhandle, I am back to my schedule of 'retirement' with zoo work. In fact, with 'spring break', I have been working alot (this is my paid job there) and I am finding it very good for me as I have learned (still learning) new skills and I am sleeping very well after a day out in the air working (cash register).
Life at home has changed with only two cats making it strange but easier in some ways. Next month I will be leaving them for a few days to join my friends and play in Santa Fe and that will be hard since I haven't left them since last year. I have gotten very used to having Missy sleep next to me every night!

Cat status

As of Wednesday, we are now a two cat family. Shadow was down to just over five pounds and when she started having symptoms we couldn't fix, it was time for her to go over the Rainbow Bridge. It was not an easy thing for me after having her company for almost 18 years, but I know it was the best thing for her. Very strange for me having only two now.
Missy and Fluff seem to 'know' that something is radically different and are staying pretty close. We are going on a short trip to both the west coast of Florida and then up to visit in Crestview.

December already!

Wow, it is already December and the year will be new in only three weeks!
This morning my friend's daughter became a mom for the second time (I knew within an hour of the birth) and so there are now two little girls for her to 'grandmother' alot. The only problem she has is that they are five hours away from her so it takes a little planning to get there but she is on her way right now to see this newest addition.
I am 'branching out' by adding a 'fun' job to my life. I am becoming an employee at the zoo (and some volunteering time too) and so my time on Sunday's there now is more of a committment than it was before but I'll be learning a new skill (for very little pay) as a cashier and that will be something different than the nursing profession!
I am not sending Holiday cards this year so I am wishing you all a happy season and a Great NEW YEAR!

Almost Thanksgiving

I can't believe that it is almost Thanksgiving and last time I wrote was June!
I spent most of the summer at home and had more work done on the house (replaced the A/C duct system). Then, after I recovered from a bad fall (incurred physical injury as well as a concussion), I took a short trip to Georgia (visited my friend Sue) and Tennessee (saw the sights in the Chattanooga area) with my three 'old' ladies in tow. They did very well, I got sick and came home a little sooner than I had planned.
I seem to be OK now and life goes on. I am enjoying 'autumn' (finally) in Florida and being able to wear sweaters/sweatshirts. Hopefully this weather will last a couple of months.

Nine months of time

Seems I've been away from this blog for about nine months, and , no, I did not have a baby in this time frame. I have been busy with 'things' and 'stuff' and the time just flies by when you don't even notice it.
I have taken only one small trip and that was for my convention which was only in Orlando so a short drive away but a great week with my friends and professional colleagues.
Upon my return, however, I found a very sick Goldie (my youngest cat) and in four weeks time, I was forced to send him to the Rainbow Bridge. And, then, on top of that, Whiskers (next youngest) also had to go join him within six days. It was not a happy time and I am still recovering as are the remaining three 'old' ladies.
It is interesting that it took at least 5-6 weeks for the three girls to find new habits (new sleeping places, eating habits) and I know that is the result of suddenly not having the other two 'kids' in the house.
I am busy with some work at the hospital, zoo volunteering, being Treasurer of my Homeowner's Association and now I am also the President Elect for my professional organization's local chapter. I guess my committments mean I won't be taking long trips for a couple of years.
We got a new roof this year so hopefully there will be no hurricanes to blow it away. I think those are the 'highlights' of the last nine months and I will try to write more often.