Ending August on a GOOD note!

Here are just some random things we have done in the past couple of weeks. Had our friends the Smiths and the Foulds over for a BBQ. The Smiths brought their darling grandson, Austin with them. He was sooo good and such a cutey! Here we got a visit from our neighbor's kitty....she is sooo friendly...we call her "Anybody's"

Chuck and Anybody's

A sweet kitty.....

And our own sweeter kitty Cali.....an inside cat only....

We bought a new to us car....a 2008 PT cruiser.....very cute and zippy which gets excellent mileage! We love it!!

This past Saturday some of us went to a nearby winery for an evening of music and wine, food and fun. We had a great antipasto plate and wonderful wine. Wenwood Farm Winery. Check out their website....

The evening was beautiful....the scenery too....in a gorgeous valley....

The musicians were in the pavilion. They have different ones every Saturday. This group played jazz and bluesy things...and some rock.

We stayed until dark and then we were getting chilly. Getting chilly the 29th of August in Missouri!! Amazing!!! The weather has been so nice and cool this summer. We are sooo lucky!!

Now on to September and more fun and adventures!! Including going back to Michigan for a visit!

The saga of my job....

As some of you know, I have kind of been looking for a job here in the Owensville area. I put my resume in at several area hospitals and clinics and never got a response. Was thinking it may be that they don't want or need part timer's, or they look at my resume and see the 10+ years I was out of nursing, or just don't want to take a chance on someone my age at all!! But I did get a response to a blind ad here in the local Gasconade county paper for an RN for a 40 bed skilled nursing facility. I went and interviewed at Gerald Nursing and Rehab....a small skilled nursing facility in a town about 15 minutes from here. I liked the director of nursing (DON) and the administrator very much but was unsure about working in that setting....have never worked in a nursing home and have not done inpatient nursing for 25 years or so. My most recent job which I LOVED was in a busy multi MD office and before that in home heath....mostly intake and marketing in recent years. No direct patient care for about 25 years!! They were interested in me and assured me that no high tech care was given there as they are about 45 minutes from the nearest hospital, so rarely if ever took patients needing IV's or tube feedings or high tech wound care etc. I have not done anything high tech much EVER and am not interested in learning stuff like that at this stage in my life.

After I interviewed I still had second thoughts about the job so asked if I could follow a nurse around for half a day or so to see what it was like working there. I really liked the way they all treated the patients and the care that was given seemed very good. The pay was great for me and it was close, so I gave it a try! I was going to work 2-3 days per week. I only had two days of orientation...which really was not enough. But the DON said I could call her if I had any questions or problems. I opted to work evenings...that is where they really needed the help and I liked the hours of 2:30 to 11 better then 6:30AM to 3. Sleeping well is an issue for me!!!

So in the days of orientation, I leaned about where things were, how to chart and what needed to be charted on and watched the evening nurse and the day med tech pass meds. I never realized how hard it would be for me to pass meds (which is mainly what you do on evenings) or how slow I would be at it! My first evening alone I really felt just dropped in there....though the Director of Nursing did stay until about 7 and when she saw I was drowning offered to help me....but mainly she was doing her own thing. I started passing the 4-5 o'clock meds at about 3:15 and never got done until 7. Then I had to start on the 8's which took me until 10. I was on my feet that whole time. Finally sat down at 10 to do some quick hurried perfunctory charting. I have sciatica and it was really aggravated by being on my feet for almost 8 hours and for bending over the med cart and over patients in bed and in wheelchairs trying to get meds into them! And I was soooo slow..... I thought....what if something else happened that night...like a patient having an emergency, or a doc coming and me needing to round with him and then taking off orders, or a death, or even a fall...which requires extra charting and maybe getting an order for an xray....what would I have done? How could I possibly handle that? I know that in time I would have been faster with the meds but the key there was "in time"....and during that time I would have been frustrated and worried every night! The meds are all on cards that need to be popped out, the narcs are all locked up...well everything is locked up and I carried around about 30 keys, so everything I did I had to find the right key to get into where I needed to be. And 90% of the pills have to then be crushed, put in to applesauce and then given to uncooperative patients who do everything from spitting them back at you, to making you pry open their mouths, to biting the plastic spoons with the crushed meds and applesauce, to using their one good hand which is amazingly strong to fight you. Even the eye gtts...they screw their eyes closed so hard you cannot get the gtts in. It was sooo hard! I hate to admit when I cannot do something....I hate to quit, so at first I thought I would work the 4 day weekend they had me scheduled for and then decide what to do...but as the day went on and I thought about it more....and worried about my back.....I just thought...I just cannot do this. Mike and my friends who I communicated with that next day were especially supportive and ultimately I did call the DON and quit. I was crying and she was really, really nice. Offered me another day of orientation and said she thought I had been doing a good job and the evenings were the hardest shift but that it was my decision to do what what best for me...but that she was thankful that I gave them as much notice as I did. The people who work there really are very nice and everyone did try to help me...but it just has been too many years since I have worked inpatient and I am just not up to going through the learning period for a job I am not sure I would ever really like!

That was the key really.....I am lucky enough that I don't absolutely HAVE to work right now so I really only want a job that I love at least some of the time!! I admire so much the people who can work there....but I don't think I have the guts or the skills to do it!! My old workplace, VNA of Greater St. Louis is going to hire me to do flu clinics for them in the coming months and then I may do hospice visits occasionally for them too. I will have to travel more....but the pay is more then at the nursing home and can totally just work when I want to. So that is what I think I may do next.

I never have quit a job after just a couple of days on it...but since I have, have heard that many people I know have done that. I know I did the right thing....but still feel like a bit of a failure!! Just wanted those of you who don't know this already to know...since people have been emailing me with good wishes about my new job!!

A Day in St. Louis with two of my BFF'S

Myself and two of my bestest friends (and we three just have the MOST in common and have soooo much fun together) headed in to St. Louis today for some time of acting like tourists in our own home town. We think this may be the first of many times we do this cause it was such fun!! We had a bit of business to take care of first....then we headed to a St. Louis landmark, Crown Candy Company for lunch! Looking forward to eating a totally fattening and unhealthy lunch!! Which we did...and with gusto!

Click on any pic to make it bigger....the menu of wonderful home made ice cream stuff.....

Some of the homemade candy.....

Part of our lunch....a sundae with both caramel and hot fudge sauce and toasted candied pecans! And yes...we had a chocolate malt too!! And a sandwich.....but we did split everything! But I am STILL full!!

We then drove around neighborhoods of north St. Louis which I had never been in ....southside girl that I am! Saw some great old churches and other great architecture......

We then headed east to downtown. We had no idea where the new Culinaria grocery store which just opened up down there was....but we found it!! Went in and sampled some stuff....and bought some stuff and just soaked it in. All of us are fascinated by city living and think, if we had tons of money, would get a loft downtown! But since we don't have it (Barb...you didn't actually win the lottery...did you?) we may just go and stay in a downtown hotel for a night to experience what it is like!

Then we headed to the new City Garden...an area of sculpture, fountains, trees and plants which just opened up down there. We thought we saw it all but as we were driving away...saw that we missed about a third of it!! So need to go back.

We stopped for a drink at a sidewalk cafe and decided we need to go back and eat there sometime! It was a gorgeous day!! So fun and relaxing...so different then what we usually do. We really, really enjoyed being tourists for a day in St. Louis...and will do it again soon!

WoToOwWe

Some of my bestest and oldest friends gathered at our house for a fun couple of days last weekend! We call it WoToOwWe....Women to Owensville Weekend. We used to do these gatherings in Michigan and now can see each other more often for lots of events...so were celebrating that fact with a gathering here. Fun, reminiscing, laughter, sharing, talking....a GREAT time!! Thank you all for coming. Missing one member here at lunchtime....here are Mary, Nancy, Sue, Honey and Lynn....

Displaying SOME of our great buys we got right here in downtown Owensville. We stimulated the Owensville economy!

Lynn and her new necklace...gorgeous!

Nancy and her new bracelet during our Happy Hour.....

Linda has joined us.....she missed the shopping.....now talking with Mary....

We had a nice dinner, some wine, lots of laughs...they spent the night and the next day we visited some more on the front porch before they all had to take off. Honey gave us all lovely hankies which we found different ways of wearing. A really fun time. Thanks to you all for coming out here....I LOVED it!! I treasure your friendships!

Mike's Family Reunion

Mike went up to Northern Illinois for his family reunion a couple of weeks ago. I could not go unfortunately. They had a wonderful time...all the cousins and Aunt Ruth. Here they are gathered at White Pines State Park after the wonderful Sunday brunch for pictures. Ella is fascinated by the camera....so cute! Here is Wayne, Aunt Ruth, Mike and Kim.
I believe that this is in the place Aunt Ruth rented for everyone to stay in ...a big house near the park. Here is Laura, Aunt Ruth, Pat, Mike and Ella.

Aunt Ruth and Brian and his friend Luann

Kim and Sue and Aunt Ruth....thanks for letting me post your great pics, Kim!!

The group at breakfast and Ella being Ella!

A full group picture.....

From top left... Pat, Laura, Robb, Brian, Luann. Bottom... Kim, Wayne, Aunt Ruth, Mike, Ella, Sue and Joanne.

A great time was had by all!!

Fair weekend in Owensville

We just had the Gasconade County Fair here in Owensville....a big deal for this little town! We bought passes and had some friends come with us the first day....and the kids and grandkids the 2nd day. Our friend Charlie loved the tractor display.....

We went through all the buildings and saw all the animals which were going to be shown for ribbons...this little girl had a cute goat.....

There were hogs, bulls, cows, goats, sheep.....

Cattle being led to the show ring....

A girl combing her cow's tail......

In the buildings were displays of fruits and veggies which had already been judged.

There were cakes, cookies, muffins, canned things.....

In other buildings were quilts, flowers, plants and flower arrangements and 4 H things made and raised by the kids. Very interesting!!

Then in downtown Owensville was the parade. The theme was "Our American Heroes" and saluted service men and women and fire fighters and police. Chairs were put out early in the AM along the side of the streets the parade was scheduled to go on. This is the way it has always been done and those chairs are never touched or moved all day. Here are ours....but we lent them to some other folks and we watched the parade just across the street.... from the window seat of the Mexican restaurant while sipping Margarita's and eating chips! Fun!!

People all up and down 1st street waiting for the parade to start.....

Some of the floats and vehicles....it lasted a whole hour!!

That was a full and fun day! The next day Mike's daughters and two grandkids came. They were mostly interested in the rides!! We were so lucky...great weather...warm but by Missouri standards, not hot at all! Our summer this year has been like a typical Michigan summer. Here is Ella (on the right) LOVING the big slide!

Tammy and Luke waiting for a ride to start......

Ella is on this roller coaster thing.....

Tammy and Luke....he WAS having fun...he is just being 12!

Ella waiting for the small Ferris wheel to start.

Mike trying not to puke on this twisty, up and down whirly thing. Honestly.....his tummy did not like it! And this was his last ride! Not the kids though....they stayed hours longer!

Ella trying to eat her ice cream bar before it melts!

Laura and Ella. Ella got a new, cute hat from one of the vendor stalls......

And went for a pony ride!

They had an elephant show and rides too.

We had a great time! Came back here for Chinese carry out and ate it while we watched the Cards beat the Astros!! The next day they went antiquing and I stayed here and played with Ella! We had such fun!! Thanks for coming out girls!!