Hellooooooo down there

So, the first posting from instant winter and while I sip my Ghiradelli hot chocolate…let me fill you in. 

I'm getting the commute down to a science after just having passed my third year mark with this northern gig. Action packers and bags in the car, perishables in the fridge. Up at 2 am (who needs more than 20 minutes sleep anyway?) perishables into the bag, bag into the trunk and off without waking the snoring shore captain as he was waking at 5 am anyway. Quick run to my classmate's place - did not encounter one vehicle going my direction and only met a few trucks in the two and a half hour drive. Quick stop at Tim Horton's and then meeting the cab. Transfer of huge amounts of luggage, quick run to the airport and check in. Excess baggage on its way so only the knapsack and shopping bag full of winter gear for the end of day two. Onto the flight. Short awake period where I watched the end of the movie I couldn't finish returning from San Francisco (yes it was that good) The Judge - with Robert Duvall and Robert Downey Jr, highly recommend it. Then it was eyelids down. Into Edmonton and met by the electrician daughter - which is a wonderful treat - no shuttle for me. Over to store the luggage at the hotel, have breakfast at Cora's, shop for some beverages and then back to checkin. I managed to finish the photo book I was struggling with in the backwoods of rural NS wi-fi and we caught up and enjoyed a few beverages. Down to have supper in the restaurant and an early night. Up and over to the airport - spoiled to have the daughter drag me and my stuff - best part of the commute! Nexus, yet again proved itself useful and boarding the flight. Slept through breakfast apparently on the way to Yellowknife, snowing and slushy there - in to the terminal, the leg to Norman Wells was nice as I chatted with an educational psychologist heading up to teach teachers about Suicide Education - greatly needed in the north. Didn't bother to deplane in Norman Wells, more snow and colder and then on to Inuvik. Cold, windy, snow. Into the terminal, retrieved the mounds of luggage and over to Aklak Air. $686 later and after prioritizing 30 kg - which turned out to be the duffle bag with perishables and my knapsack, yes I have my winter gear (this required showing the clerk my boots, snow pants, jacket, hat and mitts)  - I'm checked in. Time for a snack in the cafeteria (quesadilla and fries - neither of which were memorable) plus a juice box for $18.75. That'll teach me to miss my breakfast won't it? Had the company of a nurse who had recently been in this community and was heading in to a neighbouring one - the north is a small place people wise. On with the winter gear, out to the plane to join an elder, two teenagers, a toddler, and another nurse, some of them going on to Uluhuktuk. Up through the low clouds and an uneventful flight in. Transferred by the COOP truck "how long are you here for anyway?" the young fellow asked. Till New Years was my reply. Into the health centre and my waiting job share partner. SO good to spend the weekend with her as we are usually two ships passing in the night. Unpacked my food and 'stuff' and turned in early. Ahhh, good to be home. 

Friday was spent getting me up to speed on any changes since May and readying me for my solo week as my partner heads to Uluhuktuk. The pace is slow which gives you a chance to re-remember things and so we passed a pleasant day. I was on call Friday and Sunday which simply means I carried the cell phone (which doesn't ring) so on Saturday I asked my buddy to call the cell so I'd know what the ring sounded like. Not bragging, but a nice problem to have. Good to have the cell so we can we can be mobile and accessible. I was trying to convince my partner to go the dump with me as apparently there are a lot of them

Early morning arctic fox

Back for a later visit 

there - she declined, so I've  hit up one of the RCMP to take me on the tour. One of the little fellows came to visit under the window before sunrise and again later on. Cute. Walked down to visit one of the RCMP wives and catch up on the local news. They will be heading over to Baffin for a posting and I'll miss their company. Spent some time getting our apartment cozy as I'd brought along mats, some artwork and decor. Feels like our own place now. Made the promised cranberry scones for my job share partner and she packed them for her stay in Ulu, After some tech glitches the life partner and I were able to have a FaceTime chat as we usually do on Sundays. He later reported to the oldest daughter that he'd been 'facing your mother' as if he ever really faces me eh?

Monday was to be a fly day for my partner but….it consisted of her dragging her stuff in the COOP truck to the airport, listening to the plane fly over and back to Inuvik and being deposited back where she came from. Not a problem. We had a quick supper of grilled cheese sandwiches and binged watched a six part series which a friend had downloaded called ANZAC Girls about Australian/New Zealand nursing sisters in WWI. It was so well done that we sobbed our way through it, crying until we had headaches and swollen eyes. 

Tuesday was a tele health session for a toddler who was having a post op consultation with the surgeon. I had to zoom the camera in on his scar and the parents chatted a bit. An active little guy, he quickly turned and mooned the camera and so I decided to dress him. Mostly routine administrative tasks, I opted to check the crash cart and the vaccines and catch up on my 286 emails as they don't stop in my absence. 

I am alone until Monday and adjusting to my solitary situation. It reminds me of the day in the 70s that I had the shore captain (then RCMP who I was visiting up the coast) drop me off for a visit with the nurse in Cartwright. She was all by her herself, managing a quiet little community with basic equipment and I thought to myself "someday I'm going to do that" and here I am.Today's excitement was that a polar bear was sighted on the beach. When I asked if it was male or female I was told that the mama bears were too smart to come into the community but the younger males although large in size, didn't have good judgement. Not making a sexist statement here, will just leave you to make of it what you will. Fetched my

Sunrise at 10:35 am

Sun dogs

binoculars after the 
cleaning lady pointed out where he'd been but….they move fast. A good reason to not be out walking. The dogs have been really worked up tonight and lots of trucks on the go trying to figure out where the bear went. Apparently the last one stood on it's hind legs and looked in the window of the community centre. hmmm. Today was windy and cold (-30c) with blowing snow but there were a couple of lovely sunrises and even sun dogs a couple of days this week - beautiful. 

Tonight I opened an email from Operation Smile to find that despite my extensive experience and qualifications, I am not a paediatric nurse so my credentials won't be examined. If it was a deal breaker, too bad that wasn't made clearer before I invested time and money renewing my PALS certification. Oh well, the search for volunteer work continues. 

Now, to finish the baby afghan I'm working the border on. So many patterns, only so many days in this rotation. 

Off to Polar Bear Land

A bit of delay with the blog update as life has gotten in the way….I spent the weekend procrastinating from packing for work, imprinting in my mind the look of the beautiful autumn day with the harbour sparkling and the leaves in their splendour. This because I checked the weather forecast for Sachs Harbour and found -19c overnight, snowing with 2 cm accumulation. Winter is not eased into as per the season but confronted when commuting. 

To pick up the blog update from where I left you last month….I did teach the final first aid course, in a rather distracted manner as the dog (who had made an almost complete recovery) suffered another medical event and passed away peacefully. She had a great quality of life and was 108 after all….She was a loyal friend for over 15 years and we are adjusting to being a dog less household. Glad to have been home since May to do daily walks and spoil her. 

Needless to say, all the emotional upheaval did not add to my powers of concentration and although I managed the PALS course just fine in the practical exercises, the exam was a tight squeeze. After finally being told I'd passed, there was a note that the current BLS (CPR) which had been required was to be Heart & Stroke (not Red Cross as mine is). This is of course, ludicrous as all BLS (regardless of agency) is based on JAMA regulations. I spent some time attempting to find a provider who would grant me such certification, wrote a strongly worded message to Heart&Stroke reminding them that all BLS was the same and received a message that there is no reciprocity. This AFTER I had been issued my PALS certification online. Trust me it was (quickly) submitted to Operation Smile to review my credentials. Bureaucracy at its most crippling must be worked around. 

The travel partner joined me early Sunday morning at the daughter and son-in-laws where I was keeping the cats company as they attended a family wedding and we headed to the airport. Our fly day was straight forward as we learned how to travel with our Nexus card and that sucker is the bees knees! Puts you at the head of any security or customs line, which over the course of trip saved hours of waiting. Not to mention being able to keep shoes on, liquids and laptops in the carryon when being screened. Definitely a good investment and we became more efficient as we went. We had a straightforward run from Halifax to Calgary to San Fran, located our airport shuttle making our way through the hills and painted ladies and were deposited at our hotel in Fishermen's Wharf. After the early leave, four hour time change and full day of travel the free wine in the lobby at 'wine o'clock' hit us hard, so we had an early supper and crashed. 

We spent the first few days exploring the city, took the hop on and off bus tour - wow was it cold and windy going across the Golden Gate bridge, enjoyed the Maritime Museum and various ships, were amused with the coin operated machine museum (apparently vintage is

Golden Gate Bridge

40+ years so we're vintage) and of course had to see the fishing boats, watched a ball game in AT&T Park - very tame compared to Fenway - had a little nap in the middle. We discovered that sea lions are smelly and noisy, the tourist food was kinda crappy, Uber is an excellent way to make your way around urban areas and the homeless population in San Francisco is completely out of control. What a city of inequalities. When the info binder in the hotel room has guidelines for not interacting with this group….you know there are issues. Housing is completely unaffordable at $3500/month for a small studio apartment and a room in a crack hotel is $1800. All ages, lots of women, some children, sleeping on the sidewalks, wandering….Disturbing enough that I wouldn't make plans to spend more than an overnight in the city in the future. 

We had rented a car for for wine country and so Ubered our way to the rental office. I am sure that every time we climbed into a Uber ride, we raised the average passenger age by about 20 years as it's mostly millenials using that service. Middle of the day and GPS assistance made a relatively painless exit from the city. Over to Sausalito, which was smaller and more touristy than expected and out to the freeway. A detour over to the Pacific Coast Highway, 

Pacific Coast Highway

Napa Wine Train

through very winding, hilly roads, enormous redwoods, wineries and then the ocean. Spectacular. Stopped at a little winery along the way and made it to Windsor, Sonoma without incident. Headed out for a delicious asian supper and an early night. Wine country is beautiful and over the course of the week we visited various wineries and did tastings, took the Napa wine train, enjoyed a walking wine/food pairing in Healdsburg and checked out the little towns of Calistoga, St. Helena etc. There has been a drought for decades in California and the past five years have been particularly bad, everything is brown and the reservoir was really indicative of the extent of the dryness. We witnessed the destruction of the recent wildfires with
melted plastic fences in flat strips on the roadside as the crews were reinstalling power poles, FEMA and American Red Cross tents still in place. Sad. Enjoyed Yountville which is a beautiful wine town, wine and food pairing at Cornerstone Cellars had a great supper at Ciccone. Napa is a good sized town with all sorts of amenities - OxBow Public Market, Gotts Roadside for burgers - you name it, we sampled it. 

The return to San Francisco was a nail biter as we negotiated the freeway, bridge and city traffic with the chauffeur not listening to either the GPS or the navigator. One of those "I'm not going to repeat experiences". I was very pleased to grab my suitcase from the trunk and sashay down the street to the Hotel Whitcomb - one of those grand railroad hotels. We spent the afternoon shopping in the upscale downtown shops and after a bit of digging I managed to find a 'travel' shirt for my work commute. We spent a day in Chinatown, shopping in the

Chinatown

quirky little stores and checking out the disturbing food displays, in retrospect it might have been a better idea to eat BEFORE seeing the snouts, black or flattened ducks etc. We also had wonderful meals of Italian, Greek and seafood and a charcuterie board with wine tasting at a trendy hotel - we Ubered back to the hotel, ahhh we are so trendy for old folks! The fortnight flew by and before we knew it we were on a flight to Calgary and a layover to visit the electrician daughter. The Peruvian restaurant we'd chosen wasn't available so we opted for some great steaks and a catch up. The travel partner was being a worry wart about the time (think he was having a flashback to missing his flight the last time he and the daughter had a layover meal) and we were back to the airport in lots of time. Good thing, as mister realized he'd left his iPad on the plane so spent over half an hour at the counter and then making his way to the lost and found. Fortunately he retrieved it. An uneventful red eye flight then a stop at the daughters to have some breakfast and home. 

This past week has been one of ticking off the to-do list as I usually do in the run up to return to work. Pull out the action packers and duffle bags and sort through the collected items packing clothes and such, retrieve shopping list and provision with vittles for two months, pick up any last minute items. And today's list also included getting my annual fasting bloodwork done, voting and connecting with the prodigal son - had to leave him with a birthday card for next week when he reaches the big 2-8 mark! How did that happen? Managed to squeeze in a visit with a buddy who is wrangling with the bureaucracy of a course she is attempting to complete. Fingers crossed she gets to write her exam next month - of course she will ace it - I left her a graduation present as I'm confident of the outcome. Nice chat with the teacher daughter who sat in traffic x 2 hours this morning (bridge reno was delayed) and was half an hour late for class - the principal had to teach her first lesson (I'm thinking 30 minutes with some grade primaries is more fun than fielding hateful parental calls any day). Tired of fighting with the internet provider, photo book company and anyone else who is providing crappy service with an attitude today. 

Tired of waiting for the final election results, just glad we have a local female MP, and hitting publish without review for typos - deal with it. Time to hit the hay for the last night in my 'own' bed until New Years Eve. Next posting….from polar bear land. Charging the camera batteries as they apparently come ashore before the sea ice freezes solid leading to problems as well as photo ops.  

Old dogs and travel plans

It may be September but the summer which was so late in starting, has extended itself and we are enjoying Boston temperatures. This past week there has been cooling a bit at night time which makes for more comfortable sleeping, as long as you remember to put the extra blanket on the bed if the window is open. We did get a bit of rain the other weekend which was surely needed - the tame ducks down the road were starting to look worried as their pond shrank to a puddle. They were happily splashing, quacking and diving when the dog and I checked on them during one of our early morning walks. 

The pleasant weather has been a good opportunity for the shore captain and his employees to do repairs on the 'new' barn (actually 25 yrs old) which have included replacing rotted windows and the walls surrounding them, replacing the roof with a metal one and new vinyl siding. The trim is now being painted by the senior maintenance man and those without carpentry skills have been picking up debris (some of it decades old) surrounding the building. I undertook to excavate the 'old' barn (100 yrs old or so) and can now truthfully add archeologist to my resume. I started sorting out things the kids have left in storage and looking for furniture for the Sudanese refugee family being sponsored locally, then realized the scale of the undertaking. Local fishermen have used it for storage of nets and gear, there were broken windows and explosions of fiberglas insulation from nesting critters, not to mention the various types of paints and products which will require another day to tackle disposal. With the loaning of a couple of employees and two trips east and one west to various storage sheds plus two trips (ton truck flatbed FULL of garbage) and a large pile of metal for the local collector, the place is at least manageable. I think the workers were glad to be handed back to their usual boss, he's not as demanding. 

I've made my way through the PALS course manual and have made a couple of stabs at memorizing some of the medication doses etc. I am remembering most of the material, as it's not the first run through but the 84% passmark looms in the materials they send….not enough to distract me from other tasks. The house is never cleaner than when I should be studying - today I even polished the copper range hood! I was delighted to find that I don't have to be in the city until 6 pm for the first  day - had thought it was a full Friday. 

I taught a marine first aid course in the local fire hall last week, another fire hall Monday and will finish the plant employees course tomorrow. Made them all commit to the two week period so that I could borrow the mannequins keep them. Back into the swing after recertifying and with the required number of courses, have the monkey off my back for another two years. The boy captain joined his home community vs workplace so that evened out the numbers in the first group. He's always a good participant as he's experienced or witnessed most of the calamities in the scenarios and is proficient in emergency scene management. He's had a couple of good fishing trips this month and I suggested I'd call him Capt. Halibut. This alarmed him as there is the corporate espionage issue. A long-awaited pleasure to see him functioning in the grownup world. 

Have had some online chats with the job share partner and discovered that we will 'overlap' the first of the next rotation and the holidays so will be able to catch up - woohoo! I usually just get to see her at the airport on the way in and out. My schedule is being changed forward a bit so I'll stay in through Christmas and fly home before New Years. Not such a big deal for someone with fledglings who have left the nest (hers haven't) and…we'll be heading out on vacation January 13th, so that'll be our holidays. 

Did a quick Frenchy's run and found a nice scrub top, pair of uniform pants and a bedskirt (which was my main quest) as I have (finally) put together my 'nursing museum' in the spare bedroom. Got the shore captain to hang the cabinet on the wall which holds my medicine bottle collection, and decorated the room with my vintage nursing paraphernalia. Of course no linens on the bed until guests appear as the animals take over - had to put a sheet in the doll crib as Stanley assumes it's his bed now. Pleased with myself over the 'new' room. 

This weekend has been rather unsettled as our senior dog (almost 16 yrs old) has been ill. Now I realize if you're not an 'animal person' you won't understand the effect of this development but…she must've had some sort of a spell in the night and Saturday morning was unsteady, wouldn't eat or drink and looked poor. Sunday wasn't much better and I considered the after hours vet on call but that was over an hour away and vehicles are distressing to the old girl. I phoned Monday as we had finally come to the difficult decision that we didn't want her to suffer - she didn't appear in pain but her quality of life was sure compromised. On Tuesday she had improved a bit, insisted on (slowly) going for a walk to see the ducks, ate a bite of cheese etc. The vet examined her and decided that 'today is not the day' so we reviewed her file (she's had two previous 'spells' like this albeit less severe) and she was given prednisone with improvement. By last evening, she perked up, ate tuna, cat food, kitty treats and drank lots of water, slept the night and was more like herself. Today was even better and she's been enjoying all manner of treats (the suggestion was made that she was playing me for things she's usually not allowed). I will call the vet with a progress report tomorrow and assume she'll make a (slow) recovery. 

All this extra nursing care, ethical decisions and worry have taken a toll on my studying for the PALS course as it's difficult to concentrate. I have had a couple of appointments - the spa as we're heading out on vacation this weekend just after the course, and today to the physio / rhuematologist to have my upper back injected. It is really helping, I only have to wear the posture support for leaning forward types of activities and at work, but prolotherapy is not a fun day of course. I stopped to pick up all sorts of doggie appetite enticements on the way back and discovered the dog loved those Cesear packages - the cats had to be banished to another room as there were beasts when it was opened. 

Off to organize my first aid supplies - as if I have time to be teaching tomorrow! To the city for the course Friday and Saturday then joined by the travel partner for the Sunday morning flight to Calgary, then San Fransisco. Going to have two weeks of San Fran, Sonoma, Napa, then back to San Fransisco. Might drink some wine……..

PALS - Not My Friend

The previous post was number 700 - but who's counting? Google apparently! Although the frequency of the postings varies (usually longer spaces than shorter) I often think as I crawl into bed at night that 'I should've updated the blog' and another day slips by. It's not as if I have gotten my act together lately with any other kind of writing though. Talking about writing is as far as I've gotten this summer. Visited with the friend who accompanied me to the writing retreat and we had a good catch up while sitting on the deck of her family cottage near a lake. I also lunched with a local writer, one of the founding members of the writing group I sporadically attend about an hour away. We discussed my northern travels and her work and I met her new puppy, a Great Pyrenees - he already weighs as much as our fully grown old dog here and is only 11 weeks old - apparently 130 lb will be his adult weight. Although I'm not proud of it, the main reason I began the post is due to procrastination from studying for my PALS (paediatric advanced life support) course which I'm doing next month. I need current certification to apply for Operation Smile, as is my plan. I did manage to stick all the tabs on the sections of my manual and alarm myself by how much I'd forgotten in three years….

We have been busy with some social activities as we travelled to the city to take our (former) neighbour and her two small sons + her mother to the airport to travel back to the prairies. She (and a few other teenagers) were the reason I was able to work shift work while the life partner fished, back in the day. Her little guys are such good kids! My appointment for the Nexus interview was the same time so we were able to combine the travel. I convinced the shore captain to bring his paperwork and come with me to my appointment as his was scheduled for a few weeks hence. We applied online at the same time and I received conditional approval in a timely manner but it was at least six weeks before he did. I joked that he was a criminal. I received approval without incident (can't wait to keep my shoes on, not remove my laptop and go to the front of the security line) and waited while mister was interviewed at length. It appears that about five or six years ago he had a customs 'violation' . Apparently he had one under measure lobster in a shipment  he exported which was audited at the border and paid the $50 fine. Considering he's exported over seven million pounds of crustaceans in the past six years it is not a bad statistic. He did ultimately receive his Nexus card and saved himself a second trip down. We visited with the newlyweds and discovered Aceburgers which are gourmet burgers in the city. Great pub food. 

Hosted a birthday BBQ for my baby sister and family / friends turned  out to celebrate. Had a great spread and a visit - thoroughly enjoy watching those four great nieces and nephew in action as it makes us wonder how we ever did it when our own were the same age… Always good to get together and eat burgers and ice cream cake, so someone has to have a birthday! Joined my buddy at senior swim in the municipal pool - was a balmy 82 F at 9 am and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Caught up on the news and decided to continue our chat while visiting the U-Pick wildblueberry patch. Managed to pick about four pounds of lovely fat berries in two hours and I ordered a 5 lb. box to be picked. Made a great blueberry buckle with the fresh berries which I served to guests (friends from the cruise) who came to stay overnight. We had a double date for the movies on a rainy Sunday and took in the latest version of Mission Impossible which was rather good. Any movie which can keep the interest of both genders for 2 hrs and 15 min. must be doing something right. 

We had a week long 'get away' to the USA, and although it is not the best time for exchanging Canadian to American dollars the shore captain always does the purchasing as I snarl about the 35 cent difference and he just smiles thinking of the profit from seafood exports he sends stateside. We drove an hour to the ferry and took the Nova Star from Yarmouth to Portland, Maine which was painless. There has been a lot of whining (mostly from those who have never taken the ferry) of our NS tax dollars subsidizing the service but at least it is a quality product - unlike the rural broadband program which is a farce - however I digress). The ship was immaculate, the staff very polite and professional, buffet lunch was delicious although a bit pricey, the gift shop carried quality NS and Maine products, musicians were good and we thoroughly enjoyed the wine tasting (sommelier featured NS wines) and the three hour nap which followed. Beautiful cruise into Portland and we were serenaded by the Beach Boys concert taking place on the dock when we arrived. Hotel across the street and a great supper. 

Caught the Amtak Downeaster the next day to Boston's north station, the T connection for the commuter train out to the hotel. Our only 'misstep' was getting off one stop too early as per the hotel directions,  but when I phoned a cab they suggested we just get back on the next commuter train to our destination as the Residence Inn Marriott was very close to the station. There was a bit of 'negotiation' with the travel partner as when we arrived at the final stop the conductor instructed left then right. A passenger suggested the hotel was across the freeway and I noticed a path on the left up the side of the bank to the highway. Sounds pretty simple eh? Well…..there was arguing, snarling and downright refusal from my partner to walk on the side of the road due to safety concerns, even stating it was illegal! I made an executive decision (the reservation was in my name) took the path, then the fews steps up the side of the highway to the crosswalk (he eventually followed) where the name on the hotel became visible across the road. There wasn't even a foreign language involved!!! The hotel was lovely with great staff, so a shower, cab to town for a wonderful American Italian supper and back and all was right with the travel world again. 

Saturday we arranged for transport to the Xfinity Center then enjoyed the inclusive breakfast and chatted with Parrotheads readying themselves for the day (a guy from Maryland was attending his 85th Jimmy Buffett concert having driven from Pittsburg's Thursday concert). We had a great cab driver, Joe who was a concert groupie as well so a wonderful chat to the venue. Now…..as I explain how the day unfolded, please remember the fantastic time I had last summer with my female buddy at our first tailgate, and be aware that at almost 59 years of age I have made many mistakes which I will not repeat (I make new ones) By 45 minutes into the tailgate I had already texted my girlfriend and said "you are on the list for parrot head duty after this, he is crossed off the invite". Taking the shore captain to a Parrothead tailgate is on the DO NOT REPEAT list for a number of reasons as listed below and remarkably he is still alive, only because I didn't think I'd make bail in a foreign country:

1. he attended for the concert (Huey Lewis & The News) at 7 pm - not the day

2. we arrived at 11 am, he decided we were there 'too early, no one is walking around' and stated disappointedly "this is what you do?"

3. he had zero interest in visiting,  strode at least 20 feet ahead of me past the booths and returned to wait impatiently for me

4. he resisted all offers of food and drink (the exception one Land Shark beer which I insisted on) questioned if food was 'spiked'?

5. stated "this is all for people's own personal use" when I suggested a treat being offered 

6. he whined about the heat,  sighed frequently and wore a face as if doing funeral home visitation

7. walked away from karaoke, any music or conversations, refused to participate in any contests or games

8. pointed out "we've seen all this before" when I attempted to circulate and said "let's go" frequently

9. asked repeatedly what time it was and commented there was no food to buy (of course not - it's all being given away) 

10. complained about the concert seats (better than last years) and stated he should've brought binoculars

Inventive Booth

The Captain and Me - Not

Huey Lewis & The News were great and Jimmy Buffett was even better than last year - the crowd agreed. A few claps of thunder and streaks of lightening with only sprinkles as the concert ended early due to predicted weather. As we made our way out of the stadium and through the parking lot, the heavens opened up as if someone was dumping buckets of water over us and we were quickly soaked through to the skin. I phoned the cab driver who was on his way to our meeting spot at the gas bar and he appeared momentarily to rescue us. Great timing and wonderful to have someone local to make their way in such reduced visibility - took some folks hours to make it back to their hotels apparently. The shower and sleep of the exhausted were welcomed. Sunday breakfast the next morning included many parrot heads readying to move on to the next Buffett concert in the circuit. 

JFK Library

We caught the first commuter train of the day into south station in Boston, transferred on the T over to the World Trade Centre and dropped our knapsacks (not allowed at Fenway Park) at the hotel then back to the subway as we were on a tight schedule to meet the daughter ad son in law at the game and were only two stops from the ballpark when mister says "do you have the tickets?" which is a prank he frequently pulls when he has the object in question. Unfortunately in this case, he did not. Momentary panic while we regrouped, up to the street (which was barricaded for the Dominican parade) 

Bo Sox vs Mariners

and over to the Crown Plaza hotel to have the bellman hail us a cab. The cabbie (who was well tipped) drove us back to the hotel and then out to Fenway with time to spare. We had great seats on the third base line and it was Boston in August hot - pretzels, lemonade and ice cream bars helped (the game went to 12 innings so we sure got our moneys worth). The four of us travelled back on the T to the hotel, quick shower and off to supper at Del Friscos. Had a wonderful waiter, great meal and catch up with the kids. They were off early Monday morning for their commute home and we had a more restful day. Off on the subway/shuttle to JFK Museum in Dorchester - highly recommend it - until early afternoon. Enjoyed the hotel pool while we watched others enjoy the gym then a reservation for supper at Salvatores - great Italian restaurant on the waterfront which was as good as the Little Italy version. 

Tuesday saw us with an early start as we caught the shuttle to north station, grabbed a quick Dunkin Donuts breakfast and boarded the DownEaster for the return to Portland. Retrieved the truck and headed out to the coast of Maine touring Boothbay Harbour, Rockport etc. Enjoyed 

Folk Art

this folk art on the street in Camden, here on the right. We stopped outside of Bangor for supper at McLaughlins - a seafood take out - which was great! I had lobster quesadillas which I'll be recreating for sure. There were a really high maintenance senior couple ordering in front of us providing the entertainment "I'm on a diet - I just won't eat, go ahead make my day, I won't eat the fries" etc etc while his wife tortured the poor young waitress (who most surely is studying to be an elementary teacher with her patience) Finally found a room at the Comfort Inn near the I-95 and crashed for the night. Breakfast, on the road and up through Houlton border crossing without incident although the female customs officer was surprised I hadn't bought anything "I was with him" I explained. Although in fairness I'm a Frenchys gal when it comes to retail therapy. We stopped for lunch and a catch up visit with a former coworker now in NB and then on the road for the long commute. Home by 11 pm to find all was well with the house/pet sitter having left for work that day.

August has moved along and shortly we're looking at the end of summer. July was really cold and this past couple of weeks has been extremely warm and muggy. Humidity has been 100% and the floor wet as if a bucket of water was thrown on it. We began yesterday with a thunderstorm, bit of rain, fog and finally the sun broke through. It was so sticky I retrieved the fan (which I used for sleeping during the day while working nights - glad I was spared that at least) and the cats have been sitting in front of it. Must be really hot to have a fur coat you can't remove. The ground is quite dry and the duck pond is low, so we could use some rainfall. I mean if it's going to be sunless, we should at least receive some measurable precipitation. Makes the 8c in Sachs Harbour sound appealing….Today was one degree cooler and it does feel as if it might rain…. There were a number of weddings this weekend - melting I'm sure. As one of my nursing school classmates explained, her daughter went to Walmart for school supplies for the grandkids and she went along for the air conditioning. 

I had such an excursion as I got out of the way of the cleaning lady on Friday morning and scored large at Frenchys. Found capris, leggings, gym pants, six (count em six) pairs of new underwear and a new fleece pullover with the $70 tag on it for the old guy, blanket, book, softball and socks, Chatted with a mother of one of the babies I used to visit nine years ago when I worked Public Health. Ran errands, picked up groceries and was home to a sparkling house - what is not to like?

The shore captain had a busy day with several boats (including the boy Captain making his first halibut trip) to unload as one unexpected came in early due to ice melting - the water was warm and humidity made it worse. Had to hook up the reefer unit to chill the fish until the transport loads in the morning. Tomorrow is expected to be a repeat of the same. Will have to remember this in the winter when we are muttering about the cold. The electrician daughter has extended her stay in Cuba and is likely having comparable to Maritimes temperatures from the sounds. 

Must apply myself to the coursework - good bedtime sedative. 

Retiring? Not Me

As of July 11th, we now have half our children 'married off' and the other two are sorted out in that direction. The weekend went pretty well with beautiful weather and the whole family together in one spot - neither of which happens very often. Sunny outdoor vintage wedding  with even a 1959 Ford Galaxie to pose with, wonderful meal and lots of family to visit and chat with. The only slight bump in the road was….. the father of the bride. When the bride, maid of honour, bridesmaid and mother of the bride headed in to town to have hair and makeup done, he was left at home with strict instructions to arrive by 4:30 pm for photographs. At the appointed hour, I phoned his cell only to be told that he was a few minutes away and traffic was heavy. Oh really? When he stepped out of his vehicle, already late, it became apparent that he was not wearing his black suit, but a very tight brown pinstripe from years ago. "Where is your suit?" prompted the reply "I don't know, you must have not picked it up from the cleaners". That was easily countered with "I went back north after the cruise in September and I asked you last week to check on your suit". Spoiler alert - saying yup and not looking in your closet is not checking on the suit. At one point in the very warm evening, mister's aunt suggested that he remove his jacket and he disclosed that his belt wouldn't fit in the loops, his belly was twisted down over the pants and he might explode. On Monday, he arrived home with his black suit in a dry cleaners bag proudly announcing "look what I found?" Good thing the unretrieved clothes aren't given to homeless people!

The electrician daughter required current first aid/CPR so we arranged an informal course at the house on Monday. This included a fitness instructor/house painter friend of ours, another fitness instructor/esthetician who is almost a part of our family as a longterm buddy of the electrician plus her very cooperative four month old and  our teacher daughter. We shared a quick supper and made our way through the material by the end of the evening. Painless.  

The visit is always too short and so the electrician daughter was too soon off to the airport. We stopped to run some last minute errands, that is…. Walmart and Dollarama for the Cuban friends. A nice supper at the all you can eat sushi spot near the resident daughter and son-in-laws place and I only had to put one napkin full in my purse to escape the 'you didn't eat it all' charge. Home for the traveller to pack (never as much fun as distributing the goodies) and crawl into bed for a short night. Up and out the door before 5 am and the 20 minute run to the airport. A quick goodbye and I was on the highway and home by 8 am. 

Dog days of summer?

The next day as I was heading out to pick up a few groceries, I noticed the motorcycle ahead of me had an interesting
variation. My trusty dash cam showed a small white dog ? spitz in the backpack of the long haired greying driver. At one point the little guy looked over his shoulder as if to say "what are you looking at?" It is not unusual to see a dog sticking it's face out the window or even being transported in the back of a pickup but….a shoulder ride on a motorcycle? Rural living at its best. 

The life partner and I (having agreed to weekly dates when I'm home) took in a movie (matinee so no naps) and enjoyed Trainwreck. There were enough sports bits to keep himself occupied and a real cameo by Lebron James who even I recognized. The next evening four of us 'ladies' took in Magic Mike XXL and as expected enjoyed it thoroughly. The dancing was even better this time than first one. Ahhh.

We gifted the aging couch to the newlyweds and purchased a new one - first from a store in

35 years - and thankfully we have a good sized living room as the trend is to large furniture. I gave the shore captain a choice of two to choose from (no way to mess that up as long as I could live with either one) and he visited the furniture store, ordering it - this because with the chaise piece it is either right or left handed and we required (of course) due to access/egress issues the one they didn't have in stock. When the very pleasant delivery team arrived, they were also bearing a small rocker/recliner - NOT what I asked for! A quick call brought the announcement "they don't make any other kind of chairs now". Oh really? The negotiated agreement has been for him to take the door to the man cave off the hinges and install the chair there next to his. I have ordered a grey chair cover for the remaining 'real' chair in the living room. We did however, follow the maxim that it is important to purchase furniture the colour of your pets. The magic geranium phenomenon (you did read that story in elementary school didn't you? it's the one where the gift of a geranium set on a table makes it look shabby so it must be painted, then chairs etc etc) led to the removal of the yardsale coffee table and installation of antique trunk with a lexan sheet  as a top (if you have to ask what it costs you can't afford it but…perhaps I should have) so the redecorating continues. 

The prodigal son and his girlfriend have purchased their first own place outside of town, so renovations are ongoing. He has proven himself to be an acceptable carpenter, painter, plumber and electrician (much of it from working on boats). He is not known for his finish work though, so his father has been installing the kitchen cabinets. They are getting anxious to move in and the boy to get back out on the water. 

Have been continuing with my online course and enjoying the thought provoking material about sub Saharan Africa. I noted an interesting term was climate disruption instead of climate change and that is much more applicable isn't it? Change denotes a gradual shift and the environmental issues are anything but. The material is mostly video so uses up large amounts of data, which previously had not been of concern to me. Regarding the Eastlink cap I sent emails to the premier brought an auto reply, no response from our MLA and the neighbouring MLA stated that this corporation wasn't listening to anyone, even the premier. This after taking $20 million just five years ago to set up the Rural Broadband network. Of note, there will likely not be photo heavy future blog posts. My summer neighbour invited me over to eat cheesecake - yummy with fresh strawberries on top and we killed a bottle of wine. I was much more agreeable after that. We were invited out for supper and had a wonderful evening of food and conversation and so I got over myself. 

This weekend we are into some stateside trip planning for next month as the concert tickets for August 15th - Huey Lewis & the News are joining Jimmy Buffett so there will be preconcert tailgating + + Tickets for the Nova Star ferry across to Portland, the Amtrack Downeaster to Boston and then retrace the route of last year on the commuter trains to a hotel near the Xfinity Centre. The teacher daughter and son-in-law will be in Boston that weekend (after hiking in the white mountains of New Hampshire) to take in ball games so we will join them at Fenway for Sunday's Boston vs Seattle game. May extend our stay a bit to conduct some seafood business but….with our Canadian dollar at such a disadvantage….not sure on that. The only stipulation I made to the travel partner was to pack one of his Hawaiian shirts for the concert and a Red Sox t-shirt for the game - we will manage the week with a knapsack. To add to the vacation planning mode here is a link to grabbing good travel photos:

nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/perfect-travel-photograph

Invited out for a BBQ tonight, so a pre-entertainment La-z-boy nap is taking place for the shore captain who was up very early to see a boat off on its first fishing trip after a two month refit and then unload a few others. Vacations at work are causing him to be in several places at the same time so he is looking forward to his 'turn'.

Walked the dog before it got too warm (she tolled lots of ducks across their pond and a neighbour advised the guinea hen chicks had hatched - from 26 eggs but I was afraid to ask how many of them) and have read some in the book I've wanted to read for some time - Beauty Tips From Moose Jaw by Will Ferguson and it is an excellent read. Other than that, I can't claim I've been very useful today. Oh well….Am aiming to use up some coupons for for photo books before they expire so must get my act together - maybe tomorrow. 

I have surprised myself by discovering that I am not ready to retire. I had always thought I would retire early (hence the name of this blog) and most certainly would've if I'd been still employed in this province as it was no longer any fun, but this summer has taught me that I would go bonkers if I thought I wasn't ever going to work again. In fact having the summer off for the wedding/family visit and in anticipation of our Cuban friends being approved by the Canadian Embassy to visit us is stretching out ahead of me. They weren't approved and you can ask Stephen Harper why! I have conducted an informal poll and discovered that MANY different visitor visas from a myriad of countries have not been approved for visits. Appears it's easier to move than visit here. 

So for the self improvement project of the day I leave you with this link:

marcandangel.com/2014/03/26/3-questions-that-will-free-your-mind

Hungerlust and more

Yesterday I was on the road and listening, as per usual, to CBC radio when an intriguing piece came on Q. Here is the link:

cbc.ca/radio/q/schedule-for-wednesday-july-8-2015-1.3141455/mystery-package-service-brings-intrigue-to-your-doorstep-1.3142660

I was thinking that the writers, artists and creators had a dream job as the 'curator' was explaining it. He couldn't divulge 'those who he reported to or would be summarily fired' which gave me a flashback to Charlie's Angels. Sounded like a fun gig. 

I met up with my two oldest daughter's in Lunenburg and we had lunch at The Salt Shaker Deli. The food was as good as I remembered while we had a great catch up. It was especially good to see the oldest one (recent red seal electrician I might brag) as she had a bit of an adventure on her way to the airport out west and totalled her vehicle. Very lucky lady, with only minor injuries, although the hassles with 'the stuff' which can all be replaced, will live on when she returns. In the meantime the planning for a vintage wedding is in the works - think Patsy Cline, Elvis,  and doilies, the house has been craft centre central. I spent a recent afternoon adding a six layer crinoline to the tea length bridal gown - haven't lost my seamstress touch. After our lunch, the maid of honour and bridesmaid were running errands for the bride aka baby sister, as she and the future groom moved their furniture into the apartment they've located in the city. She will begin work on neurology at the QEII this month. 

We are into the final days of wedding preparations here as Saturday is the BIG day. The weather forecast is for warm and sunny, which is a good thing for an outdoor wedding. Will have a full house this weekend when the bridal party arrives in the morning, decorating the reception venue tomorrow afternoon, rehearsal and then BBQ tomorrow night. The father of the bride has not been very helpful, choosing to continue his routine as per usual. You know those photos which circulate online entitled "you had ONE job" featuring the handle inside of a cup, or mispainted highway lines? Well, mister is in the running for that honour. We are having a lunch/gift opening here at the house on Sunday afternoon where I have decided to serve chicken and lobster sandwiches as those are the reception meal choices and so should suit. I purchased and roasted the chicken last night and himself was to bring the lobsters today to be cooked and shelled this evening before the cleaning lady is here tomorrow - so guests don't feel as if they're being entertained in a lobster cannery. And….can you guess? He didn't. I do not feel even a teeny bit sorry for him having to cook them on the BBQ and shell them outdoors at some point over the weekend as he brought the entire scenario upon himself. 

The armchair traveller in me enjoys looking at travel websites, even if the destination is not on my bucket list (and there aren't too many places that fit that criteria) there is still something to learn. You've heard of wanderlust? Well, I found an article on hungerlust which is... food tours. Now THAT shows possibilities. Especially in a number of European venues. Mind you, a local writer did an article in Saltscapes about houseboats on the St. John River which sound like they'd be fun:

saltscapes.com/travels/1478-heaven-on-a-houseboat.html

So many vacations, so little time….

Have been doing some online shopping - made some canvas photos for the walls of the northern apartment. The Canada Post rural route driver who now realizes I am home, has taken to dropping off the large parcels which don't fit in the bin of the community mailbox. "Been shopping again?" he says with a grin at the front door. I also ordered some backpacks from Mountain Equipment Coop which the oldest daughter will transport to Cuba for a friend's daughters. While I was shopping I noticed a sports bra marked down from $50 to $35. It wasn't clear which colour was on sale so I ordered a blue one, which (after checkout) came up as $50. I called the customer help line and a young man  helped me with the celery/key lime item - which, it turns out is bright yellow. Even my helper had to admit that green was the colour which came to mind. For $15 I did not care what colour the thing was I assured him. 

I have started another online course from FutureLearn, this one called Africa: Sustainable Development for All. It is very interesting material, an eclectic global group of students and as usual free. The following table is an example of some of the information:

hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components

Due to bandwidth issues I have not been doing courses in the north as they are very video heavy. Eastlink, our local internet provider here, has announced that at the beginning of next month they will be allowing 15 GB of data and charging in excess of that meaning we will not be able to watch Netflix etc. This after they used millions of provincial tax dollars to set up the rural broadband network just a few years ago.  I composed a snippy letter to the editor as the Minister of Business said the Liberal government was aware of the situation and business decisions have to be made - reminded me of a "let them eat cake" kind of message written by someone with fibreop. The premier called the situation "ridiculous" today in the paper, so is clearly he is slightly more politically aware. Regardless I have hustled and downloaded my list of movies for northern watching this fall before the end of the month. And I've been watching TED talks and YouTubes + + as well, like this:

ted.com/talks/ernesto_sirolli_want_to_help_someone_shut_up_and_listen?language=en

Subject of a story I wrote

A childhood friend (who is a great writer) and myself enjoyed a writing workshop recently at the Tatamagouche Centre with Deborah Carr (she wrote the biography of Mary

Lounge in the lodge

Majka a naturalist in NB and a wonderful read). The setting is glorious and it is a very relaxing way to spend the weekend. I thought I'd try my hand at some of the wonderful nature writing exercises we practiced, so from this week…..

This morning I experienced one of those never before, not likely to be repeated seconds long glimpses into perfection. As I straightened the vintage quilt (commissioned for my hope chest) on the bed, I heard a squawk and glanced out the bedroom window at the flawlessly still, reflective surface of the sheltered harbour we overlook. Two great blue herons gliding closely above the calm water surface with their  Icarus like wing tips spread just metres apart, led by long yellow bills, outstretched necks with head bump, elliptical smoky blue bodies and gangly knotted kite tail legs trailing behind reflected completely in the saltwater mirror. Three seconds of sheer beauty was my allowance as they disappeared behind the row of salt sprayed knobby spruce guarding the cobble shore. Ah, just a bit more….please. Stunning. 

Will have to apply those techniques to some northern writing in the fall. Had a quick message from my job share partner as she was enroute to Rankin Inlet - she does a contract somewhere else in between our job share rotations. Made me appreciate being off for the summer even more, if that's possible. 

And….just because we all just need to take a deep breath sometimes and have a good chuckle….toddler quotes:

fatherly.com/jim-gaffigan-quotes-about-kids-1223753010.html

The next post will be notification of wedding survival…...

Retirement almost……life is good

How to update a nursing blog when……I am not working? Gotta ease into it - that's why it's taken over three weeks to post. I have done a few (very few) nursing related tasks, some domestic chores and LOTS of relaxing. 

Shortly after the last posting I headed to the city and attended a sponsored immunization day with my Public Health buddy who kindly hosted my stay. We enjoyed a wonderful supper of Greek food with a former OHNANS colleague who had returned from a garden tour of China. And no, not rice paddies as the shore captain rudely asked. China hasn't been on my list and her reports of huge crowds, various inefficiencies and cultural misunderstandings didn't convince me to add it to the travel bucket list. Interesting but only likely if I won a trip. The immunization day was stacked with former coworkers from my public health days of nine years ago, as hard as it is to believe it's been that long. The speakers were top names in the immunization public sector and the venue and food were swishy as vaccine companies sponsored the event. One of the speakers who does a lot of global humanitarian work chatted with me in the buffet line after giving a talk about dealing with the anti vaxxers.  i was explaining to her my life partners 'perceived risk theory' where he drives while talking on the cell phone (not hands free) while speeding and only uses a seat belt because the pinging signal forced him to but……if he finds food in the fridge which is one day past the expiry date (or more accurately best before date which a company has created hoping to sell more product) he is alarmed, makes a big deal and chucks it in the garbage. Told her it was a good thing I was in charge of having the kids vaccinated. She giggled and said "interesting" in a way which led me to believe this vignette might end up in a future talk. As we filled our plates with an assortment of wonderful foods she said over her shoulder to me "when I was doing work in Africa last month a mother gave me her definition of rich when she said……being rich is being able to choose what to have for supper". Wonderful words. 

I attended my first aid / CPR instructor recertification at Universite Sainte Ann which was a frequent stop for meetings when I worked (15 years ago now) with the school board as well as the teacher daughter's alma mater. There was a large immersion group on site and apparently the global recruitment has resulted in at least half of the student body being international students now, many from former french colonies in Africa. Am able to teach until 2018 now. A few local courses for the fire departments,  the tweaking of the resume and a current CPR card for work were the main reasons for giving up a rainy day. 

The shore captain celebrated his 59th birthday so we had a few folks over for surf and turf (musk ox burgers and grilled lobsters) with cobb salad, garlic bread and chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Since we were feeding a chef amongst the group we had to try to impress - apparently we were successful. Good conversation, beverages and catching up. 

I had a physio appointment and decided to continue on in my travels so set up a road trip. Enjoyed a lovely lunch in Mahone Bay on the veranda of a cafe then enjoyed the sunny day as I took the scenic route along the coast which I haven't done for a while. In to the city to enjoy the backyard with Pete the grand dog who has benefitted greatly from obedience school. A nice evening of catching up with the kids followed. I walked Pete in the morning - about that poop scooping - not the first time I've held warm turds in my hand but have been paid to do so previously. Headed over to a childhood friends place for a visit with her and hubby and then she and I 'did lunch' at Ma Belles which is a lovely cafe/tearoom downtown. We toured Evergreen House (Helen Creighton the folklorist home) which is where her writers group meets and this was a a lovely way to end the afternoon. Took the kids out to Salvatores in the Hydrostones for pizza and there was quite a long wait (was worth it) while we watched a pop up truck across the street feed a long line of customers tacos. Lovely evening. 

Slept in, then headed out for Cape Breton to visit a friend from OH&S days. Stopped at Walmart and browsed the craft section as I stocked up for my fall rotation. Took a straight run along to CB island and didn't stop until the Farmers Daughter in Whycocomagh where I enjoyed a sandwich with a cup of tea and bought some muffins for my friend - ate two before I got back into the car - this update didn't surprise her. Had a wonderful weekend of visiting and entertainment - top notch B&B, I give it five stars. Wonderful catch up on the education system and it's frantic end of school silly season. We did some research for our planned Rocky Mountaineer trip in BC when she retires next year. We could add a trip to Seattle or a west coast cruise - all sorts of

Governors artwork

possibilities. Great supper, breakfast out at Flavours (yummy breakfast wrap) shopping downtown, a ceilidh at Governors with great fiddle music and snacks followed by a stroll on the boardwalk before supper. Sunday was a chance to sleep in and a late breakfast. A cruise ship was in town so we browsed the craft sale and then headed over to the former Holy Angels girls school for author's readings. Stephanie Domet from CBC radio, Lesey Crewe (who is hysterical) and several others I didn't recognize read ad there was a panel discussion. Tea and oatcakes (of course) with the book signings. What a wonderful way to pass a rainy afternoon. Caused us to make plans

attend the Cape Breton Writers Festival the first weekend in October. It's held at St Anns College just before the Celtic Colours festival. Wished we lived closer, a brief goodbye and then I settled in to the car a little after 5 pm and with only a quick stop in St. Peters at Tim Hortons, I drove straight through, arriving home before midnight. Had considered staying over but….my friend had to go towork on Monday and I didn't want to rub it in that I didn't.

Did a consult for a friend who is studying - supposedly challenging the Continuing Care Assistant course but I'll put my money on that the material is stolen from a Bachelor of Nursing program. I can't believe the hoops she is being required to jump through - likely to justify the fees they've charged. She will have her PhD at least when she finishes. We had a nice visit and collaborated with the friend (student's fitness instructor) who has painted the interior of our house. It looks wonderful! With the upcoming family wedding we will be having an increase in guests and it has been nine years since it was originally painted. The crack filling was the main project and it all looks marvellous. 

Supper!

We celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary in low key style with halibut cheeks for supper and a bottle of wine left by friends from supper. We did however, opt to take a matinee (older folks go for that time of day) and thoroughly enjoyed the movie Spy. A parody on 007 films with the chubby, irreverent Melissa McCarthy (Jude Law, Miranda Hart of Call the Midwife and Jason Stratham of Snatch fame) could not go wrong on a rainy Saturday afternoon. On Sunday we were treated to supper at our chef friends and it was splendid! He served us parsnip, apple and garlic soup then bacon wrapped pork tenderloins, potatoes, asparagus and carrots and chocolate drizzled cheesecake. Ahhhhh he hasn't lost his touch.

A former coworker accompanied me to my appointment to have the ligaments in my back injected by the rhuematologist which is just about as much fun as it sounds. We made the best of the day as we left early, had a nice lunch at The Salt Shaker Deli and shopped the historic streets of Lunenburg. I took the advice of my colleague and only purchased the shells, starfish and sand dollars at the craft store and bought magnets at the dollar store to hot glue on for ornaments. "You always used to be crafty - you can do that" she encouraged. And at 1/2 the cost I did! We stopped at DQ and discovered that Orange Julius are available there now, so a perfect ending to the day. 

A rather involved project this week was to apply to Operation Smile. This is the organization that provides cleft palate and lip repair as well as plastic surgery for burns globally. Locating, scanning and uploading various certificates took on a life of its own. I am hoping the credentialing committee won't look too closely at my misspelled diploma of tropical nursing. The first arrived with my surname missing the C and then the replacement copy (as the original transcript wasn't stamped with the LSTM initials) was misspelled the same way. I am awaiting another copy - hopefully third times a charm. And this is six months later, there has been another class since we finished. As I keep stating….their only efficiency was taking the payment. I am hoping to convince the credentialing committee that I have enough paediatric experience to do the pre and post op position on a mission. With various vacation commitments (all eagerly anticipated) I will be free by next April from the looks. A LSTM classmate asked where I'd like to go and the reply was………anywhere. I discovered a website about 'how to backpack' proving there is a how-to guide for everything:

bemusedbackpacker.com

Stoney Island Beach

The weather has been a bit unsettled this week but I managed to get in a short beach visit with my buddy and an acquaintance home from NWT who cooks at a spot along the Dempster Highway. We had to hide in the dunes for shelter from the cool winds but it was a glorious day in the lee. More of those need to happen. 

And this drizzly morning I excavated my bedroom closet - donating clothes, discarding papers, locating some artwork for the walls of the northern abode and organizing my wardrobe. As I'm such a transient person there isn't the usual ritual of storing / retrieving seasonal clothing as my schedule doesn't always correlate with the weather. I sorted my clothes for warm / cold / vacation / missions and am actually able to walk in the walk in closet now. Each inclement day I'm attempting a small project - more manageable in chunks. 

Other than blogging, I haven't been doing much writing but…I read an article in the newspaper about a creative writing website online which gives you three random words, 15 minutes which countdown on a timer and you write a story. It must contain all three words or will not qualify and whatever is written will be posted when the timer ends. Here's the link:

crevoke.ca

It was fun. It's a digital version of writing exercises you'd do in writing group or creative writing class. The aim is for free flow writing which increases creativity.