No communicable diseases

I haven’t decided if it was reassuring or not to hear the cheery voice of daughter # 2 on a voice mail message when I checked it as I crawled in at 5:40 p.m. saying “I just wanted to let you know that I don’t have any communicable diseases” My first thought of alarm was ‘and you (or someone else) thought you did?’ then ‘I guess it’s a good thing that you don’t’ but the message went on to say “I thought it would be fun to tell you that because I work in a daycare that I know” So a sigh of relief to think that it is only a routine workplace requirement.

I had one of those Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman stops to make on the way home as I did a home visit for a neighbour who had fallen and had her elbow glued so needed a dressing change. Have scheduled another visit for next week as her daughter is in Halifax with the son-in-law who is battling leukemia and the neighbours are taking turns staying, bringing meals and generally checking in so no need to drag her in to town. Never a regret to live in the countryside is my thinking. I know the Minister of Health doesn’t appreciate what I do but the neighbours do so that counts for more.

I did remember to stop and pick up the nightshirt I ordered from Sears, which is comfortable, and I was pleased with it. I asked the life partner what he thought of it for the cruise and he says “it looks good, a granny gown” which he quickly explained was a compliment after I gave him a searching look. I think after this many years it’s likely as romantic as I’m going to hear. Ah, what happened to the 18 year old that walked in snowmobile suit in a blizzard across the causeway to deliver a Valentine’s card to me so many years ago?

I have been so distracted that I forgot to stop at the ATM to pick up cash for the cleaning lady. She assured me that my credit was good but I am determined to not do anything to jeopardize our relationship. Coming home to an immaculate house today was one of the best things that have happened since last week this time. I was really ticked to discover (yes I know I shouldn’t have checked) that the airfare to Barbados was $113 each less this week than what we paid. Argh.

I am planning that my next job will at least have a hope of a lunch break and less than an hour of unpaid overtime per day. And I’m hopeful that there will not be a to-do list at the end of one day for the next, which is longer than most peoples for the entire week. That I won’t encounter an employee weeping as I attempt to leave that hour late so I need to stop longer and provide support. That I will not have been yelled at, told I am no longer trusted after I have knocked myself out to assist another employee or spent 3.5 hrs on conference calls for three different areas of my two jobs. As I said to a work team mate in an email “don’t bother me as I’m studying Inuktutut now”

The scrapbooking resolution is going well thanks and I was in Tromso, Norway’s gateway to the north this evening. Very therapeutic.

I am closing now as the shore captain casually informed me as he headed to bed that I needed to drive him to the shore at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow before I go to work because he realized at the end of the afternoon he couldn’t drive two vehicles at the same time – I think I knew that before late in the p.m. Here is an entry from the page a day calendar that my student nurse daughter gave me for Christmas. It is entitled Advice to New Nurses – air goes in and out, blood goes around and around and any deviation from that is a bad thing. That should help her on her midterms eh?