As I reviewed my last post I realized....it's already July. And not the first week of either. The past few weeks have really sped by. June was warm and sunny and great days spent by the pool but July not so much. It's been cool, foggy, rainy, windy, humid...you name it. Hard to plan any outdoor leisure activities.
This week I provided some crochet classes for a student who quickly picked up the craft. We agreed that crocheting is fast and interesting enough to keep our interest. We have arranged for a followup session after some self study as there is pattern reading and more to be conquered. At present I am working my way through a sofa for the cats....they are spoiled kitties.
The toddler grandson (after a couple of hospitalizations in June with increased liver enzymes, liver biopsy showing inflamed liver requiring IV steroids then the following week a fever) now continues to be a chubby, cheerful, busy boy who is almost walking. He has been cutting teeth in multiples and now has back to his molars through. Toddlers are fun but....busy! As Cubans say...he is a terremoto (literal translation earthquake).
Since our public health restrictions have been eased into level 4....I've been enjoying Frenchy's shopping for the grandkids and have been expanding their wardrobes nicely. This is a good time of year to buy snowsuits for the school aged and tights with ruffled bum for the baby because when you want them in the winter, there won't be any. I stopped in two stores on my way to the city last week and the cultural differences were large. In Liverpool, I was offered a large reusable shopping bag (our province no longer allows plastic bags with purchases) for my order and someone held the door for me. In Bridgewater I struggled with an armful of purchases (can never remember my reusable bag) and outside the exit, dropped several balls of yarn which I'd bought to crochet hats for the shelter. By the time I stuffed my goodies in the trunk of my car and retraced my steps.....the yarn had disappeared. To whoever felt the need to take two 75 cent balls of yarn....I hope you enjoy them!
Knowing when it's time to retire is something that many people (including all my other nursing school classmates) tell me is something you 'just know'. I'm guessing that I'm 'not there' yet as I am still looking forward to northern contracts. I had originally thought of heading up this fall as it's more fun to deal with early arctic winter (comparable to east coast regular winter) than the real deal but....have some plans to hang out with the grandkids and am still getting my head wrapped around all the shenanigans from last winter. I miss the north, feel as if I still have something to offer and would like to experience at least one more beautiful arctic community before the old age pension makes wage earning a tax grab. Although I've applied for various pandemic related gigs - PHAC, NS Health, NS Pharmacists, Red Cross etc. for screening or immunization centres - several inquiries but no bites. That's fine with me but....don't whine about nursing shortages, reassignment of staff, workload pressures etc when you're really just disclosing that the healthcare system is a mess due to total inability to organize itself. The pandemic has simply accentuated a decades old problem - if you treat nurses badly they will leave, they have options. The staffing agencies have a 20K bonus for any Nunavut contract between July 21 to Aug 31 this year. This is in addition to the already high wages and bonuses. With no requirement to isolate inter provincially or territorially now there should be a better uptake but....the flights are still reduced and travel is a hassle....so many reasons to not be a travel nurse....
I hesitated earlier and....the dates in the community I was looking at disappeared because the new Government of Nunavut rule is that GN casuals are given 72 hours and then the post goes to agency. So,when the winter list was distributed this week, it didn't take me long to give availability for six weeks in January/February doing Public Health in Arctic Bay. PH means mostly office work vs Homecare which is home visits in the dark at - 56c with questionable vehicles so an easy decision. When I offered my dates the Executive Director asked if I'd done Public Health or only Homecare with them in Baffin, stating if not PH, then I'd need to do an interview. I quickly educated him that I'd done PH in Clyde River and had recently done PH in Kitikmeot. Bear in mind that after 72 hours this post is being turned over to an agency who may provide a nurse with very limited PH experience....sigh....you know the government rule - always treat your casuals worse than the agency you're paying double. He blinked first so I'm in the schedule for January 5 to February 18 with the option to extend if international travel isn't an option. If I can't go somewhere warm this year, I might as well earn some cash and once you are settled in your northern spot, it's easier to stay that return.
The end goal is for a March Break family vacation to Cuba which will involve the toddler grandson meeting his Cuban family. Whether this will be possible with the pandemic (Cuba is currently experiencing a surge with schools being turned into isolation hospitals, university students providing services, healthcare professionals being recalled from other countries etc) in part due to the lack of syringes and supplies to make the vaccines they have developed. A 60+ year old blockade by the USA is not helping their current situation. There is widespread unrest in the country, driven in part by ex-pats who are funding vandalism and violence in Cuba. Each news article I view, or each chat with a Cuban friend, causes me to feel my March vacation becoming less of a reality and of course to worry about the friends/family there.
We are in the final planning stages for a pig roast on the weekend. The local farmer who provides the pig was texting as to dimensions as our mechanical grill is less than 6 ft long and we can usually handle about a 60 lb pig. The shore captain texted (thinking it was funny) that a 54 inch pig would be fine and the immediate reply was "are you sure about the size? a 54 in pig would weigh about 200 lbs?" Mister quickly recanted. As I said to him.....you may be a gardener but you clearly aren't a farmer yet. Our Cuban son in law will be an asset to assist with the roasting but as he said....a machine to turn your pig...it isn't so hard. Agreed we are spoiled. Fingers crossed for no precipitation. Plan B with rain/wind is to clean out all the 'toys' from the storage shipping container and roast the pig inside. We are at the mercy of the weather as per usual.
The oldest grandson is here for the week while attending day camp. Due to pandemic restrictions the sessions are divided into morning or afternoon groups so a chance to sleep in for the houseguest. Soon time to make the blueberry waffles I promised for breakfast. Stay safe and make sure you're fully vaccinated.
