Looking Glass

 Oh yes, I had to get that shovel back out of the shed. I have had to deal with pigeon poop smacking my pathway. I have skipped through some, jumped over some and landed right in the middle of some. I am doing my best to work my way through all of it.  My other friend, Lloyd, Jean's husband, passed away two Sundays ago. I woke up on Sunday morning and checked a message she had left on my cell phone. Through choked tears, she said he passed away after midnight. I called her immediately, at 8:36 am, when I listened to the message. I was to her house later. Her son has been staying with them for a couple of weeks and had intended on doing so, in order to help care for Lloyd, so Jean could work, without worry. The son had decided not to contract fishing in Alaska this winter. lloyd is not the one in need of care right now, it is Jean. (sigh here).  When I drove my hour to that ole' small town of where I had worked for so long, I called her cell. She was at a local Safe...

 The month of August has been rather interesting, in a quiet, observing way. I feel like I am sitting on a window seat in front of a large pane of glass...watching...with others not seeing my form. I have been seeing life scamper in front of my friends and family. I have read of good and bad happenings for people, on their social pages. I have had many conversations with folks who share mishaps and happy endings. Surprises catch us off guard. They aren't always a happy birthday party or a spontaneous get a way. Sometimes surprises create duress and emergencies. Quite often, there is no cushion of comfort. That is life, isn't it? Always good and bad for everyone.  The cushions you surround yourself with depend on the planning you've had the foresight to estimate. Saving money in a bank account is a common cushion...a desired cushion. The people who cushion your life and add comfort, are usually your family and friends. Some we can choose, some we canno...

 I have been in Vancouver, Washington caring for my sister so my niece and her family could take a well deserved vacation for ten days. Since my arrival, I have been locked out of my email and this blog, until now. Stupid passwords and accounts wouldn't recognize me. I even changed passwords a few times in hope of breaking in...no luck. Now I will be going home tomorrow at some point and have to catch up. At least I have had my cell phone to read emails. Luckily for Unplug Your Hub, reading emails doesn't require talking loudly. It is a quiet task.

The littlest:Lucy Large: Chewy, Medium:Molly and then... Molly is energetic and likes to play fetch. Chewy pretends he can play and pretends to run. This is what it's like to get attention from them all, at once, at my feet.    Yep, he is that much bigger than Lucy. She's on a step to boot!   So these are quick shots of roomie's dogs. Little Lucy is her pride and joy and gets to go everywhere with her. Chewbacca, (Chewy), is the large dog that hangs with me while roomie and Lucie go play.Molly is her middle dog that she has joint custody of...yep...that's right. Roomie's x-boyfriend and she share Molly. It is roomie's visitation right now, so the middle dog has been with us for a few weeks. They are well behaved, and other than Chewy's shedding, they are fine. 

 Well, I received a nice letter from the Area Agency on Aging stating they chose another candidate for the job. Darn! I felt good about it all, but, someone else was apparently more suited. So, I surf job sites and complete applications and maintain hope. That is okay. It was my first interview. I did get a refresher course on the whole, process. I shall just try to skip along this path I've plowed for myself.  I was invited to give an inspiring speech tomorrow night, at a District Officer's Training for Toastmaster. I was sent the invitation a week or so ago, and have been crafting, correcting and practicing the speech ever since. The last time I spoke in front of a large group, outside of my Toastmaster's Club, was three years ago. I gave a speech to a local Kiwanis Group about CCS, and the services we provided. I did OK, but I tend to stiffen up a bit, while in front of the crowd. I hope that doesn't happen tomorrow night T...

That is all the pigeon poop I have to share at this time. Consider yourself lucky. I have put that shovel away, until futher notice. Mark is still in ICU and is being monitered. He still has his wits about him, though he cannot talk much more than a whisper. He is alternated between breathing on his own accord for a couple of hours, to breathing with the bi-pap machine. He is hanging in there. My friend's hubby was transferred to a rehab facility for therapy purposes. He is doing pretty good. I had a job interview Wednesday morning. I felt confident with the process and I feel I would be a good fit with the agency. It is called the Area Agency on Aging, which was one of my partners during my career. I applied for the position;Receptionist/Administrative Assistant. That would suit me fine as I could handle running the front desk and being support for the 12 case managers. I would not have to deal with the details of client situations, or worry about caregivers' schedules. H...

 After my friend Mark had been in ICU for a few days, I happened to be on line chatting with my dear, friend, Jean. The gal who was hired in my position as supervisor, hence my resignation. I learned through our conversation, her husband had been admitted to the hospital, on the other side of town, from Mark. He was admitted for the EXACT, same condition: a perforated lung due to the bursting of an air bubble, from inside. Of course, Mark has emphyzema, and Jean's husband has weakened lungs, as well. His stay and recovery is one week ahead of Mark's. Interesting to see a 60 year old and a 70 year old with the same condition. Jean's husband, is the 70 year old and is doing well. Rehab placement is pending for him...within a day or two. (breathe relief, here.) Mark has had the respirator pulled out now, and close monitering of his breathing is occuring. It has been a couple of days since I visited. It is on my list of tasks to do. Updates are he is hanging in there and the...