good vibrations

Went to an awesome workshop this evening: vibration and healing.

First T walked us thru some asanas and breathing exercises: yoga.

I did a short meditation on energy fields: how big is it, what color?  Is it glitter, bubbles, lightning bolts, or sparklers?  Make it as big as the room, now as big as the city. I got the idea for this meditation in yoga class this morning.

But the best part, oh the fantastic superduper part? That was MM and his sounds. Thirty years ago, MM was a construction worker; he fell from a faulty scaffolding and was badly hurt.   He had an out-of-body experience on the operating table. Ever since, he's been able to heal with his hands. Birds come to him, dogs, cats, & horses. People. He's so humble, his wife had to introduce him.

He brought a full set of crystal bowls: one for each chakra, gongs, bells, chimes, and CDs. He had 2 CD players going as he played his instruments.

I turned so my heart chakra got the full blast of sound. I meditated and went deep. He played for 40 minutes, but it went by in a flash. It felt like my whole body was cleared of.... stuff. I felt pure.

Gradually I noticed the sounds had stopped. Had they? Yes. Someone said, "That was great!"

Dreamily I thought, "Wow. She can speak." My eyes were still closed.

combing out lice

Ever done that? I have. 


It's not short hair, greasy hair, or kinky braids. No, usually it's fine blond hair down to the waist. Tiny bugs stroll the scalp. Nits nestle in the roots. 


We apply poison and comb. Comb, comb, comb. It's a tedious process, can take hours. We instruct as we comb. 


"Don't share combs, hats, scrunchies, helmets, or any type of hair apparatus." 


We also assess. "What's your favorite music? Hobbies? Sisters & brothers?" You learn so much when they talk. 


Meanwhile bedding is stripped, stuffed animals too; washed in hot water, dried, returned. 


Recheck. Fingers crossed no nits. Algorithm: nits: redo whole process; no nits, recheck in 3 days. 

adventures in nursing

He was a big guy, serious, a weight lifter. Big muscles. I wondered if he took anabolic steroids. He used to come in every day to get weighed; he was trying to gain weight. He had a dark complexion and straight black hair, a sweet smile, bright white sclera and teeth, and a beautiful British accent.

"My toe is coming off," he told me one day.

What? Panic. Was I going to have to sew his toe back on? Call an ambulance or arrange an appointment with a specialist? I never heard of this. I'm so ignorant! I call myself a nurse? Panic built.

"Let me see," I said, forcing myself to sound calm.

He showed me his toe. There was an open crease on the plantar surface of his right fourth toe. Pink against his dark skin. I nearly laughed with relief, but didn't. Patients don't like it when the nurse laughs.

"That's athlete's foot. You can get an ointment at the pharmacy." I explained the standard care and reassured  him that this was a common ailment; he would not lose his toe. 

family

is the best.

Spent last weekend with my family. Went to my nephew's wedding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hot? Same temp as Maine, but all buildings there are super air-conditioned. Was breezy. Expected desert or prairie, but surrounding area was woody rolling hills.

Traveled with my younger son. He was kind and thoughtful every minute. Had an excellent trip. He even told me when the plane was about to land, so I wouldn't yelp. I don't care for flying.

Stayed in a hotel. I had my own room (heaven). Also in hotel: my two sons, a girlfriend, my sister and family, and my brother and family. That's: 2 sons, 1 girlfriend, 1 sister, 1 BIL, 1 niece, 1 brother, 1 SIL, 2 nephews, and 1 girlfriend. The rest of the family stayed in other hotels in the area.

The hotel had a pool and free breakfast. We spent a lot of time in the pool. And some time drinking and talking in my sons' suite. Honey whiskey?

There were 26 of us at dinner on Saturday night, and 16 on Sunday.

The wedding was in a mansion on the Arkansas River in Tulsa. The colors were turquoise and orange. The bouquets were origami flowers. The food was Indonesian. Oh, and it was a Jewish wedding, under the chuppah.

Lovely. The bride was sweet and generous, the groom was thrilled. They were in love. It was beautiful.

Last family reunion was five years ago, at my brother's wedding. So good to see my family. 

just held the quarterly

bored meeting with my vacuum cleaner. Boring, but much tidier. Goodbye, dust bunnies. Was regular Watership Down around here. 

phone still working...

yeah, it stopped for 4 days last week. I tried everything and nothing worked: charging it, rice bag, cook in rice bag on dash of hot car, charge it, pop battery out, leave in sunny window, set in front of air conditioner. Nothing. Dead.

Heck, I'd tried everything else- I stuck it in the refrigerator overnight. Voila! In the morning I turned it on, it worked, and working ever since. 

40

I can see 40 houses from my house. Funny, because I have this backyard garden oasis that feels so private.

But yes. On tiptoes, from deck and driveway, I've counted: 40.

Most of my neighbors are retired blue-collar Catholic Amero-Franco-Canadians. There are a few young singles and couples. They occ party and play loud music. They throw back a few beers and sling horseshoes.

They mow their lawns and whack the weeds. They barbecue. One neighbor has a pool and professionally landscaped gardens. Another takes pride in his driveway; he recently had it completely redone: dug up, re-asphalted, and sealed. A flat black seam in the tidy lawn.

My favorite neighbor is the boy a few backyards away. He has a trampoline, and ululates as he jumps. I've never heard him speak, or anyone speak to him. I frequently hear him jump and vocalize. It's soothing, reassuring. Oh, there he is. I'm glad he has his trampoline. He reminds me of a boy I know, a boy with autism.

When I'm standing on the top tier of my raised garden bed, thwarting copper beetles, I can see this young man. He's a teenager. He jumps and bounces expertly on the trampoline. He calls. I listen.

awakening

Dreamt liquid green bombs landed on Earth, vines sprouted and covered everything. After the vines were cleared away I wandered with my dog, searching for friends & family. Then I woke up.

But this post is really about my phone. It woke up.

It conked out 4 days ago, as it sometimes does on a hot & humid day. Usually comes back after 24 hours. This time it didn't. I tried everything: plugged it in, popped the battery, put it in a bag of rice, cooked it on the dashboard, everything I could think of. Well, last night I put it in the refrigerator. This morning it works. 

attunements

today on the shore of small pond.

There were three large metal sculptures. Lots of grass. A pond- covered with lily pads and lotus flowers. Lily pad flowers? hmm. Not sure.

"Look at the fish!" someone said.

There they were. Goldfish? Koi? They were big: orange ones and white ones.

Seventeen fine Reiki students sat silently on the grass. We did a short meditation, and my favorite Sufi breathing exercise.

We started the attunements. The students came up in groups of four. They sat on some flat rocks in Gassho. I attuned them to Reiki. I couldn't help  it - I kept  looking at the pond- it was so beautiful. Then I saw a turtle. It floated and bobbed. Another one! Sun lit half the pond, but we were in the shade. Perfect summer sun, temp, and humidity. A beautiful day.

After their attunements, the students found a spot in sun or shade and meditated or did self-Reiki.

As we walked back, one student said, "Did you see the heron? It was there the whole time."

award

Maine Hospital Association news link
and The Rock

Thank you, SJCME Alumni Association!

kayak

Last week I decided to see if my old kayak would fit into my van. I went out back of the shed, picking my way carefully through the bushes and plants, watching for poison ivy. Didn't see any.

I loaded up the kayak on my shoulder and carried it a short distance. I felt strong. Then I thought I would drag it the rest of the way to the car, so I set it on the ground. I bent over to grasp the handle and

eeek. Mice. At least three mice. They were running around the bottom of the kayak. "I just had that on my shoulder," I thought. Have I mentioned that I have rodentphobia? I do. Nightmares about them running around and nibbling on me.

I watched them, trying to desensitize myself. "Cute," I told myself. "Many people say they're cute." Yeah, that lasted about 3 seconds. I backed away slowly, then turned and ran, silently shrieking .

Gorham gravestones

Lobster roll taste test

Spinney's Restaurant at Fort Popham is still the best.

Every summer I do  lobster roll taste test. So far this year I've tried Spinney's, Panera, and Amato's.

My fav is just plain fresh lobster on a thin grilled-in-butter bun.

Panera was citrusy and too much mayo, too much bread. Not enough fresh lobster flavor. No sea. Amato's was pretty good. Lots of lobster, only $8.99. Mayo, lettuce, salt, & pepper, white roll. It was good.

Spinney's was right on the water. Three tanks full of lobsters. Plain bun, no mayo, no lettuce. Lobster, salt & sea. yum.

DVT

"It isn't DVT," he said. "Well, there could be a clot, but we can't see it. It's hard to see in the calf. And it could be superficial. But that won't kill ya," he chuckled. "That won't go to the lung," he clarifiied.

I thought he was a helicopter nurse, he was that slim. Short too. Just right fora flight nurse.

Nope, he was the ER resident. Bright blue eyes, long dark lashes, and a quick smile. He was talking about the results of her ultrasound. They didn't see a clot, though she had all the symptoms.

The attending came in to affirm. He asked the same questions, "I know," he laughed. We ask the same questions 3 times." (Yeah: nurse, resident, and attending.) "Any history of clots? Any cancer? Any surgery? Do you sit for long periods?" All the while he was tinkering with the phone cord.

"What the heck is he doing with the phone?" I wondered.

He wrapped the phone cord around her right calf, measuring the distance from her patella with his fist. He repeated on the left. "Yup, it's definitely bigger," he muttered. Gosh, I could tell that just by looking.


Blurted out, "I make my nursing students carry measuring tapes," and was instantly embarrassed. 


She called me in the morning, said she had a question. I went over. She showed me her legs. It looked like lymphedema, the left was so much bigger than the right. "And I have this feeling, like the end of a Charley Horse, you know?" she told me. "I keep rubbing it."


"Don't. Don't rub it. I'm taking you to the hospital."


It was an hour over. Three there. An hour back, well two. We stopped to eat and to look at an old graveyard. Stones from 1786. I had a lobster roll, she had a vegie panini. I drank lukewarm decaf. It was 3:30; long since our broccoli breakfast quiche. The cemetery had slate and marble stones; Longfellows and who all. Engraved with urns and weeping willows. Mostly early 1800s. Peaceful and shady spot.


"It's not cellulitis. Not CHF. We don't really know. If the swelling continues, come back. If it gets worse, come back right away. If the pain gets worse, come back right away." Her Homan's was negative. Her ache was a 2. 


I dropped her off and stopped to visit an old friend. He's going through a rough time. Hell, really. We talked for 2 hours. It got late and I hate to drive in the dark, so off I went. 


Not DVT. 


Came home and picked peas in the gloaming.