...and so it begins

After working as a nurse for the past 36 years I am retiring.  There I've said it.  I have had a wonderful, long and varied career.  This has been a decision made after much introspection and some angst.  I always thought I would know when it was time to move on and that time has come.  I am both happy and sad, but mostly happy.  I'll miss my co-workers and patients but I am definitely not going to miss 10 hour days on my feet.  I know that I will be able to fill my days nicely with crafty endeavors, gardening, coffee with friends and am looking forward to doing more volunteer work now that I'll have time.  I'm really excited about all of the possibilities that are out there.

I've been so fortunate to have worked in many different areas of nursing: ICU, CCU, ER, Supervisor, Endoscopy, home IV therapy and they have all had their rewards and challenges.  And never a dull moment.

I've held babies, held the hands of dying patients, cried with families, laughed with my co-workers.  It has been a wild ride at times and I wouldn't have changed a thing.  Well...maybe that one night where there was poop everywhere and I had 20 patients to take care of...but that is a story for another time, heh heh.

I'm out of focus

Picasso had his "Blue Period", Bob Dylan his folk song era, Grandma Moses her late in life painting career;  I am in my "DishRag" time.  I cannot stay focused on a knitting project to save my life, except dishrags.  I've tried socks, scarves, a vest, crocheted blanket and they all sit idle while I knit dishrags.
I decided to look "dishrag" up in the Urban Dictionary and here is what I came up with.  Mind you this was one of the lesser offensive definitions:

"A sleazy whore. Usually found in bars, drunk off her ass with a cold sore on her upper lip and is most of the time, over the hill and all sagging with bleach blonde hair. A shortened version of "dishrag whore". With "whore" being pronounced as: 'hoo-wuh' Jimmy left with that dishrag whore. That bitch was a monster." Wait a minute!  I'm NOT a 'dishrag whore', although I am enjoying knitting them...dishrags that is.   And just because all of the above is so ridiculous I'm including a photo of Bibi because she is so darned cute!

Happiness is...

• A beautiful PNW sunset
• Clear cold winter days

• A lovely warm sunny vacation to Palm Desert with family
• Hiking  a couple of canyons
• Eating wonderful Mexican food and drinking Margarita's 
• Taking a cooking class and learning how to make authentic tamales 
• Lazing around the pool

• Coming home to little Miss Bibi
• Life is good