Spiritual Sunday - Using New Eyes

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
~Marcel Proust

I ran across this quote some time ago, loved it, and saved it in my favorites file (which happens to be pretty huge now). I was scanning that file yesterday for something spiritual to say today and for some reason I kept coming back to this quote.

Does that ever happen to you? It does to me all the time. If I am aware enough, I stop and find out why my brain keeps going back and why it means something to me. I find things like this 'speak' to me when I need them the most.

After re-reading the quote a few times, I couldn't figure out why it meant so much. Then I went to bed. We have had the granddoggies this weekend. Since Trouble (our new male kitten) is still considered snack food to the granddoggies, we have kept them separate. However, yesterday I allowed Trouble full access to our bedroom.

Seeing the bedroom through my eyes is one thing. Seeing the bedroom via Trouble's eyes is another. I had to search for my rosary. Every Kleenex (not used) was out of its box and shredded. The garbage was knocked over. Trouble obviously also learned how to jump high enough to reach the bathroom counters and everything was on the floor. My nice clean bedroom went from clean to chaos in a mere 2 hours.

So to my eyes, there was no hesitation in allowing Trouble access. To Trouble's eyes, it was a whole new playground. As I was cleaning up the mess last night, I looked around at my bedroom with different eyes - eyes from a mischievous kitten but more important, eyes from possible grandchildren. It has been a long long time since I have needed to child proof or kitten proof my house. I have at least a year or two to child proof my house for any grandchildren to come (no - no news yet).

But Trouble - he gets locked up now - in his cage because even the bathroom isn't kitten proofed.

Optical illusions allow us to see things we might not see right away. What do you see in the picture above? A sax player or a young woman?

Swine Flu

Well, I don't know if I have it or not. Here in the burbs of Chicagoland, it is rampant - of course before the first doses of vaccine are available. I wouldn't have gotten the vaccine anyway but it is always ironic how medicine is 2 steps behind.

I have been working all week short-handed and then one of my bestest girls got sick. I sent her home Thursday (part of the reason why I haven't been around). I have been pretty pooped by the time I get home that I was heading to bed and sleeping 12 hours at a time. I knew that was a sign I was getting sick so I upped my vitamins.

I woke up Thursday morning with a slight sore throat - figured it was just from running the fans and is pretty typical for me. But by Thursday night I was totally exhausted. Friday morning I woke up with a slight cold and by yesterday afternoon I was in a full blown head cold. Since everyone and their neighbor around me has been sick with the swine flu, I am not surprised - just that I held out this long from getting it. So far hubs is fighting it.

I called the doctor who does not want to see anyone unless you are on your deathbed and can't breathe or can't keep fluids down. We are to assume we have the swine flu and treat accordingly - Tamiflu if you can find it, plenty of fluids, plenty of rest. So although I have done the fluids and rest, I haven't taken any Tamiflu - there is none in this area to be found. My aunt in Oklahoma said she would send me some but I told her to keep it as the CDC map shows it is coming her way.

So oink oink with me. I will post when I am feel like being up.

Husband in the Doghouse

It’s easy to fire your employer if you aren't married to him. Did you know that more employees fire their employer than employers fire employees? Yep it is a statistic. The reasons why vary from quitting for better pay, better working conditions, to better opportunities. There is also a statistic that an employee will fire 7 or more employers in their working life.

But what can one do if they want to fire your boss that happens to be your husband? I hate Wednesdays during golf season. He gets up at the ass crack of dawn (making sure all are awake if he has to be up) and then goes and walks the 18 hole golf course chasing a stupid white ball around. He then comes home pissed about something he was doing wrong and thus sets the mood for the rest of the day.

When he is tired, he is the crabbiest man alive. Top that with crappy weather or a crappy golf score and the day just goes downhill. Then try to go to work with him.

Is he nasty to the patients? Nope - he's as sweet as syrup. To me? I have learned to just not talk to him at all on Wednesdays because there is nothing that will come out of his mouth that is usually worth my getting upset over. I chalk it up to no sleep. Today he was PMS'ing along with no sleep along with playing golf in a light rain along with getting a crappy score. Yep - he had oodles of nasty permeating his pores just looking around to piss me off.

Today he pushed the right buttons and accomplished his mission to exude the nastiness onto me. I quit and told him to stuff the job you know where. The other girls told him that if I go they go.

He knows he has to apologize. He knows he was in the wrong. He knows he was crabby. And he knows that the crabbiness and nastiness on me was undeserved. We shall see how long he remains in the doghouse. He reminds me of 'The Fonz' - the words "I am sorry...." never erupt from his mouth. Instead, he will go out of his way to do things for me. Tonight I got taken out to eat. Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Recipe Tuesday - Super Easy Corn Chowder

Easy Corn Chowder

8-10 medium sized red potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans sweet corn with juice
1 can cream style corn
Salt and pepper

Boil the diced potato for 20 minutes. Rinse them and put them back into a large soup pot. Add the cans of milk, corn with juice, and creamed corn. Salt and pepper to taste.

Set to simmer for a couple of hours. Now you need to make sure you stir this every 10-15 minutes as it is very easy to burn the bottom.

For a change of pace, I have added left over crab or lobster pieces and have also added 1/4 cup chopped green onions, and cooked pieces of bacon, 1/2 cup of chopped celery, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (for a kick).

I usually serve this with cornbread cooked in a cast iron pan although I have been known to just bake it too.

Now to me this is a full dinner (the chowder and cornbread). To my husband, this is the appetizer and he wants a full meal after.

RANT - Nasty Rude People

......can go take a flying leap off the nearest cliff!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are missing an employee due to the death of her father (see Sunday's tribute to Charlie). I changed the answering machine message to state that if you get this machine, to call one office between 9a to 2p and another office from 2p to 7p. Hey - I figured at least I informed them where to reach us.

Want to know how many hangups I got? 15
Want to know how many left obnoxious rude messages? 5

One of the 5 wanted me to pay for her to call the other number. I reminded her she had the option to leave a message and that we would call her back. She didn't appreciate that. Said she was going to report me to the doctor and get me fired. I smiled.......and gave her an appointment.

Another one stated that we should be open. I think her words were: "Awww...come on" (Mind you this same patient missed her last appointment). Thank goodness another girl got her phone call to the other office. This is the same lady who bugged me every hour for 7 hours on the emergency line no less, to remind the doctor to call her. When he did get home that day and called her - it was about an appointment to which he told her to call the office on Monday - that he doesn't make appointments. I think at one point she also was going to report me because I wouldn't let her talk to the doctor.

Then on top of that - I finally friended my relatives to my facebook account. Maybe I should be committed.

Is it a full moon?

/end rant

Goodby Charlie Until We Meet Again

Goodby our dear friend! You have always been in our thoughts and prayers. You were brave in the Vietnam War and have been for the past 5 years since you have been battling the effects of being exposed to Agent Orange. We am glad you are now at peace.

"Those we love never go away,
They're within our hearts everyday,
Always loved and always dear,
Walking with Angels,
always near."
~Author Unknown

No Brain

Usually I have no problems doing things on the spur of the moment. My brain functions that way. I think some of it is the way I was trained as a nurse. We react without thinking. Maybe it's also the mother in me. Dunno why - just do it although it has gotten me into trouble some times when I open mouth insert foot.

It's those times I have to think about what I need to do that I have a huge brain fart. Take for instance tonight. I needed to change the message on our office's answering machine. My son and husband love whenever I do it. They somehow always seem to know when I do it too and come from opposite ends of the house or another room just to watch me do it. It's like they have radar. Husband and son will then take bets on how many times I will re-record the message because I will always flub it up. My usual is 5-10 times according to them. Tonight neither husband or son won. It took me 22 times. I finally had to write it down in order to just read it.

Why can my brain just react without thinking yet I can't compose a simple 1 minute message without flucking it up??????