Ten-Finger Exercises

A little of this, a little of that

Tom, the other part time chaplain, has gone on to a full time job somewhere else. That means I will have more hours available at hospice. I can hardly curb my enthusiasm, because it's already on the sidewalk.

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Well, let's see: what has been fun today? My new sigs
from Alfred Booth. That's been the high point of my day.



The new sand filter Bill was able to get early this morning to replace our leaking one is another joy. At least we'll get a swim in sometime this month perhaps.

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A week or so ago I titled a blog Grammar Gestapo. I've thought of several better titles by now. I appointed Alfred the Comma Commando. Maybe I'll be the Grammar Gramma, or the Comma comma comma comma comma comedian.

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Here are two new words I just learned: neophilia and neophobia. Neophilia is a love of new things. I can think of a variety of shoppers who are neophiliacs, particularly as it applies to technology. I wonder if it's age related. During our 'acquisitive' years, are we more encouraged, culturally, to yearn for every new thing on the market? Advertising certainly seems to target that group, more perhaps than those people over 70 who perhaps have more disposable income but less desire to keep adding to their number of 'things.'

I remember how my dad used to buy new small appliances for my mother, and how she always preferred the older ones and hung onto them, storing them away somewhere to be dragged out when needed. She remained a neophiliac when it pertained to new shoes or clothing for many more years however. After Daddy died, she no longer had any interest in buying new things. She regretted that. It disturbed her that there was nothing that she wanted, nothing that she could look forward to.

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The limbs of the cherry trees in the orchard were heavy with shiny, dark red fruit. The road was lined with pickups and cars as the pickers went to work. One house next to the orchard evidently doesn't want them parking there. Their yard is 'decorated' with broken lawn furniture, placed alongside the road so no one can park. It's there year round. I can't imagine why it would be more attractive than the cars that would park there a few weeks out of the year.

Yum, those cherries are good!

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Visited a man who has been in a nursing home for about a week when his health took a serious down turn. He was very uncomfortable today because of acid reflux and had asked for some antacid some time before. I went to the nurse's station and introduced myself, asking about his request. I had on my hospice badge. The nurse looked at me over her glasses and told me the patient "decided today that he'd rather live." I don't know if she was disapproving or being territorial, as in "He wants to live, so it's none of your business." He had asked for ice cream to eat, and had enjoyed it. Maybe she thought he deserved the heartburn for that. At any rate, she finally had someone else look in his chart, and she told me that there was no order there for that. I called hospice right away, and they took care of it.

The patient told me to "watch out for the nurse wearing purple," that she didn't give a darn about anybody. I think he was right. Isn't that terrible, that people whose bad attitude is that apparent are allowed to work in places where people are so vulnerable!

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Here's my other beautiful sig, to end on a better note.


Thank you, Alfred!