Misty day but no snow yet

Well, this retirement thing is kind of a joke. My sister retired many years ago, and I thought she was nuts to stay as busy as she did. Was she a glutton for punishment, or what? Now, here I am, and my days stay almost as busy as they did working 60 hour weeks. 'Splain that, if you can. A quick note on retirement and then we'll move on to other things. I've done volunteer work for many years for local Sleep Societies - web master for Blue Ridge for several years, Secretary for Tennessee, and legislative work. Well, my Blue Ridge days are over x ~ 2 years, and come December I would be through with Tennessee Sleep. So, what did I do? Raised my hand and offered to host a conference. So, now I share Education Committee with this poor man in Memphis. I just can't seem to let go. That's ok, now let's move on.

My husband (year 15 with MS) had CT scans yesterday. They thought he had an aneurysm. We don't have the results yet, but everyone smiled politely and pointed us to the exit when they were done. I read that as NO ANEURYSM! They would have kept us there, if they thought he was about to blow. So, today we're home and back to normal. Whoohoo!

My mother wore many many hats. One hat was as an Interior Designer. She made drapes. Her mother made a living making drapes. When I was pregnant with my first child, I found myself unable to do construction work (I worked as a masoner) and needed a job. My mother and Grandmother let me take on a bit of their overflow which let them take on more jobs and gave me some money. I love and respect both women, but HATED making drapes. I didn't at all mind helping them while we talked, but making them myself? No thank you. NO THANK YOU! We bought another house a year and a half ago (no, we only live in one - the others are rented) and the drapes in this house are/were S.A.D. The dining room drapes were so thin you could see through them. Not by design, by wear and never being cleaned. The living room drapes were......old. The house was built in the 80's, but I would swear the drapes were made in the 70's. Pale blue drapes with white pom pom trim. And white drapes, underneath. Not shears. Drapes. The rest of the house has vinyl blinds. I don't mind blinds, but some color and cover is a good thing. A friend came down last weekend and we spent several days making drapes. Now, the dining room has newer, lined drapes and the den downstairs has the same. 48 pleats in the set, downstairs. My hands will never be the same. One more set to go, and then will just do curtains for the rest of the house. Whoohoo!

I received word last week that my neice had a preemie. Now, I'd heard Luke had arrived but had no clue he was that early. Boy did I feel about 2 inches tall. I had no clue. But, it looks like he's getting better and off the ventilator. Excellent! I had a preemie and know how hard it is. But she's a remarkable young woman and I can't think of a better person to handle that. I watch, from afar, as I live across the country and am a terrible aunt. Her dad keeps me posted, but was distracted this time. Mom is going to need a serious vacation, but I suspect she would be missing home after about 6 hours away.

I don't even know any good jokes. That's my husband's territory. Then maybe it's time to sit down and shut up (as my mother was prone to say).

I'm ready for some SNOW!

Initial Ramblings In A Most Bizarre Intro

Having no idea what to think about entering into the world of blogs, it's time to pull my thoughts together while I decide what point, if any, this page(s) will contain. Recently, I was forceably retired - phased out - outsourced - whatever from work I had done well for 29 years. Frankly, this change has been a mix of elation, confusion, contented resignation mixed with a strong sense of betrayal. Nothing personal, of course, but my salary was better spent saving the Director's budget and saving the hospital large sums as my health was fading and we/they were self insured. It happens to all of us, at one time or another. Not being fired or discharged until this late in my career is telling (or should be) so it's time to let it go. Working on that. I managed a small town big hospital 6 bed Sleep Center. My work over the years had been rewarding, often ground breaking and I had spent the last 5+ years trying to get out of the field. So, no whining allowed! What to do now? Oh, so many things. I am a grandmother, an artist, an avid reader and a trickster. I do large bead loom tapestries (my husband builds my looms for me - they are much larger than anything available commercially), paint and quilt. Not normal quilts, I'm too non-conformist for that. I design them as I go - usually big squares with smaller stories or scenes within each square. This year, I'm thinking about combining my bead skills with my quilts. We'll see. I am a Master Herbalist, who was in private practice for several years. This was in addition to my 'real job' and I consulted a few afternoons a week with a physician in his office. Patients were great, but I was/am somewhat hesitant to buy herbal preparations off the shelf and made all my own. Combine 65+ hours a week managing a 24 hour clinical operation, 4-5 hours seeing patients in a clinic, serving on the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors of a State Sleep Society, managing the web page of a neighboring state society (I live in a 'border town'), sitting on the Legislative Committee of the State Sleep Society and drafting legislation (not all by my lonesome, there were 6 of us who spent too damned many hours and cups of decaf over legal pads in small conference rooms across the state or sitting at our desks on speaker phones) for the profession, welcoming my grandson and daughter into my home all simultaneously during an exhausting 3 year period meant for some very busy days and nights. Writing this down says one thing loud and clear. BURN OUT! My forced retirement probably saved my life. Especially since my real time off was spent having rods inserted into my neck or recovering from fractured shoulders and the like. And I'll be the first to admit that spreading myself this thin meant the hospital and the household chores suffered. So, you probably think I deserved to be let go. Maybe I'll admit to that in about 10 years. But not yet.

I'll spend the bulk of this site talking about some of my artwork, I think. Probably vent a bit about some of the legislative issues if they come to the fore, but my final term ends in a few months and the legislation passed the House and Senate and is now law. They are just ironing out the wrinkles at this stage. What could I possibly offer at this point?

My husband and I have spent the past 6 months researching some major modifications at our house to take it as far off the grid as is possible. The house is all electric, and the region will support solar power which will be one of our major resources. In addition, my husband tells me this region is gas rich (who'd a thunk it? - I thought much of that here in the US was spread around Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico). We're WAY on the other side of the Mississippi River, and I presumed all the gas in the Appalachians would have dissipated by now. Old mountains and all that. And you don't see many rigs being hauled down the highway or pumps grinding away off the side of the road. There can be oil or gas that people aren't clammering for with the energy crisis in the hole it is in? Amazing, again!

I hail originally from the Colorado/New Mexico border in a small town named Farmington. I moved to the Southeast about 15 years ago, but return occasionally for family gatherings and professional conferences. Next year, they're all coming up to my place! Family, not peers.

How long can one babble before the PC decides it has had enough? Will the battery on my wireless keyboard give out if I keep going on like this? Well, time will tell. Or my keyboard will. I'll keep you posted.

I do ask for one favor, if I may be so bold. I realize blogging is old news and there are professional bloggers out there. Me, I'm just a stupid old Indian woman with a computer and an attitude. Forgive me while I get the hang of this, will you?

Oh, why Stormy Sessions? Sorry, I forgot. My given name (not my Christian name - but let's save that argument for someone else please. Or if you have to fight with me, let's do it another day) is Quiet Storm. Not so quiet today, huh?


:::::::::mumbling to myself as I shuffle out the door::::::::