A Tidings of Magpies

It's raining today in CinCity. A continuous drizzle in a grey and chilly day, but I don't care. I've spent the last 6 days at the hospital, not all of it 12 hour shifts, but enough of it, and I am thrilled to be in my sweats with a hot cup of coffee, rain or shine. Inspector Clousseau, the loan appraiser, has come and gone and our loan for the lake property is being "processed." My 8 hour Neuro lecture is finished, as was my voice that evening and the next day. The new committee I'm now heading has brand new notebooks, pens, and color coded divider tabs. Bliss in a bag. The next four days are all mine, except for driving HoneyHaired around and volunteering Saturday afternoon at the church festival. Tonight, I'm planning on roasted chicken and red potatoes and using the leftovers for curried chicken salad. On second thought, I'd best roast two chickens. We do love the chicken salad. The consignment store down the street is having a "bin sale."...

It's been a rough summer in the land of Neurodramaville. I personally think the frequent weather changes and variations in barometric pressure add to the numbers of head bleeds that we get. Crack cocaine is another. Traumas have been down, but no less heartbreaking. A young man planning on proposing to his girlfriend this week. He's now dead and she's has significant head trauma after a wrong left turn by another driver. Another 16 yr old with a gun shot wound to the head after a lost game of Russian Roulette. And room after room of crying spouses and children after hearing that this head injury, fall, stroke, infection is non-survivable. Thank God for hospice. There's lots of short staffing, as there is in every hospital. Fortunately most shifts are full of people who pitch in and the work gets piece-mealed together. Although, unlike some other very cool teams we are not allowed to wear pink cami pants or carry assault weapons. Very non-visionary, I know. I haven't...