Week in review

As I look back over the past week, most of my time was spent working. Preparing for an impending visit for our yearly survey. Quarterly body exams, quarterly MD rounds, filing, filing and more filing, staff training, meetings, I just want to take a nap thinking about it! We had a memorial service for a resident that died on 9/25, 2 weeks after another residents death. I really hate losing my residents, but I know that they are living longer lives than would have ever been possible related to the health care they have received. The most recent resident I lost was not expected to live beyond 18 yrs of age, she died at age 63.

I did find some time to do other projects that I enjoy. I joined "Operation Minnesota Nice" last April. This is for service persons who get little or no mail and their name is sent by another service person to OMN at www.operationminnesotanice.com
Each month I meet with my group at a "packing party" where we all bring 10 of one item to pack. This way we all share in filing the boxes to be sent to persons serving in Iraq or other war zones. I have one regular service person and 2 of the group of Marines we adopted who are stationed in a remote part of Afghanistan without electricity, e-mail, etc. To do such a small thing as packing a box with personal care items, snack foods, reading material and a personal letter helps me to realize that my life may be boring but it is at least safe and yes, predictable.

Lacy

Lacy is my cat or rather I am her loyal subject. I lost my other cat, Molly, to kidney failure after 18 years, last August. Here is a picture of them, as close as they ever got to occupying the same space. They did not become great friends as each considered themselves the queen of the house. Molly is the gray cat on the right, Lacy is the black cat on the left.

Lacy came to me via the spa consultant who came to do a party at my house 3 years ago. Lacy was not doing well with the 3 children, 2 dogs and another cat that she shared the home with. So in essence, she is a rescue.

Lacy is a one person feline. She is all black with beautiful green eyes and full of attitude. She has come along way in the past 3 years. From growling when myself or Molly walked by to now seeking me out to be petted, sitting on me to watch TV or sleeping on me at night. Her personality has blossomed and she has filled out to cover the bones that stuck out when she came to live with Molly and me.

Lacy likes her water fresh and has me trained to turn on the water in the bathroom sink when she jumps up on the counter. Lacy has a paper fetish and loves books, she is often "helping" me study. Lacy is not a low fat feline. If I have anything with butter or whipped cream, she is there in a heartbeat and will lick it off my finger. She, however, is svelte and of a normal weight given her running up and down the hallway at top speed. She loves to sit on the screened porch and watch the cars go by and the children play at the daycare center across the street. She has a chirp that she saves especially for any birds that come close enough.

It is truly nice to have some one who is glad that I am home at the end of the day. Greeting me with a meow at the door and demanding to know where I have been and why did it take so long for me to come home!

Well, that is enough, lest you think me a crazy cat lady. I think technically you have to have 10 or more cats for that to be true... 9 more to go!