how about drinking?

Good Morning, Loungettes!Happy Twofer Tuesday! I'm going in later this ayem, got a CPR recert class at 10 peeyem. I figure I can get a lot done this evening with fewer people around. I've got one more education packet to get together to finish this year's mandatory education topic list, hoping to get that done tonight. I'm trying to get things set up so that if I walk before the end of the year there won't be any deficiencies related to my job when the state and federal surveyors come in. Yesterday was pretty calm at work, most of the attention was focused on waiting for the last 3 staff covid test results coming in (mine is one of the 3, of course). A person who visited 3 weeks ago developed symptoms a week later, and then tested covid positive, and then called to let us know. The state CDC says the visitor would not have been contagious at the time of the visit but we have to be closed to all visitors/non-staff members, use full PPE gear (gown, goggles, as well as the usual mask and gloves) until all the staff are tested and thetest results come back negative. Fortunately, out monthly staff testing was done just last week and the state CDC is accepting that run of tests and not makingus do another one. So you see what kind of craziness we have been up against since March. What we are told and what we are instructed to do are not lining up. At all. It's just so exhausting. I did pick out vacation time yesterday, filled out the form, checked with the cousins this evening and will be putting in the request this afternoon. The Director of Nurses has a "family emergency situation" and won't be working on Wednesdays for a while despite filling 3 jobs (her job, the staff scheduler's and a data collection job), but both of the others have been filled and the people have started orientation. Funny, I didn't hear any snide comments about that situation yesterday!

Sadie says Hi to everyone.

Cammy Cat--You probably needed the sleep, glad you got it. Not a word was said about my not working last weekend. At least this time around with the bullying I have identified it earlier and have an emergency exit plan (the job I keep getting offered) and know I can put an end to it at any point. Now I just need to pick the end point. I don't see where this covid spike should be surprising anybody, it's been predicted for months that there would be a spike when schools opened and as states opened, especially places like bars and restaurants where people take masks off to eat or drink. I doubt we'll be set all the way back into lockdown, too many people would just ignore it anyway after so long. The best we can probably do now is keep on trying to protect the most vulnerable among us and pray. A vaccine is not going to be the magic bullet people think it is, look at the flu vaccine and ongoing flu seasons. What I forsee is that Covid will become much like the flu, always on the radar, never truly gone, maybe seasonal, maybe year-round, but a permanent part of the medical landscape.

Librarian--Maine's positivity rate has jumped from 0.49% to 0.67% and is not attributable to the current outbreaks being investigated. That the uptick isn't due to outbreaks scares the you-know-what out of me, that means community spread, and that can take off like wildfire. With more and more people ignoring or defying mask wearing, and fewer businesses enforcing mask wearing, Maine is set for a massive explosion of cases. And, of course, the Pres made a surprise visit to the state, not far from where I live, and attracted masses of non-mask wearing people standing shoulder to shoulder from all over the state. My prediction--positive cases all over the state, almost all schools back to totally remote learning, closing down some businesses and massive craziness by the end of November.

Cammy Cat--SNOW!? Well, it is that time of year!

Chi--genetic mutation testing is getting more and more detailed and complex. I find it hard to think about the fact that when I was diagnosed Oncotype testing wasn't routine, nor was BRCA testing, I had to go out of state for that.So much has changed over the last decade. And to say it's been more than a decade since I went through all that. It sounds like the ocular melanoma info is as favorable as can be, with the early catch. I hope the calcifications aren't anything to be too concerned about.

Jazzy--Glad you got through the snow to get the badge pic done safely! Isn't it amazing how much stuff can be done virtually that we thought had to be done in person not so long ago? Getting good info is a good thing. Praying the positive vibes stay!

Chi--great 2020 description!

Goldie--I'll be in Vegas for about a week. I wish we could meet up, too, but it probably is not a wise idea. But maybe we'll get a miracle and covid will be gone by then? We can hope, right? Having trouble sleeping after being in an accident like that is not unusual, and probably has more to do with DH processing the emotional/psychological effects of the incident than injury or meds. Not to mention that it's common for people to go through similar things after being in ICU, even briefly. Small improvements in moving are good! Any improvement is good, and recovery from broken ribs is a slow process. Hugs and prayers to you both.

Driven Snow Cocktail

Ingredients

Finely-crushed candy canes

1 1/2 oz. white chocolate liqueur

1 oz. blackstrap rum

1/2 oz. ginger liqueur

Ice

Water

Directions

1. Dip the rim of a glass in water, then in finely crushed candy canes.
2. Combine white chocolate liqueur, blackstrap rum, ginger liqueur, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously, then strain into prepared glass.
3. Serve garnished with a bite-size gingerbread cookie, if desired.

From <https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a29625988/driven-snow-cocktail-recipe/>

Day 3 & all is going well. This is what yesterday morning looked like at my house. It was snowing this morning but think the storm is finally to the east

Jazz - that's what it looked like by me Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. Weather was in the teens Sunday and Monday and is slowly warming up to 60s by week-end. The snow did help with the fires.

Karen, I hear you on the time change--the cats don't know it's only 10 am, not 11 (their usual breakfast time), so no sleeping in on Sunday (unless Bob is off in order to watch the Bears, in which case I may put him on kitty-feeding duty).

With ordered-out French food, some more of that Cherry Fields Aussie dolcetto. (Time to change the gas cartridge in the Coravin, though).

Mornin' ladies,

Karen i hate this time changes for as long as I can remember. Then it seems like real winter to me.

Sandy were u able to get some BD time in at all, or are u just skipping it for the most part. Everyone is doing something different this year and nothing really seems like fun to me.

Lori I can't get over that there is nothing closer for u to get ur meds. I'm sure u really looked into it but that's absurd, by the time u get there and wait for ur infusions it's a long day. I cn't see how they can't figure something else to do that much closer. There must be other people in ur predicament and have had to come up with something. Glad it's every 3 weeks at least but still a long haul. I know u live far away from things but this is way to much for any one to have to drive for one day. I'm sorry it just doesn't make sense to me. All that ur going thru and now this. I just feel bad for you.

Most people are getting all freaked out about this new surge aroun here. And on their own wearing masks all the time and scraping their hands clean. Here we go again. Is this our way of life now back an forth neverending. Jeezz I hope not. I told u we were talking about the Holidays. I never really looke forward to presents just the precense of family and the spread of food and win.e for hours and hours and talking and laughing. But this year I don't see anything like that will happen I should be happy that things are good and I am but for some reason I feel sad inside. Who'd of thought.

I hope today brings a brightess to everyone.

LUBS U ALL

Good Morning, Loungettes!Yesterday turned into an interesting day. I was just getting up and getting going when Mom called. She needed a ride to her doc's office to get some blood work done and her car is in the car hospital. The clinic nurse wanted her to come in ASAP and call and let her know when Mom will get there. OK, I tell her that I'll be there in about 45minutes, and we'll go straight there. Mom can call the nurse while I pour my coffee into a travel mug and change out of my jammies. I'm kind of hurrying, and didn't pay attention and ran into the garage door before it was all the way open and broke the bottom panel rather thoroughly. Now the door won't close, and the garage is also my basement and the temps are not much above freezing. Sigh. I drive over to her place, pick her up, and head to the doc's office, which is an hour away from Mom's place. We get to the town the doc's office is in about 11:00. THEN she tells me the nurse made an appointment for 2 PM when mom called! Mom had forgotten her cell phone, so she used mine to call and see if the appointment could be moved up. She had to leave a message, we left my phone number forcallback, but never heard back.So here we are, sitting in a shopping mall parking lot for an hour, then we ordered some take out for lunch and ate that, then sat in the doc's office parking lot for a while, until almost 1 pm, when Mom went in cuz she needed to pee.Luckily, the could take her then and recheck the blood work, which was perfectly fine. I take her back to her place, and manage to get to the place that has worked on my garage doors in the past before they closed, and get on the list to have someone come take a look yesterday evening. The very nice guy came out, took measurements, and will be calling with a quote sometime today. And he was able to get the door to close. He pointed out that the garage doors I have now, which were original with the house, meaning they date from 1988, are basically cardboard! I never realized the doors were so thin and had NO insulation! I have a two door garage, I'm hoping the cost will be low enough to replace both doors now with insulated ones. Now I'm wondering how much difference having insulated doors on will have to the overall heating costs of the house in the winter.

Things at work seem to have calmed down a bit. We have 2 nurses in orientation now, one who will be working the units and one who will be doing one of the 3 jobs the Director of Nurses is doing now. The new Scheduler has started and is getting up to speed pretty quickly, so the DON will be back down to just one job in a couple of weeks. The assistant DON told me that this weekend's staffing is looking good, so she doesn't expect I will have to work this weekend. I've finally had a full week of doing my own work and have really managed to get mostly caught up and feel a lot better about that stuff. The last of the staff covid tests came back, all negative. Apparently my test was the very last one to come back!

Silly Sadie thinks all of these goings on are just hilarious. Every time I start talking to her about them she rolls over on her back and insists on belly rubs while I'm talking. I swear she fell asleep during belly rubs at one point yesterday evening! Or she gives me these really oddlooks while I'm talking to her. Sometimes I think she's saying she's listening, sometimes I think she's saying I worry too much about stuff, and sometimes I KNOW she's saying "give me a belly rub and it'll all be better"!

Chi--ye old covid seems to be ramping up everywhere. The Maine CDC is saying Maine has widespread community spread now, statewide, and we're seeing the beginning of a surge or wave or whatever they are calling it this week. This one is not being fueled by nursing home and workplace outbreaks and is affecting younger people. No big surprises there. Happy Birthday to Gordy, hopehe and Leslie have a fun evening out. Hoping Bob stays negative, too.Ah, I see Bob did test negative, that's good! But the roll back on restrictions, not so good.

Jazzy--YUCK!Snow due here anytime now. Originally predicted for today or tomorrow, but now they are saying no precip. Still, it will come.

Cammy Cat--it is confusing at work, and it's confusing like that all through health care right now and has been since March. My next step is to get all my retirement info together, then make an appointment with a retirement counselor. In the meantime, no more 12 hour shifts outside of weekends on call (can't control weekend call outs), and keeping as close to 24 hours per week as possible with coverage shifts and my work combined. If things fall apart or get too nasty, I'll go back to working Hospice and making home visits while I look for a no traveling position. With covid spiking again, everything is closing up again. I think most of us saw this coming, once things started easing up some people decided they didn't need to take any precautions anymore and now we are seeing the results. Your neice's granddaughter won't remember much of this, but the family will, like you said. I think family gatherings like we used to have are probably pretty much over. I think the holiday season is going to be very different for years to come.

Goldie--We can hold out for that miracle, as long as we aren't holding our breath! Things seem to have calmed down at work a bit. Driving 8 hours every 3 weeks will not be fun, but what must be, must be. Still praying for you and Darrell.

Jazzy--saw those on FB, LOL!

Karen--oh my gosh I hadn't thought about the time change, that's this weekend, too! I really think the world has advanced technologically enough to do away with the time change. My sister-in-law grew up on a dairy farm and she says when the clocks changed (they never said the time changed, only the clocks changed) they just changed what time they got up, cuz the cows had to be milked when they had to be milked, no matter what the clock said.

Cammy Cat--I'm with you, the holidays have been more about getting together with family than about presents or such. This year is going to be very different for lots of reasons. Not sure I'm going to like it, but what choice do we have?

Ghost Cocktail

INGREDIENTS

Nutrition

• 1 1⁄4 ounces smirnoff vanilla vodka
• 1⁄4 ounce half-and-half
• 1⁄4 ounce simple syrup
• 1⁄2 ounce Godiva white chocolate liqueur
• white chocolate, shavings

DIRECTIONS

• Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.
• Strain into a chilled martini glass rimmed with white chocolate shavings.

From <https://www.food.com/recipe/ghost-cocktail-258081>

No trick or treaters for us tomorrow--we will have the porch light turned off, per the city's suggestions. We didn't buy any candy and to tell the truth, I'm sort of relieved. Next to Yom Kippur, Halloween is my least favorite holiday: I have to spend hours on candy duty, keeping the cats locked away. No time to go to the bathroom, watch TV, etc. (You don't know how much Halloween sucks till you hear kids banging on the front door yelling "Trick or Treat!" while you're on the toilet trying to "do your business"). The neighbors have decorated up & down the block, and I imagine though there will be fewer kids and slimmer pickings, the volume of both will be normal for an "average" block. Last year, during a snowstorm, we still got >1000 kids on our double block. We usually get almost double that.

I'm of two minds about indoor-service bans at restaurants: on the one hand, we are in the midst of a horrible surge (IL had almost 7000 new cases today) and IDPH's bar-graph chart shows "restaurants & bars" as the largest source of spread. On the other, the state went from allowing 40% indoor capacity to zero, without the 25% in between that was allowed in Aug.-mid-Sept. So many restaurants spent thousands on ventilation systems, partitions, table storage, winterizing their tents & patios by partly enclosing them and buying heaters. But without at least a 25% indoor "cushion" of customers, even the busiest outdoor patios are a losing proposition. The problem now in many suburbs is that the restaurants are going to keep breaking the rules and local police depts. are refusing to enforce them. All of this could have been avoided if everyone "masked up, washed up, and backed up." But nooooo....those stupid selfish bar-hopping maskless 20-30-somethings (by far the largest cohort of new cases) are killing people and killing businesses too.

I am all for banning indoor service at bars & taverns. The whole point of going to one is to drink & socialize--which necessarily involves close contact and often shouting. Then when patrons get tipsy (which is why they go to bars and not restaurants), they throw whatever caution they may have had to the wind, removing their masks (or never wearing them) and crowding together, sometimes hooking up with strangers and taking them home. Now, I'm not a prude nor a teetotaler but....

Jazzy, the move is on and we're leaving tomorrow but the house is nowhere near ready to sell. I slowed down due to SE's from a new treatment combo and DH is overwhelmed. One Uhaul trailer and truckload were taken out last week but we're in no hurry, so planning to finish over the next couple months as we come back for scans.

Waiting for spine MRI results for another spot in the brain that is suspicious for lepto mets. Of course I'd love it to be negative but I feel like I'm outrunning the inevitable, so I'm mentally prepared either way mostly. A prognosis of 3-6 months would be a huge blow though, fingers crossed.

Good Afternoon, Loungettes! Happy Saturday! Got a call from work, one of the CNAs was sent out to the ER by ambulance. Everyone was all on screech, so I went in to help out and get things settled down. Spent the morning with people either crying on my shoulder or venting anger and frustration at me. At least it wasn't the middle of the night. I am hoping the night shift will not suffer from Weekend Full Moon psychosis!

Sadie was not impressed. Actually, neither am I. If they spent a little less energy on whining and moaning and a little more on getting the work done they wouldn't be in bad shape.

Welcome back, Teka!

LOL, Jazzy!

Karen—I hear you. It's getting scary again.

Chi—that's a lot of Trick-or-treaters your block gets! All the back-and-forthing with the COVID restrictions is bound to kill off a lot of businesses. I agree bars are always going to be problematic and for the very reasons you state.

Jazzy—sounds like you are starting to get settled in to the new job. Mom doesn't often ask me to take her places, she'd rather drive herself. Her car was in the garage this time around. And she has bailed me out when I had car problems in the past. So I don't mind that call, I was just amused by all the drama—need to get in ASAP, setting the appointment for 2 pm, her forgetting her phone, etc.

Ili—Moving is such a huge undertaking, better when things can be done over time. Praying for good scan results. That prognosis would be a blow.

DOTD today is chocolate milk. One of my comfort foods, stopped at the store on the way home and bought a half gallon. It’ll last me this afternoon!

Jcs - wow that's great. Love the red interior. Leather ?

I do NOT like the time change - I went to bed at my normal time, woke up at 2:30 couldn't fall back to sleep so at 3:30 got up and then went back to bed at 4:45 (yes, these times were post time change). I was text my younger daughter who asked me why I was up!!! Got out of bed at 6:15. Hopefully, I'll get back on my schedule before young. During the week I"m up at 5ish. Often wake up at 3 to go to the bathroom, but go back to sleep till 4 or 5

Nice weather today