Day 181

More than 10 years ago, I got bit by a stray dog that I was trying to help. It was a big enough bite that I went to the urgent care to see if I needed stitches, but it was more of a puncture wound than a tear, so they basically had me soak it in betadine, gave me an antibiotic, and sent me on my way. While I was sitting in the cubicle with my had in the bucket of betadine, I made sure to take the time to feel sorry for myself. It had hurt like hell, and was definitely going to scar.

Then, a gentleman walked by me with his thumb in a plastic baggie.

Huh. Guess my injury wasn't so bad after all. 

Last night I jammed my toed at volleyball practice pretty hard. I don't think it's broken, but it's a little swollen and purple, and definitely sore. It was one of those days at work where I didn't pee or eat all day- therefore staying off my injured toe was a joke. 

I left work later than I had wanted to because it was so crazy, and showed up for my volleyball game in my scrubs. I took off my badge before I went in, changed into my flip flops, grabbed my bag, and walked in, eager to shed the work day. The flip flops weren't as stable as my tennis shoes and I was mentally boo-hooing about it and thinking about how it may affect my triathlon training as I walked into the facility.

Immediately after I walked in, a woman came in through another door and spotted me. She was limping and asked, "Are you a nurse?"

Crap.

I hate that. I mean, yes I'm a nurse but sometimes people want you to look at crazy things and give them advice on stuff you have no idea about. Just because I'm a nurse doesn't mean I'm an expert on skin rashes, pregnancy woes, or STDs...

"Yes", I say timidly. 

She points down to her foot. "Do you think it's broken?"

I look down. Whew- this was an easy one. Her toes were all sticking straight up while her sole was on the ground, and the top of her foot looked like a purple grapefruit had grown underneath the skin...

"Yes", I said- more confidently this time.

She immediately burst into tears, so I helped her call her husband to come pick her up, got her an ice pack and glass of water, elevated her foot on a bar stool, then excused myself to go change in the bathroom. As I took off my scrubs, I looked down at my barely-purple toe and had a moment of thanks that at least all my toes were pointing the right way...

I apologize that I have not had a pedicure, but tonight's pic represents the fact that no matter how bad you may think things are- chances are there is someone else in a worse spot than you. So be thankful that the dog didn't bite you on your dominant hand, and that your toes are not at a 90-degree angle from your foot. All in all- your day could have been worse.

Day 180

Today I sowed the vegetable garden. At this point, the vegetables have grown enouGh that they. Don't need much tending or weed pulling, but I still like to clean things up. Plus, "sow garden" is on the list for today, so there's no getting around it right?

As I was looking under the zucchini leaves for weeds to pull, I came across something familiar. A baby tomato plant. Sure enough, as I looked close, I found at least four "volunteer" tomato plants. They are all in the vicinity of where I had tomatoes last year, and must have sprung from seeds that made their way from plant to earth last year.

I wavered with my gardening tool, trying to decide if I should treat them like weeds. But alas, I could not, especially after planting my own from seeds. They had endured one of the hardest winters we have had around here in years, along with a full blown tilling in the early spring. How could I destroy all that perseverance with one swipe of my spade?

Life amazes me. I have such respect for it. Plants and animals have the amazing ability to adapt and survive, no matter what you throw at them. Except zombies, I guess, according to The Walking Dead. I know there is science behind all of it, and that's one of the reasons I became a nurse. The fact that we can heal is just amazing. And you know how I feel about babies- absolute miracles. 

But plants deserve props as well. Just watching something grow every day from a seed the size of a Tic Tac into a plant laden with food that we can eat is just as amazing to me. So I will not pull up the volunteers, and if they die on their own, then it was meant to be. But if they live, I think I will make something special with them, because they will have earned that at the very least.

Tonight's pic represents the magical mixture of science and life, as well as life's perseverance. 

Day 179

When I worked at the firehouse, we all took turns doing chores and cooking. One evening I was in charge of dinner, and decided to take a risk and be a girl. I went outside and clipped some daisies from the landscaping, brought them in, and put them in a glass on the dinner table.

They were good guys, so they tolerated my flowers without giving me too much grief. Just like I had tolerated their breast-shaped meatloaf (complete with two breasts and nipples) a few weeks before...

I wound up putting one of the daisies behind my ear to be funny during dinner. And like many nights, the alarm dropped before we could clean our plates. It was a medic run, and it wasn't until we got back from the hospital that I realized the daisy was still stuck behind my ear.

I gave the guys hell for letting me walk around like that, but it was too late. The name stuck. The nickname "Daisy" soon made it's way to the back of my fire helmet, and the assignment board in the great room. My one lieutenant said it fit my personality and how it represented who I was at the firehouse. I wasn't overly flowery like a rose, yet still a flower. A happy flower that didn't wilt under summer heat or die in the winter- just came back time and time again, steady and true. I took that as a great compliment. It wasn't easy being a woman in the firehouse those days, but my time there wound up being some of the best in my life.

And so the happy, steady flower became my signature flower. Daisies have been a part of many of the major events of my life, thanks to that fateful day at the firehouse. Daisies were the main flower in my wedding, a symbol of happiness and long-lasting love that could survive all sorts of conditions. My husband brought me daisies when our son was born, and I have happily received them over roses for anniversaries and as the famous "I'm sorry" bouquet.

My mom bought me a tub of white Shasta daisies when we bought our house. That one small tub has now transformed into a sea of summer flowers that I have been able to not only split and spread throughout our own property, but share with others- giving me the opportunity to share my happiness, and sometimes a daisy story,  with others.

Early this spring, I transplanted  some of my Shasta and Black-eyed Susan daisies to the backyard by the vegetable garden that my husband built for me. Today, the first blooms opened up, and just the sight of the bright white-and-yellow flower instantly brought forth both memories and smiles.

So tonight's picture celebrates nicknames and the daisy- a hell of a flower, and one I still aspire to be like.

Day 178

I think everyone has had the experience of driving past a skunk roadkill and having to endure a carful of skunk stink for a few minutes. I always ask myself- how does that get inside my car so fast when I am just driving by?!

I am here to tell you that what you smell from that roadkill is NOTHING compared to having a live skunk spray your dog, then letting that dog into your house before you realize what's happened.

Oh. My. God.

Now I consider myself an experienced person when it comes to bad smells. After 15 years of critical care nursing and being married to a man who farts after eating just about anything, I thought my nose was pretty immune to stink.

Well, let me tell you- my husband's ass has finally met it's match,

The smell was so bad that it literally made my eyes water. It was like a mixture of onions and garlic, only times one trillion. I kept waking up all night literally from the smell. Luckily my parents had some special "skunk off" shampoo, which helped the dog smell less pungent, but my house still was permeated. I emptied almost two bottles of Febreeze without prolonged success into the air, and of course it was pouring rain outside, making it impossible to open the windows.

I posted my debacle on Facebook, and felt a teeny bit better when I saw that many of my friends had been through the same ordeal. I was paranoid all the next day at work, certain the skunk stink had permeated into my hair and clothes. I came home hopeful that it had dissipated, only to be disappointed. It was better- but still there.

Later that night, I received a gift from a friend. It came in a traditional gift bag, like you would give someone on their birthday or other holiday. Confused, I read the note inside. 

My friend had taken time out of her busy life to make me a care package, knowing how much the skunk debacle had stressed me out. There was a package of baby wipes to help wipe away the tears from my eyes and the stink from my hands when giving the mutt (multiple) baths. There were two boxes of baking soda to put in bowls and place around the house for odor absorption. And lastly, she had taken two oranges and hand-inserted hundreds of cloves into the rind, making homemade air fresheners that were odor absorbers as well.

I have said it before, and I will say it again- the best gifts are not the fancy ones. 

Tonight's picture represents friendship, and finally being able to breathe in your own home. Friends take care of each other, in the good times and the bad. I came home tonight after a day of my homemade air fresheners working hard, and I can definitely tell a difference. The dog still has residual stink, but I can live with that. In the mean time, I have seen not one, but two skunks slinking around in my backyard, and am pretty sure they must have babies behind my shed. Tomorrow I will be calling animal control to see if they can relocate the family- because there is no way I am taking a chance at my 170-pound Mastiff getting sprayed...there are not enough oranges in Florida for that.

Day 177

The quote on my office door this month reads, "Nothing will work unless you do".

I think this is applies not only to your job, but to many things in life.

Take sports, for example. Those soccer players today didn't just walk out onto the field and magically play well. Sure, they have baseline talent, but that talent was drilled and honed with sweat (and probably blood) over many years. Pro sport players don't sit on the couch during their entire off season- they train and prep for the next round of competition.

And although our Friday night volleyball league is far from professional, some of us took a cue from those that are and decided to practice tonight. We have a sand volleyball pit at a park nearby, and so we decided to go and work out some of our kinks.

We each chose something that we would like to get better at, then we did drills to help each other with our goals. It wasn't long until we were working up a sweat- but it also wasn't long before we started to see some improvement.

A group of people showed up and we played a pick-up game, then went back to our practicing for another hour or so. Our kids experienced role reversal- having to sit on the sidelines and watch us practice was definitely a new adventure for them.

By the time we left, I think we all felt a little better about the areas we know we need to work on. None of us are where we want to be yet, but it was nice to have others around you that both support you but tell you when your'e doing something wrong. Because the truth is, you don't get better at anything in life if you can't accept feedback on what you need to improve.

So tonight's picture represents both hard work and team work. Don't think that what you want will fall in your lap- you will wind up waiting a long time. Go out and work for it, and help others along the way. Your success will be that much sweeter!

Day 176

I am having so much fun grandbaby shopping.

Probably too much fun. 

But there's just so much cute stuff! I really don't think I've gone too overboard- I pick up a few things per week and always on sale or clearance. 

I've always loved shopping for babies. But doing it a bit more lately has made me realize how much things have changed since my own last little one. How do you choose which diapers or baby food to buy these days- there are so many choices! Of course, some of those choices are for the better, especially in the food department. 

One thing hasn't changed though- there is definately a disproportionate array of boys versus girls clothing. The girls clothes always take up 9/10 of the baby department. That always frustrated me. But I guess the hard truth is that boys look just adorable in plain ole OshKosh overalls and a hat. No muss no fuss. 

So the search continues for adorable boy stuff. I'm getting ready to graduate to larger items like bouncy seats and bathtubs- I've been stalking the papers for neighborhood garage sales...

But in the mean time, I'm having a blast finding little treasures like the one in tonight's pic. I can't wait to see what he looks like! 

Day 175

My little mutt has a big attitude. He thinks he is king of the house, no matter that he is by far the smallest of the pack. The 170-pound Mastiff is no challenge, nor am I for that matter. He listens to my husband (grr....) but that's about it.

He is loud, stubborn, and generally a pain in the ass. But every once in a while, he does something that gives me hope. He will crawl in my lap and cuddle during a movie (after he paws me to death for five minutes to find just the right spot). He will sit by my chair and whine quietly until I pet him. Oh wait- that is part of being a pain in the ass. At least he whines quietly....

Tonight, I started to walk out of my bathroom and almost tripped over something. Looking down, I see the mutt with his tennis ball. He picked up his ball,  looked at me, then rolled onto his back- something he NEVER does to me. I am laughingly the farthest from being alpha as far as he is concerned. But there he was, looking at me with puppy eyes, pleading for me to toss the ball down the hallway.

So I promptly stepped over him and went about my business- "I'll show you who's in charge around here, you little #$%^".

Now many of you will be surprised by this, as it's not my personality. And your'e exactly right. I'm a weenie. I didn't step over him- but I definitely thought about it....

I threw the stinking ball. And of course it wasn't just one time- it was at least 10 before he had his fill of it. But he was so happy. Don't you wish you could be that happy just from chasing after a ball? He laid down next to me with his ball afterwards, happily gnawing at it while his tail wagged. I spent a few more minutes petting him, then moved on to write my post.

Tonight's pic represents relationships and how the best ones fluctuate with who is currently alpha and who is not. Even the most dominant person should roll on their back every once in a while and ask someone else to do something for them. It can be rewarding for both parties. Just don't sit next to them and whine quietly afterwards like the mutt is currently doing....