Daisy

It's been a good week. My Friday ended with a nomination award from a co-worker who witnessed me helping an African-American man in the hospital pharmacy last March. He did not have enough money for his co-pay. I helped him pay for his prescription without him asking. My boss and a couple of co-nurses saw me receiving this award. I guess I made more than one person happy from this act. I, for one, am so happy I was in the pharmacy at the right time. This is the 5th time I have been nominated for the DAISY award so it is a big deal for me. 

I am a rookie gardener. So I am proud of the little successes in my mini garden. Look at my future eggplant, tomato, and a few strawberries. The strawberries are small and sweet.

My grandson often makes me laugh. At 14 months, he is riding this tricycle for the first time and is having such a great time.

We only have 18 COVID patients in the hospital. That is good.

Have a good day you all.

June Thankfuls

Another month, a fresh beginning. It is another busy week but I make time to recognize the goodness around me. I have many reasons to smile this week.

Here's "we woke up like this picture." My grandson was crying so I help the couple by "borrowing" him. He instantly stops crying and here he is with sister, messy hair and all.

My current school for my Master's donated a carful of snacks and beverages to my units to recognize the staff, especially it is the year of the nurses. May is actually the nurse's week but we were too busy with COVID that my hospital did not have the celebration at all. This very nice gesture by American Sentinel University is very much appreciated.

Here's this morning's 2-hour hike in a nearby city. It was overcast and just perfect for hiking!

Bubbles, Greens, and Splashes for Partying

Happy Birthday, Ttot. You are 7 years old. How time flies! I am glad this group is around and somehow shaped me to look at the positive side of my life including theirs. This is a group I want to continue to be part of. They are contagious in a good way. This is how I celebrate this week.

Here is the recent growth of my transplants and direct sow. The eggplant is looking good. The beans look happy as well. I got sweet potatoes too. In the Philippines, they are called "kamote." I've always liked it. I have a pair of strawberries to date from a plant. This renewed hobby keeps me happy, so far. It looks like, I won't be going on long vacations this year so I might as well keep a hobby while staying close to home. My daughter and granddaughter are doing some planting on their own too, and help me once in a while with mine.

Paul does not care about any planting. But he'd go with me on some walks and hikes. Here is one from today. It was a good 4-mile hike on a nice day.

An easy way to feel young is to have fun with the young, my grandchildren--in the store, indoors, or outdoors (when they are in a good mood).

The peak of the hike is the mists of water from this dam. It was enough to cool us off halfway through our hike.

I found out, my grandchildren love popping bubbles. Simpy so fun!

We almost had only 1 (out of original 4 COVID) unit this week. But we admitted more COVID patients by mid-week so we reopened the 2nd unit. It is still better than needing 4 hospital units for COVID as before. Something to be thankful for. You may be getting tired of my updates. We, hospital staff, are getting tired too. Oh well.

Wait, I have to end this post on a positive note. I was surprised by a cashier who came after me to return a $100 bill I dropped by accident. I messaged her boss to report this act of kindness.

Thankful for Warm May

The warm days have come, and so the scare of frost has left Colorado. So I wish. To be safe, I started farming mushrooms indoors. I need the motivation I can grow something. It has been 5 years since I did gardening for a hobby.

The easiest way is to purchase a kit, of course. Within ten days, I had oyster mushrooms ready for harvest. Look at the progression of growth from one day to another. 

Look at the pictures below of Josiah and me. What a year of change. My little grandson grew so much. Come to think of it, last year, I did not have to wear a mask when heading outdoors. I am thankful we are not inflicted with serious diseases.

We did not attend any graduation this year. There was no regular celebration of any kind I heard of anyway. The bakeries are open for a curbside pick up though. So we got a cake for Paul's son for graduating from high school with good grades.

Yesterday, I left work early from severe migraine, nausea, and using the emesis bag 4 times too many. I am grateful for the video doctor visit. The provider was teasing me though, saying, "So you left the hospital, and then now you are video visiting to talk to a doctor?" (Well, I work in the hospital, yes, but it was not that bad to go to the emergency department. And when I was that sick, the last thing I wanted to do was to stay at work). I thought I was gonna get better just going home. The two meds I was prescribed worked though. Thank goodness. I finally was able to eat and keep it down around one a.m.

On a more serious (but good) note, the COVID-19 population continues to shrink in the hospital. So far we only have two units for them instead of 4.

That is all for now. Have a good weekend, you all.

Gardening Hobby

I started a planting hobby this month. I figure planting is something I can have fun with alone. I started mostly from seeds and picked the ones I know I like and likely eat.

Simple Gratitude with Family and Greens

Simple Life

A

Cloth Masks

I am virtually running after the wagon, trying to hop in to join the happy group full of grateful people. Here I am. I made it on a Tuesday afternoon.

• I am thankful for the togetherness in my household the stay-at-home, safe-at-home, whatever-you-call-it orders bring.
• I am thankful for the simplicity and beauty of the activities we are left to do. Walking outdoors? Yes!
• I feel grateful that I have one dog left to encourage us to walk.
• Two playful grandchildren, one walking, the other, a future walker. I hope. He is 13 months expert climber and crawler.
• Cloth masks from work, friends, and neighbors. I treat them as undergarments. They have to be laundered and dried often. (I use a coffee filter insert that is unbleached and garbage bag ties for the metal nose part. I do not believe HEPA-filter is a good idea for the danger of inhaling ground glass).
• No-spill special toddler cups. I can use one for myself. :)

• The beauty of Colorado within ten miles of my home. It is not encouraged yet to drive away in the mountains as they have few resources there as far as medical care is concerned. But there are still plenty of areas to visit that will do.
• I found an outdoor gym. I will use it when it's allowed in the future.
• Flat rocks to do fun stepping. Better than the boring board.
• The new stationary recumbent bike I put together for two hours. I used it when it was raining.
• I am grateful for the patients "graduating" from the hospital after 30-some days who recovered from COVID-19. Here is one I took care of myself.
• We currently have more room in ICU for new patients, thus, the loosening of restrictions with lock-outs and distancing in the social world. Is that good or bad? You decide.

Busy Week

Better late than never. I had a super busy week. Very grateful.

No More Pain

• It is not too easy to focus on gratitude but we are trying. We are grateful for the ten loving years our miniature poodle, Snowball gave us.
• His pain from a deadly attack of a loose Pitbull ended. He is now pain-free.
• We are grateful for animal control staff assistance.
• We are grateful for the pictures reminding us of many years of happiness with a loving dog who loved daily walks up to his last day.
• We are grateful that none of us humans were physically hurt.

• Switching gears, I am grateful for my grandchildren who plays with me outdoors, snow or sunshine.
• I am grateful for takeouts, and in a way, I help the restaurants still have a little business.
• I am grateful for reusable personal protective equipment at work to use in isolation rooms in the hospital.
• I am happy to report that over 180 COVID-19 patients were discharged out of my hospital since March. Some are even publicized in the news happy and back with their families.

Easter Sunday Home Celebration

Hello and Happy Easter. It was a busy work week. I worked my regular 4-9-hour days and mistakenly showed up to work another day that I was not on the schedule. Of course, they made me work anyway. It was not a bad week at all in the hospital.

Here's my gratitude list.

• Easter goodies especially Peeps, my favorite! Luckily, they do not go into lock-down. No lines outside on early Sunday morning in the store, either. We tried yesterday and the lines were long, even in Whole Foods.
• Easter Elmo book because it's not all about sweets.
• A big enough easter egg for Easter egg hunting for little Josiah to find quick.
• The cold and the snow today. We had an excuse to stay indoors. It's not all about the COVID.

• People complying with the stay-at-home order and staying safe. No traffic on the road this morning.
• Good enough weather yesterday to walk outside and breathe fresh air. 
• Walking outdoors is still OK as long as we maintain distance from others 6 feet or more away.
• Online church.
• A day off this Easter to spend time with family.
• Since March, over 70 patients got better and discharged from my hospital from COVID-19. 

Mask Here, Mask There, Mask Everywhere

Governor Polis advises Coloradans to wear cloth masks now when outside the home. It is not new to me, this donning on the mask thing, as I have been required to do it all the time at work. Our world is full of uncertainty. And I was busy at work and did not make time for daily journaling. I decided to post my gratitude today. At least I would do this. It is good for me.

• I feel grateful for the Governor for suggesting wearing the mask. To this day, many people still do not cover their cough with a tissue or something. At least with the mask, the coughers won't forget. Oh, and please make sure you cover your nose and mouth with that mask or scarf. 
• I made Josiah smile when he saw me with the mask on. It is hard to distance myself from him, so I just wear a mask.

• Some neighbors donated sandwiches to hospital staff taking care of COVID-19 patients.
• A Belgian Waffles business, Wafels and Dinges, donated boxes of yummy waffles as well.
• Two of my co-workers' families also donated food to the staff.
• One of the doctors bought everybody lunch again.
• Paul dropped off some necessities to my house. We were running out of toilet paper and wipes, especially. His store still has some so he got a few for my household.

• Exercise for the body, and mind mostly. It is free.
• Zumba on Prime Video at home. This way I could dance without anybody laughing at me but myself. It is fun.
• Speaking of dancing, my ICU team put together clips of dancing videos together to the tune of, "I'm Bringing Sexy Back." Dancing with the barriers makes it so much harder to breathe. They are great sports.

• This model above got me thinking. I thank my mentor for posting this.
• I want to be in the growth zone. I thank and appreciate everybody especially my intensive care team.
• We are still able to accommodate sick patients in ICU.
• A pregnant patient in ICU delivered her twins safely and are all stable.
• Three COVID patients graduated from the ventilator and did not go back on it.
• We were able to pull older ventilators into use. They work fine. 
• We were able to convert some BIPAP machines into ventilators. 
• So far, we still use one vent per patient and not in the position of having to split ventilator tubings between patients.
• My hospital is in the conservation mode but we still have protective barriers to use.
• All my family members are healthy, and so am I.

Another Week, Another Day

Another week has gone by. It is an okay week. We have some sprinkles of blessings and some rain here and there. There is some calm at the beginning of the storm.

• Thanks to my daughter for cutting my hair. Less hair, fewer viruses that can be trapped by it in my daily shift in the intensive care unit. Because of the stay at home order, and non-essential business closing, I could not go to the salon.
• Thanks to the great outdoors, however cold. I could walk and breathe fresh air, and be able to distance myself more than 6-feet away from everyone.

• Scrabble online is a blessing to spend time with Paul while we maintain separate households. We had been social-distancing for 3 weeks now.
• The prayer Serenity.
• Cupcakes for my grandson's first birthday. He had no idea his big party was canceled, that his number "1" candle was purple, and his balloon reads "congrats." However non-essential, the common items are in scarcity and we made do with what we have.
• I am thankful I was able to put together a care package for my coworkers. They are individually packed medicine, chapstick, and eyedrops. 
• I also put a tray of candies for a week for the staff. Each morning that I come back, it is empty. I like refilling it.

• Did I mention, I am thankful for plain, and simple cupcakes?
• A walk outdoors with family and our dog. Thank goodness my surroundings are clear and not crowded.
• Getting up early to meditate and exercise.
• After wiping my tears for losing patients and a friend's family member from COVID-19 this week, I picked up myself and express gratitude for my health. I am safe. My family is safe.

I pray for continued health so I can keep serving my patients and family. I pray that more personal protective equipment will be available to us soon at work. I pray that this virus will be controlled soon.