LEAP YEAR DAY

 

Really not a whole lot going on but I had to post on February 29th.  I mean, how often does one get to do that?

It poured rain most of the day.  As a result the library was almost empty.  It was a nice break.

We have a new intern (Jasmine) who is really good.  Jerry has been giving her a lot of my work to do.  As a result I am now LOOKING for work instead of trying to catch up.  Things are pretty well done.  Even my desk is completely cleaned off.  This is a new thing for me.  I have some ideas of things I would like to get done in the next few weeks, so I guess this is my opportunity.

We were going to go to the Lenten service tonight, but when I came home Joe was sick again.  I didn't want to leave him home alone, so I stayed home too.  I sure hope he gets over this soon.  I asked him to call the doctor and get an appointment but he wants to "ride it out."  And I know from experience that I can't force him to go.  I'll make the appointment and he just won't show up.

Like I said, it's been a nothing week.  Wish it were over though.  I'd like a day home to get some things done.  Like sleep.  Which is what I am going to do now.  Good night everyone.

BACK TO WORK

I was feeling well enough to go back to work today.  There was a pile of things waiting for me on my desk.  Oh, it's so nice to be indispensible.

I scheduled myself for two hours on the desk today (12:00-1:00 and 3:00-4:00).  Wouldn't you know they were the two busiest hours of the whole day!  For a Monday we were really busy.  Lots of problems too.  But I did get an awful lot done today.  My desk is almost cleaned off.

Although I am feeling better, I didn't want Joe to miss all the fun so I shared my germs with him.  He has been sick since Saturday night.  He didn't go to the doctor, though, because there is really nothing you can do except ride it out.  I gave him a couple of my nausea pills and that's about all he can do.  We cancelled our Tuesday morning Bible study for tomorrow.  There is no way he could do it.  And I have a rare day that I can actually sleep in.

I came home at lunch today to make sure Joe was OK and get him something to eat.  It was so nice to get out of the place.  It broke up the day and made it seem so much shorter.  I worked 4 hours, had an hour away and then worked 3 hours.  I have to do that more often.

We had strange weather on Saturday.  It was a bright sunny day in the morning.  I got up and watched the sun rise (took about 20 pictures because it was so magnificent!).  About 1:00 p.m. it started clouding up and the next thing I knew it was a blizzard.  The snow was coming down so fast and the flakes were so large that I couldn't see across the street.  Then as quickly as it started, it was over and the sun came out.  We had a magnificent sunset (that I also took pictures of).  Go figure that one out.  Not a bit of snow on the ground.  I will try to post those pictures later this week.

Well that is it for my boring life.  I'm just glad to not be sick anymore.

FRIDAY VIEWS

 

It doesn't feel like Friday, though.  I slept almost the whole day yesterday, so I lost Thursday altogether.  I think I was awake for about 5 or 6 hours the entire day.  But I am feeling so much better today.  I was able to eat and not feel sick.  I'm glad I stayed home though.  There is no way I could have gone to work and done my job.  I lost 3 lbs. from all of this.  Not the way I want to do it though!

Joe got up early this morning and went food shopping for us.  He left at 7:00 a.m. and was home by 7:45 a.m.  So fast!  He said there was almost nobody in there.

Since all I did all day was watch TV and sleep, I really don't have anything else to say.  So instead I will show you my Friday View.  Yesterday while eating breakfast Joe and I were looking out of the window.  The clouds were so fantastic we just kept commenting on them.  Finally I grabbed my camera and took some shots.  Hope you enjoy them.

 

SICK

Remember two weeks ago when Diane was out of work for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday?  Remember last weekend when Sheila was out of work for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday?  Guess who is out of work this week for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Yes, I have succumbed to the dreaded stomach virus.  Thanks, guys, for being so generous and sharing with me.  However, I do not have it as badly as they did.  Thank you, Lord!

I had a dentist appointment today.  I was feeling very sick and I was late getting there.  The receptionist yelled at me.  Makes me not want to go back, honestly.  When I told the dentist I was sick, she decided not to treat me and rescheduled the appointment.  

I went right over to the new doctor's office.  I told the receptionist what was wrong, explained I did not have an appointment, and she fit me in.  There are two doctors in the practice and I saw the doctor I had not seen last time.  He is very good too.  I also saw the nurse practitioner and she was great.  I am really liking this practice.  It was a good move going to them.  They both said there is really nothing I can do except ride it out.  But they called in a prescription for Zofran for me to the local pharmacy to stop all the nausea and gave me a note to stay out of work until Monday.  Joe went and got the medicine for me while I was asleep and I never even knew he left the house!  He also got me some soup, pretzels and ginger ale.  What a guy!

All I have done is sleep, which is probably very good for me.  I just woke up about a half-hour ago and thought I would update this blog since I am feeling much better now. But I want to sleep some more.  So that's what I'm going to do now.  Goodnight.

ASH WEDNESDAY

 

Another really busy day at work.  Really, I wanted to just take that phone and rip it out of the wall.  It never stopped.  And everyone was asking the same question:  "What are your hours today?"  Very frustrating.  I did get a lot of stuff done, so it was a productive day.  But all day I was thinking, "Let me out of here!"  Ever have one of those days where you just want to stay home in bed?

Sheila had been out sick yesterday.  She came back to work today, but really shouldn't have.  She was still sick.  Remember when Diane was out sick last week?  Well, Diane and Sheila had the same thing -- vomiting and diarrhea.  Tonight when I got back from church I started feeling queasy and running to the bathroom.  I hope I am not getting it.  That would be just what I need!

Our neighborhood has a Council of Churches.  Because all of the Protestant churches are small, they band together to have services and programs.  Every year they have Lenten services each Wednesday for six weeks.  Years ago (and I do mean years) I used to go to them all the time.  But I haven't attended for at least 10 years.  This year we saw in the local newspaper that the first one was tonight and was at the Methodist church which is less than a block from our house.  So instead of Joe going to our church's Bible study and me sleeping, we went to the service.  It was very nice.  They sang hymns out of a hymnal (something we never do at our church anymore), read scripture, had special music and a message.  The pastor spoke on how Lent is not a time to do good things or give up something, but a time for reflection and repentance.  Not a long message, but full of stuff to think about.  Then they did something I have never seen done in a Protestant church -- they put ashes on people's foreheads if they wanted it.  Everyone went up but the Baptists.  Of course being raised Baptist I didn't go either.  After that they had communion.  Again, it was different than what I was used to.  Everyone went to the front of the church, kneeled, and was given the bread and juice there and then went back to their seats.  Different is not bad!  It was really interesting to see how this church did things.  

Next week the service is at the Baptist church.  That is the church I grew up in, where I met Joe, and where my great-grandparents were the first wedding in the church.  It is where my sister got married, where my parents met and where my grandmother was baptized.  My sister and I were also baptized there.  So it will be nice to visit and see it again.

DONUT DAY

OK, so these are Krispy Kreme and I got Dunkin' Donuts, but you get the idea.  Today is Donut Day or Fat Tuesday.  It is the day before Ash Wednesday where you pig out on donuts before beginning the Lenten Fast.  It has been a tradition in my family for my whole life.  My great-grandmother used to actually make donuts, but I am not that ambitious.

I got the donuts for our Bible Study this morning.  We were running late, so I dropped Joe off and then went and got the donuts and came back.  When I walked in I was really surprised to see a full table with several new people.  Ten people actually showed up!  We started off with two, so that is amazing.  And it was a great study.  We were talking about the attributes of God the Father.  Everyone got into it.  Lots of questions, lots of interaction.  It was great!

There were some donuts left over, so I took them to work with me.  I was really hungry, so I decided on my break that I would have one.  The heart-shaped chocolate iced one with chocolate chips was calling my name.  I took one bite, my boss walked in, said something to me, I jumped and the vanilla creme (that I didn't know was inside) squirted out and all over the front of my black top.  Aaarrrggghhh!  Jerry started laughing at me as I grabbed tissues to try to wipe the creme off of myself and the whole thing dropped in my lap onto my jeans.  I had to go downstairs to the ladies' room and get some soap and water to clean myself off.  Then I had to sit there wet until my clothes dried off.  That will teach me to be greedy.

It was a very busy day today.  The day after a holiday always is.  At least I had four people in today so we each did 2 hours on the desk and were able to really work on the things we had to do.  That was very good.

I noticed that several people are concerned about the pain I had in my left arm, so I should explain.  I lifted some heavy boxes at work on Saturday and must have pulled a muscle.  It is fine now.  It is not my heart, because I am such a scaredy cat that I thought of that immediately.  But I was just in the Emergency Room less than two weeks ago and all the tests showed that my heart is strong and healthy.  In fact, I am 58 years old and have the heart of a 38 year old.  So I know it is not that.  

Once again it is late and I have to get some sleep.  Early day tomorrow.  Until then.

THE NOTHING WEEKEND

You haven't heard from me in a few days because there is absolutely NOTHING going on.  Can you believe that?  It's a holiday weekend and nothing is happening.

I worked on Saturday.  It was steady, but not busy.  Marquita brought in donuts and Jerry brought in soft pretzels.  We were pigging out all day.  Diane was very sick and couldn't come in so we were shorthanded, but it all worked out OK.

Yesterday we went to church.  I wasn't feeling all that great and Joe had to talk to EVERYONE.  I sat in the back and waited for him.  I waited about 45 minutes till he was done talking.  My left arm had started hurting at work on Saturday and the pain was so bad it kept me up almost all night.  By Sunday it was making me nauseous.  I took some pain killers and got to church, but I was still feeling bad.  So I spent a lot of yesterday sleeping.

That brings us to today.  The pain is completely gone.  But I am still very tired.  I don't understand why.  The only thing I have done is meet my friend Donna for lunch.  We went to the Mercer Cafe around where I work.  I have not been there before.  It is small, noisy, crowded and has great food.  I had a burger and Donna had a crab cake sandwich which looked really good too.  It was fun going out to lunch and not having to worry about the time to go back to work.  Joe says he doesn't feel well.  It is almost 5 p.m. and he has not gotten up at all today.  I got him a Coke to try to settle his stomach some, but all he is doing is sleeping.  He wanted to go out to the Sprint store and to do the food shopping, but I don't think that is going to get done.

So that's the story of my nothing weekend.  Wish I had done something more interesting, but sometimes that is just how things go.  I am going to get off of here and try to be productive now.  Back to work tomorrow.

FRIDAY VIEWS

Joe has still been having dizzy spells, but he felt well enough to come to work with me at dinner time last night.  For some reason he cannot get on the internet at home so wanted to come and use the wifi at work.  So he got to meet our new Library Assistant, Bob.  They really hit it off.

When we left at 8 p.m. he wanted to go to Chik-Fil-A.  That is his new favorite place ever since he found out there was grilled chicken that he could eat.  He is allergic to peanut oil and that is what they cook all their chicken in.  So now he can eat there as long as it is grilled.

Chik-Fil-A is a great place to eat.  It is always such a pleasant dining experience.  So I got a night off.

I had off from work today since I am working tomorrow.  Both Joe and I went to our new doctor.  I wanted to meet him and let him meet me.  I know I will need referrals soon and refills on medications and I wanted to see what he was like.  Joe went because he is still so dizzy.  He even fell off the scale when getting weighed and the nurse caught him before he hit the floor.

I really like this new doctor.  He is very much like my former doctor.  He takes his time talking with you and is really interested in how you are feeling.  A real family doctor.  He even makes house calls if he really needs to.  And he knows all my doctors at Aria Hospital which will make it really easy to get to see them.  Besides that his office is only 2 blocks from our house.  I think this is going to work out really well.  So much better than the other one.

When we were done, we ran some errands.  Or I should say I ran the errands while Joe sat in the car.  Finally I dropped him off at home and finished things up.  The doctor thinks Joe is dizzy because he has had terrible allergies and has fluid in his ear.  He gave him Anti-Vert to try to make him feel better until this all clears up.

After all the running around we were both beat.  I have not been sleeping well.  So it ended up that we both slept the whole afternoon away.  I had so many plans of cleaning and cooking today and got nothing done.  When we woke up, Joe wanted to go to the Sprint store to see about getting his computer hooked up with our internet system.  But we got there too late.  The store closed at 7 p.m. and we got there at 7:10.  Oh, well.  We will go there tomorrow after work.  But while we were there we ended up going to the Chinese Buffet next door.  I am getting very spoiled going out to dinner every night.  It was fun though.

So now it's to bed so I can get up for work in the morning.  Saturdays are busy, but never as busy as a weekday.  I hope that is true tomorrow.

Here is your Friday View for this week.  My Valentine's rose is still at work.  I will bring it home tomorrow.  But here is how it looked on Wednesday.  It has opened up a bit.

Have a good night everyone!

VALENTINE'S DAY

I had the best day today.  It began with getting up after having only 3 hours of sleep to make Valentine cookies for Bible study.  I took sugar cookie dough, added orange extract, rolled them into a heart shape and topped them with a candied red cherry cut in half.  They tasted wonderful.

Joe came downstairs as I was finishing up and gave me a beautiful card.  It is probably the nicest card I have ever received in my whole life.  It wasn't fancy, but the the sentiment was wonderful and I ended up crying it was so nice.

We headed over to church for the Bible Study.  Our topic this week was The Trinity.  There was a lot of interaction and was a really good study.  I think one of the best so far.  Only three people showed up.  We gave each of the ladies a rose made out of feathers and the man a small container of Hershey kisses.

I went to work and had a good day there also.  I actually had time to get my desk completely cleaned off.  I haven't seen my desk clean in about 6 or 7 months!  Right around dinner time a man delivered my one red rose from Joe.  Every year he gives me one red rose.  The story behind it is the first year we were together, he was out of work, sick and had no income.  He wanted to get me flowers, but couldn't afford them.  So he walked over to 7-11 and got me one red rose for a couple of bucks which was all he could afford.  Because the rose showed his love for me, I asked him to do that each year.  And he does.  It is the thing between us that makes Valentine's Day special,  Here is my rose for this year.

When I got home from work at 8:30 p.m. I told Joe to figure out where he wanted to go and I would take him to dinner.  We decided to go to Applebee's.  Well we went, but we didn't stay.  At 9:00 at night the line was out the door and people were standing in the parking lot to get in.  There was at least an hour wait for a table.  So we went to the diner.  It was almost as bad.  We got a table right away, but the wait to take our order, get the food, get the check was terrible.  The manager was out on the floor yelling at the wait staff and telling them that if they left to go home, they were fired.  It seems a lot of people did not show up for work.  We had asked for Joe's friend, Shirley, to be our waitress.  She had been there for 10 hours and was not allowed to leave.  She expected that she would have to work at least 16 hours straight.  We left her a very large tip.  Poor lady.  She is an older woman and looked really worn out.  But she can't afford to take a chance that she might lose her job.  The good part was we had a really nice dinner, had a chance to do a lot of talking (mostly ME talking), and spent time with each other.  We even had one of my favorite customers at the library come over to the table and talk to us.  He was there with his wife.  Great minds, they say.

I have to go because I MUST get some sleep.  Hope your day was as good as mine.

KIDS' ADVICE ON LOVE AND MARRIAGE

My sister sent me this in an email.  It's so cute.  I thought I'd share it with you.  Happy Valentine's Day!

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY?
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
* Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.
* Kirsten, age 10


WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?
Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.
* Camille, age 10

No age is good to get married at.  You got to be a fool to get married.
* Freddie, age 6

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
* Derrick, age 8

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids.
* Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?
Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.
* Lynnette, age 8

On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.
* Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?
I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.
* Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?
When they're rich.
* Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.
* Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It's the right thing to do.
* Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?
I don't know which is better, but I'll tell you one thing.  I'm never going to have sex with my wife.  I don't want to be all grossed out.
* Theodore, age 8

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys.  Boys need someone to clean up after them.
* Anita, age 9


HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?
There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?
*Kelvin, age 8


"And the #1 Favorite is........"

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
*Ricky, age 10
 

AGAPE FEAST

Today's sunrise was so beautiful.  Finally after all the clouds and snow I got a pretty shot.  It was a beautiful sunny day but very cold.  It was only 22 degrees when I went to church this morning.

Last night I stayed up late baking a sugar-free apple pie for the Agape Feast at church today.  (Agape is the Greek word for the kind of love God has for us.)  I got about 3 hours sleep and then got up and baked a Pumpkin Dump Cake.  I got the recipe from my blogging friend Bonnie at What About Pie.  Then I got ready for church and finally made my green bean casserole.  I got to church as the service was ending.  Our stoves at church are not working.  My friend, Dorothea, cooked the whole thing at her house and then the men of the church went and got it and carried it down the street to the church.  Good thing she lives close.  So I decided to wait until the last minute and take the beans over hot so there would be that much less to worry about heating up.  Since all of our messages are taped, I will watch it later this week when it gets put up on our website.

I invited my friend, Carol, from work and she showed up for the lunch.  There were about 30 people there and enough food to feed an army.  I took only three pictures because I got so caught up in talking with others and eating.



Fettucini alfredo, homemade applesauce, ham, roast beef with potatoes, onions and carrots, green beans with carmelized onions, green bean casserole and rolls.  And I didn't even take the dessert table.



The line snaked around the room to get to the food.



But some people were more interested in talking than eating.

 Everything was very good.  There wasn't much left.

After everything was cleaned up, we set up for our Tuesday morning Bible study.  Instead of having separate round tables, we now have one large oblong table.  Caity (the one in the pink suit and dark glasses above) is very artistic and she set up the table with a red tablecloth and pink heart doilies.  Very pretty.

This afternoon I crashed for about four hours.  I really needed the sleep.  Now it is late again and I need to get some more sleep so I can get up for work tomorrow.  It's been a good day.

FRIDAY VIEWS

 

I can't believe it's another week gone already.  It seems as if I was just writing about Friday and here I am again.

This has been a good week.  Having another person at work has helped me tremendously.  There is, of course, an adjustment period.  We all have to get used to each other and find a good way to work together.  But I am very encouraged.

Today was my day at the Fishtown Branch.  What a difference.  For the last few months I have been the only Library Assistant there and have sat at the desk for four hours at a time.  Today I was on there two hours total.  It was kind of strange.

Joe got the results of his x-rays.  His hand/wrist are not broken.  Everything looks fine.  That is the good news.  The doctor we have been seeing called and said it was probably nothing, put some ice on it and take some aspirin.  He wouldn't even see him.

So on Thursday, Joe went to the new doctor we will be seeing.  The doctor took one look at his wrist and said it was a torn tendon.  He told him to take some Aleve, keep it in a brace for several hours a day and to use a sling when he went out.  He told Joe that it will be very painful for a few weeks, but it will heal.  He is also working with Joe to get his cholesterol and diabetes under control.  He sounds like a good doctor.  I have an appointment with him on Friday to meet him, have him look me over following my ER visit and give him my records.  I think this will work out.

I'm very tired, so I'll just end this for now with my Friday View.  Look at these pretty roses.  Aren't they beautiful?

 They are my collection of wooden roses.  Yes, wooden.  The wood is shaved paper thin and is rolled up to make the rose.   I am always amazed at how clever people are.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day.  It is supposed to snow here and I still have to go to the store to get the ingredients to make an apple pie and a pumpkin dump cake for the luncheon at church on Sunday.  Sunday morning I have to get up early and make a green bean casserole.   It's a busy weekend.

A WEDNESDAY READ

CAMP CONFIDENTIAL -- BOOK ONE: NATALIE'S SECRET by Melissa J. Morgan

About the book:
Eleven-year-old Natalie Goode is a total city girl, way more interested in fresh sushi than fresh air.  So she's less-than-thrilled when her mother ships her off to sleepaway camp for the summer.  Before long, though, Natalie notices that despite the sticky mess-hall benches and the spiders in the shower stalls, there are some pretty cool girls at Camp "Lake-puke."  If she can loosen up and let them in, she might just enjoy herself -- unless, of course, the secret that she's been keeping gets in her way....

My thoughts:
This is book one of a series I read some time ago.   It's billed as a children's book and I guess it is, but the story line is excellent.  The characters are well done, fleshed out, and you feel as if you have gone to summer camp and are in bunk 3C with them.  Some you hate, some you love and some you just aren't sure of.  A blast from the past and a good quick summer read.  Highly suggest it for the pre-teen girl in your family.

IT'S BEEN THE LONGEST DAY!

Well, folks, I had this done.  It was even published.  Then I went back to correct something and the whole thing was erased.  I am so frustrated.  But with the way this day has gone, it just figures.  I am going to try to recreate it.

This morning Joe was in too much pain to go teach his Bible Study.  He asked me to take over for him.  I didn't really mind because I like keeping my hand in teaching.  Six people showed up today.  Pastor Justin had asked us to go over the 28 Articles of Faith of the Bible Fellowship Church.  Today was the first one:  The Holy Scriptures.  I spoke on the inspiration and inerrancy of the scriptures.  I told them that nothing could be added to the Bible and to watch out for people who did that.  Two of the people there were Catholics and were very upset with me.  But I can only tell them what I believe and I'm not going to say just anything in order to smooth things over.  I must have been interesting enough, though, because they said they are coming back next week.

After the study I went to the doctor's office  and picked up the script for Joe to get an x-ray of his wrist.  Then we headed out to the hospital.  We didn't have to wait too long.  The technician said they would read the films and send a report to the doctor and he would call Joe.  No call yet, so we don't know if it is broken or not.

I dropped Joe off at home and headed for work.   I was only an hour and a half late.  I'm glad we have Bob there now so that Diane was not by herself.  Today is the first of three days where our computer system is down while they do an upgrade.  There are a lot of things we can't do and people are not happy.

Speaking of not happy, remember the couple I told you about that came in and laid down on the window seat, reading aloud for hours?  They were in today and the girl was on the computer.  The guy sat down at the computer next to hers.  Someone else was scheduled to use that computer and when she arrived, she asked him to move.  He refused.  Jerry (the boss) told him he would have to move over and he again refused.  Then he started screaming at Jerry.  So Jerry terminated the girl's session and turned off her computer.  Then the guy started with the threats and still refused to get off of the chair.  (I should mention that they were both high at the time -- as usual.)  Jerry ended up calling the police, but before they arrived the couple left.  I said to Bob, "And you thought Richmond was a quiet and calm place."

On the other hand, we had another special program today.  The One Book, One Philadelphia selection this year is about Haiti, so we had a program of Haitian music and story telling.  They were really good.  The kids all liked them.

 

By the way, for those who asked if I was still taking sunrise pictures, yes, I am.  I was only going to do it for the month of January, but now I am used to getting up to get the shot.  Some of them are pretty good.  I'll try to share some by the end of this week.

Well it is way late now and I have to get some sleep to face anogther day of no computers.

THERE'S A NEW EMPLOYEE

We had a new person join the staff at Richmond Library today.  His name is Bob and he got transferred to us from the Independence Branch.  I am SO happy.  He is happy to be there too.

Bob started with the library three years before I did, so technically he is not new.  He also lives a block from the branch and is going to be saving about $80 in carfare each month because he doesn't have to take the train to get to work.  That's a real plus for him.  I've known and worked with him off and on for about 12 years or so which makes it really easy having him around.  And is he ever a worker -- always wanting to be busy.  What a pleasure!

It is so wonderful to have enough people to staff the branch.  For the first time since I was promoted I have actually had the time to really do my job.  I didn't have to switch hats midday from my new job to my old job to try to get everything done.  I think I am going to be enjoying my job more because I won't be so stressed out all the time.

Yesterday the handle on the faucet in the bathroom sink broke.  Joe glued it together and put it back on, but he was afraid it wouldn't last, so we went to Home Depot and got a replacement.  When he got it home last night, it didn't fit.  Tonight we returned it and he looked and looked for the right one, but couldn't find it.  So we went across the street to Lowe's and he found a set he thought he could use.  When we got home, he put them on and they fit.  It looks like a new faucet now and cost less than $10.

While we were out, Joe said he wanted to buy me dinner because I was so tired.  We went to Chik-Fil-A because it was in the same shopping center as Lowe's.  Even though I had eaten there on Saturday, I still loved having dinner there.  Joe has not been able to go there because they cook everything in peanut oil and he is allergic to it.  I found out when I was there on Saturday that they have grilled chicken which has no oil on it.  He was able to eat that.  We love eating there.  The atmosphere is so great.

Now I am home doing a load of laundry and getting ready to get a load in the dishwasher.  Hopefully I will have enough energy to get the living room picked up.  

We have Bible Study tomorrow morning.  Our friend, Trish, is giving me a break and making cookies for tomorrow.  She's really thoughtful that way.

Joe got a referral to get his wrist x-rayed and I think I will have to go into work late so that I can get him to the hospital after the study and see if it is really broken or just sprained.  It never ends.

Well, goodnight everyone.  I've got to get back to work.

A FRIDAY VIEW ON SATURDAY

I just can't seem to stay awake at night long enough to write my blog.  Even though I was at the Fishtown Branch yesterday which is usually very slow, it was busy.  What's going on here?  And once again I was the only Library Assistant there until 2 p.m. which meant that I sat at the front desk from 10-2.  That's a very long time.  I guess having a lot to do was better than just sitting there.  And I did have short spurts of down time where I was able to write my "Groundhog Day" entry.

Yesterday was pay day so Joe took me to dinner last night at the diner.  The food was very good.  But everything is changed there again.  This place keeps reinventing itself.  I guess they are having money problems because their Early Bird Special dinner is gone and their menu went from four pages to two.  They don't even have the specials page in there anymore.  It is on a board when you walk in and they have about 10 handwritten copies of it which they hand out one per table when you walk in.  Joe had fish cakes and I had meatloaf.  Because my lunch wasn't until 2:00 I wasn't really hungry so brought a lot of dinner home.  But that's a good thing.  Lunch for tomorrow after church.

There is a farmer's market at the farm today.  I am leaving in a half-hour to pick up my girlfriend Debbie and we are heading out there.  Then we are going to Chick-Fil-A for lunch.  With our crazy schedules Debbie and I don't see very much of each other anymore, so this will be fun.

Joe's wrist is much worse today.  Now the pain is all up his arm.  He got the earliest appointment he could with the doctor which is next Thursday afternoon.  (I said it could have been sooner because he didn't tell them how bad it was, but I'm not going to argue with him about it.)  At least it's better than "I'll see you in three weeks."

I called the previous doctor yesterday and cancelled my appointment for Tuesday.  The girl asked if I wanted to reschedule and I said, "No.  Actually I've changed my insurance and I'll be seeing another doctor."  She said OK like it was nothing to her.  She didn't even ask why.  From what I hear a lot of people are changing.  At least the new doctor we chose is associated with Aria Health where I go for all my cancer, cardiac and other treatments.  I was not going to change all my doctors mid-stream.

Well I have to be running so here is your Friday View (even though it's Saturday).  Every morning when I go to take my sunrise picture, Jenny joins me on the windowsill and I have to shoot around her.  I stepped back the other day and got this picture of her.  It just reminds me of an illustration from an old story book.  I really like how it turned out.

Have a good one everybody!

GROUNDHOG DAY

Another really busy day at work yesterday and I ended up falling asleep before I could write my blog. 

I took Joe to the VA Hospital and he went to see if his doctor could see him to evaluate what is going on with his wrist.  He doesn't know what he did to his right wrist, but the bone is sticking out and his hand and part of his arm are swollen.  He says it is very painful.  The doctor would not see him because he didn't have an appointment.  He was told to go see the nurse.  We went to the place to make an appointment to see the nurse.  They took his information then told us to have a seat.  We waited and waited.  A guy came in from seeing the nurse and was all upset because he was there thinking he had pneumonia and she wanted to give him a shot for Hepititis B.   He didn't have hepititis.  Joe looked at me and said "We're out of here."

We went home and Joe called our primary doctor.  He was told the doctor did not have time to see him and just go to the emergency room.  Joe said that it cost $200 on our insurance to go there and asked if he could just have a referral to get an x-ray.  The nurse said no, he couldn't do that.  So Joe hung up.

I was angry.  I went to work, but was still upset about this.  So I called my insurance company and told them what happened and asked to change doctors.  We are now going to go to a doctor who is two blocks from our house.  I won't have to take time off from work to drive Joe there, he can walk it.  He has been to this doctor before and says he is good.  He is calling to make an appointment to see him this morning.  I am not staying with a doctor who won't even see you when you are sick or injured.

Enough of my ranting.  Just had to get that out.

So yesterday was Groundhog Day and Phil saw his shadow.  Six more weeks of winter, even though it's been feeling like spring around these parts.  Cold today though.  Here is the link to Phil's exploits.  The poor groundhog looks so scared with all those cameras flashing at him.  How could he help but see his shadow with those bright lights?

Have a good day everyone.  I'll be posting a Friday View when I get home from work.

CHOCOLATE

 

Here is another of the pictures on the cute calendar my sister gave me.  Love or chocolate?  I already know Joe loves me, so give me the chocolate.  Especially with the way work has been going lately.

Yesterday was the busiest day I can remember in a long time.  We usually have 300-400 people a day come in the library.  Yesterday we had almost 800!  With just Diane and I there for most of the day it was really rough.  And everyone had a problem.  They were all what Sheila (the children's librarian) called "needy".   "Can you help me with this?"  "I can't get on the internet."  "Do you have this book?  You don't?  Well who does?  Can you tell me how to get there?  Do you have their phone number?"  And people needing not only change for dollars, but tens and twenties.  Do they think we're a bank?  We all went home very, very tired and cranky.  I ended up with another headache.

Today I had to deal with the mistake I made on the cash drawer.  I spoke with one of the financial/computer people.  She told me that it is a common mistake and I wouldn't be in trouble but I had to write a full explanation on the deposit summary I had to send in.  She told me what to say and said that she would back me up if there was a problem.  I had sent emails to her, my boss knew about, and I wasn't trying to hide anything.  Also, it's the first time in more than 3 years that something like this has happened.  I told her if I was going to pocket some money it would be a lot more than $5.  She agreed I wouldn't risk being fired for 5 bucks. 

So....  chocolate.  Sounds so good right now.  I love milk chocolate, but am not a big fan of dark chocolate.  However, I was in Rite Aid the other day and saw some Dove bars on sale for Valentine's Day.  I bought them and took them to work.  I was very popular.  

Now that I have chocolate on the brain, I think I will go make myself a cup of hot chocolate and then go to bed.  I have to get up early tomorrow to take Joe to his doctor's appointment at the VA Hospital.  His wrist is still hurting him (in fact getting more painful every day) so he is going to try to see an orthopedic doctor there as well.  I'm going to need that hot chocolate.