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First, let me explain. I am not a hoarder, however I do keep an awful lot of stuff, just in case. I have emotional attachments to things – I think because as a child, things (all things) were so very transient. I also harbor fear that the GOVERNMENT will want proof of something someday I I will have to produce it! Consequently, I keep a lot of papers – old tax returns, sales receipts, you get my drift – and I have piles of the stuff. Now I am aware that there is a way to manage this kind of issues – scan into a computer, file, know how long you need to keep things, and lastly, keep what I need and shred the ret – now you tell me! I am pretty far down the rabbit hole if you want to know the truth, but I am working hard at breaking that habit. Today, I threw away schoolwork papers my husband Bill did in elementary school. I am proud of me! It melted my heart aa bit – but since it was an echo from his past, not his past with me, it wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be. Needless to say, that is just a grain of sand in the beach I have to deal with. But, I have a plan. I have it mapped out, and today is the downstairs guest room (also known as the storage room), and I have gotten through about half of the closet. I have a pile of purses to go to the goodwill, nice, expensive purses, but not purses I will use ever again in my retired state. I am currently taking a break to rest my back before I tackle the BIG pile.. that will be the next entry from me.

Okay, I am tired of this. I have had a cold for two plus weeks – I am tired of it. Mostly I am tired of looking around, knowing I have SO much to do, and not wanting to do any of it. Well, I need a plan, and a schedule:

Tomorrow (Tuesday) Guest room downstairs. I will clean out the closet (ugh) the dresser, and make sure all of the furniture is ready to be sold. Including the bed linens.

Wednesday, Bathroom downstairs

Thursday Living and dining room – not much other than furniture in these, it will only be a one day job I think.

Friday I guess I had better tackle my desk. I have done a lot here, but I need to get these important papers in the file box , so that I can find them in the future.

It is pretty amazing, I was talking to a friend who is taking a job in Arkansas and she mentioned to me that the maternal mortality rate there is very high, ranking Arkansas 50th in the country in Maternal Mortality. That was quite a shock to me. I have always assumed that Mississippi and Lousanna held that honor, with Kentucky not far behind. No that I am shaken to my core, and with my friend moving there I have started investigating….part of that investigating is asking myself, how could I help? I wonder…for now, cleaning.

So, have a cold (I hope not RSV – I know it is not Covid), and I get better every day, but it is still a challenge to do things. Felt miserable Monday, slept and read; Tuesday I reported for jury duty. It was a Medical Malpractice case, so I figured one side or the other would not want a nurse on the panel – and I was right the plaintiff’s side rejected me. Silly actually, I might have been sympathetic to their case, but I suppose the worry would be that I know too much. It was a cardiac case, which I found amusing since I am (or was) an OB nurse, but such is life. So jury duty over for the next year. Cleaned the kitchen, well half of the kitchen, yesterday, finishing that today, trying to get linens organized, and throw stuff away…challenging for me. But that is what needs to be done. Trying to use all of the leftovers (and there are many) in the fridge as well. Now, I am off to UPS to get a couple of things in the mail, return a pair of boots, and get that off the list.

The atmospheric river is giving me a break today, picked up dog poop, and will try to keep that under control before the next big storm. I have no issue with the rain – it is actually pretty spectacular, but I feel for the unhoused as they are facing huge challenges. The rain gully behind my house and the river are high – we need the relief from the drought, but it would be nice if we didn’t get it all at once.

So much to do…so little desire! I miss working to be honest, not the problems, but the people. I miss the conversations and the critical thought processes which I was able to see nurses processing. It was rewarding, challenging yes, but really rewarding. And I miss it!

After 34 years of being a nurse in an acute care setting, many facilities in many different states; many roles, and many experiences, I will retre tomorrow.

It is hard to express how much this profession has meant to me. My life has been enriched by my Professors, my colleagues, nurses, physicians, midwives, ancillary staff (without whom many crises might have gone very differently), patients and families, and organizations. This profession is not for the faint of heart!

I am forever grateful for this part of my life. The memories, rich with passages, flood my mind as I write this. I thank everyone who touched my life in this profession. Each of you gave me something that I will never be able to repay. Thank you for your contribution to my life. I am forever grateful, and I look back on this career with pride, and with humility. The best years of my professional life.

Handled most of my Medicare issues yesterday, use “Boomer Benefits” folks – makes Medicare much less stressful!! That was a relief. Now I need a drug plan – for legitimate meds, not street meds! Medicare is far more stressful than it needs to be.

My blood pressure was normal this morning for the first time in a long time….I wonder if there was some stress at work I was unaware of…just wondering. I will keep watching it and see if this morning was just a fluke or if it is really coming down.

William, Cynara and I are going out to dinner tonight – Cynara has been doing almost all of the cooking since she has been her, I think she needs a break. We will go to Lure in Santa Barbara, one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Barbara, seafood and a nice atmosphere.

Tomorrow will be the Christmas de-decorating day, returning the house to some semblance of normal, Saturday is my 70th birthday, I am making a beef loin, and we will have champagne to celebrate. Sunday William and Cynara return to Berlin, and I figure out the empty nest again! It has been a great visit! (for me) I am sure that they will be happy to be home, and I will miss them.

Monday, well, I have jury duty! So, here we go, thanks for following along!

Today is Jan 2, 2023. I am approaching the end of my nursing career (tomorrow) and working on figuring out Medicare. I have so much to do, but right now that is my focus. It is a strange feeling knowing that tomorrow when I get up at 4AM it will be the last time I do that to go to work at Cottage. What a trip the last few years have been! I wish ,e a Happy New Year as I move along!