Which months of the year have 28 days?

All of them!  Trite I know; hey ya get what you pay for.

The end of February and the end of my call weekend.  I did a smattering of cases, something every day but no night work: YAY!! Night work is the bane of health care.  After 39 years in this profession, it's the night work that sucks the life out of you.  So again I say:  YAY!

I've been recalcitrant in blogging this month and I really don't have an excuse other than pure laziness.  I could blame my cold and bronchitis but I'd be confabulating so leave it as, "what is, is.

My brother came to visit on Saturday afternoon and we had a great chat for a couple of hours.  I won't relate all that we discussed, actually I will leave out most of it.

He had come into town to pick up the two photographs he'd entered into a local juried art show, and gifted me, generously, of one; to adorn the walls of the frat house.
We both like to photograph cemeteries for some reason.

One of the topics we discussed was how we both felt we could adopt the life of a hermit.  We both appreciate our alone time and are unfazed by long periods of solitude.  But after he left I did some google searching of the definition and meaning of hermit and found that even though I enjoy periods of alone time I would not appreciate that life style over the long run.  I enjoy interacting with other humans too much.  My job gives me ample opportunity to commune with other humans and even commiserate from time to time and, in fact, these interactions recharge my batteries.  That said, large social gatherings tend to make me uncomfortable and I try to avoid them when ever I can without offending anyone.  Does that make sense?

The month of February is one in particular that gives me plenty to reflect upon:

My daughter, and first born child was born in February,  My father was born and died, too young, in this month, one of my favorite surgeons, Dr. Bhat, died unexpectedly in February.  This year my wife spent two weeks in Florida visiting her mom and other relatives, giving me plenty of solitude.  Valentine's day is a time to give one's thoughts over to love and companionship and relationships in general.  Presidents day gives me the cue to reflect on our country and our gov't and the direction were moving in and how it compares to the vision of the founders, and this year in particular it sent me researching the reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.  More on that when I've had time to digest and form an appropriate essay.

And while I enjoy meeting new people and planning and preparing for new adventures there is always comfort to be found in the safety of routine; coffee, exercise, shower, breakfast, work: Its a good life all in all. 

1885: Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain, one of America's most beloved and prolific authors, published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on this day in 1885.  Huckleberry Finn was Tom Sawyer's best friend and the hero in Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).  The adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a much more serious work, focusing on the horrors of slavery and life in the antebellum South.  The story centers on Huck, who travels with his friend Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi on a raft.



Jim has escaped from his owner, who is about to sell him.  The sale would separate

Jim from his wife and family.  Huck, who colorfully narrates the story, tries to help Jim escape Ohio.  The book caused a stir when it was published. 

The Concord, Massachusetts, library banned the book, calling it "tawdry."  Other libraries soon followed.  In the 1950s, African American groups lambasted the book for being racist.

Home was the sailor
Six months on the sea.
Swaggered to the barstool
Beside the lady,

"Buy you a drink Ma'am?"
Said the old salt.
"What'll it be-
A salty dog
A sweet daiquiri?"

"Feelin a bit libidinous tar?"
"Aye, aye lady
That I are."

So they departed the smokey saloon,
Walking out,through mist and  fog
While he sang her a tune;
"Honey let me be your salty dog."

Happy Valentine's Day

Give a little love today..........

On this date in 1805: Sacagawea gives birth to Pompey.

Sacagawea, the shoshone guide who helped Meriwether Lewis and Richard Clark navigate the vast Louisiana Territory, gave birth to a son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, on this day in 1805. The two explorers would call the infant by the name of Pompey.

Lewis and Clark first met Sacagawea while spending the winter with the Mandan Indians along the Upper Missouri River, near present-day Bismark, North Dakota.  Sacagawea's husband was French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau.  Sacagawea was only ten years old when the Hidatsa tribe kidnapped her.  Charbonneau bought the girl and made her his wife.  After meeting Sacagawea, Lewis and Clark wanted the young girl to come along on their journey and help with any Native Americans they might meet.  "A woman with a party of men is a token of peace," Clark wrote.

Sacagawea and her son made the difficult journey to the Pacific Ocean and back.

Magpie # 52

This is Magpie tales 1st birthday!  Time sure flies don't it; gaaal-leeee.

"Do houses have genes grandpa?"

"They sure do sugar.
Some houses has good genes,
Like Monticello- they
Give shelter to successful
People;
Like Mr. Jefferson.

Some, n'er 'mount ta
Nuttin';
Like that un o'er yonder:
Anyone e'er lived
There,
Was a failure."

"Isn't that the house you
Grow'd up in grandpa?"

"Sur-nuf is,
Sugar."


Photo prompt offered by Tess Kincaid @ Willow Manor for Magpie Tales.

I’ve got to tell you this story, even though, technically, its gossip. My wife imparted this tale to me and on a broad scale I tend to believe it, without talking to the involved parties personally. It seems that this fellow we know has recently been put on a budget by his wife. She thinks he spends entirely too much money in the cafeteria at his place of employment. I suspect she is referring to his breakfast purchases as well as his lunches and various snacks throughout the day. I have no idea how much he spends there nor do I care, but I think it’s important to the story to let you know that this fellow earns a yearly salary, in the low six figures, in the healthcare industry. He is quite frugal, some would use the term cheap. I can verify from personal observation that this fellow does not part with a dollar easily. He’s reluctant to buy a raffle ticket from a co-worker or to contribute to any other of the various fund raising activities that arise from time to time in the average work place. I’ve heard him beg off siting the fact that his “allowance” from his wife doesn’t have any extra for those things.

He does, however like to eat. I would say that he is fifty pounds overweight and I’m being conservative here. His love of eating is equaled by his dislike of exercise. He would rather take a pill or pills for high blood pressure and high cholesterol rather than control both of these health threats through regular exercise. The irony will be apparent shortly.

Rather than curb his calorie intake to satisfy his wife’s demand for a cut back in cafeteria expenses, he now packs a cooler every day with his meals and snacks for the day. Fair enough, you might say, and I’d agree with you.

There is a parking lot directly in front of this man’s place of employment, which is designated for the use of customers only. The employees are required to park in the lot 2 to 2 ½ blocks from the main entrance.

Because he feels his cooler is too heavy to carry the two blocks, he is requesting special dispensation from the parking police so that he can park in the customer’s parking lot. Are you freaking kidding me?

Is there some irony here or not?



It's that time of ear again

PHOOEY



Happy birthday Michelle

The blizzard from Iowa arrived this morning, wind and snow.  I went for a walk at 0345 and it was work.  now it's shower, bkfst and leave 1/2 hour early for work.  I figure the traffic should be minimal...

we'll see.