NationalDayOf

It’s National Women Physicians Day. According to the National Day of Calendar, 35% of physicians are women and they still earn 8% less than their male counterparts. This day is set aside to honor lady doctors, the strides they have made and bring awareness that those numbers could use some improvement.

I had to think about the fact there are still two male doctors to every one female. I know most of the women I am familiar enough with to talk about our doctors, prefer a woman. I like the lady Physicians Assistant I go to much better than I like the male doctor she works along side. She has more patience (no pun intended), listens to and hears what I say, and makes me feel like she cares about me as a person. She has empathy.

My husband’s niece is the program director for the Cleveland Clinic’s internal medicine residency program. She has many of letters after her name. She says, “That just means I went to school a lot.” Now, with the current travel ban from certain countries, she is fighting to get one of her doctors back into the U.S.. We are very proud of our Dr. Abby Spencer who is regularly getting awards for her work. When we visit her at home, she’s a loving mother, wife and daughter. I would love to shadow her at work one day. I’m sure I couldn’t keep up with the pace she goes and I know I would have no idea what she was talking about when it came to medical lingo. I do know she likes lots of frosting on her cupcakes!

The very long novel I wrote, that I keep mentioning, has a stern older man doctor in it and his protegé is his great-niece. I have plans to give her a personality much like our Dr. Abby’s. It’s easier to write when you write what you know. Hats off to all women physicians.

02/03/2017 0

Marshmallows and Chocolate

It’s National Heavenly Hash Day. In my neck of the world that means chocolate ice cream with chocolate bits and marshmallow swirl in it. According to the National Day of Calendar there are many other recipes from different ice cream makers, including one that is fruity. I’ll stick with the chocolate, thank you.

My husband works in big construction. Not outside on the projects as they are being built, but in the office, figuring out how much it is going to cost to build something, or renovate. He’s called an estimator. Today in western New York it is 20 degrees. I know, it isn’t zero, but it’s cold compared to being inside, and he has to go inspect an old building to decide if it is worth renovating. Bottom line, he’s going to be outside most of the morning. He left the house in heavy boots, warm clothes and his winter coat instead of dress shirt and tie.

What does this have to do with Heavenly Hash? Well, we aren’t 40 anymore, and when my husband gets cold, he doesn’t warm up as fast as he used to. I carried wood in yesterday and told him I would have a roaring fire in the fireplace and the family room up to 80 degrees when he got home. (When we bought our house, the neighbor informed us, our family room was the easiest room on the street to heat with its fireplace. That was learned during an ice storm in 1991 when there was no power for a few days and the neighbors congregated in our big room to play cards, share food, stay warm, and wait for the power to come back on.)

So, who wants ice cream on a 20 degree day. Well, if I’m true to my word, and the fire is raging, a bowl of Heavenly Hash might just be the right thing to have for dessert tonight. Maybe I’ll add some peanuts on his. He likes that.

02/02/2017 0

Snakes

It’s National Serpent Day. According to the National Day of Calendar, only 1/8 of all snakes are venomous. So tell me, why are so many people afraid of snakes?

When I was barely a teen ager, I stayed overnight with a friend who lived in a small town. The railroad tracks ran behind her house and we could use them as a short cut to get to the candy store on Main Street. We started out with our quarters, which bought a lot in the ’60’s, but saw a dead, DEAD, snake on the tracks. She wouldn’t walk past it. We went back to her house, and walked on the sidewalks, all the way around the block, to the candy store. I laughed all the way.

A few years ago this same friend called me on a sunny afternoon. Mind you we are now in our forties. She was hyperventilating….I finally got out of her she had hit a snake with the lawn mower. It was DEAD, but she wouldn’t go back out to finish mowing the lawn. I’m still laughing.

My daughter, when in her late teens, came home very excited and told me she was going to work at the local county fair. I asked what she would be doing. “I’m going to wear my bathing suit and be the snake lady,” she answered. She had the right figure. I told her to have fun. There were six or eight black snakes that she handled on stage, letting them crawl around her legs, hang over her shoulder, and wrap around her arm. She made a lot of money in three evenings and I learned snakes are like any other animal, some like the human touch more than others. They each had their own personality and name.

I’m not one to run over and pick a snake up, but when I see one, I admire them. I find the way they slither to be fascinating, not frightening. Maybe I would feel differently if I lived where poisonous snakes were prevalent. I think I would still admire their beauty, but maybe I’d walk a few extra blocks to bypass them. I’d much rather deal with a live snake, than a person who is a “snake”.

02/01/2017 3

Thank an Artist

It’s National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. I’m going to move the words around a bit and tell you about a person that has inspired my heart, then when I found out he is a nationally recognized artist, I felt compelled to purchase one of his pieces as a memento.

I have been attending a Veteran’s writing group for almost two years. I consider the two facilitators and core group of attendees, friends and confidants. When we get together we write about our own military experiences and what effect, usually long-term, they have had on our lives. It’s a safe place to share deep emotional pain, and sometimes joy or silliness. (I am an ex military wife, not an actual veteran.) Because we focus on writing, we still have some anonymity, and not a lot of time to share current personal situations.

We have veterans from Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and one World War II vet. When he talks, we listen for as long as he wants to go on. The military was so different back then. One got discharged after earning points, rather than on a time served schedule. The members knew what they were fighting for, and all parts of life were achieved without social media, cell phones and computers. His stories are fascinating as is he.

Our WWII vet’s name is Kurt Feuerherm. You can search his name to see some of his modern art works. I will get my Owlets on Saturday at our next gathering. The mixed media picture will be a forever reminder of my special friend, and they will fit right in with all the other bird pictures I have in my home. I should probably admit, none of the rest were done by a nationally known artist.

Think about what type of art moves your soul. I create quilts, stories, poems, cakes, and dinners that could be called works of art. I love the way music feeds my soul. Some of my best story ideas have come when I’m out listening to live music. But sometimes, it’s not just the art that inspires my heart, it’s the artist too. What a treat to know Kurt personally.

01/31/2017 0

POP IT

It’s National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. Have you ever thought about how it came to be? The calendar tells us: Engineers Marc Chavannes and Alfred Fielding sealed two shower curtains together in 1956 in the town of Hawthorne, New Jersey. This technique created a smattering of air bubbles which the engineers initially thought would make a great wallpaper! Sales for the wallpaper never materialized, so they moved to selling the product as greenhouse insulation. (Can you imagine it as wallpaper? Not!)

The Sealed Air Corporation was founded in 1960, but Air Cap (name before it became Bubble Wrap) wasn’t used for shipping until IBM starting shipping the 1401 computer in 1961. Bubble Wrap is a trademarked brand of Sealed Air Corporation.

Today, we wrap everything in it. Rolls of it are sold in packaging, office supply, and hardware stores. I used to work at a retail store and the employees would fight over who got to pop the bubbles, or take the piece that arrived that day home to their children. One person admitted to taking it home for herself to jump on to vent anger. Everyone likes to pop bubbles. It’s a good thing there are parts of us that just never grow up.

Occasionally we would get something wrapped in bubble wrap that was more of a honeycomb and the air moved between the bubbles, so one couldn’t POP the bubbles. We were always disappointed when it was that type. Then, the store owner had a couple of grandchildren; the discussion as to who got to take it home ended. Any piece, big or small went on the owner’s office chair and her grandchildren got to have the fun. I’m not working there anymore, I don’t know who gets it now, but I’m sure it doesn’t go to waste.

Let’s give a big thank you to engineers Marc and Alfred for giving us a great product that has multiple uses, and can be used to entertainment. Pop those bubbles folks!

01/30/2017 2

Thank You Honey

It’s National Spouses Day! (Yes, I know I’m a day late!) Say THANK YOU to your spouse just for being who they are, how they make you feel, how they enhance your life, what they do for your family, how they pay, or help pay, the bills….the list could go on and on.

Personally, I think they should have used a picture of a couple that had been married over 50 years for this day. If you make a relationship work that long, then you can brag you’ve made it. I know I’m jaded, but a couple as young as the one above hasn’t had time to climb the mountains and ford the raging rivers that happen in a relationship. To me it appears they are still thinking love can conquer anything. It sure as hell helps, but it’s not always true. People grow and change, or not, and if you aren’t growing together, all too often you are growing apart.

Wow! This got heavy really quick. Sorry. I think you can guess I have experienced both types of relationships. Back to the real reason for writing this a day late. My husband is a loving, supportive spouse. He gets that when I make comments about a bad meal in a restaurant, I’m not complaining, I’m just stating facts. If I were complaining, I would be whining too. He has encouraged me to grow, is excited for my changes, and has given me the support needed so I could quit work and write a really long novel that may never get published. He’s a gem, or as they say today, a keeper. He has helped my children on multiple occasions and I can proudly say, they talk to him before they talk to their own father. I am truly blessed.

My husband and I became spouses when we were both over fifty. Maybe that’s the key. We had become mature enough to not make crazy demands of each other and knew the reality of being friends was more important than lust. Anyway, we appreciate each other, try not to take each other for granted and still say ‘please and thank you’ on a regular basis. It feels good at the end of each day to be able to say, “I’ve got a great spouse whom I love!”

01/27/2017 7

Sue Spitulnik

Writing, Sewing, Travel, and Thoughts

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