Tuesday, September 22, 2009, Nashville, TN., 3:39 p.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Louie here.  Am currently at work as I write this; just got on break not even fifteen minutes ago; go back to work at four thirty.  Time to grab something to eat and write in here, while the gettin's good!  :)

We had some excitement here the other day:  a little baby boy came in with pertussis.  (Whooping cough.)  It was the anesthesiologist's son.  He's going to be okay, but he's going to be feeling pretty puny until the antibiotics start taking effect.  We don't see that often; we see maybe three to five cases a year if we're lucky.

Poor Sarah, the mother, is camped out at the PICU waiting area; she looks pretty rough.  I peeked in on the little guy; sleeping like a....baby.  LOL  Looks like he's getting some needed relief and rest from his coughing spells. 

Of course, Rheese is hooked up to tubes/monitors; that's standard practice in the ICU.  He looks worse off than he actually is; he's actually doing quite well, considering the circumstances.

As for myself,  I am working in Orthopedics.  I love working Orthopedics; you always meet the most interesting people there who are in for all kinds of things.  Surgeries on their limbs.  Infections.  Broken bones.  Any number of instances.  My patient is a 14-year-old girl with osteogenesis imperfecta; she's a real sweetie.

I have been checking her vital signs every four hours; steady as she goes!  She might be released by the weekend if she continues to do well.  (She was in for another broken bone; she gently tapped her leg against the rail of her hospital bed while at home and broke her thigh.  She was in a great deal of pain, but is now resting comfortably, thanks to painkilling drugs.)  She will probably have to give up using her crutches and use her wheelchair all the time.

I know that will be hard for Becky*, but if I know her, she'll do just fine.  She has a wonderful attitude about her condition, and about life, in general.

Anyway, back to my journal:  I'd never thought I'd be the one to say this, knowing how much I love the heat of summer, but I'm glad to see the weather finally getting cooler around here.  Welcome, fall!  Indeed!

The sun is setting before eight o'clock in the evening now, and some nights are getting downright chilly.  Like this morning.  I had to grab a sweater to wear to work; it was pretty cool here in Nashville.  The temperatures got down to the upper fifties, I think.  It felt nice, especially after the long, ongoing onslaught of summertime heat/humidity!

I love this time of year:  the leaves are just starting to change here, and this morning, while getting in my van to come to work, I saw a flock of Canadian "honkers" winging their way south.  So I know winter is not far behind; it will only be in a few short months before it gets cold enough for snow!

I also love the smell of apple cider, the sight of fat, orange pumpkins just waiting to be carved into jack-o-lanterns, the sight of animals (squirrels) getting ready for their long winter's nap, busily gathering their food, the sounds of happy children's feet crunching through the fallen, multicolored leaves, and the taste of cranberry sherry or roasted turkey surrounded by all the trimmin's!  (Yummm!)

In addition, I love the fact that family will be coming home as we give thanksgiving to God above for allowing us to get through yet another year with our family intact, and catching up on their lives!  Our house will be full near-to-bursting, but there's nothing sweeter than family gathering together for fun times and worshipful thanks!

Soon our house will be decorated with fall leaves, paper turkeys, and crafts the kids have made at school, and the fireplace will soon be roaring a happy tune.  We have already started gathering enough wood for our fireplace to get us through the cold winter months; they say it will be very cold and snowy here in the Tennessee Valley this winter.  Want to be prepared!  :)

Hang on; let me get off here while I go get something to nibble...Be right back!  Don't go anywhere!  *giggle*

Five minutes later~

Okay!  Am back.  Did you miss me??  *grins*

I sure do wish I could write in my journal more often than I have done lately; you know how that goes.  *Pffft!*  LOL  Family/work/church have since taken over my life; don't have much free time, even on my days off.  *sigghhhh*  No wonder I'm so sleepy a lot of the time; I'm lucky IF I get more than six hours a night! 

Not complaining, but I guess that's what I get for raising this many children!  LOL  Then you have grandbabies!  (Thank God I only see them twice a year; thank God they live out of state!  LOL  When they're here, it's like, "Nelly, bar the door!  The flash flood's comin'!"   LOLOLOLOL)

We have already started Christmas shopping.  Started that back in August:  have to, with this brood of mine!  LOL  I do hope the kids will like what daddy and I've gotten them so far!  (We got Johnathon a talking computer system, and Ronee' a cell phone.  She's wanted one now for the past year.  We also got toys and games for the littler kids.)

Not done yet, but we'll be done plenty in time before November.  We'll be done by the end of October if we keep up at this pace!  LOL

We'll also have to do our cards; getting those now, will get more as the supply comes in to the stores.  We will also get some new Christmas decorations/lighting.

Well, I know this isn't much, but this is why I haven't written.  Too busy; some days I'm so busy I don't know which end is up!  LOL  I will write in here again soon; until then, this is Louie signing off!  Take care, and may God bless y'all as much as He's been blessing our family as of late!  Love y'all!

~As always, your friend in Tennessee, Louie May.  :)

*Not child's real name.