13 lessons from a 13 mile bike ride

During my 2 days off I decided to enjoy some southern Idaho sunshine - that is warm right now- and take my road bike out for a spin since the rubber hasn't met the asphalt since PDX. It was glorious to be back in the saddle.

On my first bicycling adventure of 13 miles through farmland, I experienced 13 things:

1. Dogs- both in town and on the farm- will chase you. It's good for cardio.
2. Entire pastures of livestock will stop what they are doing- cattle, horses, or farm raised elk- and will do one of two things when they see you. A) Stop chewing their cud simultaneously at the same time or B) Run away.
3. Kestrels (little hawks) will stop flying and sit on the telephone lines to stare at you as you go by.
4. Trucks and cars will honk at you while driving by because they think that's helpful.
5. Trucks and cars will not stop to help you if you are pulled over on the side of the road and lost. 
6. Each time you reach a stop sign you have gone 1 mile. Makes calculating distance a cinch!
7. Wind at your back is awesome. My first 6.5 miles were done in 20 minutes.
8. Wind at your head is the opposite of awesome. My last 6.5 miles took 45 minutes. It's even worse when dogs - see #1- are chasing you.
9. Someone has a giant dinosaur and a giant sturgeon sculpture in their front yard.
10. I saw a farmer out tilling the land with his draft horses. It was rustic and he even waved at me!
11. Bicycling through farm land is not good for your new location based allergies.
12. Bicycling to avoid goat heads makes you look crazy.
13.  You should not forget a water bottle. Especially for biking into a head wind. Oops. :(

Now, pictures!

farm land with a canyon in the distance

farm land and sprinklers

sturgeon sculpture in the middle of farmland

a dinosaur wandering the Snake River plains

Aromatherapy stickers!

This week our hospital just incorporated aromatherapy strips and added them into our supply machine. I was so excited to use these on my little confused patients who try to get out of bed at night due to agitation from things like dementia, kidney failure, or annoying family members.

We currently stock two types: lavender sandalwood for anxiety and orange/ginger for nausea. These strips are about the size of a small sticky note and have a plastic colored ribbon attached.You remove the backing and stick the strip to your patient's gown or pillow case or somewhere in their room. You then tear the plastic ribbon part for the intensity of the fragrance for mild or maximum aroma.

I had to chuckle because the other night myself and one of my favorite coworkers in the IMCU were approached for getting certified in therapeutic touch. The person told me that I was approached because I am "adventurous and from Portland." Anyway, I won't know more about that certification process until later this spring but now am looking forward to adding that to my repertoire soon!

Out on a Saturday night: Catholic Crab Feed!

I have a weekend off! 

Last night my honey and some family friends went to the all you can eat Catholic Church Crab Feed. The wind and snow were howling all day and I'm fairly sure the entire town of Buhl was in attendance. Rows upon rows of tables were wedged with people elbow to elbow patiently waiting for the glimmering silver bowls of crab legs to be delivered to their section. The atmosphere was jovial as the beer flowed liberally, the crab legs kept coming, and everyone diligently worked with their crab eating utensils brought from home specifically for this event. 

Our small group of people contained quite a bit of competition as we took turns showing off the biggest pieces of crab meat obtained with a plethora of utensils. There were at least 2 Leatherman multitools,  one set of pliers, big scissors, and the more traditional silver crab cracking devices in our section. It would have been entertaining to see what other devices were spread throughout the tables.

Another observation I made through the evening was how this has been one of the only settings where I saw a mixing of the Hispanic population and the white population for pleasure. Obviously, these two groups work side by side, especially in an agricultural community. However, I only see them mix socially at rodeos and now Catholic church events. It's interesting to hear the rhetoric in this area that is often anti-immigration, but to see the reality that this immigrant population is vital and necessary to drive the local economy.

Overall, it was a lovely and delicious Saturday night full of laughter and some indulgence. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't pine for PDX (except when I'm at work and I'm immersed in my element), but going to these events makes this adventure in the desert a little less isolating.

First night, flipping, and feline thievery?

My first night shift was Sunday night. I slept in as late as possible....made it to 0800. Walked and brunched with my honey and then around noon took some melatonin and curled up to nap. Around 1430 my husband was in the midst of a home improvement project when a neighbor knocked on the door.

He was thinking perhaps it was a neighbor welcoming us to the neighborhood. In PDX within 2 days of moving into the city of 1 million our neighbors from all sides of our house had welcomed us into the neighborhood and wished us a Merry Christmas. We have been here for a week and a half in a town of 4,000 and it's been radio silence on both sides.

He opened the door and the neighbor inquired if we had stolen her cat. My husband pointed out that there was a cat sitting in the front yard, but that it was there of its own volition. Although she acknowledged that yes the cat in the yard was hers, she did warn that the neighbors on the other side of the house had stolen her cat for several months and that when the cat goes missing she calls the cops to make sure the other neighbors haven't stolen it. My husband reiterated that we have dogs and that her cat was still sitting in the front yard. She went away and left us puzzled about being supposed 'cat burglars' for a cat that wonders the neighborhood freely.

After roughly a 4 hours of intermittent napping I dined and headed into work for the MOST boring shift since I started. Although it was a full moon and we had several sun downers in the IMCU, it was a relatively quite night apart from calming some frayed nerves. I did get the chance to acquaint myself well with my patients' charts and their medical history which was really interesting. However, at 0200, which is about the time I want to curl up under a desk and snooze, I grabbed a cup of coffee and walked a few laps of our unit. Everything went well and when I walked out the door at 0730 it felt surreal to be leaving my unit on time!  I had to wait for my vehicle to thaw for 10 minutes, but then was treated to a drive home with the full moon and the rising sun.

A dingo/husband walk was in order and then I headed to bed until noon. I had to drag myself out from my bed since I return to day classes for the next 2 days. Waking up at noon was akin to torture and I really felt like a 3 year old ready to throw a tantrum when I woke up. My circadian rhythms are going to be confused for the next few months as I will be continuously flipping between nights and days due to my day classes. I did force myself this afternoon to make a hair appointment and a dentist appointment (I successfully chipped a tooth while eating dinner last night and I look like a dandelion with a mullet). I also created the image below to hang on my door.

I have not yet passed verdict on this whole night shift experience since I was told that last night was an exceptionally slow night. I'll be working again Friday night, so we will see how this night owl thing goes... In the meantime, I will beware of wayward cats.

Frozen pipes and chest compressions

I woke up for my Monday shift at 0530 and made my usual bee line for the shower. I was looking forward to a shower, followed by breakfast and coffee, and then hopping on the road for my commute. I knew I would be on the floor with the nurse educator as my preceptor that day. For some reason whenever I work with her we have a really smooth day and nothing ever goes wrong and I end the day with a little boost in confidence that I might actually do okay once I fly solo.

I turned the shower faucets on and nothing happened. I turned the sink faucets on. Nothing happened. I quickly realized that the pipes were frozen and that the possibility of taking a shower was zero. I couldn’t even wash my face that morning. I tried to tame my hair with a flat iron. My temper flared a little as I stomped around the house getting ready. At least I still got my coffee (I had filled the water reservoir the night before!) and put on tons of deodorant and hoped for the best.

At 0715, right as I finished writing notes from report, a code was called. The charge nurse, the nurse educator, and I raced the stairs to get to the appropriate floor. Everyone was in the room and of course we elbowed our way in as well. I rotated in and out of chest compressions (my very first on a human being!) with a respiratory therapy student and participated in the discussion of what was going on. I quickly realized into my second round of chest compressions that a shower would have accomplished nothing that morning. I was drenched in sweat from CPR and adrenaline. The whole room smelled like perspiration of people in a stressful situation who were thinking/acting their way through it.

Once we thought we had the patient semi stabilized we moved to transport them to ICU. There were 9 of us in the elevator plus the patient in bed and we lost the pulse. One nurse climbed on the bed for chest compressions and I grabbed the foot of the bed and sprinted down the hall with it like a mad/super woman. On a daily, normal basis hospital beds and I rarely get along. They beep at me and I try my best not to lose my temper and kick them.

That morning though I hauled 2 people in one bed with 2 nurses and 1 doctor running behind my bed with a monitor and IV pole like I was carrying nothing more than a hospital chart. It was a scene off the movie screen. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had adrenaline pumping like that, but what I remember most of Monday morning is how my focus honed in on the situation. All the background noise and activity faded away.

I had trained for this and didn’t realize that perhaps all that learning and ACLS classes had sunk in on some level that could only come to fruition in the midst of action. All of us were in harmony, like a scene in a musical where everyone happens to know the choreography of the dance and jumps in, except I had never rehearsed this with any of these people that were on the code team. It was beautiful in a macabre way as we ran down the hall to the music of the code.

I know that I have so much more to learn, but Monday morning there was a flicker of understanding that I know more than I think I know and sometimes it’s okay to trust oneself in that.

I love my job and my calling of nurse.

No anonymity nursing in small town Idaho

Having returned to my husband's childhood home town has been interesting in the sense that most of my patients are from the area and several know of the family I married into. This is completely disconcerting, in a give me stage fright sort of way.

In PDX I think the city was large enough that most nurses had a sense of anonymity. The nurse was a facet of a patient's life only so long as they were in the hospital and only occasionally would the patient  and nurses lives cross again outside of the hospital.

I miss that anonymity, but when my patients ask about my lineage (which is customary apparently because I have not had a day yet where I haven't had to explain where I am from, if and who I'm married to, and why I don't have children yet!) they seem to find comfort in the connection however distant it may be. I find this an interesting situation and one that I am still growing used to each week.

Happy New 2013: car payments and moving!

Yesterday was spent test driving cars. My honey and I have happily lived with only 1 car for the last 5 years. However, since we no longer both work in the same town that was bicycle friendly (like we did in Moscow, Idaho) and we no longer have access to public transportation (like we did in Portland, Oregon), we have come to face the harsh reality of considering a new car purchase. Since I get the commuter car to go the hospital in the next town over this leaves my hubby without a vehicle. This is an issue on weekends especially where he would rather go skiing at Bogus or Brundage while I'm working my 12 hours shifts.

It was snowing and twenty degrees all day yesterday, which meant it the most excellent day to test out the small SUVs that we have in mind. What was even better was that each car salesman was happy to point us in the direction of an especially icy road to show off how great their vehicles handled the snow and ice even without studs on! Having never gone car shopping, this was actually pretty fun! Thanks to consumer reports we narrowed our search down to 6 vehicles to take out for a spin yesterday. This gave us plenty to think about in the coming month as we figure out finances for a new car payment. Ugh!

Meanwhile, we have decided to stay in Buhl. This means we will be moving into a nearby duplex soon once all the repairs are done. I have been so thankful to live with my in-laws, however, I know I become an absolute monster when I switch to night shifts as I demand absolute silence when I sleep during the day. I flip at the end of this month (yessss- no more 5am alarms to get up!) and hoping that we can have our new place arranged and homey by then.

As for today - it's a day to play and enjoy the winter time as we reflect on the year behind us and the year starting.

P.S. For your enjoyment here is a photo of Brisbane enjoying his winter holiday in McCall. He's in a dingo snow hole here.

Friday night misadventures in pajamas and barefeet

I did not work today, in fact I am considering this my last weekend for a long time to come (maybe even until I retire) and I planned on relishing it. My in-laws were out of town until tomorrow, so it was going to be a quiet night in.

Today I ran some errands, made up some holiday gifts, went to the gym, faxed papers for the real estate agent, and ended my day with a subliminal bath complete in a jetted tub.

In my pajamas I curled up on the couch with a stack of comic books - the Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes. Life was excellent. The dingoes asked to be let out so I let them out and then headed to the garage to grab a beer to accompany my comics.

Mango and Marley the cats were out there and made a dash for the door between the house and the garage. I instantly closed it to keep the girls out of the house. Then of course, like the cogs in a machine painfully becoming unstuck, I realized in horror that I had locked myself out of the house entirely. In pajamas. Barefoot. Without a cell phone. And it's 35 degrees F outside. %$#@!

So, I did the first logical thing that would avoid embarrassment

Option 1: I grabbed the ladder and went out the back yard in the dark where the dogs were and attempted to set up the ladder beneath my bedroom window. One of my windows was open today and I thought perhaps I could access it on the second floor. On my way to the window of course I stepped in dog poop. Great. I'm in pajamas, barefoot, and now I smell terrible.

My ladder was definitely long enough though to reach the window! The ground, however, was dangerously uneven. I seriously considered climbing it regardless of the risk. It did seem worth it to perhaps have the cops called on me for breaking and entering. Then I thought , 'Wouldn't it be ironic if I end up as a patient in the ICU where I'm supposed to start work on Monday?' Thankfully that sobering line of sanity shook me up enough to make me explore my other options.

Option 2: spend the night in the garage. This seemed like the completely logical option in comparison to being embarrassed of course. So I washed my feet and began hunting for blankets or anything that could keep me warm inside the garage. I think at this point my feet were numb, too. I found pink insulation, 2 cats that were not interested in cuddling, and a toddler's trampoline. Oh, and I found a painter's jacket. I did put that on because being in my pajamas and all, well, cold weather and female anatomy are just not decent in these situations! Let me tell you, I'm so thankful I had pajama pants and top on (as opposed to a nightgown only) or else I would have never considered option 3. I would just have opted for hypothermia instead.

Option 3: After my fruitless hunt I had to face the inescapable, humiliating fact that I was going to have to find someone to help me. I vetoed the neighbors on either side of the house because their lights were off. Plus, I couldn't ask to use their phone since in today's era of cell phones the phone number recall portion of my brain has atrophied and the only other family member in town happened to be out of town too. My best bet was walking to mayor's house because at least he had my family's phone numbers in his cell phone.

Walking barefoot on the streets (mind you there are very few side walks here) with the threat of goatheads (see previous post Botany Lesson #2) was rattling. I had considered wearing the ski boots that I had seen in the garage, however, I thought that might make people less likely to help me since I might look like a bit of a lunatic in ski boots, pajamas, a painters jacket, and my wet hair looking like a dandelion.

Somehow I did not get a single goathead lodged in my tender soles. I rang the door bell and simply said, 'I locked myself out!' and attempted to look like a lost little puppy. It worked ;). The mayor and his wife were thankfully having a beer when I arrived and invited me, served me a couple beers, shared great conversation, drove me home, and unlocked the door!

What a night. Now I can get back to my comic books.

Buhl Light Parade & Chocolate Mousse

Last night was my father-in-law's birthday dinner. In the style of a European meal we spent the day preparing an 8 course meal. We had 10 people for dinner with whom to share all the  delicious food and drink.

One of the greatest surprises (for me at least) was that the Buhl Light Parade went by our house. Right before the fish course everyone ran outside with their wine glasses to see the floats and clapped and cheered as trucks, 4 wheelers, and trailers, transformed by a plethora of Xmas lights into glowing floats, crept by . It was so small town Idaho.

The middle school band jazzed up the night with 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' while the procession was carefully monitored and guided by the 2 functioning city police cars in town. We sipped our wine and appreciated the scene with the other neighbors outside.

Below is our menu for such a delightful night.

Aperitif et hors d’oeuvres

Champagne and an appetizer of olives, mixed nuts, smoked salmon, and breadsticks

Entrée

A light potato soup

Le Poisson

Sautéed tilapia amandine served with cold asparagus and vinaigrette

Palate Cleanser

Lemon sorbet

Le Plat Principal

New York cut beef with Bordelaise sauce served with petite potatoes

Salade

Tossed greens and vinaigrette

Le Fromage

Assortment of cheeses

Le Dessert avec café

Mousse au chocolat with decaf coffee

2 week marker & top 10 list

So far we have been here for 2 weeks exactly. In an effort to adapt I am creating a top 10 list of what I have enjoyed so far while living in southern Idaho. These are in no particular order.

1. Being dry on dingo walks
Although I am turning into a raisin, I must admit I really enjoy not having to change my clothes every time I take the dingoes for a walk. This in turn has reduced the amount of laundry I have to do (for those of you who know me, you know the malice I harbor against doing laundry). And lastly, I am getting my daily dose of Vitamin D with these blue skies instead of drinking gallons of fish oil. Oh, and I get to wear a 'really cool' neon green vest over my clothes because there are few street lights here and even fewer porch lights. Therefore, I now glow in the dark for safety reasons.

2. Lack of traffic
When I first moved to PDX I was terrified of driving in the city. Thanks to my first job I quickly learned the ins and outs of the thriving metropolis. Now my soon to be commute to work is through cow pastures and farm fields. I am a lot nicer human being without the traffic. Goodbye road rage!

3. Cloverleaf Creamery & Seed to Store
In leaving PDX I thought I would never have any good food ever again. Although that has turned out to be mostly true in the case of restaurants (thankfully my in-laws are amazing cooks), I have found 2 places within walking distance from my house that have fresh local eggs, butter, milk, cheese, & ice cream(the creamery) and fresh local bread, local coffee, and local fruit (seed to store). I think the best part is that they know my name. Not even New Seasons or Whole Foods can do that in their big impersonal organic corporate way.

4. Hot springs
The closest hot spring in PDX was 1 1/2 hours away. In fact, I never even visited since the drive was such an inconvenience to get there and you would probably fall asleep on the drive home! I am so excited to spend cold winter nights soaking in the mineral waters that are a 20 minute drive away. In fact that's my plan at the end of my three 12 hour shifts is to go straight to Miracle Hot Springs.

5. Family
It was so great to spend Thanksgiving with family. My nieces are growing up so fast and despite coming down with the preschool plague it was a hoot to draw cartoons for them and play pretend nursing school (their mom is in nursing school - hence it was their suggestion, not mine!). Cooking with my in-laws in the evenings and introducing Michael's aunt to the Walking Dead has been a blast!

6. my hospital
I'm going to gush - it's brand, spanking new! I did clinical rotations in a lot of amazing hospitals in PDX, but even those look a little 'old' compared to this one. I can't believe how beautiful it is and I'm so thankful for giant windows that let the light in!

7. Cold
It's crazy because I so cherished not being cold in the PacNW. However, there is something charming (or it's the ice seeping into my brain) about seeing your breath on a dog walk and the ritual of bundling up to do battle against Jack Frost each day. I get to wear my long johns and my scarves and all my hats. It also makes me really appreciate the days that are 'warm.'

8. Walking almost everywhere
Interestingly enough, I think I walk here more than I ever did before. Maybe it's because I can walk to to gym or my hubby's office now, but since I've moved here I have been clocking 7 miles a day on the pedometer. Usually I struggled just to manage to hit 5 miles a day. I'm not entirely sure how that has happened, but it's pretty lovely to have all my conveniences - except work - are within walking distance.

9. A Husband with an office outside of house
My honey has been working from home since 2008. He is incredibly disciplined and a hard worker. However, here he gets to have his work office outside the house. This means he walks to work in the morning, walks home at lunch time, walks back to work after lunch, and walks home when work is done. Having a true barrier between home and work has made such a difference. It's so nice to know that he can't go into the other room to answer a work email on a Saturday. Yahoo! Also, it means there is a slight chance that the Star Wars posters might move out of the house too. I think they would be a great addition to his office space.

10. Stars
The Milky Way doesn't get much better than this! Or this week's glowing full moon for that matter. All the constellations are crystal clear and the planets too. Each evening walk is an adventure in astronomy.

Quaint small town idiosyncrasies

I have apparently forgotten what it is like to live in a small town. Here are 4 examples that prove my point.

Example #1: I was walking with my mother in law down the street on her lunch time break. She waved down the police car meandering the streets to let him know not to ticket my husband's parked car for facing the wrong way and that we would turn it around as soon as we got home. Really. In PDX we parked the wrong way on the street all the time! The police never bothered because they had more serious matters to attend to. Nor would they have listened to a request NOT to ticket you.

Example #2: I went to a new store in town that is all organic, local products. As I was browsing the breads, the elks antlers (a favorite dog treat with our dingoes), and the apples the baker/shop keeper came up and introduced herself by first name and wanted me to try some fresh baked goods. Now I am buying a bourbon pecan pie from her for Thanksgiving.

Example #3: Friday night my husband and I had dinner with the mayor and his family. Yes, they are long time friends, but still!

Example #4: I went to sign up for a gym membership ($25 a month - yahoo!). The gym manager wanted to know why (don't they usually just want your money?). I said I had just moved to town. I was then interrogated/interviewed about how I came to Buhl, what I was doing here, and most importantly who was I related to. Once I gave my family name - and only then- she was satisfied and then I could fill out my membership form and get my electronic key for after hours. Oh, and now she greets me by first name whenever I work out.