Strawberry Wine

The newest project at our house is strawberry wine. It makes the house smell like strawberries as it ferments on the kitchen counter. The garage has the rest of the watermelons, since it froze hard this week. The potatoes and carrots are safely stored and we've seen the last of the zucchini for another year. Today may be the first day of corn harvest. The deer and raccoons have cleaned out the first two rows around each field, leaving empty cobs hanging on the stalks. As I was driving home the other day, I saw seven deer, a pheasant, a fox and a raccoon. We are not alone.

I keep working away at the chart loading. In some ways, I have gotten better. The frustrating part is trying to get an accurate list of medications. The older the person, the longer the list. Each one comes in different doses. No wonder grandma has trouble remembering what she takes, especially when doses change. I think one of the goals of using the electronic record is being able to print out a current list to send home at each visit. Eventually, the electronic record will become a tool we can't live without, but getting the data in is painful.

Today is a quilt shop day. I keep bring home fabric for "my retirement". Laura did not get the job she had applied for, so the quilt shop is still going, though I think she will re-evaluate the business, and perhaps down-size. I hope there is always new fabric in my future. I have gotten lovely thank-you notes from Mom's friends who received a copy of her quilt story. I'm so glad I did it. Quilting is my "happy job". Thinking happy thoughts of you!

October

Homecoming weekend and opening of pheasant hunting are signs that fall has arrived in the Dakotas. It is finally cooling off, and we got rain for the first time in weeks. The farmer is hoping for a hard frost so the corn will dry down enough for him to harvest. It's a race between the combine and the first snow.

The clam shell quilt restoration is going well. There were just two fabrics that needed to be replaced, and I have just one shell left to insert. The more I look at it, the more I like all the color and shadings. I tried to take a picture but my laptop and camera aren't cooperating.

There is still tension at work between those who think working on the computer should be an easy transition, and those who are too busy to take time to learn how to do it fast enough to keep up. The government has a standard of "meaningful use" where they want the visit to be documented and signed off before the patient leaves. I have about three to four patients a morning and I don't always get done before I leave for lunch. When I see the pile of charts on desks late in the afternoon, I feel sorry for the doctors. It reminds me of the "I Love Lucy" episode where she is working at the chocolate factory and the conveyor belt is moving too fast.

She just can't keep up. The problem gets magnifies when three doctors leave in five months, and trained clinic nurses quit or are promoted to administrative roles. I only work one day a week at the quilt shop but it remains my "happy job". I feel a deep commitment to the hospital and clinic. I refuse to give up.