Archive September 2007

Ah.... Nature.....

Three Creeks

Today was a day off for me, and I decided that instead of spending it sitting in front of the computer playing World of Warcraft, I’d get out of the house and enjoy the great weather we’ve been blessed with. 

I headed south, down to Three Creeks Metropark, one of my favorite places to get away for a bit and enjoy being outside. Three Creeks is a very quiet park, especially during the work day. It’s the kind of place where you could almost imagine being out in the middle of nowhere, no one else around for miles. 

I started my walk on one of the unimproved trails that follow the course of Alum Creek, to the point where it meets up with big Walnut Creek and Blacklick Creek (Hence the name of the park.) The woods were “Lovely dark and deep” to borrow a phrase from Frost, and I soon found a nice log to sit on and watch the creek flow by. I closed my eyes, felt the breeze on my skin, heard the singing of the birds, the ripple of the water, the SUDDEN WHOOSH OF AN F-16 FIGHTER FLYING LOW OVER THE TREES. What The Fu.....!!!!!   

I had forgotten that today was the first day of an air-show at Rickenbacker Airport, which was close to the park area.  The show was a gathering of P-51 mustangs from the WWII era, as well as performances by the USAF Thunderbirds. It was the Thunderbirds that were now gracing me with their presence over my head. So much for tranquility. 

I continued my walk, occasionally catching glimpses of aircraft through the tree tops. One of the neat things I saw was a B-17 flying fortress flying overhead in formation with several P-51s. Awesome sight. 


Sep 28, 2007 9:22 PM

September

As a nurse in a long term care facility, I get a variety of reactions when I tell people where I work. These vary from “ I could never work there!” to “You must be a saint to do that kind of work” and my personal favorite: “I can’t stand being around old people. They’re creepy!”  

In my experience, people who claim to be creeped out by old people, usually suffer from a morbid fear of growing old themselves. They just can’t picture themselves as the old man in the wheelchair, or the old woman with dementia calling the cat that isn’t really there. I think the same thing goes for people that say they could never work with the elderly, or think that just being able to do the job automatically qualifies one for sainthood. Being around the elderly reminds us all that we will grow old too.  

I have often encouraged the families of my patients to bring in old photographs to display in the patients room. I think it helps the staff connect with the patient when they can see that Mrs. Smith was not always the crazy lady with Alzheimer’s in room 200, but was once a young vivacious woman who could have stopped traffic with her looks. It helps to see that Mr. Jones, who doesn’t talk and has to be fed was once a buff handsome young soldier who made it home from Korea in one piece. It helps to see that the elderly couple sitting in the day room holding hands were once young and beautiful, and would stay out dancing all night, never dreaming that in 50 years, she would be unable to move or speak, and he would have to come see her in a nursing home every day. 


I saw this posted on Boing Boing today, and wanted to share it. Someone found a cosmetic case filled with photos of a woman from the age of about 2 or so all the way into her 40s or 50s. She’d be in her 70s today, almost 80 in fact. I hope she’s still living life on her own terms, but if not, I hope she has people taking care of her that see her as a full person, with a past, present and future, and not just as the “cranky old lady in room 200”  Click on the photograph to see the rest of them. 

                                                    fl11


UPDATE:  More Pictures HERE Check the posting dated Sept. 2, 2007. 

Sep 4, 2007 10:01 AM