Tidbits

Tidbits seem to be what's on my mind today.  I've been enjoying the "Grow your blog" party and have met new bloggers and have gotten some new followers. Thanks to those new friends and also to my faithful regular followers who have been visiting me here at the Pines for a long while. Your are all  great! I've decided to have more than one giveaway.  I'm going to have one for the newbies here and one for my original friends. You don't have to follow me, I'm picking the names from anyone who has commented.  That's because I think you are all so groovy! I just felt I needed to use the term "groovy" today.  Don't ask why. I'll pick the winners on February 1st.  Just thinking that February will be here in one week is a tidbit that makes me smile. Why? Because March is not far off and Spring is bound to show up too! Plus in March Jack and I are heading to Portland, Oregon to visit Craig and his family.  Taylor, our Grandson is getting baptized and we don't want to miss that big event. I'm even going to get on a plane..that's big for me!  Lots to look forward too. The weather has been a big tidbit around blog land. Here is what my car thermometer said yesterday afternoon:

I never noticed the "ice" word before....it was icey and snowy and cold on the way to work  Also it was 4de. but it warmed up to this high of 10 degrees.  However this morning is was -5! Jack drove me to work so I wouldn't have to walk from the parking lot (which is 1/4 mile from the hospital) in this cold.  I really don't mind the walk but I was super grateful today to skip it!

Here's my little black chair.  My "tidbit" project from last week.  I got my new pillows all in place and I do like the look.  I'm not sure if the pair of chairs will stay in this spot, but I'm giving it some time to feel at home!

Another "tidbit" on my mind has to do with the passing of one of our Doctors.  This week "Doc" Emery passed away. He was 80 and had retired about 15yrs. ago.  I felt the need to mention him because of the impact he had on me when I first started working at Samaritan hospital in 1978.  He and I were not best friends by any means.  He was really difficult to work with and I frankly hated working with him in the OR. He seemed to thrive on intimidation...but I wasn't letting him know how much he irritated me.  I stuck it out, gritted my teeth at his offenses and put on my big girl "Chicago" panties! Besides, I felt maybe I was making his life miserable too! After a couple of years though, a funny thing began to happen.  I had come back from maternity leave and all of a sudden he was decent to me.  He actually called me by my name...something he had never done.  He acted like I had a brain and knew what I was doing.  I found out along the way that I had learned alot from him during those difficult years and would go on to learn much more as time marched along.  He was an excellent surgeon. He was the one everybody in town went to for general surgery. Back then general surgeons did everything from hernias to c-section to hip fractures.  He did it all.  And he did it well. He found out we shared the same birthday...day, not year! I found out he loved blueberry pie and every year on "our" birthday I would make him a pie.  He enjoyed celebrating with me and eating that pie! I guess the way to anyone's heart is through their stomach! He also loved green onions and we always had those for him too.  I made homemade chocolate covered cherries at Christmas time back in those days...another thing he enjoyed.  He got a box of those each year.  We became what I would call...good working friends.  He worked hard and long in his career.  He struggled with learning the new laproscopic techniques that were taking over the typical "open" way of doing surgery.  But he did it. However, he was getting near to the end of his career by then. When he turned 65, he retired. We had a big surprise party for him and bid him farewell.  I continued to see him through the years here and there at the hospital.  He was the county coroner until just a few years ago. Donna and I saw him last month when he was admitted to ICU.  We had the chance to talk about aging...he said it was hell...he was right!  He was very ill and I knew that would be the last time I would talk to him. He gave us both a hug and we said our goodbyes.  I can't help but think that God puts people in our paths..event the difficult ones, for a reason. I will always be grateful for the lessons he taught me. (Patience and tolerance for sure!) I will never eat a piece of blueberry pie and not think of him! Everyone at work who knew him had stories to tell.  We talked about him and told the stories and laughed, even though we'd told them a million times before.  I'd tell a few here, but they were the "you just had to be there" type of stories.  So this is my final tidbit for today...Bye Doc, and thanks.