Coffee Cup Perspectives

All That Spare Time

2011-05-01T08:55:00.004-05:00

Sunrise in Las Vegas, April 11, 2011

So when the sun slowly rises on the coveted Day Off, I am faced with answering a most interesting question: what to do with the sudden explosion of time? Some may have the luxury of sleeping in, but my brain has not been so accomodating as to learn this valuable capacity. There are also days in which the Tyranny of the Ordinary takes rapid precedence: laundry, groceries, the cleaning spree. Not such a bad thing, really, and usually I enjoy the satisfaction of a job that actually gets done. But some days are different.

Those days, capture the moment! (Las Vegas, April)

Many of those days off were marked by travel this year! Last July I trekked out to New York City and proceeded to use every mode of transportation available to the footloose short of hitchhiking, horses & boat.

I've been to the Big Apple before, but this would be my first solo navigation of taxis and subways...

View from my room on Hyatt on the Hudson, Jersey City, NJ July 2010

The first was a great way to see the city if I could ignore the way just sitting there caused palpable shrinkage of the wallet and many moments of acute palpitations.

Hudson Harbor, Statue of Liberty on a gorgeous July afternoon

The second was a great way too see what's under NYC (or sometimes above) and bond with many fellow travelers about being confused how going southeast will actually bring you northwest, and whether you will make your flight now that we were on our third construction detour. New Yorkers may not have the expansive warmth of other areas of the country but the subway brings out the somewhat wry sense of the comic. This helps as those of us unarmed with i-Pads & pocket reading, who are all thinking of the minutes of spare time that are slipping elusively by us - could we be doing something else?? But then we wouldn't be knowingly chuckling under our breath as we catch ourselves all looking at our watches at the same time. I guess today, we're just reading humanity.

Backyard dinners with the CL group at home

Ostensibily the reason for the excursion was a medical ethics conference hosted by the Italian-founded Catholic lay movement CL (Communio & Libertate) - a group of energetic Catholics who have a vibrant commitment to living their faith within their profession. They have a unique emphasis on fostering the community life, for the flourishing of the individual person (hence the movements' title). Sounds pretty heady. And it is, some days - you do start thinking more attentively about daily life and friendships you might otherwise take for granted. But between weekly readings and dinners, it's also a regular source of sanity, inspiration and laughter.

My dear friend Adriana's wedding to Sam Vasquez, August 2010

The following month, I was back out to the East Coast for Adriana & Sam's wedding... which was conveniently in the same city as Julie & Stephen. So what could be be a better perk than time with the (rapidly growing!) nephews??

Philip, August 2010

Christopher & Peter, Chefs in Training, August 2010

Sunday Brunch is serious, Aunt Teresa!!

In the meantime, home life remained really busy.... There's always the garden, which was crazy-abundant last year.

And then there was the addition of Jeff...

October, 2010

Jeff & I started off talking about gardens. That morphed into conversations and emails about favortite books, traveling, great food, and photography... which led to a coffee date, which led to a hiking date, which led to a lot of other dates.... And that led to many good things, including indulging in our mutually nerdy love of historical things with a day trip to the home of Abraham Lincoln in the rebuilt village of New Salem, IL.

Needless to say, spare time became much more occupied at home. (You may have wondered why updates are over 6 months old?) But that was not the end of the wedding joy!

Susan's Wedding, a reunion of old friend from Loyola, October 2010

Nor was it the end to the end to the historical meanderings of Jeff and myself as we took in the Hemingway House and other architectural beauties of Oak Park. We actually saved the indoor tour for a return trip at Christmastime. After all, if it's sunny in Autumn AND you have spare time, there's no place to spend it but outdoors!

Christmas saw more cross-country travel: to Chicago for Christmas Eve with Jeff's family and on to home in Rochester the next day. Got time for trains? Hang out with Gregory these days.

And nephews & nieces? Got time for that too.

Patrick & Uncle Greg checking the scores

Madeline & Aunt Teresa

OH YES! The excitement of being almost 1. (Brother Colin in the background.)

Bowling! (We did give up on everyone looking the same direction.)

Winter was cold, quieter, and well-spent in study and dinner dates with Jeff, and home projects - none of any big caliber. March and April were marked by travel to training conferences in Chicago and Las Vegas! Very different cities. And other than the outstanding seminars on being a chief resident and teaching in the medical center, I enjoyed the food of Chicago and the sunrise of Las Vegas. (And not much else in Las Vegas, except the Belagio Fountains.)

Chicago Cityscapes, from my hotel room window.

Awesome Italian Ristorante... Memorable dinner, in both company & food!

Destination Trader Joes. Spotted from the hotel window. Eclectic groceries: check!

But now spare time has taken a different occupation. When Jeff ended a walk to dinner with a trail of sixteen roses and poem that ended with this....

April 2, 2011

Well, now we're not only really, really happy, but also really, really busy!! Weddings.... there are more to come! Details... on another posting.

April 26, 2011

Three Seasons

2011-02-02T18:45:00.000-06:00

Eight months is a long time to try and compress into a few snapshots. However, as I am currently snowed in enjoying an unexpected day off of work, here's my best effort. As you can see, the li'l Canon continues to hold a prime spot in my pocket! I hope you can share some of the quiet moments of beauty and good things that have made the year pass so quickly. In many ways, it's just life, from one little unique perspective. It's a coffee-cup thing. :)

The new and whitened view of the back yard, now that the blizzard has given way to sun!

Shadows... elusive in snowy stillness.

Blue, soft yellow, white... my favorite afternoon winter hues.

The job of many neighborly hands this morning -I was glad to hand the job over to the snowblower!

Peoria Pier on a freezing December morning.

Bridges upon bridges

Peoria Riverwalk
Nobody but me seemed to think it was an ideal morning to be out.
Ok, it was about 10 degrees. But it was a sunny day off - irresistable!

This winter I brought the herb garden indoor. It has been a great addition to the household's culinary activities.

A neigborhood view from my porch, late October.

October foliage, hiking in north Peoria.

Sinking September sun, from my attic study.

... Again, my neighborhood. Even a rainy day in September was gorgeous this year.

A bountiful September harvest!
It was such a warm month the tomatoes and peppers didn't stop bursting new buds til October was well underway.

It was around this time that I began to wish I'd really gotten a hang of canning.
Instead, to my friends' amusement, there was no cook-out or pot-luck dinner that went veggie-free! The freezer also got packed to the edge. No regrets, though. Just this afternoon I thawed tomato sauce for a sumptuous pasta lunch.

The ever-producing raspberries were a wonder this year. We planted 3 sad sticks last summer and somehow this huge, rambling, prickly and fruit laden spread of branches grew and grew and grew.... And every few days I took another cup of berries in, from late July right through the second big frost in October. Looking forward even as I write to season #2.

Shamrocks grow in Peoria too.... in my little window, at least.

Kemba, of Many Stories and Great Entertainment
One last summer driveway nap before being whisked with Kate to a new home in Minnesota

Kate and I nearly doubled the garden size this year, and I spent most of my summer free time outdoors working in it!
The beans and watermelon and herbs were grown from seed, but I missed the window on tomatoes & peppers, so those were imported from the nearby nursery. It was, overall, a satisfying success.

Daisies.... These might be my favorite growing things in the front yard!

July happiness

There's no doubt about it - I love all the seasons and 2010 had each one in full! There's much for which to be grateful.

Things I Relished This Spring...

2010-06-02T21:47:00.002-05:00

Wedding of a delightful colleague and friend...

Flox in the April Woods

Apple Blossoms, Detweiler Park

Christopher & Peter!

Soccer with my nephews in full gear... of all sorts! (May)

Meeting baby Philip!

Baby faces while sleeping (little Philip in his Moses basket)

Beautiful architecture....

St Meinrad Abbey, IN

Roses on a hot, sleepy afternoon (St. Meinrad's, May)

Waking up to the sun...

No matter how early!

One morning in May....

Sunlight....

St. Meinrad's, IN

Friendship!

(CL Retreat, May 22-23)

Gardens....

St. Meinrad's Abbey, IN

Growing things.... at home

Roommates who love working outside with me!

Traveling near and far... From north Peoria to Maryland and the Indiana/ Kentucky border!

Walking in the woods

~ Spring, 2010 ~

Of Winter, now Gone!

2010-04-18T10:33:00.001-05:00

Lake Pimitoui, Illinois River, Peoria Heights

February and March were interesting months - freezing cold in the former with a rapid transition into what is fast becoming an early, very warm spring! I spent most of February studying pediatric cardiology and preparing some lectures to give at our daily noon conference. As much as we talk about our long work hours, there's a considerable amount of plain old-fashioned lecture and study time woven throughout our day. Or rather, the lectures are there (1 1/2 hrs a day) if you can extract your self from the interminable pages and Thing To Do, and the studying is something that should happen in the best of worlds. What made February stand out in my mind is that on the whole, it was a pretty dense month in terms of academics. And because our cardiology center has a large number of young patients with congenital heart problems - rare and common - who come in from all over the state, I also got much, much better with my stethescope and heard interesting heart sounds that formerly had only been book-knowledge to me.

Kate was pretty busy in the hospital, so I spent many evenings in the attic study with the cat and the computer. :)

I also got out walking a few times, just to take in winter... As seen above, the Illinois River Valley near Peoria has beautiful views - though the wind coming down the valley was well below zero that day! It seems like our seasons are a bit more intense midstate. The winds come across the plains from the west and cast a solid freeze by the beginning of November that keeps everything pretty silent - though often sunny - through February.

March brought family birthdays, Greg's and Mom, so I went home for a long weekend. Getting there & back was quite the adventure. I started in Bloomington, where I realized as I was checking in that my credit card had been left at the drugstore on the other side of town (thankfully, not 1hr away in Peoria!) - don't worry, the attendent told me, you have plenty of time as your plane is delayed almost 2hrs! Providential, I think! Then she adds, Oh but the Atlanta connection isn't delayed, so we're not sure what you'll do when you get there. Hmmm. Better get the credit card and settle in for a long trip!

So I spent the evening looking at amazing cloud formations and watching the distant thunder & lightening displays, which were apparently all over the country shutting down flights.

After I joined several thousand other characters in various states of sleep-deprivation milling around the Atlanta airport until either their flights or hotels were established, I landed the last room in the Sleep Inn, slept lightly dreaming of airplanes landing (awakening to real sound effects) and finally alighted in Buffalo the following day at noon. Fortunately, Greg's Birthday involved a lot of laughter, a great game of bowling and was rounded out with pumpkin pie - which finally topped chocolate cake as the special request for dessert!

Getting back to Peoria proved to be equally challenging! I must have been among hundreds of other people who missed flights on the daylight savings switch - and I even had my clock correct (just not the itinerary!). So after a very pleasant extra day at home, I finally made it back to the Midwest with the well-confirmed realization that if you want to travel between two small-to-midsize cities 15hrs apart, you should plan for a leisurely journey with detours.

Winter weather faded away quite nicely by midMarch. There was one rather funny episode that somewhat characterizes the funny home moments that occur in Kate's & my kitchen. It involved lentils, which I had for the first time in about 12 years, and actually liked them. The significance? Lentils can potentially be a great winter staple, and they have a way of showing up in all sorts of dishes, especially those Kate likes to make. To dislike them leaves one at a relative disadvantage with respect to soups, in particular. The first time I met lentils they were presented in a highly suspicous-appearing dinner item about the same color and consistency of swamp debris. It was labeled "lentil soup" - but in the experience of attempting to ingest this concoction, I came to the conclusion that since soups were supposed to be edible, this might not live up to the name. Thereafter, I avoided lentils in all forms, as they were clearly the culprit ingredient.

However, things happen. In this case, Lent happened. This event precipitated a number of changes in our household, one being the effort to use what we had in the cupboards more completely before buying more groceries. So I opened my cupboards to explore the backs and behold! Staring me in the face were LENTILS. I was dismayed. You laugh - but do you know what's in the back of your cupboards?? So how to accomplish the Using of Lentils, and maintain edibility... Kate was buried in hospital work, so this was up to me. I delved into the vegetarian monastic cookbook and behold- tomato lentil basil soup. Thank you French Benedictines. No overbearing brownness. No sludge in the bowl. This was a delight. Winter eating just got even better.... but thank goodness spring (and the garden!) is also around the corner.

3 Months Later...

2010-02-13T11:21:00.000-06:00

It's been a freezing, yet beautiful morning in Peoria... I've been up for a while enjoying it. In fact, I'm really enjoying the fact that I have a weekend free of work and extracurricular commitments, while The Attic Study & The Desk have been tamed - as of this week - for the first time in ages! Consequently, I'm free to study, catch up on life and of course, have an extra cup of coffee. :)

To get everyone else caught up, here are a couple of snapshots of the past couple of months...

Snow squalls in the sunset - Mom & Dad's, Nov '09

St Francis Residents at Christmas

(finally, faces with names!)

Chris, myself, Lena & Jane

Jane & Will

2120 Laura at Christmastime

The docs of 2120 Laura - aka, Kate and I,
with the amazing Dr. Lynch (ctr) who keeps our clinic in order

Shannon & I - the only ladies in 3rd year Med-Peds

Skiing in New York's Midwinter

Mendon Ponds, Jan '10

If I had a farm..!

My trailbuddy...

And the trails we blaze

Cummings Nature Center, Naples, NY

Jan '10

Why I love snow!

Home and Family at New Years...

Miss Madeline Clair, at 4 weeks

(photo, courtesy of brother Patrick)

Captivated. :)

For the love of black bears

Springerles!

(A first time endeavor for the young folks here)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

February 13, 2010

Life in Cleveland

2009-11-23T19:40:00.001-06:00

Another week of Comp Care (comprehensive special needs care - it wouldn't be medicine if we didn't shorten it to something almost unrecognizable) has flown by. In fact, now we are down to only one and a half days left. It's been a whilrwind, even just from a work perspective. I am not sure which was more dizzying - navigating the commute through the center of Case Western's University Circle or navigating the electronic medical record system. But after 3 weeks, I've got the knack... until I make a wrong turn (either system, just as lost). I am quite sure I know why I didn't take computer classes in college - definitely not my thing. But I'm not sure why I STILL don't have a map of Cleveland. I wonder about this everytime I get lost.

Thanks to Mapquest, though, I've managed to find the friends who've migrated into Cleveland over the past few years. Earlier last week I dropped by Marie (formerly Murray) and her husband Jeff's place to meet the family and have dinner. I got immediate smiles from Moira, a perplexed frown from the one-year old Ella and after a dinner's worth of furtive, side-long evaluations (- Mom, I LOOKED at her!!) Kasha gave in and gave me a green light to come again: I found myself being recruited heavily by both twins to read the bedtime story. Marie intervened, and I got invited back to Sunday Mass & brunch instead. They live pretty close to the Ruics, so that was perfect and I got to spend most of the day with them. Conversation ranges from FBI agents to making your own Christmas beer and maple syrup and crazy ER stories. We had all lines represented: EMS, nursing and physician!

Marie, Kasha & Moira - a mellow post nap moment

Saturday, even out of town, has a way of making itself classic: you can't escape Saturday chores, and you might as well enjoy coffee, bagels, the morning air and good company while you're at it. So Brueggers (not found in Illinois) got paid a call, then all the errands, AND the wash got done - all before company started dropping by around 11:30 for football. Marie is all Michigan, Ed all Ohio. Hannah wore an Ohio shirt and Michigan bib, depending on the parent was closest to her. I went back to my birthroots to side with Marie - and the losing team - since nothing but red and gray... or rather scarlet and gray as I got repeatedly corrected - followed the guests in.

Somewhere in the middle of the last quarter I slid out to attend the one and only Porkulous - the one event in Cleveland where you can witness sausage, bacon and ham being made in the average kitchen. Well, the garage, actually. Enter Ildi & Scott (last sighted by me in 2003 at their wedding!) - their kitchen temporarily became a miniature Penzey's Spices and the garage had enough meat in it to rival a butcher, not to mention send the neighborhood dogs wacky. It was a very fun afternoon and evening. I can't claim any work, but it was a sight.

Also a delightful suprise was walking in and finding not only Ildi but another college classmate and music ministry-mate, Ericka. I met all the husbands, kids and good friends-who-like-making-sausage. It's definitely a community oriented task: don't try turning 60 lbs of meat into breakfast edibles on your own.

Ericka with her Gabriella, Ildi & I with Ildi's boys Xander and Liam respectively.

Now it's back to work for a few more days... I spent part of today at a unique group home / skilled nursing facility for very advanced cases of cerebral palsy. It's an interesting story of how one orphan special needs baby got dropped off at home of a woman named Hattie Larlham, and eventually it became a farm, then an orphanage, now a high-tech rehab - school - nursing home. It's sad to see how bad the cases can be, but encouraging to see the creativity and commitment of the staff. There are even two artists - a painter and a sculpter - who showed us some impressive creations by some of the kids.

So in few days, it's off to NY for Thanksgiving....

Now Cleveland's more than skyline. :)

More great stops on the next Autumn Circuit!

November 23, 2009

~~~~~~~~

Where in the World?

2009-11-10T17:05:00.000-06:00

MetroHealth Hospital, Cleveland, IL

I realize that some months keeping up with my location can be like the old game of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiago? You have to piece together names, destinations, county routes and addresses - until I finally pull my bloggership together and get everyone up date. :)

So here I am - mostly in Cleveland this month. I'm working at the hospital above at a clinic for special needs children and adults. It's a busy rotation and I'm seeing a lot of diagnosis that I usually only see in books. The hours are long, but the company is good and weekends are free! That of course means I'm not staying in one place....

When at my current home base, I'm in Cleveland Heights with a lovely family Marie & Ed Ruic, and their 2-year old, Hannah. Jeanette knew Marie from Franciscan. I'm sort of a late evening arrival every night, but Hannah gets used to checking in on me before she goes to bed. Marie generously prepares hot dinner nightly - what a treat!

Fall has been beautiful here, barring a few truly "November Gray" days. The perk of some parking garages is that they give you nice views... the taller one where I usually end up parking on the top floor has a great view of the city. I tried for a nighttime skyline shot, but my camera couldn't quite capture the city lights (given the background lights!). Still, I enjoy the view!

So last weekend I went down to Franciscan and we fortunately had the same great sunshine - it actually was warm. Walks were definitely in order! Donna hosted me (far L), incidentally in the same house in which Justyna had first hosted our Honors' dinner senior year. (They were roommates then.) Justyna and I enjoyed a relaxing Saturday afternoon and her mom served us some lovely meals! As usual, I always learn something new... like pomegranates & feta cheese with balsalmic vinegar makes an outstanding salad and cocoa powder is a fantastic topping for vanilla bean ice cream. (We did talk about more than food!)

Of course, the Blackburn family is the other main attraction! Lydia is the newest addition, so we made acquaintance. Hannah (R) and Cecilia (L) are very happy in their shared role as older sisters. We endeavored to be adventurous and check out local cusuine... Fortunately pizza is really hard to do badly so we had a fun lunch if a little squished in our old-fashioned wooden booth.

We had a lot of fun at the park before I took off north on Sunday afternoon!

Little Cecilia - very ticklish!

That's all for now, folks!

November 11, 2009

2009-10-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

Cathedral of Our Lady's Assumption from the Peoria River

Peoria, IL - July 2009

So imagine going through college and your only exam was once a year - one exam for everyone in your major, which you all take at the same time. It occurs on a random day in the middle of the week.

There's no prep or cramming - you're supposed to be studying all year, of course, because this covers every subspecialty imagineable whether or not you have actually trained in it yet. (There IS a study guide based on last year's exam, which the truly test-oriented students actually use.)

Your grade is a mysterious number comparing you not with your whole major but year-for-year with your peers across the nation. Your goal is to hit a general range, improving gradually over your course of studies -sounds almost reasonable, but slightly crazy - because wait - did I mention this exam is 8 hours long?

Yes, internal medicine Intraining Exams are at hand.

Mine is tomorrow - all 8 hours of it. :)

Say a prayer that double vision, spinal cord compression, comatose-like sleep, insanity or other asundry conditions do not set in while surviving the Ordeal.

By tomorrow night, I suspect I'll be doing the classic Kemba-thing (above)!

Jer. 29:11

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the Road Again... Omaha!

2009-10-04T14:12:00.000-05:00

I-74 over the Illinois River, Peoria

It does not seem like a year ago that I took a cross country trip east in October.. This year I have taken the opposite direction, with a little different purpose. Then, it was reconnecting with family and friends. This year, I hopped into a Suburban with Caron Easley and three little Easleys and made a brisk 6 hr trek to Omaha Nebraska. That was Friday afternoon. It was filled with funny conversations from the 2 & 4 yr olds, Henry and Violet, minor dramas from the same department, entertaining commentary from 6 yr old Annabelle, and great conversation with Caron. The scenery was somewhat obscured by pouring rain, but that didn't really dampen the enthusiasm for the journey. I really am looking forward to the trip back for an encore of such good company - it far exceeded making the drive solo in my tired post-nightfloat state of being.

Currently, I've settled into the Comfort Inn in Omaha for a 9-day course on the natural regulation and management of fertility, woman's health and the psychosocial, medical and ethical issues that all play into this. It's challenging and fascinating. There are a group of Ob/Gynes with a special clinic devoted to this - associated with Creighton University - leading this research.
I come with a healthy mix of curiousity and lots of questions. I think I've had such a broad exposure to so many women's experience that I come in with a lot of ideas about ths particular system's benefits and limits. It's a great opportunity to delve into the medical aspect of things for myself and to meet lots of other (young!) residents, nurses, moms & dads, some older doctors too, becoming practitioners - trained experts who will help teach patients how to use this. Tapping their wide experience - from converts to previous patients (with and without underlying problems) - has shed a lot of light on my questions. I think i'll be putting a lot more work into this in the future, partly because I see so many ways it can be applied and how it needs to grow as well.

In the meantime, I mostly here to learn - not dream - unless that's in bed, where I should be, as we actually have an exam on Tuesday so tomorrow night is study night. :)

~ ~~~~~

All About Watermelons

2009-09-30T22:00:00.001-05:00

A brief note to all my fellow gardeners - or semi-gardeners - whom I pestered with the question about when to harvest a watermelon... This is what I found. Of note, the famed sound of a ripe watermelon is NOT hollow, but dull (which makes more sense, given its increased water content).

Thanks to the Univ of New Mexico and their agricultural program:

Picking ripe watermelonsQuestion: How can I tell when my watermelons are ready to harvest? Every year I waste several, picking them before they are ready or waiting so long they are overripe. Thumping them doesn't work for me.
Answer: Choosing a ripe watermelon is a challenge. In the field or garden it is much easier than in the store because you will have more clues. The indications to look for in the garden are the drying of the "pigtail" or tendril closest to the melon on the vine. If it dries while the leaves and rest of the vine looks good, the melon should be ripe. The tendril is not available to melon hunters at the grocery store. A second clue, which is available at the grocery, is the color of the "ground spot," the place where the melon rested on the soil. If this ground spot is yellow or a cream-yellow color, the melon is ripe. If it is green or white, it probably is not ripe. The rind at the soil spot should toughen and resist denting with a fingernail when the melon is ripe. Finally, for those with an ear for music or who can easily distinguish sounds, the ripe melon will have a dull thud when thumped, while the unripe melon will have a tighter, ringing or hollow sound.
New Mexico State University Extension Guide H-216, "When to Harvest Vegetables" is available at your local county Extension office. This publication gives guidelines for determining when to harvest 40 common garden vegetables, including watermelons, cantaloupes, and pumpkins.

Basic Owl Time...

2009-09-30T21:37:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows I am apt to go MIA for months at a time. This summer proved to be no different despite hopes to the contrary! Most recently I have been working the nightfloat shift, 7pm-9am for 5 days a week, aka "Basic Owl Time." (So-dubbed by Julie.) I thought perhaps there would be quiet nights where I could caught up on important things, like medical records and blogs, but these proved to be rare and elusive. In fact, when the quiet hour hit I was just happy to catch up on the work from earlier in the night or catch a catnap. The latter happened a grand total of 3 times.

My team had a lot of fun together, though. Entertainment ranged from talking the midnight chef into making fresh French fries (my intern Maxine's specialty) or making coffee & chocolate cake runs, calculating how to correct low sodium levels or run fluids for DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis), or laughing at how our sleepy dictations turn out when the hardworking transcriptionists attempt to guess at what we were mumbling. There have been some choice mistakes - have you ever tried "teething" the details of a situation out of a patient? (I meant teasing out the details.)

As proof that Basic Owl Time is amenable to cross-country travel, disregarding time constraints and zones, I did manage to get out to Maryland to see Julie, Stephen & the boys...

(Speaking of entertainment!!)

And I made it to Chicago for Amy & Clif's wedding, complete with many friends.

In retrospect, perhaps one trip would have been plenty as I have now contracted one of our malignant, nosocomial, highly contagious and persistent hospital viruses. But life does not wait on residency schedules and the trips were well worth it....

So, on we go.... Heading of to Omaha, Nebraska next! I'll keep you all posted.

2009-08-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

Today I admitted a 55y-o type 1 diabetic and went suddenly into diabetic mode. ... Then I got wistful about the great outdoor time at camp and all crazy insulin calculations I can now do in my head. (no calculator! My gradeschool teachers would be amazed and proud.) General adult medicine is complex and thoroughly brain-fatigueing in the hospital, but it's almost fun for the same reason. If only we named our teams after Wild West characters. :)

Half-Way Through!

2009-07-12T19:32:00.001-05:00

This July 1 marked the official half-way point for the med-peds residents in my year! Of course, it's a momentous day by all accounts since all the new interns start, the previous interns are catapulted from a junior position to senior responsibilities, and the 3rd year "categorical" pediatric or medicine residents have a momentary pause as everyone now greets them with "12 months left!" - likewise the fourth year med/peds residents like my roommate Kate.

Before we hit that day, the pediatric and med/peds residents had a retreat day off to themselves to catch our breath. It started with some standard, but pretty funny, team-building exercises. We learned some interesting things, such as that our quietest resident Marte (middle above) was a rugby player in college (!) and Jane (below left) who wants to do clinic medicine because she's not a crises sort of person started out in emergency medicine.

You may also be encouraged to know that if you happen to get stranded with Lena, Marte and myself (above) in Northern Canada in the winter, when your plane crashes and leaves you with a very limited number of supplies - you're very likely to survive according to the special forces Army whiz that put this together. You'll have to build a fire, wear Crisco as face protection and maybe even eat it.... but you'll have good company. (It helps to have lived in Minnesota and met -40 degree weather.)

On the other hand, if you get stuck with this team of Jane, Chris and Zain, your chances are somewhat slimmer. You'll either have to hike 20 miles by compass with a map that is of questionable value since you have no idea from where you started, or you'll die in rapidly after chocolate-whiskey fondue has given you a temporary high, followed by alcohol-induced vasodilation, causing you to rapidly lose all your body heat. Nonetheless, you'll STILL be in good company... :) (They took this defeat with good humor.)

On to more serious things, Drs Javed and Edwards discuss the merits and demerits of private practice vs pediatric hospitalist work.... Dr Javed is our newest neonatologist and the assistant residency director for pediatrics. Dr Edwards heads up the pediatrics hospitalist service.

Dr Schultz - head of the pediatric ambulatory clinic and newborn nursery service - taking in all the banter and commentary on how times have changed!

The Drs Nulty -

the truly delightful husband & wife team that head up our combined internal medicine / pediatric program. They fall into the category of relatively few people who qualify as being both admirable and imitable!

After a session on legal topics (really nice ones like depositions and being called to court), lunch with the attending panel discussion on Life After Residency (closer for some than others!), we headed out bowling.

Only three of our 7 med-peds residence made it this far in the day, but we scored quite well, Randy and Zain (behind me) making up the bulk of the points! I think I came in not-exactly last.

That rounded out June, my month on the floors. It was a tough but interesting month. I directed a team of two juniors and 2-3 medical students. For the medically or encyclopedic minded, our cases ranged from central line sepsis in a baby with congenital nephrotic syndrome (of the FINNISH type, mind you), failure-to-thrive in a baby with caudal agenesis / sacral regression syndrome who wieghed 1kg above her birthweight at 9 months age, to respiratory failure in a little girl with only one patent nostril ("choanal atresia"), a floppy airway and Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome (one of 15-20 described cases world-wide of this musculoskeletal disorder). At one point every child on our team of 12-16 patients had a complication of a syndrome or cancer - no "average" asthma or diarrhea cases! (Those came later.) We also had some great cardiac cases (all repaired with little post-surgical idiosyncracies)- such as transposition of the great vessels, Tetrology of Fallot and hypoplastic left heart. It was like a board review up close & personal all in four weeks... if I'd just gotten to read about everything instead of working madly to keep up with the lab results!

I was pretty tired by the time July 1 rolled around, but it's a great feeling to come through a hard month pretty well. Like a well-run marathon.

At the end of the month, my friend Rebecca (and her baby Sarah) and I hosted a baby-shower for one of our pediatric interns, Morgan...

It was a fun afternoon to indulge the craft & girlish side of the doctors involved!

So lest you worry when I lapse into long silence, there's always two sides to life in residency. :)

July 12, 2009

Rain & Shine

2009-07-08T11:11:00.000-05:00

After all the late winter and spring rains that kept the Peoria River well above the flood level for three months straight, we have finally settled into a gorgeous cyle of showers and sunshine. It's been a lush time for the yard, and work has forced some early risings, so I get to enjoy it at its best! My favorite morning start has been sitting on the front stoop to soak in the sun and a little quiet time...

One morning last month a huge storm had just rushed through. There was such a rosy glow outside that I stepped out to catch some of the post-downpour freshness... and saw this vibrant rainbow!

Immediately, everything running around my mind went quiet. I was in the midst of an especially crazy week on the pediatric wards, somewhat understaffed for the time of year, causing some of the residents to wear multiple hats at once. (Multitasking is not my favorite passtime.) The image of the rainbow cutting through the tangle of powerlines struck me - and all day stayed with me, reminding me of how faithful the Lord is in the midst of the most mundane or self-contrived chaos.

To save my sanity I've put in alot of time in the garden, often before work. There's a great deal of entertainment some mornings, depending on who is up. This particular morning, Kemba came out with me and calmly watched all I did. Being one of the most gregarious cats I know, Kemba's main fault is getting under foot and hand while I'm trying to weed. Occasionally he things sitting ON the plants is the best way to hold my attention. It is, briefly - while he is ousted.

With Kemba's antics comes an audience of blackbirds and - this morning - squirrels. They hover on the power lines and comment on every move he makes. The squirrel, well out of reach of anybody, proceeded to give me a half-hour earful on what he thought of Kemba - loudly, with all sorts of pitches and possibly expletives, punctuating certian points with a bounce and emphatic gesture of The Tail. I had to capture it (though poorly) on film because of his singular perch and opinion, all alone in the expanse of sun and blue.

As of yesterday, the garden is voluminous and very happy. Quite by accident, I located a large zucchini as I was doing a last survey before dinner. We already had the grill going for chicken and veggies, so on went fresh zuchini - with onions and peppers! The results were excellent.

Today has been a pleasantly rainy day. I went into clinic (where I'm supervising the interns this month, teaching them the basics of the clinic routine), only to find there was no work to be done, no interns so teach. It's a new schedule that I'm still trying to learn.... So I wrapped up some paperwork and headed back to my attic retreat for a few hours. That's why your getting this blog update today! :)

With the exception the a few interruptions by the airforce jets, it's been deliciously quiet.

I love raindrops.... on windows, on umbrella's, and especially on flowers, so I went on a browse in the garden...

Then the sun returns...

It's a great month in Illinois.

July 8, 2009

Just Right

2009-06-15T21:47:00.001-05:00

There's nothing like a little time in the garden after a long overnight call at the hospital! This evening I went out after my afternoon catch-up nap and completed weeding around my beans and peas. It's just been long enough that there was extensive invasion by the clover, creeping Charlie and other low trailers. The neighborhood was cheerfully noisy, but my yard was pretty quiet. My coffee cup and I were very pleased to have some solitary quiet time with the plants!

Actually, I've made a habit of getting out there pretty frequently. Somewhat like studying, 20 minutes here & there does wonders... I wonder if the same thing would work with blogging? :) Last week Kemba and I were outside one evening (above) and cleared out the creepers around the tomotoes... Then a couple of early mornings - before 6am when I have to leave for work! - I've taken my morning coffee out there to soak in the birds, fresh cool air and early sunlight. Since I am on floors (wards) in pediatrics and the shifts are 12-14hrs, sometimes that's the only sunshine I get all day. I've discovered it's good to be a morning person if your core rotations require 5am rising to get the most out of the day!

Last Saturday I was out there not quite so early, as a day off really does beg for the indulgence of sleeping in. Nonetheless, I beat the humidity and transplanted all of my lettuce and itty-bitty peppers to the main garden, interplanting with the tomatoes and the huge zuchini that has taken off in the center. Having cleared that out, I was left with clearing around the legumes this evening. Next in line: a trellis-ish contraption to get the peas growing upwards instead of other questionable directions!

June 15, 2009

WestCoast Weekend

2009-05-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

The past weekend I spent in California with my grandmother. It was really delightful. Slow paced, a little rainy, but warm... Lots of time to enjoy conversation, many cups of tea and pictures, golf tournements and ballroom dancing.

Outside of her window was a wall of roses that filled every sense with color and fragrance as soon as you drove up! I've never been to visit in the spring, so this was a new and vibrant sight.

In between raindrops I ran to San Ramon one evening to visit with an old friend, Jenny. She was conveniently 5hrs south of her home at a conference, which enabled us to catch up over coffee after a 4-year lapse! Thanks to the Soroptomists for that fun little evening. Ironically, although Jenny is a great photographer and we both had cameras, we of course for got to have anyone catch a shot of us together!

We also got in a little run to the nursery and added sunny Mexican daisies to the back porch mix. The last evening if finally got warm enough to sit outdoors and take in the flowers.

It's a great thing to slow down life... Maybe we think you deserve a more leisurely pace at 96 years, but I wonder if more of us would make it that age if we took our usual frenetic pace down a notch.

We'll see how long this wisdom lasts as I return to the hospital routine tomorrow! :)

May 6, 2009

Roses & Texas

2009-05-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hello from DFW, Dallas, Texas! A four-month lapse in updates is somewhat deplorable but thank goodness for long lay-overs in which to finally mellow out with a mocha latte and play with pictures. :) The humorous part of it is that I'm already two weeks out from my weekend with the ladies in the Roses, my college household. In fact, I'm heading out to California just now, but apparently it takes crossing state lines and official vacation time to allow mental and scheduling space for blogging!

But two weeks ago I actually spent the weekend Texas with my college household sisters...

April is Texas' loveliest time of year, I suspect. It was also much milder and more in-bloom than Illinois was that week! It felt like a true vaction, if only for 48 hours. :)

There is nothing like friendships that have taken root over years (college + 7!) to bring out the best and the most relaxed side of one's personality. It has been a long time since I spent two full days just soaking up friendship... Good coffee, slow mornings, botanical gardens, and superb fajitas and margherita's never hurt! And there's good reason for that. My reading time on the plane today was spent on some essays by Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche communities. There I found a beautiful comment capturing this:

"Autonomy can be good to a certain extent, but in our community a number of people who wanted to live alone fell into loneliness and alcoholism. It always comes back to belonging....

"... We have to discover more fully that the Church is a place of compassion and fecundity, a place of welcome and friendship.... There are three activities that are absolutely vital in the creation of community. The first is eating together around the same table. The second is praying together. And the third is celebrating together. ...

"... By celebrating together, I mean to laugh, fool around...

to have fun, to give thanks together for life..."

Thanks to Amanda (and Michael!) we indulged in a whole lot of time and laughter together...

And spring beauty!

The Fort Worth Botanical Gardens' Conservatory is really a sight.

Waterfalls... there are always two views!

Botanists have a good sense of humor sometimes.

This tree's name had something to do with fish scales... based on it's leaf pattern.

I think coral-pink was the theme color this year....

Amanda & Baby Johnson #3-on-the-way!

Giant, seriously giant, ferns!

Sunshine would have been a great touch, but the lushness made for a beautiful walk!

The cascading rose garden... (a bit of a hike!)

~~~~~~~

At the opposite end of the spectrum, there's the Fort Hood Stock Exchange!

Get out the magnifying glass...

You'll learn some good details on the Texas Rodeos at the Coliseum.

We also arrived in time to see the traditional evening cattle drive. The way the officers zealously cleared the street you would have thought there would be a hundred fast-stepping long-horns coming down the road.

Not exactly.

Not that I want to get in the way of horns that long, but my general impression was that these may be the retired and geriatric Long Horns.

Makes a great picture though. :)

After that we were off for some excellent margheritas!

(And a more authentic touch of Texas. )

Back to the ranch.

In Texas everything gets bigger. Some Roses get as big as the Long Horns... if they stretch.

Evening run...

And beautiful sunset...

I realized while looking at this beautiful mound of clouds that you can't see much of the sky in most areas in Peoria, so the sunset was a welcome change.

Gwen and the dogs before taking off for Colorado...

"I will not get left behind!" (Not that this has ever happened!)

Lenny and company got the outdoor fire primed for the evening...

(Kelly - it's just me, not a Texas bobcat!)

Sunday we enjoyed Mass, brunch, then a trip to downtown Dallas...

For the history buffs among us, the Sixth Floor Museum detailing Kennedy's presidency and assassination was really interesting. I was also intrigued by the fact that most of the photographic footage was taken by amateurs and snapshot cameras, which were just becoming every-day items. There's only one professional in the whole lot of photography of the event.

6th floor of the textbook warehouse where the shots were fired from... most people think.

After two walls worth of debate documenation, I'm not qualified to make general statements.

On to brighter things... Liz & Kelly en route to ice cream before the airport stops. :)

General consensus: we should do this more often!!

Sunset over Texas

April 17-19, 2009

Let it Snow!

2008-12-21T19:19:00.000-06:00

It started snowing on December 1, quite appropriately, and we have had pretty much solid cold weather since then. I'm not complaining at all, being a huge fan of winter. A thaw here and there reduced our actual inch-age of snow - in fact, it gave us a 1/2 inch ice instead (see below!) - but it was about 2 degrees this morning with a windchill of -30. I felt that and had no problem spending the afternoon in our warm and cheery livingroom..

Nonetheless, I've made it to Chicago and back twice this month, thanks to a week off dedicated to organizing life at home and enjoying good company...

My old roommate Sarah and I enjoyed the first weekend together - the Kristkindl Market, with purveyers from mostly from Austria, Germany and Poland, is one of the things I've most enjoyed about Chicago's Christmas traditions, so we made a long detour through the crowds there.

The craftsmanship is beautiful - thousands of ornaments, carvings, weaving, embroidery, pottery, intricate (and expensive!!) creches... There are also stands from Peru, Nepal, Bolivia, Palestine and Mexico, a true reflection of the cross-section of cultures found in the city.

And there's always a train set up with lights, towns, and soooo many evergreens - the scent of fir and pine mixed with the cinnamon and rich pastries from the baked goods huts, spiced wine from another corner - it makes the whole State Street Square smell fabulous! We resisted these temptations in favor of a pastry & coffee shop closer to Sarah's known as Lovely's. It lived up to its name quite effortlessly ~ warmth and atmosphere to thaw our toes and noses, well-worn antiques for furniture, excellent coffee and of course pastries...

After traversing the entire shoe district (successfully) for That Pair needed for our resident's holiday party the following day, we turned in for an evening of relaxing.

West Thomas Street, Chicago

I left early the following morning order to both escape traffic jams and make it back to St. Mark's in Peoria in time for choir practice. However, the dawn light on the street was so classic and irresistably picturesque I had to stop and take it in.

View of St. Stanislaus church from Thomas & Milwaukee, Chicago

The residents' Holiday Party, Dec. 7

Melissa, Lena, Chris, myself & Jane - oh and Tim in the back!

If there's a resident excursion, we can usually be found together

Wendy & Bridget at Laurel's

The rest of the week was also spent in good company, including an afternoon at Laurel's making salt dough ornaments. Little hands, big smiles - lots of entertainment!

Laurel with her nieces Cathering and Rosemary (the youngest), both of Bridget's younger sisters.

Laurel's own little lady was, by this time, in absentia napping

Jenny & Joey.... His sister Gianna was moving too fast to capture!

Rosemary got passed around quite a bit. :)

December 12, 2008

This week turned out more complicated than I expected. To those who have been more faithful visitor to my blog than I, I do owe an apology - I'm more of marathon blogger than a regular poster. For this sudden transformation and being nearly up-to-date you can thank a car accident last Wednesday which sent me into a pole and gave me a concussion. I've been sitting still for most of the previous four days, trying to figure out how long it takes to recover from such things. You would think I might know this a 1 1/2 years into residency, but no. Thankfully, I was the only one involved, the black eye and stitches are healing well, the head might take a little longer to normalize...

So here we are, two days into an ice storm - the sun came out despite the single digit temps! For a few hours I was feeling quite well and bundled up to take in the sparkling morning.

Hmmm - Kate, I know we've been busy, but maybe we should think about taking in the planters?

It soon got too cold for comfort, so I did a little window sitting in the dining room...

(Our view out to the back)

The rest of the day has been spent in rest, always a good thing for a Sunday...

Hopefully it's back to work tomorrow and then home in a week.

Until then....

A Blessed, Merry Christmas!

December 21, 2008

Indian Summer, Take 2

2008-12-21T19:16:00.000-06:00

We had a few gorgeously warm days at the beginning of both October and November, before the cold set in for good... They were thoroughly enjoyed! A group of us residents made the most of a Saturday off (or post-call, as the case may be) and headed out to the orchards.

We found not only apples, but Marte and her new baby daughter Lucinda
- we were the first to see her!

The harvest was generally judged success by all!

The tail end of Autumn,

as seen over Pimiteoui (Lake Peoria) from Grandview Drive

November 2, 2008

Roadtrippin' Sabbath, Leg 3

2008-12-21T14:59:00.000-06:00

A rainy afternoon drive between New York and Michigan ended in Saline, with my good friend Maureen, long talks over excellent coffee, and a misadventure in search of the cheapest bushel of apples in the neighboring orchards... The unbelieveably good prices were in fact merited - it was hard to find an unbruised apple. But, whatever, they're going into sauce in a the next day or two - right? We worked hard to convince ourselves this was true and worth the climbing.

Eventually, I set out homeward on Rt 90 with a great mix of sun, clouds and color...

I remember it being a relatively quiet drive home (except for the excitement of a detour or two - really they should TELL you when an exit leads to a highway with no other exit for 10 miles!!). After all the week's activity, I was glad just to take in the scenery and shifting light.

I love the Tyndall Effect. :)

A striking little farm, somewhere in Michigan

- again, a haphazard on-the-drive snapshot introducing some mysterious sloping.

Here comes the sun...

And here comes home (my Other Home!).

This shot was actually taken a day or so later, which the morning light probably gives away. Regardless, it's a view I've come to look forward to seeing as the highway cuts through a hill, breaks out on the river valley and I know I'm almost home.

October 25, 2008

Roadtrippin' Sabbath, Leg 2

2008-12-20T21:45:00.000-06:00

Early Monday morning, I went walking on Franciscan's campus... much has changed since I was last there. Old schedules don't vary significantly, though: it was oddly familiar to watch all the students rushing to 8am class and yet it was so removed. (I'm not a student, I'm a visiting doctor - when did that happen?!?)

The new and improved J.C.....

The chapel, ever the same...

A familiar treck up to the library and science building, where my friends used to joke I lived since between classes and the labs I took, assisted with or tutored a large portion of my waking hours were dedicated to that site. I slipped into Cosmas & Damian relatively unnoticed and popped my head into our biology dept head's office. Mr. Petrilla looked astonished for a moment, but before we knew it we were finishing off a half hours' conversation so the anatomy lab could change sections. That was followed by a brief visit with another former professor, Fr. Joe, who also gave me a (much needed) blessing for my trip and the rest of residency. There are distinct benefits to going to school where priests are also professors!

Heading north into the beautiful hills of Pennsylvania...

The colorful swamplands, actually a state park and wildlife preserve - one of these days I'll drop by and explore it, since I've driven past it numerous times over the past ten years!

Somewhat difficult to appreciate from a distance, this bank of foliage was so brilliant in the moment I actually pulled over to see if I could capture it...

More sun-laden beauty!

As I headed towards Erie, the Great Lakes (Erie, here) started to edge the horizon... If I had been passing through here a few weeks earlier, I could have put down the windows and breathed in the smell of fresh concord grapes. This time, it was just a good musty-crisp Fall smell...

Harvest time...

Welcome home!

And welcome home again! (From Greg)

The week was a fast one - cleaning out closets of long-forgotten childhood items, long family dinners, good times outside... There was also a pumpkin picking expedition.

Julie admiring the fancy carvings in the pumpkin shack.

A goofy trio....

So many pumpkins, so many decisions!

Or maybe just so many great places to climb!

The tradition stands strong- October hiking in Mendon Ponds Park with Dad & Gregory...

Standing, as Greg put it, in The Shining (the sun among the golden maples!)

The still waters of south Mendon Ponds...

Couldn't have asked for better company!

More autumn beauty!

View from our own back porch, with all the trees grown up ten feet! When all the leaves clear, you can see the city of Rochesters' little skyline (known to some as a sky-dot!)

Second-to-last day at home.....

Patrick, completely satisfied with the pumpkin picking results!

The entire Rideout clan...

(I believe I said that if I didn't have them all present and smiling, what if I didn't recognize them the next time around??)

I love my home state, New York

October 20-25, 2008

Roadtrippin' Sabbath, Leg 1

2008-10-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

The whole point of a roadtrip home was to relax. This was my first week off in a couple of months and I slipped it into October because I wanted some time to absorb the beauty, visit friends without rushing, and soak in some family time without ending it with a sprint to the airport. However, when driving alone, there are some restrictions if you plan to be a) alert and b) moderately comfortable for most of the trip. For me that means daylight travel and not too long in the car. I did want to make the first 9-10 hr drive between Peoria (IL) and Steubenville, Ohio in one day, so I couldn't dawdle too much. But I also wanted to capture some of the Midwestern farmland in autumn warmth: there's more to this route than endless cornrows....

So I compromised and did some literal application of the "point & shoot" approach to photography. The TLC (Trusty Little Camera) sat gunshot, sharing space with the maps, CDs and water, ready to go. When I saw something I thought looked particularly classic, unique or striking, I picked up and not really looking - because that would mean not looking at the road - took a snapshot. The term now has a whole new meaning in my mind! Naturally, the lighting, composition and even the angle of my hand were completely hit or miss! I did a lot of deleting when I got home. But I did capture some of what I saw, with no danger to life, limb or other drivers. (You will notice almost no cities appear in this series for obvious reasons.)

I had a lot of angle issues - apparently my sense of what we call proprioception, or where your body is in space, is relatively poor. I always THOUGHT my camera was reasonably straight, but the photos say differently.... So don't flip through too fast if you are prone to motion sickness. :)

Leaving Illinois.... you would think a tornado was rolling through, but no such drama developed. Just wind and clouds....

Heading towards Indianapolis....

Afternoon sun over soybeans....

(Clearly not a moving shot.)

Making progress!

Ohio farms in the early evening

Small town American pride...

Setting Autumn sun....

Getting on towards dusk, but still a few hours left....

Eventually I made it through the detours and construction and found welcome rest, warm dinner and (of course!) good conversation with my professor and friend, Justyna...

There is a delightfulness in Polish hospitality from which I come away thoroughly refreshed everytime I come to visit. A day or so without a schedule is a good, good thing once in a while.

The weather was perfect for walking, so there were several of those - with Justyna and with Sherine, Scot and their girls.

Leaf collecting was a high-priority task for Hannah (above) and Cecilia.

Serious inquiries only. Red, Yellow and Orange are acceptable exclusively.

No other imposters of Fall Colors will be entertained!

It was a humorous and eventful excursion!

The Blackburn Family, Steubenville, Ohio

"... And on the seventh day, God looked at what He had created, and saw it was good. ..

And He Rested.... "

October 18-19, 2008

Moments...

2008-10-08T13:05:00.000-05:00

It is tempting to say that I have been on call perpetually since I last updated this little place, but that would only be partially, not entirely true. More accurately, I have been on call so much for the past two months that I have spent my non-hospital time attempting to chase down dust bunnies and piling dishes in the house, watching sunsets out of my attic hideout, drinking in the comfort of friendships and good music (such as Caron and my roommate Kate below) in hourly doses if lucky and- oh that lovely thing - sleeping. And then I go back to work. :)

Today is the end of a long string of calls which I thought would never end. As usual, however, life moves right a long and here we are. Well over 200 hours in 18 days, but now I get to rest! Fortunately, this is a perfectly sunny, clear and mild October days. The wind is soft through the windows and Kemba - despite my protests at stealing my spot - is taking the lead in our afternoon activities: napping.

These quieter post-call hours at home always leave me twice as attentive to the little things.. the way the sun filters through the blinds. How good coffee and raisin toast taste together! The neighbors and their morning routines...

As I as admiring the white pillared house on the corner with their red maple about to turn color, an elderly man right at noon stepped out onto the porch and deliberately turned his back to the sun shining onto it. He carefully lined up his heels with the front steps, then started swinging his arms - his bare shoulders and back were shiny with oil of some sort and every little muscle and frail bone was visible as he gently stretched and limbered up his arthritic joints in the autumn beams. He seemed oblivious to the cars passing by. This was a moment to soak it up - the sun won't be there for his arthritis too much more this year.

I've also made a point of getting outside to take in the sun...

Being so busy this summer, I've finally learned the value of knowing when to sit and be still to recuperate and when to simply get up and go. In the latter category, Saturday morning farmer's markets on the riverfront has been a lively substitute to the produce aisle. My old roommates from Chicago joined me one morning at the end of August - I think was came away with some amazing peaches that time...

There have been more hikes, unfortunately without my TLC (Trusty Little Camera), walks downtown, friends to move and welcome back, Kate to send to Africa... It's been quite a summer.

Now were are fully into Autumn, though.... a whole other season of goodness!

~ October 8, 2008 ~

Pictures from An Expedition

2008-08-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

If there is one thing better than a day off, it is two days off in a row!! By the second day, you actually have the energy for an adventure... so a week ago last Sunday, my camera & I hopped in the car and took a drive out west on County Route 8 ...

This view was an unexpected turn in the road - I did not even get out of the car. There was no place to pull over! (I did kept one eye on the rear view mirror.) Thank goodness the roads are pretty quiet. Of course, I realized I did not have a map about 15 minutes into my trip, but then I figured, the more adventure the better. You can't get too lost if you can always turn around!

Koerner Rd & Rt 8.

This little corner has caught my eye for a while was what motivated me to get out and drive. I had some kind motorosts stop here to ask me if I needed help as I trudged down the road looking for my view.

Railroad tracks intrigue me. Their lines always sweep the curvature of the land in a beautiful way, yet they cut through harshly, all metal...

... both rough and full of graceful wildflowers...

And the road runs on...

by a gem of a farm...

And another one tucked away,
with almost full grown corn, well above my head when I crept down for a different angle.

This picture just captures the midafternoon sun weighing on the fields.

It was so quiet in the heat...

All that could be heard were crickets, insects and song birds, with the wind

A road unknown...

At this point I really had no idea where I was, except that Route 8 was two turns and several curves behind me and I was now headed north!

Eventually I found myself near Jubilee State Park

I was all ready to explore the historical sites, but the gates were closing. So I ended my adventure, fittingly, at the cemetary...

Closed - a quiet, solemn mystery

Detours enroute home via Orange Prairie Park.

It was full of wildflowers and butterflies, so I tried my hand it some close-ups...

Tall, grand, everywhere!

Profusion of starts, bursting - I haven't found their name yet.

The little pond in the evening light.

Sturdy, bright buttercups, even on rocks...

Butterfly portraits...

August 17, 2008

Oh yes... I moved!

2008-08-16T22:30:00.001-05:00

So back in June, I transitioned from my solo apartment to the lovely old house of my friend and fellow resident Kate in West Peoria. The move was one of the biggest surprises of the year, as well as one of the loveliest blessings. Our place is a truly warm old house, full of character...

Before I got there, though, I had many helping hands negotiating the packing paper, boxes, bags and furniture.

Among the pre-moving day workers were Adriana - all the way from Virginia!- Laurel & Anna.

Beaming smiles - who can complain about ice cream breaks at the Spotted Cow?

Contemplating the world from the perspective of a 1 year old.

If I let you in the side door, as true neighbors, you'll be in the kitchen first. The pot rack was our inspired solution to the combined kitchenware inventory with way to many items for our cupboard space. The rest is original to the 1930's detailing.

Then the sunny dining room, the center of some lively meals already, between Kate & I and up to 12 others on any given weekend!

Our living room... Kate gets all the credit for color. It looks even more vibrant and beautiful in person - come visit!

The archways are one of my favorite touches to the home.

My own little room, facing north, but getting all sunrises and sunsets.

The rocking chair migrated from the living room scene upstairs - no complaints here!

And my attic, where when I am actually at home, my work gets done - reading, studying, computer, photowork and other crafts.

It is really a perfect hideaway. :)

Like I said - come visit! We love company!!

A Day (Off) in the Life...

2008-08-04T18:24:00.000-05:00

Last Monday was my first day off in about two weeks, and I made the most of it!! It started off in one of my favorite places - my own room. It is awfully close to an ideal bedroom - lots of windows, good books, a rocking chair... a lovely place to enjoy a cup of coffee and take in some liesurely reading.

That was not a morning of total solitude, however. I was joined by Kemba, Kate cat - one of the most talkative and contact-loving cats I've ever met.

He and I find equal satisfaction in the windows of my little room.

Shortly thereafter we headed out to the garden, which was in dire need of attention.

As usual, Kemba was right along in the thick of things - er, weeds.

Kemba? What exactly do you think you are doing?

"Well that's no good as a basket - what else is going on here?"

Critters!
Lots of them.

Kemba thought stalking the oversized crickets bouncing around was especially entertaining.

I, on the other hand weeded my way to a semblance of order for a couple of hours, brought the crazy profusion of tomatoes to light, then made a discovery....

While putting away tools I discovered a garden plan etched in to the garage wall. It is dated May 1942 (May 19 and 20 to be precise). If you can read it, you can imagine that that year's garden must have been beautiful! I think the trellis would have been against the back of the garage wall, since there is still a bar with multiple hooks on it hanging - imagine a giant double rose flanked by California poppies!

The back fence was also planned out, featuring phlox, marigolds and a mysterious entity called 4 o'clocks.

It's certainly a quaint old garage....

As you can see, lots of potential - and lots of mowing - awaiting.

My next day off (today!) was marked the smiling presence of my old Chicago roommates -

Becca & Sarah!

Down at the Peoria Riverfront, after a slow coffee-savoring morning and a successful tour through the riverfront farmers' market.
I picked up fresh spinach, home made pita chips, some lavender and mint for the garden. Summer, in all its abundance, captured in a day....

August 16, 2008

Enter Summer...

2008-06-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

After 30 degree nights at the end of May, summer suddenly settled on us in the last 10 days! We have been treated to alternating sun and thunderstorms, with a continuous wave of humidity throughout. It's so warm and damp some days it feels like you could swim in the air. (I can't really explain that phenomenon any more than that.) I am back on hospital rotations this month and already dehydration is becoming a common admission complaint.

Pimiteoui

Nonetheless, we got out for a great hike last week. Starting the Nature Center where I met the turkeys, a couple of friends and I headed up the river cliffs to Grandview Drive. Some other time I'll share a picture or two of the impressive mini-mansions. This time, it's just the view!

Bet you did not expect that expanse in the middle of Illinois! It certainly took me by surprise. :)

And for a little history - this area originally was the land of the Peoria Indians. Most of the early settlers happen to have been French, I believe, which is reflected in the names of the surrounding towns. Creve Coeur, Illinois, always presents a spelling challenge to unfamiliar transplants like myself as our pens pause over discharge papers wondering what letter comes next and wishing we had a geographically oriented spell-checker.

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The More the Merrier!!

2008-05-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

May was full of picnics and out-of-town friends!

Ann and Mariana at a baptismal party, in from Maryland...

And here's the big picnic of the month, Jeanette's birthday!

Bridget...

Considering the swingset options...

Uncle Mark & Anna with the newest cousin!

Snuggles from mommy Wendy for Catherine

Kyle serves up the strawberry shortcake -

It's sooooooooooooooooooooo good, Daddy!

Lots of cuddles for the new babies in town.

Jen & Mary, always in good company!

Gianna ~ aka,

Perpetual

Motion and Smiles!

Mom on Mission Retrieval

Jenny, Gianna and Joey-in-tow

Laurel & Anna in the sun!

Oohh - I love my cousin Rosemary

Tinier than me!

Sisters....!

Happy Birthday, Jeanette!

Blossom Time

2008-05-06T22:08:00.000-05:00

... in Central Illinois

The Forest Park Nature Center is a 500-acre little surprise, nestled into the western hills overlooking the Illinois River Valley just north of Peoria. Established as such only 40-some years ago, the land was a Girl Scouts Camp for the preceding ten years; before that it was a tranquil sanitorium for tuberculosis patients. And before it took on that role in 1917, the area - initially cleared by French and British families for farming - hosted hops fields and large vegetable farm. The latter actually persisted side-by-side with the sanitorium until 1950.

Wild Flox were taking over the groundcover...

If you can make it down the 45degree hill on the main road, you can walk in the woods and take in the beauty - with plenty of company you may not find elsewhere.

"Hide!!"

and seek...

"Hide?"

and seek!

May 18, 2008

McNaughten Park ...

... otherwise known as Potowatami Trail, an 850-acre hilly creek-cut area of oak-hickory woods and little prairies. It is rumored the same lively company that made an appearance in the nature center are abound in McNoughton, but on this excursion, they kept well-concealed.

(Perhaps because of little Caracu, ready to take on the scent!)

We, on the other hand, abandoned the trail for the creek!

Eastern Redbud just sprawling...

- endless lavender-pink was in abundance on all over the park on our hike!

Common bluebell, maybe? (Don't quote me on this!)

Again, they were thick on the woodland floors, beautiful!

Apple blossoms!

Look carefully - there is a reason for this picture!

The Sunday afternoon hiking crew... aka - Mary, Matt, LaDonna, genially regarding the photographers' statement,

"Smile - your in the way of the picture!"

Pied Beauty

(Gerard Manley Hopkins)

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;
And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:
Praise him.

May 4, 2008

Winter in Retrospect

2008-05-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

My little place all cozied up for the holidays...

Then out to NYC for a conference - the first morning I looked out the window of my room...

the beautiful NY skyline across the Hudson, glimmering in the sunrise.

By night...

Some of the sparkle and clarity is lost via cellphone, having left my trusty digital behind!

One month later, my aunt and uncle kindly welcomed me to stay a few days and visit with my grandmother. I looked out a different window on the opposite coast to a walled garden...

- mist, mountains and insanely springlike California sunshine!

Even the flowers were bursting out already...

I was much in need of rest and indulged in reading and naps in the warm breeze...

...listening to the sound of the garden fountain..

and stories from Grandmother Clair.

This is my favorite wall in her apartment, the brides!

Grandmother and Aunt Nancy

and Uncle Kevin

Last warm hugs before the airport!

Joie!

2008-05-03T14:47:00.000-05:00

La joie est une émotion exprimant le sentiment d'exaltation agréable et profonde.
Thoughts on a Journey, October 2007

I can't explain why the French Joie! captures the essence of fullness and human warmth better than an English description of the same. So I won't. I'll leave that to your own efforts at translation, using your intuition over a dictionary.

There was, in my tour de force through New York and Ohio last October, a sense of bursting happiness. The joy of being ~ renewed and flourishing.

(Very Enthusiastic Apple-Pickers in training.)

I love you. What does this mean?

My heart reaches out

Lending of myself that you may blossom
And I, captured by a Presence

Stay, and pour forth even more
To be

To delight

And blossom too

Finally! Elizabeth located an almost-perfect speciman.

From tree to pan in less than 12 hours!

(The new chefs learning the art of making apple crisps AND keeping toddler siblings at bay.)

"Brothers and sisters...

Over all these things, put on love, that is, the bond of perfection...

...And let the peace of Christ control your hearts...

the peace into which you were also called in One Body...

And be thankful...

And whatever you do, do from the heart

as for the Lord and not for others...

... and be thankful..." (Col 3)

A sunlit coffeebreak back home, after visits with Sherine & Scot and their daughters Cecilia and Hannah, with "Aunt Emily" (all formerly companions of the grad school year at Trinity East). Finally a little visit with my small friend Gianna here in Peoria.

True friends ~ and a constant source of Joie!

Home for Christmas

2008-04-30T19:24:00.000-05:00

Home in New York....

Traditions run strong and the decorating of the tree is still a last-week-of-Advent event! (It's also still a tricky, tangley event.)

You have to really sing out the carols in our family - being on key is somewhat less important.

Julia....

The anticipation!

Patrick?

Oh the DRAMA...

(Mischief stalled? Fortunately at three, you recover quickly!)

Looking more like his usual self!

Three's trouble!

Hug the Aunt!!!!

(And don't ask what Andrew was doing with the red accessories.)

Colin - the oldest doing his job - maintaining his cool

Andrew - something is totally absorbing!

Enjoying the priveleges of being the youngest!

Lots of love from Aunt T.

Relaxing on Christmas

All smiles in pink!

Still small enough to be under the tree...

Quality time with Uncle Gregory

Christmas night storytime with Grandaddy....

and Grandmommy

Christmas stories with Aunt Teresa too!

Patrick and His Pumpkin

2008-04-30T18:43:00.000-05:00

I'm Patrick. I'm three!

Hi Uncle Greg. Aunt Teresa says we're going to get pumpkins!

First, lets just look....

Wow. So many. So big. SO ORANGE!!

And SO heavy!!

What d'ya think, Aunt Teresa?

I think we should keep hunting.

Pick one? Just one?

Hey, this is work!

Hm. He's got a bigger wagon-tractor than I do.

So long 'til next year. (You ARE coming home, right Uncle Greg?)

For sure. With cinnamon doughnuts for lunch!!

Me and my pumpkin....

...back home. Wait 'til the big boys see what I've got!

Just keeping an eye on things.

I'm guarding my pumpkin because the boys said they'll turn it into pie.

But Andrew will look out for me!

Me and my pumpkin.

New York in the Fall

2008-03-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Since I was thirteen, Dad and I have always taken an autumn hike around my birthday, in one of the many states I've lived in at the time... This year I actually made it home for our tradition!

We headed out on October 10 to Letchworth State Park in the Genessee River Valley. The dam above was unusually exposed this year because of a long, dry summer.

- fortunately I was with an engineer and had all the benefits of such great company to appreciate the details of such excellent construction.

Natural engineering phenomena!

Grand and gorgeous......

.....or minute and delicate.

Hemlocks over a quiet bend in the Genesse River at the Lower Falls...

The amazing vistas the leave me convinced that Upstate New York is one of my favorite places on earth!

All the better with a little autumn thunderstorm drama!

Dad named me his SideKick when I was five. It's still a great position!

More breathtaking beauty!

Home birthdays are the best!

Culinary Derangements

2007-10-07T22:18:00.000-05:00

(So... what recipe did you use??)

Today I found myself giving yet another off the cuff lecture on one of my favorite topics: food. It was actually a funny scenario. I was discharging a patient from the hospital that had been cared for by another team. The name immediately sounded familiar, and I rightly assumed the poor patient was a "frequent flier." (A status which unfortunately does not come with free perks!)

I met the patient, found her delightful (if very medically complicated) and proceeded downstairs to write discharge papers. On looking up who was listed as her personal doctor I out it was - me! In a moment I began to recall I had seen quite a bit of paperwork on these many hospital visits... they had all passed my desk. No WONDER the name was familiar.

Heading back upstairs, I found another younger woman relaxing in the room with my patient. I suddenly recognized her as another one of my patients from the clinic whom I had gotten to know very well. Apparently they were "adopted" family and the younger patient had been wondering all morning whether the "Dr. Teresa" that her grandmotherly friend kept referring to (but had never met) was the same one she knew!

So there I was, giving my spiel on fruits and vegetables, and their indubitable benefits for the gastrointestinal tract. I am frequently called upon to give specific examples (name three sources of calcium - no, potassium - how about magnesium??), which calls for quite a mental scramble. Most of the time something reasonbly intelligent comes out.

Had these two avid listeners seen me the night before, however, they would have been more skeptical. My friend Angela and I had plans to make an apple pie with a gluten free crust. The apples were barely a week off the tree (see below!), very much ready for good use. Gluten free baking is not that hard - IF you have all of the ingredients, such as rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch and xanthum gum. Unfortunately, said tapioca flour was very much missing from my cupboard.

Oh well- how much a difference can it make? We'll add more corn starch.....

You know, all that laughter is very suspicious Angela....

Oh I see....

Funny how the crust won't not roll out right.

Were we supposed to chill the dough first too??

Maybe we can convince ourselves it is a crumble topping....

Sort of??

Well, no, not really....

But it still tastes like apple pie - to be enjoyed in style!

And please don't ask me how much insulin it will take to correct this sugar high - I'm just glad three hours of labor paid off so well. (Next time, we might even review the recipe ahead of time.)

Carpe Diem!!

2007-10-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

It is very hard to complain about coming in at 6:30am when greeted with this beauty!

This morning I saw the colors and thought: really, how long would it take to hop on the elevator to the parking garage's 7th floor and take it all in? I timed it - less than 10 minutes. Bonus: no one else is around on the top floor at that hour to wonder why this resident, blue coat, stethescope, brown bag lunch and all was whipping out of her bag not a PDA but a camera.

Although, looking out over the deck - maybe they wouldn't wonder.

Lunch break actually existed today, so another spontaneous 10 minute detour through a different parking deck (that I formerly was unaware existed) lead to this view.... the Illinois River valley with the Cathedral in the foreground.

Many hospital lobbey windows face this direction (east), so I love watching the color and light on the river and steeples. Rarely do I have time to capture it, though!

OSF St. Francis Hospital from the back, the graceful older buildings. As you can see from all the views we are quite up on a hill overlooking the city of Peoria and the valley.... Someday I'll get someone on the top floor open a window and let me capture that prospect!

As long as there are windows, even the longest days have pockets of brightness.

Indian Summer in Center Illinois

2007-09-30T19:49:00.001-05:00

Some days, it is impossible to get out of doors despite the warm sunshine that has flooded September day after September day. So when I was given a random Thursday afternoon off, it took little persuasion to head out to the apple orchards!

Not the Garden of Eden, just beautiful Central Illinois. (Ok, you were not about to make that mistake.)

We picked about two bushels - and though an early summer coldspell has made this a bad apple year, I still came home with more varieties than I have ever used before. Straightaway about 20 became applesauce which I enjoyed while on call this weekend. Less than 8 hours between the tree and the pot isn't bad timing!

Fellow orchard lovers, Jen and Laurel... and baby Anna ("I got mom!") with apples in tow. Thank goodness for red wagons!

So warm in the sun!

Hiking between orchards... We had to do it twice. Afterall, the first time you don't know what is ahead and have saved all this room in your wagon - which has to be filled by a second round!

Anna's first apple: Hmmmm.... Doesn't look like a banana!

...Let Autumn bold,

With universal tinge of sober gold,

Be all about me when I make an end.

And now, at once, adventuresome, I send

My herald thought into the wilderness:

There let its trumpet blow, and quickly dress

My uncertain path with green, that I may speed

Easily onward through flower and weed...

(Keats Endymion, Bk 1)

Status Post Caffe au Latte

2007-09-30T17:14:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like a good cup of coffee to make a morning go better, provided it is properly enjoyed - that is, well made and preferably entertained sitting down. Four years and three months into medical training, I know the benefits of a dose of liquid alertness while on foot. But that only moves one's mental status from hopeless to surviveable. A GOOD cup of coffee is like the counterpart to a good glass of wine. It improves mood, encourages lively conversation and brightens perspectives all around.

Case in point: At 5:30 this morning I was dozing, semifrozen, in a recliner in the physician's lounge, when I became aware that the voices my fellow nightfloat residents had moved out of the room, followed by the distinct sound of a coffee grinder. Who grinds their own coffee while on an overnight shift at the hospital? One of my fellow interns, a true coffee enthusiast who came prepared with grinder, excellent coffee roasted locally and a French press. I rapidly made my appearance. Minutes later, the three of us were around the kitchen table, suddenly normalized humans who could speak in full sentences about things other than potassium levels and blood pressure. Remarkable.

So remarkable in fact that an attending physician walking in an hour later, greeted with the distinctively fresh fragrance of our indulgence came to a full stop - "What is this?!?" (Sorry... we didn't save any!) So much for seniority. He had to make do with the machine in the corner brewing some distant cousin to what we had in hand. Nonetheless, much entertained by our zeal for good coffee, he joined us and even provided a curbside consultation.

So as I said, there's nothing like a good cup of coffee.... From the hospital to the interstate excursions, here are some snapshots and anecdotes from the ramblings of me, my cup of coffee and my camera.