I found #3

First were the police officers in Oakland....2d was our neighbor's son....and today I open my mailbox to find out (from her son) that a dear friend is in the hospital with a broken shoulder and femur! I was wondering what/when #3 would be, but I did not expect her to step up and become it!

I am a little sore. Lovely weekend (alth the wind is a bit chilly today). Watched Tball yesterday and ran errands. Ran errands today and then started to work on our backyard. I had trimmed back 4 ancient rose bushes and today we dug them out. Along with a lot of that $%#%$#&#&%$@^&O*&=*& ivy that comes over our fence (and is ruining it) from the school behind our fence. I use to like ivy and use to grow it in pots. Now I hate it as much as I hate palmtrees.

My Febuary Lady sweater is done - except for the buttons. Cannot find what I want. And even went to the fabric store that always has great buttons and they let me down. THey are also seriously understaffed and they were busy. I was going to get some material but I was 4th inline and after 20 minutes the line hadnt moved - only 1 person at the cash register (and she had a very long line) and 1 person cutting. So, by saving on not having enough staff, they lost $$$ in sales. At least enough for 2 hours of another sales person! Oh well....

I dont like March any more

Altho these photos do make me smile. Yesterday I looked outside and my lilac bush was teaming with butterflies, and some bees. The orange ones were shy and flew away any time I tried to get too close, or shifted, or even clicked the camera. The yellow one, well, I say he was posing for me....more likely he was drunk on the nectar...

It is true. A broken heart physically hurts. When my daughter called me as soon as she found out about the Oakland police officers in their debriefing, I was so upset. So sorry, so scared for her and her husband. I can usually put that fear at the back of my mind. But not these last few weeks.

And then this morning as I was getting ready to meet with the students, a knock came at our door. A neighbor across the street came over to tell me that our next door neighbor's son had been killed the day before.

I thought it was unusual that there were so many cars next door this AM but.....

The boy, who is 36, worked for PG&E and apparently fell off of a pole and died. I cannot imagine (and dont want to) what it feels like to lose a child. But this the second friend who has lost an adult child - one who seemed to have life going well for them finally. And then, it is all over.

Had to let my family know - and that was hard too. My son, who is 7 years younger than him, always treated him like the older brother he never had.

And so, yes, there is physical pain when your heart is breaking for someone else.

And the outrage to hear that they are having a walk and vigil for that criminal who shot those police officers in cold blood - yeah, that says a lot about a city and some of its citizens when they try to make a hero out of scum.....scum who had weapons he never should of had - scum who was being investigated for RAPING A TWELVE YEAR OLD GIRL and maybe many others - the scum who shot the motorcycle officers, and then walked over and shot them again....yeah, I can see why so many citizens of Oakland are hanging their head in shame when they are lumped together with those people who are trying to make this scum a hero and the police officers the bad guys....

And my heart still breaks even when my head is filled with such anger.

A lovely week!

May God grant you always...

A sunbeam to warm you,

A moonbeam to charm you,

A sheltering angel,

so nothing can harm you.

Yes, it is that time of the year again when Americans prove they are crazy - rivers running green - beer and wine glasses full of green liquid - and my (least) favorite food...corned beef!

My Sicilian/Polish husband loves it and I hate it....but I make it anyway becuase I do love the cabbage and potatoes!

This is the week I say goodbye to the first group of students doing their Pediatric Clinical Rotation, and hello to the second group. I will really miss this first group - and I wish them good luck in the rest of their nursing school trials and tribulations!

I need everyone who reads this to say a prayer for a friend - she has been having mammos every six months for a lump she could feel but they couldnt visualize. Well, they have finally visualized it. And this week she goes in for another mammo and ultrasound.

More complaints

There is this yarn that everyone is gaga over. I have looked at it - and petted it - but never tried it. Then I joined this swap and decided to splurge on a skein of it for a friend. I could not decide on a color so I chose navy blue, thinking that can go with everything. And I chose the new sock yarn becuase of the yardage.

Brought it home, and decided to ball it up. Took out the skein and it literally dumped into a mass in my lap before I could do anything about it. I have spent a week trying to untangle it. And I am still working on it. Meanwhile I have been finding slubs in it - knots - and to top that off, not only knots which makes it NOT 440 continuous yards, but it appears to be two skeings put together becuase, instead of a knot, there is is. One long part of it just stops....and another starts!

I am disgusted with it. And it wont be going to that person becuase I will not get it untangled in time. So now I have to spend time and money to buy some other yarn for that friend.

Oh, you want to know what yarn it is?

"malabrigo sock
100 grams per skein, 440 yards per skein100 % superwash merino wool "

But for the good news.....I am no longer a tweaker or a semi-tweaker! Got my permanent bridge put back in today and I am so happy! It looks and feels so much better!

Only 2 more weeks with this group of students and then we switch off. The OB students come to me and my students go to OB. I am really going to miss this group!

Talked to several of the 2d year students and they are so depressed. This last semester is so hard for them. They think they have hard times before - and then they hit the last semester and it is grueling. And the not only talk it - they look it! And I cannot give them anything helpful except - HANG IN THERE! Everyone goes thru this and somehow, if it is meant to be, you will survive!

I cant believe the response we are getting for our Fundraising for the Bras For The Cause!
Sent out a bunch of email letters and we are getting a great response! That is not only a relief, but it is wonderful that even in these times, people are still willing to support such a great cause!
Thank you to everyone who has responded!

Bras For The Cause

Dear Friend,

How much would you pay to see me walk through the streets of Pleasanton in my bra? (You think I’m kidding, don’t you?)

In May, I’m participating (along with my team - Team Maternal/Child: the Valley 'Girls') in a 10K fundraising walk, complete with a bra-decorating contest, to raise money fortwo local organizations:

Axis Community Health will use proceeds from the walk to establish a bi-lingual breast health outreach program for uninsured and low-income women of the Tri-Valley.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure (SF Bay Area Affiliate) will use proceeds to support innovative local research and community-based outreach programs in the Bay Area. For more than 20 years, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has been a global leader in the fight against breast cancer through its support of innovative research and community-based outreach programs.

The Bras for the Cause Walk will be a lot of fun, but has a very serious and compelling purpose—to find a cure for breast cancer now. As a walker, I have been asked to raise money through fully tax-deductible pledges that will fund research and medical treatment for underinsured women in the Bay Area. Tri-Valley SOCKs (the walk organizers) are using corporate sponsorships and our registration fees to cover the insurance, printing, and other costs associated with the walk. Your money goes straight to the cause.

Would you please consider making a fully tax-deductible pledge to help fight breast cancer? Even though I joke about donation amounts, I am very serious about raising at least $200.00 for this walk.

“I Hate Taxes and This is a Good Write-Off” category – (How about $100 or more?)
“Love Ya’, But My Stock Options are Way Under Water” – (I feel your pain, but can you spare $75?)

“She Doesn’t Even Send a Christmas Card and Now She Wants Money?” -- (Yikes! $40?)

"No Starbucks for a week." – ($20? Your caffeine-withdrawal headache will hurt less than my feet.)

“A Buck a Kilometer to Get You Offa My Back”— (That’s only $10!)

If you have any questions about the walk or if you’d like to join me (there’s a fabulous dessert buffet for all of the walk finishers) please check out the website: www.trivalleysocks.org/walkinfo.html

Even if you don’t feel that you can sponsor me for this walk, please remind the women in your life to do monthly breast self-exams and get regular mammograms. It’s worth nagging the people you love.

Thank you in advance for your generosity. You can make a difference in someone’s health and life.

Yours truly,

Danielle Nabozny

Tri-Valley SOCKs operates with no paid staff and is run completely by hard-working, dedicated, but fun-loving volunteers. SOCKs is a Not-for-Profit corporation, organized and existing under the California State Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, with recognition as a 501©(3) corporation status.