Preparing for NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo is not that far off. I have a story idea. For once I'm writing just for myself, no illusions of get published.

Just for myself. Just for fun.

Windowpane Scarf

Windowpane infinity scarf using Mandala Yarn "Pegasus". Pattern found at Ravelry. I have several more finished items to post...

Relapsed

I ended up sleeping through the night and woke up rearing to go. I thought I've recuperated but had a little relapse. That's what I get for trying to cram a week's worth of postponed chores in a few hours. So back to lots of fluids and rest and staying away from stress. Binging on Britbox and crocheting for me tonight.

I'm Back

I'm back! Good heavens, I wasn't sure I would remember my password! I've been very busy with life and travel nursing, and keeping up with my health. I'm no spring chicken anymore and must be vigilant to stay healthy. Knock on wood, I'm okay.

Currently I'm in a little Northern California town called Quincy, living in a tiny apartment in town above a tobacco shop, a pub, thrift store, and at the end of the block is a theater with a brewery. Pros and cons: I love being in the thick of things. This little town is dynamic with many events, a college, a few nice eateries and bakeries, and like I said, a live theater with a brewery. It's also on a state highway and can be noisy. Working nights mean morning traffic. But it's all good. I am getting back to two things: writing and my crochet. Anyway, I shall return later tonight. I need to get dinner done.

A New Contract, and So Much to Think About...

My Washington license application will take a while. As of now, nothing has been processed. They haven't even cashed my check yet. It's been weeks. I had hoped to at least get the fingerprinting done when I arrived, but no go. So, no Wenatchee. And with bills needing payment and money getting scarce, I called my recruiter last week. Long story short, I signed a contract with a Sutter hospital in Antioch, CA yesterday. I actually know the area, it's an old shopping stomping ground when I worked in the Bay area and lived in Pittsburg. Yes it's a city, but more laid-back than Frisco and Oakland.

As I said in my last post, this is going to be quite a year. While in Quincy, I developed and nurtured a relationship. And it's serious enough to talk of permanence. And we talked this evening about it. We'll talk more as the days go by...okay, Curious Reader, I am happy. That's all I can reveal on the matter. I am happy.

So this is going to be a very busy week. All the medical requirements (PPD, drug testing, pre-employment physical, etc. ect.) are getting done, online skills tests I need to finish, housing I need to find, packing I need to do. I leave Saturday to arrive Sunday with an overnight stay at Klamath Falls. I start Tuesday, giving me Monday to relax and do some shopping. I hope I get a studio apartment with a kitchenette, or a motel with a kitchenette, or a room with kitchen privileges. You get the idea. I need to cook my own meals.

So my interim at home is short and busy. And since I needed to go back to Cali, I wished it was to Quincy. More later..

Hello, 2018!

...and here I am, two years later. Travel nursing has taken me to rural areas with poor connections and a very busy schedule. Mind you, I love rural nursing, I learned so much because I need to wear many hats. And rural nursing has put me back to old-fashioned bedside nursing, of caring for folks of all ages. I like that. But as for blogging, it had been put aside. I had a hard time accessing this blog. And I cannot pass up living in rural communities. I simply must be a part of it. Good bye, city life, I am a small-town country gal at heart to begin with, and had despised the noise and traffic and rudeness and loneliness of cities, and I enjoy the gardens and local shops and live theaters and the friendships.

So, right now, I had just gotten back a week ago from a year-long assignment from a rural town in Northern California one hour from Reno. Getting over the flu and sleeping a lot. But it didn't take me long to get back to my at-home ways, of cooking and baking and crocheting and reading. Bills got paid. Cleaning got done. I talked to my recruiter for the next job -- quite possibly I will go back to Quincy, but I applied for my Washington license. I really, REALLY, would rather find work here and live at home. Poor Miss Bayles, my cat, was so perturbed at me for my being gone too long, that she lectured me a long time, and then couldn't leave me out of her site and has taken to following me from room to room and jumping on my lap as soon as I sit down. Right now she sleeps on the pillow next to me, contented after some fresh tuna..

And there's my writing. I was able to get some writing done while away. Poetry. In legal pads, but better than nothing. I need to edit my old novels, and this is the month to start. And this is the year to make submissions, even if just my poetry.

And what a year this will be! Stay tuned...

First Winter at Home

*Miss Bayles would rather be indoors than go hunting at the moment.

*Icicles on the front porch. We had to knock them off because of the stress on the roof. I was also told they can be painful.

*Moose on the loose. The one on the left was on my back patio earlier.

*Old Glory

*Vacant bird house amidst the snow-covered trees. I look forward to seeing it occupied in the Spring.

*A fireplace was a must when I bought the house. I love a lit fireplace even before the snowfall. This winter it's SOP to light it up in the afternoon and let it die out before bedtime. I can be found with a pot of tea reading or crocheting here after dinner.