Page 5 – Tribute Journal

Old MacDonald Had A Farm…And More Fall Fun!

From the book “Life From the Back of a Horse” by Steve J. Johnson-one of my most favorite artists! My granddaughters love to look at the illustrations of the animals in this book!

Old MacDonald Had A Farm!

We’ve had such a perfect fall season so far! My granddaughters have loved being able to extend their playtime outside! We’ve also tried to think of all the things we still want to do while the weather is still so nice!

Just a few blocks down the street from my house is a small family farm that Makena and Marli always point out whenever we are on our way to run a few errands or going to a nearby park. I decided it was finally time for us to stop and see if we could coax a few of the animals out of their barn. Being able to see the animals in person gave a whole new meaning to the familiar song “Old MacDonald Had A Farm” for the girls!

It’s always so fun to observe the curious fascination that children have with farm animals!

For Marli, there was a little nervous trepidation too–she was glad there was a fence between her and the animals! (Try as we might, we couldn’t get the peacock to open its feathers for us, however, the turkey gladly obliged and the girls were thrilled!)

Makena had a couple of days off of school last week, so we were able to enjoy an extra “Cinderella Day”! My daughter, Malia was able to join us as we all headed out to Gardner Village, a local, vintage shopping venue, complete with animals to pet and hold and a fun Halloween witch scavenger hunt!

Makena has seen pictures and heard stories about how her mom, along with Uncle Jake and Aunt Mandi had pet bunnies when they were growing up! She was so excited to see the bunnies and hold one of them!

Makena loved getting right in there to feed the animals, but Marli preferred to keep her distance! (Marli usually wants to do everything Makena does…but when it came to feeding the farm animals, it was a little different story! Her reaction here is priceless!)

Since they were more her size, the chickens were a little less intimidating to Marli!

Makena and I decided this was the best picture of the day!

A Bewitching Scavenger Hunt and More Fall Fun!

The beautiful fall colors against the clear blue skies provided a wonderful panoramic backdrop for a perfect afternoon!

The girls weren’t the only ones who loved the witch scavenger hunt! Malia and I thoroughly enjoyed helping Makena and Marli check off their list while we did some shopping too! (This is such a fun event even if you don’t take children!)

From their green skin and wart noses to their fancy hats and sparkly shoes–the witches were delightfully entertaining! The Halloween Witch Celebration continues until the end of the month.

An afternoon spent jumping into piles of leaves defines “fall fun” perfectly!

Grandpa just loved Marli’s purple cowboy boots!

Happy Halloween and fun fall wishes to everyone! My favorite chili recipe is coming soon, served with Parkstone cornbread, it makes the best fall time supper!

–Mary

Good Luck to my daughter, Mandi, who will be running in the New York marathon next weekend!!! Her dad and I, along with her husband, Cole, will be there to cheer her on and offer any needed moral support!

Also, since I get asked quite often what Mandi is specifically studying for her PhD, and although I understand the general concept of her very technical studies, this week on the Today Show, they did a really informative segment about the lab where Mandi works and highlighted the research on joint disease and rehabilitation that her group has been working on! You can check it out here!

Cole was kind enough to even let me know that it starts at the 1:30 mark and goes until 2:40–he also pointed out that you can see the top of Mandi’s head (she was working behind the scenes running the computer) to the left behind the desk in the background of the shot at marker 2:30! Thanks for scoping this out, Cole!! (Mandi just might find herself in need of some of her own rehabilitation after the marathon!?!)

GOOD LUCK, MANDI!

Think Pink…And Hunter Orange!

Think Pink…It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

I think that one of the most important things I do as a nurse on a woman’s care unit, whether someone has just had a baby or is recovering from a gynecological surgery, is getting patients ready to leave the hospital feeling empowered and more capable about taking an active role in their health and well-being! Despite the endless healthcare debates that have been dominating the media, we should all understand that there are a lot of things we can do right now to maintain a healthy lifestyle that are separate from the complicated issues and talking points being discussed.

One of the best things any healthcare worker can do for anyone seeking more information about how they can better take care of themselves, is to put things in simple, easy to understand terms that will feel attainable for them in respect to their everyday lives. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and since I usually have a fairly captive audience when teaching patients before they get ready to be discharged after their hospital stay, I’ve outlined a few things that I tell them about breast cancer awareness.

Think Pink!!

Perhaps my affinity for remembering important facts by virtue of an acronym was first established when my mom used to have me make birthday cards for family members when I was growing up. I also studied for many nursing school exams using this approach. I took the liberty to use this technique in creating this “Think Pink” message that I hope will impress upon every woman’s memory what their individual responsibility is in terms of how they can safeguard their health as it pertains to breast cancer awareness!

A self breast exam needs to be a priority on our monthly “To Do” list! It is recommended that the exam be done approximately 5-7 days after a menstrual cycle. Post menopausal women, or ones who have had a hysterectomy, will find that doing the exam at the same time each month increases the likelihood that they will be done regularly. Most doctors recommend that breast-feeding women also perform a routine exam, ideally just after the baby has been fed. The new machines at most medical facilities also make having a mammogram with breast implants less painful. Many hospitals will provide some payment assistance when a scan is done on those without insurance coverage, and may even offer to do them free of charge.
Breast cancer prevention surgery for women with a family history of breast cancer has been highly publicized lately. However, doctors have advised for many years that those who fall into this category be extra vigilant in taking the necessary steps to insure healthy outcomes! My paternal grandmother fell victim to breast cancer, so my daughters and I are at increased risk.
The recommended age for yearly mammograms was recently changed from age 50 to 40 years old, since the occurence of breast cancer has been on the rise in younger women. By doing self breast exams, along with having regular check-ups, more educated decisions can be made if subsequent care is needed.
I believe that being aware of what’s “normal” for our own body is the best guide to help each of us know when something is not as it should be, so we can then seek further medical attention as required.

Think Pink…And Hunter Orange!

If nothing else sways your determination to keep pace with good health options, maybe look around at your family, or keep a photo close at hand that you look at everyday to help remind you that it is worth every effort it takes to invest in a happy, healthy life!

In honor of breast cancer awareness month and the first official day of the deer hunting season, I’d like to take the opportunity to tell my family how much I love them and that I am trying my best to be a good example of healthy living. I also had my last mammogram this past August and got a clean bill of health! (Although this picture was taken approximately ten years ago, the streaks you see are not due to the aging process–it’s because my family was hunting in a snow storm! I know, craziness! I think I went shopping with friends that day!)

If you have an inspiring story concerning breast care awareness or breast cancer, I’d love it if you’d share it. Sometimes another person’s story is what helps us set better health standards in our own lives!

–Mary

Must See TV Nostalgia!

Must See TV Nostalgia!

My husband and I had one of those busy, run-around, project packed weekends, where when you finally plop down in front of the TV on Sunday night, you actually think that going back to work on Monday morning will provide a much needed restful reprieve! Unfortunately, even with my husband’s channel surfing finger in high gear, and a gazillion cable stations to pick from, there didn’t seem to be anything all that interesting on TV. (Considering how tired we were, I didn’t think we were being an overly picky audience either!) Besides, this is the time of year where TV shows start introducing their new “Must See TV” fall lineup, so we figured something might catch our eye! Granted, the Halloween season is well underway, so there were a few programs featuring woeful vampires and witches–only not in a good way…eeeek! My disappointment with our viewing selections made me nostalgic for the TV shows I used to watch with my family when I was growing up–and we just had three channels to choose from back then! (Yes, I also walked ten miles to and from school in knee deep snow! I’m sensing some major eye rolling going on! Ha!)

My Childhood Must See TV!

The television sets of my childhood proved to be somewhat of a decorating challenge for my mom…much to her dismay, lace runners and glass vases and figurines placed on top did little to conceal their bulkiness!

Who can forget the first staccato cords of the music being played as a match lit the end of a fuse signaling the beginning of another installment of the original “Mission Impossible” TV series! The mission leader, Mr. Phelps, (Peter Graves) brilliantly coordinated the flawless efforts of each secret mission where savvy know-how seemed to outshine any high-tech gadgets that were used! There weren’t too many young girls who didn’t aspire to be as clever minded as Cinnamon Carter, (Barbara Bain) the only woman on the team. (This was one show where even my mom would sit and watch transfixed, resisting the urge to pick up one of her many projects that she usually worked on while watching a television program.)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, was the show “Get Smart”! Maxwell Smart, (Don Adams) was an endearing Private Eye Investigator, who along with his sidekick, Agent 99, (Barbara Feldon) taught us that we shouldn’t take life too seriously! Prior to the availability of cell phones, I think we all wished we had a phone in the bottom of our shoe! Despite the corny satire at times, Agent Smart was sly like a fox; we laughed with him, not at him!

“Dr. Welby MD” starring Robert Young (of “Father Knows Best” fame, that TV series was before my time, but had been a show my mom loved) was a family favorite! Had my father continued studying medicine in college, I’m sure he would have been the congenial neighborhood doctor portrayed in this show! Yes, that’s a young James Brolin, who joined the series after the first few years! Consuelo Lopez, (Elena Verdugo) was their funny, but tough nurse/receptionist who helped bridge the generation gap between the two doctors with seeming ease, while keeping their egos in check so they focused more on their patients! There was always an unspoken love story going on between Dr. Welby and Consuelo…but as my dad always used to say, “A good TV show leaves a few things to your imagination!”

“Dr. Welby MD” might have set the foundation for my decision to go to nursing school, but “St. Elsewhere” launched my full blown desire to make it a career choice!

Long before he was a TV game show host or a judge on “America’s Got Talent” Howie Mandell was a zany doctor on St. Elsewhere! Who knew this TV series would prove be such a valuable stepping stone for launching the careers of actors like Ed Begley, Jr. Bruce Greenwood and Denzel Washington. I have come to realize however, that “real life” at most hospitals is less dramatic and operates at a much faster pace than what’s seen on TV, but the respect and camaraderie portrayed between the doctors and nurses in this heartwarming series, for the most part, is alive and well!

Speaking of witches, (the kind I like to watch) the magical powers that Samantha Stevens (Elizabeth Montgomery) had when she twitched her nose on the TV show, “Bewitched” are something we all wished we possessed as busy wives and mothers! My mom used to comment on how she would have dealt with the devious mother-in-law character, Andora (Agnes Moorehead) if given the chance! There’s nothing quite like watching a good TV show together to see another side of someone’s personality revealed! (In her prim and proper way, my mom had a feistiness about her!)

“That Girl” starring Marlo Thomas, was one of my very favorite TV shows that I usually watched with my dad as a young teenager. Oftentimes, homework and other activities pre-empted a lot of TV viewing for me during the week when I was growing up, but Thursday nights were the exception with this fun Must See TV show! “That Girl” was pretty innovative for the times then, since it featured a single, young woman living on her own, while seeking out her dream career! Some of the funniest episodes had to do with her parents and the concern they had about their daughter living away from home. This show often sparked some neat conversations with my dad! (How I would love just one more with him now!)

What I’m learning now is…

My dad’s favorite TV show was “Gunsmoke”! It aired for 20 years and had many memorable characters like Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness) and Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake)–and of course, who can forget Festus, (Ken Curtis) one of Marshall Dillon’s quirky part-time deputies. Once while we were reminiscing about watching “Gunsmoke” together, my dad told me that one of the reasons he enjoyed the show so much was that the characters showcased integrity and loyalty, among other traits, that for him best defined the way a person should live!

(Trivia fact: Did you know that Peter Graves, one of the main stars in “Mission Impossible” and James Arness, Marshall Dillon in “Gunsmoke” were brothers!)

My dad also admired that Marshall Dillon went about his business in a steadfast fashion and without a lot of fanfare, yet he wasn’t afraid to deal sternly, but within the confines of the law, (of course, we’re talking cowboy law here) with those who tried to disrupt peaceful living on the western frontier!

What I’m learning now is that my parents regarded our family life in much the same way, and believed that watching our favorite TV shows together was a privilege we earned and planned as a family by being conscientious in other areas of our lives. They also took the opportunity to teach us that the programs we watched should be ones that built upon the good values they tried to teach us. (Luckily, technology today makes it possible for me to watch many of my favorite TV shows all over again with my children and grandchildren!)

Most of all, a yummy treat should accompany a good TV show once in a while too! Caramel popcorn is always one of our favorites!

My husband’s channel surfing finally paid off on Sunday night–we caught the end of the amazing come from behind playoff game between the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox!

I’m curious to know what shows you grew up watching with your family!

–Mary

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