Being a patient in a hospital is an alternate reality. It doesn’t matter how long you are there, time and space play by their own rules. Anything that exists outside the walls of the building becomes irrelevant. I am sure there are some very good and logical reasons for waking patients up at the oddest hours to check vitals and draw blood. Antibiotics attached via an IV at 1:30 a.m. holds the record as the oddest of experiences so far. I was too sleepy to ask the right questions, but it didn’t stop me from needing a “procedure” at 7:30 a.m.
I have been in the hospital twice recently. Yes, I am now doing fine, thanks for asking. My malady is cardiac related with all of the scary thoughts that arise with this type of diagnosis. I’ve been hospitalized before for routine things like gallbladder removal. That wasn’t as scary. There’s something about only having one heart, because I cannot survive if it is removed. Yet, I have learned that, like the rest of me, my heart is stubborn and will beat as it sees fit. You might say it beat to the sound of its own and different drummer, until I received “procedures” that succeeded in showing my heart who’s the boss. Apparently the cardiologist and team remain, officially, The Boss.
Oh, and can we talk about modesty? Where else would it not be unusual to have everyone and everybody come by and visit while I am laying in bed wearing the loosest of gowns. I was hooked up in several ways to various machines which was okay when I stayed in bed. However, the coffee machine was located at the nurses station. I learned new skills as I walked holding my gown closed, walking with a cane and carrying a fresh cup of hot coffee. I do have my talents, if I say so myself.
Upon arrival at a cardiac unit, I was attached to all sorts of gizmos that monitored me all day and night. First I received stickers all over my chest and stomach with wires that were attached to a little box that I wore in a pouch around my neck at all times. This was called a telemetry? Then that was combined with a bio button. It also monitored my heart, but without wires. At this point I realize that my body is not my own.
There’s also the issue of blood. At least once a day, every day, a nurse would come by and take several vials of blood. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think there are that many tests that can be run on this vital fluid. Maybe the nurses had a side job where they supplied some local vampires with fresh blood to keep the murder rates down across the city. They would never admit it, but I still have my suspicions.
Finally, there were the EKGs. Since I was in the hospital to get a new heart medication, I had to have this test after every dose. I have become very familiar this procedure. In addition to the stickers and wires that are already placed on my chest, I receive about 10 more. Sometimes the stickers would be placed on my knees. The test itself only took a few seconds. Then all the extra stickers would be removed until the next EKG.
One time when I was getting some coffee at the nurses station, I noticed a pumpkin made to look like a heart. Apparently, for fun and frolic, the staff have a pumpkin carving/decorating contest for Halloween. At first I thought this was a pace maker, but I was wrong. It is actually a Left Ventricle Assist Device otherwise known as an LVAD. I don’t know what this does, but they did a good job at decorating the pumpkin. I appreciated the attempt to enjoy my favorite holiday. Actually being in the hospital over Halloween is a definite buzz kill for me. I hope that doesn’t happen next year. The skeletons I have at home were worried about me, bless their little, nonexistent hearts. By the time I was finished with the second hospital stay, staff were beginning to wear Holiday sweaters and reindeer antlers.
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Until next time.……
My absolute favorite night of the year has come and gone once again. Haunted Holidays took place on November 9th at the Brazos Bookstore. Literary artists gather together on this night to share their own scary spooky stories about any of the fall and winter holidays. To me the scary season begins with Halloween and doesn’t end until New Years. This year there were several poems and essays about the election. Yep, many consider that to be one of the scariest nights of the year! I had the honor to host the event and dressed up in my scariest finest formal clothing for the evening.
The following people participated in this event: Jere Pfister, Denise Bossarte, Katherine McDaniel, Jean King, Margo Toombs (who also read a selection by Rebecca Chirak), Dedra Murchison, Laura Pena, Sandi Stromberg and yours truly. One of the scariest stories was written by Katherine McDaniel. She told us a tale of living in a haunted house and everything was based on actual events! 
Are you ready to see some beautiful art work and hear some good literature? It’s all happening this Friday night, September 20th, at the opening Reception highlighting some of the best collaborative works from the wonderful women of Women In The Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA). This event will take place at the Sabine Street Studios located at 1907 Sabine Street, Houston, 
It’s the end of August. Yes, I know that summer doesn’t officially end until the autumnal equinox on September 22nd. However, now I am having to pay attention to road signs like this. I have to go around the long line of cars filled with parents waiting to pick up their bundles of joy from school and I have to be careful not to run over any of the bundles of joy that might be crossing the same street that I am driving down. Even when I was one of those bundles of joy going to school back in my hometown, I always felt that the beginning of school was the “real” end of summer.
Of course, I went to schools without any air conditioning. Beginning in Kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I sweated through the beginning and ending of every year. And that was before global warming! Egad! This is what everyone is dealing with now. Even riding around in a car that has air conditioning, I am reminded that I will melt quicker than the Wicked Witch of the West if I step outside. You may notice that the outside temperature in my car reads 102 degrees. That was after parking in the shade for a couple of hours. Soon we all run the risk of turning into lizard people where we sun ourselves on rocks and lick our eyeballs. Why yes, I do read a good bit of science fiction these days. Why do you ask?
Now is the time to begin talking about my favorite holiday. I’ve been waiting since the 4th of July to start talking about it. With the arrival of fall, I start planning for, dreaming of, and pining away for Halloween! Actually, I have been planning and dreaming and pining about October 31st ever since November 1st But now it is close to the time when my skeleton friends can sit outside on the balcony and walkways of my home. They can watch all of the neighbors and interact with all of the other Halloween decorations. Here is a picture of some of my friends as they sit at home deciding what the theme should be this year. Skeleton Barbie joined us last year. I’m wondering if she is too passe’ for this year. There are many decisions to be made and finalized very soon. It would be nice if the temperature dropped below 100 degrees before we start decorating.
If I wanted to use my new found word in a sentence I could say that “The Paris Olympics are so brat.” Since, as of this writing, the 
The other brat fact that I found out about Paris is that the opening ceremonies will take place along the Seine (that river that flows through Paris). This route is lined on both sides by Bouquinistes. These are literally book stores and stalls. The French are very proud of their books and literacy. I wish we had a river like that where I live. I wonder if all the booksellers have as many books on Halloween and ghost stories as I have? Maybe I need to go over to Paris one day and check that out. But I will wait until after the Olympic crowds have all gone home.
So, on July 9th I celebrated a half a century of life. I prefer to say it that way rather than use the number 50; just feels more significant when you call it a half a century. For a life marker of such powerful importance, it was a very powerless birthday.
I am about to say something I have never said before. It’s really not like me, here goes: I miss June! I typically spend every summer just waiting and waiting for the fall season to return. I like fall. That time of year is nice. It means that eventually cooler weather will return. Lots of stores sell Halloween decorations (Oh, by the way there is a rumor on Facebook that Joann’s has started putting out some already! )
As soon as the calendar flips to July, there is another “friend” to worry about. Hurricane Beryl. This is a big storm that does not appear to play well with others. He also does not stick with his own rules. He all but promised that he would not enter Texas. Now, hurricane warnings are popping up all along the Gulf Coast. I suppose Beryl is proud of himself, because he is breaking all kinds of records like earliest major storm in the Gulf, the biggest storm ever (or so it seems, Category 5 is big). This morning I learned that it is now headed for South Texas and Houston is included in the cone of uncertainty. Egad!
For starters, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Summer Solstice! I hope you have plans to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and summer weather. This really is a beautiful day. The only little catch in all of my current happiness is that we here in Houston have just named our first tropical storm for the season. His name is Alberto. Also, there are other weather-related spots moving up on both the Gulf Coast and over by Florida. We may have more tropical storms next week. Usually we don’t see this much activity until August or September, but that was before the days of global warming. Fortunately with this first storm, it struck southwest of us, but was big enough to give a good soaking. I hope our luck holds out for the duration of Hurricane Season. I really don’t think I’m in the mood for a hurricane this year and I hope Mother Nature agrees with my request.
In between tropical storms, there are days like today. Sunny and warm. It may be too hot to exercise outside, but you can still have a nice time walking to your favorite pool or gym. Keep in mind that no matter how hot the weather is this year, it will only get hotter next year. There’s a pleasant thought that should keep you up at night. Still feeling cheerful? In the meantime, enjoy all of the beautiful flowers that cover our landscape this time of year. If you get up early enough, you might be able to walk a little bit before the heat of the day and risking heat stroke. Or maybe a friend can drive around with you to admire the colorful nature blossoms through the window of an air conditioned car. The flowers with their beauty are literally all around us.
Now, here is the most important factor about Summer Solstice and it does not involve flowers or Stonehenge or anything like that. Rather it is now time that we can start an official count down to Halloween. The days now begin to get shorter and shorter. At some point, hopefully before the spookiest day, temperatures will cool down. I don’t mind allowing approximately three months for hot weather; however, in September I start getting very antsy for my collection of witches, skeletons, grim reapers, bats, and other mysterious creatures that scream out “Boo!” In truth I have already started planning my Halloween decorations that will go outside my house. As you can see in this picture, some of my skeleton friends are helping me. I don’t have to worry about decorating the inside of my home, because that remains decorated and haunted all year long.