Musings from my world

Things are looking up

2009-07-08T21:03:00.002-04:00

So the goats seem to have recovered! They were definitely looking better when I got home from work tonight. All hanging out and chewing cud and standing up and looking happy. Not sure why I couldn't get the pictures to line up in order, but if you look below you will see:
1) One of the white crested ducklings, now about three weeks old. Cute isn't she?
2) Two of the layer hens now at three weeks old - getting bigger than the fuzzballs you saw a few days ago!
3) One of the meat hens at three weeks old - HUGE! And you can see from both chicken pictures that they are starting to get their feathers already!
4 +5) Happy, lively goats!! You may not be able to tell, but trust me, they look MUCH better!

Is that lipstick?

2009-07-06T20:49:00.004-04:00

See the pink all over Zoe's face? Well, it isn't actually lipstick . . . although Zoe-boe is certainly one of our farms biggest flirts and fanciest ladies, she hasn't yet stooped to make-up as far as I know. That pink stuff, my friends, is pepto-bismol. Yep. No kidding. I spent the day trying to get about 20 cc of the minty pink stuff down the gullets of 21 goats. We had a little case of what they call "Goat Scour" here at the farm today. One poor goat actually got so dehydrated overnight (before we found out they were sick) that he passed away. We were dosing the rest up in an effort to keep that from happening to anyone else. So far, it seems to be working. As of this evening, only one goat is still laying around looking sick. The rest are getting up and eating hay and drinking water like they mean to make it. So keep your fingers crossed. And RIP Artie.

Love,

Turtlewoman

The Mail

2009-07-05T21:49:00.002-04:00

So you can't ship dangerous chemicals or flammable stuff in the mail, but you can do this:
Inside this box we found these:

Here is an up close shot of one of the little cheepers. Isn't she cute?

27 in all. 10 for laying eggs and 17 for eating. Well, now we are down to 25 due to a rookie mistake. Didn't realize the first night that I had plugged their heat lamp into a plug connected to the light switch . . . switched off all the lights to the barn . . . no heat lamp overnight for the chicks. Sigh. They made it through the night but two of them later succumbed to who knows what. Now we have 10 for laying eggs and 15 for eating . . . . so we will see how that goes. When I get a chance to get the camera out there I will take pictures of them now. It has only been about three weeks and the meat birds are already close to three times their original size!

Two days after the chickens arrived, we also became the proud owners of 12 ducklings. They are all layers although they could all also be duck l'orange at some point. If I can convince my sister of it anyway . . .

Love,

Turtlewoman

Misadventures

2009-06-05T10:02:00.003-04:00

My dad made a comic strip of Waffles! She and Big Pud are frequently seen in just this type of encounter in my front kitchen window. They are both trying to figure out how the heck to get outside . . . and I am the evil kitty-mama that won't let them. If I didn't live right on a road with Hannaford trucks whizzing by at 90 miles an hour about 20 times a day I would TOTALLY let them out. But since the thought of having my beautiful kitty turn into a grease spot under a Hannaford truck pretty much ruins my whole day, I just can't bring myself to do it . . .

In other news, there is a LOT of work to be done at the farm right now. So anyone that is bored - feel free to come down and help weed or build fences or shear goats or . . . .

Love,

Turtlewoman

Back from the Dead

2009-04-29T19:06:00.004-04:00

Believe it or not folks, I am still alive out here. Not posting a whole lot as you can see. And currently I am a little lost in the world of the dead as I am completely caught up in Stephanie Meyers Twilight Series. I started the fourth book two days ago and am now about 400 pages in. This is the first time I have been able to put it down without feeling like I was going to vomit. It has really been making me sweat!
But I am here and there are lots of happening as spring comes to the Farm. The perennial beds are a constant source of joy and excitement, as well as a constant source of work! There are new flowers coming up every day - many surprises as this is my first spring here - and I am starting to see the green shoots of some of my old friends from last summer. Here are some pictures - if you want to see more, come visit!
Love, Turtlewoman

Okay, so Buttercup and Crocus may not be REAL flowers, but they sure are cute right? Croakie is one of our newest babies!

More Happenings

2008-09-08T00:12:00.006-04:00

So another thing that I did these past two months was have guests . . . a lot of guests! But that is part of why I bought this big 'ole place after all. So who came to visit? Well, you already know that these two came . . . and when they came back for a SECOND visit I was able to snap a shot of them:

Luckily the weather was a lot better for their second visit!

July also brought a visit from the Fennema family:

They came all the way from Holland to help me break in the farm. And break it in we did! We herded goats, chickens, and geese. We collected eggs, we played Harvest in the Heartland, and we watched the Backyardigans until we dropped. Best of all, we spent lots of time reading, chatting, relaxing, and knitting on the newly dedicated "Fennema Porch": They were seen in this position many a time during their stay. =-) Of course when friends come all they way across an ocean to visit, it means you can usually scare up more friends to come by to see them. This is how we lured the Sainio crew up here:
After much protesting, Heath had a great time hanging out at the farm. Craig is one of the happiest babies I have had the pleasure to meet so far. Unfortunately he was having a combination of stranger anxiety and separation anxiety when he came to visit, so I only got to admire him from afar. I made him laugh bunches and he tricked me into thinking he was going to let me have snuggles a few times . . . but alas it was all a big baby tease! In addition to the Sainios, that weekend was also Chesley and Alec's second visit - they were nice enough to bring Connor and Peter along so that we could visit with the entire Flotten Family!
Alec got to show big brother Connor around. They had fun splashing in Sabattus Pond together. Connor invented a new game called "Goose Roundup". I don't think the puddlers knew what to think about that, but they sure did get a work out and so did Connor!

August brought even more friends around. Christie, Aaron, and Peanut all came to visit! I didn't manage to catch Aaron in any of the pictures, but here is a nice one of Christie and Sam! Sam wasn't too sure about the animals, but she really liked playing with all of my turtles and we had a blast blowing bubbles in the garden!

And my most recent visitors were Cindy and Libby. Libby is almost 2 years old now! (So is Sam!). She ran all around this farm like she owned the place. I think she had a pretty good time. Cindy and I got to spend a little time catching up on the swings by the lake.
I have also had visits from my brother and sister-in-law, my Aunt Tracie and cousins Tomas and Ariel, my aunt and uncle Erin and Richard and their daughters Molly and Melanie, Gram, Aunt Sherry, Karen, Melissa and David, Dave and Yvette and their daughters Jessica and Olivia, a cameo appearance from Scott and Mindy (they live across the lake!) and Lisa! I also have frequent visits from Polly and Al, Polly's mom Anna, and I met my neighbor Marianne and another neighbor, Mrs. Greenwood, from up the street. I just didn't manage to catch them all on camera . . . and don't forget of course the parents and the sister . . . although they are here so much they practically live here so I don't think they are guests exactly.

Wow. When you type it all out like that, it really is a lot of people that have come by! The house is well broken in for guests. So come visit won't you? Next weekend is the first annual Knitting Margarita Sleepover Party at the Farm (definitely needs a better acronym . . . have to work on that). All knitters invited!

Love,

Turtlewoman

Catching Up

2008-09-03T20:08:00.004-04:00

Wow. I did a really good job of keeping the blog updated in July - but who wouldn't with a month free of obligations? But go back to work and good-bye blog! The sad thing is that so far I am not really even working that hard. Definitely not when compared to the standards of the past four years. All the same, I am getting up on time in the morning again, going to a place of work, staying there for the day, taking overnight call at least once a week, and then coming home again. Just the rhythm of it all makes me stray from the blog . . .

And now the problem is that there is SO much to tell, I don't know where to start. It is overwhelming really. We all know how well I do with overwhelming right? Can you say "hide in bed as much as possible and do everything BUT what you should be doing" three times fast? I owe Megan, Heather, and Debbie about six hundred e-mail responses alone. And that doesn't even count everyone else out there that I owe responses to. Sigh.

So I think the best approach will be to make short posts and try to get caught up on the events of the last month . . . I think we will start with the progress on Sprout. After ripping Sprout out FOUR TIMES I think I finally am making a sweater that will fit my mother. As you can see:

I am now down below the underarms and I am also about halfway through the waist shaping. You can get an idea of the size based on how it falls on the chair. It is looking pretty darn good. Still gotta finish the bottom, then do the sleeves, the button bands, and the blocking. But I am making slow steady progress.

Love,

Turtlewoman

The Eagles Have Landed

2008-07-23T21:15:00.001-04:00

The packages have arrived.

In other words, Sophie is here! And Bart and Lila too for that matter . . .

They arrived today and we have already had a full afternoon of eating, talking, touring the farm, fighting with Tankie . . . it has been great. I will probably not post much while they are here as I am planning to fully enjoy their visit as much as I can!

Can't wait to see C+G and the fam this weekend! And hopefully we can coax Chesley and Peter and the fam down too . . . for a real live farm party!

Love,
Turtlewoman

Mystery Guests

2008-07-18T15:17:00.002-04:00

Today I had mystery guests. They managed to spend most of the day at the farm without me snapping their pictures. Mostly this is because I was charging my camera battery - not that they are shy. But maybe you can guess who they were?

Clue #1: One of the mystery guests was able to help me figure out that my sprout is STILL not going to fit any adult person I know . . . because my gauge is way off. Oh, you mean gauge really matters? Actually, I thought I had done a proper gauge swatch for this and everything, but apparently I did SOMETHING wrong because instead of having 4.5 stitches per inch I actually had 5.75 stitches per inch. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but trust me it was . . .

Clue #2: The other mystery guest had a lot of fun with bubbles, throwing sticks in the water, and cartoon network (once it started to rain).

Clue #3: The first mystery guest ALSO pointed out to me that I "purl twisted". I have heard of knitting twisted before, but not purling! And I had no idea. Turns out that I have been knitting a lot of things in the round . . . . so no purling . . . so it hadn't shown up. Since Sprout is worked back and forth, I was purling every other row . . . twisted the whole way . . . giving my sweater a very interesting texture as it turns out. So now I am purling the correct way (and my knitted fabric is a lot softer for it).

Clue #4: Both mystery guests have hair of a reddish hue.

Clue #5: Mystery guest the first is also working on the Seascape KAL with the TKE group. Hers is blue/bluish green/greenish blue.

Give up yet? It was Chesley and Alec! They came over to tour the farm, have some lunch, and spend some time hanging out. We had grand plans for a swim in the pond, but they were interrupted by a rainstorm. So we watched Cartoon Network and did some knitting instead. I knit about four gauge swatches and we decided that I actually need to knit Sprout on size NINE needles. Holy moly. Two sizes up. Well, that might help a bit don't you think? So now I need to start over again . . . they say that beauty requires pain and it would appear this is the case.

Thanks, Chesley and Alec, for a wonderful day! And for the knitting tips too! I can't wait for you guys to come back and hang out with me again!

Love,
Turtlewoman

Take Two

2008-07-16T22:01:00.004-04:00

But wait . . . wasn't this sprout bigger yesterday? And starting to look like a sweater? Well . . . yes and no.

One of the other things I learned during my visit to "The Big Farm" yesterday was that my Sprout, though beautiful, was never going to fit pretty much any adult human I know. Probably not even my very slender almost-adult little sister. It also became clear to me that this color was CLEARLY meant for my mother (whose shoulders I draped it over to get a feel for the size). So I ripped the whole thing out and started over, switching from the small size to large size. It goes a little faster the second time around, especially since I now have the inset pattern memorized and can cruise along. I have to say that it was VERY tempting to just finish it the way that it was . . . I was already seven inches in after all . . .but there was something about the thought of giving my first sweater (in merino and silk) to one of my seven year old cousins (undoubtedly the only people it would fit) that made me just cry on the inside a little. I feel like this is going to be a really nice sweater, in a really nice yarn, and it maybe ought to go to someone that will appreciate it. And when my dad saw it on my mother he couldn't stop talking about what a good color it was for her (which it is - makes her blue eyes sparkle more) and that was it for the first sprout attempt . . . so now here we go again!

It also helps that I am reading the Harlot's new book and it seems like something she could really get behind - tearing apart a sweater because it wasn't suiting your needs.

Wish me luck!
Love,
Turtlewoman

The "Big" Farm.

2008-07-16T21:42:00.006-04:00

My dad said something the other day about The "Big" Farm. I assumed he meant my house. But he set me straight - he and mom have the "Big Farm with the little barn" and I have the "Little Farm with the Big Barn". So now that we have THAT all straightened out . . . yesterday afternoon I went up to the original "Life is Goat" farm (aka the BIG Farm) to visit. There are kids running around everywhere! The oldest one is Barley's Nutmeg (Meggy for short):

In this picture she is nibbling on my leg. She acts just like her father (Tankie) . . . loves to be right up in your business all the time and LOVES attention. She practically came and sat in my lap for snuggles when I sat on the goat deck. Her mama, Barley, knocked any other kids that tried to steal my attention out of the way! Brown must be a recessive trait . . . Barley, Aphidia, and Maybeth are all white and they are Tankie's first generation (crossed with white Angora goats). Now that these girls have been crossed back to their father (NO, this was NOT intentional! What can I say? Tankie does what he wants . . . why do you think he now lives on my farm with no girls???) we are seeing a crop of brown babies. They are so cute! Which brings us to the youngest kid, Chickadee:

Here she is getting in a little nursing time with mom. Remember Fiddy (Aphidia)? My first grandkid? Well now she is raising a kid of her own. Guess that makes me a great grandmother. Sigh. I knew I felt old. Chickadee is only a few weeks old. She still staggers when she walks. She loves to drive her mother crazy by sneaking out from under the fence and wandering around in the yard where Fid can't get to her. She is awful cute to watch though!

Rounding out the kid cuteness are Zoeboe's twins:

Bulgar and Semolina II. My mother likes to call Bulgar "booger head" because he is always trying to get into trouble. Semolina was also the name of one of Zoe's triplets from this winter, but she didn't make it through the winter. She was a bit of a runt and Zoe just didn't have enough steam to take care of three kids. We loved the name though, so have recycled (much to my sister's disgust). These two are much more skiddish (must be the Angora in them) than Meggy or Chickadee, but they will still come nibble on your pantleg if you stand still long enough. And they are still small enough to escape under the fence and eat the goose food.

On the way back to my house I saw five moose last night. I didn't get any pictures since they were running pretty fast and it was pretty dark out, but it was fun to see them anyway. One was a baby (much bigger than these goat kids though!) and he had a very soft fuzzy brown look to him.

Love,
Turtlewoman

Progress . . .

2008-07-13T21:40:00.003-04:00

Slow but steady. The Sprout is actually starting to look like the top of a sweater! Pretty cool. Not sure if you can tell, but in these pictures it is almost twice the size that it was the last time I posted it. The only problem with working things that increase is that every row takes longer and longer to finish . . . feels like you will never get done. But laying it out like this lets me see that I have actually made some noticeable progress! So I will keep working on it. Maybe by the time my sister gets back from soccer camp it will be big enough/long enough to measure up on her a little bit . . . I have no idea if it is actually going to fit her or not. I know it is way too small for me though!

Not much other news to share today. It was pretty quiet here on the farm. A small tree fell down in the back pasture and the goats were loving it. They were munching all of the leaves off of the tree when I went out to find them this morning. I couldn't figure out why they didn't come running for grain this morning but that was why - they had fresh tree food instead!

Tankie continues to be a menace. He is NOT a baby anymore. He is big, heavy, strong, and pigheaded. And he scares me just a little bit. My dad and mom are coming down later this week and we are going to (hopefully) build a Tankie-proof enclosure so that we can keep him (and everyone and everything else) safe. The thing is, he is a spoiled baby boy and loves to be loved . . . but also loves to get his own way. And when a 250ish pound goat with huge horns decides he wants to push you up against the wall and rub his urine soaked face all up and down your leg . . . well it's hard to argue and sometimes could be bad for your health. So it is time to contain Tankie a little bit better.

Well, gotta go play with Waffles. She is giving me her bored cry.

Love,

turtlewoman

Company!

2008-07-12T16:46:00.004-04:00

Well, I had some company today! Corey and Tucker came to visit. Unfortunately they couldn't spend the night due to a family emergency, but I'm glad they got a chance to come down and check the place out! I'm hoping they will come back to visit again soon!We did get a chance to have some lunch and enjoy the swing down by the lake. Tankie and the other goats alternately entertained and scared the crap out Tucker. But I think overall he enjoyed watching their antics.

In other news, Polly and Al have the barn pretty much cleaned out! This is what it looks like almost empty:

We may never see it this clean again . . .

Love,

Turtlewoman

Which came first?

2008-07-11T09:13:00.003-04:00

Well, in this particular case I am pretty sure it was the chicken . . . but look!

Farm fresh eggs! Well, egg anyway . . . but there will be more to come I am sure. Polly and Al are giving me some of their chickens, so hopefully I will get to have fresh eggs all the time. I think they are taking the rooster though, so I may have to get a new one if I want the trend to continue. But for now I have the whole flock (? do chickens come in flocks?) and it is kind of exciting to walk into the barn and find food . . .

Love,

Turtlewoman

After the Rain

2008-07-10T10:41:00.003-04:00

Wow, it is SO much cooler out today after that big rain storm yesterday afternoon/evening. The air is 100% more comfortable and the breezes are awesome. It is a great day to be alive . . . and an even better day to be on vacation! Unfortunately the breezes wreaked havoc on my playground down by the lake . . .I spent the morning righting the swings and picnic table. The screen house may be beyond salvage as parts of it are bent at funny angles. But it is just a little too big/awkward/heavy for me to try to right on my own so it will stay at that funny angle until my mom or someone comes by and we can try to straighten it out. I can see there is at least one large hole in one of the screens from when it crashed up into the trees. So if it IS salvaged I will need to figure out a way to keep it from falling over in any strong winds.

In other news, I have roses! Look how gorgeous they are:

The trellis could use a little work, but the roses are such a cheerful thing to look out the window at. And to walk under on my way out the door. This fall I will need to shore up the trellis and paint it, but in the meantime I am going to just enjoy smelling the roses.

Also, I took a sweater design class at Chesley's last night. It was a LOT of math and I am still not really sure about how to do the neck part . . . but I am going to play with it a little and see what happens. I just like knowing how things work, you know? Also, I have finally settled down enough to start knitting again. I was so hyped up from finishing residency, closing on the house, moving, taking the boards, and doing all of the things involved with moving and buying a house that I just couldn't settle in to focus on knitting. Some people knit when stressed . . . I think I have to be a little bit relaxed to knit. And maybe the freakishly hot and humid weather had something with dimming my desire to knit. But I dug my Sprout out and have made a small amount of progress, see:

I will finish this sweater! I will! It has great potential to be sure.

Anyway, I'm off to do some laundry and unpack some stuff. Company coming in a few weeks and I want to get some stuff presentable and put away you know. =-)

Love,

Turtlewoman

Sneak Preview

2008-07-07T18:43:00.010-04:00

So wanna see some pictures of my new house?? Do ya? Do ya?

Well, I want to show some to you so get ready:

This is one of the two grown-up swing sets that my Daddy bought me as a house warming gift . . . and then put up down by the water! It is a great place to catch a cool breeze and look out at the water. And when you do, this is what you see:

And also this:

And this is my first piece of brand new furniture that I bought for myself for the place:

So maybe a picnic table isn't the most PRACTICAL purchase, but it is beautiful and I love it. Now we can have picnics down by the water when you all come to visit. My parents and sister set this up for me today while I was sleeping as a surprise! Then they toted it down to the water and put it in the screen house so hopefully we can picnic without too many bugs . . . .

I think that is probably enough pictures for one day, but stay tuned for further updates! And come visit soon! The sun is hot, the breezes are cool, and the water's fine!

Love,

Turtlewoman

It really wasn't home without her . . .

2008-07-07T18:41:00.002-04:00

But now she is here! Welcome home baby girl! We finally have a place of our own . . .

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-02T21:42:00.002-04:00

That's right - I am a homeowner! Or maybe the bank is a me-owner but either way, I get to live in this amazing house! The closing went smoothly followed by a rapid moving in. Big thanks to my family including our close family friends Dave and Yvette! I can't imagine trying to do all of this without them! I have a ton of unpacking to do, but am trying to come up with an organized game plan for everything. Right now I am just using the back half of the house - which is more space than I have ever had to myself before in my entire life! My parents are going to help me remodel the front one room at a time. There is more than enough work around here to last a lifetime but it is all mine so it is worth it! And I feel so official! Today I registered to vote, I picked up my dump sticker, and I even started getting mail at the new address. Life really is good here in Maine, especially on the farm. I am still a little dumbfounded that this could actually really be mine . . . I went shopping today and came home and put the groceries . . . wherever I wanted to. It made me smile and laugh that I could look in the fridge and all the cupboards and everything there was mine and I could keep it or move it or throw it all out without asking anybody else. This new found freedom is something else.

Well, if you like gardening, farming, or carpentry work come on over . . . I've got work for you to do!

Love,

Turtlewoman

The Final Countdown

2008-06-21T18:08:00.003-04:00

Well, we done did it. After 4 years of blood, sweat, tears, and a few laughs as well - they let us graduate. Of course then they sent us right back to work, but the promise of an end is there. I have a diploma. We are almost grown up doctors now.

Which means I have 5 days of work left. Five. That is such a bizarre concept to me. This job has been virtually my entire life for four years, and now it is all boiled down to five days. Five. And they are going to go fast. Oh sure, there is PLENTY of working left in my future. A whole new job to start in August in fact. And let's not forget the money pit of a house that I have committed myself to and the goats . . . oh yes there will be plenty to do! Still . . . I'm just a bit frazzled by the change. Don't get me wrong - I am SUPER excited to be through this phase in my life. All the same, I am just a little scared about being a grown up. All of this schooling has meant that I was able to push that off for the longest time . . . now here it comes!

But I am going to finally finally have my very own house, I am going to get a WHOLE month off to relax and recover, Sophie is coming at the end of the month to play with me (hurray!), and I am planning on a trip sometime soon to meet baby Ryan, and baby John (aka the Colonel) will be joining us in the fall. There are so many things to look forward to! It's gonna be great, just wait and see . . .

Turtlewoman

"Vacation"

2008-04-24T22:41:00.002-04:00

First of all, don't ever read your work e-mail while you are on vacation. It is a stupid, compulsive thing to do and it can pretty much only end in you feeling bad about something you should have done or shouldn't have done. So learn from my mistakes, and just leave your work e-mail alone when you are not there.

Next, here is what I have done on my vacation so far:

- cleaned the barn (twice)

- sheared all 7 "big" angora goats

- trimmed hooves on all 17 goats (thats 68 hooves)

- helped clean up the yard (which still needs a ton of work . . . every day as the snow melts more, more crap appears in the yard to clean up)

- moved my mom's office back downstairs (it was upstairs in anticipation of Nana coming home and needing a place to sleep downstairs; now that Nana is never coming home the office can go back where it started)

- done the dishes/emptied the dishwasher about 10 times (my roommate will never believe this)

- done about 6 loads of laundry (I can't believe this)

- helped feed/water the animals and/or put them away pretty much every day

- helped cook dinner and/or clean it up most nights

- gone to the dump

- run errands around town for my mom's business

The funny thing is that I don't do any of that stuff in my own home right now (well, once in a while I do laundry . . . .), so it is really funny that I am spending my vacation doing it in someone else's home.

But it isn't all work. Today I took a nap, started the malabrigo square, played a board game with my siblings. Yesterday I met my friend Sarah for lunch. Yum. Red Onion Pizza and mozzarella sticks. An old fave.

Tomorrow it is back to work. My brother and Sarah's dad Gary fixed the tractor, so tomorrow I plan to spend the whole day hauling poopy hay out of the front yard back into the woods.

The great news is that it has been sunny every day, with temperatures ranging from 50-75. And here are no tourists around because it is mud season here in the hicks. So it is actually a pretty decent time to be here.

Okay, enough ranting for one night. I was laying in bed having an anxiety attack and needed to do something to work it out. Typing seemed like a good bet . . .

Good night!

Love,

Turtlewoman

A Change of Pace

2008-04-16T15:54:00.003-04:00

Well, I am on vacation! A few days earlier than expected and not exactly what we had planned, but still . . . I am not at work. =-) So it still constitutes a change of pace. And the sun is shining and the goats and geese are marvelling at the disappearing snow (yes, there is still snow), and things are looking up.

Vacation started a bit early because my mom got appendicitis yesterday and needed a laparotomy. So now she is recovering in the hospital and my sister and I are hanging out with her. Right now is nap time . . . I was napping too but dad wanted me to wake up and fix the computer so here I am.

How about that modern technology? My dad can now comandeer my mom's computer over the network and watch her sleep in her hospital room from his camper in Phoenix. Times have certainly changed.

Well, maybe more posts about the rest of life later this week. Mom is doing well, just typical post-op recovery.

Love,
Turtlewoman

Best. News. Ever.

2008-02-12T19:51:00.000-05:00

Sophie is coming.

Did you hear me?

I said SOPHIE IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, it's true! And we are going to have an awesome time when she gets here. And yes, I pretty much screamed out loud at work when I found out. Work is pretty used to me acting crazy, so barely anyone noticed. But this has definitely made my February (and she's not even coming until July). =-)

Okay people, look alive, we have some planning to do! But I am thinking that one possibility (and this of course depends on what Sophie, Bart, and Lila want to do while they are here) would be to have a road trip to TKE on the way to a sleep over BBQ party at camp on Orr's Island. I'm thinking Caitlin, Garth, Chesley, Peter, and short ones might all wish to participate in such an affair . . . and maybe others. Who's with me?

Can you feel me smiling? I don't think I've been this happy since I left Peru . . .

And for those of you that read this and don't know who Sophie is . . . I'm not sure that's even possible . . . but just in case . . . Sophie is my soul sister. She is Dutch so she lives in the Netherlands with her family. But she went to college with me here. Since neither one of us gets to cross the pond all that often, it is super special that she is coming to the US. I think this will be the first time in something like 5 or more years??

So sing it from the rooftops! And get ready to party - Big Green Style.

Love,
Turtlewoman

It's Official . . .

2008-02-08T23:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.stmarysmaine.com/

(I have a job.)

Penguin Playland!

2008-01-20T20:52:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was GREAT! I finally finished knitting Will's penguin:

I think he turned out really pretty well. It was a pretty easy knit. The hardest part was sewing the pieces together. Then I felted him (took 3 cycles in the washer), dried and shaped him, stuffed him, and needle felted the eyes. Then I took him with me to Boston for the annual winter gathering of the Power Science Girls (PSG's) and associates. Will thought he was pretty cool for a few minutes, gave him a nice hug, and then quickly abandoned him for a paper bag and two boxes of tea. I wasn't offended since I recognize this as perfectly normal 16 month old behavior. It got a hug, so that is pretty much the Will Seal of Approval. We took Will and Baby D to see the Penguins at the Boston Aquarium. Baby D slept through most of it, but Will had a great time. Here he is in the gift shop at the end, surrounded by penguins - doesn't he look happy?

Well you might actually say he looks pretty serious, but hey, he is trying to figure out how to get his parents to buy him that styling penguin roller suitcase/backpack (or he is trying to figure out which one of those penguins is the attack penguin - see sign). All it took was him to walk the full length of the store pulling the suitcase and smiling. They were sold. And we won't tell anyone this, but if they hadn't bought it for him I think I probably would have. I just couldn't resist. :-)

At the end of the excursion, Baby D woke up and was in excellent spirits. I even caught a smile on the camera!

Okay, well, Debbie is smiling anyway. Dylan was smiling about two seconds before this (and again about two seconds after), but he really likes to play the serious card for the camera. Trust me, he was happy. Well rested, well fed, and happy!

We spent the rest of the weekend gabbing about life, babies, work, fun, the Patriots (go Pats!), college memories, job propositions, and anything and everything else under the sun. We played Apples to Apples (I didn't even come close to winning). Then Megan, Paul, and I headed up to the farm Sunday for a few nights. We played with the baby goats, watched movies, did some knitting (I finished another pair of mittens) and generally had a good time.

Now it is back to work as usual. I was really depressed the first morning back. I even practically started crying. But now that I have delivered a few babies I am back in the swing of it and happy again. I am probably going to sign a job contract this week and that is VERY exciting. I am starting to think ahead to house buying, moving, living with my cat again, and starting a new job/life. It is a little scary and overwhelming, but incredibly fun and exciting too. I will have to keep you all posted.

Love,

Turtlewoman

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T12:46:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

I am working today, but this has given me yet another chance to put things into perspective. At first I was really sad to be away from my family today. Don't get me wrong, I love and miss my family and I am still sad . . . but then I went up to see one of my patients. Her kids are opening their stockings in a hospital room because she is too sick to go home. And this will almost definitely be her last Christmas with them, so they are actually grateful even though their Christmas is far from ideal. And as much as I miss my family today, at least I know they are all home with each other, safe, sound, and relatively healthy.

So as you enjoy your day, stop and take a minute to say thanks for all the blessings in your life.

I am giving thanks today for all of you!

Love,
Turtlewoman

I've got the spirit, yes I do!

2007-12-16T17:12:00.001-05:00

I've got the spirit - how 'bout you?

I pulled out my mini Xmas tree and it is up and decorated. I haven't had it out in a few years, so this was kinda fun. None of these presents is for me, I actually just have a tiny bit of my shopping done . . . better than last year anyway!

Hope everyone has a warm and wonderful holiday!

Love,
Turtlewoman

A String of Random Thoughts

2007-12-16T11:19:00.001-05:00

First, pictures of Dylan! Finally uploaded from my wonderful and relaxing trip last weekend to visit Dylan, Debbie, and Eric. Here in this first one, Dylan is showing us a pose I call "VSB" - an abbreviation for "Very Serious Boy". He wears this face frequently as he has many things to think about and ponders them quite seriously. He also has a BEAUTIFUL wide-open toothless grin, but it is hard to catch on camera. I am told that Debbie and Eric have a hard time catching it too. However it should be noted that if Dylan ever needs a passport photo his head is the perfect shape (note that you can see both ears). =-)

In the next shot, Dylan is actually faking us out. To the casual observer it would appear that Dylan is calmly drinking breastmilk from a bottle. This is not the case. He is actually pushing the nipple around with his tongue in an effort to ditch the bottle. He is VERY good at not drinking a bottle. By the end of the weekend Debbie and Eric got him to be a little better at actually drinking it too, but as of this picure he was still being stubborn. =-)

Okay, on to the next set of thoughts . . . Goose Eggs. Yep, they are BIG. Definitely bigger than chicken eggs anyway (as shown) although I bet they don't hold a candle to ostrich eggs. So there may be some benefit to the six geese on our farm (but don't hold me to that . . . I haven't actually tasted a goose egg yet) aside from their potential as future down pillows . . . they actually also make better guards than the dog as they are fierce, scary, and will chase just about anyone around the yard if they are concerned.

While we are talking about the farm . . .

There have been several more additions to our goaty family. Pictured here is my dad holding the first set of triplets for our farm. Again they are Boer/Angora crosses. Mom Zoe pushed them out like a champ! Pretty much nothing fazes Zoebo. Their names are Buckwheat, Semolina, and Durham. They are the younger siblings of Barley. Apparently we have switched from biblical names for Zoe's offspring (Zacchariah and Zebediah) to grain names. Hey, I don't name the goats . . . I just post their pictures. Despite that half of the genetics off all of these goats come from my Tankie, I have not yet had the privilege of naming any of them. Since then Pansy has also given birth to Beetlejuice (younger brother to Aphidia) but pictures are still forthcoming. Keep your eyes peeled.

And last in the string of things that I have been talking about but not displaying is my knitting! Shown here are my first two attempts at mittens. I am getting better as I go. I was a bit dismayed that they Noro (blue/green) mittens are so mismatched, but I am hoping that their intended recipient (the very artsy Becky) will appreciate them none-the-less. They match a hat I made for her about a year or so ago.

Other projects currently in the works include Will's Penguin, probably a hat for my secret santa, and of course I think I have about three blankets and two baby sweaters in the works that have been temporarily abondoned. I have started to get my stuff into ravelry (well, I got the mittens in anyway) and now that I know how to do it (Flickr is pretty easy really) I will start to keep things in there too!

Well, that's all for now. It is a very snowy day outside and I am enjoying not having to be outside in it. I am puttering about the house, playing with my computer, and I will probably knit later. I may make it out to make gingerbread houses with Tripp, but depends on the weather and what Margaret is up to. She was on call last night, so may need to sleep today.

Also, hope this new holiday themed coloring is not too annoying. Does anyone know how to changed the blue background? I couldn't figure it out with the color editor. I am wondering if it requires knowing code so that you can alter the template . . . not a project I am up for today.

Love,
Turtlewoman

Babies!

2007-12-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't uploaded my pictures of Dylan from this weekend yet, so you are really only going to get to see one baby right now . . . but babies was the theme for the weekend. I had an AWESOME time hanging out with Debbie, Eric, and Dylan. Dylan and I got some good bonding time in, although I never did get him to take a bottle from me. So much for my reputation as a baby whisperer. . . but I did introduce him to the joy of patti-cakes and got to sing him some of his first nursery rhymes so we still had fun. We also got a Christmas tree and then watched Eric struggle through the yearly tradition of the lighting of the house. He did a great job though! And then we all got to relax in front of a nice warm fire. Aside from playing with the baby and yarfing in Debbie's driveway (apparently even though I am almost 32 years old I still can't drink orange juice before going on a wind-y drive), it was a pretty low key weekend and I loved it. I got some knitting done, making my third ever mitten. I am starting to get the hang of the thumbs I think, as they are getting to be less gappy each time. I will have to take pictures and post at some point, but again . . . that involves downloading from the camera.

So meet Frosti! My newest grandkid. We weren't exactly planning to have kids this winter (not an ideal time for kidding in Maine), but Tankie had other ideas. One thing I can say for that boy, he has definitely proven himself as a stud. So all of the goats appear to be pregnant again and yesterday Blossie (aka Blossom) decided to drop kid out in the snowbank. In all honesty, this probably wasn't really her first choice. But seeing as all of the goats were out of the barn for the afternoon and she probably couldn't get back in she did the best she could. So she dropped him in the hay rack we keep near the barn. My parents came home from picking up my sister and heard a god-awful crying. When they went to look, they found Frosti lying in the hay in the snow, shivering and turning blue! It took a little resusciation, but they soon had him warmed up in the barn and he made it through the night! He is SO cute. You can see for yourself:

He is my 5th grand-kid, but he is the first male goat ever to be born on the Life is Goat Farm! He is the first male offspring of Tankie, and he is actually Blossie's first ever male offspring too. And she has had bunches of kids . . . So I guess you could say that Frosti is a little bit of a Christmas miracle (just a little early). =-)

Love,

Turtlewoman

A Formal Apology

2007-12-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

To Eric, whom I neglected to mention in my previous post, and who is thinking about shunning me this weekend as a result.

My only defense is that I actually thought you were going to be in DC (don't know WHY I thought that, but I did).

OF COURSE I am also delighted that I will get to spend the weekend with Eric (in addition to Debbie and Dylan, both of whom WERE mentioned in the last post).

And hopefully Eric will feel the holiday spirit, forgive me, and not shun me this weekend when I invade his home and his family. Especially since I have a sneaking suspicion that he may indeed be my ride to and from the train station . . . might be bad if my ride shuns me hmmm? Could make for a cold weekend at the train station.
=-)

Love,
Turtlewoman

Laughing out Loud

2007-12-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

Well, sometimes you just need a good laugh. Tonight for instance. I am unbelievably tired. Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration as I just woke up for the first time today since I went to sleep around 11 am. But I was on call last night and the ER killed me. Seriously. Killed me. I actually told them at one point "Can you please stop killing me?" They didn't listen. Anywho, at least it was just me getting killed . . . the patients were all fine. =-) But hey, after a night like that, sometimes you just gotta have a laugh. So it was great to read The Underwear Drawer today. Michelle Au is always quite witty and since she writes a lot about living the life of a medical student/resident/doctor I often relate to what she writes. Today's posts, although slightly morbid (and fitting given my night of being slayed in the ED), are hysterical. Check them out, I think you will laugh too. I don't remember writing about people dying as a kid . . . but I do remember that level of feeling so serious about yourself and what you are writing.

The good news is that I get to have next weekend off and I am going to visit Debbie and Dylan! Hurray!

Love,
Turtlewoman

Giving Thanks

2007-11-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

I have just had a wonderful 6 day holiday! On Tuesday I got my car serviced and spent the waiting time getting a massage, eating lunch out, and wandering around Borders buying books. Went up to Chesley's for a quick yarn and needle buying frenzy (needed #11 DPN's to finish Will's penguin). Then headed home for the rest of the weekend. I saw five moose on my way up!

We had a lovely if quiet Thanksgiving dinner. Me, my parents, my sister, and my two grandmothers. We had a bit of an ice storm Wednesday night and then it rained on top of the glare ice in the driveway on Thursday . . . needless to say none of us left the house except to feed the goats! Luckily Mom had all of the turkey trimmings available in the house (despite the fact that we were supposed to go to Aunt Sherry's for the feast) and we will had an awesome dinner!

I have SO many things to be Thankful for this year. Loving family and friends, reasonably good health, a warm place to sleep, good food to eat, safe water to drink, access to health care, an excellent if expensive education, a career I love, pets, knitting, reading, smart and caring colleagues . . . my recent trip to Peru and the boss that made it all possible (pictured with me below in the "traditional 'We Did It!'" pose) . . . .

What are some of the things that you gave thanks for this year?

Love,

Turtlewoman

Congratulations Megan and Paul!

2007-11-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

Congratulations Megan and Paul on your wedding this weekend! I'm sorry I missed the festivities, but hear that they went well! I am looking forward to hearing all of the stories and seeing all of the pictures.

Also, Happy Birthday Debbie! Hope you had a magnificent day . . . and wasn't it nice of Megan to have such a nice big party on your birthday? =-)

I am back in Maine safe and sound. Spent the night at my parents' house last night and now back in Portland and getting ready to return to work first thing in the morning. I am dreading it a little, just because readjusting to the American Culture of Medicine is sure to be a challenge. I have a feeling I may spend most of the day crying. No worries, I'm sure I will get over it soon enough.

Next big task in life will be to find a job. Yes, Chesley, it is okay to secretly be glad that I am staying. I think I am a little bit secretly glad about it too. Despite feeling disappointed when I didn't match, I also felt a little relieved. And today I was thinking about all of the fun things I can start doing when residency is done and I can actually start living my life. I see a lot more knit nights in my future!

Good night!

Love,
Turtlewoman

Good News, Bad News, Happy News, Sad News

2007-11-01T16:51:00.000-04:00

Apologies for the Dr. Seuss title, but it is Homecoming Weekend at Dartmouth after all . . .

The bad news? I did not match into a fellowship. The good news? At least for now, I feel okay about this. Sure I am sad, and my pride is definitely hurt, but I think it may be a sign. And Hector says that I should have a job waiting for me at home. Happy news? I have made so many good friends here (like Arnaldo above) and this has been one of the single greatest things I have done with my life. Maybe not getting into a fellowship is a sign that I need to stay in a more primary care type position so that I can continue to carry out good works like this in the world. Sad news? Okay, well, not so much sad as bittersweet . . . while I am very much looking forward to seeing family and friends and having some of the comforts and luxuries of home, I am extremely sad to be leaving Peru. Spending these two weeks here with these people, doing these surgeries . . . I feel like I could stay here for at least another few months! I'm sure if I had another month or two I could even learn spanish (I have picked some up already). You all know how much I love my family, my friends, my career, and my life. Even so, I don't remember my life ever feeling so fulfilled as it has during this trip. It is incredible.

This is the mission team for Oct 2007. There were a total of 40 of us. This has been my family for the past 2 weeks. They will be my friends for life. All of them are remarkable people. Thank you to everyone who has enabled me to make this journey of self-exploration!

I have many more pictures and stories to tell, but not today! Today I need to finish packing for the long trip home. We have to leave Chulu at 4 am tomorrow to catch our flight to Lima. I won't be home until sometime on Saturday afternoon. It is gonna be a LONG trip. Looking forward to talking to you all when I get back!

Love,

Turtlewoman

Another Hector is born

2007-10-26T22:08:00.000-04:00

As it turns out, Peruvian babies are born in pretty much the same way that American babies are. Shown here is baby "Hector", named after my boss. We helped deliver him by c-section yesterday. So far there have been 3 c-sections during our time here. (Well, there have actually been more than that but only 3 during the day time). When there is a c-section, we hold off on one of our surgeries so that the baby can be delivered. Then we go back to our hysterectomies. Hector has been coming to Chulu for something like 15 years. Apparently there are a lot of little "Hectors" running around. The moms name the babies after him when he is here to help with their c-section.

I am having an incredible experience here in Peru. I can't begin to explain the things I am seeing and feeling. Before coming here, I had heard several presentations and seen tons of pictures of this place. None of it compares to actually living this experience. The poverty here is overwhelming. So many people have so little. You look at these little mud huts and it breaks your heart . . . until you realize that at least those people have houses. So many don't. We did surgery yesterday on someone that walked for two hours to catch a bus that then took 8 hours to get here in order to have her surgery. She is so grateful for the chance to have her prolapse fixed.

The people here are beautiful. Everyone is friendly, gracious. If you have never had a chance to do mission work or try something like this, I would strongly encourage you to try. This is not nearly as intense as the Peace Corps or those types of committments, yet it is still an eye-opening taste of how the rest of the world lives.

There will eventually be more pictures and stories to tell, but that's all for tonight. And just to add to the irony of life . . . here I am with internet access in the middle of all of this abject poverty. Sometimes the world just doesn't make sense.

Love,

Turtlewoman

Chulu Bound

2007-10-18T22:15:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow morning I am headed to Chulucanas, Piura, Peru. Chulu is in Piura, the northernmost little yellow province. I will be spending two weeks there with Global Health Ministry . I will be part of a surgical team that includes gynecologists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists, optometrists, podiatrists, general surgeons, nurses, primary care doctors, and multiple support staff members. For two weeks we will provide surgical services for the poor in this area of Peru. I am *almost* finished packing. The big stuff is done, I just have to pack this computer! Hopefully I will have more pictures and things to show when I get back. And I will keep my eye out for some great Peruvian yarn and pottery. Wish me luck!

Turtlewoman

Thank you Chesley and the Knit at Night Crowd!

2007-10-11T21:44:00.000-04:00

Wow, has it seriously been since JULY? Well, obviously a post is long overdue here and I am not going to do it justice now . . . just wanted to give a shout out to Chesley and the folks at Knit at Night for some much needed fiber and friend therapy. Outpatient rotations always get me a little down in the dumps, and I needed some company and fiber time tonight. It was wonderful to finally meet all the people I have been reading about for the past 2 years!

I will try to catch up more over the weekend. I have lots of tales to tell from the interview trail including pictures of Baby Dylan and Big Boy Will! I wish I had some pictures of Craig and Heath, but this stupid Auntie didn't have her camera when she went to visit them! Maybe C and G will donate a picture to my cause. If I don't get to it this weekend, I will probably be non-communicado again until I get back from Peru . . . leaving a week from tomorrow!

Good night and thanks again Chesley for the fiber (and retail) therapy!

Love,
Turtlewoman

Wow

2007-07-29T15:19:00.000-04:00

Fantastic read. I felt it started a little slowly, but was very happy with the ending. I wasn't sure how Rowling was going to pull it all off without making me feel like she had sold out to Hollywood or plunging me into deep despair . . . but she did it. Since I know a bunch of y'all are still reading it, I won't say anything else at this point. I think the title word says it all. Wow.

Turtlewoman

Tired is . . .

2007-07-25T08:45:00.001-04:00

Looking ahead at your schedule and realizing that after this weekend you will either be travelling (one weekend for pure fun, two for interviews, two for the mission trip to Peru) or working for every weekend from now until Thanksgiving. Now how this worked out this way I am not quite sure. Especially since I MADE the stupid schedule. Sigh. Ah well. . . it is all for a good cause right?

I am almost done with my month of nights. It has been a good month, but I think I might be ready to see daylight again soon. Aside from when I am sleeping that is. And sleeping is what I should be doing right now . . . and will be soon.

Interview update: now with a total of four! UConn, UMaryland, Pittsburgh, and Rochester. Outright rejected by Johns Hopkins. Still awaiting a reply from 5 schools. Keep your fingers crossed, I would really like to get at least 1 more interview offer!

Knitting update: just finished a VERY cute project which I will photograph and post after I give it to its rightful owner. Playing around with my Denise changeable circulars right now for fun. They are really smooth and light weight. Thought I had become a wooden/bamboo needle snob but now realizing that there may be good in other needles too. =-)

Now reading . . . . Harry Potter #7 . . . DUH. Isn't everyone. Okay, okay so most people are actually done with it already but not all of us have a day off to just sit and read all day . . . talk to me again next week and see how I'm doing.

Good night!

Turtlewoman

Interview Update

2007-07-06T20:52:00.000-04:00

Here's an update on the interview front. I now have two! I will be visiting Rochester, NY (we all know how much I love Upper State New York!) in late August. Then I will head to UConn in September.

For those keeping score, Mass General and Michigan have told me that they will get back to me one way or another within the next month. That leaves 6 programs left to hear from.

Keep your fingers crossed! I am VERY excited to do some interviews, get a chance to see the different places and programs, and hopefully have some options for the Match in October!

In knitting news, I am still waiting for my new Sox Stick to come in. I made the mistake of buying a different brand of size 1 needles to try to start the second Jaywalker sock . . . and apparently they are just different enough that I knit a whole different gauge with them. So I will have to be patient and wait for the new one to come in. I am also working on some other little projects right now, but they will remain secret for the moment. =-)

In goat news, the Life Is Goat farm will be obtaining a new Angora stud this summer. His name is Arthur and he is a fine looking boy. We are still trying to figure out ways to keep Tank away from the girls . . . but he is a strong willed, hard-headed son of a gun so that is WAY easier said than done. I am hoping to get up to the farm this weekend for a visit. Just need to get a bit more sleep before undertaking the big drive.

Turtlewoman

Interviews

2007-07-04T17:57:00.001-04:00

I have one. Can you feel me smiling?

Turtlewoman

Sadness is . . .

2007-06-24T20:43:00.000-04:00

Breaking one of your Sox Sticks when you are in the middle of your jaywalkers . . . and not having any other size 1 dpns to substitute in . . . and realizing you missed Chesley's sale on just that very item yesterday. Sigh.

Well, this will give me a good excuse to visit Chesley again soon (if I ever get another day off!)!

I had today off and it was wonderful. We went to Lake Pleasant and had a fantastic time. I got to see baby Theo, baby Sam, Christie, Beca, Margaret, Phelps, Rick, Tripp, and Holden! We had a great time playing in and on the lake, eating hot dogs, and generally making merry.

This was all topped off by a visit from my parents, my sister, and my sister's friend. We had a fun trip to Home Depot and then went for dinner at the Village Cafe. Now it is time for bed! Yes, really!

Turtlewoman

Hail to the Chiefs

2007-06-19T14:21:00.001-04:00

So another year has passed and another set of chief residents is moving into the world to be "real" doctors. Here is this years' crew posing in their official "Drama Queen Crowns". They have been like big brothers and sisters to me for the past three years and it is hard to believe they are actually leaving. I certainly wish them all the very best of luck.

Well, if the old chiefs are graduating then who are the new chiefs?? You guessed it. Welcome in a new era - my two classmates and I are seen here posing for our traditional "we survived another year of residency" picture:

We will be this year's new chiefs. Wish us luck! We have a lot of ideas and goals and hopes and dreams for this year . . . hopefully we will have the strength and energy needed to implement and achieve them!

Also, for those keeping score, I DID pass my USMLE Step 3 which makes me eligible for licensure in the US. Yep, I too can become a "real" doctor. Just one . . . more . . . year . . . and then hopefully on to fellowship for another three. =-)

In knitting news, I am working on my first sock. Don't know if I exactly have first sock "mojo" as the Yarn Harlot would say, but I think it is going okay so far. But then so far it is just a tube . . . haven't actually tackled the heel yet. I will post pictures once I start that all important heel part.

Turtlewoman

Rainbow Bridge

2007-05-13T18:34:00.000-04:00

This is Utah's famous "Rainbow Bridge" rock formation. This is what we went to see the day we launched our boat off of the rock in Lake Powell. Everyone is doing okay now, though none of us has proposed any boating trips. Utah and Arizona have an abundant supply of natural beauty, but treat that beauty with care! We had an amazing family vacation. Got to meet all of our cousins' kids (six kids under the age of 7 between the two of them). Spent time in Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Zion National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park. Also, of course, time spent on the above mentioned Lake Powell at Glen Canyon. All spectacular. For those who have not spent any time in our nations canyons, I highly recommend you plan a trip out there. You won't be sorry (well, you won't be sorry as long as you aren't driving your boat around at night in the dark at Lake Powell anyway). =-)

Turtlewoman

Happy Mother's' Day!

2007-05-13T18:27:00.000-04:00

My mom would kill me if she knew I put these on the web. Here she is modelling her mothers day gift - yep - the finally finished entrelac scarf! The second picture shows the soft fleecey lining that I knit up for the back so that it wouldn't be scratchy against her face. I think it actually took me less than a year to finish this scarf so that is a new record for me. And my mom just woke up from a nap in this picture, so don't make fun of her hair. =-)

Thank you mom, for all of the things you have taught me, all the love and support you continue to give me every day. I would not be anywhere in this world without you. You are my best friend, my confidante, my supporter and cheerleader. I hope as life moves along, I will be able to provide you with some of those things in return. I love you.

Human

2007-04-09T20:55:00.000-04:00

So again today I am reminded that I am only human, and not even a great one at that. I was talking to the chemist about the nature of people with careers and how even things that seem ordinary to us are extraordinary to others. Case in point: checking blood work on a patient. I must order about 20 blood tests on any given day. I routinely follow up those as well as several others that are ordered by my partners. Well, this weekend I ordered blood work on a patient and I forgot to check the results. It was crazy busy on Saturday. I did two c-sections, four vaginal deliveries, a post-partum tubal ligation, and triaged and admitted numerous other patients. This patient ended up feeling better, we decided she had a viral syndrome, and we sent her home. She came back today and while she was being admitted, her lab results from Saturday popped up. They were not normal. Had I seen them on Saturday, I never would have sent her home. Very very sobering. Luckily in this case she was fine, her baby was fine, and everything should turn out okay. But she could have had a seizure or a stroke at home. Her placenta could have abrupted. She could have died. Her baby could have died. Luckily, they didn't.
And so there it is. I am only human. I make mistakes. But my mistakes can kill people, and if that doesn't scare the crap out of you (and me) I'm not sure what could. I went into medicine to help people, not to hurt them. Things like this (even when there was no bad outcome) make you question everything you know and do.
Turtlewoman

Welcome Aphidia!

2007-04-08T20:22:00.000-04:00

I'm a grandmother! Well, sort of . . . Meet Aphidia, the second goat kid to be born on the Life is Goat Farm. She is a beautiful Angora-Boer cross of mom Pansy and my Tankie boy (see picture in sidebar). She was born Friday morning, April 6. A few days later and she would have shared a birthday with her proud grandma! You can tell she is part Boer as her legs are thicker and stronger than the average Angora kid and her coat is not as curly or long-haired. I think she is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen and I can't wait to meet her in a few weeks!

In other news, the Power Science Girls threw me a fabulous birthday party last weekend in DC. I will try to upload pics later. I got to see Baby Will and get lots of baby snuggles. We had a great time. The Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom, the mall between the capital and Washington monument was mobbed with folks, and there were kites galore. We got to see the Rokoku battle at the Smithsonian kite festival and it was a well fought battle. I even got to wear my own pink princess hat. Thanks guys!

I am post-call today on my birthday, so it has been a sleepy day. I did have a birthday party last night though courtesy of my friends the night shift nurses on L+D. Even though we were crazy busy, they still managed to throw me a nice party complete with pin-the-tail on the donkey (they couldn't find a goat), party hats, cheesecake bites, ice cream, and singing. Sopje called me today to leave a singing message (sorry I missed your call - I was sound asleep!). And lots of other friends and family have been calling, e-mailing and sending cards. Thanks everyone! Despite being post-call, this has been a pretty sweet 31st birthday.

Turtlewoman

Exertion

2007-03-25T19:13:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, I have not been a very active individual for quite some time. It is pretty funny, because once I am out DOING an activity (like hiking, or as in these pictures, cross country skiing) I think, "Gee, this is really great - I wish I was in better shape so that I could enjoy it a little more." This weekend I got to live that feeling again. Beca, Phelps, and I were at a conference at Sugarloaf and got a break on Saturday to enjoy the gorgeous Maine spring. We rented cross country skis and took off onto the groomed trails in the woods for an hour or so. Beca was off and going on her skate skis. Lucky for me this was Phelps' first time doing Cross Country so I had someone I could ALMOST keep up with. Regardless, we had a great time and I think you can see by the color of my face that I got a workout. Amazingly enough, I can even still walk today and it didn't hurt my bum knee.

In other news, the back to the entrelac scarf is almost finished and I will finally have a finished knitting project to show everyone. There are pictures of entrelac scarves on Chesley's blog, but of course they are not MY entrelac scarf so keep your web browsers ready for a showing soon near you. The conference went well. I did my presentation without falling on my face or doing anything too embarrassing. It was a pretty small conference so it actually wasn't that scary. There were even less people than we usually have at our department meetings. And I did know about half of the people as they were from our department. It was a good way to ease into conferences and presenting without being overwhelming.

This weekend will be my early birthday celebration in DC, so everybody get ready to party!! And everyone remember to wish Heat a happy birthday tomorrow . . . and has anyone else heard recently that 31 is the new 30? Cause we heard that it is.

Turtlewoman

Growing Pains

2007-03-20T19:47:00.002-04:00

So I just realized that my last two posts were not allowing comments. I went to look at the blog and thought, "Hey, how do you post a comment?" Well, I think I have fixed it . . . blogging is apparently not COMPLETELY fool proof.

I also figured out how to get them to register the correct time (they were putting in Pacific Time before).

Happy Reading (and now, commenting)!

Turtlewoman

Power Science Girls

2007-03-20T19:08:00.000-04:00

Today I want to write a little bit about the power science girls: The Chemist (hey, that's the Theoretical Physical Chemist to YOU, the Physicist, the Physician, and me. I came up with the dorky name and I'm not sure that the others have really accepted it as a moniker, but they do love me so they let me get away with calling us that - at least in private. These are three of my very best friends from college - and indeed in the whole world. There are a few other super awesome very best friends from college (Sopje for one) but today we are talking about this gang. We are talking about them because I am very excited that we will be getting together at the end of this month for a birthday party! We try to get together at least two-three times a year and considering all of the schedules (and now children and husbands and fetuses and fiancees) involved this is a pretty amazing feat. So these ladies are some of my super heroes (with or without the catchy name). They help keep me sane when my world starts to fall apart, they make me laugh even when I want to cry, and they throw me happy birthday parties in Washington, DC so that I can watch the kite fighting at the kite festival (which, as we discovered last year at Heat's birthday, is one of my NFT's (new favorite things)).

In other news, I spent today helping out with the very busy gyn service. I got to work in the OR with The Boss, which is nothing short of magic. We had a nice case with some of our favorite OR staff and then I spent the afternoon hanging out with the cancer patients and seeing how everyone was doing. I have loved this month (research time, very flexible, pretty relaxed work load) but it was nice to get back in touch with the rest of my team and get a little surgery in.

And that is all I have for today. Power Science Girls - this post is for you! For my other wonderful friends that read this blog, please don't be upset. I am sure you will get your due. I am just super excited that I am going to be seeing la mas guappas del mundo very soon.

Turtlewoman

Here Comes the Sun

2007-03-19T15:06:00.000-04:00

Do -do-do-do. Here comes the sun . . . maybe it will melt some of this snow we have accumulated in the past few days. That would improve my mood tremendously methinks.

I was on call this weekend and it kicked my butt. I think I am just out of shape. I was sick the last time I was supposed to be on call and one of my colleagues covered for me. This was the first time I have had to work a 24 hour shift in about a month. You get out of practice - you really do. Somehow it seems easier to stay up all the time when you do it all the time. When you get two or three weekends in a row off you start to go soft. Luckily I am working from home today and got to sleep in a bit. My body was protesting getting up at all. But on the good side of things, I did get to deliver three very cute babies (two vaginal deliveries and a c-section). And babies always make my day better. Now you are probably going to ask if they were boys or girls . . . I'm not sure I even remember. In all honesty, in the excitement of it all, I often forget to look. Isn't that funny?

Anywho, that's all I have for now. I feel like I should have something more substantial to say, but I don't. Maybe later.

Turtlewoman

Snow anyone?

2007-03-17T00:52:00.000-04:00

Okay, so first of all I DID try to blog a few nights back, but blogger died on me and it just didn't work out. Nothing more fun than spending half an hour typing up something to say and having blogger eat it! So I was discouraged for a day or two but here I am, back for more.

You may have noticed that I have added links to my favorite sites. Sophie, Heat, and Chesley are all personal friends of mine. I have never had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, but I have become an ardent fan. She is the author of several knitting books with a new one about to debut. Her writing is witty, fun, easy to pick up and read, and is all about one of my favorite topics . . . KNITTING! Her blog is written in a similar style and always shows pictures of her latest projects. She is an inspiration so I have put a link to her page on mine and hopefully she wouldn't mind! As for the rest of you, please let me know if you object to having your link published on my page and I can always erase it.

I do find blogging to be a bit of a delicate issue. How much information is it okay to post about other people? Personally, I don't want my last name attached with any of this, as it would be nice to feel free to write things that wouldn't be traced back to you by, say, prospective employers. It would be a real drag to fail to obtain a job because of your wanton blogging ways. So obviously I will try not to use the last names of my friends or family (although I think it is okay to use the last names of already famous people like the author noted above, as long as you are not writing slanderous articles or infringing copyright laws). But would others be upset to see their first name on here? Their pictures (don't worry! no nudes!!)? I would be interested to know how folks feel. Since I am just getting this up and running, it would be nice to avoid making people angry right from the start.

As for my life in a nutshell today . . . I have taken up the vow that all knitters seem to make at one time or another . . . and that is to finish some of my UFO's (that is unfinished objects for all of you muggles) before I purchase any more yarn. Ever since Chesley opened up her little yarn shop (LYS) I have entered the world of high quality and luxury yarns and I LIKE IT there. My wallet sometimes cries out in protest, but buying beautiful yarns fits into my obsessive-compulsive buying personality so well that it is hard to resist. So I am working on using up some of my stash before I venture up to the LYS again. Right now I am working a fleece backing to my entrelac scarf. It is knitting up rather quickly (20 stitches in stockinette stitch on US size 8 needles), so I hope to have it ready to attach to the back of the entrelac piece by the end of next week. I'll try to post a picture when it is all done. Next up on the list are Baby Will's baby blanket (which was supposed to be a gift for his pre-birth baby shower and now I am hoping to complete it before he turns 1 this fall) and Megan's birthday bag (I just got sick of making bags somewhere in the middle there). If I get those three things done and start a pair of socks, it may be okay to buy some more yarn.

That's all for tonight! Oh yes . . . and in case anyone is wondering why the post title has nothing to do with the post . . . I must confess I got distracted. Yesterday we had weather in the 40-50 range with bare patches of ground everywhere and the smell of spring (aka mud). Today . . . snowing like a bandit. Gotta love Maine in March.

Turtlewoman

Welcome to my world

2007-03-13T19:21:00.000-04:00

Well, everyone else is doing it, why not me? My apologies up front - I cannot guarantee that I will blog with any sort of regular frequency or that I will even blog at all. But I have been reading other people's blogs for several years now and have never been brave enough to join the fray. Well, here I am, in the fray. I'm going to give it a go for a while and we'll see what happens. I am hoping it gives me another way to communicate with friends (and maybe family too). I know that sometimes just seeing an updated post on one of my friends' blogs makes me smile and reassures me that they are alive. It helps me feel in touch with what they are doing without the pressure of an instant e-mail reply. So maybe this will work for some other folks too.

So welcome to my blog world. I am in my early 30's, training to be an OB-GYN, an avid reader, a knitter, friend, daughter, sister, currently too out of shape to hike hiker, and a part-time goat farmer. I suppose that blog posts could easily come from any of those topics and more.

For today, I think it is enough that I figured out how to make a blog, how to get the e-mail with my real name taken out of the logo at the top, and how to upload pictures. Granted, Blogger really makes it pretty fool-proof, but until I tried I had imagined that all of this was restricted to people that actually KNOW HTML etc.

Anyway, thanks for reading and good night!

Turtlewoman