Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
Of the moon
Come to my window
I’ll be home soon

I would dial the numbers
Just to listen to your breath
I would stand inside my hell
And hold the hand of death
You don’t know how far I’d go
To ease this precious ache
You don’t know how much I’d give
Or how much I can take

Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Just to reach you

Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
Of the moon
Come to my window
I’ll be home soon

Keeping my eyes open
I cannot afford to sleep
Giving away promises
I know that I can’t keep
Nothing fills the blackness
That has seeped into my chest
I need you in my blood
I am forsaking all the rest
Just to reach you
Just to reach you
Oh to reach you

Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
Of the moon
Come to my window
I’ll be home soon

I don’t care what they think
I don’t care what they say
What do they know about this
Love anyway

Come to my window
Crawl inside, wait by the light
Of the moon
Come to my window
I’ll be home soon

Melissa Etheridge

 

And then, after going into work this afternoon, while not feeling well (the same problem alluded to earlier, plus with hives now on the palms of my hands) -- work stank.

We had a call in, so worked short handed. It was busy for a Sunday night, with lots of ER action and inpatient admits from the ER. And I got to work with the new guy, who literally doesn't know how to be silent. Whenever I work with him, I always feel like I am going to go psychotic from having to listen to him natter for eight hours.

[rant]

Have spent the last couple of days curled up in bed with a heating pad over my belly for cramps. I feel pretty wrung out this month. I am the only woman I know who is actually waiting breathlessly for menopause, so I do not have to feel so absolutely rotten for one week of every month. I think those old time cultures who allowed woman to seclude themselves during their monthlies had a pretty good idea. I know some women have very light periods, and that they can go about their normal business without a second thought -- but some women have a horrible time with theirs, and I am one of the latter. I am sick of being exhausted, sick of having to sleep on top of a pile of towels (even while using industrial strength overnight pads), sick of having to change those "overnight" pads every 2-3 hours so my clothes are not stained and ruined, sick of the cramping, sick of passing blood clots as big as the palm of my hand, sick of feeling cold no matter how many blankets I curl up in every night that week, sick of the way my body swells up like a water balloon, sick of the way my asthma gets worse for that week, and sick of the constant back ache.

[/rant]

As you can tell, I am a bit tired and out of sorts this weekend.

Had the quietest day I could manage today, as I was pretty tired from the week. Spent the morning finishing up the first season of Highlander and then finishing up the fifth and last book in Charlaine Harris's Lily Bard Mystery Series, Shakespeare's Counselor. That was a very enjoyable series of five little mystery novels, about how a woman who survived a horrifying crime eventually builds a new life for herself and manages to work her way back to normalcy. I have heard that Charlaine Harris has also written an enjoyable series of vampire novels , and I hope to track those down and read them as well.

When the kids got home, I took them to get their hair cut, then we went grocery shopping. I took advantage of their strong young backs to get heavy items like dog food.  I was glad to see that the warehouse club had bottled water back in stock. If I am deployed and have to pack a two week supply of drinking water, at least I can get my hands on some.

Tonight Bill went down to town for the football game.  Our team is so far undefeated, and is supposedly state ranked right now. Dan also wanted to go, but I wasn't feeling up to it, so we stayed home and watched movies.

Sahara was a fairly decent action movie set in Africa and featured Penelope Cruz playing a WHO doctor on the trail of what initially looks like a deadly plague and Matthew  McConaughey and Steve Zahn as treasure hunters who are looking for Confederate gold in the middle of the desert. I liked it better than the last movie of this sort I saw, the rather dumb National Treasure.

Warm Springs told part of the life story of Franklin Roosevelt. Though made for television by HBO, it had a great cast with Kenneth Branagh as FDR, Cynthia Nixon as Eleanor Roosevelt, and Kathy Bates as a physical therapist whose career centers around helping polio victims. The movie begins with a 40ish FDR beginning his political career. At this point in his life, he is a spoiled and self-centered man, born to wealth and power. It does not shy away (though does not graphically show) from his womanizing. Then he comes down with polio and everything changes. For the first time in his life he knows suffering, knows what it is to face discrimination. His wife, in an effort to bring meaning back to his life, takes up his career of public speaking in an attempt to bring him back to politics. She fights her lifelong shyness to do so. And in trying to bring meaning back into his life, she brings meaning into her own as she takes up the causes of the poor. The movie showed how FDR found a home in Warm Springs, where he could swim and even walk in the warm, mineral laden waters. It showed how he brought hope to the sick and the suffering, though he had trouble finding hope for himself. The discrimination shown towards the polio victims reminded me of the fear and outright hatred that was shown towards some of the early AIDS victims. And in the background of the movie is the vicious system of racial segregation in the South at that time. Sadly, while FDR came to hate the dicrimination shown towards the sick, it would be up to his successor, Harry S Truman, so begin the fight against racism, when he integrated the American armed forces. This was a very well done, quiet and thoughtful film. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in American history.

Another gentle rain is falling tonight. I think it will make my garden very happy!  It is supposed to continue through the day and evening tomorrow, so no bulb planting for me until Saturday. That's OK, as it will give my skin another day to heal. I tried to shave my legs last night and it probably wasn't a very good idea.  I won't try that again until the hives are a bit more healed.

So tomorrow I will do housework, try to squeeze in the last two episodes of the first season of Highlander  , and when the kids get home, I will take them out to get their hair cut. And maybe ice cream if the day isn't too wet and chilly.

I was struck once again tonight by how fortunate I am in the people that I know. Almost everyone I know and interact with on a regular basis is a good and loving person who lives a quiet life dedicated to helping other people.  I am amazingly blessed in knowing them.

It's amazing what a quick google can reveal:

Here are the traditional names given to each month's full moon from the "Farmer's Almanac":

January Wolf Moon

February Snow Moon

March Worm Moon

April Pink Moon

May Flower Moon

June Strawberry Moon

July Buck Moon

August Sturgeon Moon

September Harvest Moon

October Hunter's Moon

November Beaver Moon

December Cold Moon

 

So the lovely full moon floating over my trees is a Harvest Moon. It's so bright and beautiful, I keep expecting to hear a pack of coyotes start to sing.

Well, the pharmacist who has been called up has still not been deployed. She still does not not know when or where or for how long she will be going. Yet she was told that she will have to bring her own drinking water with her. Is that ridiculous or what? Can you even fit 2-3 weeks of drinking water into the less than generous baggage allowance of a major airline and have enough room left over for even something as small as one pair of underwear and a travel bottle of  mouthwash? Please. Spare me.

At work tonight hives started errupting on the sides of my fingers. I am getting really tired of this. It's when they first pop out that they hurt and itch the most. Since the worst ones on my legs are healing (I might even be able to shave my poor hairy legs by the weekend -- which is good, because I'm starting to feel like a yeti) I wish the new ones would just quit popping out.

I picked up the Tigers game tickets today. I will be attending the game later this month (if I'm not deployed in the meantime) with the girl with the cancer-stricken father. Hopefully the game and a good dinner in Greektown will help cheer her up a bit, at least for a little while.

The moon is absolutely gorgeous tonight. It is very bright and full. Is the full moon in September the Hunter's Moon? It's so bright you could even go walking in the woods tonight. It's completely amazing to me how beautiful the world can be.

I remembered to program my cell phone directory with my emergency numbers under ICE today. And I stole the following from the American Red Cross website. The emergency supply list is somewhat formidable, but I will see what I can start getting together:

There are six basics you should stock for your home: water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items. Keep the items that you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container--suggested items are marked with an asterisk(*). Possible containers include a large, covered trash container, a camping backpack, or a duffle bag.

Water

• Store water in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles. A normally active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Hot environments and intense physical activity can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers, and ill people will need more.
• Store one gallon of water per person per day.
• Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for each person in your household for food preparation/sanitation).*

Food

• Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. If you must heat food, pack a can of sterno. Select food items that are compact and lightweight. Include a selection of the following foods in your Disaster Supplies Kit:
• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables
• Canned juices
• Staples (salt, sugar, pepper, spices, etc.)
• High energy foods
• Vitamins
• Food for infants
• Comfort/stress foods

First Aid Kit
Assemble a first aid kit for your home and one for each car.

• (20) adhesive bandages, various sizes.
• (1) 5" x 9" sterile dressing.
• (1) conforming roller gauze bandage.
• (2) triangular bandages.
• (2) 3 x 3 sterile gauze pads.
• (2) 4 x 4 sterile gauze pads.
• (1) roll 3" cohesive bandage.
• (2) germicidal hand wipes or waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• (6) antiseptic wipes.
• (2) pair large medical grade non-latex gloves.
• Adhesive tape, 2" width.
• Anti-bacterial ointment.
• Cold pack.
• Scissors (small, personal).
• Tweezers.
• CPR breathing barrier, such as a face shield.

Non-Prescription Drugs

• Aspirin or nonaspirin pain reliever
• Anti-diarrhea medication
• Antacid (for stomach upset)
• Syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center)
• Laxative
• Activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)

Tools and Supplies

• Mess kits, or paper cups, plates, and plastic utensils*
• Emergency preparedness manual*
• Battery-operated radio and extra batteries*
• Flashlight and extra batteries*
• Cash or traveler's checks, change*
• Non-electric can opener, utility knife*
• Fire extinguisher: small canister ABC type
• Tube tent
• Pliers
• Tape
• Compass
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic storage containers
• Signal flare
• Paper, pencil
• Needles, thread
• Medicine dropper
• Shut-off wrench, to turn off household gas and water
• Whistle
• Plastic sheeting
• Map of the area (for locating shelters)

Sanitation

• Toilet paper, towelettes*
• Soap, liquid detergent*
• Feminine supplies*
• Personal hygiene items*
• Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation uses)
• Plastic bucket with tight lid
• Disinfectant
• Household chlorine bleach

Clothing and Bedding
*Include at least one complete change of clothing and footwear per person.

• Sturdy shoes or work boots*
• Rain gear*
• Blankets or sleeping bags*
• Hat and gloves
• Thermal underwear
• Sunglasses

Special Items

• Remember family members with special requirements, such as infants and elderly or disabled persons

For Baby*

• Formula
• Diapers
• Bottles
• Powdered milk
• Medications

For Adults*

• Heart and high blood pressure medication
• Insulin
• Prescription drugs
• Denture needs
• Contact lenses and supplies
• Extra eye glasses

Entertainment

• Games and books

Important Family Documents

• Keep these records in a waterproof, portable container:
  • Will, insurance policies, contracts deeds, stocks and bonds
  • Passports, social security cards, immunization records
  • Bank account numbers
  • Credit card account numbers and companies
• Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers
• Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)
• Store your kit in a convenient place known to all family members. Keep a smaller version of the supplies kit in the trunk of your car.
• Keep items in airtight plastic bags. Change your stored water supply every six months so it stays fresh. Replace your stored food every six months. Re-think your kit and family needs at least once a year. Replace batteries, update clothes, etc.
• Ask your physician or pharmacist about storing prescription medications.