Squirrel Days: 6/27/2011

A very chilly morning (see photo) with a little bit of free time before I get my day going. I've been jotting down some notes to share over the last week and thought I'd better get them consolidated:

Outside my window...
***Since we last met, the weather has been mostly rainy and cold. However, we have been transitioning into high 80s on occasion. I sure do wilt when those temperatures hit after such a cold spring.

From the classroom...
***Although it has gotten painfully obvious that I will not be able to complete EVERYTHING by the original July 15th deadline (and yes, I'm sooooo VERY thankful for the school extension), I’ve still been making good progress. Currently, I have completed 4 of the 5 sections of the advanced portion of my transcription training.

Module 18 (Advanced Acute Care):
Block #1: In-depth account instructions unit.
Block #2: Verbatim transcription unit (Harder that it sounds!).
Block #3: Radiology unit (The only unit that felt like play-time!).
Block #4: Complex account instructions unit.
Block #5: Extremely advanced acute care unit.

Just for fun, here is the introductory statement leading into Block#5:

“This group is, by far, the most difficult in all of the Career Step practicum components. This is done by design. While you won't often have this many reports in a row with this level of difficulty, chances are you will be exposed to reports with this level of severe difficulty once employed. The files are all acute care files. Some were chosen for the difficult dictation style, others for difficult terminology, and most for some combination of both. Complete these files with patience and dogged determination. You can do it.”

Dogged determination I have... I also have Excedrin. ;-)

Stewardship or projects...
***Even with all the rain, we did have a few semi-sunny days that allowed me to start the mowing process. It seems this year is going to be one of those where you just have to take advantage of opportunities (when not doing school work) and make progress by sections. At this point, it just isn’t going to be all “done” in one go-around, and by the time all sections have been done, the first will need doing again. Fortunately, we have mostly forest grasses on our property and, even when tall, they are fairly easy to cut with the weed-eater. Unfortunately, the spring has been so wet that the grasses shot up to waist height all over the place. It is a daunting landscape and it seems that a machete would be a better tool to cut through the “jungle.”

However, thanks to a local power-outage this past Saturday, I got a huge chunk of the mowing done (since I couldn’t do any school work). I now only have the road-side ditch to complete... then - LOL - I can start over! It was my goal to get it all down before the 4th of July (a habit developed via irresponsible neighbors, even though they moved out this spring)... I should be able to make it :)

Personal victories...
These victories are not all mine, but it will show a bit of the chaos from the last several weeks:
1. Completion and installation of all new church signs (includes hand lettering, routering, sanding, staining/painting, etc.).
2. On June 5th, we launched the new name on the church (click on the name to go to the new website that Mr. Squirrel has been creating): Parkside Baptist Church.
3. After the launch, the background work to get the name changed on all the related accounts and contracts. [Whew! What a chore... and some are still in the transitional stages.]
4. I did get 2 rounds of mowing completed about two weeks apart. That means about 1/2 of what normally gets attention has been done... and the first round really could be done again. UGH! [Add on the additional round of mowing from this weekend!]
5. Completion of Blocks 1 through 4 for school. One more Block to finish and the transcription portion of my training will be done. Then, I will get another assessment exam before moving into the editing portion of my training.

What I am doing as Fun-time...
Fun time really has gone out the window, as has any form of structured exercise. However, simple pleasures can still be found.

1.) Mr. Squirrel and I have been trying to go for walks every day depending on the weather. We have a favorite 2-mile loop that goes through wooded areas and down by the river near our home (so we don’t have to drive anywhere). We’ve been pretty lucky that we’ve been able to go out almost every day... sometimes we go in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. As the temperatures warm up (?) we'll most likely keep to mornings or later evenings.
2.) I just completed the 3rd book in “The Wheel of Time” series by Robert Jordan, “The Dragon Reborn.” I am starting the 4th book: “The Fires of Heaven.”

Thought(s) on my mind...
1. Time is going soooooo quickly, and I have so much yet to do.
2. My unemployment benefits completely run out (with zero chance of renewal) at the end of July. I do know that God has a plan for us, and that He has been faithful to provide for our needs. However, the “faith stretching exercise” surrounding our finances is testing me to the absolute limits.

Counting blessings...
1.) God's faithfulness.
2.) God's patience with my weak faith.

A picture I would like to share...
Yup. We are a few degrees from... frost. YIKES!

No wonder I was out of the blankets when I went to bed... and hunting for them during the night. We are 'cautiously' cooling the house in expectation of 80+ degrees, but not so cool that the heat will turn on.
The flowers and critters will be so confused... :O

[Photo source: Me... predawn light, sorry.]

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Quick touch-base...

Not dead, I promise.

Just up to my ears in WAY too many obligations!

I'll try to get something posted in the next week or so... as soon as I get some breathing time.

Cheers!

Squirrel Days: 5/15/2011

Outside my window...
**The weather has definitely gotten more spring-like. The last few days have even ventured into summer-like. The older I get, I find that when daily temperature swings are greater than 30-degrees or so, like from the 30s to the 70s, my body doesn't seem to know what to do. Ultimately, the higher temperature makes me feel worn out and fatigued. I much prefer moderate transitions to the warmer temperatures, but... I'm not the one in control of the weather.

From the classroom...
**Well, I got the results back from my 'Basic Acute Care' assessment exam: 87%.

I confess that this depressed me as I thought I had done better than that. I did take some time to go back through the errors to learn what aspects needed to be refined and worked on. This actually was a good process as it showed me that none of my errors were related to the naming of procedures, medicines, equipment, labs, or pathologies. My trouble seems to be mistranslation of slurry speech. Go figure. Unfortunately, only time and practice will help me with this aspect.

This review also helped me to feel better about the exam overall, and I had to reminded myself that 87% would be a passing grade on the Final Exam. [An 85% is the cutoff point, so 84% would essentially be an "F" grade.] Another thing to remind myself is that the Final Exam offers three opportunities for students to get our best scores. [We are not allowed to take the same exam twice, but we do get one try at three separate exams.]

However, before I get to the Final Exam, I have the 'Advanced Acute Care' module to complete and then I proceed into the Transcription Editing portion of this course. It really is like climbing a mountain!

Stewardship or projects...
**The sunny weather has really started the need to work on the property. However, timing is iffy with the amount of school-time I have to invest. I will need to start figuring out how to fit in even just an hour or two here and there to make some progress. [Once I figure out how, it shouldn't be too difficult to maintain. I already use a kitchen timer to help me be aware of passing time when I'm eating lunch on the front porch or the like. Time really slips by quickly when distractions happen!]

Personal victories...
1.) I faced the results of my assessment exam and took the steps needed to understand my mistakes. This actually prompted some additional research on some documentation rules and guidelines that I had been neglecting. So that was a good thing, too!
2.) With the nicer weather, I've had a much easier time going for walks outside with Mr. Squirrel. [So I guess this could be co-listed under the Fun-time below.] It took a few tries, but we've also gotten back into the habit of taking the camera with us. [This would be listed on his fun-time list, I think, as he's been the shutter-bug on these ventures!] The walks are also an attempt to start getting used to the warmer temperatures.

What I am doing as Fun-time...
1.) Still reading: Book #4 "The Shadow Rising" of Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series.
2.) Aside from going for walks and the before-bed reading, there really has been no time for anything else.

Thought(s) on my mind...
**I am even more grateful for the school extension. This advanced module makes me feel like I've almost started over. I'm heavily leaning on expanding my dictionaries with all of the new equipment, procedures, medications, etc. It is good for me to do this, but it has definitely slowed me down.

Counting blessings...
1.) My school extension.
2.) Everyone who has encouraged me to keep-on-keeping-on.
3.) Prayers for God's mercy and provision.

A picture I would like to share...
**One of the pleasures of spring is the return of the woodland flora and fauna.

I confess that somewhere in my brain I have a "cute and fuzzy" button. When it gets triggered, I turn into an excited 6 year old with a HUGE smile. It is an instant release from all adult responsibilities and cares. Of course, it also makes me want to run outside and cuddle the 'cute and fuzzy', which in most cases would be a bad idea. Fortunately, the adult brain kicks back in and (hopefully) I can make a grab for the camera ;)

This week, I spotted our first itty-bitty bunny of 2011. The evening of May 10th I saw this little fuzzy through our bedroom window just under the edge of our shed. So cute!

The space between pine straw and the edge of the shed is about 4-inches. I think he/she might have fit into a coffee cup.

[Photo source: Me.]

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Sunday musing...

This past week has been an absolute blur. I find myself wanting to write it all down in a Squirrel's Day post, but it just is overwhelming.

So, this morning, I'm sitting in the sunshine that is flowing through the window; just soaking it up like any good cat and letting all that busy-ness disappear for a few moments.

Hmmm. So this isn't a completely boring post, I will share the big victories of this past week with you:

1. I did complete the assessment exam for school. It takes a week for them to return the results, so I should have those back in the next few days.

2. Church cleaning was completed on time with Mr. Squirrel's help.

3. New church offering box and announcement fliers were completed and installed prior to the community concert. [Mr. Squirrel built a beautiful box. It looks very nice!]

4. I received written confirmation that my school extension was paid for and processed. My new expiration date is actually November 15th, but as my unemployment runs out at the end of July, I'm still wanting to get the program completed as soon as possible.

The next few days will continue to be very busy with Mother's Day gatherings, but things should slow down a little bit after that. There will still be many tasks yet to be done (like new church signs, mowing, etc.), but the next due-by-date is the first Sunday in June... NOT next Saturday!

May you all have a blessed day & Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!

[Photo source: Clker.com free public domain clip art.]

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Godbless & Godspeed