Where To, Bud?

If you've read the blog since I began writing, you'll know that for 17 years I worked in the ER of a local hospital as a respiratory therapist and why I voluntarily left the profession. On several emergent occasions, I'd blank out on important things necessary to save a patient's life. For instance placing the patient on airway life support and forgetting to plug in the ventilator (some of you call it "respirator"), drawing arterial blood, looking at the lab values and blanking out on how to adjust the ventilator in order to improve a patient's breathing. Something I'd done for 17 years in less than a minute. As these things became more frequent, and knowing about dementias (both my parents had Alzheimer's and I carry the gene for one of its causes) I decided to see a neurologist, and after several MRI's, lab work, MMPI and other testing, it was decided I had Alzheimer's Related Dementia. I decided to quit my job before I killed someone.

Remember that accident I caused last April, which almost killed me and two other drivers, but luckily injured no one, and which is the reason I no longer drive? Well, guess what? I'm still not over it. I think about it every single time I get into the car with Dondra to go to my doctor's appointments and the few times we go to the supermarket or post office together. At those times, I usually take my Kindle and read or play word games on it. I'm nervous as a cat at those times, and if I weren't reading or playing, I'd have to lie down on the back seat. Anything to keep me watching the traffic and keep my head down. I absolutely do not look up, because my sharp intakes of breath when I think I see an "impending" accident make D  nervous and piss her off. That is also the reason I stay at home a lot, unless she takes me to the track or the gym - a very short ride. I estimate that out of 7 days, I am at home at least 80% of the time - I just have no d

Hey Everyone As promised, here I am on the blog which has been set to "invitation only". Some of you have already been invited and are ready to read, and some have not. These are folks who haven't followed the blog in some time, and some who are no longer followers at all, so it will take some time to build the readership again. But no worries, at least this way I can control who reads and/or posts here. Thanks for hanging in there with me (I started this in 2008) and I'll continue to keep you informed as to any changes. Welcome to all the new "kids". Thanks and please remember to click and feed the animals. It's free! Bill

Sorry. Been a while, hasn't it, but there's really nothing new except to tell you that my good friend and co-editor of this blog, BillDL is recovering nicely from abdominal surgery and D and I are very pleased about that! He's been hurting a long time, and actually knew what was wrong with him before his doctors did. My favorite Scot is a genius ! Oh yeah! Speaking of Scotland, I looked up the Craig Clan tartan, and that thing is beautiful! I'm planning to buy the material and have Dondra make me a klit. ===================================================================== And so, on to the story..... When I was about 8 (I think - gotta check it out with my uncle Bernd) I spent some time with my German grandmother who lived in Communist-occupied East Germany. Since there wasn't a whole lot to do in the Summer, I was asked if I wanted to join a youth organization (much like the Boy Scouts here) called The Young Pioneers. "It's fun!", I was told