Steve, your fundraiser walk/run sounds like a great success. Keep up the good work.
It sounds like clamming is paying off for you. I'm sure the exertion while you are doing it is greater than conch fishing, but my guess is that hauling the traps up and rebaiting them, then putting them away at the end of the season is pretty hard work too. Also, I think I would prefer the more immediate reward of seeing the results of my work with each raking over haveing to wait a day or two to check traps.

Congratualtions, Evonne!
Someone is going to be very fortunate to have you working for them. Your sensitive, caring attitude, not to mention the fact that you are obviously very bright, make you a top-notch candidate for the best of the available positions. I'll be praying for you to get matched with a job that you will be very happy with. I'm confident that you will recognize that situation right away.

Cooler weather (highs of less than 90, lows less than 70) is here in the South. I always look forward to this time of year. There is an amazing flower in this area that blooms just when that cooling occurs. They reveal no foliage at all during the spring and summer, then overnight, in the cooler weather send up clumps of 12-15-inch stems with bright red-orange spidery blossom on top of each stem! They are appropriately called surprise lillies, or spider lillies. The blossoms last about a week, followed by green blades of foliage which persist well into the winter. I think of them as autumn jonquils.

I hope you folks in the Pacific Northwest can keep optimistic thoughts of the return of sunshine next summer. Get some artificaial bright light therapy if you can, and try to make provision for regular exercise. It seems that you pay dearly for the ideal August and September weather during the rest of the year! Hang in there!

Everyone have a great week.
Robert

Robert,

Thanks for your encouraging words. I dropped of an application at a care center near my house this morning. I had taken a tour of the place a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, the Director of Nursing was out of the office so I didn't get to talk to anybody today. However, I went to an assisted living facility today to just pick up an application. I wound up having an interview this afternoon. It went really well. The Executive Director and the Director of Nursing both interviewed me. Then, the were sitting there talking about hiring me as if I weren't in the room! They were saying things like, "Who should we have train her on evening shift?...Which evenings do we need her to work?" It was kind of funny. They said that they are going to call me tomorrow, but if I don't hear from them for some reason then I should call them tomorrow. It sounds like it's in the bag...and I'm honestly not sure how to feel about it!

There are things that I like about this place and things that I don't. The facility itself is beautiful and very well organized. I like that the residents at this place are more physically able to function. At the place where I trained, most of my residents were extensively dependent and in wheelchairs. I had to do a lot of physical transferring. That was really hard on my stiff back and body. So, I think that I will do better physically at this place. Unfortunately, I don't get to wear scrubs...and I have already bought a closet full! Not being able to wear my scrubs means that I will have to go out and buy some new tan pants...their uniform requirement. Hubby is not too happy about that, but I figure that my scrubs will come in handy in the future. My goal is to eventually hire on at a hospital. Another thing I like about this place is that they provide insurance after three months of employment, Premera Blue Cross 70/30 plan. That will really help us out. The flip side is that the hourly wage is less than I expected...$9.50 an hour. Just to compare, the local hospitals around here start out around $12.00 an hour and have full benefits.

One of the things that was said during the interview process, before wage was mentioned, was that they are looking for somebody that is going to stick around for awhile. Maybe I am a little off in my thinking but in general if these types of facilities paid their staff a little bit better they might have less dissatisfied staff and less staff leaving them to work in hospitals...or the local supermarket where you work in a less stressful environment for just about the same amount of money. Considering the amount of money that the residents in assisted living facilities/care centers pay to live there, I think that they deserve to have some pretty consistent caregivers.

See, I think that this is where I have a problem. I am probably far too idealistic. The ideas that I have about how the world should work just don't match up with reality. I think that the reality is more about the owners of these facilities padding their pocketbooks and less about helping people. It is the same way that I feel about large preschools. They fill them up to capacity and function with the least amount of staff possible. That equals poor quality care. Being a person that actually cares about people and children, I DESPISE that.

All I can say at this point is that I have a lot to think about and pray about. I know that I will not feel good about myself if I wind up in a place where I don't feel like quality of care is valued. I just pray that I am wrong in my assumption and that if this is the place where I am supposed to work it will all turn out to be wonderful. I know...I'm a dreamer.

Robert..I decided to put a few pots our to suppliment the shellfishing..The price of conch is only 70 cents, and they are getting too fussy about the size..Bait is very expensive too

Forgive my rant last night, although there was a lot of truth to what I had to say. I was obviously a little discouraged with where I visited yesterday. I guess that I just knew in my heart that it wasn't the right place for me.

I just found out that the care center that is near my house is a non-profit care center. I find that really exciting. It means that they are probably more concerned with taking care of their residents than they are with what color they should paint the walls! I am going in at 2:00 to meet some of the staff and have an official interview. Although, when I was speaking with the staffing coordinator on the phone she talked about filling out my hiring paperwork when I come in. I'm not sure how much of an interview this will be...could be hired right then and there. Please pray for me. I have been drawn to this place since I toured the facility a couple of weeks ago. I know that the work is going to be more challenging because it is a skilled nursing facility, but that is good for me. I like to be in an environment where I am always learning new things. It will all help me in the future. Oh...and I will get to wear my cute little scrubs.

OKAY...I know that this seems pathetic, replying to my own post and all. I just wanted to let you know that I got the job at the care center near my house. I will be working in the Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Unit. I am starting orientation tomorrow at 2:00. Wish me luck!!!

I don't have a whole lot to say, just wanted to say Hi, and I've been following Evonne's posts as she works her way into a new job, which she is very excited about (thats a very good thing).

Dave, ya gotta get out of that chair buddy! In one of Paula's posts she has a video link ( shake rattle & roll I think), where a woman is speaking to the crowd and says "don't sit down, whatever you do, don't sit in that chair...." and she is absolutley right. The balance thing is a problem. There must be a walker of some type to use when your feeling like something could happen ( ya, right..like we can see it coming?) Well maybe I do sound a bit loopy, but sitting is the first step down the slide. So stand and walk uprightly as long as you can.

Robert so good to hear from you. I live just north of the Pacific North West..so I get to share in the weather with you Americans in the area as the great weatherman in the sky has very little respect for the 49th parallel (aka the Canadian - U.S. border)

Steve, do you still fish for conch? I never did get that conch shell. If you do still have access to discarded ones let me know and I'll have you ship it to my son in the States.

To all else: have a good week...or at least what's left of it. Today is Thursday already. OMG! cheers rosie-posie

I have a few pots out, and when I get some shells I will let you know, and as a matter of fact, I may be near your neck of the woods at the end of next month..Im planning on going out to meet Harley aka Laura, and we are going to the HOPE Conference in Seattle