Josh & Angele Nickerson

Nothing quite like the Shelburne Museum.  The woman who started the place liked to collect buildings.  She would tear them down and then rebuild them on this large piece of land she owned.  Kind of makes other hobbies seem dull in comparison.

Vermont has reached peak season around here, meaning the trees are full of beautiful color as they get ready to die and fall off, leaving things bare for the next six months.  While fall has always been my favorite time of year I have a hard time not thinking about the long, dark winter to come.  However, before that we've been trying to be outside a lot even in the colder weather.  Gabriel does not care what the temp is outside and Josh just wants him to destroy things out of doors instead of messing up the house. 

Josh has taken a few days off work while his grandfather is in town.  We've had dinner together a couple of nights and Josh went with his grandfather, his mom and step-father to Shelburne Museum today.  On Friday during Gabriel's nap Josh & I made salsa with all the hot peppers grown over the summer.  Since we used most of the peppers it is too hot for me to eat but Josh assures me it's great.  He just finished up submitting a large research paper for a meeting next May in Sweden.  Going to be a few months before he finds out if it gets accepted and he can go but his new passport is all ready. 

One way to tell that fall has arrived is all the kiddy activities start up again.  Gabriel started up tumbling again last week as well as the library story hour and a very large playgroup.  He is still pretty shy around other kids but I don't think it will last.  However he has a jealous streak a mile wide.  Last week I was holding someone's five-month old for them and Gabriel looked at me and started to cry.  No sound, no screaming just a crushed look with tears running down his cheeks. 

I have received a lot of flak from the few people I know about not being a member of Facebook.  I have a long list of reasons for this, but to make up for it I joined LibraryThing which is more up my alley.  Though Koski informed me it was a place for people with no social skills.  (my friends make me feel good about myself) Anyway, I am very pleased.  I have managed to list all of my books online and start organizing them.  Yes, only a book nerd would find this interesting but I love it.  So if anyone cares.. http://www.librarything.com/home/AngeleDawn

Best of all there is no 'friends' count;  I can assume everyone loves me.

It was my mother's birthday this weekend, and Angele had been planning to make some special cupcakes for several months.  Mom is a big gardener, and so you see why she had these in mind for a while.  They turned out pretty well I must say.  People keep saying that Angele should open a cupcake boutique.  While I have no doubt that would be successful, since we were up until 11PM finishing these they would have be be sold for astronomical rates to make it worthwhile.  I even helped with these a little- I piped the signs.  Dig it.

Just a quick note to say that I was on call at the hospital and had a day that is the stuff of legends:

 

8:30:  Day starts out with a bang- two patients in the ED from a hot air balloon crash.  By itself this would be worthy of a story.

10:00:  Motorcycle accident in the ED.  Spend about 45 minutes delineating how one is able to break nearly every bone in one's face.

11:00:  High speed car crash in the ED.  The human body has 24 ribs.  This patient had over 30 rib fractures.  It is generally a bad thing when the outside world communicates with large portions of the lung.

3:00:  Trauma alert via pager:  Incoming trauma patient- bicyclist hit by SUV and then run over.  This one didn't turn out to be much though.

7:00:  Thinking that soon the day would be over.  But no, the coup-de-grace has arrived.  Just when I thought all forms of transportation had been exhausted:  Pager:  Trauma alert: Incoming plane crash.  Oh yes, plane crash.  This one took me about an hour beyond when I was supposed to leave.  The coincidence?  Pilot a maxillofacial surgeon.  With the worst jaw fractures I have ever seen.  Among other things. 

 

Of course these were interspersed with the usual run of the mill cases, but all the day was missing was a boat crash and it would have been untouchable in the history of call.

Gabriel and I just returned from Oregon on Monday.  We spent a weekend in Long Beach, Washington for the Kite Festival.  The weather was great and Gabriel loved his first camping experience.  I loved being at the beach, I miss living close to the ocean.  I also took a few hours (minus child!) and did some shopping.  Grandparents are wonderful.

Josh had a good time with us gone.  He played in a softball game for the local church and is unable to lift Gabriel now due to pain in his elbow.  Also he and Chris recently planned and purchased tickets for the next 'male adventure.' A trip to Chicago this December to watch a Packers vs. Bears game. 

This is what I do when Josh takes Gabriel to the playground for a few hours.