A three blog day

Today was really a three blog-worth day.  First, there was the St. James picnic.  This is always a major event of my summer .  Picnics are fun in any case, but this one has the added funness of seeing choir friends for the first time in a month.  Usually I also view the day as a giant photo op, and take lots of pictures, but this year, given that I was going to work immediately afterward, I was more interested in foraging for food.  The hot dog and veggie burger lines were unfortunately très long, so I settled for an ice cream sandwich, and a bun with mustard.  Actually, a bun with mustard and an ice cream sandwich is a pretty yummy repast, so I am not complaining. 

Then - a really major, major, major event at my job.  My unit is the first to move into our incredible new hospital facility, and today was moving day!  Our patients were transferred from funky to fabulous in not quite the blink of an eye, but almost.  I remained behind on the old unit to see to the last few to be discharged, and of course there were issues with all three.  Discharges can be so trying at times.  Two of them were easily settled, but the third required the higher powers of our already harried manager.  That group left grumbling about us, and we grumbled about them as the transporter wheeled them out of our lives, so it all came out even.   Well, not really.  They probably were still grumbling an hour later, but  we had smiles on our faces as prepared to move the final bits and pieces to our wonderful new digs. 

Packing up!

Maria at the new charge nurse station

Dr. Aaronson checking it out!

And what was the third blog worthy event?  Why, the weather!  Here in Seattle, the summer has been gloriously gloomy, with at least a bit of rain most days, and not much heat at all.  The roses and tomatoes are suffering, but I have not been.  Then suddenly, this morning, summer arrived.  Dreadful!  It was 90° on my front porch when I got home at five.  And 94° in my bedroom!  Ugh! 

An Important Holiday

I love National Holidays! And today is the National Holiday of our parish. It is the feast of St. James, and the fact that it has fallen on a Sunday makes it extra special. The choir, on vacation for the summer, reconvenes, so not only is there a wonderful picnic, but we get to see all our choir friends – some for the first time since early June. I am usually relieved when our choir vacation begins, but after a week or two, I begin longing for the St. James celebration with its wonderful music, wonderful food (if one likes hot dogs and hamburgers,) and, most of all, wonderful company.
St. James himself emerges from his storage place in the attic, and leads the procession out of Mass, blessing the congregation as he goes. I have always been relieved that I have never been asked to be one of his managers. It looks scary. One year, however, my group was assigned to put him together and then later disassemble him. That was very tricky. Maybe as dodgy as running his innards, which Corinna has been very efficiently doing. She looks pretty calm about it, doesn’t she?









Afterward, hot and tired, I was very grateful when my friend Martha offered me a ride home. Here she is with her husband Joe.

There are two sets of sisters in these photos. Can you find them?

A big day

Yesterday was the feast day of St. James, and hence a big day at St. James Cathedral! The choir comes out of summer vacation retirement to sing at two Masses, and St. James himself processes through the church giving his blessing (and terrifying some small children, according one of my friends who is the mother of a small child). I have taken a photo of him standing in his corner, but I am sure that if you look at the St James webpage, you can see some of him in action. After Mass, there is the fabulous St. James parish picnic. The picnic includes music, huge inflated playthings for kiddies – I am not sure what one calls them, a fire truck, face painting (always very popular – the “why” of which is a mystery to me), and lots of food and good cheer. I wanted Rachael to flirt with a fireman and let me take a picture of her in the fire truck, but she refused. She did allow me to take a picture of her eating cotton candy, however. She said she would get a cotton candy if I would eat half, to which I agreed, but then it was so yummy that she forgot to give me my half. This was fine, as I find more pleasure in looking at cotton candy than eating it.