Back again

Hi all: Just a note to say that I am back in the hospital. This time I am in John C. Lincoln North Mountain, across the street from where I "live". I was brought over here yesterday because of what they thought were seizures. Apparently, they were not seizures, but spasms emanating from the area where my back was broken. There was apparently a spasmodic nerve reaction and caused a definite jerkiness in my body. I am on an anti-spasmodic medication for my back, and they may have to increase the dosage. I hope to go back "home" tomorrow.

Until next time...
Love always, Darci (Skippy didn't get to come with me this time!)

If your name is Nick, what's your nickname?

As promised, this week I'll be talking about nicknames. Almost everyone I know, at some time in their life, has been called by another name than their given name. Sometimes it plays on the given name; occasionally it can be attributed to a positive asset of your personality or possibly some sort of determent in your personality. For instance, when I was a little girl, not just short but very tiny, most of my nicknames focused on how little I was. When I was in elementary school, most of the kids called me "Squirt", which also happened to be a bottle of soda at the time. Going into Junior High, I was a mass of freckles, my hair had turned even redder, and my nickname at Girl Scout camp that year was "Freckles" because that was what everyone commented on and that's what everyone called me. When I got older my nicknames mostly focused on my given name. Two names were used which I absolutely hated: the first one was "Little Darky" which was a play off of a popular children's story when we were young. The other name was "Dork" or "Dorky", until I not so politely informed them exactly what that word meant in a foreign language (trust me it was not applicable to me). As far as nicknames that I gave myself over the years, the first nickname that I had for myself was "Buddy", based on the name of a very, very tall, but gentle man from my church whom I adored. His nickname was "Bud". My Mom's nickname for me when I was little was "Missy" and that is the original name she had thought of for me. She called me that until I was 12 years old when I finally told her my name wasn't "Missy" it was Darci. She still occasionally calls me that. Both of my parents always called me "Toots" and my Dad was once of the few people who could get away with calling me "Darce". When my mother was thoroughly disgusted with me, she would call me "Helpless Hannah". Small wonder I have never liked the name Hannah.


One of my uncle's friends was always known to have a cigarette in his mouth, and you may easily assume his nickname really was "Smokey". I never knew what his given name was. Another of his friends was called "Diaps" which was short for diapers - aha - he was the baby of the family. He was a grown man who was known by that nickname until he died; it was even mentioned in his obit in the paper. I had an uncle that was known as "Uncle Drag" not because he dressed in drag, it was because his daughter commented when she was a child that he had to wear suspenders to hold up his pants because without suspenders the pants would slip under his fat belly and drag on the ground. "Daddy Draggy Drawers" became Uncle Drag to the rest of the family. I also had another uncle whose nickname at work was "Bugs" like Bugs Bunny but not because of Bugs Bunny or beatle bugs, but because he liked to tease everybody and he was always "bugging" everybody. When I was out and about with my uncle and someone called him "Bugs" I knew it was someone from his work.

Another person who acquired a nickname from childhood was one of my brother's ex-wives whose nickname was "Pixie" because even though she wasn't short she was very tiny, very petite with a short haircut, and looked just like her brothers imagined pixies would look like. When they were married she was 5'8" and she weighed 108 pounds. Darn her anyway!!! (At least she was tall!)

Now that you have heard about me and some of my family's nicknames, I'd love to hear from some of you out there in Blogsphere to write me and tell me about your nicknames or those of your family and friends.

See you back in seven.

Love always, Darci and the ever mighty Skippy

I've been sprung!!

Back home from the hospital. Skippy and I are very happy to be back. But now my roommate, Nancy, is in the hospital. Whereas, I took the long trip into Scottsdale to go to the hospital, she went next door to John C. Lincoln North Mountain, which is across the parking lot from where we are. Like me she has pneumonia and some other infection going on. I just found out she is stable, and will be back soon. A lot of that going around. I've seen a lot of EMT workers coming in and out of the building lately. Our census is low right now with so many people out. The powers that be decided that since our census was low they cut back on the amount of CNAs we have per shift.

I haven't had a chance to work on a topic this week, but I have had several ideas suggested to me. One is how people got their name; and the other one is sort of related to that, and that is people's nicknames. So send me your ideas and I'll include them. You tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine.

Love Always,
Darci and the ever faithful Skippy

p.s. I have a new friend for Valentine's; it is a new bear named Addie. It is white with pink accents.

I hope everyone had a really nice Christmas. I received some very nice things, and we had a Christmas party here at the nursing facility. A couple, who entertains frequently on holidays, put on a very nice program.



I haven't felt like writing for the last couple of weeks - been under the weather. I have another infection and pneumonia, so I am back on the ventilator. Christmas night I started feeling bad, and today my blood sugar has spiked over 500 plus I had a fever of 101.7 so a doctor's appointment I had scheduled this morning did not happen. I am going to the doctor Monday to discuss surgery for a hernia. One thing after the other...



I really hope that all of you have a very Happy New Year, and that it is a much better year for all of us than 2010. Pray for our troops and our country.



I'll be back in the New Year and write again.



Love always,

Darci

Kind of a crazy week this week. Tuesday was especially nuts!! More than ordinary nuts! I was supposed to have an appointment to have my nails done Tuesday morning, so got all dressed up and waited and waited and waited.. finally called Activities to see what the hold up was, only to have them call me back and tell me they looked at the schedule wrong, and the volunteer won't be coming until next Tuesday. So we will try again next Tuesday. Have several new nail polishes and will have to decide which one to try. Still waiting for my doctor's appointment that was supposed to happen on Tuesday. The ambulance arrived on time to pick me up, they put me on the stretcher and hooked me up to the vent, and immediately something was not right with the ENT's equipment - the ventilator was not working properly. So they put me back in bed, and hooked me up to the vent here at the facility and waited for another ambulance team to come with a working vent. Called the doctor to tell him we would be a little late, the other ambulance arrived and they began to put me on the guerney again; then the doctor's office called to say the doctor was going to be leaving and we needed to reschedule the appointment. The appointment was rescheduled for today (Thursday) but Wednesday afternoon Dr. Friedman, the infectious disease doctor, called to say that he didn't need to do a follow-up with me and when the office girl reminded him that he was the one that had ordered it when I was in the hospital, he denied that and said he did not need to see me for a follow-up. So my appointment was again canceled. Not sure what we are going to do about that.

On a happier note: it now looks like Christmas in my room. The bears are happy with their Christmas decorations and Christmas presents for me and others are beginning to arrive!! YEAAAA!! Also Skippy is very happy because he got to spend a few days at Grandma's spa, and he was showered (aka washing machine) and had an air massage hanging on the clothesline by his ears! He is now clean and happy!!!

That's all for this week, catch up with you in seven.

Love always, Darci

Random Poems for Thought

Some say that
too much love
cannot kill a person
but--
Many have died
in the name of love
and--
with the name of
love forming on their lips.

by Darci A. Spears

U.V.
People look at me
and only see a smiling face.
They don't see the
dark circles under my eyes.
Circles that match
the dark rings that go 'round
my heart.
To see those you need
ultraviolet light.

by Darci A. Spears

Fragments of a day
long gone
Makes for dreams
in the dawn.

Times of warmth
and happiness
Now are only thoughts
memory blessed.

by Darci A. Spears

For those who still have to worry about winter
weather, this one is for you from those of us in Phoenix who don't have to anymore.

The wind howls,
scaring me.
Tufts of snow
whip wildly.

The calm before the storm
was brief.
It's raging now,
like a chanting Indian chief.

by Darci A. Spears

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. See you back here after the holidays.

Love always, Darci

Four Simple Words

The four simple little words "I'm thankful I'm alive." My words that I live by. Such a simple statement but such a powerful impact! Plain, but complicated. Easy to say - rolls right off the tongue and lips; but living life is no easy task. Those who know me know how true this has been for me. I wrote a poem a long time ago that sums things up nicely.

NEW PLAN
by Darci A. Spears

Cluttered mind
Battered heart
When will it end,
And how did it start?

What will I do
And how will I be?
Clear away the dust
So that I can see.

Where will I go
And who do I ask?
Show me the way
To my next task.

Close my wounds
So I won't bleed
Please give me a hand-
That's all I need.

Then I'll pick up
The pieces I can,
And I'll begin again
With a brand new plan.

Happy Thanksgiving for the coming week and each day of your life!

Love Always,
Darci (and my wonderful stuffed pal, Skippy)