As of last Wednesday, we are into the second half of the 13 weeks. That said, there was discussion today about extending. There had been rumors floating among the DM (diabetes mellitus) Program/CHN (Community Health Nursing) combined department that a) I would not be extended because of cost; b) I would be offered a full time permanent position; c) I would be extended. All were equally discussed between myself and others, but not as a group. However today the kinda, sorta, not too sure official comment coming from my immediate supervisor was to have my recruiter put things into motion for extending. That was today. Things change, sometimes in less than an hour, kinda like the weather in St. Louis. So, we shall see. Hopefully I will know more by the end of the week. Stay tuned.
Also, speaking of time (days, weeks, etc), I have been hanging around doctors too long. My last post said I'd get back to you all "tomorrow." We can all see how that worked out. I do have pictures to post from the days I first got here.
This is from earlier in my stay. I stopped at a Carl's Jr. (Hardees to those of us in the Midwest) in Gallup, NM. In the times I've traveled, I like to look at how the fast food chains add a local twist on the menu. This happens to be the condiment bar. I'm remembering this as pico de gallo, but I could be wrong. Not salsa. And I'm remembering there was salsa and jalapenos as well, but I was making the manager nervous taking the picture. Springfield peeps, wonder if McD's could do some type of McHorseshoe or McPony? For those not enlightened, this a an open-faced sandwich with bread on the bottom, some type of meat next, french fries and melted cheese over all, garnished as desired. Obviously, the pony-shoe is a smaller version. This is a Springfield item. I've had one. It didn't do a thing for me except give me indigestion. There is a place in town that has several choices on this "delicacy" and charges mightily for the privilege of enjoying it.
The above pictures are of the Hubbell Family Trading Post established by John Lorenzo Hubbell in 1878. It is the only working trading post from that time period in America. The family operated the trading post until 1967 when it was sold to the Western National Parks Association. As you can imagine, it provided items such as flour, salt, coffee and other such staples in exchange for animal hides, jewelry, etc from the Navajo. This particular building began erection in 1883 out of sandstone found locally. I did go inside and was able to smell old woods, hear creaking boards and walk through some of the rooms where things were for sale or display. Although interesting to see the traditional and original works of rugs, blankets, jewelry, etc, everything, and I do mean everything was so over priced I wouldn't even consider buying. A table runner might be several hundred dollars. Some items were in the thousands of dollars. I thought I could get a mug to add to my burgeoning collection. $25+ for a mug. The last time I paid that much for a mug was at a Celtic Thunder concert at The Fabulous Fox. I must have been overcome by the Irish testosterone emanating from the stage! There aren't any tours of the building and grounds (~160 acres) that I know about. It did appear that it was a working trading post meaning there were fields that were farrowed and barns and areas for animals whether sheep or cattle. There did appear to be a living area with a lovely walled in yard/garden area and well kept. I don't believe anyone lives there. I wouldn't tell you not to go see it. It is cool to stand in history and soak up that ambiance. (I felt that way when I stood in the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France as a junior in high school. Buildings that were hundreds and hundreds of years older than our nation!)
I have a correction to make from the last post. I thought the name of Canyon de Chelly was pronounced "Shelly", but I was incorrect. It is actually pronounced "Shay." And, from the deep dark recesses of my brain, I'm remember Judy Haynes telling me that.
First, let me just tell you how impressed I am by the schools on the reservation. The people live in poverty, but their children are educated in very nice schools. The schools are set up as elementary, intermediate, junior high and high school. Some of the children stay in dorms just as if they were in a boarding or military school. There are dorm moms and dads. They live on campus during the week and come home for weekends. Their parents' homes may not be far. Wide Ruins, which is where this was taken, is maybe 10 miles north of Ganado. My immediate supervisor has two of her children there. The security is tight. No one gets in without prior approval or appointment. I apologize for the poor quality of this picture. This young lady, whose name I did not get, but whose permission to take her picture and post I DID get, is dressed in traditional Navajo attire. The DM team attended an event called Child Find at the school. There were paramedics/firefighters, hearing and vision people, a solar energy guy, representatives from all kinds of child services type of places or professions that kids need to know about. This young lady was part of a group of children that performed traditional Navajo music either with instruments or singing in the traditional Navajo language. My camera died before I could get a decent recording of them. It was cool to be part of. We did A1c screening on the adults and had lots of freebies to give out.
The wind is AMAZING! Seriously. I keep looking for a mean lady on her bicycle peddling frantically or a girl carrying her dog in a basket to fly by. It is so bad, some days I wear a mask to walk across to the main hospital building or purchasing. We probably should have goggles as well. These two pictures are in my modular and represent the amount of dust, sand, and soil that get through the window and door jams when closed. Admittedly, the window wasn't locked, but it was closed. The door has a pathetic example of a weather strip and no storm door. Just this last week, we had the windows open in our office to let some fresh air in. By mid afternoon when the sun was high and it was warmer, the winds were really picking up gusting to 50+mph. The floor in our office was so gritty, it felt like a skating rink. We had to wipe our desks twice to get the dirt off. I had some pictures of the flags out in front of the building blowing not just straight out, but up as well. Not sure where those have gone in the world of uploading. Needless to say, the windows had to be closed. We have had some rain. Not the toad stranglers I'm told will come. That happens in July. One day I actually thought I was in St. Louis! It started out cloudy, got sunny, rainy, sunny, snowy, sun again (didn't look for the snowbow), cloudy and finally sunny again. The air smelled wonderful. Not pine scented, but a sort of tangy, sweet, spicy smell. I finally asked someone what it was and was told it was the sage brush which is everywhere here. I, being always warm by nature, am very comfortable with the temps. 40s-50s in the AM and 70s-80 in the evenings. No surprise that I go about in my scrub sleeves. Those around me are always cold unless it's in the 80s. I have the windows open in my room whenever possible. They have the heat on. The four of us have hit a happy medium of 74 degrees with the heat and 72 with the AC. When I moved in, they had the thermostat set at 77!
As of today, I'm officially under 200#. This is the first time since around 2013! I may be coming home less of a woman than when I left.
Hmmm. I have, apparently, reached the Google set limit for pictures. So, with that, I'll sign off for tonight. Thank you for taking the time to read.
Hugs. ckb
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