"Ye know not when He cometh"

This is posted for all those who asked to see my latest work...

“Ye know not when He cometh” one act

Running time, aprox. 40 min                

 by P. A. Hanrion

Prologue:  (Prelude Music, fades, softens, and then fades to under voice of narrator. Narrator can stay seated and read from large book)

Glenna Rae:  (walks on stage to chair in front right, after she is seated notices audience)   Oh, my, look at all of you out there; you must be early for the wedding just like me.  Now I must admit Most of the time…te-he, I’m barely on time, but almost never late.  And today…I guess we all need to wait, so while we do, there is a story about another wedding I’d like to share…So sit back… relax… take a break… and imagine you’re there.

(Curtain will be open so stage set is part of the decorations: stage set with ivy arch up stage slightly right with several benches Narrator continues, music will fade as she speaks)

Years ago in this very valley, long before the City of Santa Clarita had begun and there was no freeway.  There were no stores; there was no mall, only two markets and a general store at the top of the hill way up Pico canyon.  If you wanted anything different than what the general store carried, you had to drive through the long pass to find one of the few malls in the San Fernando Valley.  So most did their shopping local, and went up the hill.  The store was remote and the last little bit was uphill on a dirt path, but most everyone went there anyway and it was said by many… “if the man up the hill doesn’t’ have it, or can’t fix it…then you don’t want it”.  Luckily at the beginning of the path was a small park where people could rest before and after the hike.  It became a gathering place for those who walked to meet the man in the shop who had what they wanted and could fix most anything they brought for repair.

Emily:  (Enters stage rt. and while talking, goes to sit on bench by park gazebo carries a map) Here I am, in Santa Clarita, everything I read about it declared it was such a nice place so when work wanted me to move, I was okay with it.  The weather is great, but I miss the fall leaves, the snow and my friends. I don’t seem to fit in around here.  And now I’m Invited to the wedding…I hardly know the groom, and have never met the bride.  I hope the shop at the top of the hill has something nice for a gift that will fit into my small budget.

Ashley:  (Enters stage left, goes to sit on bench with back to Emily, has newspaper with sale ads.)    I thought finishing my degree at school, then getting a decent job would make things easier.  But I guess it doesn’t matter where I go the bills seem to follow.  I can’t seem to stop spending.  I have so many credit cards I’m using one to pay the other.  And every purchase comes with regret.  I need to stop and do what my Bishop says and follow a budget.  Hmmm (looks at paper) But I’ll do that after I hit this one day sale and maybe find the perfect wedding gift. (exit stage left)

Jill:  (Enters stage left with bags, back pack, purse…etc., sits where Ashley was) I’m so excited about this wedding. I can finally spend some time with adults.  I’m so discouraged, first tending all my kids, and now the Bishop has asked me to be the nursery leader….again.  I guess they must think I don’t have a brain, all I do is clean up snot…But he said to pray about it, well… it makes me want to scream and then say... NO… but then again I know I’ll pray about it. Darn it! (Spills papers on floor… Emily turns to help)

Emily: You look like you could use some help, (helps to pick up papers) … are you here to go up the hill to the store. I’m new in town and have never been there, let me help carry your things, what is the shopkeeper like?  Are there nice affordable things in the store?

Jill: Thanks so much, I could use your help…Oh, yes…the shopkeeper can help with most anything and the view from up there is amazing…after the hike, you can come to my house and I’ll introduce you to my friends around the neighborhood.  Let me tell you about the shopkeeper…                                                                                                                                    
                                     music“The Shopkeeper”

Jill:   Everyone knows his face; the shopkeeper on the hill.

All through the night, the light in his window burns                              

He a-waits your call; and everyone says he sees the light that’s within your heart

Carefully wisely, perfectly planned, he knows what each person may need. He can see to your soul. 

And can guide to a path, and help you to succeed

Emily:      He can look here inside my heart?    Knows how to stop the dart

That can steal all my will?  The shopkeeper on the hill

Both:  I know he’s true kind; the shopkeeper on the hill

Rugged and steep each step of it worth the climb His door is open still, the shopkeeper on the hill

Glenna Rae:  Every woman in the town, when she visited the shop for the first time was given a lamp.  Each was as different as the women.  The shopkeeper carefully crafted the lamps and hoped his gift would complement a quality he knew each could develop within herself.  But the most important thing was to keep the light well cared for so when needed, it could keep the darkness from creeping in.  Each woman had a choice.  She could use her gift wisely-carefully, or foolishly…not checking to see if the bulbs were fresh or the cords were frayed, or never use it at all.  If her lamp was worn, or broken, the shopkeeper would quickly repair it for there was no other place in their valley that could keep the light burning brightly.

(Behind Narrator, Emily and Jill, cross stage at the end of the passage, from left to right and exit...  Emily has lamp; pantomimes excitement… Narrator smiles and continues.)

And yet there were a few who never seemed to make it up the hill.  They were always too busy and had excuses, very convincing excuses. Megan was one of those who never seemed to get up the hill to the shopkeeper, between soccer for the boys, ballet for the girls, keeping her house clean, laundry, planning her young women’s lesson, baking bread, and doing genealogy there was never time.  On the outside, to others…things looked fine, but on the inside her light began to flicker and die…something was missing… And she got depressed easily because everyone around her seemed so perfect, and she always felt a mess… Her work was never done, and she fell into bed each night so tired, often her prayers were forgotten.  She worked so hard to do everything right, and every once in a while tried to strengthen her light.

Megan:  (sloppy hair, messy, bags of stuff….and a long long list)   I don’t think I can find time to get a gift for the wedding, much less go to the celebration, I never seem prepared.
Music “More”  

Always someone needing my time.  Always something on my mind

Weighs on me, pulls at me. Help me lay down my load

For what I need most.  I will come to you today

Nothing can take your place. I will push the world away and find some time to pray

Everything else can wait. Nothing matters more than you today.  Nothing matters more today

Away in the back of my mind, somehow I will find the time to kneel and pray for help today

But in trying to be everything I’m missing the strength your love can bring

To know you, to feel you; Help me do what is right.  And remember my light

Megan: I’m late to pick up Zach from soccer; my trip up the hill can wait for another day.

Glenna Rae: Too bad, time slipped by…and she had such good intentions.  (sigh as Megan exits stage right)   And there were others in the village that somehow never got the true message of what the light could be or should be. They never sat by their lamp to enjoy the brightness warmth and inspiration it could bring.

Enter together stage right…Shellie, Stacey, and Shelly,

Shellie:  That sister with the appendix, Oh, the pain must have been severe,                                                            I’m glad she called the ambulance…it should soon arrive there.

Shelly: Thank heavens these emergencies don’t happen every day…But I’m glad we left the soup for her and got out of the fire truck’s way

Stacey: (stops to gesture at stage left) Oh look the path to the top of the hill and the shopkeeper…I don’t know about you, but I’ve neglected my lamp, I’m so busy serving…I don’t know when I’ll ever get up there to have my lamp looked after…in fact I don’t even know if it will turn on. But that’s Okay; I have very good night vision and have eaten a lot of carrots lately…trying out lots of different Jell-O recipes.   I’ve been swamped with helping plan the food for this wedding.  So how are we coming with the menu?

Music “Lime Jell O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise”

Shelly:    Ladies the food will soon be ready
today The Relief Society enrichment class and I have adorned every tray.  
For the wedding will be so grand. Our biggest best event

Shellie:  And we’ve just made a dish for it…you’ll think is heaven sent

Shelly: It’s my Lime Jell-O Marsh Mallow Cottage Cheese Surprise  

Shellie: With slices of pimiento…you won’t believe your eyes!

Shelly: All topped with a pineapple ring and a dash of mayonnaise.               
 My vanilla wafers round the edge will win your highest Praise

Stacey: And Sister Green’s Red grape mélange that’s filled with peanut mousse          To be followed by a chicken mold that’s made is the shape of a goose

Shellie:    And Ladies who must watch those pounds we’ve found a special dish

Strawberry ice enshrined in rice with bits of tuna fish

Shelly:           And my lime Jell-O marshmallow cottage cheese surprise

Shellie:    (Truly a creation that description defies)

Shelly:           I did not steal that recipe its lies I tell you lies!

Stacey:          (clears throat)    will go so well with Kimber Johnson’s creation of the week:  Shrimp salad topped with chocolate sauce and garnished with a leek.

Shellie:  But if all this is too much for you permit me to advise…

Stacey:          More Lime Jell-O Marshmallow cottage cheese surprise…

Shellie, Stacey:    We’ve made heaps

(All exit stage right, bubbling with pleasure)

Glenna Rae:   There were so many in the town who were trying to keep their light burning bright by visiting the shopkeeper regularly.  But often, they missed the mark like those three….with their grand plans…and all-be-it…good intentions… by getting so caught up in details they couldn’t see the many needs around them, or those who had lights that needed a little help to get back their lamp’s glow.

Amber:  (Jogging…enters in work out garb)  Whew, jogging five miles a day, going to the gym, then getting my nails done, takes so much time, but I must take this afternoon off from my chores to shop for a new dress for the wedding.  I simply can’t make it up that dusty hill to the shopkeeper today, besides I never use that lamp I was given when I first moved here, and none of my friends do either, although it does make a lovely decoration, and the colors do go well with my new sofa, 

Music “Work of Art” 
with perky snotty innocence

What a beautiful piece of work, a magnificent work of art                     
 I’ve never seen a design like it or as finely crafted a lamp     
As my beautiful piece of work.

How many hours did it take to carve and smooth and shape.

Friends will think I’ve spent much more I’m sure, and flatter with such fine words full of grand compliments on my taste. 

I will put it out for view. Most will think it’s new. I wish I had two

To supplement my residence, I can really show it off, Oh  my beautiful piece of work, magnificent work of art,
They’ll see just what it means to me, I’ll display it with care                                 
So all can see how wonderful I must be…Magnificent work of art

(As Amber crosses stage to exit stage right. She passes Ashley who has arms full, she stops wrinkles her nose then turns to Ashley with a fake smile)

Amber:  Must get going, Hi, Ashley, where have you been…Oh…you got something neEEEEw…  I’ll be over later to see it.  (On the way out) She should really stay home and take care of those bratty kids of hers.

(Ashley sits down while)

Three Sisters:  Pat’s silly song “Called to serve”

Here’s our Motto… Strive to serve each other  
Sound the call and to your aid we’ll troop
Like the mail man, rain and snow won’t stop us              
Faithful with our pot of soup soup soup soup
Service Render service…If it’s flu or gout or croup                                    
Service render service If you sprits tend to droop.                                    
Forward pressing forward if your hurt and you can’t stoop                              
We can fix it here my dear with our pot of healing SOOOOOOOOOOOOOoup

 (Ignore Ashley and march off stage)

Glenna Rae: Service without the light of wise inspiration may as well not be done at all, some things can’t be helped with a bowl of soup…they need food for the soul.

Ashley:  I wish I didn’t have to work and could stay home all day like Amber…maybe I’d have time to make the budget I’ve been thinking about, and I know she thinks my kids are wild, but hers are truly angels…while two of mine have learning disabilities and can never sit still, I don’t think I’ve been able to stay in the chapel and take the sacrament for over eight years.  I need the strength to carry on and make it up the hill just this once, and then I can wrap this present for the wedding.  I’m so tired    (Lights fade to evening, and Sandi enters from stage right to sit near Ashley on bench)

Sandi G:  Oh, my…I was just coming down the hill from the shopkeeper. Let me share my light and walk with you so you don’t have to walk alone. It will give you a little break.

                                                 Music “Lantern”

Evening lights retire one by one;
Tired eyes are setting with the sun.                                                           
And surely as the day is done, I can share my light,
Faces that I’ve never seen before
Some I’ve known so well I can’t ignore 
Their voices calling at my door.  Lost as the wind blow
And by the father’s light, deep within the night someone I can help to wash their tears, brilliantly it glows so our faith can grow, to stop whatever hurt the darkness brings, Bringing hope, giving life, burning brightly  it’s our Father’s light

Ashley:  I would give every tiny part, every hidden corner of my heart to mend my world that’s torn apart.  Healing the aching, reaching out, something in my soul cries out loud not for me but so much more for those within my broken heart…….Trembling and shaking

Sandi: and in the father’s light you can win the fight you can turn to him no matter what                                                                                 

Together:  Brilliantly it glows so our faith can grow   And stop whatever hurt the darkness brings, Sharing hope, burning bright,  So we can walk in our Father’s light  

(Exit up stage right and cross behind…entrance of three sisters from down right)

Three Sisters:  Pat’s silly song     “Called to Serve” tune

Here’s our motto, Strive to serve each other. 
Sound the call And to your aid we’ll troop                                       
Like the mail man, rain and snow won’t stop us.  

Faithful with our pot of soup soup soup soup             

Service Render service, If it’s flu or gout or croup.

Service render service, If your sprits tend to droop               

Forward pressing forward, if your hurt and you can’t stoop                       
We can fix it here dear with our pot of soup soup soup

Stacey:  Guess they (motions to where Ashley and Sandi Exit) don’t need any soup…so it looks as if our work here is done.  We better get all dressed up for the wedding.

(Sisters exit down stage right)

Glenna Rae:  In the village although many had good intentions, they didn’t see some needs almost right in front of them.  Some who were struggling with a lamp that had completely gone out and who was at great peril of getting lost in the dark?     

Stacey S.:  (enters with letter in pocket and puts down broken lamp….reads letter, when done holds it to her heart)    “Mom, I’m having a great time, The Italian is coming along pretty good.   We had to put up the portable baptismal font for the first time here in two years.  No Problem though, it was like Legos and then we had our first baptism, it wasn’t the Pope like I promised, but we’re working on it.  Mom, I love the lord and teaching the gospel, and I’m beginning to like pasta to. Love your missionary James.”

My last one out of the house, I guess I’m an empty nester now.  Every time I walk by his quiet room, I start to cry.  It feels so weird, not to be changing diapers, and helping kids with homework.  I keep telling George I leave on the TV all day because the house is too quiet, but now I’m hooked on some stupid shows. And with my Mother passing away, I don’t even have her to take care of… And these hot flashes.  I feel like my life is over and I’m useless. Like I’ve been fired from the only job I ever wanted and I can’t get up the energy to do much of anything. 

I don’t know if I can make it up the hill to have the shopkeeper look at my broken lamp.                          But I know he’s the only one who can help me now.

Music“Only One”                                              

I’ve walked through sorrow ‘til I could walk no more.  I’ve felt the winds of change blow so hard it’s chilled me to the core And pain has knocked at my door, but I have never hurt like this before,

Only he can take the pieces of my heart and make them whole…Only he can part the darkness and breathe light into my aching soul. One way, one light, one hope, only one.  I’ll pick up my sadness hidden and concealed.  I’ll gather all of them even ones that seem impossible to heal                                  

And I’ll place them all in His hands. What I cannot restore…he can.  Only he can take the pieces of my heart and make them whole, Only he can part the darkness and breathe light into my aching soul.    One way one light one hope, only one

(Slowly gets up and turns to go up the hill and exits left…. off stage)

Glenna Rae: hmmmm Did I forgot to tell you? It was the Shopkeeper who was the bridegroom, and ten special women were asked to bring their lamps so the glow would bring honor to their great friend as he entered his home for the celebration.  The ladies were so excited to be honored, and they waited for the call to finally come to fulfill their greatest wish.

(All ten sisters enter and gather in groups around the stage sitting on benches) 

All: two parts “Lead Kindly Light”, by John Henry Newman,

Lead Kindly Light, a-mid th’ encircling gloom, lead thou me on

The night is dark and I am far from home lead thou me on

Keep thou my feet I do not ask to see

The distant scene one step enough for me

(five foolish now gather and separate from the wise)

(unwise) I was not ever thus nor pray’ed that thou

Shouldst lead me on…I loved to choose and see my path:

but now, Lead thou me on.  I loved the garish day, and spite of fears  Pride ruled my will Remember not past years

Glenna Rae: As they waited for the bridegroom to arrive, the hour became late and they fell asleep,

(Moves to center and walks among the sleeping)

Glenna Rae: “The Bridegroom”

One day the light giver will come                                                                            
And claim those who bear hisflame                                                                      
The very trees and skies will praise his name
And some will run to meet him And find his arms at last    
And others will know their time has passed                                                  
The door will close and they will go…never to enter in                                    
They will not know him when he comes

Glenna Rae: The eleventh hour came and went, a still hush of darkest night fell over the sleeping town; then, the cry came that the bridegroom was on his way, and all the women arose excited to prepare their lamps, but something was amiss.  And some plans went terribly wrong. (lights of unwise will not light)

Stacie:   I thought I was well prepared, and that fixing my lamp would be a waste.

Stacey: Yes, we were prepared in everything except what truly mattered. 

Shelly: But we’ve been so much help to everyone else, surely….someone will share the light of their lamp so we can go to the wedding.

(The five prepared shake their heads…no we won’t help)

Ashley: We can’t help, I wish we could, but hurry you may have time to drive to the valley and get your lamps to work, better hurry, he’s coming.

Amber: But, But, I used all my extra money to buy a new dress for the wedding and didn’t have any left to get a bulb. Well, harrumph, (hands on hips) it never occurred to me he would arrive so late and we would really need our lamps, how rude… I assumed they were for decoration. And thought they wouldn’t need to be truly lit up…(whiney) someone should have told me.  Now I have to go to the ATM and find a store that’s open late.  (Stomps off…exit stage right)

Megan: Oh, hey, wait for me, I need a ride, I used all my gas taking my kids around, and I was so consumed with daily necessities of running my home I’ve kept putting off that trip to the shopkeeper to make sure my lamp would light.  I simply ran out of time.  (Runs after Amber)

Glenna Rae:  After begging the other women for help, the wise women had to tell the foolish that what had been prepared could not be shared and they could not risk letting their own lamps lose their light.  As much as they longed to help their friends there was nothing the wise women could do.  Finally the five foolish women ran out of sight, and the wise began to thank the shopkeeper for his guidance and love.

Emily: He lifted me and strengthened me, led me to the help of dear friends.  (Goes to Jill)

Jill: I was led to reading the scriptures, and that gave me discernment to see the needs of others, and I am blessed.

Sandi:  And after going through sorrows of my own, his spirit led me to others who needed his light

Ashley: When I thought I could not go on, he made up the difference.  I followed his light and was led from the darkness.

Stacey: And When I had nothing but sadness and disappointment he offered consoling peace and although my lamp was almost out, now it shines bright.

Glenna Rae: So the Wise Women went forth into the home with lamps held high to celebrate…and the door was shut and would not open again…(All wise leave stage right)

  “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh”

“When he comes”

Glenna Rae:  (joins others as they enter)

We are all invited to the feast

Wise enter singing and join Glenna Rae:

Each one of us is welcome,

From the greatest to the least. 

We hold the invitation in our hands,

It’s written in each crevice of our own lamp. 

So Promise to prepare to be there on that day. Dancing in his glory as we celebrate

Foolish Enter:  Like a lamp, the Master planned each of us with his grand design

All:   The lamp gives the light; it will burn through the night, as we wait for him to come again

Wise to unwise: There will always be enough if you run to him to fill it up Drop, by drop by drop

All:      Till we know him perfectly when he come for us

Repeat from Like a lamp with parts…all move to front.

Encore music for bows, wise+Glenna…then unwise…

Repeat singing…from like a lamp with parts…as exit one by one…to shopkeeper’s

Amber’s lamp never lights…and Sandi, comes to share hers

Last virgin stands in front, meets eyes with Glenna Rae…

Both lift lamps…and last virgin goes to shopkeepers

After music fades…

GlennaRae, turns to audience…

NOW WASEN’T THAT A GREAT STORY…!

EXITS TO STG. RT.

My Wasted Talent!!!

Today was a day like any other day until I got the call....
"Honey could you whip up a poem about a porta-pot?"
"Why" I asked? "Something happen?"
"No," he says, "It's that the porta potty on this job has become and issue and no one wants to have it visible...they've moved it several times."  "Why" I asked...  "Well," he says, "the job is at a school and they don't want it to be offensive...and I guess maybe they're embarrassed to enter when everyone can see."
"Oh, my goodness...how silly, these guys are construction workers...have none ever been to the Rose Parade and see the lines for the porta-pots...they go around the block and no one cares."

So I spend the next hour wasting my talent composing a silly poem no one will ever see except a few men in hard hats and work boots. "They can't possibly appreciate what I write or the talent it takes to compose on the spot such a thing..."  So here it is for the world to see...and maybe I'll send it to my sister in law so she can show it to my husband's construction brother...he may understand...and please forgive the not so nice word at the end, 
It's a construction worker thing...

How can you ignore me?, ode to the porta-pot

What is the thing no one will discuss?

Or has the thought to mention aloud

Ignored ‘til you need me I’m otherwise shunned

Anxious to greet me while you’re on the run,

I sit and wait for your daily visit patient enduring 

your cheeks to caress

I care not if your deposit is liquid or an odiferous mess.

No one will admit what my four walls are for

Or why your sorry ass must enter my door 

It’s a thing you all do, to get rid of your poo, 

I wonder why you’re ashamed of my walls azure blue

And when they come with the truck, hoses ready to sanitize

You turn away hold your nose, and cover your eyes

So in my exile away from all human vision

What sadness surrounds me by your outcast decision

Away from the throng, away from you all,

still travel is worth it to reach release

Whether its mild soft cheese or some hot XXX Cantonese

How can you keep me away in my dark noxious fumes?

Are you so ashamed to expel your legumes?                                       

Yet whither thou go-est, It matters naught

You’ll forever need me, your trusty olde porta-pot

With paper to soothe your sore smooth bottom

Sorry for the absent Bidet…I no got-em

I await you still; I hold no grudge…

so visit me often, no matter how far

For it’s better than putting your "stuff" in a jar.

and people wonder what I do all DAY? hmph!

Why Don't My Pants Fit?

There is a silver lining out there somewhere!

Why don't my pants fit?  I weigh almost the same as I did ten years ago.  I think gravity has something to do with my wardrobe malfunction.  It's gravity and the fact that my adipose tissue seems to migrate.  

I mean move around.  I see the advertisements for Brazilian butts.  I have the same butt only thing it's in the front.  I guess I should walk backwards and then I'd be in fashion. 

I know my condition is the result of time passing, yes, I admit it. Getting older is the pits.  A while back I went to a gerontology class so I could teach Medical Surgical Nursing.  Ha, the information they talked about is my life!  

First they mentioned your vision not only fades, but colors become more difficult to match as detailed perception also fades.  So I end up looking like a Johnny Depp character from Alice with bright colors. Ones that I thought were faded and subtle. 
And who knew..Ha..I wear glasses sometimes WITH my contacts to read pharmacy labels which are written for the little itsy bitsy Whos in the Horton story.

  
Then they mentioned that your taste is the next to go. Some young whipper snappers of about 50 years or so said "you are born with 100% of your taste buds, they don't grow back so when you destroy them with hot liquids...brain freeze cold, and Tabasco sauce your taste begins to disappear."  I think that means that by the time you are 80 you have anywhere from 25-20% of those taste buds left...that's why some of the things I hated as a kid... you know like...garlic, onions, avocados, you like in your senior years.  

That's also why old people chew on mints constantly to get rid of the bad breath from the noxious foods they eat.  Eating strong foods can at least allow you to get some enjoyment of food.  Salty and Sweet still remain, but chewing may be a problem.  I remember Patrick's dad being hooked on chips and doughnuts...makes sense now!

Balance can go pretty quick so that's the broken hip thing as you fall down because the message to the brain to re-adjust your posture or "Quick..you'll FALL" is pretty slow.  

Hot also takes a long time to reach the old thinker too and that's why my mother-in-law could take out a tray of cookies from the oven without hot pads to protect her hands...

I'm still going to try and get this five baby baggy belly to reposition or go away...but decided if I did; it would be worse.  Hmmm, one giant boob, no... a hump back, one large hip, Oh DARN! Naw.

Then I thought, "how about the thing I saw on TV the other day that flattens your stomach.  But where does that fat go...right up into your neck and thoracic cavity so you look like you have a goiter and can't breathe to boot.  So there you go!

Asphyxiate to death, while looking good!  I don't like that option.   
This is grim...so picture this, a weirdly dressed, smelly, falling down, person who is able to stand extremes of temperature due to slow neuro movement. 

But then I tried to think of one good thing as I usually do.  And decided there was one good thing; as Social security runs out WA-LA who cares!  You won't care or be bothered when forced to eat cat food and crackers because the taste and smell would be fine due to zero taste buds and no olfactory sense at all. (maybe not so okay with lumpy or stringy texture) 

You won't care about lots of miss matched old clothes either for now you can't distinguish anything except bright colors...

Hmmm , that's a silver lining, Sort-of-I guess. 

" HUH! What did you say #2"

This is a re-do because the 2012 class in pharmacology had some amazing answers to the abbreviation quiz that not only made me laugh they also would have gotten very good grades...IF this was a creative writing class...not pharmacology...See the new entries to this post below:

Today was the first exam for my Pharmacology class.  I graded the exams and began to think about all the things we can no longer do or say in class...teachers and students.  When I taught a second grade after school drama class, I clearly remember hugging and wiping tears from one young thespian who could not remember her lines...today...that hug could be beyond the boundaries set, by the child, her parents, or the school district.

It's a shame the way we are restricted and I must admit I sometimes go beyond the invisible line in the sand.
I find it hard to talk about the creation of another person, when I teach Maternal-Child Health and not sometimes mention...OH No...God, Heavenly Father, Jehovah...the big guy in the sky.  Now I'm not preaching or giving a sermon but my goodness it is hard to look upon a new born baby that was created in nine months from the DNA of two different people and not think it's a miracle beyond our understanding.  And that a greater being than a mere human had a lot to do with it.

From time to time I have a student ask ,"What do you think about abortion or pregnancy termination."  I remind them of the timeline of physical and neuro-conscious development and ask when they consider a life begins?  It is quite clear when I make that statement what I believe without putting it into words (which could come back and bite me).  But I let them figure out the answer for themselves, knowing that today the climate is very different from when I was in school.  Over 40 years ago when I first worked in Labor and Delivery, one of the things we were allowed to do as nurses was declare our feelings on the issue of pregnancy termination and we were not required to participate in the procedure.  Fancy that one happening today.

All this leads me to some interesting and very 21'st century answers on the medical abbreviation quiz.  We list medical abbreviations such as PRN (whenever necessary) or TPR (temperature, pulse, respiration) and expect the student to fill in the blank with the appropriate meaning of the abbreviation.

Since nursing and medicine in general has it's own language, knowing these abbreviated terms is a critical part of a student's knowledge and an important part of communication between professionals.

Some of the answers were very creative and others gave me insight as to how much the world has changed.


               Medical Meaning                         Student Answer
ADL      activities of daily living          active dance life
           (watching dancing with the stars last night?)
ac          before meals                        electric plug
           (electrition husband?)
bid         twice a day                   what you do at an auction
           (watches antique roadshow?)
CHF      congestive heart failure      crummy reaction found
      (I think I'm having a crummy reaction to these answers)
Derm     Dermatological                    like a germ only nicer
          (what were you thinking?)
DNR     do not resuscitate                 Do Not Run!
          (good if you work at the pool)
HA         headache                   hard ass, holding account
          (has a nasty boss...see previous blog entry of 2/22)
HDL      High Density Lipoprotein      honey do list           
          (must have been one of the male students)
INR     International Normalized ratio      ingestion required
          (not bad try)
ER          Extended Release               Erection returning
          (used the little blue pill recently)
GTT       Glucose tolerance test       Gut toughness test
          (another creative try)
MED     minimal effective dose   medical emergency Do over
          (AND don't tell anyone this happened)
NPO     Nothing by mouth                Not pleasant odor
          (code brown)
optha   ophthalmic      opthamolicalology, orthomydiacal,   
           (if I use enough letters maybe I will be right)               
 SR        sustained release               sometimes rancid
           (the NPO was SR?)
SubQ   sub cutaneous                     sub-courteously
           (is this a spelling error?)
SL        sub lingual                         standing lateral
           (Or sitting posterior?)
OT       occupational therapy         over there
           (over there...where?)
SOB      shortness of breath           someone obnoxious
           (Watch out! SOB-OT)
LR        Lactated Ringers               lactating regularly
           (can male patients do this?)
RTU     ready to use                      regular time uncertain,
                                                    religious talk underway
            (Oh my! is this test over yet?)
PVC  premature ventricular contraction      plastic pipe
            (husband is a plumber?)
Tx        treatment                       Texas
            (How long ago did you move to Calif?)
Tab      tablet                         totally awsome babe,
                                                   taboo
              (Ot is a Tab who is LR....try that one)
pc         after meals                    politically correct
            (Really?)

HUH, what did you say?

"Look for the Good, You'll find it, Even in Nasty Meanies", maybe

With a new class of students on the horizon and a new hospital to take them to; I have my nasty people worries welling up within me.  Will the mean old man doctor be there?  The one who gets mad if you sit in his chair (never saw his name on it) or the one that is so tall he can’t help but look down his nose at everyone and scare any intelligent answer right out the window. 

And then there is the eerie green reflection of the monitors in the DOU unit (Definitive observation Unit) into the glasses of the secretary ward clerk who has had her big butt in the same seat for 20 years and treats everyone as if she was the Queen of England.  She even talks to everyone about herself in the third person…  Beverly wants you to know “If you can’t get the monitor on correctly, then don’t try!”  The first time she reprimanded my nursing students who have more education in their toes than she has in all lobes of her cranium; I thought, “Who is this Beverly? Some doctor…cardiologist, or who?…guess what? That Beverly was HER!  Imagine, I expected her to begin the royal wave!”

As a nursing student…and their professor, you get very thick skin.  Or at least you try to.  (I got practice as a school board member) Somehow most of the health care workers treat students like the door mats of the hospital, and expect them to bow and scrape.  I have to tell the students to remember how it feels and in 20 years when they are in charge, "be kind to the students." 

It has been said that Nurses eat their young, but these days there is very little left to much-upon after the health care populace gets at them. 

I try to prepare my kids, (they are really young and mostly inocent I become a protective tiger mom while I have them in my class.)  One particularly difficult day as we sat discussing our patients before we left the hospital for the day(behind closed doors). Several were concerned about the cool reception and mean comments made by the staff.  I said, “Don’t think if someone acts nasty or mean it’s you.  It could be something has gone wrong in their life.  Like the doctor who has a wife who just left him, or the nurse who has a sick cat, or maybe even, I don’t know something like her dog died the night before.  If it’s you or something you did, I’ll let you know, and try to help, so don’t worry about the crusty looks you’ve been getting. 

About a week later one of the more shy girls pulled me aside and said, “I know what’s wrong with that one really mean nurse.”  “Oh, you do?” I said, thinking she had some special insight.  “Yes,” she said with a sly smile.  “I figure she owns a kennel, and has lots of dogs, and every night one dies.” She turned away with a special spring in her step.  And I thought, “Ya know, maybe she’s right.”

Mean people suck!  I know that’s not a nice word, but the truth hurts…and sometimes people deserve to hear the truth.  Pollyanna is my middle name, and if something goes wrong, I figure the odds are that something soon will turn out right…like the saying…there is so much horse #$@# in this pile, if you dig deep enough you’ll find a pony.  I know some folks see everything with cracked glasses, or have the chemical thing going that puts them on a downer.  I’ve been lucky in that for the most part I can find something decent about a bad situation.  I don't think anyone has the right to take out their bad day, or bad life on those around them...the unfortunate thing as one bad apple can turn the entire basket rotten, which often happens in the work place.  You...and I should be the ones to stop the spread of being mean! 

On one vacation we had so many car problems I lost weight running down the road to the service station looking for parts to repair our trusty (or untrusted) station wagon.  So when I usually gain weight in a vacation, this is one of the few where I lost weight.  And beside that at the end of the trip we were towed backwards through the Mojave Desert while all seven of us were still sitting in the car….the older kids wanted to put paper bags on their heads they were so embarrassed, but they all admit we saw the most amazing sunset, which we would never have seen if we were driving and all facing in the other direction.  I have found, it depends on your point of view, or where or how you view a situation that will determine if you find it positive or negative.  So if all seems lost and you are full of despair, get up and change how you look at what you have lost, and you may discover it’s not so bad…easy for me to say.

One day soon I’ll talk about my seven years of badbadbad luck…or more accurately, no luck at all.

"Happy Valentines Day, I just opened my Christmas Cards!"

This is a huge confession…sad but true, I just read my Christmas cards and those lovely, yet sometimes long winded notes and missives.   You know one would think at my age…and the age of most of my friends.  The overdone messages should be forgotten, suffice it to say, “Hey! I’m alive, my spouse is too…or not, and my kids are not in drug rehab.  The grandkids haven’t started to drive yet so you are safe on the roads for another year…and leave it to that!  I must admit I run a lot of ink on a montage of photos…mostly sent to folks who wonder who the squinty eyed people are but who sort-of recognize one or two on the page.  Oh well maybe I’ll do better next year…but I doubt it.  My busy notch has been at the top for several weeks now and I see no rest in sight.  Between the play, I mostly wrote in just a few days, and now the contract with Cedar Fort, I am the run around person extraordinaire.   

And on top of that one have I told you yet my hubby has decided to re-do the ceiling in every room…yes you can imagine the mess. Take down the cottage cheese and then put up a new knock down something ceiling he expects me to paint…Ya! Right! And considering how long it took to do the doors. 

Oops the last one needs painting. (my job) and is not done yet.  And when it is all done we put the house for sale and move…yes out of Calif. unless we get some huge influx of cash. (One can always hope as I lovelove the beach)  Enough to pay for the welfare of about 5.3 people who are here illegally including health care and the TB they bring in.  Hey! What ever happened to Ellis Island where my relatives landed where they lifted your eyelid with a button hook and sent you back home if your sclera looked red…or maybe even a little pink!  No coughing was allowed either.  

When I was a nursing student we treated the TB patients at Olive View hospital who lived in bungalows and handed them huge cups of pills to consume until the organism was encapsulated and they were no longer communicable.  Now if you even mention someone looks sick you are told to shut up or you will be labeled racist. 

I say, not racist…just wary of new organisms and junk brought in by unsuspecting folks.  And if they went through proper procedure, they would be treated before they could bring such stuff into our country.  Okay enough of that rant!  I’ve just seen the county clinics loaded down with entire families of 16 or 17 coming in for medication.  Medication I am paying for and the cost is driving many out of the state they have lived in for all, or most of their life.  NOT FAIR Governor Brown.

We did go to the beach for our anniversary, relaxed and saw some old friends...it will make me very sad to move away.  Every time we go to Hollywood beach we see something different like these little critters who wash up on the beach then run away to the sand!

Future Farmers Beauty Contest? OH BOY!

Ali, one of my first grand children has been an outdoor girl since she was a bouncing baby.  She travelled on her mom's back up in a forest above Cedar City.  You see Megan's first job after she graduated from college was a survey on Cedar Mountain.  Meg timed Ali's birth to arrive the Christmas break before she graduated and so this little girl was watching leaves and the sky and critters from a very young age.  She was never much into fluffy pink things much like her mother who you had to hog tie to wear a dress to church. 
At a very young age Ali would carry around caterpillars and bugs in her pockets, then moved on to lizards and small animals.  Now at 14 she is a horse whisperer, and has several horses she has trained from colts.  For her first vehicle, (she can already drive a tractor) she is fixing up an old truck her Uncle Bruce used to haul water out to the cows.  She will get this rusty piece of junk running long before she can drive it legally on the streets. 
She has entered the county fair and been active in Future Farmer of America for several years showing her prize sheep.  One would think, Okay, a farm girl, and a bit, well, you know on the hokey side.  NOT SO, She is an extremely attractive young lady, quite bright (wants to be a veterinarian, but will most likely get a track scholarship to help with the cost.) and with the added bonus she can get covered in grease or other farm stuff, and still look attractive and feminine enough that her dad is considering setting up an electric fence around their house.

We were surprised a bit when Megan called to tell us Alie had entered in a beauty contest.  Yet not surprised to hear she had won the local contest once we got the full explanation that it was a FFA Beauty contest which consisted of a rope pull, driving a tractor and moving manure from one side of a barn to another, and then the topper was a timed gutting of a fish.

"Oh, no wonder she won."  "And then she had to answer questions," Meg told us.  "Questions on what cut of beef is the most expensive and what grain was selling for the highest price."  Saturday as she moved on to the regional competition she had to change a tractor tire (no problemo) and do several other farm type activities.  Tomorrow will be the portion where she will walk around in a prom dress.  That may be tough as she is much more comfortable in cowboy boots than high heels.  We are waiting to hear how that went...film at 11:00.

"I'm A Bag Lady'

    So here I am…!      Judy Phan took my picture for the back of the book cover for Cedar Fort…She erased some of my wrinkles I think...thank's Judy, Judy Judy (sorry couldn't resist) I am discovering without an agent maneuvering through contracts and lists of things they want at the publisher (*Cedar Fort Inc.)  is a bit of a maze for a novice like me.  At my age I should be sitting and knitting and crocheting.

 Ha! Fat chance for that one…I’m too nervous.  I just read an article they are doing away with lots of the OCD, Attention Deficit Diagnosis… (Which I always thought was a lack of running around and stuff to do, like milk the cows, or plough the south 40 kind of stuff.)

So anyway  I can sit for about 10 min every evening before I begin my pop up routine, do other stuff and then forget what I was doing in the first place, It’s just that when I sit down, then I remember what I need to do and try to get some other chores done. Also Remember I’m a bit OCD and have to keep moving. EXAMPLE:  I drove to Oceanside to see a “lady doctor” to care for my lady issues.  (They keep changing their office…soon it will be in Mexico I think.)  Before it was in Palm Springs, then I went to a guy in Chandler AZ…Palm Springs was a fast drive and if I wanted my brother Tim has a house down there I could stay in If I was too tired to drive back…BUT now the drive down the I-5 it is a bear so on the way home I began to fall asleep.  I stopped to walk around, when I said I was tired and had a bit of a drive one of the ladies near said I should go to Starbucks next door…I didn’t, but It was tempting…then I thought of how much their drinks cost…and the thought was gone. I stoppd at a mall of course…found nice stuff for my husband, but not for me well...too much…although I tried on a bunch…that alone will wear  you out, so by the time I got home I was pooped.(mostly from calculating the percentage of money off I should get at the sales!)

Did I mention this is a replacement blog entry for a previous entry…that I accidently erased due to the changes in the blog site?  Please Please quit doing that whoever is in charge of this blog site!

That reminds me of my sons, who every time they are here change prgrams on our computer.  I think they forget that we with OLD minds do not do well with change.  So if the blog-spot wants to keep us more matur4e writers, they should not keep changing stuff…it takes long enough to learn one program, much less two…or three or more...and even then it is hard to remember what we did to get the site the way we want it…never mind that I keep changing things…that’s so I don’t get bored of looking at the same things. ANYWAY>>>

In the previous message to myself, and I say this because I am still not convinced enough people read this to make it worthwhile…however, I will continue as I believe it may be in some ways soothing to write stuff down.  So I will tell the story again…back to bags…"I am a bag lady."

I have bags for each class I teach Sunday School, nursing classes, and also for a Play I am directing as well as other kinds of church stuff, sewing, knitting, embroidery projects etc.  I even put up a big coat hanger in the room where I have all my projects and have every hook full of a bag…  It keeps we a little organized.  But woe to me If I pick up the wrong bag when I am rushed and going out the door in a hurry.  I have to be very careful as I wouldn’t want books on cardiology for a class I’m teaching on the Bible.  Or to take my crochet bag to my Pharmacology class. 

The other day the phone rang.  Silence.  Then breathing, and"Ah, u-m, so Grammy, We got your package with the purse/bag for mom."  “That’s nice honey, thanks for the call”  "So um Grammy, Ali and Brooke got one for Christmas and now my mom has one…ah um…so…Silence.  So Honey, Beth, you would like one too.” Yep”, she says.  “Well I could make you one if you like.”   “Yep,…sigh” was the answer and then

she hung up.

Oh foolish me, I should have known she would want one since everyone around her has one, so now I have another project on its way and another bag hanging down the hall in my project room.  Hopefully I don't confuse that bag with my Sunday School class bag.

How to make Plastic bag-Bags!!?

Plastic-bag-Bag”…or “Give it to Da Man…bag” http://writergrams.blogspot.com  do not pay for grocery bags!

Since they are now charging at a lot of places for plastic bags because of all the tree hugger green people, (didn’t they used to try and cajole you to use plastic instead of paper?)  I think its fun to go into the store and collect my groceries in bags made out of “their” bags….who needs their stinking bags anyway?  And if milk spills in one you made from their  bags you can put it in the top part of your dish washer for cleaning (the ones you crochet are quite sturdy), re shape it and use again…tada!

You can use any size hook from a g to a J...the bigger the hook the faster it will go, but the more bags you'll use...then you must save about 80-100 plastic give away bags…you can cut them into 1 ½ strips…you don’t need to be neat…start from the bottom of the bag going around.  Roll them up like yarn….you don’t have to do all at once, if you get tired of cutting, go ahead and crochet for a while.  (You can get lots of places to give you extra bags, or have put each item in a separate bag before they charge for bags or the new tax hits.  It is easier to cut if they haven’t been used or all crinkled up!)

Get different colors and designs on bags for different effects…some bags are heavier and the strips can be narrower…changing colors can give a stripe pattern…where the bags are tied together you can weave the ends in…put them hanging on the inside…or the outside…(I like that as it looks fluffy)

Foundation row:  chain to the about 2 inches width of bag you want…anywhere from 12 -25 inches, your bag will be larger than your foundation row.

Bottom:  single crochet in second chain from hook.  Work to end of row.  On end crochet three stitches then single crochet down the other side of chain. (You are going around in a circle…or oblong to be exact) then when you get to the end of the second side of your chain…three single crochet in end and then down the other side with single crochet again, increasing on the end with each row.

Body: Continue crochet around until the bottom is as wide as you want.  Usually 3-5 inches wide, (if you want a very wide bag you may end up doing increases at corner stitches so your bottom doesn’t roll up) now once the bottom is done you will continue going around except you will NOT add stitches when you get to the end.  The work will begin to grow into a bag shape…you may even have to decrease a stitch or two to get it to travel up into the tube (bag shape you want. When you get the body of the bag, make it as deep as you want then bind it off…

Patterns: Different colors make stripes or other patterns with the bag colors or print on bags you have.

Handles:  join yarn at the open end of the bag where you want handle to begin.  Chain to make it the length you desire.  Then single crochet back and forth to the width you want. (I usually do three to four rows)  Each time you are back at the purse top make sure you attach the handle to the body of the bag.  When done then slip stitch other end to the corresponding place on the same side of the bag.  Repeat.

Strength addition:  to make sure the handles are strong, do another row of single crochet around both handles joining at the body of the bag as you go around.  Using a contrasting color bag ads style, whatever that is?

Decoration can be shreds of different colors around or one side, or add, pockets on the inside or out, I like making flowers and sewing with the bag-yarn to the front…are also a nice touch I think.

This will be on my blog with pictures… http://writergrams.blogspot.com   Have fun and when people ask about your bags… you can smile and think inside your head…”I gave it to da man.

I'm not Lazy!

I'm not lazy!  I've been so busy writing...amazing how much time things take.   I'm writing a Radio-Theater piece..."Murder at the Convent", hopefully to be heard on KBET...and to be followed by others.

Also doing an adaptation of "The Ten Virgins" which was way too slow for my liking, without a wit of humor..and half way through watching the tape I was hoping the last five virgins would get married so they didn't have to sing their song of woe!  Sean McLaughlin who is an amazing composer is helping with the music to spice it up....It took four days and over 50 hours to come up with a workable script for a 45 min production...with music. (lyrics by me).  Now I only have to direct the production...a piece of pie, or is that cake?

Then...WONDER OF WONDERS... got a contract in the mail to publish the "Jingle Bell Bum"...any one who got a chance to read it got a freebie....it is now back under wraps awaiting Cove Fort Inc.  tender touch to make it perfect and get it to a book store for at least $5 near you!

Promise to write something of more interest next week...I promise..

Oh by the way, he got up the last door and is now taking off the cottage cheese from the ceiling and putting on a knock down finish.....this may take until 2020   so don't plan to move just yet...so far it's a huge mess, but in the old girl's room upstairs...I can hardly wait (just kidding) for the living room to be blessed by the hand of the hubby....film at eleven...of a murder...or NOT!

What I got for Christmas, reminds me I was like Loretta Young, feel like Napoleon Dynamites' Brother, and had breakfast with Katherine Hepburn.

It has been a fun and interesting holiday, I got for Christmas a neat-o device...a Kindle...yes I admit it...I folded...got another piece of technology...I feel like Napoleon Dynamites' brother.."I love technology", no pages to turn, no nice smell of the book binding.

But then again, it will fit nicely in my clipboard at the hospital and I won't have to rip my trashy novels into pieces to fit in the little space under the clipboard writing area. Oh, yes...I would sneak the pages out during my lunch to read...often hidden in a nursing magazine so I would look studious.

This nice tiny device downloads books pretty quickly, but I was having a bit of a problem getting the thing to work...I hope I have it fixed now that I have taken a total of eight hours fiddling with it...as it is one of those things..."HOW do it know?" If it won't work...since I have no idea how it works in the first place...I would never be able to get it fixed myself...

And have you ever talked to one of those tech-help guys...sitting in India, or some such place...named Peggy of course, they all try to sound like Americans. HA! as if I couldn't tell in two seconds they were on another continent!  Anyway, those guys are a pain and so far I have never had one of them ever help...for example...the story about one day when Mike and I tried to build Patrick a computer and the processor blew up! What a mess!

Against our better judgement we called the help number...The guy on the other end kept saying "What does the bios-say?" "Hey, buddy, the screen is black..blank." I yelled into the receiver, only to get the question again.  "So tell me now, What does the Bios say?"  "Dude", I said loudly, "Can't you get it...no screen on...no bios to SEE or read..."Now mam, (the condescending voice said) simply...take a little peek, What does the Bios say???  I hung up and returned the smoking thing to Fry's electronics...AND, I have to tell you honestly that before I left the return counter I saw them shrink wrap it-up and put a price tag on it..."HEY! that processor does not work...It blew up!" I said,...The guy just looked at me and smiled..."Now are you sure honey?"  I stomped off and I know some tech-slob bought that processor and is cursing out someone thousands of miles away who is asking..."hmmm, now...tell  me...What does the bios say fella?"

Yes I admit I read silly novels at work because after a while how many times can you read about child birth, care plans, wound care, and insulin administration so I do read the occasional book of nonsense, for after 50 years as an RN I feel entitled.

Hey wait a half a mo...No! I can't be that old..no way, impossible!  I was a child nurse I know.  Wore pigtails delivering  my first babies, and when I worked as a research assistant with a doctor who took care of mostly movie stars and politicians, broke the rule frequently "not to go out with patients". Heck, I was a child, and tinsel town was exciting.  I went to more star-studded parties than an astronomer, AND frequently dated people you would know if I mentioned them, but I won't, today.  I broke the rule because I was a kid who thought the rule did not apply to me, and I know my mentor and doctor, Martin Covel  MD. of Beverly Hills and USC. (thought I was more like Loretta Young than anyone he knew because I could not open a door without throwing it aside to make a grand entrance     
...anyway, he surly knew ( don't call me Shirley, sorry I can't help it.) I broke the rules all the time and kept his mouth shut because he knew most of the patients treated me like a mascot of sorts, and would be upset if he fired me.

In fact when I first suggested I leave his employ after I married my Frenchman, he lured me to stay with the same pay, yet dropped me from 8 hours to 5 hours, (quite the deal in those days.)  I did that for another three years, giving B12 shots to hung over actors by driving to the studio, and going to the sets where they were working.  I guess it was a glamorous job now that I think about it, and a good thing there was some bit of cerebral activity to keep my brain busy gathering and assisting to gather data or I would have been very bored.  Weird that it was many years later that I took statistics to get my BSN...since I had been fully immersed in compiling and calculating data for this job not even realizing I was doing a statistical analysis.

For this very gruff doctor (yet a cream puff on the inside) at lunch time we provided him with a fat free diet as he was very rotund.  His wife insisted (he married his first secretary) and I heard, not too long after I left his employ he died of a heart-attack.  He loved rich food, but worst of all he smoked.  He CLAIMED he didn't.  But my Loretta Young behavior of slamming open the sliding doors without a knock...caught him often with a cigarette, which he quickly threw into his trash can...or the drawer with his patient charts where he hid his ashtray. (many of the charts had burn holes in them).  He couldn't fool me...first, because of my great nose...and then because smoke would frequently be wafting from the bottom drawer of his desk as his charts went up in smoke...I would leave and quickly return with a large glass of water...and a towel...then exit his office.  I guess we both had secrets...and told no one.

During those years, the late '60s, I was especially friends with Vicki Carr, and we went to lunch together often.  I think she thought that me in a nurse uniform kept her anonymous as she was a very popular singer at the time.  And whenever Katherine Hepburn who would ride her bike into the office and sleep on the couch in the waiting room while waiting for the doctor to arrive for her physical often we'd walk down to the corner and have breakfast after I drew her blood for tests.  At first I made her toast with jam and coffee, but she said "Dear, I need a more substantial breakfast and would like some company." and I know she did need a bigger breakfast (or so I thought)...as I was quite skinny in those days, but she was very tall and looked even thinner than me.  She wore a scarf on her head and sun glasses and no one ever knew who she was...and I guess being with a kid dressed in a nurse uniform was her celebrity disguise.  She didn't talk a lot and wanted to know about my life.  I told her about my husband and all the softball games he pitched in.  It seemed she liked hearing about anything that wasn't acting.  I wasn't very impressed with the famous folks who came into the office there in Beverly Hills on Wilshire Blvd., including Richard Nixon and Walt Disney (who once also wanted me to keep him company during his breakfast)...I guess because with my dad in the movie industry I was around what one would call "stars" for most of my life. I only thought of people as nice, kind, or mean and nasty.  What a person did for a living never seemed to make a difference much to me. I remember once making friends with the cleaning lady from next door.  The fellow who lived there was the director/producer of the original Godzilla.  Everyone thought he must have been Japanese, but he was Jewish, and I remember he was also a diabetic...his daughter let me play their piano and we would sneak  candy out of his stash for if he went into insulin shock.  I know my indifference to famous or celebrity people was one of the things this Doctor liked about me.

When Martin hired me he didn't know my father was in the movie industry...I think the main requirement was to be somewhat attractive, and very smart (he gave me a math test as part of the interview).  Wow! Now that I think about it...my second job as an RN nurse was perfect for me...awesome, and really fun!