Mundane to Insane

Besides being a pretty darn good cook, I can claim quite a few other designations:  a wife of 50+ years married to the same man (!), a mother of four, a professional nurse, a teacher of students ranging from Kindergarten through college-level, an amateur watercolorist, an accomplished gardener, a seamstress when necessary, a sometimes-musician, an avid lover of Nature, and a friend.  Jack-of-all-trades, perhaps master of none, but satisfying and gratifying.  And best of all!!! -- I'm a MiMa to FIVE rapidly growing grandchildren :-)

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I retired over 8 years ago (sort of), contracting to fund-raise for the Family Planning clinic and coordinate quality assurance for the Public Health office where I had been working.  In mid-2020, I returned to the full-time workforce to join the County Health Department with the COVID response in our region, which occupied many of my waking hours (and often kept me from sleeping, too!).  On 11/18/2023, I was paid to work in the flu vaccine clinic at the County Health Department for the very last time.  Anything I have done as a Public Health Nurse since has been as a volunteer.

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In mid-2024, I worked with a team to establish a foundation for Public Health in our community. We set up a working Board to assess needs, plan how to meet them, implement the plans, and continually evaluate outcomes. We have been extraordinarily successful, thanks to the overwhelming generosity of donors and to grant funds obtained for specific projects. The Health Department was able to survive with the funds raised to meet significant costs not covered by government funding.

 

I struggle with how to keep alive and share all of the above parts of myself.  While this website has been shuttered completely for months, I'm hoping it will soon serve as the hub, once again, of my many interests and provide inspiration to others who cherish their life experiences.