My family, about twenty-five years ago.

My son broke into the home we rent to Gracie on Monday night.  Gracie heard a noise downstairs and when she went down to investigate she found my son sitting at the kitchen table holding my grandson.  She freaked out, there was a lot of yelling and screaming and the police were called.  My son was arrested again, he had outstanding warrants, and he was high.

Sadly the police only kept him overnight and the next day he was texting me and harassing Gracie.  He also put cockroaches in her coffee maker while he was there, hoping to have her declared an unfit mother I'm guessing.  Child protective services is now involved which is probably a good thing.  Gracie is afraid that if she presses charges that my son will kill her when he gets out of prison.  I don't even know who my son is anymore.

On top of this we have COVID-19.  Every morning at work there are new signs and new protocols.  This morning I had to escort a woman with breast cancer and her crying daughter to a room for further assessment because the woman kept coughing.  She is fine, she has congestive heart failure which causes her cough but I had to follow the rules.  The daughter is terrified that her mother won't get the treatment and surgery she needs now.

I turned around and there was a patient sent from another hospital without a chart or goals of care and hardly any report given to the EMS.  Another EMS crew later in the day told us that the unit the patient came from is short staffed and chaotic because of how many nurses called in sick.

We're busy moving chairs, trying to give patients more room apart from each other, social distancing which is tough in an already too small hospital.  Chairs are lined up down the hall now, two at a time and patients are asked to only bring one or two people with them to appointments now.

One of our own nurses is off sick for two weeks, the coworker who is always at the front of the line to take time off.  It's actually easier without her there.

So work is stressful and tiring.  We're all running all day and as the senior nurse people keep looking to me for answers.  My feet are killing me and I've had a headache since last week from tight muscles on my neck and back.

On the upside, I'm not sick.  I don't have cancer.  The big guy and I rarely go out so not much has changed in our day to day lives.  We can't see Miss Katie this weekend though as her agency has asked that non essential visits be canceled for the time being as they have a high risk population.

A photo to make you smile.  Our next door neighbor's dog, the one in the middle with the smile on her face, has figured out how to climb on top of the playhouse in their backyard and jump over the fence.  Her name is Ellie and she and Heidi can play for hours.  Lucy is less impressed with the whole thing.

Stay well my friends.