The marsh marigolds are blooming at the dog park.  I'm always happy to see them bloom in the springtime, and they fill the boggy areas with their colour.

The dogs had a wonderful time, especially Charlie.  He doesn't walk at the park, he only runs.  

The ponds around Sherwood Park are slowly refilling with all the rain we've had over the past couple of weeks, making the ducks, coots and pelicans happy.  I think when I'm retired I'll spend some time at this pond, with my husband's telephoto lens, capturing the wildlife.

As for me, only four days of work left.  I finished up my CPR course yesterday, probably the last one I'll ever take, after forty years of CPR courses.  I saw a patient of mine yesterday whom I call my Georgia peach and I was so glad I got to say goodbye to her before I retired.  She's from Georgia and has a lovely southern accent.  She and her husband are driving down to Geogia this summer for their granddaughter's wedding.  I gave her a big hug and wished her well.

I saw another patient on Monday who looked vaguely familiar.  She is the same age as me and a trans woman but she was a man when she started coming to us ten years ago.  We talked, a lot, and she was so easy to talk to.  After we were all done and she was sitting in the hallway, I realized who she had been as a man.  I can't imagine how difficult it would be to go through a transition at our age.  What was so strange for me was how much we talked, much more than when she had been a man.  Was it her?  Was it me?  Do I treat men and women differently?  I'm sure I do but because I had her as both a man and a woman, I was shocked at how differently our conversation went.  Or was she just a lot happier as a woman?  Affected by the hormone changes in her body? Did she feel more comfortable sharing as a woman, than she ever was as a man? I don't know the answer but I do know it was lovely to see her.

Yesterday morning one of the xray techs gave me a small retirement gift and a card with a painting on it called, "Not Forgotten".  She told me how much she had enjoyed working with me and said that she would not forget me and then I burst into tears.  

Yesterday I was also working hard to finish up my CPR course online and one of the other nurses, the one who always does the bare minimum required, said that she needed to work on her course.  I told her that I only had four days of work left and I needed to complete the course.  I asked her when her CPR expired and she told me the end of June, mine expired a week ago so I told her that I'm going to leave the floor and finish it.  I stood up to her and I was proud of myself.  This is the same nurse that often has an "injury" just before summer and requires the summer off.  This year it's her back.  She was fine for four months of holidays but now that she's back to work, she can't manage.  Everyone is longing for her retirement.  She told me that she would not be able to make it to my retirement party and I bit my tongue and did not say, "I didn't want your there anyway."  

I worked very hard in the garden last weekend and I've been suffering with sore knees since, unable to sit down on the toilet without holding onto something.  It's getting better but I remember my mum having this same problem.  WTF!  I'll be pissed if everything starts to give out just as I retire:)