Thursday, June 5, 2008

Changes

Work has been exhausting. My feet are just on fire. I run for 9 solid hours. Is it my imagination or am I the only one who runs like that? It is noticeable that my assignments are stacked pretty heavily. Welcome to being an agency nurse. BUT the alternative is working weekends, holidays, and whenever they beg me to stay and do a double. This way when I am too tired I can just not sign up, take a little break. I like taking care of the patients. I've been seeing some of the docs and they remember me. It's nice. I'm actually very at home at this hospital. I worked there a long time. Monday I'm going to orient at a locked adolescent/child psych facility, now won't that be something? I hope I don't end up bawling, a lot of those kids have rough homes.

I put an ad for Lu on puppy find. Seems everybody wants a price break. I don't blame them but they are already getting a price break; about a 50% one. It'scary to offer a dog with full registration. I would die if she ended up in a puppy mill. She doesn't even like to be crated. I hate the whole idea of crates. I know some people love them, and the whole cave philosophy. I'm just old fashioned, a dog is a companion for me, stuck to the hip and sleeping by your bed. Two dogs, three cats, hermit crabs, and beta fish are a house full of critters. My pet bill is fairly substantial per month.

When I saw this college that Piglet is interested in, I knew that it is the right place for her. Who knows maybe it's why we live here now?
The school she wants to go to is small, the entire freshman class won't be more than 250 people. At Cal State Hayward I attended some classes that had that many people in them. That's the stuff nightmares are made of, those big auditoriums and a professor with a microphone. The college is a cluster of old beautiful buildings. They had put up a sign to welcome her with her name on it. Talk about a personal touch. I suppose it's expensive but not that bad, I'm sure there are colleges that cost more, and less. Has anyone been shopping schools lately? One of the real advantages to this school is they have developed a worldview program that satisfies the lower division prerequisites, except for math and science. I attended a program like that myself and loved it. They also have an independent majors college; where a young person can customize there learning to fit a goal and gain job skills without dragging there years of schooling on into infinity and beyond! Very very cool.
We were almost as blissed out touring the college as we were for graduation. It has become a number one priority. They even offer a course for freshman called Master Learners that explores career interests and helps with study skills and the like. Their population of students is 40% homeschoolers. I thought it was perfect.
If I was any good at math, I'd calculate how much 15,000 a year is in shifts; but I'd rather trust God to come up with a way. His resources are so much better than mine. I am really getting stretched in the faith department here.
Anyone have any ideas on how to make sure people tell me the truth about what kind of home they have for a dog?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow I've never given a dog away before so I don't know. I think you'll have to meet them and when you look in their eyes you'll just know.

Grandma Tillie's Bakery said...

I had to do this last year with my horse--I know what you are going through. I had the lady come out to my house on 3 different occasions to spend time with her. I watched her brushing her, cleaning her feet, loading and unloading her from the trailer, feeding her etc. I could tell by her actions each time that she was a true animal lover, not just acting.

Definitely visit the house and make them sign something you've made up saying you can visit at any time (calling ahead first for an appt. of course) to make sure she is O.K. If they won't do that I would keep on looking. I think anybody would understand that if they signed it they better darn well make sure that dog is fit and happy--kind of a form of insurance for you.

You may have to take less for her with prices for essentials like food and fuel taking priority in people's lives. It sucks, I know.

Rechelle said...

Ask a lot of questions and then ask some more. Write them down so you will be ready. I wish we could take her. I grew up with standard poodles.