YEAH!

Two weeks after I blogged my tantrum about my hearing, I received the decision from the judge. APPROVED! All the waiting, doctor's appointments, lawyers, hospital visits culminated in this one moment of ecstasy. The judge found my claim of disability from September 01, 2004 to be valid. Finally. They will contact me by mail in the next 60 days with payment information regarding back pay and future benefits. My lawyer says it may take up to 6 months to receive the first check. That's OK. I can wait. I've waited this long. As long as I know it is coming. Yeah!!

I'm Ready

I have been a Surgical Tech for 20 years now. Even thought I am not currently working, it is still how I see myself. I miss working; I never thought I would say that. I loved my job, I was good at it and I want to go back. Though I'm not sure I can, at least not as a Surgical Technologist. I have a plan for the repair of my back, though nothing is guaranteed! I cling to the hope that removing the screws and rods from my back will give me enough relief to function again. Even if this repair plan is completed, I'm not sure I can go back to being a full time scrub. Eight hours a day on my feet, holding retractors and contorting my body into unnatural positions to help the surgeons may not be possible anymore.

I have always wanted to complete my Registered Nurses degree and now seems like the perfect time. It would be a lot easier on me as a nurse in the operating room. Their jobs are less physical, and coincidentally they get paid much more! I already have 52 college credits and have completed most of my prerequisites. As luck would have it, the local college is going to start a nursing program in 2009. That will give me just enough time to fix my back and complete the 5 courses I still need for entrance to the program. I would finish with an Associates in Science degree. It may seem unrealistic to some, but you have to have a plan and a dream. I think I need something to look forward to.

Getting Hot

Another summer in Barstow. The tempera-ture hit 112 degrees today. That's the hottest I've seen it this year. Just wait though, July is coming. I'll let you know when it gets over 120!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day dad! This is my father Tony. I love you and am glad are relationship has grown over the years. Hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday Judy!

Today is Judy's Birthday! Yeah! This is Judy with her dog, Nina. We all loved Nina very much, sadly she has passed away. Nina was a good friend of James and I. We hope you have a great birthday and we love you very much.

FRUSTRATION!

Today marks the 3 month anniversary of my hearing before an Administra-tive Law Judge from the Social Security Administra-tion. THREE MONTHS! I don't understand what could possibly take them so long. How much effort goes into saying "yes" or "no"? I have stated before that my time in front of the judge lasted no longer than ten minutes. He barely looked at me. What is the problem? I need an answer! My personal theory is that a rich judge who lives in Hawaii could care less about my problems. Sad.

Happy Birthday Sheryl!

Today is Sheryl's Birthday!! Hooray! James and I have known Sheryl since we were traveling nurses together at Torrance Memorial Hospital. We worked together from 1998-2000. We were a great team! I always loved to work with her. She is one of the best Operating Room nurses I have ever known. She is now in Oakland, CA and we hope to see her soon. Many Happy Returns!! James and I love you very much.

It's A Boy

Congrats Judy!

This is Coco. He is the new addition to my friend Judy's family. He is a one year old pit bull. Isn't he cute!

Happy Birthday Daniel!

Today is my nephew Daniel's Birthday! Happy Birthday! Above is a picture of Daniel when he was 1 year old in June of 1988. Below that is a picture of him a few weeks ago. Wow! How time flies, I still remember him at 1.

Daniel is going into the Military in one month and James and I wish him only the best. Take care of yourself, James, your Uncle Steve and the rest of your family love you very much. Have a great Birthday and we wish you many happy returns.

Steve Loves Bats III

This is the Honduran White Bat (Ectophylla alba). This bat has a fluffy snow white coat. Their ears, face, nose and parts of their legs and wings are bright orange. This is a very small bat. They range from 4-5 cm. (1-2 inches), about the size of an adults thumb. They live in colonies of one male and several females. They live in rainforests that have heliconia plants. They cut the spine on a heliconia leaf to form a tent. The colony takes shelter under this tent from the tropical rain as well as any predators. One colony has several tents in a patch of forest where they feed. They like to eat fruit and other vegetation.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! You are a great mother and I love you very much. Have a great day. This is a picture of me, my sister Dee and my mother Dolores. I look around 2 years old, so it must be around 1967 (just a guess though).

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy mother's day mom. I love you very much, and hope you have a great day, James.

The Answer Is Yes!

I haven't posted for a while. I hurt my back and have been taking it easy. You might say "But Steve, Isn't your back already hurt? Shouldn't you be taking it easy already?" And I would say, "Nobody likes a smart ass!" I was trying to fix the garden drip system, I needed to stop some drippers, (slow water emitters) we are not using anymore. I went at it for a few hours straight. STUPID! I have not had this much pain since right after my back surgery. I am going to see my doctor tomorrow or the next day. I just have such a Type A personality that I can't sit around all day. Unfortunately this time, that "can't sit still" personality has made my back really BAD! I can barely move my right arm the pain is so intense! The pain killers don't even come close to helping either, I've been taking them too long. Wish me luck.......

Beltane

Today is Beltane. Summer springs to life. The May Queen dances around Jack The Green. The Wheel Turns.

A Very Blustery Day (Weeks!)

The weather in Barstow can be funny. Actually you have to laugh at it to keep from crying. It is either blistering hot, freezing cold or very windy. We are now in the VERY windy mode. The wind has been blowing non-stop for almost two weeks! Not just a slight breeze, strong wind with (the paper says) 30-40 mile an hour gusts. We have spent most of that time inside, watching movies, reading and I have been cooking. Boring... I want to work in the garden, but it is to cold and windy. Maybe tomorrow.....

More From The Garden II

I still have the neighbor's camera, so I thought I would do an update. This is the honeysuckle I had on before. It is coming along well, I have fertilized it and.... well click on the picture to enlarge it and see!

A couple more of the Bearded Iris. The one on the bottom is really nice, great two tone.

James really likes Old English roses. I think they were the original garden roses before Hybrid's. I'm not exactly sure. They grow like wild roses, spindly and long. What we really like are the buds. They look like this.......
This is called Heaven On Earth. This has a nice smell, it keeps this great cabbage shape until it fully opens.

This is another Old English rose. It is called Evelyn. It is one of the prettiest we have. Beautiful dual colors and it opens to a show. These are two pictures of different stages in this roses growth. You can see the cabbage pattern in the top picture. In the bottom picture you can see what these Old English roses can do when they open. Beautiful pink interior; white exterior a great smell!

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The only problem I have found with these Old English roses is that they are not as disease resistant as the newer hybrid varieties. The are very susceptible to thrips (small bugs which rune the buds), so extra care is needed in pest eradication. Click on this picture to enlarge it for a closeup view of the inside.

This rose is call About Face. As you can tell we don't like to pick to many run of the mill "normal" plants. This is no exception. The petals of this rose are two toned. The outer part is dark orange/copper. This inside is a pale yellow. The two colors together make for one Hell-Of -A rose. It smell nice to!