Ten Random Things About Me

Brenda at Coffee, Tea, Books and Me has tagged anyone who wants to be tagged with the subject of this post.  So here we go:

1.  I went to school to be a Medical Lab Technician.  I absolutely loved the classes, but once I got a job at a Dr.'s office, reality set in.  The Dr. pair that I worked for had me check off and charge for blood and urine tests that were never performed - we didn't have the equipment.  This was primarily on Medicare patients (this was back in the late 70's).  They underpaid me and I worked with some of the most nasty and vicious women I've ever worked with in my life.  The person I replaced as lab tech was the favorite person and best friend of the group of 3 women that ran the office and the 1 nurse that assisted the doctors.  They literally hated me the second I walked through the door - and I was a total rube, so I brought some of the treatment on myself.  One hilarious occasion - one of the doctors was an Iranian Jew who was madly working as many patients in as he could (2 every 10 minutes) so he could afford to get the rest of his extended family out of Iran - the Ayatollah had recently taken over.  He had a patient named Mr. Fuchs and the doctor had a thick  Iranian accent.  He also always forgot to zip up his pants after using the men's room.  So this crazy doctor ran around the hallways with his pants unzipped half the time - and this one day there was a full hallway of people waiting their turn, when he came out and called for Mr. Fuchs - use your imagination as to how he pronounced it.  Right.  You've got it.

Perhaps I just should have continued going to school forever.  We took classes where we separated our own chromosomes from a drop of our blood, made and dyed representative slides of various organs (the organs came from a lab mouse, poor thing), we "played" with microscopes all day and studied bacteria and viruses.  It may not sound great to you, but I thought it was fascinating.

2.  I collect old books, mostly Christian and history books.  I have purchased novels by Christian writers of the 19th century and love to read those (I haven't read every one of the books I own - I've paged through them, but some of them are just to look through now and then).  One of my favorite authors is Edward Payson Roe, who was born in the same county as I was - Orange County, NY.

3.  I'm not afraid to pick up just about any insect (except a - ew, ew - roach) and look at it up close.  Even a bee if it lets me.  I'm fascinated by wildlife and I love to photograph insects and flowers as close as I can get for great detail.  I recently wasted money we can't afford on purchased a bee keeping outfit, complete with veil, long gloves, smoker and box that has to be put together.  We have had a bee's natural hive in a bush in our back yard for over 7 months now - and I would love to be able to smoke them and get closer to them - even medicate them if they need, for varroa mites (this medicine is delivered through food.  I don't pick up each little bee and give them a tiny drop of medicine)

4.  I have a pet Cockatoo named Beasley.  Also a Lovebird named Mrs. Greenberg, although I have since discovered that Mrs. Greenberg is a Mr., as is Beasley.  They are best buds and hang out together all day in Beasley's cage.

5.  I was raised Roman Catholic, but became a believer in college in 1974.  I think by that time the "Jesus Freak" movement was on the wane, but I caught the tail end of it.

6.  One of the first Christian authors I read was Joni Eareckson Tada.  I read about her diving accident at age 16  (I'm not sure of the exact age, except that she was a teenager) which left her a quadriplegic.  Reading her story scared me to death.  I thought "she's a Christian and THIS happened to her?  What will God "do" to me??"  I had the idea that God protected His children from the vicissitudes of life.  I have since learned that He will never leave us or forsake us, and that He walks with us through the vicissitudes of life, but His children do not have an easier life than non-believers.   I was so shocked by Mrs. Tada's book that I wrote her a letter and asked how she could be happy in spite of what had happened to her, how she could love a God who could allow such a thing to happen.  Somewhere I have the letter she wrote back to me.  She felt sorry for ME (which surprised me)  because I couldn't understand and was so afraid.  I have to find that letter - I know it's here somewhere.  She signed it and it is precious to me.

7.  Sheesh - it's hard coming up with 10 semi-interesting things about myself.  It's tougher than I thought.  How's this - I am of Polish (my mother's side) and French Canadian/English descent (my father's side).

8.  I have 2 older sisters and no brothers.  I am the youngest child of my parents.  My sisters are 6 and 8 years older than I.  My parents were hoping for a boy on the third try - but they got me instead.

9.  My first marriage lasted 14 years (long long years) before my ex left (and I'm glad he did).  My daughter, like most children of divorce, suffered the brunt of the separation and only now, at age 25, is finding life interesting and exciting, instead of frightening.  I have been worried and sad about her for many many years until my prayers are being answered recently.  Now for the prayer to be answered that she return to her "first love" - Jesus Christ.

10.  My husband and I are birders (yes, I remarried - both my present husband and myself were married once before and divorced).  We love to try to make our back yard as inviting as possible to birds and butterflies.