Emma Lily Violet Ryan

Sad Goodbyes and New Beginnings...
Despite cancer  and treatments and fear of loss and endless appointments and issues to be addressed - Eileen Ryan survived her mother's diagnosis and treatment of aggressive terminal cancer to deliver a beautiful baby girl - Emma Lily Violet - and as if the Gods conferred - her mother, although failing rapidly and time running out - with Eileen's "Project Grandmom on Wheels"  and the help of medical emergency personel and an ambulance and Irish relatives bedecking and grooming her - Grandma came to meet her grandbabe.  She came to the room and held little Emma and kissed her on the cheek. Not a dry eye in the place.  Eileen made memories for a lifetime and gave her babe some history.  What a wonderful birthing of a baby it was.  

"Emma Lily Violet, born at 12:12 pm, 4/16/12...8lbs 6oz...beautiful and healthy...and met her grandmother this afternoon."

Eileen Freda Ryan passed away at 6pm 4/18/12 - 30 years to the day and time of her beloved husband Thomas.

The Circle of Life  

    Happy Birthday Beautiful Emma!!

IN ALL IT'S GLORY!

Woke up on a glorious spring day after

2 days of grueling 12 hour shifts in the ER.

Birds were chirping and light was pouring in all over!

I treated myself to a housecleaning by Anna
 and a dog grooming for the boys.  

Spring Cleaning All Over!

After freeing them from the groomers we "romped"

and took time to appreciate

- SPRING -

In all it's Glory! 

A day off can't be more reinvigorating than that!!!

SPRING - BUSTIN' OUT ALL OVER

In some places, it is slow to be sprung..

But Mostly, It was Bustin' Out All Over...

 “In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.”

                                                                                   ~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson



A Great Bloomin' Day

Spring and Fall - Hands Down - My Favorites.

Spent a lovely day with Dad and my dog boys. 
Two 84 year olds - enjoy a glorious spring Day.
(oliver is almost 13 human/84 dog years old).
We had a great day strolling the Peace Valley Park
on a balmy blooming day!

Even with Gray Skies - Spring -

A Beautiful Thing!!!

A New Career - A New Beginning

So I show up at my "job" at 9:30am 

The front door is unlocked and no one is home but her two cute little dogs.

 It is a lovely home - unique - great pieces - great taste - orderly.

 Just her cabinets / pantry need organized.

 But she is a busy single mom...

AND SO I BEGIN MY FIRST DAY OF HOME ORGANIZER!!!!! 

 6 Solid hours of arranging, sifting through, scrubbing down and then..

recreating "A WORLD OF ORDER!!!!"

A small cash payment - but it might as well have been thousands for the

great feeling of doing what I love - doing it well - and being my own boss!  

"Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life"

Nursing has been good to me.  It has allowed honest, exciting and meaningful work. 

It has given me opportunities for varied experience, international travel, great reward. 

But lately - with healthcare given that I don't believe in,
(health is all about diet and exercise)

 a sense of entitlement with all patients in the ER,
with many boldly abusing programs I thought I believed in,
well it  has me rethinking what I do. 

 After 30 years in the field I think I have found another way 

"to contribute to society" -
Simplifying, minimizing, organizing and getting rid of stuff

can alter one's  life, outlook and health more than what I've been doing in the ER lately.

And I found something that makes me jump out of bed with enthusiasm.  

(I could have even brought MY DOGS!!!!) 

I may mix both new careers

 (organizing and photography)

by snapping pictures of their kids or dogs at day's end. 

I had the company of this client's darling pups while

I gleefully worked away on my first job.

Here's the little puppy Thank You I sent off to her.

"The Organizing Photographer"

"Change - the only thing constant in life"

But I think I am going to like this change enormously!  

Amongst the Ruins

After a routine dog hike I headed off to the Awbury Arboretum. 

 I have passed the sign for over 16 years but situated among a depressed section of

 Philadelphia I assumed it would be in poor condition. 

 But after my mother mailed me an article about

 the arboretum as a prospect for some photo/promotional work

and after a seeing a feature article on the arboretum in a local paper my curiosity was peeked. 

So down the bleak avenue of town I went
until I came to Washington Avenue and Chew

 - with signs of poverty and crime infested life strewn about.

But turn in the drive and I was transported back in time. 

The Cope Mansion - where Henry Cope first built his home in 1852 on 50 acres. 

As his family grew, so did the beautiful stone homes - each surrounded by high stone walls. 

It was an obsolute astonishment that this beautiful historical park could
 be  tucked away among the rubble of Philadelphia. 

It was like a chapter from C.S. Lewis' "Witch and the Wardrobe"

Odd trees

Even a Winnie the Pooh Tree

A magical day indeed!

Zoe Strauss Exhibit -

                                            So Ollie wondered if I would ever get up!!

Freddie tried to just stare me out in the hope of dragging me out of bed quicker.

Soon we all were up and out for his favorite thing -

Fairmount Park and stick-finding -

the bigger the better.

Then a drive through Germantown with it's amazing historic houses

And a visit with their old friend and neighbor - Etta!  93 this week and still going strong.  Still on the go,  winning at the casinos and recall far better than mine! 

Ollie was in his glory! 

Then off to the Art Museum for Zoe Straus' Exhibit -

A study of the marginal in Philadelphia. 

It was quite a colorful collection of people - reminiscent of my Roxborough Clientele in the ER!

19 days on my veggie fruit juice cleanse and I got to treat myself to an all veggie salad - but at the best, cleanest, most diverse salad bar in town. 

A little olive oil and a lot of salt and pepper and VOILA!!!

I was in heaven. 

 Deprivation makes the heart grow stronger. 

A salad NEVER tasted so good!

Then home for flopping on the couch! 

A day off doesn't get any better than that!