Colleen lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada where she plays with grandkids, walks with dogs, and is learning that life’s joy is often found in the simple moments.
After 40 years of nursing, retirement is new and still being tested. Occasionally she may still be found working at the bedside in the intensive care unit of the local community hospital.
She sometimes stumbles on the path to being a better and kinder person.. but forges onward none-the-less, believing in the journey.
This blog is a simple collection of her random thoughts, memories, and photographs.
The Nitty-Gritty
- I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.
- ♪ “I am woman.. hear me roar” ♪♪. :-)
- I am proud to be Canadian.
- I am a Taurus.
- I love the smell of my garden, the dirt, the tomatoes, the flowers.
- I am a bit of a geek… technology fascinates me.
- At age 12, I broke my middle finger sliding into second base.
- My first (and last) time skiing, I fell and broke my pelvis.
- Sports are not really my thing.
- Except for walking.. I LOVE to walk.
- And horseback riding.
- I took lessons at 49 (a life long dream)
- And bicycling.
- I tour around on one of those comfort hybrids.
- I also love to laugh.
- But lean towards being sappy.
- And enjoy reading and collecting quotations.
- I get tongue tied when I am nervous.
- I wear different rings on each hand to help me distinguish my left from my right.
- I have two younger sisters.
- When I was young, I always wanted an older brother.
- I have had cataract surgery in both eyes.
- I wear glasses for close vision.. but otherwise I see great!
- I was an LPN for 13 years before I became a RN.
- I attended George Brown College, in Toronto, to obtain my RN.
- I have worked as a nurse in three different provinces.
- Intensive care being my specialty
- I officially retired from nursing in May of 2010.
- But still pick up the occasional casual shift in the ICU.
- I was born in Saskatchewan.
- Manitoba is my home.
- I love our changing seasons.. spring, summer, and fall.
- I am not crazy about the winters.
- I do not mind the snow.. but I dislike the bitter cold.
- My dad was a cattle buyer (a cowboy in his young daughter’s eyes).
- I grew up eating steaks.
- In my 60th year I have taken the leap and am now a vegetarian.
- Being a vegetarian feels right for me on so many levels
- I have never liked eggs.
- Excluding meat of any kind, I will eat almost anything else.
- Except soggy sandwiches.
- Eating raw carrots gives me the hiccups (strange but true).
- I am fascinated by all living creatures.
- I once had a pet chicken named Petunia.
- I currently share my home with two dogs and a cat.
- Sadie… an English Springer Spaniel.
- Coco… a Shih Tzu.
- And last but never least, Bear… a big old Manx cat.
- Photography is a passion. My flickr page.
