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22- bloody bandages

Spooky Cookie month continues on Cookie Thursday is a Thing. Today’s make is bloody bandages.

These are operating room folks, and it is hard to gross them out.

No ick matter here!

Bloody Bandages

Sugar wafer cookies, the ones with the cream filling between thin crispy wafers.

white chocolate Candiquik. This is meltable chocolate that comes in a variety of flavors and colors and here in the United States it goes by that unfortunately spelled name, or some craft stores carry it for candy making. It melts fast in the microwave and smoothly.

toppings- for effect I used a combination of green sprinkles, and freeze-dried raspberries

I had to experiment a bit with technique. The first tray I laid the wafers out, melted the chocolate, tried to make a square of chocolate with a spoon, put the toppings on

This works but it gets messy as the chocolate begins to dry.

The second tray I had the wafer cookies in a stack, picked them up, spread the chocolate using a knife, added toppings. This worked much better and I was able to get a more uniform square of chocolate

What makes these bloody bandages is the rectangular shape of the wafer cookies, and the hopefully white square of chocolate. And the raspberry “blood”.

On some I added green sprinkles to simulate infection.

I think they are adorable, and they were very fast to make. I barely got through NPR morning edition podcast, which is about 15 minutes long. Seriously one of the fastest makes yet.

FFS Friday 2/6/26- Finally the midterm primaries

It’s been like watching paint dry waiting for the NC midterm primaries.

I mean, have you seen the shit that has gone down over the past year? And the shit that continues to rain upon us all?

Hourly.

Sometimes minute by minute.

I dutifully email and call the NC senators and my representative on the regular. And I get a pro forma reply. Without fail. But I still do it because being the squeaky wheel is in my wheelhouse.

Yes, that’s a pun. Deal with it.

The most important thing that I have been banging on about is check your voting registration. Well before the actual early voting primary start date. I mention that because the voter registration for the midterm primaries, except for in person registration on the early voting dates.

Run down of the dates that are important here in North Carolina. * your state may vary

Voter registration deadline February 6th
Early in person voting begins February 12th
Absentee ballot request deadline February 17th
Early in-person voting ends February 28th
Absentee ballots due March 3rd
Primary election day March 3rd

It is vitally important to remind people who vote by Absentee ballots that the administration changed the rules about postmarks on December 8th and they went into full effect on December 24th. Just because you mail it before March 3rd doesn’t mean it gets counted. Because postmarks only actually count when the piece of mail goes through the mail processing facility. And there are precious few mail processing facilities here in NC.

I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!

I WILL ALSO STRESS IT AROUND TAX TIME.

Get ready to vote. Start looking up candidates now.

Most importantly to do today
1) check that your voter registration is active
2) if you have been removed, re-register
3) if you’ve never voted before registration deadline is February 6th

But, Kate, the deadline is today for voting registration.

My bad, I thought it was tomorrow (the 7th).

However, same-day voter registration is available during in-person early voting.

Please get ready to vote.

Don’t let the snow and the ice and chaos distract you.

Get ready to vote now.

Make a voting plan and stick to it.

Cookie Thursday still isn’t 2/5/26

I could do the math and calculate how long it’s been since I had a normal CTIAT, but that is too depressing.

I miss baking.

But I am already planning the Renaissance of Cookie Thursday is a Thing.

I am definitely doing Why is There So Much Cheese month. And I want to do a gluten free month.

But I am also considering a Minnesota cookie month.

I should also do a fan favorite month and have people vote.

I know what will be included in the Fan Favorite month.

Jalapeño Chocolate Chip Cookies.

And Triple Pepper Cheddar Thumbprints. Or should that be added to the cheese month?

Decisions.

Stove #3 is currently chilling in my garage, still in the original box.

The delivery people just managed to squeak it in before the snow started falling last week. But after I cleared all the ice out of the driveway from the week before.

The installers called me on Monday, February 2nd to arrange for installation. The date was going to originally be February 13th.

Okay. But I have an event planned with my mom and sister for that date at 4:00pm. I pushed it off until February 17th although it kind of broke my heart. Today the installers reached out to me and offered me February 11. You bet I said yes. I helm a hospital meeting from 9:00-11:00am that day and I told my husband he’s just gonna have to be available to the installers in the morning before he leaves for work at 11:30am.

It’s tight but doable.

Fingers crossed this works.

I just really miss baking. I mean it’s been 12 years. Hell of a habit.

Hospitals work very hard to keep your information secret

Unlike the federal government we know secrets.

We keep your identity secret.

We shield your data from being accessed and used by someone who should not have access to your information.

We have guard rails up for your information at all times.

This has been made infinitely more difficult with the shift toward online everything but we have developed some things that work.

In the before times, all information was shielded as well. But it was simpler. Only the desk had access to your stamp card which we used to stamp all of the paperwork.

Now it is all on the computer and the amount of paperwork that we stamp is minimal. But even that goes into the shredder box upon discharge. As we did before.

Accidents and oversight do happen but it is rare.

Because we not only have to keep your information safe, we cannot confuse you with anyone else. Can you imagine the wrong person going down for surgery and the surgeons amputating the perfectly healthy leg? Because that is what the paperwork and the schedule says…

The error here is not following the name/birthday combo on everyone. Yes, everyone, even if the patient is demented they probably know their own name. If not, they probably have a family member who can vouch that yes, this is so and so and their birthdate is such and such.

But imagine the chaos of being wrong. Imagine the life long or life limiting damage that you have caused?

Such a scenario is nightmare fuel.

The hospital and its workers have guideline upon guideline to keep you as the patient safe and to keep your data safe.

Too bad the federal government ignored their own rules and guidelines to protect the predators, not the victims.

Tuesday Top of Mind 2/3/26- WHO are we? Who, who, who, who?

In yet another towering example of shooting the country in its own foot, the president announced on January 21, 2025 (his second day in office) that the United States would be leaving the World Health Organization as a member. This means that the country would no longer be funding the WHO.

The president did this by executive order. As part of the blood letting that his advisors and aides determined to be the best path to funneling lower taxes to people who do not need it. The $111 million dollars saved would soon go to fund gold trips.

Every healthcare worker, every nurse, every doctor (MD or DO), everyone decried this as a stupid fucking move. Well, those of us who knew about it.

This was a year long departure, to be completed on January 2026. And complete it they did. As of January 22, 2026, the United States is no longer under the WHO umbrella.

Since 1948, the WHO has worked to protect the wellbeing of all people. Their mission and works are guided by science and are supported by 193 member nations.

Plague, Dengue Fever, emergency response, vaccinations, support during war times, support during disasters. They track health crises all around the world and responds to them. The WHO does it all.

And these dumb fuckers have withdrawn the US from the group.

Was it the recognition that all of their works are guided by science?

Was it because most of the people being helped are poor?

Or was it because most of the people being helped are not white?

Or all three?

Well, I should write 193 member nations and a member US state.

The very next day (January 23, 2026), Governor Gavin Newsom of California announced that California has become the first state to join the WHO coordinated global outbreak response network. For all of those pesky diseases that keep popping up and killing people.

On February 3, 2026, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced that Illinois has joined the same response network. He explained that the president had weakened the US’s ability to detect and respond to global health emergencies. Say it with me now, like covid-19.

Good for these states and their citizens. They at least have governors who care about their well being, even if the citizens aren’t rich.

Oh, yeah, the president also weakened the CDC severely by firing many of the scientists and yanking the grants that fund the scientific inquiry. And by putting a buffoon in charge.

I’m going to quote directly from Douglas Adams book The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. “The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”

As a society the US will regret this. The next pandemic is only a moment away.

FFS Friday 1/30/26- Frigid

Not much to report here in North Carolina. We are facing our 2nd winter event in a week. With snow this time.

This is okay, snow is easier to deal with than 1 1/2- 2 inches of ice.

I would much rather deal with snow.

But let’s talk about the cold. The lowest at night temperature for the week was 11. That’s freezing your hair if you go out with it wet weather. Ask me how I know.

I have made the house as wind proof and water tight as I could.

New HVAC system 2024- check

New siding late 2021- check

New windows late 2020- check

New insulated garage door 2018- check

New backdoor 2017- check

New(ish) roof 2010 -check

I have blankets shoved up to the bottom of every exterior door.

I have a blanket shoved up to the bottom and covering the kitty door on the garage door.

I have energy saving curtains on all of the windows.

I count ourselves lucky to have been able to accomplish all of this on our nearly 40 year old house in the 20 years we’ve lived here. All of them combined to make winter a lot more comfortable. And summer.

We also wear socks and slippers in the house. Yes, both of us. And sweatshirts and warm pants.

But Dot would like to register a complaint. If the sun is shining, why can’t she go out on the screened porch?

Because I said so, Dot. Listen to the lady and stop whining at the back door to be let out.

Enjoy your heated bed, the one in the office and the one on your window perch in the living room.

I’m just gonna go drip the powder room sink and the kitchen sink and open up all the sink cabinet doors. So that the pipes don’t freeze.

Cookie Thursday 1/29/26- Kinda

I have alluded to the stove troubles.

The stove saga continues.

Recap- our stove started to act glitchy on Thanksgiving, which we were hosting. That was fun. The next time I made cookies they were unevenly baked in the top oven. The bottom oven is also uneven, but less so. But it uses a lot of energy. The top oven comes to temperature in less than 3 minutes, the bottom oven might take upwards of 10 minutes to come to temperature.

The installers were supposed to install the replacement stove on 12/16/25. But what I bought was not as advertised and did not suit my needs. The installers advised me to refuse delivery.

Back that stove went. (stove 1).

I went back to the store and ordered a different stove, one that suited Cookie Thursday is a Thing and our lives.

It was delivered to my house and sat unopened, in the garage, on 12/27/25.

The installers came back on 1/6/26. When the installers unboxed it, two of the dials were broken and they advised me to refuse installation.

The store picked up the stove on 1/12/26. (stove 2)

I went to the store on 1/19/26 to inquire about next steps. The department rep knew nothing but gave me a number to call.

I got a call from the company 20 minutes later. In the produce aisle of the grocery store. They assured me that stove would be replaced and to standby for more information.

Later that evening, I got another call from the company and my money back from stove 1 and that the re-ordering of stove 2 would be handled the next day. As would the installation order of the new stove (stove 3).

Last Thursday, I got delivery date confirmation of stove 3.

For this Wednesday.

Epic ice storm hit North Carolina this past weekend.

I still have too much ice on my driveway. There was still an inch and a half on my husband’s car when he left for the office this morning.

I called and rescheduled delivery of stove 3 for this Friday.

But first I had to clear the 2 inches of ice off the driveway. I did this with a combination of tools. I had a spade, not a flat one, a pointed one, I had a de-thatcher better suited to the lawn, and patience. I would chunk the nearly 2 inch ice block and then use the spade to ferry the chunk to the side yard. Worked a treat. I would then use the de-thatcher to “sweep” up all the little snow chunks that were too small for the spade. Again to the side yard.

Since this is the South and our ice and snow events are few and far between, I do not have a snow shovel. And the flat spade broke which is what I usually use. A flat spade with a 4-5 x 7 head works really well. Alas, replacements were all sold out, with delivery date of NEXT WEDNESDAY. And the ice melt is all sold out, everywhere.

To the internet! You can make a version of the ice melt with warm water, dish soap, and rubbing alcohol. This worked so well on the thickest spots. Spoiler alert, it took me three places to find alcohol. Many other people have been googling!

I treated the stairs and the small patio in front with the home made ice melt. I will be covering it up with blankets/tarps during THIS weekend’s snowy event.

I just got a call that the delivery guys will be here between 1200-1600. Plenty of time for what is left on the driveway to dry. But, most importantly, before this weekend’s snow event really gets started after 1700.

Hopefully, I will have the new stove in my garage after tomorrow.

But then I have to wait for the installers to put me on their schedule. And for the snow to melt. Because getting the stove through my garage and into my kitchen is not a good idea.

I cannot make this stuff up.

No new stove at the 8 week mark of this adventure.

I have one burner and the lower oven and a crockpot. It is enough to keep us fed.

Cookie Thursday has been, dramatic pause, interesting over the past 8 weeks. Today I bought a raspberry Krinkle at Aldi’s when I was there to buy the cinnamon rolls for the healthcare awards that I preside over every 2 months.

I have epic amounts of patience as a good OR nurse must, but this is getting annoying. Even the company is concerned. I have gotten so many phone calls, assuring me that they are working on it. Yesterday’s phone call was a touch base about the Wednesday delivery I rescheduled for Friday. The person completely understood my icy driveway as they also live in the South. They promised to call on Monday and touch base about installation.

Stove 3 is getting closer!!!

Tragedy can happen in an instance while your 5th grade self is watching

40 years ago it was cold and snowy in Longmont, Colorado. I was in 5th grade and my teacher had dragged in the AV cart to watch a very special space shuttle launch.

The fact that there was a launch to watch was exciting. I don’t care how old you are.

Compounding that was the excitement that a teacher was on board. Why, our own teacher could go into space. Normal people could launch into space.

The idea was captivating.

I remember us kids being rapt as the count down boomed out of the small speakers.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

liftoff

While the numbers were counting down the rockets were igniting and you could see flames at the bottom of the 2 stage rocket boosters. This was going to give them the impetus to launch the rocket and start them on their journey.

After the countdown we watched the space shuttle lift away from earth.

I am not sure if anyone was breathing. We certainly weren’t talking.

Just over a minute later there was an explosion and smoke and flames engulfed the now falling space shuttle. And something flying away from the main explosion.

In the classroom it was completely silent.

None of us knew or intellectualized that we had just seen a space tragedy.

My teacher pulled the plug on the AV cart.

And we sat in silence.

For most of us this was the first time we had seen a tragedy on television. And we didn’t know what to think.

To the best of my recollection the day went on as if a tragedy hadn’t happened in front of us. We filed into lunch and spent the afternoon learning. I can’t remember what we were learning. I can’t imagine what it cost our teacher to keep teaching that day.

This was the 1980s so there probably wasn’t a lot of after tragedy care for the students and the teachers. We might’ve had awkward conversations with our families at dinner. I don’t remember.

Tuesday Top of Mind-10 shots

“Are you okay?” These were the last words of Alex Pretti as he was assisting a woman who had been knocked to the ground by a masked thug for no reason. The thug had used both hands and knocked the woman clear off her feet. Alex Pretti immediately went to her side and asked if she was okay and made to help her up.

A free for all of chaos and shouting by witnesses. Punctuated by pistol whipping. Punctuated by tear gassing. Punctuated even more by the seven masked thugs holding him to the ground and doing those things.

bang

And the masked thugs scattered like the cockroaches they are. Except for 1 who stood over the body on the ground and proceeded to empty his clip.

bang

Silence except for the screaming of the bystander witnesses.

He wasn’t protesting, the protest had been the day before.

He did what all healthcare workers are trained to do in an active shooter situation.

He held his hands out, one clutching his phone and the other the other to the sky.

Didn’t matter.

They still killed him.

There is a report of one of the masked thugs saying “boo hoo” to the body.

I would inquire if they realize what they had done. Murdered a man in cold blood in full view of all those cameras.

And all of the video started to be released. Every single angle. The story that this videos tell do not change.

This was murder.

It wasn’t until later in the morning that the man was identified as an ICU nurse who worked in the VA.

I cannot explain how very, very, very, very mad this makes me.

My first thought was for his family. And my second thought was for the ICU nurses that I know and work with. Were they okay? What were they thinking? Did they condone the murder of one of their colleagues in the street by masked thugs? Because one of the ways we stay sane is not to discuss politics at work.

Later that afternoon the first nursing organization came out and condemned the murder of one of us. Others followed. The ANA. AORN. NCNA. MNA. ONA. NNU. And others. From coast to coast the condemnations came.

But the murderers and their ilk don’t care.

He was in their way. He was daring to help a woman they had just assaulted.

Their handlers bald faced lied to the American people about what had happened.

We know what had happened.

We are all witnesses. Albeit, unwilling witnesses as the videos play over and over and over.

We already know what had happened. No matter how much shit they throw on this nurse. No matter how much they frantically try to spin shit into gold.

The nursing profession is poorer for this.

Cookie Thursday that wasn’t 1/22/26

For the first time since January 2024 I have burnt the cookies.

Well, not cookies, peanut brittle.

I was making chardonnay peanut brittle. This was inspired by a peanut brittle I had out of California. It was so good.

This is tied to the malfunctioning stove/oven saga.

Everything was going well, the candy was candying and the peanuts were in. I was just waiting for the mixture to get up to 300 degrees so I could add the vanilla and the baking soda.

The thermometer was getting close and the candy was turning a nice pale tan, like all good peanut brittles must be. I picked up the baking soda to add it when all of a sudden the candy was dark brown and started to smell burnt.

I took the pot off the burner and added the baking soda and vanilla and the candy turned nearly black.

And then the fire alarm started going off.

I carried the pot to the front porch and left it on the cement.

I returned to a smoky house.

I opened the screened porch door and turned on the microwave vent. I turned on the overhead fan. I fanned the house using the front door and the back door and the alarm stopped.

This was not ideal as my husband was still asleep and it was before 0800.

I took the prepared pans out to the porch and stirred the morass.

The candy turned lighter and I held my breath as I poured it into the prepared pans. Still dark and smelling burned.

I took my pot inside to soak it, hoping that I hadn’t just ruined one of my favorite deep pans and left the cookie sheets with what I was sure was ruined candy on the porch to cool.

I had received a phone call on Tuesday about my new stove. It was due to arrive at the store on Monday and the installers would expedite me on their schedule so I could put this nearly 2 month saga to bed.

I’ve been functioning and baking and cooking with 1 burner, an unreliable oven, and a crockpot. I am ready for my new beautiful stove.

Fingers crossed. That it does get here on Monday and the installers can slot us in next week.

I really hope the coming winter storm doesn’t delay things. Fingers and toes crossed.

BTW, the pot was fine. It washed up beautifully.

Not the candy, I pitched that.

Normally I would buy cookies for the department as I have in the past on the rare occasions I couldn’t get anything baked. But there’s a storm coming. North Carolina doesn’t do well with snow and ice. And everyone is at the grocery store buying milk, toilet paper, bread, and eggs.

I gave myself permission to miss this Thursday.

I’ll think about what to make next Thursday.

Maybe I will have my new oven by then.

Call Secrets of the OR- Full moon chart 2026

Medical personnel are, as a whole, superstitious.

I’ve worked with orthopedic surgeons who had to do hammer strikes in multitudes of 7. If they accidentally did 8, they had to do 14. Every damned time.

I’ve worked with nurses and techs who give away their Friday the 13th. Yes, every Friday the 13th. Or they would just call in sick. Even if it left their department short.

One year for the Christmas tree contest the department tree was the Lucky Tree. We had shamrocks, and fortune cookies, and horseshoes, and wishbones, and Hamsa hands, and rabbit’s feet, and gold balls signifying the gold at the end of a rainbow. This was in 2020 and I decided we needed all the luck we could get in healthcare. In fact, that was the name of the tree. The Good Luck Tree, and the caption on the sign was that we needed the luck we could get. I believe this was the last Christmas tree contest tree that I helmed.

I’ve worked with nurses and techs who swear at the sight of a full moon.

That’s me.

I have been surprised more times that I can count when I am driving up the out for our neighborhood and I see a bright, juicy full moon.

I always swear. And cross my fingers for good luck.

When I get home, I remind the pager to be good.

I wanted to be a little more practical about it. So I pinned a full calendar to my Facebook page. According to my calculations March, April, June, July, October, November, and December will be on my normal work week of Monday-Thursday. 7/13 ain’t too shabby.

I do get to miss the double barreled month of May.

By the way, there are 3 Friday the 13ths in 2026. These are in February and March and November. There are 13 full moons in 2026. Lucky May gets 2.

Plan your schedule accordingly.

And be mindful of the request windows.

And February’s is the first. And it’s a Sunday!