There is a Latin phrase in the Catholic church, according to Don's neighbor Bill, that means "Protestants, get off the lawn". We learned this at Cactus Jack's bar and grill last night. JC is fascinated with the hundred thousand ant trail now processing across our Palm Desert patio. So far she has tormented them with cinnamon and just now announced that they don't like vinegar. The chemistry experiment goes on. The last great ant expedition was New Year's Day, 2012. I tripped on the the trash can handle and fell on my right shoulder and back ...continued...

~~A BOOKWORM AT GIRL SCOUT CAMP In the 1950’s my family moved from a little Missouri town to the small town in Indiana where my father grew up. We lived with our grandparents for a few months while my father started a new job and we found a house to rent. My little brother and sister, ages six and five respectively, roamed my grandparents’ big back yard and the neighborhood, but I asked if I might read the old books I saw in the parlor bookcases. My grandmother, usually so strict about us not touching her possessions, gave me permission. I read from books that far exceeded my s ...continued...

The first principal standard of the CLAS standards states one will provide effective and respectful care that is quality. Diverse cultural health beliefs and the language necessary will be used for communication needs. Standards for cultural competence for occupational therapist are very similar. I found principal standard that speaks to effective communication skills, listening carefully and language –oriented with recruiting translators. These two statements are similar to me, because they are providing a statement that says they will offer quali ...continued...

Arrived in Stockholm Sweden last night, resetting our body clocks is difficult. Did a gear check and discovered some things we still needed. Asked the hotel for directions to the best outdoor equipment store. Was told it was a short 35 min walk away. Got there and it was pretty much a GAP store with coats. Good news is we wandered around a bit and found the best glove store in the world. Nothing but wall to wall gloves. Heading to Longyearbyen in the morning. ...continued...

Grogan’s Castle Lounge is located on South William Street. This is not a wide street but from its pavement grand stonework steps lead up to the magnificent eighteenth-century Powerscourt House. A few yards further down this street, on the other side of it, stands Grogan’s. It was Saturday evening at around 6pm when I entered this fine establishment. This was twilight time – the crossover between the business of the day and the night. The space was shared by shoppers and regular drinkers. The shoppers were rewarding themselves after a hard day’s procurement. Many were ...continued...

1.) I would like to become more culturally competent in every aspect of my life, not only including race but people who are different from me.   2.) I would like to learn/study more about the cultures and backgrounds of potential future clients. Then I would like to retake the cultural competence quiz and obtain a better score.   3.) I would like to be able to create plans that would include plans the exhibit cultural competence in my current and/or future profession.    ...continued...

From the start it was like a secret society. You needed to know the handshake or password to get information. I guess that is why it took so long to start this incredible journey as a writer. Since the age of six, when I first started to read, a book was always under my nose. This started it, and from that point reading the written word became a very important part of my life. I could not tell you how many books I have read, or plan to in the near or far future. It started in 2011, when an uncontrollable desire to write short stories took over. I would hammer out words between work assig ...continued...