Dear everyone,
Just about a couple of weeks ago Cindy and I went to Lincoln
Park Zoo, where we were joined by Aaron, Ariana, Enoch, and Cyrus. It’s hard to believe how nice the weather was
(upper 60s, maybe even low 70s, but with a pretty strong breeze). Cindy had to reserve a slot ahead of time,
and even so, we got in about 20 minutes after our reserved time. It didn’t matter much though. The two boys were energetic, playful, and
curious, but for the most part the animals were not cooperative. Highlights were watching the sea lions get
fed and perform ‘tricks’ that allowed their keepers to check their health. We also saw otters and ostriches (I am always
surprised about how huge these birds are).
The big cat house is being reconstructed, so no hope there, but there
weren’t very many animals outside. Maybe
the next time they will come down to Brookfield where we can arrange a
behind-the-scenes tour.
I have been birding three times now at the Little Red
Schoolhouse, where I have been joined by Jami Walloch, Roland Marshall
(pathologists), and Stacey Smith (a martial artist). The first day we went it was quite cold - -
in the 20s with a strong wind, but it also was the day with the best birds - -
migrating white pelicans, pileated woodpeckers, bluebirds, mergansers. Each subsequent trip has been poorer, but we
have been privileged to see an osprey nest with nestlings. The warblers are just beginning to migrate
through now (I saw yellow-rumped today).
I’ll have to hang up my hummingbird feeders soon (of which I bought two
new ones).
Cindy was finally allowed to reserve an appointment for the COVID
vaccine for herself. She and Vivian are
going to Orland Park tomorrow for their first dose. Jasper had his first dose this past week
(Pfizer), while Wes had a J&J. Nicola will get a shot next weekend. Lucas is looking for appointments, but things
are pretty full near him. I hope we get ahead of virus mutations, and perhaps
only have to suffer through one or two years of booster shots. Still, there are a lot of people who refuse vaccinations. I have trouble understanding this point of
view. Don’t they want things to go back
to ‘normal’?
Obviously, nothing much is happening workwise. I think I want to prepare a small demo on some functions that the other pathologists are not aware of. I have to say that the amount of instruction devoted to us in the roll out of this new system was extremely poor. I will be going back to work full time (except without call or frozen section responsibilities, basically signing out biopsies for about 6-8 hours a day) for two months starting in late May/early June while one of my colleagues (Amy Kwak) goes on family leave. Afterwards, I will work the same hours for two weeks a month. Dr. Khan, the sole remaining full time pathologist at Trinity hospital is retiring at the end of June, and someone from Christ will have to cover there. So, I am happy enough to work as a contractor, but they really need to start looking now if they want to hire someone in July 2022. Unfortunately, we are still about 8% down from where we were in March 2019, and there are some people who believe that the department is adequately staffed. On the other hand, they’ve reduced the partners’ vacation time by 20%. I think the workload will start to rise up again, and the money is more than adequate if they hire someone out of fellowship (it takes years to become a full partner). Three of the eight pathologists are in their 60s; they should be thinking more about succession planning.
We have read some great books in Ariana's book club, and some fun titles are lined up for the future. You should contact her if you would like to join in! I did read a very intriguing book this week, The Gift, a great book for artists, anthropologists, and economists. I liked the first half much more (I am not really sure why he decided to use Whitman and Pound as exemplars in the second half of the book)
Sorry, no picture of Robbie this letter.
Love, H
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