This summer, I returned to my original infirmary. Yep, I left Boys' side and headed back over to JIG. At first, I begged Nancy to let me stay at Boys, because I had dear friends there, but as it turned out, it was the best thing (work wise) that's happened to me at Interlochen in a long while.
There were so many good things about working at JIG this summer. I would have to rank making new friends at the top of the list. Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with me in State College, but people like me elsewhere around the world. In fact, I have made some of my dearest friends at Interlochen. I didn't get a picture of Nancy Smith (my supervisor), but on our last day together, she brought in a fun little bag of Interlochen memories: Dots (to cure homesickness), Sweet Tarts (to cure a number of maladies, some of which we would never see at Interlochen, and some of which we unfortunately have seen), and a bottle of Unicorn Water, our famed water from the health center water fountain that is indeed the tastiest and coldest water at camp. Too, it was so touching to me to read the card she had written, telling me how fun it had been to work together. It's the little things that mean the most, am I right?
After all the drama from the past two summers at Boys with the nurses and their egos, it was a relief to work with Nancy who has absolutely no ego and causes no drama. She works hard and knows her stuff!
I appreciated though when she invited me to an outdoor concert at the old State Mental Hospital grounds one evening. A local group, The Accidentals, was playing there. I'm always exhausted after work, but it was a YOLO moment. I asked Glo to come with me, and thankfully she had nothing going on. So, we drove out, and spent a beautiful night, eating Moomers ice cream on the lawn and listening to some good music. Too, I got one of my favorite pictures of all time of my girl and me.
Anyway, back to friends.
Judy Bosma was a friend from years ago when I worked at JIG, so it was fun to work with her again. I will never forget how on the first day of work of my first summer at Interlochen she made me scrub the metal hole puncher until I was a sweaty mess, trying to get the chipmunk poop off of it. That seriously is my first memory of JIG and working as an HSA. I know now that Judy is just crazy about recycling (as we all should probably be), and she will do anything to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I can laugh at her now and tell her to do her own scrubbing and saving and repurposing....and believe you me, she does, even making off with used garbage bags!
Jay Barclay was a new friend, and such a blessing. He's one of those people who just knows how to get stuff done and does it fast. Seeing as I'm married to such a person, and seeing as I can be that kind of person at moments, it was so good to find a kindred spirit. He, however, is one of the quietest people I've ever met...until you get him one-on-one and talk about something worthwhile. In fact, I didn't really find him a quiet person after getting to know him, and I felt it a privilege to know that he trusted me enough to open up to me. I looked forward to going to work each morning just so I could see Jay again...and hear about him and his darling little family.
Goodness, I came to love these people as much as my own family.
Finally, I must mention my other friends at Interlochen this summer. My furry friends.
Every summer, there is a skunk problem in Junior and Intermediate Girls. In fact, I do believe Hannie had a run-in with a skunk friend back when she boarded. It makes sense that they are there. Most of the year, the cabins and the area are completely empty, so the woodland creatures take up residence. Enter 1,000+ kids into a small area and the skunks aren't going to be happy.
Well, the skunks were stinking up everything. Thankfully, I'm losing my sense of smell again, so I wasn't ever bothered by it, but the nurses would come in in the morning and open all the windows, trying to air the smell out.
Enter Maintenance. Someone thought it would be a good idea to set a trap for the skunk.
Let's think about this. If in fact a skunk did enter the trap, who the heck was going to get close enough to carry the trap away? Yep, as Jay said, the only thing to do with a skunk in a trap is shoot it from a distance. And let's think about how that's going to play out with the 1,000+ campers within 50 feet of the trap....
It didn't matter. The trap was set.
And the next morning, this is what was found:
Mr. Squirrel was perched directly under the water cooler where our kids get water to take their meds. Someone had thrown Cheerios in the garbage and he was chowing down!
Finally, a caught a picture of my third friend while out reading a book on the front porch of the infirmary. This is such an amazing picture of the smallest inchworm I've ever seen that the kids thought I had painted it when I posted it in the infirmary. Isn't it amazing?
There were other friends too, both human and furry, but these are the ones I want to remember most of all <3
There were so many good things about working at JIG this summer. I would have to rank making new friends at the top of the list. Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with me in State College, but people like me elsewhere around the world. In fact, I have made some of my dearest friends at Interlochen. I didn't get a picture of Nancy Smith (my supervisor), but on our last day together, she brought in a fun little bag of Interlochen memories: Dots (to cure homesickness), Sweet Tarts (to cure a number of maladies, some of which we would never see at Interlochen, and some of which we unfortunately have seen), and a bottle of Unicorn Water, our famed water from the health center water fountain that is indeed the tastiest and coldest water at camp. Too, it was so touching to me to read the card she had written, telling me how fun it had been to work together. It's the little things that mean the most, am I right?After all the drama from the past two summers at Boys with the nurses and their egos, it was a relief to work with Nancy who has absolutely no ego and causes no drama. She works hard and knows her stuff!
I appreciated though when she invited me to an outdoor concert at the old State Mental Hospital grounds one evening. A local group, The Accidentals, was playing there. I'm always exhausted after work, but it was a YOLO moment. I asked Glo to come with me, and thankfully she had nothing going on. So, we drove out, and spent a beautiful night, eating Moomers ice cream on the lawn and listening to some good music. Too, I got one of my favorite pictures of all time of my girl and me.
 |
| For me, it felt soooooo good to get out of socks and closed-toe shoes that I had to take a picture of it! |
Judy Bosma was a friend from years ago when I worked at JIG, so it was fun to work with her again. I will never forget how on the first day of work of my first summer at Interlochen she made me scrub the metal hole puncher until I was a sweaty mess, trying to get the chipmunk poop off of it. That seriously is my first memory of JIG and working as an HSA. I know now that Judy is just crazy about recycling (as we all should probably be), and she will do anything to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I can laugh at her now and tell her to do her own scrubbing and saving and repurposing....and believe you me, she does, even making off with used garbage bags!
Jay Barclay was a new friend, and such a blessing. He's one of those people who just knows how to get stuff done and does it fast. Seeing as I'm married to such a person, and seeing as I can be that kind of person at moments, it was so good to find a kindred spirit. He, however, is one of the quietest people I've ever met...until you get him one-on-one and talk about something worthwhile. In fact, I didn't really find him a quiet person after getting to know him, and I felt it a privilege to know that he trusted me enough to open up to me. I looked forward to going to work each morning just so I could see Jay again...and hear about him and his darling little family.
Goodness, I came to love these people as much as my own family.
 |
| Jay and Judy and me,on my last day |
Every summer, there is a skunk problem in Junior and Intermediate Girls. In fact, I do believe Hannie had a run-in with a skunk friend back when she boarded. It makes sense that they are there. Most of the year, the cabins and the area are completely empty, so the woodland creatures take up residence. Enter 1,000+ kids into a small area and the skunks aren't going to be happy.
Well, the skunks were stinking up everything. Thankfully, I'm losing my sense of smell again, so I wasn't ever bothered by it, but the nurses would come in in the morning and open all the windows, trying to air the smell out.
Enter Maintenance. Someone thought it would be a good idea to set a trap for the skunk.
Let's think about this. If in fact a skunk did enter the trap, who the heck was going to get close enough to carry the trap away? Yep, as Jay said, the only thing to do with a skunk in a trap is shoot it from a distance. And let's think about how that's going to play out with the 1,000+ campers within 50 feet of the trap....
It didn't matter. The trap was set.
And the next morning, this is what was found:
Poor Mr. Raccoon. Doesn't he look so sad? The worst part for him was that he was going to be driven ten miles away from his home. I didn't really understand why, seeing as he wasn't causing any troubles at Interlochen. He kind of took the heat for Mr. Stinky Skunk. It is what it was, I guess.
Boy though, you should have heard him when both Jay and the maintenance guy tried to pick up the cage. They both jumped!
Jay noticed our next friend while we were giving meds one morning.
Mr. Squirrel was perched directly under the water cooler where our kids get water to take their meds. Someone had thrown Cheerios in the garbage and he was chowing down!
Finally, a caught a picture of my third friend while out reading a book on the front porch of the infirmary. This is such an amazing picture of the smallest inchworm I've ever seen that the kids thought I had painted it when I posted it in the infirmary. Isn't it amazing?
There were other friends too, both human and furry, but these are the ones I want to remember most of all <3
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