Setting a mood of mutual respect and encouraging one-on-one conflict resolution will separate the “wheat” (important complaints) from the “chaff” (unimportant complaints).
When you consistently build up your team members directly and to each other, and handle conflicts with which you are personally involved privately and respectfully, you will be building the groundwork for an upward, positive spiral.
If you have a conflict with a teammate, talk with them privately and respectfully about whatever needs to be resolved.
Make sure that each team member knows how much you value him or her and the other team members.
Many people working together in a high-stress environment and a relatively small space will inevitably create some conflict between coworkers.
On Friday February 17, 2017 I got home from work and sat in the car to hear the end of a song on the Alexander Hamilton soundtrack. Normally, I come right inside when I get home. Joy and Luna were having none of my stalling.
Joy opened the glass front door and ran to the car followed closely by Luna. I opened the door to explain I was listening to a song and would be right in, but instead of being reasonable dogs, they jumped into the car for a road trip.
Russ came outside to say I did not need to take them on a road trip just because they got into the car. When I said I didn't think it would be kind to dash their hopes especially when they were already in the car and ready to go, Russ got into the car too followed by Amanda and Abby who had come outside to see what was going on.
We drove around the block much to the delight of both dogs. Since we were out, we stopped to get gas and tacos.
At Abelardo's , Russ told the team we were impressed they had closed for A Day Without Immigrants the day before and that we were really happy they are a part of the Omaha community. Also he said thank you for the tacos and churros. He is my favorite guy.
We headed home for dinner. It had been a very fun road trip for all.
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Post from one year ago today...
February 19, 2016
Happy Valentine's Month from Toski!
Remember Olivia who visited Santa?
I will pass on as many pictures as Stephanie sends of her - I think she is awesome!
Olivia hopes you had a happy Valentine's Day.
From Stephanie...
"A little bit about Olivia.....she is a two year old red footed tortoise.
Her favorite foods are kale, peas and bananas. She also loves cat food!! When she gets to crawl in the house, she heads straight for the kitchen looking for cat food. If we don't put it up, she will crawl into the dish.
She loves being outside when its warm out.
I'm sure she thinks I'm crazy when I make her dress up and take pics. Funny thing is she knows to stay still for at least a few minutes so I can get the pic and then she is over it."
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Post from one year ago today...
February 17, 2016
Guest Post - Russ
Jeff and I were finishing up a large custom deck in Bay Hills near Plattsmouth. While
I was cleaning up the scraps, I was greeted by this visitor.
He thought it was super fun to fetch the scrap pieces from the trash pile and bring them back to me. Also to run up and down the stairs we built for him and to jump on us.
We held him still to look for a tag and get a picture. Then Mom came in her minivan and said "Pepper, time to go home!" He was a little sad. We thought he had very cool coloring and neat eyes!
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Post from one year ago today...
February 16, 2016
Another earring and a nose ring. No, not for me! I am at my work handbook-approved maximum. And I am a chicken.
My daughters are brave. Also, Abby kept her room clean for thirty days and was allowed to have her nose pierced as agreed.
Amanda...doesn't tend to absentmindedly throw papers over her shoulder. Much to Abby's dismay, Amanda got day one approval on her requested earring.
When Abby finished her clean room chart (YES they work even better for teenagers than little kids!) and Amanda had summoned all the courage she required, we headed to Authentic Ink Tattoo and Body Piercing with ID's and birth certificates.
The front desk person was very kind. She made Amanda less nervous.
Colin Nichols gave the girls the new holes in their heads. He could see Amanda was getting nervous again after Abby had her nose pierced and had Amanda in the chair and her ear pierced before she could really panic. Thank you Colin!
The little loop in the top of Amanda's ear is the new one.
A trick I learned with recent dental work - if you have a Tsum in your pocket, things are less scary.
They are some days out and very happy with their decisions!
Thank you Authentic Ink team. I know kids are not your normal client demographic, and you were super patient and kind to them. They love their new piercings!
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Post from one year ago today...
February 15, 2016
In February of 2000, Dr. Munger and I teamed up to surgically remove a mass from Chippy the Kindergarten Rat. She was the classroom pet, and her friends wrote us the best Valentines ever after her surgery. She recovered well, and resumed her kindergarten studies soon after surgery.
These are a few of the thank you cards we received.
As you can see, Chippy was a very beautiful rat.
"Thank you for Chippy's operation. She feels better." :)
"You are a very nice doctor." I found this note to be ambiguous as I am a nice doctor, however, Dr. Munger too is a nice doctor.
"I like that the tumor is out. We want Chippy to feel better. I know Chippy will feel better."
Chippy, "Squeak."
One week ago, Mom and Dad's Poodle puppies, Oscar and Felix, were neutered.
They spent the day with Kelly, Jen, Hannah, Amy and me, and said they had a very good but strange day.
Jen got this great picture of Oscar hugging Felix while Kelly holds them :)
I love this picture of sleepy Oscar!
You did it boys!
Felix, do you want to talk about it?
Oscar was not impressed with his protective cone.
We ate lunch together. I ate while the Poodles silently judged me.
2 days post op, Abby and Arthur check on Oscar.
Amanda and Robert check on Felix.
Boys, you did great! And good news! You can take your cones off today!
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Post from one year ago today...
February 13, 2016
I hope you have enjoyed this series!
Do you want to see MORE pictures and hear MORE stories from Dan in the future?
Do YOU have a story to tell?
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 1 - MARCEL
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 2 - GAMBLER
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 3 - THE FOUNTAIN CREEK GENERAL STORE
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 4 - THE FLOWERS
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 5 - AZLYNN GRACE
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 6, LEATHERWORK
THE KURTENBACH SERIES FINALE - MORE DOGS AND SOME CATS...
Here are some great pictures of other dogs and cats Dan has known...
Gus and Dan on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Gus in the Yard
Happy Old Gus
Gus - to his chagrin, a kitty magnet —— Gus with Rocket
Gus with Harvey
Gus with Little Bit
Wolfie in the Yard
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 1 - MARCEL
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 2 - GAMBLER
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 3 - THE FOUNTAIN CREEK GENERAL STORE
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 4 - THE FLOWERS
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 5 - AZLYNN GRACE...
Azlynn Grace is Dan's granddaughter. She loves Marcel too.
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 1 - MARCEL
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 2 - GAMBLER
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 3 - THE FOUNTAIN CREEK GENERAL STORE
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 4 - THE FLOWERS...
These are the pictures I could not bear to leave in cat-dog vision you guys! Most of them have small insets with the original full color picture. How gorgeous are these flowers??
From Dan, "We developed the back lot with a new cased well, a giant garden, including 300 square foot in raised beds and some fruit trees to join the two old apple trees on the east lot line plus some planted berms on the west lot line with river birch and perennials."
Rocket
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 1 - MARCEL
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 2 - GAMBLER
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 3 - THE FOUNTAIN CREEK GENERAL STORE...
The Fountain Creek General Store of this series is in South Bend Nebraska.
From Dan, "I found the picture archives from the old general store restoration we started in the summer of 1997 upon our purchase and I worked on with my partner until early 2013. These are a series of historical photos of the old general store going back almost to the year it was first built (established in 1872)."
"Along side my design and logistical duties for the building restoration, I was the general store keeper on the weekdays of operation and my partner, who worked a day job in Lincoln, manned the counters on the weekends and holidays. Back behind the soda fountain counter where we served root beer floats from frosted mugs and an assortment of other frozen treats, I set up a workshop and revived an old world trade I picked up in the travels of my youth when I served a fairly comprehensive classical apprenticeship as a custom English Riding Boot Maker."
This is the earliest photo I have. Not much going on in South Bend in 1880 but there were farms and rock quarries in the area, maybe even the railroad by that time. You can see a few of the locals gathered on the front porch for this event.
Same corner in 1980.
The store building with the apartment attached (two smaller yellow trimmed windows). This picture was taken in 2010.
This is an aerial view of the store lot and the adjacent lot take in 2005 before we developed the back lot with a new cased well, a giant garden, including 300 square foot in raised beds and some fruit trees to join the two old apple trees on the east lot line plus some planted berms on the west lot line with river birch and perennials. The Fountain Creek General Store building faces due east.
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The next three were taken when we ran a little soda fountain, old fashioned candy store, antique store in our first 5 years of the restoration of Fountain Creek General Store. We did this from Memorial Day to Labor Day - 6 days a week until the little historical hobby started interfering with the restoration work on the building that restarted every spring.
This is the living room of the adjacent apartment.
This is the stairway to the upstairs part of the apartment over the store proper. In almost two decades, I was never up there. I had my partner, Samantha, take pictures for me as the second floor work progressed.
Upstairs bedroom
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 1 - MARCEL
THE KURTENBACH SERIES, PART 2 - GAMBLER...
The service dog Dan had before Marcel was Gambler. I did not get to meet him, but he sounds like an equally wonderful dog, and as you can see here, he was equally beautiful!
Gambler
From Dan, "Gambler is missed, as are all my previous canine companions."
Gambler
Gambler and his kitty friend, Rocket
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Post from one year ago today...
February 7, 2016
THE DOWNSIDE TO KEEPING YOUR PETS SAFE THAT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT
We have a great client, Dan Kurtenbach, with a wonderful service dog, a Golden Retriever named Marcel.
Marcel - The large pictures are in dog-cat vision, and the smaller insets in the original full color.
We love seeing these two for medical care and grooming.
In a surprising turn of events, we have recently been reminded that our clients and patients have lives outside of the exam rooms! Who knew?? Well...even if you do not tell us your stories...may we never forget...
You all are amazing and intriguing, and it is an honor to get to know you AND your pets.
The next several days will be stories and pictures from Dan, first about his sweet service dog Marcel, because without Marcel we would not have met, and from there stories of Dan and his life and previous dogs he has known and loved. I hope you enjoy getting to know them all as much as I have.
Marcel
Although most pictures on the blog are in dog-cat vision, I have also included full color pictures for the entire Kurtenbach series...mostly because I could not bear to take the coming flower pictures completely out of full color!
Marcel
From Dan, "Marcel is a very happy dog in spite of his trials and we bond a bit more every day. He continues to be a delightful roommate."
Marcel being silly - even working dogs need down time!
Marcel and his ball
And finally! (for now)...
MY RAT WUZZY, PART 5
Wuzzy’s surgery went wonderfully, and she woke up smoothly. None of her very small abdominal organs appeared to be diseased except for her very small uterus, which I removed, along with her very small ovaries.
The uterine and ovarian tissues were sent to a veterinary pathologist for review. My big scare was cancer, for two reasons, both of which you know well:
1) Wuzzy is my rat.
2) I am neurotic.
However, I hope to never let my love for my patients nor my extreme interest in their well being cloud my judgment—I had also written a very extensive rule out list with cancer being the top differential in a senior rat with uterine abnormalities.
I wanted to put a note on the pathology report that said “DOCTOR’S PET” and maybe include a cute picture of Wuzzy. But I know the pathologists who review our cases are excellent. It’s not as if they would put down their doughnut, dust off their microscope and really focus on this one. So, I just sent in the tissues and paperwork, and waited.
After surgery, I had Wuzzy wrapped snuggly in a towel, with only her cute little baldy head showing. Her eyes were half closed, but she was as gorgeous as ever. A kind client said, “What is that?” I held her up and replied, “My rat! She just had surgery.” She looked more closely and said, “Oh! They had to shave her, huh?” After I explained that she was hairless from the start, we both laughed. I realized it was the first time I had laughed in a week.
I have sent many rats and other pets, for that matter, home with very detailed postoperative instructions. I could give you the speech in my sleep. I have never seen one so dedicated to disobeying those instructions as Wuzzy was. And rats do not keep protective cones on. They pull them forward and off in one fell swoop of their nimble little hands. So, I made the cutest little belly wrap! Actually I made ten, and Wuzzy hula-danced out of ten. I folded my arms and scowled. Wuzzy climbed the bars of her toy-less, set-up-for-resting kennel and laughed.
The two of us stayed up most of the night. I answered calls and e-mails about Wuzzy. I am still on an emotional high from all the care I have received from concerned friends and family, and even people I had not met before Wuzzy became sick. Wuzzy got some licks in that night, but her abdominal incision remained intact. So we both won.
Six days later, I received Wuzzy’s two page pathology report, scanned it, and zoned in on the good part: “endometrial hyperplasia with chronic, suppurative and hemorrhagic endometritis,” [i] that is, a uterine infection that can be fatal if not treated. “Ovariohysterectomy should prove clinically beneficial; however, post-surgical monitoring and appropriate antibiotic therapy would be indicated also,” [ii] that is, do what you did. Surgery was diagnostic and curative, another win for both of us.
Fuzzy needs to make sure Wuzzy's watermelon slices are not better than hers.
Fuzzy and Wuzzy’s food came in the mail today, the kind they both love. They are together again in their large habitat with toys and shelves, hiding boxes and snacks. All is back to normal. All is well. Boring, just like I like it.
Fuzzy was happy to have her best friend home!
[i] Antech Diagnostics, Chris A. Schiller, DVM, Diplomate ACVP, Histopathology Report, (Oak Brook, IL.) p.1.
[ii] Ibid.
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Post from one year ago today...
February 5, 2016