ART INSIGHTS: Keep your day job! Part 2

Lorna Barrowman’s work history, as told in her words:

At 17, I was in nurses’ staff training at a large Glasgow hospital. I was soon in charge of the night shift on the surgical ward. Here, 24 patients hoped for a pain-free night’s sleep in one huge room. I grew up in that room.

After two more years of training, I became a midwife, delivering around 50 babies. A doctor only came in if there were complications.

By age 21, I was married and working as an in-home midwife in an impoverished area. The tenement buildings and government housing were crumbling. With glass littering the streets, and the potential of meeting a knife-wielder, even the police didn’t like to come into this neighborhood. Apartments were crowded and filthy. I delivered a few babies on newspapers on bathroom floors. This was another eye-opener for me. I drove around in a blue VW Beetle, with a bag of drugs and clean baby clothes. Those were the days! [Here the submitter, Diane, wishes to note that her husband also recalls folks driving around in VWs with bags of drugs.]

Next, I became a public health nurse, visiting the under 5s and assisting the elderly.

With three flight stops on the way, and three children under 5, my husband and I moved to Mesa, Ariz. Walking into 114 degrees, after a very cold Scottish winter, was shocking! Fortunately, we found a place with a pool. I never looked back. I had to sit exams and take an English-speaking test! Waiting for credentials, I became a school lunch lady. I had to learn the coinage, using an old-style cash register and how to count back change. I was liked, and students and teachers helped me. After credentials, in New Jersey, I was a school nurse. Here, in the fine city of Coeur d’Alene, I worked in a downtown gift shop (my nicest job) while waiting for more references. I’ve worked in a rehab hospital and nursed at four assisted living homes. I’ve given end-of-life care.

Ah, now I’m enjoying a blissful retirement, with time for painting.

•••

Diane Barron is the secretary for the Coeur d'Alene Art Association and the 2023 artist of the year.

    Barron