fiddlesticks from norway

A gradual southerly direction through the Chicago ‘burbs on a Sunday is not recommended. However, once out on the road, freedom of movement is like none other.

Eventually escaping the grips of church traffic, rolling fields again quickly unfolded their cache of corn as far as the eye could see. As with the trip out, though headed distinctly west this time, we still managed to land in a decidedly easterly region.

Others found difficulty in landing at all, testified to in this memorial to those that survived the Great Agricultural Crash of the 1980’s. A couple of solid engines and a tail on that craft might have prevented such a disaster, though not likely given the economics of the time.

The planned diversion on the journey stood mostly empty and somewhat beautiful, if one could get past the stench. Matthiessen State Park is clearly suffering the effects of its proximity to the Chicago area. It may host a significant number of waterfalls and stand out as worthy experience but ensure that an external breathing apparatus is available to enjoy any length of time there.

Escaping a stench equitable to that coming from a wastewater treatment plant, few other opportunities for oddities appeared. One man’s junk is forever another man’s treasure, or sculpture.

A pause at Rice Lake found it quiet and peaceful, though near a Miserable and Big Lake. The small space along the highway proved a great place to simply stretch out and observe the decaying remains of an abandoned fishing escape.

A bit further down the road, the Little America Rest Area Bridge, dating from 1875 stood mostly abandoned and knee-deep in the weeds. Uncertain whether this bridge had always held this position, it seems a bit peculiar to bridge an incline in such a fashion as this.

Clouds patrolled the skies with increasing density, pushing the sun further down the horizon, urging a return to higher ground and more expedient crossings near Rushville. The expedition turned north and high-tailed it across IL-101 on advice from navigation systems designed to launch us towards the nearest sustenance.

Upon arrival, most places in Hannibal were already closed for the evening. Taking time to air out grievances along the Mississippi River formulated a plan to capture the sun setting into the surrounding crops at the airport before getting more involved in the search for food. Fiddlestiks Food & Spirits Company welcomed us with a decent meal shortly thereafter.

Launching out across the blackened wasteland of US-36 crossing Missouri left insufficient luminescence to capture anything of significance. Quiet little towns glowed gently along the sides of the road occasionally, and a stream of satellites from the doorstep of Elon Musk sailed across the sky. It all begged a test for the new camera, which produced interesting results that might have been much better atop a tripod. Perhaps, next time.

pankcakes to pizza

The primary objective of the day, a graduation ceremony at an arena in Hoffman Estates, swallowed the morning without haste. What remained, frittered away at Honey Berry Pancakes. We had only just been to Brianna’s earlier in the day. There appear a multitude of these establishments in this area, demonstrating a sincerely strange infatuation for flapjacks.

Part of the crew required respite prior to getting involved with other activities, leaving the other half to wander aimlessly about burning time. A nearby sculpture park offered some amusement before reminding of the hour and a need to investigate points beyond.

Stepping back in time at Elk Grove Village found things closing up for the evening. The planned exploration of the Pioneer Days of this small town, ultimately swallowed by the sprawl of the Chicago metropolitan area, would have to wait for another time.

All was not lost though, the situation enabled discovery of a few odd and ends nearby also frozen in time, standing as unique displays of art in their own right. The local government obviously had some involvement, as well as the public library, though the tiny strip mall remains questionable.

Eventually, rousing from their deep afternoon slumber, a rendezvous with remainder of the crew offered enough time to take in the sights of the Spring Valley Nature Center & Heritage Farm. The shorter components of the team found the Bison’s Bluff Nature Playground most interesting, enabling a little climbing, crawling, jumping, exploring, ultimately working up a good appetite.

An old friend joined the fray just in time to move on with the expedition to gather around the table of the Illuminati. They offered a perfect forum to catch up and reflect on events of the day, while soaking in some excellent Chicago pizza, before retiring for the evening.

east into illinois and wyoming

An opportunity to explore even only a little offered up a few surprises on this late fall rocket ride across the central plains towards Chicago.

Beginning the journey began on a mostly clear day, a desire to cross the central plains quickly and efficiently so as to be well rested for events the following day discouraged the usual meandering. A pause in Hannibal to reflect on prior visits and the changing landscape of the small town found our party ahead of schedule. Coupled with the blue skies and mild temperatures, the temptation to wander simply became too great.

Top:  Fosmire School / Bottom:  Victoria High School

Glancing off of Quincy shortly thereafter, then Carthage, Macomb, and finally Galesburg, nothing really stood out. Miles and miles of corn stalked us regularly, begging for its photograph. Admiring the persistence, though continuing to deny such requests, flying along IL-167, first one, and then another old schoolhouse made an appearance offering a better distraction and justifying a brief pause in the action.

In spite of continuing eastward, we somehow ended up in Wyoming. Time had not been good to the “Equality State.” Shrinking its size considerably from over 250,000 square kilometers to just over two, it hosted little more than a historic depot, alongside a few other intriguing artifacts. It offered enjoyable space to rest from the road though, the perfect place to loiter and consider the remainder of the requirements associated with the journey.

None stood out as particularly important, so dawdling as far as I-39 seemed a reasonable scheme. Rain persisted just in front of progress, seeming to have only just parted prior to our arrival. Catching up to the pestilence after leaving Henry, it dissipated as quickly as initiated, leaving the rest of the trek towards the western boundaries of Chicagoland relatively dry and uneventful.

Traffic appeared almost non-existent, until arriving in East Dundee. We were not the only folks interested in this locale. Most of Chicago had suddenly formed an interest. It was a curious turn of events, but nothing worth investigating further. Evading the situation entirely, our final resting place for the night there appeared without further incident.

Second Creek Wasteland

Destruction of one of the last remaining forested areas in the northern realm of Kansas City is well underway along Barry Road.  Trees have been mowed down, and bulldozers rumble through the day under the banner of "progress." The scene along this strip of roadway in the northland changes almost daily, at a near feverish pitch.

The forested area in the center of this map, just east of the lake is area under rapid and mostly thoughtless development. The upper boundary of this map is Barry Road.  About 6 square miles south of there is where the rape of land is most intense, though it is occurring at a much greater commercial extent north of there.  Deer and other wildlife are scattering to all surrounding areas, witnessed primarily in populations to the east of US-169.  

The irony of all of this is that most of the people that will use and move into this newly developed area would be appalled at similar levels of destruction in the rain forests.  That is easier to get offended about, I suppose, and does not get in the way of building that new McMansion.

. . .

Further Reading (though mos

Clay County plans to develop multi-billion dollar project near I-435, Route 152 (kshb.com)

Crane Watch: What's being built in KC area - Kansas City Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

Proposed housing development in KC draws attention of Platte County citizens — The Platte County Citizen

Projects in Kansas City's Northland to see progress in 2023 (fox4kc.com)

PAM Log Report

The PAM Log report tracks activities performed by the Health Team that qualify as PAM services and related nursing-support functions. It helps leadership monitor staff time allocation, review PAM-related activities and evaluate workload distribution across Health Team staff members.

Summary

The Summary page serves as the primary operational dashboard for PAM activity tracking. It provides a consolidated view of Health Team time allocation, PAM service activity, and hours worked across various service categories.

The page allows users to:

• Review total PAM-related hours by month.
• Monitor DMH Eligible Hours.
• Monitor Nursing Eligible Hours.
• Monitor MyDay Hours.
• Review total hours by Health Team staff member.
• Analyze time spent on specific PAM activities and nursing functions.

All Data

The All Data page serves as the detailed audit and validation page for PAM records. It provides access to the underlying PAM Log data and supports detailed operational review.

The page allows users to:

• Review detailed PAM activity records.
• Validate reported hours.
• Analyze records by staff member and activity type.
• Support auditing and reconciliation activities.

Influencers

The Influencers page serves as the analytical page for evaluating factors associated with PAM activity and workload patterns. It helps users identify trends and potential drivers influencing PAM service hours.

The page allows users to:

• Analyze workload drivers.
• Explore factors associated with PAM activity levels.
• Identify patterns in service delivery and staff utilization.

Version Notes

The Version Notes page documents report calculations, business rules, data source changes, enhancement history, and report maintenance activities. It serves as the technical documentation for the report and provides reference information for users who need to understand how the report is built, maintained, and updated.

Model relies solely on one table of data streaming from SharePoint Online.