What does a drunk a lizard an ER nurse have in common?

YES! YES! YES! I got a request for the COOLEST cake EVER!!!!!!
But before you meet Guido, let's have a history lesson first....................................


-by Sharlene Gaenicke




Once upon a time (oh, say around 20 years ago), there was a drunk driver traveling north on US1 through the historic district of Titusville. Something happened on their drunkin’ journey, something that made them crash their vehicle through a partial cinderblock wall, through the hedge on the other side and come to a halt in the parking lot of the ‘ever-so-lovely’ (you can even rent–by-the-hour) downtown Budget motel. Perhaps the driver dropped a cigarette, perhaps he over shot the turn onto south street or perhaps he fell asleep at the wheel……regardless, this story isn’t about them-----it’s about a lizard. You see, when the drunk was flung out of their vehicle (either stumbling out or rolling out the opened door) they landed in an arena of crumbled concrete, twigs, leaves and dirt. Unable to flee the scene (much less walk), he laid there until help arrived. When the fire department arrived, they did the usual------assess the scene, assess the patient, prepare for transport: things like a neck brace, bandages on the bloody head wounds, oxygen and so on. Strapped to a backboard, the patient was taken, less than 5 miles away, to Jess Parrish Hospital. In the ER, the trauma patient was again, assessed, but this time by a full Emergency Room crew-----ER doctor, ER nurses, X-ray, Lab and Cardio departments. After the initial assessment and assuring that no major life threatening situations were at hand, the ER crowd slowly dissipated and the patient was left in the care of his very able nurse, Barbara. Barbara’s duties were to clean his wounds and monitor the patient----and, yes, she was, now, all alone. After all, nothing very interesting here-----another drunk driver, cut up, scrapped up and sloppy drunk, darn lucky to be alive----the rest of the team was finished. So, there she was, trying to talk to someone who couldn’t enunciate very well and often, dozed off (or shall we say, passed out) into moments of------well, sweet silence. Anyway, she removed the blood soaked, filthy dressing off his head and was attempting to clean up the matted black mess of blood and dirt from his head wound----------when, unannounced and quite, suddenly, a lizard jumped out of the patient’s huge head laceration (better known as an avulsion to those of you who understand that term) and onto Barbara. Can you say “Blood Curdling Scream”? I was a short distance away in the EMS Room (a room assigned to the fire department to write up our reports) when I heard that scream. Everyone, from everywhere (even other departments) came running to find out what caused that ‘horror-movie-type-scream’-----------was someone in the ER being assaulted?!? Why, yes, as a matter of fact, they were-------it was Barbara, being assaulted by a lizard! Real life. True story. And, that, my friend, should explain this FABULOUS and FUN CAKE for Barbara’s retirement for 26 WONDERFUL years of EMERGENCY ROOM NURSING!!!!!! Watch out for the lizards, Barbara!

Meet Guido.....................