Some Things Friday for September 18, 2009

This has been a weird couple of weeks.

Goldie is fine, but on medication until October 6th. I wrote about her rat poison ingestion on Myspace, but not here, so I might as well bring my faithful readers up to date.

A couple of weeks ago, our spa stopped working again. The spa sits on the patio and Tom and Scott (a friend of ours) built a raised deck and stairs around it for easy in and out. Tom anticipated the need to maintain and/or repair the spa sometime in the future, so he made the stairs removable and by tipping them forward, the whole front of the spa is exposed and the enclosure can be unscrewed and removed. There is also an access through the enclosure on the right side of the spa, so Tom built the deck portion with a cut-out section and drilled two finger holes in for easy removal on that side, too. So, for the spa guy to repair it, Tom has to remove the stairs in front of the spa and also the portion of the deck on the side.



Last winter, we saw a rodent (large mouse) run across the steps in front of the back door toward the spa so Tom pulled up the two access areas and we placed rodent poison underneath the decking and then he replaced the steps and deck portion. A month ago when the spa guy was here before, we noticed that there were rodent turds under the steps and all the poison had been eaten, so we replaced the empties with new poison, then put everything back again.

So two weeks ago when the spa guy was supposed to be here, Tom once again removed the steps and the deck portion for the spa guy, then came in the house. As we sat down with a cup of coffee, I asked him if he had picked up the poison and he said no, but he didn't think Goldie would eat it.

He has good reason to think that. She is a very, very picky eater. We bought training treats for her and as well as other treats (made by the same company that makes her dog food), but she wouldn't eat either one. Honestly, she doesn't eat hardly anything. She eats the one brand of dog food we routinely buy her, mixed with a small can of wet dog food...as long as it's not some sort of beef dinner. If we mix the dry food with beef dinner, the food will remain in the dish all day long.

Anyway, I said that I didn't want the birds to eat it either, so Tom got up and went back outside to pick up the poison and all three of the poison containers were empty!!

We knew we had to get Goldie to the vet's right away, so Tom put her in the car and took her to Dr. Chris'. Goldie was in their office and throwing up (induced by them) within 40 minutes of ingesting the poison. Luckily, this poison takes about 12 hours to work because it is anti-coagulant (makes them bleed internally) and has to be in the blood stream.

As I said, she is going to be okay, but she gets 7 pills shoved down her throat every single morning. A few minutes later, we have to pick up the 3 or 4 pills she's managed to hide somewhere under her tongue and then spit out on the patio. Those pills are now sticky and slimy and a lot more difficult to shove down her throat a second time, coupled with the fact that Goldie is pretty tired of having human fingers in her throat and has learned how to clench her teeth together. It's such a lovely way to start the day.

I took her to the vet yesterday for a follow-up. They took blood and she's doing fine, but we have to continue giving her the pills until her next visit in October (Oh, thank you so much...).

As I said in my Myspace bulletin, there is a positive side. The fact that Goldie had to crawl into two holes in the deck to get at the rodent poison means she's becoming more curious, which is a good thing because she has always been very withdrawn and without any instinctual curiosity at all.

On the negative side...well, when I took her to the vet yesterday, I had to drag her out of the car. She is definitely not going to be a happy camper the next time we take her in for boarding.

Well, I think I'll get started on this...

Some Things I Love:

1. My sister, Robin. I just got a text from her and she is being released from the hospital today after hip surgery!

2. Accomplishing some portion of the remodel on this house. I am painting, which is what I should be doing instead of this. We are trying to get the living room ready to move the HUGE tv from the den to the living room. I finally sold the piano and we will move the media cabinet to it's place. Tom bought 4 new in-wall speakers for the surround sound and installed them over the last couple of days. I'm painting the walls and trim. I have one more wall to go, then I have to paint the screens that cover the speakers. This is how my living room has looked since last weekend...



I am hoping by the end of the day, the living room will sort of be back to normal...only looking better.

3. The changes we are making to the living room and the den (where the tv and media cabinet are right now...taking up way too much space in that little room).


4. My new dining table and chairs. And I sold my old set after being listed on Craigslist for only 3 days.

5. Tom's patience. I'm such a bitch sometimes...really.

Some Things I Hate:

1. Living so far from my family. Not just my kids and grandkids, but my sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins. We're pretty much isolated here and traveling is a requirement.

2. Door to door sales people. I hate answering my doorbell and being accosted by a cheery, but abrasive individual selling magazines, yard care or frozen meat and vegetables from a truck sitting in my driveway. No, no, and no. Thank you.

3. I went to a meeting at our church last week. We watched a short video. The preacher in the video was admonishing his congregation for not helping their church grow by inviting people to go to church with them. He said, "These people are going to hell for not going to church and YOU don't care." Huh???? I think I'll take a step back, take a deep breath and reduce my involvement.

4. Mosquitoes. I suppose everyone hates them, but I especially hate them this year. It's been extremely wet and mosquitoes are prolific and ravenous. My legs are scarred from bites, even when I use a repellent. I can't wait for cold weather to kill them off.

5. I have to say it and I have to name names...Kanye West, Joe Wilson and (damn!) Serena Williams. Kanye...well, this guy just doesn't get it. At every single awards ceremony he attends, they should set up Kanye-Security-Guards just to keep this idiot off stage. Joe Wilson...dude, you want to call the President a liar then do it somewhere else besides during the President's speech before a joint session of Congress. And, yes, you need to apologize IN PERSON to the President and IN PUBLIC to Congress and the American people for your disrespectful and boorish behavior. And Serena, Serena, Serena...when did you become such a poor sport and so big for your britches that you think it's okay to say those things to a line judge (or anyone else, for that matter)?

Some Things I Just Don’t Get:

1. How anyone can make an argument and justify for-profit health care. It does not make one wit of sense to me whatsoever to continue to allow an industry to operate whose sole purpose is to make obscene profits by denying people health and, in some cases, life. Americans don't sacrifice the lives of others for profit. Well, maybe we do.

2. If I were to walk around my neighborhood with a sign that said, "I've Come Unarmed (This Time)," someone would call the police and I would be arrested and charged with terroristic threatening because my sign implies that I'm not armed this time, but next time I will be and watch out! Why weren't those people carrying those same signs in Washington D.C. arrested? Protesting is one thing. Threats are another ball game altogether.

3. Where do people find the time to keep up with all the networking sites? About the most I can manage is to post my "status" or make a comment, then I'm off doing something else. Apparently some people go every one of their friends' pages to check them out and make comments.

4. We are taking a trip to California in November...3 months from now. I purchased our airline tickets over a month ago. Last week, I received an email that our departing flight time had been changed. I suppose they are already expecting delays and letting us know ahead of time. The lack of planning on their part makes me uncomfortable.

5. I don’t understand how anyone can take Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck seriously or believe anything either of them says. They are both just irrational, uninformed white guys who desperately rant to seek attention instead of trying to educate or inform.

I think I've ranted enough today, too.

I Got Mine, But I Don't Want You To Have Any...

I need to stop reading news sites and blogs because now I'm really pissed!

No, not about last night's outburst from Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina. Well, okay, yes I'm pissed about that, too.

But I'm even more pissed since I read a comment on at the end of this post on Mountain Sage.

A commenter whose user name is "timesr" posted the following comments and provided a link to this article to which s/he refers:

Republicans are not opposed to universal health care, they just don’t want Americans to have it.

” WASHINGTON — Fresh from a two-day weekend visit to Iraq, the Bush administration’s top health-care official defended the $950 million that will be spent to help Iraq establish universal health care.

Congressional Democrats have criticized the administration for helping Iraq to establish universal health care without doing the same for U.S. citizens. ”

Just in case you don't feel like you want to move on over to the Seattle Times website, let me just quote the significant part of the 2004 article for you. Tommy Thompson's response to the Democratic criticisms was:

"Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said yesterday there are major differences between the two countries that defy simple comparisons.

"Even if you don't have health insurance," said Thompson, who toured medical facilities in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad and Tikrit on Saturday and Sunday, "you are still taken care of in America. That certainly could be defined as universal coverage. Every American's health care is far superior to what the health care is in Iraq."(my emphasis).

So, in 2004 it was perfectly acceptable for the Bush administration to spend $950 billion to help Iraq establish universal health care, but in 2009 it is unacceptable for the Obama administration to spend $900 billion on health care reform and provide a public option so that ALL Americans can receive adequate health care.

And, in whose reality are all Americans "taken care of"?? Apparently only in Tommy Thompson's reality, since as a government official he has better health care than anyone else I know.

Just a few years ago, I had health insurance through COBRA from my previous employer. In the 18 months I was eligible, the premiums rose from $400 per month to nearly $650 per month. In the 18 month period, I paid $9,800 in medical insurance premiums. In addition, my co-pay for doctor's visits went from $15 per visit to $35 per visit, $50 for visits to a specialist. My portion of the major medical was 20%.

But, let's put this in better perspective. During that same 18 month period the following transpired:

• I broke my left foot and tore a ligament in my right foot. Total cost out of my pocket was about $1,800.
• Subsequent visits to orthopedic specialist, out of pocket $250.
• I had to undergo a specialized stress/heart test. Total cost out of my pocket was $600.
• Tom broke his leg and required emergency medical help and subsequent surgery. Total out of pocket cost, $2,800.
• Subsequent visits to Tom's orthopedic surgeon for follow up. Out of pocket cost $600.

In an 18 month period we spent almost $16,000 out of pocket for insurance and excess medical expenses. That doesn't even take into consideration the medications, crutches, wheel chair rentals, etc.

I feel fortunate that Tom and I were able to meet our financial obligations and pay our portion of the medical expenses not covered by insurance. Most people are not so damn lucky.

But if Mr. Thompson believes that we would have received medical care had we not had insurance, he is delusional. We might have received basic "adequate" care, but at what cost? At the very least, we'd certainly be close to bankruptcy because of it.

The arrogance of Mr. Thompson and other Republicans who stand opposed to health care for all Americans is offensive and unconscionable.

I'm going to be pissed off for the rest of the day! Damn!

And the fuss was about????

I just read the text of President Obama's speech to our nation's school children. If you haven't, you can do so here.

In a nutshell, he speaks of the importance of education; the need for self-respect and self-motivation; for students to always respect their teachers, parents, grandparents and other adults; taking personal responsibility; overcoming adversity; working hard to achieve one's goals; and contributions students can make to their country.

No wonder the whole right-wingers had their panties in a wad. It was pretty radical, left-wing, socialist stuff, huh?

Alleged Theft Foiled By ‘Sting Operation’

This is a real story from our local newspaper, The Log Cabin Democrat.

Seriously. I couldn't make this shit up.

"Posted: September 2, 2009 - 8:25pm
By Joe Lamb
LOG CABIN STAFF WRITER


A swarm of honey bees thwarted an alleged theft attempt atop Billy Goat Mountain on Sunday, according to a Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office incident report.

Rickey Dale Ford, 46, of 190 Nanny Goat Lane, was arrested and transported to Conway Regional Medical Center after deputies found him lying in the woods about 900 yards from a home on Billy Goat Mountain where he allegedly had stolen an air compressor, chain saw, two string trimmers and a toolbox.

These items were found sitting on a bush hog, which was being used as a makeshift trailer to transport the stolen goods. A tractor that had been reported stolen from another Billy Goat Mountain residence was being used to pull the Bush Hog.

“The tractor had run over many trees, making its own path through the woods until it could go no more,” the report states.

Still warm, the tractor was found wedged between two trees, according to the report. Maj. Andy Shock of FCSO said the tractor’s path through the woods led back to a barn with a broken lock, from which the stolen property was allegedly taken.

And about 100 yards from the tractor, deputies found Ford lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth, barely breathing and unresponsive, according to the report.

When deputies first arrived, they were told by the property owner that he had seen a man wearing a ski mask riding an ATV on his property. When the property owner confronted the masked trespasser he fled on the ATV, crashing into a bee hive on his way out. According to the report the trespasser abandoned the ATV and proceeded on foot through the woods.

The property owner told deputies what the trespasser looked like and what he was wearing and that he probably didn’t make it far.

Shock said investigators were still trying to work out how Ford may have driven both the tractor and ATV. He may have driven the stolen tractor loaded with stolen property until it got stuck and then walked to his home and retrieved his stolen ATV, Shock said, or another suspect may have been involved.

When deputies found Ford he had been stung between 50 and 100 times, Shock said. Hilltop Volunteer Fire Department First Responders and MEMS were called in to stabilize him and he was transported to Conway Regional Medical Center. He was released into police custody on Monday, according to Shock.

By Wednesday, he had been charged with breaking or entering, criminal mischief and two counts of theft of property, both class-B felonies. At his arraignment Wednesday afternoon he was set a $12,000 bond by Circuit Judge Charles “Ed” Clawson."
SOURCE

A commenter with a user I.D. of "justwantdanews" posted the following comment,

Let me get this correct. A guy with a mullet and two first names Rickey Dale was stung by a swarm of bees while trying to steal an air compressor, chain saw, two string trimmers and a toolbox. This could be a scene from hillbilly version of Home Alone. What's with people and mullets? I saw a toddler in Wal-Mart this past weekend with a mullet. Just let it die people. Let it die!

I have nothing further to add people.

A cat, after being scolded, goes about its business. A dog slinks off into a corner and pretends to be doing a serious self-reappraisal. ~ Robert Brault

"Free to good home. Female Golden Retriever, 6 years old, spayed, all shots. Rescued kennel dog. Gentle, but very timid. Needs patient family."

No one cared. Not one called. G-Doggie's still here, hiding in the back corner of the yard behind the berry vines.

But she has grown increasingly unhappy with her spot. We did some yard work last week. We cleaned out the garden, pulling the heirloom tomato plant that never fruited and the grape tomato plant that was dying. I trimmed the blossoms from the basil and pulled weeds. Tom cut off all the runners from the wisteria and removed all the spent berry stalks. That's when he'd gone too far. It made G-Doggie's hideout more visible. Now, when she lays behind the vines that remain, you can see her...and she can see you. Oh, God, nooooooo!!!!

She found another, more private spot, so we had to put up a little wire gate in front of the compost pile. She'd dug a nice little bed for herself in the far corner between the fence and the compost pile. We discovered her new habitat when, after I didn't see her in the yard, I called her and she came running around the fence from the compost pile. She was covered head to toe with black compost and compost was clumped on her wet nose. She'd been digging and I had to clean her off before I could even let her in the house. Last weekend, Tom put up the wire gate from the leftover fencing we bought earlier in the summer.

So, G-Doggie's back behind the berry vines. Oh, she'd much prefer the comfy, very private bed she made in the compost pile. How do I know that? Because she will periodically come out from behind the berries and walk around the yard. As she makes her circle, she walks by the fenced compost pile and stops and looks at the wire gate. Then looks at the back door of the house. Then looks back at the wire gate. Then continues to the back corner behind the berry vines. She's pissed. I know it. Well, she's as pissed off as much as G-Doggie can be pissed off. It's like she has episodes of dog tourettes. You see she's pissed; it's there; then it's gone in a flash, like nothing has happened. But, every time she walks by the wire gate, she does exactly the same thing. She stops and looks at the gate, then looks at the back door, then looks back at the gate, then walks back to her spot behind the berries.

I don't know, maybe she thinks she's dreaming and is hoping she will wake up and the wire gate will have been merely a nightmare. Or, maybe she's just pissed and is scoping out the gate, trying to figure out how she's going to get around or through it.

In any case, we still have G-Doggie. The ad is running again this week, but no calls so far. If no one calls, she's ours for good. We talked about it. It's really the only alternative. I can't and won't take her to a shelter. Even if all she does is lie around and nap 24/7, she will just have to do that here. Besides, G-Doggie is the only animal we have ever owned that has been so completely non-threatening that my mother-in-law actually reached out to pet her head one time. If you knew my mother-in-law, you would know that is HUGE because she does not like animals.

Yep, so far G-Doggie is not going anywhere, except maybe to the kennel when we travel and can't take her.

On another note, we are new parents! No, not another child. That would require a miracle; one which would make us very rich when we sold our miracle story to the National Inquirer. It's not a human baby, but fish baby!

Last summer (2008) we bought six smallish goldfish and six Plecostomus (we call them simply "Suckers") for the pond. We fed them all summer and fall, and when winter set in, stopped. This spring, the goldfish have more than doubled their size and all of them have huge fantails. They are so pretty. I have no idea what the suckers look like. We never see them. I don't even know if they survived.

I've read enough about ponds and goldfish to know that they might even have baby fish, but the likelihood of the baby fish surviving is slim because the bigger fish will eat them. Earlier this summer, when Tom was cleaning the pump, he pulled out a very small, but very dead fish. Darn! No survivors. Until the other day when I was feeding the fish, I caught a glimpse of a small 7th goldfish less than an inch long, with a small fantail. Very cool, huh?

I think I will call him "Bruiser"... that is, until I can't tell him apart from the other fish, and then I will have to call him by the generic "Fishy" that I use to address his Fish-Mom, Fish-Dad and other Fish-Relatives. I'm sure he'll just want to be considered part of the crowd.

After you leave home, you may find yourself feeling homesick, even if you have a new home that has nicer wallpaper and a more efficient dishwasher than the home in which you grew up. ~Lemony Snicket

This morning I got a call from my youngest son, Chris. He is home after working a couple of weeks in Florida. He has a great opportunity to do the kind of work he loves and it looks like they may be moving there, to the Gulf Coast.

I'm so jealous. And when I texted Tom to tell him, he called right away and said, "You're kidding??!!" Nope, I wasn't. Tom's jealous, too.

We also love the Gulf Coast. I cannot even tell you why we didn't move there in the first place. After we took our first vacation there sometime in the 80's, we knew that's where we wanted to live. I guess you could say we took a little 16 year detour and we're still trying to find our way out of the maze we've created. It's not that we haven't done well here. We have. Very well, in fact. So, we decided to take annual vacations to Clearwater Beach, Florida, and spend two weeks sitting on the beach, taking long walks, collecting shells, riding bikes and swimming. Then we stopped for awhile. Just not enough time, I guess. We always had something else to do, somewhere else to go, kids and grandkids to visit.

Since Chris has been working in Florida, we have again been reminded of our love for it and we finally made reservations for the week between Christmas and New Years. We'll take the boat this time because we are going to stay right on the harbor across the street from the beach at the Sea Captain in Clearwater Beach, which also has boat slips to rent ($10 per day) when you rent your room. It will be fun to take the boat down the intercoastal waterway. But after a week there, riding our bikes everywhere and eating fresh caught fish (off the boat that very morning) every single day (compare that to our local "butcher" who wasn't able to tell a customer what tilapia tastes like because he'd never eaten it ~ as one of my favorite bloggers, Altadena Hiker so delicately exclaimed, Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot??!!!) we never want to come home.

Alright, but what does this have to do with feeling homesick? Well, it depends on the place that feels like home. For, Chris, a walk on the beach with your feet in the Gulf at sunset feels like home to him. That's pretty understandable. He spent the better part of his childhood/teenage years living near the beach in Carlsbad, California.

But, right now he lives in Savannah and is just 15 minutes away from the beach on Tybee Island. He can have the same thing there, right? Wrong. And I think it's wrong because of where the sun sets.

I was born and raised in California. I lived in Fresno, then San Jose. Tom and I met while I lived there and he was in the Air Force stationed at, of all places, Sunnyvale. From San Jose, we moved to Santa Cruz, then Kings Beach (Lake Tahoe), then Gardnerville (Nevada), then down to SoCa - Oceanside/Carlsbad area. Mike had just started high school (starting his sophomore year) and Chris was in middle school. We lived there until both of them graduated. We were almost always on the west coast, near a beach or a short drive away. Even growing up in San Jose, my parents always took us to the coast, Seacliff or New Brighton State Parks, to camp nearly every weekend all summer long and every evening we'd sit on the beach next to a bonfire watching the sunset over the ocean.

I have a pretty "DUH" principle for you. When you live on the west coast, the sun always sets over the Pacific Ocean. It's done it forever and will continue, hopefully, long after I'm gone. And, if you are on the east coast, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, the sun is setting behind you. For those of us who grew up on the west coast, the east coast sunset just feels wrong! My point is, watching the sunset over the water is all I know. That is all my body knows. That is all my soul knows. Anything else feels wrong, unfinished, unsettling. That's why the Florida Gulf Coast is so attractive to those of us who have grown up on the west coast. The sun sets over the Gulf. Everything feels right. It feels like home.

Of course, there are other things that make that area very attractive ~ the lifestyle (very casual & very laid back), the cost of living (lower taxes & housing costs), a culturally diverse population, endless outdoor activities, etc., but it's always nice when some place feels like home before you make it your home.