Just a Vent

I'm venting today. Something I usually have to do with myself - or make Keith listen to me. And poor guy, he seems to think that I think that he should have solutions to everything... so ... if you are of a mind to, read on......

I just listened to 'Breaking News' on MSNBC and it seems that now the police are being questioned in their responsibility for a 24 (or so) year old woman who was detained, taken to the police station, and released. Evidently, her family and their lawyer thinks the police department should have shouldered the responsibility to made sure she had arrangements to get home, or made arrangements for her. They say that they had no right to keep her and she wanted to leave. Who wouldn't? So here we are again with the government responsible for private aspects of a persons life. I wonder out the side of my head, just how many figures will this cost an already budget strapped department? When will we, as adult Americans, take back the responsibility for ourselves? "We" don't want "Big Brother", but insist, via mega lawsuits and an overzealous media, on the same Big Brother being responsible for every aspect of our lives.

We buy a house we can't afford... Get the "Government (aka taxpayers) to subsidize us so we don't have to move to something we can afford.

We lose our job... We spent way more than we earned, have mega credit card debt, live in a house we knew we couldn't afford, and have saved nothing. Ask the Government (aka taxpayers) to extend unemployment benefits because we are broke.

Not only do we employ undocumented workers, we miss the point in that, they are sending everything they can out of the US! Every dollar they send to where-ever-they-sent-it-to is a dollar that will never again be spent in the US. It is not income or sales taxable. Wonder where our money is going? Look at the nearest globe!

And not only are the undocumented workers sending the USD out of our beloved US, every time we buy something that is not 'MADE IN THE USA' we are sending those very same USD's out of the Country. I am just as guilty of buying something because I want it now and don't have time to research an item to find one 'MADE IN USA'. Those same USD's that have rebuilt Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, etc are what are not being spent in the USA. Where does all of our money go?

Every time illegal drugs are purchased, the foreign drug cartels are getting richer and the citizens of the USA are getting poorer. Not just from the effects of the drugs... but from the dollars being sent out of the US.

What happened to the day when we, as Americans, respected ourselves and our neighbors? We morally did not overcharge, gouge, steal from, or pillage our fellow citizens. We did not take what we were not entitled to, ie worked for what we got. And those who did were castigated, ostracized, or just basically 'frowned upon'. I know it sounds really silly, but, our decay as a country, a society, has decayed since our basic morals have gone downhill to the me, me, me stage of development (I think that is somewhere around 3 or 4 years old).

I am not talking about all of us. There are many, many people who are great, wonderful, upstanding people. There are many, many people who legitimately need and deserve assistance. There is a whole generation of children who's parents have given them over to daycare and the schools to raise them... and then blame the 'government' (school system) for not raising them correctly. Those are the same standing there with their arms (not just hands) filing lawsuits that do nothing for the continued good of the many.

ok,,,, I'm done for now. Just wait until the next segment of MSNBC comes on!! I'm switching to HGTV.... I don't get near so upset.... LOL

Makkiah

All Prayers Front and Center!

Makkiah's surgery is scheduled for October 14th for his g-tube, fundo, pyloroplasty, rigid and flexible bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy, endoscopy, sinus biopsy and possible lung biopsy. That's only three weeks away

This is a direct quote from S'te.

I know prayers from coast to coast will go into the surgery for this precious little guy who just happens to be my precious Grandson!

Amazing!

Last week was eventful. We had a new HVAC system installed at the same time as I was doing some blackberry juicing, and canning pears. On one day an evaluator came out to check on the little guy's progress with walking, and I had set a time Friday to go out and do one final big blackberry picking with Clint. With the vacuum running constantly (the little guy is still crawling) to pick up the lint, dirt, and other falling debris from the install and the other things going, I was staying fairly busy.

Well, on Wednesday as I was doing some green beans I noticed that my back was aching quite regularly. Then on Thursday, as I was peeling and water-bathing pears, it kept getting worse. It was working it's way up under my right shoulder blade and nothing, no position change, NOTHING eased the ache. By Thursday night - I was in pain. Real honest to goodness outright pain!.. From my front ribcage under my arm around to under my ribs in the back and up under my shoulder. So I put the remainder of the pears back in the box with a promise to start again 'tomorrow' and took it easy for the rest of the evening. Well,

Friday morning didn't do any better. I couldn't relieve the pain by standing up - or sitting - or laying down. SO I did what every smart person would do ~~ I called and left a detailed message on voice mail at the Doctors office wanting to know what I should do. Should I make an appointment or go to the ER. I wasn't getting any better and I couldn't continue this way for much longer. I wasn't in debilitating screaming pain - but enough I couldn't focus on anything or do anything. And I knew something was wrong - more than likely another gallbladder attack that would magically disappear as soon as I entered the medical domain ~ LOL..... Well....

An hour and a half later, still no call from the Doctor office - so I call them back again and get the magical words "I'm here all by myself and I do the best that I can. If you are in pain you should probably just go to the ER because that's where we would send you anyhow." So, WHY DIDN'T YOU RETURN MY CALL AND TELL ME THAT AN HOUR AND A HALF AGO!! So.....

Keith and little guy took me to the ER. . . it was 11:29 when I signed in. I remember that because the volunteer said it wasn't 11:30 yet so I marked through what I had put in the space and rewrote it. LOL.... They did a great job at Bay Area Hospital. I had my bloodwork done, an ultrasound, pain medication, very polite and nice nurses and aides, and they had a surgeon in talking to me by 2:00. Now, to some of you, that doesn't sound really great - but I've sat in many ER's longer than that before triage even got to me, so other than the lightening fast ER at Philomath that Keith went thru last year, this was the best visit ever - as visits to the ER go! So...

By 5 pm I was coming out of the recovery room minus a gall bladder and being put into my room for the night. Everyone was nice and pleasant. I didn't feel like I was infringing on anyones time or activities. I was checked on regularly, helped out of bed many times (the IV was running thru me LOL) and walked up and down the hall before lights out for the night.

Dr. Hamn, the surgeon came and saw me this morning, said I passed muster, things looked good, and he repaired a hernia as well as the gallbladder removal. We chatted at length about foster care. He and his wife had older guests into their home until a final child showed them that they no longer cared to continue opening their home and their lives for the potential problems that come with dealing with these abused children. If it were up to us - we'd have fixed all the issues at 1 sit-down. But, sadly, it doesn't work like that. He seems like an extremely nice man as well as a talented surgeon.

Clint came and rescued them from me about 10:30 on Saturday morning and I am glad to be home. I still have beans on the tepees, tomatoes on the vines, and a box of pears staring at me - as well as a back yard that badly needs done... but - I am following Dr.'s orders and doing nothing much for right now.

I appreciate all of the prayers and well wishes that were sent my way, I am sure they have helped immensely. It's always nice to know that there are people out there who do care... :-)

So, now, back to my chair and the remote.......

Pumpkin!

Keith points out the biggest pumpkin in our patch (besides him) LOL

Another is hiding down there too.

The ever fruitful bean tepees. I've been picking and canning for 2 weeks now. Still beans to go! Tim said tonight - 'guess what Keith - green beans for dinner" LOL

I have some in the pressure cooker as I type... LOL

I have also been picking blackberries and have learned how to steam the juice out and make jelly so I have no seeds. As well as 2 huge cobblers that the 'guys' have inhaled. I do so love for my offerings to be appreciated!
A small sample of what I've been doing.
This is what I keep in the house for 'instant access' LOL

A sample pickin'My handsome helper!

A few green beans done!
Juicing the blackberries.
No pictures of the gallons of jam, juice, and frozen berries that we now have!

And I have pears to do tomorrow!
And apples.
And
And

soon the tomatoes will be overrunning me.
Bountiful Earth!!

Labor Day

Rod and S'te had planned to bring the family down for the Labor Day Weekend. I had all sorts of goodies gathered to send back up with them. Some of the 'bounty' from the garden that seems to never end as well as the goodies that I had baked and canned during the summer. I love my remodeled kitchen. It is so nice to work in. A REAL cook still wouldn't have enough counter space or enjoy the odd layout that we ended up with. But I all love it! I have enjoyed using it all summer long. I have baked, canned, juiced, steamed, gelled, stir fried, boiled and anything else imaginable with the veggies and fruits that I've grown and picked so far.

So anyway, back to my story. The Navy decided that Rod's trip wasn't going to happen as we'd hoped so.... we got permission to take one of our babies and all of this STUFF to them. We had a really great time. I can't believe how much the kids all grow and develop so quickly. I got to see first hand and from the other side of the fence, how Sharen and I must've been during our pre-teen/teen years. oops... lol... The kids all seem to be loving the life up there in Washington and seem to be adjusting well to the change. School has started for them and all is chugging along. Mak is still having health issues but hope is eternal that somehow the puzzle pieces will fit and a diagnosis will be found along with the cure for the issues that just seem to be blooming.

So we make it back home - no tickets, no problems, no issues YAY!! and another holiday for 2009 has come and gone.

Meteorlogic First Day of Fall!

It's September 1st and.....

And we are getting new neighboros... One day a few weeks ago a piece of equipment showed up and cleard the lot across the street....

Then someone showed up to pour concrete. Then one morning I woke up to a huge hole at the entrance to my driveway (I was suprised!). They had to dig really, really deep to find the sewer line LOL... and they found water instead.... What was planned as a morning procedure turned into 2 days.... and we got new rock clear down the road and into our driveway... Works for me!!

and yesterday a package from Gerald arrived.....

and guess what!

I still say my face isn't that fat (sound familiar S'te?)... but if that's what I look like.... it's what I look like.

Other than changing diapers, transporting to visits, and watering very dry (brown) grass - life has been a total non-event lately....