Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Twosday

Two of my favorite songs, one old, one new:

Bruce Hornsby's Prairie Dog Town:

Bet ya can't just listen once!

Forver Autumn:

I know, wrong time of year, but this is one of those songs that haunt me and just comes to mind several times a year and I have to listen to it.

Two cats in a bed. Here's how spoiled they are: there are two, occasionally three, humans that live here and two cats. There are two human beds and six cat beds.

Two brother who love each other.

Two books I am reading:
"Will Jesus Buy Me a Doublewide" by Karen Spears Zacharias.
LOVE LOVE LOVE her! Said it before, will say it again: every Christian needs to read her books!

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by JK Rowling. Because I can if I want to, because I'm a grown up.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Things People Say

Story told to me:

Woman from a mostly poor, very rural county talking about the last presidential election: "They(who? church volunteers?) were bringing them(oooh, them, the black people?) in on buses to vote."

Woman hearing the story: "So?"

So, indeed. If a person is a legally registered voter, what does how they get to the polls matter?

I wished I'd heard this conversation because it begs the question: Which bothered you more? The buses bringing poor blacks in from their distant homes or that blacks were voting?"

What's next? Voting in outer space so only those who can afford space shuttle tickets can vote?

Thor sez: That's as bad as putting bunny ears on a kitten.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Loki Sunday

Not sure this is going to work.


Saturday, March 27, 2010

Do People Read What They Type?

Odd little "comment section" exchange on one of the large network's site. Topic was the tea party people. One person commented to the effect of "I don't understand the whole tea party attitude that health care reform is against the will of the people", he then cited some stats on the crowds Obama drew during the campaign and the responses of the crowds to the health care reform propositions and the number of votes that Obama had won by.

Another person then commented that Obama "only got that many vote because black people voted for him."

So, was he saying that black American's votes don't count toward the "will of the people"?

Again, I quote the ever practical Jason. People don't want to think, they just want to say things.

Sorry no kitten picture, on the lap top and about three minutes away from being late for work.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Thor's Day

Thor and the water fountain. They really love this drinking fountain!



My lucky shot of the year! Actually caught the moment he broke the water flow. Cats, as you can see, curl their tongues under to lap.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I Protest!

I didn't go to the protest at West Ashly High School because it was still dark during the scheduled time and I sort of liked the imagery of hatred standing alone in the dark.

But, I did go to the Jewish Community Center and stood with several people to express our opinion that love is stronger than hate.

This young lady's husband is currently serving in the navy.
I loved their signs!


The young lady taking photos in currently serving in the Air Force.



There's my sign!

A college student.


A two tour Vietnam veteran and his wife, they have attended all the scheduled protests.

I am going to assume that the two young ladies who drove by and flipped us the bird were confused and not supporting the Hate Group.


Loki sez: I protest this humiliation!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Standing Up!

Tomorrow, Wednesday March 24, the hate group will be protesting at West Ashley High School 0645-0715 and the Jewish Community Center 0830-0900.

These people call themselves a church and claim that God "hates" jews, blacks, gays, and the military (??) Okay.

I'll be there, representing for my Christian friends who are being libeled and defamed by these people.

My sign:

Yeah, okay, so I should have had Jason do the lettering. But Sharpie sniffing is soooo much fun.

Know what else is fun?

Introducing kittens to their next holiday prop. Don't they look excited?

Tuesday Afternoon

Almost. Not quite.

Let's see. Today is JAZ's birthday! It is his present that I won't sing Happy Birthday to him.

My friend mentioned in yesterday's post who has battled for her child's health care and had her credit destroyed by feuding insurance companies is coming over tonight for a wine tasting and a letter writing session. She wants to write President Obama and thank him for his work on getting this reform to this point.

Got the windows open and fresh cool air sweeping through the house, blowing cat hair bunnies out from corners.

Speaking of cats, my new favorite Thor picture:

(Photo by JAZ)

I need to learn how to scan photographs. Pout. I used to know how with the old photo program thingie.

Got bunny ears. Got peeps. Do I have cooperating kittens? No!

Loki sez: Don't even try it, human.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Monday Morning Musings

Jason woke me up before he left for work this morning and told me that I shouldn't read reader comments on any news sites today. I took that to mean the health insurance reform bill had passed.

I know the media calls it health care reform, but essentially where it will do the most good for the average working American is in the insurance reforms.

Here is a tale of two families. One is five years into the battle, one is just beginning. Both are intact, middle class, both parents college educated, working good jobs, neither living above their incomes. Each had a baby born with serious health problems.

The first family maxed out the cap on their baby's insurance fairly quickly (organ transplants on one year old babies will do that), they then, like responsible parents, added the baby to the other parent's insurance policy. But that insurance company had a six month waiting period. Okay, so the child's health problems were so significant that the baby qualified for Medicaid. Whew! That could cover the lapse. But Medicaid insisted that the private insurance company was the primary and the private insurance insisted that Medicaid was the primary. In the ensuing battle of the insurance companies, the child was denied essential services because the bills were going unpaid. The family had on several occasions to decide between paying the mortgage or buying the child's anti-rejection medications. After a certain time (3 months I believe) the bills became the sole responsibility of the parents, neither insurance was responsible for even a portion of the bills. This family now has over $500,000 in debt from the period where the two insurance companies played "you pay, no you pay". So the parents were reported to credit agencies, bill collectors began calling literally every hour from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Their credit is ruined. Only because this was the only "bad" thing to happen to them (i.e. no layoffs, no one else got sick, no car broke down) they are hanging on to their home.

This is what millions of working families have endured under the current for-profit insurance companies making decisions system.

We shall see how the tale of the second baby pans out. That family is also an intact, college educated, both parents working good jobs, not living above their means family. The baby is covered under one parent's policy. Under the reforms passed, either the policy will have no caps or, when they want to switch to the other policy, there will be no six month waiting period. There will be no reports to credit agencies, there will be no bill collectors calling, there will be no lapse in essential treatment for this child.

This what millions of working families will have on their side once the insurance companies are required to provide the services that their policy holders pay for.

Another situation that I have personal experience with.

A person is diagnosed with a chronic illness (diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, hypertension, high cholesterol). Their doctor gives them a little information in their 10 minute appointment, hands them some pamphlets. The person is then left to navigate the vast amount of information that is out there and make the proper decisions and life style changes necessary. Easier for some than others.

There have been many studies on many different chronic illnesses and many different programs but they all have essentially the same result: for every dollar you spend on education on a disease, you save multiple dollars down the road in expenses for complications.

Under the reforms, prevention will have a place at the table. So, a person newly diagnosed with diabetes will have education classes paid for. They get accurate, up-to-date, personalized information about all aspects of their disease over many classes so they can absorb the information and understand how to care for themselves and how to implement the changes they need to make. Result: their diabetes is well controlled, they are healthier in all aspects, need fewer doctor visits, continue to work and pay taxes, pay their bills and keep their insurance. Without teaching, some do okay, some end up with repeated doctor visits, hospital stays, amputations, blindness, kidney failure, loss of ability to work, go on disability, can't take care of themselves, need home care or nursing home care.

It's just cheaper to pay for prevention. Remember that old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? Well, I've been saying for years that America (in the health care sense) has wasted its ounce of prevention and it is now time for the pound of cure.

It will cost more initially to get these things up and running. But it will save more in the long run. That is what we need to return to. The long run. We are living in such an instant society. We are so used to things happening overnight, or sooner. We elected Obama on the hope of change. Then two days after he was sworn in, we started grumbling. "Where is our change?"

To paraphrase Amy Grant, it's gonna take a long time to turn this boat around. America is so huge it is going to take a long time to turn around the economy, the health industry, the education system.

Thor sez: I'll bite those bill collectors like this!
(Lame, I know, but the picture makes me smile)

Friday, March 19, 2010

March Madness

No, not basketball! It is sunny and nearing 70 outside, so I chucked most of my plans, grabbed the camera and headed up 61 to Magnolia. It's a perfect time of year, the winter camellias are still blooming and all the spring blossoms are starting to bloom. Add in some sunning alligators and turtles and what more could you want? Bobcats and foxes? No problem.










^There he is

It's Friday?

Okay, so there went that week. Actually, I got some stuff done. Nothing exciting, but stuff.

I know everybody has their own interests. Some border on obsessions. Mine is genealogy research. I swear it's like crack. I sit down to look up one thing, next thing I know, it's five hours later.

I've had to pull the plug on it.

I did however, look into two family stories. One, that there was native American blood in my maternal great grandfather's family. Result: unknown still, but I think I found the start of the mystery, an ancestor who had one son with one wife, then 7 children popped up, beginning when #1 son was in his mid teens. No trace of a #2 wife that I can find. Not recorded because she was Indian or black or mulatto? (Illegal in those days) Just poor record keeping? I'm going with the Southern Gothic slant and say that the records were burnt by the Great War Criminal Sherman (spit).

The other family story was a link to General Douglas MacArthur via marriage to a cousin of my maternal great grandmother. Now, her mother was a McArthur - different spelling - but I can't find any link unless it is out in the outer fringes of the vast web of brothers and sisters. (Darn those Scots with their ten kids per family!).

Cat craziness. So, Jason had just gotten home and the boyz were waiting for him to come in the house (Loki by the hall just in case it was Zombie Jason).

Loki sez: Zombie humans sneeze when they come in a house, that is a scientific fact!

I wonder if I let the boyz outside if this would happen.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Let's Show Some LOVE!

Wednesday, March 24, the Hate Group will be at West Ashley High School from 0645 am until 0715 am. I plan to be there early - about 0615 with my sign of LOVE.

They will then move to the Jewish Community Center (I am assuming at Wallenburg Blvd as it is West Ashley also) from 0830 to 0900. I will be there also.

Please join me!

The Forces of Evil Are Coming to Charleston

I'm not kidding. Check it out.

These are the people who show up at the funerals of our fallen soldiers and scream that the soldier deserved to die because God hates "fags".

These people are the equivalent to the radical Muslims who blow themselves up, killing hundreds. We Americans complain of Islam, "Where are the moderates? They should be standing up and condemning these acts!"

So, I ask you, Churches of Charleston, where are your moderates standing up to condemn these purveyors of such vile hatred, such perversion of the teachings of Jesus?"

I plan to join as many of the anti-protesters as I can. I am not working most of the week, so will be able to join in. My dream would be a whole mob of Charlestonians, regardless of beliefs, lifestyles, color, income standing in a circle around this cancer trying to poison us, holding signs of our own that simply say "Love".

What sickens me the most about these people is not their blatant hatred, but that most of them are the children of the leaders, their young minds poisoned by this brainwashing since birth. Poor things, I've seen them interviewed at protests, and it makes me both sick and afraid. Young minds so twisted are the ones who turn to murder when words fail to achieve their goals. Ask the radical Muslims, that is how they do it, get them young, poison the minds.

The boyz say: Don't they know what love means?

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Serious Saturday

Hey all. I want you to check out this web site. www.willfagan.com.

This amazing young man is the son of one of my coworkers. Will has had a dream to be a neurosurgeon for a long time now and has diligently worked towards that goal with a determination and focus that is extremely rare to see in such a young person.

But not only that, he is a well rounded, well liked young man whose teachers and friends describe him as a "natural leader".

I know times are hard. But if anyone out there can contribute even just a few dollars to help this amazing family, I know they (and I) would be extremely grateful.

How often do you get to help a real person make their dream come true?

Loki sez: I'm giving up fancy Fancy Feast for a week to donate!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

MOCK ing BIRD yeah..

Not the most visually stunning video, but this is the lonely heart mockingbird that sings in my backyard night and day. He's sort of in the center, then you can see him move to a higher branch. Sorry about the jiggly picture, but I was holding the camera over head.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Bird Wars

Yes, I am a bird geek. Like you didn't know that.

There is a fierce battle going on in my backyard over the rights to the bluebird house. The sparrows had been roosting in it until the bluebirds showed up. This morning I saw the bluebirds going in and out of the house and figured they'd proven their case.

This afternoon, I was watching because Mr. Bluebird kept peeking into the house, then hopping up on the top and signing his fool little head off. Then he peeked back in and pulled a long strand of dried grass half way out of the entry hole. Mrs. Bluebird showed up shortly afterward and kept peeking in. She pecked at the grass for a while, then went to the top where she and Mr. Bluebird were talking back and forth. I thought it looked like they were arguing over the decorating.

The a sparrow flew up and tried to get in. Mr. Bluebird chased him off, but while that was happening, another sparrow went into the house.

So I guess the saga will continue. I know I'm not supposed to be playing favorites here, but the house sparrows can take a hike. The flock is huge, at least 20 of them hanging around all year long. The bluebirds only come for the spring and summer to raise their babies.

Thor sez: If I was allowed outside, I'd be the bluebird body guard and chase all the sparrows away.

Monday, March 08, 2010

Monday Meddling

I fooled with Mother Nature. I know I shouldn't, but just can't help myself. I carefully opened the blue bird house to see if the sparrows had any eggs. They didn't. There were obvious signs that the nest was the blue bird nest left over from last year. So I cleaned it out. And then hung a wren house in another spot, hoping the sparrows would take it over and leave the blue bird house to the blue birds. I put a pile of pine straw below each house to facilitate nest building.

Well, I'm not sure how that's going to go. Within minutes of hanging the wren house, the Carolina Chickadees showed great interest, one went in, came out, called to his friends and they came over to hop in and out. Then a Carolina wren showed up and told the Chickadees that it was, after all, a wren house. I don't think they have decided on who gets the spot.

Mr. Chickadee sez: I saw it first.

Meanwhile, the Mr. House Sparrow keeps flying up to the blue bird house and looking inside, but he doesn't go in. I am hoping they were just using it as a roosting site and without the nest, it is too deep to interest them. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird doing some sort of flight dance this morning - they would jump off a branch of the oak tree and twirl around each other to the ground, the fly back up into the tree.

Not like this: (picture only nominally related to post, but I found it while looking for bird pictures and I like it, so there)

I suppose the only answer is more bird houses!

The boyz say: Maybe we can get a real bird out of this!

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Thor's Day

Still on the couch, doing ice/heat. But I got a snuggly Thor beside me, if only he could go to the grocery store for me.

Thor sez: Yep. Loafing on the couch all day is right up my alley.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Housework is EVIL!

Okay, so I'm up bright and early this morning, showered, caffeinated, and dressed, ready to take my mom to physical therapy. Until. (insert dramatic music here) Jason took out the recycling. And I decided that would be a good time to sweep out the pantry where the bins are. And my back went into a massive spasm.

Seriously. I staggered into the living room to lay down on the floor. Jason, superman that he is, sprang into action got me up on the couch with a phone and an ice pack, gave me some ibuprofen and took my mom to her PT.

I managed to stagger around enough to let the floor guy in to do phase one of replacing the floor. And Loki got trapped in the laundry room, so he ran under the couch and was within ten feet of the LOUD air compressor that was firing the finishing nails (or whatever they use) into the flooring. He hasn't come out yet and I can't get down to look at him, so he could have died of fright for all I know.

My wonderful doctor called in a script for a muscle relaxer and Jason drove me up to the store to pick it up. So I'm thinking I've got about one hour of consciousness left.

Moral of the story: Never sweep your floors!

Sorry, no cat picture, I'm on the laptop.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Random Tuesday Stuff

The 10 jillion decibel fans and dehumidifier are gone. Yeah! Huh? The new floor will go down tomorrow.

Having your floor ripped up leads to all sorts of six legged creatures deciding the warm house is better than the cold crawlspace.

Jason gave me the plague. The mucus plague. It's not been pleasant or pretty.

I got my passport! But they did not send my birth certificate back with it. I am hoping it will be sent separately. I don't have a real birth certificate, but a certificate of foreign birth and I don't even want to know what kind of insanity it would be to get that replaced.

Twosday Cat Photos by Jason


Speaking of Jason, Wicked Winter is back! Go check out some seriously beautiful writing.