[My] Life in Wisconsin

Daylight Saving Time–second half of 2011. Plus Trivia

Start:     Nov 6, '11 02:00a
Location:     US; and World Wide
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November 6th, 2011
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This table is sorted by UTC time, in the order the changes occur.
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Also see the page for first half of 2011 or the overview over start and end times for 2011 sorted by country.


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Been a LONG Time Comin'...


A picture of Randy for Sue and Glenn.
SURPRISE! (It's about time, no)?

Good Morning All;
Maybe I should begin this blog the same way I began my letter to Casey two days ago...
 ... "First grab a soda, or a water, or a coffee."
  hehehe

I have been having a problem lately with getting the [right] words to write with, and to speak- with.
So, there has been NO blog 'til I get this ton of bricks off my shoulders. 

I have been carrying it around for a while now.

That weight finally was lifted Tuesday evening when I told Casey, face to face, that
I have emphysema.  Quite probably the latter stages too, because of all the weight I have lost without even trying.
There is now an 8 pound difference between Casey and myself. (At least I still weigh more). hehehe?
One (of a zillion) articles I have read said this: "By the time weight loss occurs in patients with end-stage emphysema, there is often little benefit of currently available medical or nutritional support modalities."

- They did give me some inhalers, (and they're LEGAL)! 
hehehe
Still wondering why they would try to treat if...?

With information- good, bad, and ugly- with each sentence, and sometimes with even a single word, came a thought as to how it applied to me.

As I read, my thoughts went back to 2010, and my good old Dr. "X"...
 ... I had asked him (LAST YEAR ALREADY!), why I would wheeze as I lay down at night.
I had already done a bit of research on that, and hadn't liked what I read-
And so, I had to ask.
He promptly took out his stethoscope, & said, "you don't smoke, do you?"  Stupid, stupid question on his part.  (He already knew that I did, as I had spoken to him about trying to quit on more than 4 or 5 occasions).
I replied, "Yes, I do."
He listened to each quadrant of my lungs and simply pronounced them to be "just fine". WTF?
But he only proved again, that my intuition has rarely led me wrong...
He was the one that was SO wrong. (He sure has made a shitload of mistakes with me)?

Know that of course I do not hold him responsible for my smoking; only for his own ignorance of what should have been done, (and without question), just as soon as I had related my own questions and fears.
So, back to Tuesday...
With my news "out", it was time to inform the rest of my children.

I emailed, knowing I would hear back from all 4.
Coward that I am, I added 'the rest of the story' in that note.
Read on...

It is not only the advanced emphysema that I have.
I also have a
6cm 'growth' on my lung.
They have told me that they will "keep an eye" on it; and I will need repeat CT Scans in 3 months to "watch" the damned thing if/as it progresses. 
Perhaps it is a cyst, -perhaps some kind of lost polyp, a cyst, or, even a tumor.
No-one knows yet, at this point.


I still have to take out a ruler, but I think 6cm is roughly half the length of a dollar bill.  It is one of those things that I never cared to know.
All I know is that I didn't ever want to know any of this.   
But shit, when I'd answered the phone that day, my doctor just kept talking and talking and...
 ... And I couldn't tell her I didn't want to hear this (because that's the way I am). 
Casey was sitting not 3 feet away from me!

More, I have been told, (a 'guesstimate'), that even with the best possible scenario(s); I have left in me 
"A cupla months - a cupla years."  
("Cupla?" Well, that's exactly what it sounded like anyway). hehehe

Not that I asked, but I was told that even quitting now "might" make some short difference in the course of the disease.  A week or a month, given that I have smoked since I was 17.
So there ya have it.
No wait, there's more.
Further to be told had I quit 20 years ago "maybe" this all would have set in ("a little bit"), later...

As I have stated above, I knew I would hear back from all 4 of my daughters.  The only one to reply thus far? Casey herself. (And she's the one that knew)!


Should I be shocked? 

Should I have expected anything different from the rest?
Maybe I am jumping the gun.  &  Perhaps there are already letters en-route to me, no?
As with everything, time will tell all.

Myself, having come so very close to death when I had Roberta, I have had no fear of dying since that morning.  
Before that, (I was  22), "death" was just a chapter in my Psychology book.

Maybe you will reply to my 'news'- 

I already know that I have done this to myself; so no lectures. 
And no pity. Know that I will read anything but pity! 
As with a lecture, I have no room in my heart, no patience in my soul, for that.

Truly I already know that I am not so much to be pitied, but perhaps envied in some odd way.
Know that I will go on- As yes, it is possible, - in time you will know that too,. I promise you that.  
(I'll still be here, but I won't be blogging).

And no. There are no transplants for smokers. 
(They must save those for the 'smart' people).
For now I am doing very well,  save for my damned back. 
There is always that.   hehehe

I hope you are all having a grand Halloween weekend!
I have stirred my pot, so I shall close for now.

My love to all.

XOXO
Me


A Prayer- And a Promise.


As most of you know, I am, quite proudly Native American! Next month we celebrate Native American Heritage Month.
I have found this poem to have a very special beauty to me, in a special place in my heart...
My love to all

XOXO
Me

PS
I will post an update very soon. Promise.




Sunset at home



Ojibwa Prayer

Oh Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds
And whose breath gives life to everyone,
Hear me.
I come to you as one of your many children;

I am weak-  I am small-  I need your wisdom and your strength.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever
behold the red and purple sunsets.

Make my hands respect the things you have made,

and make my ears sharp so I may hear your voice.
Make me wise, so that I may understand what you
have taught my people

and The lessons you have hidden in each leaf
and each rock.
I ask for wisdom and strength,
Not to be superior to my brothers, but to be able
to fight my greatest enemy, myself.

Make me ever ready to come before you with
clean hands and a straight eye,
So as life fades away as a fading sunset,
My spirit may come to you without shame.

 -Author Unknown


It really doesn't matter who composed this prayer.
It's what the prayer means that's important.


Sharing a few letters-

Maybe I should begin this blog the same way I began my letter to Casey yesterday...
 ... First grab a soda or a water or a coffee...


The first letter- with no beating around the proverbial bush.


I have learned that I have emphysema. Probably the latter stages too because of all the weight I have lost. There is now a 8 pound difference between Casey and me. (At least I still weigh more). hehehe?
Oh well.

From one (of a zillion) articles I have read came this...
"By the time weight loss occurs in patients with end-stage emphysema, there is often little benefit of currently available medical or nutritional support modalities."

I already know that I have done this to myself; so no lectures.

Maybe I die next week. Maybe 35 years from now. Who the hell knows?

As you have surely noticed, I have not been blogging much at all.
Just not into sharing anything until Casey is stronger- physically, mentally, and spiritually too -
How is one to
be ready and able to deal with her own mama leaving her?
She is not yet ready for that.
Then again, I don't think any of us are ever really ready for that kind of news, no matter what...


Greg knows a little, but not enough to really say anything without setting Casey in a G-damned downward tailspin.  I emailed him and told him to bring Casey out here someday when he believes Casey to be strong enough. I think that was about a month or so, ago.

Odd, how I am so damned effing bright -and still I cannot think of one way to tell her without setting her back.
I do not want to be responsible for that. But there may be no way of getting around it either.

But I thought you should know why I may suddenly disappear.

XOXO
Me



What really happened after that first note I wrote is that I have learned an awful lot.

First that I was not only quite flippant, but quite terribly wrong when I had written the following: "
Maybe I die next week. Maybe 35 years from now. Who the hell knows."

As I know now- the very best possible scenario is if I'd quit smoking ten or twenty years ago that I might still have 5 good years left.
Such is/was not the case- "Coupla months, maybe a coupla years."

Casey and I had a terrible row last week-
I was wrong. She was wrong- (and that never adds up to anything good).

At any rate,
about 3 years ago I had bought her and Greg a 2nd hand  La-Z-boy recliner couch. It was in great shape too! (Almost purrfect, 'til the darn cat sharpened his claws on it).
They finally agreed to come to get it on Tuesday evening. Friend Jesse Jasch having a friend with a covered trailer helped a lot!

As Casey went upstairs to gather a few more things, I pulled her aside, and I told her.
Finally.
Having NO idea what to say, or how to say it, I just blurted everything out.

So, with my news "out", it was time to inform the rest of my children.

I knew I would hear back from all 4.

What follows now are parts of a letter I sent to each of them, including Casey, yesterday.
_____________________________________

First, grab a soda or a water or a coffee...

I love you Baby Girl; I am sending all the info that I have collected since Summer, to your email; but just thought I would send as a text too so you know this is there for you...
And to all of your sisters as well-

Dear Casey;
You now know my "secret".
But there IS a difference, that this time it was from my heart, my soul and my lips.

My secret-
The one where only last weekend you accused me "Mom, it just seems like you are just giving up"
But you were wrong. Mama never gives up...

Still, it was at that point that I knew YOU already knew. (Your text from last night only solidified that intuition for me).
Mama knows.
But you already know that anyway. hehehe

As promised, I am just sending you just a few things/links/thoughts/facts from my collective files.

And yes, I do have more to tell you regarding it all-
It is not only the advanced emphysema that I have.
I also have a
6cm 'growth' on my lung!
They have told me that they will "keep an eye" on it; and I will need repeat CT Scans to "watch" the damned thing as it progresses.
*Perhaps it is a cyst, -perhaps some kind of polyp?- a cyst, -or, yes, even a tumor
.
No-one knows.

I have yet to take out a ruler, but I think 6cm is roughly half the length of a dollar bill.
It is one of those things that I never cared to know.
All I know is that I didn't ever want to know any of this.
But shit, she just kept talking...
 ... And I couldn't tell her I didn't want to hear this, because you were sitting right here in my own La-Z-boy; not 3 feet away from me when the call had come!

Further, I have been told, that even with the best possible scenario(s); I have less than 5 years to live on/of this Earth.
Know that I will go on- (As yes, it is possible!; in time you will know/see that. (I promise to try anyway).

As you would already know, (just because you gave of your time to know me so well); I have already done SO much thinking and researching these past few months.
More on the thinking end as I read SO very much...

With information- good, bad, and ugly- with each sentence, and sometimes with even a single word, came a thought as to how it applied to me.

As I read, my thoughts went back to 2010, and my good old Dr. "X"...
 ... I had asked him (LAST YEAR ALREADY!), why I would wheeze as I lay down at night.
I had already done a bit of research on that, and hadn't liked what I read-
And so, I had to ask.
He promptly took out his stethoscope, & said, "you don't smoke, do you?"
Stupid question on his part- (He already knew that I did, as I had spoken to him about trying to quit on more than 4 or 5 occasions).
I replied, "Yes, I do."
He listened to each quadrant of my lungs and simply pronounced them to be "just fine".
Perhaps he had assumed for me to be a hypochondriac-

But he only proved again, that my intuition has rarely led me wrong...
He was the one that was SO wrong. (He sure has made a shitload of mistakes with me, eh)?

Know that of course I do not hold him responsible for my smoking; only for his own ignorance of what should have been done, and without question, just as soon as I had related my own questions and fears.

Silly me, by the time I was 30, I had learned much about the dangers of smoking. And still, i could not quit.
I have tried- and oh, how many times, during the course of this lifetime to stop.
Oh well. I never succeeded.

I'd best shut up and close for now so you can get on with your own reading... hehehe

More.         

XOXO
Mama D.

_____________________________________

Did you get through it all?
As I have already said, I knew I would hear back from all 4 of my daughters. 
The only one to reply thus far? Casey herself.
Should I be shocked?
Should I have expected anything different from the rest of them?
Maybe I am jumping the gun.
   Perhaps there are already letters en-route to me?
Or once again am I expecting too much from the 'mature' adults that I raised?

Maybe you will want to reply to my 'news'- Maybe not.
I will read anything but pity.
I have no room in my heart, no patience in my soul, for that.
I am not to pitied. Perhaps envied in a little way.

For now I am doing well, save for my damned back.
There is always that.

My love to all

XOXO
Me


.

In Praise of Karma



Good Morning All;
Karma is generally uniquely defined as 'what comes around, goes around.' (True definition below).

I am so happy to report that sometimes to our disapproval, karma takes its good old~fashioned time getting around.
Sometimes it doesn't happen until we are gone. Sometimes it never does.

Randall Staevens was sentenced to life plus 36.5 years in prison Wednesday for killing his wife and trying to burn down her house with three of their children inside. (Click on 'murder' in my tags if you are unfamiliar with this case- too close for comfort). The best quote came from the judge. "Mr. Staeven, the offenses that you have been found guilty of in this matter are some of the most grave, malicious, hatefully and shockingly heinous that has ever been in this court"

Personally I am thrilled beyond words. A part of my spirit is not only relieved, but comforted- knowing that "LIFE + 36 Years" means something good for those of us who knew this piece~of~shit person; and especially for his children- (Any children who may have been around him, or somehow affected by him).

Not too much other news-

Hope all is well in your corners of the world!

My love to all.

XOXO
Me

Staevens picture from here

Karma [ˈkɑːmə]n
1. (Non-Christian Religions / Hinduism) Hinduism Buddhism the principle of retributive justice determining a person's state of life and the state of his reincarnations as the effect of his past deeds
2. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) Theosophy the doctrine of inevitable consequence
3. destiny or fate


People For the American Way: DumpDOMA.com


http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dump_doma&autologin=true
Just a signature, and a minute of your time...

Tell the President and Congress:
It's time to repeal DOMA.

It’s time for the federal government to stop punishing same-sex couples. It’s time to repeal DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act).

It’s becoming clear that the walls excluding LGBT Americans from equality under the law are coming tumbling down. The Judges and state legislatures who have come down on the side of equality are doing their jobs -- now Congress and the President need to do theirs. Take action now to make sure that President Obama and Congress eliminate DOMA.

Dear President Obama and Congressional Leaders:

It's time to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). At this moment of change and progress, it's time to undo a serious mistake made by Congress 14 years ago. The federal government has no business discriminating against loving families by selectively withholding the roughly 1,300 legal protections that only legal civil marriage affords.

It's time for the President to fulfill his promise to the American people to eliminate DOMA. And it's time for Congress to show leadership on this issue and send him long overdue legislation to repeal this relic of hatred.


Get To Know Mitt Romney


http://www.democrats.org/which-mitt
Click the link.

From my email...

The Mitt Romney who's running for the Republican presidential nomination has said he would sign legislation to end Medicare as we know it, slash Social Security, and repeal health care reform as one of his first acts in office.

But over the years, Mitt Romney has supported expanding access to health care, protecting a woman's right to choose, and investing in infrastructure -- just like the kind in the Recovery Act that brought us back from the brink of a depression.

It's one thing for a politician's positions to evolve over time. It's another to flip back and forth over the course of a 20-year political career based on what office you're running for and where.

And that's exactly what Romney has shown: He has no core convictions or values. With him, it's all just politics.

It makes you wonder -- which Mitt would we get in the White House?

And which Mitt would we be relying on to make decisions on behalf of millions of Americans, during a crisis, or as commander in chief?

So we took a hard look at his record, everywhere he's stood on the issues, and put it all together in the form of a new site, WhichMitt.com.

We can't predict exactly how Mitt would govern as president, but you can take the quiz to test how well you know his track record to get an idea -- and perhaps learn a little more about the man some are calling the Republican front-runner.

Which Mitt do you know?

The answer may surprise you:

http://www.WhichMitt.com

Thanks,

Brad

Brad Woodhouse
Communications Director
Democratic National Committee

P.S. -- After you check out the quiz, pass this note on to your friends and family, and challenge them to beat your score.

picture from politicalhumor.about.com

Saving Lives? hehehe

Rating:★★★
Category:Other

From my email...  (Thank you SissyKrissiePoo)!
I do love to wake up and laugh!


Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter 
This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. 
It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible!!! 
They put in a correction the next day.
 *******************************************
 

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
 
      Really? Ya think? 
 ******************************************* 

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers  
       Now that's taking things a bit far! 
 ******************************************* 
Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over  
       What a guy!   
 ******************************************* 

Miners Refuse to Work after Death 
No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's! 
 ******************************************* 

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant  
See if that works any better than a fair trial! 
 ******************************************* 

War Dims Hope for Peace  
I can see where it might have that effect! 
 ******************************************* 

 If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile 
   Ya think?! 
 ******************************************* 

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures  
      Who would have thought! 
 ******************************************* 

London Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide   
They may be on to something! 
 *******************************************  

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges  
      You mean there's something stronger than duct tape? 
 ******************************************* 

Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge  
     He probably IS the battery charge! 
 *******************************************   

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group  
Weren't they fat enough?! 
 ******************************************* 

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft  
That's what he gets for eating those beans! 
 ******************************************* 

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks  
       Do they taste like chicken?
******************************************* 

Local  High School Dropouts Cut in Half
       Chainsaw Massacre all over again! 
 ******************************************* 

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors  
       Boy, are they tall! 
 *******************************************  

And the WINNER is:
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead
      Did I read that right? 
 ******************************************* 

I have seen this before- And I still laugh...  
(What does that say about me)?      hehehe  


Have a wunnaful' Monday!


XOXO
Me


My apologies if anyone is offended.

*Top cartoon stolen from Cousin Buttercup!