Snow Today, Blow Tomorrow...

Good Morning All;
We got an inch or three of snow on Thursday- Casey came out and helped me shovel yesterday. Then we were off to buy a few necessities for the weekend.

Soon, our clouds will open and cover our little corner of the world. We have already gotten about an inch this morning.

From my weather email:
WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST SUNDAY. (Crap, that's a long time for any storm).
* SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY...AND MAY BE MIXED WITH SLEET AT TIMES DURING THE MORNING.
THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

Now they are saying that we might be upgraded to blizzard status by tomorrow morning. Our winds are to be N at 25 to 35 mph... Gusts much higher-
Apparently too we are at the warmest we will be for the next week or so too. Temps tomorrow will be nasty cold, and go down from there- (Wind chills will be dangerous at best).

If I am not on or around, it is only because I will be watching the storm. OK, that is not going to happen; (that's akin to watching the grass grow as far as I am concerned).
Or may be it will be that mouse has turned to 'Igloo' status. I then will be frozen solid wherever I stood last. hehehe 
Hmmm   Do sewing machines freeze?
Yes, I am still sewing patches for most of every day.

Casey had an infusion on Thursday morning. As soon as it was up and running, her blood pressure was OK, and she was in the least amount of pain, I was up and running too.  I had a few stops I needed to make before it snowed.
Casey asked that I return by noon, as Nick goes to lunch and she would be left with Lori- (who is a raunchy nurse and does everything in her power to cross Casey).
This infusion was set to run for 4 hours. Casey has had such terrible reactions to these infusions, and the pharmacist and her doctor thought the reactions would be lessened if it ran much slower- Her skin breaks out from just the pokes- As always, her veins shut down and refuse to cooperate.  And once placed, the IV runs like razor blades up her arm. Her blood pressures generally go way down.
All was as well as it could be, so I left.

I returned 5 minutes late. Oops.   Casey met me at the door -as she'd waited.
As soon as I'd left, her arm pained something fierce, the IV infiltrated, and, and, and.
Long story short, she'd been waiting since 10:30. I generally take her cell phone with me- (We both forgot that, that day. It won't happen again).  At least she knows everyone there- from the pharmacy to admit, to front desk, (not to mention she is on a first name basis with the nurses and doctors as well).
Not like she was abandoned, or that any of them would allow her to be, for long!
hehehe


I do have a few pictures, and will add them to the comments below, when I can. I still have to send them from the camera to the machine... Slow that way lately.
My back is doing as poorly as it has been for the last few weeks, so it bugs me to sit here overlong-
At least when I am sewing I am up and down between the machine, the table, the ironing board, and the cutting board.
Not sure if that is good or bad for it.   It is the way it is though.

I have to shovel out the doorway every now and then so Miss Punk can get out and get her business done. Neither herself nor the cat have much energy today- I do think this coming storm affects them so. (Is that odd? Or have I just been slow to notice)?

Time for me to get in the shower and then shovel a wee bit.

My love to all!  Have a 'wunnaful' weekend.

XOXO
Me

My Saved Locations

• Green Bay, WI   22...34 °F
• Sault Ste. Marie, MI   15...23 °F
• Fort Myers, FL   53...76 °F
• Temple, TX     34...69 °F
• Lomita, CA 52...76 °F
• Minneapolis, MN   -7...22 °FYes, the Minneapolis *low* is BELOW zero.
• Philadelphia, PA   37...45 °F
  
  
• Prattville, AL     38...60 °F
  

 

Close

 

Where are YOU? 
Maybe the better question for those of us in Wisconsin, is "where would you like to be?"
For myself, I pick Alabama or Texas to see a few of my grandbabies- warm as they are...

Hopefully you are somewhere safe and warm.
(And if not, please get there and batten the hatches).

Methinks too, that Detroit is darn lucky that the Packers will play *there* tomorrow. They are to get snow, but not like what we are forecast to receive.

From here:  *Aiden could be one of the biggest December snowstorms on record in Northeast Wisconsin. Blizzard Allison, of December 2009, was the biggest dropping 14.7 inches of snow."

Andrew

Good Morning.
Seems as most? people have their holiday plans well in hand by now.
Not everyone knows that same joy.

My friend Denise, from Panama City Beach, lost her youngest child; her 21 year old son, on December the 4th. Much like my own Casey, it seems as though Drew has been ill forever...

Won't you please take a minute to offer your sympathy? Click here.
Thank you.

XOXO
Me

Of all the people in history that have reached 65 years of age, half of them are living right now.

Nekkid Chickens, ... and "Belties"

Good Morning All;
A bit of a headache today, so will lay low until it is better. (Aw, come on now, a few stitches won't hurt anything). Methinks I am addicted to my sewing machine, which is working just fine once more...

Another blog here that I should have posted almost a month and a half ago.
Bear with me, I play "ketchup" a lot...  hehehe


On one of my blogs from Minnesota, you might, or might not, recall that I once had written of a pasture full of striped cows just off Highway 29. I think I had posted a picture or two also.
I had made up my mind that on one of these trips home we would stop in.
On our last trip home, we finally made that stop...
And oh! Punk wanted to get out of the car so bad!  No such luck for her though-

Mr Farmer was on the Skidster, clearing out the stoop in the back of the barn. Having learned long ago that when a farmer is as busy as all that, one does not interrupt him. (I am not even sure if he saw us prowling around)! 
There was no answer at the door of their huge farmhouse, so I figured there was no one else around.
We took a few pictures as we wandered about, enjoying the cattle, but still wondering about them too. A beautiful layout they had, and lots of places to look!
As we thought to leave I was leaving them a note, when the Mrs. came up from another barn to greet us. She had been feeding the goats.



Oops. Wrong picture.   hehehe
These are just a few of their sheep!

I explained that we have made many trips past their farm, and was more curious each time. She was happy to oblige us, and to answer our questions- A request to see everything was met with a smile.
She took us into the big barn. Once used as a dairy farm, it was now converted into pens and such.

In the first pen were these creatures!



So pretty, and she could point to, and name off each breed of hen they had!
(To my ignorant brain they are all just "chickens").

To the back of the barn then, she showed us these ladies...



HAHAHA  They are all naked! 
(Molting season kids, they are not sickly).

The molt has no effect on the lay of the eggs either...


..........
Laying lots of eggs..........   ........... And the size of them just blows me away!
(Dang. Now I am hungry). hehehe

This next bird must have thought he was a cow~hen, as he seemed to be hellbent on corralling this heifer-
Maybe he thought the heifer was his mama?




Casey got some very cool pictures of the cattle in question as well...


The expression on this ones face just cracks me up!




I laugh at the little one, peeking around his mama-



At the scratching posts-



"King of the Hill"  by Mama and son...



Chewing his cud, he could not have cared less about the camera...
So CUTE! 

She told us ALL about these beautiful creatures.
They are called Belted Galloways.
She called them her "Belties". (So cute she was)!

She said that, furry as her Belties are in these pictures, these are actually only their 'summer coats'. They grow yet another coat for winter! Too bad we didn't make it to Minnesota last week, I would have stopped for pictures of those coats too. I just can't imagine them any furrier than they already are!

From here: "The Belted Galloway is a rare beef breed of cattle originating from Galloway in SouthWest Scotland, adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of the region. The exact origin of the breed is unclear although it is often surmised that the white belt that distinguishes these cattle from the native black Galloway cattle may be as a result of crossbreeding with Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle.
Belted Galloways are primarily raised for their quality marbled beef, (Dang. Now I am REALLY hungry),  although they are sometimes milked; {or} purchased to adorn pastures due to their striking appearance.
In the US these cows are often informally known as "police car cows,""panda cows" or "Oreo cows"."
 - - end quoted text

We chatted for quite a while- (Neither Casey nor myself were standing too well by the time we left).
But we are both SO very happy that we finally stopped in-  to learn something new, and to meet new friends as well.

As we drove out of the yard, she walked up to her house...



She is such a lovely lady!
Small in stature, but big on wisdom and kindness. Welcoming a couple of strangers with open arms, and a tour. Not too many good people like that left in our world these days.
Her husband worked throughout our visit. I am sorry to have not been able to have met him, perhaps next time. As I stated before, I do understand that work ethic.

I just wanted to share this "wonderfilled" visit with everyone.
I'd better close for now, my dryer has been buzzing that my rugs are done. (Not 'dry' mind you, but the first layer of cat hair and puppy fur has been removed). I dry the rugs very carefully as the lint filter always fills up quickly- And we all know that a dirty lint filter will ruin a dryer in record time.

Have a 'wunnaful' weekend!   My love to all!

XOXO
Me

Green Bay, WI 

Mostly Cloudy , 24ºF
Hi: 25 Lo: 23

View: extended forecast and maps | records & averages

hehehe

Frequent flyer, anyone?

Rating:
Category:	Other

From my email...
I must share this with you. Too funny not to.

XOXO
Me

*******



*******


hehehe

Da Craziest Thing. (Arf)!

Off to da woods we went...

ARF!
   ...   And we ALL know what THAT means...

Means?  Mean?  (Yeah, you know who I'm talkin' about)!

"She" is mean!  Just wait 'til ya hear this story...

"She" takes me back to the woods.








I like da woods ya know.
So I smile.   BIG!

"She" knows I love playing fetch...
So I find a stick, an bring it to her.

She throws it real far. This is great fun. I always find it too!






Well mostly always I find it.

Sometimes not...




So...
As I am sniffin' around, lookin' for da right stick, wouldn't ya know I get snapped in my hinder?!  And by a tree!!!  (Is nothin' safe ennymore)?

My 'she' starts laughing and laughing and... LOUD too! (She's mean like that).

I gets really mad then, and am going to destroy that tree that paddled me!



It doesn't move.
I did get kinda stuck- well, my teeth sorta did... This made my 'she' laugh even harder!
Keep in mind that "she" iz there, taking the pictures of my pain!
How humiliating for me!!!

So I turned 'round so she couldn't see.



She just moved a little... (I should know bedder by now).

I have heard them 2 legged people say, "if ya can't beat 'em, join 'em."  I am no dummy, and I know what it means.  So I gave her my best shot; even if she is still laughing hysterically AT me.
I don't know WHY she keeps laughing so hard, (or why her eyes are full of water either)?!?



I give up.
As she moves away, I get snapped, right in the backside. AGAIN!
This time I see that "she" is stepping on a dead tree, and it is really long.  Every time she moves her foot this dead tree moves. If she rolls her foot just right, it pops up and snaps my arse.
That's NOT funny,  (is it) ?!?
No it's not!  I tell ya, it's da craziest thing I ever seen!

So I grab that dead stick and drag it down the big hill...



It broke - and I bring it back to her then.

Then she throws it halfway down the big hill for me! 
(This IS fun)!
Almost as fun to play fetch too, as it is for me to go paddlin' down the river!





"She" tells me I have had enough 'paddles' for one day, and then really loud again she says "Do NOT go in the river."
   - Mean she is! Just plain mean!!!

Since we are back in the woods, and I am having lots of fun, I listen to her.
(I really am a good Punkin, ya know).



We get to walk the whole ridge that day! 
Whoo~Hoo! Er, I mean "ARF" of course.
I jumped over that dead tree this time, backed away, really safelike too; and watched her hafta step over it.

Then, I smelled something really good. (I don't know WHY "she" says 'pee-you' when she smells these kinda things too).  It sure was smellin' good to me!




Oh-Oh.




Right she is. 
This wasn't a feast after all...
At least the leaves are covering it all up for now.
Good thing too, 'cuz I wouldn't want the poo in the hole to end up in my river.



It IS pretty, isn't it?
Would YOU go swimmin' with me some day?


"She" finds another stick for me...
I headed right on down to find it...

And I couldn't find it ennywhere!
But I could hear her again sayin' "Do NOT go in the river."





And then the worst thing ever happened...

 

and  I fell in!

I told her I was sorry though and she wasn't too mad then. 




Well 'cept for the dead fish I found on the way up. (Part of it is still stickin' out of my mouth).

I mean, could YOU stay mad at me if I said it this nice?



So I was a 'lil stinky. Big deal.  (I like it just fine like that, but "she" doesn't).
"She" is a killjoy, ya know.

For my punishment, she makes me go fishin'.   (This is punishment)???
I don't think so!

I tell her I'll catch 'em, but she's gotta clean 'em...

It's a deal.
















We work pretty well together, don'tcha think? 
And the house smelled really good after all that!
Mmmm...
It woulda smelled even better if she'da cooked 'em all, but she didn't. After wrappin' them all up, she puts them in the big cold box in the back.
Now I gotta wait for one more 'lil bite...

I'd better close before she catches me. Ya know how mean she can be.
A big old "ARF" to y'all.
May all of your own 4 legs be as good as I am, and may your bowls always be full.

Love, Punk

Gut Feelings

Good Afternoon All;
Once again, it has been way too long-
Blame me. Blame my computersaurus.
Either way, I have not posted any blogs, nor have I kept up as I should with your own blogs...
I even have an entry to post that still has somewhat decent weather in the pictures.
Will get to that as time allows. hehehe


We were to be in Minneapolis yesterday afternoon.
Life did not hand us that option.


I should start with Tuesday...  Casey had texted earlier in the day. She was feeling just awful. Her stomach paining her something fierce, and she was running a low grade fever from a UTI that she has been treating, (twice now, and for over a week with 2 separate Rx's).
Already that day, Casey had reset her Pain Management appointment.  Since it was not a good thing that she be getting her infusion that day either, she had canceled that appointment as well. She also had a migraine- sick to her stomach, and pained from that as well.
She had written that she was going back to sleep. I don't blame her. Poor kid.

But I still had to bring Punk in for her bath- I had not wanted her to smell like a dog when we checked into the hotel. Quarters are close in our reserved little hotel room, and truth be told I did not want her on my bed smelling like a dog either... hehehe
I brought her in.  Driving there I realize it is darn windy as soon as I pull out of the driveway. I hadn't been outside, save for much earlier in the morning to play with Punk and try to wear her out a bit. It wasn't THAT windy then... I checked the flag at one of the neighbors- Wind from out of the south. I make adjustment in my driving to accommodate that.
As we arrived at Waggin' Tails, Punk realized she was not just there to pick up Mr Miller and Ms CocoBeans, so she decided it was time to leave. She went to the door, sat, while those eyes absolutely pleaded with me to please go back home.
Sorry my sweet puppy.  Didn't work.
Coming home to realize how very windy it really was. My car actually veered into the oncoming traffic lane! My Rendezvous weighs over 2 ton, and it is rare that the winds affect it so.  I checked the wind from one of the many flags along my road. Still out of the south.
Wait. The wind must have changed direction as the oncoming lane is on the south side of the road... I just grabbed the steering wheel a bit tighter. Heck, it's only 5 miles home from Suamico for cryin' out loud.

They called a few hours later- Punk was ready to be picked up.
She was dry, oh so sweet smelling, and with pretty trimmed nails too!
I threw my coat on to go get her. As I enter the garage to notice that my front driver's tire was flat. Damn, it's cold and windy- Good thing I parked in the garage.
Wait! It wasn't the darn wind that had me white-knuckling the drive home.
OK. Whatever. I would fill it up, grab Punk, and stop at Jerry's ("aka Suamico Garage"), and simply get it fixed. (A good plan I thought, as I plugged in my compressor).
I didn't count on the fact that the tire would not hold air.
I came back in, thinking to call Miss Kelli and ask her to please pick Punk up on her way home. But I hadn't paid for the bath... WT's are a small place, and I don't know if they take credit cards in the 1st place. (Not sure who would pay for a dog bath on a credit card anyway)?  hehehe
I called and woke Casey.  She said 'no problem', she was feeling a little better and would pick her up. She brought home the softest, most wonderfully smelling dog I have ever seen!
Before she left here, I tried to air up the tire again. It held. I drove back to the Suamico Garage.
Patches are good, but Jerry does things right. My tire was repaired from the inside out-
I was happy too, that Casey got to see how this is done. I spent lots of my young time with my dad when I was a kid and got to learn lots. Pa died 3 years before Casey was born so she never had that, She never got to spend time in a real working garage. I love the sounds and smells of that all... Weird, I know.

But... back to my blog.
Yesterday, we finally got snow that stayed.
We knew it would come this year, just not when. The weatherman had called for a dusting. No big deal, except that it would be the first snowfall of the year. For some reason, people 'forget' from one year to the next how to drive on snow and ice. (The latter being impossible of course- but they still try to do so -at 70mph I might add). hehehe

I called Casey at 9:00AM to make sure we would have plenty of time to get to Minnesota without having to drive in the dark. Knowing the forecast here, I called Kelli too; just to find out if Tim had run to Minnesota that day- It's nice to know how the roads are in advance; (rumor had it that MN had gotten buried in snow the day before). As luck would have it, Tim had stayed in town. Oh well.

By 11, worried, I called Casey again. She was just leaving town and would be here shortly- She had only fallen back to sleep, thank God, and was not in the ditch somewhere along the line. Lucky her. hehehe
She had stopped for gas and was at the store- She said roads were icy- lots of traffic on 54 makes the town roads icy in a hurry- She promised she would take her time.
She got here in normal time. The highway was just fine.
By noon, my car was packed, warmed up, and we were off. The county plows had gone through twice already to salt the roads, and I was happy for that.
By the time we got to Pulaski, we decided to turn around.

Not sure exactly why- Just odd that both of our gut instincts were telling us to reschedule the whole thing. Happy we didn't go further before chatting about how we felt too.

So, we did what any normal people do instead of taking a road trip. We ordered a Hot Stuff Pizza. While we waited for that, Casey called Trent at the hotel...
I get a real kick out of Casey calling Trent. She starts off the conversation with "Hi Trent, this is 'Punks Family' calling."  Punk still smells sweet. She was confused with the shortened road trip, but was happy to get a few bites of pizza too.

Casey contacted Dr. Sutherlands nurse too. They will reset the test for Green Bay if that is OK with him. Given the fact that her insides are so not normal at this point in time, he may want everything to be done there. When she talked to Louise this morning, she found out that Dr Sutherland is in surgery all day today so we will know by tomorrow morning if that is a viable option, or if he prefers to have the test there. His call. He would do any further surgeries anyway since he is the only surgeon that knows her insides.

I'd best get over to my sewing machine. Darn thing.
Once more it is in pieces, and I must put it back together again. Clearly I am getting too attached to the innard workings of my machine!
I feel terrible that my 'presents' probably won't be done in time for Christmas; but I know there are worse things than that.  ... After all, kids do have "Santa" too.
*sigh*

My love to all.

XOXO
Me

Fookin' Computersaurus...

Grrrrrrr.......................  (nuff said).

Would anyone tell me what problems I may have going from this "thing" to a Mac?

What are the differences?
What are the advantages?
The disadvantages?
Will I like it more?

Is it true that old dogs can learn new tricks?

I shall be back later.

Have a "wunnaful" Wednesday.
Love to all.

XOXO
Me

Marinette High School Standoff | Green Bay Press Gazette

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20101129/GPG0101/101129160/15-year-old-gunman-in-Marinette-standoff-shot-himself?nocache=1
Student released all 24 hostages before shooting himself...

MARINETTE — A 15-year-old high school student who had “some problems in school” held 24 hostages with two firearms for about five hours on Monday.

The suspect shot himself when authorities entered the room and was the only one injured in the standoff, Marinette police chief Jeff Skorik said. The suspect was taken to a hospital and has been reunited with his family. His condition was unknown Monday night.

Marinette High School will be closed today as students, their parents and the community regroup after the standoff, Marinette School District Superintendent Tim Baneck said during a press conference Monday night. Grief support will be available to anyone impacted by the standoff, he said. Baneck said he did not have a timeline for reopening the school.

The gunman, who has not been identified by authorities, was described by a family friend as “one of the sweetest kids you ever want to know.”

“I’m at a loss as to why the young man would have felt pushed to this point,” said Keith Schroeder, a former teacher in the Marinette School District who knows the family. “I know there was some things going on at school, but I’m just at a loss.”

Student hostage Zach Campbell said the incident started when the kids in the room were watching a movie and the student gunman opened fire at the projector, then fired another round near the teacher.

The gunman “didn’t seem like he wanted to hurt anybody,” Campbell said. And at one point, the teacher in the room, 10th-grade teacher Valerie Burd, tried talk to him: “He really got upset when she tried to talk to him. He told her to be quiet.”

One student in the room helped break the ice with the gunman by asking about hunting, Campbell said.

“We talked for, I’d say, six hours,” Campbell said. “He was calm, he was laughing with us, having a conversation.”

The gunman talked with those in the room about hunting, fishing, music and movies.

Student Austin Biehl said he was scared when the incident began, but those feelings eventually changed.

“As it progressed, it was just calm. Everyone was just fine,” Biehl said.

Skorik said the investigation into the incident is just beginning and he does not know whether criminal charges would be recommended against the gunman.

The city of Marinette is 50 miles north of Green Bay and has a population of about 11,700. Marinette High School has about 800 students.

Shortly before all the hostages were released, the gunman allowed five to leave the classroom. Authorities said later he allowed the first wave out of the room because they had to use the restroom.

Campbell said he “asked if I could go to the bathroom. I didn’t have to go, just wanted to see if I could leave.” He said he was the second person to leave the room.

Burd likely played a role in securing her release and the release of the students, Schroeder said.

“She’s very dedicated, educated, loves children,” he said. “If I had been that classroom, I don’t know what I’d have been able to do.”

News of the hostages’ release came as a text message just as a prayer group in Peshtigo began praying for that very thing, said Tim Harwell, youth pastor at the church.

“As a matter of fact, we were praying at that very moment for the release of all the kids, said ‘amen,’ and then someone read the text message,” Harwell said. “We all collapsed.”

Schroeder said he wouldn’t get specific about the problems the gunman had been having at school but said, “I know there was some problems at school. … Somehow, we as a society need to rein in the types of things that are going on with our children…

“He’s a victim, too,” Schroeder said. “People may not realize that. Something had to push him to do this. With the support system and family life that he has, I’m just at a loss. I couldn’t say enough good things about the family, and they are so involved.”

Schroeder said he didn’t know where the guns the boy used had come from.

***************
BY DOUG SCHNEIDER, • PAUL SRUBAS • November 29, 2010
***************

Save for a few news conferences which haven't added much to the above story, I really don't know anything more than what has been on your own news.
The young man (suspect/victim) is fighting for his life at St. V's here in Green Bay.

I can only imagine how the parents of all the children might feel...

Marinette is about an hour north from here.

XOXO
Me

Give the Tea Party what it wants

Link


The author has put forth a lot of effort and time in her thoughts.
I enjoyed this so very much, and hope you do also. 

Do the click above.
See what she recommends.







" I've been reading an interesting discussion about the ramifications of the philosophy espoused by the far right, especially as embodied by Tea Party supporters--about what life would be like if we did away with taxes and let everyone pay his or her own way. The argument, as I understand it, is that voluntary philanthropy is good, but any organized redistribution of wealth, through letting one person's taxes pay for anything for someone else, is bad. It creates an artificially induced state of dependence which leaves people vulnerable to being controlled. Not everyone takes it as far as proposing no taxes and no services, but some do, and that is the only way, really, to be faithful to the philosophical model.

So I say we let the people who want to live that way give it a try.

I think it would be an interesting experiment if " ... More

___________________________

A very interesting post, as well as comments- all explained.
Please take a moment?
Suppose it was for real... Could it work?

XOXO
Me

OK. I give up. I can't get to too many of your pages, and when I do, I cannot leave a comment. Have been trying unsuccessfully to get to Bills new blogs, but only succeeded in getting to his top page again, where I could not leave a comment. Grrr!!! Tried leaving comments on 2 of Heidi's and one of Pamela's. Like I said, I quit. Snowstorm on its way, and I have to get into town. Love to all, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all. XOXO, Me

The Danger of Dancing.

Good Morning All;
I am not the best person to even have an opinion on "Dancing with the Stars".
(But I do)...

I fully admit that I do not watch this program- I actually cannot remember the last time I watched anything, with the exception of the local news, from start to finish, without recording it first.
Additionally, DWTS is not on my list of those somewhat entertaining, and at times enlightening, recorded items.

Waking this morning, the national news is on in the background as I read over my notes on here, and check my email.
I overhear that Bristolsp? Palin has advanced to another round on the above show.
I believe this is the final? round.

The question arose "should Palin remover herself from the running so as not to endanger herself further?"
"What?"
I remind myself this is a television show... Then, to answer, almost aloud, and almost flippantly, my mind says, "Oh, who cares?"

  - Then I realize that I care.

I care whether or not a young mother is going to put her life in danger because people are stupid enough to think that whether or not she can dance is of monumental political proportions.
I care that her child might be left motherless.
I care that people are ridiculously up in arms about a simple television show.

I don't care if anyone shoots their TV.
I don't care whose kid she is.
I don't care about the fact that I don't even watch this show.
But I damn sure care about her kid.

A short moment later, this question comes to mind-
Haven't the results already been skewed by even ASKING should she step down? Has she not been painted into that proverbial corner- as damned if she quits, and damned if she doesn't?

Just my thoughts... What say you?

XOXO
Me

Above picture from here

Gales of Novem~Brrr?

   Casey. At her last infusion.

Good Morning All;
I must keep this short this morning- Casey has her infusion scheduled early, and it is a day to bring out the winter jackets.
Yesterday was an odd day- with tornadoes south of us, and thunderstorms that rumbled on and off overhead as I went about my day.
When Punk and I were outside for her last potty break last night it was nice out there, (stockinged feet). The rains were done, and it was probably in the mid 40's or so- and calmer too.
Quite a different story this morning- as the windchill hovers around +10°F. Sustained winds are in the mid to upper 20mph, and my air exchange cover over the stove rattles occasionally.
There is even a draft in the house; (more specifically on me), and I am trying to psyche myself up to get in the shower.
We have no snow as yet- which makes the wind and temps seem that much worse for some reason. (I am not complaining about the lack of shoveling either). hehehe

If you can stand it, I am complaining about my back. Not sure what 'new' thing I did, but it got so bad last week that Casey threatened to bring me to the hospital. I finally caved, and at least made that phone call on Thursday- Returning my call by 7:30 on Friday, they had set up an early appointment for Monday.
Long story short, yesterday the doctor spoke of cement for my back? Hmmm...
I also needed another panel of xrays to determine *if* I have something new going on, or if it is an old and exacerbated thing.
The tech in the radiation dept tried to kill me! I swear he did. I also kept repeating to myself that the end is supposed to justify the means. The back~bend position was the worst; although laying on my side on a hard cold table wasn't much to my liking either. I drove that disc back across town as soon as I had it too. Must now make an appointment for her to discuss her findings. (Crap).
Since I am mobile, albeit in a snail way, I'd best not complain about glowing in the dark either.

I'd better close- Must get an earlier start as we have to stop over to Randy's before we go to Casey's infusion.

Good Lord, can I shower somehow without removing my nice warm pj's?!?

Love to all.
Be safe and warm.

XOXO
Me

For a Few of you

I need a little input...
I have this growing on my hip... --->
(Please pardon my stretch marks; as they are proof that I carried all 4 of these daughters of mine).
Know too that my skin is darker, and the red is brighter.

I will wait 'til we get back from MN to check it out. But I do not like this. Have kept an eye on it for a few months and recently it has doubled in size. (It is about 1/2 an inch now- and no longer a potential 'freckle').

Does anyone know about this? Things to look out for?
As you may/may not know, my birthmother has skin cancer...

XOXO
Me
 
Say NOTHING to Casey!

ROTF!!!! My dog, asleep on the floor quite near to me... My tummy growled loudly, waking her. She awoke and began growling back at it! A great laugh for me in the morning! Hope you all have a "wunnaful" Sunday! Laugh a little for me too! XOXO, Me

The Man in The Glass...

The Man In The Glass


When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.


For it isn’t your father or mother or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass.
The fellow whose verdict counts most in you life
Is the one staring back from the glass.


You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum
And think you’re a wonderful guy.
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.


He’s the fellow to please-never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear to the end.
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the man in the glass is your friend.


You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

~Author unknown~

Here's Your Death Panel

Will your child be next?

Many of you already know that, for obvious reasons, I fully support most "medically necessary for life" transplants, all stem cell research, and signing your donor cards.
Having received a 'heads up' from one of my groups, I have to post this here also.
 
      “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,...



From crazypeacetrain:

An Arizona man was denied a liver transplant while waiting at the hospital. He was a Medicaid patient and couldn’t come up with the $200K need
ed to do the surgery, since the state cut their coverage of the procedure as of October 1st.
If he had gotten sicker sooner, he would have been covered.

The liver went to another patient, despite Francisco Felix being highest on the UNOS list.

_______________________________________

AHCCCS budget cuts cost Phoenix-area man his chance at liver transplant

A Laveen liver-disease patient missed his opportunity for an organ transplant Tuesday, becoming the most dire example yet of an Arizonan denied life-saving medical care because of budget cuts to the state's health-care system for the poor.

Francisco Felix, 32, was in the hospital ready to receive a liver that was donated to him late Monday night. But the liver went to another recipient Tuesday morning because he couldn't find $200,000 overnight to pay for the liver transplant, one of seven kinds of transplant surgery the state stopped covering Oct. 1.

Felix was the first liver-transplant patient known to be affected, but is not likely to be the last.

Of the approximately 100 Arizonans enrolled in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System who are awaiting transplants that are no longer covered by AHCCCS, 60 of them are candidates like Felix with liver disease related to hepatitis C. Transplant is their only cure.

Last month, Goodyear leukemia patient Mark Price became a poster child for the impact of budget cuts to AHCCCS after his doctor found donors who matched his bone marrow a day after Price lost coverage. Price's story gained attention nationally and an anonymous donor later covered all costs for his surgery.

Because bone marrow comes from living donors, the donated marrow was still able to be used at a late date.

It's a different story for liver-transplant patients.

The chances of finding a liver donor are slim because these transplants usually are livers from deceased donors and the demand far exceeds the supply.

If a donor is found, the surgery must take place in less than a day.

AHCCCS patients who lost transplant coverage have been allowed to stay on the waiting list, but when a match is found they are faced with a ticking clock to come up with up to half a million dollars to pay for the procedure.

Francisco's story

Monday night, Felix's wife received a call from a family friend whose wife was nearing death and wanted to donate her liver to Felix. Their organs matched, and doctors prepared Felix for a surgery set for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center gave Felix until that time to come up with the money for his surgery. His surgery, liver transplant due to complications from hepatitis C, was one AHCCCS stopped covering Oct. 1.

Despite efforts to reach out to the media and the public, the family could not raise the money. Felix was discharged from the hospital and his liver went to the next patient on the waiting list.

"It was his day today. If we had the money, someone to pay for it, he would have received the liver," said Flor, Francisco's wife. "How can people make this decision? How does one person have the right to decide who's going to live and who's not?"

There are at least 23 AHCCCS patients at Banner Good Samaritan waiting for transplants, hospital spokesman Bill Byron said.

Byron said patients must meet three criteria before receiving transplants: they must be healthy enough for a transplant procedure, they must have a network of people who can support them after surgery and they must be able to afford the surgery.

Patients who can't afford the surgery after finding a match are placed on a hold list until they can pay for it.

Flor Felix has applied to the National Transplant Assistance Fund so that the family can raise money for her husband's surgery. Byron said doctors believe Francisco will be healthy enough to receive a transplant if another match comes along within the next year or two.

According to United Network for Organ Sharing, a national non-profit that is contracted with the federal government to manage the U.S. organ-transplant system, the average wait time for a liver is 796 days. Francisco has been on the waiting list since April and only got this chance so quickly because the family friend wanted to donate to him.

AHCCCS cuts

Legislators earlier this year decided to stop paying for certain transplants based on analyses by AHCCCS.

Certain kinds of pancreas, lung and bone-marrow transplants are among those no longer covered.

AHCCCS stopped covering liver transplants for hepatitis C because of the procedure's low long-term success rate.

According to AHCCCS, studies showed that when a patient with hepatitis C receives a liver transplant, the virus can infect the new liver within 24 hours. The virus returning is the No. 1 cause of the new liver failing, according to the analysis.

But according to the national transplant organization, transplant is the best treatment option for patients with end-stage liver failure.

Political battle

Following the public reports of Price's transplant story last month, state lawmakers asked Gov. Jan Brewer to reconsider the cuts. Tuesday, a group of Democrats asked again.

But Brewer's spokesman, Paul Senseman, said the governor would not consider a special legislative session unless someone proposes how the state would make up for the $1 billion gap in the AHCCCS budget.

Senseman blames federal health-care mandates for the program's financial struggles. The federal government requires states to cover many things under the program, but transplants are not one of them.

"On multiple fronts we remain hopeful that our ability to design a sustainable and flexible service program would be restored" now that there is a Republican majority in Congress and Arizona is a part of a 20-state lawsuit against the federal government for requiring all Americans to have health insurance by 2014, Senseman said.

AHCCCS cuts were made before the federal health-care reform act passed, said Sen.-elect Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix. Sinema said Brewer should use federal stimulus money to reinstate transplant cuts.

Democratic state Rep. Matt Heinz, a physician at the Tucson Medical Center, said it is contradictory to blame AHCCCS cuts on federal mandates while reasoning that transplant coverage could be cut because it is not federally required.

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he would like to revisit transplant cuts when the Legislature is back in session in January.

by Michelle Ye Hee Lee - Nov. 17, 2010 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/11/17/20101117ahcccs-budget-cuts-phoenix-man-liver-transplant.html#ixzz15mQYE6JS

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-11-17-arizona-cuts-liver-transplant_N.htm

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2010/11/17/20101117ahcccs-budget-cuts-phoenix-man-liver-transplant.html

Arizona governor Jan Brewer had the gall to blame “Obamacare.”

_______________________________________

Know that this is only one story from just one state.

Is this what happens when your insurance changes?

What say you?

XOXO
Me

Click for more on Stem Cell Research:

Stem Cells Repair Spinal Discs Permanently!

"While the United States government, scientists and the religious right continue to fight over the moral issues involved in stem cell research, the United Kingdom has already made strides toward medical cures with stem cells."

November 16, 2010 by Dr. Mark Wiley