Coon Dog Crazy

My Raccoon (or some raccoon) is back.
First time I've seen one in the middle of the afternoon.  I was walking the dogs, all three of them.  We have Jackson visiting, he used to be Pebbles boy friend, but this trip she has been willing to share.  Everyone is happy he is here except Pasha.  Even the cat LOVES him, sleeps with him, rubs up against him, preens around him.  The baby bird Blu-Bel even gave him kisses, and BB is scared of everything.  Jackson is HUGE, and very calm, except that he insists on being walked twice a day and thinks that little dogs are best served as snacks.  This is not true - he is good with dogs, except yappy in-your-face little dogs.  He has zero tolerance for yappy.  And cats.  And squirrels.  And random dogs that have not bothered him in anyway.

So Walking all 3 dogs is a challenge.  Pasha wants all people and dogs he sees to love him more than they love Jackson, he is insanely jealous and WHINY right now, constantly pulling on the leash.  Jackson is good, but used to going everywhere his extension leash allows, which tangle him up with the other dogs, and ends with my shoulder leaving the socket when he sees a squirrel, cat, or little dog.  Pebbles is the good dog.  She gets her stick, and just walks.  Except Jackson has inspired her to  pick up REALLY big sticks, something she has not done in about a year.  So she walks at a steady pace, whacking the other two, or me, when we slow down, or pause for disentanglement.

So, unfortunately for me, the dogs saw the raccoon first.  He was already well up into the tree by our house by the time I recovered.  We had just crossed the busy street at the end of our little block, and I was waving at the neighbor girl in her little play set when all three dogs took off.  That's about 210# of dog muscle galloping off.  Thank god all of the leashes are different lengths, I managed to remain standing, and did not lose any limbs.  And the raccoon is adorable, and safe, to the chagrin of the puppies.
 

Ho Ho Home for the Holidays

Sort of.
My family has never been big on Holiday gatherings. When my mom and dad got married they chose to avoid in-law issues by having the holiday meals at our house, and since no one else wanted to travel, either, I do not remember a single Holiday dinner with cousins or grandparents.  We always had a full house.  My mom could not stand to have people alone on the Holidays, we had standards that came every year, adopted family that loved us like grandparents, but we also always had strays that mom would pick up from a chance meeting and a "gee, if you are going to be alone, why don't you come by our house?"  As we grew up and went away, got married, rebelled against all things home, Mom got all proactive about seeing her kids and again, not fighting with in-laws, and started scheduling a not-Christmas meal.  When I was in Oregon, it would often be on a weekend before, sometimes a "Solstice Celebration" or just whatever random day we could all get there.  I have not been home in the winter in years.  I think the only time I made it when there was snow was for my father's funeral in February back in '88.  Wow - and I'm the family snow baby.  I need a winter field trip.


Anyway - last Wednesday, Christmas eve eve, the family gathered.  And I got to join them.  It was a little anti-climatic, I did not have the darling girl, and face it, my family wants to see me because I am direct access to the adorable granddaughter/niece, but it was fun.  We skyped.  My brother and sister and families were at my Mom's, and we all got to see each other on the little computer screen.  They got to meet my dogs, see my husband, whom no one has seen since our honeymoon 6 years ago. They opened all of the Wild Child Pics presents we sent - I love my family, they get my quirky, dark sense of humor and they genuinely seemed to like their gifts.


I'm still a little uncomfortable with the skype thing.  Sometimes video is not in sync with audio and it looks like a really bad japanese monster movie, I don't like looking at myself on screen - or maybe it more of a morbid fascination and I am constantly watching myself to determine if I look too much like an idiot.  Very reminiscent of the 2001 Space Odyssey, when the lead calls home from outer space and talks to his family on the large video screen.  Wow - we are living the future.  With our video conferencing and com-devices.  Where is my hover car?

Of Mice and Men

The best laid plans . . .
Sort of regretting my mom-follies this morning.
All the west-coast fam has been begging for new videos of gym girl.  There were no meets scheduled until Jan, so I've been putting them off.  Last night we had an in-house optional meet.  First judged meet, with critiques by the judges.  I had the camera all ready - gym girl was 2nd on bar, I was ready to amaze the grandma!  

Camera:  "battery has no charge remaining, powering down" *phhhht* (that is a word - look it up).  And she was amazing.      9.0 on bars, 8.3 beam - with no falls, barely any wobbles.  The last comment has to be taken in context. I was at almost every practice this week, all of the girls acted like the beam was greased, all week long. I don't remember seeing more than one or two routines where anyone actually stayed on the beam.  Yesterday, everyone, the entire squad, pulled off beautiful beam routines - no falls.   

So much fun to see all of the girls, and to watch the higher level optionals - the sneak preview of where our girls are going. The girls are all growing up, they work hard, play well together, it is a truly amazing thing.  I especially love that there seems to be no age gap when it comes to gym friends, the 9-year olds hang with the 14 year olds. They even work as a team when closing out siblings, even when the sibling are closer in age to the group than the gymnast.  OK the parental pride is mis-placed there, but, excluding your annoying sibling from your group of friends is part of having little/big brothers and sisters, it is just very cool that the girls have a team solidarity that they choose to keep close.

And - I really enjoy all of the parents.  After the meet was the annual team party we all ate, mingled, etc.  When the girls went off to break into work out groups for "secret Santa," we all got to hang and dish a little.  Nothing like a sport sponsored by a large city rec department to bring a vastly diverse group of people together.  The only thing we have in common is intense pride of our children and willingness to do whatever it takes to help our girls succeed.  We even define success differently, and for most of us, the definition has very little to do with gymnastics - gymnastics is a means to a goal, not the end game.  Over the years we have come to appreciate each others quirks, oddities, annoying behaviors, and genuinely share our common ground.  We love and support each other's girls, we help each other out however we can, and take pride in all of the team's accomplishments, on and off the floor.

A Truly great start to winter break!
 

Brag Sheet

Maybe I should rename this Blog to "proud Mom endlessly blathers on and on about the amazing wonderful child, that can do no wrong, is perfect in every way."  Or maybe I should just post alerts when I slip into gushing mom mode.  Oh - that would be now.  Actually, to be fair to myself, I feel that I am entitled to the over-bragging, I am fully aware that the darkness is approaching.  She is 12, occasionally I get glimmers of the hell that only a teen-age girl can produce in a household, and I realize that I am not exempt, just delayed.  I can imagine that in a few years or months, the entire tone of this gushy little mom-fest can turn into the crazed angst of a mom in crisis.

So for now, in wonderful mom world:  Gym girl had her first practice meet.  I missed floor and beam, other parents told me she did great, of course, we are all so genuinely proud of our kids, and each other's kids, I'm never gonna get to hear "your kid sucked," or "gee, I was surprised she didn't do that well."  I won't get an honest opinion from the girl.  She always says she did horribly, and will pick apart every tiny little detailed mistake she made.  I'm sorry I missed her beam routine, not just 'cause it is fun to watch, but I would have liked to see the reaction of the people that have not seen her in a while.  My kid is strong.  Freakishly strong.  Her beam routine emphasizes that, and when people see her mount for the first time there is that sort of "wow, she is REALLY strong" moment.  And I would have liked to seen floor, I've only seen her routine once with the tumbling elements added, and it was the first time she did it.  It is a fun routine, cute, strong, fits her well.  I did get to see her bar routine.  She is the only prep-op girl doing giants, and she nailed her routine.  Giant, Giant, Lay-out fly-away.  Whooo-hooo!

From there we rushed over to Cafe Kili, where she donned her photo-girl persona and had her first little art show.  She handled all of the sales and tickets, sold about 10 prints and a couple of calendars (on a side note, if anyone actually reads this, calendars are still available on the Wild Child Pics website for delivery in time for Christmas).  Towards the end of the afternoon, she flipped through her receipt book, and I figured she was adding up the money she was making her head.  She threw me a curve when she hollered across the room, "Mom, we get to donate $22 to Metropolitan Ministries."  Now - that's a Mom moment!  I don't know if I'm more proud of her generous spirit and focus on what she can give, rather than what she can get (I am more proud of that), or if it is her ability to do math functions in her head.

This coming Saturday (December 12th) we will be at the Lutz Shop and Stroll.  First all day sales event for Wild Child Pics.  The bummer is, it is a weekend that she is with her dad.  Photo Girl and Darling Man will help me set up, then he goes camping, and she goes with her dad.  I get left selling artwork, hanging out in Lutz.  It will be fun, but it would be more successful if she were there.  No one wants to buy art from the pushy mom, they want to meet the girl.

On a completely unrelated topic, for the past few days our General Manager has been in the office, she was acting Director of Clinical Services the last time we were in between DCS', and she is covering for the current one in her absence (not sure, nor do I care about the details of the absence).  Anyway, when Michelle is around, the atmosphere is lighter, morale is a little higher, and walking into the office does not feel like a jaunt through the mine-fields.

Life is good.
 

Saving Herons

Ok - once again I am so proud of the little girl I could just spit.  Who spits when they are proud?  Is it just the overflow of gushing?  Honestly, I have no idea where these sayings come from, I just spew them like it is an ancient adage, and chances are good I make them up, or get them wrong and keep perpetuating the colloquialism.

We have a new project.  We have printed posters, and would like to place them in as many public areas (legally of course) as possible.  We have printed 100, the idea to be to donate as many as we can to parks, land management, forest regions, or place that people gather outdoors, and sell a few of  them cheaply, to help cover the cost of printing more.  So - of the 1 or 2 people that read this blog, if you know of an organization that would like some to post, please have them contact us:  Riki@WildChildPics.com

I know - it is so sad.  Photogirl and her dad could not even do anything without causing it great distress.  It could still fly - but how long until the string gets caught on something?  it won't be able to get away from an alligator, or it will break a leg  struggling.  Just make me want to cry.

Spread the word - we are off to Egmont Key today.

Ped X'ing

I'll admit it.  I'm turning into a bit of a curmudgeon. Urban life annoys me: not the interesting architecture, or easy access to just about anything under the sun, or the wide variety of people and sub cultures I run into everyday.  What annoys me about urban life is that there are sooo many people, and not all of them are very bright.  I have pet peeves, as I get older I have more - I swear, I am going to end up being the crazy old lady on the corner ranting at people that walked by that it wasn't how we did it in our day - oh no, when we walked, we put effort into it!

Wait - that is already me.  Tampa is not exactly a pedestrian friendly city.  And the thought of trying to get anywhere on a bike here pretty much terrifies me.  The last City I lived in was Portland, Oregon.  Very bike friendly, lots of public transports, and people walked enough to understand that there are rules.  Rules that support important things, like staying alive, and not messing up the lives of the poor sap that hits you with their car.  Maybe because as a country kid, I learned about urban walking in 3rd grade safety courses. The people here learn it from the neighborhood, parents and peers.  The result is chaos.

Take for example: the cross walk.  You need to cross the street, you go to the nearest cross walk, maybe push a button, wait for the light to change to indicate that it is safe to cross, try not to be freaked out by the flashing orange hand counting the seconds to your demise.  You make it across the street, with mere seconds to spare.  During the whole process you are in front of the cars, in full view, where all the drivers can see you.  If you don't quite make it, chances are the annoyed driver may gesture at you for wasting their time, but they will most likely NOT run over you with their car.  Tampa does not have very strategic cross walks, on some busy streets the cross walks are separated by several very long blocks.  In those cases, you should at least go to an intersection, wait for a natural slow or stop in traffic, and run like hell - please do not do this with toddlers and baby strollers - play "chicken" with your own life, don't drag your kids along.  Buy them the video game - it is WAY cheaper.

I am not a purist, I have been known to J-walk, just not at rush-hour an a main through fare.  So my pedestrian peeve?  People that don't use the freakin' cross walk.  I'm sitting in my car, 2nd car from the light, on a very busy street (3 lanes, each way, double or triple turn lane).  Probably talking on the phone and eating a sandwich - not texting - I'm not quite that stupid.  I am two car lengths from the light, and some idiot, dragging their girlfriend, groceries or very short child, starts weaving in and about between the cars.  When the light changes, people start to move.  They almost get hit, or get stuck between lanes or make a mad dash in front of braking cars.  You are 10 feet from the CrossWalk!  what is wrong with these people?  How lazy can you be?  How illegal is it to hit them?  It really burns me when they then turn and walk towards the cross walk.  If you were going that way anyway, lazy is obviously not the problem.  It is just pure stupid.

On a similar note, some guy on a bike needed to cross the street, and head East yesterday (I was going West).  He gets 1/2 way across the street, turns into oncoming traffic, and starts slaloming between cars, against the flow of traffic, making his way across the street.  Then he flips off the car that almost hit him when the light changed.  The rules for bicyclist in Tampa is different than other parts of the country.  If you are on the street, you follow the laws of a moving vehicle, if you are on the sidewalk, you are treated as a pedestrian.  This is true, and it might be statewide.  Anyone coming from a city where people ride bikes regularly are very confused by this random behavior. Bicycles will come at your from any direction, at any speed.  It is your job to not hit them, even if they come sailing at top speed down the side walk, against the flow of traffic, shielded by a very large hedge.     

Hmmmm - maybe I need to chill, I should go take a walk or something.

 

Duty and Dalliance

This is a two part rant.  
1st - Jury duty.

We are a government "for the people, by the people."  Jury duty is the one chance we get to be part of our judiciary.  It is our most direct line of governance.  I consider it a duty, a privilege, and an obligation.  I get pretty irritated when people give me advice on how to "get out of it."

My first experience of Jury duty was in my early 20's in a small county with a pool of maybe a 100 jurors.  My "peers" are not a whole bunch of people with nothing else going on in their lives, or surly people that think everything going on in their life is more important than whatever is happening in the lives of the people in court.  I realized at that point that to have the opportunity to have "jury of my peers" in the unlikely event that I should ever need one, I should step up and do my duty.  

Then I opened my own business.  The hardship of Jury duty was more of a "there is no one to cover my patients" than a "gee, I can't take the time off."  So for several years, I have gotten out of it.  Little pains of guilt, but really felt like I had no option.  Now, I work for a company that is obligated to let me go, and find coverage for my patients.  We do not get paid for Jury duty.  We either take vacation time, or take unpaid leave.  I'm Ok with that.  I could not be on a long trial, without undo hardship, but I feel it is important enough that I can tighten the 'ol belt for a couple of days off.  

Another subject that came up was the paltry "stipend" that jurors get.  It has been suggested to me that the government pay us more.  I do not believe that we should be paid at all.  It is our duty.  It is part of the price we pay for having a judicial system that allows us to be judged by our peers, not government officials.  It is as fundamental to our democracy as the right to vote.  I would actually be OK with making voting mandatory (I know, dictatorial democracy, kind of an oxymoron, but if I were supreme ruler, I would be gentle about forcing you to live up to your obligations).  I also think that public service, whether military or civil, should be mandatory for all for two years post high school or college.  Seriously - vote for me "Supreme Czar of all Civil Service."

Rant #2
Citizenry waste of government resources.

This Jury pool was over 1700.  We were randomly broken into small groups for each trial where "jury selection" began.  My group had 26 people, we listened to a public defender that thought he was channeling Alan Shore for 4 hours before 7 of us were chosen.  The next day we listened to 3+ hours of testimony.  That is 7 hours of 2 public defenders, 2 state's attorneys, 1 judge, 2 bailiffs, our time (but we were not costing much), and at least a few hours of the 3 officer's that testified time.  Wow - that is tons of people power.  Why?

Because some kid stole 2 packs of cigarettes.  

Which the officers were able to confiscate, and the convenience store had back in approximately 20 minutes.  Everyone deserves a jury trial, and this kid was right to ask for it.  As soon as he was caught, he fessed up, apologized, and gave the cigarettes back.  So why the huge ordeal?  Because the shop-keeper felt "threatened."  That is the difference between petit theft and robbery.  Oh - and robbery is a felony.  

We deliberated for all of 10 minutes.  The shop keeper did not feel "threatened"  when he jumped around the counter chasing the kid, dialing 911 on his cell phone, he didn't even feel threatened when he got outside.  He said that the kid threatened him verbally at that point, but he also said that he relayed the information to 911, and they advised him to "back down, and wait for assistance."  None of the witness accounts could confirm a "threat."  His whole testimony sounded more angry than fearful to me.  Hopefully this kid (and who sells cigarettes to a minor, anyway?) will take the warning and straighten up.  I know where this store is, I work in this neighborhood - If I was a shop-keeper, I might keep a gun under the counter, but I would never consider running after someone that stole something.  This was probably the only 17 year old boy in the whole freaking neighborhood that isn't packin'.

 

'Tis the Season

1st - Mom Bragging:
Giant, giant, Layout fly away.  Pretty!  Into the pit, but it looks like it won't be long until she sticks it.

1st middle school report card.  All A's, with a couple of +'s.  My kid ROCKS!

OK.  I LOVE Halloween.  I have 2 huge boxes of Decorations, as compared to one large and one small for Christmas, and 1 large for Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentines, 4th of July, St. Paddy's combined.  I LOVE this time of year.  This year I did basically nothing to get ready for tonight.  We hardly ever get trick or treaters, the girl child is going to a birthday/Halloween party, and we have a friend in from out of town.  I did make a few batches of Witchy Fingers, sort of a Halloween tradition around here, but I did not decorate.  This morning we have the neighborhood coming over for Brunch and pumpkin carving.  
I made "monster quiche,"  this is me chaneling "Betty," Martha Stewrat's creative minded, but delivery challenged twin.  I also have difficulty with computers and images.  So the pictures are popping up all over the page.
It is odd that the girl-child is not going to be with me for trick-or-treating.  And this is probably the last time she will even go.  Not ready for the growing up part.  I'm sort of languishing in "Mommy Mode"  best suited for toddlers and small children.  I need to start gearing up for "guidance goddess."  I trust that she has the base morals for good decisions, now I need to stay involved enough to guide her towards them, instead of protecting her from the opportunity to choose.  Ugh - "all knowing, total control Mommy"  is WAY easier.  
The fuzzy girl's boyfriend is visiting.  He is such a handsome man, and my house is total dog chaos.  They are in the "get re-acquainted" phase of the visit.  Sort of ignoring each other, but acutely aware of what the other one is doing, who is getting more attention, etc.  Even the cat, Ashe, is happy to have Jaxon around.  Funny - when other dogs visit, he hides, when Jaxon is here he rubs and pets on him like he is one of our dogs.


 

Scared Scaly

My last post was whiny.  I'd love to say it was out of character for me - but, well, I can be whiny.  I ate.  I am now significantly less cranky.

It really is fall now.  no foolin.'  Tomorrow photo girl and I plan to go to Myakka state park and brave the big scaly critters for our outdoorsy pleasure.   This is the one place I have ever been that the gators sort of freak me out.  It is my favorite place to take my northern relatives.  I once saw a 6 foot alligator being eaten by a much larger gator at this park.  I don't know what it is about Myakka, but there are LOTS of alligators.  They are everywhere.  Oddly, being on the river with them while gliding by (or over) them in a canoe does not bother me, but I do not like walking the trails near the river.  They are fast on land, faster than me, by a long shot. 

I will now impart a piece of wisdom that I like to keep close.  Mainly because I gained this knowledge through experience.  Painfully embarrassing, "what was I thinking," kind of experience.

NEVER WHACK AN ALLIGATOR

There.  Now you know.  Maybe the single most important piece of advice you ever gain from me.  "Of course," you think, "why would anyone do that?"  Well - here's the deal. 

My ex (husband, not photo girl's dad, way before him, when I was very young, and obviously, very stupid), and I went to Myakka to canoe.  Lots of big, fat lazy alligators sunning themselves in the autumn heat.  None of them moved, it was like watching koalas at the zoo.  We rowed up to a grassy hummock, covered by giant, lazy alligator hide.  His back was to me, nose in the water on the other side of the grassy little island, sort of in the way for turning the canoe around.   So, I'm thinking, that if I nudge him, he will probably slip into the water (forward) and we can be on our way.  And besides, how fast can they be?  So I nudged him.  Well, OK, I whacked him.

And things started moving.  I'm screaming "ROW" trying to force the canoe backwards.  These HUGE, SNAGGLEY TEETH, are framing all sides of the white open Maw of Death that I am staring into. The 'gators head comes down (and no, I have no idea how the head got UP, did I mention fast?) and the gator thumps its chin on the front of the canoe. I am thankful that we were pretty experienced canoeists.  We backed up fast enough that the alligator did not end up in the canoe for a snack, we managed to not tip the very rocky canoe that had been smacked at the tip by 1/2 a ton of 'gator.  And I did not lose any digits or body mass.  All in all a successful day of adrenalin and survival.

And tomorrow I take the daughter.  She's pretty smart - it would probably never cross her mind that whacking a gator is a good idea.  Besides, she knows this story.  Tells it more than I do.  Somehow, she is amused by it.

 

Stuff and Things

This week has been grueling at work.  My team/area is super slow.  To keep busy I have been running all over the county covering for other people.  Lots more miles on my car, much more frustration, since I get people last minute, and have to call on my way out.  I am a creature of habit, and driving outside of my box (it is a tiny box) is difficult for me.  I also don't like feeling like I am not "pulling my weight."  Our new boss is good, and is kind of kickin' butt in ways that are needed.  I am VERY not used to feeling like my butt needs kicking.  I do my job, I do it well, I mind my own business.  I only rattle cages and stir piles when the s**t effects me directly.

My area is not busy.  This is not my fault, marketing is not my job - a good thing, 'cause I kind of suck at it.  I am not used to doing busy work, and sitting in a noisy office full of distractions doing chart review is brutal.  I am in no way detail oriented.  At least not with paperwork.  I have talents (and 2 inservices that I am supossed to prepare).  I can't be home working on those inservices and have it count as productive time.  We do not have computer or work space at the office, so I am doing the research/write-up on my own time, and frantically scrambling around looking for anything that keeps me seeing patients and out of the office on company time.  It is back to that "I'll work hard, but I don't like working inefficiently" thing.  It sort of burns my britches to be spending home time doing work stuff when I am excessively slow at work and could do it on their time.

Wow - did not plan on this being a massive bitch session. Hopefully I will get stuff done and post the funny happy stuff that makes up the majority of my world tomorrow.


 

A Noble Endeavor

Ok - I love Barak Obama. He is a visionary, a statesman, a forthright man with a true sense of patriotism. If he doesn't fall apart under the political storm, he has the potential to be truly one of the greats. Perhaps the most progressive president in my life time. To clarify progressive - not the new buzz word meaning tree-hugging liberal - progressive as in "can move the country forward."

But, the Nobel Peace Prize? Please. If his programs work. If any of them work. He may be a candidate. But now? This is supposed to be a celebration of accomplishment, not potential. Mother Theresa. Ghandi. Jimmy Carter (past president Jimmy Carter, a much more effective man than President Jimmy Carter). Martin Luther King. Mikhail Gorbachev - after the split of the Soviet Union.

On to my favorite political subject:

Anyone with access to AARP needs to read what they have to say about Health Care reform. This is one agency that I trust has only one political agenda - to protect the rights and future of older Americans. Lately they have been spending a lot of page space debunking the media schlock that gets pumped around about health care reform.

One editorial highlighted the similarities between the current proposal and the Nixon initiative. Ted Kennedy was absolutely opposed, but later regretted having not crossed party lines to support it. Now, essentially the same plan is being proposed by the Dems, and Republicans are screaming "Death Squad" and rampant government spending.

Which - with a non AARP source (the United Press) - the bill being proposed in the senate, which is probably watered down and won't make anyone happy, has just made it out of the finance community. It will help decrease the deficit. WHAT!?! It will insure 94% of Americans. It will take a VERY hard line on fraud, waste and abuse. Which may put my job in jeopardy. Home Health is a notorious area of waste and abuse. The problem with the government stepping in, it usually means more documentation, less staff. More "paper" accountability - but we'll see, they may have some better way of monitoring things.

Whatever - something needs to change, and now would be a really good time to put politics aside and make stuff happen. It is very difficult to change a stagnate system, but once the rock starts rolling, things can be tweaked to work, it is easier to direct a moving object than a stationary object, as long as the change happens slowly, carefully.

Oh - and if he pulls off Health Care reform in the US - I still don't think that is enough to be deserving of the Nobel Prize. If he can engineer peace in the Middle East (not really our business, but we keep jumping into the thick of it, until it is now REALLY our business), or if he can get the global political community to work together to reduce global warming, or negotiate commitments to stop genocide, child sex trafficking, female mutilations or something throughout the world, then Yeah - give him the prize.

Snippets

Somewhere in the Tampa Bay area a lady was attacked by Raccoons.  I'm sure it was very tragic for her.  I hope she recovers.  But C'mon - it is a little funny.  Of course the media is raging about out of control, dangerous animals.  They could play "responsible media" and post little public service announcements about securing garbage, not feeding your cats outside, keeping your neighborhood/home free of delicious smelling raccoon treats.  Instead, nature is something best enjoyed in zoos and on Discovery Channel, not something to share your neighborhood with.  Let's not remember that only a few years ago this was the 'coons 'hood.  They are just trying to adapt.

Gym Girl is moving into something called "prep-opt."  This is new for our gym, sort of like AAU's modified optionals, but run by the USAG.  Bottom line, she is moving up, and quickly, there is much more parental involvement, decision making and cost.  Luckily she is decisive.  She chose "old Time Rock and Roll" for her floor music.  Make's a momma proud.  From now on gymnastics meets will be FUN, even for me.  No more watching 45 girls doing exactly the same thing over and over.  No more listening to some horrible, janglie tune 45x/meet, 30x/practice.  I hope I don't start hating old rock tunes.

I have discovered that I am perhaps not as easy to get along with as I thought, and there are people that I have a difficult time working with.  And I cannot always avoid working with those that irritate me.  And I have a weird, compulsive "brutally honest" gene that can get me into  uhhhh situations.  I don't gossip, will not bitch about people and things, but if someone asks - and I mean someone in a position to possibly help the situation, or at least someone that should be aware - I kind of go into dump mode.  Seriously, if you don't want my opinion, don't ask me. Don't open that gate if you don't want the animals loose.  I won't volunteer.

We should have "Wild Child" Calendars this week.  Photo Girl was too sick to go proof them with me.  I OK'd them - hope she is happy.   

Got to spend wonderful quality time with an old friend this week.  Good food, fun conversation.  Peanut Butter Pie at Ocean Prime maybe the single most satisfying oral experience of my life.  Seriously.  Prepare to spend a fortune, and only eat 1/2 of it.

So. . . . . .
My week in a nutshell - don't feed it to the raccoons.

Falling

It is finally here.  Yeah - I know, the first day of Autumn was last week sometime, and facebook posts from my Northern friends have led me to believe that it has been hovering for a while.  I live in Florida.  Fall does not happen by calendar, and sometimes it happens so subtly that you will miss it if you aren't paying attention.  But I pay attention.  It is my favorite season, and I am not going to miss it by not getting up early enough to feel that coolness in the morning that burns off when the sun hits it.

Around here, "Fall" means pumpkin.  Pumpkin muffins, with cream cheese.  Pumpkin pancakes (with caramel syrup if I am really ambitious).  Pumpkin cheesecake.  Hot spiced Pumpkin milk.  My neighbors start on me early - letting me know when the calendar says it is fall.  Calling me if they get up early enough to feel some coolness in the air.  But I have to FEEL it.  Wednesday it showed up.  Boom.  I wore  long sleeve shirt to walk the dogs, then hurried home to make muffins.  Called the neighbor boy and told him to stop by the house before school - he knows what that means, I did not even have to tell him why.

But there has been pumpkin drama.  I usually have cans in the pantry (I am NOT a purist, real pumpkin is too hard), but last week I went to check, 'cause I knew it was close, and we were completely out.  None of my local Publix markets carried it, something about two years of bad crops, seasonal item, no hold over from last year, will have some the middle of October.  WHAT!?!?!?!  But it is coming!  I feel it!  What if it gets here and I don't have any pumpkin?  Darling husband to the rescue - he bought Wal Mart's last 2 cans.  Big cans.  

Yay - one batch of muffins, and pancakes for breakfast.  Except, sometimes I don't pay attention.  For one - he got pumpkin pie mix, which is a much different animal.  While reading the recipe, which I only do for inexact ratio estimates, I mistakenly thought it said 1 3/4 cup sugar, which I reduced in my head because of the pie mix, then doubled to make more muffins.  Except that it was supposed to be 1 and 3/4 cups FLOUR, and I had already mixed in the sugar.  So - no pancakes, a quadruple batch of muffins.  Completely gone by Thursday.

The good news is Sweet Bay has pumpkin,  bought 8 cans and did not clean them out.  Plus - as a bonus, the people at the deli counter were not stupid.   Publix may have a run for its money with me - did I just say that?  I have shopped no where else for like 15 years.  Fall is about change.  But I'm not sure I'm ready to change grocery stores, it is not like changing your socks (which I do in the fall). Publix needs to step up, and hire people that know what Havarti cheese is, and can cut a block of American with a real knife instead of running it through the thick setting of the slicer.

 

Muffacino

The Gym Girls - collectively - not just mine, can talk me into just about anything.  They work hard.  They are young, innovative, fresh.  And - they love it when I bake.  Ok, it is a bit of an ego-boost to have pre-teens and teens LIKE something created by an adult.  If you have one, or are around them, or remember what they are like, you will realize that they are a tough audience.  Not easily impressed.

So when they compliment me  (:-), then start pouring out all the endless possibilities that their young minds can dream up; well, I do my best to make it happen.  Last week it was cookies and cream muffins.  Vanilla muffins, crunched up Oreo cookies, sweetened cream cheese filling.  They debated the pros and cons of the filling, but over all a hit.  For the record, I started making muffins for the car-pool girls when they needed healthy snacks on the way to gym, and my daughter had gone primarily vegetarian.  These muffins were packed with calories and tons of soy, nut and dairy based proteins crammed into the crevices.  Banana is the favorite, with pumpkin cream cheese (a seasonal item) running a close second.

There is nothing remotely healthy about the latest trend in muffining.  They are eliminated from cupcake status merely by the lack of frosting.  But they LOVE them. And I make them.  maybe they love ME.  In my delusional attempt to stay within the favor of the adolescents in my life - I am driven by taste, texture and their creative palates.  The Mufficino has been floating around in the coversation for weeks.  Coffee (yes with caffeine - dare I tell their parents?), chocolate, swirls of creamy vanilla.  MochaMufficino.

Last night was the attempt.  Today the judgment.  
Vanilla muffin batter (heavy on the sugar, I use a particularly fluffy recipe), divided into thirds,  instant coffee in one, baker's cocoa in another, equal parts in the muffin cups, swirl with a skewer - bake to perfection.  Sweet, Sweet Success.  They DO love me.  

 

Atlas Shrugged

Not the book by Ayn Rand (excellent book, but for titling purposes, I like the imagery it conjures).
The weight of the world is temporarily lifted from the hero's shoulders.  As the Earth tumbles, crashing and bouncing to the ground, mayhem ensues.

Even what elevates the common good is often not good for anyone right away.  Things that benefit one person, is often not good for anyone.  There is always the mess to clean up.  Right now, after a grueling process, things are temporarily settled with my ex.  The DOR lawyer warned me that I was "rolling over," and allowing myself to be taken advantage of.  Perhaps true - but 3 years of "fighting the good fight" has left me deeply in debt, emotionally bruised, and unable to truly go on with my life.  The bad news is - it is never truly over.  The problem with "temporary" orders is that either party can decide to challenge it any time.  Guess who won't be jumping back into court voluntarily any time soon?  Who wants to make a bet on how soon I get drug into court again?

Florida's information dissemination and book keeping has a serious lag.  I have apparently been getting child support for three months.  No one bothered to tell me.  Kind of a boon.  It is not much support, and has been reduced even further as of yesterday, but after 10 month of nothing (OK, 7 months of nothing, 3 months of secret hidden support that I did not know about), it is nice to -  well - buy the kidlet her school shoes.

Never in a million years could I work in family law.  What kind of monster watches a man break down, while looking at him with little more than contempt?  Oh yeah - ME.  I surprise myself that I care so little.  Your grave - you dug it, have a nice rest.  Family law workers deal with people in their worst possible manifestations.  I am probably a mild monster compared to what they get.  Yet, I cannot bring myself to be at all sympathetic.  I am grateful that I have enough character to not take PLEASURE in his misery.  I do not have insight into the secret laws of Karma - but this turn of events is no surprise to me, and I am pretty confident that I am not screwing up my status in the eyes of god by not rescuing him.  Not that I could rescue him.  Seriously I am but a small portion of the storm he has created.  I have released him from the early issues that started this mess - but it was those very issues that made me unable to feel any empathy now. 

I have hope that yesterday's result will release me from the constant harassment that I have come to expect.  And, I have every intention of enjoying everyday ahead of me.  I am grateful for the amazing family, amazing friends, and fabulous support around me.  And oh - yeah, very, very happy to have a job!

Learning

I spent the weekend at a continuing ed course. (and I tried to make the font bigger, but blogspot rebelled today). Gruelling schedule, left at 5:00am to head for the east coast, made it to the 8:00am course in the freezing little board room on nothing but coffee and a donut (not my usual fare); ate chips, cookies, chocolate kisses, cokes and coffee all day while trying to stay awake. Spent a truly fun and relaxing evening with an old school friend and his lovely family. Back to learning on Sunday. Long drive home.

The first 8 hours was anatomy and physiology of a system I am largely unfamiliar with (vestibular - you know the little loopy things in the inner ear that make the world spin after you get off the roller coaster). A tiny little bit of test and treat at the end of the first day. Sunday morning full of review of stuff I didn't get in the first place, followed by test and treatment of some of the most common vestibular disorders - which for the record, are not the most common causes of dizziness. I was lucky enough to be the guinea pig for the instructor the last half of Sunday. Honestly, I do not know how others stayed awake. I am a kinesthetic learner - I have everything from Sunday afternoon SOLID. Saturday might as well have not happened, except for the sleep deprivation and upset stomach.

I have not been to a continuing ed course in a long time. Over the past 7 years I have mostly done CE's in my areas of expertise, and often I know as much as the instructor, except for a few new, key points, or if it is mostly new, I have a very solid base in the anatomy of whatever we are discussing. This was way different for me. I won't use much of it, I did not get enough "hands-on" to feel confident with my skills.

The things I learned most had nothing to do with the course. I have gotten less sociable, and less pushy. I rarely speak in class, and only ask questions as points of clarification. In college, and for many years I was "that guy," questioning instructors, wanting deeper, fuller knowledge on every subject, bringing in my life experiences to "enrich" the class. Saturday I ate lunch alone. I have probably never done that. I ended up making some good connections, exchanging email addresses with a couple of students, but usually at courses, I am little miss social - I want to get to know everyone, make contacts, etc. Maybe because I no longer own my own business, I am not driven to make connections? Maybe because I was exhausted and didn't really want to be there?

I also see instructors as being significantly more human that I remember them being. I don't expect them to know everything, just respect that they know more than I do. If I am tired of sitting there, they HAVE to be tired of getting yawned at. So I have lightened up. Less drama. kind of nice

And hey - if your marbles are loose - I can fix that now.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling.

Lots to write.  But its just life stuff.  no funny, poignant stories.  no deep insides into the thoughts of man. little accomplishments.  Good things.
Gym girl is back to full practice.
no pain, no injuries.
I am NOT smarter than a 6th grader.  6th grade geography is hard.  Way harder than I remember.
my child is as freakishly ocd an anal as i. 
i want to be ee cummings when I grow up.
i can live with capitals for emphasis.
not sure how to function without puncuation
perhaps i do not really want to grow up.
EGADS
what if i am a grown up?
what has the world come to?
prejudice in the privacy of your own home is prejudice none the less.
I have reached the point that I can understand another's humor and be offended by it anyway.
I also realize that I can be offended without being judgemental towards those that offend.
Damn -
I am growing up.

Chivalry

Wednesdays I drive the gym car pool.  My kid doesn't have gym, but we drive right by on the way home, and Wednesday is one of my early days.  


So I'm at out office dropping off paperwork, a little distracted, because I don't want to be late getting the girls.  I gather my metal clipboard with storage area (a.k.a The Brain) and throw it in my bag, then I grab the little file box where the week's papers live, and squeeze it in the bag.  Then I put it all in the back, hop into the car, and pull out onto Fowler avenue.  Click, Woosh.


The back opens.  In my rear view mirror, I see my lonely little bag with my file box and clipboard peaking out, sitting on the asphalt.  Pull over, hop out, start running.  The light at 56th street changes, and cars are heading toward my bag.  The first 5 cars stop, and go around, the panic lessens slightly when. . . . . .  A huge SUV, black, menacing, jaws wide open, teeth gnashing rolls over the bag, tires straddled, nothing is hit - but the back draft starts to scatter objects.  And   IT   IS   ON!  Cars rushing, things flying, I know the next large car will break open the file and protected patient information will be scattered all over Fowler avenue.  


And a passerby, wearing a dark mask and flowing cape steps into traffic and STOPs them all.  Thank you, dark stranger.  He helps me gather my things, quickly, wordlessly.  (OK - he might NOT have been wearing a cape, but he deserves one).  I actually thought he was going to get killed.  It is not like he hesitated, or signaled anyone to stop until he was in the street.

Chivalry is not dead.  But it has gotten stupid.


I am not ungrateful.  I am just glad that my knight did not die. I really prefer having to replace all of my stuff to holding someone's mangled body while I thank them for a kindly deed gone askew.  The good note is that the only casualty was my clip board which I promptly replaced.  My sphygmomometer is a little wanky, but seems to continue to be accurate when the needle doesn't stick, no patient information was scattered in the wind, and I made it to school in time to pick up the girls.









 

Worst Mom Ever!

Gym Girl has to scratch bars this week-end.  I don't think either one of us were anticipating this, and frankly without the support of her coaches, I would have caved.

She is fine.  No pain.  John, the amazing, wonderful, physical therapist I took her to see for a second opinion, agreed with my plan, explained to her the dangers of starting back early, put her on a stabilization program.  And she is fine.  No pain.  Yesterday, I got to her gym ahead of her, taped her arm, talked to her coaches, and went through the formality of getting her up on the bar.  Hang.  Pull over.  Drop. Swing. No Pain.  Check the arm for displacement.  CLUNK.  Not click; CLUNK.  Put on grips.  Kip. Swing. Check shoulder.  Clunk. One last time.  Clear hip.  Tap swings.  Have coach feel it also.  Clunk. Grind.  Crap!

As I'm starting to realize it is NOT a good idea, she is very excited that she has no pain.  Thank god for her coach!  He suggested that she scratch bars.  Totally unacceptable to the Wild Child.  I gave her the alternative to not compete at all.  Not happy about that, either, but scratching bars is a slightly better option.  Her coach totally took the fall.  He told her it is a COACHING decision, not one that her mom gets to make. Of course, if it was not for me, none of her coaches would have known she got hurt.  It is ALL MY FAULT. I watched a little of her practice.  She is strong.  I haven't watched her in a long time.  She looks great.  And she is barely talking to me.

Nothing like the icy coldness of pre-teen angst.  Antartica could not be colder.

On Another note - Wild Child Pics has a facebook page.  Be a Fan!

 

Laborious Day

Wild Child is at her Dad's for the weekend.  I miss her.  He usually gives her up on the Saturday night when he has her, but apparently he hurt is back, and is not going out.  Good that he is spending extended time with her, he hasn't seen her in a couple of weeks, but I miss her.

  And I have been madly making executive decisions on her business.  Bad mommy.  But, she's not here, and we all know how OCD I can get.  To be fair, she and I have discussed all the decisions I have made, but details (which prints for which products) we only glossed over.  The web is pretty fluid.  If she hates it, we can change it.  Oh - link, link - if anyone actually reads this, you will want to see the changes:   www.WildChildPics.com  Click on "products."  I love the web.  Cafe press lets you put your images on a variety of products, as they only print to order, the artist gets a commission, so we don't have to buy stock and wonder what sells.  It only allows 1 image per product (meaning if we have a "Carnage" coffee mug, we cannot offer another mug of the same size with a different image). Of course, if it takes off and she starts selling lots of stuff, then an upgrade to a not-free store will allow us to do that .  Baby Steps.

I also made purses this weekend.  They suck.  The red one is crooked and lop-sided, and I feel like I stole it from Santa. The white one is much better, less crooked, has potential; besides, they were just prototypes for the real plan.  The Darling Man has discovered ways to print on  canvas, as large as 11x17.  So, if we were to have him print some of photogirl's colorful, patterned pictures (I am particulary thinking of one with kapok blossoms) we could potentially sell photoprint purses.  OOh.  Compulsive, I mentioned Compulsive, right?  
Then of course there was dog-bathing, and walking, watching really bad movies.  Busy weekend.  Today is the girl's birthday.  We will probably have a houseful of people here when she gets home.  Beer-Butt chicken, caesar salad, baked spaghetti, birthday cake, key lime pie if I get to the store early enough.  An end to an era - she really is a pre-teen at 12.

Momsense

Moms are amazing.  We are multi-tasking machines.  Before "octomom" hit the media circus, I used that term to describe myself.  Octopus mom.  Multi armed, infinitely flexible, able to cram myself into tiny corners of my child's life, strong, intelligent.  We wear a lot of hats, many of them simultaneously.  Some times all of those hats don't fit on the same head, sometimes their is conflict between what all of those hats represent.  Sometimes we wish that all of those people living in our heads would gather up their little hats and GO!

I am a gym-mom.  I support my athlete completely. I support her coaches.  I am an overprotective, paranoid, caring mom.  When she is hurt, I want to baby her, keep her away from all potential pain and injury, bubble wrap her and put her in a box.  I am the physical therapist mom.  This is an unique mom-state that all medical mom's experience - when does our profession jump in and kick the other moms to the curb, and when do we turn off the brain that we have been developing since long before these little two legged intrusions showed up?

Gym girl is injured.  It was only a matter of time.  Gymnastic pushes a body beyond normal limits, demands extreme flexibility (instability) and strength.  She has been training really really hard lately, and the therapist mom has been waiting for the breaking point.  She hurt her shoulder putting on her shirt.  (Techy alert - you can skip this part) anterior subluxation, bicipital tendinits.  Pretty standard fare for a gymnast.  Therapy mom kicks in.  NO Bar.  NO Vault. NO tumbling with hands on ground, including on beam.  Complete rest of shoulder.  I taped it.  The only kinesiotape I have is bright pink - did I mention how much she hates to draw attention to injuries?  Talked to the coaches.  She worked on leaps and walked through routines for 2 days, long week-end coming up.  Tuesday with full tape, she gets to add arms into the dance moves, rest Wednesday.  Thursday she gets to try her routines, and only the ones for competition over the weekend - oh yeah, she has a meet coming up.  If all goes well she practices Friday competes on Saturday.

I am obviously the worst mom in the whole world, and I don't understand!!!!!!  Thankfully, her coaches do.  She has one goal this session - score out of level 6.  She has 3 opportunities to do that.  She does not need to compete at this meet.  Her coaches are fantastic, and never seem to mind when I take over her training program when she gets injured, and they always back me up, often being more conservative than I.

I don't know if I have it in me to let her train on Thursday.  She could really hurt herself.  If she was someone else's kid, I wouldn't even think about it. I would use all of my caring therapist skills to reassure the mom, encouraging her to lighten up, let the child get back to what they love, etc. etc.  But what if it is too soon?  What if she hurts herself?  This is over-protective, caring mom.  She needs to just SHUT-UP, this is obvious PT mom's jurisdiction.  

What if she is not ready to compete?  How is PT mom going to override gym mom?  The little girl is being exceptionally compliant with her program.  I have not told her that she will absolutely compete, she knows we will not even discuss it until after practice on Thursday - but she is SURE that she will.  Can I tell her no?  Meets are not nearly as challenging (physically) as practice.  She could probably do all of her level 6 skills now, without tearing anything, it would put her rehab back a few weeks - but we have another whole month until the next meet.  WHAT am I Saying!?!  Long-term planning mom needs to step in and referee.  She will definitely side with PT mom.  It is not about this meet.  It is about her goals of going to college on gymnastics scholarship, my goal of keeping her involved in gymnastics during the distracting boy/beer/drugs years of public high school.  oh no - is that paranoid mom adding her drivel to the mix?

 

Freedom of Speech

We have a controversial president.  Considering he rode in on a popularity train unprecedented in recent years, it is odd that he has gotten so controversial so fast.  Or maybe not.  He is not strong enough to the whiny left, and the right has painted him as a Stalinist monster.  But, he is our president.  His election was an historical landmark that we should all be very proud of.  His election reinforces clearly the dream that all American children have had since 1776.  "I could be president one day."

Politics aside.  He has from the beginning brought a message of hope and unity, Patriotism and inclusion in all of his speeches.  Most arguments I have heard, from both the right and the left, have almost nothing to do with what this man says, people argue about what they think it means. Giving elderly people the option to discuss end of life options (NOT euthanasia, just living will type options) has become Death Panels.  Discussing a compromised health bill, without a public option, is "selling out" to the callous right.

Politics aside.  He has shown himself to be a family man, genuinely concerned about kids.  His and others.  A good Christian man (again controversy - but has HE done or said anything that refutes it)?  And like every president before him he planned to talk to school children.

And some districts, because of some parents, said "NO."

What? Did we forget the part where he is THE PRESIDENT?  Who in their right mind would deny their young children the opportunity to sit in a room with a president?  And if a few parents - or even the majority feel this way - just keep your kids home that day.  That is how we protest, boycott, passive boycott. Or, keep your kids out, drag them off to hold sandwich boards protesting his policies, but let him come and (OK, I wouldn't have to say this in any other time period in history), but if you are going to protest, please leave your guns at home. Or, best option yet, put him in the assembly hall, allow parents (and only parents) to come, as long as they model appropriate behavior and listen quietly, allow the children to ask the questions.  When you get home, debrief your kids, teach them to think critically,  place what was said into your value system for your kids, give them a framework to sort through the rhetoric.  Or, if you trust your kids, and the strength of the values you have given them, send them off to school with a hug and a smile, and when they come home start the conversation with "How was your day, Honey?"


Freedom of Speech is not my favorite American value.  It is attached to a deeper, implied value that is my favorite.  Freedom of Thought.  This is the value that truly gives us independence.  The value that allows us, as a country, to grow despite all of the leftist crap and right-wing fear mongering (wait, 8 months ago it was left-wing fear mongering - I can't keep up).  Thought is not free if we only hear one side of a story.  And it is not truly free is we listen to opposing sound bytes that are emotionally based and pierce our values, as that forces us to dig in and cling to opinions that are not necessarily based in fact.  

My Momma always taught me to go to the source.  Especially with rumors or gossip.  Everything you hear in the media is gossip.  Every speech given by every politician to the public is rhetoric.  Every sound byte presented in the media of that speech is spin.  When we base our opinions on sound bytes and media schlock, we are not thinking critically about what was actually said, we are having an emotional reaction to something that either enforces or disrespects our values.  Good for TV ratings!  Bad for informed, critical thought.  When we have a town hall meeting about health care, and the only media coverage is about the protesters - how the hell are we supposed to know what they are protesting?  We haven't even heard the flippin' speech yet.

So do we teach our kids to listen politely, and think for themselves?  Or do we not expose them to opposing views, so when they hit the rebellious teen age stage they believe the authority figure in the "sun colored" clothing and head to rural Oregon to join a cult?  (sorry Rajneeshpuram reference - a lot of very conservative college kids got mixed up in that).  Or - do we teach them to be disruptive and not listen at all?  Or - teach them that protesting is possible, but others have a right to listen?  Your kids look to you for values, let them experience everything they can, and guide them through the interpretation, this is how we foster Freedom of Thought.


 

Cupcake! Cupcake!

I am the mom of a pre-teen.  She is getting bigger, more independent.  In many ways she is more fun, loving, and distant.  She carries on whole conversations with her peers that I don't understand.  Not only do I not understand what the conversation is about, the terms and words do not make sense in the context of my old school '80's up-bringing.  I have turned into my mom.  Thank god I'm not raising me.

Amidst the babble of pre-teen girl chaos, cupcakes were created. 

These are girls that have been at my house on a regular basis since kindergarten.  They know the drill; we always do a variety of crafts projects.  They help set up, and even as tiny girls, they helped me clean.  Today  was different.  I have never decorated a cake.  I know zero about it.  My daughter and one of her friends had a cake decorating lesson a few weeks ago, and they were in charge.  

E. spent the night, so she could help the Darling Girl make the cupcakes.  My oven is a little tricky, so I put the cupcakes in and took them out.  This morning the twins came over.  All I did was color the frosting and load the frosting bags.  Then I did laundry.  Played on the computer.  Worked on the Wild Child web site.  Cooked lunch.  Walked to the store to get soda. Cleaned the upstairs.  Swept. Did dishes.  Twice.  and cupcakes happened.  Without me.  They are beautiful, and I'm not talking about just the cupcakes.  I did not even clean up the mess. 

It is sad.  But very cool.  They are growing into beautiful, talented, responsible young women. And I am proud to know everyone of them.

Health, Wealth, and red Commie rhetoric

Did I mention I love my neighborhood?  Diverse, vocal, intelligent, educated, opinionated as hell, and although apparently liberal, there is a very odd thread of southern ideology that runs through the conversations.  We have several medical people in the group, and we are a middle class neighborhood, so Health care, rightly, is a hot topic.

So where do we, as a family, neighborhood, society and community stand on health care?  All over the map, apparently.  And as educated as we all are, it is still a very emotional issue.  This I have noticed in our neighborhood, and in the media.  The mostly hotly debated reasons for not having a public option are deeply emotional and have very little to do with the actual topic on the table.

WE should NOT have to pay for people to have insurance when they are too lazy, drug addicted, drinking whatever to work.  (meaning the welfare set).  News flash.  We ALREADY pay for those people.  The health care debate is not about people on medicaid.  It is not even about the 20% of the population that are uninsured.  It is about the millions of people that have insurance, but cannot afford to go to the doctor because their deductibles or co-pays are so high.  

For example - I have spent 15 of the last 20 years uninsured.  My husband's new job does not offer insurance, but pays their employees a small amount to seek their own.  So we now have insurance.  It is only a $425/month premium.  We can do that.  It has a $7,500/person deductible.  We are, essentially paying out of pocket for every doctor's visit.  Do you really think any of us are getting routine health screenings or going to the doctor's visit for flu symptoms?  We do add $300/month into the health savings account, so in approximately 2 years, if no one gets sick, or goes to a doctor, we will be able to pay our deductible if any major tragedy happens.  3 years from now, this will be a good plan, and our family will benefit from it.  Then I got a job.  WhoooHooo good money, good benefits, big company, Yay!  The premiums for a family of 4 (my expense) is $725/mo.  My co-pays are $50/visit.  None of that money is mine.  It all goes to insurance companies, and at that price, I won't go to the doctor anymore often, and cough up $50 on top of the $725.  At least on the high deductible plan, I can take money out of the HSA if I really need to go.  I would love to have a public OPTION.  I might not change my insurance - but at least let me have a chance to look at something else.


WE must guard against SOCIALIZATION.  it is the root of all evil.  Except - we have socialized education, we have socialized protective forces (police, fire department), we have socialized road maintenance (who would not BITCH if our tax dollars did not pay for road maintenance)?  We socialize things that we consider basic rights.  Why is health care not a basic right?  And seriously - we pay for the health needs of people all the time.  Fun, scary little story from last night:  Guy has leg pain.  Guy has insurance, but it is expensive, and he isn't going to the doctor for something so minor.  Leg pain lessens, Guy has numbness.  Guy continues to work part time (company couldn't afford to keep him full time, but held onto insurance for him).  Guy's retired-doctor sister gets him an appointment with a friend who is a doctor and sees him at deep discount.  Guy is HOURS from losing his leg.  Goes to emergency surgery at Tampa General (did I mention he is broke at this point, considered indigent, ended up losing his insurance because he could not pay for the group health insurance his company tried to hold onto for him)?  Does not lose his leg, is in hospital for two weeks, Rehab for 3, home health for longer.  Here is a $350,000 bill that gets paid with tax-payer money, that would have been avoided if he could afford to go to the doctor.  I would have rather paid for his doctor visits and meds 6 months ago - but hey, socialization is EVIL!

WE cannot let some government panel make health decisions!!!!!  Why not?  We currently have panels of executives not only making health-care decisions, but making them with the priority being lowering the pay-out.  People pay for insurance, then get denied procedures by their insurance companies.  People live in constant fear that if something goes wrong, health wise, the insurance will get more expensive, or they will be dropped completely.  They can't change companies, they have a pre-existing health condition that cannot be covered.  Doctors do not make our decisions now.  HMO's hire panels of people to dig through record.  If you forgot that 4 years ago you were having a stressful day and your blood pressure was up a little at the doctor's office.  You did not write it down on the new forms for the new insurance.  You Liar - you had an unreported pre-existing condition! They do not have to pay for your newly diagnosed high blood pressure problems.

Then of course, from the stand point of a business/owner provider.  I spent the last 10 years in business for myself.  My billing was consistent throughout the lat 5 years.  But, each year, I saw my patients paying more and more of that bill out of pocket, and my profit margins sink lower and lower.  I went from 85% recovery of billed (pretty amazing for a health care practice).  To 60%.  My patients started out paying about 10% of billed, ended up paying on the average 40% of billed.  And I was losing more and more money.
I treated conditions that were often un-reimbursed by insurances.  Insurance companies notoriously do not recognize chronic pain conditions.  My population of patients need a public option.

OK that's my rant.  I want (over my deeply republican principals) a public health option.  It is unacceptable that we have working productive citizens that do not have basic health care available.  But, I also think we need to move forward somewhere, somehow.  If we have to shelve public health until our society implodes from a flu epidemic that could have been avoided if people could go to the doctor, then so be it.  But do SOMETHING.  Standing around whining about it for another 25 years, and handing it back to private insurors is even less acceptable.

Mucking Stalls

When I was a kid I occassionally had to muck out the milking stall.  We did not have a "barn" like most people think when the think "farm."  There were various shelters around that the animals used in inclement weather, rabbit hutches and chicken sheds, and milking stations scattered willy-nilly about the place.  It actually served to keep the concentration of "ick" down.  The stall where we milked the cow was the one place that would get thick and deep.  Luckily, as it was hard, backbreaking type labor, it usually was my brother's job - you know, a "manly" endeavor.  Then he graduated and left home.  Being the youngest means EVERYTHING gets handed down, including chores.  

Living on a fairly dysfunctional farm taught me a lot, and the joy of working all day on physically difficult, mind-numbing projects, that end in obvious accomplishment is one of my favorite lessons.  A lesson that I was able to pass on to my daughter yesterday.  We spent the day cleaning her room.  Really cleaning.  We threw out 3 large bags of stuff, have 5 more ready to go to Goodwill.  Vacuumed, dusted, pulled the old carpet out of her closet, rearranged furniture, debated over what stayed, what got tossed.  And it is DONE.

Realize - her room is never "dirty"  but, she may have acquired the pack-rat gene that runs strong in my family, and stronger in her Dad's.  Yet, she overcame most of it, and we spent the day with only one 5-minute tense moment, followed by her having lunch, and us getting back to work.  She is a child that thrives on organization, and she is now prepared for "back-to-school."  I love having a happy child.  She expressed (hugs and verbalized!) appreciation for my help, and a sense of pride that includes REALLY wanting her friends to come see her "new" room.

On another note - we are days from ordering the 2010 WildChildPics calendars.  Yay - it is all coming together.

 

Bait and switch.

We first noticed it when we were kids buying candy bars with our own money.  All of a sudden Snicker bars were huge! they seemed enormous, and were worth the jacked up price to $.25.  And if you couldn't HANDLE it (wimp) the $.15  baby ones were around.  But who wanted them?  a little extra home chores, saving the allowance, picking up soda bottles, and you got the BIG bar.  Hardly even noticed when the little bars disappeared.  Candy bars are $.25.  Completely didn't notice when the bars got smaller, less than a year later we were paying $.25 for the $.15 bar, and no one even flinched.  After many of these cycles candy bars are what $.98?  by the way - whatever happen to the "cents" key?  this decimal dollar thing is annoying.


So this year I bought the annual ticket to Oregon for me and the girl child.  It was expensive, more than I am used to paying.  Of course, booking dates were more specific than usual, I bought far enough in advance to be sure I could get there and back with minimal problems, etc.  Besides, gas prices are back up, the economy is in the tanker, and I'm doing my little part to boost the national morale.  Then the airlines decided that they needed me to pay for bags.  OK - I get the second bag.  I try to travel light, I never take two bags, sometimes I bring two home, because I sort of raid my Mom's closet when I am gone, or bring home rocks, or wine, or whatever.  But the first bag?  They were selling tickets at the super reduced price, so people were not really complaining about the bag fees (sound familiar?)  I got my ticket before prices went down, and I wasn't eligible for the waived bag fee, because I bought through an on-line discount thingy.  

The girl child and I checked the big bags, took our little carry-ons - you know the ones that fit appropriately under the seat and in those little testers that insist "carry-on bags cannot be any bigger than this?" up to the plane.  Chaos ensued.  Americans are smart.  And cheap.  And have suffered the bait and switch too often.  Everybody had those big rolling "carry-ons"  that business travelers use as their only luggage.  It took forever to board the plane.  People that came on later had to check bags at the gate.  People getting on the plane earlier had to maneuver around patrons and stewardesses going up and down the aisles looking for places to put all of these huge bags.  We started boarding on time.  Left the gate 13 minutes late.  then sat on the tarmac, waiting to take off, because we had missed our window.


Brilliant!  Casual travelers ought to check bags.  Baggage ought to be included in the price of a ticket.  Business travelers are typically frequent flyers, and typically the people that do not have time to check baggage.  Give them a frequent flyer break, and don't link it to the number of bags.  Raise ticket prices if you need to.  We all understand inflation, we will bitch, but still fly when necessary.  Ticket prices will go up, and we will all budget for the change; but let us have a bag, let the frequent business flyers get in and out with their bigger-than-regulation carry-ons, but don't penalize the rest of us for being courteous by checking baggage.  Or - if you are taking the harsh line, make everyone put their bags in the little measuring boxes at check in.  If it doesn't fit, check it!  And if it is the only bag - let them check it for the price of the ticket.

Urban Interface

I live in the city.  Admittedly, 80 years ago my house was sort of on the edge of the city, but it is a decidedly urban neighborhood.  20 years ago it was a somewhat scary urban neighborhood.  It is absolutely NOT the 'burbs.

I grew up in the middle of no-where.  1.5 miles to the nearest paved road. 7 miles to the nearest "town."  180 people does not qualify as a town in most American minds, but 30 miles away there was a town with a stop light, and 7 miles farther and actual town, with a hospital and cross streets.  

I miss the interaction with wild creatures.  Snakes, 'coons, Hawks, Owls, coyotes, everybody slipping into the farm for easy picken at the chickens.  So - on a farm the wild is something to be pushed out, protected against.  Predators are bad for chickens, baby ducks, bunnies, even small lambs and goats.  Wild rabbits, deer and antelope need to be kept from crops.  We could walk or ride our horse up the creek, miles from home, and enjoy the natural experience all we wanted - but we could not keep the injured wild animals we rescued, or babies we caught.  Feeding or encouraging their presence was a no-no, and a danger to the family's food supply.


In town these creatures are a "nuisance."  Exterminators get called when they show up; they are a possible threat to our very life an health.  But they are so darned cute!  If raccoons want to hang on my porch and eat rabbit food, I cannot force myself to have a problem with that.  If a baby possum runs across the road, I will try to help it.  Turtles, hawks, and dolphins in the river are wild creatures, learning to cope with man's manipulation of their world.  They are beautiful to watch, and not considered a threat to humans.  Even the bats in the neighborhood have support from the people.  But my adorable raccoon family that keeps me awake at night fighting and makin' babies in the trees?  They have adapted too well.  Perhaps even dependent on us.  I just hope when the city removes them, they are relocated, not "disappeared." If anyone knows different, please don't tell me.

And 'coon friends - I will not rat you out, you were never here.  I saw nothing.

Moderation

OK - I think I have achieved some personal insight into American politics.  Not earth-shattering, but at least I feel like things make a little more sense in my head.

Moderates are most likely the only people that can truly get anything accomplished.  We live in a democracy (sort of), so any push of the pendulum is good media, but not really effective politics.  But, in our two party system there is a serious shift in approach to moderates.  You can be a moderate republican.  It is not easy, and during inter party campaigning, it may seem like catering to the right is the only way to win an election, hence McCain's choice of Palin.  But, had McCain won the election, for all of the Right's grumbling about him not being a "true republican"  they would have absolutely supported him.  He is, after all, a REPUBLICAN.  The democrats would have cautiously gone with some of his ideas, he is, after all, trying to meet them part way.  The whole hulking mass of progress would have lumbared forward, slow, painful, hunching progress.  There would be grumbling.  Left, Right, some Center, but; down-played by the media, the focus would be on the crumbling economy, not on what the current administration was or was not doing to fix it.

Enter Obama.  Certainly not moderate.  He has an unique ability to look forward beyond his left leaning idealism to the future needs of a growing, aging, dis-illusinoned population.  He understands the need to build consensus, to find a middle ground (that sounds rather moderate doesn't it)? and he is willing to sacrifice many of his left leaning hopes to do it.  WHAT!?! moderate democrat?  His own party whines and picks him apart like they have been abandoned.  He, as the highest elected citizen in our DEMOCRACY should just tell everyone what to do, and by the sheer force of his position, it should happen. How dare he compromise on a health care bill that never happened when Clinton was in office 12-20 years ago?  A reform that many in our country NEED, NOW, even if it is a watered down bill.  Progressives want massive change, but some progress is progress, posturing is just standing dead in the water, wishing something had changed.  How dare he collaborate with the military when reaching a time-line for pulling out of Iraq?  now that he has access to all the facts, he should just rip our troops out of there - citizens and stability in the middle east be damned.  And the republicans - they love this.  Give the Dem's enough rope and they will lynch their own.  It doesn't matter how crazy conspiracy comments and birther rhetoric get spread around, when the next election shows up, a moderate republican will sound like the voice of reason to his own party.  

Obama said in every speech that recovery would be a long, arduous, painful process.  I'm a farm-girl, I get what that means.  Fortifying depleted soil, especially organically, does not happen in a season, or a year.  It takes a lot of work, and a lot of shit to produce fertile ground.  Never, since the economy tanked in October, did I think that our next president would wave a magic wand and fix stuff.  Even with the best, most fiscally conservative plans, I expected things to get significantly worse for 2-3 years, with a slow upturn at the end of this president's term.  I honestly think if we stepped back and let him do his job, in eight years things will be significantly better, with a stable frame work for growth.  Never, in my lifetime, has a president captured the hearts and minds of the citizenry, and if democracy works, it is that sort of populace support that should drive our future, not watching the center get eaten up by attacks from the left and right. 

So why are people grumbling that things aren't better?  and blaming Obama?  Because democrats don't understand party loyalty, and republicans, as the minority party, can afford to step back and throw fuel on fires.  But we can't let him do his job.  In a very important press conference about health-care, he was asked his opinion about the Gates arrest.  Stupidly, he answered.  It was obviously a personal opinion, based on the same media drivel that we have all heard, and all bantered our opinions around.  He answered like any American citizen.  I know, he is the president, held to a higher standard, yadyada.  The president's opinion on this subject is no more important than mine.  Why was the question even asked?  Because we would rather hear his opinion, then listen to pundits pick it apart for weeks, than have a real news story about things that will actually effect our lives.  Can't blame the media entirely - we tune in and they give us what we want to hear.

Question for the day - When did "compromise" become a dirty word in a democracy?