Amidst the babble of pre-teen girl chaos, cupcakes were created.
It is sad. But very cool. They are growing into beautiful, talented, responsible young women. And I am proud to know everyone of them.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
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.
Amidst the babble of pre-teen girl chaos, cupcakes were created.
It is sad. But very cool. They are growing into beautiful, talented, responsible young women. And I am proud to know everyone of them.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
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.
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.
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