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  My blog was filled up. I'm too lazy to clean it out. So I started a new one. |
| How do you feel about how the corona virus is being handled? Are you personally worried about your safety? This is a two part question. There are still so many unknowns at this point, that it's impossible to handle it perfectly. I think the officials are doing the best they can at the state, local, and federal levels. There are enough tests for health care workers and people who feel sick or may have been exposed. However, the processing facilities are not prepared to handle the volume expeditiously. Several weeks ago I heard a health care expert say that a vaccine is about a year out. so it's possible this nightmare may linger. Hopefully, with testing and containment, it will slow down its spread. The travel ban to and from Europe was a surprise announcement Wednesday night, but it doesn't start until midnight Friday. That gave approximately 48 hours for people to go home on either side of the ocean. I think it was the right thing to do. Italy has open borders. so that's why all of Europe except the UK is included. The UK is more contained, and testing before boarding anyone. Leaving special measures, like school closures, to the local communities is also the proper thing to do. Nothing in my local area has been shut down, and we're pretty safe. We have a top notch hospital with state support. No one is turned away for non-payment. Everyone gets treated no matter what for anything. So far, no corona virus. Other areas are in danger of spreading the disease and need to take their own drastic measures. We hate what it's doing to the economy, but human life is more important than prosperity. The public needs to stay calm, however. Two weeks ago, Costco had sold out of its own brand of toilet paper. It was getting low on bottled water, as people took furniture carts full of water bottles out to their cars. Kroger has put limits as of today on certain items per order. This includes cold medicines, aspirin, etc. Of course, there are ways to get around that if you're really greedy. You make several orders a day when different people are working I think it's better to be mindful of others and share the available supplies. This should pass or die down in a month or three. More supplies will be coming in later. People should buy for no more than two weeks in advance. Hand sanitizer may be okay in some instances, but nothing takes the place of soap and water. You need to wash between your fingers and rub for 15 seconds (Happy Birthday sung twice). It helps to put the liquid or foam soap on before diluting. All frequently used surfaces, like hotel counters, fast food counters, grocery checkouts, drug counters need to wiped down frequently with antiseptic cleaner. Lysol and Clorox both make excellent wipes to kill germs, but you must let them air dry. Don't wipe dry. They are excellent for door knobs and toilet surfaces. When you get home from the grocery store, wash your fresh produce and wipe off the tops of cans before you open them. (You don't know who has touched that avocado or tomato or orange before you picked it up.) It must be an airborne disease as well as tactile, since sneezing and coughing could pass the germs. However, the air circulating systems on planes do a top notch job of filtering the air. You are in more danger sitting next to a stranger than breathing the air of the plane. Which brings us to staying at home instead of going to sports events--it is temporary--and the movies. Don't take your children to the Gymboree or whatever those kiddie play places are called. Even if they sterilize the equipment daily, that may not be enough to protect the children. Sadly, you must hold off visiting Grandpa or Aunt Sadie in the Senior Community, or anyone in convalescent care, like after surgery or a severe accident. You could be a carrier to a vulnerable person. Apparently, I am not concerned for myself. I have enough yard work to do that I won't get bored if we are told to stay home. And there's all those books I haven't read. Fortunately, we are always stocked a little in advance. We have some money saved up, so we can keep getting drugs and paying bills. We do not live or die by the stock market. If my area gets hit like Northern New York or Washington state, I will probably feel a little panic. |
| Prompt: All sorts of wacky and unusual holidays can be found when you search for "weird" holiday. If you were purposing an unusual holiday to be posted on an internet forum, what would it be? Right now just about every day is designated for something special. There is Pizza Day, Cupcake Day, Doughnut Day, Brownie Day, Cookie Day, Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, etc. These all help promote and sell these items. There's probably a day for hamburgers, French fries, and fried chicken and many others. There's International Woman's Day, Perfume Day, and Lipstick Day. I'm positive there is an Ice Cream Day, Potato Chip Day, and Spaghetti Day. There is Teachers Day in May, Doctors Day in March, and International Nurses Day. Aunt and Uncles Day is in July. There is Secretary's Day, Employee Appreciation Day, and Boss' Day. There is Book Day. I'm guessing there is a Trash Collectors Day, Housekeepers Day, and Gardeners Day. Probably a day for carpenters, plumbers, and house painters. I'd probably be hard pressed to come up with a first-time, unique holiday. Maybe an Indoor Plumbing Day! Only a hundred years ago, my state was still trying to enforce the new law requiring every residence, even in the hill country, to have an outhouse. People objected on the grounds that the government did not need to meddle in their private affairs. It took another fifty years to get people to switch to indoor plumbing. So celebrate that day by flushing and taking a shower, but not at the same time. |
| Prompt: There are about ten days left until the first day of spring. What are you looking forward to about spring? The one thing I'm not looking forward to encountering is pollen. I know it's necessary for nature to continue the life cycle and insects to pursue. But we humans just weren't meant to intermingle with it. I sneeze and cough all year now. It's worse in the spring. I lose my voice. I can't afford to have someone else pull weeds and clean the yard, so I have to wear a face mask when I go out. I love seeing the bulbs come up. My irises have popped up and the jonquils are blooming. The tulips have popped up through the ground as well, but as soon as a flower appears, the deer will have their midnight snack. I will soon be able to return my potted plants to my back porch. They are in the garage or laundry room right now and look puny, but will come back to life with warmth and all day light. Actually, my pots of chives are under the wheel chair ramp. They can survive the winter out doors, but I wanted to keep the snow and ice off of them. We had little to none. They will burst into beautiful purple blooms which are edible (they taste like hot onions and will burn your mouth). Some of my sage plants have disappeared, and I love the smell of those. With the warmer weather, I will stop shivering in church. I can also send the kids outside to play when they come to visit. I can have landscape lights because of them or garden stakes. But indoors, they have wrecked my exercise bike, opened uncirculated coins, and taken knick-knacks from the book shelves out doors. They also think things in the laundry room are for play dress up. I can't watch them all the time. They sneak off while I'm busy and act like my house is just some big mystery for them to ransack. Outdoors is better for their type of destruction. I'm allergic to mosquitoes and they love me! They start to appear in spring, too. I live in the Southeast which is rampant with them. Nevertheless, I enjoy sitting on my back porch and smelling my flowers and herbs and watching the birds. The birds are there all year round, and so are the tree rats, which some people call squirrels. The sounds and the colors from this porch are wonderful. That I do anticipate. |
| How can insurance companies determine what is the proper care or medication for you, a person whom they have never met? Your doctor says you need 1000 mg in the morning, and 100mg at night, but they won't let you have more than 500 twice a day! I checked out Good Rx coupons, and you can get the quantity you want, but can't refill for a month. How can they predetermine what works for you and your own unique case. At one time, my symptoms required 1500 mg twice a day. Fortunately, for a few years there, they didn't have these restrictions and filled the prescription as written. After surgery I had complications, but those complications did not require more surgery, so the extra office visit was not covered by insurance. But they also told the doctor's office, they couldn't charge me since the extra visit wasn't warranted by their standards. I'm glad I don't have to pay, but why should the doctor foot the bill? Maybe the next patient (maybe me) won't get the proper care because they won't get paid. I've seen this happen over the years. Shouldn't the local doctor know what's best for us? Why can an executive or some clerk at the insurance company have the final say? We are unique human beings and don't all function exactly alike. Government health care will be worse. The red tape will slow things down and make it tougher for all of us. If you don't fit the pattern, you won't be cared for, no matter what your income or status. |
| I attended a Lewis Black concert Friday night! I laughed out loud a lot, I dropped my jaw a few times, and I shook my head in disbelief a few times. In the encore, for his live streaming, he read some rants received by text. The longest one that he spent a lot of time embellishing was about dog scoopers. I did not realize that so many people were scooping it up, instead of pretending they didn't see it. He claims they are scooping it up in little bags, and leaving the bags where they fill them. They are lying all over town, all over the sidewalks! They stay there for days at a time, heating up in the sun, getting smellier with age. Who is supposed to pick them up, the City Fathers? Homeowners, business owners? Are we going to create new city jobs for poop bag collectors? Will everyone's taxes support the dog owners in this way? If someone had put up some signs, it wouldn't have changed a thing. A letter to the editor would be quickly forgotten by a small readership. People would ignore pleas on the evening TV news. But Black, while shaking and waving his hands and swearing prolifically, over a lengthy period of time had us laughing hysterically. He shouted for emphasis at odd places. I am confident that no one in that audience will ever leave a dog bag wherever they please. He used comedy to drive home some strong points about consideration and etiquette. It's amazing what a little comedy can do. |
| DAY 2658 February 26, 2020 “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” ― Sylvia Plath Do you agree or disagree that everything is writable? Where should the line be drawn? That's easy to me. You draw the line before you become libelous or hurtful. Saying your sister is a lying, cheating, thieving adulteress may be true, but writing about it may end or at least damage your relationship with her, and possibly hurt other members of the family. Other people don't deserve to be hurt because we want to be expressive. Otherwise, we can write about anything our character thinks or feels or discovers. And sometimes it does take guts to write about it. Sylvia Plath had guts herself. These days it even takes courage to write about conservative moral convictions and family values. |
| I don't believe everyone needs college. Lots of people are quite successful without it. And if everyone had college if they wanted it, wouldn't that be like extending high school? I'm already in favor of shortening high school and teaching independence at 16 or 17 instead. Why prolong adolescence for everyone? College graduates tend to believe they should have nicer jobs at higher pay and benefits. Would they agree to collect garbage, or work on automobiles or shampoo dogs? I'm already thinking that I, a mature woman, should take some classes in basic auto mechanics. Some graduates now end up working in retail, having planned to do better things. Are we going to warn a whole class of 18 -year -olds that a college degree does not guarantee your dream lifestyle or a great paying job? They must be prepared to work as grocery clerks or plumber helpers with their free degrees. Our society is already dumbing down. With free college to prolong dependence on parents and delay growing up, the quality of education will suffer. Professors will be forced to lower their standards and make passing easier to get more students through. Where will future plumbers and electricians come from? Where will we get truck drivers or diesel mechanics or people who repair lawn mowers? In fact a lot of necessary positions can be filled by people with shortened higher education. Barbers and beauticians have to have some basic health classes as well as technique. Preschool teachers can get by with a two year associate's degree. So can CPN's, of which there is a shortage. Medical offices need good people to process insurance, and it only takes a few classes. Such a person will be in demand. Dental hygienists are in demand and require a shortened term. A college degree doesn't give you everything you need in life. I got my bachelor's, but I never learned how to tell if the auto mechanic was lying to me (only the hard way) or how to invest my money or balance the budget. It didn't teach me to cook or do job interviews or handle problems on the job. It never got me a good-paying job. I'm not attempting to deal with the college debt problem here. I want to clearly state that college education for everyone is overrated. One can always change careers later on and pick up college classes at some later stage of life. It's hard for most 18 year olds to decide what they will do for the rest of their lives. Maybe coding a computer works for now, and at age 30, or later, they want to prepare for law school. Everyone is unique and needs to follow a unique path, which doesn't have to be supported by all the taxpayers. |
| What is it about kids and "hate"? They love to use the word, and, frequently use it loudly. I remember my baby brother shouted outside to my mother "I hate you!" It crushed her. It was so embarrassing, because she was convinced that all of the neighbors inside their homes had heard him say it. I was just a teenager and tried to convince her that he didn't mean it, and, in fact, didn't know what he was saying. But nothing could calm her. She was hurt to the core, and felt this little kid had accused her of being a very bad mother publicly. As a child myself, I had once found myself thinking that (I knew not to say it out loud; I liked to avoid confrontations even at an early age.) I remember being alone in our unfinished basement. I cannot remember what caused the moment or where anyone else was. As soon as I thought the words, I thought, "No, I love her. I love my family. I'm just mad. It feels like hate, but it isn't." I guess most kids figure that out somewhere along the way, and stop or never say it out loud. You can be angry or disappointed with someone you love, without losing the love. My great nephews are now going through a hate phase. One is four, and one just turned two, so the older one has influenced the younger one. We actually have a "Hank hates me club" to which his mother, his aunt and I all belong. And he screams it. Give him some time, and he'll be leaning over my chair to look at the book I'm reading to his little brother, or he'll giggle when I play with him or tickle him. He even asked me to zip up his jacket after yelling he hated me. The two year old doesn't yell it yet. He had just told his mother he wanted to stay with me one night because I'm nice to him. Then before he went home, he told her he hated me in a calm, matter-of-fact voice. He obviously doesn't know what it means. So I know not to take either of them seriously, but I confess it stings a little. I suppose that growing up involves figuring out the basics of love and hate, and how anger fits in all those complicated relationships with friends and families. Learning that words can hurt is a harder lesson, and apparently, some grown-ups haven't passed that particular class. |
| It's impossible to make a short list. Near the top is Gregory Peck. He could make any role classy, a criminal, a cowboy, a parent, even the devil himself. Chrleton Heston; I never saw a movie with him that I didn't like. And he was a big man! Cary Grant was always good, and excelled in city boy roles; he would never have been able to play a mountain man or a cowboy. Barbara Stanwyck and Marilyn Monroe, two very different ladies, but both skilled at what they did. Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones (used to be crazy about him), Katherine Hepburn, and Cissy Spacek are all people that I will stay up late to watch in reruns. Glen Ford was a good actor; you don't think of him as a western actor, but 50 of his 99 movies were westerns. I also like to watch Richard Widmark. There's a lot of supporting actors that I like and will watch repeatedly. Jack Elam, for instance, the one eyed man who played funny roles as well as evil ones. Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, L Q Jones, Edgar Buchanan (think Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction) Many were on TV shows as well as movies. All of the original Star Trek actors were in westerns. James Drury and Clu Gulager played major roles on TV and supporting ones in movies. They're both still around with plenty of female followers and admirers. Of the younger set, I admit I like Hugh Jackman, Keanu Reaves, and Ryan Gosling. I have to remind myself I'm too old to have crushes on them. I love watching movies, so I like most anyone who can act convincingly. Just because I don't name them on my short list doesn't mean that I don't idolize them. |
| I will not be watching any awards show. I didn't see but two new movies last year, and neither of them is nominated I'm sure. But I love watching older movies on the small screen or the big screen at historic theaters. I probably couldn't get any critics to agree with me. But these are a few I feel had value, and I'd watch them again. Number one on my list is The African Queen. It's a wonderful story of two losers, two people who feel sorry for themselves and never excelled in anything. Together, they proved that nobility, dignity, bravery, and self-sacrifice for others is possible from the unlikeliest people. I only want it in black and white. There is a lot of symbolism in it. The others come in no particular order. I have to have It's A Wonderful Life on the list, a film noir. I have to list The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady. I love westerns, so I have to list The Ox Bow Incident, starring Henry Fonda, and Shane, starring Alan Ladd. Each is a classic. I have a fondness for old black and white movies, and was hard pressed to name only one, but I came up with Arsenic and Old Lace, starring Carry Grant. It's hilarious, and the surprise ending brings a sigh of relief. Some have argued with me that Castaway is too depressing. But I think it has this overriding hope in it. And it points to our fundamental need for companionship or friendship. The will to survive and his ultimately successful escape from his island prison carries a very strong optimistic message. And I really liked the newest version of The Lion King. It was exciting for all ages. Some might think I'm a little off to mention this one, but I liked The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter. Alan Arkin and Sandra Locke were nominated for Academy Awards. but didn't get them. Arkin is still around, doing quality performances. Locke had potential, but her career went down the tubes when she got mixed up with that Eastwood fellow. If I have to stop with ten, that would be it. There are others that I'm sure I've forgotten for the moment, or they might shift around if I've seen them more recently. Honorable mentions go to Oklahoma, The Sting, Cujo, Jaws. The Titantic, Dr. Zhivago, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. |
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