October chitchat

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

ANN ~

What a lovely way to start the day ~ feeding birds, checking your garden, and relocating worms. With the unhealthy air quality and the mosquitoes, I avoid going out in the morning. Then, the heat in the afternoon is a deterrent. I miss my walks. It's a very pleasant 78 degrees right now; however air quality is "Poor."

The fire nearest to me and Sunshine's DD is not expected to be contained until October 30. In mid-September, October 15 was the predicted date of containment.

VOTING

Today, I have spent quite a bit of time reading the extensive California Voters' Pamphlet. As it is with every General Election, we have Propositions galore. It's far more involved than simply voting for the Office of President.

This is our ballot in my county and city:

Federal: President and U.S. House of Representatives

State: Assemblymember and Senator

County: Board Member for Community College District

City: City Council Member

Then, we have 12 State Propositions and 2 City Propositions.

Nothing is ever simple with the Propositions. We're being bombarded with TV ads and snail mail flyers urging both Yes and No votes. There are so many intricacies with each one, as well as millions of dollars in costs and the true welfare of the people.

One Proposition allows 17 year olds to vote in a Primary Election, if they will be 18 by the time of the General Election. Now, that made me think of John's daughter, who just turned 18. She can vote in the General now, if she chooses. But, is she any more mature and informed now than she was in June, when we had our Primary Election? Not really.

It also depends upon the teenager. For example, the Parkland teens, who marched and spoke out about school shootings. They have the maturity to vote. They might be the exception.

Adolescence is a rough patch for most teens, and they may not have room in their heads to make decisions about how our government should be run.

I suspect many of us here had to wait until we were 21 to vote for the first time. The law changed in 1971.

I laughed as I was debating this in my head, thinking about how many "adults" vote without knowing what they are voting for or against, or who is best for the position. Why not let teens start voting at 17?

Voting for me is always a laborious process. I research every Proposition to ensure I make the best and right choice for all Californians, my city and our country.

As a diversion from preparing to vote today, I began watching a TV series from the Animal Planet, recommended by a very dear friend.

"Saved By the Barn" follows a Michigan family, who turned their farm into a sanctuary for farm animals, who were neglected, disabled, or had "behavior" issues. I've watched 2 episodes, and my spirit has been lifted by this wonderful, loving family and their critters. I've cried tears of joy and sadness and laughed many times. This gives you all the "feels," a borrowed term from the younger generation.

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

Unfortunately, there are 5 breaks in each episode for commercials lasting 2-4 minutes. (I just return to my Voter pamphlet during those breaks ...)

Sending healing prayers and positive energy to all ~

Love & Light,



Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!

[agate]

Rose, the shoulder, wrist, and hand are slowly but surely improving. I've been going easy on the right arm and hand and that seems to be what is needed. Taking less aspirin now.

As for 17-year-olds voting, I've heard that kids are maturing (physically anyway) at a much earlier age than they did 40 or more years ago, but I'm not sure that they have the emotional maturity they need to vote. As you say, though, many many adults never reach the level of emotional maturity they need to vote either.

I had to be 21 to vote but at 21 I was very immature emotionally. Probably at the level of a 13-year-old. Thinking back on my students, who were often in the 19-22 age bracket, I'd say that many people that age aren't so very mature.

Some weeks ago I heard that the west coast wildfire season would last till the end of October. But the other day an expert on TV was saying that "the season" lasts until the end of November. Choose your expert opinion, I guess.

[Howie]

I voted when I was 18, and still in high school. I didn't know who or what else was on the ballot, and just voted any which way. I don't follow politics at all, and have never voted since.

And don't criticize me for not voting. Since I have no idea what any candidate is for or against, I have no business voting. Perhaps I should be more involved, but I just don't care.

[Virginia]

I got my one and only little laugh today. My friend from Atlanta sent me a text. It was a picture of RBG. In fact probably my favorite of her. Across the black robe, as she set there looking very regal was I SENT THE FLY. Loved it.

[agate]

I totally missed the fly when I watched the debate, Virginia, but I found the segment online. He never seems aware of it, does he?

If his hair isn't real, he wouldn't be aware of it though....

[Sunshine 2]

And yet howie, you started that long politics thread.

[agate]

And yet howie, you started that long politics thread.

A very interesting point. That thread was extremely popular but Howie never posted in it after starting it so far as I can recall.

Thank you, Howie, for starting that thread.

[Virginia]

Howie, starting that thread was one of your better ideas. Wish you had participated more, but that alright because we knew you were reading it.

Agate, how could you miss the fly - it was definitely the most interesting part of the debate. When have you seen a fly sit perfectly still for 2 minutes. Maybe he had hair spray on and the fly just kind of stuck to it.

[agate]

Howie, starting that thread was one of your better ideas. Wish you had participated more, but that alright because we knew you were reading it.

Agate, how could you miss the fly - it was definitely the most interesting part of the debate. When have you seen a fly sit perfectly still for 2 minutes. Maybe he had hair spray on and the fly just kind of stuck to it.

LOL!! Pence is only 61, I just found out. That could be his real hair, probably with hair spray. Politicians are so eager to please us that they get all gussied up for the camera. Or at least that's what I've heard.

I'm really sorry to have missed out on the fly. Must have been far and away the most entertaining part of the debate.

For some reason I'm reminded of an old Salvation Army song that goes

Flies on you,
Flies on me,
Ain't no flies on Jesus!

[Virginia]

Agate like your little jingle.

[B]Just talked to Jeanie! [B]I told her everyone was asking about her and wanted to hear from her. She is doing alright, but it is getting old being in there. She did not get the surgery that had been scheduled. They took her for the appointment and when she got there she had to wait quite awhile, then they told her that some of the shingles on her back were still open and they would not do it. They rescheduled her for this next Thursday. She doesn't know if they are going to put screws back in or what they are going to do. Still no one has talked to her.

She is still on quite a bit of Percocet for the shingles. If she doesn't get it she says her stomach burns where she had shingles there. One nurse kind of holds off at night and Jeanie is working around her getting one before the earlier nurse leaves so that she doesn't have to get but one during the time the night nurse is on duty. She told Jeanie she was going to become addicted. She said she had found that people did not have sympathy for shingles until they had it themselves.

The lady in the room with her is a nursing home patient, not a rehab. They get her up every other day for about 5 hours. They have a rotating mattress on the ladies bed so she will not get bed sores. They come in and bath her every day and they feed her all three meals, so Jeanie doesn't need to worry about the lady getting fed.

Kim (her friend from Canada) has called her. So they talk occasionally.

She does have a TV in her room. She says the channels are not the same and she has to just search around for what she wants to watch. She would be the only person using the TV or the phone because the way I am understanding it is the other lady just doesn't realize enough of what is going on. She doesn't want an Ipad. Jim has one and offered to bring it, but she doesn't want it. She says she stays pretty well occupied with 3 meals a day and the coming and going of all the staff. The boys bring crossword puzzles and leave them for her. She said she has done a lot of them.

Right now she is getting shots for a bladder infection, although she is not sure she had one. They took the sample from the bottom of the Foley bag and she says that is not a clean catch, but she said "what the heck" she would just get the shots just in case. They have a couple of men nurses or aids and when they have to clean her it is embarrassing, however she laughed and said finally she just said "oh well".

Jeanie is using a board to slide off the bed and I guess to get back on (didn't ask her about that part). She is doing it on her own, but one of the staff is standing there. She needs to be able to transfer from her scooter to the bed and toilet and back and forth. She wants to be able to do it the way she use to do it.

She does get woke up a lot because of all the coming and going. They check on the lady in the room with her a lot during the night and they come to do blood pressures and different things. Also, the aids seem to gather outside her room to chat. She has asked them to close the door. They sometime do not because of the other lady and them checking her so often. Actually, though Jeanie likes being in the room with this lady. Maybe it gives her more company because of aids coming in more often. She would not want to change or be with someone else.

So that is about it for now folks!

[agate]

Thank you so much for gathering this information and bringing it to us, Virginia! Are you feeling better?

Shingles must be terrible. I'm so sorry Jeanie isn't getting a better deal. Not being told what's going on and having so much racket around you that it's hard to rest--that is difficult to put it mildly.

I believe shingles runs its course but takes a mighty long time to do that.

Too bad she doesn't want an iPad. Maybe she's just not feeling up to dealing with it. Let's hope things start looking up for her!

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

Virginia ~

Thank you so much for your detailed report on Jeanie.

She is going through so much, and I feel so sad for her to have to endure all of this. I pray that her shingles subside soon. I guess they aren't treating them with anything, other than giving her Percocet for pain. And to have to find a way to get the dose she needs, because of a resistant nurse, adds to her stress. It would be a good idea for her shingles to be checked by rehab nursing staff, before her next scheduled surgery, so that she can avoid another fruitless, long wait trip to have it done.

Unfortunately, Foley catheters can cause UTIs and bladder infections, particularly after long term use. All Foley catheters have an area at the top of the tube for a clean catch using a needle syringe. Jeanie probably doesn't want to rock the boat, but if I were her, I would tell them to use that method, when they recheck her to see if the antibiotics have worked. A CNA can probably draw the urine.

It's quite disturbing to me that Jeanie isn't being told about her surgery or given information about her infection. She has a right to know what is going on with her body. Everyone of us has that right. The problem is, once again, rocking the boat, because that can cause you to get a reputation as a "trouble maker," particularly in a rehab or nursing facility.

The care her roommate is receiving is reassuring, however. It also seems that she is getting better care at this rehab than the last one. But, it is so sad that her roommate appears to be oblivious to what is happening to her. On the other, could that be a blessing? I don't know.

Staff chatting outside a patient's room with an open door seems to be a universal complaint in all medical settings. Jim often complained to me, when he was hospitalized, that the nurses/aides congregated outside his door at night, when he was trying to sleep, and they could get a bit boisterous at times. As you said, it is difficult enough to sleep with all of the interruptions for vitals and turning, without having cackling outside your room.

Again, thank you so much, Virginia for this update on Jeanie. We'll keep our prayers and positive energy flowing toward her. And you. I hope you rested today.

Howie ~

Whether you vote or do not vote, you have the right to vote. You have a choice. That's democracy. Voting gives us a voice in how our government operates, which affects all of us and the World. So, when I cast my vote, I am voting for your benefit, along with all Americans and the globe.

Jonathan and Michael were registered to vote, but they required assistance in casting their votes. I was afraid that I'd be accused of manipulating them with their votes. So they never got the chance to go to a poll or cast an absentee ballot. When they could verbalize, they were very clear about who they wanted to vote for, and we watched news coverage of both sides/debates on TV. Jon loved "60 Minutes" and all news programs. I know exactly who they would want for our next President. So, when I vote, I vote for them.

That famous thread you started in 2016 would be thousands of pages long by now, if it still existed. By my count on my computer, it was about 275 pages, before it vanished. We're in the middle of a 100 year pandemic if we go back to the Spanish Flu in 1918-19. The West Coast is on fire. The East Coast and Gulf are bombarded with hurricanes. I expect we would have had a lot to talk about in your thread.

As I said, and I emphasize, this is your choice, and I wouldn't criticize you for that choice. I also understand it and respect it.

THE FLY

I have Fly questions:

How did a fly get into that building? Of all of the people in that gathering, why did that fly select VP Pence's head? Why did that fly linger on his head for 2 minutes? Was there some intriguing meal on his scalp? Why didn't Mrs. Pence or one of his other supporters in the audience motion to him that he had a fly on his head? Why didn't anyone say, "Shoo!"?

These are strange times we live in ...

Sending healing prayers and positive energy to all. Be safe, well, and as content as possible.

Love & Light,



Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!

[agate]

A fly spy?

Maybe the fly was a spy or as they say in that biz, an agent or an operative? Gathering intel?

It might even have been that fly on the wall you hear about. It got tired of hanging out on the wall and settled on Pence's head as a place where it would show up nicely. As an operative, though, it shouldn't want to be conspicuous like that.

[Virginia]

Rose, as I said before, RBG put the Fly there!

If I sound like Jeanie is dissatisfied where she is, well she really isn't. She just wants to get to a point that she can go home, but I think she has made a few friends among the staff. It is the Doctors who have not communicated with her, that she is upset with.

One thing that surprised me is she has no memory of being taken to the hospital or her stay there. Today she told me that her first memory is of being where she is now.

As far as the shingles go, there is absolutely nothing they can give you other than pain pills. If you take Valtrex you need to start it immediately and that usually helps some. I
was able to do this. It needs to be from day1 not past day 3. She has had them for months. The physical Therapist told her today that her back was scabbed over and none of the places were weeping.

She sounds good!

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

Virginia ~

Thank you for the additional information. It's great to hear that Jeanie sounds good and has made friends with some of the staff. And that is very good news that her shingles on her back aren't weeping.

I pray that she will be able to come home, but I wonder if she will need a caregiver to help her and prevent more falls. Of course, Jeanie is fiercely independent, and she may not want that.

How are you feeling today, Virginia?

I hope everyone here is well and safe.

Love & Light,



Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!