Sorry I haven't been here. Found a temporary job reviewing charts online. After 8 hours of staring at the computer I have to do something else. Like beat my friend in angry birds, yeah I know still a computer. However flinging birds at structures is very calming.
So I found this recipe on food network, I even pinned the picture on Pinterest, and thought I would do them up for Saturday company. Saturday is when the youngest child come home eats my food, messes up the living room, leaves a mess and goes home. I do enjoy his company when he is in a good mood. Most time I retreat to my room till he gets over himself.
So I get this morning, shower and all that and go to the kitchen to gather items to make these bars. OOpps no sweetened condensed milk and no lemon. So off I go to the grocery. Saturday after 9 am is not a good time it is busy crazy and I don't tolerate most other people. I grab my cans of milk, do the self check out and leave. Get home and realize I forgot the lemon. Oh well hope it wasn't important cause it ain't happening. So I start assembling.
2 sticks butter room temp
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old fashion oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 11 oz bag butterscotch chips
1 pkg cream cheese room temp
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 lemon zested and juiced
1 tsp vanilla
place in food processor flour, oats and brown sugar pulse to combine
So I did this and my best guess is that whoever came up with this recipe had a really large food processor, cause at this point in time mine is full to the top. So I am still have to add the butter and that bag of chips in there and it is not going to work. Whilst thinking about what to do I am carrying the canister with the flour in it back to the pantry and I drop it. Did you know that the g force of a nearly full tupperware canister of flour hitting the flour fully on the bottom will equate to the top of the canister propelling off upward and ejecting most all of the flour. This takes ten minutes to clean up. So knowing that the rest of my ingredients won't fit in the food processor I decide to move them, to the stand mixer. I figured I would need to pulverize the butterscotch chips in the food processor before mixing with the other stuff. Did you know that butterscotch chips do not pulverize.
So I take my ingredients to the stand mixer and finish mixing. You split this in half and press the the first half into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 12 to 15 min or until golden brown. So while that cooks I cleaned up more of the flour, since some was on the ceiling, the dog, and and I mention my black pants and t shirt. Fifteen min later and I pulled the crust out of the oven. You have to let this cool completely before doing more.
Did I mention that my little black is grey now. Oh and I was fixated on the flour I forgot to put the cinnamon in the mixture.
It took about an hour for the stuff to cool. Next step is to place the cream cheese and condensed milk in an electric mixer and beat till smooth. This is the step where you add the lemon juice I didn't have. So I put cinnamon in it along with the vanilla. Beat it till smooth poor over the top of what you just baked then crumble the second half on top of that and then bake for 40 min at 350. They turned out just fine tasty sweet a bit crumbly. The son didn't like them said too sweet.
My little grey dog likes the crumbs.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Election is over
Thank heavens it is over. While I am not a fan of Obama, his opponent was worse. Obama's hands are still tied because of the make up of both congress and senate. So he will continue to not be able to move forward and we will stagnate as a nation. I just hope that in 4 years there will be 2 candidates who care more about the people than themselves.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Obamacare
Obamacare is not as bad as "the talking heads" would have you believe. The bills real name is Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Has anybody really sat and read the thing. I bet not. I have made attempts to read it but so much legal jargon gave me a headache.
Back in 1953 Harry Truman attempted to get universal health care for Americans. This was the period after WW2 and the our country had just ended the worst war ever and barely survived the great depression. United Kingdom enacted the NHS at about this time because they wanted to take care of it's citizens and give them basic health care. Truman's proposal sat in committee and lie dormant till 1965 when it was changed to read healthcare for all to over 65. In 1974 it was changed to included disabled. So once upon a time we could have had healthcare for all but it got shot down.
Keep in mind the NHS doesn't pay for everything. Elective surgeries are not done unless they are medically necessary.So unless that boob job, hip replacement, or tummy tuck is medically necessary you won't get it. However they do have private doctors and private insurance in the UK so if you got the bucks you can get your tucks, (Ha Ha sorry)
So PPACA or Obamacare (this is actually a derisive name) has several really good main points.
1) Guaranteed issue. Everybody pays the same premium regardless of geographic location, age, gender or preexisting condition. You might say really we have to do that. But yes we do. Some insurance companies keep statistics on places where people are more likely to get ill and they charge more. Women of childbearing age pay more because they might get pregnant.
2) Individual mandate. This requires that everybody acquires insurance.
3) Insurance exchanges. This is where individuals and groups can find and compare different insurance.
4)Subsidizes low income or poverty level persons so they can receive insurance
5) Expands Medicaid and simplifies chip.
6) Establish minimum standards and lifts lifetime caps.
7) Mandates the employers with more 50 employees must subsidize insurance
8) Eliminates some copayment and deductibles. Things considered preventive like birth control pills, vaccines. Yes there are insurances out there that won't pay for a vaccine.
9) Change medicare from a fee for service to bundled service
10) allows dependents to remain on parents insurance till 26. This is okay if the child offers to pay for it most won't.
Keep in mind this is just the tip of the iceberg. Seems to be not so bad a bill there are lot of other components that I have not touched on here.
So why do the Republicans, Congress and just everybody hate this bill and bad mouth it? Because January 1 2014 Congress will be required to obtain their insurance from the same sources as their constituents.
Back in 1953 Harry Truman attempted to get universal health care for Americans. This was the period after WW2 and the our country had just ended the worst war ever and barely survived the great depression. United Kingdom enacted the NHS at about this time because they wanted to take care of it's citizens and give them basic health care. Truman's proposal sat in committee and lie dormant till 1965 when it was changed to read healthcare for all to over 65. In 1974 it was changed to included disabled. So once upon a time we could have had healthcare for all but it got shot down.
Keep in mind the NHS doesn't pay for everything. Elective surgeries are not done unless they are medically necessary.So unless that boob job, hip replacement, or tummy tuck is medically necessary you won't get it. However they do have private doctors and private insurance in the UK so if you got the bucks you can get your tucks, (Ha Ha sorry)
So PPACA or Obamacare (this is actually a derisive name) has several really good main points.
1) Guaranteed issue. Everybody pays the same premium regardless of geographic location, age, gender or preexisting condition. You might say really we have to do that. But yes we do. Some insurance companies keep statistics on places where people are more likely to get ill and they charge more. Women of childbearing age pay more because they might get pregnant.
2) Individual mandate. This requires that everybody acquires insurance.
3) Insurance exchanges. This is where individuals and groups can find and compare different insurance.
4)Subsidizes low income or poverty level persons so they can receive insurance
5) Expands Medicaid and simplifies chip.
6) Establish minimum standards and lifts lifetime caps.
7) Mandates the employers with more 50 employees must subsidize insurance
8) Eliminates some copayment and deductibles. Things considered preventive like birth control pills, vaccines. Yes there are insurances out there that won't pay for a vaccine.
9) Change medicare from a fee for service to bundled service
10) allows dependents to remain on parents insurance till 26. This is okay if the child offers to pay for it most won't.
Keep in mind this is just the tip of the iceberg. Seems to be not so bad a bill there are lot of other components that I have not touched on here.
So why do the Republicans, Congress and just everybody hate this bill and bad mouth it? Because January 1 2014 Congress will be required to obtain their insurance from the same sources as their constituents.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Caramel fudge
I tend to create my own recipes or modify existing ones. Sometimes I come up with something really good or a huge mess that gets tossed out or fed to the dog.
This recipes is one I came up with on my own and I got it right the first time. I have a horrendous sweet tooth so am constantly to come up with new things to fix that. This recipe came about because of a Pinterest picture of a fudge name pecan pie fudge. I searched the internet for the recipe only to discover there wasn't one I could order the fudge but not the recipe.
While this doesn't taste like pecan pie it is a melt in your mouth carmel fudge.
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 and 1/2 sticks butter
1 tablespoon any corn syrup*
Melt in heavy sauce pan and cook to 250 F, beat in 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of marshmallow fluff, place in 13 x 9 greased pan and refrigerate till solid. Store in container with lid or plastic bag.
Yum Oh! melts in your mouth.
(sorry no pictures my camera makes awful pics)
* fun fact corn syrup will decrease the chances your candy will crystalize
This recipes is one I came up with on my own and I got it right the first time. I have a horrendous sweet tooth so am constantly to come up with new things to fix that. This recipe came about because of a Pinterest picture of a fudge name pecan pie fudge. I searched the internet for the recipe only to discover there wasn't one I could order the fudge but not the recipe.
While this doesn't taste like pecan pie it is a melt in your mouth carmel fudge.
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 and 1/2 sticks butter
1 tablespoon any corn syrup*
Melt in heavy sauce pan and cook to 250 F, beat in 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 cups of marshmallow fluff, place in 13 x 9 greased pan and refrigerate till solid. Store in container with lid or plastic bag.
Yum Oh! melts in your mouth.
(sorry no pictures my camera makes awful pics)
* fun fact corn syrup will decrease the chances your candy will crystalize
Monday, October 8, 2012
Monday morning
It cooled off outside. It was 59 this morning and that means I can go outside and breathe. Of course I can't breathe because the ragweed count is so high. I have been sneezing and have red watery eyes for the last couple of weeks. There is a mall walking program at the local mall they open at 8:00 am it is a mile and 1/8 if you go through around all the little side halls. Anyone want to join me?
I have been dragging the dog around when it is cool enough but he doesn't always do well and he has to stop and pee on everything. Sometimes he pees and nothing comes out. For some reason we get 4 houses down and he has to poop. Even poops on the side walk. I will not clean it up it is little poop and disappears when it rains.
I need a haircut. Starting to look like a shaggy dog. Hum I look like my dog. Not a good visual on that one he has no teeth, cataracts and is deaf.
My son's friend's dad married some ETOH addicted woman. He knew when he married her she was a drunk. She has wrecked their life, alienated friends and family and in so many ways is a liability. She gets in the car and drives. For some reason he is not tossing her out on her ear but keeps letting return over and over again. His own son is ready to give it up. Wake up ! unless she really wants to quit it will not happen.
So I need to go do the dishes and see if I can find that spare shelf for my cup display case it is getting kind of jammed up. I also need to finish painting the common rooms here but have been putting it off. Any one wanna help?
I have been dragging the dog around when it is cool enough but he doesn't always do well and he has to stop and pee on everything. Sometimes he pees and nothing comes out. For some reason we get 4 houses down and he has to poop. Even poops on the side walk. I will not clean it up it is little poop and disappears when it rains.
I need a haircut. Starting to look like a shaggy dog. Hum I look like my dog. Not a good visual on that one he has no teeth, cataracts and is deaf.
My son's friend's dad married some ETOH addicted woman. He knew when he married her she was a drunk. She has wrecked their life, alienated friends and family and in so many ways is a liability. She gets in the car and drives. For some reason he is not tossing her out on her ear but keeps letting return over and over again. His own son is ready to give it up. Wake up ! unless she really wants to quit it will not happen.
So I need to go do the dishes and see if I can find that spare shelf for my cup display case it is getting kind of jammed up. I also need to finish painting the common rooms here but have been putting it off. Any one wanna help?
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Mollen
What ever you do do not work for this place.
Once it might have been a really good place to work but not any more.
Mollen is the company that administers the flu vaccines in Walmart and Sam's club. They also do several public schools and have some corporate accounts.
The Walmart and Sam's club would have a national contract with Mollen to provide nurses and the supplies to run the flu clinics. This year it turned into something different. Mollen or Walmart decided to include vaccines that most insurance will not cover and have to be stored in a freezer that maintains a temperature below -5 degrees F. Pharmacy staff were to count and record the temperatures daily and provide that information to the nurse doing the clinic. That didn't happen. Nurses were not allowed to go into the pharmacy and do it themselves.
Some of the pharmacy tech did not know how to read a thermometer. A lot of vaccines were lost to the tune of $10,000 if not more. Some vaccines were frozen when they should not have been and others were left out to get warm. Since it was the pharmacy staff who were responsible for the vaccines it is hoped that they will have to reimburse Mollen for those.
Then there is the netbook. Mollen bought over a thousand Samsung netbooks with verizon 3g they put an unfinished untested program on the netbook and sent them to the clinics. Most never got plugged in when got to Walmart so when the nurse showed up she had a dead laptop. Verizon doesn't have a good 3g and there were a lot of places it didn't work. The clinics where it didn't work had to use paper but Mollen didn't provide the paper or give accurate instructions to the nurse.
The support staff in Phoenix must have all been new because none knew what to tell you or knew what they were doing. Some of the support staff where hateful and rude. When they didn't know the answer they would switch you from phone to phone with hold times up to 30 min long.
After only 2 full weeks of clinics nurses started running out of vaccine, alcohol wipes, syringes, and most of all vaccine.
Many nurses are without jobs and were hoping that working for Mollen would help them financially and professionally as some needed the experience to place their resume. Some used the job as easy money with no pride in doing a good job. Since Mollen hired anyone with a nursing license it did cause a lot of problems for the nurse who followed the unprofessional uncaring nurse.
Some who had Mollen as a 2nd job would drop shifts the night before in order to accept a higher paying shift. This left unfilled shifts and instigated a knee jerk reaction for imposing a 24 hr time limit for canceling shifts. However the company did not feel that the same guidelines belong to them and just cancelled at 1:30 a shift that was to start at 9:15 in the morning. Double standards do not float well with some of us. In less than a heart beat some when from 40 hrs a week to 8.
I have no loyalty to someone who does this to employees.
So it is time to not get your flu shot at Walmart or Sam's club. make sure you tell them why and go to CVS, Rite-Aid or Walgreens and get your flu vaccine. Time to let them know how wrong they are. You will also want to go there anyway since god only knows if your vaccine has been compromised or not.
Once it might have been a really good place to work but not any more.
Mollen is the company that administers the flu vaccines in Walmart and Sam's club. They also do several public schools and have some corporate accounts.
The Walmart and Sam's club would have a national contract with Mollen to provide nurses and the supplies to run the flu clinics. This year it turned into something different. Mollen or Walmart decided to include vaccines that most insurance will not cover and have to be stored in a freezer that maintains a temperature below -5 degrees F. Pharmacy staff were to count and record the temperatures daily and provide that information to the nurse doing the clinic. That didn't happen. Nurses were not allowed to go into the pharmacy and do it themselves.
Some of the pharmacy tech did not know how to read a thermometer. A lot of vaccines were lost to the tune of $10,000 if not more. Some vaccines were frozen when they should not have been and others were left out to get warm. Since it was the pharmacy staff who were responsible for the vaccines it is hoped that they will have to reimburse Mollen for those.
Then there is the netbook. Mollen bought over a thousand Samsung netbooks with verizon 3g they put an unfinished untested program on the netbook and sent them to the clinics. Most never got plugged in when got to Walmart so when the nurse showed up she had a dead laptop. Verizon doesn't have a good 3g and there were a lot of places it didn't work. The clinics where it didn't work had to use paper but Mollen didn't provide the paper or give accurate instructions to the nurse.
The support staff in Phoenix must have all been new because none knew what to tell you or knew what they were doing. Some of the support staff where hateful and rude. When they didn't know the answer they would switch you from phone to phone with hold times up to 30 min long.
After only 2 full weeks of clinics nurses started running out of vaccine, alcohol wipes, syringes, and most of all vaccine.
Many nurses are without jobs and were hoping that working for Mollen would help them financially and professionally as some needed the experience to place their resume. Some used the job as easy money with no pride in doing a good job. Since Mollen hired anyone with a nursing license it did cause a lot of problems for the nurse who followed the unprofessional uncaring nurse.
Some who had Mollen as a 2nd job would drop shifts the night before in order to accept a higher paying shift. This left unfilled shifts and instigated a knee jerk reaction for imposing a 24 hr time limit for canceling shifts. However the company did not feel that the same guidelines belong to them and just cancelled at 1:30 a shift that was to start at 9:15 in the morning. Double standards do not float well with some of us. In less than a heart beat some when from 40 hrs a week to 8.
I have no loyalty to someone who does this to employees.
So it is time to not get your flu shot at Walmart or Sam's club. make sure you tell them why and go to CVS, Rite-Aid or Walgreens and get your flu vaccine. Time to let them know how wrong they are. You will also want to go there anyway since god only knows if your vaccine has been compromised or not.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Ruminations #?
I have not been here. I didn't feel like it. Seems I have lost my best friend we had conversed back and forth in email and she just stopped. I have tried several times finally just gave up.
I am doing a seasonal job of giving flu shots at a large retail chain. It sucks royally. The company I work for sucks they have no idea how hard they have made it just to clock in and out. Sitting for 10 hours watching the dregs of society parade past the table makes me nauseated. Half dressed, clothing too tight, no bras with nipples hanging at the waist makes me want to poke my eyes out. Screaming children running about like wild animals makes my glad mine are grown. We are supposed to stand in front of our table and hawk shots. No way. If you want it here it is come and get it, wait that is a song.
So while I was bored to tears I wrote some things down.
1) People on motorized carts do not watch were they are going. I have been backed into and hit by people on carts way too many times. One old lady had a kid about 6 doing the driving for her. I have seen these people fight over the carts, not a pretty sight. Some of these folks do not need a cart they can walk just fine.
2) No one is willing to wait in a check out line longer than 5 minutes. I have seen them go up and down the line looking for the shortest line. If it takes too long they get out of line and search some more only to come to the same line they left that now has 5 more people in it.
3) If you have a client at the flu table and are talking to them it is a given someone else will walk up and want immediate attention to the point of interrupting and butting in.
4) There are multiple express check outs no one will use them because they are self check outs. Heard one woman yelling "You need to open more check outs" she was truly ugly and deserved the nasty looks she got.
5) Not all babies are cute. Some are dog ugly so do not wave your kid in my face. My snot monsters are lucky they lived to teen years. The only reason I let them live is because they were cute.
6) Loud personal conversation on cell phones is even louder when it is a foreign language except for French. French is sexy all the time.
7) If fifty people come into the store at staggered times of 30 minutes apart they will all want to check out at the same time.
8) Observations. Fat people have cases of high calorie soda, chips, cheetos, and crap in the cart. Skinny people have paper towels and beer. Old people have dog food and toilet paper. I am still trying to figure out the correlation.
So that's the way it is.
I am doing a seasonal job of giving flu shots at a large retail chain. It sucks royally. The company I work for sucks they have no idea how hard they have made it just to clock in and out. Sitting for 10 hours watching the dregs of society parade past the table makes me nauseated. Half dressed, clothing too tight, no bras with nipples hanging at the waist makes me want to poke my eyes out. Screaming children running about like wild animals makes my glad mine are grown. We are supposed to stand in front of our table and hawk shots. No way. If you want it here it is come and get it, wait that is a song.
So while I was bored to tears I wrote some things down.
1) People on motorized carts do not watch were they are going. I have been backed into and hit by people on carts way too many times. One old lady had a kid about 6 doing the driving for her. I have seen these people fight over the carts, not a pretty sight. Some of these folks do not need a cart they can walk just fine.
2) No one is willing to wait in a check out line longer than 5 minutes. I have seen them go up and down the line looking for the shortest line. If it takes too long they get out of line and search some more only to come to the same line they left that now has 5 more people in it.
3) If you have a client at the flu table and are talking to them it is a given someone else will walk up and want immediate attention to the point of interrupting and butting in.
4) There are multiple express check outs no one will use them because they are self check outs. Heard one woman yelling "You need to open more check outs" she was truly ugly and deserved the nasty looks she got.
5) Not all babies are cute. Some are dog ugly so do not wave your kid in my face. My snot monsters are lucky they lived to teen years. The only reason I let them live is because they were cute.
6) Loud personal conversation on cell phones is even louder when it is a foreign language except for French. French is sexy all the time.
7) If fifty people come into the store at staggered times of 30 minutes apart they will all want to check out at the same time.
8) Observations. Fat people have cases of high calorie soda, chips, cheetos, and crap in the cart. Skinny people have paper towels and beer. Old people have dog food and toilet paper. I am still trying to figure out the correlation.
So that's the way it is.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Split pea soup
I love pea soup. So thought I would make my own. Looked up a recipe and there were requirements I did not have. So leaving out carrots, celery and a ham hock I have made a primo batch of soup.
In a large pot place tablespoon of vegetable oil brown 4 to 5 slices of bacon cut into small pieces. Chop 1 large onion and toss in pot and cover.
Add 1 16 oz box of chicken stock to pot when onions are translucent
Rinse 1 pound bag of split peas add to pot
peel and dice 2 large russet potatoes and add to pot
Bring to boil
add 2 cloves of garlic minced or about 1 tsp of the powder
salt and pepper to taste
You may need to add water to the pot if it get to thick.
Cook till all veges are soft
I ate mine with a slice of garlic toast for supper since I will only be kissing toads later.
I will freeze half of this and eat the rest over the next few days.
Now where my toad?
In a large pot place tablespoon of vegetable oil brown 4 to 5 slices of bacon cut into small pieces. Chop 1 large onion and toss in pot and cover.
Add 1 16 oz box of chicken stock to pot when onions are translucent
Rinse 1 pound bag of split peas add to pot
peel and dice 2 large russet potatoes and add to pot
Bring to boil
add 2 cloves of garlic minced or about 1 tsp of the powder
salt and pepper to taste
You may need to add water to the pot if it get to thick.
Cook till all veges are soft
I ate mine with a slice of garlic toast for supper since I will only be kissing toads later.
I will freeze half of this and eat the rest over the next few days.
Now where my toad?
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Fifty Shades
So I have taken more cold showers this week than I ever have in my life. If you are not aware of these books you will. They are Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. In a nut shell it is the love story between an innocent college graduate and a sadistic billionaire.
The story itself is compelling. The usual romance book fodder you find on the shelves that has some hunky half dressed guy on the front. The story is usually the same he has money, sweeps her off her feet, they get married, someone gets kidnapped,killed or blackmailed, someone saves the day, and they all live happy ever after.
Our hero has personal baggage that gets in the way of him having a normal life and the heroine Ana spends most of her time trying to get to the bottom of it all. Ana is also an airhead of the first degree she doesn't realize that Mr Grey actually stalked her wanting to make her his next submissive playmate. She also repeatedly does things to piss him off.
While the story is nice very endearing at times it also one of the most poorly written books. The same phrases are used over and over making the characters flat and boring.
The continual name dropping of brand names makes one believe that Apple and Audi paid them include their products.
Of course the one thing that ensures the book will sell and be controversial is all the sex. Straight sex, kinky sex with whips and chains, public sex, and any where you could imagine. These 2 have more sex in a 3 month period than I have in the last 20 years. They should be dehydrated and emaciated as they have no time for other things like eating and going to work. The sex scenes will send you running to the shower.
The books were an okay read, will never get a pulitzer, but they have made E.L James a rich woman.
The story itself is compelling. The usual romance book fodder you find on the shelves that has some hunky half dressed guy on the front. The story is usually the same he has money, sweeps her off her feet, they get married, someone gets kidnapped,killed or blackmailed, someone saves the day, and they all live happy ever after.
Our hero has personal baggage that gets in the way of him having a normal life and the heroine Ana spends most of her time trying to get to the bottom of it all. Ana is also an airhead of the first degree she doesn't realize that Mr Grey actually stalked her wanting to make her his next submissive playmate. She also repeatedly does things to piss him off.
While the story is nice very endearing at times it also one of the most poorly written books. The same phrases are used over and over making the characters flat and boring.
The continual name dropping of brand names makes one believe that Apple and Audi paid them include their products.
Of course the one thing that ensures the book will sell and be controversial is all the sex. Straight sex, kinky sex with whips and chains, public sex, and any where you could imagine. These 2 have more sex in a 3 month period than I have in the last 20 years. They should be dehydrated and emaciated as they have no time for other things like eating and going to work. The sex scenes will send you running to the shower.
The books were an okay read, will never get a pulitzer, but they have made E.L James a rich woman.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Picking a nursing home
You have made it in the front door and are being used about the facility by the social worker or worse a marketing person and you need ask some key questions.
Is this a non- profit or for profit facility. More than likely it is for profit, non profits are few and far between. So find out which company own the place. You will need to find out in order to do your internet search on the stability of the company. Usually the cavorting around that happens in big companies doesn't trickle down to the local level. Remember these companies take government money and have to disclose everything.
You will want to know how long administrative staff have been there. The longer the better, stable staff is important. Ask random staff member how long they have been there.
Find out who passes the medications. One of the most prevalent mistakes or errors in any health care setting is medication errors. I have seen LPN's and Medication aides make some awful mistakes as well as RN's, the thing is if they have a professional license then if do make an egregious error then the board will make sanctions.
While you are walking around take note of smells and sounds. If you smell feces and urine down every hall then there is a problem. If people are tied to beds and chairs there is a problem. If people are screaming and yelling and running around naked there is a problem. You need to leave if this is what you find.
Is the facility mostly elderly individuals or rehab residents or do they have a population of mostly younger mental health patients. Keep in mind most state governments did away with mental health hospitals and now those clients are in the community and in nursing homes. If you are a placing a mentally ill person then it doesn't matter but if you are placing 90 year old grandma then leave. She will be defenseless when the schizophrenic drug addict goes postal and starts hurting people.
I have said this before but find a away to keep your loved one at home.
Don't even think about assisted living, they really are a huge waste of money. There is usually no licensed nurse about the place and in most states the person giving meds is a layperson.
Is this a non- profit or for profit facility. More than likely it is for profit, non profits are few and far between. So find out which company own the place. You will need to find out in order to do your internet search on the stability of the company. Usually the cavorting around that happens in big companies doesn't trickle down to the local level. Remember these companies take government money and have to disclose everything.
You will want to know how long administrative staff have been there. The longer the better, stable staff is important. Ask random staff member how long they have been there.
Find out who passes the medications. One of the most prevalent mistakes or errors in any health care setting is medication errors. I have seen LPN's and Medication aides make some awful mistakes as well as RN's, the thing is if they have a professional license then if do make an egregious error then the board will make sanctions.
While you are walking around take note of smells and sounds. If you smell feces and urine down every hall then there is a problem. If people are tied to beds and chairs there is a problem. If people are screaming and yelling and running around naked there is a problem. You need to leave if this is what you find.
Is the facility mostly elderly individuals or rehab residents or do they have a population of mostly younger mental health patients. Keep in mind most state governments did away with mental health hospitals and now those clients are in the community and in nursing homes. If you are a placing a mentally ill person then it doesn't matter but if you are placing 90 year old grandma then leave. She will be defenseless when the schizophrenic drug addict goes postal and starts hurting people.
I have said this before but find a away to keep your loved one at home.
Don't even think about assisted living, they really are a huge waste of money. There is usually no licensed nurse about the place and in most states the person giving meds is a layperson.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Picking a nursing home
Wether for yourself or someone else choosing a nursing home is one of the toughest things a person does. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes not. It is easiest to do it right the first time. It is no big secret that one of more beloved career turns has been inspecting nursing homes. It is probably the most rewarding job I have ever had in terms of actually doing something worth while. So I have a few insights on choosing a nursing home.
Naturally the best thing to do is return home. If family or friends cannot help out with care issues home health may be available for a short period or employ outside help. I recommend investigating long term care insurance, trust set up for care issues, and being knowledgeable about alternatives before the time comes. Money issues will arise when it comes to Medicaid so plan ahead as they sometimes "look back " up to 6 years.
Nursing homes can have dual purpose with dual payor source. Medicare pays for 6 weeks nursing home care following 3 nights stay in hospital for what ever reason. Usually this is because the patient needs therapy in order to go back home. The other more typical is long term care for some one who cannot return home and care for themselves.
So the first thing is to do research on the homes and find which homes your doctor goes to, if any. You will also need to find out if they take Medicare, Medicaid and or Medicaid pending. Some facilities will not take Medicaid pending because there is no guarantee Medicaid will be approved leaving them stuck with a bill in the thousands.
Ask friends and family what they have heard about a building and the staff. Talk to your neighbors and listen to what they say about a facility.
Make an unplanned visit. Best if you go to see a friend or someone who is actually a patient there but if that doesn't happen pop in. More than likely they will ask you to make an appointment with a social worker or customer service representative, if they do this you might wonder what they are hiding.
While are waiting for your tour to start find the survey book. Any time the state comes and inspects the facility they write a report called 2567. These are the deficiencies found during the states visit.
The first column has the F tag it will appear as F 222 or F 323 followed by SS=A or SS=F. The F tag is the rule that the government has deemed necessary for all nursing homes to comply with you can find those online just search for appendix P and PP. The SS is scope and severity or how many people can or are affected by poor practice.The following is a copy of the grid.
Tags with SS of A, B, C are usually minor, D, E, are more serious higher than F you might want to start asking a lot of questions. If they have G to I consider going someplace else and J, K, L you need to leave and go someplace else. The yellow plots on the grid are tags in care areas. Care areas are the greatest concern. This means that the care staff are providing is substandard and possible harmful.
The first part of each tag will tell you what the requirement is. These range from providing private place to make phone calls to administering medications correctly. I consider "paper tags" those dealing with Frequency of assessments and doing care plans as drivel. Actual care tags are what you need to look at.
Go during a meal, lunch and supper are best. Go to the dining room and see what is happening. You need to see what the food looks like and smells like. Are the residents eating it or pushing the food away. Ask someone how the food is. Are office staff passing trays? Is the food left on trays or placed on the table like at home. Dining should be as home like as possible. Are staff offering alternatives? Is the food hot, cold food cold? Watch to see if staff are handling residents food with their hands. Are residents being fed? If so is the person doing the feeding sitting or standing over them, or feeding more than one person. Stop and think about how you would want to be fed and what you want to eat.
Will visit this more in Part 2. I do answer questions if there are any.
Naturally the best thing to do is return home. If family or friends cannot help out with care issues home health may be available for a short period or employ outside help. I recommend investigating long term care insurance, trust set up for care issues, and being knowledgeable about alternatives before the time comes. Money issues will arise when it comes to Medicaid so plan ahead as they sometimes "look back " up to 6 years.
Nursing homes can have dual purpose with dual payor source. Medicare pays for 6 weeks nursing home care following 3 nights stay in hospital for what ever reason. Usually this is because the patient needs therapy in order to go back home. The other more typical is long term care for some one who cannot return home and care for themselves.
So the first thing is to do research on the homes and find which homes your doctor goes to, if any. You will also need to find out if they take Medicare, Medicaid and or Medicaid pending. Some facilities will not take Medicaid pending because there is no guarantee Medicaid will be approved leaving them stuck with a bill in the thousands.
Ask friends and family what they have heard about a building and the staff. Talk to your neighbors and listen to what they say about a facility.
Make an unplanned visit. Best if you go to see a friend or someone who is actually a patient there but if that doesn't happen pop in. More than likely they will ask you to make an appointment with a social worker or customer service representative, if they do this you might wonder what they are hiding.
While are waiting for your tour to start find the survey book. Any time the state comes and inspects the facility they write a report called 2567. These are the deficiencies found during the states visit.
The first column has the F tag it will appear as F 222 or F 323 followed by SS=A or SS=F. The F tag is the rule that the government has deemed necessary for all nursing homes to comply with you can find those online just search for appendix P and PP. The SS is scope and severity or how many people can or are affected by poor practice.The following is a copy of the grid.
The first part of each tag will tell you what the requirement is. These range from providing private place to make phone calls to administering medications correctly. I consider "paper tags" those dealing with Frequency of assessments and doing care plans as drivel. Actual care tags are what you need to look at.
Go during a meal, lunch and supper are best. Go to the dining room and see what is happening. You need to see what the food looks like and smells like. Are the residents eating it or pushing the food away. Ask someone how the food is. Are office staff passing trays? Is the food left on trays or placed on the table like at home. Dining should be as home like as possible. Are staff offering alternatives? Is the food hot, cold food cold? Watch to see if staff are handling residents food with their hands. Are residents being fed? If so is the person doing the feeding sitting or standing over them, or feeding more than one person. Stop and think about how you would want to be fed and what you want to eat.
Will visit this more in Part 2. I do answer questions if there are any.
Friday, July 6, 2012
more ruminations
I try to be green. Spunky recycles all the newspapers Spunky even adds a little ammonia to the mix. (spunky is my elderly, overweight, deaf dog) I have all CFL bulbs in the house. It helps that they are less expensive to run. I plan all my outings so that I use the least amount of gas possible. I plan shopping trips and errand runs so that they are done in one trip. I have discovered Organic milk. Normal milk has hormones in it and it makes me have hot flashes.
Why do people stand right in front on the elevator door blocking your exit from the thing. Do they not know the sooner you can exit the sooner they can get on. Nearly had some goomba knock me down the other day trying to get on the elevator. For added measure I ran over toes with the suitcase I was dragging behind me.
If you sit around and talk bad about other people then you will talk bad about everybody and anybody.
If you don't feel good tell me once, but don't go on and on about all your illness and parts that hurt. I give empathy once but not a dozen times. Go to the doc and get yourself fixed.
Back to being green. We have a rash of dead birds here due to West Nile virus. I will spray and spray and spray because I can get it too and because the dead birds in the yard are a pain in the but, besides the dog keeps trying to eat them.
When you get to be my age if they shave off your pubic hair for surgery it doesn't grow back. Then you look like some dilapidated hooker.
Met a woman who has had more plastic surgery than I could count. She is older than I am. Her silicon fun bags would drive me crazy as she said she sleeps in a bra because she doesn't want them hanging to her knees. Her face has been stretched and it looks pretty good however they didn't do her neck or the skin on the cleavage. It is all old and gnarly. Kind of defeats the purpose.
I have great hairs. Others complain theirs is falling out, too thin, wrong texture, on and on. The only problem with my hairs is it is very grey as I have never colored it. A little "Sun IN" back in the day but no awful chemicals.
Watched "the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" yesterday, awesome movie.
Your screaming idiot children who throw balls over my fence will no longer have a ball.
Doing all this is very cathartic. Have a nice day.
Why do people stand right in front on the elevator door blocking your exit from the thing. Do they not know the sooner you can exit the sooner they can get on. Nearly had some goomba knock me down the other day trying to get on the elevator. For added measure I ran over toes with the suitcase I was dragging behind me.
If you sit around and talk bad about other people then you will talk bad about everybody and anybody.
If you don't feel good tell me once, but don't go on and on about all your illness and parts that hurt. I give empathy once but not a dozen times. Go to the doc and get yourself fixed.
Back to being green. We have a rash of dead birds here due to West Nile virus. I will spray and spray and spray because I can get it too and because the dead birds in the yard are a pain in the but, besides the dog keeps trying to eat them.
When you get to be my age if they shave off your pubic hair for surgery it doesn't grow back. Then you look like some dilapidated hooker.
Met a woman who has had more plastic surgery than I could count. She is older than I am. Her silicon fun bags would drive me crazy as she said she sleeps in a bra because she doesn't want them hanging to her knees. Her face has been stretched and it looks pretty good however they didn't do her neck or the skin on the cleavage. It is all old and gnarly. Kind of defeats the purpose.
I have great hairs. Others complain theirs is falling out, too thin, wrong texture, on and on. The only problem with my hairs is it is very grey as I have never colored it. A little "Sun IN" back in the day but no awful chemicals.
Watched "the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" yesterday, awesome movie.
Your screaming idiot children who throw balls over my fence will no longer have a ball.
Doing all this is very cathartic. Have a nice day.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Back to the unemployment office
Well it is over. I am torn because I really needed the job but the the people were awful. They are the reason why nursing home surveyors have a bad name. To rant and rave and carry on in such a place is awful.
So when he told me today that West Virginia was not going to use contract surveyors it was a relief. It was also a lie. He had already told us they got a contract for the work but he refused to share the details in a group.
I will enjoy being home again with my precious deaf dog and sleep in the comfort of my own bed.
Bedsides it will give me more opportunity to write here.
So when he told me today that West Virginia was not going to use contract surveyors it was a relief. It was also a lie. He had already told us they got a contract for the work but he refused to share the details in a group.
I will enjoy being home again with my precious deaf dog and sleep in the comfort of my own bed.
Bedsides it will give me more opportunity to write here.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
This job
The job that I currently have is ending next week. I really like doing this job the only problem are the dragons I work with. Why do I say dragons because they breath fire. A couple of weeks ago we split up the teams that week 2 of the worst were in a different facility. It was a pleasant week, our work was done and there was no drama. This week back to pure hell. I even had the queen dragon dragging me around by the nose. When she wanted to dictate that everybody go back to the place of work really late and then really early I put my foot down and did not do it.
These dragon wanted to catch the nursing home locking someone out of the building and to catch them using less people than stated to transfer someone out of bed. Well they found nothing. What they succeeded in doing was making themselves really tired and making the whole team look like dragons.
I would like to continue to have this job but the dragons need to have their fire removed.
These dragon wanted to catch the nursing home locking someone out of the building and to catch them using less people than stated to transfer someone out of bed. Well they found nothing. What they succeeded in doing was making themselves really tired and making the whole team look like dragons.
I would like to continue to have this job but the dragons need to have their fire removed.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Injustice
My new job is keeping me way to busy. I really do not like it. I like the job it is just that the people I work with are self serving bitches.
We are supposed to be providing a service that ensures the residents in nursing homes are safe and cared for. I find it improbable that someone who can make derogatory statements about the residents of the town, the home itself , and the workers are able to make an objective opinion about what they are seeing. To make snide remarks of someone's parentage, relationship status, or economic status are uncalled for. I do not want to be near you because how do I know you are not saying the same crap about me.
So we are working in West Virginia and they have this law or statute that allows a doctor to sign a paper that makes anyone they want to loose all their rights. This paper states that the person "lacks capacity" thereby giving decision making authority to someone else. I cannot imagine being unable to decide what medications I wan to take, where I want to go, if I even want to not be tied to a chair because I might fall down.
Other states do not do this. In order to do something even similar would be to have a court appointed guardian. That is only going to happen if you are so out of touch with reality or comatose. Time for WV to get with the times and get rid of that piece of paper and the stigma it places on people. This is a good reason to not live in WV.
We are supposed to be providing a service that ensures the residents in nursing homes are safe and cared for. I find it improbable that someone who can make derogatory statements about the residents of the town, the home itself , and the workers are able to make an objective opinion about what they are seeing. To make snide remarks of someone's parentage, relationship status, or economic status are uncalled for. I do not want to be near you because how do I know you are not saying the same crap about me.
So we are working in West Virginia and they have this law or statute that allows a doctor to sign a paper that makes anyone they want to loose all their rights. This paper states that the person "lacks capacity" thereby giving decision making authority to someone else. I cannot imagine being unable to decide what medications I wan to take, where I want to go, if I even want to not be tied to a chair because I might fall down.
Other states do not do this. In order to do something even similar would be to have a court appointed guardian. That is only going to happen if you are so out of touch with reality or comatose. Time for WV to get with the times and get rid of that piece of paper and the stigma it places on people. This is a good reason to not live in WV.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Cupcakes with
I have a sweet tooth that hurts all the time. In order to get it to stop I bake things. I also bake things when I get really bored. I usually do things by scratch but they have come out with a mix that makes cupcakes with filling in the middle.
Follow the directions on the box. Mix up the batter and place at least a heaping tablespoon in the bottom of each paper cup. Next comes the creme filling. Drop a tsp into each cupcake. Try not to let it touch the paper. Use a toothpick to adjust it to the middle. If it bakes touching the paper when you take the paper off the filling will stick to it.
Top each one with more batter making it as even as possible.
When done allow to cool completely. The package warns that the filling can be hot and burn your mouth.
So these particular ones are yellow cake with white filling and I thought I would try a new icing product with it. This product allows you to mix up your own flavor of icing. So I choose caramel as something different. I usually make caramel buttercreme by scratch to top a great chocolate cake. So as you can see from below the cupcake wound up with most of the filling towards the bottom. It is a trick to get it centered. Not real crazy about the fake carmel flavored icing either. It did however take care of the tooth.
When done allow to cool completely. The package warns that the filling can be hot and burn your mouth.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Things that come to mind.
Requirements to work for the TSA. Any one would think they would be dumb, stupid, irritating and general asshole. Well this is true however, clever is another one. What other job in the world can you only have a GED or HS diploma, get a government job with retirement, insurance, and other benefits. They get paid $22 and hour for standing around and intimidating others.
I once was at the airport and messed up one of those full body scans by moving. I said just run the scan again. The powers that be claimed they could not as it was not their policy. Wake up idiots, you make the dam policy, change it. Anyone who frisks old ladies, young children, and cancer patients with colostomies needs to find another place in the world. TSA has become the terrorist.
I shop at Kroger. Have for years. My local store has decided to reorganize and redecorate the store. I cannot find a dang thing. Food stuff on the same isle with cleaning fluid. Make sure you read things well. I will go someplace else till you are done. Who knows I might like them better.
Airlines. Here is an idea. If they have a seat in the window board them first, then the middle seats and the aisle seats. Make first class board last because they hold up the line. Stop charging for luggage and make EVERYBODY check bags. All that scrambling around to stuff your bag in a hole it doesn't fit is irritating and slows us all down. Saw a lady the other day who couldn't figure out where to put her bag, and I suspect really couldn't lift it, just left it in the aisle. This same woman spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to lie down using 2 seats.
If you get on a plane wearing a costume that denotes a particular religion that the rest of the world suspects, speak in loud foreign languages, or have screaming kids you will be looked at and might even get unwanted comments. You did it to yourself get over it.
New kind of frosting that you add flavor packets to. Nice idea to make it your own but even better is if you place the display at eye level so we can see the packets without reaching way up and messing up the whole display.
Presidential election. I am still making up my mind. If I go with Obama it will be 4 more years of nothing new.(only because the house and senate won't work with him) or 4 years of new shit no one wants from the man who looks like a used car salesman. Can I move to England or France for 4 years?
In West Virginia there is a political race going on where Ed Boober is running for some office. Sorry all I could see was the Boober part. Seriously consider a name change like my friend Bertha Butts is now Bitsy Butts. What were you thinking?
Do not put me in a nursing home. They are warehouses for the undead. They exist only to line their pockets with government cash not to take care of you. If they cared about you then why does the government have to keep going in year after year and inspecting them. If they cared they would do it right the first time and every time.
If for some reason I should ever get killed in a wreck that was brought about because the Houston police were chasing some idiot who didn't want to stop for a traffic ticket, then please sue the city for billions of dollars. They place us all in jeopardy with these pursuits and they need to stop.
My dog is deaf. It will be a different challenge to communicate now.
I once was at the airport and messed up one of those full body scans by moving. I said just run the scan again. The powers that be claimed they could not as it was not their policy. Wake up idiots, you make the dam policy, change it. Anyone who frisks old ladies, young children, and cancer patients with colostomies needs to find another place in the world. TSA has become the terrorist.
I shop at Kroger. Have for years. My local store has decided to reorganize and redecorate the store. I cannot find a dang thing. Food stuff on the same isle with cleaning fluid. Make sure you read things well. I will go someplace else till you are done. Who knows I might like them better.
Airlines. Here is an idea. If they have a seat in the window board them first, then the middle seats and the aisle seats. Make first class board last because they hold up the line. Stop charging for luggage and make EVERYBODY check bags. All that scrambling around to stuff your bag in a hole it doesn't fit is irritating and slows us all down. Saw a lady the other day who couldn't figure out where to put her bag, and I suspect really couldn't lift it, just left it in the aisle. This same woman spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to lie down using 2 seats.
If you get on a plane wearing a costume that denotes a particular religion that the rest of the world suspects, speak in loud foreign languages, or have screaming kids you will be looked at and might even get unwanted comments. You did it to yourself get over it.
New kind of frosting that you add flavor packets to. Nice idea to make it your own but even better is if you place the display at eye level so we can see the packets without reaching way up and messing up the whole display.
Presidential election. I am still making up my mind. If I go with Obama it will be 4 more years of nothing new.(only because the house and senate won't work with him) or 4 years of new shit no one wants from the man who looks like a used car salesman. Can I move to England or France for 4 years?
In West Virginia there is a political race going on where Ed Boober is running for some office. Sorry all I could see was the Boober part. Seriously consider a name change like my friend Bertha Butts is now Bitsy Butts. What were you thinking?
Do not put me in a nursing home. They are warehouses for the undead. They exist only to line their pockets with government cash not to take care of you. If they cared about you then why does the government have to keep going in year after year and inspecting them. If they cared they would do it right the first time and every time.
If for some reason I should ever get killed in a wreck that was brought about because the Houston police were chasing some idiot who didn't want to stop for a traffic ticket, then please sue the city for billions of dollars. They place us all in jeopardy with these pursuits and they need to stop.
My dog is deaf. It will be a different challenge to communicate now.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Ruminations
This new job is keeping me busy. Between that and still trying to loose weight I have not been able to get here and do anything. I promise to get better.
The first survey is over and we have written 15 tags. Not bad for a nursing home that hasn't had a survey in 3 years. We actually expected worse.
It really was fun we ate out a lot and laughed a lot. I learned a lot too. The ladies I am working with are so very knowledgeable.
I spent this last week at home writing my citations and dragging the dog around the neighborhood. We have had cool mornings so the earlier the better. I just wish he would not poop in other peoples yards. I am not going to clean it up, Nobody picks up the horse droppings their dogs leave in my yard. I might charge for free fertilizer. I need to change direction of the walk so that the last bit is in the shade. The dog starts panting too hard in the sun.
So May 3 the dog gets his teeth cleaned. His mouth smells worse than his butt so it is really needed. I think he may be deaf. He ignores me a lot, but then most all the men in my life have ignored me. Even cutting his balls off did nothing to improve that.
Tomorrow is much day. Raul my Mexican gardener ( I guess it is not PC to say Mexican since I do not know from which country he is really from) will come and plant bushes and tote mulch to the back yard for the trees. I had to order 5 cubic yards of the stuff in order to get it delivered. I got tired of toting it around in the back of the vehicle. Not to mention I am too old to be doing that stuff anymore. Well maybe if I loose 10 more pounds.
So this morning I weighed self and have finally lost the first 10 pounds. It feels really good. Just that I have so far to go it is barely a dent. I am doing the weight watchers, bumped up my exercise and am learning to leave food on the plate at the restaurant. Hopefully I will be able to see my lady parts again with out a mirror, don't know how guys with the big beer guts know what the length of your junk is.
My scanner screwed up on me. It keeps saying the program is unstable. There is another scanner here that won't work cause it says it need ink. Don't know why it says that cause I have never used the thing. Tried to get the ink cartridge out so I could go get one. I couldn't figure out how to get it out. Sometimes technology cause more problems than they are worth.
Cells phones are one piece I could live without. People standing around in stores and other public spaces yaking loudly on phone is annoying. I was at the airport in Charlotte 2 weeks ago and some jerk was talking so loud you could not hear the overhead paging for flights. I wanted to jam that phone down his pretentious neck.
So this week we had a lady shot and killed in the parking lot of a doctors office and her 3 day old baby kidnapped. The baby was found safe and sound. The woman doing the murder wanted the baby because her boyfriend thought she was pregnant and she needed a baby so he would marry her. Well get this the lady she killed was white, her baby was white, the killer very black as well as the boyfriend. Talk about color blind. Don't really think that would have worked. One thing that pisses me off is that if the killer would have been white and mother black we would be having protests and riots claiming it was a hate crime. Why are we not having that now, I don't think this killer woman has any regard for people only herself.
Need to cut this short the dump truck should be here soon and it is time for lunch. Lettuce and tuna, yum.
The first survey is over and we have written 15 tags. Not bad for a nursing home that hasn't had a survey in 3 years. We actually expected worse.
It really was fun we ate out a lot and laughed a lot. I learned a lot too. The ladies I am working with are so very knowledgeable.
I spent this last week at home writing my citations and dragging the dog around the neighborhood. We have had cool mornings so the earlier the better. I just wish he would not poop in other peoples yards. I am not going to clean it up, Nobody picks up the horse droppings their dogs leave in my yard. I might charge for free fertilizer. I need to change direction of the walk so that the last bit is in the shade. The dog starts panting too hard in the sun.
So May 3 the dog gets his teeth cleaned. His mouth smells worse than his butt so it is really needed. I think he may be deaf. He ignores me a lot, but then most all the men in my life have ignored me. Even cutting his balls off did nothing to improve that.
Tomorrow is much day. Raul my Mexican gardener ( I guess it is not PC to say Mexican since I do not know from which country he is really from) will come and plant bushes and tote mulch to the back yard for the trees. I had to order 5 cubic yards of the stuff in order to get it delivered. I got tired of toting it around in the back of the vehicle. Not to mention I am too old to be doing that stuff anymore. Well maybe if I loose 10 more pounds.
So this morning I weighed self and have finally lost the first 10 pounds. It feels really good. Just that I have so far to go it is barely a dent. I am doing the weight watchers, bumped up my exercise and am learning to leave food on the plate at the restaurant. Hopefully I will be able to see my lady parts again with out a mirror, don't know how guys with the big beer guts know what the length of your junk is.
My scanner screwed up on me. It keeps saying the program is unstable. There is another scanner here that won't work cause it says it need ink. Don't know why it says that cause I have never used the thing. Tried to get the ink cartridge out so I could go get one. I couldn't figure out how to get it out. Sometimes technology cause more problems than they are worth.
Cells phones are one piece I could live without. People standing around in stores and other public spaces yaking loudly on phone is annoying. I was at the airport in Charlotte 2 weeks ago and some jerk was talking so loud you could not hear the overhead paging for flights. I wanted to jam that phone down his pretentious neck.
So this week we had a lady shot and killed in the parking lot of a doctors office and her 3 day old baby kidnapped. The baby was found safe and sound. The woman doing the murder wanted the baby because her boyfriend thought she was pregnant and she needed a baby so he would marry her. Well get this the lady she killed was white, her baby was white, the killer very black as well as the boyfriend. Talk about color blind. Don't really think that would have worked. One thing that pisses me off is that if the killer would have been white and mother black we would be having protests and riots claiming it was a hate crime. Why are we not having that now, I don't think this killer woman has any regard for people only herself.
Need to cut this short the dump truck should be here soon and it is time for lunch. Lettuce and tuna, yum.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Birdsong and dog puke
While I wait for my first assignment for my new job I am contented to continue to read more of Anne McCaffrey collection. The Rowan is the first in a series of books about humans with more than extraordinary telekinetic and telepathic abilities. I am also cleaning the house, dealing with yard issues, and a number of things.
When I bought this house I immediately bought three trees and planted them in the back yard. The intent was to make sure that there was some shade back there. It is on the east side of the house and the early morning sun would heat the house too quickly. So I planted 3 trees. I planted a silver maple, red oak, and a bradford pear. The oak and the pear have flourished the maple has grown a little. I do not know why the maple won't grow. It is frustrating.
The trees attract the birds. They flick and flitter about catching bugs and what not. They also shit all over everything. The chairs, the generator house, everything gets a hit by bird poop. Poop of any kind has germs, therefore my back yard is one giant petrie dish.
Well the flittery pooping birds are not that many because of the resident hawk. Yes the hawk. To be specific there are 2 of them. I have many pictures of them sitting on the fence, a movie of one of them eating something, and a movie of one swooping at me. They are beautiful huge beasts. Noiseless, graceful in flight they do sit majestically on the fence, watching. The little birds are noisy. They fight with each other, squawk and poop as they fly by. There are a couple of doves that sit on the fence and kiss. The doves hide under the azaleas in the front yard. In the winter they look like they are puffed up trying to keep warm.
The worst are the ones who sit on the top of the chimney to the fireplace. While cheerful birdsong is okay for a short period of time but this one sits there for hours. The birdsong reverberates down the chimney and becomes 3 x as loud as normal. This drives the dog nuts cause he thinks he hears them in the house. But since the TV sits near the fireplace the birdsong drowns out the TV. I must appear crazy running out the back door flapping my arms to scare the bird off.
One day some birds were fighting in the backyard carrying on and such. It was early evening and the house shades most of the back yard as the sun sets in the West. I walked outside and was standing on the patio when I noticed the shadow what looked like batman sitting on the chimney. After my heart started beating again I turned around and saw the hawk sitting up there watching his supper cavort in the back yard.
The back yard is the dogs domain. He searches it everyday to make sure no one has invaded his space. He is 13 years old and his hearing and vision is not as it should be. Occasionally he gets an upset tummy and eats grass. Bird poop grass.
When that happens he come in and pukes. If you watch a dog they are not very eloquent when they barf. There sides heave in and out and this partially digested kibble comes out like a lumpy pudding. The worst is if you let them alone they re-eat it. They are not wasteful. In order to keep that from happening again I usually get up and remove the mess before they can re-eat it. After all something about that feast is what made sick to begin with.
Well my trusty friend puked twice the other day. I cleaned both up rather quickly. The second incident the dog spent 2 hours looking for it. He sniffed the entire living room floor and then some. Ugh what a disgusting habit. Must be something left over from being a wolf and when food was scarce.
When I bought this house I immediately bought three trees and planted them in the back yard. The intent was to make sure that there was some shade back there. It is on the east side of the house and the early morning sun would heat the house too quickly. So I planted 3 trees. I planted a silver maple, red oak, and a bradford pear. The oak and the pear have flourished the maple has grown a little. I do not know why the maple won't grow. It is frustrating.
the maple
the pear
The trees attract the birds. They flick and flitter about catching bugs and what not. They also shit all over everything. The chairs, the generator house, everything gets a hit by bird poop. Poop of any kind has germs, therefore my back yard is one giant petrie dish.
Well the flittery pooping birds are not that many because of the resident hawk. Yes the hawk. To be specific there are 2 of them. I have many pictures of them sitting on the fence, a movie of one of them eating something, and a movie of one swooping at me. They are beautiful huge beasts. Noiseless, graceful in flight they do sit majestically on the fence, watching. The little birds are noisy. They fight with each other, squawk and poop as they fly by. There are a couple of doves that sit on the fence and kiss. The doves hide under the azaleas in the front yard. In the winter they look like they are puffed up trying to keep warm.
The worst are the ones who sit on the top of the chimney to the fireplace. While cheerful birdsong is okay for a short period of time but this one sits there for hours. The birdsong reverberates down the chimney and becomes 3 x as loud as normal. This drives the dog nuts cause he thinks he hears them in the house. But since the TV sits near the fireplace the birdsong drowns out the TV. I must appear crazy running out the back door flapping my arms to scare the bird off.
One day some birds were fighting in the backyard carrying on and such. It was early evening and the house shades most of the back yard as the sun sets in the West. I walked outside and was standing on the patio when I noticed the shadow what looked like batman sitting on the chimney. After my heart started beating again I turned around and saw the hawk sitting up there watching his supper cavort in the back yard.
The back yard is the dogs domain. He searches it everyday to make sure no one has invaded his space. He is 13 years old and his hearing and vision is not as it should be. Occasionally he gets an upset tummy and eats grass. Bird poop grass.
When that happens he come in and pukes. If you watch a dog they are not very eloquent when they barf. There sides heave in and out and this partially digested kibble comes out like a lumpy pudding. The worst is if you let them alone they re-eat it. They are not wasteful. In order to keep that from happening again I usually get up and remove the mess before they can re-eat it. After all something about that feast is what made sick to begin with.
Well my trusty friend puked twice the other day. I cleaned both up rather quickly. The second incident the dog spent 2 hours looking for it. He sniffed the entire living room floor and then some. Ugh what a disgusting habit. Must be something left over from being a wolf and when food was scarce.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
New job
Yes. Faithful reader all one of you. I have a new job. Started today getting paid. I will be doing government work. That is all I can really tell you. I will be traveling and might not get here as often as I would like. If you are a friend then you will get pics and updates from me on facebook. If not then sorry.
I am so totally grateful to have a job. It is really an awesome job and the money is really good.
I have been home for such a long time I have gotten cabin fever and stir crazy. Well later folks I have to go do some review.
I am so totally grateful to have a job. It is really an awesome job and the money is really good.
I have been home for such a long time I have gotten cabin fever and stir crazy. Well later folks I have to go do some review.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Anne McCaffrey
This post is about one of my favorite authors, Anne McCaffrey. For those of you who do not know of her work then you are missing out. Science Fiction Fantasy was her genre. Was is the correct tense she passed away November of 2011.
I write about her because she was a gutsy lady, one to be admired. After divorcing her husband of many years she uprooted herself and moved to Ireland. Supporting herself with her writing she saw many thin years and when her Dragon riders of Pern series took off she gained the recognition she deserved.
She writes stories with strong female characters who are intelligent, sensuous and strong. Women who were not afraid of being leaders or going against the grain. Ms McCaffrey was herself a leader and went against the grain. Not many individuals have wherewithal to move to another country on their own to make a fresh start. To make a move even a short distance takes a lot of fortitude.
So back to her stories. I have several of her books the ones I like the most are the Crystal Singer series. I am currently rereading them and noticed that the main character also threw her old life to the wind and moved to a new planet, new career, new adventures. With in the stories we also see that McCaffrey also showed us the internet. Many of her characters go to the terminal to look up information. They record personal thoughts and check their credits balance. I found this so insightful for a woman writing a book back in 1985 to include this in her stories. Checking messages and looking up stuff is something so common place now but unheard of back in 1985.
Killshandra the main character of the Crystal Singer series develops memory loss ,as do all the singers. Seems that the Crystal affects the singer in such a way that they become obsessed with the crystal. Could this be a description of Alzheimer's and it's memory loss or possibly the single minded obsession of a drug addict.
I never read the dragon rider series. Life got in the way. So as soon as I am able I will have to obtain the series and read it.
When Ms McCaffrey died we lost a really great writer. Her depictions of strong independent women were spot on.
I write about her because she was a gutsy lady, one to be admired. After divorcing her husband of many years she uprooted herself and moved to Ireland. Supporting herself with her writing she saw many thin years and when her Dragon riders of Pern series took off she gained the recognition she deserved.
She writes stories with strong female characters who are intelligent, sensuous and strong. Women who were not afraid of being leaders or going against the grain. Ms McCaffrey was herself a leader and went against the grain. Not many individuals have wherewithal to move to another country on their own to make a fresh start. To make a move even a short distance takes a lot of fortitude.
So back to her stories. I have several of her books the ones I like the most are the Crystal Singer series. I am currently rereading them and noticed that the main character also threw her old life to the wind and moved to a new planet, new career, new adventures. With in the stories we also see that McCaffrey also showed us the internet. Many of her characters go to the terminal to look up information. They record personal thoughts and check their credits balance. I found this so insightful for a woman writing a book back in 1985 to include this in her stories. Checking messages and looking up stuff is something so common place now but unheard of back in 1985.
Killshandra the main character of the Crystal Singer series develops memory loss ,as do all the singers. Seems that the Crystal affects the singer in such a way that they become obsessed with the crystal. Could this be a description of Alzheimer's and it's memory loss or possibly the single minded obsession of a drug addict.
I never read the dragon rider series. Life got in the way. So as soon as I am able I will have to obtain the series and read it.
When Ms McCaffrey died we lost a really great writer. Her depictions of strong independent women were spot on.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
That time of year. Prepping for a storm
May- June starts hurricane season. Having lived through the Rita evacuation and Ike I have a pretty good idea of what I need to do to be prepared for the eventual power outage and other eventualities. I find it better to do this now than wait till the last minute. I plan for at least a week of no power. Lucky that all the power in my neighborhood is underground and comes back on rather quickly.During Ike we only were out for 3 days.
When Rita was threatening Houston with a direct hit as a category 5 storm I was on the south side of town. Normally it would have taken 30 to 45 minutes to get home from where I was but due to the evacuation I could not get anywhere. I wound up zig zagging through town. With my son on the phone who was using a google map and me in my car I managed to get home in 2 hours. All the northern routes where bumper to bumper and not moving. I managed to stop at the store bought the very last insulated cooler and a couple of jugs of water. We gathered the stuff we would need till the next day and bugged out. I did have a friend make hotel reservations for us up in Dallas so we had a place to stay.
That was long and tedious journey. Mom in the back seat complained the entire time we were gone. The dog in a makeshift kennel whined and cried most of the time and would occasionally bark. (made a dog kennel from a covered cat litter pan. The back had a grate for air but the front was open so we cut holes for paint stir sticks to keep him in the thing. It worked) All of the interstates were not moving that day but armed with a key map of Houston, and a larger one for Texas we managed to zig zag out way to Dallas. Of course we all know Rita turned at the last minute and dropped down to a cat 3 but still did billions of dollars worth of damage.
First is to make sure I have some cash stowed away. ATM's are not going to work with the power off. The amount of cash is up to you. Place all you cash, birth certificates, passports copies of your ID's, homeowners insurance and anything else legal in a plastic bag or water tight bag. Put that bag someplace accessible to you but not available to someone who should not have it.
Gas. You will need this for your car or the generator. I have 2, 5 gallon plastic cans for this. The plan is fill them up before I need them. Now gasoline doesn't keep so I will have to get something called "stabil" to put in the the containers. I will keep my gas full in the car not letting it get below 1/2 tank. I need to find an affordable hand crank or pump to move the gas from the car to the cans if possible. I saw a large 15 gallon gas tank on wheels that would be nice to have.
The generator is in storage. I keep it with all of the instructions and the oil in a safe place. Have to wait for the storm to pass before it can be used. I can see myself in some comedy routine trying to start this thing in 70 mile and hour wind. Along with the generator you need extension cords, and all important a carbon monoxide detector. So many useless deaths from carbon monoxide that generators emit. Of course in most instances the generator was in the garage or too close to the house.
Batteries. You will need these for the radio, camping lamps, flash lights etc. Rechargeable are nice to have. A solar battery recharger would be nice to have especially if you do not have a generator.
Food. Think protein. Canned meats should be a priority. Spam can be eaten straight from the can, cooked in casseroles, sandwiches, and just a multitude of ways. Canned tuna and salmon are also good sources of protein. Then there are jerky's that you can eat the way they are or rehydrate and make into other dishes. Stew like soups are also good for this. Do not buy frozen foods. Unless have a generator you can hook your refrigerator up to you can plan on eating and cooking all that frozen food in the first 24 hours. Food items should be chosen based on shelf life. Dried, canned, powdered works best. Make sure you include a powdered drink mix like tang or lemonade, as well as instant coffee, tea, and powdered milk. You can use powdered milk for cooking or cereal. Powdered eggs are also an option. I would not spend my money on MRE's or these commercially prepared food kits. They might not be well received and are more expensive than collecting your own. If you go to the grocery once a week and add extra to you list you should be well stocked by the time hurricane season rolls around.
Cooking. I have a gas stove. It worked even when the power was out. I have lighter that has a long snout on it for starting charcoal and it came in handy for lighting the stove. So I could still cook in the house using my regular cookware. A propane grill, camp stove and various fuels are out there for use. You might need to modify your cookware for use over an open flame. If worse come to worse I do have a gas fireplace that burns wood but do not attempt to cook using manufactured firplace logs. Those have a lot of chemicals and additives in them and are not a healthy option. After Ike it was common place to see folks out on the driveway with their grills going. Great way to meet your neighbors and be social.
When Ike visited us it was a cat 3 hurricane and did not cause that much damage to the interior reaches of the city and areas North and West. It was the coast that was hardest hit with many homes destroyed and several lives lost. If a cat 5 is bearing down on us I am out of here. My house will not survive winds that strong.
There are other issues and adventures related to Rita and Ike I will share at another time.
When Rita was threatening Houston with a direct hit as a category 5 storm I was on the south side of town. Normally it would have taken 30 to 45 minutes to get home from where I was but due to the evacuation I could not get anywhere. I wound up zig zagging through town. With my son on the phone who was using a google map and me in my car I managed to get home in 2 hours. All the northern routes where bumper to bumper and not moving. I managed to stop at the store bought the very last insulated cooler and a couple of jugs of water. We gathered the stuff we would need till the next day and bugged out. I did have a friend make hotel reservations for us up in Dallas so we had a place to stay.
That was long and tedious journey. Mom in the back seat complained the entire time we were gone. The dog in a makeshift kennel whined and cried most of the time and would occasionally bark. (made a dog kennel from a covered cat litter pan. The back had a grate for air but the front was open so we cut holes for paint stir sticks to keep him in the thing. It worked) All of the interstates were not moving that day but armed with a key map of Houston, and a larger one for Texas we managed to zig zag out way to Dallas. Of course we all know Rita turned at the last minute and dropped down to a cat 3 but still did billions of dollars worth of damage.
First is to make sure I have some cash stowed away. ATM's are not going to work with the power off. The amount of cash is up to you. Place all you cash, birth certificates, passports copies of your ID's, homeowners insurance and anything else legal in a plastic bag or water tight bag. Put that bag someplace accessible to you but not available to someone who should not have it.
Gas. You will need this for your car or the generator. I have 2, 5 gallon plastic cans for this. The plan is fill them up before I need them. Now gasoline doesn't keep so I will have to get something called "stabil" to put in the the containers. I will keep my gas full in the car not letting it get below 1/2 tank. I need to find an affordable hand crank or pump to move the gas from the car to the cans if possible. I saw a large 15 gallon gas tank on wheels that would be nice to have.
The generator is in storage. I keep it with all of the instructions and the oil in a safe place. Have to wait for the storm to pass before it can be used. I can see myself in some comedy routine trying to start this thing in 70 mile and hour wind. Along with the generator you need extension cords, and all important a carbon monoxide detector. So many useless deaths from carbon monoxide that generators emit. Of course in most instances the generator was in the garage or too close to the house.
Batteries. You will need these for the radio, camping lamps, flash lights etc. Rechargeable are nice to have. A solar battery recharger would be nice to have especially if you do not have a generator.
Food. Think protein. Canned meats should be a priority. Spam can be eaten straight from the can, cooked in casseroles, sandwiches, and just a multitude of ways. Canned tuna and salmon are also good sources of protein. Then there are jerky's that you can eat the way they are or rehydrate and make into other dishes. Stew like soups are also good for this. Do not buy frozen foods. Unless have a generator you can hook your refrigerator up to you can plan on eating and cooking all that frozen food in the first 24 hours. Food items should be chosen based on shelf life. Dried, canned, powdered works best. Make sure you include a powdered drink mix like tang or lemonade, as well as instant coffee, tea, and powdered milk. You can use powdered milk for cooking or cereal. Powdered eggs are also an option. I would not spend my money on MRE's or these commercially prepared food kits. They might not be well received and are more expensive than collecting your own. If you go to the grocery once a week and add extra to you list you should be well stocked by the time hurricane season rolls around.
Cooking. I have a gas stove. It worked even when the power was out. I have lighter that has a long snout on it for starting charcoal and it came in handy for lighting the stove. So I could still cook in the house using my regular cookware. A propane grill, camp stove and various fuels are out there for use. You might need to modify your cookware for use over an open flame. If worse come to worse I do have a gas fireplace that burns wood but do not attempt to cook using manufactured firplace logs. Those have a lot of chemicals and additives in them and are not a healthy option. After Ike it was common place to see folks out on the driveway with their grills going. Great way to meet your neighbors and be social.
When Ike visited us it was a cat 3 hurricane and did not cause that much damage to the interior reaches of the city and areas North and West. It was the coast that was hardest hit with many homes destroyed and several lives lost. If a cat 5 is bearing down on us I am out of here. My house will not survive winds that strong.
There are other issues and adventures related to Rita and Ike I will share at another time.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Book Report: 19Q
I have a passion for science fiction, especially that dealing with the end of the world or mass destruction. Either by war, famine or disease. I found this book while doing an internet search for new books. I ordered this from Amazon and it arrived here on Monday.
I have wasted a fair amount of time reading this book.
For only having 234 pages this is the most ponderous, dry book ever written. My genetics textbook from college was more fun to read.
The plot centers on people who start dying from a fictitious illness that originally caused mild seizures but was controlled by a new medication. Three greedy scientist -business men cook up the condition, a means of giving people the condition, and a cure. The main scientist is killed by one of the business partners because. Of course we will never know he is killed off before the book ever begins.
The implausible premise that a whole new element is discovered that causes a gene mutation that causes the "disease" is pretty hokey. The author doesn't know the difference between a disease, condition, or affliction. He keeps referring to it as a disease.
There is little to no character development in this book. We are introduced to several people that seem to get killed off or are abandoned shortly after being introduced. There is no clear protagonist and the only antagonist are 2 dead business men and mutated chromosome.
Don't bother to buy this book. Waste of money.
Oh the cover is is nice, that is the only redeeming quality.
I have wasted a fair amount of time reading this book.
For only having 234 pages this is the most ponderous, dry book ever written. My genetics textbook from college was more fun to read.
The plot centers on people who start dying from a fictitious illness that originally caused mild seizures but was controlled by a new medication. Three greedy scientist -business men cook up the condition, a means of giving people the condition, and a cure. The main scientist is killed by one of the business partners because. Of course we will never know he is killed off before the book ever begins.
The implausible premise that a whole new element is discovered that causes a gene mutation that causes the "disease" is pretty hokey. The author doesn't know the difference between a disease, condition, or affliction. He keeps referring to it as a disease.
There is little to no character development in this book. We are introduced to several people that seem to get killed off or are abandoned shortly after being introduced. There is no clear protagonist and the only antagonist are 2 dead business men and mutated chromosome.
Don't bother to buy this book. Waste of money.
Oh the cover is is nice, that is the only redeeming quality.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Roast Beast
Nothing is better than the Sunday roast. Unfortunately it took me years to figure out that I failed at roast beef. Two years ago I purchased a crock pot slow cooker, the kind with the removable crock. I had one of the crock pots that you had to get creative when it came to cleaning it, as the crock was permanently fixed to the heating business. I threw it away. Hated trying to clean it.
So got a nice new one and decided to try out a roast. Thanks to the slow cooker I am now a wizard with beef.
Any cut will do, I usually get what is cheapest and on sale. Salt and pepper the outside and brown all the sides in a skillet with vegetable oil.
Place browned meat into crock and add 2 cans french onion soup, 1 large carton of beef broth, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 large onion cut in large chunks. Cover, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You can also do 4 hours on high but the best is low and slow.
Once the meat is done gather it and place on platter, cover with foil to keep warm. I say gather because usually the meat falls apart at this point.
You can use a cup of the liquid left in the crock for gravy. You can strain it or not and place it in a small sauce pan. Heat liquid and in a separate cup or a small jar mix 2 heaping tablespoons of corn starch with cold water and stir. When liquid boils add corn starch and stir, it will thicken quickly so keep stirring. If it gets to thick add more liquid left over from roast.
Soup time. Take the liquid and remove the globs of fat floating on top and discard. Place the liquid in a large pot. Chop up the remaining meat and place in pot. Add 1 can tomato sauce and one can each of whatever vegetables you like. Beans of all kinds, corn, peas, potatoes are good and hearty. If you want you can add fresh vegetables if you have them. Add whatever seasoning you desire. I usually add some salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, thyme, and a tablespoon of sugar. Cook covered for 15 minutes if the mixture is too thick add more beef broth or tomato sauce, you might need to add more seasoning to this. If too wet add a handful of macaroni, rice, or quinoa. You should wind up with a very tasty and hearty vegetable soup.
So got a nice new one and decided to try out a roast. Thanks to the slow cooker I am now a wizard with beef.
Place browned meat into crock and add 2 cans french onion soup, 1 large carton of beef broth, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 large onion cut in large chunks. Cover, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You can also do 4 hours on high but the best is low and slow.
Once the meat is done gather it and place on platter, cover with foil to keep warm. I say gather because usually the meat falls apart at this point.
You can use a cup of the liquid left in the crock for gravy. You can strain it or not and place it in a small sauce pan. Heat liquid and in a separate cup or a small jar mix 2 heaping tablespoons of corn starch with cold water and stir. When liquid boils add corn starch and stir, it will thicken quickly so keep stirring. If it gets to thick add more liquid left over from roast.
( my camera doesn't do justice looks dry but it is not)
Ahh leftovers. In this economic time nothing gets discarded. Save the liquid and the meat separately and refrigerate over night. The next day shred enough beef for sandwiches about 1/2 cup per sandwich. Place in a pot with a small amount of the leftover liquid and bring to a boil. If you have a special desire for more or different season then add those to the pot. Once the meat is heated and softened then serve on buns with what ever side dishes or accoutrements you desire. I smear a small amount of mustard on my bun.Soup time. Take the liquid and remove the globs of fat floating on top and discard. Place the liquid in a large pot. Chop up the remaining meat and place in pot. Add 1 can tomato sauce and one can each of whatever vegetables you like. Beans of all kinds, corn, peas, potatoes are good and hearty. If you want you can add fresh vegetables if you have them. Add whatever seasoning you desire. I usually add some salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, thyme, and a tablespoon of sugar. Cook covered for 15 minutes if the mixture is too thick add more beef broth or tomato sauce, you might need to add more seasoning to this. If too wet add a handful of macaroni, rice, or quinoa. You should wind up with a very tasty and hearty vegetable soup.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Side tracked
Sorry got really busy here trying to get information together for job hunting. I have been searching for my college transcripts and cannot find them. So I have been methodically tearing the house apart trying to find them.
I haven't found them yet.
I did find emails I printed out from a previous job where I am being berated for not going to work. At the time I was hemorrhaging and thought I was dying. Was waiting to see the doctor. Every time I stood up I felt like passing out. I should have quit that job then.
Found pictures of myself from happier times, skinnier times.
I saved some letters from my middle child. He ripped me apart in one for making his life miserable. I didn't hear from him for years then get a letter asking me for money. Sorry son it doesn't work that way. I will not be used.
I found my youngest son's report cards, academic tests, and other paperwork from his school years. It is a shame he never applied himself all his TAS tests and Stanford -Benet blew everybody out of the water. He almost had a perfect score on the ACT.
I have divorce degrees from poison people who waste oxygen on this earth. Death certificates from dead relatives. My fathers high school diploma.
I have a few more areas of paper to go through then I will be done. That $20 bill I found will probably go to obtaining another copy of my transcripts.
So back to digging.
I haven't found them yet.
I did find emails I printed out from a previous job where I am being berated for not going to work. At the time I was hemorrhaging and thought I was dying. Was waiting to see the doctor. Every time I stood up I felt like passing out. I should have quit that job then.
Found pictures of myself from happier times, skinnier times.
I saved some letters from my middle child. He ripped me apart in one for making his life miserable. I didn't hear from him for years then get a letter asking me for money. Sorry son it doesn't work that way. I will not be used.
I found my youngest son's report cards, academic tests, and other paperwork from his school years. It is a shame he never applied himself all his TAS tests and Stanford -Benet blew everybody out of the water. He almost had a perfect score on the ACT.
I have divorce degrees from poison people who waste oxygen on this earth. Death certificates from dead relatives. My fathers high school diploma.
I have a few more areas of paper to go through then I will be done. That $20 bill I found will probably go to obtaining another copy of my transcripts.
So back to digging.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Jungle Bread
I have a habit of changing recipes constantly. I use things I have on hand and so sometimes it comes out very different. This is one of those recipes that even if I change stuff up always taste the same.
1 1/2 c flour (I used 1 cup all purpose and 1/2 c whole wheat)
1 c quick cooking oats
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c flaked coconut
1/2 c toasted nuts ( I don't use these)
1 c mashed bananas
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice (for some reason I always wind up with a 20 oz can so it's 1 cup)
1/4 c vegetable oil 2 eggs
Stir first 9 ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix bananas, pineapple, oil and eggs; add all at once to dry ingredients and till all are moistened. Do not over stir. Pour in greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Cool and remove from pan.
GLAZE
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T butter
1/2 tsp coconut or vanilla extract
1 to 2 tsp milk to desired consistency
Very dense and naturally sweet.
1 1/2 c flour (I used 1 cup all purpose and 1/2 c whole wheat)
1 c quick cooking oats
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c flaked coconut
1/2 c toasted nuts ( I don't use these)
1 c mashed bananas
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice (for some reason I always wind up with a 20 oz can so it's 1 cup)
1/4 c vegetable oil 2 eggs
Stir first 9 ingredients together in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix bananas, pineapple, oil and eggs; add all at once to dry ingredients and till all are moistened. Do not over stir. Pour in greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Cool and remove from pan.
GLAZE
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 T butter
1/2 tsp coconut or vanilla extract
1 to 2 tsp milk to desired consistency
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Alright
I was able to save several of my posts. This is what happens when you allow someone to pull your chain. Lesson learned, those you think are your friend are not. I learned that someone was a really shallow hateful person who was not my friend. I am not saying I am perfect. I did however say somethings that were not communicated properly. I am not an eloquent writer and the message was not as it should have been. I am sorry for that.
It is anew day and life is good.
It is anew day and life is good.
A day with mom
My mother has been in a nursing home for a couple of years. She
has an advanced case of Macular Degeneration, hard of hearing, and many
psychiatric problems. She wound up in the nursing home because of frequent
falls, inability to fix food for herself, mismanaging her meds, poor hygiene,
and very poor decision-making.
She had been residing in an independent living apartment. It was
a cute apartment that even I would live in. They had a schedule of activities
that were geared for active older adults. The best thing was they provided 2
meals a day except weekends. Breakfast and lunch were served in a gracious
dinning room. The chink in the chain was when mother got on the phone and had
some nurse practitioner come to her apartment that was going to write her
scraps for such things as Xanax and Ativan.
I had spent 6 months tapering her off the Xanax, yes it is
addicting, along with several medications that she did not need. The only thing
I could not remedy was the psych issues and her obsession.
Two years ago Christmas mother fell. One time while out with a
very irresponsible aunt who never even reported to the nursing home she had
fallen. She fell again while wearing a pair of shoes she was unfamiliar with
and did not fit her feet. She was allowed to walk in her with these on and she
fell breaking her hand.
Any such trauma to someone of advanced age will set him or her
back. No matter how trivial a small adventure places them in a spin. Of course
this resulted in a wound to the top of her hand and required wound care as well
as a splint to her right hand.
Because of this injury she slowly just stopped getting out of
bed or doing anything for herself. If you don't use it you loose it. She can no
longer walk, sit up, has difficulty feeding herself and doing simple things for
herself.
Well yesterday on my visit 2 young ladies had managed to talk
her into getting up. It was also a day when I just happened to show up. I got
to spend 2 hrs with my mom while she was up and out of the bed. I fed her lunch,
combed her hair, and helped her brush her teeth. She spoke about stuff, other
than her obsessions, and it was an enjoyable day. There haven't been too many
of those for a while.
Diet time
Well I have sat on butt sort of since last summer and with all
this inactivity I am packing on the pounds. So today I am going to go on a diet.
So the plan of choice here is Weight Watchers. I have done this before and lost
a few pounds and hopefully can do this again.
If I succeed I'll post picture when I get to my 10% goal.
So keep your fingers crossed. Oh and free gym membership would
be nice.
Dog Breath
Yorkies get something called Stinky teeth. They require frequent
cleaning from the vet that can be really expensive. In between times he still
has the breath of a dragon. I have tried numerous commercial preparations for
the stench and they don't work. So today I made my own dog breath biscuits.
2 cups whole-wheat flour or brown rice flour
1 egg
2/3 cup of milk
1/2-cup fresh mint
1/2-cup fresh parsley
1 cube beef bullion low sodium version melted in a small amount
of water or use beef broth 1 or 2 T
Place parsley and mint leaves in food processor and pulse till
chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse till it forms a ball. Roll
dough on floured surface to 1/2 inch or less cut in strips 1/2 inch to 3 or 4
inches long twist like you would a bread stick or use a cookie cutter. Place on
greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Dog likes them and he smells better.
Life with Spunky part 2
So I would up with this little brown and black dog that I knew
nothing about. I have never had a dog, had a cat my mother hated. When I got
sick and had to go in hospital my mother gave my cat away. So we gathered up
food, bowls, crate, collar and leash and off we went.
Remember this is the son's dog he is supposed to crate
train him and clean up after him. Yeah right. The dog never got trained and the
clean up still goes on.
So stupid me thought maybe there was some other problem with the
dogs training so I got a doggie door and installed it in the back door. That
was fun sitting on the floor with a level and a power saw.
The thing with the doggie door was that at 2 AM he would go
outside and barks at blowing leaves. Had to plug it up at night, which defeated
some of the purpose.
My son was too much a softy to put the dog in his crate when he
left so he shut him in his room. The dog tore up the carpet at the door and
peed on it.
When our neighborhood changed abruptly and it was no longer a
safe place to live then getting that carpet fixed turned into a hassle.
We moved and everything was fairly ok for a while except it
turned out that Spunky wasn't the son's dog he was mine.
I could not sit down in a chair without getting a dog in my lap.
He was up in my bed, followed me from room to room and showed separation
anxiety whenever I would leave.
Then the opportunity of a lifetime, or so I thought, was a job
traveling all over the country. By this time my son had moved for school
purposes and I couldn't leave the dog alone all week. Spunky went to live with
my son. Every weekend they would come home and since the dog was mad because I
was gone he would pay me back. Pee on the floor, keep me awake, hog the bed,
steal my food, and bark for no reason.
Three years of living in a hotel room and constantly being
groped by TSA agents and I was time to live at home again.
I have to admit if he were not here I would have gone nuts. He
is MY best buddy. I talk to him all the time and he cuddles no questions asked.
Just like me he has gotten a little slower, cannot jump like
used to, sleeps a lot and has gas that would drop a horse, but he is my dog and
I will love him forever.
Getting my Chocolate on
All right another recipe. This time it is for the best chocolate
cake on this earth.
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup black coffee cooled
1-cup milk
1/2-cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
Sift dry ingredients into large bowl add eggs and liquids stir
till smooth. batter will be very thin. Pour into greased 13 x 9 pan bake at 350
degrees F for 35 minutes.
Allow to cool before icing cake.
I have tried several different icings. Some I make others are
canned icing. Peanut butter, cream cheese, caramel, and pictured is mocha
frosting. They are all great and a matter of personal preference.
Life with Spunky part 1
In 1999 I bought a dog for my son or I should say the dog bought
us. I had promised my son, who at the time was 11, that when and if I ever
bought a house I would get him a dog. That day came and we went off to purchase
the dog.
First mistake was going to the pet store. Pet store puppies are
usually puppy mill puppies that wind up having all kinds of hereditary problems
and existing health problems from life at the puppy mill.
Before ever leaving the house we had done research on the type
of dog that would best suit our needs. The plan was to purchase a bichon. They
were supposed to be the smartest dogs, easily trained, and very loyal.
We walked into the store and immediately this little black ball
with feet flew into my son's arms. The man working there apologized for the dog
said he escaped while the cage was being cleaned and removed the dog. The
worker placed back into a glass front cage that had a sign indicating the dog
was a Yorkshire terrier and his price was $350. The bichon were in another cage
with a price tag of $500. The Bichons had the luxury of having siblings to play
with while the Yorkie stood alone, still relishing his short quick foray
through the store.
The Bichons were cute but not that cute. There were of course
other puppies, tussling about, barking and nipping each other. There was some
sleeping so hard as to be oblivious of our presence.
As my son walked from one end or the glass wall to the next the
little black Yorkie watched him. He walked to end on his right and stopped in front
of the black dog. The dog’s tail was going crazy as the 2 stared at each other.
My son then walked all the way to the left and returned to the black dog, which
immediately started barking and jumping up and down. "I want that
one".
Four dog books and a 2 month internet search for the perfect dog
was just axed by a dog who escaped his handler and flew into the arms of a
little boy.
To be continued....
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