USMB Coffee Shop IV

[gallantwarrior]

Okay, we have the date for the wife's face to face interview in Gardnersville, 2 weeks away. Setting up a feeding service for the cats, have a car rented for a week and a hotel booked near Gardnersville. Decided to drive as the cost is a fraction of air fare, almost $1800 round trip for both of us flying. It'll take 2 days up and 2 days back. The money they're offering is pretty nice also, hopefully this will work out.

Good luck to you and the Mrs., Ringel! Gardnerville is so much nicer than El Paso. I've been to both places and have relatives in both, as well.

Gardenerville is also more expensive and the rentals appear to be few and far between. Note that she hasn't been offered the position yet but they claim to have difficulty finding people willing to move there, their patients are the Washoe Indians.

You would find lots more housing in Carson City, certainly, and it's a short commute to Gardnerville. I wonder how much like Alaskan Natives Washoe Indians are?

I was including Carson City in my search and no, there is not a lot of inexpensive housing there either, even the apartments are expensive and we don't do apartments. We're actually thinking this may not be a good move for us, maybe it's an over abundance of caution, maybe we really prefer New Mexico, she's going to feel them out a little more next week, we'll see.

I confess, my parents (and most of the family) moved out to Carson in 1996. It was a different world then and had not yet been "Californicated". Even parts of NM are californicated, and they are infesting the more "urban" areas of Alaska, as well. No one moves to the edge of the wilderness, cultivates a lawn and ornamental plants, feeds their froo-froo dogs in the back yard, and then then bitterly complain when the moose chow down on the ornamentals and the bears not only eat Fifi's chow, they eat Fifi, too. Makes me want to advocate for some kind of test before they are permitted to move here.

 

[gallantwarrior]

One acre of new fencing installed, weathered/damaged spots all patched up.
Garden soil mixed and cooking until April.
16 lambs ready for the auction.
Filled the first egg carton of the year.
Barn roof wind damage repaired.

Was gonna plant two Apple trees today, but since I slipped another disc in my back, I think I'll head on over to the urgent care clinic in a few hours instead...

View attachment 66460

Oh ouch. We better put you in the bad back division on the vigil list. Hope you can get relief quickly.
You've been a busy fellow Six. But filled the first egg carton? It has been so long since we had chickens it never occurred to me that they didn't lay during the winter. Somehow I recall ours did. But can't be sure now as I was a kid at the time.

You can force chickens to lay throughout the winter. All it takes is one light bulb to alter their natural light cycle.

Ah, yeah...define "natural" light cycle. In Alaska it's a bit different than in some other southern clime.

I do not add any artificial light to their coop in the winter time, so they can concentrate their nutrients on growing warmer feathers instead of eggs. Not only are they 100% Organic, but they are also 100% natural in every aspect. They lay their eggs only when Nature intends them to.

Lighting: Layers

What part of Alaska? I used to live in Chugiak.

Thanks for the info. I live in Chugiak (North Birchwood) right now but am moving to Willow this summer. Where did you live? Why did you leave?

 

[gallantwarrior]

A miracle happened this morning. I woke up just in time to see a fox taking my alpha tom off into the woods by his face for breakfast. By the time I could get my rifle, they were gone.... I just lost my damn silky rooster yesterday to a chicken hawk...

And then a half hour later, Grover showed back up on the porch, covered in slobber, with a large gash over his eye and one down to the bone on his forehead. I fucking love Grover. Kills mice/rats/shrews/moles/rabbits, fights off other tom cats, and now fights off hungry foxes!

He's still enjoying half of my ribeye at the moment.

I'm gonna kill that fox eventually, and feed his flesh to my outdoor cats.

I had only one cat taken by foxes, and she was a cripple. The Pyrenees is vocal enough when predators show up. That's why I plan on locating the chicken coops where the LGD has "rule" I have no doubt the Pyr would kill any predator that attempted to harm her charges.

 

[gallantwarrior]

And then, if you are in such pain it is non stop, for days at a time, can't work because you are busy crying or trying to ignore the pain or are asleep because you are eating pain pills like candy because the specialist refuses to see you unless you take the drug the drug company is paying him to push on patients so there is no help there....and if you start contemplating not seeing a way out and only a future of pain so bad you think you are being tortured and the future is nothing BUT that pain so you think about offing yourself and talk to someone about it and they turn you in or worse..you do it and you didn't do it well enough and wind up still breathing...THEN you will get a home in a nice little cell with Nurse Ratchet because you can't even end your own suffering because you are "cray cray". Which starts the cycle all over again along with your bestest buddy....the torture of non stop pain who will never ever leave your side because it loves to torment you so much.

Wow. what a rant. But it had to be done.

Hearts out to you, Gracie!

 

[gallantwarrior]

Meanwhile, a touching tribute to a dog by the man that loved him so much.

http://www.dose.com/animals/26921/The-Internet-Is-Bawling-Over-This-Owner-s-Touching-Tribute-To-His-Dog/?utm_source=partners&utm_medium=aol&utm_campaign=tt&icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl16|sec1_lnk2&pLid=128651268

"Yesterday was weird. I couldn't get myself out of bed. The guy I live with lifted me up. I tried to get my legs under me, but they wouldn't cooperate. He said, 'Don't worry, I gotcha buddy,' carried me downstairs, and out the front door. That was so nice of him. I needed to pee so badly, I just had to go right there where he put me down. Normally I wouldn't, but we both decided to make an exception to the rule.

I started walking down the parking lot toward that place where all the dogs like me go to poop. I felt my paws dragging on the ground. 'How strange,' I thought. Then suddenly, I just had to go, really badly. In the middle of the parking lot. Normally, I wouldn't do that. It's against the rules. My person cleaned up the mess. He's good at that. I felt embarrassed, looked at him, and he said, 'Want to keep walking, buddy?' I did, but it was surprisingly tough. By the time we reached the end of the parking lot, my head was spinning. I tried to climb the little hill, and nearly fell over. I couldn't figure out what was going on.

He reached down again, and ran his hands over me. That felt good. He picked me up, and carried me home. I was still confused, and my head was light, but I was glad not to have to walk all the way back. It suddenly seemed like an impossible distance. I was so glad to lay down on my bed. My person petted me, saying, 'I gotcha covered, buddy. I gotcha.' I love the way that makes me feel. I know he does. He makes everything better. He felt my paws, and pulled up my lip. He said, 'Oh buddy, are you cold?' I was. My face was cold, my paws were cold. He texted a few people, and came back to pet me.

A few minutes later, another person arrived. He's one of my favorites, and his name is Jay. He petted me, and said to my person, 'Do you want to get a blanket?' They put a blanket over me, and wow ... that felt good. I relaxed, and they both petted me, but they both started to choke back tears.

I never want them to cry, it breaks my heart. It's my job to make them feel better, and I was just a little tired, and cold. I drifted in and out of sleep, and they were always there, making sure I was okay, and chatting with each other.

Throughout the day, my person made some phone calls, and spent a lot of time with me. I heard him say, '9 a.m. tomorrow ... OK ... yes ... I'll tell you if anything changes. Thank you Dr. MacDonald.' He called someone else, and said, 'I'm sorry, I have to cancel tonight.' Then as I was drifting off to sleep, I think I heard him cry a little again.

In the evening, more of my favorite people came by. They were all so loving. I licked their tears away when they would get close enough to my face. They whispered sweet things in my ear, and told me I was a good boy. Later in the evening, I felt well enough to stand up and walk to the door to see who was coming in. It was more exhausting than I'd remembered it being, but I loved seeing them all. I heard my person say something like, 'That's the first time he's gotten up under his own power today.' Everyone seemed glad that I was out of bed. I was too, but wow... after the excitement wore off, it was so exhausting to move around.

After the last visitor left, my person took me outside to do what he called, 'my business.' We went back inside and when we reached the bottom of the stairs, they looked twice as steep and ten times as long as I remembered them being. I looked at my person, and he looked at me. He said, 'Don't worry, I gotcha buddy,' and carried me up.

Then it got even better! Instead of sleeping in my bed, he called me up to sleep on *his* bed. Let me repeat: *I got to sleep in the bed with my person!* We normally have our own beds, but last night we snuggled, and it felt so good to be that close to him. I thought, 'This is where I belong. I will never leave his side.' I didn't feel very well though, and it was hard to breathe sometimes.

It seems like it started a few months ago. We were playing fetch and I just blacked out. I don't know what happened, but I think I stopped breathing. I could hear my person calling my name. I couldn't move a muscle. He lifted my head, and looked into my eyes. I could see him right there, but couldn't lick his face.

He said, 'Benny, are you in there?' I couldn't respond. He looked at me, and said, 'Don't worry buddy, I gotcha. I gotcha covered.' I started to spin into darkness, but then my lungs took in a deep breath, and I could see again.

We went to see some doctors, and since then I've heard a lot of words like, 'cardiomyopathy,' 'cancer,' and, 'kidney failure.' All i know is that sometimes I feel okay, and sometimes ... you know ... I just don't. My person gives me pills.

This morning, I heard my person get up and take a shower. He came back in the room, and smelled so nice. He helped me get up, but this time, I could do it on my own. We got to the top of the stairs, and wow ... they looked long and steep again. He said, 'I gotcha buddy,' and carried me down.

I did my business, and we came back inside. He opened a can, a really, really delicious can of wet dog food. Oh man ... I love that stuff!

Jay showed up again. What a nice surprise! He and my person seemed concerned, but everyone was petting me. It seemed a little like a play, where all the actors were sad, but pretending to be happy. Pretty soon after that, another person showed up. She was wearing doctor pants, and I leaned on her.

I heard them talk. Everyone looked at my gums, and felt my paws. I heard the doctor pants lady say, 'It's your decision, but he's definitely in that window. I don't want to push you, but looking at his lack of color, I am honestly shocked he's even standing up. In addition to the paws and jowls, look here ...' she pointed at my face, 'This should be pink. It's almost white, and verging toward yellow.'

My person and Jay went inside to talk about something. When they came back out, I heard my person say, 'I agree. I don't want to wait till he's in absolute agony.' So we went inside. Truth be told, I was feeling pretty badly, even though I was up and walking. It seemed like my whole head was cold, my paws were freezing, and my back legs weren't working right.

The doctor pants lady said, 'I'll just put this into his muscle. It's a sedative. Then I'll come back over here, and you can just love on him till he's asleep.' My person kissed my face, and looked in my eyes. He was trying not to cry.

Doctor pants lady gave me a shot of something in the leg. I just looked at my person. He is so awesome. I will always be right by his side.

He and Jay petted me, and said the nicest things — what a good dog I am, what a good job I've done, how thankful they are to have me in their lives. After a while, my mind started buzzing. FOCUS! I looked back at my person. I love him so much. I drifted again. FOCUS! I can see my person. I love him so much. I will always be right by his side. He knows that. Am I sleepy? FOCUS! I'll always look at him with my whole heart ...

Doctor pants lady said, 'He must have an incredible will to stay with you. He is really powering through. That's impressive.' My person choked back tears and said, 'I know. This guy lives for me. He is the most devoted soul I've ever met ...' We put our heads together, and closed our eyes. I felt relaxed. I can't really describe it. We looked at each other again. I just felt like riding that buzz, but maybe lying down was better. My person helped me down. Man, that felt gooooooood.

I felt him and Jay petting me, and heard them talking to me. They love me so much. How lucky am I? Then I felt thousands of hands petting me. Everyone I'd ever known and loved was there, petting me, scratching my ears, and that spot under my collar that makes my leg move. Everyone should try this. It's just amazing!

Then I felt the doctor pants lady touch my leg. Did I tell you that my person had to have both of my knees repaired? They're titanium, and have served me well, but you know ... I've been feeling a little creaky lately.

With everyone petting me, the doctor pants lady put another needle in my leg, but this time, as the fluid went in, I couldn't believe ... my knees were perfect! And as I felt it move through my body, the cancer disappeared! And then my kidneys felt better! And finally, even my heart was whole, and healthy! I felt like I had sprung away from all of my sickness. Amazing!

I saw my person, and Jay, and the lady who lives at our house, Shelly. They seemed to be huddling over something. I walked over to look. It seemed like ... I don't know. It kind of looked like me, but the way I looked when I was feeling really sick, or exhausted. The face was blurred out, so I couldn't really tell, but that poor guy looked like he had been suffering.

I could tell my person was both relieved and very, very sad. I love him so much. I looked at that me-shaped shell, and I looked at him ... I think he was sad about that shell. I jumped around the room, like a clown, but it seemed like they wanted to be somber, and focus on whatever that thing was they were petting and kissing.

But my person was definitely sad. I leaned on him, like I've done a million times before, but it wasn't quite the same. It felt like his body was a cloud and I passed right through him. So I walked up next to him, sat like a good boy, and my heart whispered to his, 'Don't worry, buddy. I gotcha covered.'

I will never leave his side.

He knows that."

Dang it! Made me cry! My "old lady cat" has an appointment next Wed. She's got a non-lethal cyst that has ruptured, but surgery might kill her. Her blood work in August last year was all good, so I might just put up with having to deal with it. She's 21 this year.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Problem is, FF, I am on Medi-cal. I can only see their docs. And there is only ONE ra specialist in this county. I can't go to another county. They wont pay for it. See? Just another wall I keep running in to.

OMG! That totally sucks! I suppose we just need to accept what is given to us, nyet?

 

[gallantwarrior]

There is no place to move to.

Trust me on this bit of wisdom:
You know who your real life friends are when you need them most...and which ones were just flapping their gums IF a circumstance happened where you needed their help. I have found out. Pray nobody else ever gets in that position. Its a very rude, sad, depressing eye opener.

Alaska awaits!

 

[Gracie]

Meanwhile, a touching tribute to a dog by the man that loved him so much.

http://www.dose.com/animals/26921/The-Internet-Is-Bawling-Over-This-Owner-s-Touching-Tribute-To-His-Dog/?utm_source=partners&utm_medium=aol&utm_campaign=tt&icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl16|sec1_lnk2&pLid=128651268

"Yesterday was weird. I couldn't get myself out of bed. The guy I live with lifted me up. I tried to get my legs under me, but they wouldn't cooperate. He said, 'Don't worry, I gotcha buddy,' carried me downstairs, and out the front door. That was so nice of him. I needed to pee so badly, I just had to go right there where he put me down. Normally I wouldn't, but we both decided to make an exception to the rule.

I started walking down the parking lot toward that place where all the dogs like me go to poop. I felt my paws dragging on the ground. 'How strange,' I thought. Then suddenly, I just had to go, really badly. In the middle of the parking lot. Normally, I wouldn't do that. It's against the rules. My person cleaned up the mess. He's good at that. I felt embarrassed, looked at him, and he said, 'Want to keep walking, buddy?' I did, but it was surprisingly tough. By the time we reached the end of the parking lot, my head was spinning. I tried to climb the little hill, and nearly fell over. I couldn't figure out what was going on.

He reached down again, and ran his hands over me. That felt good. He picked me up, and carried me home. I was still confused, and my head was light, but I was glad not to have to walk all the way back. It suddenly seemed like an impossible distance. I was so glad to lay down on my bed. My person petted me, saying, 'I gotcha covered, buddy. I gotcha.' I love the way that makes me feel. I know he does. He makes everything better. He felt my paws, and pulled up my lip. He said, 'Oh buddy, are you cold?' I was. My face was cold, my paws were cold. He texted a few people, and came back to pet me.

A few minutes later, another person arrived. He's one of my favorites, and his name is Jay. He petted me, and said to my person, 'Do you want to get a blanket?' They put a blanket over me, and wow ... that felt good. I relaxed, and they both petted me, but they both started to choke back tears.

I never want them to cry, it breaks my heart. It's my job to make them feel better, and I was just a little tired, and cold. I drifted in and out of sleep, and they were always there, making sure I was okay, and chatting with each other.

Throughout the day, my person made some phone calls, and spent a lot of time with me. I heard him say, '9 a.m. tomorrow ... OK ... yes ... I'll tell you if anything changes. Thank you Dr. MacDonald.' He called someone else, and said, 'I'm sorry, I have to cancel tonight.' Then as I was drifting off to sleep, I think I heard him cry a little again.

In the evening, more of my favorite people came by. They were all so loving. I licked their tears away when they would get close enough to my face. They whispered sweet things in my ear, and told me I was a good boy. Later in the evening, I felt well enough to stand up and walk to the door to see who was coming in. It was more exhausting than I'd remembered it being, but I loved seeing them all. I heard my person say something like, 'That's the first time he's gotten up under his own power today.' Everyone seemed glad that I was out of bed. I was too, but wow... after the excitement wore off, it was so exhausting to move around.

After the last visitor left, my person took me outside to do what he called, 'my business.' We went back inside and when we reached the bottom of the stairs, they looked twice as steep and ten times as long as I remembered them being. I looked at my person, and he looked at me. He said, 'Don't worry, I gotcha buddy,' and carried me up.

Then it got even better! Instead of sleeping in my bed, he called me up to sleep on *his* bed. Let me repeat: *I got to sleep in the bed with my person!* We normally have our own beds, but last night we snuggled, and it felt so good to be that close to him. I thought, 'This is where I belong. I will never leave his side.' I didn't feel very well though, and it was hard to breathe sometimes.

It seems like it started a few months ago. We were playing fetch and I just blacked out. I don't know what happened, but I think I stopped breathing. I could hear my person calling my name. I couldn't move a muscle. He lifted my head, and looked into my eyes. I could see him right there, but couldn't lick his face.

He said, 'Benny, are you in there?' I couldn't respond. He looked at me, and said, 'Don't worry buddy, I gotcha. I gotcha covered.' I started to spin into darkness, but then my lungs took in a deep breath, and I could see again.

We went to see some doctors, and since then I've heard a lot of words like, 'cardiomyopathy,' 'cancer,' and, 'kidney failure.' All i know is that sometimes I feel okay, and sometimes ... you know ... I just don't. My person gives me pills.

This morning, I heard my person get up and take a shower. He came back in the room, and smelled so nice. He helped me get up, but this time, I could do it on my own. We got to the top of the stairs, and wow ... they looked long and steep again. He said, 'I gotcha buddy,' and carried me down.

I did my business, and we came back inside. He opened a can, a really, really delicious can of wet dog food. Oh man ... I love that stuff!

Jay showed up again. What a nice surprise! He and my person seemed concerned, but everyone was petting me. It seemed a little like a play, where all the actors were sad, but pretending to be happy. Pretty soon after that, another person showed up. She was wearing doctor pants, and I leaned on her.

I heard them talk. Everyone looked at my gums, and felt my paws. I heard the doctor pants lady say, 'It's your decision, but he's definitely in that window. I don't want to push you, but looking at his lack of color, I am honestly shocked he's even standing up. In addition to the paws and jowls, look here ...' she pointed at my face, 'This should be pink. It's almost white, and verging toward yellow.'

My person and Jay went inside to talk about something. When they came back out, I heard my person say, 'I agree. I don't want to wait till he's in absolute agony.' So we went inside. Truth be told, I was feeling pretty badly, even though I was up and walking. It seemed like my whole head was cold, my paws were freezing, and my back legs weren't working right.

The doctor pants lady said, 'I'll just put this into his muscle. It's a sedative. Then I'll come back over here, and you can just love on him till he's asleep.' My person kissed my face, and looked in my eyes. He was trying not to cry.

Doctor pants lady gave me a shot of something in the leg. I just looked at my person. He is so awesome. I will always be right by his side.

He and Jay petted me, and said the nicest things — what a good dog I am, what a good job I've done, how thankful they are to have me in their lives. After a while, my mind started buzzing. FOCUS! I looked back at my person. I love him so much. I drifted again. FOCUS! I can see my person. I love him so much. I will always be right by his side. He knows that. Am I sleepy? FOCUS! I'll always look at him with my whole heart ...

Doctor pants lady said, 'He must have an incredible will to stay with you. He is really powering through. That's impressive.' My person choked back tears and said, 'I know. This guy lives for me. He is the most devoted soul I've ever met ...' We put our heads together, and closed our eyes. I felt relaxed. I can't really describe it. We looked at each other again. I just felt like riding that buzz, but maybe lying down was better. My person helped me down. Man, that felt gooooooood.

I felt him and Jay petting me, and heard them talking to me. They love me so much. How lucky am I? Then I felt thousands of hands petting me. Everyone I'd ever known and loved was there, petting me, scratching my ears, and that spot under my collar that makes my leg move. Everyone should try this. It's just amazing!

Then I felt the doctor pants lady touch my leg. Did I tell you that my person had to have both of my knees repaired? They're titanium, and have served me well, but you know ... I've been feeling a little creaky lately.

With everyone petting me, the doctor pants lady put another needle in my leg, but this time, as the fluid went in, I couldn't believe ... my knees were perfect! And as I felt it move through my body, the cancer disappeared! And then my kidneys felt better! And finally, even my heart was whole, and healthy! I felt like I had sprung away from all of my sickness. Amazing!

I saw my person, and Jay, and the lady who lives at our house, Shelly. They seemed to be huddling over something. I walked over to look. It seemed like ... I don't know. It kind of looked like me, but the way I looked when I was feeling really sick, or exhausted. The face was blurred out, so I couldn't really tell, but that poor guy looked like he had been suffering.

I could tell my person was both relieved and very, very sad. I love him so much. I looked at that me-shaped shell, and I looked at him ... I think he was sad about that shell. I jumped around the room, like a clown, but it seemed like they wanted to be somber, and focus on whatever that thing was they were petting and kissing.

But my person was definitely sad. I leaned on him, like I've done a million times before, but it wasn't quite the same. It felt like his body was a cloud and I passed right through him. So I walked up next to him, sat like a good boy, and my heart whispered to his, 'Don't worry, buddy. I gotcha covered.'

I will never leave his side.

He knows that."

Dang it! Made me cry! My "old lady cat" has an appointment next Wed. She's got a non-lethal cyst that has ruptured, but surgery might kill her. Her blood work in August last year was all good, so I might just put up with having to deal with it. She's 21 this year.

Animals live in the present. The surgery is dangerous due to her age, yes. But...without the surgery? FattyCat was 23 years old and got bone cancer. One leg was huge and had a knot the size of a baseball on it. Remove her leg and I would have a 23 year old crippled cat. Maybe he would die while under. Either way....he lived his life. Death being asleep, or death slowly. I'm sorry, hon, that I posted that at the wrong time in your life.
You have to "speak" for Old Lady Cat. She trusts you to do the right thing and will love you no matter what you choose to do. And if you do go with the surgery and she does not die...then it was not meant for her to leave you yet, and she will be in no pain for a couple more years, right? But if she does not make it thru the anesthesia...all she will see is your loving face before being knocked out, and know you are with her...whether she has kitty wings, or comes to with a bandage.

Hugs and prayers for you and Old Lady Kitty.

 

[Gracie]

Also...wanna apologize to you guys for my whining. Low LOW point today. Very low. And painful. But....I relented and took a pain pill and I feel better and not so depressed. Just knowing I can say what I need to spill in here helps. It truly does. So thank you for allowing me to do it when I need to purge.
And boy did I need it.

Love you guys. I really do.

 

[saveliberty]

Emotional and physical pain makes us not ourselves. That and being very tired.

 

[Manonthestreet]

Emotional and physical pain makes us not ourselves. That and being very tired.

Thus no apologies necessary....

 

[blackhawk]

 

[Foxfyre]

Also...wanna apologize to you guys for my whining. Low LOW point today. Very low. And painful. But....I relented and took a pain pill and I feel better and not so depressed. Just knowing I can say what I need to spill in here helps. It truly does. So thank you for allowing me to do it when I need to purge.
And boy did I need it.

Love you guys. I really do.

We love you too, Gracie. If you can't whine to your friends now and then, especially when you're on your last nerve, we wouldn't be good for much would we.

 

[Gracie]

Okay, we have the date for the wife's face to face interview in Gardnersville, 2 weeks away. Setting up a feeding service for the cats, have a car rented for a week and a hotel booked near Gardnersville. Decided to drive as the cost is a fraction of air fare, almost $1800 round trip for both of us flying. It'll take 2 days up and 2 days back. The money they're offering is pretty nice also, hopefully this will work out.

Good luck to you and the Mrs., Ringel! Gardnerville is so much nicer than El Paso. I've been to both places and have relatives in both, as well.

Gardenerville is also more expensive and the rentals appear to be few and far between. Note that she hasn't been offered the position yet but they claim to have difficulty finding people willing to move there, their patients are the Washoe Indians.

You would find lots more housing in Carson City, certainly, and it's a short commute to Gardnerville. I wonder how much like Alaskan Natives Washoe Indians are?

I was including Carson City in my search and no, there is not a lot of inexpensive housing there either, even the apartments are expensive and we don't do apartments. We're actually thinking this may not be a good move for us, maybe it's an over abundance of caution, maybe we really prefer New Mexico, she's going to feel them out a little more next week, we'll see.

I confess, my parents (and most of the family) moved out to Carson in 1996. It was a different world then and had not yet been "Californicated". Even parts of NM are californicated, and they are infesting the more "urban" areas of Alaska, as well. No one moves to the edge of the wilderness, cultivates a lawn and ornamental plants, feeds their froo-froo dogs in the back yard, and then then bitterly complain when the moose chow down on the ornamentals and the bears not only eat Fifi's chow, they eat Fifi, too. Makes me want to advocate for some kind of test before they are permitted to move here.

omg...this reminds me of when I was desk clerk at a motel some miles up the coast in a swanky spot that bragged about the nature that surrounds the resort and the wildlife, etc. The phone would always be ringing off the hook from people in Los Angeles mostly..or from the valley (Fresno, Bakersfield, etc) wanting to book a suite or room because they so much wanted out of the rat race for awhile and enjoy nature......only to arrive, get in their room, then complain about the bear wandering along the creek minding its own business, the birds chirping in the trees outside their patio decks, the crow that would come in the office to say hello to me and the other staff and get a snack of leftover donut and complaining about that dirty bird being on the fancy carpet (even though it never pooped inside), the crickets at night or the hoots of owls were disturbing their sleep. I wanted to strangle each and every one of them. Idiots. Nature to them means animals in cages with a turn on/off switch for their amusement, I guess.

 

[Kat]

And then, if you are in such pain it is non stop, for days at a time, can't work because you are busy crying or trying to ignore the pain or are asleep because you are eating pain pills like candy because the specialist refuses to see you unless you take the drug the drug company is paying him to push on patients so there is no help there....and if you start contemplating not seeing a way out and only a future of pain so bad you think you are being tortured and the future is nothing BUT that pain so you think about offing yourself and talk to someone about it and they turn you in or worse..you do it and you didn't do it well enough and wind up still breathing...THEN you will get a home in a nice little cell with Nurse Ratchet because you can't even end your own suffering because you are "cray cray". Which starts the cycle all over again along with your bestest buddy....the torture of non stop pain who will never ever leave your side because it loves to torment you so much.

Wow. what a rant. But it had to be done.

 

[Gracie]

Better now. I got thrown a couple of lifelines, which lowered the stress which in turn lowered the swelling which in turn lowered the pain. Just the kindness was enough to do all that. Amazing, init?

 

[Kat]

Better now. I got thrown a couple of lifelines, which lowered the stress which in turn lowered the swelling which in turn lowered the pain. Just the kindness was enough to do all that. Amazing, init?

Yes, it is. I always hate it for you when you are in such pain.

 

[Gracie]

Me too. It sucks. I am not a crier, but today....wow. Even MrG came in to my room and patted me on the back. He didn't know what to do. It was physical pain and mental pain, combined.

But...that was then. This is now, and I am doing just fine. (Knock on wood). Isn't the pain pill either..that was almost 8 hours ago! Its the kindness. The best pill ever.

Meanwhile.........right now?

 

[Kat]

Me too. It sucks. I am not a crier, but today....wow. Even MrG came in to my room and patted me on the back. He didn't know what to do. It was physical pain and mental pain, combined.

But...that was then. This is now, and I am doing just fine. (Knock on wood). Isn't the pain pill either..that was almost 8 hours ago! Its the kindness. The best pill ever.

Meanwhile.........right now?

 

[Kat]

Ugh Time changes tonight, meaning a loss of an hour's sleep. Wish it would be left alone....no one likes it.