Sweeping Off The Welcome Mat

I see that some of my Blogstream friends have rejoined the Blogger experience. Since their last attempt here, things have changed. Which means that all those so very used to the simplicity of Blogstream are going to have to challenge themselves in order to learn what each and every little doodad on their pages will show them. I'm thinking that I just might be grateful I don't live with any of them. Those growing pains can be pretty frustrating. I'm sure there will be a lot of cursing, throwing up ones hands and decisions to quit before they all figure it out enough to be satisfied. Then again, maybe they'll never be satisfied because it isn't Blogstream. I know that sounds sarcastic, but it is something they all need to take into consideration because facts are facts. 

Blogstream was a "build it and they will come" kind of place. Blogger is not. To have a successful blog here takes work. A lot of work. And it means a lot of posts that don't get attention from others. Mostly because Blogger is a place where it's members apply balance to what they do. They actually spend more time in real life. As a matter of fact, so do I. 

I don't get back in sometimes for days on end, but I'm never gone completely. The welcome mat is out, same as it always is. There are a few more cat hairs on it than there used to be. It's seen so little activity that Butterscotch has been using it to nap on. I guess he'll have to start using that cat bed I bought him. Or whatever else he chooses to sack out on. He's not picky, he can sleep on anything. My bones require soft, comfy surfaces, his are made of rubber and adapt to anything. 

While all my rowdy friends were off in another place trying to recreate something they believed they'd lost, I was learning to adapt to things new and different. While I was doing that, I learned that you really can't lose what Blogstream was. It never was the place, it always was the people. And No, Ice. I wasn't being nice. I was being honest. I have missed your brand of writing. I may not always know the destination, but I've always enjoyed the journey. 

In Memoriam

Since I've known of it's existence, I spend time on Memorial Day at the Virtual Wall remembering those I knew. They are gone, but never forgotten.


Martin James De Himer
Specialist Four
PERSONAL DATA
  Home of Record:  Rome, NY
  Date of birth:   01/31/1949


MILITARY DATA
  Service:         Army of the United States
  Grade at loss:   E4
  Rank:            Specialist Four
  ID No:           087425521
  MOS:             11B20: Infantryman
  Length Service:  01
  Unit:            C CO, 2ND BN, 7TH CAVALRY, 1ST CAV DIV, USARV

CASUALTY DATA

  Start Tour:      07/17/1969

  Casualty Date:   03/11/1970

  Age at Loss:     21 (based on date declared dead)

  Location:        Binh Long Province, South Vietnam

  Remains:         Body recovered

  Casualty Type:   Hostile, died of wounds

  Casualty Reason: Ground casualty

  Casualty Detail: Multiple fragmentation wounds

URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dd/DehimerMJ01a.htm

ON THE WALL        Panel 13W Line 111

Bradford Thomas Griffin

Lance Corporal

PERSONAL DATA

  Home of Record: Rome, New York

  Date of birth:  Monday, 08/09/1948

MILITARY DATA

  Service:        Marine Corps (Regular)

  Grade at loss:  E3

  Rank:           Lance Corporal

  ID No:          2171676  

  MOS:            0341 Mortarman

  LenSvc:         Between 2 and 3 years

  Unit:           G CO, 2ND BN, 9TH MARINES, 3RD MARDIV

CASUALTY DATA

  Start Tour:     Not recorded

  Cas Date:       Tuesday, 09/12/1967

  Age at Loss:    19

  Remains:        Body recovered

  Location:       Quang Tri, South Vietnam

  Type:           Hostile, died outright

  Reason:         Artillery, rocket, or mortar - Ground casualty

ON THE WALL       Panel 26E Line 062

Robert Edward Hendrix

Specialist Four

PERSONAL DATA

  Home of Record:  Rome, NY

  Date of birth:   07/26/1947

MILITARY DATA

  Service:         Army of the United States

  Grade at loss:   E4

  Rank:            Specialist Four

  ID No:           52968259 

  MOS:             11B20: Infantryman

  Length Service:  01

  Unit:            D CO, 3RD BN, 12TH INFANTRY, 4TH INF DIV, USARV

CASUALTY DATA

  Start Tour:      05/25/1968

  Incident Date:   01/31/1969

  Casualty Date:   01/31/1969

  Age at Loss:     21

  Location:        Kontum Province, South Vietnam

  Remains:         Body recovered

  Casualty Type:   Hostile, died outright

  Casualty Reason: Ground casualty

  Casualty Detail: Misadventure (Friendly Fire)

URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dh/HendrixRE01a.htm

ON THE WALL        Panel 33W Line 026

Martin Allen Mc Zeal

Specialist Four

PERSONAL DATA

  Home of Record:  Rome, NY

  Date of birth:   04/14/1948

MILITARY DATA

  Service:         Army of the United States

  Grade at loss:   E4

  Rank:            Specialist Four

  ID No:           52920078 

  MOS:             11C20: Indirect Fire Infantryman

  Length Service:  00

  Unit:            D CO, 2ND BN, 5TH CAVALRY, 1ST CAV DIV, USARV

CASUALTY DATA

  Start Tour:      01/24/1969

  Incident Date:   06/18/1969

  Casualty Date:   06/18/1969

  Age at Loss:     21

  Location:        Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam

  Remains:         Body recovered

  Casualty Type:   Hostile, died outright

  Casualty Reason: Ground casualty

  Casualty Detail: Multiple fragmentation wounds

URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dm/MczealMA01a.htm

ON THE WALL        Panel 22W Line 081

Wyatt Stephen Thomas

Private First Class

PERSONAL DATA

  Home of Record:  Rome, NY

  Date of birth:   02/11/1948

MILITARY DATA

  Service:         Army of the United States

  Grade at loss:   E3

  Rank:            Private First Class

  ID No:           52968672 

  MOS:             05C20: Radio Teletype Operator

  Length Service:  00

  Unit:            HHC, 1ST BDE, 9TH INF DIV, USARV

CASUALTY DATA

  Start Tour:      10/19/1968

  Incident Date:   11/12/1968

  Casualty Date:   11/12/1968

  Age at Loss:     20

  Location:        Long An Province, South Vietnam

  Remains:         Body recovered

  Casualty Type:   Non-hostile, died of other causes

  Casualty Reason: Ground casualty

  Casualty Detail: Vehicle loss or crash

URL: www.VirtualWall.org/dt/ThomasWS01a.htm

ON THE WALL        Panel 39W Line 057

The GOP War On Women And The Amish Lifestyle

The GOP War On Women And The Amish Lifestyle

Cross posting something that my alter ego Butterose wrote on another site I contribute to. I know, I'm lazy, but it's a holiday weekend and I'm planning on having fun.

Because They Exist

And we really need to laugh more often.

I Love My Job...I Love My Job...I Love my Job...

It started Monday morning when I got out of bed and it's gone downhill ever since. It was just barely light outside when I put feet on the floor and promptly stepped in a hairball. It wasn't my first rodeo with those things by a long shot, but I have never managed them with equanimity when they occur before I've had coffee.

I knew it wasn't going to be a good day when I arrived at my first clients house to find that one of the dogs had left his/her calling card on the hallway floor. I grabbed my gloves and paper towels to clean it up before entering client's bedroom to get her up for the day. While finding out what color she wanted to wear for the day, I kept hoping the odor I was inhaling was a lingering one from the calling card left in the hallway. Alas it was not to be, which I found out as soon as I let down the bars of her bed and pulled back her covers.

At this point, all we can do is hike to the bathroom and hope it doesn't leave a trail on the floor. We got lucky there, but when I got her into the bathroom and began to undress her...well...that was when my luck ran out.

Her pull ups had twisted and none of the load even made it into them. All of it was in the left leg of her pajamas, and at this point it had oozed down into a slipper. She has colitis, doesn't go every day, takes a stool softener and when I say there was a lot of it, I'm not kidding.

During the removal of the pajamas it got smeared all over her left leg, and since I was beside her on her left side, it got on my forearm, my scrub sleeve and the side of my scrub top. Which I didn't detect until I arrived at the second clients residence. Yeah, it went with me. Found it when I was cleaning her bathroom mirror.

I cleaned her off with wipes, sat her on the toilet where I hoped any remainder would go, and started cleaning the crap off me and out of her PJ bottoms. The description of how that's managed would be TMI so I won't go into it. It requires a bathtub and a hand held shower thingy. It also requires a strong stomach and the ability not to gag.

I go back to that client tomorrow morning, and she's due for another episode. Much of the time I get her into the bathroom in time. The remainder of the time I manage not to get it on me. Until Monday this is.

Since I could live quite comfortably without EVER getting any on me again, I picked up 2 disposable hospital gowns from the office today. When I use one of them, I'm to let the office know so they can have another ready for me so I'll never be without them. I just hope they work.

Sorry Mom, Eating Is An Entitlement You Don't Need

In an age where the line between opinion and fact has been blurred, it's hard to judge the accuracy of anything one reads online. After carefully considering the claims on this chart from a February Huffington Post article by Jared Bernstein, and weighing the information against what I know from my job, I believe it's an accurate assessment.

We all know that person who games the system and gets away with it. Someone who is not fully disabled and appears to be living high on the hog on our tax dollars. Unfortunately, far too many tend to judge the entire system based on those few people without fully understanding what, exactly, these programs do and don't do. I'm going to try, maybe over the next few blog posts, to introduce you to some people who use these entitlement programs and what benefits they actually receive. My problem will be to protecting their identities from those who read my blog that may live in my area.

I have clients in both the 53% and the 20%. I also work with men and women who fall into the 18% for various reasons that are not their fault. All of my clients have been over 50, they've been both men and women, and their monthly incomes have ranged from as low as $550/month to $1400/month.

I live in an area where the estimated average household income in 2010, the same year as the chart was created, was $42,000 a year. The estimated per capita income was $22,000. Median home values were $92,000 and median gross rents $575/month. In the next few years these figures, including rents will increase. When I retire, my monthly income will be around $1000 a month. Since I'm not independently wealthy, I may not be able to fully retire unless my health is so bad I am automatically entitled to access other programs that everyone is so sure we need to get rid of. At that point, I will be allowed to "spend down" or pay directly into the program a set amount of money monthly which will allow me to have Medicaid to pay for my health needs not covered by Medicare. At an income level of $1000 a month, my spend down would be around $200.

The current "entitlement" program being targeted is the Senior Nutrition Program. That is the true title of the "Meals on Wheels" that seems to be on the chopping block. The program was developed because, in the past, far too many Seniors and Disabled were suffering from malnutrition problems that were costing more in healthcare.

For many of these people this meal is the only meal they eat in the day and the only live person they see is the one that delivers the meal. It was a method of identifying those who lived alone and needed assistance with personal care or environmental support. Low income seniors and disabled have their meals paid for by the state. Those who can afford it are billed weekly at a $2.50 per meal rate. Diabetics get 7 meals a week in 5 deliveries, all others get 5.

People who receive these meals can't always handle cooking in a manner that is safe for them, either because they can't stand safely without a walker, or they may have vision problems. However, we in our infinite compassion, seem to feel that this is an entitlement program we don't believe is necessary. It wouldn't be necessary if the families of these people would actually visit them, and do the tasks that Mom, Dad or Grandma aren't able to do for themselves anymore. What I find truly disturbing is the number of offspring of the people who use these programs that are quite willing to see these programs end. The very same people, who at any point in time could have provided for the parent using the program. Which would have made the program unnecessary for all but those who have no family to start out with.

The Simple Life

I don't actually think that life was ever simple. Too much hard work goes into it. Still, there are times when I wonder what exactly happened to life as I remember it? Then I look around me and see that it's all still there, we just don't wish to see that, it doesn't fit our online agenda. I've decided that social media is today's Hee Haw TV program complete with all the angst one can muster. In the key of whatever your vocal ability is...sing along with me. "Gloom, despair and agony on me-e! Deep dark depression, excessive misery-y! If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all! Gloom, despair and agony on me-e-e!" Memba THAT? If I live to be 100, I will never understand how people can watch the same political pundit or Faux News Journalist, or any TV program while doing absolutely nothing but posting angry derogatory tweets indicating how unhappy the poster is with what's being said. Back when we lived the "Simple Life" we used to know how to change the TV channel. AND we had to get up off the couch to do it. No remotes back in the day. Now we seem to be a bunch of Chicken Little's running around proclaiming the sky is falling. How do we know this? Well, we heard/read/saw it on MSNBC or maybe on CNN. Depends on where you get your news. What I KNOW for a FACT we don't get, is anything approaching an education on how government really works. Back in the day when life was simple, we knew, thanks to something we learned in a class called Social Studies, how government worked. We knew that the President's job was to make decisions about what bills to pass. We understood that Congress created those bills. Sometimes to correct a wrong, sometimes at the request of the President, but the Presidential job description NEVER included writing laws. We understood how Constitutional Amendments worked. Of the People, by the People and for the People. This meant that Congress addressed an issue, like Women's voting rights, by passing a bill, which was then sent to the President for signing and on to the states where we the PEOPLE could vote on it. The Bill would have to be ratified by 2/3 of the states before it became an ACTUAL Constitutional Amendment. Now, it appears that people seem to think that all that has to happen is "Tell President Obama not to defend DOMA in court." Yeah, some people really are that uninformed. That's all it takes to resolve the Marriage Equality issue right there. And pigs fly. Right now Marriage Equality is in the hands of individual states. New York State passed it by VOTING into our Legislature people who choose to listen to the will of the PEOPLE. One of our Legislators was seriously religiously conflicted over the issue. He went online to Facebook and Twitter and asked us to tell him what we wanted. He then voted YES. The VOTERS in NYS didn't sit around in Twitter or Facebook lamenting about the wicked GOP/Tea Party standing in the way of "errrything" good. We took our thumbs off our smart phones and introduced them to a voting booth. That allows me to live my Simple Life in a Blue State where We The People count for something.

Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Trolls

No matter where you go online, it seems there are always people trying to start trouble. I'm a watcher of the Raptor Resource Project's Decorah Eagles Nest. I don't involve myself in the chat room or the social stream. I just enjoy watching the eagle babies for a few minutes every day.

Last week the social stream was closed down for a few days. It became infested with trolls. I seriously don't understand what people get out of that kind of behavior. There were threats made against the baby eagles in the nest, against the tree itself, and just plain hateful racist comments made to members who use the social stream to learn more about the eagles. There seems to be absolutely no place that one can go online without seeing this kind of stupid behavior.

I've drawn a few conclusions about that type of person. I've begun to believe that anonymity simply allows an all ready existing hate to find a voice. I used to think that people were putting on an act, and that act was what would allow them to voice things that they might not feel in reality. Now, I'm not so sure. I've wondered if the anger, the frustration and the hate we see online is actually who these people are, and in real life, they wear a mask. One that makes them appear to be kind, considerate and caring human beings.

Life in the wild for these birds is hard enough without people adding to it. I also was watching a hummingbird cam. Unfortunately, the little hummer laid her eggs somewhere around April 24, and crows got both of them this past Thursday morning. No one has seen little Phoebe since. Whether she just abandoned her nest or has been taken by a predator no one knows. It's sad that the crows got the eggs, but they didn't do that for the fun of it, it's food for them. It seems that only people do malicious things for the fun of it, and we think we're the superior animal?

No matter how hard I try, I simply can't understand how anyone could threaten a nest of eagles, or the tree the nest is in, especially when they look like this:

(Picture *borrowed* from the Decorah Web Cam blog)

Of course they've grown quite a bit bigger, and they have lost much of their baby down this past week. They should be big enough to leave home somewhere near the end of June, and next year the process will start all over again. Mama Eagle will lay her eggs again and hopefully she'll manage to keep her babies safe until they grow up and leave. 

Watching nature at work is an enjoyable pursuit. Too bad it has to be tarnished by the behavior of people. 

Preserving My Sanity