And So This Is Christmas

It certainly is a strange Christmas season. Scout decorated the house outside with lights but we haven't done a thing inside. Not anything. Scout has some little mice Moma helped him make pinned to a egg carton. Moma's the crafty one who has always encouraged my son's creative side. We haven't even gotten our little Christmas tree out to put them on. I've been sick for a couple of weeks and haven't felt like doing anything.

It's very hard to get into the spirit of Christmas and the joy of the season after the tragedy at Shady Hook in Newtown, Connecticut last week. It brings home the importance of loving your children and family, and holding them close, and telling them you love them because, for some people, it may be the last chance you get to tell them. It only takes one selfish person with a gun, or one driver who is out of control, to turn your life upside down. 

It has been so painful to hear about the lives of the women and children lost in this senseless tragedy that I have avoided listening to the news as much as possible. I still get plenty of information anyway. I am sick of the tragedies that happen across this country because of the lack of gun control. I am tired of the murders of innocent people who are gunned down because some deranged gunman decides to exact revenge against people who have done them no harm. 

We need to do more to make sure that mentally ill people have access to mental healthcare before they decide to do something awful. It's too late after the fact. I read that Ronald Reagan cut back mental health funding in the '80's and that is why there aren't enough programs in place for people to turn to when they have a friend or relative who is exhibiting antisocial behavior. 

It's ironic that Reagan would cut funding to mental health in light of the fact that in 1981 he was targeted by a mentally ill gunman who tried to kill him. He and James Brady, Reagan's press secretary, were shot during the attack, Brady critically. In 1993 President Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Act which required a background check by the FBI before purchasing handguns. The Brady Act expired in 2004 and, because of strong lobbying of the National Rifle Association it has never been revised again. The lobbyists have too much control over Senators and Congressmen to ever allow it to see the light of day.

In light of the slaughter of 20 little kids, you'd think that everybody would be in favor of more control of assault weapons. Instead, I have read people defending the weapons, and all guns, since the terrorist attack at Sandy Hook School. 

I've decided to call them what they are, terrorists. They may be insane. They may be desperate. But they are still terrorists. The country is being terrorized by evil people with guns. When is it going to stop? How are we going to stop it? How many more lives are going to have to be lost in deadly rampages before the American people rise up and demand change?

The Mayan calendar predicted a new era. Many people predicted the end of the world. I enjoyed playing along with the fantasy but, like everything that is hyped, it proved to be a bust and the world is still here. Thank God. Maybe the new era can be a time for change and growth. Maybe the new era marked by the Mayan calendar will usher in a new age of peace and compassion for our fellow man. Maybe, just maybe, people will wake up and start caring more about people than their precious right to own a gun.

I'm not anti-gun. I don't believe the government needs to confiscate every weapon in the country. Someday I want to buy a titanium handgun. I saw one years ago and really liked it. But that still doesn't absolve the testosterone driven ego that thinks being a man means having a bigger and more powerful gun than everybody else. No man needs, or should have an assault weapon. If you want to get your kicks with high powered weapons why don't you man up and join the army? Or, if you can't handle that, why don't you apply to the police academy and become a police officer? Channel that he-man drive to wield a weapon in a productive way.

The Second Amendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."    

I'd say the closest thing we have to "a well regulated Militia" is the National Guard which is supposed to protect America from within her borders. It implies that the Militia must be "well regulated". That, to me, sounds like they have to have regular meetings and exercises designed to respond to any threat the State may encounter. I've never seen a bunch of men get together and practice military skills in my neighborhood. Have you? I've never seen people get together as civilians and use their weapons to prepare for invaders. Have you?

The right to have a weapon has long been established in this country. When I was growing up boys would go squirrel hunting with shotguns. Nobody thought a thing about it. They had relatives who taught them gun safety and how to hunt, but there weren't any bloody attacks on people during that age.

It is a different world today. Most men have never touched a gun, much less own one. They wouldn't even dream of hunting. I'm not discounting the men who hunt. I'm just saying most men today don't hunt. They don't use guns. The world has changed. 

Hunting doesn't bother me. Hunting and killing people, does.

My father and grandfather used to hunt. They owned shotguns and rifles. Nobody I know owns an assault weapon though. There is a difference. If you are a real hunter, you don't need an AR15 or any other weapon that holds thirty rounds. You certainly don't belong in the woods with a weapon like that. 

I hope the tragedy in Sandy Hook was not in vain. I hope the people will demand the Brady Act be reinstated so that everyone has to go through personal background checks. I hope gun manufacturers feel the pressure of their customers and the government and they quit making and selling the macho-man guns that have turned up in so many tragic shootings. I hope we wake up before it is too late. Sadly, it is too late for too many people.

In closing I'd like to say, I have met many people in my life and honestly, I wouldn't want most of them to have a gun. People are not as bright as they think they are. They certainly don't need to be armed and dangerous.

Maybe God will give us reason this holiday season. I sure hope so.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

I Feel Fine

No, really. I feel fine. 

I don't know what's going on with me. Maybe it's a bug I picked up somewhere. I've been drinking enough ginger ale to cause my kidneys to hurt. I may have been coming down with something for a few days because, at first, I had sharp pains in my right side. The next day, I was feeling pain in my left side. That finally passed and then the icky feeling started. You know, nausea, lethargy, and being unable to get comfortable. I'd go to bed and sleep for a while, then I'd get up and sit around for a while. Back and forth, back and forth. 

My tongue is coated in white. My mother says that's a sign of an upset stomach. She may be right. I think I have a temperature, too, but nobody agrees with me. Colt said I should take my temperature with the new thermometer Don bought, but I'd rather have a cool hand resting on my forehead and a loving touch, with somebody telling me, "Poor baby. You'll be okay." See, all I really want is a little sympathy and affection. It doesn't look like I'm going to get it around here. Don and the boys aren't very nurturing.

This morning I got up at 6:30 to make sure Scout was up. Don had let Buddy in the house last night and he had been in the washroom. Scout told me Buddy had crapped in the washroom again. The first time or two I gave him the benefit of the doubt because he's not used to staying in the house. After cleaning up after him way too many times I've become disillusioned. I used a huge pile of paper towels and then washed the floor with bleach water. Buddy can sleep outside from now on.

I told Don not to let Buddy come back inside at night any more because we have to keep him in the washroom so he won't get sick going in and out of a hot house. Typical Donny said, "I didn't let him in the house last night." 

Scout and I looked at each other because we both knew that Don had let Buddy back in last night. I started griping and telling Donny, "Oh yes, you did! That's why we left him inside." 

I cannot take it. For one thing, it's like picking up a giant steamy brown pudding, only it doesn't smell that way! Oy! Waking up the first thing in the morning and cleaning up a mess is not a good way to start the day, especially for me. It sets the whole day. Thankfully, Scout threw Buddy on the porch and we left him outside all day.

I can't stand pets in the house. I've never liked that. Well, one time I had a pet flying squirrel but he drowned in the toilet, so that's about the extent of it. The kids had pet birds one time but they were messy and I didn't like cleaning up after them. Another reason I don't like pet birds is because I feel it's a sin to keep a bird in a cage. Anything that was made to fly shouldn't be locked up. 

God forbid anybody has snakes or lizards for pets. What is it with people who want exotic species as pets? That's just as bad, and disgusting, as puppy mills that crank out pups until the dams die from exhaustion and neglect. 

Snakes and iguanas are being released in the everglades and depleting the wildlife that is indigenous to the area. We should have stricter laws that ban the ownership of exotic animals that do not belong on this continent.

I guess I must be feeling better because I'm griping again. That's always a good sign, I think.

I hope I start feeling better because I don't get enough done in the day, anyway. This is really slowing me down.

***

Well, I was wrong about that. I wrote this little diatribe a couple of days ago and didn't feel well enough to post it. I figured I wasn't going to come up with anything better for a while so take it as it is. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO

DECEMBER

This is another weird December. Temperatures have been in the 70's and it feels like early fall, or maybe springtime. I saw something on TV about plants breaking out in bloom that should be dried up and brown by now. Mother Nature is being fooled. The weather is definitely warmer. The whole world is in a flux. Don and I saw a couple of trees with pink blooms on them! I believe they were peach trees.

I keep thinking that the Mayan calendar may be predicting the polar shift and wonder what kind of catastrophic effects it could have on the earth. Talk about worrying about inconsequential things. I worried about Y2K like that, too. Do you remember that? Everybody thought, and predicted, that all electronic communications would go down at the millennium and we would revert back to the stone age or something. Boy, that turned out to be a big ta-do about nothing.

When I think about the Mayan calendar and their prediction, in my fevered mind I try to imagine what would happen if there was a swift polar shift. I can see cartoon images of everything flying into the air until the poles shift, and then everything comes tumbling down to earth again. Kind of like turning off gravity. Whoever survives will have to clean up all the damage and then start to rebuild again. We'd go back to the stone ages.

I blame my imagination on years of watching cartoons when I was a kid, and gleaning all the information that is 'out there' on the internet. It's a potent combination.

I get into conspiracy theories and doomsday scenarios. It's sort of thrilling to scare yourself with outrageous dangers that couldn't possibly happen. It's kind of the same thrill as telling ghost stories around a campfire. It's a lot more fun to scare the bejesus out of yourself about something you know isn't true than to worry about the things that can really hurt you.

I've been on earth long enough to have lived through several doomsday scenarios that haven't come to fruition so I don't put much stock in this scare. Chances are we will all wake up on December 21 this year and everything will look the same as it did the day before. Not one rock, or tree, or stream will have moved. Nobody will be hanging in mid-air in a comic imitation of a Wiley Coyote cartoon and the earth will be here for us all. More importantly, we will all still be here ... together. We should make the most of our life on earth and appreciate the things we have, and each other.

It's a lot more fun worrying about the Walking Dead, or becoming weightless, than it is to worry about stocks and the economy or government issues. Something much worse than the end of the Mayan calender may be in store for us as we head towards the 'fiscal cliff'. Our economy could spiral out of control again and plunge into another deep recession. Being the eternal optimist that I am, I have hope. Is anybody else worried about the fiscal cliff?


The country really is improving, whether you've noticed it or not. Work is picking up and companies are manufacturing again. I even heard that the housing market is picking up. It won't be long before America becomes a strong vital competitor in the world market again. This time I hope big business will invest in Americans. 

There's a whole new movement in American labor. Low wage earners who make at, or below, minimum wages are uniting seeking better pay. Small entrepreneurs won't voluntarily increase minimum wages so it is up to the legislators to enact laws increasing minimum wages and guaranteeing everyone a decent salary so they don't have to use food stamps or government funding to survive. There are too many people struggling out there trying to raise a family on an insufficient salary. When the economy improves, it is time to rebuild America's labor force and create a loyal, productive workforce that is competitive  in the world. We can do it, and by golly, we should!

That's what's on my mind right now. What's on yours?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Schylar, Scout, Amanda, Kiersten, Tony, Denise, Todd, Carmen, Andy, Noody, and Carole

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Diane and Larry

RIP
Albert T. Silvers, Edwadene McAllister, Delbert Callahan

REMEMBER

Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays Y'all!

AS ALWAYS

PIO

My Dental Teams

This is Doctor Phil. My dentist, Doctor Frank, sent me to Doctor Phil when my teeth started getting loose. Doctor Phil did a bone implant and later did a skin graft to regrow gum. Doctor Phil is a nice, considerate doctor who has made me feel comfortable throughout my dental surgeries and office visits. 

TEAM 2

Doctor Phil aka Doctor Phillip L. Parham, Jr.
Dalton Dental Implants http://www.daltondentalimplants.com/

Doctor Phil has a wonderful office staff. The receptionist, and financial officer are friendly and helpful. This is my hygienist, Cindy. She gently cleans my teeth and makes every visit pleasant.

Cindy Hardin, RDH
dental hygienist

Doctor Phil also has a fine team who work with him during surgery procedures. Kristie assisted the doctor as he ground the bonding off my front teeth. He used a tool to break it loose. It made my front teeth sore. I'll have to let them tighten up again and be careful not to bite something hard for a while. He warned me about apples and corn on the cob. Now I'm craving apples and corn. Go figure!

Kristie Plott
surgical assistant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TEAM 1

Doctor Frank is my regular dentist. I have been going to his office for a long time. I went to his father before Doctor Frank, Sr. retired. I tried other dentists after he retired but came back to Rachel, my hygienist, who worked for Doctor Frank, Sr. before she started working for Doctor Frank, Jr.

Doctor Frank aka Doctor Frank J. Patterson, Jr.http://drfrankpatterson.com/

Rachel has been cleaning my teeth most of my life. She knows me and can tell when I get nervous. My nose starts itching when I do. She has to stop cleaning and give me time to rub my nose. She thinks I'm funny.

See the 'attractive' gap between my teeth. It's better than the alternative. Thanks to Doctor Phil and Doctor Frank, I hope to have my teeth for a very long time.

Take a piece of advice from me and take care of your teeth. They become more precious as you grow older. Brush and floss, kids. Good dental health is part of a good health care regime.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Granny Edwadene

This is a picture of my mother-in-law. Her name is Edwadene but we all call her Ed. When I first met Ed she was married to Donny's daddy, Strick. He had emphysema and was disabled. Edwadene worked in the sample carpet mills. She and Strick worked for the telephone company when they first met. Ed was an operator and Strick worked on the lines. 

Edwadene loved flea markets and had a station wagon piled high with goods she would carry to sell every week. 

Edwadene was a wonderful cook. She is the only person I ever knew who cooked almost like my grandmother, and I always thought my grandmother was the best cook in the world. Edwadene had one advantage over my grandmother. She knew how to make the best yeast rolls I've ever eaten. They were delicious.

After Donny's daddy died of a heart attack, Edwadene was a widow for a long time. A lady she worked with tried to set Edwadene up with her father-in-law who was a widower. Edwadene didn't know how to act at first. She was flattered but thought Charlie was too old for her. She said he was an old man. I guess, because he was grey headed. That was funny because Edwadene was grey, too.

Before long Edwadene and Charlie got married and combined their families. They worked very hard to try to include everyone and make us all one big family. Charlie insisted we all go camping and fishing at Harrison Bay. We made that a family tradition for several years. Everybody had a good time the first year. There were tents and campers set up everywhere. 

Charlie's daughter, Teresa, was married to Jackie Amos. They had a little tent that was set up near the campfire. In the morning everyone was standing around the fire discussing what they wanted to do that day ... fishing ... when the little tent started shaking violently. Jackie and Teresa were 'getting it on' with everyone standing around the campfire. Nobody could mistake what the shaking was all about. After a little bit, the tent quit shaking, and Jackie and Teresa crawled outside. Oh, well. That was entertaining.

Over the years, the Strickland family kept going fishing with Charlie and Edwadene. Charlie's family would come to Harrison Bay, too, but didn't always camp with us. Charlie's daughter, Deborah, and her husband, Billy, usually camped near Billy's family who loved to go to Harrison Bay every summer at the same time. They loved fishing when the catfish ran. 

Myra, and Donny, and Tony always came camping every summer. One summer Tony got sick and had a heart attack. After that he wasn't interested in camping any more. After Charlie died, Donny took our family camping but it wasn't as fun as it had been with the Strickland and the McAllister clans camping together.

Edwadene sold her house and bought a condominium after Charlie passed away. Her mother, Granny Smith, lived with her for a while but she had to be put in a nursing home because of dementia. Not long after Granny Smith died, Edwadene started losing her memory and her eye sight.

Edwadene lived with her son, Tony, for a while and she stayed with us sometimes. I think it was good for her to be here because she got to know me better. One time she said she thought I was mean to the boys and didn't love them but, after staying with us for a while, she realized I didn't feel that way. 

I talk rough to the boys and chew them out when they make mistakes but I also always tell them how much I love them and how much they mean to me. I don't know any other way to be. I am not a good mother. I do yell at them and say mean things sometimes but, for some reason, my boys are fine young men and anybody who knows them will tell you that.

Edwadene lived in an assisted living home until her memory deteriorated so much she had to be moved into a nursing home. I would go by to see her sometimes and she would be slumped over in her chair asleep, or in bed asleep. She couldn't communicate with anyone any more and she lived in a fog in her own mind.

Alzheimer's is a terrible disease that robs you of your identity and dignity. Edwadene suffered from it for over thirteen years. Looking back, I suspect she had it for years before that. She used to say she couldn't think straight. I thought she was just being insecure but now I think she had been having symptoms of Alzheimer's a lot longer than she was diagnosed.

Edwadene passed away last Sunday. She was 83. Her family and loved ones came together to honor and pay respect to the woman she was. She was a loving mother and wife. She cared about her family and friends and never had an unkind word to say about anyone. She was a good woman.

I am sorry she passed away and I know it is painful for her family to say goodbye but I am also happy that she isn't suffering anymore. She no longer has to live in a dark fog of blindness and dementia. It is so painful seeing someone you love in that condition.

Edwadene was always nice to me and I grew to really love her over the years. I admired Edwadene for her honesty and goodness and cheerful spirit. She will be deeply missed.

AS ALWAYS

PIO  

Scout's Project

Scout got a utility building last Christmas. I helped him get lumber to put a floor in it. He finally got it together after nine months. Colt helped him set the building on the floor and they screwed it down one Saturday.

This is the little building they placed on the floor and screwed down. Scout needs it to put his stuff in. He's got lots of stuff. 

They got the doors attached and after a couple of adjustments they were working well.

There it is with the doors shut, and there it is with the doors . . . STUCK! 

There's nothing like having family to help you when you have a big project to put together. A big strong brother sure comes in handy sometimes.

"Bubba, quit standing there and get to work. I'm not paying you to stand around just looking pretty." 

Bubba: "I didn't know you was paying me."

Bro: "I'm not. Didn't you hear me? I said, 'I'm not ..' and you ain't pretty either."

Bubba: "Ah, Bro."

All they had to do was finish up a few touches and Wah-Lah! it was done. You have to love that Strickland teamwork. Good job, guys.

AS ALWAYS

PIO 

NOVEMBER

I hope everyone survived Halloween and got plenty of sweets for their sweet tooth. If you need any more, come see me. I know I'll never eat all this candy. We had a tub full!

On top of that, I got three wonderful surprises in the mail on Monday. 

A wonderful lady from New York sent me an Obama-Biden sticker for my car when I mentioned wanting one on a Facebook political group. Thank you Leah Boule.

I never get personal mail, so I was surprised the mailman had left me a card and a box. The address was from my Facebook friend Piette Carr. Bless her heart! She sent me a Halloween greeting card and a box full of chocolate candy bars! Thank you Piette Carr.

That made my day! Two wonderful women went out of their way to brighten my day and make me feel a little special. Thank you both and I hope you are blessed with wonderful people who love you and treat you both like the special women you are.

What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? Meeting wonderful like minded friends, and meeting people with diverse ideas that are stimulating and challenging. Whether I agree with all my friends or family, or not, you are all special to me and I am so thankful to have you all in my life.

Peace be with you all. Love and family are everything. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Samantha, Dawn, and Larry

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Roy and Sara

REMEMBER

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

AS ALWAYS
PIO

Money and Medicine

Insurance is the problem. Actually, if you'll follow the money you'll realize where the problem is in medicine. You have to look at the big players. The players are the doctors, nurses, technicians, office workers, equipment, tests, drugs, management, hospitals, health departments, and insurance companies. Those are the main players in the health industry. 

Kaiser Report says Romney's voucher plan would cost at least 60% of seniors more money.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/10/15/its-official-non-partisan-kaiser-foundation-says-60-of-seniors-would-pay-more-for-medicare-under-romney-ryan-voucher-plan/

Everyone is worried about social security becoming insolvent and complaining about medicare going broke, but President Obama has proposed a plan to keep it solvent for an additional four years. That would give us time for the government to fix the mess we are in now, provided they cooperate with each other and learn to compromise, and figure out how to save medicare and rejuvenate the system. I have no doubt that we could turn the whole ACA , Affordable Care Act, around and ensure every American citizen fair access to a medical doctor whenever they are ill, and for yearly wellness visits to monitor their health and help them control illnesses before they become life threatening.

If congress would learn to work to advance the American people and their needs, instead of working hard to impede the progress of the federal government as long as Barack Obama is president, America could grow and the economy would improve more quickly. Every few years we go through a recession and then the economy starts to improve and it grows again. There is no fear that this recession will last. The only fear we should have is the fear of settling for the pitch of a snake oil salesman trying to profit off the highest office in the nation, while stripping America of her resources and constitutional rights. 

Mitt Romney has promised to deny funding to Planned Parenthood and PBS, Public Broadcasting System, among other things. He is as out of touch with the people and disrespectful of the people who will be affected by his policies as our Georgia Governor, Nathan Deal. I am extremely upset with Governor Deal right now for closing the Georgia Archives to the public. Now you will have to make an appointment to visit the archives and can only have access for a couple of hours.

Anyway, getting back to my idea about insurance, I think it's ignorant giving retired people vouchers so they can run all over the country comparing policies and trying to figure out how to get the most for their dollar, cause the insurance companies are going to be trying to get out of covering people with medical conditions and they are going to be trying to sell people shitty policies, or policies that cost out the ying yang and suck up that voucher money and every penny you have left. The insurance companies are in business to make a profit and they have proven their better natures by turning people with illnesses off of policies and putting caps on lifetime spending on people with serious disabilities that costs a fortune over a lifetime. The only solution is tighter regulations. And control over the cost of medical care and equipment. 

I can never understand when someone wants less regulation and oversight by the government after seeing the mess that was made by too little monitoring over Wall Street and the stock market. Those people play with billions of dollars every day. When you handle huge sums of money all the time, it no longer seems real. It's like Monopoly money. It doesn't hurt near as much if you're gambling with someone elses money and lose it. They didn't care. That's why the stock market barracudas all deserved to be punished. Bernie Madoff shouldn't be the only one spending a lifetime behind bars. They destroyed the savings of thousands of people, and fleeced them for their own gain. Too many people will never fully recover their savings. 

We need to push congress to oversee the prescription drug industry more closely and regulate the cost of newer drugs so that patients who need these drugs can afford them. 

When doctors start making more money on treating and helping patients control their blood pressure and cholesterol and monitoring them more often, it will be a win-win for the doctors and the patients as medical costs come down. Cancer and heart disease can be caught in earlier stages if everyone is able to have a yearly physical. More people will live longer with preventative medicine. That might not be so good for social security but I can guarantee you that a lot of people will be happy to know that they will have a chance to live a longer, healthier life.

I can not stress strongly enough to you how important it is for America to visualise the next 20 to 40 years and the overwhelming need for jobs in the field of healthcare. The American baby boomers are all aging. They will not settle down, without a fight. They have always been movers and shakers and don't take no for an answer. They will be on the move and active, if at all possible. The best solution I can imagine is for our federal government to get involved in inspiring young people to seek some field in medicine. College students will need grants and scholarships to help defray costs. President Obama recommended forgiving the debts of college graduates who work in community service when they enter the work force. That same plan should be accentuated in the healthcare field so that they can encourage the brightest and most passionate students to serve in medicine.

That's my two-cents worth.

AS ALWAYS

PIO

I Feel Tense

For the last few weeks a lot has been going on around here. First, we lost our little dog Jack, and then Buddy got sick and we had to take him to the vet. One week Donny had to go to the doctor, and Buddy went the next day, then I went the day after that. On top of that, I had a mammogram that looked suspicious so I had to go back for another test on my boob. 

My blood pressure was a little high when I went to the doctor. It's never high. The doctor told me to come back for a consultation after my second mammogram. I was worried that he might tell me some bad news, although the technician said it only looked like a cyst. Instead, I had to have my blood pressure checked again. It was high, but not as much as my first doctors visit. They tested it again before I left and it was getting closer to normal. 

On my first visit with the doctor he told me that he had recommended a hysterectomy when I had been to him four years ago. I was dumbfounded because I didn't remember him saying that. I do remember him telling me that I should come back and he would put me on a pill to stop my menses and then he would put me on a hormone pill for menopause. 

I told him that I didn't want to go on hormones because my aunt had died from breast cancer and my momma and all her sisters had been told by Crick's doctor that they should never take hormones. Crick's doctor told them all to get a good mammogram and take care of themselves. I wasn't about to take hormones, if I could help it because of that.

I had avoided going to the doctor for four years because I didn't want to take medicine or be on pills. On the second visit, he was more concerned with my blood pressure than the mammogram and told me that it was okay, but I needed to have another mammogram in six months. 

I have to admit I was kind of pissed about coming back because of my blood pressure, especially when the doctor told me to keep taking "those pills I gave you". He hadn't given me any pills. When he told me he'd prescribed blood pressure pills, I began to wonder if he was the one losing his mind. He never gave me a prescription, or told me to take blood pressure pills. If he had, I would have told him I didn't want to take them anyway.

Donny takes blood pressure pills, and he has to go back twice a year for a new prescription, and for them to check his blood work. I know I may be wrong but I believe it's a big scam to keep getting money out of you. The only time my blood pressure goes up is when I get upset when I go to the dentist or doctor, or it's election time. 

I also went to Doctor Phil for my six months visit and he finally took the bonding off my front teeth. Now, when I smile, I have big gaps around my front teeth. He had to scrape the adhesive off and use a grinder to get it loose. It made my teeth sore again. I was warned not to eat apples or corn on the cob until they tightened up again. I'm sure that experience didn't help my blood pressure any.

I've been feeling like a rubber band wound tight on a balsam airplane, here lately. The presidential election is three weeks away and, depending on the outcome, I should be able to settle down and feel less uptight after that. Otherwise, I'll probably stroke out before the next election. I nearly blew a gasket when George Bush was president. I can't imagine how bad it will be if Romney wins. 

I can understand people who are stressed out because of Obama. That's how I felt when Bush was president but I hope President Obama wins a second term. I'm afraid the Republicans will destroy the social systems that help poor people. Despite their protests, most Republicans don't care about the needy.

Speaking of needy, and stress, it won't be long before it's Christmas. I hate the hustle and bustle of the people as they climb all over each other shopping for crap that most people don't want or really need. I've always thought that Christmas was too commercial. This year won't be any different.

If we can make it through the holidays, and December 21st, the day of doom on the Mayan calendar, we can look forward to another new year, with new hope for a better future. Let's all hope we get one.

Now, do you understand why I'm so tense?

AS ALWAYS

PIO

OCTOBER

I knew this wasn't going to be an easy year, what with the election coming and all. I knew I'd probably push some people too far with my ranting about the two party system in America and the lack of empathy the Republicans show for poor people. I was right. Nevermind the fact that the Republicans are mostly conservative Christians who like to go to church every Sunday and listen to the word of God, anticipating the happy day that they meet the Lord in heaven.

One of my favorite stories in the bible is when Jesus goes into the temple and overturns the moneychangers tables, saying that they "are turning my Father's house into a den of thieves." Jesus lost his temper because of the hypocrisy in God's house. Jesus said that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter into heaven." 

I wonder how Jesus would feel about people today who are taught to give until it hurts, instead saying they are no longer their "brother's keeper", and "if people were smarter, they wouldn't need any help." Talk about not having any empathy. 

These are also the same people that rant about women getting abortions because of the sanctity of life, yet when children are born in poverty and survive on welfare, they and their parents are considered deadbeats, gaming the system, who don't deserve government assistance. Some have even stronger views on the subject.

One Romney supporter at the Romney office in Blue Ridge, Virginia, Clifford Russell, had an extreme suggestion. Christopher D. Cook, a reporter for The Progressive, questioned him about his views on the government.

“What’s killing us is all these entitlements, we’ve got to get rid of all of them. All this welfare, food stamps, Medicare, and then big government health care on top of it, it’s all just too much! When do we say enough is enough?”

Cook asked Russell what he would do to reduce entitlements in this country.

“Look, there’s always something you can do. You telling me people can’t make a choice for a better life? We have to help all of them? No. I’ll tell you what really need to do with these illegitimate families on welfare—give all the kids up for adoption and execute the parents.”

Loonies on the right are out there. If you want to read the article about this radical Republican view you can click on the link at One Romney Supporter's Solution

We have to get out and vote to counteract the dangerous agenda of the Republican party and defend the programs that affect every American.

I'm glad the election will be over soon because it seems that there are too many nuts out there running for office, and too many people who will follow them blindly over a cliff. I don't know if President Obama will be reelected president, but I certainly hope so. He deserves four more years as Potus. 

Our country gave George W. Bush eight years to create this mess, and it will certainly take eight years, and longer, to dig our way out of it. The world economy was on the brink of collapse as the Presidency changed hands in 2008. Without the Obama programs to stabilize the stock market and shore up the automobile industry, our economy would have frozen up and stalled completely.

Austerity is not the answer. People are protesting all over the globe today because their government froze their wages and caused the economy to stagnate. The world economy is still in a precarious position. 

America is beginning to get back on her feet and will soon be running again, but it won't improve if the people don't have jobs and money for discretionary spending to purchase goods. Consumers are the backbone of the economy. Under the Romney administration, the only ones getting a tax break will be the very rich. Who do you think will have to pick up the slack?

We need more jobs in America. We used to be one of the greatest manufacturing countries in the world. We could be that way again if we started producing American products and restart the BUY AMERICAN project again. Frankly, it annoys me every time I buy an American flag and the label says Made in China. 

We need to rebuild American's infrastructure and employ American workers to fill those jobs. Outsourcing to other countries should have such stiff tariffs that it would be more logical to hire American companies.

We need to repair or build roads, bridges, sewer systems, airports, dams, schools, and other projects, pouring money into rebuilding America and stimulating the economy. We should be working to make America great again. America can only be great if everyone has the opportunity to improve their lot in life. Squashing the poor, and middle class will only destroy it. 

The Republicans want to spend money on war, and let the people be damned. That's not the American way. I'll stick with the Americans with a heart. That's what makes America great. Her heart and the belief that America is great because anybody can aspire to become anything they want, including the President of the United States. President Obama is a testament to that fact. He is the first black man ever elected president in the United States. He won't be the last.

Won't you be happy when the election is over? I know I will. Maybe then I can talk about something else like Halloween.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Joann, Shannon, Alesha, Lon, Layla, Matt, Devan, Michelle, Kelly, 
Debbie, Chase, Barry, Diane, and Summer

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Kelly and Troy
Piette and Paul

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Roller Coaster

Jack, Russel, and Buddy

This has been an emotional month for me and my family. On the thirteenth we found out our little dog Jack was dying of heart failure. He had heart worms and they were killing him. I called Scout and told him so he could come say good bye to Jack before we went to the vet the next day. We had him put to sleep that Friday. 

Colt and I were with Jack while he was put to sleep. He went so quick, it wasn't painful, but I felt so guilty looking at the sorrow in his eyes. I think he knew we were putting him down. It''s painful when you decide to kill something that you have come to feel is a major part of your family.

We barely had time to absorb the pain of losing Jack when we noticed Buddy acting funny. I locked the dogs up at night in Guantanamo, the pen, until Jack died but after his death, I let Buddy start running loose at night.

On Monday Buddy was laying in the back of Colt's truck and wouldn't get down and come to us. I went out there to see what was wrong with him. Buddy was curled up in a ball and couldn't raise his head. He looked like he was about to die. I called Scout to tell him about Buddy. He came to see Buddy for himself. We stood by the side of the truck looking at Buddy, crying and petting him, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. 

Scout noticed his left butt cheek was swollen up real bad. His left eye was also matted shut. We put eye drops in his eye, in case there was any trash in it. He acted like it hurt, but he didn't feel like fighting us.

Around dusk I went back outside to feed the cats and check on Buddy. He actually seemed to feel a little better. He stood up and circled around and laid back down. He was holding his head up even when he was laying down. Before, he had been limp as a rag. Scout came back over to check on Buddy and was thrilled to see Buddy was better. I promised to take him to the veterinarian on Tuesday if he lived. Donny agreed.

Scout didn't work because of the weather, so he and I took Buddy to the Animal Hospital. The same doctor who saw Jack, saw Buddy. She said that Buddy had a temperature, and an abscess on his hindquarters that needed to be drained. Buddy would have to stay at the hospital for the surgery. She also treated his eye.

I was able to pick Buddy up from the vet the next day. He was full of pep and so much better than he had been when we took him there.  He enjoyed riding in the car, looking out the windows, on the way home. He hung over the front seat watching me drive as I talked to him. The doctor told me to keep the wound clean and dry so I kept him in the house so he wouldn't re-injure his wound. 

Buddy has never been an indoor dog but he's surprised me with his intelligence. He hasn't had a single accident in the house. He will go to the backdoor when he wants to be let out and will come right back inside when he's done his business. I can't believe he's that good. He likes laying in the floor next to Colt's bed, but when I lay down and no one is around, he comes into my room to lay by the bed. 

I've been giving him medicine wrapped in bread or bits of meat and he's been real good taking his pills. He doesn't even mind it when I put salve in his eye. I couldn't have asked for a better patient.

Donny and I had to go to the doctor last week too. Donny had the flu and needed a shot. I had to go to the doctor for a physical and to get a doctor's order for a mammogram. They had already done a mammogram a couple of weeks ago but wanted to take more tests. 

I hope we don't have another week like this again. It was too expensive and too stressful. Thankfully, we all seem to be doing better now. Buddy is lively and happy, Donny is getting over his congestion, and I don't have to go back to the doctor again for six months. 

We are very blessed to have come though everything. I can't complain. Several of our friends have been having a much harder time. They have lost loved ones who were unable to overcome serious health problems. Our loss and sorrow is insignificant compared to theirs. I wish I could do something to help ease their pain but I know there is nothing I could say that would make it any better. As stupid as it sounds, the only thing that will ease the pain is time. It doesn't make the pain any less real, it just makes it more bearable. 

My heart goes out to you all. 

AS ALWAYS

PIO

Save The Georgia Archives

Governor Deal announced this week that he was closing the Georgia Archives to the public on November the 1st. 

The Georgia Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, had cut the staff to a paltry 10 employees in charge of the Archives. A full crew was 90 employees before budget cuts in Georgia. 

On Tuesday Kemp let more employees go. Ironically on Wednesday Governor Deal declared September "Archives Month in Georgia". Gee, do you think Governor Deal is yanking our chain?

Budget cuts should not be made by cutting the staff and hours open to our public institutions. The Georgia Archives and the National Archives are major sources of information for everyone interested in the history of Georgia and her residents.

Over the last four years open hours had been cut to two days a week, Friday and Saturday, from 8:30am to 5:00pm. Govern Deal intended to close the Georgia Archives, except by appointment only. That would virtually guarantee that people would not have access to public records in the state of Georgia.

The power of the internet has caused people to rally, and collect signatures, in protest. People are petitioning to keep the Archives open. It is a vital resource for Georgia history and research. People from Georgia and other states use the Archives for research and genealogy. The Archives reaches back to the beginning history of Georgia, from  in 1732, and Georgia's founding as a trustee colony by King George II of Great Britain.

The Archives are used to support legislators and state agencies by providing background information and context for proposed legislation and current issues, maintains records that protect citizens legal and property right, and those of the state government and counties, decreases liability, and increases efficiency of state agencies through proper record management.  

The Georgia Archives was built next to the National Archives specifically so that people would have access to both Archives for research close to one another. Now they want to restrict access to the records at the Georgia Archives. In contrast, beginning October 1, 2012, the National Archives at Atlanta will be open for public research Monday through Friday and the third Saturday of the month. 

The National Archives has a Microfilm Research Room and an Archival Research Room.which contains information for genealogy research and general historical interest. 

The Archives has 180,000 cubic feet of archival holdings dating from 1716 to the 1980s, primarily textual records but also maps, photographs, and architectural drawings.

Georgia Archives and the National Archives are public information consortium's  designed to preserve and disseminate information about the history of our state and our nation to the public.  People use the Archives to research projects for research, family history, land and property, census records, and various other uses.

Please add your voice to the growing throng of people banning together demanding that Georgia keep the Georgia Archives open to the public. 

They are closing a building that was opened in 2003 and won an award for design.

Our building

Our facility, opened on May 6, 2003, is a winner of many awards, including the National Design Award from the American Institute of Architects. It was designed by HOK. 

GREAT NEWS EVERYBODY!
They've decided not to close the Archives.
Please sign the petition anyway and let them know
You want them to KEEP THE ARCHIVES OPEN
So they don't change their minds again!
Thank you

~~~~~~
The battle isn't over yet. Governor Deal is waffling.
Please sign the petition.

MORE NEWS:
http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-10-15/archives-visitors-limited-2-hour-appointments
10-15-2012
Archives are Limited to 2 hour Appointments
***IMPORTANT CATCH*** From Linda Davis please note:

"...in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, states the Archives will be open two weeks a month. That is a little misleading. According to this press release it will only be open Thursday, Friday and Sat, by appointment of 2-2 1/2 hours. We gained a day of appointments only (for a few people), but lost full day usage at any time."
I Love The Power Of The Internet
LET'S USE IT TO KEEP THE ARCHIVES ALIVE
Click on Support Our Georgia Archives
Shield
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BREAKING NEWS
10-18-2012

http://gov.georgia.gov/press-releases/2012-10-18/deal-kemp-keep-georgia%E2%80%99s-archives-open>
THEY'RE STAYING OPEN TILL JUNE 1, 2013
THANK YOU EVERYONE
more news
Georgia Archives Will Stay Open
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/georgia-archives-will-stay-open/nSg4r/>

AS ALWAYS

PIO