A beagle story

We co-habit here at the Homestead with a small breed beagle. Her name is Fry Bread and she is about 13 inches high at the shoulder. We're not really sure how old she is but think she may be around 10. Considering her past, she's in pretty good shape.

We adopted her from an older Mesquakie couple in 2006, a month after we had to put my Girl to sleep. Took one day and drove down to Grinnell where we met Sonny, her master, and Wendy, the director of the PAWS shelter there. Sonny and his wife, Carla, found it necessary to leave their home and move to an assisted living center but they couldn't take their pets with them. They had found homes for the cats but not Fry Bread. I had seen her picture on the PAWS site and she looked so forlorn that I just had to apply to adopt her. After speaking with Wendy a couple of times on the phone it was arranged for us to come down to meet all of them, including Fry. (We never did meet Carla, who was so upset about losing their dog that she wouldn't come out of the house.) We definitely met Fry, though.

She looked like an overstuffed bolster on legs. Her eyes were all googly and bulging, she grunted when walking or breathing and had a collapsible back end. Needless to say, we were somewhat taken aback. Himself and I looked at each other in amazement but we had given our word and Sonny looked so sad, but hopeful, that we simply couldn't get back in the car and leave.

We asked about walks (every 30 minutes,) feeding (McDonald's but no pickles on her cheeseburger,) vet care and shots (couldn't afford) and the more we heard the more we were thinking that this was the Mistake of the New Millenium. Still, there was something about that dog. Not sure what, but something.

We thanked Wendy and shook Sonny's hand, thanking him for taking such good care of Fry Bread and promising to our best for her. We duly loaded her up in the back seat of the car and off we went. We didn't even get 20 miles down the road before she had to go to the bathroom. So, pull over, pick her up and carry her to a piddle-spot. Set her down. Supervise the doings, pick her back up and carry her to the car again.

We arrived back home fairly soon and our first stop was the vet's office. Luckily, Doc happened to be there at the time so in goes our new housemate. All conversation stopped as she tottered in. Doc and his tech had horrified looks on their faces, Doc's including a jaw-drop that could have allowed a root canal by King Kong.

You see, Fry Bread, of a breed variation whose top weight should be no more than 25 pounds, weighed more than 50. She turned out to have major ear infections, bad teeth and a heart murmur. Lord only knows what else would turn up in future but, for now, we would handle the problems the most needed attention. The first order of business was feeding.

Her previous people had fed her only what they had eaten along with taking her to have a fast food treat daily. Since she didn't eat properly she was, not only massively overweight, but hypertensive and had calcifications on her teeth that were causing gum disease. We started her out with tasty canned moist food which she refused to touch. Next try was a bit of kibble mixed with the tasty moist food and some beef broth. She still wouldn't touch it. Instead, she got into the garbage, grabbed food from people and basically made a nuisance of herself. Called Doc who said, "She won't starve herself. Keep giving her the proper food and when she gets hungry enough, she'll eat it." Yo, Doc, will do. And that's what we did. Along with commencing NOGARBAGE training, NOGRABBING training and NOBEGGING training. *sigh* For some day, I think it was 3 or 4, she simply wouldn't eat. Then one day she did try a little. The next day there was still no People Food forthcoming so she ate a little more regular dog-type food. This continued for a while until she was gladly narfing down the moist food. We gradually cut out the beef broth and then cut back on the moist until she finally was eating nothing but kibble. We also started taking her on walks.

Well, kind of walks. She had gone to Sonny and Carla from a raid on a puppy farm when she was very small. She had whelped the first time at less than a year and, when a pup got stuck, whoever was handling her just jerked it out. She ended up with permanent nerve damage in her pelvic area and her right rear leg doesn't work properly.* So instead of walking, we sort of hobbled. And collapsed. And hobbled some more. Doc felt that it was possible that the problem would improve as she lost weight and, to a certain extent, it did. As she lost weight, very gradually as is proper to avoid complications, her movement improved. She also stopped making such horrible gobbling noises when breathing. Not only did the gradual weight loss help her gait and breathing, she became, over a period of time, less googly eyed and more interested in what was going on around her. Now it was time to attack those infected ears.

We had been cleaning them several times a week with a solution Doc gave us but it wasn't entirely doing the job. So, out we go to sedate the dog and ream out the ears. They were a mes. There had been a long-standing infection from impacted wax and dirt and she had a hot infedtion of the ear canal and ear drum in one ear. The other wasn't as bad. So we fixed up a headdress for her that would hold her ears up off the sides of her head. She looked darned silly running around in it but it helped clear the infections. Now for the teeth.

Since the deposits on her teeth were so thick and went clear up beneath the gum line, Fry had to be anesthetized during the scaling process. It went well and, after 3 hours of waking up time, she came home and staggered round, albeit with nice clean teeth. Since she was getting a diet of kibble, Doc didn't think it would be necessary to clean her teeth again and, so far, it hasn't been.

Then, about a year and a half ago, she started smelling really foul. Surprise! Impacted anal glands. Oh, fuuuuuun. I have expressed other dog's glands on previous occasions but, to be honest, there was no way I was going to do it myself. So, back to Doc. Good thing I hadn't tried because it didn't go well. They were badly blocked and infected, to boot. Keep butt clean and change dog food to a high-fiber diet. OK, roger wilco.

This has worked nicely except it has turned her into a poop machine. She craps more in one day than most dogs do in a week. If I could figure out something useful to do with all the doggie dookies I'd be a billionaire. Instead, pick it up and put it in the garbage or, on lazy days, just pitch it over the deck rail.

She's turned out to be a very nice dog. She likes kids, doesn't bark much and is well behaved for the most part. Welcome home, Fry, it's good to have you here.

This is Fry having a little break:






* She also has an intermittent problem with urinary incontinence. It isn't a regular ocurrance but I have Doggie Diapers for the times when she dribbles. They're denim. LOL

Saturday's child is... um, hungry?

Got a bad craving for smoked almonds today. So, since I decided I wasn't gonna stress about anything today (I'll leave that for tomorrow) I made my own. Yes. I did.

I didn't have any plans to fire up the big outside smoker so made them in my handy-dandy Coleman stovetop smoker. (That sucker has to be one of the World's Best Inventions. Truly)

Soaked the almonds in a saturated brine for an hour. While they soaked, I wrapped the smoker rack with foil and poked holes in it. Put the hickory in the bottom, placed in the drip pan with the wrapped grate on top.

Then, after the almonds were all nice and briny, i scooped them out and spread them on the grate.

Smoked them for 30 minutes then cracked the lid and turned off the heat. Then I took a 2 hour nap. yo ho.

Turned them out in a bowl and scraped the crusted salt from the foil and tossed them around.

Started with about 3 cups of almonds 45 minutes ago. There are about a dozen individual nuts left.

They are gooooooood!

In answer to your question*

"Do you think that the military and veterans are treated like the unwanted caste in this society?"

I am very well acquainted with two veterans who most certainly have been, and continue to be, treated as second class citizens. They are both literate, cultured and highly intelligent, with skill-sets that are becoming rare today.
One is treated with disdain by co-workers in spite of the fact that she is qualified to do their jobs as well as her own. She wore many hats while in the military but finding an employer who understands that has been difficult. Jobs have been stressful because, along with daily life, she must deal with the snickers and cliquey junior-high-girl behavior from those whose highest goal in life is solely material.
The other, who is deployed currently, was insulted and ignored in an outrageous manner by college entrance desk jockeys. He was treated in an immature and childish manner by acquaintances and students. He was turned down for jobs for which he was more than qualified. Transferring his skills, as with vet #1, was next to impossible.
Another veteran of my acquaintance has no access to affordable health care. He is barred from using the facilities locally because they are set aside for WWII and Korean veterans. This leaves him no choice but to wait months for an appointment at the nearest VA hospital. That entails driving quite a ways and with the price of gas? It has become an impossible burden for him.
There are scores of vets who are struggling through layer after layer of government garbage. Review boards that have been instructed to change their standards in such a manner that even those vets with serious mental or physical handicaps, due solely to their service, can not be qualified for full disability. Service doctors who shuttle patients through so fast that they have no chance to do a real examination. Paperwork that is lost or was never completed.
The "popular media" (and you know who those people are) portray an image of someone in the armed services or veterans in a manner that unconsciously gives the impression that those folks enlisted because they weren't smart enough to do anything else. It is doubtful whether 75% of the tv-watching population realizes that, although there are those who can't do anything else, many who enlist are amongst the brightest and the best. Our "leadership," whether federal or state, are not making the situation any better. They, too, give that subliminal message that "those solder-people" aren't quite as good as the rest of the population. And, to boot, they sure as hell aren't near as good as all those "smart" people who went from high school to an Ivy League university.
It's more than unfortunate, it's tragic, that this attitude reflects the general state of affairs in our country. No longer are you judged by the quality of your soul, by your standard of honor, decency, respect, responsibility... now the only yardstick is How Much You Own. Alternatively, How Much You Make. It's unclear whether those short-sighted and soul-sick people are infuriating or should be regarded as objects of pity.
I have wished for 35 years that I had been allowed to enlist when I desired, out of high school. It would have been as good for me, as a person, as it has been for those I know who have served and are serving.
So, in short, yes to your question. Undoubtedly. To the eternal shame of our country and it's citizens.


* This comment, posted in response to the aforementioned question, caused a firestorm of shrieks and screechings. Not from veterans but from those who read my comment and felt offended because they were indeed the same people whom I spoke of as being short-sighted and soul-sick. I found this immensely interesting. It has been my observation that those who get in an uproar about something like this are guilty as charged. For what other reason would they be offended?

Lee's story*

Lee grew up in a family of drug users. His mother and father were both heavy users of cocaine and pot. The parents separated and divorced when Lee was 6 and his brother a year or two older.

Both boys went to live with their mother, which is pretty standard. His father had visitation on weekends and for special events. Neither parent had changed their behaviors. In fact, after the divorce Lee's mother seemed to go totally out of control. His father stayed on a pretty steady course with little variation to worse or better for some years.

As is often true in situations like this, both boys went from small trouble to larger trouble. By the time they were young teens they both had juvenile records for violations such as theft, breaking and entering and vandalism. They both had also taken up recreational drug use and alcohol abuse.

Being left unsupervised a majority of the time, they pretty much made their own way. They did poorly in school as it's difficult to make much progress when you're either high or drunk. To get spending money, they stole whatever they could find that wasn't locked up like Fort Knox. They started selling drugs to bring in cash that supported their own use.

By the time the two were in high school they both had long records. Their drug and alcohol use escalated and they began robbing in earnest. When their mother finally threw up her hands and sent them to their father, not much changed but their address. The father was gone a good deal of time working and the boys were still spending a large percentage of their own time in their usual pursuits; parties, thievery and sex.

When they did finally graduate, at the bottom of their respective classes, they didn't get jobs. Or not a job that could be called such by most people. They made their way by stealing and selling drugs. By their early twenties both had been in and out of jail for many offenses, assault and battery, burglary, dealing, intoxication, terroristic behavior and a number of less serious offenses.

When their father** told them they had to straighten up or leave, they both left. They lived with various friends and, when no friends were available, out of their vehicle or in abandoned buildings. When cash ran low the two stooped so low as to break into their father's house and garage and steal anything that could be pawned.

Finally, the law caught up with them. One went to jail. Lee was given a choice: prison or the military.

He chose the Marines.

There has been an ongoing debate, both in the military establishment and in public forums, concerning the practice of putting kids in serious trouble in one or another branch of the service. It is true, there have been some failures, just as there are failures when drawing from the general population. Some kids being shuttled off to basic simply can not adapt and are scrubbed. Others, like Lee, make it.

Lee took what was his last opportunity and ran with it. He was successful in basic, passed the Crucible and went on to his first post. An incredible transformation occurred. From a sad representation of humanity to a carrer instructor in the Marines is one hell of a change. He has made the Marines his career, has married and now has a family. He is advancing in rank and, in doing so, delighted and astonished the folks back home.

There really is no point to this story. No moral. Nothing like that. I just was thinking about Lee and decided to put his story down.


* Names have been changed.

** By this time, their father had cleaned up his act. Their mother still hasn't.

VIP seating in Spain

Just look at the faces on the Suits?

Can anyone say "new underwear, please???"

I'll take coach, thank you.....

ROFLMSAO

mercy

uh..... what?




The caption:

Ifs, Ands and Butts
A man wearing nothing but sneakers rides towards the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC, during the World Naked Bike Ride, an international event geared towards drawing attention to oil dependency and the negative social and environmental impact of a car-dominated culture.

The World Naked Bike Ride? Who came up with that particular idea? This is from the, um, organizer's wiki:

Since 2004, cities across the world have experienced the joy of the world's largest naked event promoting cycling in the history of humanity.

You are invited to not only ride with us but also to help organize a WNBR event in the city of your choosing. More information. Visit our List of rides page for a list of participating cities.

"The joy of the world's largest naked event..." I can just imagine trying to organize something like that anywhere around here. Actually, anywhere in the Flyover US.*

Then there is the small question concerning the "anatomical" difficulties of actually riding a bike around nekkid.

Then there is the question of effectiveness. Other than people thinking the whole group are obviously loonies, did this event do much to promote the environment? Is it a publicity stunt?

I think the world has gone mad.

* The looks on the faces of the two people, probably tourists, in the background is priceless.

If that is Jeff and Marie from Peoria I know exactly what they are thinking...

• Jeff: 'omg, is this for real?????'
• Marie: 'glad we didn't bring the kids.'
  

I'm missing something, obviously

Eh?




The caption:

Blinding Light
Roman Catholics and workers from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions protest the importation of U.S. beef in front of City Hall in Seoul, South Korea.


Roman Catholics? Do Korean Catholics have a trade union to protect Korean beef orsomething? Do they object, as a tenet of faith, to US beef?

Would someone please explain the linkage between RC, Korean trade unions and US beef??

Really, you just can't make this up!!!

Assault vehicles:




The caption:

Rolling Thunder
Paramilitary policemen on "assault vehicles" take part in an anti-terrorism drill in Jinan, China. There will be nearly 100,000 commandos, police and members of the military on standby up to and during the Beijing Olympics.

I am having a hard time deciding whether I am laughing or just dumbfounded. Segues? SEGUES???

assault vehicles... segues... paramilitary... terrorism... gawd.


That just makes my head hurt.

I really, really hate those people

Annual freed credit reports, my rosy red ass.

The only one I could get, actually FREE, was Experian.

Transunion will not allow me to log on. Their system reports "too many attempts to log on." WHAT????? I hadn't been there for over a year and had not, in that time, logged on even once. So, to get my "free" credit report I must write them snailmail and pay the bastards for that "free" report.

Equifax is even worse. There are evidently no real people working there. There is no way to contact a living, breathing person over the phone. At least not that I could find after going through levels of voice recognition bullshit. When I finally managed to get an order in for my "free" report* they would charge me $11.00 for that FREE REPORT. WTF is wrong with this picture? So I am sending them a snailmail requesting my "free" annual report. Let's see how much "free" turns out with this bunch of jokers.

Wish me luck.

* The process goes like this: choose if you have been denied something in the last 60 days or not. No? Then on through layer after layer of "press or say whatever." Be careful, though, as you go through that process. You might be tempted to push the number 1 immediately. Don't. If you press 1 you will not only order your "free" report but also your FICA and Equifax numbers. This adds up to something like, oh, 25.00. (seems to me this is rather dishonest, actually. taking advantage of the weary button pusher to sell stuff.) If you just want your "free" report, press 3. If you are really really sure you don't want the other stuff (because they'll push it again via button 1,) don't press 2. Press THREE!
WTF happened to the mandated FREE REPORT?
I'm furious.

Under the bridge

Seems to me that as the ability to comment on venues on the internet has grown exponentially, so has the Kingdom of the Trolls grown.

In recent months, trolls have appeared on various forums, including professional sites, personal blogs, feedback relating to articles and news broadcasts, online stores an the list continues to grow. One site, which will remain nameless, has been a valuable aid in upgrading my resume and finding potential jobs. In the past it was enjoyable to log in and chat about various job search and other issues with posters close to my age.

Alas, that day has passed. Any post to that discussion site at this time is likely to fall victim to flame attacks, personal insults and harassment, and general denigrating posts. Certain posters feel the need to nearly take over every thread and harass others. Members of the forum have tried, in vain up to now, to handle the trolls in a manner consistent with good manners and camaraderie but the trolls come back en masse, bringing their troll legions with them.

In reading through over 300 comments on a 60 Minutes story, I noticed that a good 40% or so (rough estimate based on 25 posts per screen with a minimum of 6 posts on any one screen from the same two individuals) were bantering between two posters, the same two harassing and insulting other commenters, and generally making nuisances of themselves. I don't know if this continued through the whole 300+ comments because I became so tired of scrolling like made to get past those two that I finally just gave up.*

The anonymity of the internet is one of it's greatest strengths and a growing weakness. Some sites have established near-draconian limitations on what can, and can't, be "said." I understand the need for that but also am saddened by that same need. Anonymity guarantees a poster can say anything, do anything, and be as obnoxious and grating as he/she/it wants but not be called on it.

A growing presence of various special-interest groups is also noted. I include them as trolls because of the rabid nature of their posts. The most vocal seems, in my limited surfing, to be fundamentalist religious groups of all descriptions. Some of the most hateful, threatening, and harassing posts have come from VRP defending their particular brand of religion. A really great illustration of that would be P. Z. Meyer's "crackergate." The gamut of posts ranged from promises of prayer hoping that he would return to the faith to literal threats of imminent death for him and harm to his family and loved ones. Some of the posters actually threatened to go to his home and assault him. One threatened harm to his children. A whole bunch contacted his employer and tried to get him dismissed. All because of a professed atheist's opinion on a religious sacrament.**

Another subcategory of troll is the illiterate. These people just make my skin crawl. From those who can't spell all the way through to those whose posts make absolutely no sense at all.*** If I can find the link to the site that lists a whole lot of comments from AFA members on the McDonald's boycott I will put it here. The comments ranged from only mildly brain-damaged to mentally comatose. If this is the level of intellectual functioning of members of the American Family Association it speaks volumes for the credulousness and illiteracy of fundamentalist folks.****

Trolls, being trolls for whatever reason, live to stir up trouble and gain attention for themselves. My opinion is that just ignoring them is the best course. It's a shame, though, when sites formerly enjoyed become uninhabitable because a clan of beasts have moved in under the bridge.





* What did interest me is a post by one of the trolls. In it he/she/it stated that public comment forums such as "this one" are good places to "try stuff out" since it's anonymous. What a jerk.
** I make no judgments on the wisdom, or not, of the post that set off the firestorm. It isn't my place to tell Dr. Myers what he can and can't post on his blog. 'nuff said. BTW: Google "crackergate" and you will find 15800 returns for the term. wow.
*** I have received "drails" from people that make more sense than some of those morons. I make the assumption that the "drails" were from folks who were literate in the first place.
**** It should be mentioned that there are morons all over the place. It isn't just fundie xtians that are dumb. A large number of the faithful who were sending nasties to Dr. Meyers also showed a stark lack of intelligence. So it's catholics, as well.

Been a looooong day

Spent the day updating a resume and making a new one, as well. Applying for jobs. Making introductory cards to hand out. Researching companies. Contacting people.

Distilled version?

tearing my hair out.

Very good news

I want one of these units:

Solar power storage

You just couldn't make this stuff up

"Diploma mill"

Hows 'bout that weather, eh?

Darned weird. Really. Historically our summer storms come from the southwest and only rrely from the northwest.

This year all of them have come from the northwest. All of them. DD tells me that it was 110+ in KCMo today and has been like that for days. It's only in the high 70s here but it's so humid that it's like a sauna outside.

It wasn't unusual, in the past, the go outside at 5 a.m. in July and walk into a wall of heat and humidity but this is just wrong. There have been droughts in recent years that haven't been as bad as the Dust Bowl but have been at unusual times.

Warm winter one year then the next we get snowed under from October until April.

This spring started with rain, rain and more rain. Then it rained more and flooded. Hot for 3 to 4 days then it rains for a couple of days then gets hot again. (not so great for the mold allergic among us. ahem)

Something is wrong, for sure.

Good Eats

Roasted a turkey, made real mashed taters and gravy, dressing and corn for dinner yesterday. It was just tremendous. We ate until we almost popped. Was a lot of work but well worth the effort.

Cooking the carcass with sage and onions and carrots and celery and bay and pepper and herbs. mmmmmmmmmm Meat is in a pan in the garage fridge and will get that packaged up and in the freezer for later use. Will have turkey enchiladas, turkey sandwiches, turkey and noodles, turkey and biscuits. Yum. Best of all, turkey tetrazzini. mmmmmmmmm

Think turkey enchiladas sounds just right for tonight. After finishing the laundry will have a short nap then get to making the sauce. If I had tomatillas I'd do enchiladas verde but don't want to drive 20 mile for 10 tomatillas.


ETA: the enchiladas just came out of the oven and they smell yummy. Tried a new sauce recipe but think I will stick with my tried-and-true one just because we like it best.

Decline of bitchiness

I love the Guardian. Always great fodder for laughter or thought. Or both.

Victoria Coren

Another one gone...

Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who exposed Stalin's prison system in his novels and spent 20 years in exile, has died near Moscow at the age of 89.

The author of The Gulag Archipelago and One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich, who returned to Russia in 1994, died of either a stroke or heart failure.

The Nobel laureate had suffered from high blood pressure in recent years.

After returning to Russia, Solzhenitsyn wrote several polemics on Russian history and identity.

His son Stepan was quoted by one Russian news agency as saying his father died of heart failure, while another agency quoted literary sources as saying he had suffered a stroke.

He died in his home in the Moscow area, where he had lived with his wife Natalya, at 2345 local time (1945 GMT), Stepan told Itar-Tass.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent his condolences to the writer's family, a Kremlin spokesperson said.

From BBC.