Terry Schiavo's Death

Over the past few months, I have read the saga of the legal battle over Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. My heart goes out to the parents for their long years of hoping for improvement, as well as a costly legal struggle with the husband. I was sympathetic to his cause. Until, that is, I read that, during exams after her stroke, there were symptoms of unreported abuse (rib cage, other bruises) and that he had been there during her fall, not administered CPR even though he knew how, and delayed calling "911." Add that to young children with another woman. Well, his motive continued to be waiting out her death to get the $1 million legal settlement over the failure to diagnose her potassium imbalance.
To the end, he proved he was unsympathetic, by not allowing them the courtesy of being there when she did finally pass on. Not that the last image is one that we want to remember. However, it seems, in this case, that image would put closure on what has been a life-shaping struggle for them. And it seems to be continuing in the form of who and how the funeral arrangements will be made.
If this case, when the evil, self-serving Bush family decided they wanted to help play G-d, pushes everyone into documenting their last wishes (DNR, feeding tubes, etc.) it will have had some benefit long-term. In the short-term, the grief of the family is overwhelmingly sad.
I will be staying on top of my low potassium readings as well, due to a medication that I take. I will be vigilant and eat lots of potassium-rich foods -- bananas, almonds, avocado, oj, spinach, etc.

Spring Training

I am sad to report I attended my last Spring Training game for this year today. It was sunny, a good game and a chance to talk with some out-of-town cousins. I like the stadiums, watching the people, checking out the various food options and, generally, just being there with my husband, as he soaks in a close-up baseball experience. I usually have to look at the scoreboard when I leave to see who was winning (today Mariners beat White Sox 15-9) and it was my first time seeing Ichiro. I am looking forward to next year, but, first, Fall League is about six months away.

Activism Meets Spring Cleaning

This week there are so many events going on -- J.D. Hayworth Town Halls on Social Security Reform (he was very folksy, focused on one solution and I am one of those that would be interested in hastening his return to private life, as he stated to the crowd of supporters and those not supporting him). There are multiple local rallies for and against change in Social Security, meetings of educational groups to hear Gov. Janet Napolitano talk about her Republican Budget veto (hooray for her!) and generally lots of great political stuff.
Thankfully, for me, now you can be politically active by email -- encouraging that Arizona continue its funding of full-day kindergarten, trying to make sure that private school vouchers are not approved, etc.
But spring cleaning is the winner this week, getting through the clutter and stuff that blocks the hallways and chi of our house. The bell has rung, it is getting toward the final round and we are limping to the finish line. (How many cliches can be in one sentence?)

Cool Dogs

Everyone thinks of hot dogs at a baseball game, so why not "Cool Dogs"? These were available (and very popular) at the Brewers Spring Training game today. Of course, you would say, as that is the stadium that is home to the famous sausage races. The races were adorable, with four types of sausage (Italian, Polish, Brat and Hot Dog) racing from first base towards home plate. I cheered for Polish and it won. I got autographs from all of them as the fans clustered around to get the free photograph of them signed. A highlight, as well as seeing Huston Street and Rick Helling pitch. Not sure who won or lost as we got cold and had to leave.
Back to the Cool Dogs -- they are a yellow cake, shaped like a bun, that is filled with hot dog shaped piece of vanilla ice cream. When purchased, it is topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and sprinkles. That was a cool looking treat.

Ironing (Not!)

Today, while at the dentist's office, I happened upon a "Reader's Digest." They get the best jokes sent in for publication, and as I laughed out loud repeatedly, noted an interesting fact highlighted in one article: 49% of Americans iron their jeans and 5% iron their socks! Well, that is news to me. I double-checked it in the dental office. Well, lo and behold, some of those folks either iron their jeans or know people that do. I could assume that a former military person would like the crease down the front, but the rest of the people....that totally escapes me.
I have not seen our iron since we moved last 3+ years ago. In fact, my daughter said she figured we did not have one. One mover told me everyone has an ironing board to move, but most people haven't used it since the last time they moved. I figure that people who iron their jeans must have more time that I do.
By the way, the funniest joke was a cartoon of two kids watching "Roadrunner" cartoons. One kid says, "what do you think they are really saying when they say beep, beep?" Sign of the times -- roadrunner "beeping" is confusing with curse-word "bleeping."

Diapers

I read about the Valley of the Sun Diaper Bank when it started and it struck a nerve with me. We can all imagine that kids need diapers (they are not cheap and it is optimal to use coupons for them). But, what got me, is the seniors/adults who have an incontinence problem. Due to the high cost of adult diapers, they cannot afford them and subsequently, become house-bound.
My daughter and I are volunteering to pick up diapers for the big collection drive in March and April at a local Basha's store. I ended up with a store that is not the closest one, and it does not have the array of merchandise that my favorite Basha's does, but I figure I can shop at the same time.
We did our collection run (and shopping!) tonight. So far, after 2 weeks, and three trips, I have gathered 4 packages of diapers. I sure hope that the other locations are getting more than I am. Someone told me yesterday about a senior that kept getting bladder infections -- yep, you got it -- because the adult diapers are expensive, they wore them longer than they should have.

Population Explosion

I recently saw an article on Arizona trivia that included a surprising fact: the population of Arizona increased 40 percent between 1990 and 2000. I guess I should not be surprised as all those people were on the same road I was yesterday. Others have been lured by the same things that attracted us -- twice -- great weather, scenic views, affordable housing, multiple ways to get places, huge grocery stores... These new people have created the demand for lots of restaurants, coffee everywhere, and farmer's markets. But they have also brought traffic, smog, allergy-causing trees and grass, destruction of the wonderful, unique desert landscape...
Trade-offs....the price of progress.

"The Gods Must Be Crazy"

I must not be the only one crazy about that movie. In fact, I pre-ordered the DVD last year for both of "The Gods Must Be Crazy" movies. My daughter and I laugh ourselves silly over and over. When I first saw the movie in a movie theatre in Evanston, IL. in 1975, I was one of five people in the theatre and we all laughed until we cried.
In Phoenix, apparently, it has been the longest running movie in Valley history, only to be followed by "Star Wars" and "What the #$*! Do We Know!? I did see "Star Wars" but must now make a point of seeing the other movie in such select company.

On Overload

Last week, I was on overload, with so many obligations and commitments. I subsequently was not surprised when I then got a cold. As Louise Hay writes in her "Heal Your Body" book, each physical illness has a mental cause, with a metaphysical way to overcome them. I knew that a cold meant I had way "too much going on at once, reflecting mental confusion and disorder." That was so very accurate. So, the cold forced me to cancel all plans for 2 days, slow down and complete a whole bunch of loose ends. Then, my cold went away and I went back to a frenetic pace for this week. I still haven't found all the papers I needed for my taxes, but the two days of illness did help me finish quite a few things I had started.
As for the Louise Hay book, I never can keep track of it, so when it surfaces periodically I do enjoy flipping through it again for an update of what is really going on with me.

Dan Rather's Goodbye

I got teary-eyed as I watched Dan Rather's final signoff tonight. I liked him (I still do!) and he was often the anchor of choice for us during big events (disasters, war, etc.) I liked seeing the clips of years past when he had lots of dark hair.
I don't believe that he, himself, did the research on the story about GWB. But, Dan Rather has been a legend and was my favorite when I used to have time to watch "60 Minutes." So, maybe the message of courage was simple, but I do believe it was from the heart as he uttered his signoff for the last time. It is classy to say goodbye in a simple way, thanking those who listened to him, fought for him around the world and those who worked with him. I liked it and that was the end of an era for me.

Port-a-Potty

A neighbor is doing a construction project and has placed a port-a-potty on the sidewalk for their crew. I have enjoyed making lots of jokes about it. But, seriously, yesterday, a guy drove down the street. He obviously saw it, parked his car, went into it, and then drove away. Was he just looking for a place to go to the bathroom?
It should be pretty busy with all the yard crews in the area, who allegedly go to the fast food restaurants nearby to use "their facilities." Last year, I encountered one of our yard guys, using the corner of the yard that I had told my husband was "their facilities." I told the owner of the company, and he fired the guy as he says they never should do that and must go to the nearby "facilities." Reality is, when they get left off here with a lawn trailer not attached to a vehicle, they really can't leave the area. My neighbor and I discussed it, and we said we would let them use our "facilities" if they asked, but that doesn't seem to happen. I made the offer to our recent housepainters, who drank beer while painting, and they did not oblige as well.
I was glad it has rained a whole lot since then.

Email Accounts

I have now been granted a G-mail account, though I have not yet given out that address. I still am leaning to my Yahoo! account for a variety of reasons -- one is free ice cream (no, just kidding. It was actually the first time I ever ordered an ice cream cone in the U.S.) But, the messages are sent rapidly in and out of Yahoo!, compared with delays using Hotmail. I persist with my Hotmail since it is in so many places that I live with the frustrations. I have had fewer "server is busy" messages lately, though the porno and prescription meds messages are still annoying.
What I like best about Yahoo! is the fact that when you start typing an address, by putting in the first letter, a list pops up and you can select your recipient easily. It is also easier to make address lists than Hotmail. I don't like that when you forward a message on Yahoo!, that it is a file attachment automatically -- I prefer sending emails with the forwarded one in the body of the message. For me, I don't always bother to open the attachments unless I am really interested and assume others feel the same way. I find that Florida orange juice popup really annoying on Yahoo! as it will not go away easily. Oh, the perils of free email.