Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas, 1914 - 1953

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

AT&T Socks It To the Little People...Took My Money and Ran...

I am so frustrated right now!

My daughter has had an AT&T prepaid cell phone for three years now.  She pays for three months at a time most of the time, $25 bucks a hit.

She never used that much air time, it was an emergency phone, but to keep it alive you have to pay whether you use it or not.

This summer, in June, she received the notice that it was time to refill the phone.  She waited until July to pay, and paid at the end of the month, thinking she was within the 60-day period in which the phone would not be canceled on her.  She tried for a WEEK to make a payment, and the system gave her trouble, finally on July 30th she was able to get a payment into the system.

Well, they had killed her SIM card on July 29th according to one of the service reps.   Yet, the system took her payment, and a text response to the phone said it was applied to her account.

What the heck is THAT all about?

So...

I called customer service and went through their automated system a couple of times, it couldn't find the wireless number and after advising me to "dial" 611 from the phone (can't...it's dead, you dolts!) the service hung up on me.

We went to a wireless store, they couldn't help either.  But, they graciously allowed us to use their phone to call customer service AGAIN.  Talked to a real person who couldn't help, said she'd connect me with someone who COULD.  I told her fine, just don't put me in the automated system because it always hangs up.

I waited 20 minutes on hold, then got dumped into the automated system AGAIN.

I went home, and called customer service again.  The person who answered could not help, could barely speak English, so I asked for a supervisor, preferably one with English as their first language.  PUT ON HOLD AGAIN!

Finally, sympathetic person who spoke good English came on, asked me for all the information, then put me on hold AGAIN.  Many minutes later, she comes back and says I need to talk to the payment center in order to get a refund.

I waited on hold AGAIN.  Finally a pleasant young woman spoke with me for a bit, went and tried to process a refund.  After a few MORE minutes on hold, she came back and told me she was very sorry, but AT&T has a "no-refund" policy and she couldn't process it through.  The "system" wouldn't let her.

So.  I was not asking for a "refund".  I was asking for money that they took, and didn't give me service for.  In fact, they took the money after I was, by their action, NO LONGER A CUSTOMER.

And they won't give it back.

Well, a lot of AT&T higher ups are going to hear from me.  And, I will NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER again be an AT&T customer.

Bunny Grab - The New Tyranny

The idea that Americans are facing unaccustomed tyranny is uncomfortable. There are many events involving law enforcement that seem innocuous to the casual observer, but as we hear more and more of them we must begin to see these not-so-isolated events as something serious.

Recall with me the raw-milk raids on the Amish. Then think back recently to the massive fines threatened against a small family who sold a few to many bunnies.

Now there is the raid on a Colorado bunny farm in which a woman's life-work was stolen because of an anonymous telephone call to authorities by a group whose mission is similar to PETA...to liberate all animals to live "wild and free".

I got news for you animal rights wackos, "wild and free" is incredibly cruel. Watch a few nature documentaries and maybe you'll realize that captivity is a good thing.

Debe Bell of Six Bell's Farm has had her rabbits stolen from her by law enforcement, and those bunnies are now up for adoption at the Foothills Animal Shelter in Golden, Colorado. Ms. Bell has had no hearing, no trial, her property has simply been confiscated.

Wake up people! This cannot be allowed to stand! Does anyone care about freedom anymore?

Make some noise about this. It is simply wrong.

Thanks to Frugal Café Blog Zone and to Bob McCarty Writes for featuring this story. I haven't seen it anywhere else.

Go on now, MAKE SOME NOISE!

AHHH...JUST DISCOVERED...THERE IS A LEGAL DEFENSE FUND ESTABLISHED FOR MS. BELL:

donations can be sent to:

Responsible Animal Owners Defense Trust

c/o Joyce Holliday

PO Box 1287

Berthoud, CO 80513

Paypal donations can be sent here: Rabbitdefense@gmail.com

London Burns..

Some good stuff at Blackfive today.

One of the better treatments of the rioting that is happening in UK.

Click here to read it. And get ready for it in the USA.

Stock up on essentials, if you know what I mean.

The republican Mother: Rick Perry - The Establishment's Ace in the Hole

If you are even remotely thinking about supporting Texas governor Rick Perry for President of the United States, please think again. This man is dangerous to our sovereignty.

Yes, I think it is okay to love my country and want to keep my culture.

The Republican Mother has some excellent articles about Perry. Check them out: HERE and HERE and HERE and of course, HERE .

Check out the rest of The republican Mother blog. Great stuff there, she's become a regular on my rounds.

Pine Nuts From Costco Made My Taste Go Gross! Costco minimizes issue!

A very unusual thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I was at my local Costco, Albany, Oregon, shopping for a few things. I passed one of Costco's notorious sample tables on which were arranged little cups of Kirkland Pine Nuts on a red tray.

"Oh," I thought to myself, "I love pine nuts! I haven't had any in quite a while, they are such a luxury! Maybe I'll get some!"

I helped myself to a cup containing about 8 or 10 little nuts. They were a little different than the usual version, stubbier and rounder, not long and thin like puffed rice or ant eggs.

"Mmmm..." I thought. "What a treat!"

I didn't buy the nuts. I've been reading Dave Ramsey's books on financial peace, and he often says "Live like no one else now so you can live like no one else later". I decided that pine nuts were still a luxury that I could do without and made a mental notation to put the $15.99 in my retirement bucket.

And of course simply forgot about the details of the day.

Two days later, I noticed something very strange. I got a horrid taste in my mouth every time I ate something. I first noticed it while eating some mixed nuts. I thought maybe the nuts had gone rancid. I ate some fruit, which tasted awful. I ate some cheddar cheese...tasted strange to me. I finally realized it wasn't the food that was bad, it was ME.

My tongue felt like it was coated with soap, and everything was metallic. I thought I was getting sick, so I googled "bitter taste in mouth after eating". Lo and behold, the Internet trail is littered with the bodies of others who googled the same thing; I came to the conclusion,

COSTCO PINE NUTS DID THIS TO ME!!!!

Known as "pine nut syndrome" or "pine nut mouth", I found out there is a scientific name for the phenomena of bitter tasting mouth; "metallogeusia".  You won't find it in any of the online dictionaries, but google it and you'll find lots.  The Wikipedia article on pine nuts gives a pretty good run down on where it comes from, and there is a young woman from Singapore who has been studying the issue and did a graduate thesis on it.  She has a blog called "The Great Pinenut Mystery" (pinenutsyndrome.wordpress.com) in which she discusses the condition, the source, and the fact that retailers are dismissing the issue out of hand saying "we just aren't getting complaints about this".

That was my experience at Costco.  I emailed customer service from the Costco website to let them know this happened to me.  I received a prompt response informing me that my email had been forwarded to the proper department for further consideration.  This afternoon I received a telephone call from a lovely young lady who asked about my experience, told me Costco takes customer complaints/experiences very seriously, and she would make a record of this complaint.

I asked her if Costco was going to let other customers know that this could happen to them, she just told me that any customer could take their pine nuts back for a refund if they have a problem.

I responded by saying "but, they won't know it was the pine nuts that did this to them!  You should tell them!"  I told her about all the stories I'd seen of people who spent a great deal of time and money going to doctors, having doctors misdiagnose their conditions and putting them on expensive medication.  Nope, not going to put a notice out to their customers.  

So, I told her I'd blog about it and let people know.  I might write a letter to the local newspaper as well.  I think people deserve to have as much knowledge as they can get about something like this.  Many retailers are saying nothing because they aren't getting complaints.  Well, I am here to say, no one is complaining because it takes two or three days for this condition to start, and by then no one equates it with pine nut consumption.

Man up, retailers.  Costco, Trader Joe's, Albertson's, Kroger, and many many more.  There is a comprehensive list on  the Pine Nut Mystery blog.

Check it out.  And make your voice heard with the retailers who are substituting cheap, crummy pine nuts for the good ones.

Well What Do You Know...

I just got some blood test results back from my doctor. I've been wondering about some things affecting my family health, and one issue many family members seem to have is a bad reaction to wheat.

I have low levels of some celiac antibodies, and one of the lower-risk celiac genes. My kids probably got that gene and another from their dad. Studying up on it a little more.

Going to BEG for a gene test for my mom who has unexplained deficiencies in some vitamins, an unresponsive anemia, and hypoparathyroidism without any known cause.

I got trounced pretty hard for suggesting an 83-year old might be newly diagnosed with celiac disease. Not so unlikely now that she could have it. Then there is this. Not to mention the mouth ulcers she started having with the onset of her other problems. They didn't respond to any treatment, and lasted much longer than normal canker sores, and she was never one to have them anyway. Guess what? Looks like more celiac connections. Or at the very least, non-celiac gluten intolerance.

I'm praying her new doc (geriatric specialist) will dig in and do her best to help mom, not just write her off as an "old lady" and a "waste of time". If you are reading this, and a praying person, please, would you offer up a prayer for Mom? I will be in your debt.

Must See Video - Had Enough of Hope and Change???

Keep this going. I've had enough, how about you?

Religion of Peace and Sharia

I've been wandering around the Internet this morning, picking up tidbits of news here and there.  One of the issues that rises to the top today is the proliferation of stories about "honor killing".  For those who may not know, honor killing occurs mainly in that middle-eastern religion that...umm...I dare not name for fear of insulting it!

I'm guessing it's not the number of honor killings that is increasing, just the awareness.  And America had better become aware before it's too late, because the radical Islamists are bringing it stealthily closer to us every day.

My point here is to call attention to one story, in which is seems obvious that the American legal system is caving in to this religion.  Please read this story (***warning***  there are graphic pictures of a violently killed person) and also read this one.  OH, and this one, about a 13-year old girl brutally attacked by her cousin.

It is happening over and over again, and the mainstream media simply will not report it. If they do, they gloss it over and blame emotion rather than ideology.  It is the result of people who adhere to the ideas of sharia.


Then, please go read about the Sharia here.  Then decide if you can really believe that allowing the incursion of sharia law into the United States is really something we want to do.





 

Reading Again

I haven't read for pleasure in quite some time although the reading I have been doing for school is not altogether unpleasant. I am challenging myself to read more; not just read, but read with attention.

I have been inspired by my daughter, who loves to read and just completed her Bachelor's Degree in English. I am also inspired by my own literature course taken this past Spring. I read selections from a variety of authors, some of whom I liked and some of whom I didn't, but I enjoyed the analytical thought process I was forced to apply in order to get a grade. It is like exercise for the brain!

I didn't think I could do it at my age but I think there's some life left in my neurons, so now I am venturing out independently.

The first book of my new phase is Bleak House by Charles Dickens.  My daughter studied that one in a literature class and recommended it as a first go at Dickens.  Well, not really my first go, I did after all read Christmas Carol. 

I'll get some reading under my belt and maybe I'll blog a little about it.  So far it looks like a fun book.

The Cure That Kills

After a couple of days on the Cipro/Flagyl combination (actually the generics for those name-brands) I am in pretty bad shape.  Screaming headache, wiped out wanting to sleep all the time, not able to carry a lucid conversation, heart rhythms skipping all over the place.  I hope there's an alternative medication, I can't go a week like this.

I felt a whole lot better when I simply had the 101° fever and abdominal pain/pressure of diverticulitis.

Makes it all the more tempting to call my doc and beg them to cut out the offending part. If one were to ask me today about Paul's "thorn in the flesh", I would say it has to be diverticulitis.

Long Time No Talk To

It has been a while since I wrote.  I can't exactly say why, just very busy I suppose.  Being a full-time student and trying to look after my house and my animals is a hand full for sure.


I am discouraged today because I am back on antibiotics for diverticulitis.  I've managed well for 3 years, not had much in the way of trouble, this came out of the blue and I'm not sure why.  So this now puts me in the tiniest percentile of those who have a second diverticulitis attack.  Supposedly, it's only a tiny percentage of the ALREADY small percentage of those who have a FIRST attack. 

Wow.  I'm so fortunate!  I think I'll go sink a bunch of money in the lottery. 

Thinking I'll go see the gastroenterologist and find out about testing for celiac and wheat problems.  My son has a terrible time with the blistery rash on his hands that looks like either dermatitis herpetiformis or dishydrotic eczema.  Since he cannot afford to go to the doctor, I guess I'll be the lab rat.  I get the rash too, though not as badly as he.

Anyway, I feel lousy, in pain, low energy, and I'm off for now.

Just thought I'd vent a little, though I can see no one actually reads here!  I guess no one will come read if I don't write.

More About Beer...

I heard a whisper somewhere on the Internet that Bard's Beer might be better than Red Bridge.  I set off to find a six-pack of Bard's.

I found one, next to, in fact, the Red Bridge display at my local purveyor of Good Things to Eat and Drink.

The next step was to take a sip from the bottle.  The step after that was to test the taste buds of the family beer gourmands. 

The vote came in with all thumbs up.  Bard's is an excellent gluten-free beer brewed from sorghum.  It is a bit heavier than Red Bridge which is a much lighter beer somewhat like a pilsner.

I'm not a beer-snob, I only drink it once in a while, but I can recommend both Bard's and Red Bridge as tasty and refreshing alternatives to beers derived from barley.

Look for them in a beer cooler near you!

A Beer At The Bridge!

Having made a choice to live gluten-free, there are a few things that I miss a lot.  Hamburger and hot-dog buns are at the top of the list; beer is right up there too.

I stopped in at my local grocer on the way home from school this afternoon and after picking up my eggs at the back of the store I walked past the beer cooler.  I peruse the cooler regularly for a gluten-free beer I'd heard about.  Today I hit a double jackpot!  I won $7 in the Powerball lottery, and nestled in the cooler among the micro-brews was Red Bridge gluten-free sorghum beer!  I grabbed a six-pack and headed for the register.

Now most beer aficionados have said that none of the gluten-free beers are any good except this one, so I by-passed any attempt to find other brands.  Upon opening Red Bridge and taking my first sip, I was greatly and pleasantly surprised; Red Bridge tastes like real beer!

So if you love beer, have no problems with alcohol and are living gluten-free, go and find yourself some Red Bridge.  You'll be glad when you try it!  Remember the rule:  Drink responsibly, don't drink and drive!

I hope my store will keep this in stock forever!

Silver Linings

Today we received some good news for my mom! 

I wrote a note to the doctor in charge of mom's care.  Now, keep in mind, this doc is not mom's doctor, he is simply a doctor assigned to review the case.  He is not on staff at the care facility.  He is rarely physically present.  I had to pass the note to the nurse, who then relayed my questions by phone to the doctor. Bless her heart, she did ask!

I mentioned a couple of labwork details that have been brushed off by four different doctors now and asked if he thought them worthy of concern.  He responded by doing a number of blood tests!

Well, the results of one test came in, and BINGO!  We are getting a referral to a good endocrinologist!

The other panel won't be in for a few days.  I am anxiously awaiting that, but thankfully this kind and observant doctor really sees something worth a closer look and did not brush aside our concerns just because mom is 83 years old.  He is pursuing the details her personal physician ignored.

She's had a good three days.  Very clear-headed and more like herself than I've seen her in a long time.  The other good news is that she may be out of the care facility in a couple of days.  I hope it happens!  I am anxious to be in my own home (600 miles away) after spending 5 weeks at mom's , and I'm very anxious for things to improve for mom.  This has been one hellish year for her.

Keep praying, anyone who is reading this!

It's Been A Long Time...

I am a little weary tonight.  I have now been at my  mom's house, 600 miles from home, for a month.  She has been in a "skilled nursing facility" for all this time, and we still do not have a good time-frame for her discharge.

I have been going over there every single day.  I am often there from morning until bedtime, leaving only to take one family member home and bring another.  My brother is here living in mom's house, and for a while my daughter (who is a certified nursing assistant) was with me; then my husband joined us and we all pitched in with the many needed tasks.  I had the eerie thought that it took only one of mom to raise 4 kids, it is taking 4 people to care for one mom...(sigh).  There must be something poetic in that.  My sister is unable to be here, she lives and works in Pennsylvania. 

My daughter left to go home last week, and my husband left this morning.  It is back to my brother and me trying to look after mom and her house.

The nursing staff is overworked, there are not enough people to manage the needs of the residents.  The food is gross.  It has been difficult to find out where things are that would help us take care of mom, and what services are available.  So, we have been doing a lot of her care ourselves.

She will need a lot of help when she gets home, and I would have moved her up with me but she has changed her mind and decided she wants to stay in her house.  It will require at least a half-time person to attend her.

I am discouraged, depressed, home-sick.  We could sure use the wisdom of Solomon right now!  Sure wish mom had long-term care insurance.

Well, enough whining.  I need to get some sleep so I can get up early and do mom's laundry before heading back to the rehab place.  If anyone is reading this, please say a prayer for us!  Our endurance is slipping.

Bad News, Not So Bad News

My family received some bad news yesterday in parallel with some not-so-bad news.  My mom has been struggling with some health issues for several months now (see my previous post).  She has seen several different doctors, none of whom can find anything conclusive.  One standout issue was her anemia, unusual because it was unrelated to nutritional deficiency; her nutritional status (iron, Vitamins D and B12),  was very good.

Finally she landed in a hematologist's office.  He did some bloodwork, did a bone marrow biopsy, and diagnosed "smoldering" multiple myeloma.  "Smoldering" means "stable" or, not advancing.  At this point there is nothing to treat, so she will be watched via lab tests every couple of months.  If nothing develops after a year, she will be able to go longer between blood tests.  Thankfully, the doctor was able to rule out lymphoma.

I am more anxious and scared than Mom is!  She has great faith and optimism in spite of a very difficult life.  She has known so much loss!  Dear nieces and nephews, one of my brothers, my dad, all dying of unusual causes.  We actually lost one other relative, mom's paternal aunt, to multiple myeloma.  So we know a little about the disease and it makes it more scary to have already had one relative with it.

Mom grew up in the home of a single mother, a child of the Great Depression, before being a single mom was fashionable or acceptable.  Her mom was not always gentle and kind.  She was supposed to go to Stanford University but her mom didn't have money for college, so my mom ended up getting married without going to college.  She is smart, loving, interesting, fun.  My mom is the greatest and is a dear friend to me.

I am praying that the Integrative Medicine doc will be able to help her with the as yet unnamed issues that first took her to the doctor.  Hopefully she will have a lot of fine years yet to be part of our lives.

One interesting thing that I have found, after some reading around the Internet, is that there is a very possible link between celiac disease and multiple myeloma.  Also a link between celiac and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

 

Seasons of Life

The turning of the year 2010 brought unwelcome news to my life.  My mom has been struggling for some time now with issues that severely impact her quality of life.  Some health issues have overtaken her, and some cognitive issues as well.  The memory and thought problems have robbed her of the ability to do a few things that she loves, and that give her peace and comfort.  She has always loved reading, and it is difficult for her to comprehend what she reads, and impossible as well for her to work on the crossword puzzles that keep her mind exercised.

She was in the hospital a couple of months ago with a serious infection, actually a life-threatening bout with sepsis.  A cascade of doctor visits and blood tests revealed anemia and other scary looking things.

Today was the latest in a chain of consultations, and the scariest of all.  Something in her blood is a marker for cancer and they are needing to do still more tests.  They also are going to do a CT scan because the hematologist thinks he knows what is causing the terrible edema in her legs.  I think it is myxedema (warning...grossness alert).

I am angry that the doctors have, so far, blown off the fact that some of her hormones are extremely low, almost to the point of being out of the range of normal.  When mine were like hers, I was very sick.  I know that part of her problem could be easily helped but the docs won't listen. It is for this reason many people begin treating themselves, to the chagrin of their doctors.  But what else can we do?  I am also angry that it is taking them so long to get anything done.  Mom has been having difficulty since last November.  Now, halfway through July, the docs have made a lot of money off my mom, but she still has NO answers.

I shouldn't be afraid, but I am.  I trust the Lord to keep His promises.  Nonetheless, with all the struggles and pain my mom has endured in life, and faced bravely and full of faith in our great God, I had hoped that the latter years of her life would be peaceful and joyous.  It doesn't look like that will be the case for her.  If anyone is reading this, please offer up a prayer for my mom, and for her doctors.

Forgotten Rachels

As I was taking my morning constitutional across the electronic pathways of Interwebville, I came across a lovely tribute to the "Forgotten Rachels".  I'm going to leave the video up at the top for a while, and also embed in this post.

The lovers of death need to be stopped.

 

Trouble In Academia - Yank Your Kids Out Now!

Let's begin with a short quotation from John Taylor Gatto, master educator:

School is a twelve-year jail sentence where bad habits are the only curriculum truly learned. I teach school and win awards doing it. I should know. --John Taylor Gatto

Thanks to Lonely Conservative for bringing up the subject of underfunded teacher pensions.  The education system is a major hot-button for me.  The teacher's unions have created a huge mess.  If administrators try to change anything in the effort to stave off the coming crash of pensions, the teachers will howl and threaten.  Well, the answer is, take away their power.  Parents, pull your kids out of school.  Don't let the unions use YOUR KIDS as pawns in this game.

We need to ditch the public school system and make parents responsible for educating their own children. The country was better off before Dewey and minions pushed assembly-line education on us (and before teacher's unions took control of everything). Everyone should read the book Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. After that they should read here the online text version of Underground History of American Education.

One more book that looks like a good read is The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America. I haven't read it but based on a review by Samuel Blumenfeld it looks pretty good.

Lastly, check out The Fourth Purpose.  It is a documentary in the works.  Looks like it will be a great exposé of our public education system.

Go now and read all this stuff.  You will not want to leave your kids one more day in these liberal/progressive indoctrination parlors the goal of which is to insure the cultural and academic illiteracy of your child while creating drones for the state


.