Thunderstorms and The Devil

The devil is beating his wife this afternoon so say the myths of the sky. From what I am hearing inside my home in New Hanover County she is getting one whomper of a beatin'! When the sun went behind the clouds I saddled up my riding mower ready to give this lawn a real cuttin'! But no sooner had I taken a couple of swats around the front than I felt a light sprinkle. Aha, sure enough rain drops. Soon it developed into a downpour. My doggie girls were jumping all over at the rolling thunderbumpers. They have been rolling around ever since and that was several hours ago. So much for mowing the lawn for now. Old Susie is parked back in the garage full of gas and ready to go. This humanoid gypsy will get it done before we have to journey up I-40 to our other abode in Wake County but it may have to be on another day cuz the devil is still busy and I am not sure who is getting it now!

Games People Play.....

Couldn't resist it, had to do it! Heard too much about it! Had to satisfy my curosity. The more I heard the more familiar the ring. The details of both were starting to sound too much the same. Slowly I could feel the right moving toward the middle. You say tomato, I say tomahto! Does that make it taste different? Yesterday it just got the best of me.
So last evening to the computer I go to do a little research on community schools of choice. What did I find? Just as I suspected -- O whoa is me!
1. The idea originated in Massachussetts.
2. The core of the idea is not different from a diversity plan.
3. Research shows that in the years of implementation in various school systems throughout the country it has served the "haves" very well, the results have created social stratification.
4. Minorities have not shown significant improvement.
5. Who is satisfied with the plan? Who is not satisfied with the plan? The research seemed to point out that those who were most satisfied were those parents who had the time and understood "the game" and how to play it. Those who were less aware, less educated, less savvy were less satisfied.
6. There have been and are inherent problems with community schools of choice.

So, after reading these various pieces my suspicions were confirmed. The principles of diversity and community schools of choices are much alike. Busing was never mentioned in CSofC but racial balancing was, as was being aware of creating low achieving schools.
It strikes me that some people are "fooling only themselves" and playing games with semantics so as not to admit what they are actually up to. Self serving, self aggrandizement, power hungry, over-bearing --- do any of these ring a bell??

The Sting of Death...

The news of the death of Kaye Young Cowher on Saturday was shocking. Losing loved ones is most always painful and sad. I remember when Kaye and Faye Young played basketball at North Carolina State. I, like many others, was not aware that she had melanoma. My mind went immediately to three young daughters who have now lost their mother before they are married - the youngest of the three having just finished one year of college. The loss of parents is always difficult. I have memories of feeling much like an orphan.
But...Bill Cowher and Kaye Young had been a pair for a long time and married long enough to have grown together as with any good marriage. His words (about her and what she meant to he and his daughters) were very touching. They have experienced much as a couple always at one anothers' side. Obviously, they were best friends.
Today as I saw the video of him at the church for her services I felt that same pain that I experienced some years back when my Ken lost his battle for life. Until one has endured that particular kind of pain you can't appreciate the physical pain one actually endures when you lose your partner. An actual physical pain for an emotional feeling! It hurts beyond the power of words to express. Your chest actually aches and there is an emptiness that nothing can fill. (Not even the winning of a SuperBowl as the Steelers' coach.) Having experienced that which I attempt to describe my heart went out to him this day as he laid her to rest. He will survive the grief that lies ahead but will emerge a different person from the experience.
It will be interesting to see what this pain motivates him to do.

C. S. Lewis said, " Pain is God's megaphone to arouse a deaf world."

Anne Morrow Lindbergh wrote," I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness and the willingness to remain vulnerable."

I (Really) Can See Clearly Now...... Part II

*Reading of this entry should be preceded by the readng of Part I.
The reading of the story of Glenn Beck sparked my interest for the writing of this blog. Enormous progress is being and has been made in the treatment of corneal diseases as well as other eye diseases. We are particularly blessed to live in this area where some of the greatest strides in medical research are taking place. Such is true with the Duke Eye Clinic in Durham.
Thus, having been "turned off" totally by the one doctor I made the decision to seek treatment for my inherited Fuch's at Duke. My new cornea specialist became Dr. Kim. I loved him from the start. His knowledge and manner were particularly impressive. He explained the complications and symptoms clearly and no question seemed too trite or small.

My vision had become considerably blurred such that I could hardly see the music I played and was having difficulty reading. I could not distinguish notes from one another. Everything was blurred at best. Soon I was having more and more difficulty seeing dark colored vehicles in the shadows and at dusk. This had begun to frighten me. I learned from Dr. Kim that the back of my corneas were pitted like beaten metal. When I visited the doctors I observed and heard them pecking to draw what they saw when they examined my eyes. This was also causing them to hold the water that our eyes accumulate when we sleep. Normal corneas disburse the fluid when we wake. My pitted ones did not. They held onto the fluid. Thus my vision was more and more blurred and distorted. Sometimes late in the evening water would run from my eyes down my face. The cure -- remove and replace the corneas.
Soon I was to be one of the first patients to receive a new surgical procedure developed to remove the damaged cornea and transplant a donated cornea.

The results are immediate and long term. By the time the eye is uncovered the vision is improved. Over the four - six month healing period gains are made in recovering vision.
I am certain that the results vary from person to person but I feel especially fortunate to not need to wear glasses to see now but only to protect my wonderful new corneas.
Still having not shed my fear of this recurring, I soon started asking questions like, "What if this happens to my new corneas?" My doctors quietly explained to me why it will not happen to my transplanted corneas.
Hang in there, the Glenn Becks of the world. There is hope. Keep the Faith.

I Can See Clearly Now........ Part I

Today's news carries a story about Glenn Beck. The story of his possible loss of eyesight was reported in yesterday's news. Today he is shown discussing the disease which is identified as a corneal dystrophy and shedding tears at the thoughts of not being able to see his family or to read. While I know little about his particular dystrophy I would say to him. "just hang in there." The progress in treating eye diseases is phenomenal.
I, too, have an inherited corneal dystrophy. I remember being told for the first time that eventually it would likely destroy my vision. As I recall my doctor did not tell me in such a way that I would feel hopeless or live in fear. Rather he said something like if you live well into your eighties we might have to do something about corneal transplants. That was about all he said.

I knew my prescriptions were getting stronger. Not too long after that he retired and gave me a referral to another eye group. So when the date for the yearly eye exam rolled around I went to a new opthamologist My eyes were getting progressively worse and I was no where near eighty.
One day after he had checked my eyes he told me when I got to the desk to make an appointment with their cornea specialist. The doctor was female. So I made the appointment and in the meantime I started to do my own research on Fuch's Dystrophy. I had for some time been making connections of my symptoms to the symptoms my Mom had with her eyes for years. They were the same but no one ever told my Mom about Fuchs. Further her doctor never told her that when he removed her cataracts there was a chance she might not be able to see better or that perhaps her vision might be worse gradually. The realization was slowly sinking in that I had the same basic eye problem that my mother had.

My research of this disease shook my world. I kept the appointment with the cornea specialist in this particular practice but I did not like her. She was about as warm and caring as a rock quarry. As she was telling me, "I will be doing the surgery to transplant your corneas," I was doing some serious thinking. Foremost in my thoughts was, "only over my dead body will YOU be doing my corneal surgeries!"

Funny Girl

My Sassy Schnauzer is turning into a funny girl. There are probably lots of contributing factors to the personality differences I have noticed since she became "sick" with this terminal issue. Actually she seems to be holding her own in most ways. But she loves this getting special attention and being carried because she can't negoitate steps (so I thought) as well as she could when both forelegs worked well. She has always been a laid back girl, ( easy to manage), in contrast to her younger sister who is a trip in and of itself!
Nowadays Sassy will bark at me if she is hungry and has not been fed. Another of her funny games is to run from me if I try to pick her up sometimes. So......I never know when she is in pain, tired and needs assistance, or whatever when she decides to act "silly." When she does the barking thing if I talk to her about "whatever" she turns her head from side to side and barks to answer me. It is hilarious!
She waits for me to carry her over places in the home where she can not get a good grip --- usually. Sometimes she just takes off running and gets over the area. Lately when I leave the house and come back I find that she has gone upstairs all alone with no help. So one day I just waited to see if she would / could come down without my assistance. She did and could !
When they go outside in the dark she takes her good ole time wandering the yard and checking for spies and the Taliban. Sometimes she just stretches out on the brick patio until I retrieve her. I would just leave her if it wasn't dark just to see when she might decide to come up the steps onto the deck.
What is going on here? Is she really smarter than I? Is she playing me for a _ _ _ _??? Or does she just genuinely feel better on some days than others???
I am familiar with the S word and I think she is a whole lot of that as well!

Burn-Out

Have you ever become completely "burned out" with the latest fad? Now, I am almost certain your mind flits to fad as in some style of dress or method of wearing clothing. But that is not my "burn-out issue." It goes without saying that if you have an e-mail account you have acquaintances who send you (on a regluar or semi-regular basis) these jokes, comics, or entries of some sort that have subtle messages of various genres. For a long, long time I have just deleted a bulk of them without every looking at them because I don't have time to deal with them. Plus who wants to forward these messages with a gizillion e-mail addresses on them to be erased so as not to infringe on the privacy of others to whom they have been sent. So the easiest way to deal with them is to delete them. Then there are those that tell you that if you do not forward them within a certain time to a certain number of people your nose will fall off or you will turn to salt or some such crazy thing.
Those types are bad enough but my burn-out has come from those I continually get about the president (Obama) and what he and "his" are doing to our country and what is going to happen to us as a result of his presidency, etc., etc., etc.
Lets get this straight. I did not vote for President Obama and would not vote for him should he run again. But I have had it with these negative messages concerning his policies and presidency. My wish would be to never receive another one --- period! I hate them.

Introvert vs Extrovert

Which are you? Could you be some of both? What makes one an extrovert? What makes one an introvert? When are you most comfortable -- alone or in a group? Do you function smoothly while in a group and then breathe a sign of relief once you are away and have some time alone?
Do you come away from group activities invigorated and enthused? What kind of profession would better suit each personality type?
I taught school for many years-- a profession seemingly suited for the extrovert. I am quite introverted truthfully. Often teaching wore me "slap out!" I was ready for plenty of quiet time at the end of the day and sometimes before. Fortunately for me I came home each day to a very quiet environment where I could sit and ponder or just rest from all of activity of mind and body.
Sometimes it is very difficult to know whether folks are introverted or extroverted. Our scales of measure may be out of kilter or perhaps we truly do not understand the characteristics of each. Or even more importantly maybe we do not know each other well enough to make the call. Understanding personality types can make a world of difference in getting along with others including one's chosen mate. My husband was more of an introvert. It did not take me long to realize that it didn't pay to push him to talk when he didn't want. However, I learned quickly that he would open up and share his thoughts with me when he felt the need. Fortunately, I had received worthy training earlier in how to listen without intruding.
I. on the other hand, need to talk through and resolve issues that bother me immediately. He often was my sounding board and sometimes I would ask him to look at an issue and tell me whether I was blinded by the forest and trees. I valued his opinion We both fit the category of introverts but with very different styles.

Who knows what determines personality traits other than the gene pool with which we are all blessed when formed in the womb! I am a believer that our understanding and determination to work with those traits make all of the difference in relationships.

Julio

Here we are already in the month of July 2010. I can hardly believe it. June was so miserably hot long before summer arrived that folks all thought they were in the middle of July while it was only June. We are just praying that the AC holds up in both houses for the rest of the year. Early in June we had problems in the Raleigh house with the HVAC system. The repairman declared both systems (we have split systems here) dead. He then pronounced a 15K bill upon us to replace both upstairs and downstairs systems. It was at that moment that I pronounced upon him that we were going to have resurrection! And that we did. But it still cost about $2400 to get them running again with the repair fella still trying to get me to replace the one upstairs to the tune of 7K. I think he had better sing that song by himself. I really have no intention of joining in and harmonizing with him. He sang me that tune about a Progress Energy rebate and a government rebate, blah, blah, blah.
This home in Raleigh is almost ten years old. These HVAC companies are saying these systems are only built to last 10-12 years in our climate. That seems irresponsible to me -- that something so essential (and expensive) to a home would only be built to last that long. Well, no matter about my howling, I am glad we have AC now and if July is anything like June has been I hope the resurrection holds up!

Life Is Tuff!

Oh, life is tough when you are a schnauzer! Yesterday we had to go The Animal Hospital at Brier Creek for a Spa Day with Michelle, our groomer. She is always so glad to see us. Then she proceeds with her "entertainment" of us. This consists of shampooing us and then making us down right beautiful. Now that means getting all kinds of things done including cutting out coats and making our legs and skirts beautiful, trimming our nails, and some unmentionables. Of course, our beards must be appropriately trimmed, our eyebrows given the schnauzer trim, and our ears plucked --heaven forbid! It is such an emotional experience that we just come home and sack out for the rest of the day. Such stress and strain one has never known. As a matter of fact our humanoid Mom fed us our meal of the day, let us go out and inspect the yard for changes that might have occurred while we were away for a few hours and then we were back in for our siesta that lasted for -- well, as you know we can't tell time! We do remember our humanoid making us go outside for a "you know" before she went nighty-night. When we finally woke up it was the next day and time for some more schnauzer fun. It is really a dog's life, believe us!