“Sixth Target” Fails to Impress Me

Finished Patterson’s newest book “The Sixth Target” in record time – especially considering I wasn’t that captivated by it. Is it just me or are his books not as enthralling as they use to be?

I didn’t start the book until 12:30 pm and then had to stop for when we were swamped with calls from a torrential downpour – yet I was done with it by 7 pm. Wish Patterson’s book would have lived up to the hype…I needed a good book to read to make the time go by faster.

I tuned in to the last 45 minutes of the movie “Insomnia” – it was a movie with Al Pacino and Robin Williams. I really liked it in the theaters but it was hard to follow tuning in that close to the end. I keep meaning to buy it.

Think I’ll make a coffee run to Dunkin Donuts. I’m so bone weary tired and still have hours to go – maybe coffee will give me a second wind.

Good Morning!

Another hot, humid day is on tap for us here in SW Florida. Not that I mind – but it will bring us storms later which could make us very busy at work.

I am very tired yet this morning. Didn’t get to sleep till after 2 am and was woke up early by a friend from the Housing Authority. I really don’t remember much of the conversation – just remember her talking on the other end of the line. I hope I responded appropriately.

Popped my left knee on a trip to the bathroom during the night because Simon, my pesky cat, had balled up the rug and I tripped. It hurts like hell today. It kind of twisted as I fell and I heard a pop…probably is strained or something. I’ll try to keep it elevated today and see if that helps. Drives me crazy how he has to constantly ball up the rugs. I swear he does it just to be a pain in my ass. Will be happy when he grows out of this kitten phase.

Hope everyone stays safe out there and have a happy Saturday!

SAVE OUR SEAS!!!!

I read in today’s paper about how the “dead zone” in the Gulf is even wider this year then before. It is expected to be the size of Rhode Island! It never ceases to dismay me on how we continually ruin our seas. We think that, because they are mostly uncharted, our presence doesn’t effect them. Well, WRONG!

The paper said that the main problem is fertilizers that run off into the rivers that then empty to the sea. I wish I could include here the photo the paper had – you could literally see where the healthy seas ended and the dead zone began.

So why are more fertilizers being used this year? Experts say it is this growing need for ethanol which comes from corn. Corn is one of the hardest crops on the land – it requires more tending and strips the land faster of it’s nutrients. Our desire to burn something other then gasoline in our cars fueled the planting of 22% more corn crops this year. That was 22% more fertilizers on the ground to run off into the rivers that empty into the sea.

As much as I hate to say this – it feels like I’m saying something against farmers and I’m not – but the Mid-West is the biggest offender against maintaining healthy seas. It all goes into the muddy Mississippi which, of course, empties into the Gulf. It is in this area that the dead zone starts to crop up each year.

A dead zone is so dense and void of needed nutrients that sea life will travel over five hundred miles to avoid it. Anything caught in it’s path dies an agonizing, oxygen deprived death.

People – when are we going to start looking towards conservation and quit ruining the planet. It does not have unlimited resources as so many people seem to think. If it can not sustain life – where are we going to go? Can we please think about this some before it is too late?

The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. –George Bernard Shaw

Old Folks

We had a case at work this past week that has highlighted one of our nation’s biggest failures – the way we care for our elderly. It is just so sad the way we ship the people who gave us birth and raised us off on total strangers.

Our case involved a local nursing home. There was an elderly man, a dialysis patient, who wandered away from the nursing home. Did the staff report him missing when he wasn’t in bed that night? No. Did they report him missing at all the next day when he didn’t report for food or didn’t they notice he didn’t push his “help” button all day? Did they report him missing the next day when he missed his dialysis appointment? No.

It wasn’t until the hospital called about him missing dialysis and needing to reschedule him did they even realize he was missing. Of course we had people searching immediately for him but after so many days, the trail had grown cold.

The next afternoon, late in the day, a report came in about a body being found in a vacant lot a couple blocks from the nursing home. Yes, it was him.

How could the place let his absence go for so long? How is it possible that three different shifts of people failed to notice he wasn’t sleeping in his bed, going to the bathroom or eating his food?? Our staff was very down when the call came in about the body. We had all hoped for a much better outcome.

What do other countries do with their elderly? Modern medicine works so hard to keep people alive longer yet we fail to assure them any sort of quality of life – or even that their loved ones will be there to care that they lived longer. So many elderly people in these homes never have visitors. How is it possible that we could so ignore those who gave us life and raised us? Take a good look – you think your kids love you so much they’ll care for you better, well, bet your parents thought that about you too.

My father was often angry when I was most like him. –Lillian Hellman

My Day…

I gotta tell you, I’m exhausted. After sleeping only 4 1/2 hrs last night, I’ve been barely keeping awake today. Tomorrow is a twelve hour day…I have to get more sleep tonight that is for sure.

Because I love driving the new car, I went after supper as well as for coffee tonight. I just got potato soup but hey, it was the drive that counted.

I went to Walmart earlier – got an Alan Jackson CD and just love it. I didn’t realize he was so good. Guess I’m a little behind in the times.

They are saying they may cancel me at work on Sunday – I’m signed up for 8 hrs of OT. Wish they would – I’d go for a nice drive. Monday I have a doctor’s apt that kind of breaks up the day and Tuesday I’m going to a movie with a friend.