Saturday, February 11, 2012

"Running Scared" earned new feather today

Today the flood water was down almost a foot from yesterday.  No rain and a strong north wind helped.  I finally got the nerve to escape my island home.  Cabin fever was setting in pretty good.  I was flush with toilet paper and Coke but needed to see the mainland.

Neighbor drove my truck out to show me how to do it.  Much of the drive..I could see the yellow line in the middle of the road.  I took a few pics through the front window.  There's a pretty bad glare but you can still see the water.





After I did my chores on the mainland..I came back.  Now it was my turn to do it on my own.  I waited for someone to come up that I could follow in.  Still a tad on the scared side.  Finally a truck came up so I cranked up my truck to follow.  That truck left me way back in his wake.  When I caught up with him..he was turning around.  I still had the deepest water to go through but now I was on my own.  I did it and I earned a new feather.

The first 4 pics are the trip out and the last pic is of my wharf.  I can now see it through the water.  It's cold out today but the sun is out.

200 comments:

Carol said...

I'm not sure y'all remember my Native American Indian name. I came up with it a couple of years ago while taking a boat ride with my nurse friend Randal.

We were on a swamp tour with several people aboard his pontoon boat. He stopped for a short meditation and asked us all to come up with an Indian name.

Just before he asked..I had been sitting there worrying about if Randal had checked his gas level and if he had a paddle in the boat. I never usually trust him to be prepared and I wasn't up to a swim home. In my old age I tend to worry too much.

Well..when Randal got to me for my Indian name..I told him it was "Running Scared". It just seemed to fit. He laughed because he was aware of my tendency to be overly cautious.

I wasn't always running scared. I used to be recklessly brave..but that was before I got old and slow. I think now I'm compensating for all the wild and reckless things I did in my youth and younger years. My many years in nursing..seeing what can happen to the young and reckless.. didn't help.

Carol said...

It's getting down to 27 tonight. I know that nothing in your neck of the woods but here..in waterworld..it's coooold. Then it will be in the 70s by Wednesday.

jan said...

You are brave Carol. Good for you - you got back home on your own. When I was in LC you were not "running scared" I would probably never tried canoeing and downhill skiing if not for you.

I am glad you are safely back home. The pic are amazting.

Carol said...

It's very difficult to find your post to edit it now. I finally did it but don't know how I did.

I misspelled feather. I fixed it.

Carol said...

I have spell check but if a word is spelled right but the wrong word..that doesn't help.

I heard something funny on the radio the other day..it involved those auto correct features on the Iphone. Someone wanted to write something like grandma is home bla bla bla.... It corrected to..grandma is homosexual.

Those auto correct features have occasionally screwed up what I was writing also.

Carol said...

If you look at the first pic..that's right where the road from the hwy turns to head down to my camp. It's the area that really scares me because the river is next to the road. If you can imagine the water being a foot higher... there's no telling where the road is.

Carol said...

On the right side of pic #2..that's the SUV that went off the road. Neighbor told me that they tried to pull it out of the hole it went in by connecting a chain to the spare tire and ripped it off the vehicle. I wonder who's dumb idea that was.

It had been nose down so they must have moved it some.

Carol said...

Just saw the news...

Whitney Houston is dead at age 48

Carol said...

Rumor has she was seen out Thursday night and didn't look good. I have a feeling it may have been cocaine. She had a problem with it and it's a hard one to kick.

Carol said...

The bad thing about a history of abusing cocaine and alcohol is that she could have been sober and died of cardiac damage.

jan said...

So sad. What a talent she was.

Carol said...

Whitney had talent that was appreciated by all ages and stages. I doubt there's anyone who doesn't know her music and who she is.

Carol said...

When people are blessed with such remarkable gifts of talent like Whitney Houston..Micheal Jackson..Amy Winehouse.....it also burdens them with equal responsibility of coping with everything that also comes with that talent. It doesn't come without a big cost. The greater the talent..the greater the cost.

And those of us who didn't get blessed with any talent..can honestly say..thanks for nothing.

Carol said...

The strong north wind we had/have blew the river down. Don't have an official level but I'm guessing it's close to being below flood stage. I can see all my wharves and it's about 6 inches below the lowest wharf. Thank you God!

Carol said...

I can't believe that they actually let Dr. Drew talk on TV. He was on last night and this morning talking about Whitney. He mentioned her son and how he was recently involved in substance abuse. Unless she had a big secret..she doesn't have a son. You'd think the guy would have at least looked her up in Wiki before making a fool of himself on national TV.

After listening to him for a while now..Dr. Drew doesn't have much cred with me.

jan said...

Carol, you make me laugh. So happy for you that the flooding might be over. I know you are ready to get off your island for a while.

jan said...

A little weather update from my part of the country. We woke to big flakes of snow falling from the sky. It has stopped now. Too warm to stick for long. It is supposed to get into the 50's today. I will go out for a walk in a little while. I think it is in low 30's now.

Coreen said...

Glad to hear the water is finally
going down...your pics are a bit
scary...that you drove through it, even more so...

Would not ever think of you as 'running scared'...but I hope that you don't have to drive across
the flooded road again for a long while...

can't tell how deep it was, around
here it is always said not to drive through water over the road, since you have no idea how deep it is...so that you did was pretty gritty...

I know when I have to drive in snow
(which is rarely, since I try my
best to be home at the first sign
of snow falling!) I am clutching that steering wheel so tight, heart beating until I get in my garage...when you slide on snow/ice even for just a second, that feeling of being out of control is frightening...can not imagine drving across water covered road, next to a flooding river....

Our snow event never was...it snowed but none of it stuck, the roads were wet & today all dry, not even any icy spots...but it is
really cold, like 20 with winds
gusting so the wind chill is in the teens...but it is sunny!!!...

If winter has to be here, this has been a good one, since whenever it has gotten below 30 and snowed, the next few days the temps went up into the 40s and the snow (which has been very little...has all melted, so there is no snow cover)....

Carol said...

Jan...I'm freezing. There's a icy wind coming thru my electric sockets. I need to plug in more stuff..stuff that gives off heat.

The wind kept it from getting down as low as they predicted..at least out here. But that wind was a Godsend for the river.

The bedroom..with my heater at full crank..is about 64 and my kitchen is about 58.

Coreen said...

Jan, in today's NYT...

Think you might agree with the writer's perspective...
JFK's intern

Coreen said...

Whitney's untimely death...just makes me wonder about choices we all make, when we think how those
that seem to have it all...in her case she did (if only for awhile)...no rhyme or reason to how a life turns out...

I will always love Whitney's music...Carol, I know you didn't always follow football...but I remember like it just happened when she sang the National Anthem
before the superbowl the Giants won (I think it was 1991, w/o looking it up)...it was the best
ever1!....I even have a video of it
somewhere...

And my fav song besides 'I wanna dance with somebody' has always been 'the greatest love of all'...

She is now frozen in time just like Elvis...

Carol said...

I may be itching to get off my island for a while but I might just die from a falling avalanche of charts that I have to sign off from all the orders I called in last week/weekend.

I just received a pile of pics from one of the nurses. Some pissed off inmate threw a pot of hot water on another inmate because he wouldn't do some artwork for him on his T-shirt.

He was sent out to ER last night..for all the good it did. The ER doc called me to tell me they were just 1st degree burns. My LPNs already told me they were blistered..which makes them 2nd degree burns. Lots of good the ER does.

The pics they sent me this AM..they were definitely 2nd degree burns.

The guy who did the hot water throwing is in the hole. He tried to off himself last night by tying his sheet to the window bars and sitting down. All he did was choke himself a little and now he's on suicide watch. Not good weather to be on suicide watch.

Am I really ready to get off my island????

Carol said...

I loved so many of Whitney's songs. One of my favs is I will Always Love You. I remember it was Dolly's song and I like her doing it as much as I did Whitney.

I thought that I remembered that Dolly sang it in Best Little Whorehouse.. I looked it up and she did. She sang it to Burt Reynolds..who played the sheriff.

I just love the Internet and that we have access to all this knowledge at our fingertips. Love It.

Carol said...

Coreen..I'd be more afraid of driving on ice.

Coreen said...

NYT is doing its best to back up
the administration in giving tons of data how the govt provides $$$ to everyone...have fun checking it out...
how much do you rely on govt benefits

Carol said...

And I did lots of research before taking to the water. I would never do it somewhere that I wasn't familiar with.

Coreen said...

And here's an interactive map of U.S. to find how much your state/county gets...
US entitlement map

Carol said...

I'm currently making some chicken..sausage..okra gumbo. Being island bound.. especially cold island bound..does work up a hardy appetite.

Carol said...

It also heats up the kitchen nicely. Even though I make it with meat..chicken and sausage..I usually only eat the juice and veggies out of it and end up throwing out most of the meat.

Carol said...

I'm going to check that out Coreen. Should be interesting.

Coreen said...

Driving on just up to a couple of inches of snow is tricky, & its the trying to stop...which unfortunately those who drive SUV's seem to think they can do just because...

around here that's why most people
like AWD vehicles to give you traction in the front as well as the back of the car...it helps going up hills in snow...& gripping of all wheels to stop....

Now ice...that is a whole other thing...hold your breath, go very slow & hope you don't have to hit the brakes fast...maybe chains would help on all ice (years ago people put chains on cars, then they came out with studded snow tires that you had put on the car in the winter...luckily we rarely have roads totally covered in ice...have to say that the state/town/city is pretty good at cleaning up...

jan said...

Coreen, thanks for posting the link in NYT. Yes, I think those of us in the generation Ms. Alford grew up in would have reacted much the same way to all of the events she experienced. I grew up also star struck by powerful men like JFK. I greatly appreciate her candid discussion of those experiences. Many other young women, I expect, were virtually raped by powerful me . They knew enough to ply young women/girls with alcohol to lower their inhibitions in order to meet their own (men's) needs. I would not be surprised if JFK did not seek out this young woman. I would not be surprised if he did not have her investigated. She admitted to being a virgin. I suspect he preferred girls to take to bed who had little experience in the world to avoid the possibility of a sexually transmitted infection. In her book Ms. Alford said he was very interested in her school-girl activities. They never talked about USA or world affairs. He never talked about his own life. I think no one really knew who this man (JFK) really was.

jan said...

...powerful men...

jan said...

I wonder how many women Ms. Alford's age (mine too) who see themselves somewhere in this story. I know I do.

jan said...

My favorite song of Whitney's was "I will always love you" I forgot until I read it too- that Dolly Parton wrote that song. Hmmm just thinking about Dolly Parton. I am old enough that I remember how people made fun of and laughed at Dolly. Yet, she knew who she was and remained true to herself. What an amazing singer and song writer too. She has written some amazing songs. What a contrast between Dolly and Whitney.

jan said...

Carol, hope you stay warm today. I am sure it will warm up where you live soon.

My mouth waters for gumbo sometimes. I just started a small beef roast in the crockpot. Recently gave my old crockpot to one of my grandsons and his live-in girlfriend. It was a good one but I had not used it in years. So, guess what - the other day I was hungry for pot roast in the crockpot, so went out and bought another one at Costco. This is my first cooking experience with it. It is more advanced than my old one.

jan said...

I read the same article - that more than 50% of the USA population depend on the gov't for benefits. John and I are both on SS and medicare. So we are on the "dole" too.

Carol said...

What county do you live in Coreen. I'm trying to compare and contrast..you know..you elites up there..to us bumpkins down here. Might be interesting.

Carol said...

My gumbo is done except for some simmering. All I have left is to cut up some green onions on top. Don't do that until about 30 minutes before it's done so they won't be cooked to death.

I grow my green onions in a planter box outside. I almost lost them to the flood waters.

Coreen said...

Carol, how could you forget!!!...Fairfield County...one of the most affluent counties in the usa...& yes we pay out more to support the rest of the country than we get back...calculated by anyone's statistics...

Back later...its Sunday & its cavatelli with mom's sauce or as
we italians say gravy....

the bottom line of the nyt piece
is there is no answer to the ever
escalating dilemma...none of those running this country has an answer
either...

Coreen said...

oh & by the way CT is still a very
blue state...

Carol said...

Oops..I guessed Hartford so I have to start over.

Carol said...

Yep..I'm a blue girl stuck in a fiery red state. It's not easy being blue...

Carol said...

I just got back from going to my house. There's only a few puddles on the road now. It's a dang miracle! I guess God is even ready for me to go back to work.

Carol said...

I had to Google what you are eating today Coreen. That is one pasta that I'm not familiar with.

When I found a pic of the cavatelli on the Net.. with a cheese sauce..it looked like fat grub worms. I AM familiar with them but I don't eat them.

Carol said...

I hope I didn't ruin your appetite now.

Carol said...

Coreen..I don't think I ever knew you were in Fairfield county.

Carol said...

I had a few things wrong in my last post so I removed it. Will start over

jan said...

Carol, so glad to hear you can get on and off your former "island" Enjoy your gumbo.

Coreen, have you ever eaten Louisiana Gumbo. When I first moved to Louisiana in 1968, I had never eaten gumbo. It is an acquired taste (in my opinion) however I did acquire a taste for it and missed it terribly when I moved from there 9 years later.

I too must look up cavatelli.

Carol said...

Coreen. we're close to the same in social security..you have a little less income support..a little less Medicare..you have more Medicaid..we're double you in Veteran's support..I guess y'all let us bumpkins fight the wars..y'all use 4 times as much unemployment..we don't make much..but we do work.

Carol said...

Jan..what's weird is that when I was a kid..I didn't even like the smell of a gumbo cooking. I think it was the roux. I'm still not crazy about seafood gumbo but I love a good chicken..sausage..and okra gumbo even though I eat around the meat.

I didn't like crabs or shrimp either. I would go crabbing..clean the crabs..cook the crabs but didn't eat them. I was pretty popular back then because I didn't have any trouble finding people to eat them.

Now I love crabs and shrimp but I prefer them boiled in a spicy liquid then I dip them in a spicy lemon butter sauce. Yummm. I think I could dip just about anything in a spicy lemon butter sauce.

jan said...

Coreen, saw a video on making cavatelli. How interesting. Do you make homemade vavatelli. Looks great. I don't want to make it but will certainly order it next time we go to an Italian restaurant. Is it similar to Gnocci? We used to eat that in Argentina.

jan said...

I make many typos. Meant cavatelli, bot vavatelli.

jan said...

It is very interesting how we three people live in such different parts of the country with even more different types of foods. It would be fun to get together and each cook our own regional and cultural dishes. What a feast.

Carol said...

One small bowl of gumbo juice..over rice..topped with some deseeded jalapeno peppers..warmed me up so much that I had to turn down the heat. umm umm good!

Carol said...

What kind of "gravy" do you use on your pasta Coreen...marinara or Alfredo type??

Coreen said...

Pretty sure that if you look it up you will find that CT is one of the top 5 (at one point #1 & may still be) states paying federal taxes
in & at the bottom of what CT gets back in benefits...

fairfield county includes the city of bridgeport which while the largest city in CT (150000) has a lot of very low income residents...

Hartford County is north, that is where the state capital (Hartford) is...also a big city, with lots of low income people...we only have 6 counties...

Cavatelli is made with ricotta cheese...it is very light....

Gnocchi is made with potatos...it is much heavier than cavatelli...
I prefer cavatelli...

But no I do not cook at all...I do have some friends that can make homemade pasta but not me...

I will order cavatelli at restaurants (usually it is homemade)with marinara sauce...
(no meat)...

You can get frozen cavatelli or gnocchi in some local italian delis...that's what I have at home...

never ate gumbo of any kind, do not like various foods cooked together...

do eat shell fish...& other fish as well...

jan said...

Getting hungry.

Carol said...

Jan..about 20 years ago I bought one of those pasta makers like they showed on TV back then. I really had a thing for kitchen gadgets back then.

It was electric..Ronco..I think. It mixed up the flour and then it had 12 different dies that it pushed the pasta out thru. You then hung the pasta to dry or used it.

It was kinda cool...for a while. I used it enough to break the part that held the dies on. Mary had a new one she had never used and I bought that from her. If I ever have more time than good sense again..I'll drag it out.

Can't really remember if it tasted better than just buying pasta from the store.

Carol said...

I also had a big collection of semolina flours. Much of it got thrown out. That was back when cooking was a big passion for me. Now..it's more just eating.

Carol said...

I used to have a fantasy of having my own restaurant one day. I did do some reading on the subject and they said it was mucho worko.

Carol said...

Don't care much for Bruno Mars music but I could look at him all night!

Coreen said...

Now you know, I liked Bruno Mars
routine...reminds me of old time
r&r...but he's not my type...

Bruce rocked it from the start...

Foo!!! to the foo fighters...

I really can't stand country music...so the underwood/? duet
not my thing...

Sir Paul & his new wife in the audience, he does look old, but I love him...

Adele is supposed to sing, I like one song she does, but forget its
name...

jan said...

Just got home. Now watching Grammy's. We are an hour behind you Carol and Coreen. It is only 7:03 here.

jan said...

You could have done very well with a restaurant Carol. You are an excellent cook. My pot roast turned out ok. John likes it.

jan said...

They are having a prayer for Whitney.

jan said...

Just started.

jan said...

I have no idea who Bruno Mars Is.

jan said...

I love Adele's music.

Carol said...

I thought the way LL C did the opening was nice. He did a good job merging the entertainment/celebration with the memorial.

jan said...

I do like Carrie Underwood. We drive through the area where her home town is (in OK0 every time we go to Arkansas.

Bruno Mars is cute- but definitely would not have been my type when I was younger. He looks like he is about 5 ft tall.

Coreen said...

LL has been doing a good job as MC...

Now what was that Chipolte ad supposed to mean...it started with claymation puppets? of pigs being
fattened up,smashed & packaged & trucked to somewhere then the little guy says he's going back somewhere? & the end there's cows,pigs, chickens
grazing in the grass...did it mean
that chipolte is vegetarian...if so
I good with it...

Carol said...

Coreen..I was thinking that I've headed into old fa fa territory because I haven't been too crazy about very much of the music so far. Liked Alecia and Bonnie's duet.
The country is nice also. I do like country even though it isn't my favorite. Totally don't like rap.

jan said...

I thought LL C did a good job too. I had never heard of him either

jan said...

Where is Bruno from. He is a good dancer.

Carol said...

Even though I'm entering old fa fa territory..I'm still sitting here eating gummy worms.

Coreen said...

Now the giants guys are cute..& cruz' salsa is smoooooth....& I like paulie perrette, shes from ncis...

jan said...

chipolte is a type of pepper. It is a little hot. We have chipolte in a lot of stuff here.

Coreen said...

Almost forgot about Bonnie & Alicia
they matched up well in the tribute
to etta....

Alicia sings 'empire state of mind' which is a song I like a lot...but it is about NYC...soo....

Rhianna is a good singer, but didn't like the duo with cold play...

earlier her ex that slapped her around chris brown did a long routine which while done well, not my cup of tea either...

jan said...

John just read that they did an autopsy on Whitney and are "locking" it up.

Carol said...

Coreen..I missed animal farm. I'm taping it so I'll check back later. It almost sounds like you're way ahead of me or I'm having fugue states.

Carol said...

Don't like Chris Brown!

Coreen said...

Maroon 5 doing a tribute to the beach boys...the lead singer was good, but the guitar player in the blue jacket singing wouldn't it be nice a little weak...

Now back together are the real
BEACH BOYS!!!...Mike Love looks old, but again so am I...& I love
them too!!!

Carol said...

I heard a doc last night say that if it was some physiological cause of death..we'd hear sooner but if it was drugs..it would take some time for those toxicology reports.

Could be she died of some arrhtyhmia..heart attack..or stroke. That can happen to black women her age.. especially with her history.

Coreen said...

Brian Wilson at the piano...nw that is a first....

Carol said...

They aren't no Beach Boys.

jan said...

I loved the song by Alicia Keyes and Bonnie Raitt. I love that music that sounds like folks are just getting together and "jamming." So glad to hear they did a tribute to Etta James too.

jan said...

Chris Brown may be a big talent but will not forget that he is a is a batterer.

Carol said...

Now..that's the Beach Boys..

Carol said...

Who's the youngster is the group?

Carol said...

Nice to have a tribute to Glen Campbell..before he beams up..even if he might not remember it.

Coreen said...

Sir Paul singing his new solo my valentine, which is said to be for
his new wife...

His voice was pretty shaky throughout...will this new song be a new standard?...

Carol said...

Paul's song wasn't a showstopper..but he's an icon.

Carol said...

And the audience remembers that.

Coreen said...

Carol, do you mean the young guy next to mike love...if so, that was the lead singer from maroon 5...

What was the tribute to glen campbell? I missed that...

Carol said...

It's coming later Coreen. He's suppose to be honored tonight.

Coreen said...

Who was the black haired woman in the black dress with the long hair
guy & the guitar that introd Taylor Swift...

she had a good voice...liked her much better than swift...but again
I really can't stand twangy country...

Carol said...

Taylor is a very talented and pretty girl but I just am not the biggest fan of her singing.

Why do I have to be so mean?

Carol said...

I think they were called Civil Wars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Civil_Wars

Carol said...

Adele had to win that one..hands down.

Coreen said...

Oh that's the Adele song I do know & like...song of the year...

And tell me how when adele sings she doesn't have that heavy english accent, but when she talks it is so obvious....

Carol said...

Didn't care for the beginning of the Katy Perry song but it grew on me.

Coreen said...

oh well another mega star I don't get...katy perry...& what was with that dance routine...

Carol said...

Accent thing...Beat's the hell outta me Coreen.

Coreen said...

She was a 'dominatrix'...they just keep pushing it...

did you catch gaga in the audience with the black net over her face...another one I don't get...

Carol said...

I like Gaga as a human being. She's a neat lady..even though weird.

Coreen said...

Great job by Adele...

Carol said...

She sincerely appreciates her fans!

Carol said...

Coreen..Adele has somewhat of a country flair.

Coreen said...

Hardly...not a twang in that voice at all...

Carol said...

Country's not all twang anymore.

Carol said...

Born in 1936..makes him close to 76.

Carol said...

Remember loving Track of My Tears.

Carol said...

That's Jennifer Hudson?

Coreen said...

Yes...& she was excellent...

She can sing just about anyone's music & do it well...

Coreen said...

Now this is awful...whatever it is...

Carol said...

TMZ said autopsy found water in Whitney's lungs. Then they said they weren't sure if she died before she was submerged in water??

Don't think she would have water in her lungs if she wasn't breathing before she went underwater.

If that finding is correct..she may have lost consciousness..went underwater and drowned. She was in the bathtub when they found her.

There's always a danger if drinking to get into hot water. Causes vasodilation.. drop in blood pressure..then losing consciousness/fainting..then drowning. That's why they say not to combine hot tubbing with alcohol.

Also heard they was prescription Xanax found in her room. That could cause same thing to happen. I hate that drug!

Carol said...

Maybe she mixed Xanax with alcohol...a potentially deadly combination.

Coreen said...

That was the speculation earlier that she likely took some pres. meds, passed out in the tub & drowned...at this point does it really matter...she is gone, as I said frozen in time, just like the clip they played of her singing
the i will always love you on the show...

Coreen said...

Oh god this show has gone downhill since the campbell tribute...other than jennifer hudson...it makes me cringe...can't take any more...

guess paul is going to do the beatles tunes in the finale...back to mob wives...

Coreen said...

And nice I only get to see my absolute fav ever for a nanosec...presenting the album of the year...my girl Diana...

Adele steamrolled all the competition....

Is it now finally time to see Paul...

Carol said...

Paul's voice has seen better days. I would think that he takes good care of himself. How old is he?

Carol said...

Just looked it up..he's going on 60.

Carol said...

I think it's neat that Adele did so well. We all liked her.

Carol said...

Maybe he smokes too much dope???

Carol said...

Now..I'm gonna have to learn how to get to sleep earlier. I've been staying up late..knowing I could nap during the day.

Coreen said...

Well that was not what I was waiting for...I know those guys
are all well known musicians (but I only knew who Bruce was) but
not a biggie for me...

Paul's voice was not what one thinks of when you think beatles & wings...the aging process...plays
havoc with all of us...

Hope he enjoys his latest married life...& he is a vegetarian...from way back with the 1st wife linda...
can't imagine him touring at this point...ouch...

Coreen said...

again back to mob wives...my guilty
pleasure...they are so bad, can't help but watch them...

Carol said...

We might hear more today about Whitney's death but reports say that the police want to wait. Doesn't sound like there was foul play so I'm not sure why they want to wait.

Maybe they want to wait for a full tox report. That will take weeks. I bet Whitney pushed it past the limit thousands of times and this time..something even less threatening got her.

I remember when I first started learning about pharmacology. Scared the hell out of me. Don't think it had the same effect on others. I've been afraid of drugs ever since. I take those side effects..contraindication..warnings very seriously.

The way experienced drug abusers mix and match chemicals..and still live..amazes me. I have inmates who report taking 30 xanax a day..a day. It was a slow process of developing tolerance but still makes me shutter.



And it's not like they haven't seen what can happen to others who weren't so lucky. I've asked many of the inmates I interview just how many people..they knew..who died of drug overdoses? Too many would answer..10..15..20. I asked..didn't that scare you? They didn't always answer that question. But I assume that when your taking 30 xanax a day..nothing can scare you.

Carol said...

Hi ho..hi ho..it's back to work I go...

jan said...

Had a long walk this morning. Felt good. My middle son (terry) is coming for lunch. I want to see how he is doing. His step-daughter was in ICU this weekend - low potassium again. She has an eating disorder. Her wt is now 74 lbs. they are trying to get her checke into a Denver in patient treatment center.

jan said...

I am looking forward to see how work goes for you today Carol.

jan said...

We went to see the movie, "Hugo" last night. Such a neat movie. We both loved it. Martin Scorscese did it. His young daughter asked him when he was going to make a movie she could see.

jan said...

Carol, learning about drugs made me realize I do not want to take anything I don't have to.

Carol said...

Well...work was darn reasonable today. I even cleared all my charts out for one clinic. The other one still has quite a stack but I'll try to knock that one out tomorrow.

I was at work about two hours when my message ring on my phone went off. It showed a number that I didn't recognize..and no name came up so the person wasn't in my phone list.

The message was addressed to both me and my neighbor. I read it and it said that NOAA had the river back up to 6.2 at 9a. I freaked. I thought it must be some mistake because it was close to 4f when I left this morning. I pulled up the NOAA chart and sure enough..they had it going from 4.6 yesterday morning to 6.2. Didn't make any sense.

I called my neighbor and told him. He had a hard time believing it also. That would have taken a tsunami to run it up that fast and I hadn't felt any earthquakes.

Neighbor called Houseboat Brenda..who was out here and she said she hadn't noticed any change. I figured whoever was doing the measuring for NOAA must be drunk.

An hour later..I checked the NOAA chart again and they changed the reading to 4.2. Whew! It's a good thing they don't have a comment section on that NOAA site.

Carol said...

I did find out who had sent the message. It is was the neighbor who has a camp on the other side of me. I guess he was checking the NOAA site this morning from his work.

It scared me because I didn't know how I'd get to my Maggie. I couldn't drive thru 6.2. I think it was a little over 5 ft when I did my feather drive Saturday.

Carol said...

Tonight starts the Westminster Dog show on USA at 7C..then it moves to CNBC at 8C.

Coreen said...

I like the little beagles & the pbgv....

jan said...

I love the way Google finishes my sentences when I ask a question. After seeing the Grammy's I wanted to know which Amer. Idol contestants have done the best fame and financial-wise. So I typed in "which american idol .... and Google finished with ..."have made the most money. I think that is so cool. I have done this numerous times and am amazed.

Anyway, guess who tops the list? Carrie Underwood at 20 mil. Chris Daughtery and Adam Lambert tied and came in 2nd at 6 mil each.

I guess what brought this up was seeing Carrie U. and another one on Grammy's last night.

Carol said...

Oh Coreen..I loved the PBGV. I tried to get the name but it was too long

Carol said...

Wasn't Jennifer Hudson an Idol contestant..but didn't finish first.

Carol said...

Jan..I also like Google. I used it often to find out how to spell a word. I'd just type the word in the search and it gave me the correct spelling. I'm a horrible speller.

Since downloading Google Chrome as my new browser..it underlines everything I spell incorrectly and if I place my cursor over the word..it tells me how to spell it. Pretty cool.

Carol said...

The handler's shoes were bigger than the chihuahua was.

Carol said...

River's come up 6 inches since I got home today. South wind.. rain again and high tide. I'm sure there's water over the road again but should still be passable..at least for now.

jan said...

Jennifer Hudson sang the tribute song last night to Whitney. Jennifer was an Idol contestant but don't know how far she got. A google question.

jan said...

Jennifer Hudson was in the 3rd Idol season, and came in 7th place. That was the 1st season we watched Idol from the beginning (2004)

jan said...

Hope your river gets stabilized Carol.

Carol said...

I just found the answer. You beat me.

Coreen said...

love the black affinpinsher?....

what a cutie...

jan said...

I fall asleep in the bathtub all the time, but don't drink or use any drugs when in tub. I have awakened and water in tub is cold and my fingers are pruney the next day.

Coreen said...

Jennifer Hudson was in the 1st sex & the city movie...& I think she may have been in dreamgirls...

Carol said...

Don't do that Jan. Beds are better for sleeping..less dangerous.

Carol said...

Jan..sorry to hear about Terry's SD.

jan said...

Carol, I like a hot bath to help me relax especially on a cold evening. Besides, I am longer than the bathtub. I have done that all my life - fallen asleep in the tub.

jan said...

We too are so sorry for her and for her mother especially. This has been going on for at least 3 years. We first met her when she was about 6. She was a pretty, easygoing, sweet little girl who was about as normal as they come. My understanding is that an eating disorder is just like an addiction and I believe that. I have no idea why or how it got started, but now I don't think she has any control over it. It is like she disappeared and only a shell of herself is left.

jan said...

Coreen, I do not remember Jennifer H. in the 1st S&C movie. Oh, wait a minute, was she the young woman who became Carrie's ass't and she organized all of Carrie's stuff and essentially her life?

jan said...

We watched the rest of the Grammy's tonight. I had taped it. wow! Adele did win a bunch of awards. I really love her music and her voice. The news is saying that Whitney won more awards than any other female vocalist ever -41 in all is what I heard.

jan said...

I always thought that Bobby Brown got her involved in drugs but her friend, Jennifer Holliday said on the news that drugs were all around all of them (musicians) and that Whitney was already into drugs before she got involved with Bobby.

Carol said...

Jan..glad to see you aren't so naive when it comes to Whitney. If we only knew..it's likely that Bobby was more her victim. I really think that may have been the case. She even hinted to it in one interview. She was such a beautiful songbird..like the mythical siren??

I saw and pulled up a lot of info the night she died. She said they were very much alike and she wasn't just what people saw..she liked to get down and raunchy. The pretty one.. and often the women..comes off looking like the victim. Not always the case.

Even in situations of physical abuse..especially in a relationship that lasts for a while..it could be either who is the real instigator. Some people like being the victim or appearing to be.

I really don't think Whitney wanted Bobby to get the blame though. Look who's still standing??

Carol said...

My work experiences..and you know I've had many..mostly in all my moonlighting jobs..and my life experiences have introduced me to lots of sociology..lots of extremes. I think I choose life experiences so I could study human behavior. And it all fascinated me...still does. People were/are my teachers. I learn from everyone.

I still spend as much time studying the behavior aspect of my patients. It's more interesting than the medical part.

Carol said...

And one thing I learned is that kids don't learn from the experiences of their parents. You'd think that kids who see how much their parents struggled from their bad choices would try to avoid the same bad choices. I think that more often than not..they make the same bad choice or do it even one better. Most of us don't learn from other people's experiences and often..not enough from our own.

Carol said...

I found somewhere to get rid of all that meat in my gumbo. I usually just throw it away. I gave my neighbor a big bowl yesterday and stuffed all the chicken and sausage in his bowl.

I've finally found somewhere to get rid of my leftovers. I don't cook up big meals anymore..because I don't have the desire or energy to do it. But there are times when I want a meal but I end up throwing out a good bit of it and that bothers me. Ya can't just cook up enough for one..especially if ya don't want to eat leftovers for days.

Maggie can't eat it because of the salt..seasoning and onions. There are usually onions and garlic in the things I cook. Onions are suppose to be very toxic for dogs. Weird huh.

Carol said...

39.9 million viewers of the Grammys the other night. The second largest audience in Grammy show history. Up 50% from last year. Due to Whitney;s death. (source..Way Too Early..MSNBC)

And what I though was so cool about Adele winning so many awards is...she doesn't have that perfect body..she's very down the earth..and she doesn't have any gimmicks.

Carol said...

Coreen..I could use a little advice here.

When I bought my house..it was on the end of a small country neighborhood...neighbor on one side and behind and just woods on the other.

The day I was moving in..mom came over and told he that she saw equipment clearing some of the property in the woods area and that they were building some refinery.

Mom seemed to enjoy rubbing that in because she wanted me to move closer to where she lived but I wouldn't because there was too much industry out between here and where she lived.

I wasn't too pleased with the news but I was stuck. Several years later a small refinery went up. It's had several owners over the years and has been nothing but trouble.

The last owner..was recently found guilty of air pollution and other crimes and sentenced to pay millions in restitution.

I just received a victim notification from the DOJ.

Over the years that refinery emitted frequent stenches that just about took me down. All of us in the neighborhood reported them to State Police and EPA. Sometimes I'd come home from work..think the coast was clear..only to open my door and the smell had gotten in and couldn't get out. It could knock you over.

It was one consideration for me buying my camp. The smell couldn't get here.

My question is...if they have been found guilty of air pollution and sentenced to pay millions in restitution to all these agencies..why can't our neighborhood recup damages from having to endure that stench that often took away the enjoyment of living in the neighborhood? What you think?

Coreen said...

Carol, if you & your neighbors were contacted by the DOJ as potential victims...you should contact them to find out if any of you may be entitled to monetary restitution...

It sounds like that is what the notice you received may be advising you to do...

does the notice give any instructions as to what you should do...contact them? fill out damage claim forms?

Has the refinery/owners been found guilty...if so have they actually paid $$$ toward restitution..if so,
certainly you guys should follow up...but you may be required to provide documentation of your damages, costs to you from
the pollution, etc...

Carol said...

Coreen..they have been sentenced to pay 10 and 2 million in restitution and it's going to State Police..EPA..Wildlife and Fisheries.

Dang..we're the one who did all that suffering thru the stench over the years not them.

Yes..I did receive a notification..victim number and did call the lady who sent it and she said it was a criminal case they had against them. We'd have to get attorneys.

I'm planning on contacting one and getting the neighbors together to consider a class action. If they are criminally liable they certainly should be civilly also.

Coreen said...

It is not unusual in criminal cases
that fines are paid to the state govt or if this is fed to the fed govt agencies involved...sometimes
victims can ask for restitution
as part of the plea, but not that often...again have no way of knowing whether the fine has or even will be paid by the defendants...was it a 'person' or a corp/business found or pleading guilty...do they actually have $$$
to pay the fines...or are they judgement proof &/or bankrupt entities...

Any class action suit if very costly, time consuming & often the class members don't get a lot of $$$ even if successful...not to many attys get involved in class actions because of the cost, likelihood of ever
recovering enough to make it worthwhile to them (like it or not the legal profession is there to make money)...but yes talk to someone...but don't be surprised
if it is not cost-effective to pursue a civil action...

Sounds like the pollution was odor
was there also particles in the air that caused physical problems...anyone become ill, treated for conditions as a result of the smell or other pollluting
conditions...were your properties
polluted...

Carol said...

Coreen.. I just sent you a story about the refinery. They were emitting hydrogen sulfide. No wonder it made me gag. That shit is deadly.

I think they only caught them because of all of our bitching.

Carol said...

Did we all have to die to get restitution? The DOJ considers me a victim.

Carol said...

And I'll settle for around a million. I'm not greedy.

Carol said...

And it was a significant reason I bought the camp..to escape. They can pay for it.

I didn't realize until today that the stench was hydrogen sulfide. They bypassed the scrubber designed to remove it from emissions.

Hell.. Maggie never got to escape those fumes. She was always stuck at home. Maybe that is why she has that terrible coughing problem. Something did damage her trachea.

Coreen said...

Looked at it Carol...the govt sued the LLC...

would not surprise me if the LLC
had no assets, therefore, even if a principal pled guilty & agreed to pay restitution, in reality the
entity may not have any $$$ to pay it...bottom line...

If the guy who pled guilty as an
individual, my guess is he would have no assets to pay it either...
no way of knowing...

is the refinery still working...

the workers at the time of the emission of the sulfide gases may have claims as victims...but again
if the doj sent you a notice & you
contacted them & they said basically get yourself an atty...not sure what the notice was intended to do...

check your mail, I found a corresponding notice about the same incident, but it really doesn't say exactly what the penalty is/was, if paid, etc..

Coreen said...

Jan, just saw your note about jennifer hudson & sex & the city
yes she was louise, carrie's asst
who set up the program with all of big's letters...I forgot the password though!!!....

I was a big sex & the city fan for ...really enjoyed that show...

Carol said...

I don't understand why the State Police..Wildlife and Fisheries..and EPA get to share in 12 million in restitution when Mag and I were breathing that toxic gas??

Carol said...

I need to give ole Erin Brockovich a call. She's just the woman I need.

I don't think she'll get anywhere investigating those teenagers with the tics.

Coreen said...

Have no idea why those entities get to split the $$$....

Remember I keep telling you...nothing is 'fair' in life...

ok the dogs are on again...I missed the last 2 groups last night
know a germ. shep won whatever group that was...herding? maybe...
forgot the other group from last night, think a dalmation won that one...whatever it was...

I think the sporting group is on now...

I like some terriers...

Carol said...

A pug won the toy group..I think.

Carol said...

I like Golden Retrivers

Coreen said...

Love the golden....

Carol said...

But I wouldn't be able to carry one of them over the flood waters to go potty.

Coreen said...

what a face on the tolling retreiver...what a darling face...

Carol said...

This might be my favorite groups. I could just give them all a big hug.

Carol said...

The Irish Setter is a beaut.

Carol said...

I wonder why so many of the handlers are a tad on the well padded side. Are they dipping into the dog chow?

Carol said...

Coreen..why can we watch stuff at the same time when we are in different time zones??

Coreen said...

Because your show starts at 7 & here it is 8 pm...prime time...prime time starts in the east coast...you guys are an hour behind...& unless they delay it...further wesst & the west coast sees things out of prime time if they want to see it live...

I noticed the same about the ladies...some gigundos there....

I can't pick one over the other..they are all cute...

my fav is a bedlington terrier, it looks like a lamb...not sure if that group is later...

Carol said...

Emily from Conn is best of group.

Carol said...

Sounded like they said she was from Dingle?? Ran it back and still couldn't tell.

Carol said...

Coreen..I also like the lamb chop dog.

Carol said...

Wouldn't want to run into one of those Cane Corso dogs in a dark alley or a light alley or anywhere else. Looks mean.

Carol said...

Doberman looks mean also but I've known some that were real pussy cats.

Carol said...

I had a registered Cocker Spaniel..Rocky..that lived 15 years and a registered minature Schnauzer..Beauregard..that lived 15 years. I always had boy dogs until Maggie. She was my only girl dog and Heintz 57 and she's been healthier than the others. Both my other dogs has skin problems.

Coreen said...

the great pyranees...big white fluff ball...great danes are neat
but soo big...family & friends had
them, they slubber....

that komandor is the mop dog...these guys are all pretty big...their solid legs & giant paws...

the grey wrinkled italian mastiff looks like its fur is velvet

like the black newfie...

Carol said...

It was the Pekingese that won the toy group last night. I just went back.

Carol said...

I have to have a dog that I'm strong enough to be the boss of. I'm not good at discipline.

Coreen said...

beside the bedlington, like the australian, cairn, norwich & norfolk, parson russell, the white westy...

Carol said...

You just like those terriers.

Carol said...

I got behind because I had to bring my best in show out to potty.

Every year when the introduce the Scottish Terrier they say that the dog feels superior to their owner.

Coreen said...

Of the seven remaining I have no
favorite...maybe the dalmation or the shephard or the irish or the peke or the daushound or the dobie
or the kerry...

I have no clue!!!.....

Carol said...

Can't believe the peke won. Sorry but I thought that was the only unattractive dog up there. Not a Peke fan. And can't believe I got so comfortable that I fell asleep before she picked one of the dogs. I knew I was recording it.