Awesome 37th Birthday!

WOW! It's been awhile since I've blogged. I've been busy with gardening and work has been insane. My birthday was last Saturday and we did something completely out of the ordinary for our anti-social, boring selves. We went to a concert in Atlanta and not just any concert...a Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick concert. They were AWESOME! I am in love with Def Leppard's guitarist. He was HOT! My favorite part of the concert was the guitar solos...I really want to learn to play the guitar. I have an acoustic, but it just sits in the corner on the stand and I'll walk by and strum it every now and then. Yes, I am a child of the '80s, I admit it. I bought the tickets back in May when our finances were a little more stable so we were on a tight budget for the trip. I took $160.00 cash and came home with $5. The bands were GREAT, but the cost of everything was RIDICULOUS! We had to pay $25 to park, $11 for a beer (and my dumb husband drank 3!), $4 for water, and t-shirts were $40! You have to be RICH to go to a concert these days. The bathrooms were too far away...I only went once and I went in the Mens with Ken because it was impossible to get into the Womens. Ean came with us and he loved it TOO! We were in row 23, so the crowd wasn't too rowdy and I didn't see any "herb" being passed around. It was just good, LOUD music. They STILL rock even after all these years. It was a once in a lifetime event and it was good for us to get out and see the world a bit, so we can appreciate the peace and quiet we have at home. I hated driving in ATL and was super duper happy to get back home. If I ever see live music again, they will have to come to the farm and play for us in the field. It was an adventure though that won't soon be forgotten and Ean thinks we're pretty cool parents now. The audio on the video below is AWFUL. I made it with my cell phone and I guess it couldn't handle the loudness. You can catch a glimpse of the HOT guitarist during the solo of Hysteria.

Black Sheep of the family?

Alright, I think I may be the Black Sheep of the family. It wasn't always this way. I used to think I fit in very well but now I feel like the exception since so many of my family members have died. I am now left with 2 brothers and my mother. Of course I have some pretty AWESOME cousins but that's about it. My 2 brothers and my mother are all into the "herbal" lifestyle. It is something I cannot understand no matter how hard I try. I won't deny I tried it when I was younger, but it did nothing for me and made me feel stupid. Ean, my son, knows many people who smoke it and we talk about it all the time. I tell him it is just a waste of time, kills your memory, and makes you feel stupid. He says it is nothing that interests him and I hope he stays that way.
Now that my mother is back in my life, she doesn't seem to care who is around when she starts talking about her love and passion for herb. She and my brother, Michael, could talk about it for hours! He gave her an "herb" pipe for Mother's Day!!! I swear sometimes I feel like my life is a bad reality tv show. When my mom and brothers are together--they enjoy their "herb" together. I could not imagine drinking with my son, let alone engaging in illegal activities with him! I have to make sure Ean isn't around because they seem to have no idea that what they are talking about is illegal and something I definitely DON'T want Ean to do. They make me feel like a prude because I am not "down" with their lifestyle. I guess I'm just the Black Sheep now and I don't really know how to deal with it. Just one more reason I feel lost. If it were not for the many blessings I have in my husband and son, and my faith that there is something better after this life....I would be lost completely.

Tribute to my Granny

I have been quite busy at home with my flowers. It's the time of year when I jump in WAY over my head and buy TOOOOOOOO many flowers and then try to find somewhere to put them all. I just love coming home from work and being greeted by all the colors and lush greenery. I remember walking around with Granny and "dead heading" flowers when I was just able to walk. That was one of Granny's favorite ways to spend the late afternoon. Sometimes she would count how many dead heads she removed and would tell anyone who'd listen.

I also love going fishing this time of year. We went on Mother's Day and caught these beauties. My love of fishing and flowers came from my Granny. Some of my first memories of Granny were of her teaching me how to bait my hook while we were fishing in Aunt Willie's pond. We used cane poles, and she taught me how to "sling shot" my line right where I wanted it. Then she would tell me to just be patient and watch my cork. Of course as soon as something bumped the cork I wanted to yank it, but Granny taught me to just wait. Let them really take it down and then give it a little snatch to set the hook. Going fishing on Mother's Day was the most perfect way to spend it, because Granny was my mother in many ways.

I know I would not be the person I am today if it were not for my Granny. She taught me how to cook. She taught me how to clean. Most importantly, she taught me how to love life and appreciate the small wonders that surround us. I miss her so much and I hope one day I get the chance to be as GREAT a Granny as she was!

America's New Past Time

Maybe it's just the cynic in me, but it seems all I hear lately is complaining. Just this week I received a complaint from a woman who says her neighbor has no running water and is stealing other people's water at night. They are using a bucket for a bathroom and throwing it out the back door. NASTY!!! It is in the city limits, so I headed right over to check out the situation. I asked the County Code Enforcement officer to come with me, since you never know what kind of situation you might be getting into and it's always good to have a witness. We drive up to this dilapidated two-story house on a very small lot surrounded by other houses that are taken care of and look nice. The house is so raggedy, I'm not even sure where the front door is. There are some outside steps going up to the 2nd story but they look quite rotted and dangerous, so I decide to try a plywood door under the steps. I open the door onto a little porch and there is a sickly, mangy, half starved cat to greet me. I walk past it and knock on the door. I hear someone yell, "Come in!". So I opened the door and looked into the dark, decaying house at an old black man whose clothes are hanging from his body and whose hair is matted and burred. His eyes are milky looking and he is eating something and has it all around his mouth. There is another younger girl, maybe in her 20's there, and she says nothing. I explain to the old man about the complaint I received to which he responded that it was a bunch of lies. He said he just got home from being in the hospital recovering from cancer and he didn't have any money and his water was turned off. He said his daughter was bringing him buckets of water from her house and he was flushing his "waste" down a toilet in the back of the house. I asked him if he minded if I walked around to the backyard just to look. He said to go ahead and offered to let me walk through the house, but I told him I would rather walk around the outside. The house was dark as a dungeon. I don't think there are any windows in it. It's made of rotted plywood. In the back yard there was an old cast iron bathtub full of brown water and mosquito larvae and there was a definite odor back there, but I didn't see any turds or toilet paper. He came out the back door and the smell of sewage almost knocked me down then. He asked me to look at the toilet he was using. I looked inside the back door and there was a toilet and several buckets sitting around it and the smell was overwhelming. I told him he needed to get his water turned back on and get that bathtub dumped within 7 days. He said he would do the best he could, but he didn't have any money and was too weak to dump the tub out. I told him to get someone to help him. Whatever he needed to do, but he had to have it cleaned up in 7 days.

It was a very sad situation. The Code Enforcement officer and I left shaking our heads and thankful that we don't have to live in such poverty. Now here is my issue, rather than call and turn this poor old man in, why didn't his neighbor try to help him out? What happened to being neighborly and trying to help someone up when they're going through a bad time? Also, who was that 20 yr old woman I saw in there with him and why hasn't her sorry ass done something to help him? I get so disgusted with people. Now it falls to me. If the problem isn't taken care of by next week I will be forced to take the poor old man to Magistrate's Court and then he will be fined or taken to jail if he has no money. The neighbor wants to know why we can't condemn his house. We probably could, but then where will he live? He will be homeless. Where is this man's family? This is a truly bad situation and I don't know what the outcome will be, but I will keep y'all posted.

I have another complaint similar to this that I will have to take to court next week. They also have a dilapidated, termite-eaten house but they have built their own septic tank out of concrete blocks. They have a 4"hard pipe just dumping into it with no lid. They have covered it with a piece of plywood since I started investigating at the end of March. The tank is finally full though and they don't have any drain lines, so the owner just dug him a little ditch away from it going towards the neighbors property. The owner and his wife both work at Walmart and claim they do not have the money for a proper septic system. Their grown daughter and her two kids also live there in this squalor. I told them I would give them a little time to save up some money and it has now been 2 months and I guess they just figured I would forget about it. I went by yesterday and told them it needed to be done by this Friday or we would have to go before the judge. The woman got completely irate with me and told me there was no way they could have it fixed by then and to go ahead and take them to court. So I said "Okay", and as I was walking away she yelled at me, "I hope you enjoy your job!"...like I get some kind of kick out of seeing people suffer. I have a job to do and sewage cannot be on the ground, especially with small children around. It is a HEALTH HAZARD!!! I haven't contacted DFACS yet, but that is also my next step if court cannot resolve this. The problem with these people is that I think they just don't have their priorities straight. They both drive relatively new, nice vehicles but live in a house that should be condemned. What is up with that? I just don't know how this situation will turn out either.

My new favorite song has become: "God is great, beer is good, and people are CRAZY!" I just think people need to do less complaining and whining about the situation they are in, pull up their boot straps, and get it taken care of. Lend a helping hand to a sick and poor neighbor. I don't know...maybe they are all waiting on Obama to fix everything for them....we're all in for a long wait then; and the complaints will keep on coming. America's new past time: complaining and whining!

A Rabies Story

After a long hot day, Shep, the Jack Russell Terrier lay sprawled on the steps of the back deck as his owner, Mr. Jackson, lounged nearby with a glass of iced tea. All of a sudden a snarling, slobbering creature came out of the woods and jumped on Shep and began biting and scratching him. Shep fought back and Mr. Jackson ran inside to get his .22 rifle. He shot the rifle up in the air a couple of times to get the creature to release its death grip on Shep. Once the animal began lumbering away, he shot it three times- killing it. It was a large raccoon. Shep seemed to be alright with just a few scratches and bites, but Mr. Jackson ran inside to call the vet just in case. He explained the situation to the vet and the vet asked him a couple of key questions: “Has Shep been vaccinated against rabies within the last year? Did you shoot the raccoon in the head?” Mr. Jackson answered, “No.” to each of these questions. The vet then told him to put the raccoon in a trash bag being very careful not to touch him and put it in a cooler with ice or in a refrigerator to keep it cool until he could deliver it to the vet’s office. He then told Mr. Jackson to call the Health Department and speak with the county environmentalist. So upon hanging up with the vet, Mr. Jackson did just that. The environmentalist told Mr. Jackson that Shep would have to be quarantined until they could send off the raccoon and find out if it had rabies. Within a couple of days Mr. Jackson had his answer and was forced to make a hard decision. The raccoon was positive for rabies and the county environmentalist told him he had two options. He could quarantine Shep in a double enclosed pen with no human contact for six months or he could have Shep put to sleep. After staying up all night struggling and praying for an answer, Mr. Jackson called the environmentalist early the next morning to let her know he had decided to have Shep put down because he could not bear the thought of watching him develop rabies. He then went on to explain that even if Shep did not develop the virus, he was afraid that Shep would not be the same loyal friend he had known for years, after six months with no human contact.

This is an extremely sad story, and it is a true story. Unfortunately, I have at least one case a year that ends in this way. It could have had a happier ending if Shep was up to date on his rabies shots. He still would have been quarantined but only for 45 days and had a much better chance of not developing the virus. There really is no excuse not to have your animals vaccinated against rabies. Our local vets and animal shelter hold rabies clinics every summer all around the county.

Rabies is considered an emerging infectious disease. Even though it has been largely eliminated from pets through vaccination, it is a widespread problem among wild mammals, particularly raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes, and bats. Here are few rabies tips:
• Make sure your pet’s vaccinations are up to date.
• Keep your pets supervised on your property to reduce the chance of exposure to rabies.
• Keep your distance from wildlife. You can look, but don’t touch.
• Report animal bites to the local health department.
• Remember, you don’t have to be bitten to contract the virus because the virus is spread through saliva. If the saliva gets on a cut or is rubbed into your eyes or nose, you could become infected.
• Most human cases of rabies involve bat exposure.
• If you are bitten, don’t panic. Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and lots of water. Get medical help immediately. Preventive treatment is available if started immediately. Rabies is fatal if not treated.
• If you or your pet is bitten, capture or isolate the animal if possible, but take no risks.
• If the animal must be killed, DO NOT DAMAGE THE HEAD. (The brain is the only area that can be tested for the virus.)

Stay safe this summer and feel free to call me at the Emanuel County Health Department with any questions or concerns. For more information online about rabies go to:
http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/

New Potatoes

 

Digging, digging, oh...I feel something...it's round..it must be..awww...it's just a rock. Next plant....digging, digging, oooo a big one...YAY!!!...it's a dirty red new potato! Digging new potatoes is such fun to me. It's kinda like easter egg hunting, except your hands get REALLY dirty. It is something I have always enjoyed. I love the smell of the fresh, brown earth as I'm digging my hands into it looking for treasured taters. When I have dug around about two thirds of one of the three rows of tater plants, I quit and take my pan of taters back to the house to wash and scrape. Scraping taters is another thing that can make your hands look exceptionally dirty...even though it's just stains from the red skins of the taters. It scrapes off so easy and you're left with beautiful white aggie marble sized taters. I pour cold water over them and put them in the refrigerator until tonite. I'll cook them up with lots of butter and canned milk for our fish fry. Yes, we're having a fish fry on the back deck tonite, just the three of us...Ken, Ean and me. Ken caught 4 or 5 fish on Friday after work and then he and I went fishing in the river yesterday afternoon and we caught about 6..so that's plenty of fish for our little cook out. The funny thing is...Ken doesn't eat fish...so he'll be eating leftover steak from last nite, but he'll have some deliciously fresh new taters to go with it.

When the river was full it covered our potatoes for about 3 days and we thought we were going to have to start over, but thankfully when the river fell back...our taters started jumping up. I think the river coming up over the garden may help it in the long run...maybe it brought a lot of nutrients to the soil. We planted tomatoes, squash, eggplants, peppers, okra, cucumbers, peas, and butter beans last weekend...so it will be awhile before we are able to enjoy them. I am just thankful for the lettuces, taters, and onions we are able to enjoy now. I can't wait until tonite!

Why I like Snakes

There is a hole in my bedroom floor,
I watch it as I listen to my husband snore.

A little mouse comes in and runs all about,
I try to open my mouth to shout.

But then, a snake slithers through the hole,
and the mouse tries to shimmy up a pole.

Too late, the snake snatches him up fast,
and now the mouse is gone at last.

I watch as the snake descends back through the hole in the floor,
and then I lay back down and start to snore.

I wrote this poem this morning as I was straightening up my bedroom. Apparently, when my Aunt Donna lived here the satellite people drilled a big hole through the floor to run the cable through. It was mostly hidden when we had carpet in there, but I made Ken pull up the carpet because I think carpet is nothing more than a dust catcher. Now, all we have is a plywood floor in the bedroom, because we haven't got the money to put down the wood flooring we want. So, everytime I see that hole in the floor--I imagine all the little creatures that could come through it. My husband says I have an overactive imagination, so I decided I would write this poem to show him just how overactive it is. He just rolled his eyes when I read it to him.