I have been trying all week to find an organization that will help us get our back on the road. Our neighbor will do the work but we have to get the part which cost $312.00 new. We have raised $45.00. Our mechanic neighbor tried to find us the part through a network of salvage yards. He was only able to find one. It is in California. The price of the used part is $225.00 but we have to pay shipping. The part is over-sized because it's a body part the wraps all the way around the front end of the car. The shipping cost is $70.00 making the total price of $295.00. Our neighbor said that since we would only be saving $17.00 buying the used part wouldn't be wise because it's sold as is and if there is anything wrong with it, we wouldn't be able to get our money back.
What really irks me is that our car runs fine but we can't drive it because the likelihood of the part falling off in the road is dangerous. Our safety inspection is due and it won't pass until this is fixed.
I thought I had found an organization to help with repairs but then we found out they only help with mechanical repairs, not body damage. They consider such damage to be cosmetic but in our case it's a safety issue. I asked if they could make an exception but they refused.
I hate to keep hawking hubby's pens but selling them is the only way we have to raise extra money. We have nothing left each month after we pay our bills.
Hubby and I both have medical appointments almost every week until the end of the month. Next Wednesday hubby and I both have appts. with our primary doctors. I can't miss the appt. because since I am on Coumadin I have to have my INR checked monthly. Thursday, hubby has an appt. with another opthalmologist. Hubby's vision has improved but is still not as good as it should be so his local opthalmologist set up an appointment with a specialist in Fayetteville, abut 35 miles from our house. There is a new medicine that sometimes helps the type of problem hubby has and this Dr. wants to to examine hubby to see if he is a candidate for the drug.
The week after next I have to see my kidney dr. I went in July and I usually go every 6 months but my blood tests were way off in July so I have to g for a recheck. Hubby has an appointment with a podiatric surgeon who is treating him for a foot ulcer. These aren't appointments we can postpone but we have no way to get to them. The neighbors have to work. We don't even a taxi service in our little town and for some reason, the taxi company in the nearest larger town about 13 miles away in the next county will not srve our area.
Then, November 8th, I have an appointment with my oncologist. That's 240 miles round trip. My primary doctor asked my oncologist to have me come in earlier than usual because I have been losing a lot of weight. I have lost over 50 lbs, since May and my primary is worried about that.
I hate to write about this stuff but everything is hitting us at once. Please consider buying a pen or recommending them to others.
http://www.hubbyshandcraftedinkpens.yolasite.com/product-catalog.php
Thanks,
Blade
If there are any typos, I apologize. I have been really sick since the Friday before we left for hubby’s surgery. It started with a gallbladder attack. I have stones and get them from time to time. They usually go away in a few hours. Not this time.
I developed a severe headache and then a sore throat with a fever. Hubby wanted to cancel the trip but I refused.
I had no appetite all week.
We got home Thursday night and I got a neighbor to take me to the doctor yesterday morning (we had a car problem mentioned at the end of this post) and was diagnosed with strep throat and ear and sinus infection. I was prescribed Levaquin but my insurance refused to pay. So for now I am using salt water gargles and hoping it helps.
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I received this email today and thought it would make an interesting post. The remarks of the person who emailed me are in brown text and my comments are in blue.
Opinions welcome.
"Just thinking about irony and double standards. You say that people who believe in the power of the family and the strength of family unity are hypocrites when family members make common mistakes, in adolescence or beyond. What you fail to admit or acknowledge is every other person who doesn't publicize their personal beliefs and whose family members display the same mistakes. There is no real difference between the two."
I do not criticize family unity. I know mistakes happen in every family because no one is perfect. However, when people lead private lives then I am not privy to their family dynamics. I can not comment on things of which I have no knowledge.
"Take your favorite scapegoats: Sarah and Todd. You say they're bad parents because their kids have made a few mistakes (forget their mistakes were made public because of a few people's jealousy and the nature of parents career)"
Sarah and Todd's bad parenting is evident not only through the misbehavior of their children but through their ill-treatment of them. Sarah uses her children as props. Their physical well-being is unimportant to her. She has no qualms with endangering their health if it benefits her. Trig is a case in point. While I ABSOLUTELY do not believe that she gave birth to Trig, for the sake of this argument let's say she did.
She has stated that she knew the baby she was carrying had Down Syndrome. Babies born with this condition need special care immediately after birth. Sarah, thousands of miles from home in Dallas to give a speech, awoke with pains and her amniotic fluid leaking around 4am on the morning she was to deliver that speech. What should a woman do in such a situation? I was in this situation myself and I know that it is mandatory to go straight to a hospital. Pregnant women are routinely given these instructions by their obstetricians so considering all of Sarah's previous pregnancies, she no doubt knew what she was required to do to assure the safety of her unborn child. But instead of heading to a hospital in Dallas, where she had a choice of several nationally acclaimed facilities, she chose to call her family doctor who isn't even an obstetrician. According to Sarah, the doctor agreed with Sarah's suggestion that it would be reasonable for her to rest until time to deliver her speech and then board an airplane for a very lengthy flight home. Not for one minute, do I believe that this is the advice Sarah received. I highly doubt that she even spoke to her doctor. So Sarah, who claims to be so in love with her unborn child and praying that he will be okay chooses to rest in a hotel room until time for her all important speech. Her contractions and leakage began around eight hours before her scheduled speech. She had ample time to go to a hospital and be checked out. I'm sure her V.I.P. status would have resulted in her being examined expediently and if everything was okay she would have had plenty of time to get where she needed to be to give her speech. The only reason for her not to go immediately to a hospital was because she was worried that something was seriously wrong which would necessitate her being admitted to the hospital and she would miss delivering her speech. A speech was more important to this woman than the life of her unborn baby and you think she's a good parent. Todd bears responsibility, too, because he should have insisted that she go to the hospital. In fact, he should have made sure that she went even if he had to enlist the help of the proper authorities. Sarah was a danger not only to her unborn baby but herself because a woman becomes vulnerable to infection once the amniotic sac is breached. Neither Sarah nor Todd acted as loving parents would in a situation that very well could have resulted in the death of their unborn baby and perhaps even Sarah, herself.
Next, I want to delve into what occurred after Sarah gave the speech that was more important than the life of her unborn baby. The speech was over. Surely a loving pro-life woman experiencing signs of premature labor with a baby known to have Down Syndrome would rush straight to one of the fine hospitals in Dallas. Hospitals with state of the art neonatal intensive care units staffed with me medical experts equipped to handle the many problems that a premature infant with Down Syndrome might experience. Instead, Todd and Sarah boarded an Alaska airline flight. A flight that would last 8 to 9 hours not including a 2 hour layover in Seattle. Sarah boarded an airplane knowing that she could possibly give birth during the flight. She chose to take yet another risk with her unborn baby's life. Had Trig's birth occurred aboard the plane, most likely there would not have been a medical professional qualified to care for a premature baby not to mention one with Down Syndrome. Although flight attendants have some first aid training, they would not be able to handle such an event. Even if a doctor qualified to treat such an infant had been aboard, the necessary life-saving equipment such as an incubator would not have been available. Then there is the problem of the germ-filled, unsanitary environment in which the baby would have been born. For a premature infant, contacting even a simple cold could possibly be fatal. After several hours in the air, the flight reached Seattle for the 2 hour layover. Nearby hospitals were equipped to handle Trig's birth but these loving caring parents to be chose to continue on with their flight back to Alaska. The plane finally lands in Anchorage. Alaskan soil and only about an hour from the Palin residence. A hospital equipped to handle complicated births is located there but these wonderful examples of what parents should be get in a car and drive to their local hospital, a hospital not equipped with an NICU. A hospital that will not handle complicated deliveries; not even the birth of twins. In this tiny, unqualified hospital Trig is supposedly delivered by a family practitioner. Against all the odds, in spite of the numerous risks his parents took with his life, Trig was born. Did his mistreatment finally end? No.
Three days after his birth, Sarah takes her premature son to her office to show him off. Without regard to the possibility that he might contract an illness that he would have trouble fighting, Sarah had to introduce her prop. A prop that had people calling Sarah a saint. What a wonderful thing to bring a Down Syndrome baby into the world. And it would have been a wonderful thing if done for the right reason, because of a mother's love for her child even knowing the child will face many challenges. But Sarah's motives for giving birth to Trig did not arise out of love, they arose out of political ambition. She knew that she was being considered as the GOP Vice-Presidential nominee and she knew that her seemingly saintly actions would garner huge support from Christian Evangelicals. Her name on the ticket with GOP candidate, John McCain would bolster McCain who the Evangelicals weren't particularly keen on and having a female on the ticket might appeal to women. So Sarah set out to publicize herself as a pro-lifer who not only talked the talk but walked the walk. She was rarely photographed without her prop. Then in August 2008, her dream became reality when McCain chose her as his running mate. Trig's birth had accomplished it's purpose and Sarah and her family, especially prop baby Trig became world famous. But even Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket couldn't give McCain the push he needed and he was defeated. Bitter, Sarah returned to Alaska but she was no longer satisfied with being Governor. She wanted more, she craved fame and wealth so she resigned as Governor. A ghost-written book about her life became a best-seller and prop baby Trig who should have been at home receiving therapy that would help with the problems he had due to Down Syndrome, was dragged from city to city on a cross-country tour. Trig was the real draw. Crowds of people gathered begging to see him. One picture was taken at night in what was obviously cold weather as people pictured including Sarah wore long sleeves or jackets. Sarah was holding Trig up for the crowd to see, dressed in nothing more than a sweatshirt over a diaper, his legs and feet bare. Her little political prop was now also her little moneymaker. And make money she did to to tune of 13 million. But soon Trig was no longer a cute baby and he was seen less and less. When Sarah and family did a reality television show, Sarah Palin's Alaska, Trig was rarely seen. He was left with relatives while his so-called family toured the state. Trig had served his purpose and was put out to pasture, so to speak, replaced by Tripp, Sarah's grandson by daughter Bristol as the cute kid.
So there you have my reasons for calling Todd and Sarah bad parents. As I said, I do not believe Sarah was pregnant with Trig but if she were her reprehensible actions while in labor lead me to conclude that she was trying to get rid of the baby. The statement made by Todd that they couldn't have a fish picker born in Texas when asked why they returned home for Trig's birth is utterly ridiculous. The baby's well-being would have taken precedence over anything had Sarah and Todd been good, loving parents. No speech would have been more important than their baby.
Next, I want to delve into what occurred after Sarah gave the speech that was more important than the life of her unborn baby. The speech was over. Surely a loving pro-life woman experiencing signs of premature labor with a baby known to have Down Syndrome would rush straight to one of the fine hospitals in Dallas. Hospitals with state of the art neonatal intensive care units staffed with medical experts equipped to handle the many problems that a premature infant with Down Syndrome might experience. Instead, Todd and Sarah boarded an Alaska airline flight. A flight that would last 8 to 9 hours not including a 2 hour layover in Seattle. Sarah boarded an airplane knowing that she could possibly give birth during the flight. She chose to take yet another risk with her unborn baby's life. Had Trig's birth occurred aboard the plane, most likely there would not have been a medical professional qualified to care for a premature baby not to mention one with Down Syndrome. Although flight attendants have some first aid training, they would not be able to handle such an
event. Even if a doctor qualified to treat such an infant had been aboard, the necessary life-saving equipment such as an incubator would not have been available. Then there is the problem of the germ-filled, unsanitary environment in which the baby would have been born. For a premature infant, contacting even a simple cold could possibly be fatal. After several hours in the air, the flight reached Seattle for the 2 hour layover. Nearby hospitals were equipped to handle Trig's birth but these loving caring parents to be chose to continue on with their flight back to Alaska. The plane finally lands in Anchorage. Alaskan soil and only about an hour from the Palin residence. A hospital equipped to handle complicated births is located there but these wonderful examples of what parents should be get in a car and drive to their local hospital, a hospital not equipped with an NICU. A hospital that will not handle complicated deliveries; not even the birth of twins. In this tiny, unqualified hospital Trig is supposedly delivered by a family practitioner. Against all the odds, in spite of the numerous risks his parents took with his life, Trig was born. Did his mistreatment finally end? No.
Three days after his birth, Sarah takes her premature son to her office to show him off. Without regard to the possibility that he might contract an illness that he would have trouble fighting, Sarah had to introduce her prop. A prop that had people calling Sarah a saint. What a wonderful thing to bring a Down Syndrome baby into the world. And it would have been a wonderful thing if done for the right reason, because of a mother's love for her child even knowing the child will face many challenges. But Sarah's motives for giving birth to Trig did not arise out of love, they arose out of political ambition. She knew that she was being considered as the GOP Vice-Presidential nominee and she knew that her seemingly saintly actions would garner huge support from Christian Evangelicals. Her name on the ticket with GOP candidate, John McCain would bolster McCain who the Evangelicals weren't particularly keen on and having a female on the ticket might appeal to women. So Sarah set out to publicize herself as a pro-lifer who not only talked the talk but walked the walk. She was rarely photographed without her prop. Then in August 2008, her dream became reality when McCain chose her as his running mate. Trig's birth had accomplished it's purpose and Sarah and her family, especially prop baby Trig became world famous. But even Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket couldn't give McCain the push he needed and he was defeated. Bitter Sarah returned to Alaska but she was no longer satisfied with being Governor. She wanted more, she craved fame and wealth so she resigned as Governor. A ghost-written book about her life became a best-seller and prop baby Trig who should have been at home receiving therapy that would help with the problems he had due to Down Syndrome, was dragged from city to city on a cross-country tour. Trig was the real draw. Crowds of people gathered begging to see him. One picture was taken at night in what was obviously cold weather as people pictured including Sarah wore long sleeves or jackets. Sarah was holding Trig up for the crowd to see, dressed in nothing more than a sweatshirt over a diaper, his legs and feet bare. Her little political prop was now also her little moneymaker. And make money she did to the tune of 13 million. But soon Trig was no longer a cute baby and he was seen less and less. When Sarah and family did a reality television show, Sarah Palin's Alaska, Trig was rarely seen. He was left with relatives while his so-called family toured the state. Trig had served his purpose and was put out to pasture, so to speak, replaced by Tripp, Sarah's grandson by daughter Bristol as the cute kid.
So there you have my reasons for calling Todd and Sarah bad parents. As I said, I do not believe Sarah was pregnant with Trig but if she were her reprehensible actions while in labor lead me to conclude that she was trying to get rid of the baby. The statement made by Todd that they couldn't have a fish picker born in Texas when asked why they returned home for Trig's birth is utterly ridiculous. The baby's well-being would have taken precedence over anything had Sarah and Todd been good, loving parents. No speech would have been more important than their baby.
"Anyway, you fail to acknowledge that the two parents named above were proactive in punishment and in trying to get their kids to see things in a better light, to make better decisions - in dating and I'm sure other such things.
Look at the other side. Boyfriends of the above kids had parents who did not parent proactively. That has been proven by their own kids.
It's unfair in general to attack one side when the other does nothing to remedy a growing problem. It's doubly unfair to ignore the other side, positing them on a pedestal. The family named has a healthy mentality and contains individual members who have their own lives and focuses, while remembering what matters most - family.
So, what's to really criticize? The few mistakes people made during the most naturally rebellious time in their lives? Not if you're a decent and sane individual yourself. Because even at that time, there was still, underneath it all, family unity and a love for one's family within the rebellious mind. Regardless, no outsider can offer no justified criticism or rebuttal. And anyone speaking about it from the inside, well, the simple act of ignoring their own huge family problems while criticizing another family is weird and hypocritical itself.
By the way, if the mistakes were indeed detrimental to anything, there would still be remnants of said mistakes in the individuals lives. Outsiders need to learn how to form an unexaggerated/distorted opinion."
A few comments on the rest of your remarks. The proactive punishment meted out by Sarah and Todd. Let's see. Track, in the military after vandalizing school buses. His wrongdoing wasn't really dealt with. Some community service work, say washing the buses, weekly for a year might have taught him a lesson about respecting public property. However, Track seems more level headed now. Willow broke into a house and received no punishment. Let's just hope that she appreciates the break she received and stays out of trouble but her propensity for cursing and name calling people on facebook who don't think that the sun rises and sets because of the Palin family doesn't bode well for her future. Piper's lack of schooling is going to effect her negatively at some point. Trig, now that he is rarely seen since he's no longer the cute prop, I hope he is okay. Now for Sarah and Todd's biggest failure, Bristol. She is a spoiled rotten brat raising a spoiled rotten brat. Sarah's fans did Bristol no favor by advancing her on Dancing With The Stars in spite of her utter lack of talent as a dancer. As a mother, she is an abysmal failure. During Life's A Tripp, the reality show based on poor Bristol's trials and tribulations as a single mother, the supposed 3 year old Tripp hit, kicked and uttered a curse word that sounded to many like faggot. When questioned about it, Bristol claimed that what Tripp really said was fuck. She said that she is aware he is out of control but laughs and giggles at this behavior. Tripp will receive no discipline unless he is taken out of the Palin environment. The Palin mentality is "gimme gimme" hardly healthy and if they work together as a family it's to try to stay in the limelight because they crave fame. Sooner or later, they will self-destruct as most people do who lie and cheat their way through life.
I am quite sane but with your obsession with all things Palin, I have to wonder about your mental state.
Hubby update: His surgery went well. He has a follow-up appointment in 2 weeks and then we should know how much of his vision was able to be preserved.
We did have some bad luck while we were in Winston-Salem. Someone hit the front of our car in a parking lot and didn’t leave a note. We have comprehensive insurance but there is a $750.00 deductible. We can file a claim if the damage is over $750.00 but we have no money to pay the deductible. If the damage was only cosmetic it wouldn’t matter but the front end is nearly falling off so we can’t drive it without it being repaired. A neighbor has offered to do the repair work for us if we can buy the parts which cost $312.00.
If anyone is interested in handcrafted ink pens, please consider buying from our site.
We both have a lot of doctor appointments scheduled so having transportation is crucial. If you know of any groups that help with car repairs, please let me know.
Thanks!
bladecatz@mail.com
Blade
