Good Pig / Bad Pig

My sister just mailed me the book "The Good Good Pig' which she highly recommended after reading it. It's next on my list to read.

This morning's paper has a story about another pig. The pig is named Alaina Templeton. Her owners were charged with animal neglect. The 50 # pot bellied pig was "farmed out" when the owner had ankle surgery. Alaina gained 100# at the farm. No one loosened her collar and that was a problem. What do you suppose the judge will say to the pig's owner? Your pig is too fat?

Apparently the pig bears no responsibility much like all those who sue fast food establishments when they gain weight. Maybe we need the food police after all to protect us and our pets. Better check Fido's food dish. Better buy the diet dog food. I don't get that either. Never seen a dog who filled it's own food dish.

Meanwhile, I am back to trying to diet. I am now addicted to Kashi cereal. I was amused to read the label on one of the Kashi GO LEAN boxes. It says: "Crunchy Fiber Twigs, Soy Protein and Honey Puffs". Twigs? That should keep ME out of the courtroom. Grazing on wood chips can't be far off.

Big Man, Big Loss

Sometime during the last years while we were watching Tim Russert comment on one of the political primaries, I commented to my husband that I would prefer him (Russert) to any of them. I trust him. Not one to rant like so many political pundits, he seemed to stand out above the rest. Truely, he won my heart last years when I heard him promoting his book "Big Russ and Me". It is a tribute to his father.

Yesterday saw many tributes to Tim Russert. Besides his professional excellence, hats were tipped to him as a friend, father, son and spiritual man. Everyone who knew him will miss him plus a lot of people like me who only trusted him.

I doubt if he would have ever entered the foray as a candidate, but I would have been pleased if he had. Meanwhile, as a Minnesotan we are stuck with Al Franken and Jesse Ventura. Yup, Jesse has his toe in the water. They may run against each other. Could Tim Russert have suppressed a smile if he had covered that contest?

You Know You are Old When.....

You Know you are old when you know this yellow shape is not a pie chart, but Pac Man.

You know you are old when --you hate Hip-hop music. IT'S NOT MUSIC. We thought we would always be young. We would always like "rock music". That would mean we were young. Oh, dear. That just means we have taste. We can still be old. I still hate rap.

You know you are old when ---you grumble when gas hits $4.00 / gallon. Your first car ran on 25cent/ gallon gas.

You know you are old when---all the remote controls to run TVs, DVDs, stereo system, VHS etc confuse you. Maybe this just applies to women. I only use 3 or 4 buttons on any of them. They have about 20 or 30 buttons.

You know you are old when ---you thought it was a mistake to tear up all those train tracks to everywhere in this country and have been vindicated.

You know you are old when ---you can't pluck your eyebrows when you take off your bifocles. You can't see your wrinkles without your bifocles either. Might be better to forego those bifocles and live in fool's paradise.

You know you are old when---you miss churches where people were members cradle to grave and didn't keep moving to a better church.

You know you are old when-- you wish kids just played outside during the day.

You know you are old when--- you remember taxes that were about 10% of the family income (the early 60's).

You know you are old when--- You miss warm summers when people were out on porches or in yards talking to neighbors.

Ma Bell's monthly bill was for a phone and about $7 / month in the 60's -70's. There was no package for all the other electronic "conveniences" that are now necessities.

Babies learned because someone smiled at them. Someone talked to them. That someone was usually their mom. Baby Einstein wasn't a necessity. Baby videos didn't exist. Kids did just fine starting school at the old age of 6 or 7.

There weren't any video games. No video games to make antisocial bachelors out of our young men. No video games to cause carpel tunnel (I'm getting it from too much Collapse). No video games to occupy those kids who should be playing outside. Anyway, in my opinion, they haven't done much to improve on the games since Pac Man. Maybe I am a little corrupted myself. Maybe I'm getting old.

Yahoo

Daughter Mary had her five months ultrasound today. The news: It's a Boy. It's a Girl.

One of each. Just what we were hoping. One to fix cars with daddy Mike. One to bake cookies with Mary. I know. Those are stereotypes, but I am delighted to have both a new grandson and granddaughter on the way. Score will be 2:2. Two granddaughters. Two grandsons. Sweet.

Unbelievable !

Copy of my mom's hospital bill 1953. She had a nephrectomy (kidney removed) and stayed three weeks in the hospital. Look at the itemized charges. Anesthesia: $10.00. This was major surgery, she had several blood transfusions etc. Very few charges for supplies. I think those sweet Franciscan sisters showed some mercy. No insurance. Self pay--and she paid it all on a waitresses wages. Total bill: $195.67.

Imploring the Prize Patrol to Have a Heart

The following story was reported as NEWS. Not Hollywood gossip, hard news: Ed McMahon's house is in foreclosure. 85 yrs old Ed McMahon, one of the hardest working showbiz announcers, has a mortgage? His explanation: He injured his neck a year and a half ago and couldn't work. He is 85. I am appalled he has a mortgage. There must have been some good earning years when he could have tucked away a buck or two. Maybe I am old fashioned. Maybe that young wife of his likes to spend freely. Maybe Publisher's Clearing House could rig the awards this year for old times sake. Maybe FEMA has an extra trailer. Maybe I really don't care.

Recall

We've been notified when our GE dishwasher model was on recall because some had caused house fires. Honda sent our recall notices to our son that the gas filler tube could rust and leave debris in the gas tank. It already had and they reimbursed us. Nightly news publicizes recalls on certain hanmburger, medicines and produce. We are used to recalls. When I read the headline today, "Train Your Dog to Respond to an Emergency Recall" I scratched my head. Time saving strategy? Seems like this would only work with dogs who can read or at least understand radio or television recall announcements. Perhaps if you trained Fido to get the mail and find those recall notices.... Not. The writer meant to urge dog owners to train their dogs to come quickly in response to a special calling. Train the dog to stay out of harm's way by coming rapidly to the owner. Do you think this would work with husbands and kids?

"Train your dog to respond to an emergency recall
Pioneer Press

In addition to an everyday "come" command, it's a good idea to train a dog to respond to an emergency recall. Teach him a different word that you save for when the dog's safety is in danger and you absolutely need him to come.
An emergency recall is important even if you never let the dog off-leash to play, because there are many ways a dog can slip away from you.
Leslie Nelson, owner of training center Tails U Win in Manchester, Conn., teaches what she calls the Really Reliable Recall.
"Practice in the house, three times a day, when you're 100 percent sure the dog will come," she says, for example, when he's greeting you at the door, or at mealtime.
Even if the dog is 3 feet away, she says, "Call it out, like you're calling from 50 yards away."
When the dog comes, she says, get very excited, just as if you really did just keep him from running into traffic, and give him a special reward.
"The reward has to last for at least 30 seconds," she says. Dole out a large number of little pieces, and make the treats variable and unpredictable.
"Usually within two weeks, you have dogs who are killing themselves to get to you," she says. "They don't stop to think 'I wonder if I should come or not,' they're already halfway back to you."