Expert's advice or idiot's retort?

Yesterday was indeed a day of mourning and eye-opening realities that we're surrounded by insane individuals.  Unfortunately, some of them are authors.  The deliberate murders of two young, bright, vivacious reporters on live television yesterday was reprehensible. The idea of even watching a murder on live social media is more than we can wrap our brains around.....way more than surreal.  Thankfully, Face Book took down the shooting immediately!  Later in the afternoon, I decided to tune into CNN and get the latest facts as known.  (I have found CNN to be the most compassionate and factual in these horrendous, murderous events) A fellow was stepping in for Anderson Cooper (sorry my days of remembering names are few) and was interviewing David Cullen, the author of the defining book about the Columbine killings.  Mr. Cullen began to slowly blame the media for sensationalizing these (and all) mass murders.  He named Matt Lauer and others for reporting the information (backgrounds, families, etc) of these murderers.  A modicum of truth hides in his comments...but then he begins to embellish how these killers can really make it big.... You need to kill en masse, you need to pick greater venues like churches and theaters and you need to think big.... WTF... The commentator reminded Mr. Cullen that they were live on the air (hoping, I believe, to squelch his Murder 101 class!)  Becoming so blase' about mass murders makes me just a bit nervous.
Please judge for yourselves and let me know if I'm way off base on this interview and Mr. Cullen's "on air" comments.


http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=David%20Cullen%208%2F26%2F15%20CNN&qs=n&form=QBVR&pq=david%20cullen%208%2F26%2F15%20cnn&sc=0-0&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&mid=0D0D5B9B7E3449DEBCFC0D0D5B9B7E3449DEBCFC

Protocol

Official Mid-Week Rant:


Monday a.m. -  Stopped at the drug store to pick up a script I had "scanned" last week.  I knew it had no refills but they always call the Dr.'s office and get a new refill.  "Sorry Sandy, nothing here for you. Insurance won't pay till your due date of the 27th."  Well, I'm out and exclaim that I'll just skip taking them for the next 4 days.  They give me a 30 days supply... again with no refills.


Monday p.m. -  Receive a call from the Dr.'s office saying that I need an appt. so they can refill my prescriptions.  I explain that I was just there and can't imagine why I need to come back so soon.  "It's protocol and actually you were here last in March, so that's nearly 6 months....minus one!   Seriously, who's protocol I ask.... Some hemming and hawing and virtually no answer. I then contribute my 2 cents explaining that I'm none too happy.  It used to be you had a physical every year, then it became 6 months and now it appears that it's 3 months....I take little in the way of meds and one is for blood pressure.  I wonder if it ever occurred to the doctors, pharmacies and insurance companies that if things were actually performed correctly and in a timely manner...most of us wouldn't be stressed and need the damn medicine to begin with....?  Well, of course they did...they know exactly what they're doing and they all have us directly by the short hairs... sorry for my crassness..... not!


So, I make a damn appt. for Monday...after being told there was actually little available for open appointments.  She knew she had herself in a pickle and couldn't have it both ways so an opening miraculously appeared.    Hanging up and still stewing I remembered that I had a bum knee the last time I was there and Mashelle had mentioned it.  Well, I hurt my knee on May 4th.... pretty hard to talk about a knee injury in March...2 months before it had happened. Being the mild, mannered gal that I am, I called back and mentioned the conundrum.  Yep, right again... it was May 11th I was there last. Once again, the new protocol is 3 months so I kept the appt.  By all means, let's pay for 4 appointments versus one.  I have come to the conclusion that where protocol's concerned, I'm too old to adhere and too young to adjust! We'll see who wins this battle...

WWW.fun.calm

Wonderful Walter Week-end at the river! What a relaxing and enjoyable week-end spent on the St. Lawrence River.  We drove up Thursday night in torrential rain but it was worth the trip. Each day was filled with only what we wanted to do and only when we wanted to do it.  Now, that's a vacation!  The kids enjoyed swimming, fishing, boating and an occasional movie on their DVD's.  The adults enjoyed reading, boating, kayaking, an occasional adult beverage. Lee made his vacation trip to WalMart, the liquor store and to find worms, naps in the hammock and early bedtimes. Pretty sure he never made it to the nightly bonfires!  The giant freighter ships were fun to watch and I was able to check off "listening to the loons" from my bucket list.
Next year, we'll have baby Jett(e) with us and Greg will be running around upright.  He practiced a lot this week-end and when he got home, he was on his feet and walking!!!!!
Thank you Walter family for allowing us join in the fun and relaxation at your family resort♥

Family.....

First, let me say that my Hatfield family is the very best!  They are my family!  Now let me tell you that family has absolutely nothing to do with genetics, bloodlines, DNA or lineage. Anybody can reproduce....well, almost anybody.  As you all know, I gave birth to no one (which after hearing some stories and watching videos, does not disappoint me.)  I do, however, have the best kids ever.  From the very second I laid eyes on them, they were mine and I was theirs (they had no say;-).  I was fortunate that they had caring, educated, biological mothers who knew that too.  Their foster-folks, who got them to sleep through the night, eat calmly, socialize with ease and enjoy traveling, were the best and most loving people.  That 30 days, when the legal right to change your mind was a factor, was worth the wait.  I knew that I would never be able to take them and lose them...So I waited.  It was worth the wait and when they came home it was amazing.... In 48 hours........ I was waking them to make sure they were breathing, over feeding them until they puked, making them cry daily and barely daring to take them out of the house.;-)  I figured it out pretty quickly and we all lived happily ever after. They are my family!


Now, I am gratefully blessed to have a new family.  With Lacie came her family. Old friends became new family.  What a treat it is!  We have so much in common beyond our friendship.  Now, we'll be grandparents together.  If I thought I spoiled Miss Bailee, look out Jett(e), your flight's about to land.
I was pretty sure that Jeff would remain single and I would be a charter member of the "one and done club!"  Surprise, surprise!  This week-end, we're all heading to the St. Lawrence to the Walter family resort on the river.  Jess will stay behind this trip as EIEIO's flock and Max will need a caretaker.  Bailee is coming with Papa and Grandma though.  I love these people!  They are my family!


So, all those sappy Face Book sentiments of family this and sisters that are really just lip service. Just as life, family is what you make it...Thankfully, I chose every single member of my family.... I did good!!!!

Settling In

Well, the new critter pens are in place and all our feathered friends are residing (nearly) together in the Walnut Grove. We have a little more "security" work to install and everybody should be safe and sound.  The ducks and Baby are now closer to the creek which has its pros and cons.  Water is now readily available to keep their pond filled but also the bad guys can sneak up the creek bank and attack easier.  We need to get the aviary netting up across the top of the pond pen and secure the bottom of the run with rocks.  Daisy and Donald (un-original, I know) are loving the pond. They can dive and run and jump into the pond at their leisure.  Baby is a bit skeptical and I think liked being the big goose in the little pool. Hopefully, he'll get used to it and join in the fun.  He really liked being loose and roaming EIEIO.  I will let him wander with the chickens and ducks every few days as long as he goes in at night!!!! He's quite fond of me as I am of him!!! (not sure how grammatically correct that statement is.) 

The chickens and turkeys are enjoying a new, clean pen with some grass and a much bigger condo.  I have caught the egg breaker (one of the older gals) and may have to send her to the pot.  Everything I read says that they may lack in protein and to feed them some scrambled eggs...Hmm.... not sure that's an answer but I'll give it a try.
Our little peacock is growing very long tail feathers.  We're presuming it's a girl as she's sporting a crown (males do too though.) Lee is fond of her and brings her in to visit each night.  Hopefully, she'll be grown up enough to survive the move to the big house before winter!  The plan for spring is (if everyone survives...including me) to find a mate for Baby and a one for Penelope.  Two by two is how we roll here at EIEIO.

Politically Correct

Politically correct......If I never hear this term again, I'll be just fine!  Heading into, quite probably, the biggest election since we elected a black man from somewhere to lead our country, the 2016 presidential campaign has been anything but presidential....or politically correct. We have nearly a dozen and a half candidates vying for the Republican nod and only one viable (and I use that term  lightly) running on the Democratic ticket.  All candidates to date have been less than politically correct headed by The Donald.  So far, he's been the only one gutsy enough to say what he thinks and offensively correct.  No one likes what he has to say (candidate wise) but everyone likes to hear it...  It's totally the wow factor!  He made it to the top of the polls. He made it through the first debate and has made headlines in every news venue every day. Nobody's sure they like his style but everybody marvels at his lack of PC.  There's even controversy over firing (or did he quit) one of his top advisors.....but, that fellow is still backing and defending The Donald to date.  All well and good! But now's the time to shit or get off the pot.  We all know what's wrong. We all know that something has to be done or we will no longer rank as the number one country in the world. We all know taxes are too high, the poor are literally bleeding to death. We give more money to other countries than we spend on our own. We send jobs away while supporting those who have finessed the art of bilking our welfare system. Our leaders are on their knees to appease lobbyists.  Pharmeseutical companies are holding us hostage while thousands die daily waiting for answers that are safely tucked away. College costs are booting our brightest and delegating their graduates to decades of debt.  This is not a time for Political Correctness.  This is a time for those who are saying it like it is to telling us how to fix it... NOBODY has told us how to fix it.  It won't get fixed in my lifetime but if it doesn't for the next generation, our grandchildren are in serious trouble. 
I think maybe Dr. Ben Carson (another Republican who's thrown his scrubs in the fray) put it as simply as possible.  "What bothers me is when people say, you know, 'You can't say this word, you can't say this phrase, you can't even think that, you can't express this.' And it's very difficult for people to have an honest conversation if they can't express themselves. But in no way do I advocate, you know, saying mean things about people. That has nothing to do with political correctness," Carson said. Being smart and being mean probably won't cut it this election. Think before you speak, have a reason for what you say and how you make your point and have a plan, albeit long range, for fixing it. We all know we're in a boatload of trouble.  Now we need an intelligent, articulate man or woman to keep us from sinking and set our sails for calmer seas. It can be done....................correctly!

Remembering

Saturday was a day to remember.......by making memories. Every year, on the first Saturday in August, we gather to celebrate the legacy of Grandma and Grandpa Hatfield....Iva and Alfred.  We are the legacy of Grandma and Grandpa Hatfield....our children and for some of us lucky ones, our grandchildren.  All of the sudden, we're the elders!  Wendell and Aunt Gina are patriarch and matriarch of the crew.  Unfortunately, none of the Morrill crew could make the gathering but Wendell and Arbie's crew were there in numbers!  It was an amazing day seeing the  newest generation of cousins having their noses in the water and out of their phones and video games.  There was swimming, kayaking, fishing, sack races, tug of war and corn-hole games.  Seriously, there could be no Hatfield celebration without corn-hole!!  The annual So-Co toast was given in honor of Uncle Arb and the best darn spread of vittles was offered.  We are blessed with amazing cooks and grateful eaters!
So much reminiscing, so many stories and so much laughter.  I can't believe I didn't get more group pictures of each generation... Big slip up on my part but I did get many random shots, too many to post.  Before you know it, it will be time for the Al-Iva Reunion 2016.  At this point, two new members of the clan will be with us, Erica and Scott might be delivering as I type and Jeff and Lacie in mid February.  We make very good looking Hatfields!!!

Yay... Technology Baby!!!

The world of technology is moving so fast.  Sometimes, I wish it would just slow down a bit and let me catch up.  Yesterday was NOT one of those days! Lacie texted early in the day to say she had heard "Walter's" (our name until we know better) heartbeat.  Emoticons help express feelings but none were needed in that text.  152 bpm.....kind of fast and that old wive's tale of faster- girl, slower - boy really only applies to honey-do lists.  She was able to bring home the miracle Doppler thingy and actually let me hear for myself. Right after the cold front moving in and the mini hurricane.....I heard it!!! The very best sound in the world after someone saying, "there's a rest area in one mile!" It was loud and pretty fast and then it moved out of ear shot... Seriously?   How far could it go?  So we took a short walk around EIEIO hoping for him/her to return to the surface. I don't know about Walter but I could then hear MY heartbeat and I didn't need a device... (Maybe more walking is in order for Grandma too.)  Once again, the auditory search was on...."Where's Walter"   and suddenly the tiny, rapid, little beats filled the room...OK, maybe not the whole room...it's a big room... maybe they just filled my heart and it seemed like the whole room.  How could anything the size of a lime steal your heart at every turn? 
On September 5th, Grandmas, big sis and Mom and Dad are heading to Rochester to see just what the heck is growing in there.  We know Walter is already who he (or she) is going to be and it's time for us to know too.  How in the world did my parents manage an entire 9 month period without knowing who I was?  And that's another head scratcher.... Why does it now take TEN months to have a baby...?? 40 weeks....I'm not any Einstein but last I knew 9 x 4 = 36... WTH. Must have something to do with Common Core!
So today, a big thumbs up for technology! We learned he was there, now we know that he's growing and soon we'll see what he looks like and if he's sporting the junk on the outside or inside. Either way, I really don't care.  His mommy has already proven she's got the brains, compassion and common sense to be a great Mom and I raised the daddy......enough said♥

Monday-Funday

Survived another weekend.  Lee safely turned 65 with no repercussions. We had a fun dinner at Dutch Hollow.  The food there is excellent.  We missed Jess and B but otherwise a fun bunch.


We managed to make some progress on the duck pond and are pretty much now just waiting to get the new fencing up and everybody will be living in the Walnut Grove.  Ducks flew out of their pen yesterday as everyone's a little antsy for some more room...soon!


Moved the peacock and  Bic, the chick, to the smokehouse so they are a little happier and my garage smells a little cleaner.


Saturday morning, Lacie's cousin Scottie came over with Greg and brought his drone.  His is much nicer and he knows what the heck he's doing.  We drove over to Eagle Point hoping to at least get some shots of the nest from above.  We were gifted with an added bonus of not one fledgling but TWO.  I guess 2 did survive.  They were pretty curious about the UFO hovering atop their nest.  They were talking and circling and probably signaling for their folks to come and check it out.  Hoping to avoid disaster, Scottie brought the drone back to us to wait for another flight when the leaves are off the trees.  The combining of technology and nature is pretty freaking awesome.





We're getting ready for a big week ahead with the arrival of Joy and three of her grands from California. Saturday will top off the week with our annual Al-Iva party (to celebrate Grandma Iva's birthday) at Wendell's pond.  Then next week, Gayle and Curtis will arrive to spend a few days too.  We'll then celebrate Gayle, Joy, Jill and Wendell's August birthdays at our house!  Should be a great time to get all the cousins together:-)


And of course, this week is the first of the Presidential debates.  I'm a Trump fan so this will be pretty interesting to watch. The neglected nine have all been practicing with mock debates and sit-ins for The Donald.  I'm pretty sure it will be way more than anyone could practice for.... Dashing Donald has absolutely NO political correctness and nothing to practice....If you tell the truth, you have nothing to remember.....isn't that how it goes?  We shall see...Will be entertaining if nothing else.