Got out a few minutes early. My room was finished and I didn't have any more cases to do. It is really a treat leaving early; my main reason is that I had to buy the Halloween candy. I wait till the last minute because I do not want anything there that I may eat. Another pointer is that I buy things I do not like, that really cuts down on the calorie intake. The weather tomorrow looks like it will be on the warmer side. The door bell will ring and the cats will scatter. I can sit and work on my computer and pass out candy. What I need is a glass of hot mulled wine, but first I need a good recipe for that. I had mulled wine in Europe and it tasted so much better than what I have had here....wish I could recreate it.

Tomorrow is the last day for this week. I will be up early Sunday morning driving to the educational meeting. I will leave about 7 or so because it is an eight hour drive. I do not like to drive in the dark, my antiglare glasses help a lot. But I find it difficult when driving on unfamiliar roads.

I took my old computer (HP XP) to my brother in law and he said the hard drive was shot. Is it worth fixing???? It is 4 years old. Bill said yes and he got a new hard drive for $58.00; and now it is up and running very well. I had read an article that stated that the hard drives are only good for three or four years. That is really planned obsolesce. Why would anyone spend thousands on something that will wear out in a short period of time? I wonder if it is because hey are more fragile, or not made with as high of quality or is it because the desk tops stay stationary and do not get the same wear and tear? Who knows !!!!!

I HAVE DECIDED...........

More flamingos......I wonder what the Phipps will come up with next. I honestly hope the flamingos are gone by the Christmas Flower Show. Can't you just imagine them with Santa suits and holly wreaths around their little necks. Or maybe glass ornaments handing of their beaks.....

After rereading my trials and tribulations of taking the cats to the vets a far worse thing for me to have to do would be giving them baths........Just imagine, the growling, hissing, and fighting that would cause................Makes the vet look like a walk in the park. Next year they will go one by one.......

Today I did orthopedics, two knee scopes and a total knee replacement. When I first started working to get those knees done would require major surgery and a lot of rehab time. Now they go in with a arthroscope and you can see the damage on the TV screen and the surgeon will do the repair and just a few little stitches and good as new. The total knee and hip are not done thru scopes as of this time. But they are doing minimally invasive and the incisions are smaller and rehab is shorter too.

Why knows what tomorrow will bring. I had to get a tetanus shot today. On Sunday Chuck, bless his heart, decided it was time to take down the patio awning and he requested my help.....I can not reach the top of the awning so I had to use a ladder. When I got to the area where the picnic table is located I decided to stand on the table. (we had only used it once this summer.) BIG MISTAKE As I stepped on the wooden table the top of the table shifted and I fell off the table, onto the chair and then to the deck.......It was really weird, the whole thing moved in slow motion; my thought as I was falling was I was going to hit the window and cut my elbow. Fortunately, I missed the window but abraded my elbow. I went to the MedXpress, and it is not infected, I worry about germs working in a hospital, but I did need a tetanus shot. If you can not remember when the last one was, it is time for another. Not only do you get tetanus, you also have a bonus of Diphtheria and Whooping Cough. Whooping Cough is on the rise because people are not getting re vaccinated, adults that is............I also found out that the shot is good for 10 years, unless you have an accident and then only 5 years. No antibiotics were needed. I wish I had a video of that fall I would post it on U-Tube. Its a good thing that I passed my bone density test.....

The nice thing about the MedExpress is that they are open 9 to 9 seven days a week. They bill it as an office visit, and not an ER visit. I was in and out in 30 minutes, including the 15 minute wait after the shot which was to insure I did not have any allergic reaction to the vaccination. That is a good idea.

VISIT TO THE DENTIST

I am really bummed. Went to the dentist, after removing the cap and working on my tooth, he told me that the tooth is "nonrestorable" which means it has to be removed. The reason I did not have any pain is that the tooth had a root canal 15 years ago. So, now it has to be removed and I will have a hugh gap where the two molars should be. He also said that there is not enough bone to support an implant. Even with a bone graft it would not work. I am glad he told me that, rather than go ahead and do the work and find out $1,000 later that it didn't work. There is not enough structure in my jaw to support the pin. You need a lot of bone, and mine was not enough. The tooth will be removed at some later time, I did not make the appointment. The teeth are a poor design in human evolution, they are so fragile and subject to decay. The only alternative is to have them all pulled and get dentures!!!!! Yikes, I am not going to do that, guess I will be chewing on one side only.

The second item for today was taking the car to Subaru. It has a recall and got that done along with an oil change. I am leaving for VA this Sunday and wanted to get it done. I finally got Henry to the vet. He was easy to catch today because he was blissfully unaware he was going.. Sorry Hen....He growled and meowed so loudly in the back of the car. Actually, he sounded like a mountain lion, Chuck could not believe how much noise he was making.......all that happened to him was two shots, and a exam. Surprisingly, he did not offer one peep on the way home. Only twelve months before I have to go thru this torture again.

Henry is the HAIR BALL KING. He barfs these huge hair balls, the vets suggestion is to give him Petromalt, he does like it, and brush the cat. That should be a good one, I can't wait to start the cat grooming. I have to find the brush, I think they hid it......When he got home the girls sniffed him like they had never seen him before in their lives. There was a lot of hissing on the girls part, sorry Hen.....

Back to work tomorrow, I am doing Orthopedics; every Wednesday is a late start day. The schedule starts 30 minutes late because we have an education meeting. Somehow, Wednesday seems to be our busiest day.; everything gets bogged down and the schedule lasts forever. I am glad I am only eight hours, but, that doesn't not mean I will be only working eight hours. If you are in a room, and no relief is in sight, you can not leave. That would be abandonment, which is strictly a no no, and against all that is proper, a nurse or doctor CAN NOT ABANDON PATIENTS. Well, tomorrow is another day. I am really bummed about my dental turmoil....

I tried to add them below and just could not do it....Another of those computer gremlins I suppose.

MORE FLAMINGOS

Well, here are some more of the Flamingos. I wish I had the flamingo concession to sell them to the Phipps. The computer gremlins have followed me here. I am having trouble with my wireless. It started going in and out. Then a few times it just will not connect, the signal strength is good, but even after I go into the bowels of the computer it will not sign on.

I did find out that if I happen to get near the wireless modem it clicks on in nanoseconds. I think that there is something wrong with the wireless card. No one else in the house is having trouble like this. It is still under warranty so I will give them a call. Fortunately the people they have working here have English as their native language. That is half the battle.

Another demon has appeared. When I went to spell check the flamingo picture disappeared. Guess I will add it in a separate posting. Or try to add it below.

Tomorrow I have to go for my tooth repair. This will be a two step procedure, I will not be happy until it is done. Then at 3:30 I have to take my last cat, Henry, to the vet. He was my escapee, he hid and I never did find him. Tomorrow I will have help in my red cat roundup.

PINK FLAMINGOS

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Back home after my morning at the Fall Flower Show. I was disappointed, but I did take some pictures. First, they had this summer a exhibit on Chocolate. Somehow (????) this show was infused with pink flamingos......Really, the kind you would see as lawn ornaments where ever that short of decoration is popular. Maybe Jimmy Buffet has them, O....those pink flamingos. Honestly there must have been hundreds of them.

My image of fall flowers are shades of gold, orange and reds. What the had were shaded of maroon and pink. The oranges and yellow flowers that were on their web site advertising the show were nonexistent. I am glad I have a subscription or I would have been disappointed if I had paid for the show. Guess I will have to wait for the Christmas Show..

Emily works at a jewelry store at the Monroeville Mall. That was forever immortalized in one of the Living Dead Movies by George Romero. I have never seen the one featuring the Monroeville Mall and the Zombies. Anyhow, they are having a Zombie Fest today. They wanted to have a zombie walk from Macys to Boscovs; had thousands of zombies doing the walk. A Guiness record was in the planning. Emily call and said there were zombies everywhere; did you get pictures I asked???? NO, that girl has a photo phone and no zombie pics... I would have liked to see them but not enough to go and see them in person or take their pictures....

I stopped by the mall yesterday and they had Zombie Vendors, selling all sort of related things to the Fest, actors from the past movies, and books and other memorabilia. I guess it was good if you like that sort of thing, I personally did not spend my money.

SUNNY SUNDAY

It is sunny outside, and that means that today I will go to the Fall Flower Show. There is a Steeler/Giants game in town and that also means that no one will be at the flower show.

I personally care nothing about professional sports. My thought is that they are all a bunch of overpaid crybabies. There are a lot of people in this country that work their butts off for peanuts, yet we idolize the sports and movie industry. Every ones values are skewed. I do not follow all the gossip rags and really do not care what goes on in Hollywood.

QUOTE

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."

George Bernard Shaw

What has happened with responsibility??? A large percentage of the population wants the government to be responsible for them and their choices.

Everybody and their brother has their hands out for a piece of the freebie pie. Don't these people realize that it is not the governments money it is us, WE THE PEOPLE......

SATURDAY MORNING

This is Jenny, Emily's cat. She jumped up on the back of the couch and it fell over.

Better watch your calories Jen.......I guess the cat thought "If I sit here maybe they won't notice that the chair is down." Jenny is currently sitting beside me as I lay stretched out on the love seat.

Today is a very rainy day. It started last evening and is still raining. The forecast said we will get about an inch. We need the rain.

A project we have to do it take down the awning over the deck. It is about 28 feet long and 12 feet wide. To do this we need it to dry out and have the grass dry because we will need to put it on the grass and fold up the awning. Looks like it won't happen this week.

The forecast is calling for snow showers on Tuesday. The rain makes the day seems like a good day to stay in the house and do nothing. I wanted to go to the Fall Flower Show but it would not be a good day for pictures. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. It will be a busy football weekend. Maybe a exciting game or two in the rain or mud. I really do not care about football. Sitting still watching the TV is boring for me. I need something to do. Like read, do crossword, or peruse what it on the Internet.

I have gotten my absentee ballot. I will be at an education meeting in Virgina the week of the election It will be a eight hour drive, most of which is on the Interstates. Continuing education is mandatory and I will get all of my twenty required points in one week. Plus the bonus is the hotel is about a 30 minute drive from where my brother lives. It will be good to see him and his family.

Long ago, pre-interstates, my dad decided to take the family to Florida. It was at the end of June. We all sat (eight of us) in the Chevy station wagon; no seat belts, no air conditioning and drove thru every town from here to Key West. Every time my sister say (that's you Shawnna) the Esso Tiger she would say she had to go to the bathroom; even if the last stop was fifteen minutes ago. It was a cacophony of the brother fighting, he looking at me, he is staring, he is in my space, it went on and on. It is a wonder we all survived. We never had an accident during that trip. But I do recall that one Sunday, in the mountains of Virginia the car broke down. I think it was a wheel bearing, my dad did find a garage, who was even open and he was able to fix it and we were on our way. I still remember that gristly looking mechanic and he talked non stop. I think my dad gave him a tip for his hard work. I think he was probably glad to get those troublesome boy out of his garage.

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE.

Police Say Volunteer Lied About Attack
By JOE MANDAK,
AP
posted: 1 HOUR 21 MINUTES AGO
comments: 824
filed under: Crime News, Election News
PrintShare
PITTSBURGH (Oct. 24) - Pittsburgh police say a McCain campaign volunteer made up a story of being robbed, pinned to the ground and having the letter "B'' scratched on her face in a politically inspired attack.
Maurita Bryant, the assistant chief of the police department's investigations division, says 20-year-old Ashley Todd is being charged with making a false report to police.

CNN
Ashley Tood, a volunteer for the McCain campaign, initially told police that a black man attacked her, carving a "B" in her cheek after spying her Republican bumper sticker. Police say she has since confessed her story was not true.
Todd, of College Station, Texas, initially said a 6-foot-4 black man robbed her at knifepoint Wednesday night and then cut her cheek after seeing a McCain sticker on her car.
Earlier Friday, police said there were "inconsistencies" in her story and gave her a polygraph test.
Among other things, police said photos and bank card information from an automated teller machine where the college student claimed she was robbed do not show her using the machine at the time, police said.
Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard wouldn't release the polygraph results, but said, "we're still looking at some inconsistencies" in the woman's story.
Police said the student, Ashley Todd, of College Station, Texas, who is white, told them she was attacked by a 6-foot-4 black man Wednesday night.
Among the differences in her accounts are whether she lost consciousness, whether she remembers handing over money and how the man assaulted her, police said.
The report of the attack Thursday prompted the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate, Sarah Palin, to call Todd expressing their concern. Barack Obama's campaign also issued a statement wishing Todd well and hoping the attacker would be swiftly brought to justice.
The Associated Press could not immediately locate Todd or her family.
Ethan Eilon, executive director of the College Republican National Committee, told reporters that Todd worked in New York for several months before moving to Pennsylvania two weeks ago to continue working for the group.
Eilon declined to comment on the investigation Friday or to help The Associated Press contact Todd. In a follow-up e-mail, Eilon said, "We think this girl has endured enough and that this is going to be something for her and her family to work through."
Richard, the police spokeswoman, said police have pictures of the victim and her injuries, but are not releasing them. She said they are "more or less" consistent with a picture that has surfaced on the Internet that show a woman with a black eye and a red backward "B'' that looks like a welt or scrape on her right cheek.
"It's not like her cheek was carved out," Richard said. "It's more like a scrape or a scratch."
In her initial account, Richard said, Todd attempted to use the ATM when the man approached her from behind, put a knife with a 4- to 5-inch blade to her throat and demanded money. She told police she handed the assailant $60 and walked away.
Todd told investigators that she suspected the man then noticed a John McCain sticker on her car, became angry and punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground and telling her "you are going to be a Barack supporter," police said in a statement.
She said he continued to punch and kick her while threatening "to teach her a lesson for being a McCain supporter," police said. She said he then sat on her chest, pinned her hands down with his knees and scratched a backward letter "B'' into her face using what she believed to be a dull knife.
The woman told police she didn't seek medical attention, but instead went to a friend's apartment nearby and called police about 45 minutes later.
Police have reinterviewed Todd at least once since her initial statement, Richard said.
In the subsequent discussions with investigators, according to the police statement, Todd said she was accosted as she approached the bank and fled her attacker, fell to the ground and the assailant began beating and fondling her.
Police Cmdr. Larry Ross, who is in charge of the police precinct where the attack was first reported, said Todd's story has continued to change.
"I guess she elaborated more when she went down to the bureau headquarters. She added other things to it that we didn't have at first, that she didn't tell the initial officer," Ross said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

This story sounded fishy to me when it was reported that she didn't go to the hospital for treatment. I am really tired of everyone saying Obama said this, McCain said that. Unless you have the documentation that proves what "is said" keep your big stupid mouth shut.

I will REALLY be glad when this election is over, I honestly can not believe that whomever is elected can eliminate or solve this current mess.

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.

"Thomas Jefferson


I find if I work harder, faster and more efficently and get things done, they just give me more work to do. I call it "Performance Punishment."

Claudia

WOTD

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

Leo Tolstoy

That is because most people do not think they need changing.

THURSDAY

I have had two dulls days. Nothing going on at all. Went to work and did gyne, that is exciting if you are the one having the surgery....If you are you are probably needing it.

I had a student today and she did very well. Tomorrow I am doing podiatry. I am also 10 hours. I like going home after eight hours, I feel sad when I see the others leaving and I am still there.

Tonight is trivia night. This is the last game for the season and next Thursday is the party. I will stop for hoagies and go to the bar and eat and play. They do not sell food, and since it doesn't they can still smoke in there. I do not smoke, but love to play trivia. When I come home I smell like I have been standing in a forest fire. I have to shower and wash my hair or the smell will be on my pillow case and sheets.

There are seven categories. Billy, the moderator, makes the categories. Things like words, before and after, tribond, potpourri, and any number of miscellaneous things. You never know what he will do. Won't be too long tonight before I order those Hoagies.................

BUSY

This is the main waterfall at Ohiopyle. I guess it is about 10 or 12 high. As you can see the leaves are sort of dull. Pretty soon they will be gone. I wonder how it would look covered with snow. I do have a Subaru......

Yesterday was a busy day, I worked for ten hours and then at seven o'clock I got called in for an emergency. There were already two rooms running and they needed a third. Got home about 9 and just wanted to go to sleep but was too tired, I just tossed and turned till about midnight. I really hate that, too tired to fall asleep.

Emily is still doing well in school. This week they are learning how to go shots. They will practice on each other. They will be giving each other flu shots. The pain will not be in vain. I do not remember giving each other shots in class. We gave them to the patients with our instructor present.

Not much going on in my life the past few days, guess it is dullsville.

TITANIC MEMORABILIA

Good thing she sold it, her kids would have pitched it.
Titanic survivor auctions relics

Miss Dean's father Bertram died when the Titanic sank
The last remaining survivor of the Titanic plans to sell mementoes from the ship to pay her nursing home fees.
Now 96, Millvina Dean was nine weeks old when the liner sank in the North Atlantic in 1912.
She hopes to raise £3,000 by selling items including a suitcase full of clothes given to her by the people of New York after her rescue.
The auction in Wiltshire will also feature compensation letters sent to her mother by the Titanic Relief Fund.
They explained that she would be awarded one pound, seven shillings and six pence per week.
Several rare prints of the Titanic - including one of it leaving the White Star dock in Southampton - will also go under the hammer.
I am selling it all now because I have to pay these nursing home fees
Millvina DeanLast Titanic survivor
Miss Dean moved into a private nursing home in Ashurst, Hampshire, two years ago.
She told the Southern Daily Echo: "I was hoping to be here for two weeks after breaking my hip, but I developed an infection and have been here for two years. I am not able to live in my home any more.
"I am selling it all now because I have to pay these nursing home fees and am selling anything that I think might fetch some money."
The Dean family were emigrating to Kansas when the Titanic went down.
Miss Dean was placed in a sack and carried to safety along with her mother and brother.
But her father Bertram was one of more than 1,500 people who died.
The auction will take place at Henry Aldridge and Son auctioneers in Devizes, Wilts, on Saturday.
Andrew Aldridge said: "The suitcase is a very emotive and unusual item and epitomises what the people of New York did for the Titanic survivors.
"It also highlights what state the survivors were in when they got to New York. Many people lost everything down to the clothes they were standing in."
Miss Dean is the last survivor of the Titanic after Barbara Dainton, from Cornwall, died last year aged 96.

LUCY AT THE VETS

Lucy and Henry.

Today was the second installment of the vet adventures. Lucy is a very pretty grey and white cat. This morning I had to take Lucy and Henry to the vet.

In order not to repeat last weeks adventures of chase the cat, I decided to just get the one who was hardest to find. The furnace has been on and she was enjoying the tranquility of sleeping in front of the heat duct. I picked Lucy up and she started to Meow, rather sadly I might add. I took her down to the basement and popped her in her carrier, then out to the car.

When I came back up to get Henry all three cats were gone. I found last weeks victims, Molly and Jenny, peering out from under the dining table. They look apprehensive. I think they knew they were off the hook, but ran just to be safe. But, Henry was no where to be found. I called his name and shook the cat treat jar, no one appeared......None of them were buying the cat treat trick. So off I went without him. He is scheduled for next Tuesday afternoon. Chuck will be home in case I need reinforcements with the cat catching.

I have decide to do one of two things. Take one cat at a time, or have an accomplice to catch the second cat while I catch the first. This will require stealth and agility. But I do not have to worry till next year.

I AM NOW OLD ENOUGH TO COLLECT SOCIAL SECURITY

Yesterday was my birthday, I am now 62. I can't believe it I am old enough to collect Social Security.......I am still working full time. I do not see retirement in the future, because of a few factors.

First, hospital pensions were notoriously paltry. Back about 1979 the USA enacted a law. Its acronym is ERISA. This was initially set up as a vehicle for the rich to tax shelter some of their income. Hence the 401k, that was the section number of it. The beauty of this was it allowed people (the wealthy) to put away some of their money yearly and not pay taxes until retirement and at that time their tax liability would be lower.

Well, many years later the corporations and companies came upon a good idea that would save them money. Up until now the traditional pensions were a Defined Benefit, which the company would put money and after a number of years when you retired you would get paid a set amount till you died, this was your reward for your company loyalty.

The companies said: We will set up all 401k's so the responsibility for saving for your retirement is now up to the employee. If you do not save baby, you will have no money when you retire.....And according to the law the only obligation the company has is to match a small portion of your savings. If you have no savings in a 401 they add NOTHING AT ALL. The retirement monkey is off their back and on to the workers themselves. I am willing to bet that most of the younger people have no clue about this at all. They are busy trying to make ends meet and can not see the need for saving or can not afford to save. What will happen when the defined benefits are gone and no one has saved a penny???

I have explained this to Emily. She will graduate June of 2010 and I told her firstly she has to put money away if she expects to retire. Now How About That.

The second is I will probably go part time because I need something to do. I hope to cut down my time next year, I have been putting money in my 401k. But another dilemma with it today is that people have lost trillions in their retirement accounts. The management of the 401k pension plans are up to the individual, and how many people are savvy enough to watch them. The Wall Street Crowd can even decide what to do about the Dow Jones, it happens to be up 177 points at this time.

Last year at this time it was 14,000 and today it is 9,000. Those 5,000 point means a lot of lost money. The only ones who made money were the corporate executive CEO scoundrels who made of with millions in Golden Parachutes

The picture was taken at Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County PA. This is one of the big white water rivers in the Northeast. They have class II to class IV. They also have a helipad, I suspect that a lot of people get hurt riding the rapids. Each summer I hear about a person or two who got killed there. Guess we never hear about the injuries.

WOTD

Word of the Day
Anathema (noun)
Pronunciation: [ê-'næ-thê-mê]
Definition: Formal ecclesiastical expulsion, excommunication; any strong denunciation leading to rejection or ostracism; the person (outcast) or object so reviled and denounced.
Usage: Although there is a plural for today's word (anathemas), the word is probably most widely used as a mass noun which has no plural, e.g. a word that is anathema to polite society. The adjective is "anathematic" and the verb, "anathematize."
Suggested Usage: Today's word may refer to the curse or the person cursed, "Donald has been pronounced anathema in the office since he put the goldfish in the water cooler." While terrorism is anathema to most of us, kindness is anathema to the terrorist.
Etymology: Late Latin anathema "doomed offering, accursed thing" from Greek anathema "evil, accursed thing," the noun from anatithenai, anathe- "to dedicate" based on ana- "up, back, anew"+ tithenai "to put." The original meaning was "an offering, gift to the temple." From the original root *dhe/dho- "set, put," also the origin of English "do" (German "tun") and related words: "doom," "deed," "deem," and many more. In Latin, the initial [dh] became [f], hence Latin facere "do, make" and French "faire" from it. Russian dumat' "think" and Duma "parliament" are probably based on the same root borrowed from a Germanic language.

GEORGE WASHINGTON SAID

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."George Washington



This thought still applies 200 and some years later. Guess human nature never changes.

WOTD

Today's Word: Evanescent (Adjective)Pronunciation: [e-vê-'ne-sênt]Definition 1: Tending to vanish like vapor, transient. Usage 1: The noun is "evanescence" and the verb is evanesce "to vanish quickly into thin air." Suggested Usage: This is a beautiful word used far too rarely. Evanescent puffs of steam emerge from our mouths on chilly mornings and pleasant days evanesce all too quickly. There are a variety of sterling uses this word will serve: "Money leads such an evanescent existence in my pocket, I shall never be wealthy." Then again, maybe it is beautiful because of its rarity.Etymology: Latin evanescens, present participle of evanescere "to vanish, disappear" from e(x) "from" + vanescere "vanish" from van-us "empty." Akin to "vanish." ("Evanescent" was suggested by Bobby Davis of southern Illinois, who loves the way this word rolls off his tongue. We love what it does to ours, too.) —Dr. Language,
yourDictionary.com-----------------------------------------------

This is kind of what happened to our 401k's.

I LOVE WORDS

I love words. I have had a subscription to the Word of the Day. Every day you will get a new word. Some of them are very obscure and a lot of them I have never heard. What I have discovered is, in the English language, there is a word for everything, no matter how small and seemingly unimportant. The little metallic band that goes around joining the eraser to the pencil, it has a name. I don't remember what it is though.

I love reading novels and doing crossword puzzles. I really have only been doing the crosswords for about two to three years. I can not do the Sunday New York Times. Actually, I can finish Monday and Tuesday, about half of Wednesdays, and by the time the weekend rolls around I get one or two words.

The picture above was also at the Phipps Conservatory. I received an email that it is time for the Fall Flower Show so I am hoping to go soon. Taking the camera, of course. When the digital camera came out I was of the opinion that they had no appeal for me. WAS I EVER WRONG. I LOVE the digital camera. I can take as many photos as I want, delete the ones I do not like, transfer them onto a disc or email them to camera website and have them printed. I bought a printer specific for photos but I now know that it was a waste of money. Why should I use my ink when it cost pennies to print them at Rite Aid.

I am hoping to go on the Annual Fall Foliage Trip tomorrow. Only if the sky is blue and a good day for photography.

WOTD

Word of the Day: Temerity (noun)
Pronunciation: [tê-'me-rê-ti]
Definition: Recklessness, foolhardy disregard for danger.
Usage: The adjective, "temerous," is now rarely used but still grammatically kosher. The verb, "temerate," is completely obsolete and probably beyond redemption. The sense of today's word, the noun, is diametrically opposed to "timidity" despite the similarity in sound, so apply it judiciously.
Suggested Usage: Today's word does not just mean "daring" but "reckless if not dangerously daring: "Serena, the temerity to pump gas while smoking a cigarette does not impress me." The danger may lurk in any quarter, "Claude showed remarkable temerity in asking for a raise in the midst of a round of managerial lay-offs."
Etymology: From Latin temeritas "rashness, temerity," from temere "blindly, recklessly." The underlying PIE root, *temes- "dark," also produced Latin tenebrae "darkness," Sanskrit tamas "darkness," Lithuanian tamsus "dark," and Russian tëmny "dark."
—Dr. Language, yourDictionary.com

TRIP To THE VETS

Today I took two cats, Molly and Jenny to the vets. It was a harrowing experience, for me as well as the cats.

Did you ever watch the Animal Planet show where the rescuers go to the hoarders house and they try to cats the cats with net.

It was something akin to that but I did not have a net.

Firstly they have some innate knowledge of the impending trip. I try to pick up Molly, and she runs for her life and hides under the bed. When I try to get her out, she runs again. Her meows were getting increasingly louder. After 15 minutes she ran into the bathroom (big mistake Molly, never get your self trapped in a box canyon) and was captured.

Then I have to take her to put her in the cat carrier. As I opened the bedroom door there are three spooked cats outside and they scatter like bowling pins. Now, they all know that one of them is next and they all flee. It took me another ten minutes to capture Jenny. She then also went into the cat carrier. They immediately began hissing at each other and I think I heard a few growls too. I got a cardboard disposable box from the vet for the return trip. Since neither of them chewed it up, I think I can plan to use it for awhile. They will ride solo in two carriages to the vet. Next Monday I have to take Lucy and Henry for their check ups, that will be round two, I am not looking forward to that capture at all.

The actual visit was uneventful. They now are wary and avoiding me like the plague. I hope I can gain their trust before it is time to go next year. Does anyone have any other suggestions on cat capture? They know before I know that I plan to take them somewhere.

WOTD

Word of the Day
Prolix (adjective)
Pronunciation: ['pro-liks]
Definition: Lengthy, too temporally long; (of speech or writing) verbose, long-winded, using too many words.
Usage: The noun is "prolixity" [prê-'lik-sê-ti] and the adverb "prolixly" [pro-'liks-li]. Today's adjective dislikes the intensifier "too," since any amount of prolixity is by definition too much.
Suggested Usage: This word is used quite a bit in formal English though you would more likely hear it in a scholarly or intellectual context: "I think your directions to the house were so prolix, Vernon might not have sorted them out of the verbiage." Composition teachers use it quite a bit, "This essay is prolix; please remove about ¾ of the words in it and materially reorder the remainder." Do not forget that this adjective can also refer to temporal length: "I thought the film a bit prolix for a documentary on egg-dyeing."
Etymology: From Latin prolixus "stretched out, long" based on the prefix pro- "forward" + liquere "flow" from which Latin liquidus "flowing, fluid" and liqour "fluidity" are also derived. This root is probably related to Latin laxus "wide, open, roomy," Sanskrit riktas "empty," and Greek leipo "leave, quit." "Laxus" underlies English "relax," "laxity," and "laxative."


I AM SURE WE ALL KNOW SOME ONE LIKE THIS, ESPECIALLY ONE OF THE COLLEGE PROFESSORS.

FOURTH VACATION DAY OFF

Elfreths Alley in Philadelphia. OLDEST continuously inhabited street in the USA.

The house is quiet and everyone is gone, except for me and the cats. They are sleeping as usual. I would like to come back as one of my family cats. LOL

The rain finally arrived, I could hear it on the skylight about 5 AM. I also heard Chuck and Emily getting ready for their days. Emily went to clinical, she is now officially permitted to do vital signs and assessments. What to go Emily. They are now learning about medication and administration.

This afternoon at Penn State she has Anatomy lab, they will dissect a sheep heart. She took a pair of disposable gloves to wear. I will hear all the gruesome details when she gets home.

Why I get up so early: I guess it is from years of getting up at five in order to get to work and start at 06:30. I wake up when I hear noise and if no one is getting up I can sleep in till about 7 or 8. I have to be really quiet when I get up. But, no matter how quiet I am Henry hears me and is meowing at the bedroom door. FEED ME, FEED ME.

Three of them will be there, and run to their bowls. It really is like herding cats. The only one who does not come is Lucy. She waits for room service. I think Lucy has a hearing problem. She can hear when I speak loudly or even shout. Some times she looks startled when I come in the room. I feed them one small can of Friskies, divided in four portions. They get this morning and evening. I give them Iams dry, Hair Ball Control in a dish that is left out all day. None of them are fat, I guess I could say they are normal weight. Lucy is a little plump.

I do have to make appointments for their shots. But, that is such a hassle taking them there. Each one of them acts out. Mostly verbally and Lucy always defecates in her carrier. I am glad the vet want a nice specimen.

SYCOPHANT

Word of the Day
Sycophant (noun)
Pronunciation: ['sik-ê-fênt]
Definition: Someone who flatters people of influence in hopes of having some influence spent in her direction; a person who seeks to further himself by licking the boots of his superiors; a "yes man."
Usage: The rather worn joke goes something like this—Lackey: "Yes, boss, whatever you say, boss." Boss: "'Yes? Yes? Why do you say 'yes' to whatever I say? What kind of sycophant are you?" Lackey: "Um, what kind do you want me to be?" The noun is "sycophancy."
Suggested Usage: "Julian is proud of his independence; there's not a sycophantic bone in his body" exemplifies the adjectival form of the word. "Dieter thought that he maintained his dignity, but we thought he performed sycophantically before his superiors all evening," illustrates the adverb.
Etymology: From Latin sycophanta "informer, slanderer" from Greek sykophantes "informer." "Sykophantes" comprises sykon "fig" + -phantes "one who shows or displays." The stem of "-phantes" also gives us "photo" and its PIE root "bha-" turns up in English "beacon" and "banner"—all rather showy things, like the sycophant showing obeisance

WEATHER MAP

I was perusing the weather map, and I can see the rain from Toledo OH to Brownsville TX. It looks like a huge storm. I wish it would get here. My lawn is dry, and the sky is a steel grey, and it is a humid as could be without a drop of water falling. I think right now it is 70 F. I refuse to turn the A/C on. Besides, today I just collected them and put them in the basement.

Basements, that is an interesting topic. We have lived in a lot of places, and I think Western PA has the market cornered on them. I was surprised to find out that most people do not have a basement. My question is, WHERE DO THEY PUT THEIR SPECIAL STUFF, aka, JUNK. The stuff that you will probably never use again and is too good to throw away? Most likely, no one will want it either. If it was any good you could sell it on eBay. We have a lot of that too. We have just been collecting for the past 20 years.


Before that we were moving all over the world and country and we had to pitch it before the next move. I say it is mostly Chucks and he says it is mostly mine. It probably is 50/50; oh, wait I take that back. Probably 25/25/50 with the 50 part belonging to Emily. I will be happy when she flies the nest and takes the stuff with her. I will give her a bit of time and then what remains goes to the Thrift Store......Or maybe I should start this week !!!!!!

Genealogy

I have been working on my Genealogy and it is exhausting. I have been doing this for two years. Which is short span of time when others have been doing this for years.

My problem (and probably many others) is that I got interested in this when all the elder family members were dead. Some one asked once if I could have dinner with someone from long ago who would it be. I decided it would have been some of my ancestors. The problem for me is that I am now in the mid 1800's looking for great grandparents, and beyond.

There is a web site for Ireland where for a fee you can get information from the records that now are digitized. I entered the name of my great grandfather and came up with about 50 of the same name that were within 8 years of his DOB. I do not mind paying but not for fifty of them.

I wish they had the same on a German website. I think I will have to take German lessons in order to read the records. I asked Emily who has studied German for four years in High School and three in college and all she can tell me "I don't know"

She is not much help when it comes to translations. Mysteriously she got A's in her German Classes ?????

Birth Death Marriage Genealogy Records Ireland - Irish Family History Foundation

QUOTE

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."Dwight D. Eisenhower

GOOGLE WORLD MAP

I have made a decision, and that is the gadget world map has got to go. Everyone still looks like they are in middle America. I have seen a lot of other maps and this one is not making any points with me. It will have to be investigated further......................

Today I went to my Genealogical Group meeting. I have not found anyone new, the problem is my relatives have not come to the USA via the Mayflower. Actually, when you get down to it, I am a first generation American. My mother was born in Germany. I never learned to speak German because I was born after WWII, nobody was teaching their kids to speak German at that time.

The second work day off, I went to the Library, grocery store, and the genealogical meeting. Then I stopped at the LDS Church to request some microfilms of Rosshaupt, Bohemia. This place in now in Czechoslovakia. That particular town is about 1 km from the German border. At the time it was part of the Austria Hungarian Empire. The relatives spoke German, I have a copy of their tombstone, and it is written in German. After the war the German Czechs were expelled and sent to Austria and Germany. At least they did not do "ethnic cleansing" and murder them......

We went out to dinner this evening. Emil has her bone test, they ask every lump and bump on each and every bone. Forty years ago I did not do good on MY bone test. I have never, ever had to know any of those lumps and bumps on the bone that they asked for many years ago. I hope she did OK, she doesn't think she got an A, but I hope it is OK.

Who knows what I will do tomorrow, I have alread got the windows cleaned. It is warm outside, I am looking forward to a little coolness.

I have added a little article below about the artist and you can click on the link for the audio to hear about them. I will also try to add the link from the pen itself. I will NOT BE attending this event.

http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/

Ghost Cats

Art Installations
audio : meet the artist
Linda Brenner: Ghost Cats
These sculptures represent the colony of cats that took up residence in the prison grounds after the closing of the penitentiary in 1971. It is a testimony to survival.
TAKE CARE OF GOD’S ANIMALS AND HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU
This hand written sign hung on a feeding station at ESP. For twenty-eight years Dan McCloud (Dan the Cat Man) came to the prison three times a week to care for and feed his 30-40 jailhouse cats. In 1993 the cats were trapped and neutered by the Spayed Club. The population dwindled and several years later Dan turned the cat care over to the staff at ESP.
The "ghosts" of these cats are represented by white castings and were modeled to reflect the physical body type of the animals from the original colony. The thirty-nine sculptures are dispersed throughout the prison where they can be seen on the self-guided tour. (Can you find them all?)
This is the first installation project by Linda Brenner and is dedicated to the memory of Dan McCloud.
Linda Brenner received a BFA in sculpture from Rhode Island School is Design and attended the University of Pennsylvania and Tyler School of Art. She is the recipient of a Leeway Foundation WOO award and a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts SOS grant. Linda currently teaches at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and works on collaborative projects making architectural models besides maintaining a sculpture studio in Philadelphia.

I decided to continue the Halloween theme. This is also the Eastern State Penitentiary. There are about 32 cats around the building. They are ceramic or some sort of glass material. After the prison closed in the early 70's a colony of cats moved in. They were put in the trap, neuter and release program and eventually they were all deceased. The cat icons are in memory of the live ones. I had take a lot of the cat photos, maybe I will post more.

Soon to be out and about this morning. Need to hit the Library, the grocery store and the Genealogy Group Meeting. I am have more luck find my husbands ancestors than I am my own. I think that is because his were her in the USA earlier and mine came later. I am also have trouble finding mine because of the poor record keeping, and the loss of many records in 1922 in Irelands War for Independence. There was a fire at the repository for those records.

The Germans, I need to know what town they were from. If I find that I can proceed. I know that the Germans with their inclination for precision and record keeping would have it recorded back to who knows when. But also, with the wars who knows how many of them were lost.

DOWNLOADED PICASA

I decided I was in a Halloween sort of mood. At least for the color scheme here.

I downloaded PICASA and have yet to see how to add them into a Google album. A few of my pictures went in but not all of the ones I have posted. I have a suspicion that there are two groups of my pictures on this hard drive. What I tried to do was delete off of Picasa the census information of my ancestors but when I clicked delete it told me it would be deleted from the computer...I had only wanted it gone from Picasa.......I am behind in transferring things to my genealogy flash drive, guess I should do that.

This requires further investigation. I also need to see what features there are. I sill have not chosen any photo editing software. There are a few freebies out there and some downloads for trial. I have to decide but it is not a pressing issue.

Picture taken at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. They have a big Halloween shindig there, but it would be VERY SCARY.

UP TOO EARLY FOR A DAY OFF.....

Until I take new pictures, or scan some of the 1000's I have I will just recycle ones from before. Taken at Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia PA.

I am off all week, yeah.......Early this morning, about 05:35, actually, I was greeted by the wake up call from Chucks car in the driveway right below our bedroom window. That interrupted my REM sleep. He called this morning and I mentioned that fact and he said he didn't know what happened. (Operator error I suspect) The alarm went off when he opened the car door. Emily was also awakened, even though she was scheduled to get up 10 minutes later at 05:45, she said she needs all the sleep she can get. Her class started at 07:00, guess that is to prepare the future nurses for getting up and getting to work for a 7 AM start. I suspect she will be working the late shift.

She told me yesterday that she told her boss she could schedule her for 07:00 on Black Friday. The Friday after Thanksgiving for those who do not know the term. Said she has been getting up early and that would be OK. I think she wanted to be sure that she got a parking space at the Mall. She worked late last year and could not find a place to park. Drove around for about 15 minutes waiting for someone to leave.

I have NEVER gone shopping the day after Thanksgiving. I am usually exhausted from cooking, or at work. I am having Thanksgiving dinner this year. I have to plan the menu, it is easy to do all the relatives like the same things they has the yer before.

END OF THE DAY

This is the back end of Pennsylvania Hospital, which is located in Philadelphia PA. I worked there in the late eighty's. Chuck was working in NJ and I had found a job here. We were living in NJ and I would drive to the train station and then take the High Speed Line to Philadelphia. It was called PATCO. The mass transit in Philadelphia is great.......To drive in from NJ would take 45 minutes and cost a lot, for the tolls and parking, if you could find it.

The train would leave me off one block from the station and I would walk the block to the hospital.

I have found in working all over this country, that the faces change but the personalities remain the same.

Pennsylvania Hospital is the first hospital in the country. It was founded by Benjamin Franklin, and Dr Physick (Benjamin I think) and it is still in operation. It was a nice place to work.....actually, most of the places I have work have been good. I guess that is the questions I ask during the interview process. Like to you get relieved for breaks and lunches. That is important to me. Sometimes if I do not get to eat I get really grumpy and agitated. I think my blood sugar drops, because I could get ready to kill someone. I have found out that if I eat protein, such as eggs, cheese, and yogurt I do not feel as bad. I have worried about developing diabetes, but I watch what I eat and I am happy to report that my sugar was 87. Which was normal....

Today was a good day. I went to Sam's Club, the local mall, and I am happy to report to the President that I have done my obligatory spending. I bought some jeans, long sleeve Tshirts, and a jacket. I do most of my shopping at Macy's. I LOVE Macy's. I wear petite sizes and they have a good selection. I would like clothes that look good on mature (how do you like that euphemism?) woman and not like I would dress like some Hootchie Mama..... A lot of the blouses and shirts are so full, and look like maternity tops. It is hard to find clothes for average size gals, and if your short, it is even a bigger problem. I like casual clothing and especially like LL Bean, which is opening this November in the Pittsburgh area. I love LL Bean.....

Well. off tomorrow. Who knows what I willdo. Maybe clean the inside of the windows. I hired a guy to do the outsides, I am getting too old to them. I do not want to risk a fall and broken bones.

EARLY MORNING

It is early morning and quite chilly. You can read that on my weather widget. I placed a world visitor site meter but according to it everyone who visits seems to live in IOWA.

That can't possibly be right. Nothing wrong with Iowa, in fact we lived there in the early 80's. Actually we lived in Iowa City. It is really a nice college town and I wish I had been motivated enough to go to the University and get a Masters Degree. In what I have no idea. The tuition was inexpensive for in state residents and it would have been a short drive for me. Emily was little at the time and I was busy with her. I was sad earlier in this year to see the flooding and devastation that the rain caused. I hope they are getting things back together.

When Emily was a junior in college she thought she would have liked to go to grad school and study Library Science. We made a summer trip and visited Pitt, Univ of Michigan, Univ if Illinois, Univ of Indiana, and Univ of Iowa.

We did a drive by of the house where we lived and she has no memory of it, but it was nice to see. She had really wanted to go but after a friend told her that she would probably have to move, she decided not to do that. She chose Nursing School instead. That girl loves school, I told her to get her RN and then let the hospital she works for assist her in her tuition payments for further degrees.

Off this morning to Sam's Club, I like to get an early start....I will be driving to Williamsburg VA the first week in November for and educational conference; I want to stop at Half Price Books and get two books on CD for the trip. If I get bored with that I will pop on my iPod which can go with music forever because there are probably about 250 CD on it.

I AM HOOKED

I am totally hooked, I wonder if there is a rehab for my malady?

Since I am on this Blogger I am mesmerized by widgets and gadgets. I can not control myself; I feel the need to add them to my blog. I wonder if there is a widget/gadget support group. Guess I will have to look among the myriads of gadget sites to find one....

Seriously now, I just love them I would fill up the whole blog. I need to know how to move them about, I would like the counter on the top. I will have to work on that. Probably while adding more widgets....

HENRY IS GETTING OLD

Henry is my red cat. He is going on 10 years old. Henry likes to look out the bathroom window. He would jump up on the bathroom sink and face the window; which is about four feet off the ground.

He would sit and move his head up and down as if calculating his trajectory and velocity to just up and land on the sill which is three feet away.

Now, he has difficult jumping up on the sink and does not attempt to jump to the sill. I think he tried to jump one day while I was not at home and did not make the leap. Then he probably fell to the floor.

So, now, he sits under the window and meows and I will pick him up and place him on the sill where he will sit and peruse the back yard. I also have to close the lit on the toilet because he now jumps there and then to the floor. Poor Henry. He is still eating well and does his duty in his box.

PLATO

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."

Plato

Plato had it right thousands of years ago.........I guess human nature never changes.

SHAWNNA WANTED A RETRACTION

My sister Shawnna, with whom I share a Birthday (date not year) called to inform me that she was not in her 50's, that, in fact, was 48. Well our birthdays are in 9 days and she will be 49. But she, bless her heart, was moaning and groaning with her back pain and I told her she sure sounded like she was in her 50's. Now the entire world will know. LOL LOL LOL

DO YOU HAVE A VISUAL ON THIS ONE??

Word of the Day
Collop (noun)
Pronunciation: ['kah-lêp]
Definition: (1) A lump or slice of meat or fat; (2) a fold of body fat.
Usage: Today's word is an endangered word, another lexical orphan without any known relatives, used occasionally in Scotland but rare elsewhere in the English-speaking world. We think it worth salvaging.
Suggested Usage: If you are ever asked to describe a pig, try, "A pig is the larval stage of a football with dollops of collops all over it." That should get you bounced out of the club house. Or, should your mum ask your pleasure at the dinner table, impress her with, "I would love maybe three collops of the roastbeef."
Etymology: The origin of this word is obscure, to say the least. It is possibly related to Swedish kalops "beef stew" but no one knows how. In Scotland it has been used to refer to a dish made of chopped meat, too. The original meaning was "eggs fried on bacon," and Shrove Monday was called "Collop Monday" in some areas because eggs and bacon are eaten on that day. Collops as a name for bacon may be related to the Irish use of the word: "the number of animals that an acre of Irish land can support" (one horse, one cow, or six sheep). The problem is that none of these seemingly relevant bits of information form any pattern. –Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com

GOOD THOUGHT

"The most tyrannical of governments are those which make crimes of opinions,for everyone has an inalienable right to his thoughts."- Baruch Spinoza

MARK TWAIN

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."Mark Twain

I LOVE HIS WITTICISMS

WHAT NOW

Well, my to my cynical amazement I must admit, AOL came across and I successfully moved my AOL journal to BLOGGER. I entitled my transferred journal:

(Claudias AOL Thoughts) and as soon as I figure out how to do I will post it here. Even my photos moved. I am truly amazed a the workings of the computer, just using 1's and 0's. Just think about that. All the workings are based on 1 and 0. Boggles my mind.......

I love you GOOGLE, however, I checked the price of your stock ($349 a share as of yesterday) I can not afford to buy you. BOO HOO sniff sniff sniff.

The first day of my vacation I have gone to the grocery store and pharmacy. Pick up the mail, and decided to work on my journal transfer. If the mood strikes me I may even clean. Usually, when I get that feeling, I just sit down and it will go away.

I also have seen a few gadgets I would like to add, and I have read a lot of journals from new people. What I like about you all, is the fact that I feel you would be the kind of people who I would like to have a cook out with. I think we could all sit and gab and never run out of things to talk about. I can smell the burgers and chicken as I conjure up this thought.

NEATEST NEW DISCOVERY ON BLOGGER

I have just discovered the neatest thing. Go to Settings then Fonts and Colors, there is a button that will shuffle your color scheme. Click on it a few times and it will change the color you have chosen. It was very neat.

TODAYS THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS

These are my recycled fish photo. The fish have not been harmed in recycling this photo. It was also taken in Phipps Conservatory.........If you take pictures that involve reflective thing the most important thing to remember is DO NOT USE THE FLASH. All you will do is show the flash on the surface. And possibly scare the fish. This was listed as the large photo, I wish I could make it larger than that.

I have come to a conclusion about the upcoming election. I really do not think that either of the candidates can fix the mess that big business have created. I look at the "bailouts" and it will not do much for the average American. What about a "bailout" for the regular middle class worker.......we did nothing to contribute to this mess, yet my pension funds are going down.

I will be 62 soon and was looking forward to retirement. But, how can we do this now? There has been almost 2 trillion lost in our collective retirement accounts. I know I am fortunate that my husband and I are still working, we are both in health care. But even in the operating room and other area of the hospitals there are layoffs and another development. My husbands hours have been decreased. It is called "staff leveling" that works like this: if the operating schedule is light they tell the staff to stay home. If the patient census is low they tell the staff to stay home. You can not collect unemployment because you are not unemployed permanently.

We just have to go with the flow with the rest of the country. I think this is going to take a long time to recover. I hope my health holds out, I know a lot of people who will need to work till they die. I am glad we have never felt the need to buy a larger house, we still live in the same home we bought in 1972.

We have added to the original house. We added a family room and master bedroom and a bath. Chuck and I did a lot of the work known as sweat equity. I mostly supervised him, and was the gofer. That takes a lot of time because we were working on our time after coming home from work.. Somewhere I have the pictures of that. Actually, I have a lot of pictures away in boxes that I still intend to scan. Guess I REALLY should get started on my day..............