Sharktooth

Prancer at that age when the little teeth are replaced by the big teeth.  Normally teeth fall out and are replaced by larger, slightly more awkward, teeth in the same spot the previous one vacated.  Mmmm, not Prancer.  He appears to be growing a second set.  Just like a shark.  He thinks it great fun to be equated to a shark.  I worry about braces in his future...

Bat Tales Continued...

On my way into work this morning Sister Crime Boss noted my half-shut eyes and extra large coffee that I cradled as I walked in.  She was riveted by the entire tale, and especially when presented with the conundrum of how to kill the little vampire.  Just FYI, and so you know, if you ever needed to put a small animal out of it's misery, there is a Catholic nun that sanctions the freezer method of execution.

Thankfully, I did not have to go so far as to commit the murder myself.  Another coworker took it upon herself to call the police department and inquire as to the steps one would take in such a situation.  Soon thereafter I was on the phone with animal control to set up a meeting for a hand-off of the culprit.  Animal Control will "take care" of euthanizing it and get it to the Board of Health for testing.  The incubation period for rabies is 10 days. That said, if the results aren't back by day 5 we all need to go in for shots. The concern is that even if you don't think you've been bitten, you can't always tell because the bite can feel less significant than a mosquito bite, and on the off chance that it does have rabies, it is 100% fatal once the person starts to have symptoms. Hopefully the results will be in by Friday and we won't have to go any further than that. Just glad we were able to find it - even if it landed on the Wife's neck - because otherwise all three of us and both cats would be getting A LOT of shots today - the amount of vaccine is by weight. I know two people who are "of size" and they each had to get NINE shots all at once, and a half-pint little one who got 3 shots - and that's just the 1st round - there's follow-up shots, too.  My best guess is that I'd have to get 7 or 8, the Wife would have to get 6 or 7, and the Boy would have to get 1 or 2. Really hoping we can avoid this with a negative test outcome. On the bright side, if we do have to get the shots, then we are covered from any further bat/rabies worries for 7 years. The Animal Control guy did say that our area has not had any instances of bat rabies this year, so he is hopeful, but he reiterated that 5-day thing, and also said to call our insurance first to ensure it will be covered/get pre-authorization because insurance companies are not wanting to pay for the shots - you know, the shots that can prevent an illness that is 100% FATAL once any symptoms show up!  Uff.

Bat Fiasco

Remember how utterly tired I was just about three hours ago.  Yeah.  Well, I'm still that tired, but am sitting in the dressing room holding vigil and trying to listen for bat sounds. Bitchy Queen, the captor of the bat, has let it escape and it is somewhere in this room.  She has even dared to leave the scene of the crime - I can't believe she would leave!  As I start to write this it is 1:15am.  I have no business being awake, but there is no way to go to sleep.

About an hour or so ago I was woken from a dead sleep by what sounded like a motor or some such mechanical device dying. A ridiculous racket.  I thought our air conditioner was crapping out, but the Wife got up to investigate, suspecting a mouse, then screeched me to full alertness with the shrill announcement that, "the cat has a BAT!"

Ok.  I hate that I am the bug catcher, which has on occasion turned into mouse catcher, but this, THIS, is out of my league!  I don't know the first thing about bats!  Ok, well, except that their bites - which one cannot necessarily detect - are known to cause a disease that is 100% fatal if contracted and not dealt with.  But how do you catch one? What kind of armor do you need? Is there anything you shouldn't do (aside from screech like a little girl and wake up the baby??)?  What do you do with the bat if you do catch it? My mind is racing with all of these questions as I am trying to decide what action to take.  I feel stripped naked in my measly jammies hopping around after that cat with a squealing, flapping creature in its jaws, which then escapes and I shriek, put the bucket on top of my head and flee the room as the thing is being completely unpredictable.  And it flew.  Before it just flapped around.  But it was flying as I fled the room. While this is happening the wife is spouting out fun facts about how we have to catch it and turn it over to the authorities to get it tested, that you must wear leather gloves, that if it's on the floor you put a towel over it it can't fly - and other things -

But we got it!! Just now! Oh my God that was  BAT-CRAZY-MAD! We were holding vigil for over an hour and just when we were about to decide to all just go get rabies shots, because we probably weren't bitten, but it we were then it's fatal, the Wife said, did you check that pile of clothes, and well, I batted at it quite a bit but no bat came out, so I thought it was clear, but we decided to take the whole pile down to be sure, and that's when the bat flew out and LANDED ON THE WIFE!! Right on her NECK! I don't think I've ever heard her scream so loud before! She flung the thing off and ran up the stairs, still screaming!! And then the Boy is screaming, too, because I don't think he's ever heard either of us scream like that, much less waking him from a sound sleep. Thank the Goddess she probably stunned the thing because I finally got it in the container.  And the wife was still making little hyperventilating noises when she finally came back down with assurances that the bat was closed up tight.  She is now looking up where to take the thing in the morning for testing.  And at Google Image for examples of bat bites.  It doesn't look like she's got one, but she is scratched up - though most of the scratches likely came from her own flailings, but at least we can get it tested.

And now, somehow, I am supposed to go to sleep and then wake up in 3 1/2 hours to ready myself for facilitating a 4-hour meeting... but oh, we have to figure out how to "euthanize" the bat before we submit it for testing.  So now I have to kill the dreadful little thing too.  Good Grief.

Photo found, scanner lost

I had a wonderful trip down Memory Lane searching for a photo of the Naot's I had, and finally found them in  *the very last* album I opened.  I think it was number eight.  And before I pulled it out I went through a suitcase of loose photos and negatives.  Was too tired to scan the photo last night.  After work, picking tomatoes at the farm, and dinner tonight I got to it - but no, the scanner is kaput. I knew the printer head was messed up, so I knew we'd have to have it dealt with, but I don't understand why it can't scan an image and save it to digital?!?  First the coffee pot, then the printer, which is also the scanner... I'm feeling a trend here - like Mercury is in Retrograde or something.  The car is making a noise, but oh help, it has to last until we get the refinance through.

I keep shutting my eyes for longer periods.  It may be me shutting down because I just don't want to deal with calling Cuisinart and Lexmark, but I think it's just utter fatigue.

Naot your average sandal.

I'm on the hunt for a photo of my favorite pair of sandals ever.  They were Naot's.  I got them in 1997 and wore them nearly exclusively for the next 3 summers, and then still after that when the stink of them led to me only wearing them around the house.  But they were just so comfy.  And cute.  And I've got these pains in my feet like crazy that I just can't shake.  I've emailed the company to see if they might - on the hugely ridiculous long shot - have a pair somewhere.  They have asked me to send a photo.  Google Images has not been a help, and so I am going through old photos looking specifically for photos of my feet in the summer.  It would be a bit of a crazy endeavor for anyone, but I don't happen to like my feet or ankles or calves, so therefore, I try to avoid having them in photos whenever I can.  I'm about halfway through all of my photos with no luck so far.  Awesome memories, but no luck on the sandals.  Must continue to look tomorrow.

A good night's sleep.

Not as much done today as I'd have liked.  Exhausted after yesterday and the Wife let me go back to bed until a blessed 10am.  I don't believe I've slept in that long since the Boy was born, probably since very early on in pregnancy actually. Oh, and it was so, so needed!  I've been burning the candle at both ends and was feeling about as spunky as the flower I replaced yesterday (see above.  note the droopiness.  the listlessness.  the utter fatigue.  the crankiness - oh, right, that's just me). So now in the name of keeping the feelings of being rejuvenated (see below. note the perkiness. the vitality. the strength.  the bounce to their step - right, me again), I shall take my leave.  

All in a (long) day's work...

This morning began with a visit to the CSA to pick herbs, bean, tomatoes and flowers and to pick up our share of other vegetables. The Boy joins me on these ventures and the whole trip can be exhausting for us both, but it's so worth it: we get a wonderful organic produce, and the Boy gets to learn first-hand where food comes from - and see tractors. 

On arrival home I put together a completely locally-sourced meal of bread that I bought while it was still warm, cream cheese (that I made on my own from milk that I bought at the farm) spread with fresh herbs I  picked this morning and garlic from the Farmers Market, tomatoes from the CSA, and blueberries that I picked yesterday.  The only thing that was not local was a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt.  Very satisfying for both the body and soul.

Then the food prep/storage/cooking marathon began:  2 Quarts wax beans (one frozen, one prepped for seaming this week), 2 batches of Pesto (Green batch frozen, Black/purple for dinner), 1 large Kolrabi (cubed & roasted, for dinner and lunches this week), 4 sweet peppers (roasted, for dinner and for sauce this week), large pot of Gemelli with Parmesan and herbed chicken with eggplant and above pesto sauce (for dinner, 2 lunches this week, and three frozen entrees), 2 collections of roasted chicken soup bones and 1 bone-in chicken breast (for stock and tomorrow's chicken salad)  and finally 4 heads of fennel ( for roasting tomorrow). 

All said and done, I then did the dishes and now have my feet up while I type these last few sentences before I tumble into bed and start another marathon tomorrow - on the list for that marathon is: roasted beets, roasted zucchini and yellow squash, roasted fennel, chicken salad, and Kale chips.   Dinner will be salmon, but beyond that I don't know yet - maybe just salmon and salad...

Mighty Movers

The Boy woke up extra early this morning - wow, that was a long time ago - and we headed out for a walk.  Whenever this happens my first stop is coffee, so that done, we headed to the drugstore for a couple of things and then up the main street to get back home.  We pass by a garage on the way and as we do so a tow truck begins to back out.  As the Boy tends to be riveted by these things, I turn the stroller so we can give it our full attention. I felt somewhat obligated to this because pre-coffee, I merely grunted acknowledgement of various different large vehicles that caught his attention.  So the tow truck backs up and parks.  The driver gets out and notices the Boy and greets him.  You'd have thought he was rock star with the level of excitement that he got in return - waving with both hands, squealing, and just utter excitement. 

We try to give the Boy a full range of gender-neutral toys to play with.  He has dolls and trucks alike, and we encourage both equally.  We don't mind if he wears necklaces or plays at the vanity.  Neither do we mind if he prefers the workbench or trucks.  But lemme tell ya, this kid is fascinated with all things construction, mechanical or on wheels. 

The first time this became really evident was when we were at the milk farm and he was just about a year old.  We visited the cows in the barn, and then went outside.  There was a tractor that was doing some work, so we paused to watch for a bit.  Oh, but the Boy wasn't just watching - he was in awe.  First with his mouth open and pointing.  Then when it reversed directions, he started clapping!  And finally, as it continued to do it's work - it had a plow on the front and was razing the driveway - he started blowing kisses at it!

Since then, I figured I might as well let him get his kicks about various wheels monstrosities. I point to semis, dump trucks, motorcycles, street sweepers, and whatever else happens by.  When not out and about, most mornings he has me go over his Mighty Movers board book about 4-24 times, so he can soak these things in when they aren't there in real life. Regardless he takes it all in and, with wonder, I watch as he becomes his own little person.

Said better than I could...

This morning I read a blog entry at Owldolartous Productions.  I've been thinking about it pretty much all day. I think it's worth sharing.  Wide and far. I don't know Wayne, but he was able to put into words, far more eloquently, some of what my thoughts have been.  Here it is below:

This post is all I have to say about the Chick-Fil-A controversy. It sums up various posts on the issue and various points made by my friends and I. From now own, rather than spend time debating this issue person by person, I’m going to point people here.

My hope here is to find common ground with those who have disagreed with me on the issue, and maybe to persuade. It’s not to ridicule or to best.

So, in the interest of common ground, let’s start here:  I acknowledge the absurdity of all this debate.

It’s definitely strange to have days-long Facebook debates flare up everywhere over a chicken sandwich. The anger, sarcasm, and hurt feelings on display seem strange or even laughable because most people have seen Chick-Fil-A as just a restaurant with a funny ad campaign. I’ll get into some of the whys and wherefores of that later. But, for now, let’s just say that, yes. It can seem ridiculous to get all worked up over fast-food chicken.

Let’s also agree that this isn’t about curtailing anyone’s rights under First Amendment. The Constitution is a legal document. This is not a legal argument. No one is arguing that Chik-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy should be put in prison, or silenced, or censored by the government. This has nothing to do with government censorship or government abridgment of Freedom of Speech. So don’t worry: the ability of this millionaire to legally spend his millions as he sees fit is not in jeopardy. You need not defend it.

Now, let’s get to the nitty-gritty of things. Please read carefully. These things have been said before, but not by me, and not all in one place. Please read with an open mind. If you can’t read with an open mind, please leave, take a minute, come back, and try again. If you can’t do that, then please don’t bother. Please read all of the words here, rather than just reading half of the argument and assuming you know what I’m saying. Read these words as they are written.

Again, if you don’t want to read my words, then don’t continue.

So here goes:
1. This isn’t simply about marriage. Shocker, right? It’s extremely frustrating that same-sex marriage is the great continental divide. People are judged according to how they stand on this issue, as if no other issue matters. Did you know that a person can be for same-sex marriage and still be homophobic? Did you know that a person can be against same-sex marriage and be gay? We all get categorized very quickly based on the marriage issue and maybe that’s not fair.

But here’s what you should know:
- In 29 states in America today, my partner of 18 years, Cody, or I could be fired for being gay. Period. No questions asked. One of those states is Louisiana, our home state. We live in self-imposed exile from beloved homeland, family, and friends, in part, because of this legal restriction on our ability to live our lives together.
- In 75 countries in the world, being gay is illegal. In many, the penalty is life in prison. These are countries we can’t openly visit. In 9 countries, being gay is punishable by death. In many others, violence against gays is tacitly accepted by the authorities. These are countries where we would be killed. Killed.
- Two organizations that work very hard to maintain this status quo and roll back any protections that we may have are the Family Research Council and the Marriage & Family Foundation. For example, the Family Research council leadership has officially stated that same-gender-loving behavior should be criminalized in this country. They draw their pay, in part, from the donations of companies like Chick-Fil-A. Both groups have also done “missionary” work abroad that served to strengthen and promote criminalization of same-sex relations.
- Chick-Fil-A has given roughly $5M to these organizations to support their work.
- Chick-Fil-A’s money comes from the profits they make when you purchase their products.

2. This isn’t about mutual tolerance because there’s nothing mutual about it. If we agree to disagree on this issue, you walk away a full member of this society and I don’t. There is no “live and let live” on this issue because Dan Cathy is spending millions to very specifically NOT let me live. I’m not trying to do that to him.

Asking for “mutual tolerance” on this like running up to a bully beating a kid to death on the playground and scolding them both for not getting along. I’m not trying to dissolve Mr. Cathy’s marriage or make his sex illegal. I’m not trying to make him a second-class citizen, or get him killed. He’s doing that to me, folks; I’m just fighting back.

All your life, you’re told to stand up to bullies, but when WE do it, we’re told WE are the ones being intolerant? Well, okay. Yes. I refuse to tolerate getting my ass kicked. “Guilty as charged.”

But what are you guilty of? When you see a bully beating up a smaller kid and you don’t take a side, then you ARE taking a side. You’re siding with the bully. And when you cheer him on, you’re revealing something about your own character that really is a shame.

3. This isn’t about Jesus. I have a lot of Christian friends. Most of them are of the liberal variety, it’s true, but even this concept seems lost on some of you. Most of them are pro-LGBT rights. Pro-gay and Pro-Christ are NOT mutually exclusive. They never have been, in the history of Christianity, though it’s been difficult at times. It’s not impossible to be both.

If someone is telling you it is, then maybe you should wonder why they’d do that. I see divorced Christians, remarried Christians, drug addict Christians. I see people with WWJD bracelets bumping and grinding on TV and raking in millions to do it. I see greedy, rapacious, vengeful people who are Christians. And these people are accepted in the Church, and the Church does very little to combat them. Sometimes it seems like being gay is the ONLY thing certain modern Christian movements won’t allow. Why’s that, I wonder?

Jesus had almost nothing to say about sexual behavior of any kind. He was too busy teaching more important things. Empathy is at the heart of his teachings. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Remember that? It’s in red. So let’s examine that:

4. If things were reversed, I’d stand up for you.
Please think about this: How would you feel if KFC came out tomorrow and said they were spending money against equality for Asian Americans, or African Americans, or religious people? Really. Think about it. What would you do? How would you feel? How would you feel if, after their announcement, there was a big increase in KFC sales and I was all over Facebook supporting KFC. Please stop reading right now and imagine this. I’m serious.

You can stop now because it’s ludicrous. It would never happen.
Oh, I don’t mean the part about KFC being against some group. That COULD happen. I mean the part about me supporting them. Let me tell you something, and you can damn well believe it: I’d sign on for the boycott IMMEDIATELY.

Why? Well, because I believe in equality for all people, that’s why. But also, personally, from the bottom of my heart: because you are my friend, and I don’t willingly support people who harm you for just being you. How could I? How could I, really? But, more importantly for our purposes, how could you?

Seriously, how could you? What has Chick-Fil-A ever done for you? Sold you some fatty chicken at a ridiculous mark-up? Made you chuckle at semi-literate cartoon cows? You mean more to me than KFC possibly could. If I, in turn, don’t mean more to you than a chicken sandwich from Chik-Fil-A–if my life, my quality of life, and my dignity are such afterthoughts to you that you’d not only refuse the boycott, but go out of your way to support someone who was hurting me? if I let this stand, if I don’t stand up to the bullies and if I let my friends egg the bullies on, what does that make me?

Well, it makes me a Chikin.

Yeah, so suddenly it is cause for anger, ridiculous or not.

But I’m not going to stop being Facebook friends with anyone over this issue.

Instead, I will remain. And, when you see my face with my partner’s in my profile, maybe you will examine not simply what your opinions are about gay people, or gay marriage, or the first amendment, even; maybe you’ll  examine not merely your opinions but your values. What is friendship to you? What is loyalty? How important are human life and dignity to you? Are they more important than fitting in with your social group? Are they more important than loyalty to a corporate brand, or a political party, or some misguided church teaching?

That’s why we’re so angry. This is personal for us. There are times in your life when you have the opportunity to stand up for your friends. When you let that opportunity pass, your friends notice. It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, but it diminishes you, and it diminishes the friendship. That’s how it is, no matter what the issue or what the venue.

So stand up. Stand up for us. Do the right thing. You don’t have to agree with us on everything, but repudiate Chick-Fil-A. Unlike them on Facebook. Withdraw your support for them. Join us in the boycott. If you can’t do that, then please ask yourself whether I’m your friend. In fact, ask yourself whether anyone is.

This is all I have to say. If you’d like to debate the issue further, I’ll do it, but I’m not going to go around and around on the same points. If you’re just going to repeat yourself, save us both some time. If you haven’t taken the time to actually read this carefully and actually consider carefully what I’ve said, then I see no reason to waste further words.

The ball is in your court. Again, I urge you to do the right thing.

- Wayne Self
Twitter: @owldolatrous
Facebook: facebook.com/owldolatrous

That really says it all.  I could start quoting the Bible about how the way "traditional marriage" is used these days isn't actually what the Bible talked about, but I'll leave that to JacksonAPearce at YouTube (seriously, check it out, she is rockin' it).

 And now, for another finding on Facebook:

 

There's something squirrelly about that...

The Wife called me at work today, all a-fluster, and exclaimed that she'd been attacked by a squirrel!  Apparently she was driving along with her windows open when, out of the blue, she got pelted by an acorn: "It flew right by my face and smacked me in the arm!"  She went on to say that she thought that it was kids throwing rocks and she was going to go back and give them a talking to, but no kids were in sight.  Therefore her logical conclusion was that it had to have been a squirrel who threw the acorn, "because who else would be throwing acorns?!"

Later, when I was telling her how the Nun at work got to talking about various criminal activities and trials going on, and so I said, "she's quite the crime buff." There was a pause, and then in a somewhat shocked tone, "She's a Crime Boss?!? No wonder she gets out of all those traffic tickets!"

The Nun will, from this day forward, will be known as Sister Crime Boss.