The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[arouetta]

And HE walked free, leaving his poor, unbalanced wife to pay the ticket. Yeah. That phrase has much to answer for.

What ticked me off to no end is that often when a child is killed or severely injured by the mother's husband/boyfriend the mother is arrested for child endangerment because "she knew or should have known he was a threat". Why were there no similar charges? Is it just blatant sexism, since the genders were reversed?

 

[segelkatt]

I am glad that everybody seems to have a wonderful Mothers' Day.
I have been busy setting up a GoFundMe page for my son and his family.
Ray is a long distance truck driver with an impeccable record of 15 years. For once he took his son Chris, age 26, with him on the truck to show him what it's like to be on the road for 10 days straight. He also keeps a small dog with him to guard the truck when he is absent (potty breaks, meals etc) or sleeping.
On Friday he was involved in a bad accident near Beaver in Utah on Hwy 15, authorities are surprised that anyone survived as the truck turned over, Ray actually was already out of the truck by the time authorities arrived, looking for his son, they both had their seatbelts on, and both of them ended up in the hospital: Ray with a cracked vertebra and lacerations that took 10 stitches on his head plus some more, also bruises all over. Chris has a compound fracture on his femur, two cracked vertebrae, his scalp was torn off his scull, lacerations and bruises all over. Ray has been released from the hospital and Chris is out of ICU. Chris has had his leg set with a rod in it, his scalp has been replaced and sewn back on and he will have a skin graft on Monday where the skin was torn off his leg and hip. The dog suffered from burns from hot motor oil on his body and face and is utterly confused, he had spent two nights in a shelter of the Humane Society.
Ray's wife Laurie had come from their hometown of Reno, NV to see both of them, a nine hour trip. She and Ray will go home after Chris' surgery on Monday, they can't afford to stay in a motel until Chris can be released, who knows how long that will take, weeks probably.
Ray will not be able to work for a while, Chris suffers with severe Aspergers and is unable to hold a job and Laurie has a lung disease that also keeps her from working. Ray does not know if he will still have a job when he is able to work again as he had started with this company only a month ago. In the meantime the bills are piling up. He is also beating himself up over the accident and having caused the injuries to his son by taking him with him.
If anyone can help this family while Ray is unable to work they can donate at


Click here to support Ray's Medical & Emergency Fund organized by Irena Weygold


please spread the word. I have also put it on my facebook page
For me this is not a good Mothers' Day, it must be worse for Laurie.
All those who have family around them today send a few good thoughts to Ray and Chris and if you can then donate, any amount will help. Thank you.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, spit. Just spit. As soon as my bank account is straightened out from the unauthorized charge on it, I'll go there. Wish I could today, but I'm still in overdraft right now, and will be until I get down there to sign some paperwork.

 

[dalpaengi]

So yeah, positive thinking can be nice, if there's a heavy dose of realistic thinking to keep it in check. Without the realistic thinking the social consequences can be severe.


My best suggestion is to find an outlet for that anxious energy. I'm not talking big, like cycling for an hour, but something small like a fidget thingy that's all the rage now. Something to focus the mind and keep the hands busy. That will dampen the vibes you give out. Beyond that, the cat's personality will be the main denominator. I one time brought home a shelter cat and within hours he was Mr. Confident and owned the house and the other two cats.

I agree. Sometimes the positive thinking outlook is just continuing the whole paradigm where it's all better in some "other" reality: "other people" adapt better to illness, "other thoughts" would be better, "other people" would work faster and better in the same situation, etc etc.

It puts us in a position where we may be more likely to blame ourselves for not being happy enough when we’re expected to see results based on positive thinking, which can become a dangerous cycle. You gave me a lot to think about and I enjoyed hearing your thoughts.

Haha, as for your wonderful suggestion on cutting back some of the nervous energy -- how ironic that I just received one of those tangle fidgets as a gift today I'll be sure to put it to use.

 

[arouetta]

Watching a Fear Thy Neighbor rerun, sometimes on this show when one neighbor is being interviewed for their side, they lie through their teeth in a clumsy attempt to make you hate the other side, but it's so clumsy of a lie that they sound ridiculous. The one I'm watching, the old woman just sounded so stupid when she tried to make you hate the other side by saying "My cats never crossed the property line to their side!" Yeah, sure, cats are super-respectful of human created property lines. Suuuuuure. It was not a surprise when the other neighbor said "They were using my garden as a litter box."

 

[Mamanyt1953]

oh, my Dears! I have Done a Terrible Thing. I went into the utility closet to put some things away, and someone crept in behind me and hid, and I Locked the Cat in the CLOSET! Oh, there were pitiful meows, and scratchings at doors, and yowlings! Took me a minute to find her. Let her out, apologized abjectly, but was held hostage emotionally until Temptations were forthcoming. I am happy to report that All Is Forgiven now.

 

[Margret]

oh, my Dears! I have Done a Terrible Thing. I went into the utility closet to put some things away, and someone crept in behind me and hid, and I Locked the Cat in the CLOSET! Oh, there were pitiful meows, and scratchings at doors, and yowlings! Took me a minute to find her. Let her out, apologized abjectly, but was held hostage emotionally until Temptations were forthcoming. I am happy to report that All Is Forgiven now.

Oh, you dog! You locked the cat in the closet?! How could you?!

Somehow I'm confident that Hekitty will get over the trauma very quickly.

Margret

 

[NewYork1303]

oh, my Dears! I have Done a Terrible Thing. I went into the utility closet to put some things away, and someone crept in behind me and hid, and I Locked the Cat in the CLOSET! Oh, there were pitiful meows, and scratchings at doors, and yowlings! Took me a minute to find her. Let her out, apologized abjectly, but was held hostage emotionally until Temptations were forthcoming. I am happy to report that All Is Forgiven now.

I did that to Angua once as well. She was meowing so loudly and I couldn't figure out where she was. I didn't even remember opening up the closet.

 

[foxxycat]

Aww I am sure Hekitty has forgiven you!

I can't say I have ever shut Honeybee in a closet-I had closed her in the master bathroom a few years ago when she had minor surgery=she shook that door and howled and was NOT HAPPY! Needless to say I had to sleep on the floor to keep her company that night-she had the cone of shame on and I was afraid she would get stuck under the bed and I couldn't reach her.

 

[artiemom]

I have a worse one for you;
It was when I first Adopted Artie. He was so frisky, and inquisitive.
I was working, and out of the house 12 hours per day.

My morning routine was: Up early to feed, play, brush Artie, get ready for work. I went into my store room to get a bottle of water for my lunch.
I left wet and dry food out for him all day. Artie usually greeted me at the door when I came home.

Fast forward 12 hours later: I came home, no Artie greeting me. Looked ate the food area, nothing eaten from either dish. Looked at the litter box, not used.. Started calling him everywhere!
"Artie, Artie, Artie, where are you?"
looked under the bed, under and behind furniture, in my clothes closet..
NOTHING...
Kept on calling him.. looked again in clothes closets, under bed, in corners, under furniture...
Even looked outside the apartment, on my floor, to see if he was hiding in a corner.. I was getting frantic..
Opened the doors to my laundry area.. even looked in washer and dryer.. behind and underneath the water tank. NOTHING...

Finally, I thought I heard a faint meow...
I opened up the store room... the only place I did not look earlier... and Artie was there!!
He must have snuck in when I was quickly getting my water..
It was pitch dark in there, and he had jumped on top of my 'granny' cart, making it fall halfway across the entrance. He was hiding on a shelf in there..

As soon as I opened the door, he ran right out!! Yelling at me..

I felt terrible..

The sweet, scared little boy.. and such a good boy. He was locked in there for 12 hours, no food, no water, no litter box.. He managed not to pee or poop for 12 hours!!!!

To this day, Artie is still kind of afraid of that closet. He wants to go in to investigate, but when he sees me come near it, he runs out.....

Needless to say, I cuddled him, covered him with kisses, and felt so bad..

Since then, when I leave he house, I make sure I know where he is....

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Alas, the other day I did Another Terrible Thing. I lost my grip on a pot I was taking out of the bottom cabinet and dropped it, breaking the Sacred Kibble Dish! However, today I have redeemed myself by repairing said Dish, and the kibbles are now where they belong. Hekitty was NOT fond of the Blue Willow salad plate as a substitute! She deigned to use it but under very vocal protest. Last I saw her, she was face first in the Sacred Kibble Dish, purring loudly enough to rattle the dishes in the drainer.

 

[arouetta]

Alas, the other day I did Another Terrible Thing. I lost my grip on a pot I was taking out of the bottom cabinet and dropped it, breaking the Sacred Kibble Dish! However, today I have redeemed myself by repairing said Dish, and the kibbles are now where they belong. Hekitty was NOT fond of the Blue Willow salad plate as a substitute! She deigned to use it but under very vocal protest. Last I saw her, she was face first in the Sacred Kibble Dish, purring loudly enough to rattle the dishes in the drainer.

Not fond of the Blue Willow dish? That cat has no class!

Lucky you could repair it. The one and only time that I managed to successfully repair a ceramic dish I had to use epoxy, the same kind as a relative used on the construction of knives. Even super glue was a massive fail.

 

[segelkatt]

The only horrible thing I ever did was to step on my little Persian's tail. Oh my, did she ever scream! And she usually does not say a word, she only whispers. I thought the cat was mute, that she did not have a voice at all. I sure found out differently. Lately she has been calling, this really weird me-aorrr in a lower register, she sounds like she is some huge mongrel tom. Usually she does that when she is in another room as if she were looking for me. Then I answer her "what are you calling me about?" and after a while she sashays into the room where I am as if she had never said a word.

 

[foxxycat]

I had a scare this afternoon=was checking out the rental page for my summer rental and it was disabled!

Well I called Tripadvisor and they said the owner disabled the listing due to selling or sold property..gulp. So I got the email to the rental and politely but firmly asked to get back to me-they did-said they only rented to us-evidently they didn't want to rent to abunch of people. So sigh. I was like oh my god I am not renting sight unseen...and thinking ok who can I contact and drive 4 hours up to maine to check out said property. I really want to rent this one because right across the water is an island..and I am a scavenger of sorts..I really enjoy walking around in the woods where no one ever goes..and an island to row my kayak to sounds fun! Hey I may even find a life jacket for Honeybee but I know she won't go for that at all. She would go on a pontoon boat..she has in the past..

I think I have some photos here...
hang on..

 

[foxxycat]

ok I figured how to upload a file...this was at the normal place I had rented for 6 or 7 years?We are sad to not get it again but hopefully the new location is just as quiet as it's down a dirt road.

We like to find a safe place to relax far away from cars and people. But this other place is 45 min away from ocean-so we may not spend as much time along the coastline. but hey when there's water 20 feet outside the door=what else do you need?!!

I CAN NOT wait until August for vacation-I have a funny feeling that this will be my last big vacation for the next 5 years if things don't work out. gulp. To start the vacation clock all over again...depressing!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, once again, I seem to have nothing on my mind at all! foxxycat , I'm thrilled that your rental is secure! I know how much you have been looking forward to this.

Some nitwit has totally closed the dumpster doors. I'll have to slide over there later and open them a crack.

 

[Margret]

One day we had some workmen in and out of the house, doing things with the phone lines in the basement. After they left I couldn't find Jasmine. I was horribly worried because she has a habit of trying to sneak out the front door whenever it's opened and they'd been in and out for hours. I looked all over for that cat, searched, called, went outside and called her, couldn't hear her crying, I was getting frantic! Then I finally heard her. She was in the basement, and it appeared that she'd snuck down there the first time a workman went down; she had obviously been there for hours, with no food, water, or litter box, and I'm afraid that she was not as stoic about it as Artie. She had found a place to relieve herself. She was very glad to be found and let back upstairs, but the strange thing is that she begs to go back downstairs! Apparently she's decided that, since I shut the door behind me whenever I go down, I must be doing something really fun down there from which I am cruelly excluding the cat. She cried piteously the entire time I was laboriously bringing a heavy box upstairs this morning. And for some strange reason, I seem to be less than sympathetic to her distress. Poor abused kitty.

Margret

 

[foxxycat]

Well that was interesting. Cat's out of the bag...information came out about our future and it's not looking rosy right now. 70 lives could be at stake this summer/fall. We knew it was coming despite being lied to from corporate. Now we know. People are taking information and searching elsewhere for jobs. Just disgusting how they lie. They left two huge projects hanging because they decided oh they don't want to pay-then refused to pay the workers down there-luckily someone is footing the bill to pay both SC and GA. otherwise those two projects would be scrapped...and they STILL could scrap those two jobs.

Now the thing that makes me angry is people have been paying extra on bill for almost 8 years now to pay for this bondoogle of a project=so where the HELL did that money go?!! Dirty Rat _______s! I honestly don't see our future in a company where many of our vendors told us to pound sand and still having issues with key elements of said industry. If our vendors flipped the bird at us so to speak what makes you think anyone is going to want to contract us to build ANYTHING?!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Margret I have an "open door" policy at my house (interior doors, at least, exterior doors have a "deadbolt" policy). It might be more correct to say that Hekitty has an "I can OPEN that door!" policy.

 

[arouetta]

I accidentally locked Montressor in the closet. He was there around 4 hours, never made a sound. When I couldn't find him I went looking and when I opened the closet he ran out, clearly happy to be free, but no sound.

Since then I have always kept closets cracked open. It took a bit to get used to since I still believe in the closet monster (the closet opening is just pure black at night) but no accidental trapped kitties since.