Not so “Bah Humbug”…

It’s the holiday season, that 6 or 7 week stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. I intend to stuff my face with traditional holiday foods, drive around my neighborhood after 6pm and enjoy the gargantuan holiday light displays, exchange holiday greetings with strangers in the post office queue, splurge on a “gift” for me, and enjoy the down time. This year I still have the company of my 17 year old best friend Pica. It’s a lot of work to prepare her rice and chicken from scratch (that’s all she will eat now) because I’m not used to cooking. I’m glad I have the time to do it though. I don’t know how much time she has left so I want to give her anything she likes. Usually, at this festive time of year, I have been known to mutter under my breath “Merry ‘EFFING Christmas, MEH” because it represented in-your-face commercialism more than camaraderie or celebration. The frenzy of shopping for the right gifts in overcrowded stores with rude clerks, licking envelopes and mailing hundreds of cards, putting up decorations in competition with neighbors, and having to watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “A Christmas Carol” or “Miracle on 34^th Street” again for the umpteenth year on TV, gets to be a real drag. So this year I’m trimming my budget, adjusting my schedule (staying home and shopping on line) and my attitude (loving my time with my ‘best friend’), to a more seasonal friendly pace for me. Minimal decorations, cards and gifts only to family and a few close friends, and renting DVDs like ‘Bridesmaids’, ‘Cowboys and Aliens’, ‘Midnight in Paris’, and ‘The Decendants’. So this year I am less “Scrooged” than years past. Merry Winter Solstice, and Happy Holidays!!

My Neighbor is Afraid of My Trees!

I moved into my current home in 2006. I moved here from the Antelope Valley in California where there are mountains, and chaparral but few trees. In the Antelope Valley we planted trees that would survive a harsh hot and dry climate like Palms, Cacti (I know cacti aren’t trees but they made a good substitute) and any other drought tolerant species. We had to flood our yards at least three times a day to keep any plant life alive. Built-in sprinkler systems were essential. City ordinances in Palmdale, Lancaster and Quartz Hill required everyone who owned a home to plant grass in their front yards. No sand or natural landscapes allowed. So we watered and watered and tried to keep everything alive. Living in the desert was like living in a perpetual drought. We had a Purple Plum tree in the back yard and a drought resistant weeping willow in the front yard. The Willow was unusual looking but provided plenty of shade, essential to living comfortably in the desert. I loved the high-desert vegetation but I got homesick for the native trees of my youth, trees that grew thick along the highways in the southeast US. - Pine trees, several varieties of Oak, even delicate dogwoods. An added bonus was the abundant bird life using the thick canopy to build nests like Woodpeckers, sparrows, hawks, crows and more. So when I looked for a house here in Mississippi, I looked for mature trees in the yard. I found the perfect home with Oaks and Sweetgums shading the driveway, a Bradford Pear and a leaning Sycamore in front. In back the Red Tops had grown into 15 ft. high trees next to the 30 ft. Sweetgum and two of our neighbors had lots of Oaks and a few Pines. Several tall Crepe Myrtles added a splash of color as well as several flowering bushes and ornamental grasses. Oddly enough, one of our neighbors had no trees in her yard except for a few spindly Crepe Myrtles. She approached us almost immediately after we moved in about taking all our trees down. I was incredulous that she had made such an unthinkable request. After all, one of the reasons I moved into this house was “the trees”. (Unfortunately since 2008 I have had to take down three trees, the leaning Sycamore that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina, a dying older Sweetgum, and the beautiful Bradford Pear that was sheared in half by a freak 65 mph wind.) My treeless neighbor explained to me that she had taken down all the trees in her yard after Hurricane Katrina for fear that they might fall on her house. I thought that was a little extreme. Isn’t that why we all carry insurance on our homes? My husband had several conversations with her and each time she pressured him to take down our trees that were closest to her house. Eventually they had a row about her continuing to push for removal of our trees. That was in 2007. We have barely spoken since then until I decided recently to try to be neighborly and forget the “tree thing”. BIG MISTAKE. Once again, she lobbied for tree removal suggesting that it was “irresponsible” for neighbors to keep trees that might fall on another’s home and why the insurance on her home was responsible for any repairs caused by someone else’s tree. I politely excused myself and left her to ponder her own question. Five years later she is still scared that one of our trees will fall on her house. I have lost three beautiful mature trees to the whims of nature. Part of one fell on my house and my insurance paid for the repairs. It may seem silly to argue over trees but they provide shade, keep the soil from eroding, give birds a place to live, and lift my spirits daily. My neighbor will just have to get over her fear of my trees,

I go out walkin', After midnight, Out in the moonlight...

…begins a country song by Patsy Cline. For my almost 17 year old Chihuahua and me the lyrics are totally accurate. Pica (named after a unit of measurement – there are 6 picas to an inch - because she is so small) is fond of waking-up around two or three-AM to go for a walk. So, with flashlight in hand, cell phone in my pocket, and supporting her with a homemade sling, we start out from the garage, walk down to the mailbox, turn south and slowly begin our stroll. I made the sling for her because of her inability to hold her body in a pooping or peeing position for very long without losing her balance and falling into the mess. The sling is made from some old soft denim material and two bamboo purse handles I found at a local fabric store. Three years ago she was diagnosed with spondylosis, a degenerative disk disease. Then last year when she couldn’t walk much at all we took her to Mississippi State Veterinary School in Starkville where they diagnosed her with a herniated C3/C4 disk that was pressing on her spine. It damaged some cervical nerves causing her to lose feeling in her legs. She had surgery to remove the damaged cartilage and this has left her a little weak on her right side. She has regained some feeling and has recovered limited use of her right front paw. She doesn’t seem to notice that she is handicapped nor does she complain. I’m sure she has arthritis, dimentia, kidney failure, and some blindness in both eyes. But she toddles down the street in her funny slap-slap-thump gait, smelling every square inch of asphalt available and stopping at the more “interesting” sources of odor for a longer evaluation. When she has eliminated her mid-afternoon meal and pee-marked every ten feet until she has voided her kidneys, she stops so I know it’s time to turn around and head home. Thus far I haven’t been afraid to take her on her walks at this hour and I guess that makes me a bit naive. Our neighborhood is VERY safe so I haven’t worried about others being out at the same hour possibly with sinister intent, but I probably should. So far the only scary things I tend to avoid are the three large storm drains along each side of the street. I imagine each one containing a rodent eco-system along the same proportions as in the movie “Ben”. A young Michael Jackson is singing the theme song in my head as I swing Pica away from the maw of the metallic buttress that covers the drain. I shine my flashlight hoping I don’t see tiny red eyes looking back at me. Pica continues moving towards home shuffling and sniffing. At last we are in the garage. I push the button that closes the large steel garage door and we enter the kitchen. Pica also has acid reflux so I give her ¼ of a Pepcid AC and chase that with a piece of Melba Toast. Then I follow her slap-slap-thump down the hall back to her bed. It takes about 30 minutes to complete this routine every night. Even though I am exhausted from sleep deprivation in the morning it’s difficult and sad to think that Pica and I may not have a lot more time to …go out walkin', After midnight, Out in the moonlight…
 

I have no choice!

The election handouts have begun around my town in (ultra conservative) Mississippi. The county I live in is @89% white and @99.99% Republican. Democrats have zip, zero, zilch chance of winning any electoral post, not even dogcatcher. So no Democratic or Independent candidates even bother to run. It’s just too expensive to fight against an entrenched “right-wing”, conservative, Republican majority of people in my district who seem to be more interested in preserving the status-quo rather than analyzing the issues and possibly voting outside their traditional party affiliations. I don’t know which they fear more, their neighbors, their families or their church. (I always thought that voting booths were private and my ballot was secret. I’m not silent about my Progressive political beliefs either.) It appears that group political affiliation to southerners is as important as saying you belong to the human race as long as it’s white, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant. This makes “preaching to the choir” a more meaningful statement to me.

“The Blind Side”, a movie starring Sandra Bullock and Kathy Bates, is based on a true story about Michael "Big Mike" Oher, an African-American kid, adopted by a white couple Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, who graduated from Old Miss and went on to play pro football in the NFL. It takes place in the conservative southern state of Tennessee. Kathy Bates character “Miss Sue” is “Big Mike’s” tutor and offers this disclaimer to the Tuohys before she begins to work for them: "Ms. Tuohy, there is something that you should know about me. I don't usually tell many people but I feel that it is something you should be aware of before you hire me. ("Uh, what is it?") I'm a Democrat." That statement sums up the political atmosphere across the southeast.

So. when the air gets sucked out of any local election by closed-minded conservative citizens so that the other party doesn’t even bother to run, it takes away MY choice. This has been going on for over 50 years and probably won’t change for at least another 50 years. Every election cycle has a large turnout so that the Republican candidates can be rubber-stamped into office. The only “choice” we have on the ballot in most elections here is “which” Republican gets into office. So every election cycle I take all the election literature hung on my doorknob, mailed to me, or handed out at the local Kroger and file it unceremoniously in the circular file next to my desk at home. I still go to the polls just in case some brave Democrat or Independent decides to run for “Dogcatcher”.

Flood’s a comin’…

For a couple of months now we have been having severe storms with straight line winds, copious amounts of rain, quarter sized hail, and EF5 tornadoes. Now comes the flooding along the Mississippi River. One-two punch for Mississippi.

VICKSBURG, MS (WLBT) - (Posted on 4/30/11 at 2:51 a.m.)

Officials are working hard to get the word out that the 2011 Mississippi River flood is big, the second biggest on record, and it is coming fast.

The city of Vicksburg has already stacked cross ties 15 feet high to keep the Mississippi River levee from coming through the flood wall which protects the lower part of the city along Levee Street. They are getting ready to do the same at the foot of Clay Street.

Governor Haley Barbour held a news conference to warn those who are affected by the big river to move to higher ground.

"I am urging everyone who has property that will be affected by these flood levels, to determine if that property can be moved or elevated, or somehow protected and to do so as soon as practical," said Barbour.

Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield held a news conference at Water's Edge to issue a similar warning to people.

"We anticipate a record flood, what we are doing now is getting out ahead of it and informing the public and making sure they are fully aware of what's happening," said Winfield.

Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina seem to be in the BAD WEATHER ZONE this spring. Hearing the sirens wail, being without power for nearly half a day, spending lots of time in the “SAFE ROOM’ (our guest bathroom in the center of the house), and stepping into a brand new lake in my front yard is wearing on the nerves. I moved back east to avoid California’s fires, floods, earthquakes, bad traffic and road rage. Sometimes I feel I’ve swapped the “Devil for the Witch”. At least I have warning when a storm or flood is coming here in the east but NO warning when an earthquake hits out west. We have been warned now, Flood’s a comin’…

Winter Sucks!

I am a very practical person and for me fireplaces are NOT charming. They are utilitarian and sooty. When the electricity goes out and there is no heat in the house a fireplace will help keep me warm. But if this winter (2010-2011) had been a normal winter it would have ended already and I wouldn’t even be contemplating having to use a fireplace to heat my house in case we lose power. I moved back to the southeast United States in 2006 to avoid extremes in weather. I lived in the Antelope Valley (Lancaster, CA) and in the summer temperatures could soar to 119 degrees. By contrast, the winters there could be a brutal 19 degrees with snow and ice. I lived in the high desert for three years and experienced both extremes. In Los Angeles where I lived for three years and which has almost perfect weather there were periods when the Santa Ana winds blew in and the temperature would climb to over 100 degrees for a few days. I had one room that had an air conditioner and we would sleep on the floor in that room until the Santa Ana winds left. Not an unreasonable trade off for almost perfect weather. The rest of the year temperatures in LA were between 50 and 90 and dry. “Seems it never rains in southern California…” some cryptic lyrics to a song by the Mamas and the Papas. However it does snow…a little bit…in southern California. I can also tolerate that once every 6-10 years. The one big downside to living in southern CA (or anywhere in CA) is earthquakes. They strike without warning, last a few seconds, kill people, and do millions of dollars in damage. When a tornado or hurricane is predicted in the south, we have time to take shelter before the winds and storm surges do millions of dollars in damage. But I digress. I moved back to the eastern side of the US because I am an east coast type of person and I expected the weather to be as it was in my childhood…warm and humid but not roasting hot in the summer, cool but not bone chilling cold with snow and ice in the winter. Something changed “big time” weather-wise between the 1960s and now. I don’t know if I will live long enough to see milder summers and winters return or if I’m just one of those old people remembering “kinder, gentler” weather patterns from my youth. Here in Mississippi we haven’t even gotten a tenth of what the majority of the country has endured this winter. But I don’t feel bad about complaining. This has been one hell-of-a winter and I’m ready for it to end!

Dreams

Before I became an adult, before I experienced the responsibilities of earning a living, before I left the security of my parent’s home, I dreamt of being independently wealthy. Having money without the bother of working for it seemed to offer so many benefits like traveling anywhere in the world, sleeping in late, having a new car every year… But the fates steered me toward a life of work, a life without unlimited travel, a life of sleep deprivation, and used cars. I was only able to travel out of the U.S. after I saved enough money to get me there AND back. Sleeping in late was turning off the alarm on the weekend. I am currently driving a 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera that I bought with 18,000 miles on it from a used car lot in Norcross, GA. I am semi-retired, Loosely translated that means I was laid off and I’m looking for a job to take me to my 66^th birthday and into the prosperity and independence that comes with Social Security benefits. One of my dreams, however, has been fulfilled; I now have the time to sleep late. But I can’t. After years of rising early I still rise early. I’ve given up on the new car and extensive travel, but I thought, in Shakespearean terms, “To sleep, perchance to dream…” of a new car and faraway places. Not a chance. But now my dreams are a lot more realistic and FUN. I dream of seeing my grandchildren with their children, and seeing my son as a grandfather. What a treat to look into the future. This is way better than owning a new car. I can dream of traveling to visit them in exotic places where they live outside the U.S. I don’t need to be wealthy to enjoy these dreams. But I still wish I could sleep in, …perchance to dream these dreams a little longer.