Some People…

I have been hearing a lot of people complaining lately that businesses are closing because they can’t find workers. I’ve heard those same people comment “People just don’t want to work anymore” and I think it’s pretty close-minded and unfair of them to say.

Yes, some folks don’t want to work. Those are the same people who soak up everything they can get out of every type of assistance available to them, even though they can work. But on the other hand, considering the damage done to all of us by the pandemic, some folks just need extra help. Some families are in great need of shelter, food, and clothing; our basic human necessities. In many cases, having a full-time job doesn’t pay them enough to meet those basic needs so they turn to SNAP, Medicaid, cash aid, or some other assistance program. Can you honestly blame them if they can take better care of their families on assistance programs rather than working a full-time job for minimal pay? I’d do the same thing if I had to. Wouldn’t you do the same in order to take care of your family? Your children? The fact is, if employers would pay their employees a living wage, then maybe they wouldn’t be losing employees and face closing.

Here’s something to consider: A single mother with two children earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour needs to work 235 hours per week, the equivalent of almost six full-time minimum-wage jobs, to make a living wage. (Taken from the Massachusets Institution of Technology, A Calculation of the Living Wage, May 2022.) Doesn’t she deserve better? Shouldn’t she be able to take advantage of any assistance programs available to her?

Unless you have experienced the same issues as those you complain about, you will never understand their hardship. There are many things to consider before bitching and passing judgment on others. I have written about this before. You can read it here.

BobCat, BobCat…

We’ve had a stray cat hanging around for 3+ years now. I’ve felt so bad about him being out in the freezing cold winters and the hot and humid summers but I knew he would have to be neutered and have his shots before I could even think about bringing him inside. Even if I did that, I was always afraid of Jack and the stray getting into a fight to the death because they are both males and Jack has always been a bit on the aggressive side. He still picks on Honey Bear every chance he gets. 

I finally decided to get the poor cat, named BobCat due to his bobbed tail, neutered and vaccinated. It was money well spent but I worry that BobCat will disappear and that’s $143 lost. It could have been more but our vet’s prices are reasonable. Thank goodness. 

So, that was last week. I put a Seresto collar on him for fleas and ticks and gave it a day to work. Then began integration with Jack, Alice, and Honey.

First, I brought BobCat inside in a carrier. He looked around and peered through the little holes at the television. He turned and looked at us through the door. The other cats stopped in their tracks when they saw him. He stayed in the carrier for about an hour.


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He looks like a bunny from behind!

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I finally took BobCat out of the carrier and put a harness and leash on him. I put him in my lap and he soaked up all the lovins and cuddles he could get! 

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I didn’t get any photos of him exploring the house because he was still on the leash. I had to ensure I had control to avoid any fights to the death! Unbelievably, we had no conflicts and all 4 ate their evening meal together! Afterward, BobCat went back outside to give the other 3 a break. I feel bad that it got so cold last night but poor BobCat isn’t ready for indoors all the time quite yet.

This morning, BobCat came back inside but this time with a vest and leash, no carrier. (The harness I had on him yesterday was a bit too tight. The vest was just right.) He must have slept in my lap or alongside me in my chair for a couple of hours! He was so content and lovable. He even fell asleep for a bit! 

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I removed the leash and eventually the vest because the other 3 cats decided to hide in my bedroom. I closed the door and let BobCat roam the house, checking everything out on his own terms. He checked out all of the litter boxes. He looked under, around, and behind everything in the house. Every time he passed one of the cat toys, he stopped and kicked the shit out of it and then took off. It was quite funny to watch!

When Jack wanted out of my bedroom, I opened the door and let the 2 of them eyeball each other for a short while. Thankfully, no fights BUT Jack’s patience started to wear thin so I put BobCat back outside. He’ll have to stay another night outside. It’ll be colder tonight than it was last night but he has an insulated dog house to sleep in. 

This integration thing is going to take some time, especially since Jack is such a jerk! It took 3 stinkin’ years to get Jack integrated with my other cats. At that time I had 5 others. BobCat won’t be the problem! 

Wish us luck! If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears! 

 

 

What’s Eating Aunt Debbie?

Some things off the top of my head this week…

It’s sad that we live in a society that has to remind people not to take a medication they are allergic to, or to not use the toaster while taking a bath. Are parents so stupid these days that they need to be told to keep household cleansers, laundry pods, and plastic bags out of the reach of children?

Too many folks believe the conspiracies and lies even though they have been proven to be false! TRUTH MATTERS!

I despise seeing young women wearing tons of make-up, fake nails, fake eyelashes, fake boobs, fake hair, etc. Don’t get me started on lip injections and botox. Why does society make women feel like they have to seriously alter their appearance? It’s sad.

Prices are soaring and it seems to me that a lot of businesses are taking advantage of that fact. Exorbitant prices with our incomes staying the same make life more difficult. We were going to purchase a pre-made shed that was priced at around $2,400. The very same shed is now over $4,000. You can’t tell me that isn’t GREED. I know lumber costs have increased, but price gouging is not cool.

Herschel Walker and his ‘honorary’ Sheriff’s badge…what a joke. He thinks it’s such a big thing. It’s so sad that he’s such a lying sack of…well, you know.

Stockton, CA police are on the ball! It’s not every day that there’s a serial killer apprehended near your hometown! Also, a black serial killer? That’s pretty rare in itself, isn’t it?

Stamp prices will increase in 2023. Didn’t they just go up in July? Ugh. Again, our incomes aren’t going up…not enough to cover the rising costs of…everything.

What’s on your mind this week?

Dreams – Driving Me Crazy Night After Night

Doesn’t everyone dream at night? My dad says it’s just “our tapes” running wild and they don’t mean a thing. Some folks put a lot of stock into the meanings of their dreams. I don’t know where I stand on the subject. Mostly because my dreams are absolutely beyond ridiculous! How could something ridiculous mean anything at all?

A few nights ago, I dreamed that an Asian woman went to the police for help because her pet cow went missing. She swears that her neighbor from 2 doors down knows something. The pet cow is about the size of a medium-sized dog. He’s white with golden brown patches and eyes of golden brown too. He has kind eyes and is a very sweet cow. He’s calm and cuddly. The Asian woman is psychic. She knows she can figure out who took her pet cow but is smart enough to know that she may need the police to help her retrieve her pet in the end. The police try by asking the neighbors questions, with no leads. The Asian woman has visions and feelings, revealing more leads and the cops can’t figure it out. How does she know? She says “I just know” and they start feeling like she must have some uncanny ability or that she’s just making shit up, pulling them by a leash. The cops follow and watch her; where she goes and what she does, always astonished at how she finds leads. They start to realize she’s the real deal. She finds a warehouse where her pet cow is being kept and goes inside. She’s ready for any resistance, carrying several stun guns with her. There are 4 men in the warehouse who swear they don’t know what she is talking about. The pet cow hears the Asian woman’s voice and starts making loud noises. The Asian woman knows her cow-baby is there. She follows the sound and the men try to stop her. She zaps them all with the stun gun; 2 of them multiple times before they just stayed down. She sees her pet cow and picks him up like it was just a big dog. The cops are astonished as she walks out of the warehouse with her pet cow.

What the living hell does that mean?

Another dream I had recently was about someone who died and left me with lots of property. Clancy Brown (actor) wants to buy a large lot… I know nothing about the land and so I want to do some research. He calls several times wanting to buy. One of those times he called was to inform me that the sprinkler system is broken and it will cost $900 to fix. I googled the lot and found that there is no grass or trees on that land to water! Then the next time he says it will cost me $92,750 to fix that same sprinkler system. I realized he was just trying to get me to sell it to him cheap. I decide to go check out the land myself. When I get there, somehow I end up in a large body of dark water with a bunch of Grover muppet creatures swimming around me.

What the hell does that mean? Other than I’m stark-raving nuts…

Last night, I fell asleep with the tv on. In my sleeping state, I heard the Colonial Penn Insurance commercial at least 3 times. I was hearing strange messages about the insurance being beneficial to us and our families even if we’re not dead. It was insurance that just wasn’t right. It didn’t make any sense. As my brain started to wake up the spokesperson, Jonathan Lawson, said, “Hi. I’m Jonathan Lawson. The real Jonathan Lawson. Don’t buy that other insurance. It’s fake. This is the real Colonial Penn insurance.” From that point on, I heard the real commercial. I heard the price $9.95 per month regardless of age. The 3 P’s…Price, price, and price. I heard ‘real’ people say, “I’m 60. What’s my price?” or “I’m 72. What’s my price?” I woke up completely and tried to make sense of what I had heard all night long. Did it mean something or was my brain just being stupid?

Granted, it wasn’t a normal dream. I was asleep but hearing something that got scrambled in my brain. I think my brain is going insane. Plain and simple.

Am I the only one who has these weird and ridiculous dreams? I’d like to hear about your dreams if you’d like to share them. You can share in the comments or you can use the contact form here.

Earworm – Swingin’ The Alphabet

There was a post on Facebook recently asking “What song always reminds you of your father?” Well, this song was my answer. (I thought of a couple more songs, however they were made up by my Dad and highly inappropriate!) Ever since I posted my answer, the song has been stuck in my head. Now, I hope it’s stuck in yours! Snicker, snort!