Flag Day

“The History Of Flag Day”

“The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.”
Thanks to: http://usflag.org/history/flagday.html and to read more just click on the link.

And so today we have our flag on display and here are other days:

Days To Display The American Flag

Occasion Date JANUARY New Year's Day Jan. 1 Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Jan. 18 FEBRUARY Lincoln's Birthday Feb. 12 President's Day Feb. 15 Washington's Birthday 3rd Monday in Feb. March Easter Sunday April 4 April Army Day April 6 Patriot's Day April 19 May National Day Of Prayer 1st Thursday in May VE Day May 8 Mother's Day 2nd Sunday in May Armed Forces Day 3rd Saturday in May Peace Officers Memorial Day May 15 Memorial Day Last Monday in May June Flag Day June 14 Father's Day 3rd Sunday in June July Independence Day July 4 September Labor Day 1st Monday in Sept. V-J Day September 2 Patriot Day ( Half Staff All Day ) September 11 Constitution Day September 17 October Columbus Day October 12 Navy Day October 27 November Election Day 1st Tuesday in Nov. Veterans Day November 11 Thanksgiving Day 4th Thursday in Nov. December Christmas Day December 25 Other Days Inauguration Day - Every 4 Years January 20 Election Days State and Local Holidays State Birthday (Date Admitted To The Union) Days Proclaimed By The President

Thanks to: http://www.expressflags.com/display_flag.htm

Some days I wasn’t aware of are listed, and of course if you are fortunate enough to have a flag pole, each day you can raise and lower your flag that is unless it is lit at night than I believe it can be up all of the time.

Flag etiquette is interesting too and for more info on specific flag info goto this site: http://www.united-states-flag.com/flag-etiquette.html

And so I thought I would monopolize my learning curve on this holiday's significance especially for the sake of the children. Although, I too learned quite bit by my investigation and that is one of the many reasons I enjoy doing this sort of thing so much.

Moving on…

Today I went back to my independent exercises, I had taken Wednesday off due to my Monday difficulties and it seemed to help, since I was back to my previous abilities as if nothing had happened. I did find that while on the arm cycle watching the TV caused my neck to start to go into pain once again, but I think I caught myself before it got too bad. And yes, I am still wearing my cervical collar, but I did not wear it there today… PROGRESS?

Any-who, the pain management office called today and eventually the PA, physician’s assistant will contact me before I go in about what actually they can do for me, since I have previously tried through NMT, OT, PT, TENS, etc. many methods and I have had violent reactions to heavy narcotics, they nearly killed me when injected in me and others do not work at all and so it should be an interesting conversation. Their new patient person informed me that they did in fact now have my neuro’s referral and they want to take care of this. I suppose it is all like many things are, a hurry up and wait mode, and since I nixed so much of what they offer it should be interesting what they come up with… stand by…who knows… what will be?

On that note of some things interesting and others frustrating, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Orwellian?

Everyone who’s grown up in the post WWII era knows that the commies are going to get us if we don’t spy on them first and get their secrets to stop them from turning us into them!

George Orwell’s 1984 was first published in 1949, about, Dystopia is defined as a society characterized by a focus on mass poverty, squalor, suffering, or oppression. Most authors of dystopian fiction explore at least one reason why things are that way, often as an analogy for similar issues in the real world.

When all of us were still feeling the aftermath of the war, that is those who were alive then, not me yet, but all the others.

Between his book and the years that followed right after America seemed to acquire a nasty case of paranoia, where the new threat was the Communists as in the Soviet Socialist Party as in now, AKA ‘Russia’ again, as many years prior, but then the Soviet Socialist Republic and so investigating our own who may be involved in the American Communist Party and might either convert the true Americans to this frightening cult of depraved humans was all encompassing to us Americans and many trials to oust or incarcerate such deviant behavior was considered the good American thing to do and therefore, listening devices were utilized by our government to fight the scourge that were these people!
Although, in “Communism (from Latin communis - common, universal) is a revolutionary socialist movement to create a classless, moneyless and stateless social order structured upon common ownership of the means of production, as well as a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of this social order. This movement, in its Marxist–Leninist interpretations, significantly influenced the history of the 20th century, which saw intense rivalry between the "socialist world" (socialist states ruled by communist parties) and the "Western world" (countries with capitalist economies).^{”
Thanks to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism
You can see that until things started to change with what we felt that we had it right, than they started to change... “}Perestroika  was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the 1980s (1986), widely associated with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his glasnost (meaning "openness") policy reform. The literal meaning of perestroika is "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system.
Perestroika is often argued to be the cause of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe, and the end of the Cold War.”
Thanks again to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika

And so now with this new gotta hear who is doing what, but with all those terrorists who did attack us on our home turf…why would any decent American feel that their conversations were not allowed to be checked that is for all our safety… my analysis of this particular situation is that if you’re innocent of not stealing the state’s secrets or planning to attack us in the near future than why not let them listen?
Personally, with our conversations on my lines, three, two cells and one land, they would be bored out of their gourd!
And so now you all know where I sit on that!
I would stand but it makes me dizzy, ha! Not so fun-ny...

And so in closing… today is an anniversary of a very sad day; the six month anniversary of those horrendous shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and when all was said and done, twenty-six children and adults were murdered. I don’t do this very often, in fact I don’t recall ever doing this, but I do feel the need to let you all know how I feel about this too and so, do your loved ones a favor too and at the very least read this and if you have a heart, it will touch you and if you don’t it, won’t, sadly:

_{“The Sandy Hook
PROMISE}

Our hearts are broken;
Our spirit is not.

And it is with this knowledge
that we are able to move forward
with purpose…and strength…

This is a Promise

To support our own
our families, our neighbors, our teachers, our community
with dedication and love
as well as the material and financial needs they will require
in the days ahead.

This is a Promise

To truly honor the lives lost
by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation.

This is a Promise

To be open to all possibilities.
There is no agenda other than to make
our community and our nation a safer, better place.

This is a Promise

To have the conversations on ALL the issues
Conversations where listening is as important as speaking.
Conversations where even those with the most opposing views
can debate in good will.

This is a Promise

To turn the conversation into actions.
Things must change.
This is the time.

This is a Promise

We make to our precious children.
Because each child, every human life is filled with promise,
and though we continue to be filled with unbearable pain
we choose love, belief, and hope
instead of anger.

This is a Promise

To do everything in our power to be remembered
not as the town filled with grief and victims;
but as the place where
real change began.

Our hearts are broken;
Our spirit is not.

This is our promise.

The Sandy Hook
PROMISE”

http://www.sandyhookpromise.org/mission



On this major note of love of our country and our safety too, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Windy weather...

Don’t know why there is no sun up in the sky, it looks as if it’s about to cry with stormy weather!

Clouds go by; clamoring scares the little guy, but drizzle’s on the fly, stormy weather may come or pass by…

Ripples on the pool appear as if I tossed a stone as big as a boulder on its surface since they are the size of an apple pie with purpose, scary weather…still no sun up in the sky…Don't know why there's no sun up in the sky, but it is after five…too early for it to shy; has got to be that stormy weather.

Tears are wet and so is rain but nary a drip has arrived with all the noise above so high… trees moving in a frantic display telling us that it surely will come today, stormy weather.

Take time to breath and than exhale slowly, following the possibilities trails.

Will it or won’t it, does it or don’t it?

Now that is just ridiculous, let’s call the whole thing off!

Getting too dark for this hour of five of thirty in the early of the evening…

We need to turn a light on to see what is what this is not right too soon for this to be!

It is June after all, when the days are heading towards as much daylight as they can get, why the summer solstice is only nine days away; the longest day yet!

Blue jello just before! Scary now, good night be happy be safe etc!

Silly me!

Don’t worry, be happy, should be a lament for us all!

My worse concerns are vanishing. That is as long as you take the bull by the horns and turn it all into motion and do something about it!

So, I have ascertained a reputable physician with excellent credentials to use my neck for a pin cushion and all I had to do was request my neuro transfer her referral to this choice of mine! Me doing my own work for me, again.

It was actually quite interesting how it all happened, my GP’s office, at the Millennium Group that saw me over the weekend called to see how I was doing this morning, nice touch, hmm?

And I told her I spoke with my neuro’s office yesterday and that she recommended that I go to pain management. Interpretation: shots in the neck. But when I checked the backgrounds of the two physicians of her choice, they were not so stellar, if you know what I mean, not even board certification for either of them could be found!

In truth the whole concept of injections in the neck was scary to me and with, ‘doctors’ that sounded questionable I was not going to go through with it, unless she/Christine, from the Millennium Group knew of any others with educations in the field that were acceptable to my discernible tastes in medical personnel with degrees in medicine, but at least did their residency here, at the very least and were also board certified.

Secretly I was hoping they were no such animals within our realm…but there was one more pain office Christine said and actually not too far from your own home, or my neuro’s office…how odd I thought why didn’t my neuro send me there?

I thanked Christine very, very much!

And called the new place’s office and asked to talk to someone that could tell me about the doctors there; John, a nurse, knew them both and gave me their names and I said thanks and hung up.

I Googled them both just like the other two, but this time both had excellent educations in the US and residency here too as well as board certification in their fields that they practiced, hooray and OY VEY!

Now, I have no excuses not to do this.

Oh, and Barbie, the nurse in my neuro’s office said she didn’t know why my doctor didn’t use them, but she agreed to the transferal of the referral without hesitation; especially after I explained why I did not want to go to the other ones. Personally, I believe it’s because my doctor has been here less than five years from the mid-west and recently joined a group that may dictate to her… I’m not saying they do, I am just saying they could or might… who knows?

Have you noticed that many doctors have been joining larger groups I suppose in ways it is more cost effective for sharing things, like billing and office space etcetera. Ah the times they are a changing.

In closing, my history always tells me that I will panic when difficulties enter my realm, but somehow I always find my way out of the trauma of the moment and end up with a solution, once the calm of level headedness kicks in and mystical intervention seems to magically gain hold of my destiny! Huh? What crap is that! I got lucky with a nice follow-up policy from a too big group of medical doctors that we really thought were too big to care, but we, Hubby and me were both wrong, thankfully!

On that note of some decent folk notes, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

And so it's like this...

I really wanted to try going to the gym/rehab and we did, with my latest addition/decoration to my wardrobe, my cervical collar ...

I looked ridiculous and was ready though to truly, truly try.

All in all, I was fortunate that the arm cycle was available and I did about ten of my fifteen minutes, five in each direction, but my head was starting to go funky, thus the mini workout. Hubby got me a coffee from the reception area and at first I thought it helped, but…

Next was my slant-board, actually called the total gym and that is exactly why I initially chose it due to the possibilities of doing a lot of good, body wise, for me…but alas today it was not going to be.

I have been proudly doing two sets of fifty reps on there, and today, after just thirty-five, I became very dizzy and called it quits!

Once home, my neuro’s office called back and suggested that they would be giving me a referral to pain management, neck injections.

I asked about the doctors backgrounds and they did not know and so I Googled them, a two person group and one was educated in Santos Domingo, a practicing M.D. for 28 years and the other a D.O., no info online was available and so I called their office and the person who answered the phone said she didn’t know their backgrounds and that concerned me, she finally looked on the office walls and saw that what I found out was correct, but no residency was listed either, some do have theirs in the U.S., but none was even on plaques in their own offices!

Not good, especially when the whole concept of injections in my neck could be dangerous!

My last MRI was in September and my neuro said due to that one nine months ago that she felt I did not need surgery yet, huh?

Can’t things change sooner? I know that a fall or a twist or turn can cause bulges or herniation. And aren’t my symptoms in need of another evaluation?

Not that I want surgery, but I do believe I would like to know what else I could do; besides heavy duty meds and injections?

I am running out of local doctors to go to… the one, another doctor that I went to years ago who first diagnosed my cervical stenosis and the Ataxia and sent me to my first neurologist, because he felt I had MS, is leaving in about two weeks to a practice on the east coast of Florida… the good ones all leave, damn! He is an orthopedic surgeon with a fine reputation, Johns Hopkins trained, Dr. Samuel Hess, good-bye and good luck doc!

Many physicians here, if you check, have come from fine American schools; my first neuro, his school was Tulane. I have had Harvard medical guys too.

Some stay and some leave. I just have to find the right ones still taking patients with my special numerous needs.

The funniest doctor’s info I gleaned was that one had Colombia as his school not his location, but it was a conversation with a hospital, not a look-up on my part that time, since Columbia is in NYC and has a medical school and Colombia also has a medical school, but in South America, both are spelled differently and are in two different locations with vastly different reputations. I know confusing. Grenada is another location many doctors have received medical degrees from as well, who knows what that means… I sure don’t… but it is worrisome.

I hate when I don’t feel well now and I have to find just the right way to proceed with my health in my hands…literally!

Tomorrow is another day and I sure hope I become enlightened. Oddly enough after I called those pain physicians and tried to reach my doctor to stop her from sending them my referral but her office was already closed, the pain guys office called me telling me that they just received the referral, and I said I am not sure if pain management with injections in my neck, yuck, is how I want to go and they said if you decided let us know…same as Chiropractic with death and or paralysis is very possible due to manipulation one centimeter off, too scary! And to be honest that is not how I pictured myself dying, more dynamic for me, with a bang not a fizzle!

On those way too weird notes, allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you kindly to count all your blessings and share all your overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Here ye, here ye, I am here! Always wanted to say that...

The day has been uneventful, except for the fact that an experiment I tried malfunctioned.

I know that none of you knew that I was a scientist I bet?

Well, not a professional scientist, more like an amateur, if they’re such things…Any-who, as most experiments go they either succeed or flop.

And sadly, I must admit this one flopped badly.

But don’t despair!

I always wanted to say that and this gave me the perfect opportunity to say just that and I did, didn’t I?

Moving on…

Oh I bet you are wondering what my experiment was?

Never mind, but I like the fact that you are interested.

Do you really want to know? Really, really truly, truly?

Gosh, I just found out that as a transplant to the south nearly twenty-seven years ago I am supposed to say since that is what truly, truly real southerners say, ‘truly, truly’, see always learning, daily.

But that’s not it.

No not at all...I could be mean and say that I stopped talking to one of my Facebook friends on purpose to see if they would write me off too, and oddly enough, that outcome did surprise me, but Geez that’s not this experiment… you see, I have more than one…But this is my most recent one and if I give you a hint I bet you would guess, would you like that, hmm?

Hint/clue: It’s a medical experiment, and by law I am not allowed to do this to others only to immediate persons in my own family or one’s self!

HA!

Braces are for teeth and for other body parts for support or to straighten or to prevent pain, let’s think on that one…

Heads, teeth, necks, shoulders, arms, hands, backs, legs, knees, hips, feet, all need them, TA DA, have you guessed yet?

Doctors and dentists usually remove certain surgical braces, but when are other braces removed?

By them too, or at times one might try to remove their own?

My hand one comes on and off all day long.

But my neck one used to come on and off days or weeks apart, but today it was on and off today!

Fear of weakening muscles is a real issue, but pain subsided without additional medication is a logical reasoning for listening to a medical professional.

And yes, Cervicogenic headaches are exactly what I have going on, and in my case it is being caused by my cervical stenosis that went from mild seven years ago to moderate last summer when I had my last cervical MRI.

Strong narcotic medication or surgery is the cure.

And right now I don’t want either; especially with my lousy insurance plan coverage, for the surgery, not the meds they would pay for them no problem, for me though, I just don’t want them.

Someone suggested chiropractic measures, but long ago I was informed by an orthopedic surgeon that when it concerns the nerves in the spinal canal being compromised you can become paralyzed or worse, die! Neurosurgeons are the preferred physicians for this, PS Chiropractors are not D.O.'s or M.D.'s!

And so, I will wait until it gets better tomorrow, I do hope so, since I have gym/rehab and this additional accoutrement, cervical collar, to my wardrobe with my hand brace… wait, one is black and the other is white, neutrals and usually always fashionable, although being wheelchair bound, nah it is not conducive to getting that cool look that we all strive for at the gym!

On that totally, truly, truly, ridiculous blog, now I am a southerner, nah, never happens, they don’t let you, (you gotta be born here) but allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and kindly ask you to count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know who and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

I'm short and so shall this be too...

Awoke at 1:33 A.M. due to that nasty headache again, put the cervical collar on, and it worked a bit but only when sitting upright. Drank the Java and it appeared to be a helper. At 5:30 A.M. I tried again to sleep in the bed, but no, my head would not cooperate!

Up once more and so I stayed up until 11:00 A.M. and tried for a nap, yep tried for about fifteen minutes and no, my head hurt too much so up again for the rest of the day!

Talked to the nurse with my insurance she felt that I should be seen by the ER; I told her that I have the Millennium Group, Hubby’s and my medical docs and they run a seven days' a week walk in clinic from 7:00 A.M. to 7 P.M., surprise they don’t call themselves seven, seven and seven, ha!

PA, physician's assistant, saw me and ruled out a stroke, but wanted to give me a prescription for Percocet, I said no thanks, doesn’t work for me. Ashley the PA asked than what does?

I said Lamaze or meditation, she smiled. She and Hubby both said that if I needed Tylenol to take it, well I said that is like taking water for me. She said I should wear my cervical collar until it feels better and I told her my concerns of weakening my neck muscles and she said it wouldn’t happen so fast. I am to call my neuro on Monday if no better. A stroke was ruled out, but if I did show signs to get right away to the ER, no ifs, ands or buts…

So I agreed and even put the cervical collar on ceremoniously in her office.

The Velcro let go when I was getting into the car and Hubby thought I was taking it off again and I said what had happened, and he said to keep it on. And so here I sit with this DAMN THING ON and if it lets me sleep tonight I will be very, very happy!

That’s all!

Good night to all and blessings all around the bend, whatever …

Be square or here or there or whenever…NOW! TEE HEE!
Love ya all!