Everyday Heroes

Hi Everyone. Today is a slow day for me, and I need it. Yesterday I had a, probably, very minor surgery, but it was a huge issue for me because, well, I have issues. I don’t like to be touched, and I get anxiety when I don’t know what to expect. It comes from having to dodge the unexpected, ya know? So, for me to go into such a situation is stressful, and ironically, the lead up to the event is by far the greatest part of the stress. But, yesterday, the clerical, nursing, doctors, and whoever else that I was too oblivious to observe their quiet professional efficiency, made sure I knew what was to happen, were personable and funny and absolutely great.

I don’t know how I would classify myself as a patient, but I do have a fair understanding of myself. When I get anxious, I talk more, joke a lot – and I’m really not funny to anyone – all in an effort to control the situation. It’s silly, I know, but it’s me. So, these poor people had to deal with this idiot. They were communicative, engaging, funny, and helpful. Shoot, the lady in recovery helped me put my pants and shoes on. I don’t know how much she gets paid, but it can’t be enough!

The thing about people who work in service is that they rarely hear about their job unless something goes wrong. Then, oh boy, do they hear about it. Perfection is unattainable, but something I once heard from my father has stayed with me: It’s the mark of a true craftsman who can take a mistake and still come out perfect. I obviously don’t know if any mistakes happened, but I do know this: it was my job to show up and place myself in their hands so they could solve my problems for me. They did a great job of that.

Now to answer your probable questions: My story basically begins with a sinus infection that I later realized, via the very bad taste in my mouth, was accompanied by a dental abscess. I went from not feeling so great to being in serious trouble and Scottie sent me off to the walk-in-clinic. And, why is it that I only get sick on weekends???? But, that followed with a trip to the dentist where I spent almost three hours getting a cleaning followed by a molar extraction. Remember: I don’t like to be touched. I was having the shakes in the car ride home afterward so bad I had to pull over before I wrecked. Unfortunately, that particular molar tends to send its roots into the maxillary sinus cavity, and the sinus membrane grows/seals around the roots. But, between the abscess, the bad root and the sinus infection, that membrane was weakened and did not heal. So, I had a hole in my head, one that did not heal. So, the doctor fixed a deviated septum, while he was in there anyway he says, cleaned out my maxillary sinus, did something to the membrane to help it heal, roughed up the root hole and stitched the hole to my mouth closed. Took about 90 minutes. Total cost so far is approaching $25,000. My insurance company is not happy with me. My costs exceed $5,000, not including three missed days of work and a week plus of light duty, but I can’t exactly have a hole in my head.

My lessons from this:
* Take care of your teeth!
* If you have a problem, don’t figure it will solve itself in time. Call someone! Get it resolved, or at least understood. Yes, it’s expensive, but Wow! – does it get expensive if you don’t take care of it when it’s relatively cheap.
* Be appreciative of the people who are there to help you. They are not a servant, they are doing a task you can not do for yourself but need, and they are due respect. On Monday, I am going to take in a box of Lindor Truffles to the surgery center at the hospital. It’s a small cost, especially in relation to the rest of it, but it goes to the people who helped me when I was a mess. And, let’s face it, anyone who helps me put on my pants and shoes deserves at least chocolate!

Hugs.
-Randy

ps: to anyone who helps people with a smile and good humor: Thank you!

A Quick & Easy Women’s History Post

It is almost 4 minutes. Watch it when you get a few minutes; not only is it history-making that she still sounds like this at 79, but the screen or screens behind her have their own little history bits. Enjoy! It’s not hard-rocking or loud or anything.

Another Women’s History Post

Short, sweet, and simple, by an artist I have adored since Jr. high and my own radio.

Josh Day Next Day

Enjoy some time on your Wednesday!

The Good News About Sonny Burton From DPA-

I’m copy-pasting it from my email.

Amazing news! We were in the middle of of a zoom press conference about the Gas Suffocation aspect of the planned execution of Sonny Burton in Alabama on Thursday when a reporter put into the chat:

“Did you see that Governor Ivey just commuted Burton’s sentence?”

And with that, the news was broken. Governor Ivey heard YOUR messages, received YOUR petitions, read the articles YOU sent, heard YOU ringing her phone off the hook, heard us tolling our bell outside her house…. and she acted. Amen! THANK YOU!

Once again, this proves, sometimes, our united efforts work!

Congratulations to Sonny and his legal team, his family, and to all who had a hand in creating this moment!

Governor Ivey has declared that “All Life is Precious,” which is why we made sure to bring along our 4×10 foot banner to the 24-hour vigil we helped coordinate in front of her house a few weeks ago. The banner could not be missed from any street-facing window of the Governor’s mansion. We know with certainty that the Governor was there…. NOW we know that she heard our message!

The other good news is that now we don’t have to drive all the way to Alabama. In fact, we had planned to go to Texas fiirst to toll the bell outside the prison in Huntsville at the execution of Cedrick Ricks on Wednesday, which is still on. Without our planned return through Alabama, making such a long drive makes less sense.

As you know, everything we do to support local activists working to halt executions is another expense. It’s not just the costs of being on the road that we must cover, but also the overhead…

The four full time staff and our media consultant who do the behind-the-scenes work.
The costs of the tools and services we use to communicate our message to the world.
The price of existing as an organization that shows up to oppose every execution.
(snip-donation request. You can get there from the page of any of these links.)

Thank you. Yours in the Struggle,

–abe

PS: New execution dates are being set regularly. Click here to oppose every upcoming execution.

Lay Lines, As Requested

https://www.gocomics.com/lay-lines/2026/03/09

Well change of supper plans and I am OK with it.

Hi every wonderful person who comes here. If you read my last post you might have noticed that Ron and I talk over what to cook for supper. Tonight we were going to eat up the few left overs and we got talking of what I wanted to cook tomorrow. I was planning to get the fryer out and then do french fries and deep fried chicken patties. Ron had already bought a bunch of cheese slices because he was thinking of me making another red tomato sauce to have chicken parmesan with spaghetti. But I suggested today doing the french fries and chicken patties with putting cheese on them while they were hot out of the fryer, and that way I wouldn’t have to make another red sauce, but we could have the thing Ron suggested later. He thought about it and he loves the idea. So I am off to cook supper. Making both my husband and me happy. Does this make me a traditional wife or just a happy partner in a same sex relationship? I don’t care really either way. It makes Ron really happy and he makes me really happy. Isn’t that what it is to be about? Hugs

For the wonderful people worried about my health / happiness especially since I wrote about being triggered. TLDR version I am so happy

Hi everyone. I really am so grateful for all of you and the support that you give me and others here. After I posted about the trigger event I think an important part got missed and today with all going on my wonderful husband offered to help me finish the dishes I was doing even though I knew he wanted to get on to other things. So I want to share this post with all of you.

I am happier than I can remember being in a long time.

For starters the triggering event was because Ron my husband who struggles to have the sexual desire I do was offering happily for us to … well have sex. But he was so wonderful with the way he handled it and when he got back up and made sure I was OK, he offered again. I said later.

Ron got home on the evening of the 2nd of March. Since then he has watched carefully to make sure I was not harming myself by taking on too much, instead softly forcing me to rest as he took over. On the personal side he has made it a daily routine and returned to the old normal of touching each other during the day and giving kisses and hugs. If he sees me struggling he intervenes right away.

But it goes both ways. Ron loves my cooking and with him home I have really been doing my best and in fact loving it. It gets to hurt so bad sitting in my desk chair and when we talk about what’s for supper and I provide a suggestion he asks if I would like to do it and I really want to. He does the chopping of vegetables and meats and I do the cooking / seasoning and set up the serving area.

Remember how I grew up. When I went out on my own I had no cooking skill at all. When Ron moved into my home I had eggs and hot dogs in the refrigerator. I simply had no clue how to make food. Ron first made food I fell in love with and started teaching me seasonings. I took to it like a fish to water and now he lets me take the lead on joint meal projects. And that is what the meals are, we work together on the idea and what we would like the outcome to be. He does any chopping because my eye sight is so bad and I have cut my self so badly at times. But then he lets me do my thing and comes to taste or add suggestions as I ask. He always does the cleanup as he understands how tired I am by then.

But it is more than meals. At night I struggle to sleep, and Tupac presses as hard to me as he can most of the time. Ron will reach out and touch me on the shoulder, arm, or back just to let me know he is there. If he knows or thinks I am struggling he will talk to me. If he knows I am awake he will ask if we can cuddle some more. I so love that but the issue there is Tupac. During the three months Ron was gone Tupac got very attached to me. He sleeps as close to me as he can get often laying his head on my folded arm. Ron says as long as I am able to sleep like that Tupac will stay asleep right there. If I shift he will move lower towards my belly and again push against me. If he doesn’t have paws touching me or himself he will lie with his head pointed at me and looking either up or down and his tail to Ron.

The few times I have moved him and set his stuff up so he was on the other side of us so Ron and I could cuddle he got very upset. So now I only do it if I have responded to his middle of the night need for food and while he is gone change the places of his sleep towels and blanket. He still doesn’t like it. The first night we did it in the morning Ron went to pet him and Tupac swatted at him.

I am sorry this is rambling, I guess I did not do a good job ordering my thoughts. I am just so happy which is an emotion I so rarely get to enjoy I wanted to share it all with everyone. Things seem so good, clear, wonderful, and grand, and Ron and I are more in tune with each other than we have been in a long time. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I don’t know, but the way he looks at me, the way his arms encircle me, and the way he gives me quick kisses are like it was half a decade ago and so wonderful. My body responds to him like in the old days and he enjoys it. That is new and I love it.

As for the bad events / the vortex. It has not been as bad since Ron has been home. I have had minor ones and have retreated to my “pink palace office” to cry quietly and try to deal. But the horrid nightmares reliving the events of my past have not happened since he came home. I have not needed to desperately cry out for help or in pain as I relive the things done to me. I know they will, but I also know he will be there. Listening and ready to help me face the demons and hurts that I will never totally make go away. I have noticed he is careful to not overload me mentally, emotionally, or physically. He will often tell me it is time for a break or that he would like to take over, or his favorite trick… I need a break do you mind if we rest for a while? I know he is doing it for me. But it still is grand. OK I don’t have a real ending here other than he just came into the office as I was writing this , leaned over me and gave me a kiss. I asked if he needed help with anything and his reply was not yet, I will let you know when. Maybe just possibly what they say about love is true, it can heal the wounds if you let it. Just know that now I am so very happy an emotion I have not felt in a long time. Hugs

For Women’s History Month,

a Monday entry that isn’t toooo historical, but is a nice tidbit. Enjoy the comic; the Women’s History bit is in the Soul Corner: “Painless Paula.”

https://www.gocomics.com/weepals/2026/03/08

“Northern Emerald-Toucanet”

Also Known As: Tucanete Esmeralda (Spanish), Tucancillo Verde (Spanish)

Aptly named for its striking green plumage, the Northern Emerald-Toucanet is actually quite camouflaged in the leafy forests where it makes its home. With its tropical take on countershading — darker green on the back and wings, lighter yellow-green below — this bird beautifully matches the color palette of forest leaves, whether seen from above or from below. With its accents of chestnut, blue, and white, and a large black and yellow bill, this pigeon-sized bird is a true beauty.

Similar to other toucans, Northern Emerald-Toucanets eat mostly fruit, capitalizing on the wide diversity of fruit-bearing trees in the humid forests of their home in Central America. These birds mostly swallow their food whole, including some larger-seeded fruits, which they repeatedly regurgitate and swallow until the flesh is consumed. Whether by regurgitation or defecation, these birds spread the seeds of their food trees throughout the forest. Many tropical trees have evolved to bear fruit specifically for this purpose, taking advantage of birds’ wings to spread their seeds far and wide. In fact, the process of moving through the digestive tract of an animal actually helps the seeds of many of these trees to germinate. In effect, these toucanets, along with a cohort of other fruit-eating birds and mammals, are gardeners of their own food forests. (snip)

Bird Gallery

The Northern Emerald-Toucanet is indeed a beautiful, vibrant green, top and bottom, with the back a deeper, darker hue and the underparts lighter and slightly yellowish. The long tail is iridescent blue and green, with a rusty or chestnut tip matched by the vent feathers beneath the tail. The eight subspecies across its geographic range vary in the coloration of the throat, either blue or white, and the bill. In all subspecies, the lower mandible is black. The upper mandible has some black as well, but may be almost entirely yellow. Some subspecies also have a reddish to brown patch near the nostrils.