Mishmash: Kitty Kids

It has been a very long time since I have posted any mishmash. Actually, I have not publish much since the fall on April 12^th and my return from hospital and rehab in early June. I shall begin with the Kitty Kids. So, here is some Kitty Kid `mishmash.

Sugar

 If you have not been following me on Facebook then you probably do not know that little white Sugar has disappeared from our home. I am sure that she escaped outside when some of the very kind people came to my apartment to feed the cats and clean out there litter box. I have not seen anything of her since I returned home. I hope that she is either found a good human to adopt or is using her vast street smarts to survive. I miss Sugar.

 

 

 

 

Alex

My buddy, Alex, will be 12-years- old in December. He plays a bit with Midnight, but really doesn’t like to be hassled by her. He does sleep quite a bit—perhaps more than when he was younger. (Of course, I do, too). He has been keeping close watch on me ever since I was gone all that time in hospital and rehabilitation. He often sleeps on the floor on top of my oxygen tubing, so that if I move, he knows it. If I’m napping in my lift chair, Alex is generally napping between my legs. At night, is usually sleeps on my left side and arranges his body so that he can use my forearm or hand as a pillow. I deeply love Alex.

 

 

 

 

Midnight

Midnight is all kitten—a quite large kitten. She is bigger than Alex and has been known to hassle the older cats when she wants to play and they do not. As a kitten often does, she investigates everything—pawing, smelling, and tasting stuff. Midnight has developed several routines. If I have napping in my chair with Alex sleeping between my legs, she climbs up on my chest and stomach and kneads me with her paws; then she turns around several times and curls up upon me. Of course, she never lasts long in one position and is soon turning around, often sticking her rear end into my face, before curling down in another position. At night, with Alex sleeping on my left side, she repeats the routine, unless she decides to annoy Alex.  I have come to deeply love this kitten, whose birth I witnessed.

 

 

 

 

Mishmash & Updates

It's been quite a while since I've written a mishmash post. In this one I'm including some short updates about my life.

ALEX

I really can't update my life without starting with the furball whom I serve. Recently he has decided that wherever I am he needs to also be:

Yesterday Alex wrote in blog, Alexicon, about our watching TV together.

IRS

I am no longer jousting with the dragon named the Internal Revenue Service. Actually, I have no idea what I am doing other than trying to scrape by financially. With the wonderful assistance of the office of one of Kentucky's United States Senators, the Honorable Mitch McConnell, the IRS listened to my story and, although not agreeing to agree with me that I do not owe the $20.000+ they think that I owe, the IRS will not levy my bank account or Social Security check again. They also said that the money ($1.028.00) they took from my back account would be returned to my bank account.

Senator McConnell's office was informed by the IRS that the funds would be returned by  the end of July. When that didn't happen, they were give a date of "around August 23." That date passed without anything happening, too. On September 9th the senator's office again contacted the IRS; as of today they have not responded.

What I now want from the Internal Revenue Service is a ya or nay about returning my funds. It's as simple as that! There must be some bureaucrat able to make that decision and inform Senator McConnell's office who will inform me.

AMAZON.COM and ME

The book I am presently re-reading is entitled Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh. This was the third time I have read it; I am enlightened a bit more each time I do.

 Living Buddha, Living Christ may not be the sort of book you want to read or own. However, it it or Thich Nhat Hanh do interest you and you click any of the above links, you will be transported to the book at Amazon.com. And, if you happen to purchase the book or whatever from Amazon after going to the site via a link on Nick's Bytes, then I receive a whopping 4% of your purchase price. (OK, it ain't much but it is something). I have been creating these links since Blogger and Amazon.com made then available a few months ago. Thius far, my total commision has been zero, which is what I expect future commissions to be.

There are other links to Amazon.com on my sidebar and below Nick's Bytes' header. They cover music. movies, electronics, and even groceries. I recommend everything that is linked and have used everything except the Kindle that I cannot afford to purchase. (I purchase all of Alex's cat food and cat treats from Amazon because it's much cheaper). That same 4% to me applies with all of the links if you make a purchase after following a link from Nick's Bytes.

Thanks for putting up with this "commercial." I promise not to repeat it. (As Alex would say, OK?)

SPICE IN MY LIFE

Please meet my new (about 5 weeks) caregiver, Tonay, a.k.a. Spice. She is a joy to have around, really spicing up my life!

HEARING

Thanks to the VA, I can hear well for the first time in many years:

I had forgotten that

• one can hear birds singing from inside the house
• magazines and newspapers make a rustling sound when pages are turned
• shoes make a sound when walking across the floor
• one can hear Alex purr even when not holding him close to one's body
• cars and trucks driving down the street are very, very loud
• one can converse with another without using the words what did you say; say again, please; I didn't hear you; huh? 

 THANKS FOR DROPPING BY

ADDENDUM:

I offer my prayers of thanksgiving! I received the following email from Senator McConnell's office on the afternoon of 16 September, 2010:

Mr. Temple,

I am sorry that I am just now contacting you about your reimbursement from the IRS.  I have been trying to figure out what is going on with your case.  I received a call from the Taxpayer Advocate Service this morning.  Apparently, the Taxpayer Advocate Office had been misinformed by the IRS initially in regards to the approval of reimbursement.  The IRS had not originally approved this action and had just agreed to put you in non-collectible status.  However, the Taxpayer Advocate Office has convinced them to reverse their decision.  They will be sending you a payment manually (in the form of a paper check), however, it will not be processed and sent for another 10-14 days.  I hope you can hang in there for that period of time.  I am very sorry for the hold up on this and the congressional liaison at the Taxpayer Advocate Office also wants to apologize.  Please let me know if you do not receive this money in the allotted time.  I will be closely tracking this.     

Good News!

Due to being promoted to a full-time, supervisory position at Osami's "other" job, last Friday he began working as my caregiver from 7:00 to 10:00 PM Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday rather than 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM the same days.

Last night he came in my door with a huge smile on his face. He announced that he had gotten word that his wife and son will be able to come to the United States from Cuba within the next 12 months, perhaps even sooner. They are still on the list for a visa, which may take up to 12 months; however, they are number 2 on a second list to receive a visa if anyone cancels their request to immigrate to the United States. That's the good news!

 Osami and me

I also celebrate this very good news:

In case you missed it, I have posted on my photo blog, Nick's Pics,all of the photos that I have of the delightful March 14th wedding of my son, Rob, and KIm.

 Rob and Kim

Although Alex was disappointed that our "warm" weather disappeared for a few days, he was happy to remain in the house to harass me and for us to play with his birdie-on-a-string.

Just for fun (and because he speaks for me and millions of Americans) ....

Updates & Mishmash

 

UPDATES

The Bed. On January 22nd I wrote that I had concluded that that I needed another bed! After researching the possibilities, I had my physician, whose suggestion it was that I sleep in a bed with my head above your heart and your legs above your chest, write and fax a persecription to one of the local Medicare providers for an electric hospital bed.

The bed is available now and will be delivered and set up as soon as my present bed is out of the bedroom. I have people willing to despose of the bed now; I simply waiting for them to coordinate among themselves when they can come.

BTW, the reson I didn't have my doc write the Rx when he first suggested it was becuase I was afraid that I could not afford the co-pay for the rental of the bed. However, after doing a bit a research I learned that I will have a $25.00 per month co-pay for thirteen months and then I'll own the bed. THat's still stretching my fixed income, but I really do need to get some OK sleep.

The Electric Blankie

Since I have been sleeping in the recliner/lift chair in the living room, Alex has stopped sleeping (except for nappies) on our new electric blanket on our bed. Rather he has been sleeping the in the living room, either on the couch beside the recliner/lift chair or on my chest or feet if I am sleeping in the recliner/lift chair. I am touched that the little fellow would rather be in my company than warmed by the electric blanket.

The Fissure

The fissure in my foot has healed very nicely, Thank you, Dr. B.

MISHMASH

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. ~ Thomas Jefferson

For years I had considered rgar quote as referring to those on welfare. Then a wise woman posited out that those receiving welfare are almost all desiring to work. The ones not willing to work, she said, ar the capitalists, whose livelihood comes from the labor of others.

CBS has rejected a advertisement prepared by the United Church of Christ.  CBS wrote to UCC: 

Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations, and the fact the Executive Branch [Bush administration] has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is ...unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS and UPN] networks.

For more about this you may read this opinion in the Cleveland Plain Dealer: United Church of Christ is a victim of TV ad policies, old and new: The Rev. J. Bennett Guess

I couple of days ago I learned that President Obama has declared January National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Since human trafficking and slavery are major concerns of mine, I regret not having yet blogged about this. That is especially true since I just heard on CNN that there may be as many as 250,000 child slaves in Haiti.


Until I do write more, I offer you the following video:

 

2009 Seasonal Mishmash

My mother and I had a long telephone conversation this afternoon. She remembered that she was 17 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Her "young adulthood" was taken up by World War II.

Memories of those days came back to her yesterday as she watched a television program that centered on many of the songs of that time. As music often does, the songs tapped many of Mom's memories, both happy and sad.

The video below is for my mother, even though she doesn't have a computer and probably will never see it.

The 3rd post to my newest blog, Nick's Pics, is up. This one is made up of photographs of me playing "cowboy" in my Uncle Frank's backyard.

Alex has a new post on his blog, Alexicon, with pictures of the furball and me watching what ALex calls pawz-ballz on TV:

Often pictures speak much louder than words. I believe that the work of editorial cartoonists may speak the loudest of all. Below are some that I have encountered that speak to me as they address this 2009 hoiliday season. For more editoral cartoons, my I suggest that your browse Daryl Cagle's site?