Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Today just about everyone has a cell phone.  Or a computer.  It gives the illusion everyone’s connected.  And true communication is occurring.  It is just that–an illusion.  Communication is nine tenths non verbal.  True communication is face to face.  Deception today is all too easy.  Anyone can text via cell phone. Or E Mail.  Any where you go it appears people’s ears are attached permanently to their cell phones.  It is far harder to talk to someone in person.  You miss too much if you insist just on using your cell phone or E Mail.  It is just one kind of communication.  And it is very flawed and incomplete so never forget that.  And far too easy to deceive another.

Tags: cell phone, communication, communication is nine tenths non verbal, computer, e-mail, easy deception, face to face, flawed and incomplete, illusion of today's communication, talk in person, text messages
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I spotted it on the edge of the woods last night.  I angled my car a little so my spotlights could shine on it better.  It was dog shaped with big ears.  It did not run away but simply backed into the forest a little.  I immediately called a friend and described the animal to him.  ”Yep, you saw a coyote.”  I was not convinced though and went online the next day to see pictures.  I was puzzled it looked more like a jackal (with its over sized ears) than a coyote but they are not native to this area.  I decided to call my friend back to question him again.

Tags: coyote, jackal, my friend, not native to this area, wildlife, woods
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The robins are back.  Yesterday, we drove around town to see how many we could spot.  We saw three or four.  Today I saw two in the backyard at the same time.  They are back and spring is coming.  I had to strip down to my tee shirt discarding my undershirt.  It still was not that warm.  I tried driving into town with my windows down.  I had to put them up again.  It was almost time to dig out my shorts.  It was almost too warm in my long pants.  It is forecast to hit the seventies several times in the next ten days so I might have to dig up my shorts after all.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, long pants, robins, spring, spring is coming, tee shirt and shorts, warm temperatures
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Two days ago we bought a mattress that might outlive me.  It had a twenty-five year warranty.  That fact did not escape me.  This is the second mattress we bought in the last year.  The other one was just too hard for my wife.  I am hoping the new one she will be able to sleep in and not have pain.  She has a bad back.  Now we have to sell the other one.

Tags: mattress too hard, new mattress, twenty-five year warranty
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Every time I look out the kitchen window I am looking for the pair of bluebirds that were checking out the bluebird box.  My wife was the one who saw them each go into the box.  The next day the nesting box fell down and that day I made sure it would not do that again.  Nevertheless, I do not (???) whether they returned the next day and were simply discouraged from coming back.  Despite that possibility I keep looking out that window hoping the bluebirds will return.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, bluebird box, bluebirds, hoping the bluebirds will return, kitchen window, my wife, nesting box, pair of bluebirds
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We are on the cusp of spring.  The ten day weather forecast says every day will be at least sixty degrees and there might be one or two days that hits seventy.  Today is sunny and warm and I want to go out to celebrate the spring that is coming.  It is less than two weeks away.  Let us see when the robins have all come back and are on everyone’s lawn searching for earthworms.  This winter was mild and there was almost no snow.  I just don’t tolerate cold weather too well any longer and I am awaiting the first seventy degree day.

Tags: almost no snow, bird-watching, birds, celebrate spring, cusp of Spring, don't tolerate cold weather too well, earthworms, mild winter, robins, spring, sunny and warm, ten day weather forecast, warm weather, winter
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I looked high and low but I could not spot any more robins.  Every stretch of lawn I looked up and down but no more robins.  I almost doubted the bird I saw yesterday was a robin but I recognized its distinctive hop.  Maybe, it was one that did not migrate–not all do.  It was a warm day today.  Three different colored primrose were blooming–each flower contained a yellow star.  There were pink, white and a multitude of yellow flowers.  The purple crocus we transplanted a week ago were all blooming.  It was sunny and then it rained.  Spring was on the horizon.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, crocus, flowers, pink flowers, primrose, purple crocus, robin has a distinctive hop, robins, spring, Spring on the horizon, white flowers, winter, yellow flowers
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It was the first sighting of a robin in my town.  I was curious.  It was getting dark–near dusk and I flushed a bird in the middle of the road.  I was curious what it was so I followed it in my car and stopped to try to identify it.  It was getting really dark but I spotted the bird in someone’s yard.  It had the distinctive hop of a robin to my surprise–the first one of the year.  It was the earliest sighting of a robin I could remember.  Now I will see if I can spot more.

Tags: bird-watching, birds, early sighting of a robin, first robin of the year, robin, spring, winter
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There is always something going on with you to write about.  The trick is to pick up a thread–something that is prominent in your consciousness and follow it.  The ability to do that accurately gives it force and honesty.

It is a question of being quiet and noticing what is going on.  There are always all kinds of thoughts running through your head.  What thoughts have the greatest concern at the moment?  Those are the thoughts you focus on.

Realize you have to choose to record them.  If you feel compelled all the time to write, eventually you will peter out.  There is always something you are mulling over.  You live to write, not write to live.

Tags: choose to record them, live to write, notice what is going on, thoughts running through your head, writing
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The latest about Tilla, my favorite dog.  My wife last night let the dogs back in.  She had some scraps from dinner in her left hand, which she had extended.  Three dogs came in and Tilla without missing a beat jumped up and grabbed a bite as he came in.  My wife laughed.  He does not miss anything.  Last night he slept on my bed as usual but was along the left side of me not far from my reach.  I petted him several times during the night.  He was in that position for hours.  There is nothing like togetherness.

Tags: bed, dinner scraps, dog sleeps on bed, dogs, my wife, nothing like togetherness, pets, petted, Tilla
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I have to ask, again and again:  Are we our brother’s keeper?  You read repeatedly how state after state is slashing their budget for mental health services.  Sure, states can’t afford to continue to pay for upkeep of their mental health hospitals so many of them are closing.  The services in the communities are often not supported; even services that have proved to be cost effective like peer centers.

People will still suffer.  The jails, not hospitals, now contain the largest population of the mentally ill.  Many are in for minor offenses.  Is that right?  As if the politicians don’t know that?  This population is the most vulnerable.  ER’s are increasingly being filled with those in crisis and it is very difficult to find an appropriate place for them to go.

We will be judged by how we treat the weak and vulnerable.  I will ask the politicians, again, are you your brothers’ keeper?  It costs a lot of money to treat the mentally ill in jail.  The money could be better spent in the community.  The mentally ill do not belong in jail.

People are suffering unnecessarily.  The general public is also complicit in this situation.  There was a reason state hospitals were often in the country.  Out of sight, out of mind although it is true decades ago they were called rest homes.  There were none of the medications available and often all some of the people in crisis needed was some peace and quiet and time to regain their equilibrium.

The public and the politicians need to ask themselves are we our brothers’ keeper?  And support the services that are needed to humanely treat the mentally ill.  By all means the states need to spend their money wisely.  But acting as if the problems will vanish and expecting the jails to treat the mentally ill is not right.

It could be your loved one?  After all, one out of four have been diagnosed mentally ill in their lifetime.  And you would want proper and humane treatment for your loved ones.  Or even you?  So we have to keep asking ourselves (and the politicians) are we our brothers’ keeper?

Tags: budget, community, cost effective, country, crisis, equilibrium, ER, general public, God, health, hospitals, humane treatment, jail, lot of money, medications, mental health, money, most vulnerable, one out of four, our brothers' keeper, out of sight out of mind, peace and quiet, peer centers, politicians, rest homes, services, state hospitals, suffer, the public, your loved one
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I was surrounded by my three black animals, again, in bed.  Cool Hand Luke, my cat was somewhere on my bed, sometimes, arching her back nearby for my touch.  Then there were my two dogs:  Tilla was in his spot, to the left of me, on the bed usually within reach.  Coco, the other female, unassuming, most of time lay at the foot of the bed.  Although, yesterday, when I called her she jumped on the bed and lay close to me, so close I had to nudge her away a little bit:  I could not get enough of my blanket over me.  She then jumped off and lay at her usual spot.  At some point the animals move after I have fallen asleep.  This morning after Tilla heard me stir he jumped on the bed to greet me and half asleep I petted him and then he jumped off the bed, again.  Sometimes there are more creatures in my bedroom but these mentioned are the “regulars”.

Tags: animals, bed, bedroom, blanket, cats, cats sleep on bed, Coco, Cool Hand Luke, dogs, dogs sleep on bed, fall asleep, foot of the bed, half asleep, pets, petted, Tilla
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