HOW TO SCREEN A NANNY

      It was in the 1960’s when I had the most unpleasant experiences of sleep in maids.  We did not call them nannies in those days as they took charge of the household as well as taking care of my four and six  year old sons.  It was a time when I started a new business out of necessity, as my husband was president of a newly formed public company and was hardly home.  Unlike the CEO’s of today, he hardly took home enough money to cover our expenses.  After living off our savings I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time in the fashion jewelry and accessory industry. Young and talented, I was lucky in finding hot items to create, and hungry. With the help of two manufacture reps, I sold all over the country and needed help at home.

     Looking in the paper I noticed an advertisement for a young housekeeper who loved children and was looking for a sleep in position. The ad was placed by a Reverend from a local church for the young lady.  After speaking with him, he sounded respectable and trusting. Allowing myself to interview this young Twenty year old, I found her sweet and very eager to work for us. Anxious to get out of the house to continue with my business, she was hired that same day with a room of her own.

     At times I felt envious that our maid was wearing my apron, doing my dishes and playing with my children.  That was not the dream I had growing up, hoping one day I'd have children and play with them. Now, someone from a third world country, a stranger was in charge of my life’s possessions. While my friends and neighbors envied me, I became miserable about the situation I was in.

    My divorced father, living alone was recuperating from a heart attack in my home.  His doctor gave him strict orders not to have salt in his diet.  Giving instructions to our young maid, she promised to be careful with his diet..

    One day I came home finding my young children playing unattended in the street, my father in a rage and my maid missing.  It appeared she gave my father a meal with salt and he demanded to leave my house.  Mona, my maid, was missing all day, and I drove all over looking for her. The next day I got a call from her telling me she went to an Afro American beauty parlor to have her hair done.  The ladies there question her as to where she was from and what she did for a living.  When they heard she was a maid, they told her to quit working for us as they will get her a better job. “No young Afro American girl should be a maid” they told her. Those ladies did not give her proper advice.  Yes, they were right about her being too young to be a maid, but they should have guided her in being more responsible by not leaving young children unattended  and a sick patient in bed.  They should have taught her to first give notice before quitting.

    A month later I got a call from the ladies in the Afro American beauty parlor asking me to please take her back.  They did not realize they created a liability for themselves, as Mona was not educated nor skilled.  Having to feed and clothe her, they wanted me to take her off their hands.  I told them no way and what they did was unforgivable.  Then the Reverend called begging me to reconsider.  I never did.

    The next maid came from an agency where they screened her.  After interviewing her, she was hired on the spot.  I adored her and my children loved her as well. Since I was extremely busy with my head in my business, I did not realize the unhappiness of this new maid.  My boys came over to me telling me whenever she was in her room she cried all the time. Assuming I did something wrong, I went to her asking if I offended her in any way or caused her unhappiness.  She told me her depression was not with me but from her situation with her husband.  Although she had children with him back in the Caribbean, he took up with her friend having more babies with her.

    Only having one year of physiology 101 in college, I was very interested in the human mind.  Some depressions could be harmless while others most dangerous.  Not being properly trained and fearing for my children, I sadly had to let her go.  I took a big chance with both maids and considered myself very lucky as I hired these ladies without proper screening..  Afterall I was in my twenties with  no one to advise me how to do it correctly. It was during that time when I let the last maid go, I read in the paper about a nanny who drowned two little children in a tub for religious reasons.  It left a devastating mark in my mind and promised myself no matter how poor I was and needed to get a job to earn a living, I will never hire a nanny for that fear.  If  in the event I needed to work, I would do it from home.  That is what I did for 28 years.  My husband and I had a leasing business in our home while we had our third child.  Always home, I gave my daughter milk and cookies after school. During dinner I served my family wearing my own apron. 

    Not many young mothers are as fortunate as I was to make the same choice.  Many need to leave their babies home for long periods during the day to work.  They are now faced with the fear of this recent news of the nanny killer, Yoselyn Ortega who fatally stabbed two young children to death in the bathtub..  Young mothers need to learn more about how to screen their nannies. The problem with most young mothers are they are desperate for help and need it fast.  They use their gut feelings instead of proper screening.
    For what it’s worth here is the questioner you should  print and make many copies for future hiring.  Do not be embarrassed by these questions.  If you need to finance a car or get a job, some of these questions are asked.  If they are not answered honestly, they do not get hired.  It is your child who is relying on you to be careful.  Do not hire a nanny who is just nice.  You need more information.

NANNY APPLICATION

FIRST NAME                               LAST NAME

STREET ADDRESS                         CITY              STATE        ZIP

PREV ADDRESS                             CITY              STATE        ZIP

HOME PHONE                                CELL

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

GREEN CARD

MARRIED/SINGLE

NAME OF HUSBAND CONTACT NUMBER

NAME OF BOYFRIEND ADDRESS  CONTACT NUMBER

NEAREST RELATIVE

FIRST NAME                            LAST NAME                

ADDRESS                                 PHONE                RELATIONSHIP

NEAREST RELATIVE

FIRST NAME                            LAST NAME               

ADDRESS                                 PHONE               RELATIONSHIP

MEDICAL DOCTOR

FIRST NAME                   LAST NAME                PHONE NUMBER

                                                                                                               

PSYCHIATRIST 

FIRST NAME                     LAST NAME                    PHONE NUMBER

ILLNESSES DID YOU EVER HAVE (circle)

MUMPS

MEASLES

CHICKEN POX

AIDS

HEART DISEASE

THYROID

RESPIRATORY DISEASE

SEIZURES

SLEEP DISORDERS

SCHIZOPHRENIA

ANGER MANAGEMENT PROBLEM 

DEPRESSION

MOOD SWINGS

WHERE YOU EVER SEXUALLY ABUSED?

LIST ALL MEDICATIONS

ARE YOU TAKING MIND ALTERING DRUGS YES/NO

LIST THREE OR MORE REFERENCES WHERE YOU WORKED 

REASONS FOR LEAVING

WHAT IS YOUR RELIGION  VERY /NOT VERY

DO YOU KNOW HEIMLICH MANEUVER  FOR BABIES AND CHILDREN
WHERE DID YOU LEARN IT?  CAN YOU DEMONSTRATE WITH THIS DOLL?

HOW DO YOU DISCIPLINE A CHILD

SLAP

HIT

SCOLD

PUNISH
OTHER

HOW DO YOU HANDLE A CRYING BABY

HOW DO YOU HANDLE A NAGGING CHILD

DEFINE YOUR REQUIREMENTS TO NANNY 

    After making reference calls, go on line looking for companies that does back ground checks.  It is worth the money and is not expensive. There is also a Nanny Personality and Risk Assessment test in addition to the above that you can obtain on line. When the Nanny is hired, make sure you have a Nanny Cam hidden in an appropriate place.

    One last advice and most important.  Find time to sit down with your nanny, asking how she is feeling, especially if she has a cold, or problems at home.  Most young mothers are only interested in news relating to their children. Some nannies are lonely with no one to talk to.  The best way to find out what is in her head or what's troubling her is conversation and showing you care.
    Good luck
 

If you wish to comment, add your experiences, or offer advice to our readers, please do so by clicking on COMMENTS

Thalidomide Dilemma

 Why I am outraged at the pharmaceutical companies.  It all started 57 years ago when I met a Thalidomide friend. After telling me her mother took the prescribed drug for morning sickness and anxieties, I wondered why the doctors did not protect her.

There are many parents today who are taking their young children to doctors for prescription drugs to help them grow taller, make them more alert, calm them down, make them sleep better, perform better in sports, schools, etc.  The nice doctors oblige but hardly give the parents the side effects. Most important, they honestly do not know the long term results of those drugs.  Still they administer them. And that is my case for this issue

In my friend’s memory I wrote a eulogy August 2010 on my web site:  www.pushthewheel.com.  It mentions her plus a video showing children who were affected.

If one would look up Thalidomide they would read as follows: Thalidomide is a sedative drug introduced in the late 1950s that was used to treat morning sickness and aid sleep. It was sold from 1957 until 1961, when it was withdrawn after being found to be a cause of birth defects. Since my friend was born July, 1939 one would say the above information was untrue.

Thalidomide was launched by Grünenthal on 1 October 1957.  It was effective as a tranquilizer and painkiller, and was proclaimed a "wonder drug" for insomnia, coughs, colds and headaches. It was also good for pregnant women who had morning sickness. So my question is how did they know, (the medical profession) if the drug harmed them or their children afterwards. Wasn’t there research out there then? At the time of the drug's development, scientists did not believe any drug taken by a pregnant woman could pass across the placental barrier and harm the fetus.

Grunenthal has claimed to have lost documents relating to drug trials but Dr Johnson said its 1954 patent for Thalidomide indicated it had already been tested on humans before official tests began. Isn’t that interesting how all those formulas and documents got lost? It was noted that the drug was being tested and marketed in Germany in the early 1900 as an insecticide and found it did dangerous things.

An Australian class action law suit led my Lynette Rowe, a Thalidomide victim, was settled July 17, 2012, it was believed to be in the millions of dollars and paving the way for class action victims to receive further compensation.

Argentinian author Carlos De Napoli says he has discovered a November 1944 document from German pharmaceutical company IG Farben which refers to a substance with the same chemical formula as Thalidomide. In his book Hitler's Laboratories, he states company director Fritz ter Meer sent a memo to Karl Brandt, an SS general who ran Hitler's euthanasia programme.

The memo refers to the drug by a number - 4589 - and adds it has been tested and is ready for use. “There is absolutely no doubt of the Nazi development of, and experimentation with, thalidomide in the World War Two camps,' he said.

But documents unearthed by Dr Martin Johnson, director of the Thalidomide Trust, suggest it was created as a antidote to nerve toxins including sarin and was developed by Otto Ambros, a Third Reich scientist. Dr Johnson claims the drug was worked on by Ambros before he went to Grunenthal after the war.

'It is now appearing increasingly likely that thalidomide was the last war crime of the Nazis,' Dr Johnson said

.

The company insists it was invented in 1953 but a document suggests it had previously purchased the trade name Contergan, and therefore presumably the drug, from a French firm which had been controlled by the Nazis.

He concludes in a report: "The patents suggest that thalidomide was probably one of a number of products developed at [chemical laboratory] Dyhernfurth or Auschwitz-Monowitz [a synthetic rubber and petrol processing plant which used labour from concentration camps] under the leadership of Otto Ambros in the course of nerve gas research."

Recently it was just published in the Palm Beach Post that Germany apologized to all surviving Thalidomide victims.  Sorry, that just won’t do. There should be more pressures to the various countries especially Germany to compensate all Thalidomide survivors and their heirs. An Apology is simply not enough

BEST LITTLE SECRET IN DIETING

Wondering if Sensa might be the best diet out there, I took the liberty of researching the ingredients as follows: 

Maltodextrin is a carbohydrate food supplement, not the best for your body because of the starch and filler processed.

Tricalcium phosphate is harmless and is used in toothpaste, cakes and antacids, yogurts, spices and candies.  The symptoms are the same as Sensa states: Might cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, dry mouth and decreased appetite.

Selica is sand which makes glass, such as windows, bottles. Etc.  When breathing in the powder can cause bronchitis or cancer.  I took the liberty of calling the poison control who said just as I stated.  It is sand and has no benefit in digesting.  Among many uses, it is used in small packets in boxes of electronic equipment being shipped to avoid moisture. 

Thus the only product in this package I would consider is Tricalcium phosphate which I will ask my pharmacist, doctor, and the vitamin shop.  I am sure it is a fraction of the cost of Sensa.  I shall return this without hesitation.

Remembering a TV show years ago, when 3 or 4 very thin men and women come on stage carrying their old huge overalls. They were once over 200 to 300 lbs. They tried every diet in the book unsuccessfully. So how did they get so thin? A doctor told them their chemical in their bodies were different than most. Their food was not digested normally and it was like an allergy. Foods affect people differently. Some suffer from gastro conditions, sinuses, asthma, etc. Others retain more fat than others. It is not fair. I know.

It was obvious, they said, they learned they could no longer have the one food they loved. PASTA. Weight Watchers say you could have a cup full, but who is satisfied with just a cup?

Among other foods they loved were cake, cookies, anything with wheat and especially ice cream. (That was the demon for me) I love ice cream. They said it was like quitting smoking. Once you take the first cigarette after quitting for years, you're hooked again. They continued to say, "For the rest our lives, we know we can never enjoy those foods again, which were not our friends anyway. They made us look disgusting, disfigured, gave us poor health, and god knows what else."

Whenever I eat cereal, I try to look for the ones with less sugar, such as Cheerios. I put in blueberries and sometimes a couple of slices of banana. After eating, why am I still hungry? I crave for sweets and more food. That was why I was anxious to purchase Sensa. I wanted to stop my hunger.

People like me are undisciplined. No time to measure and count calories or points. I Just want to be knowledgeable to know portion control. Doctors say we should eat a portion, the size of our palm. That is the amount of what weight watchers give you. So why spend all that money on WW or Nutrisystem when you get the idea?

If it is difficult to get started for some, the best alternative is Weight Watchers. They will teach you how to eat and snack safely. The weight loss will come off slower because they give you bread, pasta, sodium, etc., and makes you count points. My way of eliminating the demons  all together which is the healthiest, safest, fastest, and cheapest way to get thin.

Researching further, I read that proper nutrients, when digested normally will not cause hunger. We get cravings because we are not getting enough nutrition.

Foods that contain high amounts of sodium cause the body to retain water and are also known to make you gain weight quickly. Some of these foods include salt, highly processed foods, canned goods and bacon. Fatty foods like cream-based soups, saturated fats and fatty meats also cause rapid weight gain. 

Bottom line, no need to spend money on diets. Drink a lot of water to curb your appetite. Just eliminate cakes, cookies, ice cream, candy, bread, PASTA, cheese and fat. Once the sweets get out of your system, your body won’t crave it. I promise you will get thin.  Within a month, come back to my web site and comment how well you did.

Oh well, guess I will have to eliminate Chinese food, as I loved their spare ribs, unless I order streamed food, which is not such a bad idea.

Now, I guess I will practice what I preached.  I will let you know next month if I lost weight.  I hope I do not disappoint myself with lack of will power and looking forward to hearing how you did as well..

THE DIET DILEMMA

Ever since I was eighteen years old, I had a weight problem. Although I was not heavy, my desire was to be thinner. Diet pills were the latest diet fad in the 50's and 60’s. Our doctors prescribed them along with a diet. The results were remarkable and I was extremely happy along with my admirers.

Through the years I went on and off the pills whenever I gained weight. Whenever I was on them, my body felt as though I was taking uppers and downers at the same time. The feeling was quite weird. Although the pills worked and kept me nicely trimmed, I believe it caused my thyroid to go out of control. Hoarseness, hair loss, rapid weight gain and fatigue were my constant complaints. My condition was called Hypothyroidism.

Although I was committed for life taking Synthroid and other alternative drugs, my symptoms never diminished. Candy was always in my purse for a quick pick me up. My diets went on and off through the years but hard to follow once working on a daily basis and raising a family. Now, at age 73, with the kids out of the house and retired from a busy office, I want to take control and get my body back.

A local chiropractor held a seminar saying endocrinologists and primary physicians are not treating thyroid problems accurately because they are not doing more tests. His testing is enormous, costing about $150 -$300 a month for excessive blood work and consultations. He does not take insurance . But he promised my energy would return along with curing my symptoms which included loosing weight.

The next alternative and in my opinion the best, if you can afford it, or if it is covered by insurance, is to seek out a nutritionist who is a medical doctor. He is the only one who is knowledgeable about chemicals in the body and how it reacts to different individuals.

Desperate to control my appetite, I went to Costco to purchase Sensa as I heard about it on TV. Although the company offers one month free, you have to give your credit card for the following month. If you do not want it, simply call the company for a return label. Otherwise they will ship and charge you every month. I was anxious to get it immediately rather than wait for the mail. When I got it home, I researched on the Internet that the product does work, like most of the fad diets such as "the Cookie" diet. The product has a chemical that tells the brain you are full. So you become committed for life to use it. There is no evidence what it does for you later in life. Once you get off it, as you will be satisfied with your results, the brain reacts differently, your appetite increases enormously and your weight gain is twice when you started.

Someone said something interesting. If Oprah with all her money could not succeed with any fad product how can we? Then I remembered several people who were on the “Cookie Diet” among other fad diets who lost a tremendous amount of weight and looked terrific. As soon as they went off the diet, they put back more weight than when they started. It was a sad horror show. So.. what to do?....

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AMAZING CONCLUSION

Two weeks later we discovered another egg missing.  Where could it go?  Did the mother bird take it in her mouth and fly away?  Did she eat it? Without the parents incubating them, I assumed they would not hatch.

Every day I checked the nest hoping the mother bird returned for the last egg.  Assuming we were not suitable land lords, they probably found a nicer home.  After all, we caused them uneasiness with noises and lots of people peering inside the nest.  We missed them as they gave us lots of pleasure as we watched them and their eggs waiting for them to hatch..

A couple of weeks ago the last egg disappeared, leaving an empty nest.  Wondering how that happened remains a mystery.  Every day we looked into the empty nest, contemplating whether we should remove it and straighten the planter which housed artificial silk roses.

As it has been raining almost every day this month, in Florida,my thoughts were wondering how the birds who recently visited us was protected.

After a month of no activity, just today I am happy to report the female bird returned to the planter with the nest untouched.  It was a thrill seeing her eye staring at me assuming she felt safe at home again.  We are expecting another set of chicks.

Does anyone know about birds and what they did to the eggs when they flew away?


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MEGA MILLIONS - What's wrong with it?

Last Friday, along with millions of other dreamers, I purchased about $65 in tickets.  It was the first time in decades that I submitted to such foolishness.  My logic was to be in the game in order to win..  My winnings amounted between the sum of  $3.00 to a high of $80.  Playing for years without winning anything substantial became boring and a waste of time and money.

However, for the sake of my Mahjongg friends, we thought it would be fun to chip in this one time.  Okay, So I got carried away.  Besides chipping in with the ladies, I added my own money for additional tickets. Asking my out of town friends and relatives to purchase tickets for me was most unusual, as Florida does not participate in the Mega Million Lottery

Investing $65 all over the country, I won $13.00 of the winning tickets  Two tickets contained #23 for the Mega and one ticket had two out of three with the Mega 23.  My son had three out of 5, winning less than $10

Whether the lottery is two million or 640 million the payout is the same for the small winners. THIS IS NOT FAIR.  The payout should be the same percentage as the first and second place

The Multi State Lottery Association had focus groups deciding how to play this game.  Their findings were that not many people would play unless it is in Mega Millions with less payouts to the small winners  I disagree with their findings. More people would play if the smaller winners had better chances.  It would give them more of an incentive to play often.

Therefore, lets sign a petition on this web site where I can send it to the  Multi-State Lottery Association for their review. Use your name, city and state in the COMMENTS.

LETS SEE IF OUR VOICE COUNTS



.

A MYSTERIOUS SURPRISE

Once upon a time there were three eggs in a nest, making a home in our planter which hung on our patio wall.  Unfortunately we only noticed two chicks a few days later.  Wondering what happened to the third was a mystery.  We assumed the third egg did not hatch.

Every day we watched the two chicks  grow with amazement.  Their development grows much faster than any living thing we know.

The most interesting of all was watching the mother and father bird taking care of their chicks in the nest.  The birds felt relaxed with us as we peered into it occasionally.  They were also relaxed when we moved them to another spot when the painters were working outside our house.

During the move, we noticed one chick missing. Feeling devistated,  we wondered what happened.  I thought the mother bird tried to move the chick one at a time to a safer more quieter nest due to all the noise from the painters and power washers. Later we found the dead chick on the floor.  Perhaps the mother bird accidentally dropped the chick in transport.

The mother and father bird tried to communicate with us by flying over the empty wall and by walking on the ground near the original place where the nest was.  We replaced the nest a couple of days later when the painters were finished.  Within a few minutes of its return, the mother bird flew to the planter, looked in on her chick and jumped in beside it.  The father bird followed and joined his family.

The tree in the rear of our patio was filled with many singing birds, assuming they were all family. The baby chick was starting to look like a small bird and eventually flew away.  Wondering if it would ever return to the empty nest, we later beamed with joy when it did.  We know it is only time when our little guests will soon leave us for good

The most surprising of all, and the conclusion to my story, was the day we noticed another chick in the nest.  That chick was from the third egg.  We had no idea where the mother bird hid it all that time.

Can anyone explain it?

It was wonderful watching the baby birds fly in and out of their nest.  The whole family stayed together until the new set of eggs appeared in the nest.  It looked like the mama and papa birds were trying to make another nest on the other side of the planter to make room for their family. It was beautiful the way the birds only trusted us to take their pictures and to visit them. 

Being hostess one Passover evening, I brought our guests to view the nest.  The birds immediately flew away leaving two eggs behind.  A week or two later we noticed one egg missing. We wonder where it went.  The birds never returned again.  Feeling very sad and missing them, I wonder if they will forgive me and return home.

WHERE DID MY BABY CHICK GO?

The following morning the pressure cleaning crew were spraying outside our house with bleach before starting the power washing.  The mother bird was lying over her chicks at the time we approached her.  Feeling uneasy, she flapped her wings preparing to fly away.    We carefully carried out the planter again to the rear of the patio.  The mother bird surprisingly stayed with the nest this time

The noise from the power washing was very loud, making the bird  very uneasy.  She had hoped to have her nest in a quiet safe place. Hours after the men left my street, I checked the nest.  Mother bird was walking on my patio, assuming to find food.  One chick was gone.  Where did it go? Hearing a tweet from my roof was the mother bird.  “Where did your chick go?  What did you do with it?” I asked.  Although the bird could not speak, she flew to the baron wall.  That was a stupid place for her to go.  Doesn’t she know her chicks were moved?  Was she trying to tell me something?

Noticing another bird on my patio fan, a little larger than mother bird, I figured that must be the father bird looking at the bare wall. They are trying to tell me to return the nest back on the wall.  But the painters will be back tomorrow to complete the job, I thought. “So what,”  I will move the nest again when the painters return.

But what about the missing chick?  Did the mother bird take it to a safer, quieter place?  Was she intending to move the other chick as well?  Was the scent of the chlorine bleach offensive for her chicks?  Will the baby chick return to the nest?  I am so upset yet proud in a way I was able to understand them. As soon as we placed the planter on the wall, mother bird flew to the planter, looked inside and jumped in..

The next day, the painters started their painting task.  We removed the planter with the nest again to the rear of our patio.  At that time the painters were aware of our nest and was concerned about the missing chick as well. 

One of the painters called our attention to the ground under where the planter was hanging originally and noticed the dead chick.  Feeling sad, we wondered what happened.  My thoughts were that the mother bird took one of the chicks to a safer place, then planning to return for the other one.  When the planter was returned to the wall, she tried to bring the chick back to the nest.  Perhaps she dropped it by accident, or the chick died in transit.

Some say if a chick dies in the nest, the mother bird  will not return.  Thus, we assume the chick was alive before it was carried out.  The mother bird continued to sit on her one and only chick.  It is nice to see how much the baby chick has grown in just a few days.



MAMA BIRD

BABY CHICK

BIRDS NEST

Where did my babies go, she wondered?  Working hard to protect them, she picked a safe quiet  home  with  plenty of warmth and food.  Everything was going so well.  What happened?  Will she ever find her babies again?

It all started a few weeks ago, when we noticed a bird in my artificial plant box hanging on my patio wall.  At times she flew away and returned later with twigs and grass.  When she flew away, we noticed a nest about to be formed.  Days later, a complete circular nest was completed.  It amazed me how brilliant the bird made it.  I doubt a human could master that craft.

Occasionally, when one bird flew away, another came into the nest.  We assumed it was the father bird, helping to bring supplies and food.  I researched on Google, that while the mother bird flies away for food and supplies, the father as well, helps.  He often sits on the eggs to keep them warm and protected until the mother returns.

One day, we observed the nest when the parents were gone and noticed a couple of eggs.  We were so thrilled and flattered that the bird trusted our patio as a safe haven for her babies.  The birds, mother and father, became of great interest to us.  We loved having them on our property and waited anxiously for the baby chicks to hatch.

Unfortunately, we received a letter from our community advising us they were beginning to commence with power washing and painting our house.  They gave us a weekend to remove all our flower boxes and items on the walls of our building and to move our patio furniture away from the house.

What were we going to do with our nest?  I read that if we touch it, our human scent would keep the mother and father bird away from the nest, causing death to the young chicks. Further,The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits the removal of all listed species or their parts (feathers, eggs, nests, etc.) ....  there is a law not to touch or destroy the nest while living chicks was there

While we were moving our patio furniture away from our house, the bird flew away from her nest.  It gave us a chance to look inside to see a couple of chicks barely moving. They were absolutely adorable.  We took the planter with the nest in it and moved it to the rear of our patio.  We placed it on a table under our Robeline palm tree trusting it will be protected.  I feared it would not be as protected as before as the planter was under our overhang roof

We sat on our patio waiting for the mother bird to return looking for her nest.  Our hearts were broken, as she kept flying by the spot where her nest was, only to find the wall empty.  She knew her babies where close as she walked on the ground back and forth looking.  I got up from my chair and walked to the nest showing the bird where the nest was.  She kept flying all around the nest but would not jump in.  Instead, she kept flying to the spot where the nest was originally.

Peering into the nest again, wondering if the chicks were safe without her parents keeping them warm, I noticed the chicks were playful, poking each other with their beaks.  The mother bird kept flying over our patio, and walking on the ground to find her babies.  Feeling awful for what we did, I returned the planter back on the wall.  A few minutes later, I saw the mother bird back in the nest with her chicks.  Feeling much better for the moment, tomorrow is another day, when I will have to move the planter again.  I hope the mother will forgive us.

MAMA BIRD SITTING OVER HER BABY CHICKS

CHOOSING A PRESIDENT

Hello folks

It has been awhile since my last post.  I guess I had writer's block for awhile.  I really shouldn't because there are so many disturbing things going on around us. 

First we are concerned with the elections trying to figure out who the best man for the Presidency is, or which party will help our country better. Our opinions vary from which media we gravitate to.  It is always best to listen to both sides.  I have noticed, however when speaking to some Democrats, they get very annoyed if we oppose their views, and offer our own.  Their minds have been made up since Obama came into office.  They have no doubt on Mr Obama's citizenship, nationality or the laws of our constitution.  Yet most are very intelligent people who are avid readers of fiction and non fiction novels.  When Mr. Obama speaks, his words go through our hearts.  He appears  very down to earth and the people love him for his carisma and his speeches.

On the other hand, he makes some of us very nervous, dubious,and  suspicious.  Most of us know that according to demographics, the Moslems will be dominate in our country and the world soon.  Some of us think it wont happen in our life time.  But it will happen in our children and grandchildren's

It started in England, and France whereby those countries are having a hard time controlling their own land.  I believe Obama is starting the first stage in changing our country

The problem with our politicians is perhaps the money and power they possess gave them the right to promiscuity. This is nothing new as we all know this went back centuries.  Thus, we cannot find a flawless candidate to run our country. Does that mean we have to manufacture one by home schooling him/her, perhaps find him born in another country where no one knows too much about his background. And when we do find that his background it is not like ours, we forgive it because his actions in the past were flawless thus far.

Gingrich said it best in one of his debates.  He said, "if you are going to look at every negative thing about a particular candidate, you wont find a good talented and experience man to run our country"  We have had many good presidents who were more promiscuious than a couple of candidates that were running.  Their actions did not hurt our country.

If we needed a heart surgeon, wouldn't we want to go to the the most experienced?  Or the one who has  good  bed side manner?  If we needed a lawyer, wouldn't we want the best? The speeches we hearsd from Obama and other candidates were written by speech writers.  They all tell us what we want to hear.  I would rather go with the candidate that proved himself

Our country is very delicate right now.  We need a talented, experienced politician who has been around in government for years, who admits the mistakes they and their other parties have made, learn from them and go on to make our country great again.

WINTER SALE

PET SWEATERS

$35.00

CHILDREN AND ADULT HATS

$30.00

BLACK/WHITE $30.00

$30.00 CUSTOM COLORS

PONCHO $40  CUSTOM COLORS

$25.00

sweater set $60