Warding off a case of the "horribles."

I feel horrible. Snurf, snurf, cough, cough, gag, gag. I'm sure you get the idea.

Last week I baby sat with the grandkids and, seeing a lot of leaves in the backyard, got the great idea that it would really be nice if we all pitched in to rake and bag the leaves as a surprise for their parents.

Unfortunately, the great ideas I have, especially if they involve W-O-R-K, aren't always received with great joy. I did get the 7 and 10 year-olds out into the yard with me, but ended up doing most of the work myself. Not that I really minded, since I certainly can use the exercise.

However, even though I had noticed that it was a bit nippy outside, and I had insisted that the kids put on their jackets, I wasn't really prepared for the weather myself. "It won't matter," I told myself. I'll soon be working so hard that I won't even notice how cold it is outside. And it was true. After the first 15or 20 minutes, I felt as warm as toast.

The problem came several days later when I began to sneeze and wheeze--a sure sign that I was coming down with something. And today, my chest hurts and I am thinking that if I'm not better by tomorrow, I may need to see a doctor.

This afternoon, I was leafing through my Dr. Leonard's catalog and saw what I should have had to tackle the leaf raking job in. A hat with a band that can be folded down to cover your ears, and even your nose and mouth if you want it to. That would not only have kept me warm, but would have eliminated the chance of dust and mold accumulated on those leaves from getting into my lungs. (I hope that isn't the case, but if I'm not better soon, I am going to have the chance to find out.)





Anyhow, if you have some leaf raking looming in your future, take a look at this hat and see if it might not stave off a case of feeling horrible (like I am experiencing right now) for you. Better yet, look at your Christmas list and think about ordering several for the leaf-rakers you see there. They'll thank you for it. To order one or more, go here:
http://www.drleonards.com/Apparel/Hats-Gloves/Hat-Face-Mask/85787.cfm?clicksource=DIG_CAT

Will March 21, 2010 Go Down As Another Day of Infamy?

Yesterday was not the day of victory Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues seem to think it was. However the health care bill turns out, March 21, 2010 will be remembered as the day that the U. S. House of Representatives rode roughshod over the clearly stated desires of the American people, claiming to know better what was good for them than those people most affected by the vote could possibly know.

I wonder what price these elected officials will pay for such arrogance?

I am among those who feel that this bill is the wrong bill. Do I think that there needs to be health care reform? Yes, I do, but not at the expense of seeing faith in our elected officials destroyed, the disgusting arm-twisting going on in backroom deals, and the President of the United States lowering himself to the position of stalking the halls of Congress to threaten and cajole any holdouts who might not be leaning toward his side of the bill. I was taught that there were three distinct branches of government for a reason.

A bill, I might add, that is over 2000 pages long; a bill that most members of congress have admitted they have not even read; and a bill that has been filled with earmarks promising perks to some in order to bring them around to voting for it.

Over 2000 pages to fix health care in America? I think a short list of suggestions would have done the trick. How about something similar to this for starters?

1. Fund a catastrophic policy for those whose medical expenses go beyond a certain amount each year.

2. Make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate due to pre-existing conditions.

3. Provide free clinics for the unemployed or disabled.

3. Cap the amounts allowed to be recovered in malpractice suits.

If you favor the new bill that was approved yesterday, have you actually looked at the cost to future generations? Check out this video to hear and see the opinion of one of those who will be affected. ONE TEEN'S OPINION