The Grim Reaper is knocking on the door again. I just got a call from stepmom telling me Dad is being admitted to the hospital. He has congestive heart failure, pneumonia, hypothermia, and his leg is infected again. Mind you, this all happened while he was taking an antibiotic. I keep saying that they aren't being aggressive enough with the IV antibiotic. They aren't giving him more than 2 or 3 days of it, then switching him to an oral. He has MRSA and that requires a much more aggressive course. He won't swallow, so the hospital informed her that tube feeding might be necessary, and that he will have to be restrained. He's seriously confused, and they say he'll pull the tube out. At the same time the hospital is also saying he's not sick enough for the IV port to be placed in his chest like last time. If he's not sick enough for the IV port, why isn't he swallowing?

I asked my stepmom not to approve the feeding tube without some explanation as to why it's necessary. If he isn't swallowing, then what is wrong? None of what's happening to him is making any sense. I suppose it's age related up to a point, but this was a man of 80 who was working 40 plus hours a week up until he fell and broke his hip. Then he caught the staph infection from the hospital and it has been a trip to the hospital every month. We are all tired. Stepmom says she can't keep this up, and I understand. He was supposed to get visiting nurses and a therapist when he was released from the hospital last month, and they never materialized.

Instead he was ordered something called a lymphademic clinic. He went once. They wrap ace bandages on the legs. Eight layers of them. This is designed to force the fluid up into his body. He has congestive heart failure and failing kidneys. Where is this fluid supposed to go once it surrounds his heart? He refused to go, he couldn't stand it, he was too weak, and not one of the doctors he saw did anything but try to talk him into it. One doctor said he wasn't strong enough finally and canceled it.

He has been refused Workmans Compensation. A judge in a court of law determined that he was on break at the time of the fall, therefore Comp doesn't apply. My brother thinks that the company he worked for should be sued. He was on their property when he was injured, it would at least get some of the hospital bill paid. He worked for 43 years for that company, it seems to me that since he was on their property he should be entitled to have some of his bills paid. He might not have been injured if he hadn't been working for them. Then again he might have fallen someplace else. There's no guarantee in life. You get what you get and have to handle it. Speaking of handling it, he has been admitted to the room in which my Mom died. I'm not going to mention it to anyone, I think they have enough on their plates worrying about what's going to happen without adding to the problem.

I'll go up tomorrow and see him, although I don't need to for myself. I've made my peace with things and am just marking time until the end. He doesn't have Mom's strength, he appears to have given up. He's not fighting. I'm wondering if his refusal to swallow is his way of trying to make it happen sooner. To the best of my knowledge there is no medical reason for it. Weakness might account for some of it, but she said he hasn't had a problem with choking. Usually choking or coughing is the first sign of esophageal problems, or complaints that what was swallowed isn't going down. She says there have been no complaints like that from him. I guess this will be a wait and see situation. In the meantime, I will pray for strength.

"Consumer behavior is one of the major contributors to the earth's environmental problems, since the goods and services purchased every day in the developed world can be linked directly to chemical pollution, waste production and habitat destruction. But is there a way that consumers can help the planet rather than hurt it? In this seminar, a series of experts look at how technology and economic growth have impacted consumption, waste generation and energy use patterns over the last 50 years and how consumer purchasing decisions can affect these changes.

From "dolphin-safe" canned tuna to renewable electricity, consumer behavior has created new markets for "green" goods. An increasing number of companies are responding to pressure from customers to become more eco-friendly, doing everything from reducing their energy usage to increasing recycling to eliminating harmful chemicals from their factories. This seminar explores the role consumers can play in improving environmental quality and what individuals can do to make a global difference. The experts offer advice, anecdotes and arguments about environmentally conscious decision-making in the twenty-first century. Green consumerism might be the wave of the future, but it will take an active and environmentally literate public to drive change."

The above is an introduction to a seminar on Consumer Power and Environmental Health that I found on line. It says very succinctly what I've come to believe is the truth about society today. We have become far too used to blaming the government for what we could have accomplished ourselves without any governmental interference. We say we don't want big government and then we create the need for big government by our own behavior. Big business pollutes our environment, not because they pay the politicians to allow it, but because WE do not stop buying their product. We want the convenience of being able to use something and throw it away. We want bigger gas guzzling vehicles because we allowed the marketing departments of auto manufacturers to convince us they were safer.

We no longer use cloth diapers because they have to be washed, it's easier to pollute by throwing out disposable diapers. We use tissue instead of handkerchiefs. We use paper plates for our picnics instead of durable reusable picnic ware that we can buy at any camping goods store. We use paper cups and napkins rather than reuseable cups and napkins, because we can throw them away rather than take the time to wash them. This is where our environmental pollution occurs. We are generating tons of waste that is disposed of in landfills, but it's the governments fault that our environment is polluted. I can hear you all tell me that paper is biodegradeable, and it is, but what about the trees that were cut down to create this paper?

It's all about making our lives easier, making it more convenient for us. The problem is, it's that desire for convenience and in some respects the feeling that it's more sanitary, that has allowed us to close our eyes to the damage it does. Big government and big business can't exist without our cooperation. We need to accept that, and start taking steps to correct what we've done. We have to stop looking to the government to bail us out of predicaments we get ourselves into, and start making changes in our habits. We the consumer drive the economy because we buy the products, which means we also drive the pollution that is destroying our environment.

Saved or delayed, depending on how you look at it, by a faulty zone valve which will not allow heat into some of the offices at work. Since the furnace man won't be there until this afternoon, those offices have been closed and occupants sent home. That way, the Nursing Supervisor and the Co-ordinator will have heat. Now, if I had an intelligent idea for a post we'd be doing good.

We went to Youngest's last night for a couple of hours to visit with the Grandkids. They thanked us nicely for the chocolate bunnies and promptly proceeded to watch the movie they had in the DVD player. I admit it's cute, and in between playing with the dogs, I watched a little of it with them. The movie was the animated penguin movie Happy Feet. It has an ecologically based message about mans depletion of our natural resources, and a message about tolerance. Not being an expert on Child Psychology, I find myself wondering exactly how much of the messages included in this rather fun movie are being absorbed.

Happy Feet is a young penguin that loves to dance. All the other penguins do not love to dance, they love to sing. The fish are disappearing from the home waters of this rather large penguin community, and while no one knows why, there are a number of theories. Happy Feet believes the fish are being stolen by "aliens". The elders of the community believe that the fish are disappearing because of Happy Feet and his dancing. The ignorance of the elders finally manages to drive him from his home, and he sets out with friends to find the aliens and prove that he is right.

The aliens are the fishermen in their icebreaking ships that are allowed to over fish the waters near the penguin community because no one knows the community is there. The ignorance of man and what we are doing to our environment is very clearly detailed in the movies action, right from the start. It is also very clear that Happy Feet is very different from the other penguins which of course causes him many problems. He is such a smart and lovable penguin, yet he is the victim of much intolerance because of his differences. I clearly see the message of this movie, but do the kids see it?

Even if they do understand the message behind the entertainment do they understand that they can make a difference? Do they apply it to themselves and what they can do to help the environment or is this a problem that they see, but feel that others are responsible for fixing? For that matter do the adults even see that they have the power to affect change?

For as long as I can remember, scientists have been warning us that our natural resources are being depleted, yet we do very little to correct the problem. We drive gas guzzling SUV's in record numbers. Television advertising has been used to inform and remind us of the damage we do by improper disposing of our wastes. Yet you can't drive down the highway without seeing trash being dumped along the sides of the roads. Must be we think that the government needs to step in and do something about the environment, and after all, Happy Feet is just a kids movie.

I always say that no matter what's happening in your life, music can be found that will express it. Whether it's a positive or negative situation there's a song that will apply. Oddly when I went to choose my music for tonight, I didn't have anything in mind except that I wanted to hear Renegade by Styx. Most of my friends prefer Mr. Roboto to Renegade. I like both, however, Mr. Roboto didn't fit with my mood. As I was listening, the office situation was running through my mind.

We had a meeting in the office on Friday. The Female Boss, the Director of Nursing Services, the Co-ordinator and Me. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the problem of Mr. 51%. He still hasn't "volunteered" to do the rest of the survey...yet. It was decided, unanimously, by the 4 of us that he would finish the job after all my hard work, if he knows what's good for him. There are steps that can be taken against him that are there because of the nature of the business. It's Healthcare, plus it's incorporated. There is a governing board that can be convened when problems arise. The power to convene the board rests with the President of the Corporation. Which he is not. His sister, Mrs. 49% is.

Once I am through with my part of this survey, he will be given every opportunity to "volunteer" to complete the filling out of the forms. If he refuses he will be brought before the governing board which has the ability to make his life miserable. Among the actions it can take is to remove the headquarters from the building it's in and move it to the office closest to his sister. Which means that he will lose the ability to come to the office to play computer games since ALL the computers will be removed and transferred. Barring that move he could be fined rather heavily. I should say the business will be fined, but the money for the fine would come from HIS profits since HE'S the problem.

I had all this in mind when I chose my tunes for tonight. I was able to find exactly what I needed to express myself with some sense of humor, and some pretty decent songs. All 4 of us black magic working, voodoo witchy women are going to PMS all over his whining renegade butt. This is one time when we women aren't going down without a fight. I think he just better "volunteer" if he knows what's good for him. I also hope he'll just do the survey without a real fight. I will hope he'll see the error of his ways, but we're prepared to push the issue if need be. This survey MUST be completed if the company is to retain it's license. I suspect that is what he's hoping for, and he doesn't care that he'll be putting 150 people on unemployment. some people just don't have a conscience.

I have, I hope changed the playlist so it will not start automatically.