The View from Here

Wisdom and Understanding...

Each morning during my quiet time I pray for faith and strength and guidance. I pray to be useful to others and to contribute something good to the world.

I pray for faith because we live in such turbulent, violent, and uncertain times. We have an angry, aggressive, prejudiced leader in the White House and he has become so unpredictable that I sometimes hesitate to turn on the television in the morning and find out who he has insulted and antagonized today. Hatred spews from his lips on a daily basis. I often have to remind myself that God is in control and that it is usually dark and stormy before a rainbow of hope appears.

I pray for strength because I know that I must be physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthy in order to be of service to my friends and family. I can’t offer to them something I don’t possess myself. It takes a great deal of effort to “do the right thing”, to be kind and understanding and sometimes just to endure the challenges presented each day, especially when we currently have so few role models of true service.

I pray for guidance so that I can think first and act afterwards, so I can apply knowledge and experience and understanding to my decision-making process, rather than emotion and pride, or fear and ignorance. It’s obvious that our “leader” makes decisions based on arrogance and anger. I can’t follow that example and be a child of God.

I pray today that whatever lies ahead, we face it together with love.

I pray that we seek justice, not revenge.

I pray that we pursue righteousness, not selfishness.

I pray that we strive always to preserve our country, not destroy it.

More Wings

Today was a busy day of errands and chores. Just had time for a couple of quick photos. 

Creatures Great and Small

My morning chores in the garden are increasing as we get closer to fall. I’ve already harvested pumpkins and gourds and removed the vines. I’ve pulled up the tomatoes. The extreme heat of the past week has made it illogical to continue to water them. Now I’m removing some of the sunflowers that have gone to seed and placing the heads on a cement bench where the birds will enjoy them. I’m collecting seeds from my zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, and wildflowers to save for next year’s garden. As I putter around each morning and water the remaining flowers, I’m always joined by birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and spiders.

I can’t always take “great” photos as I’m working. However, I still like to record some of my garden visitors. It’s amazing to see the variety of creatures that are out and about!

The Right to Vote

 

It only takes a momentary glance at the history of our country to see that the approved role of women hasn’t changed much over the years. Wife, mother, cook, housekeeper, guardian of peace and order- those are the understood responsibilities of womankind. Should she also choose to be a doctor, lawyer, or CEO of a business, she’d better make sure none of her primary duties are neglected or she will likely earn the criticism of others, mostly other women.

I’m spending the next three weeks studying and writing about women’s suffrage because next year is the anniversary of the year that women were granted the right to vote. Before that they could hold jobs, even be elected for office, but only a few states allowed them to vote for more than the local school board. And they couldn’t serve on a jury. They could be tried for the same crime as a man, but not be judged by a “jury of their peers”.

I’ve already noticed that many of the most outspoken critics of the movement were women. They feared neglect of families, especially children, and that women would enter “politics” and become hard and harsh like men. They felt that serving on a jury would take women away from their duties for too long and also put them in awkward situations, such as being sequestered in a hotel room. The right to vote might have been won much earlier by women except for the clashes within their own gender.

I think this will be an interesting research project and I look forward to learning more. I plan to do all I can to help and support the local group that is planning celebration activities for next year.

Damaged...

Each year I see a few butterflies with damaged wings. I often wonder what happened to them and if they live as long as the other butterflies. This one didn't seem to have any trouble flying around the yard. 

Bad Children

The Caddo Herald

December 22, 1916

Remiss Parents

Greenville Herald: Complaints of small boys playing on the streets, hopping automobiles, and getting into mischief generally, have become so numerous lately that members of the local police force have requested the Herald to say something about the dangers to which these children are exposed.

Very good, but why not go to the parents of the children and investigate as to whether they take any interest in their offsprings? If they do not- and some such there are- then the city or county authorities should take control of the little ones and send them to an orphanage or a reformatory where they will have a chance to learn something besides mischief. No man, no family, has a right to maintain a nuisance, and children who recognize no control are a menace to the community.

It is from the ranks of little lawbreakers that big lawbreakers come. Out of indifferent homes come indifferent citizens. Our jails are full of men and women with warped morals and stunted minds, which morals and minds most of them acquired in childhood and cultivated through youth.

The way to stop jail recruitments is to not permit children to grow up with the idea that deviltry is attractive, and that it is heroic to violate the laws of the land.

***

I’m currently researching early reform schools located in Oklahoma. Since this was a segregated state, there were separate schools for whites and negroes (the term of the time), as well as separate schools for boys and girls. The “training” and/or reform for each group was a little different, and depended largely on who was in charge at the time. Boys were trained in “the trades” such as carpentry, masonry, and farming. Girls were trained in “skills they will need in life”- cooking, cleaning, sewing, ironing.

Children as young as nine and as old as 18 were placed in reformatories and either served a specific sentence or were kept until they reached 21. A few were pardoned before their term was completed. Others served every single day of their punishment.

Offenses committed by boys were most often theft, deliberate truancy, vandalism, and assault. Some were simply labeled as “incorrigible”. A few committed murder. Girls were placed in reform schools for indecent behavior, disobedience, eloping against parents wishes, or just being generally unmanageable.

This is from a statement made by a father in 1913 who wanted his daughter and her friend placed in the reform school until “they grow older and wiser”:

“Automobile joy rides were the cause of the girls’ downfall. The rides were begun innocently by the girls, as they always are. May was in love with a taxi-cab driver here and he was willing and anxious to show her the ‘bright lights. Soon the girls started making trips to the Taneha Road House, where they were taught to smoke cigarettes and dance the ‘tango’ and similar vulgar steps. This sort of thing continued until the girls left town in company with the older man.”

                The father also admitted that the girls usually misbehaved when he was “off working in the oil fields”, which seems to indicate they were unsupervised. May “lived with her father”; May’s young friend was an orphan being raised by her aunt. The girls (15 and 13) were missing for two weeks. They were found in Nebraska and the taxi driver, 25, was charged with “white slavery”, a federal offense.

                The Bible tells us that there is nothing new under the sun. Certainly rebellious behavior has existed since creation. However, I find that studying history provides valuable insight into society’s ever-evolving approach to the challenges of dealing with defiant, disobedient children. Looking back at the past tells me that we’ve made some progress. Listening to the nightly news tells me that we still have some changes to make…

Things with wings...

It has been hot and dry the past few days, so I've been out early to water the flowers. I've been blessed to be joined by these lovely creatures. 

World Elephant Day

 

In honor of today, I thought I would tell you why I have elephant statues and other elephant related items all over my house:

When I was a very little girl we didn’t have a lot of money, so my family spent time together doing free things like fishing or going on picnics at the local park. One of my favorite things to do was visit the zoo! There was an elephant there named Nosey and her pen was quite small. I could reach out and touch her and even feed her. She loved people and was always pressed against the bars trying to get closer to her visitors. There were lots of animals to see at the zoo, but I fell in love with Nosey and I always wanted to spend the most time with her.

Over the years I visited Nosey many times and took my children to see her. I collected a few elephant statues to remind me of her. My grandmother made me a crocheted elephant. Gary bought me a stuffed elephant. Then one day someone left an elephant statue on my doorstep. That was the beginning of my “serious” collecting. I guess the word spread through friends and family that I was “elephant crazy” because after that I got elephants for nearly every birthday and holiday.

Our family loves to retell the only “sad story” about my collection. When we moved from California to Oklahoma in 1980 I drove our car and pulled a trailer behind it. (Gary was delayed in CA for another two weeks.) Outside of Gallup, NM I had a flat tire on the car and needed to “lighten the load” in order to get into town and have it fixed. I had two very large elephant statues in the trunk of the car and left them on the side of the road. I intended to go back for them, but never got the chance. The trailer had a problem and by the time we were all set and ready for the road again it was dark. The next day I was too exhausted and discouraged to go back. We just went on to Oklahoma. I’ve been back to Gallup many times since then and I always wonder what happened to my elephants. Hopefully someone took them home!

I’ve met a few other elephant collectors. Some like elephants because they are smart and sociable. Some like them because they are excellent mothers. Some like them because they travel in families and are very loyal.

I’ve never met another person who collects elephants because of Nosey, but I’m sure there must be someone out there who loved her as much as I did!

Note:

In 1949 Nosey the elephant was purchased with the help of the Fresno Rotary Club and donations from thousands of school children.  A Name-the-Elephant contest was held in anticipation of the new arrival.  Thousands of school children sent in their pennies, nickels, and dimes.  On September 11, 1949 a colorful “49er’s” Days Rodeo Parade was completely dominated by the young elephant named Nosey.

Nosey, the elephant, had her old asphalt exhibit replaced in 1982 with a large modern dirt exhibit with a waterfall, pool, and interior night quarters containing remote controlled hydraulic doors.  Two other female elephants and one male elephant joined her that year.  It was the first time in 33 years that she had seen another of her species, and it took her six months before she went into the pool. 

 

Pain Scale

I was at the fitness center the other day when I overheard a standard question that I’ve heard numerous times over the years at PT centers, hospitals, and doctor’s offices. I’ve heard it most often in ER. It goes something like this:

“How would you rate your pain today from 1-10; with 10 being the worst pain you’ve ever experienced?”

This is often accompanied by a chart with big yellow smiley/sad faces.

The question has always baffled and annoyed me, but this recent encounter with it was the “last straw” for me, because the woman’s response was “4 or 5, but yesterday it was 8”.

Okay…ENOUGH with the vague numbers based on a concept that neither the patient nor the care provider seems to understand.

To begin with, no one ever asks for a clarification of the “worst pain” the patient has had. I’ve had a dozen “personal” accidents, four auto accidents, had eight major surgeries, and broken seven bones. My memory of my worst pain experience, the reference point for this question, is going to be different from that of someone who has had cancer or was burned in a house fire. And very different from that of a patient has never broken a bone or experienced truly miserable pain.

What we need is a more consistent concept of pain- one that can be understood by both parties and is based on the patient’s current condition…not the memory of past ones. I suggest that you copy the following pain scale, tweak it any way you need to, and then share it with your healthcare provider. I don’t think the wording and details of it matter as much as the fact that BOTH OF YOU are reading and using the same terms.

Knowledge and understanding are the first steps in addressing any problem correctly. Treating pain should NOT begin with a “failure to communicate”.

Pain Scale

        0- No sensation of pain. 

1. Minimal- My pain is hardly noticeable.
2. Mild- I am aware of my pain, but only when I pay attention to it.
3. Uncomfortable- My pain bothers me, but I can ignore it most of the time.
4. Moderate- I am constantly aware of my pain, but I can continue most activities.
5. Distracting- I think about my pain most of the time. I can’t do some activities that I need to do each day because of my pain.
6. Distressing- I think about my pain all the time. I give up most activities because of my pain.
7. Unmanageable- I am in pain all the time. It keeps me from doing most activities.
8. Intense- My pain is so severe that it is hard to think of anything else. Talking and listening are difficult.
9. Severe- My pain is all that I think about. I can barely talk or move because of the pain.
10. Unable to move- I am in bed and can’t move from my pain. I need someone to take me to ER to help me get relief from my pain.

Physical Therapy

Yesterday I started a new round of physical therapy to help me improve my balance. Since I broke my foot last spring my whole body has been out of alignment. You know how it is when you have an injured body part…you avoid making it hurt by asking the rest of your body to compensate for it. In addition to wearing a big boot for twelve weeks, I was also off the treadmill and walked with a cane. So now my doctor thinks that PT will help me learn to walk properly again. I agree.

I have a rather complicated history of accidents and surgeries. My first experience with physical therapy was in 1971 after a car accident in which I injured my shoulder. Other problems over the years have been corrected or improved by PT. After I broke my leg in three places and was in a wheelchair for several months, extensive PT allowed me to walk again without a cane and to resume teaching. PT assisted in my recovery from rotator cuff surgery. PT helped me with a bout of plantar fasciitis.

I’m writing about this today because I often hear negative things about PT being painful or “too much work”. Yes, it can be both. Muscles that have been injured resist movement, and it can be challenging to find a balance between using them and letting them rest. That’s why I think it’s so important to have professional guidance during those times. And while it can be far easier to just take medication for pain, PT is often a better and more lasting remedy. I have a back condition that cannot at this time be treated. When it becomes painful, I do a series of exercises, taught to me by a physical therapist, that relieves the pain.

Some of my younger friends and family members have “personal trainers” and participate in very challenging exercise programs at popular gyms. However, for many of us with older, more fragile bodies, a trainer with a medical education and expertise may be a better, healthier option. Did you know that a physical therapist must have a minimum of a Master’s degree? They know what you can and cannot expect your body to do.

I found a website that provides a good overview of Physical Therapy. I hope you will visit the site and consider discussing PT with your doctor if you feel that you have a condition that might be improved by it. PT has certainly improved my life…more than once.