Monday Madness #7

Yesterday, at the family gathering to help support my sister. I found a few things out. Before I tell you what it is. Let's do a little catch up for those who are not connected to me through Facebook. 

Recently, I found a sister of mine has a tumor in her head. She has to get it out. As it has been growing. She has had headaches for three months. She has been traveling back and forth from our hometown to Columbus to the doctor. More tests need done to find out if it is cancerous or entwined with any brain matter. She goes back on the 20th for the tests. The surgery will be on the 26th.

Now for the things I found out. The tumor has been causing some issues with my sister besides a headache. She has lost her hearing in her left ear. The tumor also affects her balance. It makes her dizzy. Something I never noticed when I went to visit. As she always sat in a  chair. She literally has to have help walking. Or she hangs on to the walls and rails when walking.

It really breaks my heart to see her in so much pain. Where, I as a big sister, can do nothing about it. All I can do is offer her support, do anything she asks if possible, and pray for her.

This article has linked up with

Thinking of a past foster dog

A few years ago I fostered a dog. His name is Zues. He is the brother of my Chug named Moose. He is smaller than Moose. He was underweight and needed to gain weight. He is very smart and eager to learn and please.

A Chug is a Chihuahua and a Pug mix.

I am fostering him because his owner had to move from his place. Who was staying with friends til he can get his own place. At the time all I had was Moose. It was a pleasant experience to have two dogs in the house again.  Zues was a quick learner. He loved to please. He had a silly little grin, that I still see in his brother. It reminds me of Zues from time to time.

I had a hard time fostering Zues. I have several reasons :

1. The length of having, I am growing attached
2. The current has not kept Zues up to date on shots
3. The current owner never got Zues tags.

I think you can see where I am going with this. I could keep the list going. I was looking at all the angles of everything on what was best for Zues. Upon receiving Zues back to foster. (This was the second time around.) There are some things I have noticed as I was fostering Zues. For one Moose had grew attached to Zues and followed him everywhere.

Zeus's owner came for a visit one time. Moose did not want him to touch Zues at all. Moose would try and sit on Zeus's head and put his paw up to try and keep him away. Like he was protecting him. You could really tell he did not want Zues to go away. That actually pulled on my heart strings to see it happening.

Some things I have learned about Zeus and Zeus's living habits. Zues was fed people food. So, he begged any time we would eat. He would jump at their plate or hand. I have started crating him at meal time. I have taught him to sit to receive a treat. Not to bite or nip at the hand. I have taught him to walk off leash. I have shown Zues he does not have to tuck his head down when petted or run away. He had fleas we had to treat him for. Plus, his nails needed clipped pretty bad.

When Zeus's owner came over. He brought his seven year old son. I baby sat him for a little while. During this time I observed and had to stop a few incidents. The boy would hold Moose down and tell Zues to get him. He also took a pillow and was hitting Zues in the head to play and attack my pillow. The boy would wrestle with Zues. He was rough because Zues would yelp.

After seeing that, it made alot of sense why Zues was head shy. Zues was also allowed to go to the bathroom on the bed, blankets and such because he was not taken outside when needed to go to the bathroom. That was a big no no here. Zues is not allowed in the bedrooms because of this. He also thought he was going to let loose where ever felt needed throughout the house. That came to a stop real quick. Zues learned that habit was reserved for outside only.

I have a big back yard where Zues has learned it was okay to run and play without having someone right beside him. When he first came back here. I literally had to shut my back door to get him to go outside without someone. I would stay at the door and watch him out the window. Moose taught him how to play. Moose taught him to tree a squirrel.

One thing I really noticed. I could not place Zues in a separate cage from Moose from the very start. I tried the first night and the second. All I got was whining from both dogs. Yes, they are both sleeping in the same cage at night. At first I had to chase Zues to get him in the cage at all. As he was locked up for hours on end in a tiny cage at his owners home. I have taught him the cage is okay, it is his safe place to go. He knows he gets a treat at night when he goes in the cage without having to be chased. He doesn't whine or yelp. He doesn't mess in the cage anymore.

It is like Moose knew Zues will be leaving again. I really didn't know if separating them will be a good idea or not. I have since got two dogs to keep Moose company. An English Mastiff I rescued. Plus, a tiny Chihuahua mix.

If I ended up rehoming Zues in the end. That is what foster homes are for. Zues was neutered. Tags will be gotten. I planned to update his shots either way. I can't see a dog going without his shots just because he has become homeless and fostered.

Have you ever had to foster dog?

Photos from Pixabay and Google photo images for re-use.

A - Z Emotions Challenge K - Kept Away

This is the eleventh post I have written in a series of 26 weeks Emotional Challenge. This week's letter is "K". I am going to write about being kept away.

When I was young around four years old. My dad started seeing another woman. Sometimes dad would take my siblings and I with him. So, we can play with her daughter. Eventually my dad and mom divorced. During the divorce my moment to look for a lawyer. My mom allowed my siblings to be with my dad. My dad kept my siblings and I away from our mother.

At the time I didn't understand why we were being kept away from our mother. I always adored my mom and thought she was a good mom.

Evidently the judge thought otherwise. I know now many people stood up against my mother and lied for my father to get custody of my siblings and I. Even my own grandmother stood up against my mother.

I learned through the years of being kept away from my mother that she didn't have much money. My dad had a good paying job. One of the best in the area. Money talked back then. It caused my siblings and I to be kept away from our mother.

By time we were old enough to choose who live we, after the judge talk to each of us siblings in his chambers alone, my mom was granted full custody of the three of us. I was in eighth grade at the time. I remember that year like it was yesterday. I remember us moving to Deshler,Ohio. That town would be my families undoing. 

As my younger sister threatened my mother with a  butcher knife while she was pregnant with my baby brother. She also threatened to knock her down the stairs to cause her to lose the baby. My sister was out of control. My sent her back to live with my father.

My older sister started drinking and having sex. My mother did not know how to handle it. So, she sent her back to our dad's too. The funny thing is, I didn't do anything wrong but I too was sent back to live with my dad. My dad said if my sister goes back, so did I. That he did not want us separated. I had not seen him in a year. However, I was being punished for something my siblings were doing. I cried my eyes out.

Things escalated pretty quickly. My siblings and I knew our stepmother hated us. She never made no bones about hiding it. Her daughter hated us and would tell lies us to get out of trouble. Anything she did was blamed on us. We were there to do the chores and shut our mouths, period. I wondered how could our mother do this. Why me? I did nothing wrong. I did what I was told.

Once again we were kept away from our mother. Being allowed to talk to our mother for three minutes at a time. Many times my sisters took up to much time. Thus, I missed my chance to talk to my mother. That hurt real deep.

Being kept away from my mother was one of the worse things I ever felt. I cried for months at night til I cried myself to sleep. I could handle the cruel words, the screaming and daily beatings. Not seeing my mother or able to hear her voice telling me she loved me hurt bad. Feeling like I had noone to turn to talk to hurt.

Becoming an adult and having my own kids. I learned being  a parent is never easy. To many people take the easy way out. My dad hated my mother. He choose to punish her by keeping her children away at the same time allowing abuse to happen. 

All the while I heard people talk down about my mother and praise my father for raising such good girls. Knowing what I know hurt. People don't want to hear the truth. To many turn a blind and pretend it doesn't happen.

I learned that because a parent is no longer with the other parent. They would use the kids to hurt each other out of spite. I hope and pray I have never done that with my children. I know I have made mistakes. I have never tried to intentionally keep my children away from the other parent.

However, I also know there are rules that need to be followed. Otherwise I could risk losing my children like my mother did the first time. How does a parent who was shot and disabled by her estranged husband handle visitation with their father?

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This series was started by Ruth Cox, a good friend and great writer. To learn more about it. Please click on the photo below.

* This article is a 26 week part series of A - Z Emotions Challenged.

Drummets With Greenbean Cassarole

One thing my family enjoys is season chicken drummets. They usually come in a package in the grocery containing 8 - 12 depending on the weight. I always let the drummets thaw out. 

I am out of my usually Everglades seasoning I like to season the meats with. So, I get a ziplock baggie and mix together a combination of garlic salt, sea salt, paprika, pepper, and Italian seasoning. I shake the baggie to make sure everything gets mixed up properly. 

I add the chicken drummets, seal the bag and shake. I shake til each chicken drummet is coated with seasoning. 

I process to lay them on a cookie sheet or in a glass dish. I keep them separate. As I don't want them to touch. I place them in the pre-heated oven on 425 degrees. For 30 - 40 minutes.

I get a bowl. I open two cans of french style green beans. I drain and add them to the bowl. I open a can of cream of mushroom soup. (If you like your greenbean casserole add two cans.) I fill the empty cream of mushroom can will milk and add it to the bowl. I add a tablespoon of soy sauce. I also add a teaspoon of seasalt. I also add in one small can of crushed up french fried onions. Mix altogether.

I pour what is in the bowl in a glass dish. I place in oven beside the chicken drummets. Til I notice it bubbling. I open oven, pull out dish and add another small can of french fried onions on top of the green bean casserole. Place back into oven till the french fried onions are lightly browned.

I tend to serve this dish with a side of canned fruit and rolls. It serves five.

Wordless Wednesday #7 - Dogs

I am participating in another wordless wednesday link up. Wordless wednesday are sharing post, blogs, or photo essays with as few as words as possible. The more photos, the better.

Sharing different views of my dogs. I have three of three. A Chihuahua mix, a Chug, and a English Mastiff.

Food Wordless Wednesday #4

Today is another Wordless Wednesday. Wordless Wednesday is creating a blog, post, photo essay or article with few to no words. Mostly using photographs.

I talked on my celebrations blog of taking my mom out to eat for Mother's Day. Here are the photographs.

Mom eating egg drop soup

Crab Rangoon

Meso soup

The place I took mom for Mother's Day

Salad

Teriyaki salmon bento box

Teriyaki chicken bento box

Rice with Yum Yum sauce.

Throwback Tuesday #4

Throwback Tuesday is back! In case you haven't heard of Throwback Tuesday, I will explain what it is all about. Throwback Tuesday is fairly new way to link up your older writings and blogs to help promote them. It is another way to bring life back to old posts, articles and writings. This link up allows you to write about old things, old times, and any memory from yesterday year.As well as promote older posts or social media articles that need some more loving. 

In case you haven't heard, I compiled a weekly writing link up stored in one place. I found a link for every day of the week. You need to read the rules for each day. As some are different. If you have a link up and wish to add it, let me know in the comments below.

Honey Bees

Honey bees help pollinate some of our foods. The overall bee population health has been declining in recent years. Without honey bees we will not be able to grow many crops.

Some people have devoted a whole section of their gardens for honey bees to feed by planting lavender, sunflowers, goldenrod, thyme, and marigolds.

Beehives house 10,000 to 100,000 honey bees at a time. I would go poking a bee's nest unless I wanted to get sting. That is alot of bees in one place. getting stung that many times, even if you are not allergic is deadly.

80% of crops are pollinated by honey bees. While butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths account for the other 20%. Honey bees play an important role in the food chain. Without them, humans and animals would have hard time surviving.

Here are a few Honey bee facts :

1. Honeybees are known to produce honey.
2. A queen honey  bee can produce up to 2,000 eggs a day.
3. Larvae are fed pollen and honey for three weeks before they reach adulthood.
4. Drone honey bees (males) serve only to mate with the queen. Shortly, afterwards dies.
5. It takes a swarm to locate a new nesting site in 24 hours.
6. Honey bees are found world wide.
7. Worker honey bees lives last six weeks. Where they forage for food till their death.
8. A queen honeybee will live anywhere from two - five years. Average is three.
9. Honey bees get mistaken for wasps alot. However they are not wasp nor in the wasp family.
10. Honeybees are not native to the USA. They were imported with the early settlers of North America, with European origin.

My grandmother was allergic to honey bees. My older sister is allergic to honey bees. Both has to avoid honey bees at all cost and make sure to have a kit in case either one were stung. As one sting could kill them, if they are not treated quickly. My sister is also allergic to the pollen the honey bees collect. Pollen is the food the honey bees collect to eat.

Do you know someone who is allergic to honey bees?

Note : Click on photos to enlarge them.

Photos from Pixabay.com a free use photo website. 

No, It's Not Okay

Grrr! I was in the middle of a important phone trying to pay an old bill off when my puppy started barking like crazy at something outside. Of course I had to deal with the debt collector first. Once I was able to get them paid in full. I went to see why the puppy was barking like crazy.

My pup was barking at the old lady next door again. Of course she stood to the side of the fence where I couldn't see her. I told the pup to knock it off. The old lady said,"Oh, it's okay." I told her once again that it wasn't okay. As soon as the pup seen me, he came inside and I closed the door.

I wish this lady would leave my dogs alone. They don't like her. She is the only neighbor my dogs literally go off at when they see her. I know she is an older lady who misses her dog. Who passed away a couple weeks ago. However, what she is doing is causing me undue stress.

For one I was on the phone in the middle of important conversation. I couldn't stop what I was doing that second to deal with the pup. The back door was open, so the dogs could come in and out while I was on the phone. Usually I don't have an issue.

For two, my stomach has had a sharp pain since I woke up. Last thing I wanted to do was get up and move again.

Thirdly, she has been told to leave my dogs alone before. To not stand at the fence and try and talk to my dogs or feed them anything. As she has thrown bones and such over my fence without asking first.

I am trying to be a responsible pet owner. However, it is hard when other people interfere because they do things differently.

Photo from Pixabay a free use photo website.

Monday Madness Writing Link Up

Today, is once again your chance to link up any and all your writings or blogs on Monday Madness. You can can link as many post, articles, blogs, or writings. They can be from any social media source. There is no theme, you can write on any subject. There is no limit. Isn't that madness? You can add links all week long.

I visit each link left and will leave a comment on each link I visit to let you know I visited. I want to thank you in advance for joining this writing link up. If you have time, can please share this blog article using the social media buttons below. That way the word can get out to more people. It would be much appreciated.