Accessible Gardening: #20 Practical Matters for Physically Challenged Gardeners, 5 by Agavegirl1

Agavegirl1 wrote:
Good morning gang! :D

YIKES! What a time it seems to be for everyone.

Carrie: Even if the weather wasn't cooperative I'm glad you got to go do something fun for yourself, spent some time with your husband and enjoyed some good music. Always nice to do.

Bets: Hope you are o.k. and feeling a little better today. Has the sun come out in more ways than one? Songs just for you: The Letter by Macy Gray. I think you will truly appreciate this one. I know it is what every person who left us would say after they left us.

The other one is "I Can't Wait to Meet You." It is a letter from 'you' to God saying how much you love and enjoy life and are glad and appreciative of being here but you Can't Wait to Meet Him because of how wonderful he is and the place you will be going to is and what your life will be like there.
Upbeat music too.
Fitting also as the C.D.s title is "On How Life Is". Both songs are on it.

Jim: Yikes! I'm kind of at a loss as to what to say on this. How heart wrenching. My husband said how sad.

He works with an inmate that when he's on his meds and takes them regularly he is just fine. When he doesn't want to (His right..can't by law force him) and it wears out of his system in 24-48 hours he kind of does the same stuff. Shows up to chow with no shirt on and 2 different shoes; cusses and defies everyone including the one Captain that's built like a brick wall and on S.O.R.T. (special operations response and tactical...basically the riot control police...you know the guys with BIG cans of gas, big muscles and no necks who ARE allowed to beat on you legally). Anyway this normally really easy going, mild mannered inmate wound up spending more time in segregation than the worse offenders! When on his meds he'd begs everyone to make him take them everyday but when he chose not too you couldn't 'force him'.

It got to the point where the whole S.O.R.T. team gave up on the hardline approach and everyone kind of 'skirts around' the protocol (ahem...illegal). Now they just talk to him real soothingly and say, "Hey..they're having a fun activity in medical, or there's a real pretty nurse in there let's go take a walk there and check her out..wink, wink).

Once there the nurses can usually persuade him to take his 'vitamins' or whatever they're calling them. It works out and he's normal. He's been better and has spent a lot less time in seg. When he doesn't want to take them they now just keep him in an empty cell by himself in an unused part of the unit instead of seg (ahem...illegal) until they can get him back on his meds. People have to be logged when put in seg by law which means time gets added to his sentence each time! This has been their way of "helping him" and avoiding adding unnecessary time to his sentence due to something he has no control over and doesn't do on purpose! Everyone there from looking at his jacket (file/record...another thing you're not allowed to do!) know he's in there for an awful lot of things he couldn't help from the descriptions of the crimes...and yes...legitimately for selling drugs illegally too.

You wouldn't think such compassion would be exhibited in prison but...there are circumstances that just have to be worked with in a common sense manner and they found a way to do so. Warden's only requirement is he wants to know or hear nothing about it (as it is ahem...illegal) and if they get caught the officers are responsible...not him, he had 'no knowledge'! Dave is one of the ones who assumes this risk. I'm proud of him for it even though it could jeopardize his job. Isn't it shameful how you have to bend and break the law to get people the help they need?

I know what it is not to sleep with things like this. I don't have children, flesh of my flesh, but I had an Uncle who overdosed. My brother spent most of his life from 15- 35 dealing with alcohol and cocaine addiction (He'll be 50 in Jan and has been clean since he was 35). My parents would find him asleep in parking lots, have to come get him out of bars, he got the crap kicked out of himself a few times. My mom used to make nightly drives through the parts of town she thought he'd be. Found him in the PROJECTS once wandering around in the street stoned out of his mind! They got in a fight when she dragged him into the car, he hit her several times.

He kept going up in front of the same judge repeatedly who was giving him a break. Finally judge said, "You don't want to fix your problem, I'll fix it for you. Can't do drugs in prison so off you go. Gave him the maximum he could which was 5 years!) My brother had not really ever done anything bad like robbery or owned and carried a gun for the wrong reasons, dealt drugs himself. But he wound up with a prison record. (Kind of ironic years later his sister and BIL wound up working in prisons!) He said it was the rudest awakening in life he ever got!

The best friend I ever had self destructed right before his 31st birthday. I still am mad at him and ask him 'why' when I talk to him in my head. Tooooo long a story there. He was my best friend since I was 18 and in College. We were room mates the entire time. When I got to CA we were again. Three months after I moved to C.A. he died. I had moved in with a 'boyfriend' in a nice side of town as opposed to the sleazy one where my friend resided. I visited him a week before he died. Always felt a special kind of guilt over all this. Still do. Too many questions with him.

STILL a cold case as they don't know whether he o.d. on his own or if someone was there with him at the time as there seems to have been from the types of things stolen. He had them just the week before when I visited. Lots of other details and particulars to this story and time in life but these are the highlights. I have a few things that belonged to him ( a shirt, a pair of his shoes, pictures, the letters and cards I sent him...he NEVER threw them out!). I was the one who got power of attorney as his family lived in PA. so I was the one who went through his personal effects and papers and property and sent them back. Killed a part of me inside and haunted me. Still does.

Tigger's meds probably wore off at the worse possible time they could have. She probably isn't normally like this. I'm glad the police cut her some slack. Maybe they 'see' in her what Dave and the others 'see' with the one guy in prison. Perhaps they did the best they could to contain things without physically laying hands on her/laying hands on her minimally, without hitting her with a night stick or shooting her if she was violent with them and refusing to comply with their orders. I don't know all the details but these things come to mind considering tazing versus the above alternatives.

If you know who her judge is perhaps you can write a letter on her behalf and explain things and the behavior. Or maybe you can ask to speak in private chambers before you go to court. Maybe house arrest/ankle bracelet with weekly parole and mandatory doctor visits? They really don't like to send 'non-violent' or 'non-major crime' offenders to jail or prison they're already too overcrowded. Tell the judge you'll post a bond?

NOT being funny but can you slip her the meds into food or something she drinks so YOU KNOW she's taking them? Can you get her a home nurse to help her and you guys?

On the lighter side...That sounds like good news with Kay's eyes. I'm glad she has been active and in good spirits. CONGRATS on the upcoming grandchild. :D Hopefully both mother and baby will be well. I'm sure that won't be a problem with all of the knowledge and advances in this area now days. Dave's mom had him at 37! (He has a half sister 10 years older and a half brother 12 years older. He's his parent's only biological child together.)

Women are still having children in their mid 40s (some people are just gluttons for punishment I guess) some I'm sure mid 30s will not be a problem with a little common sense a little more attentiveness.

Hate to say it right now but things are looking a bit up for me. I'll tell you guys more later. Yesterday though had a great day in that I made it to San Tan Valley Regional Park and did some real hiking. Dug out the old combat boots. :D Also went to pay homage to Wise Cactus pre holidays and listen to the voice of my Magi. Also got to see many of his friends and family. His kids are in puberty! Ages 75-100 as they are getting their first arms!

Pics below.
1.) Me sitting on my rock with Wise Cactus.
2.) Wise Cactus asked me to stand and listen to what he was saying as he whispered to me. (I'm 5 foot 3 to give you an idea of W.C.s stature and presence!)
3.) Dave and I at the S.T.V.M. park. I caught him cheating...he was resting!
4.) Wise Cactus's one child...look, he's got his arms....awww...how cute!
5.) Just some interesting new growth on a type of Chola Plant

More pics to follow.