New CanDO thread - May 28, 2009

Sheri, We wer'nt complaining to complain.
All of us have those "moments when something is irratating and we rant a little and go on. Psychologists say to get it off our chests and move on. It does'nt bother me much that parking is not as close some places. But it would be nice. I would'nt even think of NOT shopping at Lowes.That is the first place i think of when i get something for the house or garden. Their things are dependable and i have got some unusual houseplants there and some great bargains.
This is a great place to rant a litte about things that bother us handicapped and know someone understands. It can be healing to gripe a little. We don't make it a habit.
Here's to a perfect world, Would'nt it be boring?!! LOL
vickie

If we can't state feelings other than 'can do' then there is something terribly wrong with this thread. Just because we usually talk about what we can do doesn't mean we don't have issues that prevent life from being perfectly rosey for us all the time. This thread is about real life in a real world. That doesn't mean we are going off the deep end and talking depression, etc. just real life issues we all face.

Sorry, Sheri. My fault. I ASKED for imput. But, I need to understand what really bothers people who use wheelchairs so I don't make the same mistakes when I am designing things to be accessible.

I assume, for example, in designing garden paths that if the riding mower can get through a wheelchair can. But, I'm not a wheelchair user so there might be things I haven't considered. This is "positive complaining." It serves two purposes. Wheelchair users get things off their chest and Amargia doesn't make the same old mistakes.
There are ADA guidelines and all that, but those aren't the end all. If they were people in wheelchairs wouldn't NEED to complain. Either the ADA guidelines are not being followed or there are things that just aren't covered there. We want everyone who deals with physical challenges to feel like Amargia belongs to them. We are not just aiming here for everyone being reasonably safe, but totally comfortable. Perhaps, I should start a "Help Design Amargia" thread? All this web community stuff is new to me.

That might be a good idea, Kay, so people don't get their signals crossed.

I've always asked for the sturdiest, most powerful electric W/C but they were nowhere near as powerful as a ride-on mower. The newest thing in W/Cs is that they be able to turn on a dime. I still can't fit the W/C into a lot of the HP bathroom stalls and although I can negotiate tight spaces a lot more easily, I've lost a lot of power. I can't drive over mud, gravel or bark; actually it really only really goes well over pavement, concrete, asphalt, etc.

There is a beach in Fajardo, Puerto Rico and one in Galveston, TX that has a W/C with balloon tires that can go over sand. Getting a wheelchair to the beach is a really big deal!!!! Otherwise my poor, remarkable DH has to drag the W/C as close as he can and then carry me into the water. I realize that has not a lot to do with Armagia but there you go.

Thanks, Carrie. I will start a new thread to deal with this more pragmatic, technical stuff that many would find boring. IO1 and I have spoken of starting a thread for V.I.'s when I was more comfortable with how things worked at DG. But, I had doubts there are enough V.I.'s at DG to make it a viable thread. This would be O.K. though, because it is more general. "The nitty-gritty practical side of gardening and enjoying the outdoors when you have physical challenges" coming up.

Kay - Dogwood sends you a big gentle kitty hug (me too!) ^_^

I'll be looking forward to reading this new thread. It should be very interesting and informative. Thanks, Kudzu1.

We will try, Leaflady.

Back at ya, Sheri. Fenny says to tell Dogwood "Hi". Jim says we should take Fenny with us when we pick out the new cat. I don't think so! Fenny likes cats well enough, but the poor kitten wouldn't know that. Give it a heart attack. Fenny's a black Lab/Rottweiller mix, we think.

Our son & DIL have a blk. Lab/Rot cross about 5 years old. Dumb as a box of rocks most of the time but a good watch dog for my home. Useless for theirs. lol We live about a block apart in the country. He is also a great vermin killing dog. Especially opossums.

How sad to hear of the Opossums. they are such sweet docile animals that only want to wander at night eating slugs and bugs and a bit of carrion here and there. They do not fit the definition of vermin as they are not related to rats an are actually Marsupials and the worlds oldest living land mammal.
When i was a wildlife Rehabber I wondered why anyone would want to rehab a possum...until I rescued my first baby in the road. It was then that I realized they are in many ways like a cat except totally calm. Sure if they get startled they will gape open their mouth and show all 50 of those great teeth and hiss to hopefully scare yoou away, but unless something is put into that mouth they will run away or play dead rather than any aggression.
I had a non releasable one, Bobi for about 3.5 years who had her own room and used a litter pan once every day, knew her name and would come when called. She was by far one of my most special animal relationships ever.
I realize they have a bad rap and that many people are cared of and even hate them, but they really are not what they seem to be.

Thanks for letting me share,
Sheri

To farmers and those who raise poultry vermin is anything that is landbound and will attack and kill our poultry or eat the eggs. That included racoons, opossums, mink, weasels, foxes, skunks, etc. It can sometimes be expanded to include cats and dogs bot feral and someones pet.

The biggest problems I see is that these animals will make their way back to our place and become problems, wander into another poultry raisers place and cause problems, or approach a human who will not understand that this opposum has no fear of humans since it was raised by them. All of these will surely end in the death of these poor creatures. It is not the way we want it to be, but considering that it is illegal for us to even be taking care of them in this state we certainly cannot risk keeping them in captivity once they are big enough to hunt on their own. I have gone around and around with the conservation agents regarding releasing them vs placing them in petting zoos, etc. to educate people about them. If we can find someone who regularly feeds wild animals but lets them run wild and has no poultry we will gladly let them have them.

Opossums eat "carrion" (which happens to be already dead and beginning to rot). they are slow and freeze when startled so are often found around coops looking for bugs, etc. Housecats are more predatory than the Va Oposssum
Foxes and Racoons are very real threats to poultry (even some dogs!) , but sorry, not possums. They just do not kill for their meals except for bugs, etc
Here is a link to actual facts about opposums for anyone who cares to learn the truth about these docile animals

http://www.opossum.org/facts.htm
Please lets return this to the "can do thread" rather than talking of killing innocent wild animls or giving out non factual information

Thankyou,
Sheri
edited to add link

This message was edited Aug 10, 2009 10:07 PM

This message was edited Aug 15, 2009 10:35 AM

Sorry, Sheri, we have caught them in the act of killing poultry. I have grown up in the country around poultry and many predators of poultry and know more than you must think I do. Each species of animal seems to have a typical pattern of killing. Oppossums prefer to go into the bird house and kill birds on or close to the floor such as ducks or geese or baby chickens which haven't learned to fly up to the roosts yet. I CAN protect my poultry when the need arises.

I would build a more secure enclosure for them if possums can just walk in and eat chicks or eggs. I have a number of friends who have no problems in their hen houses and have plenty of possums. . I know Possums, they do not scale walls or open doors like racoons, so unless a chicken house is insecure the chicks or eggs should be of no dangerof an "opposum attack".

Anyway, please lets get off of this, this is accessible gardening Can Do thread and safety of poultry from whatever seems to be a subject for another area.
Reading of anyone who is pleased that their Dogs kill other animals is most unplesant and I think sad.

I thought this thread was to encourage people to realize the things in gardening etc that they CAN do in spite of feeling limited by physical limitations

Sheri, Leaflady is right. Possums are destructive to poultry and eggs, We are farm people and know of what we speak. I'm very sorry but your information and source is wrong. Leaflady made a by the way statement. And you attacked her statement. That was not right. You may be having some depression issues right now. and you have my sympathy and my empathy. I would like to call you a Friend. So please take this as intended. An agressive statement just hurts people. Maybe a more assertive way of communicating would be in order and everyone would be happier. Sheri please take care of yourself and D-mail me. OK?
Vickie

Leaflady, I don't know what traits Rotts were initially bred for, but high intelligence doesn't seem to have been one of them. Watching me try to train Fenny is a source of amusement for my neighbors.
Jim and I debate whether she is actually that dumb or just that stubborn and bullheaded.

Fenny earns her keep working with me in the garden by making sure I don't stumble onto a snake or a fire ant mound. I guess its good she is not too bright because she finds my digging in the dirt endlessly facinating. A more intelligent dog would probably get bored and wander off. I'm almost certain fire ants haven't made it that far north. Are poisonous snakes a gardening issue in Missouri?

I really don't know much about the background of Rottwielers but Mugsy is only intellegent in a few areas. He barks a lot when someone comes to my place but not when someone comes to their house. He is wonderful with little Skyler tho. I think it would be unwise to make threatening moves toward him.

Vicki, thank you. I too hope Sherri seeks treatment for her emotional roller coaster. I was diagnosed with M/D when I was young but mine manifested more in wild energy swings tho some mood swings were there also. My DD Sheila has been diagnosed with M/D and is taking meds for it that seem to be helping her alot. She has also been diagnosed with personality cluster B. Much the same as schizophenia(Misspelled I know)with a few differences. She is taking meds for that too.

I went out today and lopped off about 50 - 75 seed laden hollyhock stalks that were right in front of the front porch. I carried them off to a pile in the back yard where I burn things like that & junk from the attic. I don't burn the daily garbage there, there are barrels for that. I pulled a lot of weeds, lopped off some mulberry and Rose of Sharon sprouts and used Tordon on the stumps to kill them. I found a nest of hornets(?)in a couple flower pots and had to quit. I threw gas on them so hopefully that will kill off the nest so I can safely work there again in a day or two.

Sheila had Holly come start the Poulan wheeled weedeater( it is hard to start the first time you use it)and got a lot of cleaning up done. We are both bushed but feel good about what we accomplished today.

Kyle came up and did more work on my computer. Several drivers still need to be installed and since I can't find the CD or floppy for them Kyle has to go home and find them on the internet. Someone he knows and trusts told him about a site/company(?)that sells a program protection service. If we ever crash again all we have to do is get back online, go to that site and give it our email address and password & it will reload all our programs for us. We think the fee is very reasonable so we'll probably buy it.

I've had my shampoo and shower & am dressed for bed so I suppose I should move in that direction. GOD bless and keep each of you.

Please refrain from discussing me or gossiping about my personal issues. I think DG even has a policy about that sort of thing.
I tried to share some facts about the N American marsupial Opossum. Most people are unfamiliar with the real facts as found on any educational site about Opossums. I dont think that giving facts and sharing personal experience equals being aggressive. And I certainly never wrote anything her with an aggressive intent.
I thought I had friends here. Friends don't gossip when concerned, but rather they more likely would use Dmail to convey their concerns. I'm Shocked and hurt.
I will say before leaving that Rottweilers are not dumb dogs. Rather they are highly intelligent and frequently used in military and police. but the average home pet that is left in a yard to figure out how the human expects it to act and react without any training has no idea what to do and probably seems dumb. Then there are all the backyard breeders who think just because their dogs "have papers" they can have wonderful pups. LOL Backyard breeding does produce dogs that do not fit the Standard for the breed and seem dumb..
Bye and God Bless. perhaps we will meet in some other forum

Sheri, your problems are quite obvious. No one had to tell me anything. I am not blind or dumb as you seem to feel I am. In fact, you seem to feel every one else needs you to tell us what to do and talk about. I have kept my feelings and thoughts in control until now but you have pushed me once too often. You are out of control emotionally and seem to think you can just boss everyone around. We don't need you to police us. I shared that my DD & I had similar problems because I wanted to make the point that with treatment a person can be under good emotional and mental control. If you don't get help and get youself & your problems under control you won't be welcome on any forum or thread.

Leaflady - your gentle loving Christian concerns are obvious. And may God bless you too!

I had not intended on returning here, but feel the need to record some facts over some recent insinuations about me recently made here-

and




***"M/D" typically stands for manic depressive disorder - Which is a major psychiatric disease , also Schizophrenia is a very severe psychiatric disease which frequently involves psychotic episodes.
I am very glad that people with these types of psychiatric diseases can be medicated and live a mentally stable life. Without medications, these diseases frequently threaten the life and safety of both the patient and society.
I, however have never been diagnosed or displayed any clinical symptoms of either of these diseases. Public insinuations of such are both libelous and slander.
Being a Registered Nurse, I understand how someone with one or both of these diseases may have difficulty controlling emotional outbursts. Therefore I am choosing to forgive the previously documented opinions of one of our members.
However I would strongly recommend that some of us reread, in its entirety, the rules and agreements of DG membership, as I prefer not to take this situation to administration.

I am not trying to be bossy here, just trying to protect my name and reputation.

I sincerely hope everyone here has a blessed and peaceful day. ^_^


BirdieBlue / Sheri



edited for quote corrections

This message was edited Aug 12, 2009 11:28 AM

This message was edited Aug 12, 2009 11:31 AM

I discovered while staying with my DD in the hospital. That there still is something i can do to help nurse my DD. I felt so useless when i could'nt physically lift her up in bed or help her to the bathroom. but i could just be there to watch her and relay the message that she needed something. Hospitals are too understaffed to have someone there all the time. Sometimes being there can be important. Maybe all of us can find something we do that don't seem important but in fact is very important to someone.
Vickie

Bumping this thread with another CAN DO report. I dug all 126 bulbs of garlic in the raised bed on Tuesday and even worked yesterday without being exhausted. Since I was so late getting them dug every single clove had sprouted. Now I have all those sprouted cloves to deal with. Unsprouted would have been much easier. I think I'll cut off the green sprouts and freeze them seperately. If I use the FoodSaver bags and vacumm they well they should keep a long time. I'll freeze a lot of the cloves which have shed their hard coat in the same way but some will go into vacummed jars in the 'fridge.

I know some of the others have CAN DO reports. Katie, Scraps, and others have just finished really big projects in the past couple months to days.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

Wow, that's a lot of garlic. good job!

Leaf, you did good. I've a little garlic. but never have dug any and it keeps spreading a little every year. I love garlic and buy it. Gee this must be a could do but did'nt story.
Vickie

Vickie, I have more "will do"... someday stories myself. I'm always saying "I'll get around to it." For Christmas, my cousin who works as a machinist gave me a doughnut shaped piece of metal with "tuit" engraved in it. He says now I've finally got a round tuit.

I love the results a Foodsaver gives, but I have to ask a sighted person for help when I use mine. It is very visual. *Kay*

LOL kay

I'm writing an anthem for our church choir, and I'm ALMOST done.

All Right Carrie, That takes talent.
Did'nt i hear someone say something about a slowed down brain? Don't think so!!

Wow Carrie...that's great!

What a GOD given talent you have been blessed with, Carrie. Thank you for using it to serve HIM not the world.

That's great, Carrie. It must be wonderful to have musical talent. I have a great love of music but no talent.

It's EXHAUSTING but I'll come up for air soon. Thanks everybody.

Well I still can butcher deer. Even without the hoist. I've had to quarter out 3 so far this week on the ground. The first one was a road kill- it jumped out in front of my neighbor and totaled her car. I had to leave it on the ground and cut off the hide over the one front shoulder I could salvage and the 2 rear legs and tenderloins. I came home from church today to find 2 decent size does lying in front of the garage. The battery charger wasn't in the garage and the lawmower battery was dead so I had to do the same thing with them. The tenderloins are now in the freezer and the rest is in the bottom drawers of the 'fridge. I'll work on them tomorrow. To tired to do anymore today. I was thru by 6:30 or so but it was a hard afternoon of work.

Tomorrow I need to remove the innards and clean the rib cages, remove the rest of the hide and hang them over the chainlink trellises for the insect eating birds to pick clean this winter. I know that sounds terrible, but many birds depend on finding some kind of meat(or suet cakes)to make it thru the winter. By spring the ones I hang are picked absolutely bare. And I have a very healthy happy flock of wild birds to eat bugs thru the summer.

My shoulders kind of hurt even after the aspirin so I think I need to get to bed and put heat pads on each of them for at least part of the night.

GOD bless and keep each of you.

leaf, Somehow i missed your post till now.
Iva mae, You are really a glutton for punishment. But oh how i envy you your meat.I've helped dress out a deer but never alone. I think thats a neat idea to let the birds have the skins.I've got to make some cornmeal-shortning cakes for my birds.
I have no doubts that you'd dress out and use a bear if given a chance.
Vickie

I don't know bout a bear, Vickie. They are heavy and besides, I hear they smell terrible. But thanks for the compliment. It isn't the hide I hang, it is the rib cage sometimes with the neck attached. If I just bone it out in the garage the legs will still be attached and the whole thing is put up for the birds You have to split the breast bone completely to get it to securely slide down over the trellisis.

GOD bless and keep each of you.
EvaMae