Now that's the pits

You may remember a while back I wrote a story about a Bugatti that was locked away for years until it's owner passed away and it was discovered by family members. I believe I told you that I really liked that car. They are, after all, $1.25 million cars. That's quite a chunk of change if you ask me.

Now imagine owning one of those very expensive vehicles and then having it end up in the ocean. I think I would die. The worst part of it is that the accident was the drivers fault. He blames a pelican for the mishap but in reality it was because he took his eyes off the road.

I was shocked when I came across the story this morning while reading the news. Flabbergasted really. I literally think I would die if I wrecked a car worth that much money. I suppose if I could afford a car worth that much money then I could afford to wreck it but the fact that it was wrecked because a low flying pelican scared me into dropping my cell phone (which shouldn't be in use while driving) and then I leaned down to pick up that phone, taking my eyes off the road mind you, would be enough humiliation to cause my death. If you ask me the man was just foolish. He wasn't foolish enough to be identified in the story though. At least he had that much sense.

Need cell phone service? CRICKET is NOT the way to go

Let me tell you a little story....

We were in the mall one day in Texas before we moved up here to Georgia and we saw the Cricket Wireless store. There were huge signs saying they were having a sale so we decided to check it out. We were very specific about what roads we'd be traveling to Georgia and where we'd be once we got here. The man in the store assured us that we would be covered the whole way. He even got out a map and showed us that we would be covered all the way up I10. His exact words were "I guarantee you'll have phone service the whole way". He lied.

We lost service when we crossed into Louisiana and didn't have a signal even one time until we got to Atlanta. We never left the course we told him we'd be driving. My children were on the road at the same time heading to Oklahoma and they were frantic because they couldn't get a hold of us. They didn't know if we'd been in an accident or something like that. Not to mention that I couldn't call them to make sure they were traveling safely. We had to stop at a pay phone so that I could check in. We paid $148 for the phones from Cricket just so I could stop at a pay phone and spend more money. Ridiculous.

Once we arrived in Atlanta and actually had a signal we called customer service and talked to a lady named Ann. She talked to her supervisor and they both agreed that they're representative at K Wireless in Katy Mills Mall in Katy, Texas did not tell us the truth. She was very understanding and told us because their services had been misrepresented that we would get a full refund. Sounds good, right? It's another lie.

They said to take the phones back to the store we purchased them from (which was no problem because we planned on traveling back to Texas to get the rest of our belongings) and that the man WOULD give us our money back. Tim arrived there this morning only to be told he would NOT get our money back. He was slightly mad. He DID act mad I'm sure. Who wouldn't after being guaranteed something, driving 900 miles and then being told no?

Not only did the man refuse to give our money back like we were told would happen, BUT Tim was kicked out of the store! How's that for customer service? That's a joke in itself. Cricket has no idea what customer service means. When you try to call them and speak to someone, all you get is a recording or told that you'll be on hold for a few minutes...which is about 45 minutes according to all my trying to contact a live human being since 8:00 this morning. After waiting that 45 minutes it disconnected me. I am not happy.

So my message to all of you in blogland is DO NOT USE CRICKET WIRELESS SERVICE. You may get lucky and not have any issues but from what I've learned since making the mistake of believing their salesman it's not worth it. They lie, lie, lie. They'll tell you what you want to hear just to get your money. And the service sucks as far as keeping a signal. Trust me on this. I'll happily use AT&T from now on.

Hello strangers

Just thought I'd let y'all know that I haven't completely abandoned my blogs. We've moved from South Texas to Georgia and things are a little hectic right now. What is wrong with the economy? Can anyone answer that for me? Last year at this time things were wonderful and now we can barely keep a dollar in our pockets. Ugh. See you tomorrow hopefully!!

Close encounters of the Texas kind

The eyes of Texas were looking at the sky on Sunday morning. They were all trying to see the UFO. I’m not joking. A fireball streaked across the Texas sky Sunday morning causing numerous residents to believe a close encounter was occurring.

One Texas sheriff’s office had so many reports of the UFO that they actually sent a helicopter out to search for a plane crash or something of that nature. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) at first believed it was a satellite dish and a Russian space vehicle that had collided in space. They thought pieces from that crash were raining down on earth. They even posted a warning to pilots to be aware of debris in the air but later said that wasn’t the case and the warning was removed.

Preston Starr (the observatory manager at the University of North Texas…how ironic is his name?) said that it was a pickup truck sized meteor. The FAA has agreed with him.

Now if you’re anything like me, you’re thinking about where that meteor landed. I can imagine a huge crater in the center of some small Texas town. People freaking out and running for the hills...

Not to worry, according to Starr anything that may have survived the trip through the atmosphere would be smaller than a fist once it reached the earth’s surface. (I have to think a fist sized rock would still hurt pretty bad if it hit me though.)

I personally don’t believe in little green men from outer space but I know a lot of people do believe. I’m not saying there is no life outside of Earth but I do find it hard to believe they have spaceships but haven’t bothered to ‘check us out’.

And I wonder how nobody knew a meteor was on its way. Aren’t there hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people that do nothing but watch the sky? If a pickup sized meteor can get through without any warning what else is here?

PCA is no more

Back on January 8 I began talking about the salmonella outbreak that has since been linked back to the Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) and specifically to their Blakely Georgia plant. As of this past Friday, February 13, the PCA is no more.

They officially filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Virginia on Friday. Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidates all of the company’s assets and distributes that money to the company’s creditors. That’s good news for the creditors and in my opinion good news for us. We won’t have to worry about any more food coming from PCA.

In a story I read this morning it was reported that officials had also shut down the Texas plant this week because products tested there had positive results for salmonella too. When health officials went in that plant they found rodents, feces and feathers in the ceiling above the production area. Because no inspections had been made by the state there previously, ALL products ever produced there have been recalled and are being destroyed.

To date the salmonella outbreak that has been traced back to the Georgia plant has sickened over 630 people and possibly caused nine deaths. There are over 2000 products on the recall list.

I’m once again left wondering.

How many plants are producing food but not being inspected by states?
How many foods have I eaten since March of 2005 (the date the Texas PCA plant opened) that could have possibly contained peanuts or peanut products?
How lucky am I to have not gotten ill?
How many illnesses were actually salmonella but never treated so they haven’t been documented?
How many people work in plants that are nasty?
Don’t they know people are eating that food?
Don’t they care?
Why don’t they do anything to change it?
Why?

FDA Product Recall List

How many dogs can you fit in a car?

Apparently 22.

In the town of Pottsboro 70 miles north of Dallas Texas constables discovered just that. 22 dogs crammed into a station wagon. Oh, don’t let me forget that the woman who owned the car was inside too.

Officers at the scene of the discovery said that the lady was not coherent and seemed to be in need of mental health care. She locked herself in the car with the dogs when they tried to serve her with a warrant to remove the dogs from her possession.

According to the SPCA of Texas rescue and investigations supervisor the ammonia level in the car was twice the level that humans can withstand without having health issues. Because of all the urine and feces that were present in the station wagon, the ammonia level was 23 parts per million and the average person experiences health problems at 12 parts per million. How could she even breathe?

The 20 dogs and 2 puppies were taken to an animal shelter and are being cared for until a hearing on the 16th of this month. The custody of the animals will be decided at that hearing. Adult Protective Services was contacted to help the woman. I feel sorry for all of them. The dogs, the lady, the officers that had to do something with that mess you know was in the car and the shelter that now has 22 extra mouths to feed.

One down, one to go

Riley Ann Sawyer was two years old when she was brutally murdered. She was beaten with belts, thrown across the room and dunked into a tub full of cold water. Her battered lifeless body was then stuffed in a trunk, hidden in a storage shed and then later thrown into the ocean. Who would do such a thing to a precious child? According to prosecutors in Galveston County it was her mother and her step-father.

After two hours of deliberation a jury found Kimberly Dawn Trenor guilty of capital murder. Trenor’s husband Royce Clyde Zeigler II is still jailed and awaiting his trial.

Trenor claims she did not kill her daughter. She says it was all Zeigler. Jury members were not swayed by her testimony. Randall Rothschild, the jury foreman, said emotion did not play a role in the verdict and they believe justice was served. I completely agree.

When the remains of the toddler were first discovered on Galveston Island my heart went out to whomever the baby belonged to. I felt so sorry for the family of the baby they had dubbed “Baby Grace”. I thought some terrible person had taken this child, tortured her and then cast her away like she was a piece of trash. I never imagined it was her own mother that was the guilty person.

Then several weeks after the trunk containing little Riley’s body had washed up on shore, Riley’s grandparents saw an artists sketch on TV and called authorities because they believed the picture looked liked their granddaughter. Sadly they were right.

Trenor received life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. It is required to prove that the person on trial would be a future danger to seek the death penalty and they didn’t believe they could prove that. That’s something I just don’t understand. If they’ve killed once isn’t that enough? I could see if it was a case of accidental death but this certainly was not. Riley was attacked and murdered out of anger. There’s nothing accidental about that. If I had my way, Trenor would be sitting on death row.

On the web: Texas jury convicts mother in 'Baby Grace' slay

small town, BIG HONOR

Have you heard of the United States Achievement Academy (USAA)? This organization founded in 1978 by Dr. George A. Stevens recognizes and honors outstanding students around the United States. The best way to tell you about this awesome program is to show you the founder’s message. I have copied it exactly as it appears on the website:

I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank the hundreds of thousands of educators who have participated in the United States Achievement Academy's national recognition program for exceptional students.

The Academy has been honoring exceptional students through educators and the results of scholastic scores for three decades. The tradition of recognizing outstanding students has become a reality because of the over 900,000 dedicated teachers nationwide who have nominated students into the USAA program.

The Academy salutes the concerned, interested teachers who create pride and a feeling of accomplishment in the students they honor.

The exclusive members of the Academy have an average overall grade point average of a 3.8 on a 4.0 scale. The Academy membership represents the elite among today's students. Incredibly, many of our members have achieved perfect ACT and SAT scores, and excellent grade point averages. Among our athletic divisions, our members hold prestigious titles such as All-State, All-Region and All-Conference. Whether a teacher nominates a student for exceptional citizenship and leadership qualities or for outstanding academics, students truly benefit when being honored by their educator or coach.

Each year, the Academy receives letters of appreciation from educators and students nationwide who have been inspired by the Academy's program. We thank you for taking the time to write us and share your thoughts about the program.

It has been an honor working with such talented and exceptional students and educators through the USAA. I look forward to the next decade with great expectations and to serving the nation's next generation of exceptional students.

Sincerely,

George Stevens
AB, MA, DDS
Founder

Sealy Junior High is an excellent school. There are, on average, 18 students per class and 30% of the teachers have been there 21 years or longer. My son attended Sealy Junior High and all I have is good memories of his time there.

Now the USAA has bestowed this honor on one of our own Sealy Texas students. Rebecca Presley is a junior high school student here. I personally don’t know Rebecca but in a town of only 6200 people, I’m sure I’ve seen her around.

I’m proud that a student from our town has received this honor. I’m proud FOR her and OF her. Great job Rebecca!

Bad day on our highways

Everyday is a news day for me but today is a local news day. It seems like all the stories that caught my eye this morning were from in or around Houston. And most of them involved cars and speed.

A 22 year old man was reported to have been driving in excess of 100 mph when he crashed his Chevy Cobalt carrying himself and his 18 year old girlfriend into a van with five family members in it. All but the driver of the speeding Cobalt and a 59 year old female passenger in the van were killed in the accident. The driver that caused the accident is unaware that these deaths occurred yet. Killed in the accident were the 18 year old girlfriend, a 78 year old man who’s birthday is today, his brother and sister-in-law who were both 83 and his 60 year old nephew. The family members had traveled to celebrate the 78 year olds birthday.

In the second accident, a 17 year old stole a pickup truck and was spotted by police. He ran from the officers and subsequently crashed into a SUV in the intersection of South 79th and Elwood in Houston. The accident killed a 23 year old man that was driving the SUV. The 17 year old has no license and claimed to have ‘found’ the car.

A third accident occurred when a ladies vehicle was carjacked. Thankfully the carjacker allowed her to remove her children from the vehicle before he took off in it. The police chased him until he crashed into a gas meter. No one was hurt in this accident but a nearby restaurant had to be evacuated because of the leaking gas.

And finally, at a Low Rider car show one of the vehicles carrying a family involved in the celebration burst into flames. A three year old was in a car seat in the back of the car. The father managed to get his son out of the burning vehicle, but they both suffered burns and are being treated at the Medical Center.

I hate to drive. It’s a true story. I would rather be a passenger than a driver. Accidents like these make that feeling even stronger in me. Tim is an excellent driver and I would rather put my faith in him. Not that I’m a bad driver. I just get nervous and I know I shouldn’t be in control of a vehicle when I’m nervous.

I also know that accidents happen in a split second and sometimes even the most experienced and confident drivers are still involved in them. My heart goes out to the families of the victims in the accidents I’ve talked about this morning. I pray they find peace in whatever way they can. I know that’s easier said than done.

Singing together makes everything better

Most of the news I share with you is from somewhere far far away from me. A lot of times it’s from all the way across the world from me. But the story I’d like to tell you about today is from right around the corner from me. Houston.

We’re 52 miles west of Houston. We rarely go into the city though. It’s so big and so many people everywhere. And a few of the places are a little on the scary side if I’m to be completely honest.

When my oldest daughter was just an infant we had quite the medical scare. We ended up driving like maniacs in the middle of the night into Houston to Texas Children’s Hospital. Christina was three months old and very sick. I was 23 and very scared.

The doctors there were extremely nice. They did everything they could to make both of us comfortable. Christina ended up having to have a spinal tap. If you’ve never witnessed that, I can tell you it’s frightening. They use the biggest needle I’ve ever personally seen. They have to get it just right, exactly in between the disks in your spine to remove some of the fluid to test. They thought she had meningitis. Thankfully she didn’t but I’ll never forget how the doctors at Texas Children’s Hospital did everything they could to solve and fix her issues.

And I’ll never forget their kindness. Everyone associated with the hospital was so caring and so gentle. I appreciated that so much. Now the hospital is in the news for their caring, kind ways.

The story was specifically about the Cancer Center at the hospital. It’s the number one pediatric cancer center in Texas and number three in the entire country. That makes me proud.

Now, thanks to donations and Anita Kruse, the Cancer Center offers the chance for terminally ill children to forget about their illnesses for a little while. Anita started a recording studio in the hospital where she and other staff members and volunteers help the children to write and record songs about important things in their lives.

One young lady named Jalen Huckabay wrote about her dog Jasmine or Jaz for short. Shy and unsure of herself, she quickly gained confidence once she realized she was actually writing the song just by talking about her much loved pup.

Anita is a Houston resident who sings and writes music professionally. After speaking a few minutes with Jalen, she hears the song in the young girls loving words and writes it in her notebook as they talk.

Jalen smiles as the first verse is read back to her. “MYD is my yippin’ dog. Got her last Christmas on the 23rd. We call her Jaz. She’s the Yorkie we chose. We dress her up in Build-A-Bear clothes.”

The project is named Purple Songs Can Fly and relies heavily on donations. All donations are tax deductable. I have a feeling a lot of people would donate even if they weren’t tax deductable. I know I will. It’s definetly worth it.

Read more about Jalen Huckabay

Read more about Purple Songs Can Fly

Read more about Texas Children’s Hospital

Read more about Texas Children’s Cancer Center & Hematology Service

Kudos Doc Watson!

As usual this morning I was reading through the headlines on my second best friend, my computer. Most of the time I experience a wide range of emotions while reading the stories. Everything from laugh out loud to oh my goodness that makes me mad.

Less often a story will touch me. This morning however, I read one of those stories. I sat here with tears running down my face and a huge smile at the same time. My first best friend (my husband) came in from his shower and immediately thought something was wrong with me. I assured him it wasn’t and read him the story.

I’ve lived many places in my lifetime but no matter where I’ve lived, I’ve always claimed Texas as home. I love Texas. I love most of the people in it. My guess is if it was a smaller state I probably wouldn’t feel that way. Less people = less chance for good.

The story I read was about a doctor in Yoakum Texas. Yoakum is a small town outside of San Antonio. This man, lovingly known as Doc Watson, has been the town doctor for 50 years. And he still makes house calls.

That doesn’t happen very often these days. Most doctors are more worried about the money they make and not so much about their patients. That’s sad but true. But Doc Watson isn’t one of those doctors. He’s even been known to accept baked goods and home grown vegetables as payment to the dismay of his daughter. He was quoted in the story as saying “These people have paid me with what they could. As far as I’m concerned, they’re paid in full.” How refreshing is that?

He began his career after graduating from the Baylor College of Medicine in 1958. Back then he charged $3.00 for an office visit and $5.00 for a house call. Some of his patients have been lifelong.

One of those patients is 80 year old Lou Olsovsky. As Doc Watson examined Lou he gently asks about his wife who passed away four years previously. When the doctor asked if he was ready to go meet his wife, he was told “I was supposed to go first, but she wouldn’t let me.” Lou still wears his wedding ring. That just broke my heart. It was what made me cry.

It makes me happy that there are still men like that in this world. Sometimes I wonder about our planet and the way it seems to be going downhill. Then I read something like this story and it gives me hope.

I’d like to tip my hat to Doc Watson. I hope he has many more years taking care of his town. According to him he has no plans to quit anytime soon. He said “When I can’t do crossword puzzles anymore, I’ll know it’s time to quit. But as long as I’m reasonably healthy, and have a little sense, I’ll keep doing it.”

Click here to read the original story