Cats and Chaos, War and Children

 I had three cats,  Sake, Haiku, and Taki.  I can't say that they were friends, the best I can say is that they tolerated each other.  They could not all 3 sit on the sofa at the same time; two at most, and at best.  The one place all 3 could share, besides the kitchen at meal time,  with separate dishes, was the bed.  They could not sit together, but they could share the bed.

And, they shared something else.  I don't know if they learned this from each other, or it is just something they had in common, but they would become anxious when I stripped the bed to wash the linens, and did not make the bed quickly enough to suit them.  They did not like to sit on the mattress. I think that was a hold over from when I had a waterbed.  But when I stripped the bed, I would make the comforter available to them, on the mattress, or elsewhere in the bedroom. And sometimes, when I did start to make the bed, they liked to play with the linens and hide under the sheets and comforter.  For a short while.

The only cat left is Taki. She is learning disabled, but functional for the most part.  She forgets how to pull a door open some days, but never forgets how to push a door open. She forgets that playing with claws extended, and biting are not allowed, or just cannot control her impulses. She also is not much of a snuggler, but will sit adjacent, and even likes to hold my hand in her front paws!  She likes to eat where I eat:  in the kitchen when I am in the dining area, in the computer room, when I am there.   If her dishes start in one area, and we move to another, she seems to forget where her dishes are.  But she knows the words "kitchen, breakfast and dinner."  She has not learned the word "commercial" but she knows that when there is a  break in the action, or a change in tempo, I will get up and try to tend to her requests (if I can figure them out)

So, all the to say I washed linens today, which set Taki off a bit, because that is usually a Sunday chore.  I was slow at getting the laundry dried and remaking the bed.  Meanwhile, Taki took up residence on the comforter that was piled at the end of the bed.  She was not resting peacefully, but keeping a careful watch on the bed. And that is when it struck me:  This is a common weekly occurrence in our house, which is calm and quiet for the most part, (except during sporting events.) History in her life indicates the bed will be made and we will have a bed again!  Although I can try to explain this to her, and I do, her vocabulary is not as good as Sake:s and Haiku's, so I do not think she really gets even the general idea of what I am saying.

And this brought me to what I am seeing on the news about the events in Ukraine, and how it is effecting the civilians. Especially, the impact on children, who may not really be able to grasp what is going on, or are too young to have any idea about what is going on.  I do not wish to demean the children of the Ukraine in anyway.   I have never had children, only fur babies.  But if an unmade bed can create an anxiety reaction in my cats, can you imagine how the noise, explosions, fires, destruction impact the children of war.  How being bundled up, leaving home behind with only what you have on your back, with crowds of strangers, usually only one parent, and minimal provisions on a trip in an uncomfortable, crowded truck, bus or train.  Not knowing how long the trip will be. Not knowing what will be waiting at the destination, which probably is only an interim destination, before repeating the processing to yet another unknown destination.  

And, this is just the beginning of the trauma.   There may or may not be a safe haven at the end of the journey:  relatives who are lovingly eager to take you in, or shelters that are waystations until some other plan can be made for you, by someone you do not know, who may or may not be able to accommodate your preferences..  In a different country, with different customs, languages, and expectations.  With discrimination possible and even likely, once the novelty wears off. 

As one individual, there is only so much I can do to help:  I can pray.  I am a firm believer in the power of prayer, and the more united the prayer, the more powerful.  I can attend vigils, solidarity demonstrations, and educational presentations about the events of the world. I can donate goods, funds or perhaps even services.  I can advocate with my legislators regarding my concerns and viewpoint for these world issues. 

And, so can you!

  

 

Hurricane Central

So one of the big news stories of the year is the impacting Southeast Texas coastal cities by Hurricane Harvey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Harvey. Lubbock http://www.fox34.com/story/36237396/lubbock-responds-to-hurricane-harvey-disaster-relief sent much help: police, sheriffs, firemen, individuals, agencies.

Governor Abbott  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Abbott of Texas pre-declared a disaster, and President Trump almost immediately declared a national disaster, allowing FEMA https://www.fema.gov/ to start helping almost immediately.  Not only did the Governor deploy all of the 12,000Texas National Guard https://www.nationalguard.com/, Guards from other states helped.  The American Red Cross https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey?scode=RSG00000E017&utm_campaign=Harvey&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3MPNBRDjARIsAOYU6x9ZG5Lc6mUdm6waeS3kaQt3Lpfmf31VZdyJDkbOxDgHGjlSFo0xpy0aAqcJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIHajqG3lNYCFU8DgQod1gkPrQ, Catholic Charities https://www.catholiccharities.org/, the Salvation Army http://www.salvationarmy.org/ and the South Plains Food Bank https://www.spfb.org/ all deployed. 

Governor Abbot waived the hotel tax for all evacuees and rescuers.

Many hospital patients were evacuated, and while there was no mandatory evacuation of Houston, people were encouraged to consider it and at least prepare.  Shelters were opened and more shelters were opened.

Private individuals put their boats in the water, and made rescues.  The Louisiana Cajun Navy http://mashable.com/2017/08/29/Cajun-navy-houston-harvey-louisiana/#b4TfxR2mvOqF came to help.  

Corporate America helped.  HEB https://www.heb.com/ donated food and water to rescuers and evacuees.  WalMart https://www.walmart.com/ did a fundraiser.  Local businesses in Lubbock have done fundraisers. To name two:  Cantina Laredo https://www.google.com/search?q=cantina+laredo+lubbock&ie=&oe= and 

West Crust Pizza https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g56208-d2199840-Reviews-West_Crust_Artisan_Pizza-Lubbock_Texas.html.

MLB https://www.mlb.com/ and NFL https://www.nfl.com/ are doing fund raisers.

Congress passed emergency relief  http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/06/politics/house-votes-harvey-aid/index.html  http://dailycaller.com/2017/09/07/senate-passes-hurricane-harvey-relief-bill-raises-debt-ceiling/.

The five living ex-Presidents: President Carter, President Bush (41) and President Bush (43), President Clinton and President Obama  have come together to develop One America Appeal https://www.oneamericaappeal.org/ which was originally specific for Hurricane Harvey but is being broadened to help Hurricane Irma victims and survivors.

Major gasoline refineries were shut down, and gasoline prices have jumped, but the refineries are back on line https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/05/oil-surges-as-refineries-restart-after-harvey-irma-is-trouble-for-gas.html.

And now, Hurricane Irma https://weather.com/storms/hurricane-central/irma-2017/AL112017  is wreaking havoc in the Caribbean Sea , on the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and many other Caribbean Islands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Caribbean_islands Anguilla, Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos to name a few.

There are the same pre-hit disaster preparations and disaster declarations occurring for Irma as there were for Harvey. Puerto Rico evacuated people inland. Florida has some mandatory evacuations, and is well prepared for evacuations, including of the Florida Keys, but even so, gas is short, prices are skyrocketing and in reality, there is some price gouging occurring.  The Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi http://myfloridalegal.com/ has said that will not be tolerated.

There is another hurricane active more south: Katia http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at3.shtml?cone and Jose https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-hurricane-jose-forecast-atlantic is in the Caribbean, too.

Such an active hurricane season.  Pray for all in harms way.

A New Chair

I have been thinking about buying another office chair for the computer room. More often than not, and for years, the cats have laid claim to the padded office chair I have. So, they are on the padded chair, and I am on the metal folding chair that has a padded cushion. It is not the most comfortable chair I own.

I have over loaded the office with furniture and equipment.  I have a desktop PC, and a notebook that are very slow to use. And, I have a notebook that I can use.  I have a defunct printer that has only been defunct about 1-2 months ago. I have a roll-top desk, a computer desk, 2 bookshelves, an area for a kitty litter box. And a folding antigravity lounge chair. I use my anti-gravity lounge chair to relax and get some comfort, even in an upright position.

Today, after work, I went to a meeting at the Catholic Charities Resale Center in Lubbock, They have recently accepted a donation of a hundred office chairs. I bought one for my office, to replace the metal folding chair. This was fortuitous.  I have been thinking about replacing the metal folding chair with an office chair.  Most recently, Office Depot had a sale on office chairs, and I almost bought one for $60. But did not.

So, I was late getting home, as after the meeting, I stopped at Subway http://www.subway.com/en-us and bought a salad for dinner.  When I got home, no cat was waiting for me at the door.  My punishment for being late.  I took the groceries and lunch bags into the house. Then, I moved the chair into the house, having unloaded it from the Vue before I brought the Vue into the garage.

When I returned to the house, the cats were on the new chair, interested, and guarding it so I could not move it into the office.  Until they gave me the say so.

I replaced the metal folding chair with the new office chair, and found the new chair as comfortable at home as it was at the Catholic Charities Resale Center. I had some chores to do that were best done spread out on the dining table. When I returned to the computer room, Haiku had taken up residence on the new chair, and was not about to give it up. Much to the consternation of Taki.  Guess what, I need to go back to Catholic Charities and buy another chair.

Oh well, my cats are smarter than I am, and I know there will be plenty of chairs to chose from at the Catholic Charities Resale Center.

Memorial Gifts

I often do memorial gifts for someone who has died.  Or if someone I know has lost a pet.  Or in honor of someone.  When my parents were alive, in their later years, I sent them a small Christmas gift, but sent a gift in their honor to their church.

So, I also appreciate when someone does a memorial gift on my behalf.

But there is a catch to this.  Because when you send to a charity, you usually get put on their mailing list.  And, you receive endless solicitations from the charity requesting additional donations.  I understand that for the charity the cost for the request is minimal vs. the hoped for gain. But I hate getting all of that mail.

I have several charities to which I donate regularly, and if I am going to donate on an ongoing basis, it will be to those select charities.  I only do memorial or honoring gifts to select entities, and for specific reasons.  I have actually asked some of the charities or organizations I receive mail from to take me off their mailing list. 

I am not trying to be unaltruistic, but my ongoing charitable dollars are intended for specific charities. Period.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock, Night to Remember

Tonight was the major fundraiser for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock, (http://cclubbock.org/ {I hesitate to cite the website because it is so drastically out of date.})   Night to Remember.   It is like a giant cocktail party with silent and live auctions.  I believe it was a very successful night.   It was fun.

I never went to this activity when I was employed at Catholic Family Service.  But, now that I am on the board, this is the third time I attended.  (The first year I was on the board, I was out of town for that date.)  I had  a pleasant evening. Usually I see a lot of people that I know, "old timers" from Catholic Family Service.  Less so tonight, although there were some people I knew from yesteryear and from my current involvement with the agency.

It was a nice night.  I think some serious fundraising occurred. 

It Is Spring Cleaning Time

I am on the board of directors at Catholic Charities, formerly known as Catholic Family Service.  At our last board meeting, it was noted that the donations to the Resale Center are down. 

The Resale Center has a new, larger Thrift Store location at 1505 34th St.  The donation center is still at 2218 34th St.  The Thrift Store is open 9:30 to 5:30 Monday thru Saturday. The Donation Center is open 9:30 to 4 PM Monday thru Saturday.  In the past, the Thrift Store was at the same location as the Donation Center, and donations were taken in the back. Now, it is much easier to bring donations through the front door.

On my own, I am reaching out to people who might be able to donate, or just spread the word.  The Resale Center profits help to support Catholic Charities programs. What many people do not realize is that many donations are “purchased” (at no cost) on “voucher” by clients of the Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance program.  And, many of those people have originally accessed other agency programs, been assessed for needs, and referred to the Resale Center with vouchers. Also, almost every time you hear of a local family with a personal disaster such as a fire, and the Red Cross has assisted with emergency shelter, the Resale Center has assisted with clothing or household items.

The Resale Center can make pickups for large items, although there may be a waiting period.  But call John Vasquez to schedule, at 763-8315.

And go shopping at the Thrift Store.

Thank you for your consideration.

School Supply Drive At Monford

Today we received announcement that the Montford Medical and Psychiatric Unit http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/unit_directory/jm.html - TDCJ http://tdcj.state.tx.us/ and CMHC http://www.ttuhsc.edu/som/cmhc/ staff are being encouraged to donate school supplies for foster children in the community.  A few months ago, we were asked to donate food, diapers, and other essentials for people in the community. And we did.

I know the person who is spearheading these drives means well. But I wonder if this person understands that on a standard correctional officer salary, without overtime, many of our correctional officers would meet the financial guidelines for services with community agencies.  And, many of our non-licensed clerical staff would also probably fall into those categories.

The staff at Montford is generous. But we need to take care of and support our own. And we have, when one of our own has had a tragic, or life changing event. But maybe we need to be more sensitive about our fund raising events.

National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive

I am not sure how often this happens, I think at least once a year.  The National Association of Letter Carriers http://www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive/ has a food drive along their mail delivery routes.  In Lubbock, Texas, the South Plains Food Bank http://www.spfb.org/ is the recipient of their collections. 

This is a great idea. We can just buy donations and the letter carriers take them away for the food pantry/food bank. 

The South Plains Food Bank http://www.spfb.org/ is an amazing organization.  They collect and distribute food for many people who need help with food. They have an after school feeding program, a food stamp program, an orchid, a youth program, and a farm. They have the Breedlove Dehydration  Plant http://breedlove.org/ that allows for providing dehydrated food internationally as well as locally. 

Today, there was a bag in my mail box in which I can put donated food for the letter carrier to gather up.  I will get something to donate when I buy groceries Saturday morning. The letter carrier will come by some time Saturday afternoon, and my donation will be out there. 

I appreciate the opportunity to participate.

Donation Requests and Mailing Lists

So, often in a memorial gesture for a deceased person who has meant something to me, I will do a donation to an organization of the family's suggestion or choosing.  Which means, I end up on mailing lists for all kinds of organizations.

And, although I may never respond to these organizations again, I receive mail from them for sometimes years after I made the initial donation.  It may be some months, or even years, between times that they contact me.  But every once in a while, I will receive another feeler or request.

Sometimes, they even send me things, and request a donation back.  Years ago, when I was a child, my mother was trying to return some such items.  The local postmaster told her not to waste her time or money on postage. If you receive an item in the mail, unsolicited, with a request for a donation or payment, you are under no obligation to make a donation or payment. Well, I get all kinds of calendars (but only one this year), bookmarks, stickers and return address labels.  What is most infuriating is when they cannot even bother to spell my name correctly on the return address labels.

I used to sort the mail for our department at work, and I noticed something really interesting.  When the recession hit, all of a sudden, we were getting mailings from companies that had the names of people who had not worked at the agency for years.  I figured that when times got tough, they expanded their mailing lists to try to fish for more customers.

I wonder how much that costs. I suppose that companies doing mass mailings get some sort of bulk rate discount. But, I think of the cost of paper, printing, and even paying someone to do design layouts. I guess the stuffing of envelopes is automated, but even so, to run the machine must cost something.  I suspect there is an agency or organization out there that can give us statistics about what kind of result this mass mailing produces.

I have to admit that sometimes in the past, I was ugly about these mailings.  In the time of postage paid return envelopes, I would sometimes stuff their materials into those envelopes and return it to the concern involved. I did not do that with not for profit social service or charitable organizations, but with businesses. I am not sure it had its desired effect.

So, although I do receive many, many donations requests, I have specific charities or causes that I primarily and regularly support.  The rest are pretty much ignored. Not because I think their cause is unworthy, but because I am limited in what I can do to help, and I cannot help everyone.

Okay, So It Is Time To Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

One of the regrets that I have had as a social worker, is that for the first 15 or so years of my career, I had to account for every penny to survive. As the latter years have progressed, I have had more discretion with my finances, but have always been conservative. With the increased flexibility of my finances, I have been able to make charitable contributions that years ago, I wished I could make, but was too financially strapped to be able to do.  The life of a social worker.

One of the gifts that I have felt I have in the last few years is to have some discretionary funds so I can donate to various charities. There are five charities to which I donate monthly.  This is very private, so I will not name them, nor the amounts.  I would not mention this at all, but I want to make a point.

When certain circumstances come along, I supplement my charitable giving by donating to help with these special circumstances.  I send memorial gifts when someone has died. I send a one time gift when there is an unusual incident that I want to provide support to and to which I want to contribute.

I have very few regular blog readers.  I do not know why I am being read in Russia, Germany, Ireland, or China, to mention a few.  I suspect these are automaton readings, scanning for political, ideological or maybe religious or radical sentiments. 

I do not know who you are, or even if you are real persons versus electronic coding entities.  If you are real persons, I will challenge you now to put your money where your mouth is. Donate to help the people who have suffered because of the Boston Marathon Bombings.  Donate to help the people in West, Texas who have suffered due to the explosion of the fertilizer plant in their community.

I know that the few people in my personal circle who read my blog already contribute to charitable causes, either with time, talent or treasures.   So, if there is anyone who I do not know personally who is reading this, I will challenge you to contribute to a charity with your time, talent, or treasure, if you are not already doing so.

Pledging, Part II

I have already written about pledging for NPR and PBS.  My donor gift came today (not the 6-8 weeks projected at the time of my pledge.)  And, it is as advertised.  I could not find much on TV, so guess what, I am listening to my donor gift.

I was thinking about the volunteers who work the pledge phones. The person I spoke to took all of my information, and then plodded on to ask if I would pay for the shipping for the pledge gift.  At this point, her voice sounded tired and apologetic:  We are asking for your money at a pledge level, then even asking for more.

I thanked the volunteer for her efforts at the completion of my pledge transaction.  She seemed a little speechless. I wonder how many thank yous those volunteers get.

Well, do not forget to support NPR and PBS.

Pledging

Years ago, I pledged financial support to the local PBS TV and NPR Radio stations.  But, then I decided I did not need to pledge, because I was going to provide financial support to these stations, whether or not I received a pledge gift.  One year, I even tried to return my pledge gift, and the boxes were returned to me as "undeliverable."

I have resisted the efforts of these channels to succumb to a pledge. I have even received a pledge card in the mail, when I have not made a pledge.  I have sent an ugly letter back to the station that I did not pledge, and if they persisted in sending me pledge cards that I did not sign up for, they would lose my financial support.

Last night, I was listening and watching KTTZ-TV as they presented a retrospective of music from the 50's, 60's and some 70's:  Moments to Remember The pop music of the late 1950s and early '60s is recalled via turns by the DeCastro Sisters, Four Aces, Four Freshman, Four Lads, Frankie Laine, Julius LaRosa, the Platters, Lenny Welch and Roger Williams. Also: archival footage of Rosemary Clooney.

This is the music I like. There was a donor gift available of this music: 7 CDs.  The donations level was $30 above what I normally will donate, but about $20 less than what these CDs might go for retail. So, I pledged. And requested the CD gift. I even authorized the shipping charge so the station would not have to pay for it.  I am a sucker. I know that.  I authorized the entire amount, so now will not send a monthly donation to KTTZ-TV, although I will continue donating regularly to KTTZ-FM. 

Charitable Giving

I have a set of charities to which I donate regularly.  And, I also donate for specific and special reasons:  in memory of someone; in memory of a deceased pet; because of a special event or disaster.  For example a couple of years ago, the local Salvation Army http://www.uss.salvationarmy.org/uss/www_uss_lubbock.nsf extended their shelter hours during a very cold spell. Because of natural disasters like Katrina, Rita, Irene, or Isaac. For the holidays.  If a social service organization does something I especially like, I support them with a donation.

I have been watching a lot of the television coverage of Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Tropical Depression Isaac on The Weather Channel http://www.weather.com/.  They have, at times, talked to American Red Cross workers, and talked about how easy it is to donate to the American Red Cross: you simply text http://www.redcross.org/search/index.jsp?_DARGS=/jspf/modules/nav/primary-navtemp.jsp and it will result in a $10 donation, which will show up on your phone bill.  I think that is really great.  I suspect, especially when that first was introduced, they received an increase in donations. We love technology and what it allows us to do.  I sent in an idea to The Weather Channel: to add a link on their home page so people who check it can donate to The American Red Cross or the Salvation Army (one or both.)  We shall see if that gets added.

I was getting ready to write a check to the American Red Cross for Isaac relief, but checked my emails first.  As I am on the board of the local Catholic Charities organization http://www.cclubbock.org/index.html, I receive a weekly newsletter from Catholic Charities USA http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/.  They set up a special donation opportunity to help with Isaac relief, so I decided to donate through them, instead.

Not very long ago, the director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Lubbock, commented that when there is a local emergency, the local Red Cross and Salvation Army get good publicity for their disaster aid. But almost always, Catholic Charities gets called, but does not get the publicity that the other two agencies get. I wonder what we can do about that.

Disassemblage

Today, we cleaned the Occupational Therapy Kitchen at work.  We used to have occupational therapists on staff who taught many life skills, helped patients identify texture differences, and in general gave patients opportunities to learn coping skills.

That was before the spring of 2003, when the therapeutic program at the Montford Unit was gutted by budget cuts. 

Since then, we recovered some social work positions, and were up to 11, then lost 2 to attrition, and 3, last fall, to another reduction in force due to budget cuts.

I helped with the cleaning and even brought some items to a local non-profit agency resale store.  Many other art items will be donated to a local agency that has programs for children.

I was bummed out. I spent about 3 hours on this project, and went back to work, and was able to see patients, which is balm for my soul.  No particular patient,  just being able to see patients.

But, I left early today.  I just could not push myself to do more...

Pledge

Each month, I send a donation to the local Public Broadcasting System  TV station and National Public Radio station. Both are housed at Texas Tech University, KTTZ http://www.kttz.org/. They used to be separate entities:  KOHM-FM radio and KTXT-TV.  I discovered years ago that I could send one check and they each got the designated share.

I originally had donated through the fund drive, and even received donor gifts.  Then, I kept giving. One year, I received a donor gift that I tried to return, but was not accepted!  The boxes were returned to me as "undeliverable."  So weird. 

So, I keep donating. I do not pledge my donation, and  I do not want to be recorded as making a pledge.  I just want to donate.

A couple of years ago, I received a thank you note and 12 pre-addressed envelopes "for my convenience."  I used those.

Recently, the two stations have been administratively merged and changed from their old call letters to KTTZ.  This makes sense to me, on many levels.  Also, Texas Tech announced that they will eventually pull their funding from both stations.  That prompted me to decide to redirect my donation:  Per their past instructions, I was sending the donation to the Tech Development Office. The money was being credited correctly, because I received monthly thank you and receipt acknowledgements. So, this past month, I sent my check directly to the station office.

I received back a pledge card for each station, one dating back to a pledge starting last September, one dated as my pledge just started.  This infuriated me.  I am not sure why I was so angry, but I did not make a pledge to either station, and I do not want to be on the books as having made a pledge.

I was ugly:  I returned the pledge cards with a note that I have not made a pledge and if I keep getting pledge cards, I will stop my donation.  I do not want to stop my donation. I just do not want to be told that I have made a commitment that I have not made. I think that is inappropriate. That is like getting a bill for something you did not buy.

I also donate regularly to some charitable organizations and animal welfare non-profits.  From time to time, I donate to other organizations: for a special event or reason, or to acknowledge or honor someone or someone's  pet.   Those organizations sometimes continue to send me requests for money.  I usually ignore them. I have decided that I will answer each one with a request to be taken off their mailing list, noting that if I have a reason to donate to them, I know how to do that. 

I am not trying to be ugly.  I just think that I do not need to receive what I perceive as junk mail, and I am doing the organization a favor by not letting them spend money and resources on trying to get money out of me.