Safe Medication Disposal: Do It Right

By Darlene Mitchell December 25, 2021 January 5, 2022 Household Hints, Medications, Modern Life

Safe Medication Disposal: Do It Right

D. S. Mitchell

Read the Dates

I was getting packed for my third move in two years. I know, too many, too often, but it was a strange set of circumstances and not worth talking about here. Usually I just go into the bathroom and dump the drawers into a box and then sweep the contents of the cabinet shelves into another box, and voila, the bathroom is packed. But, I picked up the first bottle, a bottle of Aspirin and glanced at the expiration date. Holy Moly, it had expired three years ago. That knowledge shook me up a bit. I’m a retired R.N. for Pete’s sake. The next bottle, a prescription for Flexeril, was outdated by 10 months. I was two for two. Not good. Next, was a bottle of cough syrup, expired the previous year. I was batting 100%.

I Have Information

If your medicine chest is full of outdated medications or medications you no longer need and you are wondering how to dispose of them I have some information for you. The best option is to use community-based drug disposal programs. Go to the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) website, dea.gov and use their search tool to find an authorized drug disposal collector in your area.

Local Police Departments

If you don’t find a program in your area don’t give up, call your local police department or county sheriff. Often these law enforcement centers have disposal programs. As a last resort you may be forced to dispose of them yourself. Please do not flush medications down the toilet, or the sink. These toxins are dangerous to animals, fish and water systems. Throwing them in the trash, makes them available to folks who may try to use them, no matter what they are.

Johnny Mathis “O Holy Night”

By Darlene Mitchell December 25, 2021 December 25, 2021 Arts & Entertainment, Christmas, Holidays, Jukebox Choice, Music, New Years, Videos

Johnny Mathis “O Holy Night”

Calamity came up with the Jukebox Choice of the Day for Christmas Day. It is an oldie, but Johnny Mathis has a voice that never grows old. Please enjoy your holiday and stay safe.

Thinking Tiny House?

By Darlene Mitchell December 24, 2021 December 24, 2021 Energy Saving Ideas, Home, Housing/Homelessness, Modern Life, Money Saving Tips, Social Issues

Thinking Tiny House?

Not everyone wants a mega mansion. In fact, there is a growing minimalist movement in the U.S.

D. S. Mitchell

‘Downsize Revolution’

If you’ve ever watched “Tiny House Nation” or “Tiny House” on television you are aware of a growing trend in the United States toward minimalist living. Many people are attracted to the prospect of financial freedom, a simpler lifestyle, and a smaller human environmental footprint. Cities are encouraging ADUs (Accessory Living Units) in urban areas to increase housing options. The “downsize revolution” promotes living structures with sizes between 300 and 700 square feet. In general, the tiny home is 400 sq. ft or less. In some cases, the homes are even on wheels. Despite the stated positives, they are not for everyone.

Costs To Consider

Small does not necessarily equate with cheap. A tiny house can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $150,000. There is no land, so in some ways it is like a mobile home, the owner of a tiny home needs to find space to rent or buy to place the home. Holy Moly. The cost is dependent on a series of factors: location, building complexity, materials, and finally are you doing it yourself, or are you having it built. A contractor construction package will generally cost twice as much as a “do it yourself” house.

Reduced Appliance Size

Not always identified, but a serious matter, are the extra building costs for appliances, fixtures, water heaters and heating & cooling systems because of their reduced size. The rule it seems is that the smaller, the more expensive. It is important that you do some very careful figuring before you commit yourself to building a tiny home. One recommendation would be to get a minimum of three bids. Many builders do sizeable markups on small projects.

EDITORIAL: Flirting With Nazis Is Dangerous

By Darlene Mitchell December 23, 2021 December 23, 2021 Bigotry, Demonstrations and Protests, Disturbing, Domestic Terrorism, Donald J. Trump, Editorial, Election Interference, Fascism, Germany, Neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, Social Issues, White Supremacy Movement

EDITORIAL: Flirting With Nazis Is Dangerous

EDITORIAL:

Flirting With Nazis Is Dangerous

A Neighbor’s Nazi Experience

D. S. Mitchell

Martin Hartman is a tall slender man. His thinning white hair is brushed back, his jacket zipped against the winter wind, as he leans against his cane for support. There is a deep sadness in his eyes and a soberness in his demeanor. You can tell he has a story, and he wants to share it. Martin Hartman is my neighbor.

Martin was born in Holland in 1924. Prior to the Depression of the 1930’s, his family had owned a prosperous construction business. His family like many others had suffered during those economically depressed times, but by 1940, the 97-year-old said, the economy “had begun to turn around,” things were looking up he confirmed. The future looked promising.

There had been rumblings of war, but few took them seriously, after all WWI was a mere twenty two years in the past. No one could imagine the world once again plunging into conflict. The next few days would change his life and those of his friends and family forever. “I was 16. It was May 10, 1940. We heard bombing and saw planes. It was the German invasion, and the blitz was over in three days.” The squashing of Holland’s defenses was quick, but far from painless.

After the German invasion, they began barricading city blocks and then sweeping the apartments for young men to fill the military ranks due to troop loss. Hartman describes it, “Gradually Nazism crawled into Holland. Good people were killed, or sent to prison . . . Jews and ministers.”

Be Ready To “Grab & Go”

By Darlene Mitchell December 22, 2021 December 22, 2021 Emergency Preparedness, Modern Life, Wildfires

Be Ready To “Grab & Go”

Natural disasters kill an average of 60,000 people per year worldwide according to published statistics. The effects of climate change are becoming more evident . . . being ready to make a quick dash to safety may be the new normal.

D. S. Mitchell

Extreme Weather

You never know when an emergency might strike. The recent tornado devastation across four states highlights our need to be ready for such events, day or night. In the last dozen months we have seen the devastation and chaos caused by wildfires across the west, freezing temperatures in Texas leading to dozens of deaths, and a ‘Heat Dome’ that hovered over the Pacific NW sending temperatures to 117 degrees, killing nearly 100 people. It can happen anytime, anywhere. In my little corner of the world, the North Oregon coast, we are subject to evacuation orders because of tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, floods and even a rare tornado, on a regular basis.

Being Ready

No matter where you live there is always the possibility that you will be forced to move quickly out of harm’s way. Not all incidents of danger are natural in cause, often these tragedies are man made disasters, such as toxic spills. The idea is that you can, in some small way, help yourself by being prepared. In a true emergency you will be under extreme pressure and critical evacuation time can be lost as you race around the house looking for medications and other supplies. So, do yourself and your family a favor, and pack for survival.

Researching

I spent the morning flipping through recent and not so recent magazines and newspaper articles looking for pieces on emergency preparedness. I have a ‘library’ of at least 1500 old magazines and periodicals, taking up valuable space in my office. Mostly they are corralled in a large armoire, but today I was pulling out stuff from the bottom of the stack and creating a small bit of chaos in the office. The bird gets upset when things are not “as they should be,” and was screeching irritatingly.

The Shift From Pet To Family Member

By Darlene Mitchell December 20, 2021 December 20, 2021 Animal Rights, Coronavirus COVID-19, Modern Life, Pet ownership, Positive Vibes, Psychology

The Shift From Pet To Family Member

The Shift From Pet to Family Member

The Changing Landscape of Pet Ownership in the United States

By Megan Wallin

Holiday Photos

Everyone knows that couple whose dog or cat is their “baby,” and to suggest otherwise might get you kicked to the curb—literally or figuratively. It used to be rare, or even laughable, to meet people like that, but now the family pet is just that: a true member of the family. We include them in our family photos, holiday cards, wedding celebrations, birth announcements and more. American pet owners spend an average of $1,480 per year on their dogs and a little over $900 on their cats, according to an article from Fortunly.com. To put that in perspective, some American parents—namely those who can forgo daycare and babysitters—actually spend less on their human children.

The Shift from Pet to Family Member

Perhaps it’s a demonstration of our shift from utilitarian view of pets to a relationship view. We now have behavioral specialists and animal psychologists for dogs. Professionals specially trained to seek out what could be causing Spot’s sudden loss of interest in his favorite toy or his penchant for nipping ankles whenever guests wear funny socks. (Well, maybe that’s not the exact purpose, but you get the idea.) The point is that we’ve expanded our view; from seeing animals as useful contributors to a system, such as the family guard dog or cat who functions as the barnyard mouser, to a loving, sharing, participant in family life. One look at most people’s social media accounts will tell you that pets are now bonified family members. We carefully interview potential pet sitters. We celebrate pet birthdays, and “gotcha” (adoption) days. There seems no awareness that some of our sentimentality might be displaced, because it doesn’t feel at all unnatural.

5 Key Ways To Help Save The Bees

By Darlene Mitchell December 19, 2021 December 20, 2021 Ecology, Poetry, Politics

5 Key Ways To Help Save The Bees

By D. S. Mitchell

Environmental Movement

In September 1962 Rachel Carson published one of the most important books on the environment ever published. Certainly, it can be described as the foundation of the mid-20th century environmental movement. Fundamentally, Ms Carson documented the harmful effects of the “indiscriminate” use of pesticides.

Future Generations Will Not Forgive Our Failures

In her ground breaking nonfiction book, Silent Spring she said: “It is not my contention that chemical insecticides must never be used. I do contend that we have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals indiscriminately into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their potentials for harm . . . we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife, and man himself. Future generations are unlikely to condone our lack of prudent concern for the integrity of the natural world that supports all life.”

Field Work

Ms Carson graduated from John Hopkins University in 1932 with a Master’s Degree in Zoology. Ms Carson worked as a field scientist for the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for fifteen years. After World War II, the government touted the value of many toxic chemicals that had been developed during the war. The prime reason behind the government support of these chemicals was the hope to maximize farm production.

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OPINION: Joe Manchin Shows His Political Ass

By Darlene Mitchell December 19, 2021 December 19, 2021 Asian Issues, Black and Brown Issues, Caucuses, Democrats, Disability, Domestic Policy, Energy Saving Ideas, Entitlements, Health Care, Human Rights, Joe Manchin, Lies and Corruption, Lobbyists, Native American Peoples, Opinion, Political Parties, Progressivism, Republicans, Senior & Elderly Issues, Social Issues, Social Security, Solutions, Tax Policy, Taxes

OPINION: Joe Manchin Shows His Political Ass

OPINION: Joe Manchin Show His Political Ass

I think it is time to remove the obstructionists from the Democratic Party

D. S. Mitchell

Joe’s Talking on Fox

12/19/2021. Joe Manchin (D.W.V.) is on FoxNews (sic) telling Bret Baier he “cannot vote” for the Build Back Better bill. Finally after months of dancing about, throwing up one road block after another Manchin, playing with the press and his colleagues has finally come clean and said it out loud. He, the lone Democrat, was now going to squash the bill, that would have given assistance to 70% of his constituents.

Out of Touch

I am dumbfounded. How could this rich, fat, white, yacht sunning, coal mine owning, entitled man be so cruel, and corrupt? How can he shut his eyes to the basic needs of the most vulnerable people in his state? West Virginia is one of the poorest states in this country, it seems Joe wants to keep it that way. By standing against the BBB act Manchin is not only denying West Virginians food on the table, affordable prescriptions for life saving medicines, and dentures in their mouths, but every other person in the country. Without remorse, apparently. Enraged, I switched to CNN where Jake Tapper was interviewing Bernie Sanders (I.Vt).

Unrestrained Passion

Bernie Sanders went after the failed senator from West Virginia with unrestrained passion. Bernie called Manchin a “coward” for not standing up to the lobbyists and special interest groups (which Manchin is part of). Bernie, is also a wealthy man, just like Joe Manchin. But, Bernie seems to have a deep well of human empathy, decency, and compassion, which apparently, Manchin cannot understand or emulate. Is Manchin capable of embarrassment? Being the only Democratic senator that is willing to let kids go hungry, not only in West Virginia, but across the nation, should make him red faced with shame and embarrassment.

Purge the Party

It is time to purge the Democratic party of obstructionists, like Manchin, that are willing to stop a president and his policies by their single vote. Joe Manchin you were not elected president of the United States. Get in line and support President Biden and the Democratic platform. Support voting rights. If you are a Republican, Mr. Manchin, run as one, don’t pretend to be a Democrat. Be brave. Be courageous. As I see it Mr. Manchin, is intent on his legacy being nothing more than the dark smear left by a wet fart.

Quotes on Courage

Here’s a brief collection of some pretty smart comments by some pretty smart people on the topic of courage in life and politics.

1.) “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen,” Winston Churchill

3.) “Courage conquers all things,” Ovid

4.) “The strongest, most generous and proudest of all virtues is courage,” Michel De Montaigne

Conclusion

It is time to fight the obstructionists in the Democratic party. Joe Manchin cannot be allowed to stand in the way of progress much longer. He has ‘shown his ass.’ as they say in Texas, and a few other places; time for Mr. Manchin to vote with his party or leave the party.

The Rules of Etiquette, Texas Style

By Darlene Mitchell December 18, 2021 December 19, 2021 Humor

Rules of Etiquette, Texas Style

The Rules of Etiquette, Texas Style

I lived in Texas, so it’s okay if I jest about my former home. So, sit back and let me explain to you how not to do things in Texas if you want to be asked to another shin-dig.