Bandaging the mule

Bandaging the mule's leg

Summer cold

I don't get sick often, but it seems like my newly acquired summer cold is sticking around for the long haul. I have some serious congestion and a sore throat and I've been blowing my nose like crazy. Here's hoping it goes away soon.

Anybody else sick?

Lunch box

When I first moved out onto my own, my mother gave me a bunch of things she'd saved of mine - including a metal 1980s Strawberry Shortcake lunch box with Thermos intact.

Evidently a lot of other moms saved them, because there are lots of vintage ones up for bids on eBay. While Strawberry Shortcake boxes are fairly common on there - going for between $7 and $15 - there are other, more rare ones selling for $250 to $600. Those are for a VW bug box, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Beatles and Kiss boxes. Other boxes include Popples, Flintstones, Sesame Street, Peanuts, Scooby Doo and more.

What kind of lunch box did you have? Share in the comments section.

Crying foul and holy cow

I visited my family in Hickory on Monday and Tuesday and had quite the farm experience...

We debated which cow would have her calf first... The key is to see which one has the most swollen udders. If the udders are so full they're sticking out sideways, it'll be soon.

There's a mule with a hurt foot. Her leg has to be wrapped every day to keep it from getting infected. She's an absolute doll, even though she's sweaty. She has to be tranquilized every time her bandage is changed, which is interesting... she gets all woozy... it's funny... but changing the bandages is challenging because you have to catch her as she goes to sleep and hold her head so she doesn't try to get back up before they're changed. I volunteered for head holder duty the other night.. and quickly learned why no one else volunteered. Eau de mule isn't the sexy scent of the year.

But the most exciting farm happening was by far the wild goose - er - guinea chase.

In case you don't know what guineas are, here's a link to a site with pictures and info. on the birds.

We moved 47 guinea chicks to a different pen late Monday night. Tuesday afternoon my sister called in hysterics. While she was working on the guinea cage the entire door fell off... and out hopped/flew the entire cage full of guineas. They immediately scattered. Some went running, others flew up into trees.

The guinea rescue started shortly thereafter.

My sister and some of my family members tried tracking down the birds on the lam. They caught a few near the pen by scaring them out from their hiding places in the brush and trees nearby. They rounded up a few of the easy ones, then started looking for the more clever ones that had gone off further.

Shortly before dark, fewer than 15 out of the original 47 escapees had been found. That's when we started getting clever (and desperate). We teamed up - one person with a dog, one person with a fishing net... and one person per team to laugh hysterically while the others crashed through the woods behind the chicken lot. As it turns out, my aunt's dog is really good at finding them (a newly discovered talent), and we were able to capture another six.

I took some cell phone video footage that I'm going to try to upload... it might (and might not) work. Just in case it doesn't, I pulled some videos off YouTube so you'll know what kind of animals we were up against.

Here's what a guinea sounds like:


Here's what they do:

Ban on Crocs?

This story came from our wire service... From what I can tell, this seems to be a nationwide trend. Anyone know if the hospital here allows them? What do you think of this hospital's policy?

Pa. hospital bans rubbery clog-like Crocs for workers, calling them a safety hazard
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Crocs, the rubbery, clog-like shoes, have been deemed inappropriate footwear for workers in patient-care areas at a hospital.
Holes that ventilate the shoes pose a safety hazard, said Sharon Krystofiak, Mercy Hospital’s infection control manager.
“If there’s a chance you could drop something like a syringe in one of them, we want to avoid that,” Krystofiak said. “Some of those holes are relatively large, almost like a dime.”
Mercy nurse Kara Depasquale, 23, was wearing Crocs on Monday, when the policy went into effect. She called it ridiculous.
“I mean, I can get a needle stuck in my arm or my leg,” Depasquale said. “I work 12-hour shifts, and I’m constantly on my feet.”
Crocs, based in Niwot, Colo., about 30 miles north of Denver, sells shoes in at least 80 countries.

Got tatt?

I'm working on a story about tattoos this week - went to the tattoo parlor and to a tattoo removal place. I found out that a good tattoo from a professional will run you about $60 and up, depending on how long it takes the tattoo artist. It takes more than that to get one taken off.

I'm going to wait a week or two before I run the full story, along with video of someone getting a tattoo and video of the laser process for removing them.

I did, however, want to offer people the chance to show off theirs.

Got one you'd like to share? Is it in a place that's OK for kids and adults alike to see?

If so, share a photo of your tattoo on shelbystar.com, or rate the one you think is best between now and August 15. To upload yours, click on "Share your stuff" on the red bar at the top of the homepage, or follow this link.

Some photos will be published in The Star.

Going gray

My mom's going to kill me for this blog... well, really for the picture... but I'm doing it anyway... (that won't be much of a surprise to her, though)...

I'm working on a story about going gray and how a lot of baby boomers are choosing to go gray instead of hitting the bottles... of dye, that is. My mom and two of her sisters are proof that this trend is here.

Here the three graying beauties are... My mother is on the left.

Look for the story in Sunday's Star on the Life page.

Are you going gray? Tell us about your graying experiences in the comments section.

Sales tax holiday

I read through the list of sales tax exempt items on The Star's list... some items made sense... school supplies and such... but then there were a few that threw me off a little... SCUBA gear? rubber pants? wedding apparel? I had to giggle a little.

superstitions

I saw a thread earlier on the message board about superstitions, which reminded me that the newsroom has more than its fair share.

They include people saying the "Q" word... you know, the one that means there isn't a whole lot of noise, and any variations of that word, as well as my special cursed shoes. Photographer Jeff Melton will attest to their power, as will former photographer John Derrick.

When I was the Sunday reporter, I'd wear the shoes occasionally on Sunday afternoons before heading to work. Eight times out of ten (or so it seemed), there'd be a fatal wreck, a shooting, or a house fire either waiting for me when I got in or it'd happen shortly after I arrived.

And heaven forbid if anyone would say the "Q" word on the same day.

That's a combo that spells disaster for some hapless Cleveland County soul.

At any rate, I try not to wear the shoes too much... the obits clerk doesn't like it...

Here's a picture of the cursed shoes, taken by former photographer John Derrick.

All this reminds me of a Stevie Wonder song - "Superstitious."


Do you have any weird superstitions that may (or may not) be rational? If so, either share them in the comments section or add to the superstitions post on the message board.

Health questions revisited

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about embarrassing health questions. After a long and patient wait for some of you, I'll start getting answers to some of those questions soon.

I didn't get as many questions as I'd hoped, but I have enough to at least start with...

The first set all deal with women's health.

Hopefully, the second set will be men's health.

Then, after that, I think it'll just be a potpourri.

All of them are anonymous. (Post them on the message board or in the comments section here.)

Anyone else have a lingering question before I take them to the doctors of Cleveland Family Practice on Friday?

Going once... going twice...