Something I am Sick of......WARNING: Contains a Rant

Hello, all! I hope this week has found everyone happy and healthy. It has rained a large majority of this week here, along with being very humid and gross. I am ready for the nice, clear skies, and if that means hot weather--which I'm sure it will be--bring it on!!! I am ready to get in the lake and get Weiss out in the lake. (We're only a block from the water, so I am ready to take Weiss down to the dock and swim!)

I didn't need to water my plants for the majority of the week because of the rain, but yesterday I finally gave in. It is amazing what the rain has done! This year, I endeavored to plant some bulbs of my own. (I normally plant sprouted bulbs....) Anyway, I planted some mammoth elephant ears--they are supposed to get up to FIVE feet tall--and I was really worried about them because they hadn't sprouted yet. Well, lo and behold, yesterday, it seemed like they had grown out of nowhere! I watched them a few days ago, and they were tiny sprouts, and now some of them are nearly one foot high or a bit taller.... CRAZY!!!!

So Weiss and I have been spending some time outside, despite the mugginess of the weather. Last night, all three of us were in the front yard with the bubble machine going before dinner. I hope it makes happy memories for my little pookie bear. Logan put up some trellises for my climbing roses. Oh--and Weiss "caught" a lizard yesterday afternoon and kept it inside all day in his bug barn. When I asked if he wanted to let him go, he replied, "no...." We have these cute green lizards everywhere, and we are always catching them and playing with them.

WARNING: The following contains a rant, which you may not agree with.....

I have to vent about the swine flu. Logan and I both roll our eyes when we hear the words. It is driving us NUTS!!! I am soooo sick of hearing about it on the news; I know it is an illness, which shouldn't be underestimated, but the regular yearly flu strain kills many, many more people than this variety. I am tired of the news reporting cases that are "highly suspicious...." Okay. So this means they haven't CONFIRMED the cases; they are only speculating that the symptoms are flu-like, which means it could be several DOZEN strains of the flu....

If it's ebola, people, I'll get worried.

Okay. So the news has not confirmed many of the "supposed" cases they are reporting......There are HUNDREDS of strains of the flu, and if I was a reporter, I would not get everyone in a tizzy before a case is positively confirmed. And there have been few positively confirmed cases. (Less than 200, I believe. So when you calculate that nationwide, it is miniscule.) And not to mention how every channel has different numbers of how many are infected, et cetera. Oh, and speaking of getting everyone in a tizzy, Joe Biden's comments probably would have, if the White House didn't wordsmith his earlier statement....

AHH---Joe Biden. He has always had such a finesse with words, hasn't he?

It is horribly unfortunate the 23 month old child died in Houston from the swine flu, but this child also contracted the case in Mexico and was here visiting, so I believe this should still be classified as a Mexico fatality (even though it is labeled as US). So--who's to say how long he had symptoms? What about other mitigating factors (did he have heart problems, breathing problems, an immune deficiency, another illness simultaneously to make him more of a likely victim?). Had he ever been previously under a doctor's care? Of course, the media won't say, because that would lessen the impact of the story.

Oh--and Tamiflu is NOT a cure, folks. It's not a cure for any flu, for that matter. It can lessen symptoms, but it is no cure. (I just LOVE how the media has made it sound as though it is a "cure" for this problem. And yes, I am being sarcastic.) Hmmm....

Oh--and by the way: Tamiflu is an over the counter drug, people! So, technically, what this means is, you can go to your local Walgreen's and pick up OTC Tamiflu yourself to fight your swine flu, without even needing a prescription from your doctor. (I find this REALLY ridiculous in itself.)

SO-----If this is highly contagious, it is a problem that we'll be seeing from here on out. So will the swine flu remain on the radar? YES..... Can we keep shutting down schools? Since it is the end of the year, districts are more apt to close schools, but I'm sure they will feel quite differently when the new school year rolls around...(And they need the government enrollment funding that comes with each child being present and in their seat.)

So what I am proposing is---The hype will eventually lessen. Can the media keep reporting about this day after day? NO, because their ratings will go down because it will be "old hat..." Oh wait--it already is.

Am I fearful of this swine flu? No. Granted, there are lots of other things in this world I am fearful of, and plenty of them are ridiculous, but this is not one of them.

Jeremiah 29:11 reassures me: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34