Through the woods, the trees all looked like perfect Christmas trees, which would be great if that is what we're looking for. There in the clearing was a unique specimen. We smiled in agreement knowing it was the one to climb. Climbing that tree to photograph the view was well worth it. The contrived tree rends a healthy workload.
To my regular readers, no I have not lost what is left of my mind, this is an assignment.
Windy City Diva
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Lessons in the Breeze, Novel Excerpt
"This cool, refreshing breeze sitting on the deck with the glass of red wine is just what the doctor ordered. The beautiful blonde dog is not mine, but she has seen fit to become my companion on this deck. Oddly, I welcome the silent partner. She doesn’t ask much of me, which is perfect since I haven’t much to give.
My dreams lately have been forcing me to confront people and situations of the past with an ominous foreboding of how a next meeting may go. After several consecutive nights of this, I have decided the message my sub-conscious is not so subtly trying to convey is for me to stop looking back. Stop regretting. I know it consciously, but apparently I have more to process.
My second glass of Shiraz by 2:30 in the afternoon may seem a bit excessive, but with the world crashing in on my chest like a baby elephant settling in for a nap, it is quite necessary."
My dreams lately have been forcing me to confront people and situations of the past with an ominous foreboding of how a next meeting may go. After several consecutive nights of this, I have decided the message my sub-conscious is not so subtly trying to convey is for me to stop looking back. Stop regretting. I know it consciously, but apparently I have more to process.
My second glass of Shiraz by 2:30 in the afternoon may seem a bit excessive, but with the world crashing in on my chest like a baby elephant settling in for a nap, it is quite necessary."
~~ excerpt from "Leap of Faith" my novel in the works
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Allergies in Children, per a Parent
I want to share with my readers an experience about allergies in children and maybe it not only applies to your children, but maybe to you. My son has a history of spring allergies since he was 2 or so and Zyrtec-D was used to manage them for 5 or so years and then they seemed to just go away. Well, they are back but they are no longer spring allergies. Saturday he was suddenly sniffly and whiny as only a teenage boy accustomed to feeling healthy can. I gave him an Allegra which has been our daytime "allergy cure all" as needed. He complained bitterly hours later that nothing worked and was sneezing out a fur ball again. The Allegra is a 12 hour dose so I made him wait the appropriate time and promptly forgot.
A side note about the offending allergen. He had spent the night at a friend's house who has a cat, so I suspected his mild allergy had been violently shoved into a true allergy. But that being the allergen could mean the reaction would subside now that he was away from the cat, ergo the forgetting.
Sunday morning was harsh. He hadn't slept and was CRANKY. I gave him liquid Benadryl thinking this would allow him to clear up and function. The liquid one is supposed to be the non-drowsy formula. Note: IT'S NOT! He did not wake up until almost 2:30 in the afternoon. I administered another Allegra thinking this could easily be just left over from the interaction with the cat. Monday, I treated it with Allegra as needed. Then today, Tuesday he was a gut-wrenching, fur ball hacking, stopped up, runny nose, sneezy mess. In passing, my cousin told me it's ragweed season and it is high right now. I spoke with my mother within five minutes of that conversation and she is or was also allergic to ragweed. Fortunately, my younger cousin is also allergic to many things and takes Zyrtec. That reminded me that my son took Zyrtec when he was little and it worked wonderfully. I practically ran to Walgreens for Zyrtec-D.
I am delighted to report that within an hour of him taking the one 12 hour tablet (with Gatorade, yogurt and chicken broth/noodle soup - homemade, no preservatives), he was wandering the halls again!
My message... know what's in your family, know what works for your kids and be prepared for "childhood" illnesses to rear their ugly heads at random, unspecified times.
11/9/11 Editor's Note: This article is repeated in the health blog.
A side note about the offending allergen. He had spent the night at a friend's house who has a cat, so I suspected his mild allergy had been violently shoved into a true allergy. But that being the allergen could mean the reaction would subside now that he was away from the cat, ergo the forgetting.
Sunday morning was harsh. He hadn't slept and was CRANKY. I gave him liquid Benadryl thinking this would allow him to clear up and function. The liquid one is supposed to be the non-drowsy formula. Note: IT'S NOT! He did not wake up until almost 2:30 in the afternoon. I administered another Allegra thinking this could easily be just left over from the interaction with the cat. Monday, I treated it with Allegra as needed. Then today, Tuesday he was a gut-wrenching, fur ball hacking, stopped up, runny nose, sneezy mess. In passing, my cousin told me it's ragweed season and it is high right now. I spoke with my mother within five minutes of that conversation and she is or was also allergic to ragweed. Fortunately, my younger cousin is also allergic to many things and takes Zyrtec. That reminded me that my son took Zyrtec when he was little and it worked wonderfully. I practically ran to Walgreens for Zyrtec-D.
I am delighted to report that within an hour of him taking the one 12 hour tablet (with Gatorade, yogurt and chicken broth/noodle soup - homemade, no preservatives), he was wandering the halls again!
My message... know what's in your family, know what works for your kids and be prepared for "childhood" illnesses to rear their ugly heads at random, unspecified times.
11/9/11 Editor's Note: This article is repeated in the health blog.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Entertainment Review: Davenport's Piano Bar, Chicago
The room was empty at 8:50PM and full by 9:20PM. The music began promptly at 9 PM with the piano/vocalist crooning the standards. He was not offensive and fairly pleasant sounding. My friend commented he sounds like every other piano lounge singer, every song sounds the same, which when you think about it, that could be worse. But then a female vocalist grabbed the mic and belted out a couple of show tunes that were far better than average. Get this! She worked there as a hostess. It was great. Then another female vocalist took the mic and she was our waitress. Again, belting out hit songs & show tunes we all know and love with perfect pitch.
The service was reasonably good, the drink (Vodka/Tonic) was good and the crowd was a pleasant group of friends who all seemed to know each other. The environment was conducive for our private conversation, their party and I'm sure other small groups. It is not a large venue, but certainly fits several small groups wanting to do their own thing. The piano is situated in the middle which easily allows the music to be heard and interacted with from everywhere in the lounge.
Davenport's also has a cabaret show, but we did not venture into there. I will and will give you a review. Please let me know if this helped you select trying this place or if there is other information I should include in the review. The website is http://www.davenportspianobar.com/
Windy City Diva
The service was reasonably good, the drink (Vodka/Tonic) was good and the crowd was a pleasant group of friends who all seemed to know each other. The environment was conducive for our private conversation, their party and I'm sure other small groups. It is not a large venue, but certainly fits several small groups wanting to do their own thing. The piano is situated in the middle which easily allows the music to be heard and interacted with from everywhere in the lounge.
Davenport's also has a cabaret show, but we did not venture into there. I will and will give you a review. Please let me know if this helped you select trying this place or if there is other information I should include in the review. The website is http://www.davenportspianobar.com/
Windy City Diva
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Abandoned Pets-An Uplifting Story
I have been hearing on the news of the rash of pets being abandoned or put up for adoption due to inability to feed them or care for them. That may have touched my home this week. My son found a small dog alone in our local dog park. Other dog owners were there but were unable to take him in, so with the choice of calling animal control, my son brought him home.
Our dog doesn’t seem to mind him, but she also doesn’t seem to be sure if he is a puppy or a toy. For certain the little guy can only take so much of her trying to clean him, and who can’t understand that. She had a litter of puppies a little over a year ago and keeps trying to clean him, but alas, he is not receptive. By the end of 24 hours together, they seem to have agreed to steer clear of each other. That works for me, because this little dog would not have much of a chance against ours since she had 8 rather rowdy puppies whom she had to put the “smack down” on often.
Upon finding this little guy at 10:30 PM on Sunday night, we decided to divide and conquer. I followed him around the house making sure he did not decide to mark his territory, while my son set about making a flier. Our thought is that he was abandoned in a dog park hoping a dog owner would take him in. He was freshly groomed, and still had a collar indentation in the little bit of fur that remained. He is house broken, sweet and very well-behaved. I am hopeful that he was just lost and some passerby put him in the dog park thinking that would at least keep him safe and out of traffic. My son and the other dog park visitors say that is wishful thinking, but we are putting up fliers to give a pet family a chance to recover their dog in case he is just lost. If he isn’t, we will find him a good doggie home, even if it is ours.
My son immediately looked on the AKC website to try to determine his breed (or as close as we can get). He decided on an English Toy Spaniel and designed a quick, “Found Dog” flier. Monday morning, he went about printing and distributing the fliers after walking 2 dogs twice, and one he had to carry in and out. He visited our local vet and pet care stores, of which there are five in our immediate area. Also, on Monday I posted on FB to see if anyone was interested in this little guy because I would rather not keep him. I’m fairly certain our dog would rather us not keep him as well, if he isn’t going to play with her. A former classmate of mine recently had her dog get out of the yard and has not returned home, so she would love to have this little guy.
This particular abandoned doggie story has a happy ending. I can only hope there are other big hearts out there like my son’s, and other divine interventions such as bringing this little guy into my classmate’s life just at the right time. I am sharing this story in hopes that others will think just a little beyond themselves and extend a helping hand, just as I’m sure this little guy’s family was hoping someone would do when they made the decision to leave him there. I am not by any means condoning abandoning your dog in a dog park, or any other public place, nor the act itself, by any stretch. But I do believe you have to be desperate to abandon your beloved family member, and I feel badly for this family for their loss. I do wish they had put a string with a note around his neck giving his name and confirmation that he needed a new family. “Little Guy” or “Rhino” or whatever his new family calls him will have a happy ending.
Windy City Diva
Our dog doesn’t seem to mind him, but she also doesn’t seem to be sure if he is a puppy or a toy. For certain the little guy can only take so much of her trying to clean him, and who can’t understand that. She had a litter of puppies a little over a year ago and keeps trying to clean him, but alas, he is not receptive. By the end of 24 hours together, they seem to have agreed to steer clear of each other. That works for me, because this little dog would not have much of a chance against ours since she had 8 rather rowdy puppies whom she had to put the “smack down” on often.
Upon finding this little guy at 10:30 PM on Sunday night, we decided to divide and conquer. I followed him around the house making sure he did not decide to mark his territory, while my son set about making a flier. Our thought is that he was abandoned in a dog park hoping a dog owner would take him in. He was freshly groomed, and still had a collar indentation in the little bit of fur that remained. He is house broken, sweet and very well-behaved. I am hopeful that he was just lost and some passerby put him in the dog park thinking that would at least keep him safe and out of traffic. My son and the other dog park visitors say that is wishful thinking, but we are putting up fliers to give a pet family a chance to recover their dog in case he is just lost. If he isn’t, we will find him a good doggie home, even if it is ours.
My son immediately looked on the AKC website to try to determine his breed (or as close as we can get). He decided on an English Toy Spaniel and designed a quick, “Found Dog” flier. Monday morning, he went about printing and distributing the fliers after walking 2 dogs twice, and one he had to carry in and out. He visited our local vet and pet care stores, of which there are five in our immediate area. Also, on Monday I posted on FB to see if anyone was interested in this little guy because I would rather not keep him. I’m fairly certain our dog would rather us not keep him as well, if he isn’t going to play with her. A former classmate of mine recently had her dog get out of the yard and has not returned home, so she would love to have this little guy.
This particular abandoned doggie story has a happy ending. I can only hope there are other big hearts out there like my son’s, and other divine interventions such as bringing this little guy into my classmate’s life just at the right time. I am sharing this story in hopes that others will think just a little beyond themselves and extend a helping hand, just as I’m sure this little guy’s family was hoping someone would do when they made the decision to leave him there. I am not by any means condoning abandoning your dog in a dog park, or any other public place, nor the act itself, by any stretch. But I do believe you have to be desperate to abandon your beloved family member, and I feel badly for this family for their loss. I do wish they had put a string with a note around his neck giving his name and confirmation that he needed a new family. “Little Guy” or “Rhino” or whatever his new family calls him will have a happy ending.
Windy City Diva
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