Re: Dog bite

I talked to SIL yesterday. She said they locked the dog in the gate around their backyard (they usually use the back door to go in and out of the house) and opened the side door (which I have never seen them use). My niece forgot and tried to go through the back door. So SIL had no remorse because the kids went where they weren't suppose to. I asked her if she was worried about her kids being around the dog because that's not a nip, that dog was after flesh. She said no. There's always that chance but she wasn't worried about it. I just hope she's right.

Dog bite

MIL took Olivia to Jody's brother's house to swim. They have a little girl that's Olivia's age and a little boy that's 2. Olivia and her cousin were going in the house to change clothes. BIL and SIL have 3 chows. Olivia tried to get through the gate and one of the dogs was standing there. She tried to be friendly and walk by, and it bit her. Apparently she is the 5th person this dog has bitten. Poor girl is hurting and it doesn't help that she's a drama queen.

The part that really stinks is Olivia is already afraid of dogs. Now she's really going to freak out when one comes around her.

Random thoughts

I've been slacking on my blogging. Having super slow internet and a crazy busy life doesn't help.

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Our flea market booth is doing awesome! Gathering up stuff to put in it and making trips to straighten it and stock it keeps me busy. It's a great way to make some extra money. I finally splurged and bought PhotoShop Elements 7.0 with some of my profits.

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Paxton has been seeing an OT twice a week for Sensory Integration Disorder. He hasn't been officially diagnosed (we are working on that) but the OT's evaluation shows that he demonstrates a defensive sensory system in the areas of auditory, vestibular, tactile and oral sensory processing. We are starting to see an improvement with therapy. I struggle with how to deal with some of his behaviors. Therapy has helped some and I'm hoping that once he has an official diagnosis I will have more resources to get answers to my questions. Mostly my heart hurts for him. I see that as he gets older, he acts different than other kids his age and that makes me sad for him. I want him to be accepted and loved. I want him to be strong and successful. I'm anxious for what the future holds for him.

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I finally, after putting it off for 10+ years, had my two wisdom teeth removed. It wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. The anticipation was by far the worst part. Thankfully I had Sendai here to help take care of me. And Xanax is a wonderful drug.

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We found out today they are putting an oil well on our section. What does this mean? We may get royalties, and I may actually have a way to afford the house addition I so desperately dream of. Of course Jody says we are going to stick the money in the bank. I rolled my eyes and told him he can put his portion in the bank. I have big plans for mine.

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I wish I didn't have to feel guilty about wanting another baby.

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We've started up year 3 of homeschooling. Olivia's reading improved a lot over the summer. She's getting better about doing her lessons without whining and crying the entire time. My friend that is a teacher is going to test her and see where she is at as far as skills for her age. I'm curious to see how she does.

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We gained some new pets today. We had one female rabbit for Olivia. Jody got a male and pregnant female rabbit from someone today. We put all three rabbits together and it very quickly was becoming a birds and the bees lesson so we had to seperate them. Olivia thought is was so funny that the rabbits were so excited to see each other that they were "fighting". Sounded like a good explanation to me.

I hate to say I told you so

To Whom It May Concern:

Having grown up in Arkansas, I know how important it is to keep up with severe weather. My family relies on the local television stations to keep us apprised of what is going on when severe weather hits. We live in a rural area and since the switch to digital television we are unable to get a good digital signal even with an antenna 15 feet above our roofline, especially in stormy weather. We can also no longer rely on our emergency portable TV because it doesn’t pick up a digital signal.

On the night of August 4, 2009, strong wings, hail and rain awakened us. We turned on the television to see what was happening. The signal came in long enough for us to see that we were under a tornado warning. Then we lost the signal and the television went blank. At least with analog TV, we could still hear what was happening even if the picture went fuzzy. I called to warn my sister and her family that bad storms were approaching. Since the switch to digital, they can no longer get a signal even with a converter box and antenna. They were able to take shelter just as the storm hit.

It was so frustrating not being able to know what was going on. The media implores us to pay attention to severe weather bulletins, but no concessions have been made for those of us who cannot get a digital signal. I wonder how many other families in rural areas have the same problem.

Luckily both my sister’s family and my family made it through the storm unscathed; however, we both worry about the next time severe weather strikes. Is there not a way to broadcast an analog signal in times of emergency for those of us who were not considered when the switch to digital was made? I appeal to you to consider those of us who depend on you to keep our families safe. Consider ways to broadcast to those of us who cannot get a digital signal.

Sincerely,

Sarah Bradford

Sawyer