I had my right SI joint injection yesterday. I'll write more about it on Monday, but so far, it seems like there's definitely a reduction in pain, so let's hope this trend continues!
And now, Friday thoughts.
*U.S. Marine families battle mice, mold, and powerful private landlords*
This is a long article, but one you should definitely read. When I read through it the first time, I found myself nodding along, because my ex-husband was in the military, we lived in government housing, and that place was pretty awful.
Not all military housing is awful. The new housing built up the hill from us was gorgeous- nice sized kitchen, stylish layout, looked great from the outside, carpet. In comparison, our condo-style place had hard tile floor like you see in Walmart, all through the house, and underneath it was asbestos. When it got hot (we had no air conditioning), the floor would sweat. I once slipped and slid a good two feet while holding my newborn; I thought for sure I was going to fall and squish him (I also fell down the slippery, super-waxed stairs when he was eight weeks old, but fortunately I wasn't holding him, and now I'm wondering if that's how my back problems started, because it's not uncommon for SI joint dysfunction to start with a fall). We had rats out front, and the entire downstairs was absolutely overrun by mice. They'd run all over my counter, the utensil drawers were full of poop, they'd run into the living room when I was on the computer. We'd call the housing office and they'd come and...put down traps. That was it. It got to the point where I didn't want to cook because I was so afraid of making my family sick with some sort of mouse-borne illness, because mice were crawling over all our stuff. At one point, we had the housing people come out for a problem under our sink, and they ended up yanking up a board underneath and there was a dead mouse in a trap under there- this was right after we'd moved in and before we'd put down any traps, so, uh....yeah.
This is a disgrace beyond words. Military families sacrifice a LOT. You miss most of everything back home, you miss time and special events with the family you make, you're constantly moving and don't have the ability to put down real roots, and all of that comes with the possibility that the military member may eventually be killed in the line of duty. It's not an easy life, and forcing these families to live in such conditions is despicable (and it's not as easy as, "Oh, they can just move!" Where we lived, rents started at more than what we made each month, and the housing allowance that members were afforded wouldn't even come close to paying for it. We definitely looked but financially, it absolutely wouldn't have worked). It's one of the reasons when I hear people scream, "Support the troops!!!!", I always think, "What exactly are you doing to support the troops?" Because I don't think the families in this article feel all that supported. I'm hoping that this article gains some traction and shines a light on this serious situation for people who can actually make a difference, because truly supporting our troops is making sure that they all have a safe, healthy place for them and their families to live.
I'm also curious if this happens in other countries. If you're not in the US and you know what your country's military housing is like, I would LOVE to hear what you know about it.
*An Australian Man Has Died 8 Years After Eating A Garden Slug On a Dare*
Uh....So....Don't do this, kids.
The headline basically says it all. A guy ate a slug on a dare from his friends (WHY? WHY DID THIS SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA???). A few days later, he started feeling ill. They thought no way could it be from the slug...but it was. Turns out the slug had been infected with a rat lungworm, and before long, the guy was quadriplegic, eating and breathing through tubes, suffering from seizures, and basically living a miserable life for nine years, until he finally passed away.
It's a terrible, tragic story, and a frightening one at that, because I don't know about you, but there have been a few occasions where I've found slugs on produce (the article specifically states to wash and check your produce thoroughly, and if this isn't incentive...). I'll definitely be upping my produce-inspecting game, but yikes. What a devastating consequence for what was supposed to be a harmless prank. Who knew that slugs could actually be so deadly???
*A Slave Mother's Love in 56 Carefully Stitched Words*
A hand-stitched cloth sack was discovered in Tennessee, with this message:
She was sold at age 9 in South Carolina
it held a tattered dress 3 handfulls of
pecans a braid of Roses hair. Told her
It be filled with my LOVE always
she never saw her again
Ashley is my grandmother
Ruth Middleton
1921
And luckily, it fell into the right hands, people who began to investigate where it came from, who stitched those words, and who Rose and Ashley were. And they were indeed real people, a mother who was a slave, and whose nine year-old daughter was indeed sold and whom she never saw again.Just thinking about that makes me want to scream and never stop. What was WRONG with people that they did that to others??? How could they have done that? Where was their humanity, and how could they not recognize the humanity in these families that they callously ripped apart? The very idea of owning a human being turns my stomach, and even the smallest thought of what people like Rose and Ashley suffered is enough to bring tears to my eyes. And unfortunately, I'm seeing too much of this mindset in people I actually personally know these days, people I grew up with, who are all too quick to deny the humanity of others, who race to 'other' people and claim that since those people are different than them in some way, they're not worthy, they're not deserving of love, fair treatment, compassion, or kindness. It's horrifying to me.
I'm glad this hand-stitched bag survived, to remind us of the horrors suffered by far too many. (Are you aware of the term 'historical trauma'? Go forth and learn, my friend!). We need to be reminded of this, of the damage that 'othering' our neighbors does- at least, I can think of some people who do. And I'm sure you can as well. May the descendants of Rose, Ashley, and Ruth find comfort in their family's story being told, and may they know peace and the care and love of the community around them. And may we all be quick to offer love, compassion, and understanding to everyone, and not just those who look, think, and believe like we do.
In a little bit, we're off to a church yard sale in a nearby town! Hopefully it'll yield a few treasures. My kids are out of school today, due to a burst pipe at their school, which puts the school musical in jeopardy for this weekend- I'm sure they'll reschedule if they have to cancel, but what a bummer for the kids who have worked so hard to be ready THIS week, you know? (My son was part of the scenery crew. His work is long done, so he was happy to be missing a day of school!) Crossing my fingers that the repairs are quick and the show can go on, because I'm really looking forward to seeing it!
I hope you have a fantastic, relaxing weekend! :)
Military housing in Australia is, from what I hear from friends in the military is pretty good. There are minimum standards, though some are better then others. Though not all the areas the houses are in are good. There are lots of rules and regulations around them and they are mostly well maintained. The people I know who have lived in military housing have mostly been given a choice of several houses and they pick the best one that will suit their needs.
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Fascinating, thank you for your insight! I love hearing how other countries do things. I'm glad Australia seems to have a better way of going about this and that your military members are better taken care of in regards to housing. We were never given a choice, just assigned a place in one of the sections that they really weren't supposed to be moving people into (we later found out), as it was technically condemned. By the time we moved away, there were only two or three other families in our cul-de-sac (out of, probably, fifteen or twenty units), and they tore down everything on the street several years later. All those mice and rats had to find new homes!!!
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