Happy Birthday Rebekah

She was my gift 32 years ago on this day.  Every time I look at her I am in awe of just what Stan and I created with our mix of genes.  She has always had an outlook on life that was unique and can look at any situation and clearly see a path that needs to be taken.  Rebekah was independent from early years when she insisted on dressing herself at the age of 2.  That independence and goal driven personality has carried her successfully through her life.  I am so proud of the woman she has become. She struggled in school and never ever gave up and now is a Master's prepared Family Nurse Practitioner.  I am in awe of her knowledge and praise God for her innate compassion that makes her patients and friends love her. This year she became a mother and my heart is so full each time I see her with her Winston.  She is wife to Shane, mom to Winston, sister to Joshua, and daughter to me and Stan.


Rebekah you are so very special to  many people but to me, your loving mom,  you are my dearest daughter.  Happy happy birthday  sweetheart.

My Name is Debbie and I am a Prepper

  Michael Crichton wrote a book years ago called "State of Fear" the premise being that situations can be "tweeked"  to make people afraid thus furthering a particular agenda and to simply keep the cash flow going from a gullible public. The Jakarta Pandemic by Steven Konkoly follows the survival of a single family during a true pandemic and is frightening because it is in the realm of possibility.   No one will ever ask me to do a book review but I will tell you that the books were excellent and had the  underlying truth that most individuals will do anything to protect ourselves if at all possible even if it is an exercise in futility.  I can remember in elementary school kneeling under desks or in the hallway with our hands on the back of our neck in the "tuck and duck" position.  Now this was supposed to protect us from a bomb attack.  I believe that this was during the Bay of Pigs incident and no one questioned just how stupid this was. My mother was impressed that the schools were being so proactive and I remember thinking that if I would follow the exercise that I would survive.  A. Nuclear. Attack. Boy were we dumb but we practiced almost daily.  Every hospital I have ever worked  had practice disaster drills. For years we practiced plane, train, and bus accidents involving mass causalities.  They were useful and in my career I have participated in 2 real life mass casualty situations and I was grateful for the preparation. The tone of our emergency preparation has changed in that we now practice radiation poisoning, decontamination and treatment for chemical weapons.  I do at least one online educational program a year about chemical weapons. What I know without a doubt is that we are all unprepared for a true national disaster that would interrupt the delivery of food, the flow of water, the ability to receive medical care and electricity.  Think Hurricane Katrina and expand it to cover a whole region of the US or the entire country if you really want to be depressed. I believe that the general public will be reduced to its lowest form..... again look at Katrina and see what happened to the unprepared people of New Orleans.  The thing about hurricanes however is that you have ample warning to get the hell out of town.  If we would be hit with a true pandemic or an E-bomb(electromagnetic bomb) we would be thrust back to a time where there was no modern conveniences, like food delivered from all over the country to stock our local grocery  shelves, or electricity and to go along with the electricity NO AIR CONDITIONING OR HEATING, refrigeration, water flowing into our homes and an end to perishables that we take for granted.  Anything controlled by a computer will fail.  How would you care for your family or even yourself?  I imagine a large portion of people will assume that the government will care for them.  After all they are certainly caring for a huge amount of people in the form of food stamps and welfare. Good luck with that.  What people don't think about is that there will be no food to use your stamps on. If a major national disaster happened the stores would empty out of everything faster than poop through a goose.  What can you do as a responsible individual to protect your family or even yourself. Well, glad you asked... you can prepare.  Prepare for the worst and pray for the best.  Looking on line I went to a government site and was greatly amused at their advice.   The following is copied directly from www. ready.gov/make-a-plan

Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation

Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both

Flashlight and extra batteries

First aid kit

Whistle to signal for help

Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place

Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

Manual can opener for food

Local maps

Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

They forgot the guns and the ammo to protect that huge supply of food you have amassed. But then in our current political correct environment gun owners are considered a lower life form. Considering the government is trying to take our guns away they couldn't very well list the need for self protection on their preparation list.     Well if this list makes you feel better then by all means get it together it is better than nothing at all. You need to consider that after the three days of supplies you have collected what are you going to do for day 4 till however long? There are many sites on line to assist you in getting prepared for a national disaster.  Keep in mind the owners of these sites and stores are getting rich on our fears.  I personally don't mind paying for information and for assistance in getting prepared but I am certain there will be those "grasshoppers" who will play and not prepare like ant in Aesop's fable. Keep in mind that those grasshoppers will feel entitled to what you have saved.    I have many friends who are taking preparation seriously and they are perfectly sane individuals from all walks of life who recognize that we are living in perilous times.   There are others who think that the preppers are nuts.  I for one will err on the side of caution.  If the worst happens then I want to be able to feed and protect  my family.

9/11/2013 Twelve Years Later

It has been twelve years since we became survivors.  In those twelve years we have watched as the specter of terrorism has grown like a cancer.  Yes Osama is dead but like the  Lernaean Hydra, one head was cut off and two more have taken its place.  We can never rest and never  forget.  Our president stated that we have al-Qaeda on the run.  al-Qaeda has become synonymous with terrorism for most Americans  and whether they, as an individual group,  have recovered their funds and strength is not really  known but like the Hydra there are dozens of other terrorist groups who have sprung up from the ashes of Osama with the purpose of destroying our way of life.  Last year  Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith and Ty Woods were murdered in terrorist attack on our diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.  They have never had justice, there has been no closure for their families.  There has only been ongoing lies by our administration to cover their mistakes.  In the past twelve years we have ongoing assaults on the second Amendment, we have an out of control government bent on making us dependent, people are fined and threatened arrest for flying the American Flag and Christianity is under fire from all sides.  Patriots are viewed as  gun toting morons by many students in colleges where  liberalism  is king and love for the Republic is outdated.  Many view our Constitution as old fashioned and needing improvement to keep up with the times.  Our freedom of speech is slowly eroding and being political correct is more important than being honest.

We are on the cusp of momentous change and we can only took to the past to see what our future will hold if we do not limit our government and hold them responsible for the lies  that have plagued this administration.  We have to stop the eroding our  freedoms.  We cannot  sit on the side and expect someone else to take care of what is our responsibility.  We have to teach our children what our forefathers fought and died achieving.  We have to remember the past to protect our future. 

He Got Some Balls: Too Little Too Late

It amazes me that as of 9/11/2013 a year has gone by and still we have no answers to what happened in Benghazi, Libya.  We have no answers as to why 4 Americans were deserted by their country's administration and left to die at the hands of terrorists.  Ambassador Chris Stevens repeatedly begged for help from the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and was ignored.  The President was God knows where doing God knows what. Then the lies started by the State Department about a stupid tape.  Our President did nothing except send the FBI in a MONTH later to assess the crime scene.  They should have stopped by the White House and watched the tape that was done live.  The four people who were "held responsible" have quietly been reassigned to other jobs instead of being fired.  The Benghazi whistle-blowers were smeared by this Administration.  Outright lies were being told by Obama's staff and to date no one was held responsible.  Go forward a year and we have Syria and the chemical attacks on their own people.  Obama states that  he has "high confidence" that  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime committed this act while Assad  says rebel forces were behind the chemical weapons attack.  He has no credibility.  I wouldn't trust Obama or anyone from his Administration to pass me the salt over dinner.   Over a year ago Obama STATED on record that his "red line" in Syria would be if Assad used chemical weapons.  Now, on record, he stated that he didn't say that.....it's the worlds red line.  He now has decided to take it to congress before he slaps the hand of Assad. He suddenly developed balls and wants to send missiles into Syria but feels that he needs Congress to agree.  What he needs is someone to blame because he really can't lay this at Bush's door.  No American was killed in Syria but he wants to go in further arm the rebel "freedom" fighters and depose Assad.  Libya was never held accountable for our American deaths.  Those who know me know that I am by nature a hawk.  I believe that we should have gone in and laid waste to Libya.  I do not believe we should go into Syria, we do not have a dog in this fight.  Who will be left to run Syria? Should we support the rebels who have strong al-Qaida backing ? The terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra,  part of the Syrian rebels, attacked the largely Christian village Maaloula.  The rebels have strong radical Islamic leanings and if they are allowed to take over we will likely have yet another country run by the brotherhood.  Honestly there are no good answers.  Iran is threatening to attack Israel if we attack Syria. My bet would still be on Israel if that happens however  I think we need more answers, a clear head, and a leader who can lead.  We do not have that in Obama.  He is a Islamic sympathizer.  Our military forces are depleted and moral is poor.  Obama is not a friend to our military.  No one can argue this.  Look at this administrations attitude of the attack on Ft. Hood.  Major Nidal Hasan opened fire on his own military and killed 13 and injured more than 30 others.  This was labeled as work place violence instead of a terrorist attack even though this man, a Jihadist,  bowed his head then shouted "Allahu Akbar " when he opened fire.  Because it was work place violence our service people were denied Purple Hearts which includes veterans' medical benefits and increased disability compensation.

The fact is we do not know what is going on in Syria and who did what to whom. The rebels are as violent as Assad even though Secretary of State Kerry states that  of the nearly 100,000 "oppositionists" in Syria  at the most only 20 percent were extremists. Mr. Kerry in case you forgot only 19 terrorists took control of 4 airplanes and brought down the World Trade Center, part of the Pentagon, and crashed into the ground in Pennsylvania all told killing over 3000 Americans.  So Mr. Kerry 20,000( in your words) "bad guys" scare the shit out of me.  I have stated before that my heart broke when I saw the videos of the poor babies that were subjected to the sarin gas.  This upset people everywhere but yet we murder thousands of babies a year here in America.  They just aren't born yet so I guess that's okay according to our President.   

Happy First Birthday Allison River Hart

One year ago August 1st my son and my daughter in law went on vacation and brought back Allison.  Allison is my first grandchild and was born about 6 weeks early, she was so very tiny I was afraid that she would break.  She is now an independent little princess who knows that she is adored by all and rules her subjects with a smile.  She looked so much like her pretty mama when she was little but now she is all her daddy.  Sydni jokingly calls her JJ for Joshua junior and she is a mini-me!  Her birthday was held at her granny B's and her guests dinned  on cotton candy, cupcakes, popcorn, slushy drinks, cookies and fruit.  Her great-great grandma was there as well as aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles,  family friends and relatives.  Her papa Stan and I got her a rocking princess carriage and I think that I was more excited than she was.  So to my son and daughter-in-law my eternal thanks for the wonderful gift of Allison.  She gives me hope and reminds me what innocence is and how precious that is.  And to Allison:  Happy birthday precious girl and many many many more!

Demi The Wonderdog

Demi died last night after I left for work.  I stayed as long as I could with her because she rarely left my side when I needed her and I felt that I could do no less.  She was able to slowly walk and made her way into the guest bathroom to lay on the rug in there, I think to be away from us.  Stan and I were both crying and I wonder if that bothered her.  I knelt down with her and held her head in my hands and let her breathe my breath as I told her how much I loved her and how much I was going to miss her.  She was not focused on my face and I realized that she couldn't see.  She rested her head against my hands and relaxed.  Stan said that after I left that he couldn't leave her alone so he got a book and put the lid down on the toilet to sit with her and pet her so that she wouldn't go alone.  He said it wasn't long after that she had a seizure, relaxed and stopped breathing. He took her to the back yard and buried her near the Fig tree that he had planted.   I cannot express the grief that I am feeling over the loss of my sweet Demi-doo and wonder how I will sleep without her. 

Demi was my son's dog purchased for his birthday many years ago and came to live with us because he couldn't keep her where he was living.  I didn't put up much of a fight because I adored her.  He had trained her to hand commands and she was generally a very obedient dog.  He also trained her to sleep whenever he slept and so she fit in to my odd night hours.  Whenever I would come in after work in the morning she would eat, go out, then come in and race to the hall by my bedroom and wait for me.  All I had to say was "bed" and she would race into my room and hop up on her side of the bed and settle in.  When I would get in she would press her forehead against my cheek or neck and press as hard as she could while trying to lick me.  It was a ritual with her.  I am so going to miss that.  For all that she loved me she still loved Joshua more.  Stan would hear him drive up and tell her " your boy is here" and she would race to the door to greet him.  She love to ride in the car and both of us would take her to the store, the bank, or just to run errands.  She was the princess and we were her subjects.

While at work last night my mind kept coming back to the single question of why do we put ourselves thru this grief to own and love a pet that has a life expectancy of less than 12 years?  The only thing I can come up with is that a dog is love.  They are unconditionally your friend and protector for the cost of a dry bed and food.  They give us so very much for so very little.  I think that God put dogs on this earth and in the path of man to teach us humanity, devotion, loyalty, and unconditional love.  They are sort of like furry heavenly emissaries sent to fill the empty spots in our hearts that we did not even know needed filling. 

I  believe that when I die that Demi will  be there waiting for me along with a host of other dogs that I have loved and lost. She will be waiting across that Rainbow Bridge and when it is my time she will come racing across the field to greet me and show me the way to heaven.

Winston Charles Garrard May 13, 2013

I am a tad bit  slow in posting and I blame it on facebook.  Every time I burp it manages to make it's way to my FB update. It is a bigger effort to post a blog but actually more satisfying for me because I do love to write.  I will endeavor to post more and FB less.  I was 60 years old and did not have a grandchild to my name.  I am now 61 and before I am 62 will have 3 in my family.  Allison River was born August 1, 2012 and is such a sweet little baby.  She has a sunny disposition and is such a blessing.   Rebekah announced last October that she was pregnant when she took us all out for her birthday.  I was stunned.  She was nearly 3 months at that time.  She continued to work up until it was time for her to deliver.  She went a week over from her estimated due date of 5/7 and had Winston naturally at Lafayette General Medical Center.  He weighed 8 pounds and 11 ounces and was 20 inches long.  Benny and Frances Garrard, Stan and I, and Meagan Arceneaux kept a vigil with her until she got ready to deliver and then she wanted Shane to be the only one in attendance.  Well Shane and about 5 LGMC staff members and Dr. Bourque but still it was private.  He came out crying and as Frances and I stood outside the door it hit me that this little boy will be the continuation of the Garrard name.  He is a genetic compilation of some really great stuff from both sides of the family and I can't wait to see him grow.  So now for this blog a week after he was born he is doing well, nursing  "constantly" has pooped as needed, he is the apple of his parents eyes and likes the light on when he sleeps.  He lost 10 ozs after he left the hospital and on his first check he gained an ounce back.. Becky says that at this next check if he hasn't gained two pounds she will be surprised.  So welcome Winston to our family.  You are so very, very loved.