Marsha Patterson (and I use her last name because there is another Marsha in this story) is “police” dog handler in a neighboring county and neighboring volunteer fire department – We call Marsha when we need a dog for tracking, cadaver dogs and when we need the volunteer Jasper County sheriff’s office reserves to be activated because she is one of those too.  Recently she brought Bullet and Tazor into her life and into the life of all of us at the sheriff’s office.  One is a blood hound and one is a shepherd – frequently she brings the pups to the sheriff’s office for socialization because there are several of us in the S.O. that are just crazy over these two puppies…and we really like Marsha too.. Yesterday, I learned that she not only had the pups with her but had been training and had the two older dogs too.  A beautiful golden who is a cadaver dog and an equally beautiful german shepherd who has proven himself to us as a tracker.   Marsha got these two older dogs out of their kennels and put the babys back in…Nancy Dunsbergen, Marsha and I were lovin’ up the dogs and I thought the shepherd was acting like he may need to use the facilities…we headed for the grassy area – I had the leash wrapped around my legs so as I was twisting around to loosen the leash, I tripped over my own feet and ended up falling backwards in the parking lot.  This is where the dream segment starts…you know…please let this just be a bad dream. OW.

Now there is something about laying on the ground in the fetal position with your friends taking care of you…realizing that no, in fact, you can’t get off the ground..yes…I guess I do need an ambulance and the whole total embarassment that these are the people that you work with every day and now you are vulnerable, yet thankful..then you hear the ambulance coming with sirens – OH GOD!  When the ambulance arrived, Marsha Steele, the office manager told the crew that the first thing they need to do was cut off my clothes, the deputy who got the blanket out of his car to cover me up said that the last time he used this was to cover up a dead person – although taking it back said, naw…its just the blanket Gus lays on…His huge dog.  I had it made because Marsha Patterson, the EMT was already on the ground with me, holding my head up, feeling my spine, making me wiggle my toes and firmly telling me to STOP MOVING YOUR HEAD   The reality that these people do these things for complete strangers on a daily basis  brings me the most emotion…unless you are in one of these situations, you don’t know what these cops, EMS or fire personnel do for us on a daily basis…I’ve mentioned before about my respect for volunteer fire and EMS personnel…neighbors who are our heros…but the next time you are trying to avoid the cop so you don’t get a ticket…remember that for the most part, they are a bunch of compassionate human beings who are doing a thankless job most of the time.

Now, about me.  Went to the ER…xrays showed no deformaties just some bone bruising…the doctor said I was going to hurt for a few days…and he followed that up, chuckling, that he knows this because he is a doctor…it could have been my reaction to his comment.  How refreshing to have an ER doc with a personality..and the nurses at Skiff…second to none in their care and compassion..

Oh..then there are my husband and daughters.  He was my dependable, loving husband.  Katy, who had arrived home from Ohio, came to the hospital too…and in reference to my million trips to ER with my mother when she got old, said…and so it begins…

I’m fine, I hurt, but I have ice, meds and feel loved.  I’m thankful.

The new kitty in my life is named Belle.  Belle was rescued by Sarah Oswalt Jorges several years ago…but as sometimes happens, Sarah’s little daughter, Layne, is allergic to cats.  I’ve thought about what if and the agony of having to give up my cats because of an allergy…I can’t even go there in my mind and think it all the way through.  But Sarah needed to find Belle a new home so we said yes.  Belle comes from a one kitty home – her..she’s older.

Belle came to us at 10:30 at night by her grandparents, Mike and Kim…I took her downstairs in her carrier so she could be immediately introduced to her litter box…when I opened her carrier, there was no stretch, sniff, look around..slowly get your bearings like the other cats we’ve introduced to the herd…this was an all out waddle for cover.  I use the term waddle to describe her overweight little body seeking immediate shelter the fastest she has probably every walked/run.  I surrounded her with a fresh litter box…her little bed, water and food and barricaded her in so she wouldn’t have to deal with the other 5 sitting around in a circle staring at her.  Among the most important pieces of information for any cat book involves cat nip.  In order to draw Belle in, I sprinkled a small amount of cat nip in her litter box…forgetting, of course, the feline sense of smell…so in order to draw the other 5 away from her, I sprinkled cat nip on the other end of the basement which was the second dumbest thing I could do.  Minnie didn’t get involved…but Baxter and Billy got into a paw swinging on their haunches after a little hit from the cat nip doobie!  Meanwhile Truman and Benny were sliding their heads along the floor, rolling in it totally immersed in their chemically induced stuper.  Well, damnit..this was not smart…so I had to sweep it all up and dispose of it so as not to bring any more trauma to the already freaked out kitty.

The next night with the cats barricaded upstairs, I was able to coax her out of her hiding place – she rubbed against my leg and let out a hardy hiss then did it again…she returned to her hiding spot not to be seen for 24 hours. 

Last night he and I took a flashlight and moved every box in the basement, looked in every crevice, and could not find her.  I returned to the basement later alone with the flashlight, she heard, saw or smelled me, started meowing and came out of hiding…I was finally able to pick her up and take her upstairs…she is now happily hidden under my sewing cabinet.  She has eaten, she has used the litter box…she has seen all of the other critters through the windows in the doors to the room.  I’m finally breathing a sigh of relief, I think the hard part is over.  I’ll post pictures in the near future.

You can never have too many cats!!!

I opened the door to let the dogs out this morning and a summer breeze met me.  I stepped outside and was very disappointed that I didn’t have time to have a cup of coffee on the deck…it’s not something I’ve done since moving into this house – but I wanted to do it this morning.  I live in the house my parents built in 1984…we had purchased a couple of acres together and we each put a house on it.  We built an adorable little chalet style house that we could afford and finish after we moved in.  They built a very large ranch house that they could afford and put their accumulations of stuff…it is mostly this accumulation of stuff that I”m still getting rid of….but back to the weather…My dad was a smoker and like to sit out on the deck to have a cigarette…I used to love to go over and talk to him – my mother was usually  out there with him too in her housecoat and my girls were regulars.  It’s a wonderful – peaceful memory that pulls on my heart strings..>I can still see him sitting there in his flannel (always plaid) shirt with his little melmac brown coffee cup and white saucer – putting out the cigarette he smoked down to the filter in his blue ashtray that we brought home from a trip to Louisana when I was small.  He would lean over and put the cigarette out and bend the filter because there was nothing left of the white part of the cigarette to smash out.

He loved the country.  I know this is where he found the peace…enjoying the quiet, the birds and the trees.  Tuesday would have been his 96th birthday.  I really miss him.

Until next time…..

I slept like a log last night – getting the election – county and federal – overwith has dumped me into my peaceful mode.  Seems like every peaceful mode always has at least one safety pin that has come unfastened and pokes me every now and then…but today…nothing – peaceful – content.  A little over a year ago, I told the therapist that this was my goal…I feel like I’ve stepped over that invisible line into the circle..

This month – I get to go see Kenny Rogers at the Civic Center with Gena.  She and I have loved Kenny Rogers for many years.  There is no one on earth that I would rather have beside me at this concert!!!! and sitting beside me in the Polk County jail after the concert…I’m going to take extra panties with me to throw on the stage because I just can’t get into that commando thing…We love you Kenny!!!

Thanksgiving is a blessing.  Both girls and significant others will be home…we are going to all eat oysters, play a couple of games (which I will win) and enjoy the comfort of family.

Then the Christmas season arrives.  I love the Christmas season.

Peace out.

I’m so proud ofTricia Groves. 

Tricia Ehler Groves

Obama is not who I voted for but is who I will respect as our president for 4 more years. I pray for him and for our country and know that God is in control.

That is what she said…here’s what I say!


I’m totally disgusted by many professed christian posts on Facebook after the election.  Romney supporters have every right to be disappointed..and I understand the anger of the plain old American republicans out there; but christian… if you all prayed your guts out and you really believe in God’s will, what is with all of these nasty posts.  Aren’t you believing that this must be God’s will if you prayed about it.  Had the election turned out differently, we would be hearing ear splitting praising of God…Is God’s will only worthy of praise if you get your way.  Seriously…. what an example..it seems to be that if you believe God is king and leading your life on a daily basis, you should be thanking God even if you might not agree with his politics. Sounds like armchair christians to me.  You need to change the light bulb because your religion is not showing…..or is it.

Bring it on people!

Ever since I started working for the county back in 1984, I’ve dreaded presidential voting day/year.  It is the same year that we vote for a sheriff.  The sheriff is my boss.  I don’t feel a whole lot of control on election day…I usually have pretty strong feelings about what I want to happen…yet…have found over the years to just roll with it.  Kind of like a suspected health scare…You have the symptoms, you have been to the doctor and had all of the tests and now you are sitting in the little too-hot or too-cold room waiting for the verdict…You know that in a very few minutes life as you know it is going to change…either relief or fear!

I have a cross mix of friends – conservative, liberal and libertarian – most of them have strong reasons why they support their particular chosen political religion…I know where most of them stand…I don’t try to change their minds – they don’t try to change mine…occasionally we have a good natured WHAT THE H IS WRONG WITH YOU discussion but it usually ends with laughter and acceptance.  I have a few friends who want to argue with me…while I am a listener and have been known to really weigh other opinions and either decide – hmmm that has some merit or nope… don’t agree and move on.  Chances are probably about 99 percent that I’m not going to change someone’s opinion and they aren’t going to change my opinion.  This is not a place for anger…this is a place to listen to each other – take your opinion or altered opinion and move on.

No matter your politics – please get out there and vote today…

Until next time….