Three Score and Two

Today is Kristi’s birthday – 32 years old! When Henri and I married, Kristi was 12 and beginning 7th grade. Now, she is married and the mother of two little boys. Things do change in twenty years!

Kristi was born in Fargo, North Dakota and moved to Illinois with her family when she was five years old. Kristi attended elementary, junior high, and high school in Marion followed by classes at John A. Logan College and Lewis and Clark College where she received her dental hygiene degree. Kristi had many friends, participated in school activities, and worked at various jobs during her high school and college years. Part-time employment at Taco Bell (the ice machine incident), Cracker Barrel (getting stiffed), and a local dentist’s office (little pay) possibly provided some incentive to pursue a professional career that would be more lucrative. Currently, Kristi’s days are filled in the roles of wife, mother, and part-time dental hygienist. Her biggest challenge now, however, is trying to keep up with her two sons.

The pictures show Kristi has changed over the years. One of her license plates from years ago was BABY OF 6. She’s no longer a baby, but she still is and will always be the youngest of our six children. Happy 32nd Birthday, Kristi. We hope you have a great day and a wonderful year. Love from Henri and Ginger.

Diversity

Diversity, a popular buzz word in today’s society, usually refers to differences in race, culture, ethnicity, and religion. Of the many adjectives one might use to describe Ginger, diverse is not a top contender. Although I have traveled many places, I have lived in Southern Illinois all my life. My home town is a small community about 30 miles south of St. Louis, Missouri. It is typical of many Midwestern small towns with little or no racial, cultural, or ethnic diversity. The one example of religious diversity I remember occurred when the Pentecostals came to town and held services in a storefront building. My friends and I, curious elementary school students, could only imagine what the “holy rollers” were doing behind the curtained windows!

What inspired my thoughts on the topic of diversity is an article I read recently regarding the alleged violation of prisoners’ rights at the Marion (IL) and Terre Haute (IN) federal prisons. My first thought was, “What rights?” The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), an attorney group representing the prisoners, allege the prison Communications Management Units (CMUs) place draconian restrictions on inmates’ contact with the outside world and even their own families without offering any reason.

The main reason for the intensity of this issue is that 60-70% of the affected inmates are Muslims. Apparently, the ACLU doesn’t care that many of these inmates are probably terrorists themselves or have connections to terrorists. ACLU attorneys are well-known to deal with bizarre cases that supposedly infringe on the freedom of others, e.g., nativity scenes on the courthouse lawn at Christmas. I personally think most ACLU attorneys are those who graduated in the lower half of their law school classes and can’t find a job with a real law firm. I do not number any Muslims among my friends or acquaintances although I once met an Imam (Muslim religious leader) at the DuQuoin State Fair. I guess if I were truly a diverse person, I would champion the cause of these Muslim inmates. Instead, I think they should be thankful no one is burning splinters under their fingernails!

In regard to diversity, I have a “long way to go and a short time to get there.” The only support I will give these Muslim prisoners is to pay my mandated federal taxes which provide their meals and housing. Take it or leave it!

Party Time

On June 14, 2004, Flag Day, the first of our granddaughters, Emma Marie, was born. Henri and I thought Betsy would be an appropriate name (in honor of Betsy Ross), but Emma’s parents thought otherwise. Emma lives with Dad Kip, Mom Angie, and Little Sister Savanah, who is 3½ years old.

Yesterday, we attended Emma’s 6th birthday party. We almost traveled to the party a day early because Dad Kip told us the party was on Saturday, and we didn’t pay attention to the date on the invitation. Emma completed her kindergarten year at St. Boniface School several weeks ago, and this year’s party included family and also some of Emma’s classmates and their parents. The day was perfect for a swim party – sunshine, a temperature about 95º, and a heat index between 100º and 105º. The children enjoyed the pool, and, thankfully, Henri and Ginger had the shade of a patio umbrella and fans to provide relief from the heat. After about an hour of swimming, Emma opened LOTS of gifts and everyone enjoyed ice cream and the “Barbie” birthday cake.

Emma, you’re a sweet little girl, and we are glad we could come to your birthday party. We wish you many more happy birthdays, and we hope you have a great summer and a wonderful 6th year.

Love from Grandpa Henri and Grandma Ginger

Flyin’ High

One question adults often ask children is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” In today’s world, a child might answer that he/she wants to be an astronaut. When I was a child, there were no astronauts. My “space” was wherever my feet were planted on terra firma.

I never had a great desire to travel in space, but I am taking advantage of the opportunity to make a trip to the International Space Station in several months. On September 16, 2010, I will be a passenger on the space shuttle Discovery, mission STS-133. The point of origin and return is Cape Kennedy, Florida, and the trip’s duration is eight days. This is the 39th and final Discovery flight, 26 years after its inaugural flight on August 30, 1984. On this trip, I will accompany six crew members: the commander, the pilot, and four mission specialists.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has made it possible for anyone (13 years of age or older) to be a “passenger” on one of the final two shuttle flights, STS-133 and STS-134. If you would like your name and/or image aboard the shuttle, click on the NASA web site, http://faceinspace.nasa.gov/index.aspx, and follow the simple directions. The site requests name and zip code, and an uploaded picture (optional) may also be added. I included a picture because I want anyone I meet in space to recognize me as well as know my name. When the information has been added, a confirmation can be printed. According to the confirmation I received, my flight certificate will be available on September 25. This will probably be my first and last trip into space. Ginger Devereaux, a pioneer exploring the frontier of outer space, is never too old for new adventures.

The Youngest Grandchild

Happy 1st Birthday, Kace!

Kristi, the youngest of our six children, is the mother of Kace, the youngest grandchild of Henri and Ginger. Kace, who was one year old on May 26, 2010, lives with Mom Kristi, Dad Cole, Big Brother Kale, and Gunner, their German Shepherd. Kace celebrated his first birthday with a party at his home on May 29. As the picture shows, his own personal cake was a highlight of his day. Children change so quickly, and we especially enjoyed the birthday party invitation which included pictures of Kace at different times during his first year. Thanks, Kristi, for taking the time to create this special keepsake of Kace’s first year.

Kace, a happy and smiling child, is a 25-pound, high-speed crawler. He’s starting to take a few steps but finds crawling is still the most effective way to get to his destination. It’s also the best way to get away from his brother, Kale, who sometimes likes to sit on him. Henri is very proud that Kace’s middle name, Henri, is in honor of Grandpa. Kace may be known by his first name to everyone else, but he is Little Henri to us.

This is the first of many more birthdays Kace will celebrate, and we’re glad we could share his special day.

Love to Little Henri from Grandpa Henri and Grandma Ginger.

Now in Pink!

Store circulars can be entertaining. Manufacturers are becoming more innovative in naming their products. This week’s Rural King circular advertises a 6 ounce container of “Anti-Monkey Butt Powder” at the sale price of $3.99. Anti-Monkey Butt Powder is available in regular, lady, and baby versions. The baby version is used for diaper rash.

According to the Anti-Monkey Butt Corporation web site, the regular formula is “ideal for butt busting activities such as truck driving, motorcycling, bicycling, horseback riding, and extreme sports...work or play, or on occasions when you sit on your butt all day....”

Pink Anti-Monkey Butt Powder is the formula for women and promises those who use it can “say good-bye to chafed thighs!” The product description also states, “Lady Anti-Monkey Butt Powder is specially formulated with patented satiny smooth powder to minimize the frictional discomfort that women often experience when using exercise equipment, running, driving, cycling, or just walking. Its unique ingredients work quickly to absorb sweat and provide cooling effective relief of irritation on the inner thighs and other areas of the skin prone to rubbing.”

Marketing is key to the success of a product’s sales. Marketing depends largely on advertising to get the attention of potential consumers. This can be in the form of a product name, jingle, or packaging. I don’t plan to purchase Anti-Monkey Butt Powder because I don’t have any of the discomforting symptoms listed. I, however, will give credit to the manufacturer of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. The creative and original product name got my attention.

For more information, click on http://www.antimonkeybutt.com/.

Coops du Jour – Update

The blog has been absent for several days because of a busy schedule this week, but don’t give up. The blog will continue, but it may not always be on a daily basis.

The June 2 blog described a new event in Southern Illinois, the first Coops du Jour. Some readers may think Ginger’s imagination works overtime, but this was a real happening. I did not attend because I traveled in another direction that day, but the news article in Monday’s paper indicated it was a success. The weather was perfect, and nearly 100 people participated in the four-hour excursion which featured a wide variety of chicken coops. The tourists visited 13 sites in three counties. One of the coop owners commented, “We didn’t realize how many chicken people are out there.” Another said chickens are wonderful pets and keeping chickens on her property has been a pleasant experience. At the end of the afternoon, the guests enjoyed a fried chicken dinner. Hopefully, the Coops du Jour tour chickens were not the main course!

One who is tempted to belittle chicken coops and consider them only as examples of rural husbandry might consider a statement by Frank Lloyd Wright, a famous American architect: “Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.” I will definitely plan ahead next year and add the Coops du Jour as a priority event on my June 2011 calendar.

I’m a Celebrity....

Once again, Illinois, known for its infamous politicians, is the subject of national attention. On Thursday, jury selection began in a federal court in Chicago in preparation for the corruption trial of our ex-Governor, Rod Blagojevich. Rod and his brother, Robert, are accused of trying to “sell” President Barack Obama’s former state Senate seat.

Rod and his wife, Patti, became well-known in recent years for their appearances on television and radio shows. In 2009, Patti appeared as a contestant in a television series, “I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!” One memorable episode involved her eating a bug, a creature of the Costa Rican jungle. In the course of the programs, Patti endeared herself to her fellow celebrities who felt sorry for her and her dethroned husband. I watched the series and was surprised to find that Patti appeared to resemble a normal person. The fact that other contestants on the show portrayed themselves as jungle idiots definitely enhanced her image.

Rod’s trial is expected to last for months. Unlike his wife, he will not have to eat a bug. Because the Feds have 500 hours of wiretap tapes, the “bugs” he will experience could be far more dangerous. It’s a matter of time before Rod tells the judge, “I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!”

Spring Break – Part II

It is very important to carefully examine any and all charges for medical services. This is especially true for hospital billing. Henri was hospitalized for breathing problems. One day, when I visited, he informed me that a physical therapist and an occupational therapist had stopped by to talk to him. Neither Henri nor I understood why physical or occupational therapy would be necessary for a person with Henri’s diagnosis. The physical therapist billed $1,616.00, and the occupational therapist billed $491.20. The physical therapist accompanied Henri on a walk in the hall which had to be halted because she could not find a portable oxygen tank in the hospital for his use! When the occupational therapist learned Henri did not need her services, she gave him a reaching tool with a long handle as a “gift” because she had brought it with her. After Henri received his insurance Explanation of Benefits, he wrote a letter to the hospital billing office questioning these charges. He is awaiting a reply to that correspondence.

One of the many services Henri did receive while in the hospital was a CT body scan for which $3,060.80 was billed. This was done on Monday evening before Henri was admitted to ICU. On Wednesday morning, two nurses came to Henri’s room to take him for a CT body scan. When Henri protested that he already had one, they questioned when the scan was done, where the scan was done, and what the results were. Totally frustrated with the lack of communication among hospital departments, Henri’s response to the last question was, “I don’t interpret CT scans!”

Henri is now doing well. He survived his costly hospital stay of almost $40,000.00 because he was coherent and able to ask questions of the medical staff. A patient unable to communicate because of illness with no family members or friends to intervene can easily become a victim of duplicate and unnecessary services ordered by physicians with no prior knowledge of the patient. We’re all familiar with the expression, “Let the buyer beware.” Maybe we should modify this and also say, “Let the patient beware.”

Henri may want to consider a different Spring Break destination next year!

Spring Break – Part I

The blog was absent in April and May, and I will revert, at times, to events during those months. The topic today and tomorrow is Henri’s Spring Break.

T. S. Eliot is a 20th century Anglo-American poet, playwright, and literary critic, . Henri would definitely agree with the first line of one of Eliot’s most famous poems, The Waste Land: “April is the cruelest month....”

Henri began his Spring Break in late afternoon on Monday, April 12, and returned home in early afternoon on Thursday, April 15. His vacation destination was Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, a trip necessitated because of breathing problems. Henri spent several hours in the ER, 1½ days in ICU, and the remainder of the time in a standard patient room.

Because Henri’s doctor doesn’t administer to her patients in a hospital setting, Henri’s care was supervised by hospitalists. Hospitalists are medical doctors who are salaried employees of a group. From the medical point of view, the hospitalist concept has advantages for the primary care physician and the hospitalist. The physician doesn’t have early morning/late evening duty to care for patients in the hospital, and the hospitalist works regular shift hours with malpractice insurance paid by his/her employer group. The end result is the patient’s care is compromised because it is entrusted to medical staff who have zero familiarity with the patient’s history. I am not implying that hospitalists are not medically qualified. They, however, do not have the primary physician’s knowledge of or vested interest in the patient. Their “job” ends when the patient leaves the hospital. There is no continuity of care. The hospitalist concept ultimately provides care at the expense, literally and figuratively, of the patient. Unfortunately, the use of hospitalists is increasing in hospitals nationwide and is not limited to our area of Southern Illinois.

Spring Break – Part II – continues tomorrow.

Such a Deal!

In past years, a catchy advertising jingle used by the Kroger stores was “Let’s Go Krogering.” Henri and I “go Krogering” for groceries and household items quite often; in fact, Kroger is probably our primary social outlet. We know the layout of the store, the prices are reasonable, there is a 10% senior discount the first Wednesday of each month, and Kroger doubles coupons up to and including 50ȼ manufacturer coupons. Kroger also gives one point for each dollar spent and 50 points for each prescription filled. When the points total 100, Kroger offers a 15ȼ per gallon fuel discount if we use our Kroger Master Card.

Henri likes to read, especially the morning newspaper as well as various and sundry newspapers on the Internet. He also likes to read any books written by John Grisham. The May 23 Kroger circular advertised John Grisham’s newest book, Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer, which would be available in the store on May 25. I was surprised that Henri didn’t mention this because he usually memorizes the grocery circulars in the Sunday papers. On May 25, I went to Kroger, looked at the book, picked it up, and then put it back because I knew I could get a 10% senior discount if I waited until June 2 to buy it. Yesterday, I purchased the book at Kroger as a surprise for Henri, but I was also surprised at the outcome.

If an item scans incorrectly at Kroger, the customer gets the item FREE! The list price of the book was $16.99. With the usual Kroger 25% book discount, the book’s price was $12.74. Until June 20, however, the book’s special price is $10.19. When I self-scanned the book at the checkout, the price showed $12.74. Because the item scanned incorrectly, I got the book FREE but had to pay the tax. On a purchase of $10.19, the 8.5% tax should be 87ȼ. I’m not sure how the checkout supervisor calculated the tax as $1.01, but I certainly wasn’t going to complain about a tax overcharge of 14ȼ. Henri was surprised with his gift, especially because he didn’t know about the book, and is now enjoying it even more because the price was right!

Coops du Jour

Many have the idea that people living in Southern Illinois do not appreciate culture or have occasions to participate in refined experiences. When I started working for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois years ago and made the first of many trips to the Chicago office, I believe some of my Chicago co-workers were surprised to learn that we actually wear shoes in our part of the state.

There are many opportunities to pursue the finer aspects of life in Southern Illinois. One of these will be held in Jackson, Union, and Williamson Counties for four hours in the afternoon of Sunday, June 6. This is the first Coops du Jour, an outing which may become an annual event. During the Coops du Jour, participants are invited to tour twelve unique Southern Illinois chicken coops. According to one of the sponsors, “It’s kind of along the lines of a Christmas home tour, but it’s with chicken coops.” The tour will feature different styles of coops, some historic, some modern, and some built in unique and creative ways. Tour maps are available, and attendees may visit the coops at their leisure. The Coops du Jour is free, but there is a $10.00 charge for the chicken dinner that evening.

Henri and I may add this event to our Sunday social schedule. If we enjoy it, we can get some chickens, build a coop, and possibly be part of the 2011 Coops du Jour. Check the Coops du Jour website, http://www.coopsdujour.com/, for more details. This promises to be a unique and enlightening cultural adventure.

You Asked – Ginger Answered!

Welcome! Gram Ginger, like the phoenix, is back. Anyone familiar with the expression, “rising like a phoenix from the ashes,” will understand the symbolic metaphor. In mythology, the phoenix is a colorful bird considered to be a fire spirit. It has vibrant plumage with a tail usually in gold and scarlet. The phoenix is unique. There is only one, and it has a life span of 500+ years. Near the end of its life, the bird builds a nest of twigs and ignites it. Both bird and nest are reduced to ashes from which a new, young phoenix arises. The new phoenix will live as long as its predecessor, thus continuing the infinite life cycle.

We do not live in a mythological world, but the tale of the phoenix is an appropriate personification of Ginger’s return. Unlike the phoenix, I will most assuredly not live 500 years, and I certainly am not a pyromaniac who plans to set myself afire. Like the phoenix, I am now experiencing a renascence after a short absence. I will update the blog as often as possible and will incorporate the activities of Henri and Ginger over the past couple months with assorted thoughts of current interest. Thank you to my faithful readers who have missed my musings and patiently awaited Ginger’s revival.