This and That

[Wendy]

Hello everyone, boy there seems to be allot going on again for everyone. I can't believe that Barb's granddaughter Kait is having MORE problems. That poor kid, when will this end, all I can say is that she has endured more then any person should in the last few years and deserves some goodness soon. I also see that the flu's and colds are making their rounds once again with everyone, seems that right after the holidays everyone is more tired and run down and with our weakened amune systems we are easy marks for whatever is going around. I hope that soon everyone will start feeling a bit better. My little Pebbles has always had times where she would kind of try and clear her throat, something I have heard was normal for Shih Tzu's because of smaller airways. But it seems along with her allergies she has now developed a bit of a cough. Well its not really a cough, its weird, its like she is trying to clear her throat, only more then usual. Otherwise she is still playful, and so on, so it doesn't seem to be that she is sick. And she is over 14 now, I don't if others have experienced this with their pets, if you have let me know.
My Amanda is doing well, I always tell her to give her tummy a rub from gramma, I want Mason to know I am here waiting for him to be born. She can also feel the baby now, it is so cute hearing her talk about feeling the little guy move now, can hardly wait to be a gramma.
And Mel, well, she is doing fine, but also not fine. Because she did not so well last year in College, mainly because she had to work more because she did not get much assistance from gov't school loans, barely enough to cover her books, let alone her tuition. So this year, they gave her full funding, but only for the first semester, if she failed any of the courses, she would not get anything for this semester. Well, there is always one teacher who likes their students to know that he is the all powerful one, and can give or not give marks, and then slowly tears the kids to shreds over the semester. Well, Mel knew this and she spent so much time trying to do everything to make good grades in his class. In all other classes she was doing excellent, his, well, no one in the class got much more then a pass, passing being a 60, her ending mark, 52. She spent sleepless nights, not going to bed at all to complete her assignments and so forth. She did not miss one, but with the final one, for the exam, he just tore it to shreds. She even tried to ask him if there was anything she could do that could make up those marks, but he would not even discuss it with her. But she didn't expect much from him since right from the beginning her told the class that whatever mark he felt they deserved would not be changed no matter what they did, he had the final say and that was that. I always feel that if a teacher tells the students repeatedly how tough he is on giving out marks, and if over the years no one ever meets his full approval, does that mean they did not work hard enough? Or, is it that he failed to teach??? Anyway, the whole problem is that she has very little time for anything like other kids do while in College, she is just trying to live and get an education. During the holidays, while other kids are out partying and having fun, she was working. She is working at two jobs now, and going to school full time. She worked all the holidays mainly because she could make allot in tips. But it is based on how generous people are with the tips, thank fully people are very generous at this time of year. We had dinner before 4pm so that she could at least have Christmas dinner with us before she left for work. She called me boxing day around 10 am or so, since she did not just work at waitressing, she had the chance to make more money cleaning afterwards, so she stayed. She slept for a couple of hours and then went back to clean some more, and then go back to waitressing for her shift. Then during the week days she went to work at the gym. Just because she figured she wouldn't get her school grant and needed the money to pay for school. I feel so bad for her, but I am also so impressed by her at times, I don't know what I did in my life to give me such a hard working loving child??? I just want to go in and punch that teacher out for telling her she didn't try hard enough so she didn't deserve those 8 more marks. AND yes he KNOWS that it would mean she would be cut off. Most teachers would say okay, if you can do this for me, then we will see if we can come up with those extra marks to make you pass. Today she called and told me that she wasn't going to get the school assistance she needed, but she thought she would be okay with working at the bar/resteraunt for 3 nights a week, and she was going to quit the gym because she just couldn't do it. Then her girlfriend was going to put the tuition on her credit card, and so forth. I just don't have the money or I would give it all to her because it just gets to me seeing how hard she is trying. She also needs a computer so she can do more work at home when she is there, but my brother is going to look for what she needs, and that should only cost us around 600 or so, as she needs to have photoshop and other types of programming to do some of her assignments. That I can at least help with a bit. She said she might bite the bullet and call her father to see if he might help her a bit, but she hates to because of the step mother, who does not think she should get anything from her father and makes sure Mel knows how she feels. But of course not in front of Mels dad, when she is within his hearing she is all sugar and niceness. and Mel would never tell her father what she says when he is not there. Sooooo, she just might have to though, we just have run out of ideas. And selling my body out just won't work!!! LOL

I just needed to rant there a bit, I know others have allot worse to deal with, but sometimes it just helps to put it out there. Have to go now, as Pebbles is letting me know it is time to put the puter away. She just starts
pushing her dog bed around and throwing toys.


Gentle hugs
Wendy

[annie oakley]

Wendy, My Jasmine has allergies too. I give her 1cc of equate childrens elixir per Vet. And within a few minutes she stops trying to clear her throat and is much better. Buck does it too...but not near as much as Jasmine. Jasmine is in trouble tonight....she peed under my computer table with puppy pads all over. She always uses them...I think I know what happened tho....The guy that is plowing and planting out Quail CRP for us came over and she went and hid under the computer table all the while woofing at him, she probably got excited and peed. We gate them from our bedroon when we leave because when we come back Jasmine gets so excited to see us that she pee's all over the bed. Sooooo we gate them. She has a bladder problem...but she's my baby. Love Oma

[Peggy]

Wendy,

Sometimes it just feels so good to get it all out, doesn't it?

I'm really sorry to hear of Mel's problems. I work for a teachers' federation, so I deal with a lot of them...they ARE human and as prone to mistakes as the rest of us, on the other hand they can be incredible and life-altering for some of us.

How much longer until you're a gramma?

Love
Peggy

[kate_ce1995]

Hi Wendy,

I've got a cat with allergies...her's is a skin thing though and doesn't seem to bother her much. It bothers her the most when I poke it and push the fur around to see how bad it is. I'll ask her vet next time she sees him.

Teachers like the one Mel's dealing with drive me nuts! I'm sure she'll get through this.

Glad Amanda is doing well. Won't Pebbles like having a friend her size! (Of course that will be several months after the birth at the earliest).

Katy