kyburg | NEEDS MORE COWBELL

I'm thrashed. And it's Monday at work, so no respite there.

Mom got two units of blood last night, that being the primary reason to stay in the hospital over the weekend - the fever broke on Saturday, and she hadn't needed anything for fever the whole day I was out there on Sunday. (Mom's essentially ESRD over the one kidney that's taken a few blows in addition to being 82 years old - she's showing the classic signs. Anemia (which procrit will take care of), in addition to really funky labs. Her numbers are really good though, outside of the anemia - so for today, so far, so good.)

Her appetite was the pits, though. So I went around town procuring things she would eat - and ended up in Idyllwild for a few brief hours.

Lemme tellya. You can go home again. And get good and thoroughly weirded out. Just warning you.

I am now the proud owner of a t-shirt with a howling coyote on the back, with the legend "Idyllwild Folk Music Festival" on it. I also picked up a pocketful of acorns outside the building where Baker in the Forest used to be (and is now an antiques store). I went in largely to poke around all the rooms, having spent so many REALLY happy hours there, back in the day (and I wanted to see what the kitchen might have looked like) - but found mostly things out of my price range, things I didn't need and went out back and took pictures of the squirrels and jays making merry with the surfeit of acorns. With nobody eating out there, nobody is picking them up - and there is more than they can make off with.

Then I realized it's been nearly thirty years since those "happy" days I spent eating sandwiches inside. Sighed and had lunch at the Bread Basket, and read that it's changed hands three times since I went there the first time. Took more pictures.

Then went looking for the Grey Squirrel and saw that the place had a new name...but, went in anyway. Good idea, because I had the nicest time at the most non-redneck Western store I've ever been in. That's the thing about Idyllwild. You want people chatting about Thoreau and Civil War museums (and I got a lead on a really good Lincoln museum in Redlands) like they were talking about crossing the street - here's your place. Example? They had these t-shirts in there. I had a REALLY good chuckle because someone had actually put one out with the names of the people on the shirts - nice WHITE Hemet, knowing better. I love Idyllwild. That place was my sanity growing up.

And the Grey Squirrel was right across the street. The places are owned by the same people, and they just switched places.

BTW, WANT. That would be a cool mat for the laptop, and a hot mat for me. Both USB. It works.

There is a huge issue going on in town right now, though. The hospital? Is going bankrupt. Because it is a district hospital, selling the hospital requires voter approval, so there is a measure on the next ballot, Measure G - which is getting a ton of attention - and no little social fireworks.

Briefly, since 1985 - the hospital has been hit, like all health care providers have been hit - with the lack of reimbursement from insurance carriers and the private paying public, for basic services. Day in, day out.

The hospital administration, back some years ago, proposed selling the hospital and the voters turned it down. At this point, the measure is almost a foregone conclusion, because if they NO it down, the facilities close. Period - I don't think they would keep them open under Chapter 13 - because 14 million dollars has already changed hands back in August. Literally, the hospital has been sold already - but here, check out the two websites I can find on the issue:

Yes on Measure G and with particular interest, a rather legitimate fact sheet with a timeline.

The No Vote - 'stop the money grab' and I ask you to check the supporting features of the No vote...and the utter chaos which is this entire site. It has more attention span issues than a ADHD squirrel on crack.

The Yes site (fact sheet) is the only place that really addresses the underlying issue - the lack of reimbursement. The No vote folks? Guess what. ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE STEALING OUR HEALTHCARE YO. I had to calmly and politely (but FIRMLY) explain that the lack of reimbursement is not a liberal or conservative issue - it's a reality, and has been since Reagan. And then go through the steps of why health care providers are going broke, left right and center. And then remind everyone that illegals were having babies when I was a baby being born at that hospital myself! If the numbers are climbing, then look at the numbers climbing in general - who the heck is THAT stupid?

Honestly.

I was glad to get home.

I have whole grain pancake mix from Henry's, plenty of pictures. I have cute, and I will show it to you later when I can get them off the camera and uploaded.