Well, the good news is that Mangey is still alive. I went straight over and knocked on their door and apologized for the strange question, but admitted that we're his cat's other family, and we hadn't seen him for a few weeks and were wondering if something happened to him.
He is a pretty genial guy. "Nope. He's fine. Want to see him?" And he went right in and brought him out, sleepy and blinking. He got a good petting, that's for sure. The man said, "He's having a terrible time with fleas right now. He just isn't interested in going outside much."
I told him that we'd actually bought a seresto collar for him. He indicated that if he ever came home with a collar on, that they would not remove it. So...there's that.
I signed up for a felting class. I always wanted to learn how to do that. It is September 10th, so I'm looking forward to that.
We signed up for supplemental insurance. The gentleman showed up with a "We the People" hat, which is a dog whistle (here anyway) for tRUMPers. He went on at great lengths about the different insurances and I did not say, "But isn't tRUMP about to unveil his big healthcare plan? He was just about to when he lost the election." I was quite proud of my self control.
He had Tim's information, but he did not have mine. He asked his questions and said "...and you're not a veteran..." and I said, "Yes. I am." He asked if I used the VA. I told him I did not. He was curious why. I explained that it was an overburdened system, and that there were others who were far more in need of it than I was."
He looked quite surprised. "I've never heard that one before," he said.
I tried to figure him out. Everyone has heard that the VA is overburdened and backlogged.
He said, "No. Most people are going to grab every benefit that they are entitled to."
I said, "We don't."
He shook his head again. I'm sure he thinks that we are idiots.
I got groceries today, while Tim went up to grade the torn up ground from the excavation work. He's planting a food plot for the deer. I thought it was kind of late in the season for that. He says it's not, based on what he's reading.
Nice to have a day at home. As far as idiots go, I'm a fairly happy one.
We are idiots too. I could have applied for that PPP money during Covid for my storytelling business, but we were okay financially so why take what we didn't need. Sounds dumb to a lot of people, but I have qualified for other assistance in my vash-strapped life that I never applied for because I could manage without.
ReplyDeleteHow's your foot?
I listened to a family member just rant about the school loan forgiveness thing. The thing is, he applied for (and got) hundreds of thousands in PPP money, and it was 100% forgiven. (And not after paying on it for 20 years either.)The hypocrisy stuns me.
DeleteI leave it to you to figure out who he's voting for.
Glad Mangey's okay. I bet when he saw you he was like, "What the heck? What's she doing in this world?"
ReplyDeleteHe actually looked lethargic, which bothered me, but I'm pretty lethargic when I first wake up.
DeleteAround here, not a lot of veterans use the VA and it isn't over run either. They simply don't pay enough to retain doctors and the ones that do provide medical care are generally the bottom of the barrel with not a lot of options. The last doctor they had had never passed the national medical exam and was fired earlier this year for an alcohol problem. As far as I know, there is no other doctor that has been hired and some nurses are doing their best.
ReplyDeleteI think the key word here is comparatively. The lowest pay is $121,020 for tier one doctors, going up to a high of $400,000 for certain specialties. That is certainly not underpaid, but you are right that if a doctor goes outside the VA, s/he can earn more. The experience my nephew has had with them has been good. Many of the doctors that work for the VA do it because it is a calling for them, one that they are quite passionate about. I know that my nephew has had some pretty cutting edge stuff done.
DeleteGood to know about Mangey. I might use fleas as a reason to get out of my social engagements. The hat is definitely a dog whistle around these parts along with certain bumper stickers.
ReplyDeleteIt will work better if you quit shaving and getting hair cuts, maybe.
DeleteIt always gets me that the people screaming 'Don't tread on me' are the very first ones to tread all over everybody else.
I read your interesting posts and rarely comment, but I'm glad to hear Mangey is okay! And your have more self control around certain types of people than I do, for sure.
ReplyDeleteHe did not say anything argumentative, so that made it easier. I thought it was quite hilarious that he was so shocked that I did not use the VA. '...grab every benefit..." is a quote.
DeleteMangey has been rumbled!! He has two lots of humans !!
ReplyDeleteYou do meet some...but at least you got the paperwork done AND had a day at home
And now I've got another day at home, because Tim is working on his 'food plot' for the deer.
DeleteGood to hear Mangey is okay!
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to hear his story. He's 6 years old. They adopted him from the street.
DeleteYes, great Mangey news. In the sixties I worked for an oral surgeon who was head of department at CWRU School of Dentistry. He was also a VA oral surgeon. Sorry to hear how far downhill the VA has gone.
ReplyDeleteI can't really attest to it having gone downhill so much as they are servicing a lot of people. I don't need to add to their backlog.
DeleteThat's good about Mangey. Can do better with VA by the sound of it, both parties it seems.
ReplyDeleteThe VA is overwhelmed, to be honest.
DeleteCats always have more than one homes, I'm glad he's OK, be careful felting is very addictive, is a wet or dry felting class.
ReplyDeleteIt's a beginning felting class. I've always wanted to learn to do it. I imagine it's dry felting, but now you've given me something else to read up on!
DeleteI wonder if the the reluctance for collars is akin to reluctance to treatment for fleas (& mange) hence the cat's previous issues
ReplyDeleteHe claims that the cat sees the vet regularly. I do not believe this. Based on the state he was in when I first met him, I just don't see that. It actually was sickening to look at him.
DeleteGlad to hear that Mangey's safe. I hope your foot is feeling better.
ReplyDeleteI've got a horrible feeling about the orange one - I hope I'm wrong.
That made my day as well. I told them that if they ever wanted to get rid of him to let me know.
DeleteGlad Mangey is ok. If that's a Medicare Supplement you signed up for, it's great. Unless you're a billionaire, that plan is much better than being taken advantage by the Advantage plans. The VA isn't used by everyone that could. Most vets get sick of going to see a new doc once a year just to get their pills by mail. I worked as an RN at one for 4 years. It's such a mess when our vets deserve much better care. Sign Mangey up on that Supplement plan cuz the VA won't do very well. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteIt is a medicare supplement. The VA here is a drive. It is backlogged. I have a nephew who was injured in an IED attack in Iraq years back. I just think that these are the vets who should have free and unfettered access to the VA. I don't need to be cluttering up the system.
DeleteHope your foot is feeling better!
ReplyDeleteYou are not idiots - you are good people that think of others.
It really is much better. I've been keeping it bound. Today is the first day that I've left it uncovered. I don't even have a bruise. I find that pretty fascinating, because it was a deep puncture.
DeleteI'm curious as to how you discovered where Mangey was hanging out! If those folks take him to the Vet, then the Vet is a lousy doctor if they didn't prescribe something for the fleas! Geez! I hope they give him to you!
ReplyDeleteTim always knew. He bounds over the fence between our house and the next. I just figured that they didn't care about him. He always showed up to be fed, and we always fed him. And doctored him. And babied him. The ungrateful stinker.
DeleteI am not sure that Mangey is being well taken care of if he has fleas and no collar, but I assume that he's getting fed, at least. Otherwise. you'd probably see him more.
ReplyDeleteI find myself wondering if he is caged upstairs? He is definitely not being taken care of, which is why I offered to take him.
DeleteMy husband avoided the VA like the plague for years following a bad experience when he returned from Vietnam. He's tried to use it some in recent years, but it's truly a broken system.
ReplyDeleteI just can't bring myself to use it when I'm hearing all these stories about waiting times from veterans who are really struggling.
DeleteGood news about mangey! I suppose it is a mindset among Trumpers and Republicans that anyone offered a government benefit will take it. (Which is why they're so against any kind of government benefit.) They don't recognize that some people have self-control and/or a moral sense of balance.
ReplyDeleteAll the loudest trumpers I know take whatever they. The fellow who complains about disability while being ON disability: He deserves it. He is talking about the people who don't deserve it (he of course decides who deserves it). The business man with the disgusting electronic sign? He love to mock democrats for being takers. He was forgiven between 1 and 2 million dollars in ppp loans. He doesn't talk about that.
DeleteYour restraint was admirable, not sure I would have been able to handle a "We the People" dude as well. Mangey's owner is taking an odd approach to the flea situation, why would he let the poor thing suffer? That's just wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about doing battle in my living room is that I would have to clean up the mess.
DeleteThe time to plant a deer plot is the same time you plant pastures: Late August and September in our part of Missouri. I will always remember that because when we finally bought a place with enough land to have livestock in 1967, we learned that was the right time. I was so excited when, on our first 20-acre "farm" we had good luck with the pasture we planted for the 4 cows and 1 horse, PLUS having a 3-acre spot for alfalfa. Considering we were city people, I'm amazed that our plantings prospered; we did have a lot of people who shared their wisdom with us though. So when the grandson bought this place from us six years ago, bought seeds for a deer plot, and said it had to be planted in August or September, it took me back to our first farming adventure.
ReplyDeleteWe have never had pastures or the like. Tim googles everything though. He has spent today working at it too.
ReplyDeleteI was listening to the radio and these people had tracked cats and apparently it's quite common for cats to have more than one home. I'm glad Mangey's ok.
ReplyDeleteI had to google what a food plot for deer was:)