Molly The Wonder Horse

 

Meet Molly

Thia is a  heart warming story.She’s a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and  taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a dog
and  almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected, and  her vet went to LSU for help, but LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes.

But after  surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn’t seem to get sores, and how she allowed
people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight and didn’t overload her  good leg.
She was a smart pony with a intelligent survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee, and a temporary artificial limb was  built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there. This was the right horse and  the right owner,’ Moore insists. Molly happened to be a  one-in-a-million patient. She’s tough as nails, but  sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood that she was in trouble. The other important
factor, according to Moore , is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of  the horse..

Molly’s story turns into a parable for  life in Post-Katrina
Louisiana ……… The little pony  gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg.
The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM,  Molly’s regular vet, reports.
“And she asks for it. She will put her little limb out, and come
to you and let  you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too. And sometimes, Molly gets  away from Barca. It can be pretty bad when you can’t  catch a three-legged horse,’ she laughs.

Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she  thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people, & she had a good time doing it.

“It’s obvious to me that  Molly had a bigger role to play in life,” Moore said. She  survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury,  and now she is giving hope to others.’

Barca concluded, ‘She’s not back to normal, but she’s going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.

Should you end a sentence with a preposition?

Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955. Deutsch: Winston Churchill, 1940 bis 1945 sowie 1951 bis 1955 Premier des Vereinigten Königreichs und Literaturnobelpreisträger des Jahres 1953. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Giving advice on grammar is hard – especially when there is so much disagreement around some of the ‘rules’. Like the rule that says you should never end a sentence with a preposition.

As Winston Churchill (apparently) said, “This is the type of errant pedantry up with which I will not put.”

So what does this rule actually mean? According to Robert Lowth, who wrote one of the first English grammar textbooks in 1762, the preposition should always be placed before the noun, because the word preposition means “position before”. A preposition is a positioning word – at, by, for, into, off, on, out, over, to, under, up, with.
If you adhere to this rule, this sentence: What did you  step on?
Should be changed to: On what did you step?

This rule (or myth, as some call it) is contentious because in conversation, we often end sentences in prepositions. Now, most grammarians agree that if the sentence sounds right when it’s ending in a preposition, it’s perfectly ok to do that. But if you think you can remove the preposition without changing the meaning of your sentence, you should do so.

Taken from the Sydney Writers Centre –  Newsletter dated 30/08/12

Book Review: Frostbitten

Cover via Amazon

 

Frostbitten by Kelly Armstrong is an amazing book. I have read quite a few books about supernaturals and this is one of the best written ones I have read. This is the 11th book in the Otherworld  series. I wish I had known that, because I hate reading them out of sequence. I thought it was the first book.

Set in the Alaskan wilderness it is a tale about werewolves, and the Inuit shapeshifter myth, and wild magic. Armstrong weaves her story through the eyes of Elena the world’s only female werewolf.  There is romance, action, and mystery in this fast-paced thriller. When Elena is attacked by  something that looks like a  cross between a bear and a wolf, it would  seem that there are more dangerous creatures in the woods than just wolves and  werewolves. Her mate Clay, is the enforcer of the werewolf pack and has a fearsome reputation. Elena is in line to become the next Alpha of the pack. Will this have an effect on their marriage, with the shift in power? I am looking forward to reading the next book. Hopefully, this time I will get them in order. 

Another Use for an Ipad

I was visiting my son and daughter-in-law last night when I asked if I could borrow a newspaper. ”This is the 21st century, old man,” he said. “We don’t waste money on newspapers. Here, you can borrow my IPad.”

Well I can tell you, that bloody fly never knew what hit it…

A blow fly (Female Chrysomya albiceps) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Osteoporosis

The OsteoLink logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

On Monday I went to the doctor to get the results of various tests and I have now been diagnosed with Osteoporosis. Apparently I have 4 compression fractures in my lower back. (Not Happy)

The risk factors for Osteoporosis for those of you who don’t know much about it (like me for instance) are :

Being Female , Drinking Alcohol, Smoking, Bad Diet, Lack of Exercise, Early Menopause, Family History, Certain Medications, Lack of Calcium,

and Not Enough  Exposure to Sunlight.

I walk every day, eat a good diet, go to Pilates and Yoga, I am learning to play Golf, I don’t smoke or drink, and living in Australia I get plenty of sunshine. I am not on any medications, until now that is. Now I have to drink this yukky chalky stuff every night before I go to bed for the rest of my life.

To say I am annoyed is putting it mildly. I never thought that Osteoporosis would be something I had to worry about for all the above reasons.

Women are more prone than men to Osteoporosis. So ladies next time you go to the doctor ask him/her to send you for a Bone Density Scan. It could save you from some nasty accidents.

I copied this from the Osteoporosis Australia Website :

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become fragile and brittle, leading to a higher risk of fractures (breaks or cracks) than in normal bone.
Osteoporosis occurs when bones lose minerals, such as calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them, leading to a loss of bone thickness (bone mass or density). As a result, bones become thinner and less dense, so that even a minor bump or accident can cause serious fractures. These are known as fragility or minimal trauma fractures.
Any bone can be affected by osteoporosis, but the most common sites are bones in the hip, spine, wrist, ribs, pelvis and upper arm. Osteoporosis usually has no signs or symptoms until a fracture happens – this is why osteoporosis is often called the ‘silent disease’.

Fractures due to osteoporosis (osteoporotic fractures) can lead to changes in posture (eg developing a stoop or Dowager’s hump in your back), muscle weakness, loss of height and bone deformity of the spine. Fractures can lead to chronic pain, disability, loss of independence and  premature death
Every 5-6 minutes, someone is admitted to an Australian hospital with an osteoporotic fracture. This is expected to rise to every 3 – 4 minutes by the year 2021, as the population ages and the number of osteoporotic fractures increase

 

 

Obedient Wives

Makes you wonder if God really is female doesn’t it?

When are we girls going to get obedient husbands? 

 

Book Review : The Bone is Pointed

Arthur Upfield, NLA Collection Title of photo: Portrait of Arthur Upfield [picture] (Part of Upfield, Arthur W. (Arthur William), 1890-1964. Collection of photographs by Arthur Upfield of the ‘Murchison Bones Case’ scene, and a portrait [picture]) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

‘The Bone is Pointed‘ by Arthur W. Upfield is a murder mystery set in outback Australia. The Detective Inspector is Napoleon Bonaparte, who is  a University educated, half-casteaboriginal. Bony is his nickname, and he is  extremely intelligent, suave, and charming.

I must say that I am ashamed to admit that I have never read any books by Upfield before. One of my lovely bloggers, John Jonelis, recommended Upfield’s books.  Upfield was born in England but lived in Australia all his adult life. He was sent to Australia by his father after failing his  professional exams.

I enjoyed this book because the parts of the outback that are described, are parts that I have visited many times. I love the outback, it’s such a beautiful place. It was quite nostalgic for me to read. This books was published in 1947, and the language is more formal than today, and the attitudes have changed quite a bit.

Jeffrey Anderson, is a drunken sadist who disappears while out working on Karwir Station. His horse returns without a rider, and his body is never found. Five months later Bony is assigned to the case. He takes up the cold case with a determination that brooks no opposition.  He uses his native skills inherited from his mother, as well as his more formal  education to solve the case.

 

 

Cute Dog Photos

 

As you know, I love dogs, and  I just couldn’t resist these cute photos. Dogs are so much a part of most people’s lives, another family member in fact.  They enrich our lives with their unfailing companionship, and they have so much love and loyalty to give, if only you will let them.

New Ipad Act

English: Apple iPad Event (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t know how they did this. It’s a very clever show about Stockholm, with a bit of magic thrown in, using the Ipad.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/53_qvMQfvOE

The Modern Catholic Church

 

The Catholic Church believes in confession. I have been told that confession is good for the soul, but as so many people have learned, social media is not always the best way to do it. Once it’s out there it is impossible to get it back.