NABDad

Two years ago, Bucktail Medical Center, the only hospital in rural Clinton County, was on the verge of closure.

One of the smallest hospitals in Pennsylvania, Bucktail was beset by increasing operating costs and financial challenges.

A $1 million grant from the state helped stave off the closure. In 2023, the hospital reported $7.09 million in revenue and $9.2 million in expenses, tax records show.

A massive small-animal hoarding crisis has emerged in South Los Angeles, where rescue volunteers estimate between 400 and 500 guinea pigs were discovered living in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. The Southern California Guinea Pig Rescue (SCGPR), along with other rescue groups, is urgently calling on local officials, the public, and fellow organizations to take immediate action to prevent further suffering.

I'm allergic to cats, dogs, kangaroos, peaches, and cherries. I've been taking allergy meds so my wife could get a service dog without killing me. Been taking the meds for about six months.

Last week we picked up the dog He's adorable, pretty smart, somewhat normal-dog trained, and definitely not service-ready. His professional training will begin later this month. I believe he can succeed assuming my wife doesn't die from exhaustion before he can learn to keep her alive.

Last week I also made fruit salad for a picnic, and included peaches and cherries (peaches, cherries, nectarines, oranges, honeycrisp apples, red grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, banana, and I used all-natural concentrated grape juice for sweetener, my wife didn't let me add grapefruit, and I forgot to add the damn pineapple).

Over the weekend I ate fruit salad, and I've been slobbered on by the dog all week, with no signs of any allergic reaction.

The last time I ate cherries, I had to get meds to stop my throat from closing up, and cherries are my favorite fruit.

Anyway, I was feeling pretty good about conquering my immune system, and we had a whole bag of cherries left, so just now I decided to eat some cherries as a snack.

Well, it looks like I've been pissing in my immune system's eye, and it just blinked.

My daughter had left to get veggies for the guinea pigs (no, not allergic to them, but the orchard grass is a little troublesome, and Timothy Hay is completely intolerable). My wife and her dog are sleeping.

I stopped eating the cherries as soon as I started feeling a bit off. No symptoms other than the slightest itch in the left side of my bottom lip.

I'm not concerned about dying. I'm not allowed to kill myself because I made a stupid promise to my wife years ago. However, this would be an accident, and I've pointed out to her that just because I'm not allowed to off myself on purpose, I don't have to submit to any life-saving efforts. She tried to argue with me about that, but I played the bodily autonomy card and she had to concede the point.

Anyway, my unlikely death isn't really what I'm concerned with right now.

It just occurred to me that if I think the end is coming, there's an opportunity to have some really cool final words, but I can't think of anything.

"I was thinking of the immoral words of Socrates, who said, '...I drank what?'"

• Val Kilmer as Chris Knight in 'Real Genius'

My question for you lemmings is, what are some cool final words for me to say?

Also, for anyone concerned, as I finish this post, I'm feeling now like my immune system has decided that flushing out my digestion is the best course of action. So death doesn't seem to be in the cards today, although I might end up wishing it was.

Rescuers turned out in force over several days to hunt down nearly 60 guinea pigs that were spotted dumped along a Florida road.

Fifty-four guinea pigs were caught as of the evening of June 29, according to rabbit rescue organization Space Coast Bunnies. At least three were found dead in Orange County, southeast of Orlando.

My son has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He's in his mid-twenties, so it's the average time for onset of bipolar disorder. No family history that we know of, but if it was just two generations back, it probably wouldn't have been talked about.

He had his first manic episode early in the year. He spent a brief time in in-patient treatment, followed by a period of out-patient treatment. During the out-patient treatment, his psychiatrist started to think the diagnosis was incorrect and she weaned him off his meds.

He has had another manic episode, and he's back in the in-patient facility. Luckily he was able to get back into the same place he was in before, so they aren't starting from zero. They started him back on different meds, and he's much better much faster than the first time.

His fiancee was talking to a friend and someone overheard. The person who overheard said her mother was bipolar and she had to take her to the hospital six times, and she told his fiancee that she should break up with him.

The only experts I've spoken to have been the doctors in the crisis center, and I don't know to what degree they are trying to sugar coat things to prevent us from giving up hope.

I'd rather know the reality.

If anyone has any personal experience they can share, I'd appreciate it. If anyone has any professional experience they can share, I'd appreciate that as well.

EDIT: Just wanted to add to this that we were able to visit him today, and he's doing very well.

It's pen cleaning day, so the girls have an afternoon in their playpen while their home gets refreshed.

A new bill proposed by State Senator Doug Mastriano (R) would require state employees to return to their designated in-person workplaces.

According to its memo, the State Employees Return to Work Act aims to improve the delivery of public services, enhance employee efficiency, elevate workplace coordination, and revitalize the local economy by bringing workers back to in-person workspaces.

“In-person work fosters team building, spontaneous problem-solving, and stronger relationships among colleagues,” the bill’s memo said. “As we rebuild our workforce culture, it is essential that employees are given the opportunity to interact directly, share knowledge, and support one another in their work.”

The memo says employees would be given sufficient notice, and clear guidelines would be established via a structured and phased approach to returning employees to their workplaces, starting with departments where in-person presence is “most essential.”

Flexible working hours and hybrid work options would be available where applicable and feasible, the memo added.

The bill has not yet been submitted for introduction to the state legislature.

When the directions for knitting the 4th Doctor's scarf were posted, I mentioned in a post that I had the one my mom made for me ~40 years ago.

I said it had never been washed and it needed to be.

I finally did it. Cold water in the laundry room sink, a little bit of woolite, and some swishing. A couple of rinses, and some gentle squeezing to get as much water as I could out.

The tricky part, of course, was laying it out flat to air dry.

Seeing lots of cat pictures, but not enough guinea pigs, so here's Daisy and Rose.

Rose, by the way, seems to have recovered completely from her intestinal parasite.

She was getting better, but her recovery coincided with us introducing fresh wheatgrass into their diet (we grew a little window garden for the girls).

They both loved it, but Rose may have loved it too much and gave herself a bellyache. Rushed back to the vet and got more X-rays just to find out that Rose perhaps doesn't know the meaning of "enough".

She's doing well now, and having no problem with the wheatgrass.

We're also pig sitting for our daughter while she takes finals.

This is Etch, the chill college boy:

He's unique among guinea pigs in that he was abused by the other pigs in his environment before she got him, so he wouldn't tolerate being around other guinea pigs. He does ok with Daisy and Rose, although they are in a different pen at a suitable distance from his.

I have no idea what a kangaroo has to do with my employer, but they brought in a baby kangaroo for an event, so I waited in line to hold it.