September 18, 2009

Yumberries, Attack Grackles and H1N1 Flu

I got a Sobe drink the other day and it was yumberry pomegranate flavor. It had added vitamins, no sugar and sounded very healthy so I thought I’d try it. Now I know where pomegranates come from and what they look like but have never heard of a yumberry. Do any of y’all know how they are grown, what they look like or what country grows them? Perhaps I’ll plant a yumberry tree.

Just in case you don’t know, grackles are these very ugly birds that hang out in Wal-Mart parking lots scavenging for food like homeless people down on their luck. The females are a dirty brown color and the males are black and look like a crows homely cousin.

One time I saw a poor female grackle with feathers sticking up here and there, her tail was bent to one side and she hopped crooked. As if looking like that wasn’t bad enough two other females kept biting at her and making this mean squawking noise. I don’t know what she did to piss off her neighbors but they wouldn’t have anything to do with her. Miss Scraggly didn’t seem to care and kept pecking at the ground near them ignoring the fact her company was not welcome. I’m not sure if she did it to annoy them further or if she was touched in the head and couldn’t pick up their negative vibes. Maybe she’s a victim of domestic abuse and has been hit one too many times in the head.

The other day I was shopping at Wal-Mart and putting my cart full of bags in my car. I turned my back just for a minute and a grackle was in my buggy trying to tear into one of my bags. I shewed her away but she came right back. Good grief. Am I going to have to carry a weapon to keep the birds from carrying off my groceries? Geez Louise.

My daughter came home the other day and said she knows of ten people with this H1N1 flu. That’s a lot of kids so I thought I’d get her a shot. I called and asked if the flu shot would cover it and was told it doesn’t. You have to get a special vaccination for that one and you have to be in a high-risk category to qualify. I’d say having ten of your friends infected should qualify. They don’t agree.

She’s one of these touchy feely kind of people that hugs everyone so I told her she needed to not touch anybody and especially not to hug. Her brow creased and she looked at me like it was going to be a real challenge to remember that. It’s times like these that having a child that requires personal space and is introvert is a good thing.

According to this story those surgical masks you see people wearing do no good so save your money.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/09/surgical-masks-dont-block-swineor-any-otherflu.html

I have no idea why I though of this ol’ song but maybe you’ll get as big a kick out of it as I do.