Hi, all! I am sorry I forgot to submit the column. Actually - I did not write it. I managed to lose the entire week and the remote to my Bose Stereo. I can't turn it on without it!! I've looked everywhere - under couches, chairs, dressers - under the fridge, the stove - it's just gone. The only thing that could possibly irritate me more than someone following me, looking where I've just looked; is my cat doing that. And, that he did!!  And, for good measure, the dog looked, too. Like a train, we searched the house top to bottom. And, still - no remote. That's the second one vanished in two months. And, if they've seen it, they're not telling. 

After that "oddity" - a girlfriend called me. Her infant son had his 6 month set of shots. Believe this or not - they were out of the combined shot. So, the kiddie gets four singles. Later, he's fussy, usual appetite gone, and a spreading rash with hives. She took him to the ER. The Dr. said it was normal and sent them home. The rash and hives spread. It covered half of his body and was "growing." I told her to take him to another ER. She did. That Dr. said it was a severe reaction to the shots. He gave the kiddie a shot to counteract the reaction and a prescription for the next day. 

A Frontline interview says 1 in 100,000 kiddies will develop a "severe reaction." According to Robert Sears, MD; the CDC  groups 6 vaccines together into a combined shot at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. Sears believes that is too much. He breaks his down into smaller doses more often. "Severe reactions" are up to the Dr.'s discretion. And, just like my remote - it should not have happened. But, it did. The kiddie is doing well. He's learned the art of the "fake cough." It gets Daddy and Mommy to come on the run. 

I rarely delve into AA, NA, etc. I've attended these meetings. I just have to know for myself who or what something really is. As a child, I had heard "Ole Lady Rapp" was a witch beyond compare. So, I asked her. With the wide brim of her bonnet shading her eyes, she paused from digging her dandelions and asked me who told me that. I said "some kids." She said if it was the "some kids" who ran through her yard and tore up her manicured flower beds; then; yes, she was the witch. That started a friendship betwixt the two of us until she went to the nursing home. I can still see her piercing eyes shaded in her bonnet with her whimsical, half smile. Some days she'd just look up at me from her work and nod as I passed by on my way home from school. Other days, we'd "talk a spell." 

I'd heard about the little church at "Pine and Riffle" (Greenville, Ohio). So, to "Pine and Riffle" I went. The interesting thing is - I know most of these people from the past - school, social settings, etc. And, more interesting still, - they are a happy, spirited bunch of people!! They truly do not miss "the old days" with the drinking, smoking, etc. Do they have problems, hurts, worries, etc? Most assuredly. What's different then? They've banded together to help each other. They are only a phone call away. Have I called them? Yes. Have they called me? Yup. Anytime? Yup, yup and yup. Pastor Tony shepherds the flock. He invites you to visit them. You can call him at 937-621-2052. I urge you to see this one for yourselves. You do not have to take anything with you, nor do you have to leave anything behind when you leave, if you do not wish to do so. 

Remember the kiddies and our service people. Be good to the furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next time. Ever Toodles!! MONA