A matter of National Security....

[kidsnurse]

 A favorite coffee mug of mine--a lovely glazed light gray ceramic piece of art, with a handle in the shape of a graceful cat, just fell from my hutch, along with a book, a magazine, and two notices from Koda's school.  Why does this minor occurrence [even the mug survived the fall] rate a journal entry?

Because the Navy is dropping bombs.  LIVE bombs.  And has been since 9 January.  And will be, between 8:00am and midnight, every day until 25 January, according to this article--which very handily also gives a toll-free number for "noise issues".

It isn't the noise that's bothering me; it's the shuddering house, the rattling windows, the skittish pets--the interminable headache and edginess of the entire experience.  The Ocala Forest is about 25 miles away from here, and we're used to the routine bombing practices.  But normally, they occur only three or four days per year.  And normally, they don't use live ordnance--which, we are rapidly discovering, is much louder and much more effective at vibration-making, than the usual dummy bombs.  They're annoying, but tolerable.  However.  Every freaking day for seventeen days?

My mother points out that it could be worse--we could actually live in Ocala, where more things fall off more hutches, and windows actually break.  And I could be out of Ativan.  And/or coffee.  And/or cigarettes.  All I'm really out of, at this point, is patience.

Here is an interesting editorial about the practice; Glenwood, the town in the dateline, is actually where I live, and the author gives a good description of the practice--and  saved me from placing what would have been a useless call to the Volusia County Sheriff's Department.

Gawd--there goes another one three.  The dog is whimpering in his crate, two cats just raced down the stairs and under the bed, and a small tree limb fell in the yard.  Nine more days of this is unthinkable.

Okay.  Done ranting.  Going now to hide under the bed with the cats.

Comments

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

I just love it that the Navy is dropping live ordnance -- y'know, blowing things up -- and the headline on the Sentinel article is "Learn all about the Girl Scouts".

Hee. But ye gods, I can't imagine living with that for more than just a day or two. Eeeek.

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

oh, but it's okay--further research has revealed that all they are blowing up are "the hulks of old cars, lined up in a 'T' formation." so we can all rest easy--as long as all of us promise to forget about this embarrassing little incident in may (http://cms.firehouse.com/content/article/article.jsp?id=59509&sectionId=4). heh.

[misanthropicobs.livejournal.com]

Under the bed sounds like the best place with all that going on. Is the dog crate big enough for Ko & the dog to share?? :}

At least my headache maker is only the utility work going on next door, across the road, in front of my house, across my drive until every day until about dark for the next few days. Today it involved 10 guys, two backhoes, lots of pipe etc. The dogs are outside barking their heads off at all the commotion as I write this. Of course with all the equipment in the road it means that only one car at a time can get by so getting in and out is lots of fun lately.

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

koda was turning into an anxiety-ridden mess; he has been sent to flagler beach for the long weekend. poor max--he is a "fear urinator." as you can guess, i am spending a helluva lot of time these days with the clorox and paper towels. sigh.....

[misanthropicobs.livejournal.com]

Ouch. It does sound like getting Ko away on a long weekend was best for all concerned. To bad Max couldn't go as well and no, I don't envy the paper towels/clorox routine. I had that going on while Honey was still alive. She never could manage to get to the dog door in time as she got older and blind. I started using rubbing alcohol on the carpet to get rid of the smell. Even so I still miss that old little poodle, she was a real grouch but there's still an empty place where she belongs. Good look with the rest of the ordeal. Ah ----- my neighbor's new puppy has joined the chorus of barking now. At least it will soon be over for the day.

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

fortunately, my floors are vinyl. and those sham-wow thingies work as well as they do on tv. i'd have slit my throat by now if i had carpet! i'm thinking of sharing my ativan with poor max. :)

[misanthropicobs.livejournal.com]

Hope you can find something that will work to calm him down a little. I don't know if there are tranquilizers for dogs but maybe a call to ask the vet is in order. Mine seem to do better in small, somewhat dark spaces when they are frightened.

[chaoskir.livejournal.com]

Urrgh, that sounds really bad. I can't imagine how you are feeling right now because I never had something like that around me. Well, last year (the whole June and the half July) there were road works by a road near by the road where I'm living and all the cars and busses and trucks were driving over the very small street (those street is so small: it isn't possible that two cars can passed each other at the same time, the street is just wide enough for one driving car in one right. The other car has to wait untill the car in front has passed) where I'm living and that alone was pure horror. Usually here are not much cars driving - sometimes a long time no car and than at those time here drives a lot of cars in one minute. The whole house had vibrations and you felt the vibrations in your stomach and the walls are tottering when there drove a truck or a bus over the small street. It's really a very small street where I live and the noises of the traffic were bad, very bad and I was annoyed every day and every day more. I guess that what you has to bear right now is much more annoying and loud and disturbing. *hugsyou* Well, I do hope you, your kid, your family and your pets (cats and dogs and whatever animal lives with you) will survive without any damage. *hugsyouagain*

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

the worst part of the whole thing is that there is no schedule to this--it happens randomly, so i can't even brace myself for it. i'm thinking of living the next nine days in the closet under the stairs; it's full of hurricane supplies and has no windows--maybe i'll feel safer in there! ahh, the joys of living in the Sunshine State! :)

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

No freaking WAY.

Okay, yes freaking way, but ... wow.

Have I mentioned lately that -- below-zero temps notwithstanding -- I am so glad I got out of Florida?

The Ocala National Forest really is beautiful, though. I just feel bad for the folks at the Juniper Springs State Park who booked their trip in January when the weather is perfect, only to be that close to the bombing range. Good grief.

There is, in fact, such a thing as doggie tranquilizers and/or anti-anxiety meds. Don't know if it's worth calling the vet to ask about or not, although I don't suppose a question could hurt.

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

max can deal with it. he's actually handling it better than i am--just as long as i don't make him get out of his crate. i, on the other hand, am jumpy and even more irritable than usual.

ever since i learned about the rainbow people (http://www.logoschristian.org/rainbow.html), our trips through the Forest on the way to G'ville aren't nearly as enjoyable. but--as much as i detest this state--i still prefer it to sub-zero weather, i think. everything's relative.

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

Oh, I sympathize there. The British Army has a huge training base about 30 miles outside my town. The area they play in is 324 square miles--almost up to the city limits. They train every summer with dead and live ordnance. With night firing, too. That's annoying.

I hope you and Max can endure... (((hugs)))

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

oh, what a lovely way to spend your summers! i'll bet the alcohol consumption in your town increases greatly; i know mine has! :)

*wanders off in search of wine*

[blackmare-9.livejournal.com]

I have wine! Because I am at Kelly's, where there is rarely a shortage of alcohol.

Kelly, meanwhile, is on an airplane heading for Tampa and then off on a cruise for a week with Mr. Kelly.

Not that I am envious or anything.

*drinks more*

[mich8283.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. I can cross off Ocala (and anywhere within 50 miles) as a place I would ever want to live or vacation. Just when I've been looking at places to escape the arctic air settling here.

I wouldn't/couldn't manage. Multiple times per day every day for seventeen days? Seriously, I'll take -20°/-40° and 8" of snow. I'd rather have the spasms and stiffness from the cold than the uncontrollable jumping and racing heart rate that would come from constant unknown bombings.

I'm glad Ko will be able to be away for at least a few days of it. I remember being about 8 and staying with my Aunt and she lived near an AFB and just the every day noises and sirens were overwhelming.

I'll let you get back to your space under the bed!

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

and seriously, i'll take the bombing! the spasms make me nuts, and cause me to reach for the baclofen--which steals my brain. as i told blackmare_9, it's all relative! :)

[angelfirenze.livejournal.com]

That handy little barometer I told you about says it's nine degrees outside my window. Hooray. I've had my space heater on high all morning, and my robe. AND a thermal shirt, and some of my warmest pajama pants. I'm thinking I'm going to change into the fleece ones.

*nods*

As for the snow, one of our neighbors had a deal with my mom to shovel our snow, but then the storm came and doubled the price. *snort* *checks window* And then the storm came back...oh, just look at it...all those flakes blowing around...

[angelfirenze.livejournal.com]

Dude, did your aunt live near Selfridge? *eyes glaze over*

kidsnurse, like I told californiaquail, mich8283 understands every Michigan-inclined word I say! *cackles* If I point to my hand and say 'this is where I live', she gets it!

In fact, she lives near where I went to high school. *cackles more*

[romeo46.livejournal.com]

I am from Virginia Beach jet noise is pretty much a given. The Navy here tends to go to Florida because Bush the Youngest managed to get a lot of the planes sent there. Help yourself and the Virginia economy by writing about how bad having the Jets there would be.

:)

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

actually, bush the younger, in 2001, simply extended the already fifty year old contract the navy had with florida; the contract had been in place since 1941. if you're interested in all the boring details, you can read about it right here (http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=8589&id=5633). this site also gives links to the naval site with the original contract. the pinecastle bombing range is, i'm afraid, here to stay.

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

i'm oddly comforted by the sound of trains, especially at night. freeways, on the other hand, i can live without. and bombs. and horizontal trees. yeah. btw, i'm currently on skype, should you wish to chat. screen name is house.cat

p.s. your icon is migraine-inducing, m'dear. don't complain about the profile page--and then utilize blinking, hyperactive, repetitive, over-energized icons; it weakens your argument! :)

[angelfirenze.livejournal.com]

My mother invited me onto Skype. I'm leery now. Possibly for that reason. She's already on my YIM list and while I was at school, she would interrupt me doing homework and was appalled when she found out I'd made myself invisible to her.

*raises eyebrow*

Hey, guess what -- our house is being human-friendly fumigated! We've been inundated with flies (*shudders yet again*) because something died in the walls before we moved in. Now we're getting them taken care of...

I shouldn't be so good and blase at killing them by now. And, of course, because it's snowing and snowflakes sound like fly wings when they hit windows, my irritatingly adept hearing alerts me to every single one...

And I did not know that one induced migraines. Sorry! My migraines came from the excessive white space/TEENY-TINY TEXT eyestrain.

But I won't use that one again here.

There you go. GONE.

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

many thanks! and... one can make oneself invisible on skype as well. :)

[angelfirenze.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm invisible on Gizmo already. Do you have a Gizmo account? The LJ version is downloadable here if you still have XP. I had to get the one from their site because I have Vista now.

I'll consider Skype. But now you know why it might not happen. My mother had herself a good old-fashioned childish sulk when she found out I'd made myself invisible to her. *shakes head*

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

i'm also running vista--woe is me. sticking with skype; things named "gizmo" scare me. hee.

[angelfirenze.livejournal.com]

*chuckles* It's exactly like it was when we were both running XP. Here's the site just to show you there's nothing to be afraid of:

http://gizmo5.com/pc/

Oh, right -- you told me your old computer totally crashed. So I'm guessing you don't utilize that fun little feature that lets the windows flip over themselves...?

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

AWFUL! I hope nothing will get shattered (apart from your nerves), it'd be a shame if it would cost you your nice mugs! *hugs*

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

one of which now resides with you!

[sorry, just found this when i came here to respond to poeia, who came because this was the last entry she could see, but i did fix that, at least. /babble ]

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

Yes! And I'm being very, VERY careful with it! And please don't apologize - comments are ♥!

[poeia.livejournal.com]

If you are the "kidsnurse" on the new psycho forum,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

[kidsnurse.livejournal.com]

yes, honey, 'tis i. and thank you. "psycho forum"--i love that very accurate description. i'd been planning on exiting the place more quickly than i'd joined--but now, i do believe i'll just sit back and allow the wank to amuse me. hee.