Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 28 July 2019

I see you've had trouble too, Rosy.

It'll be our 51st later this month OG. You happened to get married a little before us.

Weather has been mixed with cloud cover, showers, and some sunshine. Sunday, it rained all day. We have had nothing like the weather they have experienced further north though. Poor Whale Bridge, hopefully they can contain the dam and eventually repair it properly , although this is going to take months.

Dibnlib, see you've been on holiday with a cruise. Hope all went well and that you enjoyed it.

HeatherB - wow, Callum must have hollow legs, what a feast that was.

Lindybird - So pleased to hear friend is making progress and that he is getting through his ordeal.

Good Morning. Dry here. I steel myself when catching birds, as I'd hate to injure one, but my method is to grit my teeth, cup one hand and try to get it underneath the bird, then fast as I can, put the other hand on top in a sort of cage like motion with slightly splayed fingers, then gently whoosh it toward an open window. They are light as feathers!! Same when I catch butterflies which get in, too. Caught a big moth recently!

There are definitely less butterflies in the garden this year - have seen a few, but nothing like the usual number as we have a large buddleja. This is looking sick, my OH says, so we intend to dig it up after it's flowered and replace it with a new one.

How glamorous to go to The Ritz, Lynette! - hope they enjoy themselves.

Keep reading/hearing about it being a Painted Lady year, but very few butterflies in our garden, LINDA. Buddlejas have both finished blooming now, and first Painted Lady arrived yesterday!

Should be a gardening day, but I had great difficulty getting up this morning and then J made us later "needing" a lift to the station, otherwise he would have missed his train. OH has gone outside to clip the edges of the lawns, then we shall have some soup and maybe make a new start after that.

Morning all: Got a lovely seat by the dolphin fountain at the pier yesterday with a clear view of the parade. Proximity to the beach kept that area cool and comfortable; also, the fountain had been turned off and planted with succulents for the last five years due to the drought, but with that ended (for how long?) they cleaned it out and started the fountain again just about four weeks ago. I'll attempt to upload pix in the next day or so. More than 500 horses of all kinds were in the parade this year, including mules. Lots of loud Mexican music from numerous small bands plus some traditional school marching bands made it all very festive. Was amused by two young Chinese girls (students at the Uni) who approached me with their cameras. I assumed they wanted me to take photos of them in front of the fountain, but instead they put me in the middle, put their arms around me and proceeded to take photos of the three of us Some souvenir! Also chatted to a family of Canadians from Ontario who'd driven across the country and just happened to arrive in Santa Barbara from Los Angeles that morning, so the parade was a lovely surprise for them. They were heading north to San Francisco up Highway 1 and then driving back to Ontario. I joked about hitching a ride over the border with them until Donald T is gone. :-)

We still have far fewer hummingbirds in the garden this year, but the story still is that last winter's rain gave them lots of dining options other than backyard feeders. We moved the regular bird feeders to "hidden" spots in a hedge but OH reports that the huge collared doves, which had disappeared since the move, were back yesterday. Sigh. Huge greedy birds and of course, they have to eat too, but....

Thanks all for news and posts!

How great, Annette -- wish I could have seen the parade. A treat for those tourists not expecting it!

We've had a drama here today, as when I was drinking my tea in bed this morning, my OH said "what bird is that?". We could hear very loud chirps. Whilst he was out dog walking, I came down for my breakfast and found on our peanut feeder --- a very bright red and blue parrot!! It is gorgeous, so dramatic and bright. It flew away as soon as I went into the conservatory with my camera!! I got some snaps later, as its been around all day, mostly in the big magnolia tree next door. I rang a neighbour in a nearby road who is secretary of the local Ornithological Society, and told him where it was in case anyone was reporting one missing. Also rang the nearest Bird of Prey Centre as although of course it doesn't qualify, it might be one of their exhibits all the same. Left a message with the local Wild Animal Rescue Centre.

Have fed it with peanuts and seeds on our bird table, can't think what else to do, can't catch it!

---  Sorry, Moderators, think I just pressed the 'Report an offensive post" button!!

LINDYBIRD: Such exotic happenings. Hope the parrot finds its way back home; also that it doesn't end up in your conservatory where it would put your bird-catching skills to a real test.

Heather B said:

ANNETTE/DIANE
I heard a sad story on World Service last night, a hospital in Tennessee town (Jamestown?) had to close because not enough paying patients to keep it running. Now, people with urgent conditions will die because nearest hospital is miles away. I heard about Medicare and Medicaid but apparently they have to rely on patients with health insurance through their employment and because the town doesn't have enough work places with that facility they can't keep going. Awful.

Heather: This story isn't an anomaly. The scenario you describe is very common in the U.S., especially in rural communities. My local hospital is always on the brink of permanent closure. If it closes, I will be well over an hour away from any hospital. Being airlifted by helicopter ambulance costs thousands of dollars. I wouldn't be able to pay for it, so I would be denied.

In the U.S., 78% of workers are living paycheck to paycheck. They don't have savings or extra money to cover emergency or ongoing medical treatment and medication without compromising basic necessities. 40% of Americans don't even have $400 in savings to cover an emergency expense of any kind.

This is the state of healthcare in the U.S.:

(1) A high percentage of the population is uninsured or under-insured. Fewer employers provide health insurance than before.

(2) Even people who have health insurance typically must pay very high deductibles (the amount the patient must pay up front). The insurance companies will not provide coverage -- will pay nothing -- until the patient pays the deductible. The deductible is commonly $5,000 or more per year for ACA (Obamacare) and employer-provided plans. Patients are often denied care if they can't pay the deductible first. Most patient care also requires co-pays. Co-pays are a percentage of the medical bill that the insurance company won't pay. 

(3) Even the most conservative data show that 3 in 10 Americans ration their medicine -- take less than is prescribed or forego taking the medication completely -- because they can't pay for it. The high cost of medication is rarely fully covered by insurance. Drugs prices in the U.S. are many times higher than in the UK and other developed countries.