There are times when I need Poser.

[Hornet3d]

What a week so far and it is only Tuesday. Not felt really well for a while and then the dog became sick over the weekend resulting in a couple of expensive visits to the vet and a lot of cleaning up behind him, despite him being very well house trained. We are waiting for the results of test but he has perked up a little so fingers crossed. Yesterday I was contacted by a credit card company advising me of a possible fraud with £600 going from my account. Today I contacted another one to advice of a potential problem to find I have already been hit for close to £6,000. End result is I have now had to stop both cards and also my debit card as a precaution. Luckily I do keep some cash on hand so I can cope until at least my debit card arrives. As you can imagine all his has not helped my health one bit.

As I have never yet found a way of stopping the world spinning so I can get off for a few days Poser as least provides an escape from reality for a moment. I do know that in the scheme of things this is a very minor set of problems but they do produce and small cloud of doom when they all seem to come at once.

 

[Glitterati3D]

Been pretty wild here so far, too. Not personally, but generally.

We've been in a horrid drought in Georgia and the last drop of rain we saw was way back on October 7th. On top of that we've had some horrific forest fires and the smoke at times has been life threatening. One of my brother's cats got very sick from the smoke (he'd run out the door every time it was opened!).

I just discovered through the news that the town of Gatlinburg, TN is on fire. While the town is a total tourist trap, we have rented cabins in Gatlinburg on top of the ridge above the town. Most of those cabins have burnt to the ground. The whole town of Gatlinburg was evacuated yesterday, 14,000 people. But, what concerns me the most is Gatlinburg is literally through one mountain pass from Cherokee, NC which is a Cherokee Indian reservation at the foot of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Smokies are on fire. Video here of someone trying to escape from the same ridge where we stay:

(be warned, swearing on the video)

We finally got some rain last night, but it just wasn't enough to help much with the fires. More rain on the way, so hopefully, it will give those poor firefighters a much needed assist. It was 45-60mph winds ahead of the rain, though, that caused Gatlinburg to burn so fast.

 

[Alisa]

 

[Dakorillon (IMArts)]

So sorry.

 

[Hornet3d]

Been pretty wild here so far, too. Not personally, but generally.

We've been in a horrid drought in Georgia and the last drop of rain we saw was way back on October 7th. On top of that we've had some horrific forest fires and the smoke at times has been life threatening. One of my brother's cats got very sick from the smoke (he'd run out the door every time it was opened!).

I just discovered through the news that the town of Gatlinburg, TN is on fire. While the town is a total tourist trap, we have rented cabins in Gatlinburg on top of the ridge above the town. Most of those cabins have burnt to the ground. The whole town of Gatlinburg was evacuated yesterday, 14,000 people. But, what concerns me the most is Gatlinburg is literally through one mountain pass from Cherokee, NC which is a Cherokee Indian reservation at the foot of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Smokies are on fire. Video here of someone trying to escape from the same ridge where we stay:

(be warned, swearing on the video)

We finally got some rain last night, but it just wasn't enough to help much with the fires. More rain on the way, so hopefully, it will give those poor firefighters a much needed assist. It was 45-60mph winds ahead of the rain, though, that caused Gatlinburg to burn so fast.

Well that certainly puts the few drops of rain that has fallen into my life recently sharply into context.

I was going to say that we are very insular here in the UK and we do not see much of disasters like this from further afield, but it sounds from the commentary that they did not get much warning either. We don't suffer fires like this in the UK although the instances of flooding in the last few years seem to be worse and more frequent. 14,000 people is a lot of people to be affected and I understand your concerns for those on the Indian reservation and the firefighters. I really feel for them and wish them the best, if only in this crazy world we could ship all the excess water we have to combat the drought we could help so many.

 

[Miss B]

Sorry to hear about your woes Hornet and Traci. I remember seeing reports over the years of a lot of forest fires out in California, but not so much in other areas, so this was a rude awakening for sure.

 

[Glitterati3D]

What is truly terrifying about that video is the thought of driving the roads in that ridge with all that smoke. Literally, one side of that road is a straight drop off the mountain, so one wrong turn is deadly. Those roads terrified me in broad daylight and good driving conditions. I cannot imagine trying to drive them in a raging forest fire.

The reason they got so little warning is that the storms approaching caused an unforecasted change in direction of the wind. On top of being very high winds, they simply overwhelmed the firefighters who have been in those mountains fighting these fires for weeks. Before yesterday, the fire that burned Gatlinburg had burned 5,000 acres of the Nantahala National Forest.

 

[Alisa]

Yeah, that fire's horrific . Hope that can get under control, and my heart goes out to all affected.

Hornet - Hope it turns out ok for your pup, and that the credit card issues resolve themselves.

Something to keep in mind...

If you look at something someone else is going through, and use it as inspiration "hey, if they can get through that, I can get through what I'm dealing with", that's great.

But at the same time, please realize that your challenges are just as challenging for YOU as other peoples' are for them, so remember that you STILL have a right to feel as you are feeling. There are ALWAYS going to be others with "worse" situations, right? Flashing back to when dealing with thyroid cancer years ago, and talking to people in the online support group I was in, who were scared, but partly because of things others said, they felt they had no right to feel scared, because other people were facing "worse" things.

Just saying

 

[Hornet3d]

What is truly terrifying about that video is the thought of driving the roads in that ridge with all that smoke. Literally, one side of that road is a straight drop off the mountain, so one wrong turn is deadly. Those roads terrified me in broad daylight and good driving conditions. I cannot imagine trying to drive them in a raging forest fire.

The reason they got so little warning is that the storms approaching caused an unforecasted change in direction of the wind. On top of being very high winds, they simply overwhelmed the firefighters who have been in those mountains fighting these fires for weeks. Before yesterday, the fire that burned Gatlinburg had burned 5,000 acres of the Nantahala National Forest.

A few years ago, close to this time of year, I went to a works party in a country pub and during the party a thick fog descended. Driving home was a nightmare and I have to say I was scared stiff every inch of the way. It did not have a sheer drop on one side although there were fairly deep ditches in a couple of sections. Seeing the video reminded me of how scared I was then so I have nothing but admiration for this guy who made my journey home seem like a walk in the park. While there was a warning on swearing I thought he was very restrained under the circumstances. (I did wonder how much help the sat nav was, but then I do have these strange thoughts a times). The idea of someone having to drive in a situation like that was upsetting but so was seeing so many dwellings being totally consumed. I am not sure just how people recover from something like this but I guess I am also surprised that something like this has been going on for weeks and I have not heard of it. OK, I am not someone who uses social media in any large degree but I am someone who generally takes an interest in what is happening in the world.

 

[Hornet3d]

Yeah, that fire's horrific . Hope that can get under control, and my heart goes out to all affected.

Hornet - Hope it turns out ok for your pup, and that the credit card issues resolve themselves.

Something to keep in mind...

If you look at something someone else is going through, and use it as inspiration "hey, if they can get through that, I can get through what I'm dealing with", that's great.

But at the same time, please realize that your challenges are just as challenging for YOU as other peoples' are for them, so remember that you STILL have a right to feel as you are feeling. There are ALWAYS going to be others with "worse" situations, right? Flashing back to when dealing with thyroid cancer years ago, and talking to people in the online support group I was in, who were scared, but partly because of things others said, they felt they had no right to feel scared, because other people were facing "worse" things.

Just saying

Thank you so much for your kind words, I really do appreciate your support. I do understand where you are coming from and normally these things do not affect me too much. I guess the problem this time is that firstly, the amount of money involved will be a serious problem if I am unable to resolve it but it also comes at a time when I am unwell and feel so helpless as regards the dog. We have had him for over three years now when we adopted him from a rescue center after he had been abandoned by poachers. He was quite literally skin and bones and you could see every one of his ribs and his back bone and was more than a third under weight. It is so sad to see him so subdued and he seems to know he should not make a mess in the house even though he has no control over what is happening. The cost of the vets is not an issue but you do feel unhappy when you spend the money and he does not improve, I guess it is not the loss of the money but the disappointment. For the time being we are just keeping our fingers crossed and hoping the tests don't find anything serious.

I think if you are in a bad place yourself you can relate to other peoples troubles a little more, much in the same way as you can share in another persons happiness. My heart really goes out to those that are suffering those fires and indeed any one who is not in a good place at the moment, whatever the reason.

 

[Alisa]

Yeah, I know what you mean about worrying about your pup...been there, for sure.

 

[Glitterati3D]

Hornet, Alisa is right. I certainly didn't mean to minimize what you are going through. Our oldest dog got parvo. She was a horribly sick puppy and we didn't know from day to day if she would make it. She came through it, but it was a trying time. One lesson I learned was to never dog sit for a friend without a full medical history on their dog first! Sick puppies are just like sick kids - you can worry yourself sick over it. I hope your dog gets better soon.

 

[Hornet3d]

Hornet, Alisa is right. I certainly didn't mean to minimize what you are going through. Our oldest dog got parvo. She was a horribly sick puppy and we didn't know from day to day if she would make it. She came through it, but it was a trying time. One lesson I learned was to never dog sit for a friend without a full medical history on their dog first! Sick puppies are just like sick kids - you can worry yourself sick over it. I hope your dog gets better soon.

I honestly did not see your response as in any way trying to minimize my problems and watching the video certainly gripped my attention, maybe more than it would have done normally as I am wearing my heart on my sleeve more than I normally do. Like Poser it took my mind off of my own problems for a while, not that I like to see anyone in a situation like that mind.

I can certainly relate to not knowing what each day will bring. As a rescue dog we have no real history on the our dog only that he was abandoned and from some of the reactions we got when we first had him we are fairly sure he was mistreated in his other life. That sort of makes it worse at the moment as he reacts as though we are going to punish him for something he has no control over. It is only a few months ago that he dislocated a toe so he has had a rough year. It is such a frustration not being able to explain you are not angry with him and that the lack of visits to the fields for a run, bland meals (when he does eat) and short walks are actually in his best interest at the moment. We are hoping that the test are clear but that is going to take a week in the meantime we are hoping for the best but preparing ourselves for the worst. We have been here before having had two dogs many years ago but it doesn't get any easier and, as we get older, it actually seems to get harder. All this despite the fact that you bring them into your home knowing that you are only going to be blessed with their friendship for such a short time.

 

[Alisa]

Aw, Traci, I didn't see your reply as trying to minimize what he was dealing with, either, and I apologize if my comments came across like that. It was a reaction from my long ago experiences in response to Hornet's comments about the horrific fires putting things in context with "the few drops of rain that have fallen" in his life.

We've all been through our own times of trial and worries, right? That's how we can relate to others going through things. And that "wow, look what these folks are dealing with! that give me strength or inspiration to handle what I'm dealing with" can be a very positive thing!

eta..and I hear you both about those fur babies!!!

 

[Glitterati3D]

Oh, and Hornet.......that navigation system in the fire video probably wasn't much help. On our first trip to one of those rental cabins, I used mine despite the fact that the check in desk (at the bottom of the mountain) told me not to. It was late, around 10 PM, I was tired after driving a few hours and couldn't see their map in a dark car, so I took what I thought was the "easy" route with the TomTom. Well, it led me to the top of the mountain, to a washed out road. The road literally ended with gravel falling down the mountain. I had to do a 3 point turn on a mountain road, in the dark to get turned around. That was a hair raising experience!

 

[Miss B]

We've all been through our own times of trial and worries, right? That's how we can relate to others going through things. And that "wow, look what these folks are dealing with! that give me strength or inspiration to handle what I'm dealing with" can be a very positive thing!

Very well said Alisa. I couldn't have said it better.

 

[Alisa]

Thanks, Miss B

Yikes, Traci!

 

[Miss B]

Yikes, Traci!

 

[Hornet3d]

Oh, and Hornet.......that navigation system in the fire video probably wasn't much help. On our first trip to one of those rental cabins, I used mine despite the fact that the check in desk (at the bottom of the mountain) told me not to. It was late, around 10 PM, I was tired after driving a few hours and couldn't see their map in a dark car, so I took what I thought was the "easy" route with the TomTom. Well, it led me to the top of the mountain, to a washed out road. The road literally ended with gravel falling down the mountain. I had to do a 3 point turn on a mountain road, in the dark to get turned around. That was a hair raising experience!

My thought of the use of the sat nav was just something that came into my mind almost unconsciously, my brain works in strange ways sometimes, if it works at all. I think that my biggest fear would be that the sat nav was taking me into the fire rather than away but when you reach the point you are praying to god you are going to make it through you are well past relying on tech.

The thought of you doing a 3 point turn on a mountain road in the dark sends shivers down my spine, just goes to show that we all have our horror moments.

Thanks for all the chat it really has helped me find a better place, mentally at least. It is nice to have somewhere that you can post something like this without the fear of trolls making the whole situation worst.

 

[Gadget Girl]

So first off to all.

As I have never yet found a way of stopping the world spinning so I can get off for a few days Poser as least provides an escape from reality for a moment. I do know that in the scheme of things this is a very minor set of problems but they do produce and small cloud of doom when they all seem to come at once.

You know, I always think of a Shakespeare quote in times like this, because it seems so true: When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.

We've been in a horrid drought in Georgia and the last drop of rain we saw was way back on October 7th. On top of that we've had some horrific forest fires and the smoke at times has been life threatening. One of my brother's cats got very sick from the smoke (he'd run out the door every time it was opened!).

Since I live in Colorado, we have lots of forest fires too. A series of them we had a few years back through so much smoke into the air that I developed some breathing problems. They actually couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, and I spent almost a year going to all sorts of doctors. Then then next year we had severe flooding, which ironically gave the doctors the final clue they needed to figure out what was wrong with me (it's a disfunction of my vocal cords, and lucky regular breathing exercises are all I need, which considering the $100s of dollars I was spending on inhalers that didn't work is wonderful).

I am not sure just how people recover from something like this but I guess I am also surprised that something like this has been going on for weeks and I have not heard of it. OK, I am not someone who uses social media in any large degree but I am someone who generally takes an interest in what is happening in the world.

I think they only really began covering it in the last few days, at least I hadn't seen much on it until then. It also sometimes has to do with the fact that wildfires are not covered as extensively until they get near people's homes. One of the big problems is for a long time the US had a policy of trying to stop all forest fires as soon as they started. But actually it's important for forests that they do have occasional fires, and the fires become much worse in an area that hasn't had periodic small fires. In some areas they even try to do controlled burns so that an accidental fire won't be as bad.

That sort of makes it worse at the moment as he reacts as though we are going to punish him for something he has no control over. It is only a few months ago that he dislocated a toe so he has had a rough year. It is such a frustration not being able to explain you are not angry with him and that the lack of visits to the fields for a run, bland meals (when he does eat) and short walks are actually in his best interest at the moment.

It's always hard to see animals suffer since you can't explain it to them. I hope they figure out what's wrong soon, or at least come up with something that makes your pup better.