Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts

May 28, 2016

Recent Raw Meals


Linc: chicken thigh, ground lamb kidney, chicken gizzards and locally raised egg
Mac: chicken drumstick, ground lamb kidney, locally raised egg and chicken gizzards


Mac: goat ribs, chicken gizzards, salmon oil and joint supplement 
Linc: turkey leg, chicken gizzards, salmon oil and joint supplement



Dinner tonight was beef heart, chicken quarters and salmon oil

Linc: chicken gizzards, chicken thigh, pollock oil and beef kidney (Linc didn't eat the kidney)
Mac: chicken drumstick, pollock oil, joint supplement and beef kidney



Dinner tonight was beef liver, quail eggs, chicken necks and salmon oil.

 Time for bed <3 <3 

May 8, 2016

Raw Delivery & Recent Raw Meals

My most recent delivery from Simply Rawesome arrived on Tuesday. This time I received 40lbs of beef chunks, 20lbs of Eureka rough blend and 40lbs of organic chicken thigh meat. With shipping, everything was $169. I love the quality of the products I receive. I do know that the beef chunks are from Big Dan's, but it doesn't make a difference as I have never had a problem with their products. 
 Beef Chunks bagged up
 Chicken, beef and Eureka in the chest freezer.
 Freezer above the fridge is all filled up and so is it's door below.
Here are now some recent meals for the boys:



L-R
Mac: Chicken quarter, beef liver and pollock oil
Linc: chicken quarter, beef liver, beef chunk and pollock oil

Boys had ground bone in turkey, chicken gizzards, bone broth and salmon oil













Boys had ground bone in turkey, organic chicken thigh meat and salmon oil














Boys had a duck carcass split between them, quail eggs, pollock oil and chunked beef

April 27, 2016

Foods I feed Indie

I believe animals should be given a variety, no matter the species. Very few species rely on the same food their entires lives. Circumstances change and so do diets and what is eaten to meet dietary needs. I do this for my aussies with their raw and the same with Indie with his kibble and canned foods. I switch from brand to brand, protein source to protein source. No month is the same and at times, kibbles are mixed. I switch protein sources in the canned foods every two days. Every meal Indie gets 1/4 a can of wet. So his diet is never boring. Every protein source has different things to offer, which is why variety is important, besides life not being boring.

Here are some brands that I use when feeding Indie, I have separated them into two categories: dry and wet.

Dry Kibble:

Taste of The Wild
Acana
Zoic
Wellness Core
Fromm
Zignature
IandLoveandYou
Anamaet
Canidae
Go!
Weruva


Canned Wet:

Taste of the Wild
Wellness Core
Evangers
IandLoveandYou
Canidae
Dave's Pet Food
Wild Calling
Merrick
Cocolicious
Nature's Domain
Natural Balance

I only feed grain free kibbles and canned wet foods. Indie does not do well on foods with grains. 

December 31, 2015

Recent Raw Meals

 While at my parents condo in Chicago for New Years week, the boys ate home made minces for each meal. 
 I made two different minces at two different times.  The mince from the above ingredients was actually for Thanksgiving week, but I had some left over.  That mince was mainly turkey hearts, but had beef spleen, chicken backs, duck heads, lamb liver and a few other random bits of meat.

The second mince was mainly fish based with whole sardines, cod loins, duck heads, lamb liver, chicken quarters and chicken gizzards.
 Turkey based mince prior to being portioned and put in deli containers.

 Turkey bone in and chicken gizzards.
 Whole sardines and beef tongue
 Rabbit and chicken gizzards
 Turkey bone in and ground lamb kidney
Rabbit and beef lung
Random b&w photo of Linc, who is now 20 months old! Where has time gone?? I do have a massive raw ordering arriving in the middle of the month, 110lbs total.  It will mostly be beef such as beef tripe, beef tongue, beef chunks, some ground pork and then some ground whole chicken.  I will definitely get photos!

December 6, 2015

Inspiration Porn Is Horrific

Inspiration porn is the term used for stories that discuss things non-disabled individuals do for disabled individuals and see as "special" because the recipient is disabled.  It is basically to make the non-disabled community feel good about how they treat the disabled.  These stories usually contain a disabled individual who was (through one of many ways) "included" in something "normal individuals" get to participate in.  Whether it's a dance, or the story of the sports team that let a disabled individual make a score or the woman at a Meijer grocery store who accepted a poorly designed cake from an autistic employee.  The stories are supposed to be about how the community has "accepted" the individual, when they are actually singling them out for their own emotional gain. These stories come to light on social media and are called "inspiring."

These stories are not inspiring to individuals who actually have disabilities.  These stories feel more like pity.  We must pity the disabled individual and try and include them because they can't direct themselves properly through life.  This is a very close minded view.  It's like being told to automatically help an individual in a wheelchair when they haven't asked for that help.  Many individuals in wheelchairs I have met are very frustrated with how people treat them.  They automatically assume the individual can't do anything and need help. Well, the ones I know are extremely independent and strong willed.  They have worked hard to not be dependent and prefer to be left alone.

Inspiration porn is a disgusting act that makes disabled individuals look incompetent and needy.

The recent post of the woman accepting a poorly decorated cake by an autistic employee is a massive punch in the stomach for me.  There are so many things wrong with the story.  The employee did something she was not supposed to do, which is wrong.  She could have called an employee who is allowed to decorate cakes to come and perform the task.  Next, the employees at the cash register told them customer the other employees diagnosis without her knowledge.  This is extremely bad as legally, the employer isn't allowed to ask what an employees disability or medical condition is unless it disrupts the employees work.  Then, the employer must request a written statement from the employees physician and give acceptable accommodation.  The employer has no right to disclose the employees diagnosis to anyone, unless with the permission of the employee.  So, the employees going out of their way to disclose the fellow employees diagnosis without her knowledge or permission is extremely wrong and should be disciplined for the action.

The other issue I have with this story is that the individual who is the subject of the story was not allowed to give her side.  She was seen as an object basically.  The only defining element besides being female, was being autistic.  While autism effects every aspect of us, it is not the only part of us.  I do call myself an autistic as it is such an integral part of my life, but it should not be the only thing that defines me.  I have many other qualities and would prefer those to be seen as well and even held higher than my autism.

We are disabled, but we are not defined by our disabilities.  Only the individual is allowed to make them self defined by their disability, no one else.  Stop seeing the disabled as something to pity or something to be inspired by.  It is NOT inspirational to want to live.  The desire to live is a natural instinct that is connected to the fight or flight response. Doing something you want or need to do is not inspirational either. Everyone is allowed to choose what they do.  We are allowed to have interests and do what we want without it being "inspirational." We are not a spectacle, we are not something to be pitied and we are definitely not something to call inspirational.  We are human and we are living our lives how we want to, with or without a disability.

December 2, 2015

You Don't Look Autistic

This is a common statement I hear if I ever tell someone my diagnosis. I use a service dog for my autism and my severe migraines and I am currently training his successor.  So, people are always curious as to why someone who can walk, speak and seems perfectly "fine," uses a service dog.  Most people assume I am training them for someone else in more "need." While it is no ones business, it is a common question.


Service dogs are trained to mitigate multiple different disabilities.  Many are visible and many are invisible.  Having one or the other or even both does not make us any less disabled. Just because you can't see my autism, does not make me not disabled.  My neurological conditions do not have a "look."  Autism does not have a specific "look." It does not usually affect the individuals physical features like other conditions such as Down Syndrome, Williams or Waardenburg Syndrome.  Autism can have physical manifestations such as motor skill delays and balance issues.  I personally have balance and gastric issues connected to my autism.  But, even these are not "visible" to the untrained individual.

Autism is a part of everything I do.  It is a part of me.  I don't come with a side of autism and cannot turn it on and off at will.  Autism partially makes me who I am, but that doesn't mean I should be singled out or treated differently. And I honestly prefer to be treated as everyone else.  Is this too much to ask? Apparently, in the United States, it is quite a bit to ask for.  There are autism stigmas everywhere.  Even the new Sesame Street character Julia empowers the stereotypes and stigma about how autistics should act.  We are all individuals and cannot be stuffed into a tiny box of absolutes.  We should be treated as individuals and respected as such.

The stigmas hurt us more than they help us.  Every fellow autistic I know and have come into contact with wants to be an individual. They also have very strong voices of their own and they want to be heard.  Does this mean every autistic is like this? No, but the adult ones I have met are.

So, the moral of this post is basically to think before responding to someones diagnosis.  Saying something like "You don't look autistic" is rude and assuming.  Don't put us in a small box.  It isn't easy for many of us to open up to people.  Please don't make our lives harder with assumptions.  Let us spread our wings and be ourselves.

August 27, 2015

Boredom Cable Hat


    • Materials:
      1 skein Patons Classic Wool Roving (seen in Pacific Teal)
      Size 11 (8mm) 16" circular needles
      4 SIze 11 (8mm) double pointed needles
      1 cabling needle (if needed)
      Stitch marker
      tapestry needle

      Abbreviations:
      k: Knit
      p: purl
      k2tog: Knit two stitches together
      2x2: K2, P2
      C4F: Slip next two sts to cable needle and hold in front, K next two sts, K 2 sts from cable needle
      knit 2 rows of 2x2 and 2x8x2 where the cable is

      C4B: Slip next two sts to cable needle and hold in back, K next two sts, K 2 sts from



      Instructions: 
      Cast on 66 stitches loosely, place stitch marker (for smaller size, decrease 2x2 and knit section by 8 stitches, continue to decrease throughout pattern)

      • Row 1-2: K2, P2  (7 repeats), then P2, K8, P2, then continue 2x2 the rest of the row 
      • Row 3:  K2, P2 for 7 repeats, then C4F, then continue 2x2 the rest of the row
      • Row 4-5: K2, P2  (7 repeats), then P2, K8, P2, then continue 2x2 the rest of the row 
      • Row 6:  K2, P2 for 7 repeats, then C4B, then continue to 2x2 the rest of the row
      • Row 7-8: K12, then P2, K8, P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row
      • Row 9:  K12, then C4F, then continue to knit the rest of the row
      • Row 10-11: K12, then P2, K8, P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row
      • Row 12:  k12, then C4B, then continue knit the rest of the way around
      • Row 13-14: K12, then P2, K8, P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row 
      • Row 15:  K12, then C4F, then continue to knit the rest of the round
      • Row 16-17: K12, then P2, K8, P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row 
      • Row 18:  K12, then C4B, then continue knit the rest of the row
      • Row 19-20: K12, then P2, K8, P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row 
      • Row 21:  K12, then C4F, then continue to knit the rest of the round
      • Row 22-23: K12, then P2,k8,P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row 
      • Row 24:  K12, then C4B, then continue knit the rest of the row
      • Row 25-26: K12, then P2, K8, P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row 
      • Row 27:  K12, then C4F, then continue to knit the rest of the round
      • Row 28-29: K12, then P2, K8, P2, then continue to knit the rest of the row 
      • Row 30:  K12, then C4B, then continue knit the rest of the row

      Cable Chart

      Decreases:
      Row 31:  *K11, K2tog *(repeat)
      Rows 32-52: Knit 
      Row 33: *K10, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 35: *K9, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 37: *K8, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 39: *K7, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 41: *K6, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 43: *K5, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 45: *K4, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 47: *K3, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 49: *K2, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 51: *K1, K2tog *(repeat)
      Row 53: *K2tog *(repeat)

      Thread your remaining yarn onto your tapestry needle and thread the yarn through the remaining stitches on the needle.  Remove the stitches from the needle and pull tight. Finish by weaving in the ends.

August 12, 2015

Food, food and Some More Food

 My poor poor raw freezer was starting to look pathetically empty.  I had to do something!!
I ordered 90lbs of food from Simply Rawesome and it arrived at the beginning of July.  Sadly, since Linc eats 24-42oz a day, I have gone through most of the organic chicken gizzards very quickly.  I am happily set on bone in meats.
So, I went to my local processing plant and picked up about 40lbs of stuff, including beef kidneys, lamb heart, beef heart and a ground beef scrap blend with random organs and bone dust.
So I and Love and You dmed (messaged) me on instagram and asked if they could send me some treats for my boys. Here is the box of goodies from IandLoveandYou. They sent a 5lb of their kibble, which is the food we feed our 13.5 year old lab, Indie, a 1.5 lb of their dehydrated raw, a bag of bully sticks and a bag of jerky treats. The dehydrated raw will be useful if I travel with my aussies. 
Here are some recent meals.
Here is ground lamb kidney, lamb heart, duck egg and rabbit for Linc, then rabbit, ground lamb kidney and duck egg for Mac.
 
Beef kidney, duck egg and a chicken thigh for Mac and rabbit, beef kidney, organic chicken gizzards and a duck egg for Linc.
 Rabbit and an elk blend consisting of elk, beef liver and beef bone.
 And lastly, a rather bland meal of chicken breast and a chicken quarter for Linc and a chicken drumstick for Mac.

July 21, 2015

Life Continues

As no one can make the world stop rotating, life continues and goes on.  So, on instagram, I posted the photo below of what Lincoln carries in his vest.  He currently carries a para cord tug, foldable water bowl from Bold Lead Designs, potty bags, an in depth ICE (in case of emergency) paper, an ID card with his name and more basic ICE info, ADA law card, a sumatriptan shot and some generic Maxalt pills.  Both the shot and pills are my emergency medication.  Amazingly, while it sounds like a lot, it isn't that much when you photograph it.
So, my new insurance is awesome and my sumatriptan shots (which I haven't gotten in 2 years because they were $70/each) are now $19/4 shots.  Quite an amazing thing.  Yes, they are generic, but does that really matter?  They work!
 My two dogs, Mac, my service dog for the past 6 years and Linc, my service dog in training, are my constant companions and a huge part of my support system.  They help me in ways no human is able to and perform tasks that no human would.  My dogs are my life and they are one of my main reasons for waking up every morning.  Lincoln is advancing in his training.  We restarted working on retrieves after a 2 month hiatus due to his teen phase.  Linc would retrieve an item, then throw it around to play.  He is finally moving through that obnoxious phase, so we can move on with his training. 
Another part of his training included going to a zoo for the first time. Lincoln and I went to the Madison Zoo for two hours today. There, the lioness wanted to kill him, the alpacas and Somali wild asses didn't know what to make of him and one of the giraffes followed us around in its pen. Then one of the polar bears wanted to pounce on Linc like a seal under the ice. The lioness scared him, but we left that enclosure and he calmed down. Went back over an hour later and he was fine. He never barked, whined or growled at any animals. He was most curious about the herd animals, but stayed in check. While his fear reaction to the lioness going at the glass was not ideal, he recovered and we will be working on that.
My main support system is my parents. My mom especially is my main supporter. She was the one who pushed me to find a psychologist and to finally get a diagnosis that made sense. She is also the one who would pick me up quite a lot when I was in school and was a huge support when I was in college. Both if my parents have been huge supports the past few years after I moved home to go back to school and deal with my conditions. 
Here is a glamor shot of Lincoln I took a few weeks ago after bathing, trimming, brushing and drying him.  He wasn't thrilled.
 And this is where I am about to head, to bed. 

July 3, 2015

My Migraines

My migraines are called hemiplegic migraines with aura because half of my body (usually the right side) goes numb and I have weakness.  My migraines can also last for about 4 days straight.  Individuals with aura migraines or hemiplegic migraines also have an increases chance of stroke.  My migraines began when I was 9/10 years old and have continued ever since.  My original migraines were considered (silent) due to the lack of pain, but the rest of the symptoms were there and they mimicked a mini stroke.  It wasn't under I was about 22 that I began having the striking, ice pick type pain during my migraines.  This just makes it worse. 

Episodes of prolonged aura (up to several days or weeks)
  • Hemiplegia (paralysis on one side of the body)
  • Fever
  • Meningismus (symptoms of meningitis without the actual illness and accompanying inflammation)
  • Impaired consciousness ranging from confusion to profound coma
  • Headache, which may begin before the hemiplegia or be absent
  • Ataxia (defective muscle coordination)
  • The onset of the hemiplegia may be sudden and simulate a stroke.¹
  • Phonophobia (increased sensitivity to sound) and/or photophobia (increased sensitivity to light)

June 29, 2015

Realizations

I am writing this on my new iPhone 6 plus. I can use it as both a phone and a tablet, which is awesome. I got it on Saturday. I unfortunately will have to add pictures later because this is a Google blog.

So here are some recent realizations I have had:

1. Linc is becoming very very clingy and Mac is becoming less clingy

2. I am slowly killing my kidneys with the amount of Aleve I am taking for pain control. It is the only thing that takes the edge away. My dad doesn't want me on anything stronger, but I may speak to my gp about that.

3. This summer has been extremely odd with the amount of rainfall. We usually have hot and humid days, but this year it hasn't been too bad.

4. My bedroom fan only begins to make strange noises when I walk in, not kidding.

5. I feel like my sensory issues are getting worse.

6. I can feel peoples energies and it feels like it sucks my energy out of me, leaving me exhausted.

7. I am rambling just so I can make a post on my new phone.

April 5, 2015

My Autism


  • I have never been a tactile individual. 
  • I was non verbal until around the age of 3. 
  • I had speech therapy as a child.
  • New York labeled me as a disabled child before I was 3.
  • New York provided a speech therapist for me.
  • I grew up in Illinois.
  • I was placed in a special needs preschool class before being main streamed.
  • My mom would drop a pan in the kitchen and I never turned around.
  • I have always had special interests that I can talk about for hours.
  • I have always had social issues.
  • Girls weren't really diagnosed with autism back when I was a child.
  • I stimmed by rocking in my bed until I went off to college at almost 19.
  • I stim by driving in my car in the same areas and roads.
  • I used to stim by rocking back and forth as a child.
  • I still stim in certain ways with my hands and feet.
  • I was misdiagnosed most of my life with depression, ADD and anxiety.
  • I have some balance issues.
  • I am extremely sensitive to heat.
  • I am very sensitive to touch.
  • I am very sensitive to certain textures in food, clothing and temperatures.
  • My upper body, arms, face and neck are the most sensitive.
  • I am not sick.
  • I do not need a cure.
  • While I think differently, I am a human and am fine.


Happy Autism Awareness Month!!



March 27, 2015

Owner Training Part II

Obtaining a service dog is a very personal decision and experience. Legally, service animals are considered medical equipment, not pets.  Just like other medical equipment, the disabled individual is allowed to choose where, when and how they obtain their service dog.  These dogs begin training from a very young age and training can continue from anywhere between 1.5-2.5 years.   Service dogs are trained in advanced obedience, public access training and task training. Lincoln was not obtained to be a pet. He was personality tested and chosen after looking at 11 different breeders in 4 states.  The decision to owner train was a very delicate and deliberate process.  My organization candidate through Quad Cities Canine Assistance Network (qccan.org) washed out due to her OFA prelim hip scores.  I decided to owner train because the organization had not yet found an Australian Shepherd breeder to their standards and I did not want a conformation Labrador retriever.  My current service dog, Mac, is due to retire in a year, so time has not been on my side.   
As you can tell in the video below, Lincoln is nowhere near graduation.  Lincoln will continue training for another 12-15 months.  Once his training is finished, Linc will be evaluated by a service dog trainer.

Owner trained service dogs are legally recognized by the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and by The ADI, Assistance Dogs International, which is an organization that sets standards for assistance dogs internationally.  Nowhere in the ADA or ADI does it say who must train a service dog.  Many programs do not cross train assistance dogs for multiple disabilities, so many disabled train their own dogs.  The requirement for assistance dogs according to the ADI is that “The program/trainer should have a minimum of a 6-month period working with the owner and their dog. The owner and dog will be observed in a variety of settings and situations during this time. This will also include any training necessary to complete the program and meet the ADI Minimum Standards.”
According to the ADA “Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.” Also, certification, identification and documentation of training are not required by the ADA.  There are no federally recognized certification including program certifications.
           Service dogs are also allowed to just be dogs.  Service dogs are not disallowed from participating in extracurricular activities such as agility, rally, obedience competition, fly ball, hiking, etc.  It is also important that they take part in these types of activities.  By participating in these activities, it helps prevent burn outs.  Humans don't work 24/7 and neither do service dogs.  They deserve off time.  Obviously, if you receive a program dog, the program may retain ownership and have rules against certain types of activities.  That is between the handler and the organization.