Jury Duty

During the month of January I was selected for Jury Duty in Lewis County Superior Court. I have had Jury Duty several times before, but this experience was different. First of all, if you have Jury Duty, try and get it in December and NOT in January. Most of the cases in December get pushed until January because of the holidays.

In the past I have been on one trial, and it was an L&I appeal where the lawyers just read the transcript from the original trial. Well, you know how lawyers are... let's just say it was dry! I was picked as the head juror and as soon as we went in to deliberate we took a vote. It was unanimous so that was quite easy.

I checked the night before and my first date was January 4. I was a little anxious because Michelle & the kids were here and I hoped I wouldn't get chosen. As it turns out it was a 10 day trial involving the City of Chehalis and some contractors. Because the trial was so long they called in two panels. I was Juror #50 so I felt pretty good. The Voir Dire (Jury selection) took a fair amount of time. We were first by the judge asked if any of us knew the attorneys, any of the witnesses or if we had knowledge of the case. One by one jurors were excused, I started getting a little nervous. The big question was asking us if the length of the trial would be a difficulty. I couldn't think of any excuses but plenty of people did.

In Lewis County we are paid a whopping $15 a day for Jury Duty, plus mileage. The daily rate was set in 1959 (hey, that's the year I was born!) when $15 actually meant something for a days pay. That equates to about $80 to $90 in today's wages. We are not even paid minimum wages! So to start off, many people can't afford to serve as a juror because they can't afford to miss work. So, that excused a lot of jurors. In the end I was a lucky one, I was not chosen. I probably would have been quite bored listening to construction jargon etc.

I was called in a total of 6 times and I was a juror on two cases, both involving drugs/alcohol. When we were being selected for one of the cases the defense attorney got up and asked "How many of you walked in and looked at my client and thought 'What did he do'"? Most of us raised our hand, I mean this is Lewis County we are talking about! He commented that we should be thinking What is he being accused of. He was absolutely right and in the legal system that is what we should do. Each time I came in for jury selection I tried to look at it that way.

One case involved drugs sitting out on a counter in someones home. To me it was obvious that the person charged was guilty, but when you read the specific instructions you are given, and the law, it is not always cut and dry. After some discussion we said not guilty, I was the last to give in. What I thought was interesting was the bailiff left the evidence in with us, a little baggie with Cocaine in it. I am happy to report that it was all returned and the baggie was not opened.

My last day to go in was the last working day of the month. I was concerned it would only be a one day trial. If it were a 2 week trial we could most likely be called to it. It was a DUI/harassment case and it went very quickly. There were a couple of people that disagreed and once again we talked about it. Sometimes when you listen to another person's perspective your attitude can change. Did you know that you can claim that you were so drunk because you drank so much, that you can say you blacked out and don't remember a thing and possibly get away with whatever you did? Well, no sir, not for us. NEVER, NEVER tell a law enforcement official that you are going to kill him or his family. I had zero sympathy for this person.

In the end, one young lady got off and I hoped she learned a lesson but I think she is still with the guy. We found the other guilty and I also hope he learned a lesson. I highly doubt it in both cases.

I was also in for Jury Selection for a murder trial, another 10 day trial. We were the second panel so I was hoping I could skate by again. It was a case that happened in 2000 so it had been in the paper, news etc. Funny thing is that I read my local paper everyday and I honestly didn't remember anything about it. Initially we all had to fill out a questionnaire to eliminate those that had heard about it. I was honest and said I didn't know anything. I felt doomed. After almost 3 hours we were sent home without the attorneys interviewing us. A couple of days later I read in the paper that we were excused because the defendant was brought into our courtroom wearing his lovely orange jumpsuit and handcuffs. We were all tainted so we had to be excused. The case is still going and two jurors have already been dismissed. I think they rode in the same elevator as a family member so they were sent home. They are down to 1 alternate. I feel so important, we were in the paper!

I found the entire process extremely informative and I look forward to serving again. Yes, it was inconvenient because I never knew when I had to go in again so it was difficult to schedule appointments. But I learned a lot about the legal system, judges, bailiffs etc. It's not anything at all like Judge Judy or the People's Court!

Gary has Chehalis Municipal Court for February!

Carly

This picture was taken a few months ago of my dog Carly. She is going to be 12 years old in March. I have a bed for her next to mine and every night she comes upstairs and sleeps next to me. She started bringing her little yellow ducky with her and curls up with it in her bed. The ducky was supposed to be for a baby shower I had a year ago, but somehow Carly thought it was hers and took it. She has always liked toys that make squeaking noises.

For those of you that know me, understand that Carly means a lot to me. When we travel I need to make sure she is comfortable. There have been a couple of times that we stayed in a hotel while travelling. They wouldn't allow pets, so Gary suggested I just leave them in the car and they would be fine (Allie too). Well, Gary ended up sleeping alone in the hotel and I slept in the car with the dogs! I needed to make sure they stayed safe and warm.

A year ago I saw the movie Marley & Me. It was over the holidays and I thought it would be great to see a good movie, it was advertised as fun for the family. About 1/4 of the way through the movie I realized where the movie was going and I almost got up and left. I cried so hard through the end of the movie. We are approaching some of the same tough decisions with Carly.

In December she started getting sores and she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder called Pemphigus Foliaceus. I had never heard of it before but I know a lot about it now. Her body suddenly thinks her skin is foreign and is attacking it. Last Tuesday I got an appointment 100 miles away in Edmond to see a pet Dermatologist at 7:00 am. We have a plan of action for her now but I have to be realistic. We have her on steroids, antibiotics and another medicine to decrease her immune system. We are walking a fine line here because she is older and we don't want to damage her liver.

Coupons & Rebates & Checks, OH MY!!

While Michelle was here she was great and took over sending in my rebates. While she was here we sent in over $300 worth of rebates. The checks are now starting to come in. This week I cashed $100 worth of checks.

I started couponing in September and since then I am addicted. Gary describes it as a "game", I think he is correct. I check websites & blogs daily to see where the best deals are. I am to the point where nearly everything I get (not including food) is nearly free after coupons/rebates.

The exception to this is the recent diaper deals I have been doing. It is almost impossible to get diapers free, so we get them as cheap as we can. I got Pampers diapers at Target for $3.33! I also got 10 containers of wipes at Walgreen's for free, I just had to pay the sales tax! I am buying them in Newborn and size 1 and saving them up for Jenny. She will be well stocked when the baby is born.

I have been lucky to have some fabulous cashiers at the Walgreen's in Chehalis: Becki, Robyn, Bobbi & Jonathan. I am there at least 3-4 times a week! The only place I have had a problem is at Wal-Mart, which doesn't surprise me! I was buying chocolate chips the other night for my cookie project for Laura and I went to the Nestle's website and printed 2 50 cent coupons. It wasn't a great deal but I was in a bind. the cashier at Wal-Mart said very loud " I can't take this coupon, it's illegal!" I was shocked and even after I explained to her that i printed off a legal website she said it out loud again. It was humiliating in front of everyone.

So I will stick to Walgreen's, Target and Rite Aid from now on for my purchases. I should keep track of how much I spend and how much I redeem in coupons. The hard part is spending $2.50 a paper on Sundays.

Cookies - Cookies- Everywhere!

As many of you know, Laura is going to school to be a pastry chef. She will graduate this year. In the meantime she has enjoyed taking small jobs catering.

This weekend she has a big job, she is making 5,000 cookies for an event. She has a small kitchen so I offered to help. She sent me the recipe and yesterday and today I have been busy baking. ( I can't give you her recipe but each batch uses 32 oz chocolate chips, 16 oz melted and added to the batter and the remaining as chips in the dough).

I am running out of containers to put the cookies in! I am now using a Rubbermaid cereal cannister to put them in. I am pleased to say that I have only eaten 3... okay 5!!! cookies.

I have to say the house smells great as soon as you walk in.

An Absolute Miracle!

As many of you know, a terrible earthquake hit the island of Haiti on Tuesday January 12, 2010. As each day passes, the likelihood of finding survivors lessens. Over the weekend several people were found alive in a supermarket where they were able to survive on peanut butter and jelly.

Without water an average person can survive 3 days without water. This can vary according to your age, condition, temperature and other factors.

The United States sent incredible teams down to help Haiti. One of them is The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). This is a search team that includes dogs that can smell human life. These dogs are able to distinguish between the smell of someone alive or someone that has just died. It is amazing to watch these teams working together to find survivors amidst all the rubble.


Yesterday, day 8, a rescue team from Mexico found a 69 year old woman, Ena Zizi buried in the Haitian National Cathedral. The woman was heard singing and praying. She was dehydrated, had a dislocated hip and a broken leg but was otherwise doing well. They were able to take her to a hospital for medical aid. She said she was "all right, sort of." She also said her faith as a Roman Catholic helped her through the ordeal, and added: "I talked only to my boss - God. And I didn't need any more humans."

Some of these teams have incredible listening devices that they can use that can even pick up the sound of someone breathing. They are able to use this equipment to listen in areas where they believe there are still survivors.

I am just amazed at the technology we have that can help the island of Haiti. I am grateful we have these men, women and dogs that have been working for days to bring hope to so many. Not all the stories have had a happy ending, in fact most don't. But stories like this 69 year old woman keep us all hoping and praying.

USNS Comfort Gets Ready to Sail

I have had many people calling me asking if I am planning on heading to Haiti. I guess my friends know me too well. The most exciting news is that the USNS Comfort is leaving Baltimore on Saturday morning. She will reach Haiti on January 21. News Article New Article 1/16

The Comfort is a Navy ship, and when not actively deployed, is kept in a state of reduced operations in Baltimore Harbor. Every two years she goes on a medical mission to Central & South America. She is also available for disaster relief, she helped in New York after 9/11 and was in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. She has been used many times over the years and has been ready to ship out of Baltimore with 5 days' notice.

It takes a lot to ready a ship of this size and magnitude. They need medical supplies, food and a crew. These are things that can't be left on the ship in case it is needed. The ship can handle up to 1,000 patients. A 250-bed hospital is currently being set up on the ship, which will be equipped with four operating rooms, eight to 15 ICUs, as well as CAT scanners and other state-of-the-art equipment.

The ship will be anchored off Haiti's shore and patients will have to be flown in by helicopter. The Comfort can also make drinking water from sea water. The ship can pump out 300,000 gallons of water per day thanks to its four distilling plants.

As many of you know, I was on the Comfort last summer for 2 months on a medical mission. the first country the Comfort helped in was Haiti. I did not arrive until they were departing the Dominican Republic so I did not help in Haiti.

At this time, I am waiting to hear if my help will be needed on the ship. Over 600 doctors and nurses have already been called to serve on the ship. These men and women will drop everything and get ready to serve on the ship.

My heart just aches for the people of Haiti. I have been watching the news as it unfolds on CNN. Every minute, every hour and every day makes a difference to someone. My prayers are with the people of Haiti, and with all the rescue workers, doctors and nurses that are either there now or on the way.

Should I be concerned???

Every Saturday Gary goes to a tennis lesson at Thorbeckes from 9:00 am until noon. Someone would have to be dying for him to even consider missing practice. It is a Skills & Drills class taught by TJ Underwood, the Tennis director.

Last Saturday morning, I was getting ready to go visit my brother Grover in Woodland, WA for his family Christmas. Gary had a match later in the day and realized he wouldn't be able to take the lesson and go to a family function with me. He was getting ready to climb in the shower and this was our conversation:

Kirsten: "What are you doing?"

Gary: "Taking a shower."

Kirsten: "Don't you have tennis practice this morning?"

Gary: "Yes."

Kirsten: "And you are taking a shower before practice?"

Gary: "Yes."

Kirsten: "Why didn't you take one before you went to bed last night?"

Gary: No response

I think I just might have to pop into Thorbeckes next Saturday to see what happens at lessons!!