Friday

The Nanny, The Burrito and The Abandoned Ones

Or A Tale of Two Cities Meets Lord Of the Flies

It was the best of times and the worst of times,it was the age of wisdom and it was the age of foolishnes,Light and Darkness collided at the apartments near bellaire and belt 8 in southwest Houston Texas on 6/22/15 last summer bringing hope from despair to a being named "Burrito"

A kitten,who was not named Burrito yet, who loved being admired for his white and grey fluffy countenance with wispy fluffy ears and tail like cotton candy,big round eyes the color of pools of water, clear not blue - thought The Abandoned Ones were coming to play with him or admire him or even better! give him something to eat. He and his family did not have owners but the kids and families of the apt building somehow made sure he did not starve.

But oh no! The Abandoned Ones were not there to play with him,but to harm him - a crowd of them laughed as they did something VERY AWFUL which left his beautiful fluffy fur drenched and himself humiliated, but it was not over yet - his life was in danger.

Burrito tried to hide in a box - if he could not see them, he could be safe, right? But the Abandoned Ones saw and started kicking the box all around!  Would Burrito ever see the light of day again?? Yes ! Hero-Nanny, Hero-Girl and Hero-Boy to the rescue!!

Hero-Nanny:  I came home to find chidren kicking a box with a kitten in it, i was told they "poured" something on him and hit him with sticks, i took him home and gave him food and rinsed him with dawn soap. { the nanny describes what was on him, we will delete this in case kids read this} it took 3 baths to get rid of the smell.

Hero-Girl : There were too many boys to count - they kept hurting him and my brother -we got him away from the boys even though we were scared of them

Hero-Boy : we want to keep him even though we have 4 cats - his name is Burrito

New Mom for Burrito: "Bobbo" was in sad shape when several of us rescued him, he did smell bad and it took days to get him clean, he was sad and depressed and humiliated but now he has a great home and is king of the world.



38 comments:

Leigh Raymer said...

Pics of BOBBO are coming

Anonymous said...

This is one long (boring) run on sentence.

Leigh Raymer said...

as opposed to a SHORT boring run on sentence? (lol) All seriousness aside - thank you for your time in reading the blog - and if you have something not boring to post as an OP - you know where to find us !

Anonymous said...

Horribly written.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why that person is being so rude. Anonymous person, didn't your mother ever tell you "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?" There is no reason to be rude, if you don't like what is written why are you here?

Anonymous said...

This was badly written. Here's some constructive criticism though:
Revisit either English 101 or read some English grammar rules (other languages are fine too, though. Run on sentences are not English-only problem)
Don't create false suspense - go with the real one, discover things WITH your reader
Punctuation - English 101 would catch that too. If you notice here after a "," there's a " "
Less dashes, you are attempting creative writing.
When writing use these "( )" not these "{ }"
Don't forget "the", "an", "a" - they ARE important
I like a nice pet rescue story but you made it too complicated and confused your readers. Clarity is your friend. Try writing clearly and using simple language, and capture your audience. Once you master that you can break the rules, just like Hemingway and Tolkien did. Right now it's a hot mess, keep working and you can improve!
L

Leigh Raymer said...

Anonymous _ i think you mean instead of "{badly written) " you might mean " not written well or correctly"


but - you have a very good point - and your point is well taken

a team of us wishes to keep the blog going so we got together FAST to get some writing and ideas going - thank you for your time and attention - i hope you will continue - you are good writer .. er .. um i mean -- YOU WRITE WELL! -- please contact us with any contributions !

Anonymous said...

Anonymous you a pain in the A##. I read the story just fine and I enjoyed it. I hope you are not a nanny, I'd feel bad for your changes, you are very critical of not just this post but others as well. If you need to be so negative just don't post anything. Wondering why you are anonymous?!

Here we go again! said...

I think the thing that killed isyn is the weird cheerleading mess that happens on comments.

Yes. There are anon posters who trash every post. Yes, some are trolling, but many posters (anon or otherwise) have actual, valid critiques. There's no need to have other posters stanning for isyn or admonishing adults to be nice. The world isn't nice. I hope the nice police (you know who you are) backs off during the relaunch.

Let people post. Even if you don't agree or feel they're not nice enough. Sheesh!

Anonymous said...

Here we go again
There is a difference from not agreeing with what someone posts and being down right mean. You are correct the world is not nice,but if you are a mature adult you can find better ways to tell someone you don't agree with them than ambush them and critique they way they write! 💛Be kind and grown up!

HWGA said...

@Jaxx you're exactly the kind of condescending, know-it-all poster I mean. Why do you have two -ucks to give about other posters? Does it affect your paycheck and or sleep? Who cares if people are nice? I can function in a world where people express themselves differently. If you can't, you should see someone about that.

Telling someone that their writing needs work is helpful. It doesn't have to be said a certain way. Brusquely, rudely, nicely or curtly the message is still received. You and others like you need to quit telling adults how to adult. If someone is rude- in your opinion- ignore them. These are not your children or charges. You are not responsible for how they conduct themselves.

Being kind =/= adult just fyi.

Leigh Raymer said...

Putting in some 2 cents here - the team wanted to get a new post up but we had to be somewhere and there was a time constraint so the writing was not as good as it could have been. But - if Ops mispell something or don't write perfectly we are not going to edit them - we want the readers to see them and know them in the post

Ad Hominem attacks are not right and neither is profanity because children read this blog sometimes ;)

something that wounded the blog and some of the Ops i have heard from is - i don't know what to call it - some really angry people that use the net to vent their lives' frustration . I hope we can use this blog to entertain inform and debate in a useful way - it will help kids and nannies

Isabel said...

I wish you all the best with this blog. I have read the stories and questions on this site for years. When I read the post announcing new ownership, I hoped that the poor writing and formatting was just a glitch.

This is not cruelty. This is not opinion. The above post is terribly written. Please, respect your new readers by publishing higher quality material here. Buying a well-known blog with a devoted following is a great opportunity! Please believe that I hope you succeed with this project. This is not a matter of preserving voice in submitted posts.

I think you made a good call above when you asked people to submit posts if they are not happy with what you posted. I suggest you consider posting a call for some editorial help. Perhaps you could arrange to barter editorial help for a link to a blog or site with related content.

I understand comments, here and elsewhere, can get harsh. It's understandable to feel personally attacked, but please take a moment to consider this: readers care because we love this site's topics, voices and stories. It was jarring to me, as a long-time reader, to see quality plunge immediately when ownership changed hands.

All the best.

MissA said...

Amen. I've followed this blog through all it's many iterations and I was so disappointed that the discrepancy between the initial content posted by the new owners and the content posted previously. Not only was the grammar and formatting troublesome, but the actual story seemed to me to have very little to do with the topic of this blog. If this is any indication of the future of this blog, I will likely take a long hiatus. I read here as a former nanny to hear about nanny drama, issues and perspectives of both parents and nannies on a wide variety of issues. A vague, poorly constructed story that has very little connection to the purpose of the blog has very little entertainment value to me. Best wishes.

MissA said...

* by the (See, I too am human and make grammatical mistakes, I understand.) :)

Leigh Raymer said...

**** new blog owner offers everyone some chesse with their whine lol****
**** and double chocolate chip cookies***

again, i was under a really big time constraint and wanted to put something - anything really fast, out of respect to the positive bloggers who love the blog and like to see content

to: Isabel - go back in the archives and look at some of the very 1st OPs and you will see that the quality of the blog did not become high quality over night. The former owner owned it personally for 10 years and she is an exceptional person and i hope she keeps contributing. I will not be able to fill her shoes overnight, but anyone who thinks i should immediately - i thank you for the compliment but the reality will take time

This is not a blog specifically for syntax, grammer etc - there are blogs like that and i suggest those with that interest look into it. Nannies are human beings from many different areas and i will not turn someone away or change their words if their grammar or writing does not fit with the views of the grammar police

And to MissA - i purposely wrote (albeit too fast and it could have been better) - a story that actually would have to take some insight and empathy and thought to realize why it belongs on the blog. I was hoping someone would step up with a more deep review than putting forth negativity, SO - since you asked ---

1. Most nannies are great hearted people and this particular one in the story ( i will call her BEEZEE is a child and animal activist. The story illustrates how awesome human beings most nannies are

2. This blog shows children being neglected by - as you guys say - whoever. Those boys in the story are the true victims - being unsupervised and allowed to run wild committing crimes in a group. It's very interesting that many of the negative bloggers complain that we don't know who is neglecting the kids in the posts but in this post it's clear - the nanny is the hero and the absent parents are the culprits - but that certain negative group i guess will just always complain lol

3.The story shows the impact a great and true nanny can have on children and society-Beezee is friends with the 2 HERO children and they take after her moral base while the children abandoned by their caregivers lose their moral base in a very terrible way.

There are more ideas in the story but that will do it for now!

Like i said - all you guys that write so good...er..i mean well!!.....send in your contributions!! It's only an illusion that it's MY blog - it's actually YOUR blog so if you do not like the content - put your pen and paper where your mouth is so to speak - and thank you for your participation

Anonymous said...

Please tell me this is not what ISYN is going to be. Bye, Felicia.

Yeah WSS said...

Agree wholeheartedly with Isabel and MissA! There is a steep decline in both content and writing style. This posting is trying too hard. No need to get cutesy or dress up a post.

The best writers write simply. This site is at its best when the stories ring true and are believable. No need to make some elaborate story/try to merge two classic stories into the op.

Grammatical mistakes happen, but a poorly written story is unsatisfying. Hopefully, you follow the advice of pps and get some editorial help and or better written submissions.

Leigh Raymer said...

Listen you guys with the negative attitudes - i only hope you do not act this way to your charges - you are right - the blog needs a change - either pitch in and write helpful and entertaining content - or don't let the door hit your toosh on the way out !! have a great weekend !!

nc said...

Personally, I'd rather have waited longer just to get a better written post, rather than you all rush things. I look forward to reading better written posts down the road!

Leigh Raymer said...

i for got to say something to jaxx - thank you - i notice you are a new member - please don't let the negative people cause you to go away - we need more people like you commenting !

and again - if you guys can repeat yourselves i can too - there is a group of you guys that simply can never be satisfied ever so i get that. I am glad you at least find the blog interesting enough to peruse1

i have spoken with more than one blog member.there have been a couple of melt downs on this blog where the "negative nellies" have actually really hurt some people's feelings and driven away members,Ops and commenters - resulting in the blog going dormant, comments restricted etc

The negative people will not scare me or hurt my feelings - the blog is here to stay, the name I SAW YOUR NANNY will not change

Somebody up there said words to the effect "we don't want the nice people, life isn't nice"

Well, some of us were raised differently than that and that is the kind of person i would want to influence my kids - that's the kind of person i want to deal with on this blog

CALLING ALL NICE PEOPLE WHO WISH TO BUILD UP THEIR FELLOW PEOPLE AND KIDS!! WE NEED YOU HERE !!

p.s. I will offer a cool prize to the 1st person who offers to re-write the offending badly written post lol !

HWGA said...

@ J'NeiNei Pierce Seriously you're personalizing this. This isn't personal. I'm almost afraid to find out that you're RBTC or whatever her name was. She harped and nagged everyone to pieces to "play nice".

No one is suggesting that personal attacks, bullying or foul language are ok. However, telling grown ups to 'play nice' is condescending and ridic! People should feel free to speak their mind without worrying about offending or running off potential readers. And frankly, anyone who could be run off by some anons' 'rudeness' will never be able to internet.

Life isn't nice. The world is harsh. Not every comment will get sandwiched between compliments. Some people need to put on their big girl pants and deal. Just because someone is direct doesn't make him/her unsuitable to parent or nanny. I don't talk to my kids like I'd talk to another adult.

I do hope the submissions come in and the site continues, but like others, I'd rather it be dormant till good material can be sent in rather than rush to get carp writing.

FWIW telling people to leave if they don't like the site isn't the best way to run a business. Most businesses wouldn't succeed if they told irate/unsatisfied customers to go away. If the only comments you want are from cheerleading stans, you will struggle to make a go of this.

And I do hope you can succeed btw.

Leigh Raymer said...

i appreciate your comments, but one of your comments rings very true - " I would rather the site remain dormant "

well, let me make you guys aware - i can pretty much guarantee that you will not be happy with the blog - because you rarely are - so i don't like to see other humans in pain and if this blog causes some of you such obvious frustration you should have your own blog

about the personal aspect - that is the pot calling on the kettle - some of you guys take everything personally including periods, commas, etc

and yes - some of you guys have run some really nice people away because they do not want to be in a daily snark fest

but i have to say - on some level you guys are entertaining and always predictable - you know what i think? I think the piece while not perfect was in fact well written on a level some of you did not understand - the literal level,the deeper level, and the blog level - so some of you - your way of hiding your lack of understanding was an ad hominen attack on the writing

if this blog frustrates you, i feel badly for you and i do think you should go somewhere else BUT--

In some way i do not understand yet the more comments you guys make ( snarky and/or helpful) - the more moeny i will make from the blog so - thank you!

Sprak said...

What a cool name, Burrito! Nice story although I'm not much of a cat fan. Still, I wouldn't stand by an watch any animal or person being mistreated.

Leigh Raymer said...

Thank you sprak - we need awesome members like you - please keep viewing and commenting !!!

Kate said...

You don't want the naysayers to leave because you "can't stand to see another human in pain". You personally can't handle criticism, or so it seems. You're going to need a much tougher skin if you want to have /run a website

If you hope to make a go of this, you'll have to figure it out. There will be criticism. Of course, some people may never be satisfied. But if the majority of your posters tell you the content needs work, you should reconsider the material.

Also, as a blogger, you really should learn why us being here makes you money. This may be a lame attempt at humour on your part, but you should know how you can make money.

Again, good luck. And hopefully you can figure this out

Leigh Raymer said...

hi Kate - you may be right, i have an irritating wry wit - fortunately only half the time

I did not buy the blog to make money - i am semi-retired and doing well so i do not need money - i believe in the blog.

when you say "criticism", you are not talking about constructive criticism which can and will improve anything - what you are talking about is literall pejorative written attacks for a purpose other than debate and learning

There is a very small group of people that LOATHE the name of the blog - " I saw your nanny " and this group of people has really been a re occurring problem for an extended perios of time - they purposely rant on posters and Ops - look at the above thread-- to this effect--

" Keep the writing simple for me i am not ready for Hemingway"

" My life has not been nice, my life has been harsh so i will take it out on the net"

" remember { the punctuation has to be my way } or i will write a long thing,,.."

" The content and value of the blog has been destroyed in one day" {{{ as opposed to the period the owner took a sabbatical because of the negative element}}}

" creating false suspense? " what is that anyway - an emotion the person did not like?

really guys? seriously?

I looked at the stats and the traffic is average and up - people are reading the blog

We know for a fact that many people have complained on a regular basis about the hostile and agressive element that literally attacks every op and positive poster, not to give constructive critcism, but for the purpose of scaring people from posting and commenting in a positive manner

So - i do not know what the answer is, but the negative nellies are not the answer for myself and people who feel the same way i do.

We are going to progress - there are many readers coming each day and if they like what they see they will comtimue and if they don't they won't - but at least someone has stepped into the fray so the blog will not be "dormant" - as is apparently wished by many who post the negative things

Finally - the blog is at it's best when the positive people give each other good advice in the nanny field - not tear each other down - i hope the blog can continue in that way

and yet again - if someone does not like the writing - send in a post, otherwise make any criticism constructive, not pejorative

Taleia said...

You can go back and read all my comments - they've always been positive, so I'm clearly not one of the "naysayers". And I mean this kindly: this is not the direction you want to go in, I promise. It's not useful. It's not, at least to the majority of us, interesting. It's not directly related to nannying (in fact I have to say I was kind of cringing when I read it... all I could think of was, what if that cat had had rabies? That's a HUGE problem where I live and why o would never let my changes interact with a strange cat, no matter how distressed.)

good luck with the launch. Not how I would choose to start a ee business, but I hope it works out for you, if only because I've enjoyed reading and hope it continues!

Leigh Raymer said...

pleae forgive the typos i am learning how to delete and change things

Leigh Raymer said...

Thank you Taleia, the manner in which you wrote that is very reasonable. I hope you will indulge me if i take some time to explain.

One issue the blog owner has haad is that there is not a whole lot of specific nanny material coming in - she posted everything that came in - so i don't think much has come in over the last few days, maybe that will change

I can tell you from experience that with MANY blogs - 3 of which i have seen and read - over a period of 10 years - the internet world has gotten bigger and the list of blogs and websites grow exponentially every day - so - the attention of the public has many more directions to go that many years ago.

So - the owner of the blog was dealing with less material and dealing with the negative element and she just got enough of it.

Another point Taleia - originally, the blog was not about nannying, it was about nanny sightings and the human condition as relates to saving and helping children. The creator of the blog was very generous to allow change to include the views and needs of nannies

So - where will the blog go? I guess we will see, it's not like in the past ,there are many more elements trying to get attention.

So - we will see - thank you for your comment !

Anonymous said...

J'N. Thank u for your thoughtful insights, No I would never let rude heartless inconsiderate people stop me from reading or posting. I am sure that this blog will do well, if the Negative Nellies would knock the chip of their shoulder and give this a half a chance.

Anonymous said...

It looks like the new owner of the blog just cannot deal with any criticism and reacts by either making excuses or complaining.
Just to clarify, I was the anon commenter that decided to give you some tips on creative writing. I specifically concentrated on the technical side of your writing because I feel you lack the 'skill' to write properly. It is not an inborn quality that some have, others don't. It is a skill that you polish over time. There are rules one has to learn and abide by. You have to write, write, write and accept editorial comments, proofreaders, and public reactions. This is how good writers become great.
I've been reading this blog for years, started while I was a nanny working on my undergraduate degree, and now that I'm a English teacher in a private school who employs a nanny herself. There are reasons I choose to comment on some posts and not others. There are reasons why I don't comment under my name, but still I always hope my comments are kind and bringing something valuable to the author. Kind doesn't mean nice. Sometimes nice is not what the author needs. And if it is, they should not publish. If the author wants nice, he/she should give it to their family and friends. It won't be helpful but perhaps what this writer needs is an ego-boost, not helpful criticism. As my experience dictates, searching for an ego-boost on the internet is foolish.
I'm not sure if I will continue reading this blog, and maybe you, as the owner of it, are happy about it. Alas what I'm trying to tell you is the same I try to tell my students: keep working. This is not as great as it should be. I know you can do better. Here are some things to help you make it better. Read, re-read, and re-re-read your work. Wait 3 days and read it again. Correct, correct, correct. Simplify. This can be better and you can do it.

Leigh Raymer said...

anon - you are right - writing is very important, it is a skill that needs honing. You may not believe me but i have been very careful in presenting new posts - most particularly - the quote within a quote punctuation, it's been a while so we will see.

It seems you got caught in a negative net - i apologize. But - i have seen people - not you - attack OPs on this site because they did not get grammar right as they were from somewhere different from here and were trying to communicate - everyone is welcome here in a reasonable way.

All of your other points are well taken and valuable - please keep in mind - you guys have had the same person for 10 years with the blog and she needs to move on for awhile - so it takes a village right? - thank you again

Leigh Raymer said...

i forgot - Jaxx !! don't go! we need you here opinions, facts, comments ! - give !!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

J'N
You bet, thanks

Anonymous said...

... This screams of "the site will be shut down because I, as the single owner of it, cannot write and can't take anyone disagreeing".

This is a blog. It's ALL about negative and positive comments.

Pretty much yeah, if it continues to be this bad.. See y'all later, I'll make my own nanny sighting blog,

Leigh Raymer said...

ha ha - latest anon ! The site will not shut down,Sorry ;(
Please make your own blog !!!! i will be the 1st poster! America ! not a bad place to post ! It's good to be free !