The dog park. That is where I first met her. Well, sort of. She was in the dog park, a fenced in area filled with mulch, with her dog. It was three years ago, maybe a little longer. Three years, how time flies. Sometimes it seems like yesterday and other times it seems like decades.
We had not been here, in this new place, for very long. Runtly, the ever so entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, and I were just beginning to learn the rules of life in the complex. Although he was trained with a shock collar to stay close, in this place he was supposed to be on a leash, at all times, when outdoors. I rarely took him into the dog park because he would get bored easily and when that happened he would hop onto the people bench and jump over the fence.
The day I met her, I'll call her Nellie, although that is not the name that came to mind when we first met, Runtly was not on a leash. He did have his training collar on and when he saw Nellie's dog in the dog park, he headed that way.
It was nearly like a scene out of the movie "Seven" with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. The movie is a crime/thriller and near the end, Brad can be heard screaming, "What's in the box?" over and over. Each time he says it, his voice gets higher and shriller.
"Get your dog on a leash!" were the first words I heard. Then it came again, but louder. As I tried to tell her I was not bringing him into the dog park, "Get your dog on a leash!" had climbed another octave. It was then that I dubbed her Crazy Old Bat.
I am like a moth to a flame with people like that. I need to know what makes them act the way they do. What was is that made them in such a bad mood that day? Or maybe they are like that all the time. The latter seemed to be the norm with Nellie, she wasn't just a crazy old bat, she was a grouchy old bat too.
A few months passed without incident, but we had not encountered Nellie either. When Runtly and I began to walk the outer edges of this place, we discovered where Nellie lived. At first, when she would see us approaching, she would scramble to get herself and the dog back inside. But one day, she didn't see us and by the time she did, it was too late. "Good morning!", I chimed and we kept right on walking. She may have grunted in return, but I would not put money on that.
Each time we would get close enough to Nellie and her dog, I would always speak. After a really long time, she would actually return the same greeting.
Three years have passed, Nellie and her dog are in the dog park. Runtly, on a leash, and I are walking in that direction. "Hi there!"
were the first words I heard. Yes, Nellie spoke first! Not wanting to wear out my welcome too soon, I answered and we kept on walking. She gave me a parting shot...."It's a beautiful day!" As we turned to go down the path that runs between the tall trees, I thought to myself, yes Nellie, it certainly is.
The mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find that person whom you dislike the very most and give them a kind word. Relax, nowhere in the rules does it say that later on you will have to help pick out their curtains. But, a little kindness goes a long way and it works in each direction. Plant the seed and be patient. Sometimes it takes them a really long time to sprout.
Monday, March 25, 2019
Monday, March 18, 2019
From The Desk of the Dog
Hello! It's me, Runtly, the ever so entertaining Jack Russell Terrier, JRT, for short. I'm looking around at Mom's desk and it's a mess! There are papers of all shapes and sizes everywhere! Boy oh boy, I could clean this up in a heartbeat, but Mom said no, I could only tell a story. If it was up to me, all these papers would be under Mom and Dad's bed. That is where all things paper and plastic go to die.
It is spring time here in the southeast. That means the geese are coming in like crazy. They are so noisy. I have a leash that Mom walks me on. It is really long, Mom says 16 feet but I don't know what that means. I have four feet and that is plenty for me. Anyway, when me and Mom go for a walk, I always walk way out ahead of her, at the very end of the leash. That's cause' I be the boss. But, when I see those dumb geese way up ahead of me, in my path, I start slowin' down. I do this because when I finally get to the geese, I'm gonna have all that leash saved up for the plunder. Sadly, Mom has figured out that I do this and has put the brakes on me a few times. Even though it up ends me, it's still worth it.
There are lots of kennels in this place. Our kennel is at the end of one of the kennel buildings, on the top. My friend, Squirrel, lives in the trees right next to us. Squirrel likes to get on our deck because Mom has a bird feeder and Squirrel eats the seeds that fall from it. He used to get on the feeder....THAT really made me crazy, but Mom fixed it, so he can't do that anymore. Sometimes when me and Mom come back from our walk and the coast is clear, Mom will turn me loose at the top of the sidewalk that leads to our kennel. This is the time I get to do what JRT's do best....RUN...flat out, peddle to the meddle, hammer down, ears pinned back, faster than a speeding bullet run. I get off that sidewalk and into the pine needles and make them fly! I run as fast as I can until I get to the end of our kennel building and then I stop on a dime, or maybe it was a nickle.....anyway, I stop and look up at our deck to see if Squirrel is there. And lots of times he is there!
You know what Squirrel does? He jumps! He jumps off our deck to the ground! One time he landed right on top of me! I really did not know what hit me! But, I be wise to Squirrel now and I watch for him to make his move. Sometimes he jumps into the the trees and that makes a fast end to the game. But, the other day, he jumped and landed right beside me. It was on like Donkey Kong!
First, me and Squirrel ran one way! Then we ran the other way and all this time we be running right side by side! Then I found out Squirrel can stop on a quarter too. He stopped and I kept goin' for just a second, but it was long enough for Squirrel to zig instead of zag and he made a break for the trees. I woofed him good, just to let him know I meant for that to happen. Until next time Squirrel!
Well, I be tired, had to take the big walk today and it's time for me to go shred the bed. You know, dig to China, where ever that is, and walk in endless circles until I find that 'just right' spot to lay in.
Till' next time, Woof!
It is spring time here in the southeast. That means the geese are coming in like crazy. They are so noisy. I have a leash that Mom walks me on. It is really long, Mom says 16 feet but I don't know what that means. I have four feet and that is plenty for me. Anyway, when me and Mom go for a walk, I always walk way out ahead of her, at the very end of the leash. That's cause' I be the boss. But, when I see those dumb geese way up ahead of me, in my path, I start slowin' down. I do this because when I finally get to the geese, I'm gonna have all that leash saved up for the plunder. Sadly, Mom has figured out that I do this and has put the brakes on me a few times. Even though it up ends me, it's still worth it.
There are lots of kennels in this place. Our kennel is at the end of one of the kennel buildings, on the top. My friend, Squirrel, lives in the trees right next to us. Squirrel likes to get on our deck because Mom has a bird feeder and Squirrel eats the seeds that fall from it. He used to get on the feeder....THAT really made me crazy, but Mom fixed it, so he can't do that anymore. Sometimes when me and Mom come back from our walk and the coast is clear, Mom will turn me loose at the top of the sidewalk that leads to our kennel. This is the time I get to do what JRT's do best....RUN...flat out, peddle to the meddle, hammer down, ears pinned back, faster than a speeding bullet run. I get off that sidewalk and into the pine needles and make them fly! I run as fast as I can until I get to the end of our kennel building and then I stop on a dime, or maybe it was a nickle.....anyway, I stop and look up at our deck to see if Squirrel is there. And lots of times he is there!
You know what Squirrel does? He jumps! He jumps off our deck to the ground! One time he landed right on top of me! I really did not know what hit me! But, I be wise to Squirrel now and I watch for him to make his move. Sometimes he jumps into the the trees and that makes a fast end to the game. But, the other day, he jumped and landed right beside me. It was on like Donkey Kong!
First, me and Squirrel ran one way! Then we ran the other way and all this time we be running right side by side! Then I found out Squirrel can stop on a quarter too. He stopped and I kept goin' for just a second, but it was long enough for Squirrel to zig instead of zag and he made a break for the trees. I woofed him good, just to let him know I meant for that to happen. Until next time Squirrel!
Well, I be tired, had to take the big walk today and it's time for me to go shred the bed. You know, dig to China, where ever that is, and walk in endless circles until I find that 'just right' spot to lay in.
Till' next time, Woof!
Monday, March 11, 2019
But, What If?
I believe we live in the greatest country in the world. Yes, there are things that need to be updated and made better, but on a whole, the USA can't be beat. As a member of the House of Womanhood, being here in this country offers us more freedoms than anywhere else.
This isn't supposed to be political, but I'm sure some will see it that way and that is surely their right. We all interpret things in a different way. After the last presidential election, the House of Womanhood lost their freaking minds. They threw their genitalia on top of their heads, grabbed their small daughters and took to the streets. There, they screamed and chanted, followed a few has been entertainers around, bared their chests and cried about injustice to their kind. While doing this, they expected the rest of us to take them seriously. As far as I am concerned, that one single incident did more to set women back from all their accomplishments to date. They shouted about inequality and wanted men to take them seriously......Seriously? It reminds me of the time Mother got caught in the middle of a gay parade in New York City. All of a sudden, the car she was riding in was surrounded by giant sex organs marching and chanting in the street. Seriously, she never quit giggling about that while she was still alive. Delivery of ones' heartfelt message is so important.
Women are afforded the same rights in this country as men. Yes, yes they are. Every woman has the right to choose what she wants to be or do. She has the right to stand up to workplace inequality, if she is suffering that, and make a difference or simply move on to something better. The one important thing to remember is the fact that although we all have equal opportunities, as female and males, we are different in design and we are different in thought process. No doubt, for many centuries, it has been a man's world and in order to gain a level playing field in that world, we as women have had to adjust our thinking skills. We tend to think more emotionally and lots of men can not wrap their minds around that idea. When they witness a whole lot of emotional unfounded drama, their minds will, in many instances, shut down to taking anything the female population says as serious, or even useful.
Indeed, there are many women in our government today. When they all wore white for a showing of solidarity, or whatever, once again, in my opinion, that was an emotional choice that, once again, put a barrier between the male and female species. If you want equality and to be taken seriously, be your own individual self because you have had to work harder than most to get into that position in the first place. It's not about being better, or above men, it's about being able to meet them at the same level. It is supposed to be a team effort.
Women could be considered superior in design, after all, we are the carriers of the human race, which bounces on to another topic. Abortion. The battle cry of "her body, her choice" has been blasted loud and far for so long that now, law makers stand and applaud infanticide. This is a topic that could and will be debated, unfortunately, forever. But, what if there is an inconvenient truth about the women's body, women's choice slogan that no one wants to talk about? What if the fact that the small body growing on the inside, is not her body. Think about this, our children really are not ours. Their body is a separate being, just as we are. If the body is a house for the soul, are there any consequences for not allowing a soul to enter this plane of existence.....to live and grow.....to march in the streets....to make the planet a better place?
This isn't supposed to be political, but I'm sure some will see it that way and that is surely their right. We all interpret things in a different way. After the last presidential election, the House of Womanhood lost their freaking minds. They threw their genitalia on top of their heads, grabbed their small daughters and took to the streets. There, they screamed and chanted, followed a few has been entertainers around, bared their chests and cried about injustice to their kind. While doing this, they expected the rest of us to take them seriously. As far as I am concerned, that one single incident did more to set women back from all their accomplishments to date. They shouted about inequality and wanted men to take them seriously......Seriously? It reminds me of the time Mother got caught in the middle of a gay parade in New York City. All of a sudden, the car she was riding in was surrounded by giant sex organs marching and chanting in the street. Seriously, she never quit giggling about that while she was still alive. Delivery of ones' heartfelt message is so important.
Women are afforded the same rights in this country as men. Yes, yes they are. Every woman has the right to choose what she wants to be or do. She has the right to stand up to workplace inequality, if she is suffering that, and make a difference or simply move on to something better. The one important thing to remember is the fact that although we all have equal opportunities, as female and males, we are different in design and we are different in thought process. No doubt, for many centuries, it has been a man's world and in order to gain a level playing field in that world, we as women have had to adjust our thinking skills. We tend to think more emotionally and lots of men can not wrap their minds around that idea. When they witness a whole lot of emotional unfounded drama, their minds will, in many instances, shut down to taking anything the female population says as serious, or even useful.
Indeed, there are many women in our government today. When they all wore white for a showing of solidarity, or whatever, once again, in my opinion, that was an emotional choice that, once again, put a barrier between the male and female species. If you want equality and to be taken seriously, be your own individual self because you have had to work harder than most to get into that position in the first place. It's not about being better, or above men, it's about being able to meet them at the same level. It is supposed to be a team effort.
Women could be considered superior in design, after all, we are the carriers of the human race, which bounces on to another topic. Abortion. The battle cry of "her body, her choice" has been blasted loud and far for so long that now, law makers stand and applaud infanticide. This is a topic that could and will be debated, unfortunately, forever. But, what if there is an inconvenient truth about the women's body, women's choice slogan that no one wants to talk about? What if the fact that the small body growing on the inside, is not her body. Think about this, our children really are not ours. Their body is a separate being, just as we are. If the body is a house for the soul, are there any consequences for not allowing a soul to enter this plane of existence.....to live and grow.....to march in the streets....to make the planet a better place?
Monday, March 4, 2019
Proof
Hard Head, the cardinal my husband has affectionately named after a close friend, began the song of his people. I raised up to look at the clock on the far side of the bed....5:39A.M. I could have looked at the clock on my side. The one I purchased a few weeks back. It was just what I was looking for....small, battery operated and no lit background until the button on top is pushed. When the button is pushed, the light only stays on for a few seconds. This was to be my solution, for having to raise myself up to peer over my sleeping like a rock husband, to see the time. When the background light is activated on the small, battery operated clock, it looks like the headlight on a Norfolk & Western barreling down the track just south of Bird City in the beautiful Land of Pike.
Lowering back to my pillow, I wondered if the cardinal was up for the day. He decided to give all his feathered neighbors a few more minutes and did not resume until closer to 6.
Most of the female population, over the age of 40, can relate to sleepless nights. My aunt used to get up and knit, needlepoint or crochet when she would awake at the magical hour of anything past midnight. Those things cross my mind, other than none of the above activities interest me and then my thought process goes something like....if you get up, the dog will get up....then you will have to get dressed to take the dog out.....when you bring the dog back in, he will run like a mad hatter and jump back in the bed, waking the still sleeping like a rock better half.....so, I stay in bed.
I think about how quickly life has unfolded in front of me, like a long highway, leading up and over a distant hill. I think about all the side roads I took off the beaten path and wonder if I truly learned anything from those experiences. Sometimes I wonder 'what if', but I have learned there is no going back, only forward.
Thoughts of family and friends, past and present, run through my grey matter. Although there are times that young people suffer from the loss of someone their age, thankfully, in most cases, it is rare. At the age I have reached now, it is nearly common place. Our once famous Friday Night Supper Club has lost three of its members in the last two years. Thoughts of them pass behind my eyelids and a smile comes to my face as I relive some of our fun and crazy memories.
I'm a firm believer in the thought that our human bodies are merely a mode of transportation while we live here on planet Earth. They are amazing bundles of flesh, bone and lots of interesting organs that all sync to the beat of a muscular pump we call the heart. Jesus called them temples and if we thought about that for awhile, most would treat theirs better.
Hard Head has begun his morning song again and the neighboring chorus has joined in. It is time to rise and shine. My thoughts tell me I really do not feel much different than I did when I was a teenager. Many people say the same thing. I view things differently than I did as a teen, but I still feel like myself. The same self I have known ever since I arrived in this life. This gives me proof. Proof of the soul, the spark that makes the temple lights come on, the ignition switch. It is even more evident when I walk into the bathroom and turn towards the mirror. Sometimes I forget that I have let my hair go grey. This often happens when I'm out and about, feeling frisky and walk up to my car and catch the reflection in the glass. The temple is not the same, it is showing signs of wear and tear as it marches on towards the inevitable. It is then I am most thankful for the proof, the spark.
Lowering back to my pillow, I wondered if the cardinal was up for the day. He decided to give all his feathered neighbors a few more minutes and did not resume until closer to 6.
Most of the female population, over the age of 40, can relate to sleepless nights. My aunt used to get up and knit, needlepoint or crochet when she would awake at the magical hour of anything past midnight. Those things cross my mind, other than none of the above activities interest me and then my thought process goes something like....if you get up, the dog will get up....then you will have to get dressed to take the dog out.....when you bring the dog back in, he will run like a mad hatter and jump back in the bed, waking the still sleeping like a rock better half.....so, I stay in bed.
I think about how quickly life has unfolded in front of me, like a long highway, leading up and over a distant hill. I think about all the side roads I took off the beaten path and wonder if I truly learned anything from those experiences. Sometimes I wonder 'what if', but I have learned there is no going back, only forward.
Thoughts of family and friends, past and present, run through my grey matter. Although there are times that young people suffer from the loss of someone their age, thankfully, in most cases, it is rare. At the age I have reached now, it is nearly common place. Our once famous Friday Night Supper Club has lost three of its members in the last two years. Thoughts of them pass behind my eyelids and a smile comes to my face as I relive some of our fun and crazy memories.
I'm a firm believer in the thought that our human bodies are merely a mode of transportation while we live here on planet Earth. They are amazing bundles of flesh, bone and lots of interesting organs that all sync to the beat of a muscular pump we call the heart. Jesus called them temples and if we thought about that for awhile, most would treat theirs better.
Hard Head has begun his morning song again and the neighboring chorus has joined in. It is time to rise and shine. My thoughts tell me I really do not feel much different than I did when I was a teenager. Many people say the same thing. I view things differently than I did as a teen, but I still feel like myself. The same self I have known ever since I arrived in this life. This gives me proof. Proof of the soul, the spark that makes the temple lights come on, the ignition switch. It is even more evident when I walk into the bathroom and turn towards the mirror. Sometimes I forget that I have let my hair go grey. This often happens when I'm out and about, feeling frisky and walk up to my car and catch the reflection in the glass. The temple is not the same, it is showing signs of wear and tear as it marches on towards the inevitable. It is then I am most thankful for the proof, the spark.
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