SUENOSDEUOMI'S RUMINATIONS AND PERSPECTIVE
Highs and Lows
For my friend of retirement age,
in danger of falling in love once more
and for all women determined to keep their hearts open.
Benefits
The benefits of having endured grooming for hours
are looking younger and cuter
therefore attracting attention.
Even old bitches (well, Isabella is not old yet, only 5)
I am thinking more of those like myself,
may be bestowed some love and affection.
Michael has reason to laugh. I learned in our fair city the government offers retirees that only claim a percentage of their dues life long support to their child. What a gamble! Worth knowing more about, especially in times where social services are threatened and we experience a serious recession, no matter what the media likes to tell us. Do such programs really benefit the taxpayers? Along with "double dipping" is it not time to truly stream line government in order to keep cuts in benefits to the truly poor to a minimum?
Spa Day
It seemed like a good idea to give my pups their shower and maybe a little trim. Well, it turned out to be a 3 hours affair. Once I started on Isabella, well there was no stopping and I 'schnibbled' away (with tiny nail scissors inherited from my Mom) in places I had never gotten to before, like below her ears, around her cheeks and her neck. Gosh, that girl got an enviable thick lion's mane that thankfully never tangles and keeps her happy in the coldest of weather. It occurred to me only after 2 hours of intense labor that I might have a more advantageous point of view with Isabella up on the table, here for the very first time ever, usually a serious no-no. The sun was out, the birds were chirping as if it was Spring already, but by the time I was done, had enough, even though there seemed no end in sight, the sky was overcast with rain likely. While Isabella was very well behaved and patient with my amateur efforts, and while she did not mind in the least hanging out up on the table, towering above the rest of us, she was pooped from the ordeal and so was I. No I did not fill the pail with her fur, but I got a lot off, even though more could (should?) be done. Some of her pretty curls got sacrificed, but she gained in her ability to see the world clearly. I like grooming others, pets or people. It is such an intimate exchange. I cradled my girl on my lap, just the way I used to do every night, before the other two furry ones joined our household and massaging three bellies became too daunting.
Muted
Up on the mountain, a layer of clouds allowed for muted, wintry tones only. Finding beauty in such seems like a great accomplishment, which makes me love this photo only more in its almost abstract quality, exactly how I have seen it.
Along Aspen Trail as the clouds started to disperse
and the colors started to emerge.
Finding color and texture in a wintry landscape
Ah, those Aspen trunks against striated rock.
Eric cuddles Ellie, the bitch that gave him 5 pups.
Rescued, she has come a long ways.
Eric takes my pups along with his on long,
12 mile runs which makes us all very happy.
Our Valentine
Our Pretty Kitty, Much-Macho Lover-Boy, Saemi, our Valentine, will celebrate his 3 Year Anniversary as he joined our pack on Valentine's Day of 2008.
I had seen a flier of a found black cat and had hoped it might be a neighbor's long lost very cute kitty. Well, he was not the one. To boot his rescuer was allergic to cats, while we had mice in our home and I had wondered about borrowing a cat. Naturally, I was all too eager to bring him home, although I had no idea how that would work with my pups. This cat has no real fear of dogs. He grew up with a Retriever and he clearly can hold his own with any dog. He chose to stay with us, that is with my two pups, even when his rightful custodian was ready to take him back, 10 months later. Yes, the shelter connected me with a woman that had moved up to Denver and had left him with a friend of hers in my neighborhood. He was unhappy and on the prowl, seemingly looking for another home. When she came to visit, he took off in to hiding! The first few months he would not leave our home. Every time I opened the door his body would state: 'No, I am not leaving.' Within days of his arrival the mice were gone and thankfully he never offered a mouse, alive or dead, at my feet or on top of my bed! This feat alone deserves my unwavering care and affection for the remainder of his natural life. I confess, I am terrified of mice. I had been banging pots and pans throughout the nights to discourage their appearance. Of course I had set up live traps, but only one tiny baby mouse was dumb enough to get caught. I had told my neighbor for a while that I seen mice coming and going from his side of the yard. He denied it all out flat, but his renters confirmed what I always had suspected; a huge, gross mouse nest, close to my entry, but in their yard. One might think dogs would discourage such creatures, but truth be told, my Isabella-girl showed no interest in mice, much less hunting any. On the other hand Sumo did go sniff all along the baseboards and corners responding to my suggestion to go find mice. He looked at me and off he did go hunting. How he knew what I meant from the first moment on is one of the many mysteries I can not explain.
My bosom buddy literally rested on me, while I experimented with close-ups from my new camera. I feel fortunate when I cuddle with my two guys Saemi and Sumo first thing in the morning, each nestled under an arm of mine, as I did early today, while Isabella was still groggy with sleep. I hope you all have a warm body, if you are fortunate maybe two or more, to cuddle up with on this Valentine's Day.
First Snow
Can puppies drown in snow?
They can plow through amazing deep white fluff.
Isabella-girl loves snow, can barely get enough.
Egypt Liberated!
Mubarak hightailed out of Cairo!
The regime of 30 years is no more!
Forced out by the people.
The army is in charge.
(Never imagined I would cheer for an army taking over.)
History is in the making.
2.11.11
Burden Bearing Buddha
- Still Smiles!
Do you believe god gives us only as much to bear as we can handle?
Cats Versus Dogs
Our amusing annual fund raising program on public radio made hilarious assertions in regard to the real and imagined virtues of cats and dogs. Here is my recount of some, in part shamelessly plagiarized points, as well as some reflections of my own:
My cat, sought out the proper towel after first heading to the bathroom in order to throw up, only after first having given me a proper warning. Now no dog can top that and this is real and happened only this morning and two times in the middle of the night prior to this week. While my Isabella-girl, bless her heart and stomach, has not thrown up in a good long while, but used to do so frequently and sometimes would barely bother to move off her bed in the middle of the night, but simply would go back to sleep, yuck.
My cat needs not to learn 1200 words or more, he knows intuitively exactly what I am wanting to communicate. The first day in my home, he was about to nibble on some plants, I told him no with a disapproving sound from across the room, he checked in with me, looked, and never did nibble on that plant ever again. He did sample some grasses on occasion though, but none of my flowering plants. My dogs on the other hand ate a whole freshly planted whiskey barrel full of pretty colored purple and pink flowers worth thirty bucks in the time it took for me to go out for a cup of coffee, having celebrated what I thought was a job well done. Oh, was I furious and did I chastise them and never ever again have I given them another opportunity to attempt another coup like that I suspect Sumo was the instigator in this case. Not one flower was left. Neither did I see any color come out of their behinds? They must not have been toxic as both pups survived, even thrived.
Isabella and Sumo encounter a cat inside their home for their first time.
When I took my new kitty to the vet for the first time, only just rescued, he complained non-stop about having to ride in the van inside a crate. Oh was he unhappy. But, having watched us, me and my pups come home in that same van, over and over, the moment I invited him in to check out our mobile home, he did so with no hesitation. He needed no commands, no learning of any kind. He knew he was invited, and I could tell he was curious. So in he jumped, checked it out and that was that. He now does so only when invited with the slightest nod of my head and only when he feels like it. That is a kind of communication that goes way beyond training.
The capacity for training dogs so they can serve us people was used as an argument for, and I think successfully against dogs. I can relate to cats autonomous state of being that needs no approval, that needs not be of service to others, and does not desire to be useful in any particular way. With such comes a spiritual depth that can arise only from the freedom to be. This allows cats to show their true love and their true selves, on their own terms.
Surely cats would be Independents if they belonged to any political party. And dogs, might they belong to the Socialist party? They do share among themselves, at least mine do. Sumo ate from Isabella's bowl this morning having rejected his own and does not mind at all digging in to the cat's bowl either.
I did hear of one cat, and I bet there are more like it, that kept vigil on the bed of any dying nursing home patient. The service is of the cat's choosing and must be of great comfort to the patient I imagine. Cats are frequently found living at nursing homes, while dogs are only allowed in for short visits.
Assistance dogs are a wonder to behold. We hear how they help kids learn to read. We can see how they guide the blind. How they accomplish amazing feats like pawing 911 in an emergency. They can open dryers and pull out clothes and bring them to the human and in turn pull socks off human legs. They can alert us to seizures, cancer, and toxic chemicals or bombs. Yes, dogs can be very useful. But always I am reminded of the Taoists warning us to avoid becoming too useful as surely being abused is only the next step. Straight tall trees will be felled while those that bend have a much better chance of survival and who can compete with a cat's flexibility? They can bend alright, that is why we have the cat bow in yoga.
While dogs will eat just about everything, cats exercise some discernment. Yes, they are outright finicky. Their super sensitive olfactory sense is to blame, they can tell when something has gone rancid. I sure wish my pups had that kind of a discriminatory good sense. Instead my Sumo-boy ended up at the vet, sick to death from taking a chance on a discarded piece of baloney in a sandwich snatched off the street. So praise those cats and their finicky appetites, vets are way too expensive.
Considering sense, I just learned that cats have no sense of sweetness! How wonderful is that. They must not be in danger of developing a sugar addiction, although did I not hear of cats suffering from Diabetes? Meanwhile my Isabella-girl did not hesitate to grab my chocolate bar out from my grocery bag to swallow whole and to never show any sign of remorse, yet was never off the worse for it either. I made a point though to never again leave my grocery bags unattended with any of my dogs. But read those darn labels off those commercial pet treats where sugar and salt is a common additive, why oh why? Well, we know why of course, always those idiocies serve the purpose of making money for a few with no regard to common sense, or the health and well being of others.
While cats and dogs give off delicious heat and serve as great bed warmers, my cat most definitely gives off more warmth, even though he is the smallest of the three, weighing a consistent 11 pounds only.
Cats are clean, they lick themselves. Mine after my repeated complaints about him coming home dirty from rolling in sand, has recently started to lick himself outside on the doormat, even refused to come in until he was done, I swear, I am telling the truth. My Sumo-boy licks himself too, but he may have picked up the habit from his prior household he shared with an elderly cat. He does a good job at it, which I can not say of Isabella-girl, but no need to get in to her delight in rolling in shit, is there? Twice she found cow dung out in the woods with no running water in sight. And how proud she was of herself. Who says we humans have evolved with dogs? There are some major differences, certainly in what we find pleasurable, much less acceptable. Rolling in, and eating shit are not acceptable to me although I recognize they are perfectly fine to my bitch. And life can surely feel like a bitch dealing with the after effects.
One major drawback for me living with dogs downtown is that they need to be walked - on lead. not occasionally, but supposedly regularly. Having to go out when I have no desire to do so is one royal pain in the ass (yes, that is what it is and since this is my blog I can name the thing for what it is.) Having to go out in the cold adds another level of misery. But then having to hold on to that darn lead can kill, literally, I am afraid it might kill me.
And it takes not much weight and strength to get me to fall flat on my back as I did recently with Sumo as he raced across the slippery train tracks. Or with Isabella, when my nose fell hard on asphalt as she dodged under, while I attempted to step over a rope. On that later one there was pain, bright red blood was streaming down my face and along my white hair. I was afraid my nose was broken and my face permanently disfigured. I got lucky, I was alright with the help of my favorite bodyworker who practiced Craniopathy for 2 1/2 hours on my battered self. He held my ears alone for at least 25 minutes straight with reverberations felt from the tip of my head down in to my toes.
And it takes not much weight and strength to get me to fall flat on my back as I did recently with Sumo as he raced across the slippery train tracks. Or with Isabella, when my nose fell hard on asphalt as she dodged under, while I attempted to step over a rope. On that later one there was pain, bright red blood was streaming down my face and along my white hair. I was afraid my nose was broken and my face permanently disfigured. I got lucky, I was alright with the help of my favorite bodyworker who practiced Craniopathy for 2 1/2 hours on my battered self. He held my ears alone for at least 25 minutes straight with reverberations felt from the tip of my head down in to my toes.
But back to dogs and the sensible need for leashes in urban 'hoods. Both of my terriers are now 5 years old and still I struggle with them not pulling and dragging me every which way. And yes, I studied the Dog Whisperer and they can walk on proper heel, but ... they are Terriers and I am my variable me. I am so relieved my cat does not require my walking her. Not that I did not try. In the beginning I put Sumo's harness on him and it was funny to see him crawl along the ground in utter befuddlement.
The Pretty Kitty in Sumo's harness in his first days with us.
Soon enough though I learned that he had chosen us, or rather my pups for his home and while he would wander out and would stake his territory he would always come back, so there really was no need for a lead. In fact he will accompany us for a few blocks and tease the pups to follow him up a tree so as to demonstrate his freedom and therefor superiority.Back again to having to walk dogs as it is really a major issue for me. Big enough of a sore spot that I found an athlete that takes my pups out for not hikes, but runs, 12 miles, up in the mountains, these days in snow. Yet, they come home, rest for a bit and an hour later - their eyes are glued to me: Are we going out, now? No, I want to scream. I just payed an equivalent of sixty bucks for someone else to take you all out for a whole half a day. No! But after two, three hours of being stared at and made faces of discontent to, who can take it? Begrudgingly I do take them out again.
There are those that claim those walks serve them as moments of reflections. Not me. Not one single useful thought ever. Impossible to think with one or two pups on lead, certainly for me. Even off-lead at the dog park, no useful thoughts or depth of contemplation for me. The best I can do is take occasional snapshots with my camera and they have learned to sit still until I am ready to move on.
One more last point is in regard to vocalization. My cat does a most astonishing kind of yodel - before he pukes. The range his vocal cords manage to produce are truly amazing, but hard to describe. But there are also those sounds of demanding, displeasure, pleasure, pleading and maybe distress. As of late he vocalizes when trying to do his business, yes in to his box. While my terriers are not hounds, they do not howl and give relative few vocal cues. Sumo is the one whose job it is to announce any irregularities happening outside our home, any comings and goings. Sure there are different levels of excitement, but the barks stay more or less the same and they do grate on my fragile nerves. Yes, there are dogs that can learn to sing, howl on cue and dance. Those poor slobs will demean themselves in any which way to please those two-legged ones.
One more last point is in regard to vocalization. My cat does a most astonishing kind of yodel - before he pukes. The range his vocal cords manage to produce are truly amazing, but hard to describe. But there are also those sounds of demanding, displeasure, pleasure, pleading and maybe distress. As of late he vocalizes when trying to do his business, yes in to his box. While my terriers are not hounds, they do not howl and give relative few vocal cues. Sumo is the one whose job it is to announce any irregularities happening outside our home, any comings and goings. Sure there are different levels of excitement, but the barks stay more or less the same and they do grate on my fragile nerves. Yes, there are dogs that can learn to sing, howl on cue and dance. Those poor slobs will demean themselves in any which way to please those two-legged ones.
This is it for now, maybe more will come to mind in bits and pieces. Thanks for reading and please add your own two cents or more to this ages old silly question on the difference of cats and dogs. I sure have come to love them all.
Winterscape
Temperatures dipped to the lowest in 40 years, minus 16 degrees, but I managed very nicely without heat. I might mention that the day before my space was warmed for my massage clients. Still it tickled my fancy to make do without. The inside of my glass sliding doors showed some white frost in the morning, but the rather flimsy curtains kept the cold in check.
In fact the cold served me well while defrosting the fridge and leaving the contents of my icebox out for the night. It worked perfectly.
Next day though, still in the thick of a cold spell, we got a request from our utility company to lower our thermostats voluntarily as there were rolling black outs due to some power failure in neighboring Texas. As if we needed more reasons to despise Texans (Death Penalty and the Bushes, do I need to mention more?) or corporate utility companies. Well service got caught of anyhow, with no advance warning. I assume, I am not sure, lots of folks still use wood burning stoves, I hope.
In fact the cold served me well while defrosting the fridge and leaving the contents of my icebox out for the night. It worked perfectly.
Next day though, still in the thick of a cold spell, we got a request from our utility company to lower our thermostats voluntarily as there were rolling black outs due to some power failure in neighboring Texas. As if we needed more reasons to despise Texans (Death Penalty and the Bushes, do I need to mention more?) or corporate utility companies. Well service got caught of anyhow, with no advance warning. I assume, I am not sure, lots of folks still use wood burning stoves, I hope.
An animal shelter without heat and water is though no laughing matter. Blessed be all those that rose to the occasion and took home with them some of the 140 animals in need or brought them electric heaters for temporary use. The farmers that did depend on gas to heat their greenhouses never got a warning, so their crops have died, how awful is that. It will take at least 2 months for another crop to mature. Imagine their livelihood gone, just like that, and our food prices up, also just like that!
I hope the Gas Company gets sued, even if it will raise our fees further. Well, as I have said before, my gas heater has been off for decades, I get by mainly with passive solar heat. On an occasional second cloudy day I may employ electric heat. Of course my clients deserve to stay warm, so during their visits I will use heaters. But my bill was only $25 more then regular for last month and still under $60. How is it that China and Germany get most of their energy from solar sources and we in the Land of Enchantment with 300 sunny days a year can not manage to do so?
I hope the Gas Company gets sued, even if it will raise our fees further. Well, as I have said before, my gas heater has been off for decades, I get by mainly with passive solar heat. On an occasional second cloudy day I may employ electric heat. Of course my clients deserve to stay warm, so during their visits I will use heaters. But my bill was only $25 more then regular for last month and still under $60. How is it that China and Germany get most of their energy from solar sources and we in the Land of Enchantment with 300 sunny days a year can not manage to do so?
Aquarian Prayer
Barely recovering my breath from the Tucson affairs (taking satisfaction in learning of Rep. Cathy Gifford's healing progress, where now her husband is expected to lead his last expedition out in to space) all hell broke lose in Cairo.
Egyptians had enough and who can blame them making a mere $2/day on the average. Change is inevitable. The peaceful power of the people inspires awe, while the destructive, malicious power of the ruling class, or despot will reveal only in time the full force of it's devastation. Mubarak will have to go. 30 years got to be enough.
Let us hope for a domino effect. Let us see those other US propped up dictatorships lose their hold on power and lose their US support. Let us witness the people elect the leaders of their choice and let us not expect immediately the worst. Let the internet serve us, the people, for the good of all rather then a few. Let the people express their autonomous will. Let there be true democracy. Let the net do it's part to inform the people so they can chose wisely, with knowledge, rather then sentimental longings. Let the internet affect us profoundly, jilt us out of our slumbering ways where we waste our time in pursuit of mere entertainment or absolution from our reality. Let the wires connect us like the nerves connect us inside our bodies, towards a deeper sense of our humanity. I am in awe of the potential that computers now make available to us. Let us not squander such.
Egyptians had enough and who can blame them making a mere $2/day on the average. Change is inevitable. The peaceful power of the people inspires awe, while the destructive, malicious power of the ruling class, or despot will reveal only in time the full force of it's devastation. Mubarak will have to go. 30 years got to be enough.
Let us hope for a domino effect. Let us see those other US propped up dictatorships lose their hold on power and lose their US support. Let us witness the people elect the leaders of their choice and let us not expect immediately the worst. Let the internet serve us, the people, for the good of all rather then a few. Let the people express their autonomous will. Let there be true democracy. Let the net do it's part to inform the people so they can chose wisely, with knowledge, rather then sentimental longings. Let the internet affect us profoundly, jilt us out of our slumbering ways where we waste our time in pursuit of mere entertainment or absolution from our reality. Let the wires connect us like the nerves connect us inside our bodies, towards a deeper sense of our humanity. I am in awe of the potential that computers now make available to us. Let us not squander such.
Love & Laughter
In love I laugh in delight,
in like I laugh despite.
Not all laughs are equal.
Choose delight - despite.
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