One of Life's Greatest Gifts

Everyone thinks they have the best dog. And none of them are wrong.  

Think about that. Don't you think your dog is the absolute best one? 

I found the quote above on Facebook. It wasn't attributed to anyone, so I don't know whom to credit.

The same day, I read a tribute by a man whose boxer was about to be put to sleep due to the ravages of old age. The sentiments below are inspired by what he wrote.

Dogs are one of life's greatest gifts. They don't judge us. They are always happy to see us, no matter how long we have been gone. Returning after a 20-minute absence gets the same welcome home as returning home after a week's absence. Their love is unconditional. It doesn't matter whether the dog is big or small, young or old, expensive purebred or a rescue dog.



Dogs listen without judging or interrupting. They don't check their watch and secretly hope we are about finished complaining or being sad. A dog's love is pure, with no expectation of anything in return

Dogs seem to have an innate ability to know when something is wrong. My second golden retriever, Toby, was particularly skilled at this. If I was crying or sad, he would  put his head on my lap. I'm not sure my current dogs would do anything, but like people, certain dogs are more empathic than others.

Dog lives are so much shorter than human, which is one of life's greatest tragedies.These kind-hearted, forgiving animals deserve a much longer time on earth. How painful it is to have to say goodbye to a beloved canine companion after just a few short years. Sadly, some dogs don't even get to live a normal lifespan due to cancer and other terminal illnesses. Regardless of how much time we spend with our dogs, it never is enough.

Dogs are wonderful teachers, They can remind us to play, to enjoy the simple things such as taking a nap in the sun or going for a walk. They make us laugh, something too many of us do too little of. My dogs get so excited about riding in the car. The words "Who wants to go outside?" get the same enthusiastic dash for the back door regardless of how many times they go out. Every time I go to check the mail or put something in the recycle bin, my dogs rush to the front door when I ask "Who's helping?" Dogs teach us to live in the moment, not to worry, to live life with no regrets, to not hold a grudge. 

Dogs, despite their inability to speak, do a fabulous job of communicating with us through their eyes, their various noises, their behaviors and their body language. If the water bowl runs dry, Bailey will find me and stare at me until I fill up the bowl. I always know exactly what she is telling me.


The worst part of sharing life with a dog is having to say that final good-bye. We all know that day is coming, hopefully later than sooner. In the meantime, it's time to cherish our furry companions, enjoy their company, and get out there and make a lifetime of memories with them.

Can I Please Stay in Bed?

Some days, I wish I could just stay in bed.

Now that sunrise is a bit later, I don't wake up quite so early. I can tell it's getting light outside, but I really don't want to get up and face the day. There is no way to gently ease into the day. As soon as I throw the covers back, all three dogs are up, twirling and demanding breakfast. 

Once up, I get up to speed on the latest news, which is always depressing. The Chinese are hell-bent on driving elephants, both African and Asian, to extinction so they can obtain their precious ivory trinkets. As if it isn't enough that their desire for ivory trinkets is decimating elephant populations, now they are slaughtering Asian elephants for their skin. And don't forget the demand for pangolin scales, lion bones and rhino horns to supply other magic potions.

The United States under the current corrupt and evil administration continues to cement its position as the laughingstock of the world as it withdraws from the Paris Climate Accord signed by 194 other nations. It withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement. The president threatens to shut down the entire federal government if he doesn't get funding to build an unnecessary wall along the border with Mexico. He suggests that he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for obtaining the release from North Korea of three Korean-American men. And then he brags about his ratings in the news media. Barely one year into his first term, he repeatedly holds campaign rallies for his supposed reelection in 2020. What a leader!

Neo-Nazi attacks continue, with more than 200 headstones in Illinois defaced with swastikas. I guess these are some of the "good people" Der Fuhrer talked about. 

I'm fed up with politics. I'm disgusted by all the hateful, negative comments I read online. I'm tired of people killing animals for fun. I'm tired of hearing about yet another mass shooting, and about the refusal of our elected officials to do anything besides offer their "thoughts and prayers." I'm tired of elected officials treating the US Treasury as their personal piggy bank, using it to fund their lavish lifestyles.

I have trouble sleeping. Some nights it takes anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours to fall asleep. Many nights I wake up around 2 a.m. If I'm lucky, I will fall asleep again until 4:30 a.m. or so. I'm lucky that my dogs are great sleepers. They don't get up until I do. There are mornings when, after a night of little sleep, it takes everything I can muster to get out of bed. My mattress is so comfortable, my room so quiet, that I would love to just stay in bed. I would like to put the world aside for one day, perhaps make a cup of hot tea and drink it while sitting in bed, reading a book on my Kindle. Perhaps I would put some classical music on the radio. 

Of course, I can't completely block the external world. So I do what I can to minimize its impact on me. I recently had printed several of my favorite photographs. I can look at a head shot of a gorgeous leopard on the wall in my office. There is a new close-up of a sunflower and another photo of my favorite bird, the lilac-breasted roller, in my bedroom. In the living room are large framed prints of a couple of Yellowstone bison and of the beautiful Grand Prismatic Spring. Other new prints hang in the main hallway. Looking at things of beauty that remind me of some of my favorite places is a positive thing.

So is listening to classical music and enjoying a hot cup of tea each morning.I'm ordering a CD of bird songs, something I love to hear. And I often lose myself in a good book. I guess these things are akin to staying in bed without actually staying under the covers.

Change of Season

It's still August, but it definitely feels as if autumn is on the way.

The sun rises later and sets earlier. Early morning temperatures have actually been a bit chilly a few days, until the sun rises above the mountains. Yesterday was cloudy, with a gentle rain falling from time to time, minus the thunder typical of summer rain storms. The angle of the sun is noticeably different. And strangely, I have been feeling like 'nesting' lately. I love sitting in my favorite recliner or in bed, reading one of the more than 200 books on my Kindle.

Soon it will be time for hot soup, baked goods and open windows. During the hot New Mexico summers and cold winters, I keep the windows tightly closed. But for a few wonderful weeks in the spring and fall, I open the windows when I'm home. The house remains at a comfortable temperature without the air conditioner or furnace running.

I have already had the yen to bake some cornbread, or perhaps some pumpkin bread. Both of these are common fall activities. I haven't made any kind of bread yet because I am still enjoying a peach pie made with summer's best fruit from my peach tree. But it won't be long before I will give in to the urge to do some baking.

We don't get the beautiful fall leaves familiar to those who live in much of the country, as our trees are limited to pines, cottonwoods and aspens. While both deciduous trees have beautiful gold leaves, they lack the brilliant reds and oranges of maple trees.  

Another sign of autumn will be the need to add a blanket to my bed, to trade in shorts for capris and short-sleeved shirts for 3/4- or long-sleeved shirts. But that, too, will have to wait until daytime temperatures are lower than the normal mid 80s to 90s.

While I enjoy the transition to fall, I wish the changes would pause right there, without progressing to the dark, cold days of winter. I am miserable in cold weather, and I really dislike the small amount of daylight during the winter months. I love bright sunshine and beautiful blue skies, both of which New Mexico has in abundance. Sitting in the house because it's miserable to be outside, listening to the furnace run non-stop (am I the only person who finds the sounds of the furnace really annoying?) is just too much. 

The only good thing about winter for me is the beautiful sunrises I get to witness as the rising sun lights up the clouds hanging near the mountains.Oh, and the knowledge that warmer weather is on the way.

 

Animals Make Me Smile

I was driving down a two-lane road near my house recently when I saw some horses. I immediately smiled to myself.

I then realized that seeing animals nearly always makes me smile. Sometimes I see donkeys along this road. I may spot a coyote when I'm out for a walk in my neighborhood, or perhaps I spot someone walking a dog. One day I saw a couple of people on horseback waiting for the 'walk' light to come on so they could cross a road in the crosswalk!

And of course, seeing wild animals -- whether in Yellowstone or Africa or Alaska -- makes my soul happy. Spending time with mother grizzly bears and their cubs, or sitting quietly as I watch a group of lionesses with their cubs, or three adult male lions waking up from a nap -- is the pinnacle of happiness for me. Sometimes I put my camera down and just enjoy watching animals be animals. Watching one of my dogs tear through the back yard with a small toy in his mouth always makes me laugh. Sometimes one of my small dogs will get up from a nap, walk to her blankets on the floor, and roll around on her back, burying her face in the blankets.

Seeing or reading about the cruelty to which some humans subject animals, be it trophy hunting or deliberate cruelty to a domestic animal, breaks my heart. But I try to focus on the joy animals bring me. I am at my happiest when I'm out in nature photographing wildlife. Few things are better than spotting a leopard relaxing in a tree, or a cheetah family hurrying across a crocodile-infested river, or a mother elephant helping her youngster up a muddy river bank.

In my office I have a beautiful head shot of a black wolf photographed by a Yellowstone-area photographer, an Ansel Adams print from Yosemite, a replica elephant head, another photograph of a wolf, and photos of my dogs. I'm about to frame an hang a beautiful head shot of a leopard I saw in Kenya last year.

There is so much hatred and negativity in the world. The nightly news is filled with negative stories, as is my Facebook newsfeed. So it's good for my soul to smile at the simple beauty of animals, be they American or African, domestic or wild.

There's No Time to Waste

Although I typically don't get stressed easily, the past several months have been incredibly stressful for me.

My eye problems, which began 19 months ago, continue to plague me. A nasty sinus infection robbed me of my hearing -- and caused considerable stress as I tried to find an ear, nose and throat doctor to see me. A crown popped off a tooth one Saturday evening. A trip to the dentist Monday morning brought the unwelcome news that it needed to be replaced, and that oh, by the way, when did you chip the nearby tooth (which also needs a crown)? Add to this the fact that my daughter stole money from her boss and fled the state without warning, and I've been rather stressed.

Things are starting to look up, however. I have an appointment for the new crowns later this month. I finally got in to see an ENT doctor, and after a second course of steroids, the infection improved considerably. I can hear again. A laser treatment on one eye improved vision in that eye to the point where I can legally drive. I had what should be the final injection to deal with some swelling inside the eye. I have new eyeglasses. 

So now I am again focusing on myself. I have no more medical appointments until the end of the month. I slept better last night than I have in quite a while. I'm doing a lot of reading on my Kindle. I'm planning some exciting trips in 2019. I have a mental list of all the things I need to take care, and I'm working on taking care of them one by one.

I will continue to focus on the positive. Mornings are cooler, which means autumn is on the way. I am looking forward to some upcoming trips. My dogs are happy and healthy. I am hopeful that my medical issues are on the way to be resolved as much as they can be.  

A very good friend reminded me to value and enjoy each day, as we  don't know how many days remain to us. It's all too easy to get overwhelmed and bogged down by life's day-to-day challenges. Throw in several medical issues and traumatic events, and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But the light is there! Life is precious. I can't afford to waste a single day of it in self-pity or worry. 

Can you?

Leave Me Alone!

Do you ever feel like screaming "LEAVE ME ALONE!"?

I feel this way more often than I would like. I am weary of the constant bombardment of electronic ads and e-mails. Facebook constantly tells me to "boost this post." Google sends e-mails urging me to sign up and create an ad on Google Analytics. And let's not forget about the 40 or more spam e-mails I get every single day, for beautiful Asian, Russian, Ukrainian and Arab girls. I get ads for loans and for software that will let me track someone's cell phone. I don't use my primary e-mail address on forms, requests for information, petitions, etc. Yet this account still gets dozens of spam e-mails every day.

If I research something online, it's a matter of seconds before an ad for that item shows up in my newsfeed or e-mail. If I try to read an article online, countless ads pop up. Videos are paused to show an ad.

Of course, not all the clutter is electronic. I still receive mail from a couple of non-profit organizations to which I once donated 20-25 years ago. These groups obviously don't need more money as they continue to send me ongoing appeals for still more donations.  

How about those screaming television commercials? Aren't they a joy to listen to? At least with those I can mute the sound, leave the room, or record the program and then fast forward through the commercials. I find myself recording an increasing number of programs simply so I can avoid the commercials.

I avoid people who come to my door to sell me something or to solicit donations by refusing to answer the door. My three dogs put up a real fuss when they hear the doorbell, so that should serve as a deterrent as well. I turned off the ringer and the answering function on my landline phone due to the never-ending stream of calls from telemarketers, charities and wrong numbers. I won't answer my cell phone unless I recognize the number or am expecting a call from someone.

How sad it is that people have to hide out in their homes to avoid being harassed by con artists, telemarketers and others with an insatiable demand for money. I donate a considerable amount to charities each year, but I choose the charities, how much to donate and the timing of my gifts. Showing up on my doorstep and continuing to send me demands for money after years of being ignored by me serves only to irritate me. So please, "leave me alone!"

A Nation of Sheep

Has America become a nation of sheep? A country in which people blindly follow along even when they know what they are told is wrong?

Sadly, I believe the answer is 'yes.' 

Recently, a woman was flying on United Airlines from Houston to New York with her two kids and 10-month-old French bulldog puppy. She had reportedly paid the $200 fee that allowed her to bring her dog into the plane's cabin, as long as he remained in his airline-approved carrier under the seat in front of her. At some point during the flight, a flight attendant told her to put the carrier into an overhead locker. These lockers are designed for luggage, not for any living thing that needs oxygen to breathe. The woman did as she was told. Both she and other passengers reported that the dog barked for a while and then became silent.

When the plane landed and the woman opened the door to the overhead locker, her puppy was dead. Of course the puppy was dead! There is no air circulation in those overhead lockers, which are meant to hold coats and carry-on luggage, not living animals! Did it not occur to her and to other passengers nearby that animals need oxygen to breathe, and that there is no oxygen in those overhead bins? And what about the flight attendant? 

I fly a lot both domestically and internationally. I know that passengers are told that they must obey crew member instructions as well as "lighted signs and placards." But doing NOTHING as an innocent animal is put into a cabinet designed to hold coats and luggage is just not right. I don't care what the flight attendant's orders were. 

Are we as a nation so devoid of critical  thinking skills that we just blindly follow orders even when we know they are wrong? Or are we as a nation so stupid that we don't even know when something is wrong?

I am a law-abiding senior citizen. I follow and obey laws. I vote and I pay my taxes on time (after a lot of grumbling). I am a good citizen and a good person. But I also have a conscience. I like to believe that I would not have been one of those passengers who just sat down and let a puppy suffocate in a dark overhead bin.

Couldn't the carrier with the puppy inside have been put under a different seat if it was, in fact, blocking the aisle? Did anybody look for alternatives to condemning the puppy to death by suffocation?


I'm angry at the puppy's owner who failed to protect her dog. I'm angry at the flight attendant who should have known that an overhead bin is not a place for any creature that needs to breathe. I'm angry at the other passengers who did nothing. And I'm angry at United Airlines' utter disregard for life, both human and non-human. 

And I'm tired of everybody commenting that they would have taken their dog and kids and marched right off that airplane. Did they not read that this sad event happened while the plane was IN FLIGHT at what, 35,000 feet? 

Heads need to roll at United, starting at the top. From dragging a passenger out of a seat for which he had paid, to stuffing a living animal into an overhead bin, to shipping a dog to Korea rather than to Kansas, United continues to show that it has a very serious culture problem and that  the airline, its management and its employees just don't get it.

We as a nation need to take a hard look at ourselves and at what we have become. We need to speak up when we see something that just isn't right. We need to speak up when we see a puppy being stuffed into an airless overhead bin on an airplane. We need to speak up when a woman buying groceries is verbally assaulted and told to "go back to" wherever she was born. We need to challenge acts of racism wherever they occur. We need to speak up when a Muslim woman is verbally accosted while shopping. We need to speak up when a Hispanic man going about his business is verbally assaulted and told to "go back to Mexico." 

We need to speak up when elected officials from the president down verbally assault the disabled, the immigrants, women and representatives of the news media who dare to publish or air stories that don't praise the exalted leader as he thinks he should be praised.

I am not advocating violence and unlawful activities. I am saying that we as Americans need to use our critical thinking skills and stand up for those who are unable to stand up for themselves. We need to step outside our self-centered little cocoons and see the world around us. We are at risk of losing some of our most fundamental freedoms. Our silence in the face of these attacks only enables those who are attacking us.