My Benny

This is Benny.

Benny is very special to me. He doesn't have "papers." He isn't a registered purebred with a lineage that goes back generations. He has no fancy titles after his name. He is a mixed breed dog. And that makes absolutely no difference to me.

Benny is half golden retriever and half corgi. He has the body type and the short legs of a corgi, and the coat, ears, tail and temperament of a golden retriever. He’s extremely mellow, and he gets along with everybody, humans and canines alike.

Benny was about 5-1/2 years old when I adopted him. I don't know anything about his early life, but I do know that he was called Bailey and that he ended up in an animal shelter in Roswell, NM. I already had a dog named Bailey, so I needed to change his name. Benny seemed to fit him, and it was close enough to Bailey that I thought it would be an easy adjustment for him.

I found Benny on a website that lists dogs available for adoption. When I first inquired about him, I was told that someone else wanted him, and that person had already completed a home visit. So I asked to be notified if that adoption didn't work out. A couple of weeks later, I got a phone call asking if I was still interested. I was, so I got the home visit completed and Benny came to my house for a 2-week trial to see if he was a good fit for my family, which included two papillon sisters.

It didn't take long to realize that Benny was home. He and my other dogs got along fine, so I called the volunteer who had been fostering him and said "Benny is home. I want him." We finished the paperwork and I wrote a check for his adoption fee. Benny has been home for almost 6 years.

The pandemic lockdown, when I was unable to travel or even go grocery shopping, meant that Benny and I spent every moment of the day together. We have always been very close, and that experience made us even closer. After the papillon sisters died a year apart, he was an only dog for a while. He is a joy to walk, so we had many long, leisurely walks together.

He has been losing his hearing for the past several months. He isn’t totally deaf, but it takes a lot to get his attention, especially when he’s sleeping, which is something he does more of all the time. He hesitates before stepping over the threshold into our house due to intermittent back problems. He also has become an extremely picky eater. As a result, he has lost some weight that he cannot afford to lose. I am always trying to come up with things to add to his food to tempt him to eat. Perhaps the most worrying thing about him is his constant panting. I have taken him to see his veterinarian three times. She has done bloodwork and taken x-rays of his heart and his spine, and everything is normal. So the reason for his panting remains a mystery.

Benny is a very calm, low-key dog. Not much gets him excited except for the ringing of the doorbell. And he likes to go into the back yard and bark at nothing in particular. I live on half an acre, so this isn't a problem except when he barks at 4:30 in the morning.

Despite his short legs and his age, Benny sometimes still enjoys a romp with my other, much younger dog in our back yard. Play sessions don't last very long, but I love seeing the old boy having fun. It always makes me smile to see those short little legs running across the yard toward me.

So this is my Benny. I hope we have many more years together. If you're looking to add a dog to your family, please don't overlook the older dogs. They need love, too.

Betraying America

 I am astounded. And I am almost speechless. I am worried. I am very frightened.

We recently learned that the FBI has recovered 11 sets of classified documents from the palatial estate of the former president of the United States. Some of these documents reportedly relate to nuclear weapons. 

As a former federal employee who had high level security clearances, there is no doubt in my mind that if any of us peons had walked out of the office with boxes of highly classified documents, we would have been behind bars. No questions asked. To think that the former president of the United States had in his possession some 27 boxes of sensitive materials is beyond imagination.

The search warrant that allowed the FBI to search the mansion for these materials reported they were looking for items related to espionage, obstruction of justice, and destruction of documents.

We already know of the former president's shady dealings with the government of Saudi Arabia, a country eager to get its hands on nuclear technology. And the former guy's (TFG) cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin, the dictator of Russia, is well known.

At this point there are far more questions than answers. Why were these documents in storage at the Florida estate? Who had access to them? What, if anything, has been done with them before they were seized by the FBI? Who helped TRG gather the documents?

As expected, TFG’s supporters are outraged, but not at his apparent illegal activities in taking and keeping classified materials. No, they are outraged that the FBI dared to investigate an apparent illegal activity. FBI employees and FBI facilities are under increasing threats.

And for his part, TFG and his minions are doing what they always do when he gets caught doing something illegal or suspicious. They lie. They hurl insults. They blame everybody else but themselves. First they said the FBI planted these items in the mansion. No, the FBI did not plant anything in the mansion. Then they claimed TFG‘s lawyers weren’t present. Wrong. At least one of his attorneys was present. Then they claimed they had no idea what was going on. Another lie. TFG and his family watched the investigation via the mansion’s closed circuit television. Then they claimed all the Justice Department had to do was ask for the return of the documents. Another lie. The Justice Department had been negotiating with the TFG legal team for several months, and no cooperation was to be seen. And since when does the DOJ negotiate with people? If I was suspected of having classified documents in my house, do you really believe the DOJ would negotiate with me for their return?

It is still very early in the investigation. The FBI still needs to review all those boxes of classified materials to determine exactly what they contain. Charges, if appropriate, will need to be filed and a trial held to determine guilt or innocence. 

But regardless of which side of the political aisle one belongs, shouldn't we all, as Americans who care about our country, be extremely concerned that a former president apparently took highly classified materials to his private residence? And despite what he claims, he cannot just say "presto chango these documents are now declassified." Documents can be declassified, but there is a lenghtly, involved process. It simply cannot be done on a whim.

Quite simply, there is no plausible reason for TFG to have boxes of classified materials in his residence. He is, not, as he has claimed, "working from home" to benefit the country. TFG never does anything to benefit anybody other than himself.

I hope that when the dust settles on this investigation and judgment passed – – and there may well be additional search warrants issued – – a certain bloated, orange skinned, obese sociopath is finally brought to justice.

Be Your Priority

Make yourself a priority once in a while. It’s not selfish. It’s necessary.

I saw this graphic on Facebook recently. I don't know who created it, so I can't give proper credit. But I think it’s a wonderful reminder for all of us that self-care is critically important, especially during these stress-filled times. 

So many of us are so busy taking care of our families, our pets, our friends and our homes that we ignore caring for ourselves. I, for one, am guilty of this. I'm pretty good at refusing to do things that may cause me stress. Here is a trivial example. Trying to keep my home dust-free is a battle I never will win. I live in a desert, dusty state that is frequently windy. I also have two dogs, one of them with long hair. So keeping a spotless house is not in the cards, and I have given up even trying. I don’t stress over a bit of dust. And when I do clean the house, I generally take it one room at a time, and one day at a time.

There are days when I simply don't want to be bothered. Not by phone calls. Not by e-mails. Not by text messages. Not by appointments. Not by errands that need to be done. I simply want to be left alone. I love being at home, and I have no trouble keeping myself entertained. I love to read, so my Kindle is my constant companion.

Some might think I'm lazy. But I'm not a lazy person. Sometimes life just overwhelms me. I remember that just a few years ago I used to take off for the day and drive someplace. I would take trips in the local area to just get out of the house, and of course to see what I could find to photograph. I did this during the long lockdown of the pandemic, and it really made a difference in how I felt.

I think the trick is to not just make my mental health a priority, but to actually schedule time to take care of myself. I don't always write it on my calendar, but I should. Writing it down makes it more real and it serves as a reminder to take care of myself. For me, that means reading, exercise and photography. Spending time outdoors is always good for me. If I can take my camera along on my outdoor adventures, that’s even better.

Take time for yourself. Do something that relaxes you. Stop talking about yourself in a negative manner. Learn to say no to give yourself a break. You don’t have to do it all. And don’t feel guilty when you say no. Ask for help when you need it. It isn’t a sign of weakness. Learn to let go of the things in life you cannot control. Remove negative people and those who bring you down from your life. Life is too short to deal with negative Nellies all the time. So surround yourself with positive people, with people who make you feel good. Finally, accept yourself as you are. Sure, all of us have things we can improve upon. But basically, we’re good. We are good enough.

I saw something else online that also struck a chord. It said, simply, ”Find something that makes your heart sing.” 

And then there is this, which I think sums it all up perfectly.