Dogs

There are two kinds of people in the world; dog people and non dog people. Almost everyone in my life is a dog person. Dog people understand that to not have a dog by your side when you take a walk or laying around the house is just not right. To come home and not have a dog to greet you is just empty. So, we have dogs. Sometimes just one, sometimes a couple. At one time when our family got together we had 7 dogs all running around. It was crazy...but sorta normal. I remember when Dakota used to get the stick and then all the dogs would chase him around trying to get it from him. It was like he was their personal trainer...and Alf would bark at him non stop until someone got the stick from him and gave it to Alf. Ahhhh quiet. And there was Budget...Amy's dog that was big and fluffy and mostly blind. And Emmet, a lab with no brain whatsoever. And Aspen....a sweet dog with a bitchy side. And dog people understand that as much as dogs enrich our lives..there is going to come the day when you have to make that terrible decision to let them go. Thank god we can have control over that so that your best friend doesn't have to suffer.

And that leads me to my mom's dog, Kal....who had to be put down yesterday. Kal was an excellent dog. I mean really excellent. He was a husky mix and the smartest dog I know. Seriously, you could watch that dog think. Kal was rescued from a neighbor who thought it was mean to have him tied up all the time. They trained this dog and then gave it to my parents after my dad answered an ad in the paper. And what a life Kal had with them! Forty acres of forest to call his own......well stocked with chipmunks to chase! And he was just happy to take himself on a walk or go with you when you took one. You could always tell where he was by the white tip of his tail above the sage brush. And I am telling you he put his tail up there so you could see where he was....he was that smart and considerate. And he had a long life.....more than 14 years. So, Kal's ok...maybe he's even re-connecting with my dad who just yelled to Kal across heaven... (Oh, my dad can yell loud!) But my mom is sad...and we are all sad to have to bury another friend in the pet cemetery on the property. But we will move on and get another dog who needs a great home...knowing full well that this could happen again. But it doesn't matter...the joy far outweighs the pain.
To Kal....goodbye sweet boy. You were a good dog. Monkey and I will miss you.

Solution sunglasses

You know how Memorial Day weekend is; everyone is just amped from being stuck indoors all winter. And for us, this year...it has been a looooooong winter that really isn't over yet. Sigh. But, dammit, it's Memorial Day weekend and we are going camping!! So everyone is like a kid whose been fed 3 cupcakes in school and is finally released out into the playground....running, head down, arms flailing screaming at the top of their lungs. I was around many such people this weekend, some kids, mostly adults...and machinery.Uh oh. That's right, all terrain vehicles. And these people were completely fearless in their quest to see just how well these vehicles could perform under adverse conditions. There was rain, sure. There was runoff from a heavy snow year, there were swamps, there was blow down and sometimes there were even actual trails to follow. I was along for the ride...and it was all fun and games and excitement until I broke my face on the roll cage on one of them. So my solution all week is to wear sunglasses to hide the two really nice black eyes that I got as a result.

It's funny how people wanna know what happened when they see a ruined face like mine. They just cannot help themselves. I get it...I would do the same thing. But the truth is usually not as exciting a story as they hoped for. So I came up with a couple options: One is that I am dating again. (Hahahaha...now that is funny, I don't care who you are!) Another is that I wrestled a bear or maybe a badger. (People usually don't go for this one) and of course I can always just say two words that get people nodding their heads like they've been there and those two words are "bar fight." But honestly, the truth was plenty exciting enough.

The company that I was in this weekend was superb. Absolutely the nicest people I have met in a long time. I mean really nice. Not fake nice, not sugar sweet nice where your afraid to turn your back. I mean generous and genuinely happy to meet you and would do anything for you without batting an eye. People who understand the cycle of life and who can just chalk everything up to a shrug and a "shit happens." And fearless. They know they can fix anything. And if for some reason they can't fix it, then oh well. I know a lot of people like this, I really do. But I met some new ones this weekend and it always makes me feel better about the world when I do. It re-affirms what I believe about America. Rough, tough, hard work, ingenuity, fearlessness and courage.......and bullshitting around the fire! That's what makes the world go 'round.