Can You Imagine?

One of the things I do before deciding on what to write is skim headlines from a variety of sources. One of my favorites is Drudge because the header can be totally misleading.

This caught my eye today: MURDOCH, MALONE CONSIDER NBC BUY... DEVELOPING...

Murdoch interested in NBC? The Murdoch who owns News Corp which owns FOX? Wow! Would that be fun to watch!

The Reuters article indicates this is not likely because of antitrust concerns, but it sure is fun to contemplate. How would all the pro-Obama talking heads cope with having to turn into, say, a Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly? Can you imagine Keith Olbermann having to parrot O'Reilly? Goodness, what would he do for his Worst Persons segment?

Who would mimic the sobbings of Beck? Maddow maybe? Nope. That's sexist to equate a woman with crying jags. And Chris Matthews. Who would send tingles running down his leg? Would Andrea Mitchell go back to being a real reporter? At one time she was one of the best! Could Chuck Todd compete with Major Garrett?

Wow. Imagining NBC becoming a shill for conservative issues is mind boggling, though it would make things more fair and balanced. There would still be ABC, CBS and CNN to carry on the Liberal agenda. NBC, FOX and MSNBC would then level the playing field.

Let's see. Anchors. CNN has Anderson Cooper to FOX's Shepard Smith. ABC is going to have Diane Sawyer, CBS has Katie Couric. NBC's Brian Williams would have to watch his back! Ann Curry is waiting in the wings.

This is truly the stuff of dreams. Daydreams. Or ~ maybe nightmares!

We're B-a-a-c-k!

Well, here's the shaky video I usually return with! Hub kept telling me to put away my "toy". Men get embarrassed over the silliest things. He kept griping, "You look like a tourist!" "I am a tourist," I'd reply.

Oh well, we had a great time anyway. It was surprising how quickly we had gotten out of quick trip form! Things we forgot to do and things we tried to do until we remembered ole Bacchus wasn't with us. We're still getting used to it.

When home we browsed the stack of papers and collectively groaned while wondering just what this country is coming to. It has made me do a bit of soul searching as to whether or not I should take this blog in a different direction. I've been doing what I do so long, five years, I'm not sure I can do anything else!

I do get tired of complaining all the time and it seems I do little else. Maybe it's just my nature and I should stick with it. I do want to make a few minor changes. A new avatar maybe. The name will remain but I thought a picture of Bacchus that reflects what he thought of his treatment and I think of the news these days might be fun.

Vote on that one if you wouldn't mind! On the sidebar.

I'll no doubt be back at it tomorrow. I've a lot on my mind after having read those papers! Sheesh! Next month can't come too soon when we have a real trip planned! I'll probably suffer from withdrawal!

Just What Is It We Elect?

I was browsing through the headlines today and came across one in the Washington Times that caught my eye. Rep. Massa: I will vote against the interests of my district. Just what is it we get when we elect a Representative?

Eric Massa, D-NY, supports a single payer health care bill. He supports it so strongly that he's willing to vote against the wishes of his district. "I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful."

That got me thinking about where the line should be drawn. We live in a republic and elect representatives to vote our interests. When, or should, personal convictions deviate from that charge? It presents an interesting philosophical question.

To vote against one's constituents' wishes is risky at best. Done often enough one could find oneself quickly out of office! On the other hand, if a certain constituency goes against the grain of the rest of the country and the representative agrees with that majority should he still vote as his constituents wish?

When you come right down to it, politics is a very personal business for we voters. Often Hub and I are on different sides of an issue but we realize the majority rules whether or not we agree. Such is the message our Representatives take with them to Washington; what the majority of those they represent want. Should we expect that is how they will vote?

So where is that line between personal opinion and public opinion and how much flexibility should Representatives be allowed? Sure, we can always vote them out of office but while they are in office their votes are the one that count.

The reason town hall meetings are held, forget the contentiousness of the ones going on now, is for our Representatives to learn first hand what the people are thinking. The people usually have good questions if the legislation or concept is fuzzy. It's important for the Representatives to have read that legislation in order to answer those questions. We know that most do not unless forced, as is also the case right now.

If they do not, then they aren't representing their constituents at all. They are representing the power structure of their party who dictates what they must do to either rise in stature within the party or get the necessary party support for re-election.

Suddenly, we constituents are on the outside looking in. We should really look more to their knowledge base of the issues than the pork they bring home if we really want true representation in our own government. If we don't, they will always be in and we are the ones who will be out!

Mighty Yellowstone

So Obama did a little fly fishing in the Gallatin and took the kids to Yellowstone. What a great way to refresh!

As a friend of mine suggested in a recent post on his blog, Blue Moose Democrat , America is sorely in need of a weekend! I can't think of a better way to spend one.

If visiting Yellowstone does nothing more, it reminds us of what an incredibly beautiful country we live in and how worthwhile it is to preserve it.

During the fishing trip there were no cameras or reporters allowed. The conversation ranged from land issues to their personal lives like how he and Michelle are trying to keep the kids grounded considering the circus that surrounds them. They even got on a first name basis.

Maybe we ought to send the entire Congress and the entire press corp, including the pundits, to Yellowstone for a day of fishing and taking in the sites. They just might come back awed by something other than themselves.

As for Obama, in this scenario I'd not mind casting a line or sharing a beer with him myself! He's sounds far more like the Barack Obama I supported. A husband, a dad gone fishing with the guys. How totally American!

Hazy, Lazy Days Of Summer!

I think I'll drift in and out this week. Congress has the good sense to be in recess. I think I could use one too. Tuesday is WSU day. This heat is really tough on Bacchus. It's pretty much a time of watching and waiting. So in that spirit, maybe the video of our backyard pond will help relieve the heat!

Once A Comic, Always A Comic

Al Franken has officially been a member of the Senate since July 8th. Eight whole days and nary a peep. Not knowing how assignments are made, I'll just accept the fact he has a seat on the Judiciary Committee currently conducting the Sotomayor hearings.

I'm sure the Democrats helped him formulate the softball questions he would ask. These hearings are such a farce. Why they have to take up all day, everyday of CNN and MSNBC is beyond me. I thought that was the reason C-Span was created. No matter. What is, is.

I'm not much of a Franken fan. The last thing the Senate needs is another comedian, but no matter. What is, is. However, after three days of pontificating Senators and artfully dodging nominee, Franken at least brought a little comic relief.

Sotomayor has said the Perry Mason show inspired her to become a prosecutor. Franken asked her what the name of the one case Mason lost had been. She did not remember. "Didn't the White House prepare you?" he asked.

That last part was the funny part to me! That Franken also did not know didn't surprise me either. That the AP reporter checked it out did.

So here we have it. A new Senator reveals what we all really know anyway. The White House prepares the nominee for the questioning. She probably had all the Democrats questions in advance so there would be no slip up. The Republican questions get so lost in posturing they mean little in the pre-set scheme of things anyway.

The nominee has no quick recall of what might be considered trivia. That would explain a lot of evasions.

A reporter actually researched the answer for an unanswered question. Too bad it wasn't one of more importance. No matter. It's a step in the right direction!

The episode? "The Case of the Deadly Verdict." I wonder if that portends the end of the hearings and just how it will translate!

Why?

Seventeen kids, several with special needs ranging from Autism to Down Syndrome, are orphans. For some it is the second time. Why?

What kind of men are those who plotted to brutally murder the parents of these children? They are monsters. Deranged monsters. I'm not an advocate of the death penalty but there are circumstances that are prodding me.

An eye for an eye sometimes seems just. Especially when those who have committed monstrous crimes complain that lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment because there is no guarantee that they'll be unconscious when the lethal drug is released into their veins. I cannot put into coherent words how I feel about that argument!

It goes to show that no matter how much pontificating takes place or laws proposed, we cannot legislate monsters out of existence. They come in all sizes and colors. Some are on the right side of the law for a portion of their lives before something snaps. Most are not.

Fortunately for the community, suspects were quickly apprehended. What will happen now? Perhaps one of the adult children will be able to look after the siblings. One would hope so.

How long will it be before this story fades from the news? How many of you have even seen anything about it? If we are to honor people taken too soon, Byrd and Melanie Billings get my vote. Yet it won't be them who have hundreds of thousands of mourners weeping for the loss of their children. There will be no moment of silence in Congress. They will fade into the memories of those they loved and who loved them and life will go on.

In the grand scheme of things, despite the horror of what has happened, these people are the fortunate ones. The Billings will be honored by their daughter who has pledged to carry on her parent's legacy. I can think of nothing more appropriate no matter how low key.

None-the-less, why is it I feel compelled to even write this? Why?

The 100% Perfect Solution

Sometimes things are so blatantly obvious I wonder why I haven't seen them clearly long before I do!

I was chatting with my neighbor this morning. We talked about the health of both our old dogs and laughed about our not having any white flour when her daughter came looking for a cup full and what good gravy whole wheat flour makes. We talked of the neighborhood deer that spent a couple of hours lounging under one of her pines just wiling away the afternoon yesterday and how we hope no one shoots her come hunting season. We 're both anxious for the Michael Jackson hoopla to fade and rolled our eyes over Sarah Palin's current escapades.

I had never come close to mentioning politics with her before. She was born and raised in Idaho, one of the most red of red states. I was a bit surprised. She went on to explain she and one son are the black sheep of the family. They are, she said, about as liberal as you can get.

It made me think of my parents. They too were at opposite ends of the political spectrum though politics weren't much of an issue in our household. Then it hit me!

Okay. It's Friday. Yard work is done for the day and I haven't posted one of my Dogwalk Solutions for at least a week. Today it's how to end partisanship in Congress! Be it male or female, make it a requirement that the spouse of the candidate be of the opposite party!

Think about it. Look at Mary Matalin and James Carville, probably the best known family of political opposites. They have a good strong marriage and a great family regardless of their political views. Why? Well, they probably love each other which isn't a bad place to start, but more importantly they've learned to work together for the good of their family regardless of party affiliation!

What better training ground than family? Those in Congress don't seem to understand the concept of putting differences aside, or compromising for the good of the country. Maybe they would understand it in terms of family! Perhaps they should think of us as their surrogate children.

Sure, there will always be those who will never put anyone before themselves. Those like the aforementioned Sarah Palin, or John Edwards, John Ensign, Roland Burris and Mark Sanford. But, as in real life, are not most members of Congress family men and women like you and I, or my parents, or my neighbors? Of course they are.

I realize that as soon as someone is elected to Congress they go through a brain wipe that removes all sensibilities other than party and self. Maybe we have been handling elections all wrong. Let's forget political ideology and focus on what one learns from being a member of a family. The most important is perhaps the art of compromise for the greater good.

It is so simple and so obvious. And that is exactly why no one has seen it!

Let's "Face" It!

In the past week there have been two full blown articles about Facebook in papers as diverse as The Spokesman Review out of Spokane, Washington and London's Financial Times . For the one or two of you who don't know what Facebook is, it's a social networking sight.

I had absolutely no interest in checking it out. I blog. That's enough, so I thought. Now, once again, as with blogging, I'm hooked.

A former neighbor in Rochester who now lives in Napa asked me to join as a way to keep up with her myriad of activities. She is a busy gal to be sure and the only e-mails I get from her are those irritating "forwards" of corny sentiments and cute animals. So I took the plunge.

With a high school reunion coming up I first started looking for old classmates. Then family. Then a few fellow bloggers who I had seen mention it from time to time. Then I started going through my address book and putting in e-mails of people I like which morphed into looking for names of people I know at random. Wow. I was having such fun. I now have more "friends" on Facebook, as few as they are, then I have in the community in which I live. Hmmm. That doesn't say much good about my social skills does it!

I like my friends list though. It's a who's who of the local blogging community plus a lot of cyber friends from around the world. Most of them read my blog and I theirs. Unless, however, we've developed a "personal" relationship with e-mails beyond blog comments, or their sites are strictly diaries of sorts, I don't know much about them as individuals.

That's where I find I love Facebook. It really gives me insight into their lives; who they really are and what they're about.

I've got a couple of former Spokesman reporters who were hit by the massive downsizing. They've taken control of their lives and gone off in new and fascinating directions. I have city council members, news columnists and political party bigwigs. I have three veterinarians - Bacchus' cardiologist, his local vet and a wonderful lady who has been a vet for over 30 years in New Zealand.

I have friends and friends of friends and I'm taking the time to get to know each of them. This is better than the pen pals we had as kids!

I'm not moving on to Twitter. I haven't the time nor the inclination. But I do love Facebook and for all those who have become my "friends", thanks. You're quite a community!

People Come And People Go

Funny. Today there is little on television other than the Michael Jackson memorial. Hundreds of thousands of people are saying goodbye to someone they've never met. Yet they grieve inconsolably.

Yesterday was my turn to grieve. I was losing a person who has come to mean a great deal to me. Dr. Sara Bordelon. Bacchus's cardiologist. She has finished her residency at Washington State, taken her boards and is off to the next adventure in her young life. Private practice in Florida. She will have great success. As Dr. Prince once said of her, "She's on it!"

From that first wintry night back in January when we rushed Bacchus to the clinic with congestive heart failure, I knew that if anything could be done she would come up with it. Such was the level of her confidence and her ability to convey it. During the intervening months she fielded e-mails and phone calls from a distraught pet owner with the utmost of grace, assurances and truths. The visits every month were much the same.

As time passed and Bacchus's inundated system began to adjust to the medications I adjusted to the situation. Hub was a great help in my keeping sane. In his calm and measured way he made me understand that what ever will be will be. I'm no longer in a panic. I know what the outcome will be, just not when. I also know that we've given him many additional good months thanks to the skill of Dr. Bordelon. That he's more an old dog who happens to be sick than a sick dog that happens to be old is testimony to that.

When discussing it yesterday she said, "That's what we wanted, isn't it." Indeed.

The photo? I wanted to give her a token of our appreciation and to wish her well. I had carved a Cougar for a project that has been shelved. Since Washington State's mascot is a Cougar I knew she had to have it. All those winter months she would appear with a long pink scarf peeking out from under her lab coat. Being from Louisiana, she was always cold. So I adorned said Cougar with a scarf of it's own and set it on the dining room table for Bacchus's approval. Eh. Sort of silly but okay.

As I sit here writing this my mind drifts back to the Jackson hoopla and thinking how much impact an individual can have on your life. She hasn't died; she's just moving on. She didn't entertain me; she gave life to a dog that I love. We'll stay in touch; I can bounce things off of her if I feel the need. But it won't be the same. I will miss her. The sadness I feel is at least as deep as those mourning Jackson. Such is the nature of a lifeline. The depth of feeling has been earned.

Say It Isn't So!

The government is taking all the fun out of travel! It's bad enough you have to stay seated for the first half hour of a flight; now there is talk that some air lines are planning to charge for use of the facilities! This can be tough on we more mature types. So, more and more often, we drive.

Now, according to the Wall Street Journal States are beginning to close down rest areas on the Interstate Highway System! Why can't some of the $48.1 billion in infrastructure stimulus be used to keep these facilities open?

It's tough enough when there is over a hundred miles between them, like Gold Creek to Bozeman over in Montana. It takes some prudent planning.

Heck, it takes prudent planning to get from here to Missoula, a mere 142 miles with two rest stops. We usually leave early in the morning if we're going to shop. That being the case we have to determine how much coffee we should drink before we leave and how much to take with us. There's the cold factor. How much time do we have to consume it before it gets cold and it's passage through us in relation to the rest stops.

Bacchus presents another dimension. Before he started his ten thousand medications he'd be good for the day if we dewatered him before we left. Now he has more need than we do because of the diuretics he's on. Never-the-less we've pretty much got it figured out.

I feel for others however. Exits are sometimes as far apart as rest stops if not farther. If you're traveling through southern Utah, you have to find a town to find a rest stop because that's where the water source is. As for exiting to find a gas station, that too can be iffy. The town can be miles from the actual exit. Restaurants and cafes are no sure bet either. Many say "restrooms for customers only" which means you have to buy something which usually would be a cup of coffee. So the process begins all over again. Plus a lot of them aren't too crazy about it if your dog needs relief too!

So far the majority of the states closing the doors on an essential service are in the east and south. Hopefully if won't creep westward any time soon!

I suppose part of the reason the states are doing this is because it doesn't create jobs. Phooey! How many of the projects given the green light for funding are offering anything other than temporary work at best? Rest areas need care takers, landscape and maintenance workers on a year round basis.

Those in charge need a reality check. They want us to get out and spend our money. They want us to eat, drink and make merry. They want us to drive so we'll buy all those wonderful new fuel efficient cars they hope we'll fall in love with. That means we can travel farther on a tank of gas.

They need to realize that we're not going to fill our car's tank and go if we can't empty our tank along the way!

What Happened to The "Marlboro Man"?

Those of you my age remember him. The incredibly handsome, rugged cowboy with the cigarette dangling from his lips. The ads that conjured up images of the romance of the west. Back when cigarettes were advertised with impunity.

I smoked in those days. And I was thinner. To use that as a correlation about good health is of course nonsense and also why you don't see those ads any more!

But look what's happened to us since! We've ballooned! In the last year, according to myway the obesity rate this past year has gone up in 23 states and down in 0! Who's to blame? Well, I'm not one to point fingers, but the obesity rate for the oldest boomers, the 55 to 64 year olds, is higher than we who are over 65! Maybe it's all that physical therapy many of us do to just to keep mobile! It has become a concern in the health care field because as we live longer, it's getting more expensive Naturally keeping the obese healthy is more difficult and even more costly.

It's partially a regional problem but not entirely. The fattest states seem to trend southern with Mississippi getting top honors. Alabama is a close second followed by West Virginia and Tennessee.

What really surprised me however, is how many of the states where one would expect to find Mr. Rugged were not included in the least obese category. The only ones that were, actually, are Montana, Utah, and Colorado as the most lean. Others cross the country including four New England states. They probably shiver it off during their winters!

But, oh my. Even the cowboys are getting fat, or at least not slimming down! The Dakotas came in at 22 and 20. Wyoming was good at 38, but to be beat by Washington D.C. and New Jersey? They should be ashamed!

And Texas! Fourteen! Maybe it's due to the popularity of Tex-Mex cuisine. Not exactly low calorie fare.

Ah, well. I haven't smoked for over 40 year. My weight is higher than I'd like but then I'm a woman. If I weighed 98 pounds soaking wet I'd probably still be dissatisfied. I live in Idaho. We ranked 33. Pretty near the middle of the pack.

Maybe as those boomers retire, they'll move west like we did. Maybe they'll buy some acreage and maintain it themselves like we do. That'll slim them down! After all, we westerners can't let all those big east coast city folks steal the march on us. Listen up now. New York is 37!

Which Paper Got It Right?

I'm always saddened when a person dies too young. That holds true for Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, who both died yesterday. What bothers me is the amount of coverage the media felt was warranted. On NBC evening news, out of 22, minutes Jackson got 8 and Fawcett got 4. Did anything else of note not take place?

I realize both these entertainers are considered iconic. Jackson revolutionized pop music. He was also one of the most dysfunctional people in the business. Farrah, like others, was more of a fashion icon for that beautiful mane of blond hair. She too had her share of problems in her personal life.

It often seems the more dysfunctional a celebrity is, the greater degree of popularity. Why is it so many are drawn to them? We certainly don't envy them their problems. Jackson became a joke. Anna Nicole Smith became a joke. So did the overweight, drug infused Elvis.

I don't think it's a generational thing. Consider the throngs that still visit Graceland. They are mostly women, mostly in my age bracket. Why the throngs of people surrounding the hospital to which Jackson was taken? Why the uncontrollable weeping over a man they had never met?

Are our lives so empty we have to immerse ourselves in their lives, problems and all? Are we so shallow that these people are really our idols?

Where are the writers and artists? Where are our military men and women who have performed unbelievable acts of valor to save their comrades while under fire. It always seems to be the entertainers and the athletes. Ability in their chosen fields? Some more than others but, yes, or they'd not have attained their celebrity status. Intellect? Questionable for far too many.

It interests me. I have never lived in a foreign land. Other than the outpouring for Princess Diana, another dysfunctional celebrity, I've never witnessed grieving for one of their iconic personalities. Are they like us? I sincerely hope not. At least not to the same extreme.

So which paper got it right? The Wall Street Journal. A shy half page on page three of section A.

Now the hype begins. Jackson's doctor's car impounded, a Mozart of the century, a true muse who sacrificed everything for his music.

This is a matter of personal taste, I'll admit, but how can one compare The Marriage of Figaro, the Magic Flute, Don Giovanni and The Requiem to Thriller?

You might wonder who my idols may be. To tell the truth I don't have any. There are actors and actresses and musicians and writers and athletes and military personnel who I admire and respect. When one dies, no matter how untimely, I do not weep in hysteria nor applaud them with exaggerated platitudes.

I will, however, salute them for a life well lived.

One Man's Gas Guzzler Is Another's Sacred Cow!

As I was reading the paper this morning I found an article that pointed out a misconception I had about cows and the gas they produce. Here I thought it was what was expelled from their hind end that was problematic. But, no. It's their belching!

The article tells us this belching causes the diary industry it's biggest problem when it comes to their contribution to global warming. That they contribute a mere 2% of the total doesn't seem to be of any consolation. The total figure includes growing the feed for the cows along with the processing and delivery of milk. It's a rather vicious circle, don't you think? Perhaps if we would quit eating yogurt and butter and drinking milk the problem could easily be solved. No need for dairy cows. But, no.

Research is under way to develop grasses that produce less gas in the cows' systems. The hope is to reduce the gas produced by 25% by 2020. If successful, the dairy industry would then only be responsible for .005% of our greenhouse gases. The bonus for the cows is a more glossy coat and fewer foot and stomach problems. I can understand the better coat. When we got Bacchus off his junk food diet, his coat, too, improved, as well as his stomach problems. I'm not sure where feet figure into the equation.

Now let's equate this to the cap and trade issue. It's basically where a cap is established for emissions. If your operation comes in beneath the cap, you can sell your excess credits to someone who has exceeded them. I never quite understood how this was beneficial since I see the emissions remaining the same while credits are being bandied about, but then I am not a student of the theory. In essence, I see it pointless if one group is trying to clean the environment by altering the food a cow eats while another is trying to save the non-productive of the species which requires feeding them whatever they can afford and is readily available!

My point here can be illustrated by another article I read this morning. This one in the Wall Street Journal telling of how enclaves of Hare Krishnas are putting together fund raising efforts to save cows who are no longer productive. You see cows are sacred to Hindus. They've calculated it takes around $1000 per year to feed a cow with an average lifespan of twenty years! That's a lot of adopt a cow programs! Especially when the majority of American consumers see cows in a somewhat different light. Candle light maybe. On a sizzling platter with a bottle of good red wine!

What to do! In browsing around I find that the research for these low gas grasses is ongoing and not expected to hit the market for several years. In the meantime, perhaps the Krishnas and the researchers should get together. The grasses need to be tested and the cows need to be fed. The Krishna cows would no longer be adding to the problem, instead helping solve it. They would be productive again. Their coats would be shiny, their stomachs and feet would be healthy. How better to treat a creature considered sacred?

There you are. Another Dogwalk solution!

Writing As A Reflection Of The Author

I don't read nearly enough books. Most of my reading consists of newspapers and periodicals. Some on line though I prefer off.

I find it strange because so many of my blogging acquaintances are writers. Some published. Some not. Many, however, have put their work online. I haven't read any of them. I just can't get into a good story sitting at my computer. It isn't that comfortable and I prefer, as they say, to curl up with a good book.

Over the past couple of months two personal friends have had books published. Finally, an excuse to curl up! I was eager to get started because I had never read anything that had been written by anyone I know personally. It was a fascinating experience.

Both books are fiction. The subject matter is in no way similar. What I found fascinating, however, is how much the protagonists reflected the personality of their creators.

The first, When Wolf Comes, is the story of a young man who was shanghaied from a Boston pub in the early 1800s. After several misadventures along the way, he found himself a slave of the Makah tribe of the Northwest Coast of what is now Washington state.

I've know John Pappas for years. His wife, before succumbing to pancreatic cancer, was one of my best friends while we lived in Seattle. They were both my friends. We were always involving ourselves in projects of mutual interest. That's when I learned of John's deep curiosity about and interest in the Makah culture.

The book reflects it in the depth of research that is obvious. And his hero is a reflection of himself. A kind, caring, easy going fellow who had an easier time than he might have because he was, above all, pragmatic. John.

The other book's author is familiar to many of you. Sea Changes by Gail Graham who also authors the blog Driving Chairman Bao . Gail is as complex as the story she has penned. If a movie were made of it she'd have to play her protagonist, Sarah. Sarah is Gail and Gail is Sarah! The story is set in Australia where she lived for over thirty years and was not particularly fond of it. This isn't a review of the book, rather an observation as to how much the book reveals about it's author.

I enjoyed both books a great deal; both were intriguing stories that held my attention. But what really fascinated me was that while I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about my friends, it tells other readers a great deal. Dead on. I can't help being curious as to whether others have had a similar experience in a good read.

I guess that's why writers are encouraged to write about the things they know best. Including themselves!

The Week That Was...

What has been a very short week is winding down. Blogging has sure taken a back seat between the holiday, gardening and Bacchus.

Thursday he had an appetite so I pretty much let him eat as much as he wanted. Actually it was mostly chicken instead of his usual diet of sausages. The high fat diet, however, caught up with him that evening when his whole digestive system rebelled. He and Hub were gone an inordinately long time for their last walk. He just couldn't get anything out and completely exhausted himself trying. He had to take a breather even before returning to the house.  Which really scared Hub.  An uncomfortable night followed.

By pill time Friday morning everything had reversed itself and I had to clean him up. Hub and I decided it was time for some tough love. No more junk. We'd rather he fade away from not eating rather than kill himself trying cope with a bad diet.  Oh, he'll get fed all right.  It's just time to call the old boy's bluff and for Mom (me) to get some backbone!

Off to the vet for a shave and a haircut. And some more pills to settle his system. Today he's sulking but he's also feeling a whole lot better.

Fortunately, for the sake of my humor, my good friend Word Tosser came down from Sandpoint and met me for lunch. No blogging. Just visiting.

Same thing today. Yard work. Unless something really grabs my attention I anticipate the same for tomorrow. Monday I have surgery on my hand so I doubt I'll be at the computer then either.

Now, that's more than you wanted to know, but it's why the substance of the blog is a bit different this week.  Every once in awhile life without the computer just needs lived!

Preferred Camouflage

Some days it's good to get away from the tube and the computer and do something useful.

It's a beautiful spring day. The trees and shrubs are finally beginning to bud and the birds are morphing from mating season into parenting!

The Killdeer that have nested between our fence and the road have four new chicks. I always fear for them for they often get hit by cars which race by, the drivers paying no attention.

The ones in the back of our five acres tend to fare better. Hub is very conscientious. He had to get started on the mowing today before the field grass gets completely out of hand. Suddenly there was a clamor from the Killdeer that indicated he was in dangerous territory. They even woke up Bacchus who was snoozing in the shade while I was doing some planting.

As is the usual routine, Hub stopped the tractor, sought me out and sent me off to find the nest. Right. But I comply. For about 15 minutes I made my around a patch he had not yet mowed looking for the nest. It isn't easy to see! Of course, that's the idea!

But alas, I finally spotted four eggs nestled in a tiny bed of grass. Huge eggs considering they are small birds. I called to Hub to bring a flag and mark the area. He had missed them by a fraction of an inch.

It made my day.

Golden Moment

Time in waiting rooms is usually spent leafing through old magazines and getting irritated because the doctor is running late. This has not been the case at Washington State's Vet Med Hospital. It is a large waiting room and though somewhat sterile, it's filled with comfortable couches and chairs and even TV.

It is a place of high emotion. Some tragic as was the case our first night there a week ago. A woman came in sobbing that her dog had been hit by a truck and she was sure he was dead. The staff got him on a gurney and brought him in and sure enough he was gone.

Hub hissed at me to leave well enough alone when the staff left her to take the dog away. Filled with empathy that night in particular, I hissed right back that I had him to console me but she was all alone and proceeded to where she was sitting. She fell against me and sobbed out the story of the entire ten years they had been together.

Already on shaky emotional ground I cried right along with her. The staff returned to talk with her and I took my leave.

Yesterday was a mixed bag. There was the student with Jackson, a sweet natured pit bull pup who was there for shots and to set up a neutering. There was the lady with the Great Pyrenees puppy who wanted to visit everyone everywhere and did to everyone's delight.

There was the lady who brought in a cancer stricken cat. Her son was dying from pancreatic and liver cancer. The cat was his and she was determined it was not going to die before he did.

People talk with one another. Whether their pet is healthy or gravely ill they empathize. You can feel it filling the room. And once in awhile something wonderful happens.

A blind Golden Eagle is brought out for a fresh air break and a chance to spread his wings. I wonder if they do this as a way to hearten the underlying sadness. It sure lifted my spirits, if only for a short time. It was a joy to see life had triumphed in a place where it often does not.

Two Faced?

Remember during the primaries when people wanted to be snarky about Hillary? They posed the "does she or doesn't she" question about Botox. She probably did and in so doing sure set a trend!

According to USA Today Cosmetic procedures pick up prior to Obama inauguration. Dermatologists in cities across the country have seen an upswing in requests for no down time quick fixes in anticipation of inaugural parties, be they in D.C. or their own home towns! Even men. What! They look great with crows feet and gray at the temples!

This stimulus package of Obama's certainly is far reaching. He's encouraged those who can do so safely to go out and spend. Who'd have thought that in so doing the government will not have to dole out bailout money to cosmetic surgeons?

I'd have thought the increase might be due to all our local TV anchors paring years off their appearance with the onset of hi def television. Now there are numbers that would save an industry. Add to that journalists, politicians, lobbyists and lawyers who have inundated one cosmetic dermatologist, she ought to be in fat city for years to come! The key here, of course, is the fact the treatment wears off. Brilliant!

Ah, you who doubt Obama can pull off this economic recovery really need to "face" the facts!

Dueling Headlines

I'm going to miss newspapers when they're gone. Somehow scanning the morning headlines with my feet on a footstool, my dog beside me and a cup of coffee in hand doesn't quite translate to scanning a computer screen.

It will also deprive me of one of my favorite pursuits. Seeing how two different papers report the same story. There may be hope, however, even if my reading stack is reduced to a pile of one. In this morning's paper there were two stories side by side. One was illustrated with a photo of a distraught woman standing in what was left of her tavern, mud and debris from a mud slide piled as high as the tops of the bar stools. The headline read Dog, ax-wielding son save woman.

The story tells of how she was wakened by a phone call suggesting she take a look out her window. Water was up to the sill and beginning to creep through cracks. Her son, who lived nearby, hacked a hole in a fence freeing the flow so she could struggle to the slightly higher ground of her tavern. Three times her dog stopped to help her get up after falling into the muck.

The son himself fell four times and had to be helped back to his feet. Once in the tavern they realized it would be a short respite. A friend with an excavator came to the rescue, diverting enough water from around the tavern to allow them to escape.

The kicker of the story is she had flood insurance on her home but not her tavern and the damage was from a mud slide rather than directly from the flooding. The final blow came when she returned to survey the damage and found that a deer head that had belonged to her late husband had been stolen by looters.

The headline on the article right next to it read Flood damage isn't so bad.

Maybe you had to have been there.