Eulogy for a Friend

Just how close can  you be to a friend?

When your friend is a small and not a very powerful one what do think of her presence?

In your troubled times that friend has been there not leaving your side for weeks at a time, and paces the floor and moans when you are not in her presence.

Every greeting is, "So glad to see you, where have you been all this time?", even if you have only gone to the grocery store and back.

I cannot ever remember a correction of my actions or a cross word, when I act out of character.

We wake together, and often feel the need for a nap at the same time.

We met by chance at work of all places. An appointment in the lake area brought us together.  Only one quick glance back and forth gave us the need to be together.

It is just shy of 16 years and the connection has been one that goes beyond the normal senses.

Morgan fades a little each day. Staring off into the distance, I wish I could communicate in words, and hear what she sees that is not visible to me with my limited vision.

At my age I have said good buy to too many friends, but perhaps Morgan released from pain can join them over the Rainbow Bridge. 

So Long my good friend.

Foot Note: We could not let Morgan go. She is still with us. She has some problems but seems to have her own schedule. Keeping us busy with a little more care. Stubborn about what she wants to eat. We will see how it goes for the time being.

2. Time finally caught up with her number of lives. We had to send Morgan over the Rainbow Bridge on Monday 10/19/2015. She gave it a try for the last couple of weeks but what ever tumor or trouble inside finally took her down and we could not see her suffer any more.

Summer is gone and the Silly Season is winding down.

 

  This was to avoid a political blog. That was the reason for starting. Unfortunately recent events make it impossible.

 Seeing so many Republicans wanting to be President should give us a reason to think that the Republic is in good shape, and there are a good number of candidates who want to guide us to further heights of greatness and wonder. If only that were true. A panoply of regressive and worn ideas are presented again in two debates and weird advertisements.

Watching the clown car of last Presidential election year turn into a total circus train with a ring master on every car. As the train hurtles toward disaster crossing a weakened bridge over the mouth of a volcano. Each Ring Master thinks he is in control of the engine, but in each car is only a percent or two of the circus people. The people in the cars are deluded, having their brains shrunk by too much exposure to Fox radiation. The applause is strong as the Circus Ring Masters call out one proposal after another. Each proposal is a bridge between the other, the poor, intelligence, science, women, children, education, peace, and any other positive direction you could take.  

Unfortunately with all the choice it is sad to look from podium to podium and say to your self please God help The United States of America and keep each of these people away from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

 9/21/2015

Cool Spring

Not a running brook from a natural spring, just cool weather into May I expect. The rain has been regular and gentle compared with last year torrents. We are still not out of the storm season, just beginning. Ohio, Indians, Oklahoma, and Kansas have had some tornadoes
and the south seems to get it worse. Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia. Weather patterns seem to be still shifting. Never know what to expect.

 At least my large friends have some turf to turn over with their hoofs and munch on.

 The earth in all her spring colors.

 

 

Surrender Never.

I just deleted all of the information I had accumulated on the perfidy of George W. Bush. That he is free to paint his toes, dogs, and scenery after the murder of thousands has galled me. If his successor will not strike out against his outrages and crimes, my voice seems to just be shouting into a void, where there is not even an echo. History will be the judge, but it seems that history is just a series of fables we use to gloss over our open wounds. The country has fallen in to a dysfunctional malaise, that seems to benefit those with money that now equals speech. Money has always had its way in politics, but now the open flood gates are sweeping away anything resembling a democratic system. We are now truly in the hands of the .07% and they don't seem to like anything but their own security. How does this fit in with Merry Christmas. Well the NY Times had and editorial that asks for the investigation of the torturers above, and even the German Human Rights watch want a piece of Bush and Cheney.  Cheney has canceled a trip to Switzerland just because he might be arrested. That is closing in on them

Winter hibernation

Back in the pool today. The cold has had me underground and unwilling to dunk into even the heated pool at the community center. Going to take the plunge today.

Picking Up the Pencils Again.

Dry spells some times exist outside the arid lands. Cloud bursts can come out of a winter sky. I reach for the tin of colored pencils and work on projects left by the side of the road forward while trekking off the berm and into the forest. Back on the road what will appear on the page?

What breed?

 

The question asked most among dog owners and the generally curious is: "What breed is that?" We have had Portuguese water dogs for about 25 years now, and we did not even know what the breed was when we adopted what was advertised as a "lab mix" in a small Dogs for Free ad, in the Baltimore Sun.

 So by accident we joined owners of a rare breed. Twenty five years ago there were less than 3,000 in the world. In the middle of the Portuguese Civil War in the 1970's their population dropped to a low of 27.  Today in America, Portugal, Australia, and Brazil they are a thriving breed no longer on the brink of extinction. If you watch Crofts show in England or any of the American major shows you will see them competing in the working dog group.

 

My story today is really not about rare pure bread dogs. My blog today started with a comment from our veterinarian on our last visit with two adopted mix breed pups.

We were having a general conversation about the treatment of animals and got on to the subject of horses at some point. His face dropped into a sad frown.

  

Fudge our Portuguese Water Dog Sire being pursued by our two latest mix breed adopted pups.

He told us that the market for horses had hit hard times and people who owned them were not giving them the care they required.  If the horse was a $200 buy it had very little chance of good care, but if the horse was a $2,000 buy or better it would probably get care.

The animals were being stratified by their economic status. Both horses could be ridden the same distance, would establish the same connection with a caring owner, yet because of their apparent dollar value they would have much different lives when it came to medical care.

We have had the same veterinarian for fourteen years now and we have the responsibility for 10 dogs.  There care and feeding rivals our mortgage payment. There has been changes in the membership of our pack over the years. New Portuguese Water Dogs and new Found Dogs have made up the mix of our ten.

 

Sebastian found us this past July. We think he is part Bernese Mountain Dog since he loves to lie and roll in the snow..

He needed an operation for some damage that had been done to his hip in a fight or accident before we added him to our group,

 

Dr. B. Paid us a compliment during the visit we just had with our two new mix-breed pups.

He observed over the years we had worked with him that we gave the same attention and care to all of our pack, pure bread or mix breed.  I had never given a moments thought before to treating a dog we had just spent a small fortune (to us) for, any different than Sebastian a mix breed who arrived in our neighbors yard, all bones and covered in burrs, lost and hungry.

 

When I think about his comment, it made me reflect about the 5 going on 6 year conflict on Health Care in the United States.  If you are pure bread with a nice thick wallet for a coat, the best of care is available to you. If you are a skinny stray who had had the misfortune of becoming lost in our economic survival of the fittest jungle, chance are you will have a short miserable life, and medical care will be a luxury you just will not be able to take advantage of.

 

We treat Americans our own citizens just like the horse owners have done. We care for the rich and the poor have a second class place at the medical dining room.

 

So as you read this, think---are you one of the well off with unlimited access to the best care or are you just able to access care on an emergency basis.  Will the next medical event in your life be with out more than the normal amount of worry or will it wipe out all you have worked for in your lifetime? 

 

Both situations are the American Way!

 

Pure Bred or Mix-Breed

 

Door to the Left or Door to the Right

Best of Care or Left to Chance