LOOK AT ME! 

I fell in love with the groomer. I strutted my way out, tail wagging non-stop.

Looking good. Feeling even better. My future looks bright.

MY 'REAL' ID

 Soon, my PA driver's license will no longer be an acceptable form of ID to enter federal buildings or travel by air. I would need a 'real' ID.

Fortunately we have had a few years notice of this change and I had set about gathering the required documents. 

First was my birth certificate (not the original but an official embossed one). For this I had to locate my District's State Representative's office. They took my information and sent for my paperwork. I'm glad that I did this when I did. The Representative we had at the time had a very constituent friendly local office. From what I hear, the current Representative's office would have been more likely to hand me an address to submit myself if I asked really nice.

Second was my Social Security card. That wasn't a problem. I have that.

Third was proof of why my name doesn't match my birth certificate. I had been married. I needed my marriage certificate. I'm sixty years old and have moved many times over those years. I was fortunate, I actually found that particular piece of paper.

Lastly, I needed two proofs of residence. My current driver's license and a bank statement in my name sufficed.

I arrived at the DMV with all of the required paperwork in hand and $30 to cover the fee. Now I am a 'real' person.

I feel that I am very lucky. Not everyone can get all of these documents as easily and as cheaply as I was able to. Even for me, just the fee for the ID represents half of my weekly food budget. 

I hope that all of my fellow Pennsylvanians can manage to get their ID as well. Start early if you hope to gather the documents you will need.

I REALLY DON'T CARE, DO YOU?

Forgive and forget? Sorry, but no!

Over this past year, I have done all that I could do to protect myself, my family and the rest of society. How? By simply wearing my mask. I have been able to go anywhere and do anything that I chose to do. The only thing stopping me has been you, the maskless people who 'choose' to put the entire nation at risk by enabling a virus to continually spread and at this point kill over a half a million fellow citizens.

When businesses reopened and my job was available to me once more, I returned to work. As a responsible adult, I was contributing to the economy and supporting myself. My job does not offer insurance so if I were to get sick, it would be an extreme financial burden for me. The risk had been low until Covid came along. Even so, I was ready to do what needed to be done. I took the precautions available to me and continued to do my job.

In November, after many months of doing my part and being ridiculed for being a 'sheep' and being 'afraid' and being 'controlled' while protecting these same people, I was tired of placing myself and my family at risk while being treated so poorly. It is very hard to work in customer service, smile and be pleasant to people who obviously cared nothing at all about you (or others for that matter).

When our local firehall decided to go ahead with their annual gun raffle, usually the social event of the year, complete with the all-you-can-eat buffet and the all-you-can-drink beer tent just one week before the Thanksgiving weekend, the writing was on the wall. Covid was about to surge in my area. I opted out. I quit my job and stayed home just as these anti-mask people had been saying to do.

I have been unemployed now for four months with no income. The only thing I did get was insurance, Medicaid. Yep, I'm a drain on society. Too bad folks.

I recently have had the opportunity to receive the Covid vaccine and jumped on the chance of returning to a more normal life. Research and statistics show that these vaccines provide extremely good protection against the virus and total protection against hospitalization and death. I can reenter the world with confidence.

The varients that are appearing are more contagious and possibly more likely to lead to hospitalization for those who had previously avoided the worst outcomes overall, the young adults. I see these people going about their days as if there were no pandemic, gathering together without masks. As we go forward and these people now start falling very ill, I find that I have no pity for them. I really don't care, in the words of the former first lady. Let them reap what they have sown!

Life and Morality

 The headline reads: Aunt's boyfriend arrested after child dies during visit to home over weekend.

We have all sadly seen such headlines. The mother in this case, despite her shock and grief, decides to sign an organ donor slip. In some small way, she wants her child to live on through the lives his death can save. It is a way to honor a life cut short.

Do the organ donations of this child become somehow immoral because he was murdered rather than in an accident? I don't see how anyone could think so.

Today, I read that some church leaders are calling the J & J vaccine immoral because of the use of embryonic stem cells in its development. 

Johnson & Johnson confirmed in a statement released Tuesday that the vaccine formula itself includes no fetal tissue. So what does make their COVID-19 vaccine so much more controversial than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines?

The particular cells that are involved in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are called PerC6 cells. "These are retinal cells that came from a fetus that was aborted in 1985 in the Netherlands, which were treated in the lab to allow them to reproduce in lab settings since that time," Barker explains.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are different—they involve HEK293 cells, which also came from an aborted fetus in the Netherlands (in 1973). These cells have also been reproducing in lab settings since that time, Barker says.

I don't care where you stand in the pro-life, pro-choice argument. The point is actually moot when it comes to these vaccines. None of the cells used came about by someone intentionally getting pregnant for the purpose of generating those cells. 

Whether you consider an aborted fetus a child with a soul or not, these cells have led to extending the lives of thousands over the years. The research and development of stem cell therapies, vaccines, and tissue regeneration programs honor the lives of these embryos and to call this immoral is equivalent to saying their existance did not matter at all.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

The world is definitely changing. As difficult as it is to accept all the craziness that is going on all around us, change is a necessary and positive thing.
Letting go of the past to allow for the new is never easy. We see the world that we grew up in being torn apart and grasp for the familiar. The thing is, the new may be something so much better than we ever could have expected.
Consider this; children who are reaching adulthood today never experienced 9/11. They never experienced a world without school shootings. They've been raised with anti-bullying campaigns and can recognize that behavior even in their own parents when we are unaware of it ourselves. They know what global warming is and the things we can do to lessen its impact.
These are the newlyweds, the parents to be. There are very few things in life that bring into focus what kind of world we want to live in than impending parenthood.
As a person of some age, I knew how to navigate the world that I spent my lifetime in. It doesn't seem to exist anymore but I believe something better is coming. We are going to survive these growing pains.
You and I might have opposing views of what this new world will or should look like. Doesn't matter, we'll both probably be proven wrong. If we trust that God is in charge, neither of us has reason to fear the change.

PANDORA'S BOX

Back in February it was easy. I could watch the news and feel confidant in my decisions. I followed the events in Italy closely because we seemed to be about two weeks behind them. I decided to clear my debts, make sure that my pantry and freezer had enough to keep us fed for two to three weeks. I prepared for the inevitable shelter in place. I was ready. 
I waited for our President to make the announcement. It never came. Eventually the governors finally did the job. It fell to them to prepare, to procure what was necessary to keep their citizens safe while we learned what this disease was, how to treat it most effectively, how quickly it could spread, what the mortality rate might be. No one had seen this virus before and no one could say with any certainty what to expect.
Today we know that this disease is extremely contagious. We know that over 90% of those that get it recover. We know that those who suffer the most or die from it are predominantly elderly or have underlying conditions. We have learned a lot. Do we know everything? Certainly not.
I'm old enough to remember chickenpox. We knew then that it was a one time disease. Once you had it, you had immunity. It was much harder on adults than on children so when a kid came down with it, there were chickenpox parties to intentionally infect the kids so we could get it over with while we were young. It wasn't deadly, we only needed to avoid aspirin so as not to get Reye's syndrome. Most children today are vaccinated against this disease but these days people of my age are getting shingles vaccines because the chickenpox we had as kids never completely left our bodies. It laid in wait for when our bodies grew older and weaker.
The point is, we rarely know what we think we know.
As a person who falls into the vulnerable population for Covid, I really would prefer to not take my chances of recovering well from this disease. Most of my friends are also vulnerable to the worst of what this disease can hand out and I certainly wouldn't want to put them at risk.
I am not old enough to retire yet so I have to go to work. When we first opened the economy, people were wearing their masks and I could feel that at least the attempt was being made and if I kept my hands clean and did my part, I stood a reasonable chance of staying safe. 
These days, few people are wearing masks and all of the hand washing in the world doesn't remove their contagions from the air. While at work I do not have the option to remove myself from the situation. Out of the hundreds of people that come through the door, it only takes one to pass this virus to me and from me to my partner.
I don't know how many of you have dogs but if you have ever travelled with one you'll be familiar with the window. Those nose prints are gross and hard to clean. That is how my plexiglass screen gets at work if we don't stay on top of it. That shows me that people put out more nastiness when they breathe than they think they do,
As I go about life outside of work, I've become more aware of the people around me. There are fewer and fewer places that I feel confident to be in. My world is slowly shrinking. 
I no longer feel capable of preparing for what may come. I watch the news and seek information from other countries to gauge what actions will be best for me and my family and get no answers. No other country is in our position. Pandora's box has already been opened and the lid lifted off.

REOPENING THE ECONOMY

We all agree that small businesses need to be able to reopen. Before they do they need many permits, registrations etc .Covid or not, it is part of having a business. All of those cost a lot of money to procure. They also need employees that are able and willing to come to work. They put all of that expensive paperwork at risk if they don't comply with CDC guidelines, and most of their employees are not high income people. They come to work to earn a paycheck to pay their bills and feed their families just like anyone else. As more and more people come into a business 'choosing their freedom' to not wear a mask the risk per dollar earned grows less and less at the same time that the treatment that they receive from these customers gets more and more belligerent. It is rapidly reaching the point where the stress and risk is no longer worth the money that is made.

DEAR GOD, I'M ANGRY!

Dear God, I'm angry!

Right now, it seems as if everyone is angry. And why not, the whole world is in upheaval.

I learned a long time ago that anger is really fear and frustration over things we cannot change. Generally, I manage to overcome my anger by asking myself what I'm afraid of. Let's see, that would be; a pandemic of a highly contagious unknown virus, an economy that is barely holding on leaving many wondering where their next meal is coming from, a broken food supply system, an America that has become the Divided States over the past decade plus, and a future that nobody knows what it will look like. What do I have no control over; the virus, the economy, the food chain, American politics, the future.

The only thing I have control over is myself. Not other people, not Mother Nature, only me. So yes, I'm angry. I'm afraid and I'm frustrated and I'm praying for miracles. A miracle to heal our planet. A miracle to heal our nation. A miracle to heal our spirits.

THOSE JOBLESS NUMBERS

I am not concerned by the huge increase in jobless claims. Here's why. I, like so many others am staying home. Yes, I could almost certainly find temporary employment with my background in retail. It comes down to priorities. My first priority to America is to do my part to protect our medical system. 
If I should find myself positive for the virus at any point, I want it to be there to help me become one of the many, many survivors. At that point, I hope that science will show that survivors now have antidodies. Then, I will happily rejoin the workforce with fervor. Two jobs, three jobs, whatever. I'll be off the jobless list and spending money to support my local businesses.
The President is right in saying that Americans want to work but not by putting my fellow citizens at risk. The economy will recover. I believe that with all my heart but only if we see this through. Too soon and we'll risk putting ourselves in a situation from which we cannot recover.

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT

Dear Mr. President,
    I want you to know that while I do not identify as Democrat or Republican, I do identify as an American. I am proud of my country and believe in their can do spirit.
    I implore you to stay the course. I believe that the 15 Day Plan is the best and possibly the only hope for our country. I know that it has been over a week and seems to you as if we've made no progress in its goals. I want you to realize that in actuality we are closer to day one.
    Only four days ago I was standing at the register of the small business in which I work. Nearby all six Skills games were in use, retirees, working people, young people sitting shoulder to shoulder, swapping machines talking about which of the many places they frequent are paying out. As soon as one would leave, another would take their place. So many hands, so much close contact.
    As they sat and joked about the virus being 'fake', a 'conspiracy, only happening in the cities, I also had to wait on regular customers. The family of four stopping in on their way by along with their friends. Suddenly there are 14 people in this space. I sold one pack of cigarettes.
    This is rural America. The people are good hard-working patriotic citizens but they clearly haven't been getting the message. The shutting down of the non-lifesustaining businesses was the wake up they needed.
     If you do 'reopen' the economy at this time, the virus wins, America loses and the economy will still tank. Sick workers cannot work. Dead people do not buy goods.
   I believe in America. Conquer this virus and the economy will soar again. Keep America Great. Face what we must do, can do, will do and then with a collective sigh of relief we can move on.

DOGTOR DEATH

That's JoJo's new nickname.

He's been very busy these past two years ridding this old country home of pests.

So far, here's his scoreboard:

Birds - 2
Bats - 3
Chipmunks - 1
Flying squirrels - 3 (two in one day, yesterday)
Flies and various other insects - too numerous to count

I should note that with the exception of the chipmunk (and many insects), all of these have been inside.

NO-VEMBER

So it's NO-vember.

I can't think of a better time to turn over a new leaf.

I know that most people think of January 1st as the time for New Years resolutions. That's traditional. I've never been one to hold traditions as sacred. Besides, 'new' to me is a time for adding something such as exercise or more veggies to my diet.

It struck me as no coincidence that NO-vember arrived just as I made some decisions that are bound to change my life. 

In October I left a high(ish) paying but aggravating and stressful job, taking a leap of faith that something else was in my future. I suddenly found myself with lots of time on my hands. 

I have rediscovered my energy. Work has resumed on this old house! However, I still needed an income. I took a low pay part time job. I still have to pay my way in this world and there are so many things I'd like to invest in for my home.

I certainly can't afford to live the way I have been. Enter NO-vember. A good friend's voice rang in my ears, "Learn to say no to yourself". These words from nearly thirty years ago ring true to me now.

My biggest expenses consist of cigarettes and lottery. Time to change.

Not purchasing lottery tickets has been quite easy. I still pick one up now and again but it is no longer a budget buster.

The much harder challenge has been my addiction to nicotine. After 46 years of pumping this into my body, saying 'no' has been an impossible task each time I have tried. I can't accept that it is mere coincidence that I came across a very interesting post exactly when I needed it most.

The claim was that one teaspoon of cream of tartar dissolved in a cup of orange juice and drank before bed each night will absorb and remove nicotine from your system.
I researched this on multiple health websites (such as WebMD) and they all concur.
Eureka! Was this the magic potion for me? Yes and No. The craving for nicotine has been radically reduced but the need to smoke (the holding and drawing on a cigarette remains). I'm a work in progress and still learning how to say no to myself.

NO-vember is my month! Perhaps it can be your month too. What negative would you like to say NO to. 

I'm looking forward to a very Happy Thanksgiving. Perhaps for the New Year I can add a positive as a reward. Bookcases would make me incredibly happy.

Unusual Friendship

My dog sits at the window most of the time. He gets very excited when something outside gets his attention. Lately, this has been our resident chipmunk.
This little rodent seems to find it entertaining to taunt the dog. It doesn't seem to be fearful of him and chirps at JoJo whenever he's in the vicinity.

He's just outside the door. I'm here, come get me! Then it's off to the side of the house. Over Here! Here I am!

It's absolutely hilarious when he pops up from one hole while JoJo is looking down another, something I have yet to catch on video. I truly believe that the chipmunk finds this game as much fun as the dog does.

OUR SHELTERS

I haven't been writing much lately. I don't like to write just for the sake of writing. I reserve it for when I actually have something I want to share. I would like to take a few minutes of your time to express how much our animal shelters need your help.

Where I live we are fortunate to have no-kill shelters.

This was where I found JoJo. I am ever so grateful for the care they gave him before I arrived. He was a case where the prior owners dumped him at the shelter in the middle of the night. With their cameras they were able to locate them and find out why they got rid of him. The man said that he bit him when he was disciplining him and showed them a small scratch. The first time I gave JoJo the sit command he did it but without eye contact and obvious fear. He certainly wasn't expecting the praise I gave him.

 Our store does a donation drive every year for this shelter which is located nearby. They have a capture/spay/release program for stray cats and sometimes bring animals up from high-kill shelters to find homes for those at high risk of euthanasia through no fault of their own.

 Most shelters don't have that luxury. There is only so much space to house all of the animals that come through their doors.

Some were found as strays. Some are lost pets whose owners need to be found (if possible). Some are owner surrenders. "I can't take care of him anymore." "I'm relocating due to work and can't find housing that allows pets." "This cat keeps escaping and coming back pregnant."

Some come from puppy mills. Some come from dogfighting situations.

Once in the shelter, they all are scanned for a microchip. If one exists, the hope is that it has been registered and updated. If an owner can be located, they are not always willing to pay the fee and collect their pet. If there is no owner looking for the animal they need to be checked by a vet to see if they have any communicable diseases. After they are determined to be adoptable, the wait for a forever home begins.

The kennel environment itself proves too much for many animals who either shutdown or become aggressive. This makes their odds even lower.

I once went to the shelter to adopt a cat. This was before it became a no kill shelter. I told them that I wanted the cat that was highest on the list for euthanasia. Muffy was a seven year old cat with 24 toes, six on each paw. She had 24 claws that had grown so long that they had curved back into her own paws. She was terribly matted. The vet told me that they could put her under and shave her if I wanted. I said no and took her home. I worked on those mats with my fingers and with scissors and my ex bathed her to loosen the ones that had formed around her feces. We clipped her claws and gently pulled the ends from her feet. The next challenge was teaching her to be a cat. I sat in the doorway until she got comfortable with that. Next was the sidewalk, and finally the yard. She was very cautious and concerned at the feel of grass. Eventually, her days consisted of laying in the yard and soaking up the heat of the sun. I am convinced that she had lived in a cage her entire life up until the day I adopted her. As she was, her odds were pretty poor. I am so glad that the second half of her life was a good one.

In the book. "ONE at a Time" the authors spent one week at a typical city shelter. This book was published in 2003 but the statistics overall still hold true. In just that one shelter, in that one city, in one week:

363 animals passed through the shelter

240 were brought in lost or stray

14 were brought in for euthanasia due to illness or old age

3 were taken in under protective custody

15 were found and claimed by their families

6 were dead on arrival

6 died after arriving

2 were stolen

2 were transferred to other shelters

215 were adopted to new homes

117 were euthanized

How to help

Volunteer (walk the dogs, give them a break from kennel time, give them human contact)

Donate (vets, food, running spay/ neuter programs are only some of the expenses)

Adopt (make room in the shelter for yet another animal, don't support the continued breeding for profit that exists everywhere.

Be a responsible pet owner. Spay or neuter your pet. License and microchip your pet. Provide vet care, love, training and commitment to your pet. You'll be well rewarded.

If you have rental property, agree to rent to responsible pet owners.

PLEASE, consider the shelter worker who chose this life because of their love for animals. They are forced to choose between this animal and that one, who lives and who dies. Instead of saving them all, they hold them and speak softly as they put them down to make room for the endless stream. It is heartbreaking beyond words. HELP THEM!!

Returning to Letchworth

A testament to the power of glaciers.

Also to the need to explore.

And to conquer.

But the calm of nature,

conceals tremendous power.

RECENT READS

I am still devouring books. I average a book each week. I've been very fortunate in February to have found two exceptionally enjoyable reads.

First, I picked up 'A Dog's Way Home'. This is by the same author as 'A Dog's Purpose' which still holds the rank of my favorite book.

The dog hero of this novel finds himself searching for his way home to the man who loves him. Along the way he makes many unlikely friends and has numerous relationships, some of which last for quite some time but he never loses sight of his goal, to find his way home. Besides being entertaining, this book highlights the effects of antibulldog laws and many issues effecting veterans.

A great read that I highly recommend.

The second book I want to tell you about is 'A Man Called Ove'.

Ove is your classic curmudgeon. He is a widower who finds himself pushed into retirement. He feels as if his time on earth is pretty much finished. Fortunately for us, and for his neighbors, each time he finds a way to join his wife, someone needs him. As he grudgingly goes about being helpful to his neighbors and that annoying cat, he rediscovers a purpose in life. Although my description sounds quite somber, I guarantee you that you will smile as you recognize these characters in the people that you know in your own neighborhood. I can't wait to share this book with my friends!

WALKING BETWEEN THE RAINS

It has been raining for days. JoJo and I have been staying inside (mostly) and we were eager to get out. My wonderful neighbor told me about an amazing web she and her young ones had seen earlier in the day. After dinner there was a break in the rain. Time to go exploring!

We found the spider. He really was remarkable.

 We found all sorts of plant life, full of color and enjoying the nurturing rains.

 

While we were stagnant inside, nature had been busy!

We even came across some visiting chickens. Apparently, they were restless too,

BUSHES

After our recent driveway washaway, this little patch of ground got torn up and leveled off. That was a happy side effect for me. Now what to do with it?
An herb garden perhaps? Maybe flowers? Bushes? Flowering bushes!

They seem small now but I certainly hope that they will grow.
I chose a pink rose and two red begonias. When they get bigger and fuller they will look amazing!

Also, I made new friend while I was at it...

I hope he enjoys a little home improvement too.

ROOM TO RUN

My first vacation! I had many firsts this weekend. Just look at all of this space to explore.

I wonder where this path goes.

I caught a scent, did it go this way, that way? That way! I ran and mom came with me. There it was! My shackles went up. I growled, I barked. Mom said, "A rock? Seriously, you're barking at a rock?" I growled and barked again. This time, the 'rock' moved. I had tracked a big turtle!

Mom brought along new toy. She calls it a flirt stick. I call it FUN!

I made some new friends too. I met a couple I didn't quite get along with but most of them were pretty cool. After all of that activity, it was sure nice to go back to our home away from home.

I think I like vacation.

BECOMING A BETTER PERSON

You need a dog!

I have been noticing more often how much a dog can influence the lives of their owners in positive ways. I always knew it but sometimes it becomes more apparent.

The other evening my neighbors dog came to visit. I never mind, he is a great dog, but I also know that it isn't permitted. Apparently he had wandered off while they were working on the numerous projects that accumulate over the winter months.

The next evening I spotted their entire family headed out for a hike. Sometimes it takes a dog to remind us of the importance of taking time out for fresh air, exercise, family time and nature.

These winter months have left my dog and I with a few extra pounds. He is young and energetic. Me, not so much. I thought the ideal solution, besides walking along the road all the time, might be a flirt pole. This is similar to a cat toy. It's a pole with a stretchy cord and a stretchy toy at the end. Terrific for exercising a dog while you stand in one place. However, before we can begin to use this new wonder we have to conquer a few new skills. 

We need to learn the game of fetch. Apparently this is not an automatic thing for dogs, at least not my dog. I had to break it down. Throw the toy. "Fetch" "Bring it" "Give" "Good boy" Treat

Repeat. Seems easy right? Once or twice we get through the chain.

Throw, fetch, drop toy halfway back. "Get it. The toy. Get it." "Good, bring it. Give. No tug of war, Give. Good. Treat." 

It is a lesson in patience and in figuring out how to get through to him what he needs to do to make the game continue.

I have found myself breaking down many command/responses this way over the past year. I learned the power of yes!

Bringing a dog into your life is a rewarding and challenging thing. Every dog is unique and no matter how many dogs you have had, each has a special gift to bring.

I recently read a book by Erin Taylor Young. The book is 'Surviving Henry - Adventures in Loving a Canine Catastrophe'.

It was definitely a laugh out load read. I know, I've seen that phrase on many a dust jacket too and barely cracked a smile but this book actually lives up to it. Her Henry is definitely a handful! Her humor through the frustration and damage a dog can cause is wonderful. Her conclusion is even more so.

She writes:

"Through Henry, God has been giving me not needless suffering, but a lesson in real love - God's love. The kind of love he has for me. The kind that's the hope for all of us flawed creatures.

Real love can't be about satisfying a feeling. It's too hard for that. It costs and it hurts and it's one life-wrenching mess of a lesson. Its choices and challenges and changes that are about you and not about the other person. It's embracing - no, embodying - the notion of unconditional giving. Of mercy. Of commitment.

It's becoming a better person for having lived through the crucible.

God did not punish me with a whacko dog. Henry is a gift. An opportunity day by day, minute by minute, disaster by disaster, to discover not what Henry can become, but what I can become.

I wouldn't trade this adventure for anything.

Maybe, after all is said and done, this isn't a dog's redemption story at all.

Maybe it's mine."

I know that the love, joy, pain, sorrow of sharing a lifetime with a dog has changed me in profound ways. I am becoming a better person.