What would you trade to experience this? I traded almost everything and everyone I had ever known and it was absolutely worth it.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Trade Off
Walk along the sandy shores of a serene beach, squish your toes into the sand, feel the water gently grasp your ankles, listen to the waves caress the beach, splash some salty droplets on your legs, and let the day carry you forward. Hear the sandpipers cry in anger above your head as you walk just a little too close to their nests, smile at the seagulls as they nonchalantly bob on the waves, and marvel at the cormorants as they dive out of sight only to pop up again metres away. See tiny grey fish darting in and out of the shadows on their quest for food and life, frown at the lone crab shell left to dissolve into sandy particles, and gasp at the heat of the sand as it meets your bare toes. Absorb the delicate warmth of the sky into your body, close your eyes to the brilliant sun and breathe deeply of the wonder of the moment.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Beyond the Sea
Hot day today which meant we needed to find somewhere cool to walk. How about the beach? Usually I'd say no because the beach is generally hotter than anywhere else but today I thought we'd chance it. Our usual haunts were populated so I carried down the gravel road onto Caribou Island. It's not a pleasant drive to say the least; twisty, turny, bumpy, dusty, and washboard corners rattle the teeth right out of your mouth. But if you can tolerate this nonsense for about 10 minutes it's worth it.
We found a gently curving spit of sand that begs for your footprints like the beckoning finger of a seductive Siren. Then again, sometimes the Siren bites off more than she can chew.
No fear though, these dogs are immune to the Sirens sultry call - unless of course she happens to have a big juicy steak on offer.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Storm Cell
We are currently hunkered down waiting for the storm to pass. I think there's probably only another 24 hours or so before we can officially announce sunny skies and smooth sailing. And what, pray tell, kind of storm is this?
Why, a shit storm, that's what. The kind that has you stumbling around in the middle of the night doing laundry, uses up all your papertowel, involves liberal use of Lysol Wipes and bathing of dog bottoms. Oh yes ... it's the dreaded run of diarrhea.
What causes this incredibly infuriating event is usually a mystery but this time I think I have a handle on it. A few days ago Leeloo discovered Something Wonderful in the grass on our walks. Wonderful enough to remember it three days in a row. It wasn't the 'I need to roll in this' kind of wonderful, it was the eating kind. Normally I'd assume it was deer poop but because of the effect on her gastric system it was probably something more potent. My imagination has been on lockdown to prevent it from exploring the possibilities but let's just say no one eats anything else while on a walk if I can prevent it.
My first clue to this impending doom was coming home Thursday night to discover Leeloo attempting to climb out of the expen, something she has never ever done before. Her expression said "Get me out of here! Quick!" Once the smell hit my nose I knew why but what I was not prepared for was Boy's tragic condition.
He had been pooped on. And not just that, Leeloo's explosive diarrhea must have been a shock to them both because it was everywhere, all over the blankets and bedding, splattered up Raimi's side and even (gasp!) on the end of his nose. To say he was mortified is an understatement. I believe the common expression is "Just kill me now." He was drooling, cowering against the side of the pen, standing on three legs to avoid stepping in anything and looking at me for all the world as though life itself was ending. To say "Poor Boy!" is inadequate to how badly I felt for him.
Once everyone was outside I immediately grabbed papertowel, water, and Lysol Wipes and set to cleaning up Raimi first. He seemed most grateful for the removal of the pooh from his nose. Leeloo stood for her cleaning and fortunately the other two didn't get caught in the crossfire. Everything in the pen went into the wash and Leeloo got a tiny bit of oatmeal for dinner.
Bedtime at about 10:30pm with Leeloo and Raimi on the bed. At about 11pm Leeloo started the Worry Walk. You know the one. Increasing levels of consternation and worry because they need to go out NOW and are concerned you won't notice in time. So I launched myself out of bed and Leeloo almost made out to the door in time - she leaked a little on exit - poor Leeloo. I shoved her out to take care of the worst of the issue. Back in again a few minutes later.
An hour later, without warning, she is off the bed and my carpet is covered in Leeloo diarrhea. It's ... tragic. So there I am pulling out the rug, rolling it up and tossing it outside to deal with at a later time. Leeloo spent the rest of the night in what I presume was a fitful sleep. Friday morning her poop was improving and I think we are out of the woods.
Not so. Because on Friday night I see that Esme is not eating her dinner. Huh. An hour later I find a very runny poop in my hall. It's Esme sized. Uh oh. We head off to bed and I think, but do not act upon the thought, that perhaps I should remove the freshly washed dog bed from my room just in case Esme's issue follows the same course as Leeloo's.
At about 2am Raimi is standing next to my bed and I can feel the waves of concern washing over me. I don't know what he wants but he won't walk around to the other side of the bed to lie down. I insist he climbs over me and we sleep. A short time later I wake up and think 'I know that smell'. Sure enough when I turn on the light there is runny poop everywhere. Not on the bed thankfully but all over the floor and the dog bed. More paper towel, more Lysol Wipes, more baggies to package them, and laundry in the middle of the night. I stuff Esme into her crate and crawl back into bed. Fifteen minutes later I am out of bed again cleaning up the vomit from inside her crate. Back into the crate she goes.
Morning brings a beautiful day and more diarrhea. Fortunately it has been contained this time in the crate but on the dog as well. The hairy dog. Outside she goes. Coaxing Raimi out of my bedroom was a bit of a struggle because he didn't believe I had cleaned up the mess from the night before. He finally tiptoed his way to the door and stood drooling outside in a distraught state. He won't eat his breakfast, I presume he's lost his appetite due to the never-ending run of poop he has had to deal with for the last 2 days. Esme got a bath this morning at 7:30am ... so not what 7:30am is designed for.
What is strange but good is that this bug has not affected either dog's activity level or their personalities. Both are happy, cheerful, and apparently unaffected by this issue except when they are suddenly struck by a dire need to 'go'. Leeloo's appetite was not affected at all and while Esme is not eager to eat she is drinking and as naughty as ever. This is not the first time this has struck my household and while I hope it is the last I am sure it won't be given the girl's propensity for finding things to eat on our walks.
Things like this happen. I don't get mad at the dogs, it's not their fault they eat garbage and end up with gut rot. They are dogs. Dogs do things like this and there is almost nothing you can do to prevent it other than not walk them - an option I am unwilling to explore at this time. I do need to learn to follow my instincts though. If I think they are done their explosive stage, they never are and should really be in a contained space in order to minimise the impact on my house and possessions.
I am hoping that Raimi and Archer are free and clear of this particular issue because they didn't eat whatever it was that Esme and Leeloo did. Honestly, if there is trouble in the henhouse, ask the bitches. People often want boys because they think they are tough - own a bitch once and you'll change your tune. They each get into more trouble than both my boys combined.
Why, a shit storm, that's what. The kind that has you stumbling around in the middle of the night doing laundry, uses up all your papertowel, involves liberal use of Lysol Wipes and bathing of dog bottoms. Oh yes ... it's the dreaded run of diarrhea.
What causes this incredibly infuriating event is usually a mystery but this time I think I have a handle on it. A few days ago Leeloo discovered Something Wonderful in the grass on our walks. Wonderful enough to remember it three days in a row. It wasn't the 'I need to roll in this' kind of wonderful, it was the eating kind. Normally I'd assume it was deer poop but because of the effect on her gastric system it was probably something more potent. My imagination has been on lockdown to prevent it from exploring the possibilities but let's just say no one eats anything else while on a walk if I can prevent it.
My first clue to this impending doom was coming home Thursday night to discover Leeloo attempting to climb out of the expen, something she has never ever done before. Her expression said "Get me out of here! Quick!" Once the smell hit my nose I knew why but what I was not prepared for was Boy's tragic condition.
He had been pooped on. And not just that, Leeloo's explosive diarrhea must have been a shock to them both because it was everywhere, all over the blankets and bedding, splattered up Raimi's side and even (gasp!) on the end of his nose. To say he was mortified is an understatement. I believe the common expression is "Just kill me now." He was drooling, cowering against the side of the pen, standing on three legs to avoid stepping in anything and looking at me for all the world as though life itself was ending. To say "Poor Boy!" is inadequate to how badly I felt for him.
Once everyone was outside I immediately grabbed papertowel, water, and Lysol Wipes and set to cleaning up Raimi first. He seemed most grateful for the removal of the pooh from his nose. Leeloo stood for her cleaning and fortunately the other two didn't get caught in the crossfire. Everything in the pen went into the wash and Leeloo got a tiny bit of oatmeal for dinner.
Bedtime at about 10:30pm with Leeloo and Raimi on the bed. At about 11pm Leeloo started the Worry Walk. You know the one. Increasing levels of consternation and worry because they need to go out NOW and are concerned you won't notice in time. So I launched myself out of bed and Leeloo almost made out to the door in time - she leaked a little on exit - poor Leeloo. I shoved her out to take care of the worst of the issue. Back in again a few minutes later.
An hour later, without warning, she is off the bed and my carpet is covered in Leeloo diarrhea. It's ... tragic. So there I am pulling out the rug, rolling it up and tossing it outside to deal with at a later time. Leeloo spent the rest of the night in what I presume was a fitful sleep. Friday morning her poop was improving and I think we are out of the woods.
Not so. Because on Friday night I see that Esme is not eating her dinner. Huh. An hour later I find a very runny poop in my hall. It's Esme sized. Uh oh. We head off to bed and I think, but do not act upon the thought, that perhaps I should remove the freshly washed dog bed from my room just in case Esme's issue follows the same course as Leeloo's.
At about 2am Raimi is standing next to my bed and I can feel the waves of concern washing over me. I don't know what he wants but he won't walk around to the other side of the bed to lie down. I insist he climbs over me and we sleep. A short time later I wake up and think 'I know that smell'. Sure enough when I turn on the light there is runny poop everywhere. Not on the bed thankfully but all over the floor and the dog bed. More paper towel, more Lysol Wipes, more baggies to package them, and laundry in the middle of the night. I stuff Esme into her crate and crawl back into bed. Fifteen minutes later I am out of bed again cleaning up the vomit from inside her crate. Back into the crate she goes.
Morning brings a beautiful day and more diarrhea. Fortunately it has been contained this time in the crate but on the dog as well. The hairy dog. Outside she goes. Coaxing Raimi out of my bedroom was a bit of a struggle because he didn't believe I had cleaned up the mess from the night before. He finally tiptoed his way to the door and stood drooling outside in a distraught state. He won't eat his breakfast, I presume he's lost his appetite due to the never-ending run of poop he has had to deal with for the last 2 days. Esme got a bath this morning at 7:30am ... so not what 7:30am is designed for.
What is strange but good is that this bug has not affected either dog's activity level or their personalities. Both are happy, cheerful, and apparently unaffected by this issue except when they are suddenly struck by a dire need to 'go'. Leeloo's appetite was not affected at all and while Esme is not eager to eat she is drinking and as naughty as ever. This is not the first time this has struck my household and while I hope it is the last I am sure it won't be given the girl's propensity for finding things to eat on our walks.
Things like this happen. I don't get mad at the dogs, it's not their fault they eat garbage and end up with gut rot. They are dogs. Dogs do things like this and there is almost nothing you can do to prevent it other than not walk them - an option I am unwilling to explore at this time. I do need to learn to follow my instincts though. If I think they are done their explosive stage, they never are and should really be in a contained space in order to minimise the impact on my house and possessions.
I am hoping that Raimi and Archer are free and clear of this particular issue because they didn't eat whatever it was that Esme and Leeloo did. Honestly, if there is trouble in the henhouse, ask the bitches. People often want boys because they think they are tough - own a bitch once and you'll change your tune. They each get into more trouble than both my boys combined.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Leap of Faith
Never rush headlong into things, it can only get you into trouble. Look before you leap. Don't make assumptions. I can't recall ever meeting a dog who believed in any of the preceding philosophies. It never fails that Leeloo is the instigator of the inexplicable mad dash down the path. She disappears around a corner and the boys are rarely far behind. I don't often worry about her since her usual haunts are well known and I can get a handle on her location by the smashing and crashing noises coming from the bushes. However, it never fails to uplift my heart to see her embrace the unknown and throw herself into adventure without a backward glance. It's not a doctrine I particularly follow myself (although I have been known to be reckless) but apparently when you're a dog, it's the only way to fly.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A Life Less Ordinary
There something remarkably peaceful about a lone dog on a path that leads into the wilderness. He trots along with absolute certainty toward an enigmatic future. Living in the moment and never knowing anything other that what is right here and now. An utterly uncomplicated life which believes that every breath and every heart beat is the only one that has ever occurred. A life less ordinary and yet more extraordinary than any life a human has ever known. His far reaching gaze sees beyond the every-day and accepts that his existence simply 'is what it is'. He judges nothing, challenges no one, loves unconditionally, gives selflessly, sleeps soundly, and lives completely.
Of course, on this journey through life, everyone must pause for a moment to take care of business.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
All in the Family
Family portraits are always so interesting. You don't often get everyone smiling or looking in the right direction at the same time or someone insists on wearing something that doesn't match anyone else or two siblings just had a fight and don't want to stand next to each other or you just had your hair done for the portrait and it looks awful or a kid lost a tooth or a teen has a zit or someone gets sick. You know the drill. My family portraits don't have any of those problems ... wouldn't you agree? And yes, everyone is in this photo, even the little black hurricane. Now now children, don't wrestle in the studio ...
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Over the Hedge
It was a Manson/Zombie/NIN drive home today which means it was not a good day at work. I came home to discover yet another screw up which is completely out of my control and just drives home the utter lack of control I have over other people and their actions. Therefore it's going to be a short post today so I can get to True Blood and The United States of Tara. Watching other people's messed up lives always makes me feel better - even if they aren't real people. So here's a cute photo of a cute couple of dogs to brighten your day and mine. That right there is a Leeloo bum (note the absence of testicles) and way in the bushes right under Legs Herself is a little black fluffy bottom. Something Very Interesting must have been hiding in the bushes ...
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