When Profile Talks, Mommy Listens...Sometimes

Now, if Animal Communicators aren't your thing, disregard this post...

I have a friend that is an AC and I got a half hour reading with Profile tonight. I had already emailed her just to tell her that his behavior has been odd lately and that he was marking again, and I wanted to know if something was up. That's all I said.

She said that she asked him what was going on and that he was "moody" and "in a snit." Anyone that has met him can say "well duh!" to that, he's always like that. She asked what was wrong, and said that his attitude was like "I'll tell you a little, but not everything." He told her about a dress that was very big and yellow/gold and showed her a kind of paisley design with lots of colors. He told her he was upset at the woman in that dress, and wouldn't say anything else.

Sooooo she assumed that was me from the renn fest, only my dress isn't gold. However...one of my volunteers has a dress matching that description. I mentioned that and he started whining. She said that he was saying I knew who it was and showed her a picture of him outdoors looking up at a blonde woman in that same dress.

Joanne, my friend, a blonde and fellow rennie, wore her gold dress this past weekend.

She went on to say that Profile was very concerned about being left or being taken away by someone else, and that something was happening with Mommy and he was concerned that he was going to be taken away. My friend thought that was a non-sequitor until I remembered a conversation we had at the renn fest this past weekend. Joanne has always teased me that she's going to take Profile, and we were joking about it this weekend. Profile is a special dog to her, because it was after she saw him sitting and downing and all on command that she decided to try obedience with her boy JD...who now reads flash cards!

Anyway, that's been a running joke that she loves Profile and she's going to steal him, or that he secretly wants to come live with her, etc. etc. He told my friend tonight in no uncertain terms that he does NOT want to go live with her and it upsets him when she says that because he thinks she's going to steal him away from Mommy. He doesn't want to be anywhere but with me. My Handsome Fella...

So now my assignment is to remind him often that he's staying with me, and to think of images of me and him snuggling or chilling on the couch or just generally being together.

And I need to tell Joanne about how we need to not make that joke anymore...he apparently knows that when I say I'm going to box him up and ship him off I'm kidding, but when other people say it he gets afraid that it might be true. Thankfully Joanne has seen an AC with her hounds, so she won't think I'm completely insane.

I thought it was a productive session. I know not everyone believes in Animal Communication, but I do...and anything I can do to love on my Handsome Fella and make sure he knows I'm never going to leave him or give him away...well, the experience can't be all bad, huh?

(To those planning on commenting that I'm a wack job, save it. Thanks.)

My Lefty Liberal Head in the Sand Quote for Today

I have added Bark Bark Woof Woof ("The blog of Mustang Bobby, a writer in South Florida who looks at the world with dry bemusement and tries to get through life without bumping into the furniture. A proud member of the Reality-Based Community.")to my list of daily reads. My quote of the day comes from a post on his blog titled "Sunday Reading," dated 2 October 2005, and is in response to Tom DeLay's comment back in April that a "left-wing syndicate" had focuses its collective ire on him when they could not make headway persecuting Dubya.

Frankly, I think if there was such a thing as a "vast left-wing conspiracy" -- an oxymoron if there ever was one -- we would not have wasted our time on a pipsqueak like Tom DeLay. We would have won the election in 2000, we would have run the Republicans out of the majority in the Congress and Senate, and we would have opened gay bars and abortion clinics in St. Patrick's Cathedral. Dream big dreams, Tom.

Now I'm off to read more on Dubya's appointment of Harriet Miers to fill Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's seat on the Court...I'm not impressed so far with the fact that she is his personal counsel, but we'll see...

Ya-la-ya-ha-bee-bee

(apologies to those who might speak Arabic...especially since I'm just not sure what language that is...)

Weekend one of the Renn Fest is done. Hunky and Profee and I left (literally) at O'Dark-Thirty Saturday morning to drive up to Huntersville. I really can't WAIT until I live in Greenville so I can take about 45 minutes off that drive...

I was greeted by tales of how our tent was right next to the petting zoo, and that there were chickens and ducks so close that the dogs would snap them up. Also, I had allegedly gotten the IDs for everyone that had had them made prior to dress rehearsal, but they were NOT in my packet. So dress rehearsal for me was waiting patiently to be able to ambush the entertainment director, Rob, with my "concerns."

The festival understands the prey drive that may be set into motion in a greyhound when he or she sees a chicken. If they decide to feed themselves a raw diet the hard way, we won't be held liable, responsible, or in contempt. So far it hasn't been a problem.

We are right next to the bellydancers on the Dutch Door stage, and I'm really enjoying that. The music is incredible and I've always been fascinated with that kind of dancing. The title of this post is a phrase they teach the patrons that roughly translated means "You go girl, shake that thing!" I've been saying it to Jeany since I've been home.

I discovered a new delicacy this weekend...iced chai. Holy MOLY. It's refreshing and just wonderful. I also had my standard Scotch Egg and lots of iced tea, but I'm going to take some water with me next weekend.

One down, six to go...

I'm Late, I'm Late

I was born early. That was the very last time.

This time it's not my fault, really. This time I'm behind because yesterday my body decided to revolt early in the morning and throw me into some kind of weird stomach flu. I could not get anything done of any substance at all until about noon.

Now, understand that the Renn Fest starts TOMORROW and I was supposed to leave today around noon to stay up there till Sunday. Not going to happen. The plan now is that I will go up there this afternoon to get things set up and then come back home to finish last minute things that must be done. My big tasks that must be completed before noon are that I have to go get food for the dogs, pack up food to take for them for the weekend, and somehow get the concrete greyhound that sits in front of our tent into the car.

I won't even have time to stop by and give my "nephew" Drew's birthday present to Amy on my way out of town.

Why am I still sitting here you might wonder? See above body revolt. It's stress, I know it is...but knowing that only seems to make it worse.

Happy Gotcha Day, Lizzard-Angel

Lizzard as Minnie Pearl

Today would have been Lizzard's fourth gotcha day with us. When we got her as a foster, we were "cautioned" that she probably wouldn't live "that long" because of the condition she was in. We prepared ourselves for 6 months, maybe a year. That was in April of 2001.

On September 29th, 2001 at Beach Bound Hounds, I wrote a check for her adoption fee and handed it to the director of Greyhound Crossroads. No pomp, no circumstance...just walked down to her room at the Mariner hotel and handed her the check with "For Liz" written on it. There had not been a single inquiry on our old girl...not ONE...which was all the better for me because I never had to let her go home with someone else.

We celebrated her first gotcha day at Beach Bound Hounds the following year, though Liz had stayed home with Jeany and Bo. All the walking on concrete at BBH was tiring on her old feet, and since Jeany hated the ocean and Bo had a reputation as a red bandana dog we left the three of them with the petsitter. But Hunky and Profee and I rooed at the moon one night in honor of their older sister Lizzard.

Every year we feared that the gotcha day and birthday we celebrated would be our last. Every year we held her and fussed over her and gave her special treats on those days because we weren't sure there would be another one. Every year I'd tell her how glad I was she'd picked me as her momma, and she'd A-WOOF back at me. I'm telling you what, I would give everything I have right now to have another A-WOOF.

Happy Gotcha Day, Lizzard-Angel. You go chase down Bo Bo at the bridge and you two celebrate up there. Mommy will be missing you but celebrating the 3.5 years we had down here. Thanks again for picking me to be your mommy. I didn't save you...you saved me.

Some days you just wanna hide...

Mills, under the edge of the sofa cover. 1:45pm, September 28, 2005...for those of you that don't believe he's real...

Some Thoughts on Peace

A poem from the National Catholic Reporter:

Observation
As in Orwell’s 1984
in which the Ministry of Peace
wages war,
the president claims
that our troops will be fighting
to bring peace
and liberate people.
There’s some truth here.
Iraqis bombed into the bosom
of Allah
will be liberated
from our campaign of terror,
and no people
are more peaceful
than the dead.
-- Sr. Patricia Schnapp, RSM
Adrian, Mich.

From Primary School Petko R. Slaveikov -- Vratza, Bulgaria, via Walls that Talk:

I have a dream:
For all people happy in the world,
We must say ‘Stop’ to war.
No more wars in this world!

No more tears on children’s cheeks.
I don’t want to see pain
And sadness in their eyes any more.

Without peace the birds will not sing,
There will be pain in our hearts.
I want peace in the world.

Preslav Plamenov, 9 years

The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence.
- Mahatma Gandhi

The last quote is from a man I consider to be one of the brightest and most intuitive that ever lived, A.A. Milne. When I worked as a camp counselor at Camp Glisson, a United Methodist summer camp, a lot of the discussions and groups that I had with my campers were based in Milne's writing. In my opinion, there is more of the true word of God in Winnie the Pooh than in the entirety of the Religious Right. If only we could see everyone as weeds we need to get to know better, eh?

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.
"Eeyore" from Winnie the Pooh
--A. A. Milne

A Message from a Foster Mom...

I am very sad today. One of my former fosters, Alex, is very seriously ill and her family does not hold out much hope for her recovery. She seems too young to me, at only 12, to be facing a potentially dire prognosis and it seems utterly unfair that her family has only had a little over two and a half years to know her so far. While her family needs it infinitely more than I do, I went out this morning searching for words of peace because it seems the turmoil in our world just won't stop...not even long enough for us to recognize and cherish a special soul like Alex. What I found was one of my favorite poems. Momma Nan loves you, Alekazam.

I Carry Your Heart with Me
~ e.e. cummings

I carry your heart with me
(I carry it in my heart)
I am never without it
(anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear no fate
(for you are my fate, my sweet)
I want no world
(for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart
(I carry it in my heart)

A New Link for Brave Lettuce

There is a new button on the sidebar for a site that I've been visiting for some time now (especially when I need a good laugh). The site is called Dubya Speak, and some of the quotes are just hysterically terrifying. In addition to printing the quotes, the webmaster for this site adds some interesting background information and hilarious commentary on our President's unique spin on the English language.

Here are two new favorites, complete with commentary:

"Here's what I believe. I believe that the great city of New Orleans will rise again and be a greater city of New Orleans. I believe the town where I used to come -- from Houston, Texas, to enjoy myself, occasionally too much -- will be that very same town, that it will be a better place to come to."
-- Dubya pledges to make New Orleans a frat boy party town once again, New Orleans, Louisiana, Sep. 2, 2005

"And I just -- I cannot speak strongly enough about how we must collectively get after those who kill in the name of -- in the name of some kind of false religion."
-- Would that be Islam, Dubya? Press appearance with King Abdullah of Jordan, Aug. 1, 2002

As well as the quotes, the webmaster has a section called Dubya Incidents, highlighting Dubya's trademark way of stumbling through his job. Make sure you check out Dubya needs a bathroom break and Fratboy Statesman, though the latter isn't really suitable for children.

Ahhh, thank you again, oh Commander in Chief, for brightening my Tuesday and reminding us all that...

"Education belongs to everybody. High standards belongs to everybody."
-- Yes they does... White House, Oct. 2, 2003

Breathe in....Breathe out...

I want to move. I need to be out of this house. There are several reasons for this need, not the least of which is the pile of my "clean" work clothes I found in the sewing room wadded up on the floor...and the white/off white/khaki stuff is PINK.

Pink.

The UGA shirt I bought when I worked there almost 10 years ago is now pink.

The dishwasher doesn't wash completely. The washer and dryer don't work and we have to go to the laundromat. There are mold and mildew in the house...two things to which I am very allergic.

And I'm sharing this lovely living space with someone that doesn't want me around anymore.

I want to move.

Monday, Monday...

I am TIRED. The week hasn't gotten started yet and already I'm tired.

There's a lot coming up on the horizon and I think I'm pre-emptively tired as a result. The Carolina Renaissance Festival kicks off this weekend, so that's exciting and scary all at once. We have a HUGE group this year if everyone that has said they want to come actually shows up. We have a SMALL tent this year that will be crowded if everyone that has said they want to come actually shows up. I'm trying to think positively.

I've also gotten word that we are most likely getting a patient into the psych hospital at work. That means 9-4 in the cave every day and on call starting the moment the person arrives for after hours. Just part of the job though.

My corset is not done, not even close to done...and I don't care. If it pokes me it pokes me, it's my own fault for not getting it done. I'm just going to go this weekend and enjoy myself and ignore the poking. Nothing a good warm bag of cinnamon almonds, a scotch egg, and piping hot chai tea can't fix...

Handsome Hunky

Handsome Hunky
Originally uploaded by NanLassiter.

This is my current wallpaper...I walked outside to call Hunky in after breakfast and this is what I saw. I swear, sometimes that dog takes my breath away. I just wish he hadn't heard something behind him just as I snapped the picture...

A Funny for a Friday...meet Mad Jenny Flint!

My pirate name is: Mad Jenny Flint

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

I'm sparky? Yeah, I guess I am. Now I'm off to try and put a dent into my to do list without collapsing into a heap of pained muscles left over from carrying around one wiggly and flailing Alex on Wednesday...I think I pulled everything from my hair to my toenails. But when I come downstairs and hear her tail thumping in the crate...what sore muscles?? I love that old girl...

Ironic Houseguest

We have a greyhound houseguest for the weekend, one Lucky Alexandria, also known as Alex or Alex-NO. Miss Alex took a nasty tumble on the hardwood floors at home and hurt her back hip, so while her family is on vacation she's here with us, under mandatory crate rest.

I was prepared for having to help her go outside to potty. I was prepared for her pain meds to make her sleep so deeply she might have accidents in her crate. I was prepared for the whining/whistling she does...she was our foster for five months before going to live with Amy and Charles.

What I was not prepared for was how much she would remind me of Liz. Poor thing, I scared her to death just a bit ago when I took her outside to potty and started bawling when she finally did her thing. See, I was encouraging her to walk with a sweatshirt helping support her back end and as I was saying "that's a good girl, keep going, let's get to the grass sweetheart," I accidentally said "that's a good girl Lizzard!"

Oops.

I can't help but think that somewhere up there Liz is proud of me for taking care of her old friend Alex. The two of them would lie out in our yard together in the sun when Alex was a foster here, and I could just imagine them chatting it up like a couple of little old ladies at a bridge game. Alex followed Liz everywhere, almost like she was learning how to be graceful and dignified at Liz's paw.

It's funny too how it worked out that we ended up with Alex for the weekend. Amy and Charles asked me to come out Tuesday night and check on her because of the fall. I did, and encouraged them to take her to the vet. Amy tried to get an appointment with a vet close to them but no one seemed to have anything available, so we ended up bringing Alex to my vet. I volunteered to keep her over the weekend while they are at the beach. It all just fell into place...like someone up there was pulling the strings I guess.

It's different having a fourth dog in the house again. It's challenging that she needs such special care...she can't even come upstairs with us because she can't walk that well yet. (There are no broken bones, just some soft tissue damage that needs crate-rest to heal.) It's like I'm getting a second chance to help a dog to kinda make up for the guilt I felt that I hadn't done enough for Liz before she died.

And it's nice to have my Alakazam back, even if it's only for a weekend. I promise you, Lizzard, I'll do the best I can for your buddy.

Liz...mental for Snausages
Originally uploaded by Lizzard's Mommy.

My quotes of the day

From the Washington Post article Wild Card of Musical Chairs by Al Kamen, Friday, September 9, 2005:

Brown, formerly FEMA general counsel and a longtime head of the International Arabian Horse Association, is under vicious, even bipartisan, attack for being in over his head. He's being blamed for all manner of miscues -- our favorite was for the plane Tuesday with New Orleans evacuees that landed in Charleston, W.Va., instead of Charleston, S.C.

Having lived just outside of Charleston, WV and visited on many occasions Charleston, SC, I'd say there's a bit of difference...I just hope that they eventually got to the right Charleston...

What does FEMA stand for again?

On the homefront, seems we're cracking down on Porn instead of the "turr-ists" nowadays...

From Recruits Sought for Porn Squad by Barton Gellman, Washington Post Staff Writer, Tuesday, September 20, 2005:

Early last month, the bureau's Washington Field Office began recruiting for a new anti-obscenity squad. Attached to the job posting was a July 29 Electronic Communication from FBI headquarters to all 56 field offices, describing the initiative as "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and, by extension, of "the Director." That would be FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.

"I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."

Thanks much to Linkmeister, now one of my daily blog reads...