THE ADVENTURES OF SAMMIE AND CHESTY

This has been a very entertaining weekend. RT and I are "babysitting" a very sweet pit bull, named Chesty. Sammie is having a few fits and wants him to know who the alpha is in the house.

With old Sammie, now pushing 14 years old, and the brisk energy of the puppy, it has given us some great live entertainment. At first, Sammie was pissed and wanted no part of him. This is clear invasion of her territory. Chesty wants to play. This is too much noise compared to the quiet she has had. Chesty wants to play. This is a lot of ruckus and change to her routine. Again, Chesty wants to play. Her favorite pillow was being sat on and there was slurping out of her bowl! Chesty wants to play. LOL! I keep telling myself, it's an old lady and a young kid. She wants him to act respectfully towards her, and she growls and tries to snap at him with her missing teeth. Chesty still wants to play. She creeps back into her room, where her kennel is, and gets away from the bullshit for awhile and rests her old bones. He greets her when she slinks back into the family room, then wants to play, and it begins again.

He listens to me, and I give full credit to the awesome training his "parents" have given him. He is sweet and lovable and listens to voice commands very easily. He's attentive and loves to play, and has the happiest disposition of most any dog we've met, and he's very easy to love.

RT and I have watched many other people's dogs. We love them and Sammie barely tolerates them. Now, though, she's just an old lady. When she sleeps the day away, she goes into a kind of time warp. Sometimes, we actually have to wake her when we come in after being out for awhile. She has her routine down luckily, as she is now going blind and deaf. She needs the routine now in her old age.

On the other hand, Chesty's hearing is young and astute. He can hear birds chirping, squirrels talking and another dog barking across the cove, then reacts with his own barks back to them. His sight is sharp and he can see the critters moving in the trees above, and will stop and stare at them. He chases his tail and sees his reflections in windows. It's been a long time since we had a dog with this much energy. Fun and frisky, this dog would still be running with Scotch and tranquilizers in him. A little skittish from being so young, some things, especially loud noises, frighten him and he needs to be soothed a bit. I think it may be just unfamiliar surroundings with different noises than at home.

Chesty is a great reminder for us that we've decided WE'RE too old for a puppy. Running, playing and throwing to him is tiring, but he needs this attention at his age. I guess we are as complacent as Sammie, older and set in our ways. Relaxing in the evening, and taking it easy is not on the agenda this week though -- Sammie included.

If the past day is a precursor for the next week, it's going to be a fun week for me. LOL! I can't wait.

Baby, this one’s for you, instead of a bourgeois Hallmark card . . .

The most photogenic baby, the kindest child, who never cried, born with a struggle, and will still overcome anything in front of her -- I taught her to walk and she ran -- she is light years ahead of the crowd, intelligent beyond her years -- amazingly connected with all humans, all who know her feel lucky to love her -- she knows the difference between raising her voice and raising up her voice -- the deepest socially conscious person, who truly cries for the plight of the oppressed -- Never wanting to be untied from her -- today especially, proudly proclaiming, she is the most admired woman I know.

Be happy today, Baby! Have a wonderful 20th. I love you.

Mummie

Freakin' Old

Tomorrow is The Baby's 20th birthday. My bday, last week, did not make me feel old. Hers does. JEEZ! 20 years! I keep saying it, but this is The Baby! I think maybe I need a new nickname for her? For the first time, I will not be spending her actual birthday with her. She is wrapped up in life downtown, and being a wrench (or wretch), is the last thing I want to be in her life. We have plans for next week, when her schedule is a little easier for her.

So this week, in my natural way of trying to embarrass the embarrassable, I have been counting down to her birthday on the internet, Facebook and myspace. She takes my behavior very well. LOL! My latest posting is below.

It's really very selfish of me, as I have enjoyed looking at all the old pictures of her. As I have chosen the photos, I have been able to review many hundreds more and reminisce of her earlier years.

More tomorrow, of course . .

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IT ALWAYS RAINS ON A PICNIC -- Optimism At Work

Sometimes in life, we don't always get what we want. It's difficult to swallow this sometimes, as you think everyone is against you and there is a conspiracy or curse somewhere, making your dreams impossible. The solution is so simple, most people don't see it. When you are hanging your face and looking straight at the ground, you can not see the opportunities dangling right in front of you.

Some pay more attention to everything going on in other's lives and think, "woulda, coulda, shoulda". Blah Blah Blah!!! There is nothing stopping any person from grabbing any they dream they dream except themselves. We are our own worst enemy.

Though simplistic, one of my goals is the ultimate garden. Right now, my back is sunburned, muscles are sore, I have blisters from overuse of utensils, and I am willing to drop whatever I am doing to get out there between the thunderstorms and showers. I have to work around Mother Nature. I have to work around schedules. I have to take the weeds for what they are, and nurture the flowers. I've been using a lot of bandages and aloe to patch myself up to go at it again. We can't ignore how our dreams need to be fed and cared for, and not just haphazardly thrown about.

Careful planning helps. Concentration on details is imperative. Practice of our talents keeps them sharp. Perseverance brings dreams to reality. Talking and wanting and hoping is just wasted time that could be spent on a plan and diagram which will help to our goal of fulfilling our dreams.

Some think hard work is never enough. Bullshit! Yes, it is. Hard work and concentration, on what we truly want, is most everything. Ask any successful person who is doing exactly what they want to be doing. When you become dormant in your talent or dream, you let it drift and they become dull. Staying sharp and on top of the good in you is exactly what will bring dreams to reality.

Does prayer or luck or fate (whatever you want to call it) come into play? Of course! The Higher Power wants us to succeed too. He wants us to be the best we can be. He wants what is best for us. Life is not a test. It is ours and it is up to us to make it, no matter what rocks or stumps are in the path. Go around them. Break them down so they are easier to manipulate. It takes more time, but still keeps you pointed in the right direction.

It always rains when you go on a picnic? Use Ziplocs to keep the food dry. Watch the birds fly into their nests. Watch the people scatter and run for cover. Get a little wet and enjoy what you can. The picnic isn't ruined except to a pessimist.

"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier." -- Colin Powell

PATTERNS OF LIFE

With the birthday peeking around the corner, it has suddenly hit me this week that I am no longer 22 years old. It took me awhile for this realization to occur. Of course, as I progress through this life, my mind and my body no longer want to cooperate with me all the time. Once in awhile, tough experiences have made my heart wary, but the wonder of this life still has me fascinated.

I feel like a patch in an simple and beautiful quilt. Every stitch made for a specific reason and each patch representing the people in my life. The soft and worn fabric is comfortable and, though the threads pull and the worn spots are obvious, it is still what I latch onto when I need warmth. The quilt is intertwined with loved ones and dear friends, who make it an amazing, yet gentle blanket. Some of the patches are newer than others, some are older. With the short lives of a few of the children I've known, some wear out much faster than others, but the shreds of the original patch remain, and I can still see they were there and remember them. It's the security of knowing how each patch is different, yet all contribute into the warm blend.

There are certain unfamiliar patches in my quilt. I forget of certain people in my life and it's up to me to remind myself of our memories together. There are some I wish weren't there, but still make up the completeness of the quilt. There are favorite ones that I cling to, and others that make me smile, just because they are there. A few of the patches you want a larger piece, but are only given a small scrap. They are all made up of different colors and have totally different origins, were somehow carefully and lovingly sewn together.

There are some older patches in my quilt too. Lately, I've spoken to a couple of old friends, from St. Louis, I grew up with or have heard news about them. When I speak to them, it seems time stood still for thirty something years. I feel no change in age, even when we speak of our children and all of our aches and pains. Unfortunately, this type of thinking can backfire. You think of the kid who farted in class or tripped in the lunchroom with a tray full of spaghetti, and they're pushing 50 years old. Or who you ended up with on those awful spin the bottle games back in junior high, or your prom date. LOL! Good, bad or funny - all have their piece stitched into my quilt.

The real bitch is when your kids have birthdays. The Baby's is this month too. I shared with RT, soon we will have all 20 something year old kids! No more teenagers, but adults. Last Saturday, all of us were together, including "J", The Boy's love. I felt old that day, watching them have adult conversations with relatives visiting from the north. I look at them in awe and wonder where the time went, as it seems so recent their patches were sewn in. I see them settled in their separate lives, thriving and struggling, being happy and trying to make their marks in this world, and beginning quilts of their own.

There are some brand new patches recently, with a few wonderful people I have met. I know they have their own quilts, but they seem to mesh very well with mine, and they kindly gave me a piece of them to be placed and added.

I hope God continues his work in my life. No one but He knows how it will look in the end. He wraps me in it as He works on it, surrounding me with His security. I want Him to take His time completing it, maybe another 40 years or so. : )

This time, I think I helped

I have finally learned of the three most important things you can do, when things are not going your way: prayer, education and humor. You have to be over the self inflicted "pity party" before any of these will work. It also helps to be past it to see the event more clearly.

The prayer is obvious. Instead of asking Him "Why?", I ask Him to please make me stronger for the situation. Education is powerful, because you end up asking the right questions that, inevitably, will give you more options. Humor because it increases your endorphins about 25% which greatly helps your immune systems, and, it's just fun.

Yesterday, I spoke with a woman, a relative of a close friend, about an upcoming medical procedure she has to go through. Though she lives out of state, I have seen this lady on many occasions, rites and special events. The procedure is one that I went through twice while the doctors were trying to find my thyroid cancer.

Though the big wedding shower for J & S was yesterday, this woman was the important part of my day. I had the same support, from a sister of a friend of ours, who is five years ahead of me on this cancer. Although she lives in the Northwest part of the country, and I live in the Southeast, her emails gave me comfort to know she was alive and well, and dealing with everything coming her way. It eased my mind to know there was life on the other side of the "C" word. It helped me to know what they were going to do to me and why. It calmed me to know she was someone's mother, wife, sister and friend, and was a strong force to be reckoned with. It helped to have information forwarded to me to educate myself and be strong like her. I'll never forget the guidance I received, and know the ripple effect must continue through me.

In the past, I always saw this other friend as a strong and intelligent woman, but she seemed scared of the unknown yesterday. I went to her knowing I didn't want to scare her, but prepare her. I pray it is benign. I pray she finds strength and ask questions of every doctor and nurse she encounters. I pray for God to ease her mind and keep her calm, as this happened to her only months after her husband had passed away of cancer.

After giving her a couple of books, my endocrinologist's information and my telephone numbers and email address, we started to talk of the symptoms. Low energy, bad eyes, itchy skin, weight issues, deeper voice, insomnia -- sounds like old age, eh??? I told her something personal about having my back scratched! She took a small step back, but then began laughing! LOL! (No, I can't really share it here!)

I encouraged her to stay in touch, and there would always be an ear for her, no matter what her complaint or thoughts, and it's weirdly comforting to know someone else has gone through it and survived. When she writes or calls, I will use prayer, education and humor to help ease her concerns.

I am just shy of my six year anniversary - the same day as The Baby's birthday. Of course, we always have a celebration for her Birthday, and I have a quiet one for myself, blessed that another year has passed.