So-it has been awhile since I visited this page with the intent to leave words on the page. I have thought about it much for the past couple of months, but haven't been hit by inspiration, indigestion or sufficient indignation to actually write something. I have been enjoying the bits of all of your lives that we get to see as we talk, visit, interact with kids and grandkids. What a charmed life.
But-no stories have come to mind worth putting on paper-well, not on paper, to be accurate.
The promised tail of Fritz hasn't boiled enough to be palatable--wait--I meant to say "the promised tale for Fritz...". The boiled tail of Fritz, these many years gone to doggy heaven, would not be palatable at all...
Quick-think of a German dog. Got it?
Which dog did you come up with?
Did you think "Dachshund"?
Really?
Not German Shepard or Rottweiler or Doberman Pinscher or Saarloos Wolfdog?
I want to know how the Dachshund made it into the same list as the above fearsome-types of hounds.
From the all-knowing Wiki-
The dachshund (UK /ˈdæksənd/ or US /ˈdɑːkshʊnt/ dahks-huunt or US /ˈdɑːksənt/;[2]) is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits. In the American West they have also been used to hunt prairie dogs. Today, they are bred for conformation shows and as family pets. Some dachshunds participate in earthdog trials. According to the AKC, the dachshund continues to remain one of the top 10 dog breeds in the United States of America.[3]
So there you go. Someone needed to flush out badgers and chase rabbits down their holes and get after those stinkin' prairie dogs. Hence, the noble Dachshund.
Well, as said, I don't have all the source material to adequately tell the tale of the tail tonight (meaning I haven't talked enough with Grandma-or she is getting too old to remember enough-to get all the juicy tail, I mean "tale", bits). So, we won't fritz with Fritz this evening.
Also, as I looked at previous blog entries (blentries?), I sensed there were too many recent ones that had gone to the dogs. So I probably need to get off that scent. Doggone it.
I just wanted to let you know that I haven't abandoned the blogoshphere again-not that that would be earth shaking. ( Don't you just love it when you can use the same word twice in a row and have it be grammatically correct?!)
I do intend to get back to some tales from the past, and I hope they have some meaning, or at least some chuckles or maybe even an "aha". Alas, I don't dare to aspire to a "And Then What Happened?", but you never know. Until next time.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Sunday, March 22, 2015
"And Then What Happened?"
Stories. We all like stories. Stories about people, places, pets, predicaments. Stories told in books, on the radio, at the library or in school. Stories at our bedside, by the campfire, on our sofa. The familiar voices of our parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, teachers and people we don't know, but who's tales touch us.
Stories inspire us, motivate, and encourage us. They can also make us laugh and cry and shake in our boots.
By better understanding the characters in stories-fictional or non-we can better understand ourselves and others-both near to us and those we will never meet in person.
We have been taught by story-telling from the beginning of time. The ancients spent much time passing down stories to preserve their people's history and sense of belonging. Our Savior used stories to inspire, teach and lead us.
We do more than "like" stories-we need them. I think we may well be hard-wired to be nourished by tales.
In this wondrous time we now live in, we have means to stories that I never dreamed of as a child. The science fiction of my childhood has been eclipsed by our technological abilities. Want a story? A few clicks and I download a book from the library. I can either read it on my screen, or have it read to me by a talented performer or a noted authority.
And we seem to have a need for almost continuous story-telling. If not a printed story, then there may well be an audio book being read in our ears or a movie being played in our car.
We-Grandma and I-were listening to a story about story telling some years ago. Yes, in our car. The narrator was talking about the "Four Most Important Words in Story-telling". Can you guess? I thought of "and it came to pass"...but that was more than four. Then I thought of "Once upon a time", as many stories begin with these four words. But that wasn't what this story-teller was meaning either. After some time telling a story, he said that the Four Most Important Words in story-telling are--are you ready to hear this? (no-that is six words-that was a real question...)---"And then what happened?".
As soon as I heard this, I knew the narrator was right! A good story-one that moves us, involves us, may even change us-is a "page turner". We want-no, we need to know what comes next. Sometimes we really, really want to know "and then what happens" after the story ends! Those are some of the best stories.
OK-why all this blah-blah about stories and story telling? Well, last Christmas, Grandma gave you some bits and pieces of Christmas stories from our journals. And she said that the stories need to be continued by you! Your stories are the "and then what happened" in our grand scheme of things!
I hope you are remembering your stories! And recording them somehow. I want to know what happens next!
When I re-started (can something be "re-started"?) writing a bit in this blog, it was at the encouragement of Grandma to share some Christmas-time stories from my young years. I tried to share a couple of tales. My brother, Randy, read them and commented that he couldn't remember the incidents too well. Understandable-he is a whole 2 1/2 years older than I am! The point is that, as we get old-like me-we don't remember things as well, or as clearly, or from the same perspective as when we are living the stories. So, my younger kiddos, think about getting in the habit of writing about your lives every week. Trust me-I'm old and know stuff-your older self will think that is about the best present your younger self could give him/her/it. OK, I am now confused too. But you are all smart enough to know what I mean.
I really wish I had some writing from a young Ricky Edge (not your dad or uncle Ricky Edge-me, Grandpa-Ricky Edge. That was my name from when I was a youngster. Which was a long, long time ago. Don't smile-if you hang around long enough, you'll get old too! And I can still take any of you!) So-don't be like me (except for my good parts-ask me and I'll tell you what they are. If I remember) and neglect to record your "and what happened next".
I was going to leave this blah-blog with the beginning of the tale of "Fritz the Wonder Wiener Dog" (which tale does end with the tail of said wonder wiener dog, by the way), but I have written more than anyone wants to read, so I will end here. But Fritz won't. His end will come next time. But his end does come after his beginning. Hence the tale that may well end with his tail.
Until later, keep smiling.
Stories inspire us, motivate, and encourage us. They can also make us laugh and cry and shake in our boots.
By better understanding the characters in stories-fictional or non-we can better understand ourselves and others-both near to us and those we will never meet in person.
We have been taught by story-telling from the beginning of time. The ancients spent much time passing down stories to preserve their people's history and sense of belonging. Our Savior used stories to inspire, teach and lead us.
We do more than "like" stories-we need them. I think we may well be hard-wired to be nourished by tales.
In this wondrous time we now live in, we have means to stories that I never dreamed of as a child. The science fiction of my childhood has been eclipsed by our technological abilities. Want a story? A few clicks and I download a book from the library. I can either read it on my screen, or have it read to me by a talented performer or a noted authority.
And we seem to have a need for almost continuous story-telling. If not a printed story, then there may well be an audio book being read in our ears or a movie being played in our car.
We-Grandma and I-were listening to a story about story telling some years ago. Yes, in our car. The narrator was talking about the "Four Most Important Words in Story-telling". Can you guess? I thought of "and it came to pass"...but that was more than four. Then I thought of "Once upon a time", as many stories begin with these four words. But that wasn't what this story-teller was meaning either. After some time telling a story, he said that the Four Most Important Words in story-telling are--are you ready to hear this? (no-that is six words-that was a real question...)---"And then what happened?".
As soon as I heard this, I knew the narrator was right! A good story-one that moves us, involves us, may even change us-is a "page turner". We want-no, we need to know what comes next. Sometimes we really, really want to know "and then what happens" after the story ends! Those are some of the best stories.
OK-why all this blah-blah about stories and story telling? Well, last Christmas, Grandma gave you some bits and pieces of Christmas stories from our journals. And she said that the stories need to be continued by you! Your stories are the "and then what happened" in our grand scheme of things!
I hope you are remembering your stories! And recording them somehow. I want to know what happens next!
When I re-started (can something be "re-started"?) writing a bit in this blog, it was at the encouragement of Grandma to share some Christmas-time stories from my young years. I tried to share a couple of tales. My brother, Randy, read them and commented that he couldn't remember the incidents too well. Understandable-he is a whole 2 1/2 years older than I am! The point is that, as we get old-like me-we don't remember things as well, or as clearly, or from the same perspective as when we are living the stories. So, my younger kiddos, think about getting in the habit of writing about your lives every week. Trust me-I'm old and know stuff-your older self will think that is about the best present your younger self could give him/her/it. OK, I am now confused too. But you are all smart enough to know what I mean.
I really wish I had some writing from a young Ricky Edge (not your dad or uncle Ricky Edge-me, Grandpa-Ricky Edge. That was my name from when I was a youngster. Which was a long, long time ago. Don't smile-if you hang around long enough, you'll get old too! And I can still take any of you!) So-don't be like me (except for my good parts-ask me and I'll tell you what they are. If I remember) and neglect to record your "and what happened next".
I was going to leave this blah-blog with the beginning of the tale of "Fritz the Wonder Wiener Dog" (which tale does end with the tail of said wonder wiener dog, by the way), but I have written more than anyone wants to read, so I will end here. But Fritz won't. His end will come next time. But his end does come after his beginning. Hence the tale that may well end with his tail.
Until later, keep smiling.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
"...after all we can do."
"It is by Grace that we are saved, after all we can do."
Music is a powerful influence in our lives. I think that the eternities of heavenly choirs that we heard, and some of us probably sang in, prior to coming to Earth imprinted a love for music in most of our hearts. It is not my intent to talk about music today, I just want to mention one song/hymn that relates to today's topic. "Come Thou Font of Every Blessing".
This hymn talks about the Grace to which we are all indebted for our salvation. It is "by Grace" that we are saved. More thoughts about that another day.
The part of the scripture quoted above that I want to talk about is "...after all we can do".
When I was younger and full of get up and go, I just figured that I need to do things. Accomplish stuff. Get to meetings. Along with-make a celestial marriage, raise the perfect children (take a look at your parents, you grandkids, and let me know how we did). Make a successful career, advance and achieve. Coach the kids' teams. Keep all the commandments. Volunteer for all the projects and service opportunities. And more. Surely I could do more. I even tried to teach this to the young men in my care. "If you can think about anything you can do, you are obligated to do it". After all, it said "...after all we can do".
Then I remembered that we are also counseled to "not run faster than (we) have strength".
Hmm. What was I missing here? I knew that I had times when I would look at my schedule and say "if I can only get through the next week (or 2 weeks, or month), I can then stop and catch my breath".
Well, I think that I was maybe missing the meaning of the "all we can do" part. What if it doesn't mean checking everything off The List?
What is my "all". I read about the anti-Nephi-Lehites (no-these we not people who were against Nephi-ask you parents what their name means). After they had their hearts changed and had repented of their sins, they became aware that their former -ites--the Lamenites who did not repent and have changed hearts-were coming to attack them. As part of their commitment to their new lives, new hearts and new hope in the Savior's Grace, they had buried their weapons deep in the earth (Scooter could have helped them). Some were tempted to get their swords back from the hole in the ground in order to defend themselves. Their leader told them "no". He said "It was all we could do to repent....of our sins" (and have their hearts changed). He told his people that they dare not jeopardize this great change in their lives, even at the risk of death. Their weapons remained where they were-buried-and many were slain, unarmed, by the Lamenites-their former brethren.
Now, there is much more to this story, but I want to focus on a couple of points.
First-it was "all they could do" to repent and change their ways. This allowed them to have the atonement become real and work in their lives. I use the word "work" because it is an active, dynamic process. This great change in their hearts and their actions-they were now striving to do good-was "all they could do". It did not mention lengthy lists and check boxes.
I have heard it said is that all we have to give back to the Savior is our hearts-our will.
Once we do that, then our other actions become "Christian". We then are more able to do His will in our lives.
When this happens, I think it is evidenced in how we treat others. I think that how we treat others reflects the condition of our hearts. We start to remember that everyone we interact with is a spiritual sister or brother-even our family members! We all have inherited spiritual DNA from our Father. When we consider our physical bodies, our DNA is closest to our siblings (now I feel sorry for Randy, Steve and Tammy!). Does that mean our spiritual DNA is closest to our siblings? Does that mean we have the potential to be more Christ-like? Are you tired of my trying to make points by forming them as inquiries? Want me to stop?
Two quick points. As we change our hearts, we will treat others with love, kindness, charity. We will be happy for their successes-even when competing with them. We will want them to be happy and successful. We will seek ways to serve, edify (important word-look it up if you need to), comfort and uplift others. It will feel "wrong" to make others feel small, inferior, powerless, unhappy. No "I'm big, you're small, I'm right, you're wrong..." attitudes. For you kids in school, you may want to find out which kids need friends and befriend them. (I will share stories from my young days about this next time-promise). And (kiddos), you need to remember that being kind to others includes your family-and this means MOM and DAD (hmm-both of those words are palindromes...)-not just your siblings.
OK-much more can be said about that, but I will stop there.
The second brief point has to do with not losing ground. This changing heart business is a life-long pursuit. We keep at it and keep at it. Sometimes it is tempting to not be doing "all we can do" and let our hearts harden a bit. Our stake president, in stake conference today, talked about "not giving up yardage" once we are making progress. This is a football analogy. Or a war analogy. When you work and sweat and bleed and cry and pray and serve and laugh and love and gain ground-hold onto it! Don't let yourself slip backwards, downhill. It is often much more difficult to make up the same yardage-regain the previously hard-won progress-than it was to make the progress initially.
Last thought. More than the two promised, so this is a bonus! Something else I was reminded of today-we all are trying to do our best. And we are all providing eternally-valuable service much more than we sometimes let ourselves realize. Of course, he-who-shall-not-be-named (no, not Voldemort) wants us to feel like we don't make a difference, that we aren't of any value. But we are! Eternally so.
Sorry for the lack of stories. Will write more stories from the olden days next time. Love you all.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Rescue Me Part 2
Part two of the rescue blog has been a long time coming. Kind of like some of the rescues in our lives. Like we talked about last time.
I said I would talk about Scooter's rescue this time, so I will.
Scooter (current and last-wait-let's not get into that again-current and final name) (at least while he is living here) (future owners, if any, and there probably won't be any more changes in ownership, of course have the option of changing his name, but I don't think they should, since "Scooter" is a great fit) is deep in the process of being rescued. We started talking about this last post. Natalie initiated the process-at least as far as we are involved-and we are continuing it.
To refresh memory-Scooter was rescued from New Mexico and ended up in a foster home here, then Natalie adopted this sweet pup and, well, you know the rest of the story, at least up to now.
And that brings us up to today. Today Scooter is happy-when he is out on a walk. Or when Natalie is around. When he is in the house with us, he still keep his distance-most of the time. He is getting a little more trusting over time as he gains experience with us. I can now go over to the chair near his day bed and pet him without him jumping up and scooting out of the way (see how clever his name is?-cool, eh?). At least, some of the time he lets me do that. I just tried and he, well, scooted. He also sat on mom's lap all the way up to the cabin Friday. Well, scooting was involved with that, too, I suppose. He started out in the back of the Highlander, hopped over the grandsons on the back seat and ended up kind of stuck between the two front seats, so mom hoisted him up on her lap and he enjoyed the rest of the journey there. Did I tell you earlier that Scooter could easily have been named "Walter"? "Walter" you may ask. Have you read the book? Have you smelled the smells? Well, Scooter has very potent flatulence (look it up or ask your parents. Just don't ask them for a demonstration...). It was a car trip with windows open often to allow in the sweet fresh air. And to let out the sulfuric-tinged methane.
Well, in any case, Scooter is scooting a bit less, allowing himself to be petted and even sits in the middle of a cabin full of kids and noise-progress!
But I don't think he knows that it is OK for him to act like he has been rescued yet. Sometimes being rescued seems like a process as we learn to trust, believe and, eventually, love. And we all are in the process of being rescued.
For us, the work to provide our rescuing has been done. It is now up to us to figure it out and learn to believe, trust, act and love. Then we can find Joy.
Scooter is joyful at times. He loves his walks. And he loves to play with us-when he figures out we are playing with him.
Just like us-there are times in all of our lives when we feel joy-and those are the times we need to pause and reflect on how grand it is that Rescuing has been provided for all of us.
One more thought. A returned sister missionary spoke in our ward today. She spoke about changes and the atonement. Fits with rescue theme, right?
One part of her story was that she moved from one part of Salt Lake valley to another while in grade school. She thought that her new school would be full of friends and fun for her. But it wasn't. The other kids made fun of the "new girl". She said that she began changing then, and not for the good. She start thinking and doing things she shouldn't.. She was fortunate a few years later to have other experiences that brought her back to an understanding of the truth and her worth as a child of God.
I bring this up to remind all of us to be kind and thoughtful to all the people around us-even the "new kids". Or the kids who don't quite fit in. Our care for others can be a literal Godsend (Captain L would approve-no need to restore balance) for them.
OK-enough for tonight.
One last observation. We were required, by the grandkids who stowed away in our car, to listen to James and the Giant Peach on the way to/from the cabin. Let's just say that I would buy an album of Centipede's songs!
Good night.
I said I would talk about Scooter's rescue this time, so I will.
Scooter (current and last-wait-let's not get into that again-current and final name) (at least while he is living here) (future owners, if any, and there probably won't be any more changes in ownership, of course have the option of changing his name, but I don't think they should, since "Scooter" is a great fit) is deep in the process of being rescued. We started talking about this last post. Natalie initiated the process-at least as far as we are involved-and we are continuing it.
To refresh memory-Scooter was rescued from New Mexico and ended up in a foster home here, then Natalie adopted this sweet pup and, well, you know the rest of the story, at least up to now.
And that brings us up to today. Today Scooter is happy-when he is out on a walk. Or when Natalie is around. When he is in the house with us, he still keep his distance-most of the time. He is getting a little more trusting over time as he gains experience with us. I can now go over to the chair near his day bed and pet him without him jumping up and scooting out of the way (see how clever his name is?-cool, eh?). At least, some of the time he lets me do that. I just tried and he, well, scooted. He also sat on mom's lap all the way up to the cabin Friday. Well, scooting was involved with that, too, I suppose. He started out in the back of the Highlander, hopped over the grandsons on the back seat and ended up kind of stuck between the two front seats, so mom hoisted him up on her lap and he enjoyed the rest of the journey there. Did I tell you earlier that Scooter could easily have been named "Walter"? "Walter" you may ask. Have you read the book? Have you smelled the smells? Well, Scooter has very potent flatulence (look it up or ask your parents. Just don't ask them for a demonstration...). It was a car trip with windows open often to allow in the sweet fresh air. And to let out the sulfuric-tinged methane.
Well, in any case, Scooter is scooting a bit less, allowing himself to be petted and even sits in the middle of a cabin full of kids and noise-progress!
But I don't think he knows that it is OK for him to act like he has been rescued yet. Sometimes being rescued seems like a process as we learn to trust, believe and, eventually, love. And we all are in the process of being rescued.
For us, the work to provide our rescuing has been done. It is now up to us to figure it out and learn to believe, trust, act and love. Then we can find Joy.
Scooter is joyful at times. He loves his walks. And he loves to play with us-when he figures out we are playing with him.
Just like us-there are times in all of our lives when we feel joy-and those are the times we need to pause and reflect on how grand it is that Rescuing has been provided for all of us.
One more thought. A returned sister missionary spoke in our ward today. She spoke about changes and the atonement. Fits with rescue theme, right?
One part of her story was that she moved from one part of Salt Lake valley to another while in grade school. She thought that her new school would be full of friends and fun for her. But it wasn't. The other kids made fun of the "new girl". She said that she began changing then, and not for the good. She start thinking and doing things she shouldn't.. She was fortunate a few years later to have other experiences that brought her back to an understanding of the truth and her worth as a child of God.
I bring this up to remind all of us to be kind and thoughtful to all the people around us-even the "new kids". Or the kids who don't quite fit in. Our care for others can be a literal Godsend (Captain L would approve-no need to restore balance) for them.
OK-enough for tonight.
One last observation. We were required, by the grandkids who stowed away in our car, to listen to James and the Giant Peach on the way to/from the cabin. Let's just say that I would buy an album of Centipede's songs!
Good night.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Rescue Me
If I put off sharing some follow up thoughts on rescues another day or two, I am sure to forget what I was planning to share. No, I don't think this is due to Senior Cognitive Impairment (getting old and forgetful), but I can't be sure.
Now, where was I? (kidding)
Last time, I told you about two rescued dogs. And I saw several spelling, grammatical errors as I quickly read through it the day after. Not mistakes with the dogs. Errors in the writing. Too bad for those of you who are picky about such things...
Both Hairy (and I shall refrain, if I remember, from the annoying habit of inserting "BDE" after this dog's name) and Scooter (current, and probably last name. Not Scooter's last name, but the last name he will have. He only has one name. Currently. He has had four. But no last names-just his only names) experienced rescues.
I wrote about those because I wanted to talk about the fact that we all need rescuing at times, that there are different kinds of rescues and rescuers, and that our experiences in being involved in rescues can be instructive. Hmm-that sounds like a lot. And it is late (for me). So I will write some and see how it goes.
First-we all need rescuing. The obvious is that, as mortals in this world, we need the rescuing that comes from the Infinite Atonement. More thoughts about that another time.
But there are other times in life when we need rescuing. Some are matters of life and death, others just seem like matters of life and death, but aren't really. Sometimes we don't know that we are being rescued, but the act changes our direction enough to drastically change our lives in the long term.
Scooter probably didn't know he needed to be rescued-and we are still working on it. I'm not sure how his life was pre-Nat, but I'm sure it was different from how it is now. Scoot acts as if he was either beaten and abused or that he grew up in a wild environment. It is taking him a long time to adapt to a new, and, we hope, better life. And his life was spared from the fate that awaits many "unwanted" dogs. Nat's action to adopt this hound has changed his life, but Scooter is still trying to figure it out and build trust with these kind people with whom he lives.
Hairy (notice, if you will, that I did not add the annoying "BDE") didn't have a clue that he needed rescuing. He was just enjoying a nice doggy-paddle across the canal on a fine summer day. Then the bottom fell out and he was in the rolling waters under the small drop off in the canal. He was working as hard as he could to get out of the back-flowing current that kept rolling him under the falls, but was not strong enough on his own to get out of the vicious cycle. He needed someone to rescue him from drowning in the murky canal water.
Let's talk about Hairy (tempting, but I won't do it...) first. There are times in our lives when we need rescuing, and it is obvious that we do. Sometimes we are clueless, then, suddenly, we realize we are in over our heads. Example from the scriptures-The Savior and his closest disciples had just met with a multitude and fed them spiritually and physically. He wanted time alone to commune with His Father, and the twelve got on a boat to cross to the other side of Galilee. When they were about four miles out from shore, they were caught in a violent storm. It was in the darkest time of the night-around three in the morning-the "fourth watch"-and they were struggling for their very lives. I don't know if the Savior had been watching their struggles from a hill on the shore, but I know that He was aware of their predicament and their desperate need. You remember the story. He came to them, walking on the sea, in their greatest hour of need, to calm the storm and save them. I would imagine that they thought they needed saving sometime before the fourth watch, but that is when He came. Peter had an adventure when he saw the Lord, but that is another tale.
There are times in our lives when we are rolling around in murky canal water, struggling with all of our strength, but we can't get out. Or when we are out in the dark stormy night that has seemed to go on forever and we just know we will perish. We are crying for help but none seems to be coming-until it arrives to save us just as we are going down, we are sure, for the last time. Even the rescue may not be the most wonderful experience (we think). We may have enough faith to take a few steps on the the rolling swells of the sea, but then start to sink and need to be rescued again. Maybe our rescuer pulls our ear until it feels like it is going to come off, then we are in the water again. And when we are finally pulled out, we are tossed onto the hard ground and thumped on. "...All these things shall be for (your) good".
OK-late enough. I just have a few things to say about Scooter, then make a couple of more points, and be done with this. That's how it goes tonight...
'Night.
Now, where was I? (kidding)
Last time, I told you about two rescued dogs. And I saw several spelling, grammatical errors as I quickly read through it the day after. Not mistakes with the dogs. Errors in the writing. Too bad for those of you who are picky about such things...
Both Hairy (and I shall refrain, if I remember, from the annoying habit of inserting "BDE" after this dog's name) and Scooter (current, and probably last name. Not Scooter's last name, but the last name he will have. He only has one name. Currently. He has had four. But no last names-just his only names) experienced rescues.
I wrote about those because I wanted to talk about the fact that we all need rescuing at times, that there are different kinds of rescues and rescuers, and that our experiences in being involved in rescues can be instructive. Hmm-that sounds like a lot. And it is late (for me). So I will write some and see how it goes.
First-we all need rescuing. The obvious is that, as mortals in this world, we need the rescuing that comes from the Infinite Atonement. More thoughts about that another time.
But there are other times in life when we need rescuing. Some are matters of life and death, others just seem like matters of life and death, but aren't really. Sometimes we don't know that we are being rescued, but the act changes our direction enough to drastically change our lives in the long term.
Scooter probably didn't know he needed to be rescued-and we are still working on it. I'm not sure how his life was pre-Nat, but I'm sure it was different from how it is now. Scoot acts as if he was either beaten and abused or that he grew up in a wild environment. It is taking him a long time to adapt to a new, and, we hope, better life. And his life was spared from the fate that awaits many "unwanted" dogs. Nat's action to adopt this hound has changed his life, but Scooter is still trying to figure it out and build trust with these kind people with whom he lives.
Hairy (notice, if you will, that I did not add the annoying "BDE") didn't have a clue that he needed rescuing. He was just enjoying a nice doggy-paddle across the canal on a fine summer day. Then the bottom fell out and he was in the rolling waters under the small drop off in the canal. He was working as hard as he could to get out of the back-flowing current that kept rolling him under the falls, but was not strong enough on his own to get out of the vicious cycle. He needed someone to rescue him from drowning in the murky canal water.
Let's talk about Hairy (tempting, but I won't do it...) first. There are times in our lives when we need rescuing, and it is obvious that we do. Sometimes we are clueless, then, suddenly, we realize we are in over our heads. Example from the scriptures-The Savior and his closest disciples had just met with a multitude and fed them spiritually and physically. He wanted time alone to commune with His Father, and the twelve got on a boat to cross to the other side of Galilee. When they were about four miles out from shore, they were caught in a violent storm. It was in the darkest time of the night-around three in the morning-the "fourth watch"-and they were struggling for their very lives. I don't know if the Savior had been watching their struggles from a hill on the shore, but I know that He was aware of their predicament and their desperate need. You remember the story. He came to them, walking on the sea, in their greatest hour of need, to calm the storm and save them. I would imagine that they thought they needed saving sometime before the fourth watch, but that is when He came. Peter had an adventure when he saw the Lord, but that is another tale.
There are times in our lives when we are rolling around in murky canal water, struggling with all of our strength, but we can't get out. Or when we are out in the dark stormy night that has seemed to go on forever and we just know we will perish. We are crying for help but none seems to be coming-until it arrives to save us just as we are going down, we are sure, for the last time. Even the rescue may not be the most wonderful experience (we think). We may have enough faith to take a few steps on the the rolling swells of the sea, but then start to sink and need to be rescued again. Maybe our rescuer pulls our ear until it feels like it is going to come off, then we are in the water again. And when we are finally pulled out, we are tossed onto the hard ground and thumped on. "...All these things shall be for (your) good".
OK-late enough. I just have a few things to say about Scooter, then make a couple of more points, and be done with this. That's how it goes tonight...
'Night.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Rescues and Rescue(d) Dogs
Several weeks ago, Natalie "rescued" a dog. A dog named Homer. Then Watson. Then ResDog (my favorite). And finally, Scooter. No-don't get confused now. She didn't rescue four dogs-just one dog that had four names. Now he has one-Scooter.
Nat was excited and very happy to have a dog. Then her eyes started to water and her nose began to run. No, it wasn't Tears and Snot of Joy from having her own pooch-even though she was quite happy to have a hound-it was allergies. To her new doggie.
Then she went back to real-life work, leaving home early in the morning and coming home late in the evening. Scooter (Watson then, or was it RD?) spent the day chewing his bed and "collecting" Nat's clothing to make a bed he wanted.
Phone call from Natalie: "What was I thinking?! I am gone almost all day and Watson (now Scooter-don't get confused) spends the day either eating my apartment or locked in his kennel. Maybe I need to take (insert name of dog here) back to Rover Rescue."
I thought that might not be a bad idea, but Mom thought it would be nice to have a dog around. She likes dogs. So, we now have Scooter (correct current name) at our house.
"Scooter" stuck as this hound's moniker (I'll wait while you ask your parents what that means) because it fits. You know how most dogs will come up and slobber all over you if you offer them anything remotely resembling people food? Or even road kill? Well, Scooter stays away from you in the house. He will come no closer than 5.37 feet to you. You can call, coax, lie on your back and whine, or even offer BACON! And he will keep his distance. If you try to walk up to him to pet him, he scoots away. He is really good at it. He scoots and scoots. The only time he acts doggy-like is when you go to the front door, put on shoes and rattle the leash. Then he is your best friend, sitting on your feet and wagging his tail.
Mom and I have, for the past few weeks, housed, fed, made nice noises and tried everything-including offering pig parts to eat-to try to get Scooter to be our friend. We have taken this hound on walks-long walks along the canal and in the hills-every stinkin' day. I even passed up a bike ride yesterday on a sunny afternoon to take this stand-offish canine for a walk since Mom was working and he hadn't had one all day. He is your best friend on walks, but, once home, he reverts to Scooter. The exception is Natalie. Now, we have had this dog for the past few weeks at our house. Daily feeding, walking, poop gathering, trying to play with, rolling on the floor and whining like a puppy has been done. Do you think this dog would begin to act like he likes being around us? No way! Other than walks, he maintains his 5.37 ft distance.
But-when Nat's car gets within our zip code, Scoot picks up his ears, gets a doggy smile on his chops and starts wagging his tail! And when he hears the door, he Scoots-to the door! To jump and wag and be all excited that his Rescuer is here!
You need to remember that Nat sees this dog once or twice a week-she is allowing us to do the daily feeding, walking, clean-up, etc with this hound. But it is obvious that Scooter knows that, without Nat, he may well not be rescued yet. And he is quick and generous in showing his gratitude to her.
And it is obvious that Nat likes this Scooter dog as well.
OK-stay in there. This won't be long, but I need to tell you about another dog rescue.
Hairy (Best Dog Ever) came to us as a puppy. Buffy (whoever came up with THAT name?) help raise him. He wasn't a rescue dog-we actually got him through my brother Steve, who belonged to Max, who deserves his own stories. Maybe another time.
Where was I-Oh-Hairy (named for obvious reasons. I think you may still find some of his follicles in our home) was the BDE. I will tell you about some of his adventures another time.
Today, I am going to share just one short Hairy tale. Hairy himself only had a short tail. But I digress.
When Hairy (BDE) was a few months old, Natalie, her friend and I took Hairy for a walk along the canal. It was a nice summer day, and the canal was running fairly high. Hairy (BDE) decided to see how the water was. He had not been in the water before, but I was not concerned because I grew up knowing that all animals, except monkeys and humans can swim from birth. Now, don't you believe this-ask aunt Em if you want to know this is true, but that is what my Dad told us when I was young, and it stuck with me. Anyway-I knew Hairy (BDE) would be just fine swimming in the canal. Well, he swam across the canal, then decided he needed to swim back to be with his pack (that would be us) again. He hopped back into the water and started paddling. Dog paddling. Well, what kind of paddling would you think he would do? Anyway, he got in the flowing canal just a little ways above a two-foot high fall under a bridge over the canal.
I could see it would be questionable if Hairy (BDE) would make it across the canal before the flow took him over the little falls. And I could see, in the backwash of the falls, flotsam and jetsam (ask your folks!) rolling around, caught in the reverse flow under the falls. Hairy (BDE) was not very big yet, and I could imagine him being caught in the rolling current himself.
We were cheering him on, but, as he got most of the way across it was clear that he wasn't going to make it.
The flow took him over the falls. We held our breath-hoping Hairy (BDE) would do the same-waiting to see his soggy self pop up out of the water.
We didn't see him. And he had been in there too long.
I told Nat and her buddy to stay on the canal road, and I hustled down under the bridge and reached into the water where I saw a black and white fur ball cycle around.
I reached in as far as I could, felt a furry ear and pulled as hard as I could. I got Hairy (BDE) close to the surface, but the combination of canal current, my grip not strong enough and the ear not being a convenient handle, caused me to loose hold of that ear. I thought Hairy (BDE) was soon to be the late Hairy (BDE).
I knew I had one more chance. I saw him cycling around again, thrust my arm into the churning water (sounding pretty exciting, don't you think?) and caught hold of his collar! A nice, firm, reliable handle.
I pulled the sopping lump of fur out of the current and threw him up on the road. You need to know that I had one leg in the canal, one hand braced on the underworks of the bridge and the other fishing for dogs, so I didn't have the option to gently cradle him in my arms and gently lay him on the bank.
So he got dog-tossed.
Hairy (BDE) had glazed-over eyes (not a good thing) and wasn't moving much. The Toss, however, had forced him to expel canal water out of his snout (a good thing. One should avoid getting canal water in one's snout and lungs), and he move some. I still was not convinced that the Dog was not Gone. He did not look good. We thumped on him a bit and got more water out.
Then Hairy (BDE) took in a breath, did a doggy gag-cough (you know what I mean). Got more nasty canal water out, shook his head, got up, and took a few shaky steps. Then he did something wonderful. Hairy (BDE) did the Dog Shake! What a wonderful thing to see! Especially since we thought he was probably Doggone! Don't you wish you could shake water off like a dog? From your nose to the end of your tail-if you had a tail?
Anyway, Hairy (BDE) did a decent Dog Shake, then smiled, got his bright eyes back and wagged his stubby tail! And we were all happy, relieved, blessed that Hairy (BDE) was back!
OK-my intent with this entry was to tell a couple of rescue stories, then pontificate (that one is worth looking up-not the Pope-related definition) on rescuing. Since I have gone way too long , I will share some thoughts on rescuing and rescues next time. So you have time to consider these stories. There may well be a quiz. With grades. But no prizes. Maybe bacon.
Nat was excited and very happy to have a dog. Then her eyes started to water and her nose began to run. No, it wasn't Tears and Snot of Joy from having her own pooch-even though she was quite happy to have a hound-it was allergies. To her new doggie.
Then she went back to real-life work, leaving home early in the morning and coming home late in the evening. Scooter (Watson then, or was it RD?) spent the day chewing his bed and "collecting" Nat's clothing to make a bed he wanted.
Phone call from Natalie: "What was I thinking?! I am gone almost all day and Watson (now Scooter-don't get confused) spends the day either eating my apartment or locked in his kennel. Maybe I need to take (insert name of dog here) back to Rover Rescue."
I thought that might not be a bad idea, but Mom thought it would be nice to have a dog around. She likes dogs. So, we now have Scooter (correct current name) at our house.
"Scooter" stuck as this hound's moniker (I'll wait while you ask your parents what that means) because it fits. You know how most dogs will come up and slobber all over you if you offer them anything remotely resembling people food? Or even road kill? Well, Scooter stays away from you in the house. He will come no closer than 5.37 feet to you. You can call, coax, lie on your back and whine, or even offer BACON! And he will keep his distance. If you try to walk up to him to pet him, he scoots away. He is really good at it. He scoots and scoots. The only time he acts doggy-like is when you go to the front door, put on shoes and rattle the leash. Then he is your best friend, sitting on your feet and wagging his tail.
Mom and I have, for the past few weeks, housed, fed, made nice noises and tried everything-including offering pig parts to eat-to try to get Scooter to be our friend. We have taken this hound on walks-long walks along the canal and in the hills-every stinkin' day. I even passed up a bike ride yesterday on a sunny afternoon to take this stand-offish canine for a walk since Mom was working and he hadn't had one all day. He is your best friend on walks, but, once home, he reverts to Scooter. The exception is Natalie. Now, we have had this dog for the past few weeks at our house. Daily feeding, walking, poop gathering, trying to play with, rolling on the floor and whining like a puppy has been done. Do you think this dog would begin to act like he likes being around us? No way! Other than walks, he maintains his 5.37 ft distance.
But-when Nat's car gets within our zip code, Scoot picks up his ears, gets a doggy smile on his chops and starts wagging his tail! And when he hears the door, he Scoots-to the door! To jump and wag and be all excited that his Rescuer is here!
You need to remember that Nat sees this dog once or twice a week-she is allowing us to do the daily feeding, walking, clean-up, etc with this hound. But it is obvious that Scooter knows that, without Nat, he may well not be rescued yet. And he is quick and generous in showing his gratitude to her.
And it is obvious that Nat likes this Scooter dog as well.
OK-stay in there. This won't be long, but I need to tell you about another dog rescue.
Hairy (Best Dog Ever) came to us as a puppy. Buffy (whoever came up with THAT name?) help raise him. He wasn't a rescue dog-we actually got him through my brother Steve, who belonged to Max, who deserves his own stories. Maybe another time.
Where was I-Oh-Hairy (named for obvious reasons. I think you may still find some of his follicles in our home) was the BDE. I will tell you about some of his adventures another time.
Today, I am going to share just one short Hairy tale. Hairy himself only had a short tail. But I digress.
When Hairy (BDE) was a few months old, Natalie, her friend and I took Hairy for a walk along the canal. It was a nice summer day, and the canal was running fairly high. Hairy (BDE) decided to see how the water was. He had not been in the water before, but I was not concerned because I grew up knowing that all animals, except monkeys and humans can swim from birth. Now, don't you believe this-ask aunt Em if you want to know this is true, but that is what my Dad told us when I was young, and it stuck with me. Anyway-I knew Hairy (BDE) would be just fine swimming in the canal. Well, he swam across the canal, then decided he needed to swim back to be with his pack (that would be us) again. He hopped back into the water and started paddling. Dog paddling. Well, what kind of paddling would you think he would do? Anyway, he got in the flowing canal just a little ways above a two-foot high fall under a bridge over the canal.
I could see it would be questionable if Hairy (BDE) would make it across the canal before the flow took him over the little falls. And I could see, in the backwash of the falls, flotsam and jetsam (ask your folks!) rolling around, caught in the reverse flow under the falls. Hairy (BDE) was not very big yet, and I could imagine him being caught in the rolling current himself.
We were cheering him on, but, as he got most of the way across it was clear that he wasn't going to make it.
The flow took him over the falls. We held our breath-hoping Hairy (BDE) would do the same-waiting to see his soggy self pop up out of the water.
We didn't see him. And he had been in there too long.
I told Nat and her buddy to stay on the canal road, and I hustled down under the bridge and reached into the water where I saw a black and white fur ball cycle around.
I reached in as far as I could, felt a furry ear and pulled as hard as I could. I got Hairy (BDE) close to the surface, but the combination of canal current, my grip not strong enough and the ear not being a convenient handle, caused me to loose hold of that ear. I thought Hairy (BDE) was soon to be the late Hairy (BDE).
I knew I had one more chance. I saw him cycling around again, thrust my arm into the churning water (sounding pretty exciting, don't you think?) and caught hold of his collar! A nice, firm, reliable handle.
I pulled the sopping lump of fur out of the current and threw him up on the road. You need to know that I had one leg in the canal, one hand braced on the underworks of the bridge and the other fishing for dogs, so I didn't have the option to gently cradle him in my arms and gently lay him on the bank.
So he got dog-tossed.
Hairy (BDE) had glazed-over eyes (not a good thing) and wasn't moving much. The Toss, however, had forced him to expel canal water out of his snout (a good thing. One should avoid getting canal water in one's snout and lungs), and he move some. I still was not convinced that the Dog was not Gone. He did not look good. We thumped on him a bit and got more water out.
Then Hairy (BDE) took in a breath, did a doggy gag-cough (you know what I mean). Got more nasty canal water out, shook his head, got up, and took a few shaky steps. Then he did something wonderful. Hairy (BDE) did the Dog Shake! What a wonderful thing to see! Especially since we thought he was probably Doggone! Don't you wish you could shake water off like a dog? From your nose to the end of your tail-if you had a tail?
Anyway, Hairy (BDE) did a decent Dog Shake, then smiled, got his bright eyes back and wagged his stubby tail! And we were all happy, relieved, blessed that Hairy (BDE) was back!
OK-my intent with this entry was to tell a couple of rescue stories, then pontificate (that one is worth looking up-not the Pope-related definition) on rescuing. Since I have gone way too long , I will share some thoughts on rescuing and rescues next time. So you have time to consider these stories. There may well be a quiz. With grades. But no prizes. Maybe bacon.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Did I Tell You About My....
It is a few days past New Year's Day. The Holiday season is about done. We still have a trip to Pullman the end of this week to visit with family there and have a late Christmas with them.
I don't think I made any resolutions again this year.
Not that I don't need any. But I don't know about setting goals with the turn of the calendar. Why not decide to make changes when you see changes need to be made? Why not another calendar-related occasion? Your birthday, or in the fall when the school season begins.
Or, again, why not when you do some introspection and come to realize that there are some things you can do to help you be a better person.
Oh, I think this time of year is often a time of reflection and introspection. Good thing, as long as we remember that the view forward through the proverbial windshield is much larger and more important than the minimized view we get from the rear view mirror. We sometimes spend too much energy on fretting about what has gone before (objects in mirror are larger than they appear-at least in our minds sometimes).
Maybe we need to spend a bit more time and energy on creating what we can as we go forward.
A couple of thoughts from the past few days-
I read that Benjamin Franklin would ask himself two questions every day.
In the morning-"What Good shall I do today?
In the evening- "What Good have I done today?
I think this is a good place to start-to have some daily introspection about if we have done "Good".
And if you need definition of "Good", just sing to yourself some of the lines to "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?" "Good" has to do with serving others, being uplifting, sharing burdens, etc. If you want a chuckle, find the "old" lyrics to this hymn...
OK-I will let you in on one thing I have been trying to do better in the past few weeks. It seems, whenever I am conversing, that it is easy to act like Topper--the guy who sometimes makes appearances in Dilbert. Whatever you have done, achieved, accomplished, -I have done better. A patient tells me about his bike riding, and I feel the need to tell him about the miles I put in (in a most humble way, of course!). Brag on your grandkids, well, just wait as I tell you how amazingly marvelous mine are. When we were new grandparents, I even resorted to bragging about how well our grandbabies could fill their diapers in response to other new grandparents letting me know how their two year old grandbabies were reading Shakespeare and playing Mozart. You get the idea. I know when I am doing this because the person I am talking with starts to get the glazed look in his eyes.
I know that we all benefit from others listening to and hearing us and helping build us up. But-that is our job to do for others. So, I have been really trying to not "Topper" others, but to listen and compliment others on their conquests and achievements.
I have noticed, as I have made an effort to do this, that-now don't be surprised-I am not at all diminished when I let others feel good about themselves! And I actually feel great when I help them recognize what they have accomplished, how they have grown, what good they have done!
I read once that Mark Twain said he could live a whole month on a good compliment. My experience is that this is about right. I am learning that it is grand to be the source of those compliments for others-even if I just acknowledge their bragging about themselves. I don't need to outdo them to have a sense of self worth, and I can be supportive of them.
Of course, this has to be done sincerely, and that is tough sometimes.
OK-enough rambling for now.
If you make resolutions for the New Year, good for you! I hope we all take the opportunity to check in daily and think about the Good we can do and the Good we have done.
And, when you have a minute, ask me about my grandkids, kids, cabin, most recent home repair, bike ride, hike or, especially, my wife!
I don't think I made any resolutions again this year.
Not that I don't need any. But I don't know about setting goals with the turn of the calendar. Why not decide to make changes when you see changes need to be made? Why not another calendar-related occasion? Your birthday, or in the fall when the school season begins.
Or, again, why not when you do some introspection and come to realize that there are some things you can do to help you be a better person.
Oh, I think this time of year is often a time of reflection and introspection. Good thing, as long as we remember that the view forward through the proverbial windshield is much larger and more important than the minimized view we get from the rear view mirror. We sometimes spend too much energy on fretting about what has gone before (objects in mirror are larger than they appear-at least in our minds sometimes).
Maybe we need to spend a bit more time and energy on creating what we can as we go forward.
A couple of thoughts from the past few days-
I read that Benjamin Franklin would ask himself two questions every day.
In the morning-"What Good shall I do today?
In the evening- "What Good have I done today?
I think this is a good place to start-to have some daily introspection about if we have done "Good".
And if you need definition of "Good", just sing to yourself some of the lines to "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?" "Good" has to do with serving others, being uplifting, sharing burdens, etc. If you want a chuckle, find the "old" lyrics to this hymn...
OK-I will let you in on one thing I have been trying to do better in the past few weeks. It seems, whenever I am conversing, that it is easy to act like Topper--the guy who sometimes makes appearances in Dilbert. Whatever you have done, achieved, accomplished, -I have done better. A patient tells me about his bike riding, and I feel the need to tell him about the miles I put in (in a most humble way, of course!). Brag on your grandkids, well, just wait as I tell you how amazingly marvelous mine are. When we were new grandparents, I even resorted to bragging about how well our grandbabies could fill their diapers in response to other new grandparents letting me know how their two year old grandbabies were reading Shakespeare and playing Mozart. You get the idea. I know when I am doing this because the person I am talking with starts to get the glazed look in his eyes.
I know that we all benefit from others listening to and hearing us and helping build us up. But-that is our job to do for others. So, I have been really trying to not "Topper" others, but to listen and compliment others on their conquests and achievements.
I have noticed, as I have made an effort to do this, that-now don't be surprised-I am not at all diminished when I let others feel good about themselves! And I actually feel great when I help them recognize what they have accomplished, how they have grown, what good they have done!
I read once that Mark Twain said he could live a whole month on a good compliment. My experience is that this is about right. I am learning that it is grand to be the source of those compliments for others-even if I just acknowledge their bragging about themselves. I don't need to outdo them to have a sense of self worth, and I can be supportive of them.
Of course, this has to be done sincerely, and that is tough sometimes.
OK-enough rambling for now.
If you make resolutions for the New Year, good for you! I hope we all take the opportunity to check in daily and think about the Good we can do and the Good we have done.
And, when you have a minute, ask me about my grandkids, kids, cabin, most recent home repair, bike ride, hike or, especially, my wife!
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