Long Time:

Apparently my muse has been spending some sick leave lately. Every-time I sit down to write anything, I find myself drawing a complete blank. Liwanu has been doing awesome. His aggression has tapered off and I can walk him without the muzzle. Aello is still a royal pain in my rump so I guess it's all going to even out.

The issue of Liwanu's aggression leads me to a very serious matter. Guys (and Girls) it is NOT an intelligent idea to get a dog for 'protection' purposes. If you want to protect your house, storage or yard it is a much better idea to get an alarm system. Dogs who are not trained correctly are a huge liability risk and the intruder they are supposed to protect you against CAN and WILL sue you and many times they will win if your dog bites them (yes, even if they are in your bedroom with a gun to your head) and you lack the necessary notices. Many dogs who are gotten to serve as 'watch' dogs or 'protection' dogs end up dead, abandoned and tortured because they do not have the necessary drives to fill the role they are supposed to (according to the owner).

People, if you really need a dog for Personal or Home Protection, seek a trained dog from a professional. Make sure that you have the proper insurance, notices and be forewarned, there are insurance companies that discriminate not only by breed but by the dog's role in your life. NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO TRAIN YOUR OWN DOG WITHOUT THE HELP OF AN EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL!!!! (in this area at least.)

Another Rainy Day

Well, it's a gray boring day. Luckily I'm not prone to melancholy or else I'd be sniffling on the couch watching the daily soaps. I figure I'll take the camera and the dogs out to our normal spot and see if I can't get some action photos of them playing and chasing rabbits. I always worry that Liwanu is going to catch one and then I'm going to have to take it away. Maybe I'll sit out in the back yard and watch the storm roll through. I don't know but you won't find me sitting on the couch watching 'Gays of Our Lives' that's for sure.

I'm working on teaching Aello to 'Dance' which is pretty funny considering that it's more about catching a behavior she already performs and getting it on cue. If I had my clicker that would be easy, alas I've lost the clicker so now I've got to do it the old fashioned way.

Apparently a friend's next door neighbor broke into the house across the street and when the cops got there the place was ransacked and the owner was dead. Now, I wouldn't mention it except for the fact that this happened shortly before the dogs and I were in the area which means that all hell broke loose. The cops opened that door and there were five dogs that came charging out. Liwanu is not usually dog aggressive but the sight of these animals charging down on him as a group made him a tad bit nervous. Aello had no idea what was going on and buried herself behind my leg. Thanks to the help of my friend, three cops and a store owner we managed to get my dogs to safety and then round up the other five for collection by the Humane Society.

Now, the cops haven't charged anyone yet so I cannot say that the dude is responsible but apparently he's been running his mouth around town claiming to have been involved. Can we say Dumb-ass???

Simple Joys of Life

There's no time to kill between the cradle and the grave
Father Time still takes a toll on every minute that you save
Legal tender's never gonna change the number on your days
The highest cost of livin's dyin', that's one everybody pays
So have it spent before you get the bill, there's no time to kill
If we'd known ten years ago today would be ten years from now
Would we spend tomorrow's yesterdays and make it last somehow
Or lead the cheers in someone else's game and never learn to play
And see the rules of thumb are all the same that measure every day
The grass is green on both sides of the hill, there's no time to kill
No time to kill, even I've said it and probably always will
But I can look ahead and see that time ain't standin' still
No time to kill but time to change the kind of hurry I've been in
And quit this work and worry lookin' back at where I've been
If you don't look ahead nobody will, there's no time to kill
If we had an hour glass to watch each one go by
Or a bell to mark each one to pass, we'd see just how they fly
Would we escalate the value to be worth its weight in gold
Or would we never know the fortunes that we had 'til we grow old
And do we just keep killin' time until there's no time to kill
---Clint Black

I figure I'll take this post to mention some of the beautiful things in life that most people seem to miss. Every day we all go on about our lives never thinking of the wonderful things unfolding around us. We get so caught up in getting things done for tomorrow and the future, which results in death any way, that we forget about the things that surround us.

I took these pictures about two weeks ago when the dogs and I were caught out in a sudden storm. It's 4:30pm and within five minutes the clouds had rolled in to engulf the area. I couldn't help but sit and watch the storm begin it's deluge staying out well beyond the bounds of healthy dryness. Of the ten pictures those two are the only ones which turned out right.

I understand that it is hard to stop thinking about the future constantly however, which makes a better story in the end? "I was born, went to school, worked my butt off, retired and now I'm on my death bed" or "When I was born, such and such was going on. The year I become a high-school freshmen I saw this and this happen and I spent a year traveling the continent on foot before deciding on a career path". I would prefer my life story to be filled with adventures and suspense instead of being bland and uneventful.

When I take the dogs out, an hour long walk can turn into half a day of traveling because of the fact that I get caught up watching them run and play or staring at the cloud-shapes traveling along through the sky. My digi-camera is filled with pictures of cardinals, finches, rabbits and the dogs. Occasionally there is some landscapes or scenic views of the area but mostly it's some strange thing that people would never think to look at. One of my favorites is a picture of a grub the size of my big toe with a wasp climbing out of it's back. When I find it, I'll post it for all to see.

In short, it's not enough to stop and smell the roses. Since our lives are nothing but the passage of time between birth and rebirth, we need to absorb as much of the beauty and wonder as possible. There really is no way of telling when it's time to cash our chips so why spend our final moments thinking of what may have been if we'd 'only found the time'. Try waking up one morning and basking in the sunrise skyclad or attending a Beltane festival to dance the fire in nothing but skivvies and combat boots. You'll be amazed by what you learn when you make the space in your schedule for the un-ordinary.

HUZZAH!!! It's a GIRL!!!

Sorry folks, couldn't help it:D First let me start by saying: I apologize for my absence. Life caught up with me in a big way. There is quite a bit to catch up on but the most important shall come first.

There is an addition to my little family. She's 4 months old (give or take a week) and her name is Aello. As far as I can tell she's purebred APBT however due to her age I'm not going to argue on that point. I'll figure it out when she gets older.

The other big change is that I finally caved and threw the so-called-boyfriend out. I left him last year because he had gotten too deep into the booze and crack. He called me 6 months later claiming to be clean and in control of his alcohol. The amazing part was that I went and saw him and found that he was indeed doing much much better than when I'd left. I agreed to give him a second chance. He moved in with me and my boss's family sometime last September. I bet you know what's coming next....If you guessed that the honeymoon ended and he went back to the dope and hard drinking you are right *awards the 64$ dollars*

About two months ago he started blowing his entire unemployment check within days of getting it. At first there was quite a few doubts but most of the money could be accounted for on receipts. That changed. Soon he was going out and blowing off his responsibilities for crack. I threw him out of the house. I agreed to continuing to see him if he could get his butt back in line. Well, he couldn't so it's over and I'm in the market again:D.

The third big change is that I've got two prospects for getting the hell out of Maryland! *Crosses fingers and prays* I will finish out the school year watching these children and then hopefully the dogs and I are outta here. I can't stand this cesspool state so the faintest hope of rescue makes me giddy. I would hike it but since I'm on the peninsula I'd either have to cut through Delaware (adding a little over two hundred miles) or risk being stranded at the bay bridges. Pedestrians aren't allowed on the bridge off the Eastern Shore so it's a wait for a ride and hope you don't get picked up for hitching.