Category: Pets

COVID Lessons

Recently I have been thinking about the drastic effect COVID-19 will have on the children of this country and many others. Out of school and confined to home, our children are losing valuable time and experience. These are not just a few snow days that are being missed. There are weeks and months of education that will not be recovered easily. Even those with computers and pads who are following online lessons at home are still getting cheated. Certainly a great part of schooling is the social interaction, learning to interact with our peers and other societal members.  I envision a generation that will grow up hoarding toilet paper and vowing never to be without it again in the best Scarlett O’Hara fashion (and perhaps they watched Gone With the Wind while staying safe at home…a good history lesson). Continue reading “COVID Lessons” →

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Uh Oh ….

Remember Buddy?  Dog of the lost collar?  I wrote about him just the other day.  Well, that’s him snoozing on my porch.  He showed up yesterday as I was cleaning out my van (way overdue on that chore). Tango was in the van because he thinks it is his living room on wheels (he’s kinda right about that) and he doesn’t want to miss out if I’m going somewhere. Continue reading “Uh Oh ….” →

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Chris and Cooper

 

I’m really grateful to those of you who follow my blog. It is an honor to me that you give some of your time to read my words or look at my images.  I’m almost ashamed to admit I don’t follow too many bloggers but among those I do is Chris Condello’s: Green Thumbed Vagabond. Not every post but most of them. Chris presents a nice blend of poetry, gardening tips and life observations.  And his personal life is interjected just enough so that you respect him all the more for accomplishing the production of so much beauty…a lesser man might have just said, “F” it.

Chris’s most recent post is called My Little Buddy Cooper.  It’s about his dog, Cooper. Now, if you surf on Facebook at all you have seen your share of cute dogs but, trust me, Cooper is cute. He’s a Corgi. And he is presented in some wonderful images. You will just die for the one where he is running towards you with his tongue flying in the wind.

I wanted to share the wealth because that is part of blogging. Thanks Chris, keep up the good work.

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Image #274 – Gertie

Image #274

Gertie was a rescue gerbil. I had gotten it in my head that I wanted a gerbil but shopping for one, as with most things, was a chore and I quickly tired of it. The sales associate at Petco seemed to sense my fatigue and wondered if I might be interested in a “slightly used” gerbil that had been left with them. I followed her to a back room where this pretty white gerbil was sequestered away, “had to be sure she wasn’t diseased,” the associate explained.  The gerbil had been with them for ten days and was cleared from quarantine. I could have her for $4, including the cage.  Well, I’m not much of a shopper but I do know a bargain.

Gertie was with me for almost three years and I loved that rodent. She settled right into life with Alice and I quickly learned she had style and panache.  After she died I turned to other gerbils but none had the espirit that my Gertie had.

Amazing how we come to love critters … from dogs and cats to gerbils and a whole slew of others. It speaks well for Homo sapiens that we can develop this closeness, this appreciation for the vast diversity that has been given to us on this blue and white marble that we call Earth.  We screw up a lot and are far from perfect but there are these moments of happiness brought on by simply opening our heart to others, human or otherwise.  Remember, you take the love with you.  ❧

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Image #239 – California!

Image #239

Well, we made it!  Tango and I completed one-half of our cross country adventure on Sunday when we arrived in Trinidad, California.  We are enjoying the hospitality of our friends Bunny and Ed Subkis.  This view of the Pacific Ocean is not far from their home. In the distance is Patrick’s Point.

The conference in Portland was really excellent. I made some new friends, got a chance to catch up with some friends from the past, and learned a great deal about the endocannabinoid system.  This relatively new discovery–a receptor system in your body that mimics cannabis and is enhanced by its use–could revolutionize medicine. I’m not one for hyperbole but, honestly, the ongoing formal research (mainly international, in Spain and Israel) and the reports coming out of states that have legalized medical access are simply phenomenal.  Cannabis is curing cancers, treating dementia, dramatically increasing the longevity of patients with ALS and, as most have heard, reducing seizures in young children.

How I wish our federal government would find the courage to embrace this exciting new knowledge. Is there hope? Perhaps. A news report states that federal drug agencies are ramping up the federal production of cannabis next year.  Total production will expand from 21kg a year to 650kg! A sizable increase.  Such a silly waste of money. I met plenty of growers last week who could provide the federal government with any strain of cannabis they could possibly want.  There are none so blind as those who will not see.  ❧

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Image #235 – Wyoming Hills

Wyoming Hills near Green River
Wyoming Hills near Green River

My westward journey continues. After a wonderful week in Denver, Colorado, Tango and I are once again in route to Portland, Oregon. I chose to go around the Rockies rather than over them. There is still quite a bit of snow at the higher elevations.  One route that I hoped to take in Wyoming — the Snowy Range Rd. — was closed because there is still 6 feet of snow at the peak. Flurries are forecast for Wednesday in Green River, where we stopped for the night.

But today was a good travel day. Things were very mild for the first part of the trip. As we headed further north into Colorado the terrain became more rugged and we stopped for a brief excursion. Tango had great fun on the rocks.

Image #235(1)

 

Once we got past the northern most point of the Snowy Mountain range the winds began to pick up and soon the warning signs were advising drivers with light trailers to seek alternative routes.  I’m not sure there are alternative routes. The signs warned of 35mph+ winds but, honestly, after my experience in Kansas last Monday it all seemed rather tame.  What doesn’t kill us does make us stronger. ❧

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