Pre Occupied:

With all that is going on in the world nowadays I have been preoccupied with the current events and have neglected keeping up with this blog.  I don't want to anger or upset any of our readers because we get people who read this blog site from many different countries. Therefore, I will not post any blogs, politics, opinions or the current events. The purpose of this blog is being self-sufficient and our life in the mountains - both the Rocky Mountains and the Smokey Mountains. Being more self-sufficient may be more needed now than before.

In the midst of all that is going on I have been planning my garden as seeds can be planted between March 15 and the first week of April. I have started six cauliflower plants under a grow light in the basement. I also have plans for beets, wax beans, lettuce, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and rhubarb. 

I am going to try my hand with rhubarb once again, as last year I planted three rhubarb plants, and something ate all three and killed the root. This year I plan to grow the plant in a container where it will not be available for the critter who ate them last year. Once it is established, I can transplant it and enclose it with hardware fence so they can't get to it again.  

I am going to try my hand at wax beans as we went to buy a can at the grocery store and one can was over $4.00, which is a ridiculous amount in my opinion. If I can grow them, I will save us quite a bit of money as one of the favorite salads that Carol makes calls for wax beans. 

The Value Of Dog/s: Part three

 

This is the third and final part of the value of dogs: 

Strong sense of hearing and smell: Dog's can smell over 100,000 to one million times better that humans and they can hear far beyond the capability of humans. Hence they can detect things far outside human capacities. For example, when we lived in the mountains of S. Colorado, at 9,800' feet elevation our dogs would alert us to threats from wildlife outside before we would see or hear them. 

When their superior hearing and smell senses are combined with their protective nature for their family it is a protection system that is second to none other. This leads into the next topic that is intelligence.

Intelligence: We tend to favor the German Shepherd Dog breed who are noted for their intelligence. When we have neighbors' friends, workmen or family come to visit our dogs instinctively know friend or foe. When they are friend, they will check them out and go lay down after greetings. When they don't trust the person, they will stay in the room with the people often laying at our feet or in near proximity to us. 

We pay close attention to our fur family for nuances we may not recognize ourselves. They are usually spot on when it comes to evaluating people and it would be totally negligent to not pay attention to them and their instinct. I can't emphasize their intelligence enough. 

Trainability: Dogs are easily trained but only if trained in a proper manner. There are many methods available but over the years and 13 dogs we have developed a method that I have used over the years. Dogs want to please us and we use that trait to train them. Sometimes a  non-threating word administered in love is better than a physical rebuke. I have taught one of our dogs to look right and left before crossing a street or alley. 

I have taught our dogs to tell time by looking at a wall clock. Some dogs can learn up to 250 words or symbols. We talk to our dogs all the time and they have a rather large understanding.  Our neighbors in Colorado referred to our German Shepherd Ben as Dr. Ben. We are very much in tune with our dogs. 

Happiness and Sense of Adventure: Dogs are generally happy and love to play and go on adventures with their family. they love hikes, camping, car trips, boating trips and adventures new. When dogs are happy it is easy to see as they not only smile but their entire body reflects their happiness'. In turn they make us happy too. 

The Value Of Dog/s Part 2:

 

Dogs have so many traits and abilities that many of us humans wish for or try to achieve but fall short in. Part two addresses three more of these traits.

Unconditional Forgiveness:  Dogs seem to have the ability to forgive without judgement, or conditions and just want to be our friend again and let the offense go without holding a grudge. They tend to live in the present and not yesterday or tomorrow. They simply just move on from the infraction whatever it may be and not dwell on the past. That ties in with  the first of their values as pointed out in loyalty in the first part of this topic.

Protective Instincts:  Dogs have an ingrained protective instinct that they will protect those who they love. Sometimes some that they don't know as well depending on the risk factor. I don't want to get ahead of myself on this subject, but they are intelligent and can assess dangers ahead of most humans. They will put themselves in harm's way to protect their family or those they love. Sometimes to the point of their own death. It has been said and I believe it that only two people will die for you: Jesus or your dog. 

Intelligence:  Many underestimate the intelligence of dogs. Dogs can learn up to 250 words or symbols. I have always taught our dogs with both words and hand signals. When they get older, they tend (like us humans) to lose some or all of their hearing. That is when the hand signals come in very handy. It all tends to be what you want them to learn. We talk to our dogs all the time and it pays off. 

I have taught one of our dogs his right from his left and to tell basic time. in a very rudimentary way. I would point to a time on the clock to tell him when I would be back and he would be looking for me as Carol would watch to see what he would do. He would be waiting at the door. Not all breeds are of high intelligence but most would surprise people if they would be paying attention. 

Dogs are the consummate friend of their family.  

Klaus:

 Yesterday Klaus had his teeth cleaned and ended up having 10 pulled. He also had a growth near his rectum, and it was removed as well, along with stiches. It was heartbreaking to hear him whine in pain and we stayed up with him last night. He is getting pain meds but they don't seem to handle all his pain.

He is 11 years old and it has been hard on him at that age. It is like having a tooth ache and hemorrhoids all at the same time. Neither of us or Lucy and Rex got over a couple hours sleep last night but his comfort and welfare is more important to us than sleep. Klaus could certainly use prayers now as he struggles with the residual anesthesia and pain.

Not having those bad teeth removed could cause infection go get into his blood system and that could kill him. We want to give him every bit of life possible and while it is tough on him now, but he will at least be healthy in his old age. Soft food and pain pills for a couple of weeks and he should be his normal self once again.

The Value Of Dogs:

 

Unconditional Love: Dogs love without conditions, demands or judgement. They love us just as we are. They love us without expecting anything in return. They like to be with us all the time even when we go into the bathroom. They demonstrate their love by constantly pleasing us which some people fail to recognize. If God so loved us, so we should love one another. 1 John 4:11. Could it be that we see in dogs what we try to do in our lives but often fail to accomplish. 

Loyalty: In a world that is and often uncertain when it comes to loyalty, dogs offer a level of loyalty in a form of true faithfulness that is second to none other. Their loyalty should inspire us to stand by those whom we love by observing our dog's example. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17. Dog's remain loyal regardless of our circumstances whether good or bad. They do not make judgements when it comes to being loyal and their loyalty transcends circumstances. They often are loyal when no one else comes to our side. We have much to learn from our dogs.  

Compassion and Empathy: Dogs are able to tell when we are stressed or anxious and they come to us not to fix our problem but to just be there to give us comfort and reassurance by a gentle paw, leaning against us, laying their head in our lap or just a nuzzle. They let us know that we are not alone and by their presence offer support. We would do well to cultivate as similar method of empathy and compassion toward other. Just being there for others is a way to support them and not trying to solve their problems unless they ask.

Look for further blogs on this topic in the future. 

Alamosa, Colorado

Alamosa, CO was a little over an hours drive from our mountain home...where we did shopping, visited doctors, etc. This is a great article and can give you an idea of why we loved it there so much!

https://familydestinationsguide.com/peaceful-town-colorado-rent/

Manufacturing:

It used to be that items manufactured in China were lacking quality but I have noted over past several years that is no longer the case. Items I have purchased that were made in China have been good quality. While our governments posture back and forth and they try to work out relationships with each other the quality of items I buy as a consumer seem to be pretty good quality.

While our government and the government of China consider each other enemies the people of both countries are probably very much the same. We care about those we love and work with to give ourselves a better life. Carol has a good friend in China and they seem to get along just fine and I don't see much difference other than the control their government has over them.

As I watch the Olympics the participants from all countries seem to be getting along with each other and enjoying themselves and most of all having fun with each other. Therefore it seems to me if we put the governments aside people have more in common than not. Unfortunately we can't put governments aside so they will have to continue to push and pull in the power struggle as there is no real common ground - only compromise and peaceful co-existence. 

Back to my original thought - I think products that we buy from China have improved greatly and I have found out purchases to be of good quality nowadays. Made in China no longer has the stigma that it once had.

 

New Doors:

 

The top photo depicts our old sliding glass door that has been with the house for 45 years. The new doors that are manufactured nowadays are so much more energy efficient and the bottom photo shows our newly installed door. The sliding glass doors were wearing out (at least the handles and locks) and they were heavy and we really had to struggle to open and close them. The new doors are much easier to open and close. The repairman will finish the outside trim and installation today. 

It also makes it harder for people to see inside, plus we will not have to put up with annoying drafts coming in anymore. 

Window Crashes In Our Past Home:

Two mountain chickadees in two days - wow.. We usually only get two a year. I think it may be the same bird who just craves attention. This little guy managed to fly off too. I brought him inside to keep him warm by the wood stove and then took him back out to the railing and he just kept looking inside like in the photo which told me he wanted to come back inside where it was warm. He looked me over real good when I was stroking his head and holding him by the wood stove so he could warm up. I think I now have a friend for life as he flew off just moments ago... We have some birds that will fly right up to me - as close as a foot away. I assume that it is ones I have helped over the years but I can't be certain.

 

Cowbirds:

 My past posts about Henrietta and also the posts about Chickadee's and nuthatches reveal the good qualities of birds. As with any species there are also birds of lessor qualities like the cowbird. Consider that the cowbird during nesting time will look for a nest, wait until the host leaves for a few minutes and then will lay its egg in the nest and let the host bird hatch it. The cowbird will take out one of the host birds eggs to replace it with her own.

The unsuspecting host then raises the chick along with its own. Sometimes the cowbird chick because it is larger will force the host birds chick out of the nest to make more room for itself.

Now consider human nature as it exists today see if any comparisons can be made between the cowbird characteristics and human characteristics.

Superfund Cleanup:

 

It was 16 years ago when a friend of mine and myself decided to drive over to a ghost town where a creek ran through it and do a little prospecting for gold. When we got there we found the creek was being cleaned up by the EPA as a superfund site. We walked up and down the creek for a long way and there was -0- signs of life in the creek. 

Another time Carol and I went to check out another ghost town (Bonanza) and there was this nice little creek that ran through part of the ghost town. I stopped to check out the creek and I could actually see the heavy metals in the creek covering the rocks. Actually there were quite a few creeks around including one very near us that was polluted. The fact is there were so many I personally found that were polluted.

These creeks had no signs of life in them, even when rocks were turned over, no visible life was in evidence, birds would not go near them, no insects, and the same shiny layer that coats everything. Colorado had in the past many mines where heavy metals were used as well as arsenic and mercury. Where  EPA were cleaning up these creeks they were doing a good job but the progress takes years not weeks or months. 

From what I have witnessed  there are more creeks than availability to restore them. When we see these creeks it is a sad thing to witness and very costly and time consuming to clean up. We need to do a better job of taking care of our resources. 

 

Daisy:

When we first moved to southern Colorado at 9,800' elevation our land was a jumble of brush, downed trees and limbs.  One day I was out cleaning up the brush and a mule deer doe with twins was a few yards away from me and I started to talk to her telling her how beautiful her twins were and how pretty she was. 

She stayed with me for several hours and that started a human/wild animal relationship that rewarded me over the years. We ended up naming her Daisy and she taught me more about mule deer in the many years we were together than I would have ever expected. 

 

After one of those two fawns grew up he came around and would actually eat out of my hand and allow me to pick ice balls off his head. He adopted me into the deer family and there are many stories I have shared and can continue to share. He was a good companion over the years and in fact would bring other deer around to meet and greet with me. Even more stories there with his friends. 

One of the does in Daisy's family had a fawn who had somehow broken its leg. The fawn's mother would drive it out of the family of deer. I watched Daisy strongly chastise the fawn's mother and Daisy took the little fawn herself to raise. She cared for that fawn and protected it until its leg healed and became its mother. 

Daisy or one of her offspring made friends with one of our dogs - Sarah, a black German Shepherd - and they would sniff each other through the fence and run along the fence together. Sarah died of heart failure and I had established a memorial area where I had cap stones with her name and a photo of her sealed in clear epoxy. It was a memorial garden for our past dogs and there were several headstones in it. 

For a few years after Sarah passed away I would be going down the tractor trail to the memorial area and often find Sarah's friend  standing over her marker looking down at her headstone photo. Not the others but her headstone only. This happened many times to just be a coincidence or happen chance. 

Sarah's friend did that for several years and I would stop on my tractor and talk to Sarah's friend for several minutes and she would look at me and then down at Sarah's marker. I call that true friendship.

Major Storm Coming:

 

Please be careful and check with your neighbors who may need help. Ice storms can  be dangerous so be careful and use good practices to stay safe. Trees and tree limbs can break off and fall without notice and footing can he slippery. 

Prima Facia:

My opinion only: I don't understand what is going on with all the investigations both with congress and the DOJ. They seem to be investigating all the alleged law breakers but nothing seems to be happening. The recent case where a group of protestors charge into a church where people are worshiping and disrupt the service seems to go against our constitution and law.  They were protesting ICE agents in a church. 

 It was all caught on camera and seems pretty clear to me. It has been the same with other incidents that have been documented by video and audio. After we hear about the incident the authorities, whether they are DOJ or congress,  announce they will  'investigate' and then the incident just drops from sight. It just falls into an empty pit and we hear no more. 

There is a term in law that is as old as our laws are that is called, prima facie,  - the evidence is sufficient to prove the case..  In short it simply means that the thing speaks for itself - the facts are in plain sight. Here we have incidents that are documented both visually and verbally and now they "investigate", and then we won't hear anything further. It has been a year now and all I have seen are many investigations. 

Misappropriations, mortgage fraud, outright  of money, breaking into vehicles, vandalization of vehicles, assaulting law enforcement officers, spouting sedition and a host of other illegal activity. 

It seems to me that the church incident clearly speaks for itself. I wonder what is to investigate that isn't already clear. Why not arrest and charge those acting criminally right now. Or will this just die on the investigation vine too.  I don't think the bad people are much scared of investigations or it doesn't seem so. It is not a deterrent and they just laugh at the process and go on with further criminal activities. 

There won't be a more perfect case than the church one; they can arrest those responsible and still continue to investigate. This "investigate" is just making our upside down country even more so. We need accountability but more than that real action. 

Klaus

 

Klaus is our oldest dog. We just celebrated his 11th birthday in November. Of course we really don't know how old he is but that's the best guess. He is doing well...takes a Galliprant each day for back pain and that stuff has worked wonders for him. He usually is laying on one of the multiple dog beds we have in different places in the house or on the leather sofa. This morning though he got up on the loveseat for the first time! This is where Rex sleeps each night. Klaus has never shown any interest in jumping up there until today and we sure were surprised.

He is our "best boy". Not a single mean bone in his body although best we can tell he is a cross between a chow chow and akita. He missed his Mom April for quite some time after she passed on but seems to have recovered.

This sudden move to jump on the love seat was also intended as a message to Rex who has been with us just over 6 months. They both get along fine and Klaus is such a laid back boy and just gets along with everyone including Rex. He sent Rex a message that he is the senior fur family member and I watched Rex just look at him and walk over and lay down in the kitchen. He (Rex) clearly got the message. Having more than one fur family member is just so entertaining if you know what to look for. 

Rex has taken over the love seat and Klaus did not even look at Rex when he got on the love seat; just got up there, got comfortable and then got down in about 10 minutes. He sent Rex a very clear message which was received. The pecking order is still well established as Rex recognizes Klaus as the senior family member and respects him and gives him room. 

What Is A Woman:

 

"Relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs."  Meridian Webster

I watched the senate hearing yesterday where a female OBGYN physician could not and and did not say that a man could not get pregnant. She did what is now known as a word salad. 

Earlier I watched the two hour US Supreme Court address the same basic question. Nine of our most learned and best law minds were dealing with some ridiculous presentations and various machinations about what a woman is and should men play in women's sports.

In fact one of the female justices during her confirmation was asked what a woman is and she refused to answer because she was not a biologist. Since when do you need to be a biologist to know what a woman is. I find it incredible that supposedly intelligent people can't figure out what a woman is and stumble over themselves in trying to figure it out. 

I have encountered some very stupid people in my life but now days it seems to be some type of challenge to see who is more stupid. Males are different and have different sports abilities, muscles and bone structure. Keeping men out of women's sports should be a no brainer. 

I personally have only had one possible exception in women.  When I was in Bermuda for two years we would occasionally see a Russian ship dock in Bermuda. They would have both men and women working on these trawlers and when I would see the Russian women on the beach any man who would challenge those muscular women would be out of their mind. 

Those Russian trawler women were clearly not someone to mess with. They would dominate any sport if they had the talent but this issue today is totally different. The women in sports are very clearly female and men who claim to be women are not. If this opinion of mine offends anyone's feelings - get over it as it seems pretty apparent to me what a woman is. My mother was, my sister was, my brother was not. My wife is and I am not. Seems simple to me..

Beauty:

 

There is beauty here in N. Carolina but I don't think there has ever been a more beautiful place that when we were living at 9,800' elevation in southern Colorado. We would wake up every day to scenes just like this. Cold crisp air and the sun coming up through the mist is just one of the scenes. The shadows or streaks of sunlight on the fresh snow. It was every day a new and different look  that was beautiful.

Blue sky so blue that it was almost to brilliant to look at very long. We never had to go looking for beauty, it was right there in front of us every day. I miss scenes like this one.

Environment Change:

 

I hear much about changing weather patterns and I recall when we lived in the mountains of southern Colorado I was able to check a fact with growth rings on a tree.. Trees grow much slower there due to the elevation and short growing season. I cut a tree down that was very old and  best I could tell around 125+ years old. I  cut a slab off it and counted the growth rings. 

They told a story about growth and there would be some very close together for a few years and then some were spaced further apart. All together they told the growth history of the tree. There was a period in the rings where they were so close together there was very little or no growth for several years. Then there were years of very good spacing or growth. 

It changed from time to time depending on the weather. So when I hear these doomsday prognosticators I pay little attention to them. It is laughable when they say that cow farts or cow burps are destroying the ozone layer. I took environmental biology courses in college and was the speaking director of a very large environmental group in central Florida. Our position was based on actual facts that I personally witnessed and could speak on. I did not speculate or suggest what the future would hold. 

That was nearly 50 years ago and speculation back then would be proven very wrong today. We  don't know what the next year or fifty years will hold as the earth has a remarkable ability to heal itself.  When hiking in our community I found a limber pine that was over two thousand years old as best I could calculate. 

That tree could have told a story but sadly it was destroyed in the 2018 wildfire that ravaged our community. It was a huge tree growing on a protected slope and if it would have survived the wildfire it could have been a window into weather patterns.  It would have been far more accurate than speculation of what cow farts and burps do to the atmosphere. 

A New Year With Promise:

 

Dog Relaxation:

 

While I was looking for football games this morning I found a channel on DISH TV that might come in handy tonight as people will be shooting off guns and fireworks as the year changes. It is designed to relax dogs with visual and soothing sounds  It is DOGTV and it is channel 285. Our dogs go nuts during loud noises like there will be tonight. 

Not much has helped our fur family but we will turn the volume up and see if this will help them tonight as all the nuts and drunks show off with loud gun shots and fireworks. We received  an emergency alert yesterday that with the wind and super dry conditions that outdoor fires of any kind are prohibited. 

That won't stop the crazy people who will have their fireworks tonight. I wish they would just stop and think about all the animals that this affects, not to mention our vets who suffer from ptsd.  

Efficient Limb Chipper:

When I saw this on sale at Lowe's I knew it would fit our lifestyle  here. It is a WEN limb chipper that will handle limbs up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter.  Most all of our limbs are that size or less and I have been burning them up until now. In order to burn them we needed a State burn permit which we can get on line. With all the leaf mass on the ground it is a concern to burn anything outdoors. 

We tried this a few days ago and it grinds up limbs easily and swiftly. I have never bought a WEN product that wasn't quality and well made. This unit is light enough to move around easily and it doesn't take up much space. These units only cost  $125.00, and are simple to put together. Well suited for our needs as anything with a size more than 1.75 inches we burn in the wood stove. 

The mulch from the machine can go around trees or plants so everything is used. Good investment.

Lyme Disease:

When we were living in the high country of Colorado I was out helping a group we allowed to cut firewood off our property, when I got a tick bite that left a bull's eye circle on my arm. I didn't notice it for several days and when I went to get treatment the doctor advised me that there was no Lyme Disease in Colorado. I finally got a doctor who at least acknowledged it did exist and prescribed antibiotics for it. 

When I went to the pharmacy to get the Rx filled a man who was also waiting struck up a conversation with me. He asked what I was there for - I explained I got a tick bite and it looked like Lyme Disease.  He went on to say his neighbor got a tick bite too and had Lyme Disease. Now she now has arthritis so bad she can't walk to her mailbox at the end of her driveway.  Like me she was told there was no Lyme Disease in Colorado. The first problem as I see it is getting medical staff to even acknowledge the disease exists in some areas. 

If you think you have encountered an infected tick I suggest you get medical help as soon as possible and not accept any comments that it isn't in your area. Next I suggest you Google Lyme Disease, as there is abundant information available regarding the disease. 

When we first moved to Colorado we had a grey wolf come up and look into our house through the storm door.  Others in our neighborhood had seen wolves as well. When I called the game warden to report it I was told there were no wolves in Colorado.  I knew what I saw and found out years later that if a state employee acknowledged there were wolves in Colorado that the state would be required to adopt a plan to manage them. Maybe it was the same with Lyme Disease. 

Dogs On The Loose - Maybe Something You would Not Expect:

When you see dogs on the loose this time of year during deer hunting season those dogs may be dogs used for hunting that have strayed from their owner who was using them to hunt. OR they may be stolen as I have witnessed several times in the past where low life bottom dwelling people will steal dogs and use them  to chase deer during dear hunting season. When it is hunting season they steal dogs to chase deer where they will wait and  ambush them when the dogs chase the the deer to them.  When they are done they just drive away with their illegal deer and leave the dogs to fend for themselves. 

I rescued a dog once off  an island in the St. John's River in Florida where I was fishing. The poor dog was so emaciated I could count its ribs and pelvis outline. Another time four dogs were found running loose and fortunately those were reunited with their owner.  They were stolen right out of his front fenced in yard and were in pretty bad shape when found. I have heard of other incidents as well all far too often. 

Keep your dogs close during deer hunting season and make sure they are safe from bottom dwelling low life scum that would use them and then discard them to fend for themselves. Yes there are people like this in the world and they need to be dealt with and punished.  Also, be sure to have your dogs chipped so if they are found that there is a chance they might be returned to you. 

Strong letter to follow!

Most Significant Day In History:

If you believe in the bible this blog may be important to you; if you do not believe in the bible it probably won't.  In the second chapter of Luke is the story of Jesus birth. This ties in with my last blog regarding the absolute silence and peace in our past mountain home. 

Shepherds were tending their sheep in the fields and they according to history were on the outer fringe of society. When an angel appeared to them they were afraid. Out in the fields by themselves and an angel suddenly appears with a heavenly glow would scare me too. They were told not to be afraid that there was good news, a child was born that will bring great joy to all people.  Then the sky opens up further and there are more angels all praising God. 

It would have been quiet except for the sounds of the sheep and suddenly there is this strange apparition out of no where which would scare the bejeebers out of anyone. Then a host of these apparitions appear all praising God.  

When we lived in the mountains I would go outside to just be in total silence and be alone. It would allow my mind to think of matters like this. The quiet was absolute and there were zero distractions. Most people never in their lifetime are privileged to experience such silence and the chance to reflect on the more important issues of life. City or suburban life has its noise which most come to accept. Absolute silence is very rare if ever.  

Such noises such as vehicles, talking that carries to you, animal noise or a host of other interruptions makes quiet hard to find;  hence that peace that comes from total silence is never fully experienced. Noise restricts people thinking about the more weighty matters by disrupting their thought process. In fact total silence makes many people uncomfortable. Looking up in silence at the snow flakes or stars, made me realize how great a God we have if we just take a moment to thank him for his amazing creation. 

Taking some time in a quiet moment gives us time to ponder all He has done for us and is doing every moment of every day. Finding total silence is hard but we can still look around and find things to thank Him for. I am thankful for those many times I was given to see and appreciate His might wonders.  We really should take time to reflect on the weightier matters like the bible reflects in so many areas. 

Total Quiet:

 I can't remember if there was a Christmas that we didn't have snow in our 26 years in the high country of Colorado. One of my most favorite memories was to go outside Christmas eve - especially if it was snowing or had just snowed. I would go outside and just stand and look up at the sky and either see the snow flakes floating down or on a clear night I would marvel at all the stars.  

The quiet was so powerful that it would just take my breath away. The silence was so powerful that I would feel I could be the only person for miles. Gazing at the millions of stars across the sky made me feel very small on our planet. To me it was a solid confirmation that there was a God and he and his Son were in total charge. It was a most humbling time for me.

No matter how many times I did that over the years, the sense of peace and calm never changed. It was always one of those very special moments that I will never forget. I have never been in another place where I could experience that. I always thanked God for that time it was so  overwhelming and special. When I stop and think about it now I get that same peaceful feeling of being close to our heavenly Father. It is totally humbling and such a powerful memory that it is burned in my mind. 

Mixed Emotions:

 It is with mixed emotions that news for us that I write this blog. We took Rex to the vet for his 6 month checkup to see how his heart worm treatment is doing. The vet had bad news for us.  I am angry and sad at the same time. 

When we adopted him from the shelter we were told that he had been treated for heartworm and the records we were provided indicated such. We followed the protocols for his treatment and kept him calm for 6 weeks (not an easy task). When he was tested for heartworm yesterday he tested positive and our vet called the shelter we adopted him from to find out he had not been treated for heartworm at all. 

Because of the stage he is in with heartworm he no longer can take the slow cure and only can take the three month cure which is major dangerous and very risky. 

I am angry because of the deception of the shelter where he was on death row and we were told he had been treated. I am sad for him because he does not deserve this. Keeping him calm now with the other two dogs is impossible as they like to play and he even gets excited when he gets fed. 

The vet put him on Iverheart Plus Max, which will kill the heartworms over time but is not as certain as the three month cure. 

Rex is such a well behaved and happy boy who does not deserve this.  We thought he was treated when it was all wrong and the records were wrong. The vet was sorry for us but we are sorry for Rex as he has been through being surrendered to the shelter two times, was on the short list to be euthanized, transported across the country to be here where he is deeply loved, and previously an outdoor dog. 

He is in a good place now but my heart is sad for him as up until now his life has not been good. He doesn't deserve this for sure. 

a long long time ago - Carol

 

My sister kept this Christmas card from us. It was probably created back in 1990 or so when we had the cabin built and dried in. We drove out to CO from Ohio or PA every vacation to work on the inside...ran electric, plumbing, put up sheet rock and paneling....and moved there permanently in 1997. It will always be "home". 

Couldn't be safer:

 It is a very nice day here in N. Carolina and we were sitting on the deck enjoying the sunshine and 62 degree weather. It is also gun season for deer and we heard several shots - probably 15/20 shots spaced out from different weapons. I have been around guns and hunting for so long I can almost recognize the caliber by the sound of the shot. 

Oddly enough it brought a smile to my face as the spacing of the shots reminded me of a time long ago when we were taken to Moses Lake, Washington to qualify for the next year.  As the first line was about ready to fire this deer walked out as they were given the order to fire. 

The deer walked calmly down the line in front of the targets without a worry in the world. It must have been collective 'buck fever' as when they came  off the line several said they aimed for the deer but not one came close enough to cause the least bit of alarm for the deer. 

That tells me the safest place to be is between the target and the shooter.  I can't believe it yet that the deer walked the  entire length of the firing range and those that shot at it never even came close. 

Lesson learned: Sight in your weapon before you start to shoot - not while you are trying to qualify. 

5BX Plan

When I was in the US Air Force back in the early 1960's they had a requirement that we all had to be physically fit and could preform certain exercises. One of my flight team did not fit the "image" of what the USAF wanted. He was short and stocky but very strong. They apparently thought they could get him out of the Air Force because they didn't think he could pass the physical requirements.

Before he enlisted he was a sheep rancher in Idaho and he used to come up behind me and put his hands under my arms and lift my 165 pounds straight up. When it came time to test him they first had him do 20 chin ups on the chin up bar. He respectfully asked which hand he could use. The officer gruffly told him he didn't care which hand he used, assuming he couldn't do it with both hands.  My flight member did 20 pull ups with one hand. 

Then it was time to do the push ups. Again the same question and the officer was really annoyed by now so he did 20 push ups with one hand. The officer was so angry by now that he passed him and abruptly walked away. That is a memory that will remain with me for a long time. The rest of us had to use two hands to pass the test. 

I understand that the military in again requiring members to maintain a certain level of physical fitness which in my opinion is a very good requirement. They should never have stopped requiring this part of service. 

Mistletoe:

 In looking up mistletoe there is no definitive explanation of kissing under the mistletoe.  There are many superstitions and customs associated with the mistletoe plant. They come from various groups and countries. I know when I lived in N. Florida that when out hunting and I would see a mistletoe plant high in trees I would use my shotgun and shoot it and some would fall down and we would have it for Christmas.  

Other than the superstition/custom it was fun to have it hanging in a convenient place but as far as I know it has no magical properties.  

Self Sufficiency:

When we first moved to our community in S Colorado full time 28 years ago there were only around 40 homes in the gated community and many of them were seasonal homes. At that time it was important that we be self-sufficient in many respects. Over time we watched many people come and go because they could not adapt nor did they have the skills to take care of themselves. To compound the lack of self sufficiency getting anyone to help was very difficult. Repairmen would not show up when they were supposed to and many of the neighbors did not get along with each other. 

Before we moved to the mountains we took two courses on small engine repair. I had skills in construction and got how to books on electrical and plumbing which proved extremely valuable. I had a friend in Ohio who told me his dad was an electrician and I should get an illustrated book on running electrical components. I did just that, then had a professional electrician to check my work and get it within code. I saved thousands of dollars by doing that. 

My friend also had a suggestion when it came to plumbing. Again get a how to book and keep in mind that water runs down hill and payday is on Friday. Those two books coupled with the advanced small engine course and my knowledge of construction were more than enough to get us through. With a good foundation in place we picked up other skills along the way as they came up. 

When we left and moved to N Carolina I noticed many of the new people moving into our old neighborhood were not able to adjust from the city or urban life they came from. They had many demands and had to hire people to handle tasks that they should be able to do themselves. Those who lack self sufficiency skills including gardening abilities will find life very hard. It is never too late to gain some skills that will help you cope in case of a disaster or calamity. 

Winter Memories:

Our 26+years living in the [Sangre de Cristo mountains -blood of Christ]of S. Colorado gives me some nostalgia this time of year. In particular the snow which was a real chore to move. The snow flakes floating down, the total silence when I would go outside, the moon reflecting off millions of fresh snowflakes was enough to take your breath away. The cold was unlike the cold here in NC inasmuch as it was such low humidity that the cold did not seem as cold. 

The warmth in the cabin due to the wood stove radiating heat, the wood interior that gave an ambiance with the Christmas tree in the loft with all its lights, made a moment in time that is deeply imprinted in my brain. I miss those moments but what I don't miss is the 264" on average of snow that had to be cleared maybe more than once due to drifting. This time of year I tend to focus on what was and miss it. 

Getting Old Takes Adjustment:

 

When I was younger I thought I knew what getting older would be like but I had no clue. I have found that arthritis is painful no matter how I thought it could be. I have an extremely high pain threshold - much higher than most people. As an example when I went in to see  an orthopedic doctor and they took X-rays of my knees and they discovered my patella (knee cap) was in two parts. Or when I slipped on ice a few years ago and  fractured my ankle in two places and continued  to walk around on it without pain for three days until Carol convinced me to go to the doctor. Neither of  these injuries had any pain involved. 

So when I say that arthritis is painful you can believe it is painful. Those two surgeries I had on my knees now result in arthritis and it is painful but as long as I can still ambulate even with pain I do not plan to have them replaced. I have talked to people who have had the knee replacement procedure done and some it helped and some it did not so at my age I don't want to end up worse off than I am now. Also my ankle and hips are getting there and I don't see the value of getting knees done and not the other areas too.

All those years of holding doors for other people is paying rewards now as most people do the same for me. It is humbling but at the same time I am very grateful as struggling with a door is hard. When I was younger and could ambulate better I would park on the outer edge of parking lots and walk into the store. Now I am grateful for a parking place near the entrance. I used to do that because people who had difficulty walking would have a better chance to park closer to the door. Now it is me that looks for a closer place. 

If we are fortunate and take care of ourselves along the way we will reach our senior years in much better shape than I find myself  now - but I feel very fortunate to have reached my senior years and still be mentally sharp and ambulatory even if it is painful. My mother used to tell me getting old isn't for sissies and now I realize just how right that is. 

Doggie Games:

 

We like to play games with our dogs and they learn and it stimulates their minds. They learn to work together and search. We use non-sugar types of cereal that they will eat. We toss a couple handfuls of cereal on the floor and they move around each other to scarf them up. They are small so there is no argument between them.  

Then one of us will take them outside and the other will hide mini marshmallows where they can see them but still have to search for them. We will direct them by using words like "warm",  "getting close", or directions. We make sure all three dogs get their fair share. They love both of these games and it is good to see them standing side by side eating dry cereal together. It is even better to see one step back so the other one can share. They learn to share,  respect each others space, to all work together for a common goal. 

They already respect each others space and have no issues there. They can eat side by side and only eat what is in their bowl. These games just help to reinforce that behavior. 

T

Happy Thanksgiving to All:

 

In our country we have much to be thankful for: 

Bird Rehabilitation:

 Every once and awhile we have a bird fly into the sliding glass doors.  this happened far more often when we lived in Colorado so I have had some experience in getting them back to normal. I have been known to  carry a  stunned bird around for half a day or longer. This little tufted titmouse took a real good shot to the window and I got him stable and he finally flew off  after learning a lesson. 

When I would talk to him he would turn his/her head and look at me. His sensibility finally came back and he was able to fly off and do his normal activity. I have found that these little guys seem to accept being held and gently stroked along the back. I have not lost a bird in many years and hope I don't in the future. Talking to them in in a calm voice seems to relax them and help them come around. 

Honor - Or In This Case Lack Of It:

 

I spent 8 years in the US Air Force and highly respect the chain of command. Not only for myself but for every military man/woman that has served in the past and future. Without the chain of command the military would just be an organized mob that picks and chooses what orders they want to obey and what orders that they don't. Having served in an elite unit and special operations unit the chain of command is highly important to reach an objective. 

For six congressional leaders to come out and tell the military men and women that they don't have to obey orders that are illegal is one of the worst things that they could have done. Particularly, because some of them actually served in the military and know better. In my 80+ years I have not seen on its surface a more clear case of sedition. These people need to be charged and brought up on charges of sedition. The video is its own evidence and a complete and total insult to our military men/women. 

They should be looking out from behind bars and not leading our country. Every military person takes an oath when they go into the military to defend the constitution as well as obey orders from the commander in chief and those above them. _ The United States military oath of enlistment is a pledge to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to bear true faith and allegiance to it. Enlistees promise to obey the orders of the President and their appointed officers according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

There is a legal term called: Res ipsa Locquitur - The legal term for "the thing speaks for itself" a Latin phrase used in court cases. It is a rule of evidence that allows a plaintiff to establish a case for negligence when the circumstances of the incident strongly suggest that negligence must have occurred, even without direct proof. These people are clearly negligent. 

These people need to be held accountable and charged with sedition. What a disgrace.

 

Deer Can Be Trouble:

We live in a small HOA community that has a total of 17 cabin's with few people. Unfortunately some of the residents like to feed the deer. I have done my research that you can feed deer on your own property according to game laws. One neighbor saw aa group of 17 deer and they just keep accumulating.  That was just one group and there are more. In short we have more deer in our community than people and they are 

The deer are so tame you can't shoo them away and they are  used to being around people. They come right up to the fence we have for the dogs to go out. When the dogs see them they go crazy. These are white tailed deer and for the most part they just stand and watch the dogs racing around the back yard. When the dogs are inside they want to get out and jump on the door to get to them. The photo shows the marks on the door. 

The dogs bark at the deer and we don't want that but with so many deer around and coming so close to the house I figure that the dogs will stop barking at them when the neighbors stop feeding them. They have no natural predators, and you can't hunt them in a community with houses all around. Since we can't do anything about the deer if people don't like barking dogs then they need to stop feeding the deer. We need to get a coat of paint on the door which won't be clawed up by our dogs. 

Christmas is right around the corner!

One would think what with all of the lights on the homes and businesses and decorations in the stores that Christmas is next week...but we still have Thanksgiving!! 

When we moved from CO to North Carolina we had to leave behind our plants...there was just no room in the van for the two of us and the 3 dogs. When I walked into Walmart a couple of days ago, what "before my wondering eyes did appear" was Christmas cactus! We had a small one in CO so I hope that this one will thrive even more.

 

Wolves:

When we first moved to our retirement home in S. Colorado a physician friend (also retired) told us about a unique place called Mission Wolf that was towards Westcliffe and about an hours drive away. He took us over and it had only been around for a few years but it was a wolf refuge that kept wolves safe and provided room to move about freely. 

I learned a ton about wolves and their behavior and the more I learned the more impressed I was with wolves. We returned several times and also introduced others to the wolf refuge. What I learned about wolves from the curator of Mission Wolf deeply impressed me with their intelligence and some of the things learned helped me also understand domestic dogs as well. Their web site is https://missionwolf.org

Blogs Do They Have A Future?

 

With AI providing instant answers and generating content, what do you think the future holds for blogging? Will it evolve, decline, or take on a new role? Do you think human-written blogs will still have a place, or will AI dominate the space?

I have read several opinions on the future of blogging and the various consensus is that as long as there is an internet blogging will be prevalent.  It is believed that people will follow blogs that are personal experiences and not AI generated. That videos will enhance blogs but since I only use my I Phone for 35 or less minutes a day I will not be using AI to substitute the written word. 

Since I am in my 80's I have a lot of life experiences to share and hence no AI for this blog. While it may be good for others I will keep my blogs personal and not enhanced by this new technology. My Facebook page is crammed full of AI generated posts and I really don't find them that interesting. I tend to think personal experience is more interesting reading. 

Our Blog started many years ago when we first moved to our cabin in the high mountains of Colorado. It was done to keep family and friends up to date on our adventure. We went from city dwellers to being pretty much self sufficient. It was not a sudden transition but a slow process over many years. From that it evolved over the years to what it is now. Once you become self sufficient on your homestead it is hard to revert back to city dependency. It has been a very rewarding experience. 

The top question was taken from another post by someone wondering the same thing I did.