Category: Culture

Musings from a 77 year old!

Where did it all go? That is: Life! Or more accurately my life.

I was born in Acton, London before the end of WWII. I am in my 77th year. Life these days seems to be more or less a paradox.

There are so many challenges at the moment. Not just in the USA nor in the UK but globally. We love where we live here in rural Merlin but we are already in the third year of below normal rainfall.

A view of the sunrise from taken from our property.

The contradictions in terms of our life locally and the global scene are huge. This is all leading to me quoting extracts from a recent George Monbiot article. The article starts by saying: “On both sides of the Atlantic, powerful interests seem determined to trigger the collapse of life on Earth. Why?“

Sexton Mountain last winter. Again photo taken from our property.

A little later on in Geo. Monbiot’s article, he writes: “When I began work as an environmental journalist in 1985, I knew I would struggle against people with a financial interest in destructive practices. But I never imagined that we would one day confront what appears to be an ideological commitment to destroying life on Earth. The UK government and the US supreme court look as if they are willing the destruction of our life support systems.“

Because it does seem as though the political leaders are not taking the future of the planet seriously. As Patrice Ayme concluded recently in a remark to that post: “Biden ought to declare a climate emergency.” But it won’t happen!

(Well I may stand corrected. Yesterday it was widely reported, and I chose Renewable Energy: “The clean energy industry celebrated a moment on August 7 that would have seemed impossible just a few weeks earlier: The Senate passed a budget measure that includes the largest investments in clean energy and climate change in U.S. history.“)

Every morning when I go down to feed our two ex-rescue horses I also feed the wild deer. I have been doing it for many years. Long enough that a young buck has turned into an adult and comes within a few feet of me.

It never ceases to delight.

The contradiction between me going every morning down to the stable area and feeding the horses and the wild deer, and the outcome for the planet is beyond words. In a very real way it is incomprehensible.

Again, Geo. Monbiot writes: “All this might seem incomprehensible. Why would anyone want to trash the living world? Surely even billionaires want a habitable and beautiful planet? Don’t they like snorkelling on coral reefs, salmon fishing in pristine rivers, skiing on snowy mountains? We suffer from a deep incomprehension of why such people act as they do. We fail to distinguish preferences from interests, and interests from power. It is hard for those of us who have no desire for power over others to understand people who do. So we are baffled by the decisions they make, and attribute them to other, improbable causes. Because we do not understand them, we are the more easily manipulated.”

Under our apple tree!

It really is a paradox! And who knows the outcome. All I can say is that, despite me being the age I am, I would not want to be any younger and aware that soon one would be facing the global changes full on.

Stacked cumulus clouds to the North-East.

More words from Geo. Monbiot: “Since 1985, I’ve been told we don’t have time to change the system: we should concentrate only on single issues. But we’ve never had time not to change the system. In fact, because of the way in which social attitudes can suddenly tip, system change can happen much faster than incrementalism. Until we change our political systems, making it impossible for the rich to buy the decisions they want, we will lose not only individual cases. We will lose everything.”

I have no idea of the global changes that are afoot and how they will affect us in Merlin. Indeed, I have no idea how long I have to live.

Jean and I met in December, 2007. We met in Mexico but Jean was also born in London, just a few years after me. How’s that for chance!

Jean’s American husband had died in 2005. She was rescuing dogs off the streets, sorting them out, and finding homes for them, mainly in Arizona.

Jean and me in San Carlos, Mexico.

I went out to Mexico with Pharaoh in 2008. With a one-way ticket!

Pharaoh digging in the sand in Mexico.

However of one thing I am sure. Since that meeting in December, 2007 life has been as good as it comes. I have never been happier.

What a contradiction!

Picture Parade Four Hundred and Forty-Six

More dog photos from Unsplash!

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I sincerely hope I am not duplicating any of these fabulous photographs. Apologies if you notice one!

Picture Parade Four Hundred and Forty-Three

A surprise!

I subscribe to the photographic forum Ugly Hedgehog. Recently there was an item from ‘SWFeral’ entitled Portraits from a dog class. In it he said:

I am still dogless after more than two years (some of you remember Ted) but I have started attending a dog training class with a friend to fill the gap. Of course I can’t just sit there, so I asked permission to bring my camera and zoom lens. I’m no pro at dog portrait photography, but I had fun getting these shots of some good-looking subjects. You can see they are all concentrating very hard.

I asked for permission to share the photographs with you and it was promptly given.

Here they are.

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They are lovely photographs and they are a tribute to the dogs and the photographer alike.

Thank you, ‘SW Feral’, for granting me permission to publish them.

A pool party with a difference

Dogs are such fun!

Over at The Dodo is an item that I want to share with you. And my apologies for keeping my own comments really short; it is a hectic couple of hours here.

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Random Dog Crashes Pool Party And Everyone Is Overjoyed 

“He floated around the pool, got pets and kisses, went swimming and had a great time!”

By Caitlin Jill Anders

Published on the 24th June, 2022

A bunch of friends were having a pool party when they noticed two dogs hanging around outside the fence on the edge of the yard. The dogs seemed like they wanted to come in, so a bunch of partygoers went over to investigate. One of the dogs had a tag, so they decided to let the dogs into the yard to hang out until they could track down their owners.

The dogs ran into the yard, and while one of them was a little shy, the other immediately decided he was joining the party.

“At that point, some of us were on the deck, some in the pool, and some out in the yard,” Jennifer Motes, one of the partygoers, told The Dodo. “The golden was down to party right away and immediately started running around, wagging its tail, going up to everyone and getting pets. The shepherd was much more timid, kinda stayed in the yard for a bit, but then when she saw her friend up on the deck with us, she eventually came up there too.”

The golden retriever, who they later found out is named Stoker, clearly knew how to have a good time. He didn’t hesitate to join the fun and ran around playing fetch, begging for food, stealing shoes and eventually even hopping into the pool with everyone.

“Some of the people in the pool had slid the innertube raft over to the edge and Stoker climbed right on,” Motes said. “He floated around the pool, got pets and kisses, went swimming and had a great time! The shepherd never was brave enough to go in the pool, she just walked around and watched us, let some of us pet her and she chased after Stoker.”

As the dogs partied, someone was able to get in touch with Stoker’s dad, who said the other dog belonged to his neighbor and that she and Stoker were best friends who played together all the time. Apparently, the pair had run off together in search of a party, and they’d certainly succeeded in that endeavor.

The dogs were there for a few hours before they got picked up — and the party hosts made sure to emphasize that they’re absolutely welcome to come back anytime they want.

The only thing that can make a pool party even better is dogs, and Stoker and his best friend were more than happy to make that dream come true.

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(All pictures are by Jennifer Motes.)

Picture Parade Four Hundred and Forty-One

More dogs courtesy of Unsplash.

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Again, just wonderful. Where in the world would we be without our dear dogs!

Time waits for no man!

Tik: Tok – The Endless Clock.

Here we are on the last day of June and I am going to share a post with you in a few minutes. But I just wanted ahead of that to muse about the passing of time. I’m 77 and who knows how long I have to go before I die. Luckily Oregon is one of the States that has a right do die statute on the books. It is a strange phenomena this business of time. It is a constant but from a personal point of view it seems to be anything but that. Twenty or thirty years ago one thought that time was almost limitless. Now it seems very fragile and restless.

This thought comes to me because of Pebbles. Apparently he is the oldest living dog. Here is the story courtesy of The Dodo.

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A New ‘Oldest Living Dog’ Has Just Claimed The Title

The toy fox terrier is living the good life in South Carolina.

By Ellen Schmidt

Published on the 7th June, 2022

Turns out there’s competition when it comes to who’s truly the oldest living dog. A toy fox terrier named Pebbles just unseated TobyKeith, a 21-year-old Chihuahua, who held the title for only a month.

When news broke in April of TobyKeith’s appointment, Pebbles’ pet parents, Bobby and Julie Gregory of Taylors, South Carolina, realized their dog was even older than TobyKeith. So, the couple decided to apply for the title, and at 22 years, 50 days old, Pebbles was officially crowned “Oldest Dog Living” by Guinness World Records.

In response to Pebbles’ new status, Julie Gregory told Guinness World Records, “We are truly honored. Pebbles has been with us through everything; ups and downs, good times and bad, and she has always been the beacon of our lives.”

Weighing in at 4 pounds, the brand-new oldest living dog winner was adopted over 20 years ago, and according to the Gregorys, it was love at first sight. Originally looking for a larger dog, the couple came across Pebbles in their search for a new pet.

“She was jumping and barking so much at Bobby that he had no choice but to pick her up and check her out,” Julie Gregory said.

Flash forward over two decades later, Pebbles was already wearing an unofficial crown before Guinness World Records made it official. The much-loved terrier enjoys sleeping in (and staying up late!), snuggling underneath blankets, listening to country music and taking warm baths — a bubble bath was even part of her 22nd birthday celebration!

Pebbles has enjoyed a wonderful life thanks to good health and lots of love and attention from her pet parents. While she did enjoy snacking on some ribs and dog-friendly cake for her birthday, in general, Pebbles sticks to a healthy diet and is in good health for her advanced age.

Pebbles’ mom said that her secret to supporting pet longevity is to treat each animal, “like family, because they are. Give them a happy, positive environment as much as possible, good clean food, and proper healthcare.”

That pretty much sums it up, right? We like Gregory’s thinking. And by the way, no matter your pup’s age, we think it’s safe to say that all dogs should get to wear a crown, just for being awesome (we’re looking at you, TobyKeith).

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(All photographs Instagram/Pebbles_Since_2000)

Twenty-two! Huge congratulations to Pebbles and her Mom and Dad.

The nose of the dog!

More on a recent post from The Dodo.

We watched recently a documentary on Netflix about the special attributes of our pets. It was very good but one thing that we learnt was that dogs have on the tips of their snouts an area that can pick up warmth. Because when dogs are tiny puppies and still blind they find their mothers’ teats by homing in on the warmth of the mother’s body.

Many people are aware of the scenting ability of the dog. To quote: “While humans have about five million olfactory receptors in their noses, dogs are said to have around 300 million.”

(Read that article that I linked above for it is very good.)

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Senior Dog Patiently Waits For Boops In The Same Place Day After Day

“It’s her favorite spot.”

By Candace Powell

Published on the 6th June, 2022.

One of Hime’s favorite pastimes is a simple one: sit near a nature path and patiently wait for nose boops. The 13-year-old Siberian husky figured out long ago that, eventually, she’ll get what she came for.

“She likes that spot so she can watch the world go by,” David Nagadhana, Hime’s dad, told The Dodo. “But she has other strategies.”

Hime, who was adopted as a puppy, hitches a ride in Nagadhana’s bike trailer to get to the best petting spots.

“I cycle her because of her arthritis,” Nagadhana said. “Gentle in her old age, [Hime] looks for affection anywhere she can find it.”

The husky’s place of choice is by the Thames in Richmond, England, but Nagadhana takes her wherever she seems happiest.

“She loves finding new and interesting and exciting locations so that she may proceed to nap in them,” Nagadhana said. “She finds it relaxing enough to nod off on occasion.”

Nagadhana and Hime do everything together, and it won’t stop anytime soon.

“She was there for me when life ground to a halt during the pandemic,” Nagadhana said. “I’ll be there for her until the end. Raising dogs is like a rainbow. Puppies are the joy at one end, old dogs are the treasure at the other.”

Needless to say, Hime gets endless boops from her favorite person: Dad.

(All photographs by DAVID NAGADHANA.)

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One turns to the American Kennel Club for information about the breed, as in the Siberian Husky, and this is what is found:

Siberian Husky, a thickly coated, compact sled dog of medium size and great endurance, was developed to work in packs, pulling light loads at moderate speeds over vast frozen expanses. Sibes are friendly, fastidious, and dignified. The graceful, medium-sized Siberian Husky’s almond-shaped eyes can be either brown or blue ‘and sometimes one of each’, and convey a keen but amiable and even mischievous expression. Quick and nimble-footed, Siberians are known for their powerful but seemingly effortless gait. Tipping the scales at no more than 60 pounds, they are noticeably smaller and lighter than their burly cousin, the Alaskan Malamute. As born pack dogs, they enjoy family life and get on well with other dogs. The Sibe’s innate friendliness render them indifferent watchdogs. These are energetic dogs who can’t resist chasing small animals, so secure running room is a must. An attractive feature of the breed: Sibes are naturally clean, with little doggy odor.

There!