freedom – April's Perspective
Bean the Wookie
Awakened at 4 a.m. needing to tend to personal things. The grandchildren are visiting with their two-month-old Wookie, who needed to be let out a short time after that. Wookie is growing up and decided to go for a run. I had to laugh at my granddaughter chasing after Wookie and bringing him back to hook him to the leash. It confounds me why everyone thinks their dog will just stay by their side because of love!
Love has nothing to do with it. A dog has got to be a dog. If a dog can get its way, it becomes the top dog, the alpha dog, numero uno! Some people know how to train a dog to stay with them, but I don’t. My best reasoning says to keep a dog tied to you until it is at least two years old, and has learned to come to you when called, no matter where he is or what she is doing. A tether helps with this also, as a small tug helps the dog to respond appropriately, but don’t forget the loving. Treats also help, and include playing with their favorite thing as well as food treats.
Hubby either doesn’t understand this, after many years with many different dogs, or he just doesn’t care. Many people believe it does no harm to let a dog just run free a little bit. They explore, never really go far, and come back happy. In fact, running seems to be essential for some dogs. If you have ever tried to contain a beagle, or other hunter, you will understand. These dogs live by their nose, and if they pick up a scent, they have just got to go.
Unfortunately for our dogs and for Hubby, continual conflict with neighbors over our unleashed dogs has caused me considerable stress, which I pass right to Hubby. As I’ve told my neighbor who called me while I was out of town to tell me where my dog was, “I have more luck training the dog, than I do my husband. Obviously, I’m not very good at either.
I am seriously distressed by the things people create to keep dogs from even their mailbox poles. Nasty, cutting things with the intention of hurting an animal. Poison in a tempting wrapping to punish both pet and owner. People, really. For a few dollars, you can buy a spray keeping animals away with an unpleasant, but harmless odor. Reapply as needed.
And there are other hazards, like people who want to walk off with your adorable pet. There are cars to dodge and wells and sewer grates to avoid. There are dangers in the world.
Is a tiny, constricted life the kind of life any creature wants? Let’s continue to explore and experience the world we live in. Let’s live free and bravely, with our pets.
Welcome to our home. Notice how neat it is. I am glad I have this picture, because it is a very unusual event. Hubby and I spend a bit of time getting everything as organized, uncluttered, and neat as we possibly could. The reason? Well, we have placed our humble abode on the market. We needed the picture for our posting at MHVillage, a site for selling manufactured homes.
I love my little doll house. Normally it is stuffed to the rafters with my personal art, and that of grandchildren, next to that picture above the sofa. You can still see the fan cord there next to the sofa, because here we are in mid September and it is a freaking 90 degrees outside. The toaster oven is relocated to the laundry room where our microwave oven resides. My chicken has been moved from the table to behind the sink. The coasters, utensils, remotes, pictures, and tchotchkes are all put away or already packed.
To you who may have real estate experience, I know the walls are yellow, and the giant artwork should go, but I have no climate controlled place to store the painting while we sell our house. Around the corners, and down the hall are rooms stuffed with things that need to be dealt with on another day. Pieces of furniture and boxes already packed must be transferred to our locker. We have begun the process of selling off stuff that has been packed away in storage for five years.
The fragile neatness will have to be maintained for that hoped for buyer who will want to look at the house right away. I’ve done this before. Once all the personal stuff is out-of-the-way, we settle into a routine of putting stuff away. Already, our stuff has begun encroaching upon the pristine neatness.
Entropy is already making its dent. Entropy is that principle of order returning to chaos unless some force holds order in place. (That force will be me.) The remotes, coasters, a bag of chips along with Hubby in his chair are already back in residence. The animals have been allowed back in, along with their beds and toys.
So why are we putting ourselves through this? Didn’t I say I love my doll house? Yes, I did. As much as I love my doll house, Hubby is no longer employed in this area (#retirement), and we are no longer tethered to this area and have the freedom to live where we want. We have an opportunity to select our retirement home, and plan on living closer to at least one of our children, and take extended visits to the rest of them.
There is still a possibility we could take our home with us, but that prospect seems daunting. We have many choices we will be making in the next few months. The fragile order of our lives has devolved into chaos, but we are creating order in a way that suits our lives now.
The first step, is get ready for a move. Something I’ve done many times. But I’m going to miss my stuff while it sits in boxes in the dark of the locker. Opening things in our new location will be just like Christmas!
When President Obama used the term “violent terrorists” to describe the self-proclaimed Islamic State, rather than the term “Islamic terrorists.” I thought for a moment that maybe the President of these United States might have read my blog posting on the very subject of fighting ISIL. Also pleased were Americans Muslims who use their freedom of religion to practice their faith.
A firestorm of political attacks broke out due to his use of the term. Some may not consider this a very important political issue, potato or patato, but the words we use are critically important. Words have power to convey legitimacy. The Islamic State chose that name in trying to claim legitimacy.
Some people believe the lie that the ISIL represents Islam. That is like saying any of the many Christian cults represent Christianity. The Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL, is a well armed cult that is just like other cults in that it indoctrinates and uses children to further its ends. ISIL leaders make the rules, and you follow or die. Muslims have a greater stake in stopping this cult, because they are the ones most often in the line of fire, and have to suffer because of this perversion of their faith.
We are also in danger from these violent terrorist who use the internet and terror cells to further their goals within our boarders, and the boarders of all free society. We must use all weapons available to stop ISIL. These weapons are not only drones, fighters, and boots on the ground. These weapons include the internet, movies, our political rhetoric and the very language we use everyday to take away the propaganda that they are trying to sell to anyone who might be unhappy where they are.
Prosperity for all, respect for our freedom of personal expressions of religious faith, and acceptance of all who seek the American dream is our best defense against terror. Stand united against terror.