Thursday, November 27, 2008

How was your Thanksgiving?

Here's a cute little Thanksgiving day story. And no, it didn't happen to me. Someone I know shared it with me, and now I'm sharing it with you. Isn't that nice?

puppy hair

Jasper and the Unbaked Yeast Rolls

We have a fox terrier by the name of Jasper. He came to us in the summer of 2001 from the fox terrier rescue program.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this type of adoption, imagine taking in a 10 year old child about whom you know nothing and committing to doing your best to be a good parent.

Like a child, the dog came with his own idiosyncrasies. He will only sleep on the bed, on top of the covers, nuzzled as close to my face as he can get without actually performing a French kiss on me.

Lest you think this is a bad case of 'no discipline,' I should tell you that Perry and I tried every means to break him of this habit including locking him in a separate bedroom for several nights. The new door cost over $200. But I digress.

Five weeks ago we began remodeling our house. Although the cost of the project is downright obnoxious, it was 20 years overdue AND it got me out of cooking Thanksgiving for family, extended family, and a lot of friends that I like more than family most of the time.

I was assigned the task of preparing 124 of my famous yeast dinner rolls for the two Thanksgiving feasts we did attend.

I am still cursing the electrician for getting the new oven hooked up so quickly. It was the only appliance in the whole darn house that worked, thus the assignment.

I made the decision to cook the rolls on Wed evening to reheat Thurs am. Since the kitchen was freshly painted, you can imagine the odor. Not wanting the rolls to smell like Sherwin Williams #586, I put the rolls on baking sheets and set them in the living room to rise for 5 hours. After 3 hours, Perry and I decided to go out to eat, returning in about an hour. An hour later the rolls were ready to go in the oven.

It was 8:30 PM. When I went to the living room to retrieve the pans, much to my shock one whole pan of 12 rolls was empty. I called out to Jasper and my worst nightmare became a reality. He literally wobbled over to me. He looked like a combination of the Pillsbury dough boy and the Michelin Tire man wrapped up in fur. He groaned when he walked. I swear even his cheeks were bloated.

I ran to the phone and called our vet. After a few seconds of uproarious laughter, he told me the dog would probably be OK, however, I needed to give him Pepto Bismol every 2 hours for the rest of the night.

God only knows why I thought a dog would like Pepto Bismol any more than my kids did when they were sick. Suffice it to say that by the time we went to bed the dog was black, white and PINK. He was so bloated we had to lift him onto the bed for the night.

We arose at 7:30 and as we always do first thing; put the dog out to relieve himself. Well, the dog was as drunk as a sailor on his first leave. He was running into walls, falling flat on his butt and most of the time when he was walking his front half was going one direction and the other half was either dragging the grass or headed 90 degrees in another direction.

He couldn't lift his leg to pee, so he would just walk and pee at the same time. When he ran down the small incline in our back yard he couldn't stop himself and nearly ended up running into the fence.

His pupils were dilated and he was as dizzy as a loon. I endured another few seconds of laughter from the vet (second call within 12 hours) before he explained that the yeast had fermented in his belly and that he was indeed drunk.

He assured me that, not unlike most binges we humans go through, it would wear off after about 4 or 5 hours and to keep giving him Pepto Bismol.

Afraid to leave him by himself in the house, Perry and I loaded him up and took him with us to my sister's house for the first Thanksgiving meal of the day.

My sister lives outside of Muskogee on a ranch, (10 to 15 minute drive). Rolls firmly secured in the trunk (124 less 12) and drunk dog leaning from the back seat onto the console of the car between Perry and I, we took off.

Now I know you probably don't believe that dogs burp, but believe me when I say that after eating a tray of risen unbaked yeast rolls, DOGS WILL BURP. These burps were pure Old Charter. They would have matched or beat any smell in a drunk tank at the police station. But that's not the worst of it.

Now he was beginning to fart and they smelled like baked rolls. God strike me dead if I am not telling the truth! We endured this for the entire trip to Karen's, thankful she didn't live any further away than she did.

Once Jasper was firmly placed in my sister's garage with the door locked, we finally sat down to enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal of the day. The dog was the topic of conversation all morning long and everyone made trips to the garage to witness my drunken dog, each returning with a tale of Jasper's latest endeavor to walk without running into something. Of course, as the old adage goes, 'what goes in must come out' and Jasper was no exception.

Granted if it had been me that had eaten 12 risen, unbaked yeast rolls, you might as well have put a concrete block up my behind, but alas a dog's digestive system is quite different from yours or mine.

I discovered this was a mixed blessing when we prepared to leave Karen's house.

Having discovered his 'packages' on the garage floor, we loaded him up in the car so we could hose down the floor. This was another naive decision on our part.

The blast of water from the hose hit the poop on the floor and the poop on the floor withstood the blast from the hose. It was like Portland cement beginning to set up and cure. We finally tried to remove it with a shovel.

I (obviously no one else was going to offer their services) had to get on my hands and knees with a coarse brush to get the remnants off of the floor. And as if this wasn't degrading enough, the darn dog in his drunken state had walked through the
poop and left paw prints all over the garage floor that had to be brushed too.

Well, by this time the dog was sobering up nicely so we took him home and dropped him off before we left for our second Thanksgiving dinner at Perry's sister's house.

I am happy to report that as of today (Monday) the dog is back to normal both in size and temperament. He has had a bath and is no longer tri-color. None the worse for wear I presume. I am also happy to report that just this evening I found 2 risen unbaked yeast rolls hidden inside my closet door.

It appears he must have come to his senses after eating 10 of them but decided hiding 2 of them for later would not be a bad idea. Now, I'm doing research on the computer as to: 'How to clean unbaked dough from the carpet.'

And how was your day?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

This is a day of change!

Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!

Ice mountain melted
ages ago
and made this ridge,
this place of changes.

Now we are rooted in it,
we of the old ones,
we of the new ones from afar,
oat grass meadow, Douglas fir thicket,
we are rooted in the ridge of changes in the time of changes.

The winds carry strange smells, this is a day of change.

Great ones above and below, bless us!
O shining One above, feed us with your light!
O soft ones, sky darkeners, wash us with your raindrops!
O powers above us, bless us with your gifts,
for we reach up to you,
branching wood and sap.

O Earthmother from whom we grow,
sandy gravel into whom our roots branch wood and sap deep down,
bless us in our night-sleep, in our death and decay.

Bless us, dark earth as we give back
that which we have received
as we make a forest of blessing a ridge of blessings
for the future to grow upon.

~Chinook Psalter

Monday, November 3, 2008

Just because

palmen-camouflage

Just because you can't see something, it doesn't mean it isn't there... I talked about that earlier when I posted those pictures of that cute little flying lizard. And I'm thinking it's one of those universal truths.

For example... just because I haven't posted here for a while, doesn't mean I'm not here. And just because I haven't actually seen a fairy with my eyes doesn't mean they don't live in my field, and just because I don't know where the money is going to come from to pay for a massage, it doesn't mean I won't get one (Actually I got one today! A christmas present from my boss - cool, huh?). And just because I can't see my little dog, it doesn't mean that she isn't here in Spirit... in my heart... The walls of my house remember her... the floors do too... it "feels" as if she must be here somewhere, sound asleep...

So... that's my thought for today. They say that "seeing is believing" and I used to buy into that one big time. But now? I'm not so sure... seeing - not seeing - I can still believe.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

My Recent News

My little dog Cinnamin died yesterday. She had been doing so well, and then one day she somehow poked her eye - probably on some stiff field grass - and had to have eye surgery for a corneal abrasion. It was just too much for her to handle... the underlying issues of cancer, kidney disease, and arthritis.... the pain of the surgery, not being able to see while her eye was healing, the stress of the surgery itself, the anesthesia, and the nausea caused by the antibiotics.

She hung around for almost a week, saying her goodby, and then she was gone...

I cannot believe that the sun had the gall to come up this morning, that the leaves and the grasses sparkle in the afternoon light, that birds still sing, or that life will march relentlessly on... and yet it is so.

If I were not surrounded by friends and family who love me and are taking care of me, I might not have the courage to be here now today. So, be kind... be kind to everyone you meet, we all suffer... we all lose those we love... if not sooner - than later... we are all fighting a great fight. The little kindesses make all the difference. And it's good to have friends, even in hell!

Here is a picture of her little sweet self... and an awesome poem to go with it.
Blessings,
Shirley

cinnamin 4x

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the
wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is to cease breathing, but to free the
breath from its restless tides, that it may rise

and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence

shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountaintop,

then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs,

then shall you truly dance.

~Kahlil Gibran
From The Prophet on Death

Friday, October 10, 2008

Being Unhappy

Picture-of-a-real-alien-or-Baby-Opossum-01


"According to Buddhism, your unhappiness is never really caused by circumstances. The real cause of unhappiness is your belief that your happiness is caused by circumstances.

You do not have to accomplish or acquire or earn anything to experience peace, love, and joy now. You do not have to "make" your own happiness all you have to do is to stop making yourself unhappy and to remember your own deepest truth as a being of Spirit.

Does this mean that we simply give up all of our desires and dreams? No, because it's not the goals and dreams that are the problem, but rather how we understand and live toward them. Going for your dreams can be an intrinsic part of the joy and passion of your life and can be how you concretely express the love and joy that are your truth. But as soon as you (choose to) believe that your happiness is dependent on a certain outcome, or that "things" have to change for you to be happy, then you are living in fear. You are no longer expressing your joy, but are desperately trying to achieve or earn it."

~ William R. Yoder Ph.D., D.C. ~

I am a lonely painter

"I am a lonely painter. I live in a box of paints. I'm frightened by the Devil And I am drawn to those who a'int..."

~Joni Mitchell


Monkey Mind

"In this age of skepticism, we are skeptical about everything except the skepticism itself. We have put all our faith in skepticism and doubt all else. Is it a wise course of action? Is there a truth out there? Our mind doubts everything except its own capability to find the truth. We have put all our faith in our limited and doubting mind and doubt that there is anything greater than our limited power of intellect.

Are we than any better than a common beast of burden? Even a dog has put its full faith in its limited mind and in its ignorance; it thinks it’s a top of creation. That’s why it remains to be a dog!

In India, they catch monkeys by putting few seeds in a pitcher with a narrow neck, while monkey is watching. As soon as no one is around, monkey darts and grabs the seeds in a pitcher but now with a clenched fist it cannot get hand out of a pitcher. It will not let go because its mind will not let him.

This is what mind does – it plants the seed of doubt through its endless analyzing, fragmenting and splintering of the simple truth, while in all its wisdom it remains completely oblivious of its own limitations. It’s a great mistake to think that mind is the top of evolution because it is not. The soul is! Without soul, the mind would be a dead piece of matter."

~ Daniel Srsa

Monday, October 6, 2008

Invisiblility - It is possible!

camo_bark
Belive it or not, there is a lizard on the trunk of this tree.
Can you see him?
He really is there!
Don't believe me?

draco_profile
Here's a picture of him in profile - on that same tree.
Give up?
Need a hint? Click here to see the lizard marked out in the bark.

Here's more about this intriguing little lizard.

flyingLizard
These small lizards live in trees and are masters of Camouflage. If they are sitting on a bark without moving, its almost impossible to find them. On land they are clumsy and easy victims for predators. When scared, they run up a tree.

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When threatened, they leap off the tree. With their "wings" stretched out, these long-tailed, lightly built lizards glide gracefully. The wings act like parachutes. They gently land on another tree, head up. When they land, they run up the tree, getting ready for their next flight.

During mating season, male flying lizards defend their territories. They court females by displaying their bright yellow throat flap as shown in the photograph above. They have to, as they are well camouflaged otherwise.

Pretty cool, huh? Just goes to show that it IS possible to be invisible - and that just because you can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Do You Believe in Fairies?

I posted the folowing question about a year ago over at question of the day. And I thought it would be fun to revisit it...

faerie_queen gilbert williams



Fairies
Do you believe in fairies? If so, have you ever seen one? Why do you believe in them? If not, why not? And if there is no such thing as fairies, why are there so many stories about them?

We had 2 Comments:

Cindy H said...
Yes, I do believe in fairies! I don't think they are quite as common here in the midwest US, but there are some here. I haven't ever seen one up close and personal, but maybe someday I will! I think fairies are distant cousins, so to speak, of angels, leprachauns, and other magical beings.
September 1, 2007 12:48 AM

shirley said...
I believe in fairies too. I have never seen one with my physical eyes - but I have talked to them... and they have talked to me... and I almost knew what they looked like.I had a friend who had fairies on her property and in her house. I spent a long afternoon there once, painting her woodwork. And they would come and talk to me... it was pretty cool. I didn't hear their voices with my ears - I heard them in my mind... the same way that you hear when you are remembering a conversation with someone... like that. They were very curious ... it was pretty cool. And I know how crazy this sounds!
September 1, 2007 2:48 AM

So here we are - a year later... what do YOU think? Have you ever seen a fairy? Are they for real? What do they look like? Are they big? or little? Do they have wings and fly around? Or are fairies a totally made up story? A complete fantasy? Come on guys... talk to me...

SEED Conference Sketchnotes

Ok... so I found this really cool series of sketch notes... I uploaded the latest set at My Work at Home Job. If you are interested in stuff like this - go check it out.!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The Truth About Brutus

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The K9 Above is Brutus, a military K9 at McChord. He's huge - part Boxer and part British Bull Mastiff and tops the scales at 200 lbs. His handler took the picture. Brutus is running toward me because he knows I have some Milk Bone treats, so he's slobbering away! I had to duck around a tree just before he got to me in case he couldn't stop, but he did.

Brutus won the Congressional Medal of Honor last year from his tour in Iraq . His handler and four other soldiers were taken hostage by insurgents. Brutus and his handler communicate by sign language and he gave Brutus the signal that meant 'go away but come back and find me'. The Iraqis paid no attention to Brutus. He came back later and quietly tore the throat out of one guard at one door and another guard at another door. He then jumped against one of the doors repeatedly (the guys were being held in an old warehouse) until it opened. He went in and untied his handler and they all escaped. He's the first K9 to receive this honor.

If he knows you're ok, he's a big old lug and wants to sit in your lap. Enjoys the company of cats.


So that's the story that came with the picture. And I like that story! Too bad it isn't true. Here's the real story:

The dog's name is not Brutus; in fact, his name is 'Spike," and he was never a military working dog. Spike is a retired Police Service Dog who served honorably during the years 2001 to 2007 with the Scottsdale Police Department's K-9 Unit in Scottsdale, Arizona, under his handler, Officer Scott DiIullo (who is still with the K-9 Unit and working with a new K-9 partner).

Spike is a Belgian Malinois imported from Europe and weighs less than 100 pounds. Furthermore, police and military working dogs are NOT trained to fatally attack a subject they are deployed upon. Dogs used for handler protection are trained to bite and hold the subject until the subject is taken into custody. There is also no training method to teach a working dog to understand a hand signal to command the dog to leave the area, come back later, and then attack.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Did this really happen?

Ok... so in three days I aged considerably!! One day I was 23 years old, and next thing you know I'm 400!! Yowsers! How does shit like that happen?? All I did was walk through this door:

impossible door

Then I took a dip in this pool:

pool of illusion

Later, I put this thingy together:

impossible instructions from hell

And then, I played chess on this chess board:

inverted chessboard

Geez! No wonder I'm tired!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Ok... This is how old I am... Really!

How old are you?

You are over 400 years old!

You are from the highlands of Scotland. You are immortal. Accept your destiny.

Personality Test Results

Click Here to Take This Quiz

quiz
Quizzes and Personality Tests

Friday, September 19, 2008

So... This is how old I am today!!




You Act Like You Are 23 Years Old



You are a twenty-something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life.

You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.



You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up.

The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

A Dalmatian On A Tricycle

That’s right, it is exactly what the title post indicates, a dalmatian operating a tricycle. How fun is that?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Update on my dog Cinnamin

My little dog is doing so much better - it's almost unbelievable. When she got sick - which was on Aug 23, she was dehydrated, disoriented, wobbly, weak, refusing food or water, and if you looked at her sideways she was likely to fall down.

Today she went for a swim in the pond, rolled on the grass to dry off, trecked into some pretty high grass trying to sniff out a rabbit, barked at and almost chased the sheep (she couldn't work up to an actual run), ate almost 2 cups of food, and didn't fall down once. We have been spending hours outside, walking around probably a total of 7 or 8 times a day.

I don't have the money to have her re-xrayed to see if the cancer is in remission, and I don't know if she is "cured" or just feeling good. I can tell you that she does not look at all like a sick dog. Yes, you can tell that she's elderly - she is 14 years old - and her knees do bother her some (two knee replacements), so there is a bit of stiffness - but all in all - she looks pretty darn good.

So, to what do I attribute her remarkable recovery? Here is a listing of her "treatment" program:

  • Reiki - pretty much all day long
  • Genesis Tuning Fork - I had to cut back on it because it really knocked her out when I used it, so I'm down to every 4 or 5 days or so. When I use it, I run it over her about 5 or 6 times. That thing is powerful!!
  • Radionics - I have a friend who does this cool thing using a piece of her hair. The day he started up on her I noticed a significant improvement in her energy level. I had never heard of it before, and it really does seem to work.
  • Angels and Devas - I have asked for assistance from her guardian angels, and the overlighting Deva of animal healing.
  • Shamanic Journey Work - I have journeyed with her more than once.
  • Animal Communication - Several people (I'm lucky to have such good friends) have talked to her about how she can be healthy if that's what she wants.
  • Prayer - Yes... she has been prayed for - a lot.
  • Love - very important, I've also practiced Ho' oponopono on her.
  • Time and Attention - spending quality time with her, giving her my full attention (but not in a worried hovering way) also seems to make a difference in how "with it" she is.
  • Releasing the outcome - she hovered at death's door until I managed to actually do this. The day that I told her she could go if she wanted to, that I would be fine if she did, and that it was entirely up to her.... that was the day she started to get better.
  • A Good Diet - she eats better than I do... seriously!
  • Pond Water - that first few days when she was barely eating a teaspoon of food at a time, the pond water was the only thing that kept her going. I have this (possibly superstitious) idea that there is healing life in that pond water.
  • The Will to Live - without this, she wouldn't be here now.
  • Prednisone - OK... well there's that too...

So, I'll keep you all posted. I do feel really encouraged, and am thinking that she is planning to stay with me at least for another several months. I'm going to try to get some video of her tomorrow - if I succeed, I'll upload it to YouTube and post it here. If the video idea falls apart, I'll at least try to get a picture uploaded soon.


Political Candidates I Support

Ok... I guess if I'm going to "get political" here at shirleytwofeathers, I might as well go all the way! What follows is a complete listing of all the candidates I am supporting wholeheartedly this election. LOL!!

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Monday, September 15, 2008

Obama and the Palin Effect

This is what Deepak Chopra had to say about Obama and the Palin Effect. I thought it was really interesting! What do you think?

Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's pluck has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes deeper.

She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those feelings, but they don't want to express them. He is calling for us to reach for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher vision.

Look at what she stands for:


  • Small town values -- a denial of America's global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism.

  • Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair America's image abroad

  • Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need to be heeded.

  • Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.

  • Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war.

  • "Reform" -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn't fit your ideology.

Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of "I'm all right, Jack," and "Why change? Everything's OK as it is."

The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.

Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. The shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess a shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what we are getting, without disguise.


Source: DeepakChopra.com


Monday, September 8, 2008

She may die

The following quote is from that cool book, Notes to Myself by Hugh Prather. It really hit home for me. Enjoy!

angel_of_death

She may die before morning. But I have
been with her for four years. Four years.
There is no way I could feel cheated if
I didn't have her for another day. I didn't
deserve her for one minute, God knows.

And I may die before morning.

What I must do is die now. I must
accept the justice of death and the
injustice of life. I have lived a good life-
longer than many, better than most. Tony
died when he was twenty, I have had
thirty-two years. I couldn't ask for
another day. What did I do to deserve
birth? It was a gift. I am me - that is a
miracle. I had no right to a single minute.
Some are given a single hour. And yet I
have had thirty-two years.

Few can choose when they will die. I
choose to accept death now. As of this
moment I give up my "right" to live.
And I give up my "right" to her life.

But it's morning. I have been given
another day. Another day to hear and read
and smell and walk and love and glory.
I am alive for another day.

I think of those who aren't.

~Hugh Prather

Home Made Dog Food

Dog-Food-Is-Served
I've been making dog food for my little dog Cinnamin, and it occured to me that the recipe that I've been using might be helpful. I don't know that what I'm feeding her right now would be good for all dogs - but it got a thumbs up from my vet, and she looks pretty good (all things considered), so I'm going to stick my neck out and say that I do think this diet would be fine for any dog with renal disease and cancer.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can white meat chicken (no salt added)
  • 2 tablespoons condensed canned goat milk (I poured the entire can into an ice cube tray and froze it - then I dumped the cubes into a freezer bag. I'm assuming that 1/2 cube is equal to 2 tablespoons)
  • 1 tablespoon wheat germ
  • 3 heaping tbsp rice cereal for babies - more if needed

Here's how I put it together. I empty the can of chicken (including the liquid) into a 10 oz jar. I add the cube of goat milk, the wheat germ, and the rice cereal. Then I add just enough water to moisten the cereal but not so much that it's too soupy. If I happen to put too much water, I just add more cereal until it's the right consistency.

And that's it! She loves it. My dog weighs about 18 lbs and doesn't have much of an appetite, so if she eats the whole thing in one day - I'm really happy. This diet is high in protein, which isn't usually recommended for dogs with chronic kidney disease, but since she is in "hospice" the vet felt that it didn't matter.

Variations - substitutions - additions:

  • Substitute a can of salmon for the can of chicken.
  • Add cooked oatmeal, couscous, rice, or baked potato if you want to add bulk or carbs.
  • Add pieces of hard boiled egg.
  • My dog also really likes those little chicken sticks that you can find in the baby food section - they come in a bottle and look like little hot dogs.

Disclaimer:

I am not a vet - nor am I an expert in dog nutrition. This was the only thing I could get my dog to eat, and it's bad enough that she's dying of cancer. I didn't want her to starve to death at the same time. So, for those of you who want dog food recipes designed by a vet - specifically for dogs with chronic renal failure - stay tuned... there's more.

Beef and Potato Diet

(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • 2 oz lean ground beef (raw weight), cooked
  • 3 cups potato, boiled with skin
  • 2 tablespoons chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 737 kilocalories, 18.6 grams protein, 32.5 grams fat.
Supplies caloric needs of a 23 to 24 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 43 %, potassium at 293 %, sodium at 54 % of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 4 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Chicken and Potato Diet

(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • 1/4 cup cooked chicken breast
  • 3 cups potato, boiled with skin
  • 2 tablespoons chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 689 kilocalories, 18.9 grams protein, 26.8 grams fat.
Supports caloric needs of a 21 - 22 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 45%, potassium at 301%, sodium at 54% of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 4 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Beef and Tapioca Diet

(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • 4 oz lean ground beef (raw weight) cooked
  • 2 cups tapioca, cooked (125 grams dry before cooking)
  • 2 tablespoons chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 845 kilocalories, 19.9 grams protein, 37.2 grams fat.
Supports caloric needs of a 28 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 18 %, potassium at 29 %, sodium at 55 % of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 5 to 6 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Eggs and Rice Diet

(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • 1 egg, large, hard-boiled
  • 2 cups rice, long-grain, cooked
  • 1 tbsp chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 721 kilocalories, 15.2 grams protein, 31.4 grams fat.
Supports caloric needs of a 23 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 40 %, potassium at 30 %, sodium at 90 % of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 4 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Egg Whites and Tapioca Diet

(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • Egg whites from 3 eggs, hard-boiled
  • 2 cups tapioca, cooked (125 grams dry before cooking)
  • 1 tablespoon chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 610 kilocalories, 14.1 grams protein, 13 grams fat.
Supports caloric needs of a 18 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 6 %, potassium at 33 %, sodium at 269 % of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 6 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Eggs and Tapioca Diet

(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • 3 eggs, large, hard-boiled
  • 2 cups tapioca, cooked (125 grams dry before cooking)
  • 1 tablespoon chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 779 kilocalories, 19.3 grams protein, 28.9 grams fat.
Supports caloric needs of a 25 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 40 %, potassium at 30 %, sodium at 216 % of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 4 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Chicken and Tapioca Diet

(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • 1/2 cup cooked chicken breast
  • 2 cups tapioca, cooked (125 grams dry before cooking)
  • 2 tablespoons chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 763 kilocalories, 20.8 grams protein, 27.3 grams fat.
Supports caloric needs of a 24 to 25 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 20 %, potassium at 22 %, sodium at 55 % of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 5 to 6 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Egg and Potato Diet


(Low-protein, low-phosphorus, high-potassium, normal sodium)

  • 1 egg, large, cooked
  • 3 cups potato, boiled with skin
  • 1 tablespoon chicken fat
  • 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets (600 milligrams calcium)
  • 1/2 multiple vitamin-mineral tablet

Provides 600 kilocalories, 15.1 grams protein, 18.5 grams fat.
Supports caloric needs of an 18 lb dog.
Provides phosphorus at 53%, potassium at 322%, sodium at 114% of dog's daily needs. To feed this diet with a normal amount of phosphorus, substitute 3 bone meal tables for the 1 1/2 calcium carbonate tablets.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Notes to Myself

If I had only ...
forgotten future greatness
and looked at the green things and the buildings
and reached out to those around me
and smelled the air
and ignored the forms and the self-styled obligations
and heard the rain on the roof
and put my arms around my wife
... and it's not too late.

~Hugh Prather

Wow... I just love this book!

Yesterday I picked up "Notes to Myself" by Hugh Prather. I'd read it a long time ago, but now suddenly, it's all new again. I like it so much that I've decided to post portions of it - the stuff that really speaks to me - on a regular basis.

It's probably illegal, but I might even end up with the whole book here on this blog. I'm tagging the quotes "Notes to Myself," and am hoping you get as much from them as I do.

Friday, September 5, 2008

The Effects of Sound

This is a video showing the effects of sound vibration.
Interesting, huh?



Here's another one: water vibration, cool but it's in German.



This one is like a tutorial - kind of nice I think!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

My New Toy

I want to thank everyone who has been so kind those of you that I know personally, and the wonderful people who have commented here, giving me words of encouragement even though they don't know me. You are all deeply appreciated.

On Monday, I got this email from my friend Cindy:

Sorry to hear about your dad and your sweet doggy. My dog, Tigger, had a cancerous tumor on her rear foot last year right about the time we were moving. The vet said we needed to amputate at least her foot if not her leg. We then took her to the oncologist who said we needed to amputate her hind leg at the hip. Well, I have had a 3-legged dog before and know they do great, but I just wasn't ready to do that to the girl! So I bought a Genesis tuning fork which is supposed to destroy cancer cells and I used that on her along with Reiki (and Lexi Reiki'd too, which I think kid Reiki is even more powerful than ours) and her tumor went completely away! And has stayed away!!!!

A friend of mine who is also an animal communicator does tuning fork healings and I bought the Genesis fork through her. I think it was about $30 plus tax. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!! FOR YOU DAD AND FOR YOUR DOG!!! It doesn't hurt, although with Tigger, she didn't like it - I think she could feel the vibration of the cancer cells shattering. I heard a story from my friend Linda about a couple who had a little boy with cancer and they did the tuning fork on him every day pretty much non-stop and it worked for them. I do believe that there are certain paths that are set to happen and it could be your dad's or your dog's time to go, but maybe not - worth thinking about anyway.

My vets are just astonished that Tigger's foot is now COMPLETELY healed and perfect!


So, naturally, I immediately went out and got myself one. I got it from Linda Trent, Cindy's friend. Here's what it looks like:

genesis fork

So what does it do? I think the idea is that through the use of sound waves, the cells are raised to a higher vibrational level which in turn facilitates healing. But I'm not exactly sure. This is the blurb I found about it online:

This fork is combined with the others to cause things to happen or to create things. It can be used alone or with the Gabriel fork to repair damaged portions of DNA. It can also be used alone or with the Shekinah fork to destroy cancer cells. It also will move bones and joints back into place when they are out of alignment. It will also repair and rebuild muscles and tissue. These are just a few of the amazing things we are discovering about this frequency. The possibilities are endless. Included are instructions for usage and a velvet pouch with drawstring.

Well that's all well and good... but does it work? I don't know if it's going to heal my dog or not. The jury is still out on that one. I did, however, use it on myself. I was curious to see how it felt, and what it might be able to do. And the results were astonishing to say the least.

For the last 3 months, I've had a lot of problems with one of my feet. It felt as if I had somehow broken one of the bones on the top of my foot - that kind of pain. Nothing worked. Then I noticed that there was a fatty tumor right where the pain would start from, and I think it was pressing on a nerve or putting pressure on a ligament, or pushing a bone out of place.... something like that. Anyway, I have no medical insurance - so I was just ignoring it mostly, and taking tylenol if it hurt too much.

Well, when I got the tuning fork, I was curious to see if it "felt" like anything, so I used it on my foot. It was interesting, because I could actually feel something happening, and then the rest of the day my foot didn't hurt at all. I used it for 3 days and this morning, I realized that the fatty tumor is gone. Yep. Gone. And my foot? It feels fine. So, we'll see what happens with Cinnamin! I haven't noticed any spectacular changes. Her appetite did pick up a little bit, and when I use it on her, she does look a little perkier... and if nothing else, it gives me something to do besides worry and fret.

Monday, September 1, 2008

The Ten Commandments of Endurance

From Marshall Ulrich, one of the greatest extreme athletes in the world, we have the Ten Commandments of Endurance

  • Expect a journey and a battle
  • Focus on the present and set intermediate goals
  • Don't dwell on the negative
  • Transcend the physical
  • Accept your fate
  • Have confidence that you will succeed
  • Know that there will be an end
  • Suffering is okay
  • Be kind to yourself
  • Quitting is not an option

Friday, August 29, 2008

Someone I Love

cinnamin sm


This is my little dog Cinnamin, it's quite possible that I love her more than I love my kids. And even if it's not a contest of who I love more - it is true that I really have no desire to be on the planet if she isn't here with me. So... last week, she got really sick. The vet said the C word, and pretty much said "no hope," and sent her home on hospice. What an excruciating thing...

At the same time, my dad is going through chemo and radiation for his own C word, and my mom is pretty much worn down to the nub. So, it looks like I might be needed here, which means I'll have to continue with life on earth even if (notice that I cannot and will not say "when") my little dog goes back to be with the Mother of All Life.

I expect that my posts here will be sporadic at best for the next few weeks. I barely have the energy or the enthusiasm for email - much less blogging - and I just wanted to let you all know what's up.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Sun Salutation Mantra

This mantra invokes the healing power of the sun. When using it, for maximum benefit spend some time in the sun each day. You will achieve optimal results by practicing the mantra between ten and twenty minutes each day for forty days.

sun symbol

Om Hiranyagharbhaya Namaha
(Om Heer an yah gar bah yah Nah mah hah)

-oOo-


"Om and salutations to the Shining One who heals and is golden-colored."

Monday, August 25, 2008

What a Cool Waterfall

Check this out!
It's a waterfall of words and images. Totally cool!

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Heart Math

Ok, so now that I've been inspired to post some stuff about heart attacks, it occured to me that it might be a good idea to put in a plug for HeartMath.


At work, a couple of weeks ago, a HeartMath training seminar was offered... well, actually it was MANDATORY that we attend. So I went grumpily in on my day off, prepared to be thoroughly unimpressed by "propaganda" designed to force us to like our jobs and be happy with the additional stress that management has been piling on us. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be something actually useful!

They use techniques that are similar to ones I've already used. For example, breathing into the heart (a common practice in Sufi Meditations), and focusing on feelings of gratitude or love - both of which I explored at the prosperity project. And then they back up those techniques with lots of medical and scientific jargon, graphs, and charts.

Up until now, I'm not too impressed. As a matter of fact, the whole thing is one big yawn as far as I'm concerned. I'm thinking to myself, "Been there - done that."

Now comes the interesting and fun part. They have this cool little hand held biofeedback machine. They don't call it that, they call it emWave, or something like that. Here's an ad I pulled off their site:



It was so much fun to play with!! The thoughts that brought me into the best state in terms of coherence and no stress were memories of when we had 3 kittens one Christmas, and they wouldn't stay out of the Christmas tree. I'm thinking to myself - kittens... I'm going to have to invest in kittens so I can stay happy and healthy!

The other memory that brought a really healing emotion into my heart chakra was the time my sister and I climbed Dog Canyon. I'll tell you guys about it some time - but for now, all I'll say is that I was sure that climb was going to kill me dead! And when we finally got to the little oasis at the top, and sat down to eat, the food was manna from heaven. I kid you not. Just thinking about it, triggered an immediate "green" response in the little emWave gadget, indicating deepest harmony.

So, their gadget is way cool... I finally gave up feelings of lack and limitation, and decided I wanted one of those little thingys more than I wanted - well - running water or internet service. As soon as I decided that, the "Master of the Universe" sent me some extra work that more than covered the cost of the emWave ... so it's ordered and as far as I'm concerned Nirvana is on it's way!

And no, you don't have to have a emWave gadget to use their technique. The "how to" is pretty simple, and they do offer books - here are some of them:


Here's some more stuff (it's kind of dry, but informative nonetheless) from an interview with Dr. Howard Martin, executive VP of strategic development at Heartmath and coauthor of the book, The Heartmath Solution.

What role does the heart play in the body?
The heart is the main command center of the body. It actually sends information to the brain and to the rest of the body -- information that is essential to a person's overall health and well-being. As a person learns about the communication between the heart and brain, and how to shift this communication, positive changes in how that person thinks and feels begin to take place. It's really a shift in paradigm to say that it's not just the brain, but that the heart also has a big role in how we think and feel.

What is HeartMath?
Heartmath is a system designed for high performance effective living that consists of concepts, tools, techniques and technology. In general, they all involve heart focus breathing -- really focusing on the area of your heart and making an effort to activate positive feelings.

How did Heartmath come about?
Heartmath's been around for the last 11 years, and began on the initiative of a man named Doc Childre. It started out through self-study. By his own admission, Doc was a relatively undisciplined young man who set about on a course of trying to achieve new levels of self-management. His scientific research along with his understanding of other people and of himself, led him to develop his own philosophy as well as his own tools, techniques and concepts. For 20 years he never externalized anything, working quietly and leading a normal life. It was only in 1990 that he agreed to begin to more formally share some of his information with others. From there the companies were born and we entered into the training programs, books and technology that we have today.

How proven is Heartmath?
We know for sure that the heart does communicate with the brain and the body, and that's beyond a doubt. The field of neurocardiology studies this. The tools, techniques and concepts used in Heartmath are scientifically grounded, with a great amount of biophysical and social scientific proof to back them up.

How does Heartmath differ from other stress reduction techniques such as meditation?
Well first of all let me preface any comments by saying that we never like to be cast as any kind of a competitor, as better or worse than other systems of personal development and personal growth. We like to be seen more as a facilitator of any of those things. That being said, Heartmath is designed to be very interactive, very in the moment, very appropriate for the speed at which we're living in today's modern world. Techniques like meditation can be valuable but sometimes there is a cultural difference. Meditation comes from an Eastern culture and it doesn't necessarily overlay very well on modern western culture. It requires a lot of change in some of the basic stuff involved in a lifestyle and most people aren't willing to do that. Heartmath techniques are very appropriate for modern times, and very interactive with daily life and things that people can do in the moment.

How does Heartmath address individual stressors?
The tools and techniques can be used to create shifts of attitude or shifts in perception that lead to shifts of attitude. To manage stress or to begin to shift stress, you have to learn to shift perception first. It's the perception of the event that really creates the stress. It begins right there, with perception, and changes in perception lead to changes in behavior, how we process things, how we view things, how we act or react around certain issues. Those changes of behavior come relatively quickly once we begin to learn how to at least adopt different kind of perceptions of the stressful events.

Where are Heartmath techniques being used?
We are around the world, providing face-to-face training for over 20,000 people a year. We are focused primarily on large organizational clients, doing training programs in major Fortune 500, and Fortune 100 companies around the world. We deal with the individual customer who is interested in improving health and reducing stress through our books tapes, and freeze-framer software.

(This information is an extract from an article titled ‘Listening to the tell tale heart’ by Noel Boivin in February 2006 issue of Your Health.)


Ok, yeah, I'm pimping this stuff. I don't go commercial on this site very often, and I do think the emWave has value, and yes, I went ahead and signed up as an affiliate. So, hey, go get one for yourself. I think you'll like it, I really do!

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