Hallowe'en snickers

Back in the olden days when I went door to door for Hallowe'en, we relied on word of mouth to find out where the really good candy was. We all rushed to the house with the candy apples as soon as the word spread!

Times have changed..... as illustrated by today's Zack Hill comic strip.

"Hallowe'en was confusing. All my life my parents said, 'Never take candy from strangers.' And then they dressed me up and said, 'Go beg for it.' I didn't know what to do. I'd knock on people's doors and go, 'Trick or treat. No thank you.' " Rita Rudner

Oh deer!

Seems passive, meek little Bambi packs quite a wallop! Why is it that the junker cars we owned never ever got damaged....other than rust and deterioration. But we get ourselves a nice car and within a short time we were rear-ended and had to replace the back bumper. Then, this week our daughter and a friend were borrowing the car and out of nowhere bounds little Bambi and leaves a choice dent before fleeting off into the night!

Ah well, we shall count our blessings. It could have been far worse. No one was injured, the car is still driveable and today my husband was called out to an emergency call for work and earned exactly the amount we need to cover the deductible for this latest insurance claim!

I genuinely hope little Bambi is doing as well....

Happy Birthday Precious Poochie

Our puppy is 10 years old today. When our children were 11 and almost 9 we decided it was time to have a dog in the family. Two doors down from us lived a perfect Golden retriever named Chelsea. She needed no leash. No word of a lie....she would pick up her toys and put them away when asked. She knew the neighbours by name and could go to the right one when their name was mentioned. She wore boots in the winter while she pranced obediently beside her master. We decided we wanted a perfect Golden retriever too. (You know where I'm going with this...)
My husband and I visited the breeders prior to taking our kids there and well......NEVER go and look at puppies unless you have decided beforehand you are getting one. We told the kids in November that if they were willing to pool their money from their newspaper routes along with ours, we would be able to afford a puppy for Christmas. They very excitedly agreed and we visited the breeders to choose our Christmas puppy. We chose the darkest in the litter. Nikki had been born on October 23rd 1997 . The breeder marked her head with a dab of red nail polish to signify she was 'taken'. She was still too young to leave her mother.

On December 24th we went to the office of the breeder to pick up our new member of the family. Nikki was peacefully lying on a bookshelf next to a cat. (She'd never admit to that now....cats are the enemy). She would not look into our eyes and she puked in the van on the ride home. We could not leave her alone at that age, so she accompanied us to a Christmas Eve gathering and two family Christmas parties on Christmas day. At my brother's house, Nikki met the cat who was larger than her. She peed on their carpet.

Why is it that mothers get delegated for the all the toilet training in the household? Many a morning (that would be 4 am), I was in the backyard under the big pine tree, with pyjamas, boots, winter coat and umbrella, shivering in the cold drizzle waiting for Nikki to pee. She chose instead (after whimpering to go out)to just lie down and chew sticks.

The first year was full of hair and joy and hair and mud and hair and chewed furniture and hair and diarrhea-plastered cage (I'll spare you that story...shudder), and did I mention hair? But mostly joy. I would watch as Chelsea...the perfect Golden..... with the perfect gait......would prance by our house on her walks.

Inside, Nikki would scout out garbage cans, counters and tables for food, papers to rip up, or other crunchy (eyeglasses are crunchy!), chewy things. One morning we had to send a shredded school project in a plastic baggie to the teacher - the dog really did eat the homework! Outside, she loved to jump up on you and grasp your arm in her mouth ...or try to dig her way to China through the lawn. I remember painstakingly laying down landscape fabric to block weeds along the whole edge of my long garden and I covered it with mulch. Then I let the dog outside.... Moments later, Nikki discovered one corner of the fabric I hadn't quite covered. She took that corner in her mouth and ran the length of the garden with it. All of my hours of labour....ripped up in 20 seconds. What can you do? I had to laugh. She smiled so proudly at her accomplishment!

My husband took her to obedience school (I failed the classes with our last dog), and Nikki passed very nicely and settled down somewhat after that. Unfortunately, those classes do not teach dogs how to use a vacuum cleaner.

I had fun on her first birthday. I had noticed the name and address of the owner of one of Nikki's sisters when we were signing some papers to purchase our puppy. The sister lived on the same street I grew up on so I had found the house and remembered where she lived. We would actually sneak peeks at her from time to time in her yard. On Nikki's first birthday, I snuck a doggie treat bag into the mailbox at this house with a happy birthday note for Nikki's sister along with our phone number. It was not long before the phone rang with a very excited person wanting to bring 'Sarah' over to meet her sister. What a reunion it was! The two stuck to each other like glue and pranced around our backyard together. I hated to see them part, and I regret that we did not keep in touch.

Once we passed the two year period.... as we had been assured by other Golden owners...Nikki settled down quite nicely and has been a wonderful companion. Just don't wear dark clothing around her! If you wear dark socks to our place you will notice lots of hair on them even if we vacuumed right before you came.

And now she has retired...yes she is a senior. Another bit of advice? Put aside money for your pet's pension years....it's going to cost you...big time. On top of the normal care of a dog...shots, checkups... there are special senior check-ups, various medications, senior food, and a charge for urine collection (unless you want to follow your dog around with a small container until she decides she has to go....then hope she doesn't miss and you don't spill it....take our advice...you don't want to do this). Nikki now has arthritis in her back legs and must take pain medication to enable her to manage the stairs. When people see her dart out the front door or take off after a rabbit, they don't believe us....but she really is arthritic. She just thinks she's still that pup with boundless energy. (Mhmmm...I can totally relate).

And so....here's to you Nikki....Happy 10th birthday!! You bring us much joy and loving attention (and hair) and for that we (and the vacuum cleaner) salute you. With much love, fur-filled hugs, and slobbery kisses from your family!

For those with the need to know

The bathroom is finally finished! Yes, that project I started 2 months ago is complete.....well as much as possible. I still want new taps and faucets and a new toilet...but those things will have to wait until there is money for such luxuries.

I think back to the mess this room was....when I literally wanted to cry for the amount of work it was to scrape and scrape and scrape, and purge out the mould and mildew. It was so hot and I wondered if it was worth the aggravation. Couldn't I just somehow cover it all up?? Or walk away and forget I ever started?

Preparation is worth it. Sweat, tears, hard work, and determination are worth it. Perseverance is worth it.

Got a mess on your hands? Don't walk away. Anything worthwhile requires effort. Allow 'preparation' the time it requires. Get rid of the grime underneath the surface. Scrape down to what matters....cry if you must. Purge the deepest layers. Then...when the bottom layer is cleansed...and only then....begin to build. One day your reward will not be fleeting and your efforts will bring lasting results.

Here's a rather cool version of Psalm 51:1-17 from the Message Bible that my bathroom somehow reminds me of. (Call me strange) :

"Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down. You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair. I've been out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was born.

What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life. Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with your praise.

Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice."

Ripples

Our decisions and choices in life are like a drop of water. Seem so small, insignificant, not of much importance to anyone but ourselves.





What we often fail to notice is the ripple effect. One small decision....one selfish action....sends out ripples....that affect many....some with lifelong consequences.


We can't begin to comprehend how many feel the ripples or what their names are ....it would surprise and astound us if we knew.

We do not live to ourselves. Our sphere of influence is much greater than we can suppose.

Who is to blame if the ripples from my actions have negative affects on others?

Me.

I can blame no one else, nor can I judge someone else's actions. I am responsible for me. I don't know how far my influence goes. Whether I realize it or not, many depend on me for moral actions and right choices.

I hold the power to build...or tear down. Encourage...or discourage. Live truth...or ignore it. Be real...or hide beneath a mask. Face my mistakes....or run from them.

Imagine a world where everyone took responsibility for just their own actions and no longer based decisions on selfishness? Men and women would not selfishly use each other....no rape....no murder... no abuse....no deceit....no cheating....no families with an absentee mom or a dad....no broken commitments....no poor and starving...no one uncared for.


I can't change the world. But I can choose to allow God to change me. I have to care enough to want it. It is my choice whether the ripples that inevitably spread from my actions are positive or negative. Wouldn't it be awesome for our country to be awash in unselfishness? It all starts here. With me.



"Nothing is going to change in the Congo until you and I figure out what is wrong with the person in the mirror." Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz