Continuing chapters in the Bow Wow Tao

In the Bow Wow Tao, we're taught that you must have fun. And you shouldn't care what you look like. If you you are truly having fun, others will soon have fun too. So do what you can so you look like this:

...and then there will be a time where you must have fun with what you have. A pool (it doesn't have to have water in it) and a stick can be a great time on a sunny afternoon.

... and after all that fun and play, remember to rest. Resting is good and good for you too.

... after you have had fun, played and rested, it will be time to ponder and reflect on your fun before you start your next adventure.

It was a dark and rainy week.... doesn't that sound like something Snoopy would write?

Things are chugging along, sometimes like a roller coaster - but not so bad.
- Work has been busy, it's more steady which is a bit easier to handle, even though they keep piling the work on. I just do the best I can, I'm at a state of 'acceptance'.

- Eco (our 14 week old chocolate lab) is growing! I take weekly measurements and she seems to be getting 1/2" bigger in circumference and 1" longer in length (from base of neck to base of tail) She is a good walker again (not pulling), and knows all sorts of tricks (roll over and 'hands up' are the favs). Her biting is getting less frequent and she's not chomping so hard. I still receive a tear or two from those razor sharp puppy teeth but that's from playing with her and it's more of an accident. Today, she has even settled down in my work room and took a nap like a big girl! She didn't go too crazy - she must be going through a growth spurt and needs her naps!

- I have done no crafting since we got the dog. This is in part because I don't have the same kind of 'spare' time as I used to and partly because I think I was on the verge of getting carpal tunnel (most likely from typing at work). Luckily I have no pressing deadlines.

- My garden is still a mess and Eco hasn't helped - one because she takes up much of my time, and two because she likes to run by plants and steal leaves - so many plants are looking quite sad! She also hasn't learned about flower beds and loves to run right thought a bed of poppies! She can also run through parts of the garden I had forgotten about - look at all that space under those trees! And I shouldn't have tried to compost my Japanese knotwood in my yard -because she's happily discovered the pile and loves to make me chase her (but we don't play that game!)

But I tell you all those little bumps - they were all forgotten on Saturday afternoon when I had a outing with Cynthia and Carol - they have no idea how much I needed that day out! Thank you ladies - you're wonderful! We had so much fun - and it was such a great escape to get out and laugh and forget about the mundaneness of it all. Are you still here? You are? How sweet of you to keep reading, you must have had a strong cup of coffee. And now you're up to date. Thank you for reading along!

This past weekend was Jp's birthday but nothing really happened. I wanted to take him out to dinner but he'd just come home from a road trip and an exhausting 4:00am to 10:30 pm field trip with the Kid's Grade 5 class and so all I could do was make him a carrot cake complete with cream cheese dressing. Which, by the way, tastes very different from commercial carrot cakes and it was a big hit with the boys. I think I will have to make this more often. What have I done?

Eco had a blast playing in the sprinkler and in the kiddie pool. She's so funny to watch and of course, no one's around for all the best moments; I never remember to have my camera with me. But the most fun we're having is hide-and-seek in the yard. She's getting very good - soon we'll be able to play in the dark like I used to do with Jazz. (She was good!) And it's a great way to keep your puppy from eating every rock, stick,pinecone, stick, rock and clump of dirt - plus she gets some running exercise.

Jp left again yesterday for another business trip and so I caulked the tub. I thought I was smart because he was away and I thought you only needed 24 hours to let it cure. I figured I could go 24 hours without a shower - but eek! it's 48 hours! Now I'll need to sponge bath the old-fashioned way, and go into hiding until Wednesday night.

Fun with Graphics

For all my graphics loving friends - check out Your Logo Makes Me Barf. I'm sure you'll have some fun.

And maybe one day "Comic Sans" and "Papyrus" will no longer exist as fonts.

And maybe you've got one to submit?

The little voice

How many times do I have to be told to listen to my gut instinct, aka the little voice?

Example:
When we got our puppy, the breeder highly recommended some trainers to go to, so I called on Monday to sign up for the next puppy class. He answers and tells me I have to speak to her, she gets on the phone answers a couple of my questions and then gives the phone back to him. I ask him how much the class costs and he can't tell me and says she's left. I can't get much information from him over the phone. Hmm, first twinge of discomfort.

The class is for 4:00 and I'm not that happy about that as I wanted Jp to come as well. In other dog obedience classes I've been to, the whole family is encouraged to go (especially for puppy training) so everyone trains the dog in the same way. But I go.

As I'm driving the 45 minutes with a small, young dog in a hot car I tell myself that I shouldn't do this - 4:00 in June can be too hot for a little dog in a car without air conditioning and in traffic that's either going to be stopped for road constructions (2 spots yesterday) or rush-hour delays. But I continue.

I arrive and enter the tiny hall. I stand around not knowing who is who as no one looks like the leader of the group. After a few minutes a women says "let's get you signed in". So I give her my name and phone number and she asks for a cheque, which I wrote out - but again something in my head didn't like this. I asked her how many classes it was for and she told me it was for the month. Wow! That was a lot of money for 3 classes. But again I continue.

I look around the room and see nothing but big dogs. This isn't no 'puppy class'. A girl comes over - not the highly recommended trainer I thought I was going to be with and proceeds to train Eco and I in the middle of the room while a man barks commands at the dogs and owners and they circle around us. O-kaaaayy.

Then he says - "oh [so-and-so] and [so-and-so] told me I should bring the fans but I didn't think it was hot enough. Oops, sorry, I was wrong". Meanwhile my hair is wet from sweat - and I rarely sweat - that's how hot it was! And it's not good for a small dog who just spend 45 minutes in a car. And they don't provide water.

So have you been counting? What's that - 6 times something inside of me tweaked? What the hell is wrong with me? I should have asked for my cheque back right then and there! Well, when I got home and told Jp about it, he was furious and let's just say, he's helping me take care of it. And I feel like an idiot 7 times over.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's done stupid shit like this?

~~~~~

Update: Jp talked to her - she promised to rip up the old cheque and I'm to mail her a cheque for the first class only. I will try another trainer/facility.

And I'm going to do my best to remember to trust myself!

A new philosophy

As I've been hanging out with my 3 month old dog, I wondered if people could live like puppies. They definitely live in the moment, they see everything and their mood is either neutral or happy. They are not prejudiced, loving all people even if they don't have a chance of getting loved back. And all other life forms are interesting to them and need to be explored.

I'm going to call this philosophy the BOW WOW TAO. Are you in? Any followers yet?

I've observed my little girl, happily running with a stick in her mouth, stopping abruptly in her tracks to watch a butterfly float across the yard. As she runs by a flower bed, she makes sure she picks up a pretty yellow or pink petal that has fallen on the ground. And if she accidentally falls, she gets right back up again without ever thinking about how much it may have hurt; if she unintentionally gets her tail stepped on, she may yelp and then it's forgotten - it's in the past, no hard feelings towards the person who did it. When she sees someone she's met before, she runs towards them giving them kisses, like it's the only time she'll ever see that person. No complacency, no remorse. Life is all about the now and having fun.

I do realize that you wouldn't be able to sustain this way of living if you wanted to pay a mortgage or have a job, but like many philosophies, you integrate parts into your daily life. I will meditate on the Bow Wow Tao and let you know how it develops. Any suggestions?

Sticks & snails* and puppy dog tails

Years ago I read a "Peanuts" cartoon where Snoopy said "walk softly and carry a big stick" - I didn't really know what it meant, but I think Eco's trying to teach us.

And if you're fooled into thinking she's growing up too fast, think again because she still spends time chasing her tail! (And that's not an easy photo to capture!)


**(actually snails are not part of this post... sorry. It just sounded like a good title)