Monthly Archives: January 2018

Enough!

Dogs & Other Animals, Thoughts On Life,

I had a moment of clarity and vision today. It was not good.

I am a scientist. I was at work reviewing a new batch of SDS’s (formerly MSDS’s). Safety Data Sheets-a source containing information about the safety, or lack there of, of various chemicals. One of the ways they determine this is by animal testing. There, at the back of the reports were the figures derived from the Draize tests on rabbit eyes to determine sensitivity. And results of other tests done on rats, mice, etc. Some of these chemicals are acids, folks!

I had to make my mind a blank to avoid having an emotional meltdown at work, thinking what this actually meant for these animals and what they must have suffered. It turns my stomach and causes me distress.

Yes, I am a scientist. I do not need evidence from experiments on some poor animals to know that acid in my eyes or on my skin is going to cause me harm.

Enough already! These barbaric tests must stop!

Food for Thought

Thoughts On Life,

I’m trying something new this year. I got a planner for the year that has month at a time pages and weekly pages with lines to write what you do each day. That way I can keep track of my commitments but also be able to write daily.

And what am I writing on these daily pages you might ask? (Or if you don’t want to ask, then as Rosanna Rosanna Danna often said…Never-mind.) I am going to do one kind thing everyday and record it in the journal. By keeping a record, it keeps me mindful and wanting to make sure that I have something to record. Most times it’s nothing fantastic.

It could be something as simple as leaving a quarter in the cart at our local Aldi’s grocery store. (You have to put in a quarter to get a cart and then you get your quarter back when you return the cart.) At least I am working on the habit of consciously being kind. I hope that this leads to bigger and kinder things from me.

Some days when I’m jotting down my kind act (or picking my brain to remember something I did that was nice) I wonder what should really qualify? When what I come up with is “Haul wood to the house while my hubby is sick so he can rest”, does that really qualify as something nice? Isn’t that just something I should do anyway?

So I’ve discovered that the difference between being nice, and doing what you should, is sometimes a fine line. Food for thought…

Zekie!

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, Rescue Happenings, ,

Just a quick update on foster boy Zeke. He is a happy pup.

He still has separation anxiety but it is manageable on the Prozac. If you don’t mind a dog with sizable amounts of drool in his crate when you come home. The crate is now more or less where it was when we left. Mondays are always the worst after I go back to work for the week. It’s a good thing I don’t wear expensive clothes (although this is part of the reason why) because Zeke jumps and paws at me for a while when I return. Dogs are far superior to nice clothes any day!

But the rest of the time he is a joy. He becomes a 43 lb. lap pup for about 10 minutes every day. We both enjoy this. On Sunday last week, he got to go to grandma’s for a visit along with Baxter and Cassius. The girls, Nikki and Shelby, stayed home because they were having a turn to go away the next evening to visit at the nursing home. Zeke was well behaved and listened. We had our 10 minutes of lap time there because I suspect he was feeling insecure.

Yesterday, hubby and I took Baxter, Cassius, Shelby, and Zeke for a walk on the Hike and Bike Trail and there were no incidents with other hikers. Of course this may have been because it was 15 degrees and snowy, so there were no other hikers! 😉 Hey, you seek progress where you can find it.

And last but not least Zeke has wormed his way into my heart enough that I call him Zekie!

Spoiled Much?

Uncategorized

Do any of you have dogs with discriminating taste? Meet Baxter. He will only eat artisan or homemade bread. Try to give him grocery store, pre-wrapped bread? I don’t think so. He politely turns his head.

But bring home freshly baked bread from the bakery and he is at your side. He gently takes fresh bread and makes short work of it. The same goes for things I bake at home. I take it as quite the compliment.

Just one of Baxter’s many fine features.

Inside!

Country Life, Dogs & Other Animals, ,

Baby, it’s cold outside. The last week, temperatures around here have been averaging around 5-6 degrees Fahrenheit during the day time and zero at night.

The weather and tv stations have been advising that people check on their dogs and cats. Why would you have to do this? Your pet dogs and cats should be with you!

We take our dogs out for about 10 minutes of play time, to chase the frisbee and ball. That is enough for them. They are glad to go out and glad to come in. They do want to know why we didn’t turn the heat up before we went out!

Relief is in sight however. Forecast for today is in the 20’s. Oh, the excitement!