UPDATE ON SWEETIE

Remember the little dog I found wandering down the center of the highway in East Tennessee? Well, after vaccination, rabies and kennel cough shots and antibiotics for tick bites and a lot of food and care, she is now in a foster home. The foster mother is a caring person who specializes in small dogs. She loves them. Sweetie, (re-named Bonnie), has been spayed and tested for heart worm. But the heart worm tests came up positive. Bonnie is now undergoing treatment for this dispicable desease. She has a mild case and the treatment is expected to work. Bonnie is exhausted most of the time and lethargic. But the prognosis is very good. We hope soon she will be bouncing about carefree. I will keep this situation updated as I know many of you are deeply interested in the outcome. It is wonderful to know that costs of treatment seem not to be an issue for her well being. Her sweet life deserves to be comfortable and care free. It certainly has been hell on earth for her up until now. Upon a total recovery, Bonnie will be placed in a permanent home by Great Dog Rescue Of Knoxville.

TOUCHED A SENSITIVE SPOT

Wow, the last blog entry, below, has evidently touched on sensitive feelings of some folks. I received some diversified responses. I'll just say this: animals do not make war on themselves, or acquire property and destroy habitat, or create global warming, or refuse to accept death by creating medicine through experimentation with their own kind, and they do not exterminate any humans who encroach onto their living spaces like humans do them. When the animals are all finally gone and there is nothing more in nature to look at or enjoy, and when the tree line evolves into a concrete littered skyline, and when the lake and river shoreline contains only houses and boat docks; what is left to destroy? Why, the oxygen we breathe of course. But I forgot. We're already working on that trick. We may be more intelligent----- maybe. Smarter--------- I think not.

IS THERE ANY LOGIC TO IT?

I didn't mean to poke fun at war in the last blog entry below. I meant that entry to portray my idea of leaving the social climate entirely for a while and forget that I am a member of the human race occassionally. At times I am ashamed to be one of those things called human. It seems humans just can't get along with nature, animals, ecology or even themselves. Humans are unique in that way. Its amazing the planet has allowed them to exhist this long. Actually I think Mother Nature is letting us humans think we have it all figured out. Then she will drop the hammer to show us who's really the boss. Guess its because the human brain is so much better than the animal brain. I mean, animals can't canive and be deceitful to their fellow animals. They simply march along to the drum beat of nature. How boring! Humans on the other hand have the ability to destroy anything they want to and even themselves. Why, they even have a God they can blame it all on. War; "its Gods way of trying to accomplish something". Don't try to figure it out cause God moves in mysterious ways. Animals on the other hand simply die and are absorbed back into the natural flow of things. Humans refuse to accept death. They seem to cling tenatiously to life, even after death. They even have to be cut open and filled with fluids to preserve them forever. Seems they can't accept death. They just won't let go. Embalming fluid is the last maneuver to maintain the stay on earth. Oh, humans are capable of doing good things. They make efforts to get along and preserve nature. That is until the almighty dollar presents itself on the scene. Then its ok to clear cut that five hundred acres, or shoot the beaver and drain that wet land for the housing project. Why I even heard that humans will take property from fellow humans by force in the name of "its for the good of the community". Wonder if the dollar is involved in that? Animals just try to co exist with humans. They are always the losers in any battle for habitat because those battles are dollar driven. Animals have no need for dollars so they simply move on. Getting difficult for animals to move on anymore. The dollar has been on both sides of the stream and both sides of the forest. Move on to where. Guess the animals will just have to go-----------somewhere else. Ya, humans come in all forms. Theres the haves and the have nots and the wannabes and the can't be's. Then you have the rich and the poor and the successes and the failures, the religious and the athiest and even a kind of person who can't quite figure anything out for sure called a agnostic. Why, hell, there have been more people killed and maimed on this planet over religion than for any other reason. Humans are greed oriented. They want and take. The have nots want and the haves want more. It will never end. One thing is for certain. Religious or not. Thief or sumaritan. Rich or poor. We are all going to die. Every last one. Why do we rush the occurrance? Why do we struggle so hard to kill one and other. Why, when there is so many things to live for and learn? Breath deep the fresh air faned off the lake and feel the air change from hot to cool as evening approaches, drink in the sunset and cherish the sunrise and behold the innocent creatures that can be seen all about ....learn from them. Are we so much smarter? Well, are we??? At any rate, I am just rambling. I do that sometimes.

SOMEBODY SAY THERES A WAR GOING ON? I DIDN'T HEAR. HUMMM!

Cherhowee Lake

Well, I haven't been doing so well at keeping this thing up to date. When the weather is as good as its been, I keep very busy on the lakes or on the motorcycle. Lately I have been spending a good bit of time on Cherhowee Lake. Its not an enormous lake like some but its the most pristine I have been on here in Tennessee. The water temperatures hover in the low seventies as opposed to impoundments on the Little Tennessee and Tennessee rivers which hang around at mid eighties. Fort Loudoun Lake was 83 degrees yesterday.. The cold water of Cherhowee Lake makes it ideal for trout. Bass like warmer water. But the trout is at home in cold water. Cherhowee is full of Lake, Rainbow and even Brown Trout. TWRA stocks it but I really don't think its necessary. And the beauty of it all is the absence of man. No houses, no marinas and no jet ski's. It is pristine with clear cold water. And its a deep lake. The pictures above do not do it justice.