Monday, July 28, 2008
SHORT STORIES
A couple people asked me where the stories went to I wrote a couple years ago. They wanted to read them again. So I found them and put links to them. It's nice to know that somebody enjoyed reading them at one time. I thank you. Hope you enjoy them. They are true events.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
MY DOGS-PHOTO'S AND MOVIE CLIPS
click picture to enlarge
Just a couple clips of today.
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http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn312/loucksgl/?action=view¤t=MVI_5164.flv
Today is the last day of my July vacation. The rain came down early this morning; very early. How do I know? I've been up since 3:00 AM scratching chigger bites. I really got into them on the lake camp out. The drug store brand cortisone leaves a lot to be desired.
I brought my friends back to the ruins for a late morning early afternoon romp. It will be awhile before they will be able to get out again.
You may wonder "why he takes so many pictures of the dogs?" "Always the dogs swimming or retrieving sticks." "Always endearing cute photos." The reason is that I truly love them. And they reflect that emotion back to me in many ways. Dedication is one. They always know where I am when we are out. They come to me when I call, sort of, and they stay close when we stop. They even come to me when they hurt or feel bad. Each one has his or her own personality and I know them well.
Douglas, the golden retreiver, was the first. He's been with me since he was about three months old. He is the most dominent of the group and I allow it to be so. He was a rescue dog and spent a year on a TWRA boat with me every day.
Shade is also a rescue dog. I found her abandoned on a island in the middle of a lake. She was waiting patiently for her family to come back and get her. Of course they never did. Her "family" removed her collar and let her off and left. I found her on a spur of the moment camping trip by boat with Douglas. Hungry and covered with ticks, I took her home. She was adopted by nice folks in Sevierville. She was dearly missed by myself and the other dogs. Tears were shed. The outings were not the same. Then the lady who adopted Shade called when she read the blog and offered Shade back. I drove to Sevierville and got her back. She is clumsey and needs training but a more loving dog can not be found on this earth. She knows. She knows and show's it to me.
And Happy; well, she was in a fenced yard with rescue puppies. She was a little bigger then them and the puppies were tormenting her. I broke her out and let her mix with Douglas. She bonded tightly with me. There are others residing with me both permanent and temporary but these three are the main characters. Many more will come and go as I intend to continue fostering them. So why all the pictures and the clips?
Well, someday each one will pass on. Each one will leave a hole in the family and in my heart. I hope to be able to be with each when their time comes and reflect their trust and love for me back to them so that the trauma of uncertainty that each will have can be diminished with my closeness and presence. All these photos represent my selfishness and human frailty. They will face their passing with dignity and resign; whereas I will face it with sorrow and an inability to let go. Hence the photos and movies. It's a human thing. Hold on to everything. My friends, Douglas, Shade and Happy will one by one leave me. My job is to make that passing as comfortable as possible for each of them. It will be my most difficult life's task. Letting go.
The rains are eroding the McGee Carson home foundation causing the bricks to fall away. Time is not a friend to antiquity or people.
You may wonder "why he takes so many pictures of the dogs?" "Always the dogs swimming or retrieving sticks." "Always endearing cute photos." The reason is that I truly love them. And they reflect that emotion back to me in many ways. Dedication is one. They always know where I am when we are out. They come to me when I call, sort of, and they stay close when we stop. They even come to me when they hurt or feel bad. Each one has his or her own personality and I know them well.
Douglas, the golden retreiver, was the first. He's been with me since he was about three months old. He is the most dominent of the group and I allow it to be so. He was a rescue dog and spent a year on a TWRA boat with me every day.
Shade is also a rescue dog. I found her abandoned on a island in the middle of a lake. She was waiting patiently for her family to come back and get her. Of course they never did. Her "family" removed her collar and let her off and left. I found her on a spur of the moment camping trip by boat with Douglas. Hungry and covered with ticks, I took her home. She was adopted by nice folks in Sevierville. She was dearly missed by myself and the other dogs. Tears were shed. The outings were not the same. Then the lady who adopted Shade called when she read the blog and offered Shade back. I drove to Sevierville and got her back. She is clumsey and needs training but a more loving dog can not be found on this earth. She knows. She knows and show's it to me.
And Happy; well, she was in a fenced yard with rescue puppies. She was a little bigger then them and the puppies were tormenting her. I broke her out and let her mix with Douglas. She bonded tightly with me. There are others residing with me both permanent and temporary but these three are the main characters. Many more will come and go as I intend to continue fostering them. So why all the pictures and the clips?
Well, someday each one will pass on. Each one will leave a hole in the family and in my heart. I hope to be able to be with each when their time comes and reflect their trust and love for me back to them so that the trauma of uncertainty that each will have can be diminished with my closeness and presence. All these photos represent my selfishness and human frailty. They will face their passing with dignity and resign; whereas I will face it with sorrow and an inability to let go. Hence the photos and movies. It's a human thing. Hold on to everything. My friends, Douglas, Shade and Happy will one by one leave me. My job is to make that passing as comfortable as possible for each of them. It will be my most difficult life's task. Letting go.
The rains are eroding the McGee Carson home foundation causing the bricks to fall away. Time is not a friend to antiquity or people.
OUR AMAZING CAMPING FRIEND THE CHIGGER
click picture to enlarge
I've had minor run ins with chiggers before at primitive Tennessee campsites but never like this. The camp Douglas, Happy and I shared on the lake two days ago included another unwanted, unseen guest. Yep; the chigger family. Chiggers make ticks look like school kids. They are deceiving in their attacks as the victim has no idea of their presence because the bite of the chigger goes undetected for up to twelve hours. They are so small they can't be seen without a magnifier. They do not bore under the skin and stay for days as I have been told by old timers. The adolescence stage of the chigger is the culprit. They emerge from the soil in sixty degree and above weather and climb tall plants in wait for a passing host. In my case it was me who would play host. They drop onto the victim as he brushes the plant in passing, or they can climb up the trouser leg and can even penetrate loosely knitted clothing. The bite itself goes unnoticed. The bad part of the bite is when the little devil inserts his proboscis into a hair follicle to feed, it introduces a saliva that actually deteriorates the Host tissue and liquefies the flesh. Then the imp sucks up the liquefied flesh and literally drinks from the Host. The injected saliva stays active in the bite area even when the chigger is dislodged. This material causes intense itching. The area can itch for days and up to over a week until the host body can create enzymes to neutralize the toxic serum. Scratching will easily dislodge the chiggers but only after the harm is done. I have included a link to a site all about chiggers. If you are a camper in Tennessee, you may want to update your outdoor skills combating insects. I have camped all my life in Pennsylvania and across this country and have never had experiences with chiggers until now. Believe me; they are not a welcome guest. I believe that Happy, who insists on sleeping with me came in the tent and laid down next to me thereby introducing the chigger to my bedding material. Stupid on my part. I'll know better next time. The link indicates precautions to take and the proper chemicals to apply to clothing. Deets is not the chemical of choice. Promethean is. It's pouring rain out now and I have to get the dogs to the woods for a little R&R. Today is my last day of vacation until September and I want them to have this last day as theirs. So I'll gather up a couple tubes of Cortisone and be on my way.
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