Meet Dakota

Say Hello to our new family member...Dakota. One of our biggest concerns after Gretzky passed away, was that Zoe would be lonely for a companion and playmate. Even in the end of his days, Gretzky still played as well as he could, and when he couldn't, he and Zoe would lay together cleaning each other. Well, at a recent horse show, I met the Mead family corgi's (meadpainthorses.com) and fell in love with this little sad eyed girl. I have named her Dakota because we were in South Dakota at the time, and her registered name is Dakota TookMeBySurprise-because she certainly did. She is a piss ant, I will tell you. Unlike our other puppies, she is strong willed, and stubborn with a capital S. She is also a big corgi for her age. She is 10 lbs at 9 weeks, (Zoe was 4) and her feet tell us that she has a long way to go. She makes us laugh, for sure. If there was any fear that she would not get along with Zoe or Loki, that was eleviated in the first few minutes. She and Zoe are inseperable, and Loki is still skeptical, but patient. Dakota seems to like to use his tail as floss.

This is one of my favorite times of the day! When she crashes, she goes down hard. I will admit, it hard having a puppy in this house again...housebreaking is a pain, but she is smart and already goes to the door when she needs to go. And for those times that I don't see her there...I have to thank Chuck for my spotbot!

I have always felt a pull to the west and all things that make it what it is. Petroglyphs and Pictographs are one of the things that fascinate me about the wide open spaces out there. While on my way home from a trip from California, I found a remote little canyon that has hundreds, even thousands of these images on rocks dating from 7000 BC to this century! I was in heaven there! I had only planned to spend a few hours, then head home, but ended up being there all day. Every where I looked was a new image, a new look into the past.



It is rumored that Butch and Sundance used to hang out in this canyon when their trail was hot, including many other lawbreakers. You can even see the inscribing of cavalry men and their units written on the red rocks. They live through these written reminders. This is probably a ranch hand that worked cattle through this canyon. You can even see full shifts of cowboys that passed through here, leaving their mark. This canyon
vibrates with our past and history.



As I look at these images, I wonder, what were they trying to tell us? What message were they trying to relay. It is very easy to romantasize these carvings, what if they meant no more than the gang markings on the underpass on Hoover Blvd in Downtown LA? Who knows? I prefer to think that they just wanted us to remember them as they watched themselves become extinct. A simple gesture that says, I am, I was.





These are Pictographs, images painted on stone. Petroglyphs are pecked into the stone. As I sat in front of these, I had to think to myself if these people used these images as representations of their Gods, or maybe something else. Bear with me for a minute...Don't they look like what we draw as aliens today? Big heads, large eyes, slender bodies and appendages...just a silly thought. Any way you look at it, this amazing stuff. I understand the rush that archaeologists get when they see ancient writings and discover tombs never seen before. Even though I am one of thousands to see these amazing writings, standing in front of them, I feel like I am the first one there! Treasure these writings and records, and preserve them. So many are so defaced, that they are unreadable...that is a shame. Just because they felt the need for graffiti, does not mean that we need to write over them. Respect their history.

Goodbye dear friend, Gretzki 1991-2006

We had to say goodbye to our friend of 15 years just recently. John and I got our little "brown dog" a couple of weeks after we got married. He has been with us in the good times and the tough times. We will miss him greatly. I remember the day we brought him home, he was small and wiry---full of piss and vinegar. He was my dog from day one, and any one that wanted to be my friend, had to pass his test first. It is a tough decision to say goodbye, but we have to figure out ultimately if we are holding on for our loved ones or ourselves.

Goodbye, sweet Brown Dog, you made us laugh a lot in your 15 years. I can't wait to see you again.

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....