Frosting the Cake

Cake is an interesting dessert. Bakers decorate cakes with whipped cream, frosting flowers, little objects, pictures, and messages. Regardless of the what's on the outside, when you cut into it, it's still just cake. Maybe chocolate, or lemon, or just plain white........but cake nonetheless. Sometimes that frosting is so thick on a piece of cake, that I will cut it off and toss it. The cake is really the good part.

I think humans are much like cakes. We decorate ourselves with appearances, education, work, money, and a plethora of  belief systems.  In the end, when we look at the inside, we are all imperfect humans, each of us flavored slightly differently. Sometimes the frosting of life is so thick that nobody has any idea what flavor the human cake actually is.

I recently had to come to terms with my own "cake-ness" and accept that I am what I am. The DNA won't change, no matter how hard I work or what belief systems I have implemented. It is not an easy idea to master after 50 years of frosting oneself.

lw

Hello, Texas.......

I was back in Amarillo for some time with family and friends. In Texas, one experiences all kinds of things one doesn't  get in Portland. In case you haven't been to Amarillo, I will hit the highlights.

Yup! Those are cows in the city.

1. SUNSHINE ( and flat brown landscape)  Although the sun was shining, the wind chill set the temp about 10 degrees lower. The air was so dust ridden that the sky spit an odd type of mud for a few minutes.  Any dryer and I would have disintegrated into a pile of crumbs like a crushed saltine, been swept into an envelope, and mailed back to Portland. It ain't pretty compared Portland, and if you are there long enough, you get used it .

6 kinds of Mac & just gettin' started

2. MAC & CHEESE - I had never been to a Mac & Cheese cook off. I sampled about 24  takes on this old time comfort food. Some were original and super tasty. Others made me want to spit. (I actually did spit a few times.) I have no idea who won the contest as my family was done eating and headed towards the nearest couches. Even taking only a bite or two of each caused me to swell up like the blueberry girl in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I did manage to waddle out on my own without a trip to the juicing room.

Bucket o' Coke

3. EVERYTHING'S BIGGER - Ordered a tall and got the PDX equivalent of grande. Ordered a glass and got a bucket. The ribs and brisket at the local BBQ joint are served by the POUND with an entire loaf of white bread. The Chicken fried steaks are the size of a plate served in a mini swimming pool of country gravy. The trash cans are enormous too, and they are right behind everyone's house. Imagine being able to legally throw away a chair or a dead goat right behind your house. If you are from PDX, you can't. If you are from Texas, no problem.

Mandy

4. ANIMALS EVERYWHERE - My sister has a horse in her backyard. When I was a little kid my babysitter told me how a horse killed her daughter. Ever since I have been terrified of the hoofed beasts. I overcame this deadly story and mustered the courage to feed Mandy. I am grateful that I didn't die.

Buddy

My mother's Brittany is one of the dumbest dogs I have ever met.  He runs the fence line non stop, has jumped through closed (yes, I said closed) windows, destroyed blinds and bedding, and gone AWOL so many times, mom has lost count. In spite of his insanity, this dog is makes me smile every time he sheds his white hair all over my black jeans. He sits with his crossed paws and throws his simpleton gaze straight at my heart. He subbed in for my own kids so I didn't dissolve from lack of dog love while I was away.



In spite of all these great benefits, I am glad to be back in Portland where a tall is a tall, it rains all winter,  and I can't throw any large animals in the trash by my house. I missed you Portland. It's good to be home.
lw

Living with Therapy Dogs

For the last 15 years I have lived with Therapy Dogs, until now. I said goodbye to latest Therapy Dog in my life just after Christmas. I hope to live with one again someday.

Therapy Dog visits often provided the background for some amazing stories. Daniel, my first therapy dog, was an opportunist and a master manipulator.  We visited assisted living and nursing facilities. He worked with disabled children. He went to work with me everyday in the dog rehab clinic where he motivated other dogs to try things they may not have tried. For the most part he was unflappable. Escalators, elevators, moving sidewalks, airplane and train rides phased him not. He won over everyone he met. 

I used to say that he could perform Jedi mind tricks. "That is not the sandwich you are looking for. Move that sandwich over here." Gulp! 

In once instance, while on a visit in a rec room of a nursing home, he elected to investigate the crackle of an elderly gentleman's potato chip bag. He raised his nose and applied the Jedi mind tricks. The man promptly bopped him square on the head with his fist. Daniel reeled from the impact for a nanosecond and was all set to try again as I intervened. 

In that same facility, one resident used to sneak him cheese puffs. She thought I didn't know. However, Daniel's ability to track this person from anywhere in the facility, tipped me off. Not to mention the cheese powder on his white lips. We secretly called her "Cheetoh Lady". 

Our work netted him awards from Oregon Animal Hall of Fame and the Delta Society. There was no better therapy animal anywhere. 

As Daniel aged, I thought it best to bring in another Therapy Dog. Casey May had retired from flyball due to a neck injury, and since she liked people I introduced her to a second career. She  took to it happily and it was great for me to have a dog small enough to carry around and put on laps. As she aged she agreed to be carried even more. 

We found her niche as one of the first "Read to the Dogs" dogs at the Hillsboro Library. At the age of 13 she let me know that she was ready to retire when a rambunctious  youngster shoved her nose straight into Casey's face. Her lips went up and the white teeth against her black fur shone forth like sunshine on metal forks. I intervened on her behalf and distracted the child. When she did it a second time, I stopped the visit and took her home. She had run out of patience and I honored her decision to become Princess Couch Potato. 

As Casey was near the end of her career I borrowed, Robert, from my sister.  In some ways he reminded me of the "other brother Daryl" from the Newhart show. However, his sweet nature made it easy to forget that he wasn't too bright.  He was ecstatic to take Casey's place at the library. Each time he got a bath, he spent the entire day pacing about and waiting by the front door in anticipation of his visit. His one downfall was that he would get car sick and he would often present me with his last treat or meal in the car on the way to or from the library. The librarians would feed him Beggin Strips and other questionable treats. I always let him take the loot knowing that I might get it back in the car. In spite of this, I wasn't going to deny him. He did the work and deserved the rewards. He was favorite of kids and library staff. 

 He was not unflappable like Daniel, nor was he a princess like Casey May. He was just a really, really good dog who loved his belly rubbed. We miss him at our house. We miss them all.

Casey May Junebug, 1996-2014

Robert Francis Vanderbison, 2005-2015

Daniel P. Spaniel, 1994-2010

Six Haikus By Dogs

Water Dish

Oh porcelain friend

Who gushes forth fine waters

Thy name is toilet.

Ball

Round, yellow, felted pal,

I cannot control my zoom

When you fly by me.

Squirrel

It teases me from

Up high, where I cannot reach.

So I must BARK! BARK!

Toy

Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!

My human is annoyed now.

I am happy. Squeak!

Hair of the Dog

Oh who is that there

Crouched softly behind that door?

Fluffy pile of me.

Why We Don’t Have a Coffee Table

My tail wags so hard

When I see my human friend.

Sorry about your cup.

Dog's World

** These fine haikus were written with the help of all the dogs I know and have loved. lw

Why Dogs Don't Have Snowball Fights

I have never seen dogs have snowball fights. They roll in it, eat it, dig it, pee on it, and run with joy through it.  It is because they can't make snowballs? Clearly not, since my own dog can make a snowball in a few seconds. (See video.) As you can see he makes himself a very nice snowball, complete with tennis ball center,  which he dumps in front of me as a request to throw it for him. If you put this video on repeat, it would be a synopsis of my snowy morning with Pi:  make snowball, drop it, watch it go, retrieve it, repeat process again and again. 

While he is great at making the snowball, he has no concept of how to throw it. If he did throw it, he would simply retrieve it for himself. The thought of throwing something at anyone (dog or human) simply doesn't occur in his world. That's the answer! Enjoy the snow today.  I know the dogs are. 

lw 

Why I liked Star Wars............

When the original Star Wars movie came out I was around 12. Dad loved Sci Fi and he kept hearing about this movie. I had seen the trailer and was stoked to see it. Dad loaded up his three girls and took us to the theater.  My sister was 8 and wasn't tall enough to see over the people in front of us. I remember her sitting on Dad's lap through most of the film. I think we had some candy we shared.

My dad wasn't a fan of being stuck in a chair for over 2 hours without a cigarette so he was happy to drop us off  and go about his business. Star Wars is the only movie I recall seeing in a theater with Dad. We loved the movie and rehashed it over and over again. It was the only movie I could talk about with my dad. I don't think Dad ever bothered to watch any of the sequels, so  Episode IV was all we had.

The latest Star Wars episode brought it all back to me. I was relieved to see Han Solo complete with Wookie sidekick. Certainly he was older, possibly wiser, and that didn't matter. He was there just like before.  Thank you Carrie Fisher for showing up again as the now General Leia and staying true to the character. I was so happy to see you too, unafraid to speak your mind and take on the bad guys. Pooh, pooh to the critics who picked on you for not looking exactly the same as you did in the original trilogy 30 years ago. You got older and so did I.  It's what happens when you don't die.

In the age before we all had video players and Netflix, the only way to see a movie was to "go to the movies" or wait years for something to come to TV. While Stars Wars was one of many movies I saw as a kid, it was for sure the most memorable for my family. We had a moment in time where everyone was on the same page about something we all thought was fantastic. Those moments didn't come often for us.  Even though they weren't with me when I saw the latest rendition of Star Wars, the memories flooded in fresh. I was grateful to recall it all.

lw

Addendum 1/1/17

With the sudden passing of Carrie Fisher last week, I found myself a bit low. She wasn't my friend, and I never met her personally, and yet, as a fan I grieved her loss. I appreciated that rather than shrug off the Star Wars character, she embraced Princess Leia once again and portrayed her as an even stronger, mature female character who had done her share of suffering and still, wasn't going to give up. When today's young women envision a princess, I hope it's Carrie Fisher's version that comes to mind instead of some tiara wearing, tantrum throwing, spoiled rich girl. For me, she redefined "princess"  as a tough, sassy, smart, champion of justice.

May the Force be you, Carrie Fisher, Your legacy continues.

Invisible People

I went through the drive through at McDonald's on the way to work today. I got my standard breakfast of champions. Cindy was in the window as she is most mornings. I try very hard to exchange polite greetings with her through my sleep deprived state.

Sometimes we engage briefly. When the line is long or people are taking too much time, she tells me to have a great day and continues her work.

I can imagine that her job is filled with grumpy coffee cravers who pay her no mind. She is a means to an end rather than a person  with needs and dreams. I wonder if she feels invisible........ like nobody really sees her in that window. They just want coffee and egg sandwiches as quickly as possible.

Today was different. There was no line. So when I asked her if she had a good holiday, I learned more about Cindy than I ever thought possible. She told me about her children, their partners, and her grandchildren.

Some of them live with her. They were all together for Christmas in rather close quarters. All her grandchildren are under the age of 8. One of her sons  has partial custody of his children.  Her son's fiance doesn't like her much. She has no idea why. She wishes that she made enough money to put her grandchildren in nice preschools. In spite of that,  she thinks the kids do OK anyway.

I probably listened to her for 7-8 minutes until we the saw the bag with my burrito in it being impatiently flagged out the pick up window. She stopped talking for a second, thanked me for asking, and told me to have a great day like she always does. What I noticed was how excited Cindy was for getting to share 7 minutes of her life with someone she barely knows but who was willing to listen. The thing is that it really was my pleasure to talk to her. She is still in the window at the drive through and now I know her. Visible!! And she knows me! Visible!

We all know what it's like to feel invisible, dismissed by someone we care about, unheard by a boss, uninvited by a peer, disconnected from our neighbors, ignored when you need help the most. Deny it if you like, and I would be shocked to find one human being who can say they have never felt invisible.

Are we not all striving to be visible?  In this quest, we forget the other invisibles around us. If we all lived our lives in a such a manner that nobody was ever invisible to us, what would that look like? What would the world be like if we all connected? Would that make us more visible to others? Conduct your own experiment. Tell the world what happens.