Monday, January 22, 2018

NOOOOOOOO! I grew up very close to UC Berkeley. Lots and lots of hippies in my area. THEY SCARED THE **** OUT OF ME!!!!!

Seriously, from a kid's POV (point of view) they all looked wild, smelled funny and ironically looked the same! They were weird, too. (Probably not so much, but to a 4 to 10 year old a stoned hippie is a weird-O and scary!)

One of the most offensive smells to me in the world is patchouli oil! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!

Oops... did I write that out loud? LOL

I actually remember being afraid of the hippies too!

Weight: 130.2
Macros: Cals - 1,670, carbs - 161, fats ? 63, protein - 103, fiber - 31
Veggies/Fruits (goal 8): 8
Sleep (goal 8 hours): 7
Exercise: Walking

Last night I slept 7 hours again.

Yesterday's 8 V/Fs came from baby sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, spring greens, avocado, carrots, broccoli, and blueberries.

Today the sun is shining. Did a little yoga. Went to aquarobics class. Will finish my husband's obituary today. Plan to walk later and do a crossword.

This morning at the post office I ran into "X." She came over, leaned in, and whispered, "How ARE you?"

Today's Theme: "Fine, thank you."

Where is the F-it doll when you need it?!?!

Oh no Ann, not "X" again! I would love to read Dh's obit - could you share the link if it will be on-line? Did you decide if you will have a memorial service yet? Guess what I did this past weekend? Made my DH's "Celebration of Life" slideshow. Pics of him from baby to present set to music. This way he can see it too and let me know if he wants any changes! I'm really considering having the bigger "Celebration of Life" party while he can still attend and enjoy it and maybe have a smaller version after he is gone. Not very conventional maybe, but why not?

I think that's a great idea to have two! My mom's celebration of life was really uplifting with fun stories, a few hundred of her friends (she was a people collector), a DJ playing all her favorite 70s and 80s country music, great food, an open bar, etc. I think she would have enjoyed being there (though I like to think she was in spirit)...

Not exactly the same, but my daughter's best friend and roommate had a party a few weeks before she died so she could see everyone. DD helped create the list of participants, who were all friends who had been dear to her at some point in her life (some she hadn't seen in years). I remember one old acquaintance was not invited and got angry about it but Elise didn't like her when she hung with the group. She basically said that she wasn't going to waste her time at this point with someone she didn't care for. She loved that party.

I have to say, I'm just not into football this year. I just can't sit still that long. Cross country skiing was fabulous once I was able to release the annoyance and frustration I was feeling toward the idiots who intentionally tromped entire runs of cross country tracks. It's challenging enough to navigate around the snowmobile tracks, but purposeful destruction galls me. I decided I could either let my anger build and mumble "Are you f...ing kidding me !?" Every few glides, or just let it go and enjoy. I chose the latter and we explored an additional loop at the end.

Sadie and I have a busy therapy week, visiting a middle school in a little while, the VA this evening and an elementary school tomorrow. I'll need to be mindful of her stress level, as that's a lot to ask of her. One of the articles we were given after puppy class Saturday underscored making the first fifteen minutes of any leash walk in the heel position, all business...no exploration, THEN " releasing" the dog to walk ahead, follow smells, etc. Granted, Atlas won't be leash walking that long for a few months but I do not follow that practice with Sadie. She has a harness and leather leash she wears when she's working, and she shifts to an all business model. When leisure walking, I use a collar and retractable leash, and let her sniff and explore. Thoughts ? I'm sure I started her leash training as a pack leader...

Glad your skiing went well and that you were able to put aside the anger and enjoy the day after all. Our dogs lead us on walks, so I'm not the one to give advice! Bella pulls so hard that she chokes herself!

I am a firm believer that a well trained dog knows the difference between collars and the activities that accompany each collar. I use different leads for different things. Leisure walking is done on a leather slip lead. Obedience work is done on a chain slip collar and conformation work is initially done on a martingale and then to a nylon slip lead and finally when the dog is truly trustworthy and predictable, I will use a traditional show lead (a waxed cotton noose type of lead).

If Sadie is a well trained and sensitive and cognitively aware as i believe she must be to advanced so quickly in her service work, I would wager she is quite aware of the different leads you use. If she is all business when her harness is on (and I'm assuming her vest, too) I would not worry about it.

There is a huge difference between a pack leader that leads by controlling behavior and the pack leader that inspires behavior. Both are acceptable to the dog. I have found one works better with a pack involving multiple dogs, than the other. Initially, being a controlling pack leader yields higher results. Sort of like direct instruction and teaching formulas. Being an inspirational leader to the pack can be more work initially, especially in the case of a pup like Atlas (higher independence level) and may be less rewarding in the short term. Inspirational pack leaders teach concept and process and allow pups to learn through success and failure. The long term results, however, can be amazing once the trustful bond between alpha and beta has been formed. You have to decide which type of pack leader you want to be to your dogs. There is no reason that you can not be a little bit of both types for Atlas, who may need some firm structure while he is learning process, synthesizing and application.

I've said it for a 1/4 century: Kids and dogs - not so different!