INTERESTING TIMES

Maybe you're not like my neighbors.  They're fine people, decent people.  However, their two poodles are currently gated on the front porch of their house and barking at everything that goes by.  The constant noise pollution is not welcome.  I will remember this if I ever want to have a loud party or run a saw at 5:30am.  Consideration gets consideration.

This morning when I was done working in the garden I headed for the house only to realize on the steps that something was on the bottom of my sandal.  I scraped it off on the edge of the steps and it was dog shit.  I hosed off my shoe and the steps.  It may seem like a small thing to you, that your dog does not come when you call it and loves to shit in my garden, but it is not a small thing to me.

Yesterday I went for a walk with a girlfriend who has two dogs.  She wanted me to walk one but I begged out.  The one that she did bring, an American pitbull, was kept on leash the whole time.  It took the treats which were offered regularly regardless of behavior, and appeared indifferent to the kiddie talk tone taken in her speech.  It kept jumping on me, and slobbering on my legs whenever we stopped.  Slobbering may be normal in your world, but I don't want it in mine.

I live across the street from a park, and people walk their dogs past here all day every day.  I have a cat.  My cat hates dogs with a ferocity I have never seen in another creature.  She will go out of her way to draw blood if the dog is clueless enough to get in range.  But some dogs would kill her if they caught her, and she recognizes that kind and runs, climbs, escapes.  The park rules are that all dogs are to be on leash at all times except for when inside the dog park, which is always available.  I believe city rules are the same.  Any dog owner stupid enough to let their dog in my yard deserves the vet bill.  Any dog that is hunter enough to threaten my cat should be on leash.

My last pet was a dog.  I loved him deeply.  I did a real dog obedience training with him, with a lady who trained German shepherds for the police.  We both learned, and we had a language.  He did not run off to shit in someone else's yard.  I could call him off a chase when other dogs were still chasing.  He would sit and watch quietly when I spotted wildlife.  He would heel, really heel without a leash on, and stay.  He would stay laying in the shade while I had lunch in a restaurant.  So when you say your dog is well trained, at a bare minimum I expect that you can call them back to you and they will come.  Every time.  If he's not well trained, he should be on a leash.

Postscript: I texted my neighbors to ask for some quiet and admitted that the dog barking was getting to me.  They took the dogs indoors and the noise has stopped.  I can feel my blood pressure gradually dropping back toward normal.

I think that when this cat dies I will not have any more pets.  It is very American to have pets, it helps us with the isolation.  But I would rather hang out with my neighbors than listen to their pets.  I would rather make love to my partner than pet the cat.  I would rather not have a litter box to clean or warm piles of dung to pick up with a plastic bag.  The numbers are astounding about pet ownership in the US: could it be that we are substituting cats, dogs, computers and phones for having real connections with other people?

Monday today, and there was so much snow in Portland that businesses were closed. People have been cooped up for long enough that today they got bold, dug out their boots and winter coats, and headed out. Cabin fever makes people especially silly. Myself, I went cross country skiing with neighbor Larry. We skied over to Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and skied down to the Wilamette river. It was low and slow and quiet. Then we skied along the back trail toward Sellwood, and out onto the open grassy marsh where the birds hang out. The stream was frozen and the wind had swept the snow around, so the surface was flat and not too deep...very nice skiing. We unfortunately disturbed a group of SEVEN great blue herons that were holed up out there in the grass. When we got too close they took off as a group, six flying downstream and one flying upstream. We were sorry to disturb them, but pleased to see them.

Up on the hill we could see the crematorium. It is getting a new paint job. Somebody is painting various birds on the ugly cement building. It is pretty cool.

My computer seems to be on the fritz after I got greedy ripping music from Suzanne's CD's. It shuts down randomly and without warning. So I am cutting this post short. HOpe you are having a good winter!

Kitten is racing around the livingroom, batting bits of dirt on the slippery almost-wood floor. The lesbian neighbors are getting their yard done. Every week those guys are here trimming and mowing and making the place look like fantasyland. "Cierren la puerta" one of them yells, after the lady yells at him to close the gate, her dog might run away. I would run away too. I did run away. I was going to sunbathe up on the roof but her harsh voice and their mowing was incentive enough to come back inside and braindump instead.
( braindump )

Just got home, nearly 8pm, long day. Did OK on the microbiology test. Not great but good enough. Fish tacos are in the oven. There are small black ants on my desk and I kill each one that I see and put it in the trash. So much for utter nonviolence. From 5-7pm I attended the first meeting of a support group suggested by a classmate. The theme is intimate relationships, making them work, keeping them right. Five of us were there and we each had an opportunity to share some of our story and get some feedback. I was glad the group was small. S said that some 20 people had responded to his email to say they were interested. So 1/4 showed. Not bad. There were two of us there for whom nonviolent communication is an important tool, and I think we will probably end up doing a presentation about it to the rest of the group. I would like to teach NVC. It is a favorite.
( mental download )