Where's My Camera??

In a recent post by DAD GONE MAD, one of my favorite bloggers, Danny mentioned something that he was once told about work. Do what you love and the money will follow. I wonder...is that true? I would like it to be and a part of me does believe that if I stop working at jobs that "pay the bills" and do what I love (and I am best at), I will be able to make a good living off of my passions.

I asked a friend of mine today what she would do for work if she could make good money doing something she loves. She shocked me by saying she did not know. When I asked myself that question, at least part of the answer came so quickly to me. I would work with dogs. My recent dealings with my own family of dogs has renewed my love for their company and my desire to understand them better. I think I lost that part of myself when I lost Kayla.

All of my passions in life have always been over-shadowed by my love for animals. I am a music fanatic, always believing I would have done well in the music industry. I need music daily...I need to sing, I need to tap to the beat, I need to dance (if only in my chair at work). Music is a huge part of my life. Nature itself is a necessity to me. Whatever I am doing, I am happiest if I can do it outside. Photography is also something I have always wished I had more talent in. I love looking at photographs taken by others, I love seeing a potentially fabulous shot (if only I could remember to bring my camera with me once in awhile). Honestly, I am not a great photographer. I am probably not even a good photographer, but that does not stop me from enjoying every aspect of it (except having my own picure taken...but that's another issue.)

Is it possible to roll some of these things into a career? Dogs, Nature and photography? Since I was a small child, I have dreamed of being a photographer for National Geographic Magazine...speciaizing in wolves. Yes, I know that dream most likely will not occur in this lifetime..maybe the next.

I have decided that I need to bring my camera with me more often. I want to capture the unbelievable sunrises I am privy too first thing in the morning as I drive to work. I want to show others the herd of deer I see all the time in Great Cedar Swamp so early in the morning. If I had my camera the day I had to stop to allow a Mother Duck and her FIFTEEN Ducklings pass, I would have proof that she actually had that many babies at once. It was amazing! I am not saying taking my rather archaic little digital camera around and getting mediocre shots of the daily sightings I find wonderous will be any sort of money making scheme, but it will give me some record of the miracles of the day, rather than always remembering the stresses. These "miracles" will give me hope and inspiration...two things that can only lead to greatness.

Note to Self

Don't mess with blog template at work. Now I don't have time to fix the mess I made. Oh well.

Dog Days

The past week has been fascinating. It has been a long time since I attempted to integrate an adult dog into our "pack". Lucky for all of us, Dyna is a great dog. She is quiet and knows her place. Sadly enough for Vaquita...Dyna's place is above my wee pup. She displayed that fact by chasing the pup away from the bowl of food Vaquita was enjoying. I did have to snap back (verbally, of course) at Dyna for chasing Vaquita away, but I can't blame her for establishing her dominance over my Spotted Nuisance, especially as Vaquita does not live in my house with Isis and Dyna, she lives at my Guy's house.

Isis can be a tough dog to figure out. Some dogs she likes, some she hates. She is the same with people. I took Wednesday off to spend with Isis and Dyna on their first full day together. It was a lovely day, so we spent a lot of time outside in the yard. As I sat and read a book, the dogs did what I can only be describe as a dance. They never looked directly at each other, as that would be a sign of aggression. Each watched the other out of the corner of her eye, keeping her curiosity private. Isis would wander around the yard investigating the grass, while Dyna "followed" her. If I were not paying attention to them, I would not think Dyna was following Isis, but her movements were calculated. She always stayed between 6 and 10 feet from her new companion, again, never directly watching her. Dyna was sure to sniff the same spots though that Isis had just had her nose on a minute before. Isis knew what Dyna was doing, I know my Chow...she was positioning her body in such a way that she always had an eye on Dyna, but never invited her to join in on the fun. Later in the day, they found a spot on the lawn and lounged about. Dyna wasn't sure where to go. She is still insecure about her surroundings. She would run to me, then into the yard again, then back to me on the deck. As the afternoon passed, Dyna decided to test her limits. She wandered onto the grass about 5 feet from where Isis was laying. She never looked at her, but kept her head low, circling. Isis never turned to see her, but wagged her tail ever so slightly. Apparently that was the ok for Dyna to lay down. She still remained about 5 feet from Isis, but she was able to lay down and relax, rather than wander around in a seemingly lost state.

Since that day, Dyna has gotten a bit more confident and the girls seem to trust each other. They sniff the same areas on walks and will lay withing a couple feet of each other. Isis will still not show any interest in Dyna...she is being her typical off-standish Chow Chow self, but that's fine. Dyna is respecting Isis' wants and not being a nuisance. Now I just have to get Vaquita to accept that Dyna is not going to kill her when they are in the house together and Vaquita can not run into Dyna's side when they run around together on walks. Pups!

I am hoping to get some pictures this weekend. I have a busy weekend ahead, which includes bathing Vaquita, Jade and Jasmine. Isis and Dyna got their baths this past weekend. I have spent the week healing my back from bending over and wrestling with Dyna over her bath...so here I go again.

A New Day

Dyna is here. Yesterday afternoon actually went off without a hitch. I have never driven to Logan Airport on my own, and during rush-hour traffic added an extra worry. I got in and out of the airport with no real issues (except some shock over the $15 parking charge for a couple hours).

She is a sweet dog. Isis has growled at her a couple times and she just backs away and respects Isis' space. I think they will be ok. I do have to keep an eye on her though, as she is underweight, therefore hungry and doesn't hesitate to jump up at the counter if she knows there is food up there. She has never had her own home though, so I can not really blame her for bad manners. She will learn.

Last night went well, she was quiet and made no messes. Isis and I are going to take Dyna on her first walk around cranberry bogs. Hopefully after a couple walks together, the girls will start to bond. Isis is a stubborn Chow, but I know she trusts me not to put her into harms way. It is going to be a perfect weather day...I am going to get outside and enjoy it!

When Will The Storm Pass?

I need to stop reading the news. I have a lot of down-time at work, therefore to keep boredom at bay I head right to the main news websites. I read about thousands of people dying from a cyclone and their government’s lack of effort to help them. I read about hundreds of young students being buried under the rubble of their school after an earthquake. I read about a Mother who throws her child out a window TWICE in order to kill the girl and then kills herself. I read about a Father who holds his daughter prisoner for over 20 years and fathers 7 children with her. All this horrid news is overwhelming. I wonder what the hell is happening out there. The weather is insane. I will not get into the Global Warming debate with anyone, but I will say...Mother Nature must be pissed. Then there is the incredibly awful behavior of people all over the world. I do not remember such atrocities in the past. People keep saying that before these events were not recorded, written about and discussed. I can accept that as part of the reason, but I also believe that it was never this bad. Something is happening.

I have been re-reading Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth”. I believe what he calls the Ego and the Pain Body, which exists in all of us, is the cause of the recent onslaught of negativity. Some people are beginning to slowly “awaken” and become aware of their own presence and consciousness and the ego’s are fighting back, causing violence. Because all our energies are connected to all things, connected to the energy of our planet, all the negativity is having an effect on the environment. I could be way off base, it could just be crazy weather and more crazy people, but it does not feel as though it is a simple weather issue or simply more open reporting. I worry about how bad it will get before the darkness finally parts and peace reins. I guess all I can do if work on myself and defeating my own inner “demons”.

A New Friend

The big day is fast approaching!! Dyna will be arriving in Boston next Tuesday night. I am very excited, yet quite nervous at the same time. I am afraid I have my Mom's nervous/worried streak. She is totally wigging out about the whole situation, from whether Isis will be upset to how I will get to the airport on my own and get the dog and the crate into the car. As I type this blog, I am starting to wonder myself if I will be able to work this one. The crate will most likely be quite large....will it fit into my car? Along with a large dog? Uh oh.......

Well, no point in getting myself upset, I will figure it out. I always do.