Pets - July 28, 2007

Pets are such an important part of our lives. They have therapy dogs that help children with disabilities - such as the two dogs they used to bring in to my sons' primary school. All the kids (750+) loved them - and they really helped the kids with ADD and similar issues (my oldest amongst that number).

There are service dogs, like dogs for the visually impaired, that improve independence and quality of life. There are police dogs, who help sniff out dogs and have been known to sacrifice themselves to protect their human partners.

Here's an animal who was a part of my life.

It took until the 8th grade before I wore my parents down with a request for a dog. The jr high school I attended decorated classroom doors every Christmas season. The drama teacher's dog had puppies around that time and he decorated the door with several boxes that had puppies in them. (The puppies were well taken care of.) But by the time my parents acquiesced, the puppies were gone. I was crushed. One of my classmates, whose father owned the largest local bank, also was looking to adopt out some puppies. On December 23rd we picked out "Sneakers", so named because she had four little white feet. She was a lovable mutt.

My father got mad at me one night because I put a travel alarm clock in her box in the garage (their idea, not mine), because I had read that it comforted puppies who were not with their mother, reminding them of mom's heart beat.

Being wintertime in Salt Lake City, we usually had quite a lot of snow. Sneakers loved it. We used to see her little tail running around in the yard. No, I'm not being crude, but the snow was so high that only the tip of her tail was visible.

My mother would feed Sneakers left-overs some time. Once, and I've no idea why, she fed Sneakers Jell-O on a paper plate. Sneakers's nose got stuck against the plate, and she ran around wildly, unable to see around the plate. It was too funny.

I remember once Sneakers came in dragging. Then I found out why, there was a big gash in her side. I was really worried about her. She lay under a china cabinet for days, hardly moving. A vet just wasn't an option in my parents' opinion. I put food right up under her nose ... nothing ... not a budge ... until I put a couple slices of pepperoni (just the meat, not pizza) nearby. She licked at them a couple of times, then took one slice at a time into her mouth. She made a full recovery.

After I had moved out of my mother's home, I went back to visit all the time (of course). One fall, I was sitting at the dining room table and my brother came in from the back yard with a shovel. I asked him what he was doing. He told me that Mom had told him to dig a hole in the back yard in case Sneakers died that winter (she was about 15 years old by then) and the ground would be too hard to dig. I was REALLY ANGRY about that for a while. I suppose it was practical, but I was not practical where Sneakers was concerned.

Sneakers lived 17 years.

War/Territorialism - July 26, 2007

I guess the lyrics of the song "War" sum up my feelings pretty much. I got the lyrics from http://www.lindqvist.com/index.php?ID=476, although the song was originally done by Edwin Starr. Wikipedia has a good page on this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_(song).

War! huh-yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh


War! huh-yeah
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again y'all


War! huh good God
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me?


Ohhh? War! I despise
Because it means destruction?
Of innocent lives


War means tears
to thousands of mothers eyes
When their sons go to fight
and lose their lives


I said - War! Huh Good God y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again


War! Whoa, Lord ...
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me?


War! It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War! Friend only to the undertaker
War! It's an enemy to all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind

War has caused unrest in the younger generation
Induction then destruction-
Who wants to die?


Ohhh? War Good God y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it, Say it, Say it


War! Uh-huh Yeah - Huh!
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me?


War! It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War! It's got one friend, that's the undertaker
War has shattered many a young mans dreams
Made him disabled bitter and mean
Life is much to precious to spend fighting wars these days
War can't give life, it can only take it away


War! Huh Good God y'all
What is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it again


War! Whoa, Lord ...
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Listen to me?


War! It ain't nothing but a heartbreaker
War! Friend only to the undertaker
Peace Love and Understanding;
tell me, is there no place for them today?
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But Lord knows there's got to be a better way


War! Huh Good God y'all
What is it good for?
You tell me
Say it, Say it, Say it


War! Huh Good God y'all
What is it good for?
Stand up and shout it.
Nothing!

It seems to me, and this is just my personal opinion, that most wars have started because one group of people wanted what another group of people had and thought violent aggression and bullying tactics were the best way to get it. Doesn't make sense to me...HUH!

Women's Health - Sunday, June 22, 2007

Jane Seymour supports the World Heart Federation's advice to women to keep their hearts healthy. A healthy heart is vital for living life to the full. The majority of women, over 60 percent, identify breast cancer as their greatest health concern, yet heart disease and stroke

Roots

What are your roots? Where are they? When, etc etc etc....

I'm talking about genealogy, or your family history. How much do you know? How much would you like to know, or to pass on to your children and their children?

The best way to start is with what you know already. Write down the information for your own family: yourself, spouse, children. The most basic information includes: name at birth, date and place of birth, marriage date and location (if applicable) and date and location of passing (again, if applicable). This information is the framework for your genealogical information, that can be fleshed out later with stories, scrapbooks, journals, pictures.

Most of this information is grouped together in two ways:

a) Family Group Sheet - which usually lists a husband, wife and any children from that union. If there is a divorce or death, and one spouse remarries, that would be a separate sheet.

b) Generational Chart - starts with one person, usually you or a child. Then you add their parents, and their parents, and so on and so on. I'd say an average number of generations on a sheet is 4 ... you, your parents, your grandparents and your great-grandparents. I saw one chart once that had 11 generations. It was a huge, fold-out piece of paper that covered most of a wall. That's my genealogy dream. :)

Interested? Here are a couple of websites you might find handy:

FamilySearch.org is a site run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Whatever your feelings about the organization, they do have probably the most extensive set of genealogical records and resources available in the world. You can even download a free "Personal Ancestral File" software to keep track on your computer.

About Genealogy I love the whole About.com site and their genealogy information is certainly included. Lots of information, resources, product reviews and articles to be had there.

So, if you haven't started collecting your family history/genealogy, I would certainly suggest starting. But whether or not you have started, I hope to share some information about geanalogy monthly on the 21st of each month.

Y'all take care!

Blog Transfer

Well, I had a blog hosted on selectablog.com. Went to sign in today to find out selectablog.com NO LONGER EXISTS!

Well, a strong home and a strong family may fall down in a strong wind, but they cannot be KEPT down. I will have to do a little backtracking and reorganization, but "Family Home Workshop"'s mission of helping to strengthen families and homes will continue.