I just lost my Wendy.  I will blog more about her and the grief associated with losing her.  A friend sent me the following and I feel that it really introduces the themes of grief, dogs and other pets going to heaven, and the rainbow bridge which will appear in subsequent blogs.
A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.
He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high,white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate,and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, ‘Excuse me, where are we?’
‘This is Heaven, sir,’ the man answered.
‘Wow! Would you happen to have some water?’ the man asked.
‘Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some icewater brought right up.’
The man gestured, and the gate began to open. ‘Can my friend,’ gesturing toward his dog, ‘come in, too?’the traveler asked.
‘I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.’
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

‘Excuse me!’ he called to the man. ‘Do you have any water?’
‘Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.’
‘How about my friend here?’ the traveler gestured to the dog.
‘There should be a bowl by the pump,’ said the man.
They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself,then he gave some to the dog.
When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. ‘What do you call this place?’ the traveler asked.
‘This is Heaven,’ he answered.
‘Well, that’s confusing,’ the traveler said.
‘The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.’
‘Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s Hell.’
‘Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?’
‘No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.’

Please take a few minutes to watch this short video. It is horrifying to think this can happen in our country. I am sick that the civil rights of these farmers can be trampled by one person from the Dept. of Natural Resources leading the charge to take away these farmers’ livelihoods and way of life. 

http://blog.timesunion.com/farmlife/8892/beyond-horrifying-kill-your-pigs-or-pay-20000-for-each/

You’ll need to click on the orange    Hogwash – the American Pig Tale

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved “Wendy” who almost made it to 15. Ch. Rattlebridge Dutch Treat ROM—the first wholecolor ROM. Her heart was great but old age indignities got to the point when she needed to rest.  She rallied so often as she truly did not want to leave me to fend for myself as she was always with me to supervise. I was her total slave and she made sure that I knew it. What can I say? She was my total heart and I cannot believe her diva bark isn’t ringing in my ears or that her ears are not in my face and her head on my neck.  Over the years her ears caught so many of my tears. I had to let her go one week before the second anniversary of Al’s death. Now she can order Al around and the other Rattlebridges at the rainbow bridge.  I always say that if you cannot face the agony of losing them, you never have the joy of having them. She was my joy, my heart, and my salvation after Al died. Rest in peace my Wendy. Meredith

 

 

The following vignette emphasizes the honor we owe our servicemen.
I put my carry-on in the  luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned  seat. It was going to be a long flight. ‘I’m  glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will  get a short nap,’ I thought.

Just before take-off,  a line of soldiers came down the aisle and  filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding  me. I decided to start a conversation.

‘Where are you headed?’ I asked the soldier seated nearest to  me. ‘Petawawa. We’ll be there for two  weeks for special training, and then we’re being  deployed to Afghanistan    After flying for about an hour, an announcement was  made that sack lunches were available for five  dollars… It would be several hours before we  reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch  would help pass the time…

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if  he planned to buy lunch. ‘No, that seems  like a lot of money for just a sack lunch.  Probably wouldn’t be worth five bucks.  I’ll wait till we get to base.’    His friend agreed.    I looked around at the  other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked  to the back of the plane and handed the flight  attendant a fifty dollar bill.  ‘Take a  lunch to all those soldiers.’ She grabbed my  arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with  tears, she thanked me. ‘My son was a soldier in  Iraq ; it’s almost like you are doing it for  him.’  Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the  soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and  asked, ‘Which do you like best – beef or  chicken?’ ‘Chicken,’ I replied,  wondering why she asked. She turned and went to  the front of plane, returning a minute later  with a dinner plate from first class.    ‘This is your thanks.’

After we finished  eating, I went again to the back of the plane,  heading for the rest room.  A man stopped me. ‘I saw what you did. I want to  be part of it… Here, take this.’ He handed me  twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned  to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down  the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he  walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but  noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my  side of the plane. When he got to my row he  stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, ‘I  want to shake your hand.’ Quickly unfastening my  seatbelt I stood and took the Captain’s hand.  With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a soldier  and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought  me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never  forgot.’ I was embarrassed when applause was  heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the  front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A  man who was seated about six rows in front of me  reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He  left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.    When we landed I  gathered my belongings and started to deplane…  Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man  who stopped me, put something in my shirt  pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a  word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the  terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their  trip to the base. I walked over to  them and handed them seventy-five dollars. ‘It  will take you some time to reach the base.   It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.’  Ten young  men left that flight feeling the love and  respect of their fellow travelers.    As I walked briskly to  my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe  return. These soldiers were giving their all for  our country. I could only give them a couple of  meals. It seemed so little…

A veteran is someone  who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank  check made payable to ‘The United States of  America ‘ for an amount of ‘up to and  including my life.’    That is Honor, and  there are way too many people in this country  who no longer understand it.’

It is amazing to me how a little authority of certain officials, usually those who take themselves too seriously,

can lead to power trips, bullying tactics, abuse of authority, and lack of respect toward the citizens who put them in office

in the first place. It seems as if our politicians’ lack of respect for “we the people” has grown in proportion to their lack of respect

for what our country has always stood and for the Constitution under which they serve. M

The Arrogance of Authority

A DEA officer stopped at a ranch in Texas , and talked with an old rancher.

He told the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs."

The rancher said, "Okay , but don’t go in that field over there…..", as he pointed out the location.

The DEA officer verbally exploded saying, " Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me !"

Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removed his badge and proudly displayed it to the rancher.

"See this badge?!  This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish…. On any land !!

No questions asked or answers given!!  Have I made myself clear……do you understand ?!!"

The rancher nodded politely, apologized, and went about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher heard loud screams, looked up, and saw the DEA officer running

for his life, being chased by the rancher’s big Santa Gertrudis bull……

With every step the bull was gaining ground on the officer,

and it seemed likely that he’d sure enough get gored before he reached safety. 

The officer was clearly terrified. The rancher threw down his tools, ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungs…..

          ( just love this part….)

"Your badge, show him your BADGE…….. ! !"

—

In some cultures and countries, history is as current as if events happened yesterday. The Irish can recount every detail of every battle of the history of their country. Memories are long indeed and the same battles fought and dissected in all the local pubs. In our own local Appalachian culture, clan warfare is still hotly remembered just as in the saga of the Hatfields and McCoys. However, as a country, our memories seem very short indeed when it comes to remembering our own history as a nation and all the men and women who fought and sacrificed to keep our Flag waving. Patriotism needs a real shot in the arm in our land and maybe the following will hit its target. Memorial Day is for remembering, honoring, respecting, and emulating our heroes not only those who have won Congressional Medals of Honor like our hero below or shed blood and died to keep us free, but all those unsung heroes who have made and are still making a difference in keeping America the greatest country in the world.

Happy Memorial Day, Meredith.

VanT. Barfoot died at the age of 92 on 2 March 2012.

Remember the guy who wouldn’t take the flag down? You might remember a news story several months ago about a crotchety old man who defied his homeowners association and refused to take down the flagpole on his property and the large flag that flew on it. Now you can find out who, exactly, that old man was. On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg — probably didn’t make much news back then. Twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Carano, Italy, Van T. Barfoot, who had enlisted in the US Army in 1940, set out to flank German machine gun positions from which fire was coming down on his fellow soldiers. He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war.

If that wasn’t enough for a day’s work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.
That probably didn’t make much news either, given the scope of the war, but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a Colonel after also serving in  Korea and Vietnam, a Congressional Medal of Honor.

What did make news… was a neighborhood association’s quibble with how the 90-year-old veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home. Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot’s 21-foot flagpole were unsuitable. 

He had been denied a permit for the pole, erected it anyway and was facing court action if he didn’t take it down. 

Since the story made national TV, the neighborhood association has rethought its position and agreed

to indulge this old hero who dwells among them. “In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference,” Barfoot told The Associated Press. As well he should. And if any of his neighbors still takes a notion to contest him, they might want to read his Medal of Honor citation. It indicates he’s not real good at backing down.

Van T. Barfoot’s Medal of Honor citation:

This 1944 Medal of Honor citation, listed with the National Medal of Honor Society, is for Second Lieutenant Van T. Barfoot.

WE ONLY LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE… BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE!  AND, BECAUSE OF OLD MEN LIKE VAN BARFOOT!

 

In Memoriam

 

 

Even if you don’t care about hunting, Gotta Love Ted!

 

?

Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan , was being interviewed by a liberal journalist, an animal rights activist.  The discussion came around to deer hunting.

The journalist asked, ‘What do you think is the last thought in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, ‘Are you my friend?’ or is it ‘Are you the one who killed my brother?

Nugent replied, ‘Deer aren’t capable of that kind of thinking. All they care about is, what am I going to eat next, who am I going to screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like the Democrats in Congress.’

The interview ended.

 

Cyber won Best in Specialty Show at the Meadowlands Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club in New York in February the day before Cavaliers were shown at Westminster in which Cyber was not entered. Under breed specialist, Mrs. Mea Askins Kendall from the UK, Cyber won over all the top ranked Cavaliers in this country with my short, chubby, arthritic legs trying to keep up with him.  He and I are a team and he is very patient with his “mother” as this dog could show himself!  I have not been back to New York from whence I originally came since Al’s last long term bout with cancer and his passing (probably over six years).

Because of circumstances in my present life which I will explain when I do another “Catching Up” entry, I have not really blogged in months and probably lost all those interested in following my blog and some of my political rantings. Anyway, Cyber and I have gone not entered the ring together since the Meadowlands but look forward to stepping out in the future. Meanwhile he and I are busy doing yard work (I plant and he unplants), raising lovely tricolor puppies (not his but his uncle Clooney’s), and vacuuming dog hair (he sheds and I vacuum).  I adore this dog as well as my others, but Cyber has a sense of humor and I am usually the target of his laughter! 

 

UPDATED LIST OF PET TOXINS

 

 

Both known and unknown toxins can be found hiding in our houses and yards. In 2011, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) in Urbana, IL, fielded more than 165,900 phone calls about pets exposed to poisonous substances. –italics are my comments from experience. Meredith

Visit our poison app on Facebook

 

1. Prescription Human Medications

Almost 25,000 calls last year were about human prescription medications. Pets, especially dogs, are notorious for ingesting any dropped pill. Cardiac and ADHD medications make up a large percentage of these calls. Always make sure to take these medications in a safe place away from your pets.

2. Insecticides

Insecticides were the subject of 11% of calls to the ASPCA in 2011. These include products used on the lawn, in the house and on the pet. The most important thing to do is read the label before you use any insecticide, and never use a product labeled for dogs on cats. I know of two cases personally in which dogs died due to horrible allergic reactions to lawn sprays. 

3. Over-the-Counter Human Medications

Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen can kill your pet. Never give any medication to your pet without consulting with your veterinarian first.

4. People Food

Chocolate is still the number one people food that pets ingest (we received over 7,600 calls last year). Too much chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, high heart rate and seizures. The second most common food is xylitol (the sugar substitute). Xylitol can cause seizures and liver failure in dogs.  (Raisins are also very poisonous to dogs.)

5. Household Products

It is amazing what animals can find to chew up around the house from fire logs to paint. Some household items may just cause stomach upset, while others can be deadly.

6. Veterinary Medications

Chewable medications make it easy to give your dog or cat a pill. However, this tasty pill can also mean that the pet, if given access, will ingest all the pills in the bottle. Always make sure to keep pet medications out of reach. Contact your veterinarian if your pet ingests more than its proper dose of medication or ingests another pet’s medication.

7. Rodenticides

When putting out baits to kill mice and rats, never underestimate the resourcefulness of your pet. Most bait is grain based and is attractive to dogs. Depending on the type of rodenticide, ingestion can cause internal bleeding, kidney failure or seizures. (If a dog eats rat poison, do not induce vomiting.  Keep vitamin K in your first aid kit and begin administering at once to counteract internal bleeding. Rush to the vet.)

8. Plants

About 4% of our phone calls are pet parents calling about their animals eating plants. This is one category that cats lead dogs in the number of exposures. Lilies can cause kidney failure and death in cats. Please see our list of toxic/non-toxic plants for more information. 

9. Lawn and Garden Products

Fertilizers, which can be made of dried blood, poultry manure and bone meal, are very attractive to pets, so it is not surprising that we get many calls (almost 3,900 in 2011) on lawn and garden items.  (One of my Cavaliers living with my orthopedic surgeon licked the fertilizer just applied by the lawn care company and burned his esophagus.  No amount of money or expertise could save this beautiful boy, Jeffrey, after a valiant fight.  He is sorely missed and still deeply loved by his grieving family.)

10. Automotive Products

With more people keeping their animals inside (especially cats), the number of animals exposed to automotive products (antifreeze, brake fluid, etc.) has dropped. This is great news since many of these products, if ingested, can be life-threatening to pets.

If you have any reason to suspect your pet has ingested something toxic, please contact your veterinarian or the Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435.