TREAT ME KINDLY

TREAT ME KINDLY

Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me. Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do. Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps fall upon my waiting ear. When it is cold and wet, please take me inside, for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements. And I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Though, had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land, for you are my god and I am your devoted worshiper. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to talk by your side, and stand ready, willing, and able to protect you with my life should your life be in danger. And, beloved master, should the great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather, hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest - and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.

SPECIAL MEMORY

My Memory of You

I have a memory of youWho loved poetry, even as I.

Who would walk with me through The fields and sigh For far-off dreams.

But youthful dreams did not Come true.

Or so it seems.

I wonder if they ever do. I mean the dreams of life that we Dreamed those long, lazy summer days And nights.

We would sit by the Water and gaze.

At ships that pass. And think how life is like the sea. And we, alas But ships that sail beyond the lea.

Who can control our destiny? Who can say whether your bark And mine Will meet again in some sunny clime Or distant shore?

I hope the fates, if such Have this in store there be,For two such old-timeFriends as we.

TOUCHING A LIFE

TOUCHING SOMEONE'S LIFE

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them. Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy. Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

EVERY WOMAN

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE.............

One old love she can imagine going back to

and one who reminds her how far she has come

Enough money within her control to move out

and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to

Something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams

wants to see her in an hour

A youth she's content to leave behind

A past - juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age

A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra

One friend who always makes her laugh, and one who lets her cry

A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family

Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal

that will make her guests feel honored

A feeling of control over her destiny

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW......

How to fall in love without losing herself

How to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without

ruining the friendship

When to try harder, and when to walk away

That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips,

or the nature of her parents

That her childhood may not have been perfect - but its over

What she would and wouldn't do for love or more

How to live alone - even if she doesn't like it

Whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally

Where to go - be it to her best friend's kitchen table, or a charming inn

in the woods, when her soul needs soothing

What she can and can't accomplish in a day - a month - and a year.

FALL IS HERE

Fall has finally arrived. How do I know? When I let Dakota out this morning he did his thing and than dashed back into the house and grabbed a toy. Out the door he went, tossing teddy bear in the air. When it landed, he flipped over and rolled and rolled in the cold grass. I stood there and laughed and laughed. I left the door open expecting him to come back in for his breakfast. He came back in alright and dashed out the door with another toy and repeated the process. Oh how happy he was. I finally convinced him to come in and eat but it wasn't easy.

It is so great to see him so active and playful at his age. Dakota and I were meant to be as we both feel the same when fall arrives. I don't fly out the door with a toy in my mouth, but I wish I could. It also means the end of thunderstorms. But with all of the progress he made this summer, I'm delighted with his progress and satisfied with his accomplishments. He's doing so well during the day and his stress level has dropped at least 80-90%. Nighttime is a little different but he did make some progress. I'll write about that later.

The computer is limping back to life. I'm slowly getting programs back up and running. The biggest problem are the email files. They are not cooperating. I must have them but I'm running out of ideas of how to accomplish that.

Posting will become more reliable. I found my pictures and a lot of DOCs so life isn't all that bad I guess. But a lot of people will not hear from me because I do not have their address. Quiet isn't so bad, but I miss seeing their messages in the morning.

Now that fall is here, I'm anxious to get busy with Dakota and some training. I think I mentioned that I will be using the CLICKER method with him as I feel he will have more fun with that. It will give me a chance to extend my bonding with him in a fun way. Keep tuned.

MINDLESS BANTER

Humpty Dumpty is still broken so what does one do on Labor Day when you don't have your computer. You pick on what readers you have left and write mindless banter material.

Again, I sit here wondering why they can put men on the moon but the will not make a computer that won't crash. The technology is there. I sure wouldn't want to go to the moon or anywhere without the assurance that my computer would not crash. Every time I've been through this I loose a part of me. Sometimes it's a big part. Those parts cannot be replaced. They were bits and pieces of my life. Some were important, others were not. But life went on and here I am yet again loosing more pieces of my life.

So questions still abound in techno world. Why can't they build a computer that doesn't have a drive that eventually turns into a high pitched sound that grinds on my brain daily. I am one of those persons that has sensitive hearing. I should not be complaining but you have no idea what it is like having that high whine hitting your ears every day - all day. My ears continue to ring after the computer is turned off. Ear plugs? Sure, but you have to give up your love of music and talk radio. Why should I have to do that!!!

Yet another frustrating computer-related monster problem is why can't they make it easy for you to copy your address book? Today's hackers don't seem to have a problem getting into address books. Since we make it so easy and challenging for them, why are we prohibited from easy access to making copies. Viruses sneak into our computers and attach themselves to our contacts, and yet, when my computer crashes, I quite possibly loose all of my contacts and the many links to my world. Have you ever made a copy of that list? You can hand write all of the many addresses into a file in Word, but it usually ends up with errors upon errors. Some use fonts that you simply cannot decipher letters and numbers and they never give a thought to others reading them.

It amazes me how much of "me" is on my computer. Every year there is more and more of "me" stored there. We add memory and increase the data storage of data. Many of us find we are pack rats when it comes to our computer, just as it is in our homes. You hate to delete anything because as soon as you do, you need/want it. There is a growing business in our country where you can hire someone to come in and organize your office or home. They help you throw things away and help you put everything else in order. I need one of those people to help me with my computer. My husband keeps saying - "Don't worry about it, you have plenty of memory." Well, maybe I do, but..................

When my computer crashes and Humpty Dumpty gets put back together again it is never the same. I come back to a strange "house." It doesn't fit like an old pair of slippers. I usually have to use new or upgraded software. My computer isn't "me". I have to work and work to make it mine again. But it is never the same. The worst part is that after you have been working to put it all in order again, you suddenly come upon something that wasn't there before or you go looking for something you knew was in a certainly spot and it's gone. For me it takes a long time to get those new slippers to fit again, but they still are never the same as the old pair. Again, part of me is gone forever. My finger prints are gone. It's a sad time. I'm a Virgo...yup, my birthday was Saturday, and Virgos are organized people. All of my life I have known exactly where I put things. Now computers and old age are changing all of that. My computer and my brain are attacking me and I live in an unsettled world now. Aging is bad enough, but when my computer adds to the problems, it's just not fair. Aging is supposed to be a happy time or so they say. Well, I have news for those who profess it's a great time of your life.....No, I'm not going there this time - maybe some other day.

Time for me to go check and see if any pieces of "me" are coming together again. I sure would like some to pick up this time as there aren't many left. Soon I can go out and look at the beautiful fall colors and breathe in the cool, crisp air. Dakota and I love fall. It's better than any old computer anytime.

DISASTER TIMES TWO

Dear readers,

I hope you are still out there. Please do not desert me just yet. I have experienced one disaster after another. I'm not even sure this message will post to my blog.

My computer crashed. Humpty Dumpty [my husband computer guru] is trying to put it back together again. Even if he is successful, there is little chance that the blogs I wrote to post will be found or survive. Yeah, yeah, we can talk back up, but the genius said that with the extra hard drive, I can just put everything on there as a back up. Sure, great idea, except it's gone too. The brain trust says he's recovered everything but we shall see. To top is all off, I've just spent over an hour writing or rewriting a blog only to save it and have it disappear before my eyes.

Life is not going well at the moment. Please check back as I will be back asap. I have such a wonderful story to tell. I have pictures but I cannot get to them either and some may be gone forever. Hope to be back soon.