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Let freedom ring! We are so blessed to live here. There are a lot of wonderful places in the world, but none with the type of history and freedoms that this country has had. I hope you have a fantastic and safe holiday celebrating our country's independence.
Times change and so must we. The more things change the more they stay the same. Which is true? Are they both true? Is it only our surroundings that change and we stay the same or do we by necessity change in order to adapt to our changing environment? Is it only the way in which we interact with our surroundings that changes or does our inward, fundamental character change as well?
I believe that both statements are true. We do have to change and adapt as things around us change. Sometimes those changes can be quick and necessary as in a matter of survival, or sometimes slower because we're resistant to the changes or need time to adjust and change our thinking. We are born with a particular personality that has both positive and negative aspects to it. Our environment (parents, siblings, teachers, friends and the world in general) interact with our personality based on their own personalities and bring out the positive or negative in ours. They help to shape our thinking, our character and how we react to what goes on in our world.
Although our personalty is there for life, how we operate or react is not. We can choose to accentuate the positive and have the negative take a back seat. We can change or improve character traits. We can change how we look at things and how we react to things. Is it easy? No, or we would see more people doing it. Is it impossible? No, because we do see people doing it. Basic human nature will always be with us, good and evil will always be with us, but that is not a license to give up or to say change is impossible.
Well, I'm off to see if I can play up the more positive aspects of me and downplay the negative. Maybe, just maybe, I can turn someday into today.
Well, Sadie has proved once again that she is one lucky dog. Or is it unlucky? The reason I say that is that she seems to have been a bit accident prone over the years, but also comes out none the worse for wear each time. Last week she tangled with a car and came out of it with a couple of scrapes. She was out front with Big Bear while he finished up some work in the yard, saw something (cat) across the street and darted into the street just as a car was going by. She hit the car rather than the car hitting her or it would have been a lot worse. She has a skinned spot under her chin and one on her left leg and was undoubtedly a bit bruised and sore. I took her into the vet and he checked her over, gave me some cream for the scrapes and an anti-inflammatory/pain reliever. $91.50 later we went home and she stayed pretty quiet for the next two days. By the end of the second day she was back to her normal prancing step, jumping up to follow me with no problem at all. Big Bear says she's not going out front with him any more unless I'm out there to watch her.
She turned 11 years old this month and shows no signs of arthritis or any other health problems. She's as nimble and springy as ever and does not seem to show many signs of aging other then gray hair and a little less energy. She has been a little quieter this past year, but that has been due to her missing our other dog and wanting to stay in the house with me. She's been like my shadow since Cody died. He was not quite 7 and became quite ill (vet thinks it might have been cancer). Even before that though he had been having problems with his joints and stiffness. Part of the difference probably lies with their size and breed. Cody was a 100 lb. yellow lab while Sadie is a 50 lb. mixed breed. Her mother was a lab/rottweiler mix and I figure that dad must have been a border collie because she looks and acts a lot more like a border collie then either a lab or a rottweiler. The only thing she seems to have gotten from mom is the big deep bark and the all black color. She's a bit stubborn too, I was able to teach Cody not to go past the curb, but Sadie doesn't always want to adhere to that (obviously). Cody's ball could go rolling into the street and he would stop at the curb and wait for one of us to go get it. :o) Big Bear just loved it because he could wash the car, mow the lawn, etc. and Cody would just follow along dropping the ball at his feet.
Although the Thanksgiving weekend brought sadness with the loss of a family friend in a boating accident on the Willamette River(and they still haven't found his body) it also brought some good news. Our son and daughter-in-law announced that they are expecting. This will be their first child and our first grandchild. We're very excited and they've asked if I would help care for it when she returns to work. The baby is due in July and she'll have 3 months maternity leave. They live just half a mile from us so I'll get to be the hands on Grandma I've always hoped to be. I hope I'm up to the task energy wise. I was a young mom, but my kids are late having their kids so I'm going to be an older grandma. It's inspired me to start sewing and quilting again. I want to make lots of wonderful clothes and blankets and toys for this new little one. Of course, that means I have to get organized and clear out all the boxes and junk so I can even get into my sewing room to clean it up and do all that sewing.
It was a wild ride home tonight, but not the worst I've been in. I went into Portland this afternoon to take my cousin into the Doctor (it turns out she has walking pneumonia). I then took her to the grocery store and pharmacy before finally getting her back home and then stopped by my brothers. It was 6:30pm and dark when I headed home and the storm was hitting a little earlier then predicted. It was already getting pretty windy and pouring rain, but my route wasn't too bad because at least all the lights were still working. I could hear on the radio that several roads around the Portland area had lights out and trees falling. They predict 60 mph winds through the night and the coast was already having 100 mph winds with 30 foot waves. It's supposed to let up by morning.
Having lived here all of my life I can say that it's pretty much normal to have this happen a couple of times each fall or winter. Every few years we have one that's a doozy and causes a lot of damage. November set a new record for rainfall. The previous record was set back in 1942. Needless to say the rivers are high and there's been some flooding. Tillamook (along the coast) always seems to get the worst of it. It's a low lying area and has a lot of dairies and they had quite a bit of flooding and lost some cows.
Oregon's terrain and winter weather is definitely demanding respect right now. There are 3 experienced climbers missing on Mt. Hood and this latest storm is continuing to hamper rescue efforts. A California family got lost on a forest road (wrong turn) while traveling through Oregon and got caught in a snow storm. They had been missing for about 10 days before they were found and the father had tried to walk for help and died. Two other families got stuck or lost while Christmas tree cutting and were found safe. Last month a little boy went missing in the Crater Lake area just as the snows had started and I don't think they found him. We don't like to hear it or think about it, but it happens every year just as the drowning's do in our lakes and rivers.
Thanksgiving weekend brought that home to our family and friends. Our nephew bought his first house this summer and wanted to host the family get together. His mom & dad and the rest of us brought the food and we had a good time. He proudly showed off his home and his new fishing boat. On Saturday my brother-in-law, nephew and two of their friends went fishing on the Willamette. The boat capsized and they hung on to the little bit of hull showing above water. The water was only 47 degrees and the river was running high, fast and full of debris. My brother-in-laws best friend let go of the boat in an attempt to swim for shore and did not make it. They still have not found his body. The other three were rescued after about 30 minutes and my nephews core body temperature was 93 degrees. They were all sent to the hospital and warmed up and checked out. The friend that was lost was a great guy and very well liked. He will be missed.
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