Woof, Cough, Snort, Choke, WOOOOOF!

Mornin’ everyone - This is your good buddy, Beau.
Lena is taking the day off today so I asked her if I could tell you a story about what happened to Daisy and me the other day when we went to town with Grandpa. You know, we’re quite experienced travelers. We go to town in the back of the truck at least three times a week. I just can’t get enough – here’s a picture of me getting a snoot full. All those smells are so wonderful, except when I get a bug up my nose.

Now that it’s getting colder Grandpa has started to enforce his weather rule. If it’s below 40 degrees we have to ride inside the cab. Daisy thinks she’s so smart when we do that. She sits by the passenger door pretending she’s a human. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to be inside where it’s warm, but I sure miss catching up on all those smells.

We’re really lucky dogs, Daisy and I. Every day we drive by this big black German shepherd that’s in jail. I wonder what he did. He’s just laying there in his little fenced in jail watching the world go by, rain or shine. He never barks when we go by, but we sure bark at him. He looks so unhappy. I’m gonna’ make sure I never do anything to end up in jail like that! I wonder if his owner ever comes out to pet him or play with him. I heard one time that he’s a retired police dog. What a way to end up.

Daisy and I think we live in dog heaven. Of course there’s work involved too. We’ve got five acres that we have to patrol – you know – keep out all the burglars and other critters that think they can trespass on our property. There’re rabbits and birds and the occasional deer, but the thing that drives me absolutely nuts are the squirrels. They’re so busy robbing Grandpa’s trees of the black walnuts that he grows. And then they have the audacity (neener, Poolie, neener) to sit there in the high branches of the trees, just out of my jumping reach, and twitter at me. One day they made me so mad I tried to climb a tree, but I didn’t get very far. But, boy, if I catch them in open ground I can run fast enough to almost snatch them by their tail. One of these days - - - one of these days.

Talking about running fast – I’m a real sprinter. If I’ve got something important to go after I can stretch out almost flat to the ground and really go. Only I just don’t last very long at that speed – only a mile or so and I have to slow down to catch my breath. That’s where Daisy really shows me up. She can’t run as fast as I can, but she can run forever. I guess we’re like the tortoise and the hare. Last night when Grandpa took us for our nightly run out in the country she proved that point again. Grandpa doesn’t usually let us chase things out in the country, but this time we got away from him. Daisy smelled deer tracks in the ditch, so we put our noses to the ground and tracked. It was just at dusk, so things were hard to see, but I’ll be darned if we didn’t come upon that deer a bit farther down the ditch. Grandpa must not have seen it or something, but we scared it up and took off after it. I was right on its tail with Daisy trailing behind – across the bare field we went watching that white tail flashing in the dusk. Daisy kept getting farther and farther behind but I was keeping up!! When all of a sudden we heard Grandpa yell at us and not in a very nice tone of voice either. So we stopped dead in our tracks and had to make the decision to keep on having fun or head back to the truck. I thought Grandpa wouldn’t see us at that time of the day because we blend in so well with the bare fields, but that darn Grandma went and bought us each a collar that lights up. It doesn’t just glow in the dark, it actually lights up!! Mine is neon orange and Daisy’s is bright red and they light up all the way around our necks. Darn – now there’s no getting away with anything.

Anyway, I was going to tell you what happened to us in town the other day. After the gym, Grandpa always stops for lunch either at McDonald’s or Burger Time and we share cheeseburgers (and ice cream in the summer time). So we were parked in the parking lot and Grandpa was standing outside by the truck box feeding us our cheeseburgers when all of a sudden, going through the drive-through line was another truck with a big black German shepherd in the back. She was beautiful. Somehow I had to let her know I was there, but I had my mouth full of cheeseburger, and you know it’s impolite to bark and chew at the same time. Oh, what to do. I didn’t know if I should bark or finish chewing and swallow my lunch. So I tried to do both at the same time and it didn’t work. I got out this pesky, wee little bark, choked on my cheeseburger and then it went flying out of my mouth and landed on the rail of the box. Oh, how embarrassing. I sure couldn’t make an impression on her that way. And then I didn’t know what to do next – should I bark again and show her what a big bark I can have or should I pick up what was left of my cheeseburger so she wouldn’t see the mess. What’s a dog to do? Well, the cheeseburger won out cause by that time I figured I wasn’t going to get to meet her personally anyway. So why give up good food.

THEN – oh how embarrassing – she ended up parking right next to us in the parking lot. And Grandpa went over and got introduced to her of all things, and got to pet her. Her name was Baby Girl and she was an Amazon!! Huge!! Put Daisy and me to shame and we each weigh 75 pounds. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a good idea to get mixed up with a girl dog THAT big. I barked a couple more times, but she didn’t pay any attention. What a slap in the face cause I’m a pretty handsome dude. Daisy just sat there and took it all in. She thought I was making a fool of myself – but then what does she know – she’s a girl.

Oh well, guess I’ll just stick to my cheeseburgers next time!

Happy Birthday Lovely Daughter

First of all a couple of housekeeping things:

Thanks to all of you for your comments on my yesterday’s post. I was anticipating opening a bag of worms and being cyber-beaten, but that didn’t happen. The only one I got a “rise” out of was the blogger it was aimed at. Said blogger tried very hard to make me feel guilty – but guess what? (Puts hands to mouth to yell loudly) IT DIDN’T WORK!! I feel very strongly about what I wrote and I could tell that those of you who commented did too. Thanks again.

For faygo10@hotmail.com. I sent you an email at this address and it came back. You can email me directly at LenaSwenson@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.


Now down to the important business:

Today is Lovely Daughter’s birthday. Go and send her some birthday greetings. I won’t tell you how old she is – I’ll leave that up to her. But I CAN tell you that the years have gone by entirely too fast. She’s supposed to still be a leetle girl with all her blond curly hair and sweet smile.

I had a very stressful summer that summer so long ago that I was pregnant. We moved into our new house in December and the following summer we were flooded. We had 17 inches of rain in three days, and live along a river, so you know what that means. The water just kept coming and coming and coming. We built an earthen dike and the water just came right over the top. We managed to keep the water out of the basement, and finally had to give up and move out. We spent the 4th of July weekend cleaning up the dirt and silt and stink that were left behind. I was four months pregnant at that time.

When I was five months pregnant my father died very suddenly. He was not an old man by any means, but had been in the hospital for some minor surgery and was due to get out the morning he died. I received a phone call about 6:00 a.m. from a nurse telling me I better get there quickly because he had taken a very bad turn. By the time my mother and I got there he was gone.

When I was 7 ½ months pregnant Ole fell through the roof of the shop he was building and broke his back in three places. He had taken an afternoon off from his job to work on this building and try to get it enclosed before the winter weather came, so he was home alone, just he and our two dogs. He lay on the ground for several hours and then decided no one was going to come to rescue him so he’d have to do something on his own. Somehow he managed to crawl up to the house, reached the phone and called me at work. He should have called an ambulance, but I guess that thought never crossed his mind. When I got there he somehow got into the car and I rushed him to the ER where he was hospitalized for a week or so, put in a back brace and sent home. I guess the breaks were such that he could be up and carefully moving around as long as he wore the brace, but could not lift anything heavier than a fork.

By this time I was going to the doctor on a weekly basis. My appointments were scheduled for Friday mornings. On November 14th I saw the doctor for the weekly exam and as I left he said, “See you next week.” Lovely Daughter’s due date was originally December 5 but somehow I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe because I had felt like I was walking around with her arm hanging out for the previous week. My response was, “Nope – I’ll be in the hospital before that.”

As I left work that afternoon headed for a relaxing weekend (ha, ha) my friends wished me well and also said, “See you Monday.” My response – “Nope, don’t think I’ll be here. I think this baby is coming this weekend.” Of course everybody poopooed that idea, but Monday morning I had to call them and tell them I wouldn’t be in because I had become a mom!

Lovely Daughter was born three weeks early to the tune of 5 lbs. 5 oz. Just a very little wee one. Of course she ended up being jaundiced so had to go under the lights and it took almost a week before that got straightened out. By this time she was down to 4 lbs. 5 oz. And they wouldn’t let me take her home until she showed significant signs of gaining weight. This was back in the days when they didn’t send you home after a day and a half. Lovely Daughter and I were in the hospital for 6 days!! I thought I was going to go nuts. I felt great and had nothing to do. I couldn’t even have my baby other than to feed her because they wanted to keep her under the lights as much as possible.

When the doctor finally let us go home she weight in at 4lbs. 15 oz. I received instructions that she was to be awakened every three hours round the clock to be fed until she was up to 6 lbs. I knew that this would all fall on me since Ole wasn’t supposed to lift anything heavier than a fork. So there I went – home with a new baby that had to be fed every three hours and a husband in a back brace. Part of the problem was that her sucking reflex hadn’t developed as it should have, she wasn’t strong enough to suck for very long, so you had to kind of milk the nipple into her mouth and feeding her took forever. By the time I’d get all the formula down and her back to sleep it was almost time to wake her again for another feeding. Oh, I remember how terribly tired I was. It was so great when Ole finally reached a point where he could hold her in his lap and feed her without having to lift her.

And then she grew, and she grew and the years went by. All you mothers know how that is. To you young mothers with little ones: I know you get frustrated at times, and tired, but enjoy all those moments with your little ones as much as possible because they just don’t last long enough.

Happy Birthday Lovely Daughter!! May you always have happiness.

I remember when you were little,
I know when you were small.
I recall the thoughts I had then,
'Daughters, The Best Of All',
I've loved you very dearly,
as you've traveled on life's way.
Now I'm happy love has come to stay.

I know we've had our squabbles,
sometimes we've both shed tears.
But now I honestly believe that
we're closer with the years.
Lovely Daughter Of Mine
for you I can wish only joy,
And let me say,
I'm glad you weren't a boy!

Peace, Love and Happiness

I’ve been mulling this over for several days now, and I think it’s finally time to put it down on paper. I don’t get upset over too much anymore, it’s such a waste of energy that could be applied in a positive manner. But on occasion something happens that gets my dander up and I have to get up on my soapbox and spew. So if you don’t like spewing, go somewhere else for today.

Last Sunday was Veteran’s Day and lots of bloggers wrote in reference to that, honoring in their own way the veterans of past wars and those currently serving. Now, I am the first to say that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. That’s what America is all about, isn’t it? The right to freedom of speech? But I am also a firm believer in the fact that you better be able to back any statements that you make regarding those beliefs. Defend them and don’t run and hide behind some twisted logic and by locking your diary!!

Let me make this perfectly clear (have you heard that before?). I am not a warmonger by any stretch of the imagination. War is a terrible thing. People die. Wives are left without husbands, children without fathers, parents without sons. It’s terrible. In a perfect world there would be no war. Everyone would get along famously and there would be worldwide peace. Unfortunately, that is a figment of someone’s imagination. War has existed since the beginning of history and will probably exist as long as this Earth does.

Wars are fought over a variety of reasons, most being either religion (the current war in the Middle East) or expansion issues. It would be wonderful if we could get all parties involved to sit down around a table and TALK things out, come to terms and make peace. But that isn’t going to happen, Folks, because the aggressors are just that – aggressive – and firmly believe they can win. So if the talks don’t work, are we to sit back and allow our country to be overrun? Would those who speak so negatively about war rather have that happen? Shall we just turn over our way of life to some other force in the name of Peace, Love and Happiness? Believe me, if that were the case there would be no Peace, Love and Happiness in our country. Let’s get realistic here.

World War I was fought in Europe in the trenches. Germany tried to overrun France and Belgium. The United States wasn’t even involved. President Wilson made a number of attempts at mediating the situation but all were refused. The next thing you knew, unauthorized German subs showed up off the east coast of the United States, and they sank the Lusitania. The Lusitania was a British cruise ship taking vacationers from New York to England, and many Americans died. Had they provoked anything? Not on your life. THAT’S when the U.S. got into the Great War – when we were attacked – AFTER peace negotiations failed. Should we have allowed Germany to continue to destroy American lives and just sat there and said, “Oh, Germany, let’s talk about this and come to terms? After all, Peace, Love and Happiness have got to work.”

World War II began because Germany tried to overrun parts of Europe. Of course these countries fought against their acquisition and were supported by the Allies, excluding the United States in the beginning. The U.S. supported them by shipping supplies, food and ammunitions to England. The Prime Minister of England met with Hitler and tried to come to terms, but we all know that didn’t happen and the war continued. Then one sunny, Sunday morning the Japanese, who supported Germany, bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered the war. Now, tell me again, should we have abided by Love, Peace and Happiness and not responded to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and all the lives that were lost? Yes, I agree, entering the war lost more lives. But should we not have defended our country we would all probably be speaking either Japanese or German today. Fortunately there were men and women who felt strongly about this issue, fought that war and won it so that we have freedom today.

I have been accused of making it sound like speaking German or Japanese is a bad thing. Get a grip, Blogger. That’s not what I meant at all. German and Japanese are wonderful second languages if you are an American. But if you had lived under Hitler or Hirohito, you wouldn’t HAVE the freedoms to make those choices, or to criticize our government officials like you currently do.

Then there were several United Nations sanctioned events like the Korean War and the Gulf War. It’s my understanding that the United Nations’ main objective is world peace keeping. And you see how well they’ve done their job.

And shall we talk about Vietnam? That war actually began prior to the end of WWII when Japan overran the French and made Vietnam a puppet state run by Communist China. When the Communists decided they wanted the entire country they were supplied with money and materials by the Soviet Union in order to spread communism throughout all of Indochina. Years later the President of the United States sent millions of dollars to aid the French along with personnel to supervise how the money was spent. At that point they were not combat troops. In the early 50s the French tried to negotiate peace with the communists, and again that didn’t work. Things proceeded over the years with lots of details I won’t even go into here, but negotiations took place numerous times to no avail. Meanwhile Communism spread throughout the Far East, Eastern Germany and right to our back door in Cuba during this time. Ever heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis? And the Soviet Union grew stronger and more powerful. We all know that U.S. troops eventually pulled out, going home with their tail between their legs due to a number of things, one being pressure from citizens at home. Hmmm – if we had allowed Communism to spread maybe we could all be working on a collective farm now, and standing in line for our daily ration of stale bread. Isn’t that a fun thought?

Now just how many of these soldiers do you suppose WANTED to be sent to Vietnam? Did that give the protesters at home the right to ridicule the military? To call them “Baby Killers” and spit on them as they arrived back home from fighting to protect YOUR freedom and security?

Now let’s take 9/11. For the first time we were attacked by a foreign country on our own soil. Should we have just sat back, taken it all in and waited for it to happen again? “Oh, Mr. Muslim, please come and kill some more infidels!” Should we bring those bombs to YOUR front door and see how you like it? Have you ever had a dear one involved in a situation where he was being shot at and could possibly lose his life? Have you ever lost a brother, father or husband to a war? Unfortunately, Peace, Love and Happiness don’t always work. I wish it did.

I clearly understand the difference between supporting the war effort and supporting the military personnel. And yes, I also understand that if politicians and generals had to fight the wars there would probably be fewer wars and more negotiations. But please tell me this – how do you negotiate with someone whose thought processes and values are so different than our own? How do you negotiate peace with someone whose life has no value to them? How do you negotiate with someone whose existence on earth is so miserable that dying is a better alternative? After all, there will be 47 virgins awaiting them after death.

So if you’re going to make statements be prepared to back them up. I’ve asked several questions of you, and you’ve refused to answer, which leads me to believe you are exactly what I accused you of. Don’t run and hide behind twisted logic and a locked diary. Or maybe you’d rather be wearing a burka? Maybe that would give you Peace, Love and Happiness.

A quote from Mark Twain: “Never get in an argument with an idiot because he will drag you down to his level. After all, you can’t fight stupidity with common sense and logic.”

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses,

row on row, that mark our place;

and in the sky the larks, still bravely singing,

fly scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.

Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

loved, and were loved,

and now we lie in Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw the torch;

be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep,

though poppies grow in Flanders fields.
— John McCrae

This is one of the most famous poems ever published following World War I. There were many wars prior to WWI, and many to follow. All produced veterans that fought for what they believed in, along with our right to have freedom here at home. I hope you all have the opportunity to hug a veteran today, because without them – well, it’s too horrible to think about where we could be.

Ole and I were 22 years old and had been married a year when Ole decided to enlist in the Navy. He was in during the height of the Vietnam war. We were so fortunate the he wasn’t sent to Vietnam like so many of his buddies, but the things that he did and the places he was stationed were quite strategic at that time. He was in the communications field with a Top Secret Crypto security clearance, so he wasn’t able to talk much about what he did, heard or saw.

We had a number of high school friends who served in the infantry in Vietnam – many who didn’t make it back – and a few you did who have suffered the permanent consequences of what they saw and the stress they operated under. One high school friend, who lives not far from us, has suffered from PTSD since he returned. It took YEARS for it to be properly diagnosed because the general public didn’t want to believe what could happen to young men who went through those kinds of things. Then it took YEARS more for the poor man to receive proper treatment from the VA hospital that is located here. And I’m sure there are many more like him.

I remember very vividly how these young men were treated when they came home during and after that conflict. Protesters shouted negative things like “Baby Killer” and in some cases spit on the soldiers as they were getting off the planes. How supportive was that of our troops? The people who did those things should have been dropped right in the middle of the war zone so they could see first hand what it was like. These young men were only doing their jobs.

So I sure hope you’re honoring your veteran today, and all veterans who have served in the past and are currently serving to keep our country safe. Here’s a little clip of the welcome MY veteran got when he came off his ship – an air craft carrier that weighed 56,000 tons, 1065 feet long and was 12 stories high!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Please go thank a veteran for what they have done for you and our country.