My Pets: The Joys of My Life

I love my pets. They are a wonderful source of enjoyment. The antics they pull and the things they get into are hysterical at times. Sometimes it isn't funny at all and an injury has to be taken care. It is then when you realize just how much your pet means to you. You see, they aren't just some "dumb" animal like a few people may think. No, my pet (and the pets of many others) are family members. They are my "other" children whom I take care of, love, and cherish. Yep, they are my joy and love and they give me unconditional love back. We have 5 babies. Two dogs and three cats. Each and every one of them is unique and special in their own way. Their personalities are distinct and they are completely in control of the house. That's right! They control and own us; we do not own them. Each one chose their favorite human and spend a great deal of time with that one. However, they do give love to the other humans in the house as well. My daughter is the pet of two male cats. They love her and dote on her. The one even disciplines her if she utters a, hmmm, shall we say a naughty word. How he knows the difference is amazing, but he is right there for her when ever she needs him. That's why we were so worried when he became injured after playing with the other male. He wound up at the Vets 3 times last week and he is finally on the mend. Seeing him in so much pain and taking care of him this past week was a sharp reminder of just how important he and the others are to us. Thankfully, he is getting better and is jumping on and off my daughter's bed. It's great to see him coming back to full health and strength.

Now the newest member is young Mikael. He is incredibly mischeivious, but this is due to his only being 5 months old. Mikael is into everything. He has climbed the living room drapes; he has clawed a bottle of Coke; he runs behind the sofas and flys across their backs; he attacks toes and feet when we are asleep; and he jumps and tumbles with the other ones as well. Mikael, is a reminder of what it is to be young and new to the world for he is intensely curious and watches everything. The most comical thing he has done was flushing the toilet and then racing away from it at full speed. Yes, he flushes toilets...like I said, he's curious! He has also gained the nickname "Goat" due to his eating everything in sight; and "Spawn of Satan" due to his devilish antics. He didn't always have it so good. My daughter found him under her car during a rain storm. He was tiny, scared, cold, wet, and hungry. He was screaming so loudly my daughter went out to find him...Mikael came to her and has been with us since. We've always wondered where he came from but nobody ever claimed him. He is our love and joy for he brought sunshine to us on a rainy day.

Padme is an amazing cat. She is our oldest cat and is going to be 10 years old this year. She hippity hops around and is small and compact. Padme gives love to all of us, and is highly independent. She and Vader are a loving couple (yes, all of our pets are "fixed") and she tolerates young Mikael (well, sort of). She did a back flip this morning off a wall and raced through the house. She may be the oldest of the 3 cats, but she is still very playful and full of mischief. A sweet girl with a big heart and a loud purr who loves to cuddle up, but only when she wants to!

Now, the pups are a world all their own. Loyal, loving, playful, and protective; they fill our home with the yips and barks of happiness and of protection. They are both companions to us and to each other; backing one another up when "battling" with the cats. They are hilarious and full of fun. They smile at us, laugh, and romp around the house with complete freedom. They frolic outside and chase toads and lizards. Full of love, they show their joy of seeing us when we come home with plenty of wet kisses, barks, yips, tail wagging and thumping!

Yep, our babies control us. They shower us with love, companionship, antics, and joy. They give much and take little. They are distinct, separate, and full of their own personalities and quirks. Yet, there are those who deem them nothing but a dumb animal. Others consider them less worthy and trivial. These wonderful companions are thought to be souless as well. To put it bluntly, animals were given to humanity in order for us to be stewards of them; not to exploit them. They are our hope and bring us resources for needs. Yes, the animal kingdom is important to humanity; after all are we really anything more than animals ourselves? How many times do we call someone an animal as though to degrade them? I wonder if the truth is, we humans are the animals, and are the real beasts of the world. It is a question I ponder from time to time why humanity seems on a collision course with destroying the very beings we need in order to survive. Yes, the five that we share our home with are members of our family. We share our loves, happiness, sadness, and joy with one another. We listen and hear each other and have learned to understand the language of all our children. This is my home and family. I hope that yours is just as wonderful and joyfull as mine.

It Must Be October

Maybe I'm jumping the start, but October is a wonderful month for so many reasons. I hope you enjoy this poem and begin the pleasures of October.

It Must Be October The harvest moon hangs round and high It dodges clouds high in the sky The stars wink down their love and mirth The Autumn seasons is giving birth Oh it must be October The leaves of red bright gold and brown To Mother earth come tumbling down The breezy nights the ghostly sights The eerie spooky far off sounds Are signs that its October The pumpkin yellow big and round Are carried by costumed clumsy clowns Its Halloween lets celebrate Come one come all and don't be late We know now its October We'll roast and toast some luscious food For apples we'll be bobbin While tales are told around the fire Of timely ghosts and goblins Oh how we love October The moon has grown pale The stars have grown dim Our Halloween party is over With a hi-de-ho homeward we'll go What a delightful month October Pearl N. Sorrels

What If Monsters Are Real

"What if all the monsters were real". I love that line...Bella says this in "Twilight" and I remember that I stopped reading and thought about it. What if all the monsters ARE real. It actually something to think about. Let's talk about werewolves. Do they really exist? Maybe not in the way you think...I was talking about this with my daughter the other day. I think they are real. Okay, no I'm not some sort of clown who is believing in fairy tales. However, fairy tales do have some truth to them; they've just been enhanced with fabrications in order to get their point across. Now, back to werewolves. Yes, I believe werewolves exist. I think that in the past, individuals with certain types of mental illnesses may have been labeled werewolves due to the changes in themselves. Think about it. How would uneducated people describe someone who is bipolar, or some other mental illness? It was a way in which the people could understand the change from "normal" to an individual who attacks others for no apparent reason. I'm not putting down mental illness, I suffer from depression and anxiety myself. My daughter suffers from severe depression and social conduct disorder. She calls herself a "werewolf", and she hates it when that side of her breaks through. So, maybe that is what a werewolf was, an individual who suffered from mental illness, and if we look at history, we see that the villages where "werewolf" attacks took place, hunted the individual down...not to help, but to kill. Think I'm making this up? In Medieval France, 30,000 people found themselves being called "werewolves" from 1520 to 1630. They were captured, interrogated, tortured, and whether they confessed or not; burnt on the stake. So, I guess there were a lot of scared peasants running around and that is just in France. By the way, there are still cases of lycanthropy today....many are found to have abnormal brain chemicals. Hence, my idea of a werewolf being real is based upon fact. Alright, now, you are going to ask, how about a vampire? My daughter asked me that one. Here's my answer: What does a vampire represent? Vampires are seductors, sexually explicit, drink blood, and are called the undead. Okay, got it....well, back in ancient times there are tales concerning vampires. However, I'm going to concentrate on the ones from Bram Stroker's "Dracula". First of all, during the time period of the 13th to the 20th century an individual who was known to be extremely sexually active was accorded one of two thoughts. A male would have been viewed as a seductor or "Don Juan". He would have been invited to all the social gatherings, not because of his conquests but of society wanting to have a look at him and perhaps, tempt him with a beauty. Now, on the other hand, a woman who was known to be a seductress, would have been ridiculed, by those of her own gender. She would have been "dead" socially. Hence, the idea of the undead. Now the drinking of blood...well, there are those who do have a compulsion to drink blood...but in the way I am looking a vampirism, a nice burgundy or red wine would definitely give the appearance of blood....there are many other thoughts on that issue, but I think you understand what I am saying. This is why I believe that vampires have been around for a long time. Now, who's next? My daughter brought up everyone's favorites, zombies! My thoughts, well a zombie is a mindless husk who obeys the orders of the master...kind of like a Tea Party member. Okay, that was nasty I admit...just joking, I've heard a lot of nasty things about Democrats lately, so I just had to have a little fun. However, I am adament that a zombie is a person who follows the crowd and is driven by mindless obediance. Any way, that's my thought on the subject of zombies. So, are monsters real? I think so! If you think up any other monsters, let me know. I would love to talk to you about them! By the way, October is coming...

Contact: Signal heard

Suppose just for the moment that somewhere on Earth a signal is being heard. That's right a signal. A scientist has heard something;something that had never been received before. That scientist contacts others and these other scientists tune their instruments into the same coordinates. They too, hear that same signal. Excitement runs rampant as they collect data from the signal and correlate its direction. They begin working on deciphering the signal; discovering that it is based upon mathematical design. What then? For those who have watched the 1997 film, Contact, starring Jody Foster you already know this tale. If you've read Carl Sagan's novel of the same title you know it as well. The actions are pretty much realistic as to what humanity would do if a signal was heard from space. Military would want to take control and be placed on alert. Extreme religious zealots would do everything in their power to make sure contact with aliens would not occur. Politicians would argue over how to use the message and capitalists would do everything the could to make profit from it. But there is one particular scenario I find very interesting. You see, only one human can take the journey in the machine that the countries of the world build together. That's right; out of the 7,041,653,526 individuals on this Earth only one can journey to where the signal comes from. How in the world do you decide? Well, in the story a committee is compiled and then a list of 10 candidates is made. Still think about that figure. 10 out of over 7 billion people. Here's the interesting question which was asked to Jody Foster's character : "Do you believe in God"? That's the question that will guide the committee to make its decision. Seems rather strange doesn't it? The candidates for this experience are asked if they are spiritual. Why? Was my first reaction. It may be yours ad well. Why would believing in a God or being spiritual have any bearing on this quest? Then I realized the answer just before it was revealed in the film. 95% of the Earth's human population have some spiritual or faith. That leaves only 5% who sk not. For many sending someone with no faith is akin to ignoring the reactions of melting ice cream in a cone. Yet, it is this question which haunts me. How could you choose a representative from all the different religions...but this is what must be remembered.it wasn't what religion; it was are you spiritual? That makes it a esteeming factor. I won't give out any more about the film; but I do leave one thought; if this scenario were true, who would you want to go on the journey? What qualifications would you seek for the person who would represent all of Earth to beings of another world? Its quite a thought isn't it?

One of THOSE Days

You ever have one of those days? You know what I'm talking about. A day where no matter what you do it goes wrong. Yeah, one of those days. That's what I had today. A day where I wish I had crawled back into bed and stayed there with the covers over my head. It was a day where I woke up in a mood which forebade bad tidings and it just went completely down hill from that moment on. That's the way some days are, you have to deal with it even though every neutron and ion within your body is screaming to high tail it back to your favorite spot and remain there curled up until the swells of the turbulent sea stop batting you around. Yeah, one of THOSE days. Where chaos seems to reign supreme and you are in the middle of it. Where in the world do those days come from? Do we create them in our subconscious? Like I said, I woke up in a mood which was not coesive to a happy day. Nope, I was in the mood to tear someone to pieces. Yet, not really, I was just in a bad mood and it seemed to get worse as the day went on. So, where do they come from? These days which we all dread. How can waking up, put someone in a bad mood? Something to think about, but not to dwell on. Oh yeah, my night? A great deal better than my day. It turned around and the sea has calmed. The night is filled with happiness,relaxation, and peace....What's the dif? My own frame of mind...that's where those days come from....at least mine do...they come from me....I finally got tired of being grumpy and bickering, and decided to spin my night from my day. A quiet time of writing, a time of reading, a time of listening to smooth jazz....The day - it's gone. A memory....The night? Just as chaos fled from the day, so to did the forebading leave my mind. Just as the sun and light give illumination, so to did my thoughts give me sight. Now as the moon rises and darkness covers the land as a blanket; so too, does my mind react to the stumulus of quiet and peace which the night brings me.... Yeah, one of those days! Thank God it's over and I am moving forward again on my journey of exploration of the mind.

It's Your Fault!!!!! No, It's Mine!

Lately there has been a great deal of anger released due to the elections which are less than 45 days away. Bitterness, hatred, and frustration has been fueled by the words from politicians, media,and let's face it, extremists from all sides. Words, speeches, and rhetoric have been twisted in order for allegations and mudswinging to be tossed about; and we, the people are the ones who must distingush the difference between truth and fallacy. So, that is what is what has been happening. The past 3 presidential elections have been filled with this anger and it is spilling over into every segment of our lives. From our religious beliefs, to civil rights, to immigration laws, to voter displacement, and even into the school house with teachers being blamed for so many of the wrongs people feel have been done to them. We argue over every item that is brought forward and spend our time venting to others about our slights. We even talk friends into battling for us; instead of handling our own disagreements in an adult manner. We blame the government, the teachers, the politicians, the police, and religion for everything. It's our neighbors fault, or the senior's faults, or the young people's faults; everyone else is at fault. Notice who isn't at fault? Yeah, that's right, it is never our own fault about anything. I really hate to say it, but yes, it's our own fault. It's my fault, it's your fault. It's time to take responsibility for what each one of us has down. It was my own greed, that helped create this mess. It was my own pride which helped overlook my mistakes. I stood by and turned my head away, when someone who needed help cried out for it. Why, because, I was better. Yeah, when we get right down to it, we do not want to admit that we were wrong...I didn't want to admit I was wrong. I was better....To the Christians this should be something that we know is wrong. Jesus taught it time and time again.... Luke 18:9 The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” See! This parable is so true to what I am thinking about today. How many of us do this? I have and still do much to my dismay! Truth is looking us straight in the face and we run from it with our tails tucked in. It isn't religions fault at all... it's humanity's interpretation of spiritual works which is at fault....Again, we take the words and twist them in order for them to coincide with our own personal views and ideals. Extremists do this in all faiths; but lately in this country, it seems as though Christians are forcing their beliefs and ideals on other Americans who do not believe as they. Remember, not all Christians believe the same...there are many of us, who do not condone the use of condemnation of others; nor do we believe in establishing a state religion based on Christianity. No, it isn't religions fault...Nor is it the teachers' or academia's fault...Nope, teachers, schools, colleges, etc. are not at fault. They do the best they can with what little we give them. Are there individuals who should not be teaching? Yes! But that is not every teacher out there! Do you work with individuals who may not be competent for the position they are in? What happens? Are you all at fault? I doubt it. We need to look at the individual, not the group. Plus, how about the teachers complaints? How many of us would do what they do? They deal with issues, we do not even have the foggiest idea about. When was the last time you tried to teach a classroom of 30 or more kids? Think it's easy? Think again, better yet, try it out, I bet you will change your tune! Now, when it comes to the kids, let's think about the fault there. Yes, the kids have some responsibility in their actions and inactions. They really do, and so do their parents. You got it! Each one of we parents are responsible for what our children do. Not the teachers, not the education field, not the religions, we parents are! The same is true for everything I mentioned above! Even the government! WE the people are responsible for what occurs there! What? You are screaming! It's the politicians fault! To one extent it is, but the truth of the matter is, we voted the politicians into office. We are the ones who must be held responsible and then we must hold our politicians responsible for inactivity! We do that by participating in government, through voting, through correspondence, through our own activity in being kept up to date as to what is occurring. Yep! It's the same thing throughout everything we howl about and blame others for. Sorry, but its our own individual fault for we remained quiet and didn't take action when we should have. This is the last time I will write on this subject. Instead, I'm going to become active and become a part of my community. No, I'm no better than anyone else...I'm the same and so are you. We CAN make a difference, but it means accepting responsiblilty and taking action. There is hope and it comes from within....it comes from each one of us...stop the blaming and get in there! It's time to move forward!

"A Plague on Both Your Houses"!

"A plague on both your houses"! So screams Mercutio as he falls dead in front of Romeo who accidently caused Mercutio's death, by coming in between Mercutio and Tybalt as they fought. The rage of Romeo is evident as he races after Tybalt to avenge his friend's death. Ahh, the plays of William Shakespeare and the drama,adventure, and tragedy this particular one provides. Imagine what this would have been like in the 1500s when it was first performed in Elizabethan England. Too see it performed in that time would have been incredible. The line that Mercutio screamed would have made perfectly good sense to the audience. The Black Death had devastated Europe from 1340-1400. The plague would have been remembered by all, who survived it; just as we today remember the polio and tuberculosis scares of the 20th century. Yet, the play, "Romeo and Juliet", is usually known for the romance and tragedy of the two young lovers. They caught our attention and are mimicked or performed all over the world. Yes, it is a wonderful drama that William gave to us. Of even more significance is the fact that this was one of Shakespeare's early plays and was first performed around 1597. Just think, this is a piece of work that has survived the ravages of time for 415 years! I wonder how many of today's works would last that long. However, that is in the future and the future is an unknown quantity. That is a lesson that Romeo and Juliet learned quite thoroughly. Maybe it is one of the many teachings Shakespeare wanted us to see. The future is one item which we cannot control. It bothers us beyond belief. We make plans with friends and family in the future. We save funds for the future. We look to future events with pleasure and dislike. We do everything we can to control the future; but we really do not achieve that goal. Yes, most of the time things go according to the way we want them to, but at what cost. Like Romeo and Juliet, we plan for love and happiness; yet, life is filled with trials which can destroy the joy we have worked for. The two young lovers lost at everything; gaining only a few precious moments to share with one another. Mercutio's curse consumed the two as it was their two houses which he screamed about. A plague was on both the houses. In the same was, a plague can be laid on all of us for our contentment in never filled. We like the Capulets and Montegues engage in fights and battles as we gossip and spread rumors about others. We bicker and argue among our own families; instead of accepting one another. Yes, we are more alike the people of the 16th century than we wish to accept. We need to learn the same lessons and realize the senselessness of warring with one another over some ridiculous slight that we feel has been given. At the end of the play, Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, and Mercutio are all dead. The houses of the families, the Capulets and the Montagues, have lost their young, their hopes, their dreams, and are instead joined together in mourning and lost; rather than in the love and happiness that would have been theirs with Romeo's and Juliet's marriage. Here, the future has been changed gravely and the world as they knew it was gone forever. The future is there beyond our view, it is cloudy, chaotic, always in motion. Today, we are here, able to stop the bitterness, the anger, the hatred, the jealousy. Mercutio's curse could continue or it could be ended if only we treated each other the way we profess we do. I know I going to do this; I hope others will join with me. No, I'm not planning on doing this in the future; I'm doing it now....with love, compassion, and consideration.