Today I had the courage to take Kachina to the dog park (a.k.a. "evil place") for a training exercise.  I kept the leash on her this time!!!  The training exercise was for both her and me. My goal was to be able to walk my dog down that bike path with confidence.  My goal for Kachina was for her to be able to walk down that path and avoid confrontation.

 

It was scary as there were many people at the evil place. Their little demon animals running around - some obviously out of control. I wore my MP3 player so that if anyone got the urge to scream at me I could just turn the volume up. It's not that I'm afraid of confrontation, I just don't want to have to call Cathy to bail me out of jail. Ha ha 

 

Anyway, we did pretty good today. There was a couple of times when a dog approached Kachina. First I got in between them and told Chena to "leave it" as soon as she growled or made her "attack" noise, I gave her a pretty stern leash correction. I was using a prong collar and felt in control of her at all times.  A young guy came along with a young bull dog who didn't get the hint and got into Chena's face despite my efforts to avoid the issue. Kachina made some noise and the guy grabbed his dog out of the way and apologized to me.  Go figure ... someone else apologizing for a change!  It really wasn't Kachina's fault because she is on a two foot leash and had no where to go.  She did get a correction anyway because I don't want her doing that kind of thing ...I'm Alpha damn it!  LOL

 

I noticed a sign at the park that said that the bike path (where I was walking) was "on leash". That gave me extra courage because I felt like I was exercising my right to be there. After all, if my dog is on the leash in an leased area and someone else's dog come up to her and causes trouble ... I'm not the one at fault. I hate that when it's my fault and I get yelled at.  Why that matters I don't know.

 

My goal is to be able to walk Kachina at the evil place and she just ignore other dogs. It's going to take some training but it can be done ... or so I think.

 

M.

To me the dog park is an evil place because temptation and trouble are just a dog away. To others, it's Kachina that is the evil one.

 

So it's been a year or more since I ventured to the dog park.  I thought, maybe we'll go there and I'll keep Kachina on leash and it will be okay. Ha! That's why it's evil ... it lures you into trouble.  So we are walking along and there is no one around and I'm thinking, hey this isn't so bad, maybe we'll be able to come here once in a while.  Kachina had been playing well with the neighbor's dog and a visiting dog.

 

What's that ahead?  Another Belgian?  COOL!!!!  I'm excited now.  So the dog approaches and Kachina does her growly thing. The owner says, "What that all about?"  I said, "Maybe it's because she is on leash." And stupid, stupid, stupid me lets her off the leash. Chaos, to say the very least follows. Two Belgians fighting and the owner screaming.  I'm thinking "Shut up lady, you are making it worse!"  I get the dogs apart and no one is hurt (we'll psychological damage put aside) and the lady is acting like we are the plague ... okay Satan incarnate. I can't say that I blame her as I feel totally stupid for my act.  Letting her off the leash. What was I thinking?  It goes to show you my inexperience as a dog trainer! Sigh.

 

Anyway, I say to the lady.  "I know this incident scared the bejesus out of you. Your dog is okay. If my dog really wanted to hurt your dog, she would have. What you just saw was a battle over dominance. I'm so sorry you were frightened by it. I will not bring my dog here again."  I kept talking and got her calmed down enough that we were able to walk together and talk about Belgians and how much we love the breed (most of the time).  Sigh ... oh Kachina, you are such a be-otch!  Then we went home.

 

We are in my back yard talking to the neighbor, telling him about the latest adventure in the dog park and there goes Kachina and Teko - fence fighting. Where's my remote trainer when I need it!!!!  We decide to let the dogs play. Cujo is over there (lab x) and normally they get along. Kachina finds a bone and Cujo makes the mistake to go up to her to what, take the bone. Yikes!  They begin fighting. Okay the cool thing is about to happen.  Kachina and Cujo go at it and then Teko comes up behind Kachina and bites her in the ass.  LOL  Way to go Teko!!! He put a stop to that nonsense in a hurry.  Now if only he could do that at the dog park.

 

Note to self: I will never, ever let Kachina off leash at the dog park ever again. 

 

Andy has been able to walk Kachina at the dog park without incident (on leash). I would like to be able to do this.  Now I'm chicken.  I hate it when people say "What's wrong with her" when she acts up.  There is nothing wrong with her. She is a dog with an attitude. Now, I'm not saying it's a great attitude but she isn't mental or anything. Face it Marisa; it's a place of evil. Nothing good will ever come from going there.

 

Sigh.

 

 

This summer I've had the opportunity to begin riding horses on a more regular basis. It's been great to bring Kachina out to Cathy's "ranch" and go for a ride. Cathy's ranch is a big section of land out by Turner Valley where they keep their horses. They have a rustic cabin on the property but we haven't spent the night there since we were teenagers. It was more fun then to "rough it", now a days we both have too many animals at home that we can't leave and we like running water and indoor plumbing. Ha ha wimps, I know.

 

Anyway back to Kachina.  The remote training collar is a wonderful tool. When I first brought Chena out to the ranch and she had her first urge to chase the horses, I gave her a strong correction. My goal was for her to associate being close to the horses with an unpleasant feeling. Mission accomplished. 

 

There is this hay field that a person leases from Cathy's dad and in this field he keeps a bunch of cows. One day we decided to ride through the hay field and when we got to the far corner, there was this one cow ... alone, separated from the herd. I thought it would be interesting to see what Kachina would do, so I didn't call her when she cautiously approached it. The cow being smarter than one would normally give a cow credit for, decided to get the hell out of there. Kachina's prey drive kicked in (which it will when anything runs away from her) and started chasing it. Oh what fun, a chew toy that runs! Yippee!

 

She chased the cow across the hay field, back to the herd and then chased some of the herd around for a while. Our saying that day was "Lean Beef". 

 

Last weekend, we went for a ride and Chena chased the cows for a bit and then we continued on. We were coming down the road, which is usually quiet, when this big semi truck came across one of the cattle gates. The horse Cathy was riding got spooked and started bucking. Cathy got bucked off the horse and Kachina went after the horse. So much for avoidance training. Kachina almost got kicked, Cathy hurt her leg and hit her head. It was a chaotic few minutes. My attention was divided between helping Cathy get up and getting Kachina away from the horse. Luckily Kachina was not hurt and Cathy, although hurt, did not sustain any life-threatening injuries. 

 

In retrospect, I wonder if allowing Kachina to chase cows eased her fear of approaching horses? Maybe Kachina thought the horse was attacking and felt the need to protect us from it? 

 

 

Well it's been so darn hot lately that I've been spending as much time in air conditioned places as possible. Unfortunately that usually means shopping. Man do I have a talent for spending money! Hmmm now I need a bit more talent in making money. Ha Ha  Oh Andy ... lol ... just kidding.

 

I wonder what my neighbors think of my house being a wild bird sanctuary? Never mind the Raven in the kitchen, you should see my outdoor collection of wild friends. There is the three crows that hang out on the tree across the street. It's a mated pair and their baby. This young crow was born down the street from me. It was kind of cool, spotting the nest and Kachina and I visited the nesting site every day while the little one was in production. We wanted to make sure that all was okay. Now, the little one hangs out with it's parents, who have shown him or her that Marisa's house is the place to find peanuts, cat food and the odd pigeon egg (or other goodies). 

 

The Magpies had a few babies this year as well. The little ones are flying and also come to Marisa's house for food. You should hear the racket they make. I'm probably the only one who doesn't mind their squawking.  They are cute with their little tails.

 

Wild pigeons galore. Ya, I feed them too because I'm a big suck!

 

A couple of weeks ago, a neighbor from down the street brought me a young pigeon they found in their back yard. It was a wild pigeon and some idiot clipped all of it's flight feathers.  Perhaps the retarded person thought they could clip the flight feathers and the bird would hang around their house and be a nice out door pet. Good in theory but HELLO!!! Cats ... outdoor cats .... lots of cats. That bird didn't stand a chance. It's okay, it's living in my pigeon coup now. It's a bit of a loner but I'm sure it'll make some friends eventually.

 

Avatar is still hanging in there. She doesn't really do anything too unusual. She shreds things, eats, poops and makes a mess in the kitchen. Still isn't into cuddling ... lol .. ya, like I'd be stupid enough to try. I already experienced the business end of that beak on my lip.  Mind you, the last time we clipped her beak and nails she was very passive, only made a half-hearted attempt to bite Andy.  It was pro baby too hot for her to make more of an effort.  lol

 

I've been enjoying my summer, sitting outside and reading novels and throwing the ball for the dog. I've decided that I am semi-retired. Okay, that's my excuse for reading novels and playing with the dog.  Novels, I still like fantasy and have gotten into reading paranormal romances. It's not enough for the guys to be good looking, I want them to also have special powers. Hey, if I'm going to fantasy land anyway  ... I may as well really go there.  Romance novels have changed quite a bit, you actually get some pretty decent stories ... kind of like you would in a good fantasy novel, only these ones have the attraction and sex thing. I'm not a huge reader of erotica but hot men with special powers ... well that's just yummy. 

 

I'm still into reading books on the brain, mind and mind technology. That's the part of me that isn't retired and needs to keep a few intelligent neural connections alive for my customers.

 

TV. I've been enjoying a few reality shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance" - It's a great show of physicality, grace and some really cool moves; "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" - that son of Gene's is cute (cougar bait) .. meow ..., Canada's Next Top Model - I like watching the posing and seeing what the pictures turn out like. I can live without all the drama from stupid personalities. I'm constantly surprised as to how or why anyone would want to be anything other than polite when on TV. They do not look cool being bitchy...they just look bitchy.  Confessions of a Match Maker is a good one also. The match maker gives the people hell for being such losers on dates and then she tells them how to act and they improve. Kind of like Nanny 911 for adults.  Yes, I love TV.

 

Well, I'm getting typers cramp ... so later.

The lawn in front of the house is in bad shape. Okay, it's on the "worst dressed list" in Homes and Gardens. I can sure grow a mean daisy .... man those things spread everywhere. Pretty flowers but they look really stupid sprouting up on your front lawn.  Hmmm so I decided that I would plant some ground cover Juniper and that would eliminate the need for grass. 

 

Digging up lawn sucks. It's hard work, so I settled with digging a couple of holes and planting the Juniper bushes. My cunning plan was/is to get Andy to dig up the rest of the lawn around the bushes. 

 

So I begin digging. Damn it's hot out!! I look over at the dog lying on the grass .... hmmmmm .... Kachina come here...good dog ... dig.   She made a half-hearted effort, dug a bit and then decided it was too hot for this kind of labor and decided that licking the dirt was more fun. So I waited a minute or two and tried again.  A bit more progress ensued and then she decided that it was great fun to pull the grass out with her teeth. Okay, that could be useful.  I know, I know ... visions of holes dug in places you don't want holes and grass pulled up everywhere except where you wanted it pulled up. It didn't happen. Kachina is as motivated to do this work as ... well...I am. 

 

Back to my cunning plan .... oh Andy ... handsome husband ....yooo hoo  (picture Andy running away).

This is under the rant section because ... well, I'm about to rant.

 

Since walking Chena in the off-leash area didn't work out so well, I had to find another way to get her some good exercise. Sure walking is fine but she needs a better work out than what I can give her in a walk. She needs to jog by my bike! I bought the "walky dog" bike attachment and wow, it's great! 

 

What's not so great and here comes the rant, is the stupid people at the "off-leash" park.

 

There is a bike path that is on the outskirts of the off-leash dog park.  The bi-law does state that bike paths (regardless of where they are) are actually "on-leash" areas. In other words, no off-leash dogs allowed on the bike paths. Not only do the people at the dog park ignore this bi-law, they walk on the path and let their dogs chase us, run up to us and interfere with us while we are on the bike!  Mostly the dogs are trying to run up to Kachina, who is attached to the bike. NO SHE DOESN'T WANT TO PLAY AND I DON'T CARE IF YOUR DOG ONLY WANTS TO SAY "HELLO" .... I'M ON MY BIKE A$$ H#$%S - GET OUT OF MY WAY.

 

You'd think that would be an easy concept to comprehend. Nah!  The other day, Kachina and I were on the path - it's a quick way for us to get to Fish Creek park by bike - and this guy was walking his two dogs (one a Great Pyrenees mix and the other a beagle mix) and the big one ran straight for Kachina.  I had to stop as the dog cut in front of my bike and Kachina got out of her harness and proceeded to give the dog a correction Kachina style. I laid the bike down and ran over and got Kachina, mean while dopey owner is kicking at his dog or swiping at it with the leash. Oh effective ... not.

 

I grabbed Kachina and left. I didn't say anything and wonder if I should have? I don't know. Would it actually do any good?

 

Another time, we were minding our own business riding along and there was this herd of poodles. Hmmm herd of miniature sheep. Hey, if I had it my way, I would have let Kachina have a herding lesson but knowing how dog owners can be, we declined the offer and continued on the bike ... . Okay we tried to continue on the bike but these little things kept chasing us and trying to attack Kachina.  You know, if she actually got hold of one of the little dogs, she'd be the one in trouble. Stupid owners!  In that case, we just sped up and out ran them.

 

The stories go on. There was the time when this little terrier cut in front of the bike, causing me to slam on the brakes and tried to attack Kachina as I held her back and kept yelling "Shoo" to the dog so it wouldn't get near her.  Dopey owner didn't even bother to call his dog.  Damn! I didn't say anything that time either. 

 

Frustration builds. I hate cutting through the dog park but there isn't much choice if I want to visit Cathy or go to Fish Creek Park.  New strategy needed. Cattle prod for protection? Hmmm don't want to hurt the other dogs ... but maybe I could use it on the owners?  Note to self - bring bail money.  Okay plan B.

 

Once again having to cut through the evil underworld I saw a gathering up ahead - people and labs on the path. Oh great! So I yelled out:  "Watch your dogs, mine bites!"  Hey, the clearing of the red sea .... hmmm I think I'm on to something.  One yahoo let her dog go too soon and it started to chase us and then Kachina went GGGGGGrrrrrr and the owner called it back.  Hello, what part of .... my dog bites makes you think that if your dog catches up to us all will be cookies and milk? Bah! 

 

I haven't been there since last week (last incident). I have to be in battle mode and just haven't felt like it.   But ... I'll be back. 

 

 

Well I've learned a lot and am finally having some success with Kachina and her dominance issues.  I gleaned all that I could from training books, various web sites & DVDs (already mentioned in earlier blog). Information is a good thing.

 

So the latest tool that I've acquired - and now I can say that I've tried them all - is the "Remote Trainer" or electric collar. Some people claim that tools such as prong collars and remote trainers are cruel training methods and to that I say - any tool, when used improperly, can be cruel. A flat collar can injure your dog's neck just as much as a prong collar. The thing is that when you are using a prong collar, you don't need to give as strong of a correction.  With a remote trainer, you do have a choice of settings which can deliver a correction no more harsh than a choke collar (with out the choke). 

 

Naughty Kachina LOL.  She was into fence fighting, trying to bite the lawn mower tires, chasing horses (or anything else) and dominating any dogs she could get her paws on.

 

Fence Fighting in the yard: Every time I let her out she would run down the center of the lawn and bark, announcing her arrival to the other dogs in the area. From there, she would run to the back fence and see if she could get something going with Teko. If he wasn't out or interested, the bichon/shitzu's next door were always good for a fence fight. 

 

I tried blocking off the areas where she would go. That works to some degree.

 

I tried leashing her and walking out with her.  That works until I take her off leash.

 

I tried giving her a correction (scruff her, dominant roll thing, spray water at her ...) - it all works ... once. The next day, or next time I let her out ... she'd do it all over again.

 

I spoke with a dog trainer who works with the remote trainers and he suggested that when using the remote trainer - I give her a "continuous" correction so that she associates her behavior and the fence with well ... land mines.  I tried it and it does work beautifully.  I do find though that I have to reinforce it from time to time and now she may run up to the fence and engage for a moment and then she must remember because she stops when I call her or say "no". 

 

Progress!

 

The remote trainer is an excellent tool for eliminating behavior such as chasing horses or trying to bite the lawn mower tires.  These behaviors need to be exterminated because if they are not, the dog can be injured or killed. It is a life and death situation.  

 

We went out to visit Cathy's horses and when they started running, Kachina wanted to chase them.  I gave her a fairly strong correction (hit the boost button which took the correction from a level 2 to level 4).  I did this twice and she left the horses alone.  I wonder if I'll need to reinforce this next time.

 

With the lawn mower, I just had to use the "nick" button a couple of times and she left the lawn mower alone.

 

I found it interesting how quickly the dog learns that "no" means "no". You can be especially effective when using a remote trainer because when you call the dog and she doesn't come, you can give her a correction - where as before, without the remote trainer, if you call her and she doesn't come ... it's too late by the time you catch her.  The dog quickly learns that the leader can correct her and control her from a distance using "magick".

 

It's a good tool. I bought the Innotek 300 and so far, I'm impressed.

 

It's never easy but never more difficult than you imagine.

 

I was out in the Pigeon coup tending to my flock when I noticed a spot of blood on the ground. I looked up and didn't see anything at first and then one of my black pigeons (ya black - how cool is that!) flew by and landed on a perch near by. I looked at his foot and saw blood and a tangled mess of grass. Hmmm it looks like a foot injury - toe nail maybe? 

 

I did a brilliant catch the pigeon in mid air as he was trying to fly by me. Though it wasn't as impressive as the time Andy caught Avatar (the raven) in mid air.

 

Anyway, I bring the pigeon into the house and get my med kit out. I put a towel over the pigeon's head (keeps em calm), laid him (or her) on his back and then began to unravel the grass from the bird's foot. Hmmm no cut, but wait ... there's blood on his wing. Oh Crap!!! Blood feather.  I hate those!

 

Sigh. The pigeon was really calm and just laid there as I cleaned up his wing and tried to get a better look as to where the broken feather was. If you don't pull out a blood feather when it is broken, the bird will bleed to death. The feather shaft in a blood feather acts like a straw. It's never good when one of those breaks.

 

I'm looking but I can't find the broken shaft and the pigeon is bleeding. Then I begin to perspire and my peripheral vision begins to dim. Oh Crap, now I'm going to pass out!  I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and gulp down a few cool mouthfuls and put my head between my knees. I read somewhere that is suppose to help. It sort of does.  Meanwhile the pigeon is still laying there calmly bleeding to death. Ack! 

 

I try to pull myself together and finish the task at hand. It's only a blood feather, you've done these before Marisa. Just do it. Crap, it's beginning to get black again.

 

Okay, this isn't going to work. Obviously the stress of trying to find the blood feather, hold the pigeon down and yank it out is just too much for my physiology. Okay, plan B.  I'm taking the bird to the vet.

 

I gather the bird up and put him into the carrier and drive over to the vet closest to my house. It's closed. I consider my options ... should I just drive over to Jo's house (it's a block away from the vet's) and see if she'll hold the pigeon. Hmmm I envision the scene of me pounding on her door and when she finally answers it (she's not good with answering doors - thank you door-to-door campaigners!)  I envision her finally opening the door and me rushing in with this pigeon and us both passing out because neither one of us can take the pressure.  Hmmm Plan C. Go to Kachina's vet.

 

So I drive down to the Macleod Trail Animal hospital - they're awesome there, and explain my situation. I go in the back room with the tech (bless her heart) who says she'll give it a try.  I take the pigeon out of the cage, put towel back over it's head and hold it down. I point out where the broken feather shaft is and she grips it with a hemostat (medical plier) and pulls but the shaft breaks and she only gets bits and pieces.  Damn! I assume that she's beginning to stress because she is not getting anywhere. She suggests that I do it but I know my track record (visions of me passing out on vet's floor) and decline. I tell her she's doing a fine job and keep trying. Finally she gets it. Pluck! Problem solved!

 

Phew! Once the blood feather's broken shaft is pulled out, the problem is solved. It's actually rather anti climatic - ah who needs that kind of excitement. 

 

So I have realized that I'd make a lousy adrenaline junkie but a good fainting goat.

 

The pigeon, on the other hand, well I think it's a reincarnation of Gandhi as it maintained a calm demeanor throughout the entire ordeal despite my impersonation of one of the members of the three stooges.  Okay maybe it's not Gandhi but perhaps I'll name it that anyway.

Today was a wonderful sunny day and so I got a hold of Jo and we decided to go for a bike ride.

 

I had recently bought this dog/bike connector so that I could take Chena for a bike ride and attach her safely to the bike and save my shoulders from getting wrenched.  I got it from the U.S. http://walkydogusa.com/ . It's very well made and worth every cent. The only bad thing about getting this piece of machinery from the U.S. was having to pay the extra $35 brokerage because they shipped it UPS. Ouch!

 

I've decided that the dog park is an evil place (LOL) filled with evil spirits - okay, evil spirited people anyway. I don't bother taking Kachina there any more because, well, who needs the b.s., there are other places to take my dog and other ways to exercise her. 

 

Not too much more to say today. I guess I'll go take care of some shipping.

 

M.

If there was a God and he was to have a conversation with one of his favorite angels .... surprised it's Lucifer ... Ha, isn't that something.

 

G: So Lucifer, you were right. Mankind is not yet ready for ascension.

 

L: Well, they're not all bad. Some are progressing quite nicely. Others well hmmmm.... .

 

G: So where ever did they get the stupid idea that I require worship?

 

L: Er... that would be those biographers you er "inspired". You know, those creative bible writers.

 

G: Sigh. I know I mentioned "sacrifice" but I didn't mean it literally. It was a figure of speech.

 

L: Maybe you should speak to your people?

 

G: And what, start another 2000 years of chaos. You saw what happened last time I tested the water and sent a messenger. They hung him on a cross and now worship crosses .. that's just twisted.

 

Oh and then there was Mohamed. Nice guy, like Jesus but now people are going around killing each other because they favor one messenger over another.

 

L: Not to mention that they (humans) tend to worship the messenger and then do interesting and creative things with the message.

 

G: Maybe I should send a plague?

 

L: It's been done, they survived. They are resilient if nothing else. Besides look what's happening with the bird flu. The idiots are killing all the birds. I guess it didn't occur to them to take better care of the birds.

 

G: How about a flood?

 

L: You just did that. That had a good and bad result. It certainly brought out the best in some humans - they really went all out and are still trying to help the victims.  Uh God, you do realize that when you do these things - many innocent lives are lost and it just gives more fodder to those blood sucking evangelists.

 

G: Ya, there is that. Perhaps I should just send a meteor and plunge the whole thing into the sun. Total annihilation!

 

L: Simmer down. Sheesh I didn't think you were a quitter. Have a little faith.

 

G: Okay Lucifer, see if you can influence something good ... .

 

L: You do realize that the only way to save mankind is for them to forget about you.

 

G: But how will they know to be moral and do good things?

 

L: They have to learn to do good for the right reasons. They can't do it for you or because of you.

Look God - religion was suppose to provide guidance and spiritual hope. Instead it divided the people, started wars and promotes more violence than 20 red necks drinking in a gay bar.

 

G: Ironic isn't it.

 

L: To achieve enlightenment, they have to give up religion and forget about God. Only when they have achieved a higher state of evolution, where they don't rely on God or attribute silly superstitions to God will they ever be ready to actually understand what God is about.

 

G: I think you have something there Luce

 

L: Well, they don't call me the "Bright Star" for nothing.

 

G: You realize that they'll think you're the bad guy.

 

L: So.

 

G: They'll call you evil and the devil.

 

L: LOL Been called worse. What kind of evolved being would I be if a) my ego could be crushed by a human and b) if I was more concerned about my reputation than The Great Work.

 

 

 

It was a dark and snowy night somewhere around 9:30 pm and there we are, at the dog park and would you believe I actually saw some people there. Sheesh! I guess there are others as wacky as me.

 

Anyway, we are walking along the path and then Chena starts jumping and barking at a dark thing in the snow. Is it a stick? She continued to growl at it and bark at it, paw at it and try to pounce on it - all at the same time. It was rather amusing to watch. So what was it?

 

It was a .... beer bottle of all things.  After she told off the beer bottle by growling and barking at it,  she made friends with it, licked it and then picked it up and ran with it for a while and eventually deserted it.  Odd.

 

Ghosts and The Mind

Have you ever seen something and then looked again and it wasn't there? Was it a ghost or something your mind created?

Sometimes we see things that don't actually exist. We hallucinate all the time. For example, have you ever lost your keys and looked everywhere only to find them right in front of you? In your search, you must have seen that area at least half a dozen times and yet didn't see the keys. I'll bet you can think of a time when you saw a friend's face in a crowd only to discover it wasn't your friend after all. How many times have you seen something in the shadow that appeared to be one thing but was not? Have you ever thought that the traffic light was still red when it had already changed to green?  

So, when someone says that they saw a ghost, what did they really see?

What else could it be? 

What we see is not recorded like a photograph from a camera. The image our eyes actually see is much different than what our brain interprets.

  “The brain does not ‘see’, ‘hear’ or ‘feel’ the ouside world. It constructs it in response to stimuli. The stimuli usually come from outside – lightwaves, for example, bounce off objects and then hit the light-sensivtive neurons in the eye. These stimulate the brain to create an image that accords with the information it is receiving. Sometimes, however, the brain either misreads the incoming information (creating an illusion) or generates its own stimuli which it then interprets as coming froom the outside. When this happens there may be no way – other than by deduction – for someone to work out whether what they are sensing is really in the outside world or only in their mind.” [Source: Mapping the Mind by Rita Carter, pg.204]

So, our brain has to translate what our eyes see and create the picture before us. The brain also doesn't like to leave things unresolved so when you glance at something, your brain fills in the rest of the picture. You may glance at a room and actually see very little of that room but your brain fills in the rest of the information. It is possible for something to come into your line of vision briefly (a bag moving in the wind) and your mind makes an error and creates the vision of a person instead of what the object really was.  It's less romantic than a ghost.   

Could it be a ghost?  Well, we have no scientific evidence of the existence of ghosts. Never mind what all the TV shows, books or personal testimony tell you - they all come from the same source -- someone else's experience and as I've just demonstrated above, the brain can fool us into thinking something exists when it doesn't.  

The next important thing to know about the brain is that the unconscious will work really hard to make our beliefs real.  The U/C will sort through all the data that your memory has collected that corresponds (even remotely) to the belief and thus creates a convincing case; however, the bits and pieces of memories are not accurate. The recording of a memory is not like a video camera capturing a scene. Memory is very, very subjective.  

The components of a memory come from different parts of your brain. What you saw at the time gets translated into what you think you saw and each time that memory gets brought back to the surface, it changes slightly because your perspective changes. What you heard at the time of the incident gets stored as your interpretation of what someone said. When we process an audio file, we have to decipher tone of voice and meaning of the message. Once again, what we hear is not always what was actually said. How many times have you heard someone say, "That's not what I said." So many misunderstandings occur as a result of misinterpretation of what you hear. So, given that ... your auditory memory of the incident is general at best.  

Emotions play a large role in the memory movie. The brain has to put meaning to the incident that occurred and what ever your emotion was at the time affects the perspective of the memory. The stronger the emotion, the more impact the memory will have and the easier it will be to recall. This is the basis of how phobias are created.  

So … do you still think you saw a ghost?

 

It was a cold and snowy day and so I waited until the evening (because it would be warmer ... not) to take Kachina to the dog park so she could run around off leash (and I wouldn't have to walk that far). So I bundled up - looked like a total dork and then rationalized it with a,  "It's not like anyone is crazy enough to come out on a night like this (except me)". Besides, it's not like anyone would recognize me. 

 

Anyway, so we are out there in the frozen tundra of the dog park - all alone and Kachina is feeling playful (trying to get me to chase her ... LOL ... as if I could if I wanted do in my snow gear).  This white truck pulls up and the guy lets out two medium sized dogs (shep X ... one of them anyway) and both approach Kachina. She lets them sniff her and she sniffs them - surprised? I was. 

 

After the introduction was over, it was time for a game of chase.  Kachina was being chased by the bigger of the two dogs. Wow - can she ever run fast!!! She was practically doing laps around the poor dog chasing her. It is a beautiful thing to see. It was a little surprising that she was allowing herself to be chased but then having seen her in action, it would hardly be sport for her to do the chasing.  No fights.  I left the park elated...my dog can still be social. Yay!!!

 

This evening we went back to the park. It was colder than last night and I looked like a terrorist woman (everything covered except my eyes) or bank robber.  Saw another dog, dob/shep X and they looked at each other but there was no play interest. 

 

Kachina did go for a run on her own. I wish she would have continued for a while as it would have saved me some walking ... more like trudging. 

 

I can't wait until it warms up and we can go bike riding!

 

Today Kachina and I went for our first street bike ride. No dog park!  I actually enjoy riding on the side streets with Kachina more than going down the bike path at the dog park mainly because there are less obstacles (dogs and people). The traffic during the afternoon is pretty minor and we are on the side streets so I don't anticipate traffic being an issue.

 

To protect Kachina's feet from the asphalt and other pieces of junk (gravel, glass etc.) I put her boots on. She doesn't seem to mind them that much either. I used a dog sled harness so that she could pull the bike for a bit and it worked great!  The difference between a "sled" harness and regular dog harness is that the sled harness is cushioned across the chest and has two D links on either side so that you can hook her up to a cart or sled.

 

I got a few odd looks from people but really, who cares!!!  The nice thing was that I didn't have to stop every two seconds because of a dog or person and Kachina didn't pull my arm out of it's socket trying to get to the other dogs.

 

She's tuckered out now and sleeping. Tired Belgains are well behaved Belgians.  :) 

 

M.

It was a snowy day and the dog park had very few people there. I had Kachina on a long leash and her harness and managed to avoid other dogs for most of the walk.  On the way back, we encountered a standard poodle and I let them play for a moment before taking the leash and carrying on.

 

We were walking on the bike path (an on-leash area) and this old guy and his springer spaniel are walking towards us. His dog is running up to Kachina. It looked like it wanted to play and so I let Kachina's leash out.  As soon as Kachina made an unfriendly noise, I pulled her back - fast!So fast that there really was no encounter. His dog was scared and it was yelping and here's how the conversation er encounter went:

 

MB: Is your dog okay?

OC (Old Coot): I don't know

MB: Well it looks okay.

OC: Your dog shouldn't be here. This is an off leash park.

MB: My dog is on a leash.

OC: Your dog should be put to sleep!

MB: Well that's a little extreme.

OC: Your dog is vicious. I want to kick it.

MB: Don't make this any worse.

OC: You shouldn't be here.

MB: Look, this part here is an on-leash area. My dog is on-leash and under control. Your dog is not. It run up to her.

OC: You let her.

MB: She's on leash Sir.

OC: I should kick you.

MB: I wouldn't do that.  You know, you are just a miserable old coot. (Then I turn to walk away).

OC: Yelling to other people there.  "You'd better watch it. That dog is vicious!"

MB: She's on a leash sir. Control your own dog.

 

And I walked away.  Talk to my ass.

 

Wow, Kachina sure can stir up trouble!

 

Okay, so I've mastered the staying calm thing. Now, I want to go for comedic value.  I'm sure they won't see the comedy in their behavior or my response ... but just think of the good stories I can tell.

 

OC: I should kick you.

MB: What are you - 12?

 

OC: Your dog should be put to sleep.

MB: Your behavior is no better than hers, maybe we should put you to sleep.

 

OC: Your dog is vicious.

MB: Only towards crazy old men.

 

OC: I want to kick your dog.

MB: I want to kick your ass.

 

Ya...that would have been much more fun. You see, when you are in the right...then you can have fun with it. The key is to stay in the right! 

 

I'm sure there will be another tale to tell .... Kachina is still young.

Today I decided to take Kachina for a run with the bike. I put her boots on so she wouldn't hurt her feet and used the Halti so she wouldn't pull my arm off.

 

There were quite a few people on the bike path.  I can see how some of the bikers get annoyed because people do not move out of the way and their dogs ... arg!

 

So what I did was if I spotted some people ahead coming my way, I got off the bike and walked Kachina over in the grass area. In one case this guy's dog came up to her and she wanted to rip his lips off. I made her sit and allow the dog to sniff her butt. She wasn't happy about that at all! 

 

I told one lady with a schnauzer that Kachina wasn't always good with other dogs and so she reluctantly got her dog off the path. What is with these people!!!!!!!  Can they not just move aside and let us pass? Okay, and then if they see me getting my dog - that is on a leash - out of their way ... ya think they might want to not let their dogs come up to us! Maybe I should just let Kachina snap at their dogs.

 

I can see that going to that place is a pain in the butt. I like the bike path there because I can run Kachina with my bike without worry about traffic. Well car traffic anyways. Maybe car traffic is easier to deal with than dog traffic.  There is that little issue of riding a bike with a dog on leash being against the law...so as long as I can avoid the cops. Things are never easy are they!

 

I did manage to run Kachina for a bit and then we went up and down my street a few times. I figured that I needed to burn that frustrated energy off her. She could have gone longer but I was pooped. I can't wait until I can take the electric bike out again. There is still too much ice on the side roads and it is kind of dangerous to ride a bike, let alone a bike with a dog.

 

I wish I had the energy to go jogging or for 10 mile hikes. Damn this Fibromylgia!!! 

 

Oh well, I'll just have to get more creative in my dog exercise solutions. No, I'm not buying a treadmill for my dog ... yet.

 

M.

We are walking along the bike path area of the dog park - which actually is suppose to be an "on-leash" area, not that anyone obeys that law - when this guy and his two old(?) dogs are coming by.  I have Kachina on a short leash and the guy's American Eskimo, who looked blind, is walking toward us. I hear Kachina growl and stand between the AE and Kachina, meanwhile his German Shepherd is coming around from the back. Kachina lunges at the Shepherd and I stop her and then put her in a submissive position.

 

The guy is checking his German shepherd for injuries(?) and the AE is still trying to approach Kachina, who is being made to lie down by me.

 

Okay, how stunned is this guy? My dog is on a short leash and I'm trying to block his dog from getting to mine. Hello Stupid - I'm trying to avoid a confrontation between dogs here.  Sheesh!  He looks at me surprised as if I did something wrong. First, his dog's were not on leash - mine was. Second, his dogs were getting into my dog's face and she had no where to go.  Yes, it's bad that she snapped at his dog - I'm working on that. That is why my dog is on a leash!

 

What is he thinking walking a blind dog (off leash) at a dog park anyway?

 

I guess I'll have to warn all who approach, "Careful my dog isn't always good with other dogs."  I suppose it couldn't hurt our reputation which is crap anyway.

 

The question of the day is - what was it about those two dogs that provoked Kachina?  Was it that she perceived the "blind" dog as weak and that triggered her wanting to attack it?  BTW, dogs are not naturally "sensitive" toward the weak or handicapped,  as humans are.  In the animal world, that alone is reason to attack.  Perhaps that was the reason?

 

I was walking with Johanna today and let Kachina run around (ahead of us) on the long leash. Perhaps this gave her the idea she was the leader and acted with that in mind. She certainly didn't want to listen to me today. She kept trying to chew her leash off and wanted to jump on people who were close by. 

 

Granted, some days I am slacker in her handling than other days.  Then again, some days she is more rebellious than other days. Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

Well today we ventured back to the dog park. I kept Kachina on leash the whole time but I did put together two leashes to give her an extra long leash. That worked okay in some parts but in other areas, those where other dogs were running around, Kachina became frustrated because she wanted to go and join the other dogs but couldn't.  I also found it difficult to control her when she was in that mode - especially since I had her on a harness (the Halti was in my pocket).

 

I saw Carrie out there and so I just went the opposite way. I left the park. I just didn't want to bother having a confrontation with her. Why ruin my day.  Yes, I still want to stuff her, all of her, down a gopher hole. I doubt that feeling will go away any time soon. 

 

Back to Kachina. One of the reasons, besides the park becoming polluted by a negative presence, I left is because people were throwing balls for their dogs and it was too chaotic to have a nice walk with Chena.  We went to a different place where there wasn't that many people around and I let Kachina run around on her extra long lead a bit more and then put the Halti on and we walked back.

 

I came home and watched a few of Cesar's episodes from Season 1 and realized that I've made a few mistakes worth mentioning:

 

First, I should be correcting Kachina whenever she is on leash and even looks at another dog.  I didn't do this before because I didn't see the harm in looking but it begins with her looking and then she starts pulling, wanting to go to the dog. Perhaps if she gets corrected at the beginning when she starts to look, I can teach her to ignore other dogs. The dog park may have some value for me yet. 

 

The second lesson is that I am still letting Kachina walk too much in front of me.  I didn't think it mattered but now, I think that perhaps that few inches is enough for K to think she is leading?  It may not be as big of a deal as the first thing but ...  .  

 

I do think that she needs to have some "free time" on the walk where she can sniff and run ahead. For that reason I will continue to bring the extra long lead but I will use it after she does well on the walk and ignore other dogs portion of the walk - kind of like a reward.

 

I ordered Cesar's "People training for dogs" and I'm sure it will correct me further.  Kachina is sure teaching me how to manage a dog!

 

We'll see what tomorrow brings. 

 

M.

Every year around this time, I engage in a period of reflection surrounding what has happened during the year, what I've learned and the formation of ideas around what I want to go toward in the new year.

 

The last six years have marked the beginning of the end in my spiritual struggle. Before that, I was quite Christianized in my beliefs. I believed in good and evil, angels, demons and spirits. I believed in destiny, karma and all forms of divination. It was a time of magical thinking. A time of magical adventure. A time of Yesodic pleasure in the creative use of my imagination - only I didn't know that then for I had mistaken my imagination, as wonderful as it was, for reality.

 

Whenever I come to this point in thought, I am always reminded of the movie "The Matrix". I often ponder on the thought: Were they really better off knowing about the Matrix or being left alone in their comfortable world of creative imagination? In many ways, the people were better off in their ignorance. Then again, Neo's knowledge did bring him more power to act in the illusionary world. His knowledge of how the Matrix worked enabled him to use "Magick" (an act of Will) and accomplish much more than the rest of the people who were ignorant to the knowledge. On the other hand, his real world was ugly and rather dismal - not a great reality at all.

 

Then again, that was a movie and the "real" world is not ugly - it just isn't magical, not in the way New Age and Religion believe.

 

Oops, I'm getting ahead of myself here. Where was I ... oh ya, six years ago I joined a "magick society" called The Thelemic Golden Dawn. I had studied the works of the Golden Dawn for years and frankly I wanted to learn the rumored secret knowledge these mystery schools taught.

 

I chose the TGD because they had the "Thelemic" blend to their Golden Dawn teachings. Thelema comes from the teachings of Aleister Crowley, not the best role model in the world, but a pretty good one where magick is concerned. In fact, it was Crowley who made the distinction between magic with a "c" and magick with a "k". The distinction is between the illusionary and the real. Crowley's definition of Magick is "An act of Will".  I know, it seems so simple but trust me, it is anything but a simple concept - there is so much more to understanding this definition than just knowing what the words mean.

 

My time with the TGD was difficult. It was not what I expected. I had expected to become more involved in magic. I thought that I would learn how to contact the spirits, understand my destiny - become a more magical creature myself. Oh, I learned about magick alright ... I took the blue pill (was that the reality one?).  I stepped beyond the realm of Eden (my wonderful imaginary magical world) and found myself on a path of knowledge which led me into the Abyss of confusion. My world turned up side down.  This is not a venture for the weak of heart and spirit to take! Trust me - it was damn hard on my mind and sanity but a necessary step in my evolution. 

 

Around the same time I joined the TGD, I took my NLP training. This training would become the magickians tools necessary to survive the journey I was on. I still, to this day, strongly state that this NLP training was the best thing I ever did. My training with the TGD was also really beneficial in a similar way that boot camp is to a soldier.

 

One of the tasks I underwent in the TGD was a two year journey on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. The QToL has 22 paths, each path symbolizing a concept, a portion of your mind or personality. Each of the paths is also symbolically represented by one of the Tarot cards in the Major Arcana (very useful) as well as an astrological planet or sign and Hebrew letter. These symbols, as well as the Sephiroth the paths join, aid in helping the person to understand the meaning of the path. The idea is for the person to examine everything that occurs to him or her during that time on the path in accordance with that idea. So, for example, if you are on the 32nd path (Tarot card: The Universe) you examine everything that happens to you during your time with the idea of "reality" in you mind. "Is what I'm experiencing here real or imagined? How is my perception of this event different than someone else's." Anyway, that's the general idea.

 

This was a very beneficial exercise and also a very difficult one because you are also setting yourself up to be "tested" on these concepts. It's easy to get lost in the tangle of your mind and lose sight of where reality may be concerning a particular situation.

 

I came out the other end a very changed person - much stronger than when I began - much tougher and much more powerful. I say this without the ego attachment to power. One of the things you have to do to get through the paths in one piece is learn to recognize what is ego and to eliminate it because it is the one thing that stops a person from being able to handle power.

 

I went through all the grade of the TGD up to Adeptus Major. I quit shortly after I took my Adeptus Minor oath. In retrospect, once you hit Adeptus Minor - you are on your own anyway. Your education is beyond a group - you must continue your journey on your own. Well, that's what I think anyway.

 

Of my many changes, the biggest one has been my beliefs about spirituality. I do not believe in God. I do not believe in the devil. I have yet to see any convincing proof of the existence of spirits. I do not believe in divination or karma. I'm skeptical about any New Age idea. If something is real, it does not need faith to make it so - it should be able to be reproduced and it should be able to stand up to critical reasoning and scientific scrutiny. There should be some verifiable or convincing evidence beyond personal testimony. 

 

I use to think that people who didn't believe in magic were closed minded, and perhaps some of those people are. I've come to learn that scientists are the most open minded people I've come across. A scientist is willing to consider anything but refuses to believe everything.  Crowley once said, "Question Everything" and that is what a true scientist does. If something proves to be true, even if it changes everything science has stood for in the past, science is willing to rewrite itself and support the new evidence. I have yet to find a religion or New Age belief system that is willing to do the same.

 

I find this way of thinking quite freeing as I'm no longer required to accept as Penn & Teller would say "Bullshit". I am free from the bonds of societal restrictions, social values and morals - if I so choose. I live as a kind and civilized human because I choose to, not because karma or fear of sin dictates that I do.

 

I may not see angels or demons but I marvel at the beauty of nature and the personalities of the animals I encounter. I walk in nature like a blind person who has regained her eye sight - everything is beautiful, a lot of it is mysterious, not because of magic but because it's explanation is complex though understandable should I choose to inquire. I don't have to rely on bullshit to explain my world or my being here, I can go and find answers. I exist.

 

I am proud to say I don't have a spirit guide. I don't need one. I have a perfectly good mind which is capable of providing me with all the guidance I want or need. Though I do talk to myself constantly, sometimes out loud .... hmmm I could always tell someone I'm talking to my spirit guide - they'd probably think I was sane then. lol

 

My Raven is not a trapped wizard in a bird's body. She is pretty smart for a Raven and despite the number of questions I've asked her, she has yet to answer. I have a feeling if she did answer me, it would not be to impart any wisdom of the ages ... probably more like "Would you get out of my kitchen and get me something to shred while you're at it."

 

I don't need a pet psychic to tell me when any of my animals are unhappy, frustrated or sick. I find that if I pay attention to them, I can figure that out for myself easy enough. Our animals do communicate with us, my dog puts her head on my knee when she wants attention, drops the ball at my feet when she wants to play. Avatar (the Raven) also has ways of communcating what she wants. She pecks with force at the chair when she is frustrated, has an alarming cry when she is scared or upset and makes a pleasant clicking noise when she is content. She puts one of her feathers in her beak for security when she sleeps. Her injured wing droops more when it's sore.  See, all that is required is to pay attention - no psychic secrets here.  

 

I'm not concerned about who or what I may have been in a past life, if I even had a past life. I am not concerned about what becomes of me after death - I'll find that out soon enough anyway. If there is nothing after death, at least my life was spent in a way that was enjoyable.  I still have my imagination and can still go to my magical world - that is what fantasy and good books or movies are for. I don't have to believe it real to have fun with it.

 

Onward to next year....