the lake o'zen...

You ever sit by a quiet lake early in the morning?

It's silent. It's mesmerizing. It's zen.

I planned a quick escape up to my brothers house in Michigan. He lives on one of those inland lakes that are perfect for water sports. It's big enough for small power and ski boats to pull tubes and water skiers. The sound of laughter and joyously screaming children permeates everywhere through the summer months. The sound of ducks quacking and swans snorting rise over the lake as more people take to the water throughout the day.

He lives in a gorgeous 3 story structure that he helped design and build. Tall, multi level windows facing south give a panoramic view of the lake. His house is austere and uncluttered. There are a few personal items about, but it's graciously appointed yet bare bones. I like that the photo I gave him years ago of the two of us as children adorns the living area. It's a comfortable place to descend upon and he was quite accommodating for allowing us to do so.

Saturday I awoke earlier than usual. The rest of the house was still. Deep sleep murmurs from the girls and no movement from upstairs, so I went out to the dock to sit, with Sienna by my side. Just a girl and her dog sitting at waters edge. Everything sparkling with fresh dew. Watching the sun rising and the mist off the lake. Little prisms of light dancing off reflective surfaces. No sound. Just a few birds, nothing. Peace. And quiet.

It was beautiful. I enjoyed the time sitting alone with my thoughts.

And to watch and hear the world come alive.

It started with a lone ski boat on the far side of the lake. And then a jet ski. And another. Then add two more ski boats, 8 pontoon boats and next all you see and hear are the whining engines of boats. And the joyous sound that emanates when children and water are mixed together.

By mid morning the sand bar is full of boats with their occupants on various inflatable devices consuming the contents of their coolers. It's a all day party affair that happens every warm day of summer. I wondered if that's why they call it a sand 'bar'.

Hmmm.

My daughter brought a friend with her and Uncle Chuck was willing to do the girls bidding at every turn. And turn he did on the lake with them dragging 30 feet behind on the Bonzai tube. Round and round and round the lake we went with the girls asking for more each time we went to stop. I wondered how young girls don't ever seem to tire. Did I once have that much energy? That much gusto? I suppose I did. And some days I still do. They just don't seem to be as frequent as they once were.

We all had a wonderful time on our little 'vacation' up to my brothers abode...swimming, tubing, and blowing up multiple floaties to play on. One raft, reminiscent of the one I saw down at Mohican on the river...palm tree, back rests and cup holders. The other a 6 foot high hamster wheel for the water. It's much more efficient to use on land, as while on water it just spun in the same place landing the girls each and every time on their chins. No one seemed to mind too much, the pleasure of being IN a human size blowup hamster wheel was worth any pain that said falling might bring on. It was the perfect place to spend a few lazy days of summer when the temperatures soared above the 90 degree mark.

After last weeks discombobulation, it was good to have a place of zen to go to. Sometimes it's just good to get away, even if for a short time. I had such a relaxing weekend that I actually brought home with me a little of the lake mud and water in an empty wine bottle. If I feel the need to get back to the solitude, the zen, the peace of the lake...I can just pull out the bottle and swish it around. If I put my ear up and listen closely, the sound of laughter can be heard.

I just have to think about it.

And it'll be there.

Zen in a bottle. A wine bottle.

Maybe it's not zen after all...

but kismet.

:-)

something happened along the way...

e⋅piph⋅a⋅ny - (i-pif-uh-nee)

• a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

Have you ever had an epiphany?

When it seems that everything in your world has finally come into focus? Akin to a Claritin Clear commercial?
When all the planets seems to align itself and shine down upon you?
A time when all the questions you have about your existence all seem to make sense?

When you feel as if even the Dali Lama may call and ask YOU for advice?

I haven't.

At least not recently.
I'm totally discombobulated today.

Normally pretty organized, I can't seem to even make an errand run without forgetting something. Starting with leaving the list of things to get, at home on the kitchen counter. I did go back for it and then at the store, I left the list in the car. But once that error realized (again), this time I didn't go back for it. I figured that if I manage to hit every department in the store that I'll 'remember' what it was on the list. It'll be okay, I'll get everything that I need.
Nope. Didn't work.

When I got back to the car and checked the list to see how my memory fared in the store there were about six of the items that I forgot. Not bad overall, I suppose, but don't have the time now to go back to complete the list. It'll have to wait for another day.

I needed to stop at four different places. Normally, this isn't a big deal. Pre-thinking my course, I normally make the stops in a circular fashion so I don't go out of my way. I go from point A through point D and then back around. I don't jump between points thus backtracking and wasting time and energy. Today, I jumped around from Point A to Point D then back to Point C over to Point B. It was quite inefficient by my standards. Normally, this doesn't happen.
But today it did.

Today does not seem like a normal day.

I look the same. Feel pretty much the same. Seem to be the same. But something just feels...off.

And I can't quite get a grip on what it is.

Hopefully this condition won't last too long. I need to find those damn rose colored glasses. Where, pray tell, did I put them...

So if you have any idea how I can align my planets, force an epiphany and figure out what I'm supposed to be doing...could you take the time to enlighten me?

It seems that I am definitely not in the Dali Lama's speed dial top 5.
:-)

Lakewood and their view on dogs...

Meet Stuey. He's my dog. He's an American Bulldog. He's a great pet.

I live in Lakewood, Ohio.

It's a nice suburban area of Cleveland, Ohio on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie.

It's a rather tranquil place. Enough bustle going on to keep us busy. We've got the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Cavaliers. We have a world renowned philharmonic, an award winning Museum of Art, several smaller museums and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are numerous other attractions around the area such as Boston Mills for skiing and Blossom Music Center. We have a park system that runs for 60+ miles, so you can bike or hike to your hearts content. We have four seasons so we can enjoy all nature has to offer. We even have a pretty good cost of living compared to other cities, so you get all this for less money.

But with all these benefits, we have a city that doesn't really like dogs. And now we have National Media coverage of an event that happened last week. We now have Otis, the Boxer. And the policeman and animal control warden who felt it necessary to taser the poor animal...twice.

I saw the blurp on the news, but was doing other things and didn't pay much attention to it. Then it was on the news again. And again. And again. And now it's world news.

Lakewood has (amid numerous objections from many of its residents) a 'Dangerous Dog Ordinance'.

If you own a Pitt Bull or a Canary Dog, Lakewood considers them to be 'dangerous dogs'. There is a grandfather clause in place for dogs of those breeds, but they must be registered as such for a $50 fee. No one within city limits can now own one, or any mix of one. Any 'dangerous' dog must be on a leash at all times and be muzzled if walking or out of it's home. If not, the city will round them up and destroy them.

So in a nutshell, this is what happened last week with the Boxer, Otis.

Otis's owner fell asleep.

Otis got out of a mislatched screen door.

Otis took himself for a walk.

A neighbor called the police.

The police called the animal warden.

The cop pulled a gun on the dog and then thought better of it. He was 'afraid the bullet may ricochet and hit something other than the dog.

The policeman tasered Otis.

The animal warden had the loop around Otis's neck.

And then Officer Terry Lowther proceeded to taser the dog...again.

As Otis was on the ground, whimpering, still and looped by animal control, the officer continued to taser the dog. Even as animal control dragged unconsciuos Otis over to his vehicle and tossed the dog in like a bag of trash. Only then did the officer stop using the taser gun. The policeman said the dog was 'aggressive'. The animal control warden had no comment. The video shows otherwise. Before Otis was tasered, he appeared nervous. Dog trainers have looked at the raw video and said that the dogs mannerisms do not show an aggressive dog, at all.

The video from the taser gun is disgusting. (You can watch it here if you'd like, warning: it's disturbing.)

The video shown initially on TV was just a portion of the raw footage. And it didn't have the sound. This is the video from the taser gun. You can hear the warden and officer calling , "here puppy, puppy" and yelling at the dog to "go home." No wonder the dog was confused. They can also be heard agreeing that neither knows what breed of dog Otis is. And then you hear the dogs cries of pain.

It's shameful.

And I live here.

WITH a dog that could be taken for a 'dangerous dog' since all the police and animal wardens seem to think ALL dogs have Pitt in them. Imbeciles.

In Lakewood, Ohio we have beautiful parks. But no one is allowed to walk their dogs in them. We have beautiful beaches, but dogs are not allowed to go to the water because they are not allowed on the beach in the parks.

It has become a non-pet friendly city. They stopped allowing dogs in the parks in 1973. The residents have started to petition to have that removed. The city says that it will cost too much money to post signs and waste stations, so they want it to remain in place.

But having this 'Dangerous Dog' ordinance just instills fear into people. They are beginning to automatically think that if it looks like a Pitt Bull, it is a Pitt Bull and it is vicious. Otis isn't even a Pitt Bull, he's a Boxer. The city wanted to destroy him. But they settled with the owner that Otis is just banned from living in the city. I own an American Bulldog, and now just because he has a big head, people automatically think he's a Pitt or has Pitt in him. That would qualify him by Lakewood standards to then be a dangerous dog and vicious animal.

Stuey is not vicious. Or mean.

It's not the breed of dog that's dangerous. It's the owners that raise dangerous dogs! I've met a few Chihuahua's that'll take your arm off. So if they ban Pitts, what's to say that they won't ban Bulldogs, or Labradors, or German Shepard's? Once they start doing this, it's a slippery slope. Who has the power to control it, and why wasn't the animal control employee able to identify correctly the breed before going to such extreme?

Granted the owner of Otis, Daniel Kier, has some explaining to do. Why didn't the dog have an identification tag. He wasn't a registered dog. But he wasn't a Pitt Bull either. So why then should he be banned from the city?

I recently watched from my car as some kids were hanging out on the sidewalk in front of a local park. They weren't doing anything. Just standing there. A police officer pulled his cruiser over because they had a dog with them. It's possible that the dog was a Pitt Bull, but looked like a boxer or bulldog to me. I watched as the officer made the kid show identification and talk with the officer for quite awhile. But he let them go.

Since this ordinance has been put into place, there have been many instances reported that the police are out looking for people with 'dangerous dogs' within city limits. There have been many others that have come forward and expressed concern because they felt harassed by police because of their dogs. Many have had their dogs DNA tested to prove that it isn't a pit bull terrier. Isn't that a case of guilty before proven innocent?

I have the Invisible Fencing system. I've had it for years and it works great. But since my dogs have the run of the backyard, who's to say that someone isn't going to come by while I'm gone and take my dog. He'd bark or growl like crazy if someone was aggressive with him, but he's really a little lover. Ask any of my friends.

The whole thing bothers me.

For instance, while out for a walk yesterday afternoon with my dogs several people stopped to ask their breeds. I'm used to it because both Sienna and Stuey are interesting, handsome dogs. And friendly. But the people today when they asked seemed wary of Stuey until I told them that indeed "he is not a Pitt Bull". Only then did the approach and were liberally drooled on.

So how long will it be before I have the police coming to my doorstep and asking for Stuey's identification papers. I have them all, he IS an American Bulldog, but it's the principal of the matter.

What do you think?

Should a city be able to ban certain breeds from city limits? Should an ordinance for Dangerous Dogs be in place?

And if you want a little drool, stop on over.

Stuey's got a lot to share.

:-)

What Can YOU Do?

If you are so inclined, below I have listed some contact information for some individuals in Lakewood, OH.

MayorEdward FitzGeraldMayor’s Office

12650 Detroit AvenueLakewood, Ohio 44107(216) 529-6600email – mayor@lakewoodoh.net
City CouncilLakewood City Hall

12650 Detroit AvenueLakewood, Ohio 44107(216) 529-6055email: council@lakewoodoh.net
The seven members of the city council include:

Kevin Butler – Ward 1(216) 221-7953email: butler@councilmanbutler.com
Thomas Bullock – Ward 2(216) 337-1318email: tom.bullock@lakewoodoh.net
Michael Summers – Ward 3(216) 228-6905email: mike.summers@lakewoodoh.net
Mary Louise Madigan – Ward 4(216) 228-9578email: mary.madigan@lakewoodoh.net
Nickie J. Antonio – At Large(216) 221-4421email: nickieantonio@aol.com
Michael Dever – President – At LargeHome (216) 221-6737email: michael_dever@sbcglobal.net
Brian E. Powers – At Large(216) 496-3238email: bpowers@lazorpoint.com
Police ChiefTimothy J. Malley(216) 521-6773email: police@lakewoodoh.net
Animal Control(216) 529-5020

The Premium MeMe award...

Oh! How fun for me!
The accolades cometh! And the accolades will be spread forth...

I must Thank the Queen of HighWasp at Privilege for this most wonderful award. Although upon accepting said award, I need to point out that my friend is in need a office visit to her optometrist.

You see, she mentioned in her blog that she gave me this award because, and I quote, "This award goes to: f8hasit for the best About Me photo ever."

Now. I know. I should say, "Thank You" and leave it at that. But accepting compliments has never been my forte. I'm rather critical of photos taken of me. I prefer to be behind the lens than in front of it. So when there is a photo that is able to pass my scrutiny, well...okay. One in four hundred I suppose isn't so bad!

So please, do go over and tell my friend Lisa at Privilege, that Nancy says "Hi!". She's been giving me my suggested daily dose of HighWasp that I truly enjoy. I might skip breakfast and even my daily fiber supplement, but never; ever my dose of Privilege.

The guidelines of the Premium MeMe award are to list 7 of your personality traits, as evidenced on your blog, and then pass the award on to 7 other blogs with notable personality. OK. Just an FYI, I had to confer with my ex-husband to get the seven traits...so I'm sure they are off, just slightly. He did mention #3 about 6 times!

Hang on, here goes.

1. Optimistic. (If you know me, or read any of my stuff, this has held true my whole life. No matter what.)

2. Grateful.

3. Stubborn. (six times? really?)

4. Insightful.

5. Generous. (ask any waiter!)

6. Opinionated. (so, shoot me. I like my opinion! I'll listen to yours but it may not change mine.)

7. Affable.

And now for my seven award winners! (que drumroll)

This award is humbly presented to Matthew at Resurrected Ramblings for his most insightful stories; Will at Searching for Shangri-La because if he lived closer, I'm sure we'd be great friends and I sometimes que up hisd blog just to listen to the music; to Carlos at the tired one because he wants to take a break from blogging and we don't want him to, this will give him something to do-he can't refuse!; at Chrissy at ishouldabeenastripper because through everything she's still my best friend and I love her; to Lora from Fever because she never fails to make me run for the bathroom before I pee my pants after reading her posts; to JennyMac at Let's have a cocktail...I just like her (and her blog name)! and she always makes me smile; and last but not least to HolgaJen at The Darkroom because I want to be as artistic, beautiful and talented as she is.

Please make sure to go to these talented people's blogs. Without them, I would have at least 2 more productive hours added to my day.

:-)

time to smell the roses...

It's going to be one of those days.

Hectic. Busy. Out of Control.

I can feel it about ready to burst. I've got in my hands a list of all that needs to be accomplished today.

It's a long list.

And it's not one of those lists of 'want to get done', it's a 'NEEDS to get done' list. Perhaps I could have whittled it down a bit by knocking a few items OFF said list prior to today, but there were things that came up that prevented me from doing so. Important things.

Like go swimming with my daughter, and having lunch with my new mommy friends of my daughters classmates in one of their backyards. Things like reading a few chapters of my book whilst feeding the ever growing koi in our pond, take a bike ride and the dogs for a walk. Things like waking up early to enjoy a cup of coffee on the front porch before the masses awake. Things I don't normally do because I'm running on list hyper speed.

I brought my computer out with me with my coffee this morning to catch up on some other reading. To find out what my blogbuds (a phrase coined by the enchanting Kathryn over at From the Inside...Out) were up to and wrote while I slept. There was a thought provoking post over at DepressionRecession that got me thinking...

Do we really appreciate, or take the time to appreciate the things that life gives us? Where we are? What we are doing? We are all so programmed to run so fast that the ol' adage of 'taking time to smell the roses' just doesn't fit into peoples lives.

Many people that I know are so consumed by getting this done, or that done, or buying this, or saving for that...that it rules their lives. They are consumed by fear. The are ruining the 'now' by projecting their fears into the future.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all about planning. I'm a list maker. Ask anyone who knows me...

I plan for my future, I try not to overspend. I try to be smart and think ahead. But I like to DO things. Things that will create memories... for me, and for those around me as well.

I like to slow down a bit. I'm trying to live not pressed by what others expect of me, but what I expect of myself. I'm finding that it's quite two different things. I'm trying to do a little more for me...

Which gets me back around to the busy day that I have ahead.

I've laundry to do. Bags to pack. Details to plan.

My daughter leaves for summer camp tomorrow and Mommy is going to be a mess.

No phone calls from boo. No mail. No hugs. No kisses.

For an entire week...

But right this moment, my coffee tastes good. The sun is rising. The world is quiet. And I'm smelling the roses...literally. I'm keeping my stress at bay. I've got one more day before she leaves. My daughter will be waking at any moment and calling my name. But then the cogs will start to turn and the list must be finished.

But right now. This is ME time.

And it's good.

:-)