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Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Love
Then
I lived in Arkansas for two years when I was in my early twenties. At one point, the cutest black and white hound dog came into my life. He was about six months old and had HUGE paws and the most juicy jowls of any dog I'd met. I named him Jethro, because, well, he WAS a Jethro. I wish that I had one of my old photos of him scanned so that I could post it here.
Jethro and I were best buds. He could read my thoughts, so verbal communication was not necessary.
We had no fence and Jethro would hang out inside or our "around" the house. He never went far. But he must have done some neighborly visiting, because we accumulated a fine collection of socks, boots and dolls that he brought home from somewhere...
This sweet, sweet hound was a fine gentleman and took good care of the women in the neighborhood. The neighbor who lived behind us told us that when she left our house to go home, Jethro would walk her to her fence, then turn around and go back home. Another neighbor - an elderly woman - told us that when she walked to the grocery store down the street, Jethro would walk her there, wait for her, and walk her home.
Jethro left us for the big doggy heaven over 20 years ago.
God, I loved that dog (I write with tears running down my cheeks).
Now
This is Buddha.
He's waiting for my friend and me, because he won't go anywhere if either Mr. CarolForPeace or I lag behind.
I lived in Arkansas for two years when I was in my early twenties. At one point, the cutest black and white hound dog came into my life. He was about six months old and had HUGE paws and the most juicy jowls of any dog I'd met. I named him Jethro, because, well, he WAS a Jethro. I wish that I had one of my old photos of him scanned so that I could post it here.
Jethro and I were best buds. He could read my thoughts, so verbal communication was not necessary.
We had no fence and Jethro would hang out inside or our "around" the house. He never went far. But he must have done some neighborly visiting, because we accumulated a fine collection of socks, boots and dolls that he brought home from somewhere...
This sweet, sweet hound was a fine gentleman and took good care of the women in the neighborhood. The neighbor who lived behind us told us that when she left our house to go home, Jethro would walk her to her fence, then turn around and go back home. Another neighbor - an elderly woman - told us that when she walked to the grocery store down the street, Jethro would walk her there, wait for her, and walk her home.
Jethro left us for the big doggy heaven over 20 years ago.
God, I loved that dog (I write with tears running down my cheeks).
Now
This is Buddha.He's waiting for my friend and me, because he won't go anywhere if either Mr. CarolForPeace or I lag behind.
Buddha has been in our family for eleven years. When we went looking for him, I knew that we would either find a Gandhi or a Buddha. As we arrived at the shelter, a sweet black puppy with a spotted white chest was so excited to see us that we had to check him out. The woman at the shelter brought him out of his little cage and he sat down, leaning back against her and crossing his paws over his belly. The woman, without knowing my ideas for a name, said "Oh, look at the little Buddha!"
So, of course, we brought him home where he belonged and named him Buddha. He IS a Buddha after all.
Now this elder wise dog reads my thoughts so no verbal communication is necessary. He is my hiking buddy. He is my shadow, following me EVERYWHERE I go. He will do anything to please me. He teaches me to let go of things and to be in the moment. He is deep in my heart. Every morning, he sits right in front of me with a very serious look and expects his neck massage, which I very willingly give him for as long as he wants.
God, I love this dog (I write with tears running down my cheeks.)
So, of course, we brought him home where he belonged and named him Buddha. He IS a Buddha after all.
Now this elder wise dog reads my thoughts so no verbal communication is necessary. He is my hiking buddy. He is my shadow, following me EVERYWHERE I go. He will do anything to please me. He teaches me to let go of things and to be in the moment. He is deep in my heart. Every morning, he sits right in front of me with a very serious look and expects his neck massage, which I very willingly give him for as long as he wants.
God, I love this dog (I write with tears running down my cheeks.)
posted by Carol at 8:03 AM
17 comments
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Who Would've Thought It Could Be This Good?
Taken at the Botanic Gardens where we can always pretend it's spring.Today Buddha (the dog) and I walked around the nearby pond in the 50+ degree warmth that we knew would come to visit someday soon if we could just hang in there.
A red-tailed hawk flew circles overhead. I had Buddha's leash in one hand and a blue plastic bag of Buddha poop in the other. Buddha always poops at a point as far away as possible from the nearest trash can so that I can have plenty of time to work on my aversion to bodily waste products. That's why he's the Buddha. He's a teacher.
The blond grasses that lined either side of the trail reminded me of the wet spring we had last year. All of the moisture that came then allowed the plants to grow taller than is typical of most years. I remember walking through this park last spring and feeling like I was in a jungle as I walked through grass taller than me.
That was the interesting time of my life when my shoulders wouldn't move at all. I love to walk and hike, but even walking is less fun when arms can't swing.
But now my shoulders move much better, the dried yellow stems are preparing to give way for young green shoots, and it just feels really good to be alive to see the beauty of hawk-flight and to feel the warmth of a bag of do-do.
Labels: Buddha, Lessons in Poo, photography
posted by Carol at 8:41 PM
4 comments
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Thanksgiving, Day 2
The countdown continues
Gratitude for:
42. Hot oatmeal with raisins and walnuts on a morning when it's 27 degrees outside and 63 degrees inside. (I just KNOW I can get used to this frigid conservation effort. Want to know how to keep guests away? Turn the heat WAY down.)
41. My dog. A.k.a. Buddha, a.k.a. Mr. Boodie, a.k.a. Bood. Here are some of the songs written with him in mind: You are so Boodiful to Me by Joe Cocker, It's a Boodiful Mornin' by the Young Rascals, Shake Your Boodie by K.C. and the Sunshine Band, and You are the Boodie of My Life by Stevie Wonder. Mr. Boodie is the only dog on earth that can do The Crab. I promised a long time ago that I would write about it, so here it is:
First Mr. Bood chases his tail in circles until he catches it. Then, holding his tail in his mouth, he walks around the house, and even though he has to walk facing backwards, he never runs into anything. He walks through doorways and around chairs without any problem. I'm guessing he has eyes covered with hair on some other part of his body which allow him to see with his head facing backwards. Or maybe he uses small mirrors.
And he does all this on command! Do you think there's any money in it???
Buddha the dog as Buddha the crab
40. Laughter. A medicine that no one can charge for and, so far, it's not illegal.
Gratitude for:
42. Hot oatmeal with raisins and walnuts on a morning when it's 27 degrees outside and 63 degrees inside. (I just KNOW I can get used to this frigid conservation effort. Want to know how to keep guests away? Turn the heat WAY down.)
41. My dog. A.k.a. Buddha, a.k.a. Mr. Boodie, a.k.a. Bood. Here are some of the songs written with him in mind: You are so Boodiful to Me by Joe Cocker, It's a Boodiful Mornin' by the Young Rascals, Shake Your Boodie by K.C. and the Sunshine Band, and You are the Boodie of My Life by Stevie Wonder. Mr. Boodie is the only dog on earth that can do The Crab. I promised a long time ago that I would write about it, so here it is:
First Mr. Bood chases his tail in circles until he catches it. Then, holding his tail in his mouth, he walks around the house, and even though he has to walk facing backwards, he never runs into anything. He walks through doorways and around chairs without any problem. I'm guessing he has eyes covered with hair on some other part of his body which allow him to see with his head facing backwards. Or maybe he uses small mirrors.
And he does all this on command! Do you think there's any money in it???
Buddha the dog as Buddha the crab40. Laughter. A medicine that no one can charge for and, so far, it's not illegal.
Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha heh heh heh heh heh...
Labels: Buddha, Thanksgiving
posted by Carol at 7:50 AM
4 comments
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Of Buddhas, Birds and Bees
Yesterday, we went hiking.
Buddha (the dog) gets so excited for a hike, he dances and squeals as soon as I even THINK of putting on my hiking boots.
Buddha never learned to "heel" - he has always just pulled me, which makes for a great hiking dog on the uphill parts. But he also pulls me down hills, and that can be scary.
My old dog is now approaching 11 years and his ability to get me up those hills doesn't last through the whole hike anymore. Yesterday, before the end of our HOT journey, I was pulling him. And he had a long recovery time lying spread out on the cool, tile floor when he got back.
I know that he was really hot and tired yesterday, and he was pushed beyond his comfort zone, but he never complained once. And if I were to even THINK about my hiking boots right now, I KNOW that he'd be squealing to go.
That's my Boodie boy. I couldn't love him more.
If you want to see my four-legged sweetie, click here or here.
I startled this big bird (and it startled me!) but it never flew away - just quickly walked into the brush. I couldn't get a good shot at such short notice (I'd never make a hunter. And that's okay). I don't know what kind of bird it is.
Buddha (the dog) gets so excited for a hike, he dances and squeals as soon as I even THINK of putting on my hiking boots.
Buddha never learned to "heel" - he has always just pulled me, which makes for a great hiking dog on the uphill parts. But he also pulls me down hills, and that can be scary.
My old dog is now approaching 11 years and his ability to get me up those hills doesn't last through the whole hike anymore. Yesterday, before the end of our HOT journey, I was pulling him. And he had a long recovery time lying spread out on the cool, tile floor when he got back.
I know that he was really hot and tired yesterday, and he was pushed beyond his comfort zone, but he never complained once. And if I were to even THINK about my hiking boots right now, I KNOW that he'd be squealing to go.
That's my Boodie boy. I couldn't love him more.
If you want to see my four-legged sweetie, click here or here.
Photos from Yesterday
I startled this big bird (and it startled me!) but it never flew away - just quickly walked into the brush. I couldn't get a good shot at such short notice (I'd never make a hunter. And that's okay). I don't know what kind of bird it is.
"Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky.
When we think of the sky, we tend to look up,
but the sky actually begins at the earth."
- Diane Ackerman
When we think of the sky, we tend to look up,
but the sky actually begins at the earth."
- Diane Ackerman
"To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from."
- Terry Tempest Williams
- Terry Tempest Williams
Labels: Buddha, hiking, photography
posted by Carol at 11:10 AM
2 comments
