Doggy Lama Blog

The Stick Mystery

Saturday, November 29, 2008

(This happened a couple years ago, but I was just remembering fun things from my career in dog boarding, and thought I’d share it.)

I picked up the dog water bowl, filled it with water, and put it down on the floor. I looked at it a couple minutes later, and there was a stick floating in it! Hmmm… I grab my camera and take a picture…

I put the camera down, turn around, and behold—the stick is gone!! 

What?!!!

I take another photo, and turn to put the camera back on the table. When I turn back, the stick is suddenly on the kitchen mat next to a tennis ball!

Jasper is sitting there looking at me, but he doesn’t move quickly… I know the culprit must be his brother, Kipper, who is lurking in the background, watching to see what I’ll do. (No photo available of that moment, unfortunately.)

This is a picture of Kipper (left), the super-fast sneaky one, and Jasper (right), whom Kipper set up to take the fall!

I know it was you, Kipper!

I love hanging out with these nutty border collie boys—things like this always happen when they’re around. They keep me on my toes. 

How I Got Over My Epic Cold

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I completely grossed myself out last week when I ate a salad at Picante. My nose was completely stuffed up, so my method of salad-eating became: take a bite of food, chew twice, then gasp for air around the food, chew some more or swallow, gasp for air, and repeat. Luckily I was eating by myself and facing the corner. Miss Manners would not have been impressed.

I have back problems from hell, but, (knock on wood,) I almost never get sick. I go years between colds or flus. Last week my luck ran out: I got an epic cold and instead of heading to the local drugstore, I reached out to people for their best natural cold cures. Here’s what I learned, and I think it worked great. I’m all better 6 days later and although I spent a lot more time than usual in bed, I also worked and hiked with dogs every day except one.

Recipes to Kick a Cold’s Ass

Sara and Mom said I should use the Neti Pot, and Roberta Abel, my realtor, has had sinus surgery and had this excellent Neti Pot Recipe: Use it 2x/day (BTW, a Neti Pot is the thing that you use for “nasal irrigation or nasal lavage:” you drip water into one nostril and it goes through your sinuses and out the other nostril. Totally disgusting but it’s tremendously helpful in clearing your sinuses. It has been practiced in India for centuries as one of the disciplines of yoga.)
2 drops grapefruit extract
1 tbsp kosher or sea salt
Couple pinches baking soda
8 oz distilled water
More info on nasal irrigation here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

From Roberta, Sara, and my Mom: Steam: Use a steam room if you have access to one, or do the cheap-o kitchen version: put your head over a mug of hot water with Eucalyptus oil drops in it. Drape a towel over your head and the mug so it traps the steam around your head.

From Roy, my friend in Brooklyn: Native American Cold Remedy Drink—Drink 2-3x/day
Hot water with:
Lemon juice
Cayenne
Honey
Ginger

From the lady at the Food Mill: Avoid sugar and dairy and take Wellness Formula Herbal Defense Complex (3 pills in the AM and 2 at night). Mine is made by Source Naturals.

Everybody said: Sleep as much as possible. Saturday night I almost went to a groovy art opening, but I felt completely exhausted and instead went to bed at 6 PM and got out more than 18 hours later. (Sorry I didn’t make it to your opening, Merav.)

I hope these recipes help someone somewhere. Here’s wishing you and yours good health.

Favorite Doggy Dancing Snapshots

Saturday, November 08, 2008

These are some of my favorite “doggy dancing” moments.

Yankee and Banjo interpret the fight scene from “West Side Story.”

Dunkler and Bailey lab recreate an emotionally-charged moment in early Martha Graham choreography.

Banjo and Amelia dance at high speed.

Beenie does a solo.

Gracie and Oyster try dancing as if in Zero Gravity.

No to Hate. No to Prop 8. Yes to Love.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

This is what I’ve been passionately involved in lately: fighting the haters behind Proposition 8, which would end marriage equality for gays and lesbians. Victor Hugo said, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” We fought for women’s rights, rights for African-Americans, rights for disabled people. Those fights continue. We must now rise up and fight for the right for gays and lesbians to marry their partners. Gays and lesbians have the same responsibilities for their families—they must have the same rights. Gay rights are human rights.

"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."
—Martin Niemoller, imprisoned by the Nazis, used this quote in post-World War II speeches to urge solidarity against all forms of repression.
If you live in California, PLEASE VOTE NO on PROP 8—gay rights are human rights.

These pics are from Weds, Oct. 22, from High St. and MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland. Things got a lot crazier. There ended up being about 200 people at this intersection. There were a dozen cop cars and the cops closed down High St., diverting people to Coolidge Ave. during rush hour! Most of the Yes on 8 people appear to be coming from the Samoan Morman church on High St., which is a very large church. It was especially sad to see so many beautiful Pacific Islanders, especially the children and teenagers, acting in a very un-Christian manner. At these protests, my friends and I were called faggots, spat upon, hit with signs, and told to "Die from AIDS!" I live in a bit of a bubble—having a group of friends and acquaintances who are liberal, open-minded, queer-friendly. To find out that there are so many haters who live near me has been a painful and eye-opening experience.

We did not respond with harsh words or actions. My hand-painted signs say, "Choose Love, not Hate—Vote No on Prop 8" and "Jesus didn’t teach hate. Please vote No on Prop 8." We are telling each other and ourselves to not respond in kind when people show us hatred—we are staying calm and as positive as we can be.

Last night I went to a Native American drum ceremony with 6 other women—it was organized and led by my friends Ruth and Diane, who own Paws and Claws Natural Dog Food and Bath Store. We met to drum and pray for peace and strength as we fight for human rights.

God bless us all. May peace prevail on earth.

I celebrated Obama’s victory with my pals Diane and Ruth at Velvet, the local lesbian bar. No, I am not outing myself here. I still like boys. But I worked with my good friends Diane and Ruth to (try to) defeat Proposition 8, and we hung out a few times at Velvet. I’ve been friends with Diane and Ruth for about 5 years. They are wonderful local activists and business owners (Paws and Claws, a natural pet food store,) and were married a couple months ago. It is for them and for my mom, who’s a lesbian, and for all my other queer friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens, on whose behalf I fought Proposition 8. Gay rights are human rights just as much as women’s rights, black rights, disabled people’s rights.

Love to all—despite the fact that Proposition 8 passed. This is a struggle—we will overcome.