August Goes Out Like a Lion

Thanks go to my top Frequent E-Flyers in August:

Untreatable's Blog
Thailand Land of Smiles
Snapshotcap
The Natural State Hawg
Monkey Fables and Tales
Freelance Writing
Symphony of Love
My Sweet Haven
So Now What?
Caption This

Interesting: 2 are frequent commentators, 2 are fellow Arkansans, and 3 belong to one! Thank you for all your drops!

Thank you everyone, for stopping by and commenting, dropping and commenting some more. You sure made August a fun month around here! This radar photo was taken at 11:35 a.m., we all watch as Hurricane Gustav heads toward the Gulf coast to hit land some time tomorrow. In the meantime, a little distraction is in order. Here's my monthly recap...

The month started with a bit of nostalgia in On the Radio, and it seems like I wasn't the only one who had a thing for DJs.

Quite a few times, people have asked me about how different some people can be in person compared to who they seem to be online. "Confusing Anonymity, Online and Off" sheds some light on what actually is behind that sentiment. "Do You Have High-Speed Internet" goes further into the subject by backing up a little and looking at how the Internet has changed our lives, and "What Was Then Isn't Now" reminds us to leave the past behind and focus forward again.

I wish I would take my own advice sometimes, but having not taken it, things worked out OK anyway. "Musicians are Just Weird About IT" talks about how different musicians approach their music careers, which had me reminiscing about my own years as a musician. The good thing was the chance to enjoy Kenny Loggins in Concert!

Of course I had to stick my two-cents worth in on the political scene. You don't think I'd actually pass up a chance to opine, did you? Check out "Politicians Run with Selective Vision," "It's Not About Race Already," which I dare say pissed off a few Liberals out there, and "Remember, Kindness is Inherent," hits on the illegal immigrant issue.

Talking about horses, I can't believe that a popular, relatively famous-in-that-niche TV horse trainer, Pat Parelli, is thoughtlessly giving out advice that could get people killed. I kid you not. I'm surprised he hasn't been sued out of his underwear by now.

Last, but not least, it's fracking allergy season again, and I am constantly saying "Pass Me the Box(es) of Tissues Please" all the time. That old doc swore I'd grow out of these horrific attacks!

Tomorrow is September already, and I can only hope Gustav finds something else to do besides rain down on a coast still recovering from the last Big One. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the line of Gustav's wrath.

Pass Me the Tissue Box(es), Please

It's that time of year again. The sunlight is harsher looking, what was green isn't so green anymore, the horse shed another coat of hair and is growing in another, the ground is harder, and the sun sets a lot sooner. I used to love this time of year. I'd always feel more alive and energetic with the cooler temperatures, especially after a sweltering summer. New is just around the corner.

Yep, that's the upside, but not the entire story. Oh, no. There's more...

Add to it all a nonstop progression of sneezes so hard that, if I wore dentures, which I don't, I'd have to retrieve them from the other side of the room several times an hour. Add to the sunshiny upside the constant, perpetual, irritatingly noisy runny nose that refuses to give up the gold until there's no tissue close by. And, the sandpaper eyes half swollen shut while trying to pop out and away from this miserable thing at the top of my neck that is supposed to be a head instead of the cement block that it is. I'll be like this until the first frost, which won't happen here in Arkansas until, oh, February 2009 or so. If I come out of my September to January hibernation long enough to growl, be careful of the bite that will soon follow. Harrumph!

Yeah, I'm miserable. This is the downside. The whole, complete, underbelly of miserability. Someone threw the switch this morning, bright and early, and my explosive sneezing scared the living daylights out of my two pups. They are the newest additions to the family, so this is their first experience. All the other animals already know to ignore all the theatrics.

You know those pseudo drugs they sell over the counter that are supposed to ease the symptoms of hay fever? Well, here in Arkansas, there is this really big meth problem, and allergy drugs are used in the production of meth. If you want to buy them, you have to ask the pharmacist. The stuff left on the shelves has everything in them but the stuff drug dealers use.

That's no problem for me because I won't take allergy medication anyway. All they do is dry out my mouth and my eyes and put me out cold for 20 hours straight. They don't get rid of the sneezes or the running faucet of a nose or the stuffed cement block. So, I can be miserably awake or miserably asleep. The OTC stuff doesn't even bother drying me out or putting me to sleep; it just doesn't work at all.

It takes awhile, but I do usually adjust to having an allergy flare-up. Honest, I do. Eventually. Give me a few weeks. Then I'll adapt.

I'll stuff tissues everywhere. I'll have them in every pocket, in my purse, in my camera bag, under my keyboard, by my monitor, in my desk drawers (all of them), on my nightstand, under my pillow, next to my pillow, in the glove compartment, in the seat divider thingy, in both door pockets, on the dashboard and sometimes right on that little ledge in front of the speedometer. I might even pick up some of that anti-allergy nose spray. That will work for a few days, start to burn like crazy, and then I'll only use it when it is absolutely imperative that I don't sneeze, sniffle or drip.

I can actually get to the point where I feel relatively OK. Then, I am fully adjusted to having the attack and life is back to a sort of normal state again. Until. Until… Someone has the audacity to wear perfume! Or, cologne. Or the ever-lethal after-bath splash that aged women drown themselves in. Or, scented hairspray or deodorant. Or, wear clothes washed in scented laundry soap. Or, use Carpet Fresh, burn a candle or clean with bleach. But the worst, the absolute icing-on-the-cake thing that throws me for a loop every time is when my idiot neighbor will mow his lawn weeks after the grass has stopped growing! I won't have smelled anything, nada, zip, zilch, ze-ro, for weeks already, but if one of these smells come anywhere near me, I'm set back to the beginning. Yep, miserable; entirely and completely miserable. Again.

I'm begging you, pleading with you, I'll even pay you! Just leave all that stinky stuff at home when you go to Walmart or the grocery store or the feed store or in to work. Please! For the sake of all the allergy sufferers out there, leave your vanity in the closet - at least until the first frost. OK?

Taking Parelli's Advice Could Get You Killed

There is no doubt in my mind that a horse is the most beautiful thing on the planet. Hollywood gave us "Black Beauty" and "The Black Stallion" and the horse's beauty becomes dreams that expand and push way beyond reality a hundred times over. Consider this: At least half of all first time horse owners will sell their horse within the first year of owning. Half of the rest sell within five years. Why? The reality is that a horse is 1,200 pounds of dangerous unpredictability, not "Black Beauty" or the "Black Stallion."

So, Rule #1 is to be safe while around a horse. To be safe right from the start means that you need the help of an experienced horseperson, and not one who's advice could get you killed. Let me give you a glaring example, taken right out of the Parelli News weekly e-newsletter...

Every newsletter features a question and answer section, presumably from a Parelli "student" to Pat or Linda Parelli. This example is overflowing with the Parelli lingo that always draws the person trying to learn horsemanship away from common sense and into insanity.

QUESTION


I got my very first horse last November. She was a rescue horse from the Humane Society, taken away from her owners because of abuse. Her name is now Mia, and she is a red roan Tennessee Walker with a very difficult Horsenality. She can switch very quickly from Left-Brain Introvert to Right-Brain Introvert. This last weekend, I went out to her stables to ride her. I played a few games on the ground with her before I rode her. She seemed fine, wasn't tense and she was focused on me. When I went to ride her she seemed fine and I couldn't feel tension in her body or anything. The only thing that I noticed was that she wanted to go faster. Usually I would love to go faster, but since it was her wanting to go and not me, I held her to a walk. Then all of a sudden, when I finally asked her to trot she reared twice! She has never done this before. So I got off and checked her feet and checked to see if anything from the saddle pad was sticking her. I couldn't find anything, so I got back on and tried it again. I did the same thing, held her to a walk when she wanted to go and then asked her for a trot. But she reared again. We checked everything again and I got back on (kind of stupid). This time when I asked her for a trot she seemed fine and so I took her down in the lower paddock. When I got down there, I asked for a canter and she freaked out on me! It was all of a sudden, she got tense and started rearing and bucking and kicking all at once. I managed to stay in my saddle, but got off after that one. I couldn't find anything that could be spooking her. Is she testing me to see if I'm in charge? Could she just be wanting to go? —JM


ANSWER


Dear oh dear, I'm glad you're okay! What you're describing is mounting panic and the main reason it built is because you held her back. Imagine yourself in her shoes.. you're wanting to go faster because you are a bit scared about being out there and feeling vulnerable to predators, think lurking LIONS! And now you're being held back and you just know when the lions will be nipping at your heels and your escape door is shut. Little by little the terror mounts and it's hardest to feel it in introverts. They seem to be handling it, that tension doesn't feel that bad, but then it all gets too much to bear and they explode. Even though she exploded once you got home, it's where the pressure was released but not where it occurred. Think about building her confidence at home with longer lines and creative extreme Friendly Games. When you do go on the trail pay attention to thresholds and do what it takes to overcome them. Finally, don't hold her back if all of a sudden she has trouble. Get off and direct that energy until she is calm. When prey animals get on adrenaline they need to move their feet in order to get it out of their system. Look to both the Right-Brain Introvert and Right-Brain Extrovert strategies to know what to do.

The Lone Ranger be damned, because the absolutely most dangerous behavior a horse can give a human is rearing, whether that person is standing on the ground or on the horse's back. Rearing is the severest show of aggression that a horse can do. Trainers, very experienced and real trainers won't bother wasting their time - or putting themselves at risk - to work with a horse that rears.

So, the answer that should have been given to this girl with no ability to handle such a problem horse follows. This is from an experienced horsewoman with years of training, riding and showing under her belt:

Lady, are you NUTS? For sure the horse is! Who knows what poor training (if any) a horse coming from that sort of background has had. The first thing you did wrong was buy a horse from a "rescue." They aren't "unwanted" horses without reason you know. Second mistake you're making is to think that with your lack of experience that you can safely (keyword safely) train this horse yourself, which your story has just now proved beyond doubt.

Either send Hi Ho Silver to a professional horse trainer for 3-6 months at $500 a month and HOPE you get something safe to use back, or shitcan the piece of shit and spend the $1,500-3,000 you would have spent on training on a GOOD LEGITIMATE horse that wont fall on you and cause you to admire horses from your wheelchair for the rest of your life (if you're lucky) THE END.

Like I said, there's a big, big difference between dreaming and reality when it comes to horses. I'm all for everyone owning one that wants one, but at least have the common sense to learn about horses before you buy. Most of all, be a bit more discriminating in who's advice you take -- before it kills you.

Update: March 17, 2012

Noting how popular this post is, visited by many around the world concerned that TV horse trainers may not be the best source of information, I felt it important to update. Today, I found an excellent article by Linda Parelli that outlines very good ways to keep yourself safe so that you can enjoy your horse: 

Keeping Your Horse Out of Your Space

Pact and Banner of Peace

"The cultural heritage of each nation is in essence a world treasure. The idea of cultural heritage is broadened to include more than just the physical remains of earlier cultures — the buildings and art, for example — but also the creative activities, the universities, the libraries, the hospitals, the concert halls and theaters. All must be protected from the ravages of war and neglect, for without them life would be nothing but a rude and ignorant time on earth."

Nicholas Roerich's Pact and Banner of Peace

Today's Family Photos

When my son was born in 1985, there was no such thing as a digital camera.  But, I took roll after roll of photos of him, even caught his very first step.  Once he turned 3, it seemed like the photos weren't as vibrant, and I lost interest.  How vibrant a photo looks is how alive it appears, to me.  When Nikon came out with a Coolpix 800 digital, I jumped on it, and it set me back close to $800 at the time. I went nuts with it, taking photos of everything.  My son was much older by then, in his teens, and he refused to let me take his photo!  I caught him a few times, but I can count how many times on one hand.  He's still the same way now that I have this Canon PowerShot S5 IS, and I have to work hard to sneak a few.  And I did.  So, here is a collection of "family" photos....including a few of my son.

There's two dogs missing from the photos and a few cats! It was miserably hot and humid, so not many came out to play. I'll get photos of them the next time around.

Remember, Kindness is Inherent

It's such a strange thing to think about, but it's true. To be kind and giving to others is something that is inherent in all human beings. Then why do we need to be reminded almost constantly of this, especially when it comes to skin color or nationality or citizenship status? I dedicated my career to helping others, and I still need a good swift kick in the butt sometimes, which I promptly give to myself when I notice I've been lacking in that department. It's a part of us, it's natural, yet we find ways to bury it. In what? What could be more important? Is it that we are all so self-important that we don't have anything left to give to others after we prop ourselves up?

One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind. I don't remember which astronaut stepping onto the surface of the moon for the first time said that, but it fits here too. Each act of kindness may be small, but it's a piece of the Big Puzzle and just as crucial as all the rest.

This was on my mind while reading the news this morning, scanning for today's post on eyebald, I ran across an article about yesterday's raid on a manufacturing plant in Mississippi that had 600 illegal immigrants working there. When the Homeland Security people broke in and rounded everyone up, the illegals' coworkers applauded. And they weren't just Mexicans. There were immigrants from Brazil, Peru, and Germany, to name a few.

Stop and think back a minute. After WWI, Endicott-Johnson Shoes went overseas to Poland, Italy, Ireland, etc. to recruit workers for their shoe manufacturing plant in upstate NY. Their passage was paid, houses and communities were built for them complete with company stores, and these immigrants happily grabbed up the opportunity to become indentured servants because all of this fluff had to be repaid to EJ Shoes by years and years of work. Piece work, grueling work, in horrible conditions, for a minimum of 15 hours a day. My paternal grandfather came here as part of that new workforce, and spent his life working for EJ Shoes, and so did his wife. He raised all of his children to be bi-lingual, with English as their first language, and to be American all the way.

You see, that kind of "deal" was the way many industries got around the highest cost of manufacturing to make their profits, the cost of raw material being the second highest cost of the process. The government's role in this was to protect the industrialists while they recruited and transported the immigrant workers to the US. In the meantime, American workers watched this and saw that their jobs were at risk, but didn't know why. They only saw immigrants coming in and getting hired. The American worker had no idea that their bosses had brought them here, nor that they were working for far less money than they were to do the same job. And the industrialists let them think what they would, knowing full well they kept a ready workforce available to them at all times this way, and were happy to have lowered their payroll.

So, it started. And it continued. And it's alive and well today. We blame immigrants for taking our jobs, and we resent them for it. But, it is completely misplaced! It's not the immigrants themselves that are to blame, it's the American industries that hold all the responsibility for America losing jobs.

Think about it. Most Big Businesses pay no Federal taxes on anything. Their profits are free and clear. The government exists to protect Big Business and their interest. That the INS is a government agency is a laugh and it always looks the other way when an industry wants to use illegal immigrant workers instead of Americans that are protected by unions and environmental and workplace laws. While hiring illegals means a lower payroll, less tax monies are collected which further waters down the government's ability to protect Big Business, but that doesn't matter because the concern is always for the short-term profit. I guess it's not an alternative to streamline the naturalization process for these imported, illegal immigrants, because if naturalized, they would then fall under US worker protection laws such as minimum wage, and that just isn't what it's all about.

Do you see what I'm saying? Illegal immigration is a product of American industry! It's not the immigrants themselves, it's our own businesses that are to blame! If that wall manages to go up between the US and Mexico, it won't make any difference. You'll still see the same number of "wetbacks" working in our manufacturing plants. And that wall will become a constant reminder of our major misunderstanding and ignorance of what is really going on. How embarrassing.

So, kick yourselves in the butt already and wake up and smell the coffee. Instead of blaming the victims, so to speak, throw your voice of displeasure at the ones that are truly responsible for American job losses - our industries and our government that serves those industries, instead of the American people.

You see, once you realize that this is what is really going on, you won't have to kick yourself so often as a reminder to allow yourself to be kind.

For a great discussion about Random Acts of Kindness, visit the Junk Drawer for "Anyone Need a Hug?". I think you'll see that it isn't so hard to be kind after all.

Pay it forward!