And the answer is...

Sometimes I don't want to "google it"
Sometimes I just want to wonder
Toss out questions
into the fabric of space
Let Q's land on a layer
mull around.

Do dogs dream?
How would we test that?
Are the electrodes hooked
up to the
frontal lobe?
Where do dreams
originate?

Yes,
I know
Google it

But then discussion
stops

I miss
intellectual
discussions.

Wild wheat dog

I spend most of my day feeling like I don't belong. My brain races with inappropriate thoughts, and although most people think I'm blunt, I keep most of my ideas tucked inside this sphere of bone. There is one thing that I do that I feel completely at peace. Hiking. Being outside. Surrounded by nature. It's only better with my dog.

Today I bundled up and headed to an old damn, that is now a path, and the lake a golf course. Beyond the golf course I noticed a sort of path and decided to let Fresa illegally off leash in the grass.

This area of the city is up high. The views incredible and forever. As I walked down the path I came to a sign that describes this area as a reclaimed landfill. Interesting. No digging please. Well, that would explain those vent pipes sticking out over there. Releasing methane?

As I walked north, the sun behind me, I was mesmerized by the swirling darkness.

The dipping spouts. Huh, is this tornado weather? The wind was whipping. I looked around for a low spot, a ditch, just in case. My thoughts were, well, if this is the time to go, let's go. I did have an image of Fresa and I being swept up in the funnel and dropping somewhere not too distant. 

I've heard coyotes around here before, so I was conscience of that as I let Fresa run around.

Her wheat fur matching the wheat colored grasses of the plains. We wandered for an hour or so and the feeling of freedom, energy, life surrounded me. I need to hike every day. 

Coal burning times

It's 10 degrees with a wind chill of -5, and if anyone mentions how much they like winter and snow I'm going to punch them in the face. This is miserable. Grey skies, light snow, yes that is beautiful - for about 10 minutes looking out the window and then the realization of - I have to do something - enters your head and now what. Luckily I can walk to the grocery store, even in this blistering cold, it's better than driving on the roads. Apparently the salt/chemical mixture doesn't work at these temperatures, no wonder they don't put anything down.

I think Fresa might understand that we can't go out an play. Yesterday I bundled her up, boots and all and after she pooped, she put on the brakes and wouldn't take another step, unless it was turning back towards the house.

I'm trying to coax her along, but no deal. She hates her boots, but no dog's paws should touch the subfreezing pavement. I guess we'll hunker down and wait for the chill to leave...

Revelation # 841

It was yesterday that I realized that not only do I love all things hiking, being outside, wandering along paths, it's actually my favorite activity. For the past several years I've search for and been on some pretty amazing hiking adventures but as I walked through the tree lined, pine needled paths of Harris Lake that I felt the realization that this is exactly where I want to be. Not at Harris lake persay but hiking. Outside. Among the trees and birds, wandering through nature not seeing a single building, store, or many people for that matter. In the past two days I've hiked 10 miles and passed 4 people.

I've also come to the realization that I am quite the introvert. I would choose going out into the woods on a hike over a party without a second thought. The one thing that does make my hike better is my dog. I want to spend more time hiking and less time working. 

I am going to spend more time outside and less time working starting now. 

Dog time

There's not much that I love more than being outside with my dog. I feel that the art of enjoying a peaceful, non material moment is becoming a lost art.

She's gonna need a snowsuit

This morning we woke up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit and cloudy, dreary, snowy skies. I figured I'd get out early and try get some exercise for me and the pooch. We drove to the dog park a few miles from my house and this is what we walked into.

Eff this, we are braving this cold. I had a long sleeve shirt, a light down coat, a fleece vest and a snow shell, and my new boots. Fresa had her double fleece, and her snow boots. We rushed to the gate of the park to find that is was completely, and utterly empty. Ok, so maybe this wasn't such a good idea. A few minutes later a lab/ridgeback puppy came and jumped all over Fresa, who was none too happy to be there. She decided to stand in the middle of the park and shiver, uncontrollable shivering. She looks so pathetic. 

Ok, so she's Dominican, she's not meant for this kind of frigid temperature, but we will die here if we can get outside and be active. I want to take her snowshoeing. This doesn't look good, unless I can get her to wear one of these...

The key is in the built in boots.

I studied Geology, but really?

This is the face of an angel, right? I couldn't agree more, but guess what her new bad habit is... eating rocks. Small rocks, more like pebbles, just a bit bigger than aquarium rocks, but she eats enough that 10-20 are piled in her poop each night. Where is she dining on this delicious snack, you ask? At day care.

I'm bummed. This day care has been a life saver, truly. Ten hour work days are killing me and I would not be able to pull it off without knowing that she is busy playing all day, but now... 

Why in the hell would a dog eat rocks? So, I looked this up online and I can't believe how many articles there are on dogs and people eating rocks. Apparently there is this condition, I don't know if that is how it should be categorized, but this condition has a name, pica. Common enough to be labeled. There are people out there that eat rocks? What?

My online search was a bit fruitless since the advice was an overwhelming, just get your dog away from rocks. I did tell the day care staff and today when I picked her up they said they didn't see her eat a single rock and sure enough she pooped out about 10. I only estimated.

Well, she's not a polar bear

You try walking on 30 degree pavement without shoes...

la madre de Fresa Sacapuntas

Weekends have always been really hard for me. After my divorce I struggled with every moment of an unplanned weekend and that trend continued when I was living internationally. I've been thinking a lot about my time overseas and I realize that I am just not meant to live in a place where I don't speak the language. I've also realized that although many of you know me as outgoing, out spoken, loud and obnoxious, that really I am very shy. I am terrible at small talk and it is hard for me to just go somewhere new and start talking to someone. That combined with feeling VERY insecure about a new language made the past few years really hard. Being back in the US has reminded me of the freedom I feel when I can go anywhere at anytime with very little restrictions and for the first time in many many years this weekend I felt, you might want to sit for this, I felt content. Saturday I didn't actually talk to anyone. I walked with Fresa, worked on a project for my museum class, ran errands and at the end of the day, all bundled up from the freezing temperatures, I laid down under my giant down comforter and thought, wow, today was a good, no, not good, today was a great day.

I wonder if part of my peace right now is Fresa. I know she is a dog and not a person, but those are the qualities that make her that much more special. I like myself better as her mom.

Come on dog owning Denverites, you can do better than this

I decided to try the dog park close to my house this morning. I had read online that it was kind of crappy, but I actually had high hopes as we walked over there. It's right in front of one of the huge high schools in the city, next to a community garden and the big City Park with the Zoo and Museum. Sounds good so far, right? Well, we walked down Colfax, which is always an adventure and cut across the community garden which surprisingly enough was filled with trash. Wrappers from chip bags, napkins, disgusting. The city does such a great job cleaning up the park, why don't they head over to the garden?

So right away I was a bit disgusted and then I see the sand pit. Not a single blade of grass to be seen and TONS of dogs. Mostly big dogs and I did read that some ass wholes bring their mean dogs to the park, but I knew Fresa would be submissive, so I decided to go in. She was hesitant at first, but finally ventured in the double gate. I let her off and immediately a chocolate lab puppy, maybe 5 months old, came over to play. I looked up to see the dogs owner and looked directly at her and said something like, "oh, puppies can always find each other". She blankly stared at me and didn't say a single word. As if she was deaf. Maybe she is deaf. I was shocked. What the hell? So Fresa and I walked away, staying at the perimeter of the fence, away from the crazy big dogs and her lab followed us. Jumped up on me. Stayed with us. No wonder, his owner is a cow.

Another dog came over to us and proceeded to jump on me. Not a single person standing around acknowledged that their dog was jumping on me. You see those skits of people going to a dog park and standing in the corner on their phone with their Starbucks in hand. Well, the stereotype seems to be true. I was never able to take Winnie to a dog park because she was a mean dog and would bite other dogs in the face. I was smart enough to know she could never be off leash in a public place. What is wrong with people?

I found a tennis ball amid the trash and dog shit and wondered how long this park will remain open. There are many folks that don't want a dog park right there and honestly as much as I want to be able to take Fresa off leash, I don't blame them. The Josephine Dog Park is gross and the owners are not taking care of picking up after their dogs. Shame on them.

Doggie Love

Life is just better with a dog. This dog is especially awesome because she loves everyone and everything. A big change from my damaged Winnie, who was timid, shy and defensive. Fresa is exactly what I needed. As the weather gets chiller here in Colorado she gets snugglier. We are getting into our routine and although I feel terribly guilty about my long work day, I am grateful that those long days enabled me to find doggie day care. The affectionately call her the ambassador of day care. She is excited to go, excited to leave, she just enjoys her minutes. We could all learn a lot from this furry pooch face.

It's raining pee

I thought Fresa was going through her terrible twos . She had been doing so good and then one afternoon peed on the carpet. Twice. Normal puppy behavior, but she had been doing so good. She also has the utterly annoying piddle problem when you first see her and act excited. I hate when little dogs do that, so we've been working on ignoring her and waiting to say hi, which was working, until this week.

I was feeling down. A lot of pressure because my parents' house is so nice and I don't want her "ruining" anything. The guilt combined with the still constant lack of sleep was getting to me. Until Friday.

Every three weeks for 4 cycles puppies need their shots. It's a combination of 5 vaccines like parvo, distemper, etc. Well, yesterday was her appointment. This visit she was up to 8.2 pounds, and when the vet started asking me about her he thought maybe she has a bladder infection. After the urine sample it was confirmed and now my pooch face #2 is on antibiotics.

With perfect timing we decided to do a little road trip in my new car. The "weed" man came to spray my parents' yard, so for a few days it's toxic. We didn't quite drive enough to be out under the rain clouds. We'd probably have to drive to the moon at this point. At least everything is green.

Fresa goes to Camp

My mom and I may have a little too much time on our hands. We decided to have a little photo shoot in the yard yesterday, the theme? Fresa goes to Camp. This house has been a doggie camp for years. In 2004 I drove 30 hours from Colorado so that my parents could watch Winnie while I spent the summer working on the fishing docks in Alaska. This camp is worth it. 

I'll have the baked worms

The croaking of frogs fills the cool, wet morning air. Drizzle taps my face as I tip toe to the grass with my angel puppy. She's on the hunt for worms. You know how the wet brings the worms to the cement? Well, Fresa has discovered that worms are a delicious scooby snack. When we first arrived there were some worms that had made it to the cement, but before they could respond they dried up into crisp little sticks. Well, Fresa decided to scavenge for those little crisps, but before enjoying the crunch, she put them in the dewed grass and let them "soften" up a bit. It was then that she chewed and crunched on the worm treat. Gross, but awesome. The days just keep getting better here.

Que bonita

My final weekend in the DR concludes with a visit to my favorite beach, Playa Bonita in Las Terrenas. Awesomeness from sunrise to sunset...

I will miss the palm trees on the beach and the warm, calm, crystal clear waters.

If you find yourself in need of a tropical, out of the way, isolated place this is it. You can fly into Santo Domingo, rent a car and in just 2 hours be in Playa Bonita. It would probably be much easier to fly into Samana, check ticket prices now. 

This must be love

In the past week I've touched 6 ticks. I'm pretty sure that is more ticks than I've ever touched, well, maybe not, I did live on the Outer Banks one summer, in Nags Head Woods, and that is tick haven. Of the 6 ticks, 5 were pulled directly off Fresa, ewwww, but today, today was worse. Today I was changing my sheets and when I pulled off the fitted sheet I noticed a tiny speck sticking half way in and half way out of the mattress pad cover. Upon closer inspection I noticed it was a TICK - IN MY BED. Ugh. Touching those 8 legged creepy crawlies sends chills from my hand up my arm and down my spine, ugh. So far the ticks are being diposed of in the toilet. I don't have the guts to squish them in half with my nail, or burn them, so they're going to take a ride in the sewers of Santo Inferno.

(Have you ever google image searched "ticks"? I wouldn't recommend it.)

If you could be any animal for the day...

One of my former colleagues currently teaches English in Croatia. Well, she gave a class "flash write" prompt of "If you could be any animal for the day..." As a teacher we model good learning by doing the activity and here's what she sent me:

I would be Lisa's puppy. I would feel her warm breath on my face, smell her Lisa-ness, hear her familiar voice and the surf and the gulls and the oooohs and ahhhhs evoked by my perky cuteness. I would begin to see the familiar tattoos on her body, esp. her shoulders because my head usually rests there. Oh, and I would taste the doggy treats she uses to teach me how to sit, stay come, and even lay down. I like those treats so I try REAL hard to get those commands right. I will master roll over eventually. I love being me.

Puppy Time in Playa Bonita

It is low season here at DR beaches and you know what that means? Cheaper rates, less tourists and a bit of rain - worth it. Playa Bonita is exactly how it sounds, beautiful, and my favorite place I've been to on this Island. The gov't has been doing work on the roads and a once 5 hour drive has been dwindled down to 2 1/2 hours. The cost for the speed, however is a bunch of tolls. Not a terrible price to pay to leave Santo Inferno for the weekend.

The teachers tend to congregate at a place called Atlantis on Playa Bonita and they allow dogs. I know I needed time to heal from Winnie's death and I've been living out of suitcases, but I MISSED having a dog in my life. I feel a huge wave of relief having her around. Of course it's more work and I have to change my schedule a bit, but it is worth every sleepless moment.

You know what else I've figured out... it's not that I'm not a morning person it's that I've been waiting for someone to share my mornings with. Fresa's routine has been established to get up at 5:30 no matter the day, so at that ripe time she whined and we headed out to the playa. Without her I would have missed this...

Early morning beach walks are the best. Especially in a place with perfect temperatures.

Las Terrenas has done a great job vaccinating and fixing their street dogs. A bunch of dogs hang out at this beach and since you are isolated from any roads and there a few tourists this time of year, Fresa was able to run and play to her and my hearts content.

She rarely sits still for very long when she's awake, so I hung out with her in the grassy area above the beach and we had a little photo shoot.

I love having a puppy. One of the things I always missed with Winnie was that she never looked at me. She was too abused and too old when I got her and I saw my other friends with their dogs have a different connection than I had with Winnie. Getting a puppy is the way to go.

Fresa Sacapuntas

I may be foggy from the lack of sleep, a little short tempered, and my mind may still be racing with unproductive thoughts, but for the past 6 days I have smiled more than in the past 6 months. There is just something about the lick of a puppy, the accomplishment when she potties in the right spot, or her tromping though the leaves that brings a deep, pure smile to your face.

It's impossible to take photos when she's awake, because if she's awake she is running around at top speed trying to bite everything in sight. I have to wait for her few moments of calm when I'm around. I've been leaving her alone all day while I work and she seems to be entertaining herself ok, but I'm sure she mostly sleeps and then waits til I get home to be crazy. I'm looking forward to some doggie time this summer.

I finally decided on a name... after almost a week and a hundred suggestions, I've chosen Fresa, which means technically is strawberry, but also can mean high maintenance. Like if a girl is taking a really long time to get ready because she's being super primpy, you can call her a fresa. Her middle name is Sacapuntas in honor of a close friend that I worked with in Bolivia. Sacapuntas, literally pencil sharpener, is her favorite word and when I asked what I should name her that word instantly came up, which also made me have a huge smile!

Pooch face #2 needs a name

I would like to introduce you to my new companion, and you can fully expect to be inundated with puppy photos for a while.

She's right here next to me on the couch. I wonder what Cesear Milan would say about that? I do want a well adjusted dog and I realize that she is a dog, but she sure is cute enough to cradle like a little baby.

She was dropped off at school this afternoon and I had a student meet her in the parking lot and bring her to my class (I was proctoring an exam). The first chance I got I ran out into the grass with her.

She is super affectionate and I instantly and completely fell in love with her. We ran around for a bit and then I put her in her little airplane carry bag and she slept for the rest of the exam. 

I rushed home and put down some food for her, which she gulped like a crazy dog, and then we headed for our first visit to the park.

Her little neck is too tiny for a collar, I'll probably have to get a cat collar for now... I bought the smallest leash possible, but it still seems to bulky for her. Her paws are super tiny, she has short legs and an awkwardly long body. Her short fur is like a normal short haired dog, but then she's got these long pieces of black fur with white tips. They said her mom was a poodle, she sure doesn't look like any poodle I've ever seen.

I wonder if she's ever been inside a house/apartment? She sure is whiny. She must miss her siblings back in the kennel. I've set up the little carry on as a den for her and she's already claimed the space for her own.

You know I must be in love, I've set my alarm for 5:45 am.