A Greyt Time to Adopt a Greyhound!

     April is "Adopt a Greyhound Month." And I'm glad to say we have two greyhounds--Ace and Dottie! I had wanted a greyhound for years before we adopted Ace in 2008. So when we lost our 13-year-old, little, mixed-breed, dalmatian on Christmas Eve of 2007, I began to revisit that plan. We found our hounds at Greyhound Pets of America Springfield, Missouri (GPAMO)--online at  http://www.s387960324.onlinehome.us/
     I had been told previously by a "friend," with a so called high IQ, that I should never adopt a greyhound because they were too large, required a lot of activity and needed to be exercised often, and "I just didn't have time for that." Fortunately, that is so far from the truth!!  Greyhounds are known for being 45-mile-per-hour couch potatoes. They are sprinters not long distant runners. Their running endurance lasts for about 30 seconds during races. They are not hyper, snow-mushing dogs who can run indefinitely. Their favorite thing to do, is to curl up in a nice soft doggy bed while snuggling with their comfy blankets and myriad stuffed toys.
      

Dottie Mae, snuggled in her blanket.

     I like to tell people that greyhounds fold up nicely! I've found greyhounds are remarkable. They are very mannerly, don't often run in the house, they love to be with you and will follow you and lay down beside you. And when they do lay down, often they curl up and don't take up much space. Also, they aren't very vocal and don't shed much and make wonderful companions. They are very obedient. Greyhounds also have a universal blood type and are often used as blood donors for other dogs. They have large physical as well as figurative speaking hearts. Their large hearts help pump all that blood for those 45-mile per-hour sprints. Their large figurative hearts learn by kindness not harsh words and reprimands--they learn best by using positive enforcement. They love treats! 

Ace and Dottie celebrating their birthdays with the Grandkids.

     Ace is the exception to the rule about being vocal.. He loves to sing/howl or as we call it "Roo." This is his signal of ultimate happiness, and he expects us to sing with him too!  Because of their mild dispositions, greyhounds aren't usually thought of as guard dogs, but Ace breaks this rule too.

   

Ace loves to "Roo."

     Ace will bark and alert us if someone comes to our door or yard. With his loud bass voice, 75-pound frame and dark almost doberman-like stature he makes me feel safe!! 

     Greyhounds like schedules. Ours are fed twice a day, and you'd think that they could tell time. If I'm a little late getting up on the morning or a little late with the evening feeding Ace lets me know.

     Most greyhounds love to go for a walk. And, once you begin the walking on a schedule, they will know exactly when it's time to go. Dottie runs to the laundry room and stands beside the leashes hanging on a hook.

     I've found that Ace loves kids. When we adopted him, I was told by Alane Shultz of Greyhound Pets Of America Springfield, Missouri that males usually consider little children their siblings. Females on the other hand, think of children as their puppies and will try to discipline them. We've found that to be true when we adopted Dottie in December 2011. But, overtime she's warmed up to the grandchildren and considers them now part of our pack. She runs to the door with Ace to greet them when they come to our house.

Ace has a friend with my little granddaughter.

     Greyhounds love stuffed toys and love to collect them. Beside Ace's and Dottie's beds are a collection of stuffed alligators, ducks, footballs, gongs and Ace's most favorite--a de-stuffed (thanks to Dottie) octopus missing most of its legs!

Ace and his de-stuffed octopus--wearing it like a wig!

        Other neat facts about greyhounds are: they are the only dog type mentioned in the Bible, and being a very old breed, their history also traces back to 12,000 B.C. were they are painted on cave walls. To learn more interesting facts, like these, read this imformative book, "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies," by Lee Livingood. If you'd like to adopt a retired racer, contact your nearest adoption agency--in Missouri that would be GPAMO at http://www.s387960324.onlinehome.us/ or visit them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greyhound-Pets-of-America-Springfield-MOOzarks/203652152993644?fref=ts
      

Dottie our sleeping "yoga" girl!

Snow Days Introducing Baby Chayce!

     Snow days are here! And right before the snow fell we received a special delivery. Little Chayce, a new grandson. Wrapped snugly in his hospital blanket, with a beanie cap on, he looked so small and fragile. The doc while caressing his blonde hair,called him a peaceful, beautiful baby boy. We all agree!

Baby Chayce

     And we are so glad he came before the whole city was socked in by 12-inches of blowing snow. You made your entrance right on time little Chayce!!
     While you and Mama were safely tucked inside the hospital, snow fell all over the Mid West leaving our backyard looking like a winter wonderland. It's place you will play in some day, along with your cousins. The grandkids and I have special names for some of our trees--someday you will play beside or up in the Magic Tree, or underneath the old and gnarly Grandfather Tree or maybe below the Oak Forest Trees.

The Oak Forest

     While you were sleeping in you hospital bassinet and dreaming sweet baby dreams, some of your cousins were helping to make snow ice cream at Nana and Pop's house.

Aunt Melissa making snow cream.

     And grandson, Magoo, decided to help Nana's flower bush in the front yard so he tried to dust it off with a broom, but he found it was more fun to set the broom up and box with it!! I'm sure someday you'll be doing something like this too.

Magoo broom boxing.

     It was also a special day for Pop to make pancakes and bacon for breakfast. And, Aunt Melissa decided to cut apples crosswise and dip them in pancake batter, so she made wonderful little apple pancakes. Just right for little fingers!! Someday you will get to stay at Nana's house too and you can try them.

     So rest and grow little one and soon you'll meet all the family--Flower, Mae Mae, Magoo, Trey, and brother and sisters JoJo, Boo Boo, Lily Mae and Little Faith. Together you will run and play at Nana's house pretending to be pirates and explorers--riding "horses" or driving race cars or even becoming part of a one act play!

Our one-act play!!

Surrounded by the Energy of Creating

     I love being surrounded by books and thoughts of literature during the cold of winter! There is a magic with reading the written word, and a definite magic with writing words down and learning to arrange them, toss them out or recreate them into a totally new piece of writing.  

     So, teaching my first poetry combined with photography class at the local State Fair Community College has been the impetus for additional ideas in furthering my literary prowess. Not only am I teaching and hoping I'm encouraging creativity in the students, but as usual the students always encourage me to reach higher and dream bigger and create more. With this class, I am combining my love for reading and writing poetry with my first love of photography and art.

      For one assignment, I had each student select a 4-x-6-inch photo. The photos were turned upside down so they couldn't see their selection until everyone had one. The stories behind the photos weren't revealed to the students, but they were asked to write a poem using their photo for inspiration. Not an easy task, since the photos were not generic but each unique in their own way, as you can see below.

      For one student the photo above, an abstracted hosta flower I created for an art show in Los Angeles, became a very humorous poem for children about a monster cabbage who came, along with its veggy cohorts, to terrorize a fictitious town. What a wonderful imagination booster!!  

     The photo to the right, was created with two red dog food bowls at each side, a green baby bib in the center and a dryer sheet box on top. I shot it using a slow shutter speed while moving the camera. It was then further manipulated in Photoshop to create the feathering that you see now. The student who received this photo was a surgeon, who saw it as possibly an explosion but also connections in the brain. To me, I see feathery flowers, probably because a major part of my photography has been garden photos for magazines. That makes sense. We each see differently based on our life's experience. 

     This photo of a homeless man holding a soda can  (face not shown here) because of his weary eyes, red bearded face and hard working hands, became to one student, the inspiration for a poem about an archaeologist at a prehistoric dig site! 

     

     And the photo below of a dying geranium laying in the snow, prompted one student to originally ponder writing a poem about death and shadows. Instead, she did a full circle and wrote a lovely soulful piece about a dancer.

     "She dances...The Spirit flows through her like a a vessel of love." 

          One of the assignments, writing without the sense of sight, left us all pondering the idea of which sense we would be most willing to give up. This assignment inspired me to write a poem also, "Oboe Sonata." The poem began as an exercise and became so much more. As I wrote it, I began to hear an oboe playing in the wind. That's when the poem "turned" and morphed into an audio rendition based on a musical piece I love called "Gabriel's Oboe," from "The Mission " by Ennio Morricone and played by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

"...music floats on the wind, the rise and fall like a living creature

breathing, wind chime-like soft sadness,

singing of lives not lived, a melancholy enchanter

with butter smooth measures,

oboe sonata,

Gabriel's Oboe,

like angel voices,

ascending heavenward

   on the breezes of my youth."

     Our human imaginations are ever fluid and evolving so no matter where inspiration comes from it's essential to a creative person's being. I hope to continue to inspire and be inspired over and over again. Not only during the cold winter months surrounded by books and words and art, but surrounded by people, year around, who love to create, who are filled with the energy of learning!