“Just Had to Post this”

And I got 4 of them…..

“First Snowfall”….

 

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Outside from second story window….

Mimi prowling in the snow this am.

 

This morning the sun is shining, the snow and ice are melting and it’s beautiful outside. A chance to snuggle down and read books.  And bake bread.

Lady Nyo

 

First Snowfall

 

There is such beauty in the still-night.

A sudden snowfall has pushed

The boundaries of the mundane back

And fantasy flows like outrageous myths.

–

The white challenges the moon

Lights up a trampled ground

And gives a purity to all it covers.

Shadows form where there were none

A supple mystery to things once familiar.

Now a strange and alluring world

Transformed, remade anew,

Even forbidding as  huge trees

Groan with an icy burden

And bushes  split in two

With the weight of an alien gift,

 Powerlines crystalized spider webs

Criss-crossing streets.

–

The silence is deep

No modern disturbance intrudes.

It is Winter’s gag on our fretfulness,

Our restlessness, our noise.

We are commanded to stay inside

By the fire, to read a book,

To look outside and admire

A miracle that we, with all our intelligence

Can not reproduce.

–

This is Winter’s true gift.

We are to obey the season

This enforced solitude,

To wrap ourselves in this quilt of quiet,

Cast off our endless activity,

To finally be still,

To heal with the balm of serenity.

–

 Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2014

“Night Poem”

“Salisbury”, watercolor, janekohut-bartels, 2005

It seems we are entering the seasonal pattern of storms, tornadoes and the general fury of a tender season: Spring. 

We need the rain, the drought again threatens,  the winds are fierce, as I watch them toss and twirl the great Pin Oaks,  Live Oaks, Pecans.  Even watching this display brings on  vertigo, as you marvel at the flexibility of these monsterous sentinels filling the the landscape.

The power of what is there, the marvel of it all! They stand between heaven and earth and overwhelm the eyes and senses.

Lady Nyo

 

NIGHT POEM

–

The wind howled hard last night,

A chorus of disgruntled banshees

Out to fracture nerves and peace,

Disrupt any possible sleep,

Make dogs whine in fear-

A sickly moon  above.

–

 

The wind chimes on the eaves

Jangled, clanged

Hollow metal hambones

Danced at the command

Of transforming elements–

Discord added to a fearsome harmony.

–

 

This is an alarming season,

Nothing soft-edged about it.

The tattered- leaved branches

Silhouetted against a plastered wall,

Illuminated by harsh street lights–

Whip  about in a feeding frenzy

And I dare not close my eyes,

But creep down to quiet the hounds

Who share my anxious sentiments–

A rude and boisterous night.

–

Jane Kohut-Bartels

Copyrighted, 2012

 

‘The Peace that Surpasses All Understanding’, Part 3

Getting tired of this title?  WOOF!

Well, perhaps I can finally use this quote  closer  to its meaning.

We went to the Unitarian Universalists Congregation this morning. We have been one other time, about a month ago, and were really moved by the service. It was on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War: not blue, not gray, but a musical tribute to all who suffered and died.  Perhaps only the UUs could  walk this path between the North and the South.  And it wasn’t about Slavery, either.  It was about humanity embroiled in a conflict that is still shaking our nation today.

But this morning was of a very different theme.  I didn’t check, because I wasn’t sure we were going to make it.  Both husband and I were snarly the day before, and putting aside our insults and hurt feelings  was almost asking too much:  it seemed  a lot of effort to go and sit amongst strangers.

We are glad we made the effort.  It was the annual “Blessing of the Animals” service and the place was full of dogs, cats, a Japanese fighting fish in a tupperware bowl, and a rooster.

Music holds a lot of weight with the UUs, and this service was no exception.  “Puff The Magic Dragon”, “Waltzing With Bears”, “Home On The Range”, “I Wanna be a Dog”, “Spirit of Life” and “All Creatures of the Earth and Sky” pretty much rounded out the musical offering.

Actually, it was a LOT of fun, and really very moving.  I think it took suspending the ego for many of us:  “Waltzing With Bears” was hilarious and “Home On the Range”, projected on a large screen overhead brought both us to tears.  Ok, it brought me to tears, the Great Stone Face doesn’t cry much (any) in public.  The lyrics are tender and moving, something we forget about  this song, yet there on the screen, with a background of incredible Western beauty, well,  it was something that stirred us both.

There were fewer cats there than I would have liked, and those  there crated, poor pussies.  Some dogs howled during certain songs, especially on the refrains, and the Rooster?…well, he crowed in all the right places.  I thought  maybe someone had a very good recording of a rooster and were playing tricks, but I was assured by the lovely woman next to me “the rooster was here for the blessing last year.”

There were no dog fights, just a few overly friendly attempts to make friends, and a couple of half-hearted snarls. Watching the dogs was a treat.  A young German Shepherd was the model of discipline, sitting or asleep quietly at his owner’s feet, the numerous Standard Poodles– an elegant addition to the morning, the beagles, as beagles do, fell asleep, the Goldens looked happy, eager to please, the pugs looked…..bored.  We were amazed how well behaved our canine (can’t say anything about the fish) friends were in such a potentially stressful environment.

We were thinking of what dog we could have brought (the cats  are atheists). Gally, the big Shepherd/Hound mook at 80 lbs is well trained to sit and lie down, but this would have been too much temptation.  Merlin, the mostly- Golden, is fiercely protective and growls and might snap. Laddie the almost- cocker is totally deaf, so he has this piercing bark:  He would start a riot with his alarm.  We realized  the only dog we could have brought was our Sparky, our English Field Spaniel, who died of cancer June 20th this year.  He was a gentleman, such a good example of his rare and intelligent breed, but he was planted out in the front garden under an old boxwood.  His loss to us, especially this morning, brought me to tears.

This is such a different entry…considering the last two other “The Peace…” offerings…but this morning the Blessing of the Animals went exactly where it should have gone: straight to our hearts, opening a pathway to memories and further compassion.  I also got a good tip on a Standard Poodle breeder not far from our home.  My husband is groaning, and puffing on his inhaler but there is no better balm to grief, (and my grief in losing Sparky so suddenly went deep) than another animal to wrap your arms around. 

Of course some would call me a hoarder: 12 (kittens, thrown over the fence at various times) and then cats who have been with us  for  15 years, they are not just cats…they are treasured members of our family.  My dear husband’s nose hasn’t stopped dripping for 26 years but his shots are helping nicely here.

Today was a wonderful example of compassion, charity and love. Seeing the care  people expressed with their animals, and seeing the pianist with his pug in his lap while he played, well, it was a lovely morning.

Even unto the least, which I guess would have been the goldfish in tupperware, the message was loud and clear.  Extending our love to other species is natural and good: we aren’t the only ones who live on this Earth.

We are enjoined in love. Or should be.

Peace!

Lady Nyo

Summer, Fleas and Festool

I don’t know how it is with other regions of our country, but I would assume that fleas are a real challenge to pet owners.  Here in the deep South, fleas are omnipresent in the warm months.  We have kept them at bay by numerous ways, but some work better than others, and some are very expensive to maintain.

The usual is to use the chemical back of the neck products, but with 5 dogs and 9 cats, that can get expensive every month.  So we have adopted some new and different methods and so far, we are flea free….at least in the house and it seems that it’s working on the animals.

1) We give them bi-weekly flea baths with puppy flea shampoo.  Just fill up the very large wheel barrel with water and soap away.  Works,,  but it’s best you do that bi- weekly, and since it’s puppy, it’s not overly chemical.

2) Diet:  We have basically gone to a raw diet…with suppliments of foods and vitamins.  Raw chopped up chicken is excellent ….the bones are what they would be eating in the raw….(not cooked, either) and their teeth look good.  We do suppliment with scrapes from the table, because , well, raw chicken seems a bit bland.  We also have big containers of brewer’s yeast and leicthen.  They seem to be thriving.

The brewer’s yeast (and also garlic cloves weekly) change the ‘smell’ of the blood and fleas and ticks don’t bite.  Well, they probably bite but they don’t like the taste.

3.) Right before Christmas last year, we bought a Festool vacuum along with the very expensive saw, etc….something that my carpenter  husband (he’s actually more than a carpenter) thought would be used only when he cut wood….. built something. (I Bless the man who told us about Festool…he may be wanting in many ways but he did introduce us to the Festool system.  Thank you, M.)

However, my husband was WRONG!!!  I have commandeered that CT22 Vacuum, a product and delight of German technology  and I use it every day.  It has a marvelous ‘suck’, many good attachments for cleaning the house, and it has made our lives so much easier…and the house cleaner…especially while we are in this state of renovation.  Which we are.  Plaster dust, the bane of any restoration project (and we have a whole house restoration going on right now….the only positive of my husband’s furlough days…..and we are finally getting done the things that need to be done in this 1880’s house.

The other day the hose coupling fell off from the attachment I was using and I thought I had broken it.  I glued and taped it back and it was fine…but my smarter son took it apart and showed me that the GERMAN part of this was that it screwed in the opposite way of our American way.  Reverse.  Counterclockwise.  There was no reason for tape or glue.  Blessed Germans….

This whole Festool was a very expensive venture, and I thought for a while that it was just…..stupid.  Until I found ANOTHER use for the vacuum.

Dogs.  And Fleas.

It works great!  The dogs were at first suspicious of the noise, but the suck (using the little attachment for  upholstery) is like a deep massage and the dogs all like it.  And these dogs are so funny.

Gally, (Galahad) was found three years ago on the side of the road, a three month puppy almost dead of starvation and heat stroke (92 degrees)  And the kick here is he was found at the end of the driveway of his bastard owners.  Later their house burned down.  Good.  They deserved it.  If this sounds harsh they were lowlife drug dealers.  Gally is a Shiloh Shepherd, about 90 lbs now.  For a month he couldn’t walk because he was so weak.  He was pink because he had no hair.  Extreme mange.  He only wanted to lie under a shade in the grass for a while.  Now?  He’s huge, bouncy, the most intelligent dog we have ever had, and part of our family.

Charlie is 15, a Husky neighbors found on their lawn at 5 months….abandoned we thought, (he wasn’t but we refused to give him back after we spent $$$ on the medical bills) and 15 is old for a Husky, especially in the South.  Beautiful dog, and going strong still.

Two spaniels….one found running down a busy street with an auto chain around his neck and brought to us by another rescuer….he’s doing great, recovering from an ear mite infection.  Check for ear mites…easy to control only if you get to it fast.

One spaniel is Sparky, an English Field Spaniel….when he came to us, he bit everyone, except me.  I was momma….but no one was safe from him.  Scared and abused terribly. Won’t go into details, but it was horrific.  This dog is my personal favorite  and one  day, after about 3 months, decided to  ‘trust’.   He became the  greeter of our house.  Everyone loves Sparky, who climbs up on the couch to lick the unwary.

Merlin!  A red Golden Retriever who was thrown out of a car window into the parking lot of our vet.  It was right before Xmas and no puppy, no animal should spend the holidays in a cage.  Or life.  So Merlin came home with us, and he is a big mook with a ton of personal toys.

They all now love  the Festool vacuum running up and down their bodies, and if you do it a couple of times a week…..
NO FLEAS!!! A chemical -free solution to these pests.

The cats are next, but we have to get heavy welding gloves for this trial.

Lady Nyo