The Happiest Day of Your Life

SUMMARY: Which day was it?

Inspiration: Facebook June 22, 2021

A friend asked: "What was the best day of your life? You cannot count the birth of your kids."

I thought for a long time.

I'm not sure that it’s possible to define that. It would have to be something so amazing that nothing like it has ever happened before and nothing like it has ever happened since. But that would be just kind of sad, wouldn't it? Just one day like that? 

But maybe I simply haven’t had astounding-enough life-changing moments. Such as suddenly being freed from prison after having been wrongly convicted? Or someone you loved dearly was presumed dead and then suddenly you found them? Winning a presidential election? Didn’t know.  Would those be the happiest day of your life or would they be merely be anticlimatic or a huge relief after everything leading up to it? 

How about ending up with a house full of bendy aliens? Oh--well--that's pretty fun, but over and over. 

I can think of many days or times where happiness and contentment welled up within me and stayed with me throughout the day:

• Lying against a warm granite boulder in a sunny high Sierra Meadow next to a stream.(Picture me here (lounging and holding camera). Paradise!) 

• Sitting on the grass at an agility trial with several friends and laughing so hard we couldn’t stop. 
• Completing an important title in agility with one of my dogs that had been a struggle for us. 
• Arriving at Disneyland. Spending time there. Even just strolling. 
• Going on trips with my camera as companion and taking photos and just spending the time looking around and taking things in. 
• Learning that I was accepted to the Clarion West writers workshop. 
• Pulling off a successful surprise party.
• Winning a debate in a competition against a top-level opponent. 
• Watching an amazing sunrise or sunset with a lovely foreground as well.
• Walking or hiking early, at dawn, with my dogs and no one else around.
• Passing clever notes back and forth with a friend between classes as we walk past each other.
• Rereading something I've written and realizing that it's very good.
• Spending Christmas Day with my large family.
• Solving a problem at work that others weren't able to.
• Helping a dog learn something new and useful and cool and suddenly s/he gets it.

Once I started thinking, more and more things came to mind. Lots of happier-than-everyday days in my life. But I don’t know if any of the hundreds of days like that stands out from the rest. Which is fine by me: That means that I have had a steady influx of happy days over my many decades.

How about you?

• When I completed my college degree. 

I are bachelor of science!
No more pencils, no more books...
Sister is also happy with me.

Second Annual Chip High-Heat Ice Cream Wake

SUMMARY: This could become a tradition

Chip left us last year, on June 17. It's been really hard for me this week.  

Also I can't believe that I've gone an entire year without  a 2nd dog. Zorro just turned seven last week, and for the last couple of months, he hasn't been so cavalier about jumping up into his crate in the back of MUTT MOVER. I have to do things to give him extra space or gear to help him get up. 

But that's a different story.

Last year, on June 18, Zorro and I headed down the street to Baskin Robbins to have some memorial ice cream in honor of Chip.  In 100+ degree heat.

I don't know why blogger accepts videos, uploads them, and then displays what looks like a control pane--but it's just a PIC of a control pane. And then says video not available.
Sorry for now, folks.

So, this year, we did the same. In 108-degree weather. And so is born, ta-da:

Annual Chip High-Heat Ice Cream Wake

Wasn't going to leave Zorro in the car while I got ice cream unless (a) I could park in complete shade and (b) Baskin Robbins didn't have a huge line.  Turns out, yes! Full parking spot in the shade, and yes! no one else at BR! Freaky.

And then all this happened.

Empty Baskin Robbins! In this heat?

Still wearing masks to be safe. Plus my buttons saying I'm not one of the unvaxed.

It leaked all over my hand just walking back to the car, no matter how fast I licked.
Had to keep licking to try to take photos.
Now my phone/camera is sticky.

Rest assured, Human Mom ate almost all the ice cream.

I was glad that I kept his crate door closed and latched, because right about then a huge Standard Poodle trotted up from behind us and tried to stick his nose into our business.
Zorro was not pleased.
Owners did not have him on leash.

Biting through the wires is strenuous!

Fun with animated gifs, part 1
Wagging tail, hard-working tongue
(from 6 photos; need to figure out how to crop it more betterz.)

That was TOTAL nom-nom-noms!

Took the rest home because in the heat it was liquidating beyond  control.
(Fortunately only 5 minutes away.)

The last bite.

Fun with animated gifs, part 2 (from two photos).
Guess who gets to lick the bowl.

P.S. 

I do have a history of drowning my dog grief (or sometimes celebrations) in frozen concoctions that help me hang on. (No--not margaritas--) .--in addition to 2020 and this year-- at least the followings:

• June 2019
• April 2018 and 2015

Tuesday TShirt Tales: Cavern Canines

T-shirt tales? Because every t-shirt tells a story, don't it.
And I have so very many of them. Shirts. And stories. ---- Whaaaaat??

All T-Shirt Tales

SUMMARY: So excited! Wow! A t-shirt about agility! Must buy it!

In September of 2000, I competed in my first-ever dog agility national  championships. I'd been competing just over 4 years at that point. Still pretty rank in the ranks, although getting better.

I just now posted an uncurated blob of text about that event--because apparently I didn't really write much of anything about it anywhere.  See USDAA Grand Prix Nationals, Del Mar, September 2000.

Still, it was huge. Huuuuuge. For me. Longest-distance agility trip I had taken by about double. Longest weekend (4 days) probably at that point. And a National Championship! For which both Jake and Remington had qualified to compete! We're In Da Big Time Now!

One of the most fascinating things there, however, was the astonishing array of vendors selling Everything Dog and Everything Dog Agility! Local trials might have half a dozen folks selling leashes, treats, and  other random basic dog gear. But this--THIS--was magical.

For one thing, one vendor was selling AGILITY T-SHIRTS. And I don't mean club shirts--I had four of those by then (eep!). No, these were genuine actual shirts about agility!  I couldn't believe it! Like a dream come true!   Before the club shirts, I'm not sure that I had ever had *any* t-shirts relating to dogs.

There might have been more than one vendor with t-shirts, but, if  so, it's gone from my memory. And I don't recall anything at all about any of the other vendors, the mere existence of agility-for-fun t-shirts thrilled me so.

I settled on this version of the Cavern Canines because I loved the color and the design and the humor and the fun. And it was about AGILITY! Made me smile. Made me laugh. Gave me joy.

I had no idea... no idea whatsoever... about agility t-shirts and the path I had embarked upon--to date, I have acquired at least 49 dog-related t-shirts (and another dozen or more polo shirts) mostly specific to dog agility clubs or events or activities. So many that I've had to give away a quite a few over time to be able to still fit the rest into my dresser and closet. Hard choices, each.

But this one? I still have it, still love it, still wear it.

Tunnel Running and Games

SUMMARY: Remembering Chip. Missing this happiness so much.

Backfill: From Facebook June 21; posted here July 2

Chip learned to do tunnels from Boost. And he loves doing them. Just not when I tell him too. And he taunts you to chase him. And he loves being wet from playing in the hose, and whenever he rolls around in pleasure inside or out, he makes happy little noises.

Pooh Bear Joins Distant Cousins in Cheering Up Kids

SUMMARY: The teddy bear hunt project while COVID-19 isolates us

This weekend (April 5, 2020), I pulled out and admired the psychedelic Pooh bear that my friend made for me in 1970, when we were high school freshmen together. Yes, still in touch, emailing with her on Friday. Then I placed him in my front 2nd story window in case any kids come wandering up my lonely little cul de sac.

I have friends in Canada, England, and Australia who are doing the same, and it's happening in my local neighborhood, and many other places as well.  Here's a little more info, but you can search online and find any number of articles about it:
https://wobm.com/teddy-bear-hunt-is-keeping-kids-safely-occupied-during-covid-19/

Taking Tika From a Wild Young Thing to A Champion

SUMMARY: A bright memory, updated.

Posted on Facebook August 10, 2019.

As a younger dog, Tika was, at times, frustrating beyond belief. Independent and too dang smart, knowing what she could get away with when I didn't know how to fix it. For those who might be tempted to give up hope with their own crazy, challenging, overwhelming dog:

7 years after Tika retired from agility, in the 22" Performance category, she's still #13 over all in Gamblers, #11 in Jumpers, #11 in Snooker, and #13 in Standard. For "all-breed" (mixed breed), she's still #2 in Standard, #1 in Snooker, #1 in Jumpers, and #1 in Gamblers.

And I was able to hike off- and on-leash with her in so many places (well--not always perfect--but mostly).  (And so many other things, too: Tricks, visiting, being around any other dogs at any time...)

I'm proud of what we accomplished, and it paid off in spades in the immense joy I earned on and off the agility field with her.

The Heart Is Filled with Joy and Pain

SUMMARY: An unexpected painful result from a photo search.

I searched for "tika"/"box" in my photo catalog to find a favorite of her doing the Get In The Box trick; I adore this shot. Always makes me smile--she was so good at this and of course loved the rewards. Standing there while I took the shot was another thing entirely, but she did it. ("Give me treat, stop photo doing thing.")

And it popped up with this immediately next to it. Tika in a box forever. No treats can be given.

It has been over 4 years now; seems like just last month, I can remember it all, and this slammed it all into my mind and gut.

To mitigate the sad with the happy, I re-edited the Amazon box photo to be brighter and sharper and clearer than my original edit nine years back, and to bring all the glorious golden life-light back into her eyes.

New Big Fluffy Toys

SUMMARY: Lambchop, poor little Lambchop.

Oddly--or maybe not--I couldn't get over Luke and/or Chip trying to disembowel the giant squirrel toy that I bought for Remington the Squirrelhünd when he completed his NADAC championship. None of Tika or Jake or Boost was ever as excited about it, so it has remained intact in the living room behind the chair with the Special Living Room Toys for a dozen years, although we all played with it from time to time.

New dogs--Luke loved it! But when one or the other of he or Chip started to open up a seam and pull its stuffing out, I hid it away.  Silly human emotional things over a probably inexpensive toy.

SO I ordered these (about $13 each) from a favorite, Chewy.com, the other day, and they're already here! (One of the reasons I love that site.)

And here's what happened.

(1) Joy!

(2) True love!

(3) Destruction!  (Nice work, Chip, didn't even take 15 minutes before you started in on him.)

I have so many things to say to myself that I want to track--

SUMMARY: --and yet they stay in my head.

About my current dogs.

About my past dogs.

About my friends' dogs. Who are getting older as I'm not doing agility and not seeing them and their new dogs whom I don't recognize and whose names I don't know and I don't know what they're like. And

About agility and missing it and not missing it.

About pain and pain and pain, inside and out.  About still finding pleasure in life.

About back surgery being very likely in my very near future. And being very afraid.

About my dad who is gone. And still have no words.

About good friends and good times--I don't have many close friends, and I'm not excellent at staying in touch, but somehow we manage.

About Trail Watch Academy coming up and trying to walk 10,000 steps a day and seldom being able to do so.

About Disneyland! In 4 weeks and very excited because I love going there yet with trepidation because trips in January and May were excruciating.  But still wanting to go.

About truly feeling like I'm working towards being Old, not merely Older Than Before.

About beautiful weather and terrible drought and even with that, the survival of civilization with no zombies at all. So far.

About photography and loving it.

This was supposed to be my daily diary of my life with my dogs. Now it is just rather a personal version of Pinterest.

OK, I have another post to do, so on to that.

Chip Goes On A Sleepover

SUMMARY: This is a happy trio.

Chip has gone to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and a couple more days with his Previous Boy and Previous Human Dad. I dropped him off--feeling like a mom whose kid is sleeping away from home for the first time, but I knew that he'd be happy to see the Previous Family--and I was so right!

Here's the happy reunion. They haven't seen each other since March. Brings tears to my eyes. Until Chip has to pee so I stop the video.