:Hands…

A while back Kathy sent me a beautiful piece titled Grandma’s hands. Knowing I wanted to share it at some point, the piece has been safely stowed in my wordpress drafts. Today is the day to haul it out of storage.

You see, I’ve hated how my hands are looking the past few years. Osteoarthritis. Yuck. My grandmother had it. My mother had it. I have it. Kelly refused to look at my hands when we were together at the dog shows in Seward. She has it too. As my younger sister, she didn’t want to see what time has in store for her hands. It has been years since someone mentioned my piano hands, my long beautiful fingers. I had them once upon a time. Now the joints are swollen, with several working their gnarly way to being the envy of every wicked witch. In the past few months I find myself using my middle finger, rather than my index finger, to point. I’ve hated my hands.

Yesterday, Jason Steinle, my favorite chiropractor,
from Health and Harmony stopped by the grooming shop to take a look at Dorje. As Jason’s fingers worked their magic, Ginny commented on his hands, his long fingers. The hands of a surgeon. Or a piano player.

Intent on Jason’s fingers and hands, watching them play up and down Dorje’s spine, I held Dorje. Four hands on Dorje. Dorje was calm…very relaxed at times.
When Jason was done, he showed me how to use my hands
on Dorje’s spine.

As images of coral slowly dancing in the water, filled me this morning, I used my hands, my fingers on Dorje’s spine. I rolled his spine, like waves in the ocean, vertebrae by vertebrae. I felt each vertebrae. I felt the spring – or lack of – in each vertebrae. My fingers worked down the spine into the rigidity and back up the spine to the spring. Down again, feeling a bit more spring with each pass. As I swayed the lower half of his entire spine, I felt the flexibility – or lack thereof. I felt this with my hands. I felt this with my fingers. My gnarly fingers. On the hands I’ve hated lately.

Twice a day I will be using my hands, these gnarly fingers on Dorje’s spine. In about a week, Jason’s hands will check my work. Maybe, just maybe between Jason’s Healing Hands and my gnarly finger, Dorje will regain his ability to walk.

And now, only slightly edited for the heathens among us – or within….

Grandma’s Hands

Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn’t move, just sat  with her head down staring at her hands. When I sat down beside her she didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK. 

Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. ‘Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking,’ she said in a clear strong voice. ‘I didn’t mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,’ I explained to her.

‘Have you ever looked at your hands,’ she asked. ‘I mean really looked at your hands?’ I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.

Grandma smiled and related this story:

Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. 

They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back.As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer.They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots.They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent.. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse. They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand.

They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body.They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. 

These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.

Several weeks later…

Susan

:Tammy…

You may have met Tammy. She’s the young woman that’s often at the shows with a dog or two of mine, sans me. In the past several years her son Matthew has been entering the show ring too. He helps show his grandmother’s Japanese Chins. He also has been pestering Tammy to let him show a Lhasa Apso. In February Tammy asked if she could borrow Thateus and Wyatt, take them to a fun match and let Matthew show one. Hey, why not a regular show! Good experience for all the youngsters involved!

In April Tammy, hands full ringside and in the ring, with three youngsters – two canines and one human – gave it a whirl.

Matthew and Thateus lookin’ good!

Here’s Tammy showing one of Andrea’s TTs (Tibetan Terrier)…

Note the body language I’ve mentioned before. Tammy’s body below the waist is moving forward. Her shoulders and head are tilted toward the dog.

Here’s Edd Biven judging TTs that day. Andrea is in front of Tammy…

Edd Biven is considered a expert judge of many breeds, including Lhasa Apsos and Tibetan Terriers. He is certainly on my top five list!

I am grateful for Tammy and her help. The arrangement came about one night over margaritas at a club meeting. It was not too long after Tammy moved back to the Denver area. Judy, her mom, mentioned Tammy didn’t have any dogs to show. “Well,” I replied. “I’ve got dogs to show!”

I prefer to exhibit a couple five weekends a year, focusing on specialty weekends. Dr. Meisel wrote in the article Vickie just sent: The conformation sport itself will differentiate even more into the “haves” who will continue to chase the ratings, the serious fanciers who will show at local shows and save their money and vacation time for two or three major cluster shows and specialties a year, and the casual exhibitors who come to a few shows a year with the family. Serious fanciers will look for judges who are solid.

The arrangement with Tammy works great for me, as a serious fancier. She shows the FFT dogs under my care at the local shows. I attend the specialty weekends. Sometimes we combine the two! We’ll be driving together to the Minnesota specialties near the end of August.

:Not too old to rock and roll…

…but it really stinks having to go to work the following day! Especially when one is reminded of ones years because of ones birthday! Ouch!!

Thanks to Ginny’s Kim, we had the pleasure of seeing The Police and Elvis Costello, Monday night. I’ve seen Sting a number of times, but never with The Police.

It was a beautiful night for a concert. Red Rocks is one of the world’s favorite venues for musicians. It’s set in a natural amphitheater, in the hogback formations as the mountains begin to rise from the plains just west of Denver.

The temperature was perfect. A gentle breeze kept air moving without distorting the sound. While I can think of a better to spend the following morning than going to work, I can’t think of a better way to spend an awesome summer evening.

Tying together music and our favorite breed’s country of origin, with a note, “just another reason to love Sting” Rose sent Sting and other top stars sing for Tibet.

And without further ado about just another birthday, I want to share this card from Vickie. I love the message!

In life, it’s not where you go, it’s who you travel with.

:Just Another Weekend update

Whew! Did any of you see where the weekend went?! If so, please retrieve it and send it back! There were more things I wanted to do. This is payback time of the year , payback for enduring a long winter and mud season rather than a spring. The weather has been gorgeous. One can ‘while away the hours. Creating Slide Shows. Reading. Watching Fried Green Tomatoes for the upteenth time.

Now here it is Monday morning! As good a time as any to start to practice the 5th yogic principle. Aparigraha. Not grasping. Greedlessness. You can’t be grateful and greedy at the same time. I’ll give it a try. Be grateful for time. Be grateful for time. Repeat one million times until it feels like there’s plenty of time.

Over the weekend Shelley’s Iris picked up her second major, along with a Best of Breed win. Congrats! The following day Fernando was Best of Breed and placed 4th in the group.

I’ve updated the Center Stage page with what dogs are currently available for forever homes, including several slide shows. Still more work to do on that, as we’ve decided to place Manny and Rosie.

Kathy, I love the kata. The poem. And all your ideas. Lunch soon! :::sigh::: Later, rather than sooner.

Susan, please take a photo of the chimes for me.

Faye, congrats on Sonam! He’ll be a Canadian Champion before you know it! I’m looking so forward to seeing you in September.

Kelly, don’t tell Lori, but I’m going to share the photos of her and Tamdin on her porch. Glad you conned her into sitting still!

Had a great lunch with Tammy Friday. along with picking up Jill. Blowing Puppy Coat Jill. Did her out Saturday morning. Took me about 1/2 hour. Years ago, while learning to hand strip a Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the breeder asked me why I was making it hard on myself. I need to figure out how to teach others because it seems to me a fair number of people are making Apso coat care far more difficult than it needs.

Got great photos of Tammy and Matthew in the show ring with Wyatt and Thateus. And Tammy with Andrea’s beautiful Tibetan Terrier. Will share soon.

Named Chandra and Keeper’s puppies… This litter is From The Past. Nagpo and Keeper’s puppies are To The Past. Chandra means moon. Ken had previously suggested Skyon Pa Po, which I saved for a Chandra and Keeper puppy. His call name is Sky. So, I combined sky and moon for a theme and came up with these names:

Kunza Akasa From The Past (female) – Akasa means ether.

Kunza Nara From The Past – Nara means air.

Kunza Skarma From The Past – Skarma means star.

Kunza Skyon From The Past – Skyon means guardian.

And now I’d better get to work. Rick and I have a date tonight with The Police. See you there Ginny!

:It’s raining…Apsos!

This is a noteworthy post on Vickie’s ApsoRescueColorado blog …