:Run fast, run happy…The Last Run
Posted: June 19, 2008 Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain 2 CommentsAfter reading about Lisa in the AKC Gazette, I watched The Last Run.
Miss Diva, MAD, Bronze-TM, AX, OAJ, CGC
Greatly moved by this performance, the joy of watching Diva perform in the agility arena, the knowledge that Lisa died from Leukemia after an eight year battle with —DAMMIT IT ALL! — breast cancer, I wanted to share this with all of you.
Live outloud. Sounds like that’s how Lisa lived her last years. That’s what Chris is determined to do. She golfed nine holes last week. Carol often says, “are ya gonna die dying or are ya gonna live dying?”
Kay, Rick and Chris’s mom, battled to the very end, even when it was hopeless. It was years ago. Her choices were very limited, especially at the stage her cancer was diagnosed. Because she wanted to live, she chose to undergo chemotherapy with Taxol, first generation Taxol. It was miserable. She would tell you her choice was to do everything she could in an attempt to live. From my perspective, the cure was worse than the cause.
My dad battled cancer for five years. He lived without a voice, with a trach tube all that time. Every three hours – 24/7 – the tube had to be cleaned. He had good days. He loved his grandkids. He spent lots of time with them. Again, the choices for treatment weren’t like today’s choices. Like Kay, he chose every treatment, even when he was done with the battle. Did he realize he had a choice? Did he do it so his family would know he tried all the options?
Mom….well, she simply didn’t go to the doctor. I’m convinced she absolutely chose how she was going to handle cancer. Perhaps, like Lisa, she believed she’d received and given all this live had to give and take. She was dead 10 days after being diagnosed with cancer. She finished teaching her last session of obedience class on a stool. And died two or three weeks later. In some of her last words she asked the nurse how Schatzie was. Schatzie was a schnauzer mom groomed. Mom’s life revolved around dogs. During her funeral, in the limo from the mortuary to the cemetary, I turned and looked out the back window. The road gently rolls in that section of highway. For as far as I could see, the line of cars went. Our family is a very small family. The family members were in the limos. These were people whose lives mom had enriched through dogs.
Watching Lisa run Diva, I thought about how live is ‘rich’. I thought about how dogs and people we’ve met because of dogs make our own lives ‘rich’. I knew I wanted to share this video, this last bit of Lisa’s ‘rich’ live with you. I contacted her friend Terry, asking permission to use Diva’s photo and Lisa’s letter on this blog.
She responded:
Debby, so sorry to take so long to get back to you. Lisa was pretty incredible. She never let the fact that she had cancer keep her from enjoying life. Agility was a large part of that enjoyment. Yes, you may use this picture. What is the URL for your website? 🙂
STREEK ON!
Terry
www.cmstreek.com
April 11, 2008
To all of my fellow agility competitors and friends,
Last Tuesday I was admitted to hospital, for eight years I have fought breast cancer. I have been diagnosed now with AML Leukemia and have been given approximately three weeks to spend on this wonderful earth. I have chosen not to do any more chemo as I believe I have received and given all this life has to give and take.
With the help of my dear friends in Dallas we were able to talk the Dr’s into springing me out of hospital today. Tomorrow at the Dallas Agility Working Group’s trial I will run my darling Chinese Crested Diva for the last time – it wont be pretty, no one will be able to guess who’s handling style I will use and I don’t even know myself – just staying on my feet will be an achievement and to run with my very best friend and to be among friends will be enough to give me the energy I need to get through the day.
I am thrilled I will also get to watch the veterans parade and to pay tribute one last time to all the great dogs that have helped form this sport that I so love.
If you want to do anything for me pray that Diva and I can achieve a super Q, it is all we need to become ADCH together, but even if we don’t get it – I know I am blessed to share what time I have with my dogs and my friends.
Please wish Angela Lancaster all the very best with my dogs in the future, she is going from the cheesiest Yorkies to a couple of naked Cresteds and I know my dogs will continue to be well loved and respected and they will be in the agility ring again at some time to play.
Many thanks for all your love and support over the years, I am indeed one of the lucky ones that get to say thanks in ‘person’ before my time.
Remember this weekend to enjoy your friends, dogs and should success come, enjoy and embrace it, if it doesn’t never forgot the love of this game and the friendships we have forged. Thanks to everyone who helped me with my journey I sure do appreciate you all.
Run Fast, Run Happy
Lis Kristof
:Outbound
Posted: June 7, 2008 Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain 3 CommentsA couple of years ago Rick and I went to San Francisco for a long weekend trip with Chris and Herman. Of course we went to Wine Country! The first vineyard we toured was Kunde…as in Monday, Tuesday, Coonday.
The wine is aged in the hill, under the vineyards. At the very back is a large room that can be rented. It would be perfect for a Creepy Party! All the walls were finished with some sort of stucco rock looking stuff, so you felt like you were in a cave. Our guide suggested we stop at the smallest vineyard, Kaz’s Vineyard and Winery.
I ended up joining Kaz’s Wine club. This quarter’s selection (2 bottles) arrived. Man oh man, try as I might, I cannot let that wine sit in the wine rack! I could never be a collector of wine. Outbound, a 2005 Cabernet Franc, was DELICIOUS!! I’ll be checking out more Cab Francs, for sure! This particular label was designed by Kaz’s son Ryan Kaz.
Here’s notes about Outbound…
Notes:
Our biggest lot yet! 8 whole barrels. Compared to most wineries that is still a laugh, but to us it’s serious business. Being that Cab Franc is loved by the Kaz family we decided that we should have enough of it so that we to could enjoy it ourselves. So often our favorites are gone in a flash. Perhaps Outbound might find its way to our personal cellars… to bad it’s so DAMN GOOD! It won’t stay on the shelves as long as we had hoped. It’s decadent nose and full body are just too good to be true. Why, oh why, did it have to have such a perfect oak flavor? Why didn’t we make more?
:The Invitation
Posted: May 29, 2008 Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain Leave a commentYesterday morning right after hitting the Publish (ah..publish..doesn’t that sound cool..publish) button for the Live! entry, I sent myself an email. The subject line was The Invitation.
In the summer of 2004 Jason introduced me to this piece, which is published in a book by the same name. I loved it! I had a copy with me when I went to St. Louis in October 2004 to present the Gompa dogs, for the first time, in public. I was nervous about everything…which seems very silly in retrospect. That, however, doesn’t change how I felt then. I didn’t want people to judge them. I wanted people to see what I saw in them. The Invitation, for some reason, helped me deal with the feelings prior – days, weeks and months – to the presentation.
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| It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.It doesn’t interest me how old you are I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love for your dreams for the adventure of being alive.It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon… I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain I want to know if you can be with joy It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me If you can bear the accusation of betrayal I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure It doesn’t interest me It doesn’t interest me who you know It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom I want to know if you can be alone © 1995 by Oriah House, From “Dreams Of Desire” |
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Live!
Posted: May 28, 2008 Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain Leave a commentI keep a stash of draft blog entries. Drafts of things I may want to write about. Drafts of things people have shared with me, including those cyberspace pass-alongs. Drafts waiting further inspiration for completion. Drafts of things I can quickly pop on the blog for those mornings I’m pressed for time.
This morning I’ve actually got lots to say…about a new pet peeve. Pet parent. Say what?! I don’t have time to go off about that. My ever-ever-processing brain (my gawd, where’s the on/off switch…) continues to contemplate kennels, how on earth the public – never mind a biologist – expects breeders to keep dogs that provide puppies of their breed of choice. I don’t have time to write about that either this morning.
Rather than step onto my soapbox, I went to my drafts and found the following piece. As I always do (oh, irate mother of 15 year old son photographer) I googled the first few lines, only to find the author as anonymous. Then I checked images with the same google search because I think blog entries with images are nice. This image was used on someone else’s blog for the same poetic piece. I can’t find credits for the painter either. Throwing caution to the wind, tossing this painting and these words out into cyberspace…
Live!
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn’t supposed
to ever let you down probably will.
You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it’s harder every time.
You’ll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.
You’ll fight with your best friend. You’ll blame a new love for things an old one did.
You’ll cry because time is passing too fast, and you’ll eventually lose someone you love.
So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you’ve never
been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of
happiness you’ll never get back.
Don’t be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin. ~anonymous~
:Saving on gas
Posted: May 23, 2008 Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain | Tags: Debby Rothman Leave a commentYesterday I received an email from Ceese…one of those forwards actually. The very kind of thing I was writing about yesterday, the blurriness of copyright in cyberspace. Saving on Gas was intended to make the cyberspace rounds, so I post without compunction. There’s great tips from someone-in-know about how to get the most from your gasoline buck.
Speaking of gas and bucks… Ah! You knew I’d have something else to say! I drove a 1963 Ford Futura until Rick and I married. Orville Falcon was his name. Orville wasn’t just a Ford Falcon. He was a fancy Falcon, complete with chrome detail that qualified him to be a Futura. He had a three-on-the tree, red interior and cost $200 used. Orville knew the way to dog shows. Once every week or so, I’d pull into Ralph McCain’s Conoco station and buy $1.00 worth of gas. Gas was usually 23 cents a gallon, but once in a while would drop to 19 cents a gallon. A gas station attendant pumped the gas, checked the oil and cleaned the windshield. The really cute attendant once told me if I pulled in and and said fill-er-up, he’d buy me a steak dinner. Never did do that…probably never had enough money to fill-er-up.
A few weeks ago, sorting and sifting for that Library of Memories class, I came upon a group of photos in an envelope. The first photo I pulled out was significant in a totally different way than expected when the photo was taken. I noticed the price of gas immediately. And started drooling! Then I wondered why on earth there was a photo of a gas sign. The price of gas would have held no significance at the time. The sign is like lots of other gas signs. What was its significance?
As I flipped through the rest of photos, I knew. See the cloud in the background? That’s not a cloud. That’s smoke from the Black Mountain Fire. This photo was taken the beginning of May 2002. Black Mountain Fire. We live on Black Mountain. That fire is the reason I’m an Animal Evac Volunteer, but that’s a story for another day.
I am going to change the way I keep my car filled, which I’ve bolded below. The major thing I’m going to do is buy gas from companies that don’t import Middle Eastern oil. Conoco’s on that list, the list that doesn’t import Middle Eastern oil. Whoops! Am I letting my political beliefs be known?! Where I come from people don’t talk about politics. Or religion. Maybe that’s why I moved away! Orville Falcon and I left Nebraska and headed west over 30 years ago…probably on a full tank of Conoco gas.
TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline…. but here in
California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. My line of
work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to
get more of your money’s worth for every gallon:l
Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose, CA, we
deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.
One day is diesel, the next day is jet fuel and gasoline, regular and
premium grades. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of
16,800,000 gallons.
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the
ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations
have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder< BR> the
ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline
expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your gallon is
not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity
and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and
other petroleum products plays an important role.
A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the
service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a
fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has 3 stages: low,
middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing
the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the
pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of
the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being
sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting
less worth for your money.
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF
FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the
less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you
can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof.
This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere,
so it minimizes the evaporation.
Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is
temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact
amount. Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the
storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the
gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you
might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
WHERE TO BUY USA GAS – THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON:
Gas rationing in the 80’s worked even though we grumbled about it. It
might even be good for us!
The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor.
An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up
the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi
Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don’t import their oil from
the Saudis. I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil
companies are the best to buy gas
from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.
Companies that import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell……………………… 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco……… 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil………….. 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway… 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco……………………….62,231,000 barrels
Citgo gas is from South America, from a Dictator who hates our president.
Companies that DO NOT import Middle Eastern oil:
Sunoco……………0 barrels
Conoco……………0 barrels
Sinclair……………0 barrels
BP/Phillips……….0 barrels
Hess……………….0 barrels
ARC0………………0 barrels
If you go to Sunoco.com, you will get a list of the station locations
near you.
All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and
each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they
are importing.
Kunza at FleetFire Timbers 