People and their dogs and other people

No big deal!............ Get over it!.......... Get a life!.......... Leave it be!................ Forget about it!

I am finding it very interesting to observe the reaction of individuals when it comes to certain events which may or may not result in catastrophe. No, there were no apparent, lasting consequence's following the barking dog assault. Of course, some things do not present themselves immediately but we'll assume everything is OK for now. At the risk of repeating myself, here is what happened in a nut shell: We were walking on a public sidewalk, two illegally, unrestrained, unsupervised, agitated dogs ran at us barking aggressively and acting in every way that they could and quite possibly would bite or jump on us. I jumped in between us and them and by yelling and flaying my arms defensively and kicking, scared them away. The most aggressive and most unpredictable dog had come within two or three inches of us before backing off. In my opinion this was an experience to give anyone pause as to their safety. If it had been a child or a less defensive person than I there may well have been blood drawn from the overall scenario. I found it upsetting.

The part I find interesting is how those people responsible handle the situation: Otherwise a nice guy, albeit sometimes very opinionated and outspoken, One of the offenders chooses to deny any responsibility whatsoever and shift the blame of the whole thing onto my shoulders by pointing out that he owns his home, pays taxes and as long as he does it is his right to allow his dog to roam freely on his part of the street. I knew he did and the reason it all happened is because we were walking there........?.........Now I better watch my step because he is going to watch my every action and report me to the police every time I commit an infraction. I'm still trying to work all that out. I'm am not angry you understand, I just want to understand how to prevent this sort of thing in the future. So far I think it means that I should stay clear of where he chooses to allow his dog to roam or suffer the consequences. Whatever they may be.

The other appears to ignore that it ever happened. Also a very nice, hard working and friendly person. From what I can gather the offense simply did not happen. Nope! We didn't go for a walk, we weren't confronted by her dog, there was no yelling, or barking or anything. There is no reason to talk about it. No reason to apologize. No reason to inquire if everyone is OK. I guess the reasoning behind that thought process is that: If you deny it ever happened, then it didn't and you don't have to face any responsibility of ignoring the law and the warnings and pleas of your neighbors for over 4 years. Everything will go back to normal eventually, right?

The other thing I am mulling over is the reaction of the police officer I reported this incident to. I have received no notification as to whether they contacted the dog owners or not. No one let me called to let me know. Another part is what he explained to me: You must understand that the police have no way of handling an unrestrained dog. If a confrontation happens again I need to capture the dog and call animal control. If I understood him correctly there is no law against allowing your dog to harass passers by on a public sidewalk or road. I know that to be incorrect because I received a copy of the city ordinance in the mail from someone else that obviously has a problem with this batch of free roaming, barking dogs.

I've gathered that the consensus seems to be that in some way I caused the incident by taking a walk in my own neighborhood, less than 300 feet from my own front door, on a public sidewalk, with the knowledge that some people allow their animals to run free and harass their neighbors. I should have known better. That's the attitude I seem to be getting so far. I guess I'm a real trouble making jerk here for asking folks to abide by the same laws as I do. Yeah, I should have known better. I'm starting to think I need a dog so I better understand the situation. This is all quite interesting and I'm learning a lot about people and how much they care about the health and welfare those around them compared to their dogs. Even if it is a little disappointing.

The last about the mean old grumpy guy

Busy, busy, busy. That's what this time of year is. If it's not a birthday, it's a graduation or a wedding or a new baby. A downright exciting time in history but it's been keeping me away from the blog a lot.

The old. mean guy told me the rest of his story while we were standing there and I thought I'd pass it along. All those years ago, when all the neighborhood kids thought he'd kill us if he caught us, things were not exactly as they seemed. He worked a lot and the family kept to themselves alright, but when I'd get an opportunity to talk with them they were mostly like everyone else to me. But, I was always just a touch nervous about those rumors. You know what I mean. If you hear something enough you start to wonder if there is some truth to it all. That wasn't the case though. This is what he told me the other day when I asked him if he was really that mean.

He and his kids spent so much time in the yard and house all the time because they were caring for his wife. She had terminal cancer, or rather a deadly type of leukemia. the doctors had given her all the treatment available at the time and pretty much sent her home to die. The mean old guy and his kids decided they'd do what they could to help her with whatever time she had left. For his part, the mean old guy worked an extra job to pay for some alternative treatments they learned about to make her more comfortable. They were very expensive and they had no insurance. The kids came home right after school and did the housework and cooking as well as helped her with her flowers and little lady like things she enjoyed. They did it because they loved their mom, not because they were slaves. The mean old guy planted a huge garden because he'd heard that natural foods were more healthy and had some curative qualities too. All this watching after his wife went on for a long time. The doctors had given her 6 months to live and she made it almost 25 years. Even after the kids grew up and moved away the mean old guy kept caring for her. She eventually passed away quickly and comfortably from some form of pneumonia. He said all in all they had a good life and he was still happy because of it.

Sometimes mean, old, grumpy guys have another side to them I guess. People aren't always what they appear to be at our first impression. Do you know anyone like that? I wish you a fine day................Joe

More about the mean old guy

As we meandered out the door chatting about how we were today, baseball season coming on and my grand kids he listened intently with a bright smile on his face. It was difficult to remember how he was feared by almost every kid in the neighborhood. He didn't smile back then. He worked almost constantly at two jobs and when he was home he busied himself in his garden or with the chickens or rabbits. The only time I saw him doing anything else was on Sunday morning when the whole family went to church. They arrived early at the first service of the day, which at the time was 6:30am. They also sat in the very last pew way in the back all by themselves. He didn't look mean to me sitting in church like that with his wife and kids around him. They stayed sitting after the service until most everyone else was gone and then they walked back home after usually saying something to the pastor. Then they spent most of the day in the house and garden.

His three kids went to middle school about four blocks away. Somehow the mean old guy managed to walk with them every day. Those kids seemed just like every other kid except they didn't go out for lunch or recess. They also took off a lot of sick days. And, although they were not rude and did talk a little with other kids they didn't mix with them at all after school. That added to the rumors. Some kids said they heard from another kid that the mean old guy kept those kids as slaves in the basement and only let them out to go to school and they were probably fed some kind of mind control drug to keep them from talking about being slaves. They certainly didn't act like slaves when I stopped by to collect for the paper or bring my seed catalog.

Today is a garden day for me. Replacing some plants that were frozen out and putting in some new. Fresh food from the garden is a real treat. The old mean guy seemed to know that too
..........................Joe

The hermit, the cave, the smell

During my hike around Lake Michigan I met a lot of interesting people, one of which was a sort of hermit I guess you'd call him. Sometimes I wonder if he may still be living in his cave. Yes, when I came across him many years ago he had definitely set up housekeeping in a small cave overlooking a creek that flowed into Lake Michigan just a little south of the Mackinaw bridge. I ran across him while walking up the creek looking for something to eat. He had built a doorway from wooden sticks, clay and straw blocks and what appeared to be rabbit skins as a roof. Quite ingenious really, I thought. I declined his invitation to stay and visit for a few days for two reasons: number one is I had made my policy to not sleep in any structure and secondly, his cave stunk. I mean it wreaked of just what I don't know. But I can tell you that just standing in the doorway my eyes and nose hurt from the stench. At the time my goal was to complete my walk around the lake. not to visit with everyone I bumped into, no matter how interesting they were. Today is a different story. I am really curious as to why he lived in a cave, how long did he live there, why did he choose that area, what did he do to support himself, and most of all, how could he stand the odor? I can still remember and sense that awful, pungent, almost suffocating odor.

Walking through a store last week I stopped to look over a new tool displayed on a center aisle table. I like new tools. Picking up the tool, I turned it around in my hands to see how it worked and what useful functions it may have. While I was engrossed in this new multi tasking tool, imagining myself building lots of new stuff in my basement, my nose started to twitch and itch. My eyes began to tear up and sting. My mind flashed back to long ago when I first poked my head into that cave. It startled me and I looked around to find the source of that familiar yet terribly offensive smell. there were several people milling around and walking away from the tool display. I didn't see anyone that looked particularly dirty or hermit like. I also didn't notice anyone else searching for a source of any odor. No one smelling each other. In a minute or two the odor dissipated as far as I could tell. Apparently I was the only one that noticed it but then again maybe no one else wanted to acknowledge it either. After all, it was strong enough to maybe be considered as some type of biological terrorism in today's society.

It did make me wonder if that guy still lived in his cave up north, or has he moved into a store somewhere in Central Michigan that is open 24 hours?

History 101

I recieved a history lesson from an old freind the other day. He got to talking and I got to listening and this is what he came up with. I found it thought provoking. Although I have to admit I've never quite seen a provoked thought with my own eyes.

Accept(acceptance)-To receive or approve as adequate, satisfactory or admissible. To submit to without argument.

Tolerate(tolerance)-To put up with, a capacity for allowing or enduring an adverse condition.

Weak(weakness)-Lacking firmness, strength, definition, character, ability, will or conviction.

Collapse-To fall down or inward suddenly. Break down. To suffer a complete loss of power.

Society-A group of human beings distinguished from other groups by shared interests, behavioural characteristics and a common culture.

Almost all great societies in the past were destroyed from within. A major factor appears to be an acceptance or tolerance for deviant behavior that ran counter to the culture which built the society in the first place, weakening the infrastructure to such a degree that there was no common set of standards. They collapsed due in a great degree to a break down of structuring laws and subsequent loss of national integrity. Loose knit groups with no established set of values is destined to failure. Close knit groups or countries that fail to maintain their laws and cultural values will disintegrate from within. History has proven that time and time again. The question is this: Will the society you live in eventually tolerate itself into oblivion too?

Your children and grandchildren will know the answer............................Joe

Good things do happen, reason to smile

Some things to think about. Or not! I found these on the Internet. They seem to be everywhere. Some are composed using significant research. Some not. Most are of a positive nature. Are they true? Who nows? But someone thought so and the majority at least bear a semblense of reality.

89% of American workers are employed.
85% of American home owners paid their mortgage on time
73% of all marriages last until death did they part
99.7% of commuters driving private automobiles made it to their destination without incident
94% of the worlds population have enough food to eat today
99.9% of American households have electricity available to them
99.7% of the worlds population was not abused by a clergyman when they were young
96.9% of the people in America are not here illegally
99.999% of all dogs have not made a mess in your yard
91.6% of teenagers have not defaced property with graffiti
89.4% of convenience stores have not intentionally sold alcohol to underage kids
85% of America's population is not in jail or prison
91.3% of the worlds population tries to be a better person almost every day
99.29% of America's population did not attempt to rob a bank on any given day
94% of the worlds population loves at least one other person besides themselves
99.3% of TV meteorologists are correct some of the time over a 24 hour period
93.6% of the world's population drink water
81% of the world's population wear shoes
84.2% of all people laugh at least once a day
72% of all people hear or tell at least one joke a day
78% of all people don't steal on a regular basis
100% of all cats really don't care
85.9% of adults are in love whether the other person knows it or not
99.94% of all Toyota drivers have never experienced acceleration or braking problems
97.7% of all statistical data is biased and debatable
68.8% of all people are happy today
73% of all written material is gone within 48 hours
98% of all predictions are based upon simply educated guesses
89% of all lipstick would gross you out if you knew the ingredients
100% of attorneys have a heart
69.1% of the people in school are students
87.9% of people you know lie to you to help you in some way
81% of all guys really don't like to hug another guy


Statistics are easy to find on the Internet. Some are a lot of fun. One more statistic I found:
83% of all people take negative statistics with a grain of salt and quickly forget most of them. However, they pay closer attention to and remember longer the positive statistics.
Statistically speaking of course..........................Joe