Fog Walks

 

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'Tis the season!  As the days get shorter and nights get longer, the garden spider spins its web at night giving it more time to build a larger web during the fall months.

Need to clear your head? Get moving? May I suggest a fog walk? We live in a river valley town known for its spectacular fog walks, an early morning magic time that illuminates the webs in dewy mist... 

Orb-weavers (like Charlotte of Charlotte's Web) take down their webs each day. A large web that stops you in your tracks at 8 am may be completely taken down by 10am.

So early morning is the best time to catch the lovely work of Grandmother Spider, that weaver of stories to keep us warm and wondering through the winter! Happy fog walking!

Dog Show Addiction and the Suburban Writer by Connie Vines

When did I realize that I had a ‘dog show’ addiction?

My first inkling, was when I kept searching through the cable channels and ‘available shows to watch’ section of my service provider for the Westminster Dog Show or the Beverly Hills Dog Show. 

Mind you this was after I’d watched both shows and knew the results.

I like dogs.

I own a dog.

I belong to the Poodle group on FB and the Poodle Rescue group too.

That is fairly normal, right?

However, when your husband walks through the living room (this is the man who wouldn’t notice if I was wearing mismatched shoes and sporting a tiara) and says, “You and Chanel are watching the dog show again?” It gives one pause. So, I’m back to viewing the History Channel and PBS--cold turkey, so to speak.

This morning I had my hairdressing appointment. (Hi, Dani).

Pumi

Dani, my hair stylist, has two dogs. We share general information, family stuff, and you guessed it—we start talking about our dogs while my hair is being foil-wrapped so the highlights set. I brought up the topic of dog shows, and the new AKC breeds accepted this year and last. Excited, Dani pounces on this new topic.

Oh dear, I’ve really done it now—I’m converting (or corrupting) my friend into becoming a dog show addict, too. 

We couldn’t stop!


Dani Googled “Pumi” (my favorite new breed).  The Pumi is a medium-small breed of sheep dog from Hungary. They have a whimsical expression, with a tail that forms a circle over the back. We scrolled though the pictures (me squinting because I've removed my glasses) until we located the six-toed “Norwegian Lundehund," a small, rectangular Spitz type dog.  This progressed to a quest to find breeder information.

During the drive home, I wondered  if dogs could become addicted to television shows. Chanel seemed to enjoy watching the dog show with me.

I did a bit of research on the subject. 

It seems many dog owners (I am not among them) turn on the TV before he/she leaves for work. The station of choice for the dog seems to be Animal Planet.

Lassie has their full attention!

Former London Zoo veterinarian Malcolm Welshman addressed canine TV addiction in his research,
“A dog's eyes perceive movement and color differently than humans. In the times before HD television, watching the TV through a dog's eyes was akin to flipping through a scrapbook. Dogs require 70 images a second in order to view something as continuously in motion. Humans, on the other hand, only need up to 20. TVs were made for human eyes, not canine.”

Until high-def entertainment. 

(You can skip the next 2 scientific paragraphs, if you like 😊).

Now, dogs perceive continuous motion in film. However, dogs only have two cones in their eyes--blue and yellow--limiting their color field. In contrast, humans have three cones. Combined, much like an artist's color palette, we can see a prism of the rainbow. Dog vision is similar to what humans refer to as being color blind.

"Animal Cognition Journal" published a study to see if dogs could recognize real characters from cartoon characters as well as their own breed. They concluded that dogs really do know the difference. Scientists believe canines can detect that animated movements are not as life-like as living creatures.

Many owners notice their dog barking at animals on the TV or even scooting closer. They are actively engaging their other senses in an effort to define more about the animal, much like they would at a doggy meet-and-greet. When the on-screen animal doesn't respond to the barking, the dog can infer that it's likely not the real deal--though sometimes it takes a few more attempts to learn.

What do you think? Does your dog or cat enjoy watching TV?

Do you watch TV with your pet?


Happy Reading,

Connie

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New Year’s Resolutions, Tweets, and Confessions for 2019 By Connie Vines

Personally, I don't make many New Year's resolutions because I always end up being one of the 80 percent of people who abandon them by February. It's hard to change habits. and these Twitter tweets prove I’m not the only one.

And, if your New Year's resolution is to simply keep your head above the water in 2019, you're in good company.  I’ve shared a medley of Tweets I found on Twitter Moments.

1. Abby Russell: My New Year’s Resolution this year is to finally throw away those three empty Domino’s Pizza boxes sitting in the bottom of my fridge. This was my resolution last year, too, but 2019 feels like a year for change.

2. Monika:  My new year's resolution is to pretend i have the willpower to magically fix all my problems   **Monika I’m adopting this resolution as my own!”*

3. Introverted Life:  New Year’s Resolution: avoid getting talked to by a stranger while waiting in a line of any kind.

If you I’d to lower the bar for your New Year’s Resolutions, these sure-fire successes:

4 Pet more dogs.


5 Drink more coffee.

However, I must confession that I, too, am a repeat offender when it comes to multiple attempts at New Year Resolutions.

• To maintain the illusion of control, I purchase numerous calendars/journals (because my IPhone calendar isn’t always accurate).  To date I have in my possession: a purse size Academic Calendar for my purse, a small calendar for my car, and an elaborate calendar/journal from my husband, “She Lives Life in Her Own Little Fairy Tale” which he purchased at B&N (which I carry with me everywhere).  He also gave me a wall calendar for my office (Yes, he is an enabler), a back-up wall calendar—just in case (of what, I’m not certain).

• Obviously, I have a bit of a stationary fixation too.  I have stationary, notebooks and binders, pens and pencils that match.  No, I do not have every color available (I do have self-control, after all). Pink, Purple, and light blue (Cinderella Blue). Since I reside in SoCal, my office has many Disneyland items (photos of which I’ve share on Instagram, FB, and my website). 

• 2019 is the year I’m evoking Tweet #2 (wink).  Since I’m on Winter Break (and if you’ve studied Numerology, I’m entering a # 7 year—Creative Expression) I’ve begun to sort and organize my house—currently I’m my office.

• I’ve also managed to ‘confine’ myself at the gym for 45 minutes 3 – 4 evenings a week.  I’ve substituted green tea for 1/3 of my day coffee consumption. And, I no longer eat “Green Bean Casserole” at family gathering/ church/ school potlucks—nor do I make excuses. Oh, I also ordered a daily food tracking (purse size logs) because I can’t always use my iPhone to log into my Fitness Pal app.

Purchase Connie's eBoosk/ Books

Do you have any confessions about failed Resolutions? 

Any pending New Year’s Resolutions you’d like to share?

Warm Wishes and Happily-Ever-After in 2019,

Connie