My Thoughts Today

I registered to vote immediately after I turned 18. The privilege and responsibility of voting was instilled in me. I proudly registered as Democrat as was my family tradition. There came a point in my life that I decided to change my party affiliation and registered Republican. I have my reasons.

I have voted in every primary and general election since I turned 18 in 1977. I have seen my candidates win and seen them lose. There have been times I was pleased with things elected officials have accomplished. I have also been greatly disappointed. I am proud to be an American but sometimes not the slightest bit proud of choices my countrymen, elected officials, and government have made. There are things about my nation that break my heart. Thus I vote at every election. I have watched Presidents make wise and godly choices for my nation and others not so much. Thus I vote at every election. I have sat through single and double terms of Presidents I did not vote for and of Presidents for whom I did vote. Thus I vote at every election. And I encourage everyone to vote their conscience, their beliefs and if they are unwilling to vote, then they should also be unwilling to complain.

I do understand the difficulty in sitting through the term of a person for whom you did not vote. But, I do not understand slamming and hate mongering. I have never and I will never bad mouth the President of the United States. And, believe me, there have been many policies and many presidencies over the past forty-two years that broke my heart deeply and I could not support in any way, shape, or form.

I tire of the constant anger and hate spewing from one party to the other. I tire of myself or others being judged and called hurtful things just because of my or their party affiliation. That is the reason I do not comment on or re-post any type of political junk. Our country does have laws. I am expected to obey them or suffer the consequences. I expect the same of everyone else. I firmly believe we should expect that of everyone citizen or guest.

To quote a song I love “I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I’m meant to be, this is me.” 

Have a blessed day, everyone, Chandra

p.s. If a comment on this post ends up spreading the very angry, hateful, hurtful things of which I have been speaking, I will remove the comment. Just sayin’.

Summer With Your Dog, part one

It’s sum, sum, summertime and as wonderful as summer is, we must always be mindful of the hot weather and our best friends’ safety. Here’s part one of summertime with your dog. Here are clear guidelines for having the best summer with your dog.

1.)        Walk your dog in the coolness of morning or evening. On the hottest days, evenings are not even cool. There is nothing wrong with slowing your pace into a more casual walk. You still get exercise but don’t overheat as quickly.

Always remember a dog’s normal body temperature is 102.5F. If it is hot for you to walk, your dog is even hotter. And a dog’s risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke is always greater than a human’s. Please DO NOT walk them in the hottest part of the day.

2.)        PAVEMENT GETS HOT, DANGEROUSLY HOT. If the humidity drops and the air feels comfortable for walks, the pavement will still be too hot. Even if the day is not oppressively hot, pavement, especially asphalt is. For example, if the air temp is only 77F, the asphalt temp may be 125F (At 125F skin destruction can occur in mere minutes). At 87F, the asphalt temp can be as high as 143F. That’s hot.

Your dog’s pads are protective, but not against that kind of heat. If your dog is used to walking on gravel, cement or asphalt his pads probably are nicely calloused, which offers some protection, but not enough. Do the ‘5-count test.’ Place the back your hand on the pavement. Hold it there for a slow count to five. If it is too hot for you to keep your hand there comfortably, it is too hot for your dog’s feet. Walk on grass in the cool of the day instead.

3.)        Never underestimate the power of a good swim! When possible, swimming is as great an exercise for dogs as it is for humans.

4.)        Provide your dog with easy access to water.

5.)        If your dog spends a great deal of time outside, be sure he has shade. And, honestly, if it too hot for you to enjoy sitting outside, it is too hot for your dog also. Bring him inside.

Let’s keep our dogs safe and healthy this summer! See you next week for a look at summer training tips