Lean on me, when you're not strong, i'll be your friend

I've had to evaluate the relationships and friendships that I have had in my life and what importance they hold for me. In one of the modern interpretations of the Catholic Mass the preist say to the congregation "the ones we love the most we hurt the most". If that's always true it's a wonder we keep forming bonds of love and friendship knowing that those very people are the ones who will cause us the most pain.

Another bit of coloquial wisdom holds "everything happens for a reason", and don't forget that "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger". I'm not sure that is indeed true. The more often one gets hurt and the deeper the hurt goes one's ability to love and trust indeed one's confidence in her own ability to recognize good character are seriously damaged. It's not necessarily a bad thing to learn to take care when chosing who to trust, but its not better just to trust no one. It's a lonely isolated place to be. I suppose everything does happen for someone's reason... but that does not make it a good reason. And I truly feel that some adversity teaches caution, but repeated exposure to bad situation isolates and destroy trust to the extent that it may never be repaired.

Lauren

Who let the dogs out....

I am over taken by dogs and soon to be more so. Our household recently acquired a new addition. Coralie Crystal Fyre. Yes.. her name is corny but I didn't do it. She is from Paddy's second litter out if an Irish import Ch. Craigycor Fire and Ice, call name Bella, bred by Carol Liebich. The entire litter had fyre names and Carol chose to keep the lone girl in the litter whom she called Carmel. After some medical problems with dogs in her house and another litter to raise she decided to offer me a chance to have the rambunctious older puppy. Carmel was an offer I couldn't refuse. Since dogs are family members i have a hard time with cutesie names so she's called Carrie at our house. Drew doesn't think much of her yet... but she was PMSing when we brought Carrie home. Drew is now in standing heat and has been bred to Paddy.. hopefully we'll have more of his magnificent genes floating around in about 2 months. My first litter (and Drew's of course). It makes me very nervous.. and excited too.

Genetics are a complicated and facinating topic. I've had the pleasure of seeing two litters of puppies fathered by Paddy. In the first litter he produced aclone of himself as well as one of the mother. I got to show mini-paddy (aka R'Bratt Shoshonie Warrior) at the last show and it's amazing how like his father he is. He doesn't have Paddy's chrome (white markings) but he did get his mother's even MORE fabulous movement a slightly shorter muzzle and a nose sans the Paddy signature bump. In short, in several ways he is better than his father, which is such a wonderful tribute to Paddy's contribution as a stud. Carrie is a deep dark red girl with a touch of black on her butt and shoulders. She is a gangly adolescent right now, long and thin and appearing to be rather tall, but at 12 months she looks like so many of the bodies in her line at her age. She does have paddy's signature bump... Both kids have his beautiful big ears and expressive eyes with lovely dark pigment around them and lovely tight oval feet just like Paddy. Carrie got lighter eyes and lighter bone but has more than her mothershe got nicer shoulders from Paddy and better length. Comparing a girl to a boy is like comparing apples and oranges... but Carrie definitely improves on her mother.

These dogs add so much to my life and ask so little in return... They only want to run the house! They are company when Keith is on the road, comfort for downtimes and good for a laugh when all I want is to enjoy them. I don't know how I'd live without them.