Deep Thoughts by…

ME!  Montana!

I am not the only one who is capable of such introspection and attention to the world around me and contemplate my observations to produce profound insights into the physical and metaphysical sphere(s) in which I live.  In fact, a certain Jack Handey has been doing this for years and I just consider myself a disciple/protege of his.

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Now as you read this I hope your mind does not propel you into the past and to this particular quote by Nikola Tesla (for some reason my dad was reading the wikipedia entry on this dude recently?):

“The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.“

For although I respect the sciences in general, I (nor Jack) are scientists, so my (our) deep thoughts are not/should not be applied to his statement.

However, my parents are both trained in the sciences, and if you were to ask me, my father (aka The Scribe) is rockin’ the insane-o-meter.  Why would I say such a thing you ask?  Well who else would bring out the reindeer antlers and stockings (which should be hung by the chimney with care…AT CHRISTMAS time) when it is not even July yet?  Has anyone ever heard of Christmas in June?  I don’t think Ol’ St. Nick signed up for sleigh rides when the mercury is nearing triple digits (on the Fahrenheit scale that is – and don’t get me going on why the US has never adopted the metric system).

Yes, this was my fathers work.  Can you say he is not insane after viewing these pics? Yeah, Sammy might think it is funny but I was not amused.

Whoa!  Hold everything!  I am NOT saying he (my father…or Sammy for that matter) is a deep thinker AT ALL but he (my dad) certainly is NOT sane!  Maybe some clear thinking on his part would behoove us all!

With all that said, insanity aside, the guy isn’t a complete bust.  He took some time out this weekend to play catch with me as demonstrated by this slo-mo video (check out how I have learned to use my paws to help me catch the toys he tosses my way).  I call this one:

“When pigs fly…I catch ’em”

And even afterwards, whether he is cracking me up with a joke, shaking my paw or…causing me to go into a time warp (?)…he does has his moments of clarity.

Come to think of it (deeply I may add) maybe “sanity” is over rated (?).

Mo-Tor

The Blog Days of Summer

Hi again.   Sorry for the lack of communication lately – I know this is becoming somewhat a cliche but bear with me.  Either my scribe is not paying attention to me or I am taking time to enjoy the sun.

I have so many stories to tell from the past couple of weeks I hardly know where to begin.  The Triple Crown of horse racing is over which was quite exciting for me – despite my parents sleeping through two of them.  I love running.  And watching them horses just gets my juices boiling over such that I have to sprint around the backyard over and over again.

My parents got a new electric car – I haven’t gone for a ride in it yet but it doesn’t seem to have nearly the room of our Honda Elephant.  They spent time today trying to determine all of the ways to keep me and my bro from scratching the doors, staying safe inside, etc.  Not sure why, but there you go.  They always have been weird.

Our yard has really come to life with blooms everywhere which means we are spending more time outside and even watching some of our favorite show outside – like Game of Thrones (here I am all dressed up for a recent episode):

My parents even made us watch this British show outside called Hinterland.  They had to watch it with the subtitles not only because of the planes overhead, but also because those Brits can barely speak English – and I should know since I was born in Tennessee!

But to be completely fair, this show takes place in Wales.  And I have heard more than once…from many sources…that, well I can’t say exactly what we think of the Welsh since I am not allowed to use F-words.  Not really clear on why we feel that way about such a small country that is a part of the same island as England (and the spelling of my Mom’s name is apparently Welsh as well), but, hey, I’m just a dog – I get mad at others from my nation when they are walking in front of my house.

But once again I am going off on a tangent as my real point of this blog was to update you on my bro.   Now I may have been taking a nap at the vets after getting my nails done while waiting for Sammy, but a girl has to get her beauty sleep when the chance presents itself.

Why go to the vet for a manicure you ask?  Well it turns out the old man has not been active enough lately causing a return/expansion of his hot spots.

If you think I am being mean by saying he is lazy here is a quote from a website:

“These factors are much more prevalent in elderly dogs due to limited mobility, internal discomfort and psychological issues.”

The Impact Of Hot Spots On Elderly Dogs

So I could have just as easily pointed to psychological issues as the culprit for these spots.

You may cringe at the sight of these ghastly sores on either side of his torso (I sure did once the vet was done with him – but again I have known about these for weeks thanks to my excellent sniffer so I was somewhat prepared – and also prepared for my clueless parents who only figured it out when Sammy started ripping out chunks of fur on Saturday morning which prompted the rush trip to the vets).   As you may notice from the pics, the old boy was able to just laugh it all off.  He is such the jokester.   This is not to say that he wasn’t ready to leave the vets after the shaving – as a matter of fact, he was showing my parents the door while I was still getting my nails done before HE saw the vet.  [Quick aside -the woman at the front desk commented about how brave I’VE become from when she first met me.  I think this just proves that getting ones nails done at the vet and not the spa is far more traumatic than a simple shaving of the mid-rift].  Now I am not trying to downplay what Sammy had to go through, but all he is thinking of is his new haircut, taken to a new level with the full on Mohawk.   I think he looks pretty cool but kind of worry that he might be too old to pull off the look – kind of like an old guy in a sports car.  But Sam is a rocking brother so I suspect he’ll shock the world with whatever he opts for – hairstyle wise.

I’ll keep you posted on his progress (assuming Dad pays attention to me) and may update you on some other goings on around here soon.

Mo-Tor

 

Ali

This week marked the passing of the self-professed “greatest of all time” Cassius “Muhammad Ali” Clay Jr.

Coincidentally, my father learned that he works with someone who is the best in the world in their field.  If you doubt him, all you have to do is ask the individual in question and they’ll confirm that, yes indeed, they are the greatest.  Granted, they didn’t go on to say “of all time” but they are still relatively young so we should just give them some time.  They may end up being the greatest of all-time in the entire UNIVERSE!

However, this person (to date) has not made the cultural and racial impact that Ali did during his rise from the south in the pre-Civil Rights era to become Olympic champion, heavy weight champion of the world, “U.N. Messenger of Peace” in 2002 Afghanistan and later Olympic torch and flag bearer despite fighting Parkinson’s Disease.  That is a pretty extensive list of accomplishments and that is not all that he did in his lifetime.  And these accomplishments have been acknowledged by athletes and others as being inspirational and transformative.  So was he the “greatest” of all-time?  What are the metrics for making such a conclusion?  How does one tally up the greatness points and make them equitable across time, cultures and opportunities?

And does it really matter anyhow?  His brash self-confidence may have been required to achieve what he was able to do at that point in history but it is my general feeling that one doesn’t have to tell the world that they are the greatest.  For if they truly are the best, this should be self-evident based on their actions.  If you have to try to convince someone of your value by telling them flat out where you stand in a particular field or activity then you are probably missing out on something much greater.  Such as what you can offer to your peers, friends, family and society.  But then again, I am just a dog.   Who am I to say what qualifies as greatness to you folks.

With that said, I won’t toot my own horn since that is really unnecessary.  I’ll just let my dad post this little video of me.

He said it, not me…:)

More soon,

Montana Tornado