Bad Dog

Today, I was taking out my recyclables out to the trash can and Casey got out shortly before Rob called to tell me he was on his way home.  As soon as Rob called me, I went to go take Casey out for a potty and he’s nowhere to be found!

So, I called Rob back and told him that we had a problem.  Casey had gotten out of the house.  I walked up and down the two main streets (not wide enough for two-way traffic but busy enough that the road should be wider with speed limits of 30 km/hr [18 mph]) for 30 minutes looking for him, asking the neighbors that were outside if they had seen my dog.  I called him to me, fearing the worst.  I walked down to the two major streets (much more traffic than the main streets and are clearly marked two-way traffic roads with a speed limit of 50 km/hr [31mph]) and called for him.  I didn’t see him or his dead body laying in the road.  So, I quickly walked back to the house.  Rob had just gotten home and he was in the car looking for his beret so that he could help me look.

We both walked down the same path that I had just walked and we couldn’t find him.  I bawled the entire way home shouting, “I’m so stupid.  How could I let this happen?”  Rob doesn’t know what to say, so he just put his hand on my back and rubbed it.  We were almost home and Rob says, “Somebody probably just picked him up.  They’re not going to keep him, but they are keeping him safe.”

The words were a little comforting, but still, I was worried about my dog.  As soon as we walked up our street, Rob hears Casey barking.  He shushes me.  We walked slightly faster up the steep hill to our house and there we see some neighbors from up the road that had seen Casey.  He walked into their house!!!  Apparently, they knew who’s dog it was and they put him back in our yard.  My face was tear-stained and all I could do was just hug the woman for bringing my dog back.  I offered her a Coke or something to drink and she politely declined.  I thanked them many times over.  The neighbors to our right were out and said something in German that I didn’t quite understand.  I couldn’t think of the words for “Bad dog” in German, but I said, “Big trouble” and pointed at Casey.  They laughed.  They could see that I was relieved.

Bad Dog!

Children Learn What They Live

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.

If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.

If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

Excerpted from the book CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE
©1998 by Dorothy Law Nolte and Rachel Harris
The poem “Children Learn What They Live”

Starting out on the right foot

Well, today I started my new regiment of exercise and diet.  So far, so good.

I should have mentioned before my goals:  To become healthier, make better choices about my diet, start an exercise routine that I can stick with and get my weight under control–my ideal weight is between 130 and 135.

Weigh in:

160 (technically, 159.8, but who’s counting, right?)

Exercise:

35 minutes on elliptical machine, 3 sets of 10 ab machine.
Calories burned: around 250

Diet:

Breakfast: A bowl of Life Cinnamon flavored cereal with 1% milk.
Calories consumed: approximately 300

Lunch: 2 Boca Burgers with American Cheese on Italian Bread
Calories Consumed: Approx. 230

Snack: Did not have a snack

Dinner: Mango Glazed Chicken
Calories Consumed: 240

Total Calories consumed today: 770
(I so didn’t mean to eat so little today, but I do have a propensity towards anorexia)

Perhaps I should not worry about having a snack and eat slightly larger main meals, but I don’t know if that would work or not.  I like having the option to have a snack before Rob gets home from work…