Life with the Three Crazy Dogs

Two mornings (dawn) ago I was out walking Ranger and bumped into a cayote or is it a red fox. This time around I know it’s no joke…cayotes or red foxes prey other smaller animals and I have heard of domestic pets are one of them. I saw this little bugger, smaller than I expected, running across the road on the side I was at.  Ranger did not see this fella yet, but I kept vigil and watch my surroundings.  My guess was this fella was looking for food.

As I came closer towards where he was, the “it” must have heard or smelled me, he ran back to where he came from and stopped right there staring at me and Ranger.  Ranger of course tried to go after the ”it” but I pulled him back.  Again, no way am I going to let Ranger go near an animal I know will kill for food.  Cayotes or red foxes feed on fruits, berries, insects, small rodents, pet food, and garbage left outside.

This ”it” was quite calm, calmer than Ranger.  Ranger’s heckles and tail were all standing straight up.  I reckon animals do sense if there is danger ahead.  I kept pulling Ranger back to my side, the “it” continued to stare at us and occasionally will take a few side steps.  I was walking/running super fast but Ranger kept turning back trying to go for “it”.  This ”it” is reddish/greyish in color which makes me think it is a red fox, with very fluffy tail. 

My first time I have encounted a cayote was also during my morning walk in daylight.  The cayote was grey with the same pointy ears that from afar I thought was a German Shepard.  But since there was no owner around I figured it’s a cayote.  I have heard the howling of cayotes before and they are very very eerie. 

Let’s see what else will I bump into next….a wolf maybe?

The boys, Cooper and Chase and I were out for our morning walk on Saturday. All was good till we made the turn on the road heading towards our house. The boys started running fast towards some thing. I was sort of day dreaming and when they both started scrambling towards the shrubs it took me by surprise. I then saw a doe, a very big white tail, right in front of the boys trying to attack them and the boys were going for the doe.  Picture of the doe is similar to the one here. (Picture source and you can also read more about the white-tailed deer.) 

I have the boys on their leashes.  I should have just let the leashes free.  I was protecting the dogs but when I told DB what had happened, he said the boys are actually trying to protect me. 

Anyways, the doe was not a happy camper.  She was huffing and puffing and going back and forth across the marsh and the pond where all the tall shrubs, trees and prairie grass are.  Cooper took a few tumbles when I tried to pull him away from the deer.  I could see the doe was ready to kick, stomping away!  Her hooves are loud when she cross the road, clomp, clomp, clomp and when she was stomping on the road.  And the way she was leaping high over the tall, tall shrubs was a sight. 

Once I got the boys in a short leash I walked so damn fast away from the doe but she kept following us and huffing away.  If the temp was in the 40’s F I would be able to see the steam from her nostrils!  She was hopping along the shrubs on my side, disappear into the thick shrubs and popped back out with just her head, exactly like this picture below.

(picture source)

 And here I am trying to get across the road but she did the same.  I finally went over to the side where there are town homes.  I heard a lady’s voice saying get away from the deer quick (the lady was standing on her balcony watching the whole thing).  When I got over to the row of town homes, the lady said she has seen the doe around lately.  She just gave birth and she also pointed to me where the doe had her baby….right by the marshes…..tall prairie grass.  The lady said it is very common for a doe to do what she just did when she sees other animals….proctecting her fawn(s), just in case the animals eat her fawn(s) up.

That doe kept following us all the way back home doing the same thing, disappear behind rows of homes and reappear.  She was so, so  fast.  Finally she disappeared into another wooded area when we were nearing our house. 

That was my very first seeing a deer/doe standing right in front of my face, blowing steam!  Usually when deers see humans, they will run super fast but this doe is keeping her hatch safe. 

DB said she could have came forward and start kicking at the dogs and me as she see us as a threat.  That was why he said I should let the leashes free.  Dogs no matter how domesticated they are will know how to defend their master against other animals.  That’s what the man said but honestly, that was my first reaction…keep the dogs safe – the opposite of his thinking.  Is it a woman/motherly kinda instinct?  Honestly, I was a little scared and yet wanted to take my phone out to take a pic of the doe!  Crazy right?    Of course I couldn’t, no free hands.  As for the boys, them boys were growling and heckles were up.  So they must be pissed of too! 

This morning, when I was out for my walk with the same C’s, I saw the doe again…but this time I was at a distant away.  She must have smelled us (per DB) and she hopped away into the marsh.  I continued on with the walk and she didn’t pop her head out.

Julie B, a lady with super kind heart, cheerful and always on the go.  She was my co-worker at the travel company I was working at.  She was always on my side whenever my wicked boss of the West starts to give me crap.  I always had a good time with her at and outside of work.  Till this day, I still think of her. 

You see, Julie passed away in October of 2003 of cancer, pancreas to be exact.  She was once a smoker but quit 10  years before she was diagnosed with cancer.  I myself was a smoker then.  She detest seeing me and her boyfriend with a cigarette in our mouths.  She will start telling us what cigarettes will to us because she her years of smoking cigarette is killing her now.

When Julie was out of work for a couple of days, I thought she was out on vacation or just took a few days off to help out her mom but when days became weeks, I started to call her but no one picked up the phone.  I then asked her boss, Naomi.  She told me about it.  Julie was in the hospital and doing her cancer treatment.  I was so shocked.  I asked was it mesothelioma cancer (her dad died of that cancer), she said no, it was cancer of the pancreas.  The doctors gave her at least 6 months to live.  We both thought that she had mesothelioma from her days of growing up in the town where working in the asbestos factories were the job of the town folks.  

There is this book written by Paul Kraus, Surviving Mesothelioma: A Patient’s Guide, survived the cancer by going holistic.  Julie did the same: drinking juices, taking anti-oxidant supplements and going full vegetarian.  The author, Paul, survived the prognosis and so did Julie, however, the cancer cells conquered her after  1 year of her diagnosis.  She died a day before her 43rd birthday.

The above book is a true story of a man who survived the cancer and I would suggest this poignant book if anyone is going through cancer or knows someone with mesothelioma cancer. 

*This post is brought to you by http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/*

See this picture on the left?  This is what the church I go to looks like.  Super boring in my book.  It’s too contemporary for me.  Even the church I go to on and off  in Ipoh looks more like a Catholic church.  

I chose this current church is because it’s closer to my home and its RICA program does not run like the school system….starts in the fall only which is September. This church’s RCIA program starts anytime of the year.

This current church I am going to now has the font at the entrance as you enter the church, the alter in the front and to the right of the picture is the choir. The font is also the holy water…this font is the immersion font. During baptism, the whole body will be immersed, dunked in the font. This is one I was very surprise to learn. Thought baptisms are done in just a small little font where the priest will pour water on the head. But whatever what the font looks like, I don’t really fancy how the church carries out the mass. In my book, it’s not the traditional mass I’m so used to see and experienced.

I always thought the Catholic church has altar boys but this church tarak ada!! The priest still the last to walk but kids (male or female) are sort of the altar boy(s). Super threw me off.  I have been telling my sponsor how not traditional this church is.  She totally agreed with me and that is why her hubby left this church to another more traditional one in St Paul.  I told my sponsor I will hang on till I’m done with the RCIA program…then I will look for a different more traditional church. 

This current church reminds me of a college auditorium.  DB has no interest in this chuch at all.  So I’m still in a journey to look for a church I really like.

Last Sunday was the first time I stepped into one of the two cathedrals in Minnesota, the Catheral St Paul. 

Picture taken while still inside the bus….

The Cathedral sits up on much higher grounds across the state Capitol….you can see a column with a green man in the middle of the picture….that man is Archbishop John Ireland…the founder of the Cathedral St Paul at the current site.  (Prior to this huge cathedral, there were 3 others, very much smaller.  You can read the history if you are interested.) 

The trip was part of the RCIA program I’m in now.  The trip is for the celebration of Rite of Election.  I was so pumped coz I got to go to the cathedral and meeting the Archbishop face to face for the first time. 

Archbishop Harry Flynn (retired) and me

The entire mass and rite was beautiful..  But my whole attention was mainly checking out the inside of the cathedral.  Damn, it was just beautiful…especially the dome above the Sanctuary….the dove…the Holy Spirit.

The stain glass windows…

The many statues of Saints and Apostles…

…St. John

The old fashion pews..

The Sanctuary…

And the one that really caught me deep in my heart is this……the Pieta..it got me choked up. It’s a replica of the original Peita in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.  This replica was put into this Cathedral during the Lenten season.

The Pieta sits right infront of the Chapel of the Sacred Heart…

The Bishop’s chair…

And here is me, trying to take a picture of myself…crappy picture indeed.

Another shot of the Sanctuary…not a good shot either…

The main dome…

And confession boxes like this one line up on each end of the cathedral…

The first time I actually see a confession box….the name of the priest place outside the door to the box. It’s dark inside like you see them in movies….it’s kinda creepy, honestly.

These are some of the pictures that turned out good with my archaic camera.   The cathedral’s website has a photo album if you want to see better pictures.