Actually, just between you and me and the gate post, I also love dogs.
In fact, I love them enough to not take charge of one. Cathy and I
have had as many as 4 cats at one time, and they were never as much
trouble as one dog. Of course only a few cats give that total love
that dogs can slobber on you. I have had dogs in my other lives, but
Cathy and I have only had cats...and horses. After being married 35
years the Thirteenth of this month, and a couple of "trial" years, I
would say it's unlikely we will take in a dog. Right now we are dog
sitting for our neighbor. She is a rescue dog, and something happened
in her past to make her bark at me any time I stand up or move. She
is a good size dog, and sounds serious, but after a few barks she
comes over and begins licking my hand. I have to say, I've never had
a cat behave that way.
It snowed last night. Some spots around Seattle have over a foot. We
might have 6 inches at best, but the roads are frozen and slicker than
snot. It's rare that the University of Washington shuts down, but it
did so today. Close to 100,000 folks without power. That's one good
thing about having our off-grid system. I'm sitting in our office
with the furnace pumping heat into the house, while just down the road
the power lines are down with trees across them. Cathy and her sister
Marlene headed over to feed their horses(boy am I glad I don't have a
horse", and they had to come back in for a bucket of hot water. The
locks on the truck were frozen.
I've called both of today's appointments, and they tell me that their
roads are unsafe, so we will move them along to next week. That is
one good thing about our work, we're not dealing with life threatening
situations. Starting July 1, we plan to cut back to "part time",
serving only Clallam and Jefferson counties. This still means
everything between Hood Canal and the Pacific Ocean. Lots of miles,
but very sparse population. Not many over 100,000. We are giving up
Kitsap county with its population of over 255,000. It's a large
county lying between Hood Canal and Puget Sound. Besides Bremerton,
Silverdale, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Kingston, the entire huge
Bainbridge island is incorporated as a town. Ferries travel back and
forth on Puget Sound, connecting Bremerton and Bainbridge Island with
downtown Seattle. Another couple of Ferry routes connect Kingston to
Edmond and Port Orchard to West Seattle. Those are the Ferry routes
that service the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas, but there are several
other Ferry routes around the San Juan Islands including one to
Victoria, British Columbia.
There has been talk of building a tunnel with a super highway between
Seattle and Bainbridge Island. Many very wealthy Seattle business
executives live on the Island and commute. I personally hope it never
happens. The bottom of Puget Sound is very unstable. I would never
cross between Bainbridge Island and Seattle underwater. Besides that,
it would divide the Island in half as surely as a Wall between the USA
and Mexico. This was the case East of Seattle, when they turned the
East West floating bridge into a double bridge and a super highway
headed toward the Cascade mountains, across Mercer Island. It is
nearly impossible traveling back and forth across that barrier.
In fact, rather than a Wall, our So Called President should consider a
super 12 lane highway along the length of our border. Nothing would
ever make it across.
But I see that I am wandering. I really do have work to do in the
office, so I'll bid you so long for now.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/6/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I, too, think that cats are superior in many ways and, in facdt, don't they
have their own show? Do they actually want to be included in this dog and
pony show? Did anyone ask them? Having had close relationships with many of
them, I suspect that their dignity and sense of individuality, would cause
them to shun ay gathering of this kind.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Monday, February 06, 2017 10:14 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Humor sent to me that's pertinent
Who is this so called self appointed spokesperson for those mange ridden
mutts?
As both a lover of cats, and a respecter of their superior intelligence over
dogs, I am shocked that anyone would even consider suggesting cats lower
themselves to be in the same place as a pack of mutts. Oh sure, there are a
few dogs who rise above the Pack, but they truly are the exception.
A high wall might be in order. Have you noticed that dogs are stopped by
walls, but cats can easily climb over them?
"Who let the cats out? Who let the cats out?"
Carl Jarvis
On 2/6/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Americans must secure Westminster dog borders Cats should be uninvited
to show. Rex W. Huppke. It pains me to say this, but our country is in
peril.
.
We are so far gone, so consumed by political correctness, that
unwanted and potentially dangerous outsiders are poised to put one of
our most cherished institutions at risk. I'm referring, of course, to
the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. In case you were distracted by
lesser news, The New York Times shocked the world Tuesday by reporting
that the nation's preeminent canine competition will, for the first
time, "include a program featuring cats. That's right. Cats. Non-dogs.
The devil's house pet. Brandi Hunter, vice president of public
relations and communications for the American Kennel Club, explained
in an email that cats will be at a joint event put on by the
Westminster and American kennel clubs on Feb. 11, making felines part
of "Westminster Week" but not part of the annual Westminster competition.
It's still too close for comfort, I say. Westminster Kennel Club
spokeswoman Gail Miller Bisher told AM New York: "It makes it
interesting. It's a celebration of dogs -- and now cats -- but it
needs to be a little bit of everything for everybody. That's what we
like about it. That may be what Bisher likes about it, but I'm not so
sure the dogs would agree. And that's why I'm calling for an immediate
ban on any felines seeking to enter the Westminster Dog Show
festivities. We just need to shut it down until we can figure this
thing out. Let's consider the facts. This country was founded by
people who loved dogs. It's an accurate historical fact, according to
something I found on the internet, that a 25-year-old Pilgrim named
John Goodman brought both his mastiff and English springer spaniel
with him on the Mayflower. (There are also reports of a cat on the
Mayflower, but I think that's just fake news.) Clearly, canine
appreciation is a key part of our national identity, and if we are to
preserve that identity, we can't just let cats start racing across the
borders of traditional dog events.
How
do we know Westminster and its attendant hound, toy, nonsporting and
herding breeds can be kept safe? Do we even know how these cats would
be vetted before they're allowed into the show? Do we have any idea
where these feline invaders are from? It's possibly some could be
Persian, we just don't know.
I'm not saying all cats are evil, mind you. I've known many cats who
are fantastic animals. But there are some bad kitties out there, and I
don't think we can be too careful. We know for a fact that some cats
-- not all, but some -- wish to do dogs harm. It's all spelled out in
the species' holy book, "Garfield at Large. There's a clear hatred of
dogs, and acts of outright cruelty to canines are not only condoned
but presented as a source of twisted amusement. So how do we know
these cats coming in to Westminster Week aren't bad dudes? You may
think me callous, but I'm not the only one worrying this misguided
attempt at inclusion could be a Trojan cat. On Twitter,
@chrissierussell wrote: "I'm almost certain 'cats at Westminster dog
show' is one of the signs of the apocalypse. One @bethany_bruner took
a bold canine nationalist stand, tweeting: "I refuse to accept that
Westminster's DOG show will have cats. DOG. D-O-G. Woof Woof. That
sentiment was echoed by @norwegiansafari, who tweeted: "They're
allowing cats into the Westminster Dog Show so why even be American
anymore. Indeed. We have to return to thinking "dog first" in this
country. So before cats can be allowed anywhere near the Westminster
Dog Show, they'll need to undergo what I call "maximum feline
vetting," which will ensure they're willing to adapt to the cultural
norms of a predominantly canine environment. (Always be happy to see
humans, always know who is the good boy or girl ...) One of the cats
slated to appear during Westminster Week is named Jungletrax Abiding
Ovation. The first question I would ask is: Is that your real name,
and would you be willing to assimilate by changing it to something
more traditionally canine, like Baxter or Wrigley? I would also want
to see Jungletrax's social media account, and make sure she's a
Christian. The bottom line is this: The best way to protect ourselves
against any perceived threat against dogs is to scare the public with
inaccurate information about cats and then implement draconian
policies that confirm suspicions that we secretly want an all-dog
nation. Sorry, that was a bit too honest. Let me
rephrase: Let's make Westminster great again! ----------
rhuppke@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Twitter @rexhuppke