Tag Archives: Axel

Award Winning. Literally.

Axel Von Rocket

3-10-2000 (or possibly 10-3-2000)     ~     8-27-11

K-9   (retired)   Lane County Sheriff’s Department

In Loving Memory

Everyone’s a Winner!

             We are holding our breath and crossing our fingers in hopes that this video functions as it should.  Had our drawing today and here is the result.

          To insure that no one scrolls down and skips our awesome clip, and misses out on the excitement of the selection, I am going to put in some home up-dates here, then write out who the winners were below.

           An oddity occurred yesterday.  This is the second time in as many months that I’ve had this experience.  It’s a strange phenomenon and I’m not sure what to do with it.  I woke up before my alarm went off.  Yes, you read that correctly.  My eyes opened BEFORE the irritating beeping started.  Here’s the deal, I set my little clock to alert me when it’s time to leave the bed.  If I did not have some sort of waking mechanism, I’d just keep sleeping.  Like, for days.  No joke, I do NOT wake up on my own.  Ever.  Never have.  I’ve been known to sleep for more than twelve hours if no one wakes me up.  Do you see how unusual this is then? 

          I’m not saying I have instantly turned into an early bird, because truthfully, my alarm was set for 1:23.  (The alternative choice is for 12:34.  Oh no, I’m not peculiar or anything!)  I was skimming the headlines (yes the newspaper has continued to show up the past two days, as it is SUPPOSED to), when I glanced down the hall and saw Daniel walking into the kitchen.  It wasn’t even two and we were both vertical.  Strangeness continues.  This was our conversation:

Me  ~  Oh no.  Turn right around and go back to bed.

Him  ~  Nope.  I’m up.

Me  ~  It’s barely two!  Go.  Get back in bed.

Him  ~  I was done sleeping.

Me  ~  Right.  We’ve discussed this.  There’s no such thing.  Go back to bed dammit.

Him  ~  I don’t have to work tonight.

Me  ~  What?!  Why not?  It’s Saturday.  You know that right?

Him  ~  Yes.  I know.

Me  ~  So???

Him  ~  It’s also January.  The new rotation starts today.  I’m off.

Me  ~  (making a “huh?! WTF?” face in his direction)

Him  ~  I have new days off now remember?

Me  ~  Um….  (thinking now, trying to recall a long ago and far away conversation we had way back in, oh… maybe November)

Him  ~  I go to work on Monday night.  And Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then again on Thursday.

Me  ~  (mostly processing this)  And you are going to be off on Friday?  And Saturday and Sunday?  (still trying to make this compute in my not-quite-awake mind, which for some ungawdly reason, woke itself BEFORE the alarm went off)

Him  ~  Yep.

Me  ~  This is gonna take a while to sink in.

Him  ~  I know.

          Here’s what’s so odd about the whole thing, he’s had some form of days off with a Sunday/Monday combo for almost 20 years.  I am going to be confused for at least that long trying to accept the fact that he’ll have actual weekend days for his weekend.  I’ll get back to you on how this all plays out.  It may be a while.

     This is a picture we took after we shot our wonderfully grainy and amateurish video.  Ya know, cuz we still looked kinda cute. 

   I received a gift in the mail on Friday.  From Australia!!!  That’s right, the most thoughtful and beautiful Kris sent me a present.          They are cookies!  Oops, I’m supposed to call them “biscuits” when they come from the other side of the world.  And they are way fun.  Very tasty and really different from anything we have here.  Thank you so much Curious Miss Kris.  I am rich in blessings right now.

            Think we’ve moved down far enough yet?  I do too.  Here’s the first name drawn from the bowl:  Kate George.  Congratulations Kate!  You get to make the choice: a tarot card reading or a subversive cross stitch sampler.  After you have made that selection the next two folks get to choose.  Yes, that’s right two.  As you saw (because you all watched the video right?) when Dan was mixing his hand around there were two slips of paper that stuck together.  So, in order of how they came apart here are our runner’s up:  Lora (Lit Diva) and Kristin (in Seattle).  As soon as we know what Kate wants you guys will be next in line.  And we can figure out our prizes!  Yay!!! 

            Thank you all so much for playing along.  This was really fun for me.  I hope that everyone was as entertained as we were.  (Empress, thank you for doing my make-up and running the camera, if it really is broken I will only borrow yours for a short time.  Promise.  Beloved, Light of my Life, thank you, one more time for putting up with my ridiculousness.  And not kicking me to the curb.  Yet.) 

           JulieLanders, you guys are awesome.  We need to do this again.  I’ll come up with something else soon.  In the mean time, if anyone still wants a reading.  You know where to find me.

           Our card for the day is from Doreen’s Healing with the Fairies deck.  And, as we have all noticed, it does have some dated illustrations.  But the messages are always good.  (And, as I have mentioned with Colette’s oracle cards, this one has a cartoonish rendition of what someone thinks Doreen looks like.)

    “Peace of Mind  ~

Make peacefulness your highest priority.  Commit to taking steps to ensure peace of mind, and take those steps without delay.

Peace of mind is not something you have to earn or acquire, since your true self is already peaceful.  Instead, it requires being like a sculptor with a block of marble, who works with this material until the inner masterpiece is revealed.  If you will make peace of mind your main focus, you will inevitably feel a great sense of relief.

  Steps that create peace of mind include being honest with yourself, living according to your inner guidance, being helpful and kind to others, practicing meditation or prayer, eating healthful foods, avoiding toxins, maintaining healthy sleep habits, avoiding negative people and media, surrendering your problems to the Universe, communing with nature, simplifying your life, and saying no when you need to.

Affirmation:  My mind is now peaceful, and I know that all of my needs are automatically taken care of.  I can trust easily, assured that all is well for me and those I love.”

Dog, Goldfish, Turtle, Snake, Snake, Guinea Pig, Hamster, etc.

          Still a little rough around the edges here today.  Thank you all SO much for the kindness and sympathies.  I’m not really up to answering comments yet, but I wanted to let you know that I hadn’t completely collapsed (last night it was a close one though, okay fine, I did collapse, but I’m so short, and already close to the floor, it wasn’t so’s you’d notice anyway).

      In the midst of our sudden unhappiness yesterday, Daniel’s wee cellular device crapped out.  Lost everything.  His concern that mine might have the same disaster befall it any second now, since he got them both at the exact same time four/five years ago, and the condition of my psyche, were the only reasons I didn’t put up more of a fight over the surrender.  (He’s been threatening me with this potential catastrophe for eons now, ironic that it was his phone that went.)  If it had been any other day,  well…

            In my trudging global trek across the vast expanse that equals outer Mongolia  walk from the employee parking area, I saw about 7 Washington plates and more than that from California.  Also Delaware, Alaska, and Nevada.  (Delia!)  One New Hampshire too.

           The title of today’s post is just a partial list of pets who have blessed me with the pleasure of leaving for Home, where I could find them.  Yes, I have been the first on the scene, for so many that I’ve actually lost track.  I realize that in some cultures this is quite the honor, but I believe I have now been honored enough, thanks.

           One of the things we used to say about Scooter was that he was more cat than dog (fine, mostly I said it), which was also why this guy irritated me so damn much sometimes.  And why I am unable to grasp the reason his passing is hitting me so freaking hard.  Mostly he bugged the ever-livin’ shit out of me, daily.  Sure he was a good guy, but wow, he wasn’t MY dog.   And yet, today I was still so upset I couldn’t get my sorry self to the pool.  Instead, Axel and I took a late afternoon wander around the neighborhood (it wasn’t so much a “walk” as it was a “pull”).    My ridiculously hysterical sobbing episodes aside, I did smile when I turned over our card today.  That damn dog, he is doing this to me on purpose, I just know it.  Getting the last laugh indeed.

    ”Cat  ~  Guardianship, Detachment, Sensuality  ~

 The card shows a wild cat in the Scottish highlands.  In the foreground we see the yellow-flowered spotted cat’s ear and the pink flowering cat’s foot.  Hill-cat’s glove (pennywort) is growing by the cat’s tail.

   Cat brings us the ability to observe situations quietly without judgement, before making decisions.  Apparently asleep, but really listening, a cat can sit for hours until it acts with decisiveness.  Remember the saying ‘a cat may look at a king.’  You have a right to know and to judge important issues for yourself in your own time.

     The cat unites an awareness of the spirit world with a highly developed sensuality.  These two attributes are not polar opposites as dualistic spiritual teachings would have us believe, but are facets of one continuum of awareness and sensitivity.  Working toward wholeness involves enhancing our appreciation of both the physical and non-physical worlds.”

Be sure you check out Han’s new post today too.

Fine, it counts as Special.

           Still in my jammies!  Very nice not to have to BE anywhere, or see anyone today.  Well, except for these guys.   They never care if I get dressed or not.      Can you see all the dogs?  Yes, Han and Adam and Indie have arrived.  And look, Max is here too.  Scooter is still being a grumpy old man.  Also, Axel had a run-in with a rose bush a few nights ago, so one eye doesn’t look real great, but it isn’t bothering him, and all his other issues seem to be healing very well.

   In answer to everyone’s questions concerning Black Friday (AKA Buy Nothing Day), I will have to be there.  But I won’t have to be there at the time I would usually be going to bed (thank you Matt, and Josh and Chris too).  I’ll get up when I get up and arrive around four-ish, on the dark half of the clock (where I belong).  It will  be a very long and annoying day, but at least it won’t be early.  Hopefully all the rabid shoppers will have gone home for a nap.  Or a turkey sammiche.  By the time I roll in.

    Another conversation Daniel and I have had recently:

Me: It was in my tweets, they show up on the side of the blog now.

Him:  I know where your tweeties are.

Me:  Well?  Why don’t you know what the hell I’m talking about then?!

Him:  I said I knew where they were, I didn’t say I was reading them.

Me:  Hmph!  (Followed by many bad words and unkind statements that you really don’t need to read about here.  Might project me in a negative light, and we certainly wouldn’t want that.)

   I noticed a problem about two days ago, while blog hopping and visiting friends.  I submitted a comment, and it vanished.  I tried again, same result.  The next day, same thing.  It continues into today.  Not sure who else to contact (I have made several inquiries to WordPress) or how to solve it.  If it continues into tomorrow I am really going to lose my shit.  I have things to say dammit!  (These are the people who I can’t seem to get through to: Lucy, Carol, Kelly, Tracy, Kris, Stormy and Alastair.  I haven’t tried Serena or The Fokker today, but they are both WordPress too, so I imagine it will probably also be bad.)

        Just because I don’t personally participate in this feasting holiday, doesn’t mean it’s not a Special Occasion for many.  So I did go with the Special Occasion Deck (from Australia).  Also, it’s my niece Holly’s 20th birthday.  That felt Special enough to count.

    Here’s what the Animal Dreaming Oracle Cards had to say.  (Yeah, I laughed when I saw that it was another bird too.  Especially since it was this bird.  When Hanna was younger we used to call her a magpie because she hoarded small shiny treasures in her room.  Also she kind of had a chirpy magpie-like personality.)  

       

“Magpie  ~  Balance.

Magpie is the bringer of balance, the yin-yang of the bird world, an agent of awareness, the embodiment of ‘the opposites that are equal’ concept and the force that champions the attainment and correct use of esoteric knowledge.

   She demonstrates that spiritual knowledge, and the power that comes with it, must be approached with a committed, objective mindset.  It cannot be attained overnight, or bought with money.  True wisdom must be deserved.  It must be gathered over a lifetime of study and embraced as a way of life.  It must become a path of the heart, explored with absolute devotion.

   Before questing for spiritual attainment, we must first dedicate ourselves to becoming a whole person; a process that involves surrendering ourself to Spirit, so that our authentic self, hidden deep within, can emerge reborn.  We must be prepared to face our fears and conquer them and turn our weaknesses into strengths and our darkest hours into gifts of power.  In becoming a whole person we embark on an expedition to reclaim inner balance and authority and, in doing so, find ourselves stepping out of our comfort zone into the unknown.

  Magpie is the doorkeeper to the other realms, a guardian who lets only those willing to honour the sacred balance between the good and bad, light and dark, feminine and masculine, in all things, to explore her world.

  As Magpie has swooped into your life today, you are being guided to a place of awareness.  You are being shown how to better understand the innate marriage between the opposites that are equal and the duality within all things.  You are being primed for a deepening of purpose and a broadening of perception.

  Magpie’s arrival heralds an obligatory confrontation of fears, the reshuffling of thoughts, review of values and a loosening up of everything that has offered sustenance and strength up until now.  It means being ready to walk a path of the heart to find a place of inner freedom: a quest for a better understanding of the poise that resides within you and everything in Nature.”

(Oh joy.  Now the configuration is fucked as well.  So much for my stress-free day.  I give up.  Time for a bowl of cereal I guess.)

LATE NIGHT UPDATE!!!  Carol just said (in yesterday’s comments section) that I landed in her SPAM folder.  Please guys, go check for me.  If I am there, rescue poor pathetic, and virtually voice-less, Lunarmom/UrthaLun.  Thank you!

Forced Feeding, plus … we wait.

   Yesterday’s plan had been that Daniel and Empress would meet J.D. for sushi.  Grand.  I got to stay home with the dogs.  I am SO good with that.  Well… Axel’s sudden medical needs and recovery (plus a work related incident of my son’s) took precedent.  So the majority ruled.  Crap needed to be discussed, family crap.  Apparently I am a necessary member of the family.  Fine.  The texts started pouring in.  And every single one, I am NOT exaggerating, from my son ended with “and Salmon.”

    They wore me down.  I went with them for dinner.  And had Salmon.  We are notoriously odd, and in public, it’s worse.  (I like to think that I am friendly and amusing.  My children think that I am needy and high maintenance.  Potay-to, potah-to.)  This young man found us entertaining.      He kept me safe from all onions.  He was wonderful, in my humble opinion.  (He also has eyelashes that every woman I know, and a few men, would sell their soul for.)  As a Public Service, I remind you to please treat your wait staff with kindness.  They have a very difficult job, especially when customers are forcibly made to eat a meal in their establishment.  Even if it includes salmon.   (Thanks Gethin, you were awesome!)

   In dog news, Our Grim continues to heal and feel more like himself.  His wrappings have come off and he is resting comfortably next to me.  I thought I would take a moment to tell you about how he got his name.  He came to us at around two years old (see my comments from the other day to Merry about why we can’t determine his exact date of birth.)  And with a moniker (something like Lachlel Von Rochelsomething) that no one on this continent could pronounce (may I buy a vowel Alex?), so we changed it slightly.

    All the years we were growing up my brother said he would have two boys and name them Levi and Axel.  Well, he has two girls, and their names are Holly and Nikki.  Since he was never able to use those fine names, I honored him by suggesting one for the new dog.  This fabulous canine went into his working career with the zippy title of Axel Von Rocket.  So no, he is not named after anyone in particular and not after anyone famous who plays a guitar.            Emmy was apparently rolling around on the floor this afternoon, unsupervised with my camera.       There were over FIFTY new photos of dogs in there!         Did she think we didn’t have enough shots of Scooter?!

   Last night Dan was over there (ya know, over there to my left) and he found a stray piece of candy.  Score!  He was very excited by this discovery, it still had plastic on it, even better, as he said, “no fear of pocket lint!  Ha!  Jul, tweet that why dontcha!”  I blogged it instead Beloved, practically as good.

   Also, I wanted to let JulieLanders know that I have been doing some more updating.  There are new links in the Important categories, and another wee pentacle factoid I have added.  (What else do you want to see in Pentacle People?  More People or more Pentacles?)

     In my garage office I turned over my own personal card for the week the other day.  I have shared a couple of these with you before, but when I got to OUR card, I thought you’d want to see this one, for its message as well as illustration.         And then for our daily bit of wisdom from the card altar we have one from Colette’s Hidden Realms.        ” The Resting Tree  ~  patience, stillness.

The Resting Tree is a sign for you to stop focusing and planning and be at peace in the moment.  This is the representative of nonaction and relaxation.  Patience is the key to being with this Ally. 

The Resting Tree asks you to slow down, sit back, and watch the roses bloom and the birds feed in the meadow.  This is not the time to forge ahead in any way.  You may not be taking enough breaks or resting, so you are invited to be still and contemplate your good fortune, even if it means blessing the chaos in your life.  This is a sign to allow everything to fall away except the stillness of the moment; it is like living within the space between breaths.

    When The Resting Tree appears, it signals that you have done all you can for now and it is time to unwind and allow your story to unfold of its own accord.  You have earned the right to rest, pause, and relax.  Amazing ideas will come if you do.  Remember the ancient saying: we do without doing and everything gets done.”