Hobbies

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring–it was peace.” - Milan Kundera

The idea of wearing jewelry with dog motifs may seem strange to most people. The dog is normally not anywhere near as graceful as the cat or the dolphin, which both make for wonderful jewelry patterns, indeed. But the appeal of dog jewelry may surprise some, and the beauty that comes with the designs in dog jewelry would catch even gem-lovers off-guard.

Why wear dog jewelry? Well, it could be for a variety of reasons. Dogs have become the universal symbol of loyalty and unconditional affection. If you ever met a person who was so dedicated to anything — in love or at work — chances are that person is also a dog-lover. There are lessons you learn from keeping dogs, and among them are kindness and patience, fierce protectiveness, as well as strength in the face of adversity.

In the 7th grade I wanted to be an architect but it turns out math is involved. Who knew? My 8th grade English teacher talked me into working on the school newspaper and I was hooked. It seemed like easy lifting compared to architecture.

This quote from newspaper columnist Russell Baker sort of sums up how I felt about writing as a career:

“The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn’t require any.”

Baker and I, however, soon discovered that being an adequate writer is hard work, never mind being a great writer and doing it consistently. I thought that if I could speak the mother tongue that I could be a great writer. Wrong. But thank goodness Baker and I didn’t know that when we decided what we would do with our lives.

How many times have you turned to music to uplift you even further in happy times, or sought the comfort of music when melancholy strikes?

Music affects us all. But only in recent times have scientists sought to explain and quantify the way music impacts us at an emotional level. Researching the links between melody and the mind indicates that listening to and playing music actually can alter how our brains, and therefore our bodies, function.

It seems that the healing power of music, over body and spirit, is only just starting to be understood, even though music therapy is not new. For many years therapists have been advocating the use of music - both listening and study - for the reduction of anxiety and stress, the relief of pain. And music has also been recommended as an aid for positive change in mood and emotional states.

Michael DeBakey, who in 1966 became the first surgeon to successfully implant an artificial heart, is on record saying: “Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients.”

Ok, so everyone who stays on top of the show dog world knows that a Newfoundland won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show in 2004. That was a shock to many of the traditionalists who think that the smaller and more assertive dogs are the ideal and drool does not belong on the show floor. The win also caused an inflation in the price of Newfoundland puppies, which was bad for the average income household, but good for some dog breeding operations. Despite the Westminster win, the Newfoundland breed was not elevated to the “Most Popular Breed” spot with the AKC. Which was a relief to many Newfoundland lovers who take to heart a deep responsibility for the well-being and protection of the breed.

So what is a Newfoundland dog all about? There are 3 main recognized color types of Newfoundland dog, also affectionately known as “newfs”, or “newfies”. They are Bronze, Black and Black/White (Landseer). Which color to choose from?

Unless you are going to dive into the serious side of breeding and showing, it doesn’t matter! Enjoy whatever color comes with your new, big, floppy bundle of happiness.

Scrapbooking
 by: Scott Bianchi

I never realized how big the scrapbooking industry was until recently. When researching hobbies for my website I learned just how big it was. My website is designed as an on-line shopping mall. Hobbies are a big part of many people’s lives so it made sense to me to have a hobbies page. Scrapbooking is easily the hobby I have the most information about on my site. This is not because I favor it, there is just a tremendous amount of information available for this particular hobby.

What is scrapbooking? It is essentially a much more extravagant photo album. A plain photo album is just that, an album with some pictures on some white pages. A scrapbook has different pages, stickers, themes, and sometimes even tells a story. If you go to your nearest arts and crafts store you will most likely discover aisles and aisles of supplies. They have stamps, special scissors to make different kinds of edges, other kinds of cutting apparatus, every conceivable kind of magic marker you could ever need with different tips, widths, and colors.

It is wisest to let Nature have Her way. Nature has her own agenda, and your life as a gardener will be easier if you bow to Her desires. Better to dance with the fairies than struggle with eliminating “weeds”. What herbs already grow around you that you can use as teas and seasonings? Most areas are rich in such plants, both native and introduced. Many of them will be happy to grace your garden with very little effort on your part. Some will appear; others may want to be transplanted. Still others are simply there, waiting for you to notice.

For instance, pine trees. Pine needle vinegar is an exquisite treat that is easy to make. I call it homemade “balsamic” vinegar. Fill a jar with pine needles. (I prefer white pine, and pinyon pine is even better, but the needles of any pine are fine.) Cover needles completely with apple cider vinegar, filling the jar to the top and capping with a plastic lid or a piece of plastic wrap held in place with a rubber band. This vinegar, like most that I make, is ready to use in six weeks. Pine vinegar is rich in flavonoids, vitamins, and minerals. It helps keep the immune system strong, and strengthens the lungs as well. I love it on salads.

According to one of my previous articles, whenever a Southerner says “Y’all watch this,” get out of the way because those are probably the last words he will ever say.

Well, I’m a Southerner. I used to live in the southeastern United States, but I moved to the southeast of China. And, I’m about to say the magic words:

Y’all watch this.

The word is “week.” If I want to talk about more than one week, like what I wrote a few weeks ago, I’ll use weeks. No apostrophe. If I want to talk about something belonging to a week, such as “last week’s newsletter,” I’ll use an apostrophe.

That’s the rule. If it’s a noun, s makes it plural and apostrophe-s makes it possessive. It’s just that simple.

If I were still in the US, and I wanted one of those fancy carved signs that are so common on southern lawns, it would not read “The LaRocca’s.” The LaRocca’s what? His lawn? His sign? That apostrophe makes it singular possessive, so The LaRocca (one person) is surely claiming ownership of something. If that wasn’t his intent, and he whacked in an apostrophe anyway, he’s an idiot.

A well-train dog usually leads a happier and healthier life and its owner also can enjoy a trouble-free life long companion. Dog training - basic obedience, house and potty training are therefore essential and important to a dog’s education.

The conventional method of dog training tips and guide would be to list a series of things that you should "Do" and you might even know the A-Z of dog training! But sometimes what should be done can be said best by telling what should not be done. Hope you agree with me!

This article seeks to list 18 "Don’t" when you train your dog. The reasons for the don’ts will become evident as the lessons continue and each one is based upon the distinctive psychology of the dog’s mind.

1. DON’T punish your dog while you are angry or lack control of yourself.

2. DON’T punish your dog with the lead or any instrument of training or anything he should associate with duty or pleasure.

3. DON’T sneak up on your dog or grab him from the rear.

4. DON’T chase your dog to catch him; he must come to you or run after you.

Bread machines-wonderful inventions that they are-don’t think very well. You and I, when we have a loaf of bread percolating on the counter, can look and say, "My bread is rising a little slowly today. I think I will let it be for another fifteen minutes." Our bread machines go ahead and start the bake cycle anyway. The result is a dense loaf of bread that didn’t rise enough.

The only way that we know to compensate for those loaves that aren’t quite right is human intervention. Most loaves and most recipes that aren’t acting right can be fixed to make perfect bread. Many recipes take a little tweaking to come out just right in the individual environments of our own kitchens.

We had a call from the Denver area this week, "My bread machine worked just fine in Australia. Now it bakes hard, dense loaves." (He hadn’t tried our mixes yet.) Denver is a much different environment than Australia. Dough will act differently there. But then, dough may act differently in your kitchen than it does in the kitchen down the street.