Wandering Where We’ll Be

People may be wondering how Jake, our dog, is taking all this travel.

Hmmmm.  How do I answer this?  Jake is doing great.  But that doesn’t encompass all that he has had to go through. 

When we first started traveling, Jake was NOT accustomed to traveling in a vehicle.  Sure, he has ridden in a vehicle several times, but all those times, he wants to be in the passenger seat in my lap.  This wouldn’t do since his claws can hurt my knees after a while.  That is where Tim’s Jake platform came in.  Jake would be able to lie down or sit in his bed in back of the cab while looking out the window in comfort. 

A problem with this arose.  Jake would look out the back window of the cab and see a reflection of cars coming at him from the front window.  He would freakout and shake and forcefully try to be in either my lap or disturb Tim while he is driving by trying to get into his lap…over his shoulder.  Sometimes he would scoot down by the break pedal.  This caused more than irritation for our part.  We solved the problem by buying paper and taping it on the back window area so he wouldn’t see the reflections.  It worked, he was much calmer and then started looking out the front window to get freaked.  What about our vision to see from our rearview window you ask?  There wasn’t any vision there anyway.  All our stuff in the back effectively blocks all vision of the road out of the back window so it didn’t matter whether it was covered or not.  We made do with the side mirrors. 

Yes, he is still shaky looking out the front window, but we discovered a secret.  Open a window anywhere and he is immediately distracted and no longer shakes.  He even goes to sleep!!  Occasionally he looks at us as if to ask “can I come in your lap now?”  We usually say “no, you silly dog.” Actually, we just ignore him.

He is getting alot of sleep time on that bed of his in back.  All the east coast rain wasn’t a good thing for us but for Jake, it was miserable wet smelly dog time.  He even seems to notice if his bedding isnt washed after such wetness (he sleeps easier on a clean dry bed vs. a dirty dry bed).  If we went out for a walk in the town on a rainy day, Jake would get a quick “find a spot” outside and then “in….IIINNNNN!”  In the truck he would go, sometimes for hours but we would come back to the truck occasionally during those hours to let him out and love him up a bit.

Many of the States we visited required him to be on a leash at all times.  We occasionally broke those rules and let him run at times but for the most part, he has been leashed or in the truck sleeping.  I began to think he was getting too much sleep.  This all changed in Canada.  Although we haven’t written about it yet (we will), Jake has 150 acres to run on, all day long at the organic farm we are working on.  Now he has a reason to sleep.  Barking almost at will, he is having the time of his life.

Abrupt change of subject.  While we were in the states, we brought Jake into the Vet.  He has a weird bump on his skin on the back of his leg, near the ankle.  We were worried it might be a burroughed in tick or something else.  It was somewhat “scabby”.  The Vet said it was just a growth and not to worry about it.  It can be removed easily if it continues to grow (it is just a little less than the size of a pea).  We are likely going to have it removed here in Canada so it can heal up in time for our family camping weekend in the first week of July.  Shouldn’t be a problem. 

Another abrupt change of subject.  We switched Jake’s food to a dry mix for this trip since he ate Sojos (looks like spicy oatmeal) and vegetables and cut up meat regularly at home.  All this “regular” food would have taken too much space so we switched to IAMS.  He seems to have the least reaction to that food.  One thing (you were expecting at least one thing weren’t you?), Jake normally doesn’t like to drink much water.  He is changing that habit fast since he has to “hack” down his food morning and evening.  He now drinks way more water than we have ever seen him do.  Even when he is just sitting in the truck.  He gives us the “look” now for water.

Doggy communication is a funny thing with Jake.  There is the “whine” which we call “singing” to us in the tent in the morning so he can go outside.  There is the “look”, an intense stare until we acknowledge him and some need he has.  This need can be several things.  “Let me off of this stinking leash so I can go kill that tasty squirrel!!” (Tim and I call squirrels S.Q.U.’s so Jake doesn’t get all excited about that word).  “Throw my toy now!”  This can be followed up by a bark.  “Where is my dinner!”.  “Can I get into your lap?”  “I’m miserable and wet! Fix it.”  (This is a little more forlorn of a stare).  “Outside now or I might squirt at an inopportune time!!”  “I’m hungry!  I want what you are having right now and I am trying to forceably will you into giving it to me!”  I’m sure there are other things he says but I can’t think of any right now.

Jake also talks (beyond the whining although it can mean other things like “please throw my toy!”).  There is a huffing sound he makes at certain times as if to say “do what I am staring at you for RIGHT NOW!”  “I don’t want to wait for my dinner, get it!”  “You are slow! Hurry up!”

Jake has learned a new command.  “Up!”  Which means jump up (usually to somewhere or over something along a path)  We use it to get him to go into his bed in the truck.  We use it to get him into the truck but that sometime is also “in”.  We have used it to get him to jump over a fallen tree on a trail vs. going under it so we don’t have to mess with the leash or him or his collar so we also don’t have to “go under the tree at low levels”.

Jake is now doing really well with travelling.  He considers the tent site his home and inside the tent is his bed (most of the time on our sleeping bags if we are not in there at the time).  He looks out for squirrels and barks at them and “squeeky” birds…loudly.  I think he does this to stay awake sometimes because he will bark even if “S.Q.U.s” or “birdies, bunnys, kitties, or other doggies aren’t there.

That’s it for Question Jake for now.

Write more later,

Dan

Church, choir practice several times, gaming, picking up things at several places, taking care of insurance, getting ready for Easter, seeing friends, biking to places, walking the dog, watched a movie, celebrated my mom’s birthday, drawing, watching bull-riding… sounds like we are really busy doesn’t it. Honestly, this has been one of the most relaxing weeks I’ve ever had. I don’t know if Tim can say the same since he’s the details person on this trip. He is also the main planner. I often ask him what I can do so I feel I’m contributing.

He said “Why don’t you write a blog entry before we leave?”
So here it is.

Blank.

These are a few thoughts running through my mind.

Thought #1: Tim and I celebrated mom’s birthday at their house on Thursday even though on this year her birthday falls on Easter Sunday. Tim had made these cedar outdoor candle holders with citronella candles so that was our gift. But I got to thinking about my parents basement. It has had the furniture and knick knacks in the same place for many years and I knew they would likely remain in those places for quite some time longer unless I offered to rearrange. Both mom and dad liked the idea. So Tim and I changed it around. It took awhile but it looks great. It was a lot of fun to see my parent’s faces after the change. They really liked it.

Thought #2: On Thursday night, it was my last gaming night. Jon had come up with an Aberrant game at my request because I was leaving and I’ve had the game for years and have never played it. To fill people in on what an “aberrant game” is, I’m going to have to use an analogy because unless you play a “paper ‘role-playing-game’”, you will never understand it.

Imagine going to an acting class and the teacher hands you a piece of paper that says a famous actors name on it (let’s say Brad Pitt). Then the teacher says “This is a script for a scene in Brad’s life where he is in an airplane that is being hijacked. Brad is in the 1st class section of the plane, 3rd seat in, next to the window. Brad is not acting in a movie, he is being his normal self in his real life. He has a wallet with $300.00 dollars in it; a cell-phone, and lots of credit cards. There is a screaming/crying woman next to him. The seat next to her is empty. The aisle runs down the middle of the plane; then 3 more seats on the other side with people in them. There are people seated in front of him and in back. The person in back of him is nervously talking quietly into his own cell-phone. One of the hijackers, with an AK-47 automatic assault rifle, is walking up and down the aisle of the 1st class section. The pilots and stewards are tied up sitting in the first 2 rows of the plane.”

“What does Brad do?” the teacher asks you.

At that point, you, who are playing Brad Pitt, look at your script to find out what you are supposed to do or say next. The paper is blank except for Brad’s name. This is free-form impromptu acting. No “official” script. So it is up to you to put yourself in Brad’s shoes and decide what he would likely do in this situation. Does he tell the crying woman to shut-up and then move to the seat next to her so he can tackle the hijacker next time he walks by? Or does he pick up his own cell-phone and call his agent to ask how popular he would be if he just sat there and did nothing? Or does he try to move closer to where a body of hijackers are (he would have to do other things to get to this point) and try to over hear their plans? Or… whatever else you decide he would likely do. Since this is like a script reading, you are not actually getting up and doing any of the things you say Brad Pitt is doing. You are merely telling the teacher what Brad would do. Then the teacher adjusts what the hijacker or hijackers or anyone else involved would do as a response or consequences of Brad’s actions. (if Brad tackled the hijacker, the hijacker wouldn’t just let Brad have his way, he would beat Brad into submission or worse, the screaming woman might faint, the other passengers would move away or maybe even help Brad depending on what the teacher had in mind for the likely end result of this script which could be anything depending on what Brad or some other “actor” does) You, the teacher, and anyone else who has another “actor/actress” on their page would be writing the script as you went along — free-form storytelling or script writing.

A ‘paper’ role-playing-game (not an online role-playing-game which is similar but in my view somewhat limited since I can’t fly my Pegasus to where ever I please [lets say into the upper atmosphere next to the ozone layer] or change him into a tank with my wizard spell abilities [after I create the spell].and run over several of the World of War Craft monsters that stand in my way)is a little more complicated than free-form acting and involves some rules and dice but it is very similar; Social problem solving at its best.

An Aberrant Game is a superhero game that is slightly more sinister than the normal superhero comic book. Jon came up this the storyline (the teacher who creates the scene) and controls what all the non-player-characters (the hijackers, crying woman, cell-phone backseat guy) do before, during, and after whatever we do with our player characters (PCs) (Brad Pitt). The rules state what kind of player characters we can create. With those “PCs”, we can do whatever we want within the scene Jon comes up with.
More than you ever wanted to know about role-playing-games.(smirk;)

Thought #3: Choir practice. I’m a “tenor”. That doesn’t mean I can hit a high “G” in the Halleluiah Chorus and make it sound “good”. As practice goes on, I become a baritone unless I gobble down every Ricola throat lozenge I can find.

Thought #4: Jake, our dog, loves wall to wall carpet. When we had an apartment, we had big rugs and he liked those because it gives his paws and claws something to grip when he lunged after a tennis ball (his favorite toy). We sold the big rugs last fall. He lived and played on the small rugs that were left. Now, at Tim’s parents’ house, he has carpet all over the place. He lounges around in the sunbeam, unless a squirrel, bird, dog or some other event captures his attention out on the back porch which has big windows and a sliding glass door. He can look out all windows, barking at small animals, in a sunny area on carpet, surrounded by no less than 2 tennis balls…DOGGY DREAMS COME TRUE!!!

Anyway, for those that have read this, 2 days left and our trip starts. What a change this is going to be.

Blog you all later,
Dan

What are we doing to get ready for the first leg of our travels?  Lots of little things.  Two weekends ago, I built something I've come to call "The Jake Platform."  It's a wooden, elevated platform that fits in the ... [Continue reading this entry]