The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

I have been *very* busy of late, dealing with the dross of life, the incessant rain (though we had sun today!!!!) and the feral children of late summer. Much of the past week has been spent dealing with the police. Yep. I said Police. Or, "Po-Po", as my older teen calls them.

My older daughter was in a very serious car accident last week. She is fine, as are all the occupants. The car they were driving? Mmmmmmmnotsoverymuch. The fence they hit? Mmmmmmnotsoverymuch. The trees they creamed? Crunch! The fire hydrant they sheared off? Mmmmmmnotsoverymuch? How about the driver, who left the scene? Mmmmmmmnope. How about her leaving the scene of an accident and then lying about who was driving? Mmmmmmmmbadnewsbears!

My kid is fine. She did the right things. Actually, most of them did. The owner of the vehicle appeared to be intoxicated so another passenger drove. All this rain, dark stormy night, winding road, unfamiliar car, oncoming car coming too close.....you get the idea. Nonetheless, lots of talks, much Po-Po action, and one scared, and *very* sore teen. A teen who is rightfully questioning her choices in friends. Tough Stuff.

The other incident involving the police is something I will not discuss here much except to say that some bad history has come back again like a pernicious yeast infection. And that is being KIND. So, since I know *you* read this, I will say this once and only once. DO NOT EVER CONTACT ME AGAIN, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

The police are increasing their presence in my neighborhood, there are two reports at the station, one from 2006 one from yesterday, and I am fully in my rights to ask that this person leaves me alone. Oh, and my dog **hates** angry people. 'Nuff said.

I have spent much of this rainy season in solitude with the exceptions of my Friday nights at my friend's house for dinner (she has MS and I go over and give her the injections she needs). And as many days as I can manage, I see Lisa and we walk in various woods with her dogs. Yesterday I went to the movies with her, and it was sheer joy to be submerged in another world for a few hours.

On Thursday I crawled out of my relative solitude and headed out to Earthlands (http://www.earthlands.org/) in Petersham Mass to help set up for Earthstory (http://earthstory.org/). It was great fun with just a few (6) of us setting up the huge tent. I had a blast using the sledgehammer and smacking the four foot spikes into the ground. I hung out on the porch and read for a while, and chatted with my friends there. Due to scheduling, and this recent issue which leaves me feeling vulnerable about my home, I am not able to attend the week long gathering, but I wanted to contribute to this great experience and these wonderful people.

The tent, flat on the ground

Yay! We got them both up just fine! And I learned some fancy knot work, too!

Part of the Permaculture gardens at Earthlands (and solar panels)

A very KEEN frog I met while I was picking flowers for the table

Check out that cumulus cloud!!!! That is the Lodge in the distance.

On my way out I met up with Larry Buhl, who owns the land here. I gave him a ride home, since he was planning on walking the many mile hike back to his farmhouse. We talked about the land, about his farmhouse and his family land along the drive. Luckily, his brother sold most of his portion to the Trustees of Land Preservation, so it will not be built upon. I firmly believe in what Earthlands is doing, and also the University of the Wild (http://instituteforenvironmentalawareness.org/uofw). I am a hyooooooge fan of sustainable living, and these people are doing Really Good Things. I have met the most kind and open-hearted people through this place, and I consider them extended family. If you ever get to this end of my world, check them out. You may camp on these sacred lands for Very Little Money, or stay in the Lodge for about $30. Tell them Julia sent you, and you will probably get a huge smile and a big cup of tea.

Lux is doing marvelously!!! She is currently using her injured paw about 50 percent of the time, and each day we gain more reliance on that limb. I have been continuing with the Raw Diet with great success.

Here is a picture of her containers of food. People are curious so I will let you know what is IN them:

6 oz Raw Ground chicken meat, necks and backs
2 tablespoons yogurt
1 tablespoon canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vitamin powder (from Halo)
a few berries (here they are black berries)
1 oz organ meats (liver, hearts, kidneys)
1 teaspoon flax oil
1 tablespoon quinoa (sometimes I use rice, but that often comes out the same way it went in)

I TRIED adding a small portion of kibble of Really Good Quality: A venison and sweet potato blend from Natural Balance brand, but after eating that she went right back to her old whiny, anxious, hyperactive and annoying behaviors. After going back to the raw diet, within one day she was her New Mellow Self again. I often wonder how many dogs are out there who are hyper by nature (Jack Russel Terriers, for example) who might be so much better if they were given the diet a dog really thrives on. Dogs are carnivores. NOT omnivores. My dog is half border collie and those dogs are WIRED to be hyper vigilant and very active (herding sheep all day long). I learned to acknowledge her heritage and am now feeding her what she *should* eat and I have an entirely different dog than the one I came home with.


Okay, enough update. I will be back mid-week for a Truly Keen Post.