Friend of the Family

A good friend of ours passed away a short while ago from a complication of health issues but most relating to old age. Sometimes the body just wants to give up and end the long passage of time when memories of youthful legs and a strong heart are far too distant.

The friend was our dog ‘Pebbles’ who had been a mainstay of the household since 1995 when our daughters fell in love with the Golden Retriever at a Christmas parade in the city of Victorville. Pebbles had been busy leading a group of youngsters down the wide boulevard advertising the need to adopt abused and uncared for animals.

You see, Pebbles was one of those animals. A beautiful golden haired female canine with the brightest dark brown eyes, penciled black lines about her eyes like an Egyptian Pharaoh, and a majesty that made one wonder how anyone could have been cruel to her but cruel they had been and here she was prancing down the street in front of PALS. A non-profit agency which took in unwanted animals and gave them to families in want of man’s best friend ensuring they would not be harmed again.

The idea of someone intentionally harming an animal is hard to imagine but unfortunately it does happen on quite a regular basis and then it is agencies such as above which lends a helping hand bringing some sanity to these abused animals by finding them good homes.

Pebbles was such a dog! At one year old she came bounding into a family who loved animals. Into a family who understood the close bonds which a dog can bring with them and to share with the pack.

Dogs are pack animals whose only job is to protect, love, and care for those around them. Of course, stories can be read about those aberrations within the canine world of animals turned killers but that is generally caused by an indecent owner with a perverse sense of hatred.

Dogs are humans’ closest allies.

To prove this point one only needs to look at ancient burial practices. According to Darcy Moray, zoo archaeologist from the University of Tennessee at Martin, the oldest convincing case occurred "In Germany, about 14,000 years [ago]. Not only was the dog buried, it was part of a human double grave," (Archaeology, November 8, 2006). Furthermore, Moray continues, the oldest evidence of this human/canine bond in North America is between 9000 and 10,000 years old, with dog burials documented from every major land mass in the world except Antarctica.

There is no doubt dogs are close to humans being first domesticated from wolves roughly 15,000 years ago and that bond has simply grown stronger through the eons, leaving an almost inseparable bond between the two species.

Even Wikipedia – the "go-to" place for anything knowledgeable within reason: “Many scientists believe that humans adopted orphaned wolf cubs and nursed them alongside human babies.Once these early adoptees started breeding among themselves, a new generation of tame "wolf-like" domestic animals would result which would, over generations of time, become more dog-like.^”

So, is it any wonder humans and dogs get along so famously? It’s a social bond which stretches back through the ages leaving one the master and the other the ever obedient and loving friend.

"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

We bade farewell to our close friend knowing she had served a faithful life to a loving family. A family who will never forget her and cherish all those memories of a young Golden Retriever bounding over snow, sand, and through the house causing all kinds of mischief to the laughter of those who loved her.

I think I will miss the mischief the most.

Pebbles on Patrol
Our Girl on Vacation in Yosemite

For more information on canines please look up Christopher Reilly’s piece on the internet: ‘Why Are Dogs Man’s Best Friend? 14,000 Years of Companionship.’

We Miss You, Too, Little Fluffy One!

Father Jonathan Morris

"God must have a plan -- and a few back up plans too, for when we mess up..."

Fr. Jonathan Morris was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 22, 1972.  He is a Roman Catholic priest with the Archdiocese of New York as a vicar for the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, a writer, and has been a news contributor and analyst for CNN, BBC, FOX and SKY news. He was ordained in 2002 as a priest through the Legion of Christ and spent years living and working in Rome, including both Pope John Paul II and, interestingly, Mel Gibson, as a theological advisor for the movie, The Passion of the Christ.

Fr.Jonathan is a fascinating character who does not hold back how he feels personally, or on behalf of the faithful.  He was much sought after by the networks after working with them following the death of Pope John Paul, and in accepting the offer to work with FOX, it was under the proposal that he cover not just Vatican news, but analyze bigger news stories from an ethical dimension.  As such, he has a recurring segment on Red Eye, called "Father Knows Best."

But don't think Fr. Jonathan is simply a FOX contributor now.  In addition to his duties with St. Patrick's, he contributes to the Wall Street Journal and was a theological advisor for the History Channel's special, The Real Face of Jesus? -- a documentary with 3D specialists investigating the Shroud of Turin.

Fr. Jonathan travels the world, covering news events and issues from human trafficking, to the Muslim youth riots in Paris, to the murder of a Christian publisher in Turkey.  He has reported on the state of Christian churches in Venezuela and Syria, and interviewed a wide-range of individuals, from First Lady Laura Bush, to the Grand Imam of Paris.  He even debated the atheist biologist, Richard Dawkins, on BBC.  He never shrinks from controversy in defending his faith.

We at J and L find him a fascinating, inspirational and sincere man -- and hope you have the opportunity to hear him or read some his works soon.

Father Jonathan's Prayer for Friday, January 13, 2012

Lord Jesus,

I give you my hands to do your work,

I give you my feet to go your way.

I give you my eyes to see as you do.

I give you my tongue to speak your words.

I give you my spirit that you may pray in me.

Above all,

I give you my heart that you may love me

your Father and all mankind.

I give you my whole self that you may grow in me,

so that it is you, Lord Jesus,

who live and work and pray in me.

Amen.

A Ride Along the California Aqueduct

We all know exercise can extend life, maintain sharper brains, and just plainly makes a person feel better every day. One of the best forms of exercise in my opinion, available to everyone is bicycling, since it is easy on the joints and works as a fantastic cardiovascular work out. Another great aspect of turning the peddles is the fantastic places you can visit and the marvelous scenery spinning by on your route.

With this in mind, my friend Paul and I decided to take a day trek from Victorville to Palmdale, approximately 50 miles away. That may not sound very far but when you consider the heat of a Southern California July day, the daily winds, and other factors to be discussed, one can easily understand that 50 miles is a pretty decent workout for a couple of middle-aged men.

Paul and I have been riding for about a year, but normally only have time for 15 to 30 miles per week with our busy schedules. So prior to the 50 mile ride, we spent two weeks moving up our pace and extending our rides, getting used to the heat and winds. These winds can blow in gusts making the bike lean over on its side or give a steady breeze in excess of 15 knots, making the headwind so severe it can slow your pace making every mile grueling and unforgiving.

I ride a Trek Navigator 2.0 which is more of a hybrid off road/street 21 gear comfortable riding bike. I especially like the large padded seat instead of the typical narrow road bike seat which can become rather intrusive after an hour or so of riding. Paul rides a Dawes which is also a hybrid road bike with 27 gears and the narrow seat which I do not like. Paul does not seem to have a problem but may be too proud to whine to his friend that the sharply pointed seat has become more personal than usual.

Anyway, the ride started early in the morning on a windless and warm day which we had not counted on allowing us a rather fast pace to Palmdale. Faster than we had predicted but once nearing our destination, about five miles out,  the winds were howling and the pace slowed and as we hunched over the handlebars swearing like sailors with the only desire for the ride to be over and grabbing a cold libation.

In between the beginning and the ending there were miles upon miles of black ribbon guiding the path toward Palmdale which we enjoyed with each push of the pedal. One thing about riding through deserted landscapes is the wildlife you can spot from the seat of your bike. Dog sized jackrabbits sprinting for cover when we approached, lone coyotes eyeing us from the highlands near the canal, snakes slithering across the asphalt warming up in the sun, and above all the red tail hawks gliding effortlessly in the blue skies of the desert. A camera is a must for a ride like this.

One must remember that the canal roadway is not just a flat piece of road but has hills which can make the calves and thighs scream out loud with exertion and these hills only take about fifteen seconds to conquer but this conquering comes almost every half mile or so but do decrease to about every mile once you get further away from civilization. You have to get off your bike and climb over fences to continue the ride where the Department of Water Resources have installed gates to discourage peddalists but left it open to joggers, fishermen, walkers, and the occasional car thief who dumps a stolen vehicle into the canal for kicks. The fence or gate you have to cross is no real concern and should not discourage anyone from utilizing the canal path for enjoyment.

Some of the hills leading to or from the canal, when you have to portage certain unreachable sections, can lead to speeds of two miles an hour to more than forty miles per hour depending on the direction the hill has you going. I liked the forty miles per hour sections rather than the gut wrenching sweat producing steep inclines where you basically have to 'walk' your bicycle--where you are in the lowest gear and barely moving forward. A real rider would never get off their bike and actually walk beside their ride but instead stands up and pumps very slowly trying to make any distance at all the while wondering why they just do not get off and walk. It is just not done that way.

The ride continued with two friends talking, laughing, gasping for breath, and having one hell of a day. Palmdale came into sight and we nodded with the knowledge that we had made the ride in the heat of the day at a much faster pace than anticipated.

The ever lovely Laureen had agreed to pick us up in the FJ and then we stopped at Casa Ortega for a late lunch in Pinon Hills and toasted each other with a couple of mugs of very cold libations. The ones we had thought about while fighting the head winds which had met us toward the last miles of our ride into that high desert city of Palmdale.

I intentionally wrote little of this trip knowing the video will do the justice which I may not be able to do with words.

Stay tuned for other rides with the boys!