"Time Stands Still, But Winners Never Die"

Recipe for Cream of Garlic Soup

  

 When I was younger I developed a real love for cooking.  I devoted a lot of time to it and came up with quite a collection of recipes sufficient to fill a cookbook that never materialized, but good enough to draw the attention of the publishers of Sunset Magazine which was one of the best, if not the best, magazine for amateurs who loved to cook. 

With the passage of time, my life changed and other things captured my interest.  My time at the stove gradually dwindled in the face of other interests that were more important to supporting a family and concentrating on other professional interests.   

A week or so ago I met up with a gentleman who I had come to know in one of the local restaurants.  The subject of my interest in cooking came up and he asked about a soup recipe I developed that he thought was exceptionally good.  Interestingly enough, the recipe was published in a column in Sunset Magazine titled “CHEFS OF THE WEST.”  Without the required amount of humility and time on my side, I offered to give him the recipe.  Well, I scoured the house and every magazine on the book shelves but, alas, the recipe was not to be found.  I finally resorted to creating one without a clue as to what was in the original creation.  What I gave him and what I shared with a few friends was, to be honest, a far cry from what I had created many years before. 

Today, I accidentally picked up a stack of old magazines and, if you can believe it, one was the issue with a recipe listed in the May 1985 issue of Sunset Magazine created by “yours truly,” for Cream of Garlic Soup.  Now, folks, I don’t pretend to be a megalomaniac, but I would say that I lean more toward the reserved side.  This I can say, it is the best concoction I ever created in the kitchen and is light years ahead of what I gave to those few other unsuspecting folks, gracious as they all proved to be. 

So, what follows is the complete copy and recipe published in Sunset Magazine in May of 1985.  I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed finding it.  And, yes, I had a better fix on the joys of cooking then than I do now.

“If you have had an experience that took your breath away, here’s a dish to bring it right back.  Its creator resides temporarily in Saudi Arabia, but he’s a native of Ridgefield, Washington, and hence a bona fide Sunset Chef. 

His silken-smooth cream of garlic soup has extracted all that is good and kind in garlic and left out all that is not.  Even the garlic haters among our tasters found it delicious, with an indescribable, somehow comforting flavor that called for second helpings.

Candor requires us to admit that spouses detected garlic that evening.  Serve this soup in a company of good friends, but don’t eat it before visiting your dentist or trying to sell an insurance policy.

Cream of Garlic Soup

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 teaspoons minced or pressed garlic (4 or 5 large cloves)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cans (10 ½ oz. each) condensed chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half (light cream)

¼ teaspoon paprika

Salt and white pepper

1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

• In a 2- to 3-quart pan over medium heat, melt butter; add garlic and cook, stirring, until soft but not browned, about 2 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook until bubbly, about 1 minute.  Gradually add chicken broth, stirring constantly, and bring to boiling.
• Stir in half-and-half and paprika; cook until hot.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, stir about ½ cup hot soup into beaten egg yolk, stirring,  pour egg yolk mixture into soup and serve. 
• Makes about 4 servings. 

 

Robert S. Crowder (my real name)

Ridgefield, Washington

Alias Cowboy Bob

August 31, 2014

“What Is The Value of One American Capable of Critical Thought?”

What is the value of one American?  That varies from one individual to another and one moment to another in time.  It is whatever that one American’s vote is worth that puts just one person in office and in a position to exploit the system to his/her own advantage.  It just takes that one American to create what will, in turn, give unlimited power and privilege to that vote seeker which will put him/her in a position to claim all the spoils provided by the American taxpayer to a system of government that will promptly forget how he/she got there and lose sight of the fact that he/she is claiming the right to spend what has been entrusted to him/her as if all of it is a rightful entitlement to be disbursed as he/she may see fit, all at the expense of all those whose vote has been so freely given. 

I watch a lot of news programs about every conceivable aspect of what our government and all those who comprise that dubious manifestation of all those who profess to be doing something for us rather than to us.  They really do believe they are the anointed ones and Mr. & Mrs. America are nothing more than nameless and faceless conceptual creations that are there to do whatever they may deem their rightful prerogatives, any accountability to the benefactors be damned.  We, the American people, are nothing more than enablers to those who see the government and all its real benefactors as theirs to do with as they please.  You can bet that none of those who bothered to go to the polls will count for one scintilla of what public servants will do with the trust we have placed in them. 

Those who go to Washington, D.C. on the strength of our votes and our tax dollars have no shame at using what we have entrusted to them for their own personal ambitions, in whatever forms they may chose to take.  They almost appear to become intoxicated by their newfound membership in the club of the elite and powerful.  They will now rub shoulders with the 85 per cent comprising the super rich who claim, with no shame whatsoever, an amount of money that is equal to that of the bottom 3.5 billion people in the entire world!  I would hazard a guess that it would be close to, if not impossible to identify any one of them who sees what they have taken with such abandon as anything to which they were not rightfully entitled, the source of their obscene wealth being totally irrelevant. 

While the common person, under penalty of law, gives to the government, ostensibly for myriad services that serve the common good, it is freely taken from them and re-channeled to the many vested interests who are the real benefactors of our government’s largesse to all those who grease the hands of those who do their bidding, more often than not at taxpayers expense. 

How did we come by a two-party system that, for all intents and purposes, is essentially the same?  They impoverish the bottom tiers of the population and pass their tax dollars to those in the form of tax relief to the very rich, bailing out banks and financial institutions that have pillaged and plundered our nation’s economy.  They, in turn, pay less in taxes, engage in monopolistic practices and operate with fewer and fewer regulations ostensibly there to protect the consumer public.  They operate in secret, make backroom deals and spy on us at will.  We, in turn, live in a flat-lined economy while the coffers of all the plutocrats simply bulge ever more with each passing handout from Uncle Sam. 

Those we have elected to office, meanwhile, engage in ritual waling and gnashing of their teeth because our national budget is out of control and we are overspending!  Alas, alack!  What misfortune faces us now?  Those of us who pay our taxes and live at the bottom of the food chain with barely enough to feed our families and pay our bills see what few social benefits we have evaporate right before our eyes.  Where has the unemployment insurance gone that was created to help those of lesser means to weather downturns in the economy?  Where have the food stamps gone that were put in place to help the least among us get through the tough times with barely enough to put food on the table for our children? 

What has happened to all those young people searching for a means to get into and graduate from college so they, in turn, just might have a shot at the American Dream by becoming a cut above all those living on a minimum wage?  Just ask any one of those aspiring professionals how much of a burden they are carrying and the constraints they live under for having taken the money from the government to finance their educations?  Is there any hope that their burden of debt will ever be paid off?  Then, just for the sake of watching the shock on their faces, ask those from the Ivy League Schools and environs sometimes frequented by the likes of Barack Obama how they managed to get through the system unscathed and financially sound?

Let’s face it, those who enjoy the most from all of those who have the least are the corrupt and compromised members of banking, law, hedge fund management, founders of successful companies, entertainers, senior managers and other scavengers who sit on the sidelines hoping, just hoping, one of the big boys will throw them a crumb once in a while in exchange for their loyalty and support. 

Call it what you will, but this country is owned by those of means and all those who serve them.  They are the wealthy, the privileged, the news media, the entertainment industry, the military services, the intelligence community, the military/industrial complex and all of those of lesser stature who all routinely engage in feeding frenzies at the public trough.  Those who shape public opinion and appetites in their favor are the complete antithesis to anything resembling a democratic system.  It is a myth to think otherwise. 

Personally, I think the entire fable of how this country was founded is questionable.  How many of those so-called “Framers of the Constitution” were men of modest means?  How many of them lived in mansions on plantations and owned slaves?  How many of them lived on Elm Street and drove a one-horse carriage to the office every day?  How many of them worked by the sweat of their brow and supported a family living at the subsistence level?  How many of their philosophical progeny now work in the halls of government with the avowed purpose of limiting all forms of “democratic” behavior that has the potential to impede the continued exploitation of all that rightfully belongs to the American people?

Frankly, I see little difference between the “Conservatives” and the “Progressives.”  The former seems to have God on their side on every issue.  The latter seems to have an “enlightened and informed” view of society on every issue, as well.  The former operates from a base of divine enlightenment and the latter operates from their concept of what constitutes a perfect world.  Both groups seem to have plenty of money and privilege at their disposal.  It must be rather easy to leave all that behind and return to the comfortable surroundings to which you have become accustomed.  It is quite a different thing to take a stand and fight for what you know to be right and just.

At the end of the day we have Fox News to keep one side happy with the knowledge that they really are right all the time.  On the opposite side we have those who are secure in the knowledge their view of the world really is on the side of all those who are continually exploited by the system in one form or another.  If that doesn’t beg the question of having a multi-party system, I don’t know what does.  Both of what we have continually feed from the same troughs of corruption. 

We Americans, such as we are, always seem to be looking for something “different” to entertain us and to occupy our minds.  No sooner were the Christmas trees taken down and the liquor bottles put in the recycling bins than it was announced that Hillary Clinton was retaining one of the best political packs to launch her bid for the White House in 2016.  The euphoric exhortations from every corner of the Democratic Party, the White House, and the “progressive” community were deafening, almost to the point of hearing that she was about to be elected by acclimation.  This was just a reminder to saner minds that the entire spin machine was already in place to make sure she was the only viable Democratic candidate for President in 2016.  I don’t share that view. 

First of all, I perceive our two-party system as an accepted means of controlling the numbers of people seeking office and limiting their numbers to those who have already proven their prowess in how to play to the plutocrats that already own and control our system of government.  Their strategy is formulated and fostered by the club that seeks to further their own vested interests at the expense of the preponderance of Americans who will go to the polls and cast their votes in the next national election.

I don’t subscribe to the notion that the conduct and behavior of the Clintons in the White House, the Senate and the State Department are necessarily ancient history and should be forgotten, nor has the slate been wiped clean as their supporters would have us believe.  Bill Clinton’s conduct while President was reprehensible and he proved himself to be about as base and vulgar as one could imagine. 

From the tales that have circulated since she left the White House, Hillary could swear like a drunken sailor with the style and ease of a seasoned veteran.  She supported George W. Bush and Dick Cheney on going to war with Iraq and, frankly, I don’t think her performance beyond that has been particularly remarkable or impressive. 

The Clintons are what they are.  They are in it for the money, power and prestige.  It is a testament to their prowess and skill that they have managed to get as far as they have and to have burnished their image so an entire nation sees them as ready to mount the white horse and ride, triumphantly, back into the limelight.  They haven’t earned the renewed respect and admiration of the American people.  We have the right to a couple in the White House that has the stature of the First Family.  The Clintons dispelled any notion of such a perception a very long time ago and they have done a laudable job of keeping it that way.  We, as a nation, certainly don’t need a repeat performance from them now or any time in the future.  Enough is enough!

Each of us can make a difference but, in order to do so, we must revisit the merits and value of thinking for ourselves.  Critical thought is not yet dead.  The time has come to treat what we get from all the spin doctors what it is in reality; pure, unmitigated bovine scatology, hoping what they peddle for us to believe is what we will claim to know.  It has worked very well for them for a good long time.  Why should they be concerned about what we might discover now?

Cowboy Bob

The Sagebrush Philosopher

August 22, 2014       

                                            

           

“Are We Witnessing The Unraveling of America As We Knew It?”

When one looks at the motley bunch we refer deferentially to as the Supreme Court, it should come as no surprise to anyone that our illustrious Chief Justice has made it abundantly clear that he, too, is a member of the plutocracy/oligarchy that has a stranglehold on our (ostensibly) democratic form of government.  Any illusions about where they stand on the issues relative to the governed of this country just flew out the window. 

But, let’s face it.  This country and all we profess and delude ourselves into believing about it being a “democracy” and the “land of the free” has just been proven wrong once again.  The villains who are disparaged by all those in high places still reside within the ranks of the “working class,” the “middle class,” and the “laborers.”  They are to be exploited and tolerated for the benefit of the greater good with whom we have entrusted the complete health, welfare and growth of this country.  We, the people, must bear the brunt of the blame for where we are.  We have become a people of “appearance,” rather than “substance,” and we are paying the price for it.  The visceral pleasures of life and the massive brainwashing that has led us to the Pollyanna style of life and hope we covet has worked.  We are now the product of the entertainment industries, the bill of fare offered to us by television, the numbness of our cranial tissue brought on by the myriad hand-held devices that have transformed what used to be thinking human beings into numbed-down automatons who have lost the ability to engage in original and critical thought.  Kaput!  It is gone and we are all the happier for it.  Anyone who could honestly believe that NBC and MSNBC give us anything but what is the bill of fare emanating from the creativity of General Electric is out of touch with reality.  Does anyone honestly think that Westinghouse is going to rely on CBS to feed us anything that deviates from the company line?  ABC never mentions its affiliation with Disney Enterprises, but you can bet your next pay check that, behind the scenes, Mickey Mouse and his cohorts are preparing and serving up to us what they want us to believe, not what we need to know in order to be informed citizens who can be trusted with the care of the greatest democracy in the history of the world.

CNN and Fox News?  Well, I suspect they are in it more for the income generated by their brand of notoriety than anything of substance and truth.  Thanks to Al Jazeera there may still be hope for a real news outlet.  The downside to that, of course, is who will bother to listen to their broadcasts.  Don’t hold your breath.          

Global warming?  It will never happen.  After all, history has shown us that this, too, shall pass and we will never feel the sting of all we have brought down on our heads.  The entire history of our faux-rich class has proven that we are immune from the realities of what lies ahead and all we have created by our own hand.  We seem incapable of operating from a base of principle.  Rather, we readily succumb to pretext.  That leaves nothing to move us to greater heights and a genuine common concern for what is in the best interests of all of us.         

The next big joke we have to ponder is the massive monolith of agencies we call our Federal Government.  Who, in their right mind, could actually believe there is a clean and genuinely concerned statesman among them, excepting those few who stand on principle and honesty?  The majority of them are much too preoccupied with stealing and lying to the electorate in order to lace their pockets with all they have come to believe is their rightful share of the pie for playing politician.  Who are their real constituents?  Need I even bother to ask the question?  The answer is self-evident to any seriously concerned citizen of the Republic. 

If one were to administer a means test to any of them, be it the House, the Senate, the White House, or the Supreme Court, their attention would automatically be drawn to Wall Street, Madison Avenue, Hollywood and all of the sprawling complexes dotting the country sides of Virginia and Maryland where so much of the real power and influence lie. 

I, also, cannot help but wonder why we have a sacrosanct two-party political system?  Who said we can only vote for a Republican or a Democrat who has been duly vetted and blessed by the political party with which they are affiliated?  What have the Green Party, the Justice Party, the Freedom Party and all the other minor annoyances played by fringe parties done for us?  What choice have we had to participate in a real election because of their place on the ballots so dutifully given to us when we venture in to go through the motions of really voting?  At best, it is a ritual, most of which has been stolen from us by the actions of the Supreme Court and the money machines of the oligarchs, plutocrats and corrupt benefactors that support the main stream political machines.  How much longer are we going to support and feign belief in this charade? 

Clearly, the White House is up for sale to the highest bidder and what has now become the cadre of oligarchic and plutocratic benefactors for whom the cost of favors from that particular residence is pocket change.  What, for example, do presidential advisors do for us other than negotiate the deal that will most benefit those who now own our Federal Government and all its key players?  Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both show signs of having been accepted into the club that will only result in fewer jobs for Americans and more money for those who own the offices and the occupants that dutifully offer their best advice on behalf of those to whom they are actually beholden.  The resident of 1600 Pennsylvania is, I am sure, well paid for his exceptional performance as the water boy for the super-rich and powerful to whom they owe their loyalties.

To all of those who so naively believe we truly have a “Government of the people, for the people and by the people,” I have a very nice bridge for sale at a bargain price.  That, of course, hinges on whether or not the American Billionaires Club has not already dismantled it and shipped it overseas to be duplicated by slave labor so it can be re-sold in massive numbers back to us at bargain prices.  Humorous as that may appear, it is not beyond the realm of possibility in today’s world.  They are the means we now politely refer to as “Free Trade Agreements.”

Meanwhile, Working Class America still reels in utter disbelief that the legacy that was left to us by their predecessors has become nothing more than a cruel and grand deception perpetrated by the insatiable greed of all those whose only legacy would be one which we could never have imagined, and that would simply be replaced by the simple phrase, “Made in China!”

As I bear witness to how rapidly and completely our national fabric is unraveling I shudder to contemplate what our ultimate demise may prove to be and how quickly it will be visited upon us. 

Cowboy Bob

The Sagebrush Philosopher

August 20, 2014

      

              

"SCHOTZY"

From the time I can remember I have always loved dogs.  My Dad was not enamored of dogs, so I didn’t have many while I was growing up.  Those that I did have were either put down or given away.  I grieved silently as each one departed from my life.  I decided early on that when I struck out on my own I would always have a dog.  Except for a stint in the Navy and my years at college, that has pretty much been the case. 

To me doges were extra-special beings.  They embody so much of what we should be.  Their love is unconditional and total.  They readily forgive and offer us endless chances to prove our love for them in return.  They protect us.  They are loyal to us.  They give without limits and as very little in return.  I find it of particular interest that “God” spelled backwards is “dog.”  My experience with dogs has convinced me that it is no coincidence.

There are few dogs I don’t like and, of those, my caution is probably because I don’t understand the breed or the animal.  I have reservations about trying to cozy up to a Doberman, a Pit Bull Terrier or a Rottweiler.  Dog experts tell me there is no such thing as a mean dog.  Rather, it is the way we treat them that makes them our adversaries. 

My family and I have had a variety of dogs over the years, each one a personality unto itself.  We loved each one of them, and our hearts broke when we had to part with them.  However, we just couldn’t quite live without one, so we always got another.  I would find myself perusing the want ads looking for one that needed a good home.  Before the scab had barely formed on the wound caused by the loss of the previous one, there was another to take his place.  Not one has ever been a disappointment.  Each brought his or her particular personality to our home and hearts, but all were the wonderful, loving and giving creatures peculiar to their kind.  The tremendous sense of loss we feel when one leaves us, I suspect, the result of the unconscious realization that we always got more than we gave in return. 

It was about ten years ago that I was going through the want ads in the Sunday paper when one ad in particular caught my eye.  It was for a Schipperke that was available for adoption, free of charge.  I found that rather odd given the rarity of the breed.  I had only seen one in my entire life, a puppy in a pet shop.  When the owner let him out and he had the run of the store, he was the most animated and adorable dog I had ever seen.  That brief exposure stayed with me. 

The Schipperke is unique among dogs.  They are 10 to 13 inches in height and weigh between 12 and 18 pounds, on average.  They are jet black with a heavy coat.  The head is shaped like a fox’s, with small dark brown eyes that have a devilish but questioning expression.  They have small pointed ears. 

Schipperkes are full of boundless energy.  They have a temper, a great spirit and are protective.  Although wary of strangers, they are devoted and loyal to their families.  The dog is territorial and protects it’s environ against all intruders.

Schipperkes readily accept other pets in the home, and they are intelligent, curious and mischievous.  They can (and do) try the patience of a saint, but when the dust settles whatever stress they may have caused is readily forgiven and the love of the breed takes over. 

The origin of the Schipperke was as a captain’s dog on the barges in Belgium and was a popular breed throughout the country.  Today, they are canine companions to those who have a particular affinity for this kind of dog. 

Back to my discovery of the ad in the Sunday paper.  I called the number and inquired as to whether or not the dog was still available.  I was assured he was and I man an appointment to go and see him.  From the moment the woman opened her door, I knew he was meant to be mine.  He was four years old, pedigreed, neutered and a sterling specimen of the breed.  I was asked if I wanted the papers.  Given that he was no longer able to procreate, that seemed rather superfluous so I declined the offer.  I noticed there were no tears or remorse in giving him to me.  I wondered why but it was too early to draw any conclusions.  He immediately became apprehensive as he was put in the car and occupied the seat next to mine.  I experienced the gnawing feeling of sadness that comes with seeing the confusion surrounding that supreme act of rejection he could never have

understood.

I left and merged into the traffic that would take us home.  All the while, he remained standing in the seat.  I reached over to pat him and to let him know that, even though

Those who had just banished him from their lives didn’t care; he was mine to be loved for the rest of his life.  He bit my hand.  Time to back off and take it slowly.  We arrived home and I took him into the house.  He took a stand on the couch in the Family Room. 

He was insulated from the back and both sides.  He felt safe from an imposing family of four, another dog and a cat.  His growls served notice on us all that we were indeed the enemy.

His given name was “Bear,” which just did not quite fit.  Therefore, I chose an enduring term from German and he was known from that day as “Schotzy.”  He soon settled in and became one of the clan.  There was never an altercation with the other dog or the cat.  They were all in it together.  He quickly surveyed his new found castle and the limits of his kingdom on the acreage where we live.  He never strayed from those boundaries in the ten years he was with us.  He would regularly check every square inch of ground to make sure everything was in order. 

Typical of his breed, he was fiercely independent.  He had his own special places to hide, but never for long.  He loved to ride in the car with his muzzle into the wind.  He would bark at passer-byes, but more to let them know he was there than to serve as a warning. 

When we returned home, he would bound from the car and run for all he was worth back up the road from whence he had come.  As to where he was running, to this day I have no idea.  All I know is that it wasn’t far because he would immediately return. 

Everything was on Schotzy’s own terms.  If he wanted to stay outside in the weather, he did.  If I wanted him to come into the house, he would pause and have one more drink of water just to remind me who was really in charge.  He would sometimes stay in the house.  At other times, he would stay the night outside within the confines of the fenced portion of the yard.  He was always on guard against a band of marauding coyotes (boogies) that might venture onto the property.  He would bark into the wee hours of the morning to let them know he was on duty. 

Wherever one of us might be, he could be found sleeping somewhere close by.  He would lie between my feed when I was watching television to the point of self-induced paralysis.  I would, of course, suffer the agony in order to accommodate him.  He was my constant companion when I was working on the computer.  He love to have his head rubbed and his ears scratched.  In the morning, when I would let him out, he would run for the same small Alder tree to sniff it and leave his mark before venturing on to the first inspection of his realm. 

During my long absences in Saudi Arabia, Shotzy never forgot me.  Upon stepping out of the car, as soon as he heard my voice he would run to greet me.  When we went to Seattle to visit the kids, rather than me taking him for a walk, he was the one who would take ME for a walk.  The song, “I Did It My Way” could well have been written for him. 

Schotzy was in good health and active.  However, on the morning of April 21, when I opened the door to let him into the warmth of the house, he appeared to be fast asleep on the deck where he always laid to keep tabs on his precious estate.  When I approached him, I realized he had died peacefully during the night.  His passing has left a horribly painful void in my life to this very day. 

We called a vet and he wanted forty dollars to cremate him with all other animals and road kill.  That didn’t do much for his memory in my view.  Given the speed with which I was given the pitch, I had no confidence that I would get his remains back if I asked for them.  Veterinarians are becoming as greedy as their medical counterparts.  So, I dug his grave at the base if his favorite Alder tree, laid him to rest in his own blanket and tied a yellow ribbon to a branch above where he is buried.  I have cried a lot these past two days.  The night he died, as I was drifting off to sleep, I could hear the coyotes screaming into the dark void of the night.  Schotzy is gone and the boogies are back. 

People who are familiar with the breed generally say they wouldn’t want one for a pet because they are so difficult.  Those who have had one often give qualified answers or hedge their bets. 

It will take some time before I start perusing the ads for pets in the newspaper again, but I know in my heart I will eventually return to those pages.  Would I consider another Schipperke?  I will ask myself if I really want to go through all that he was again.  I would probably skim over any ads for Schipperkes that might be looking for a good home in favor of an easier breed.  On reflection, I would go back to that ad and ponder it, knowing that one encounter could be hazardous.  Curiosity and a faint tug at my heartstrings would take over and my first sight would cause any resistance I might have to evaporate.  I would be hooked all over again. 

A Schipperke us not just a dog; it is a life force all its own that is utterly irresistible.  Life for them is just on big adventure and one endless playful game.  I suspect those who would say “no” to that experience have lost the child within.  Those who still have it will be sorely tempted to accept the challenge. 

Schotzy, I know, forgave me for all the times I was impatient and indifferent with him.   Much to my chagrin and regret, I got the best of the deal.  Rest in peace. My Dear Schotz, and may God see fit to let us meet again in that better world where you are and where I hope to be one day. 

First written April 23, 2007

By Bob Crowder

Ridgefield, Washington

Rewritten from the misplaced original on August 18, 2014

By Cowboy Bob

The Sagebrush Philosopher

Postscript: 

I shed a lot of tears when I lost Schotzy.  This may be the first blog I ever wrote, but I shed a few more tears by just re-doing and re-reading this.  I honestly don’t believe there has been a more magnificent creation than a dog, God’s most generous and loving gift to mortal human beings.  They are what all of us should be and what so few of us ever become.  I can’t imagine being without one.  I have loved all I ever had and I will always have one as long as I tread the terra firma of this earthly home. 

May all those who read this always have the love and loyalty of a dog, and I sincerely hope all of those who don’t know what that means discover it.