Little Kid Makes a Snowman

The report is that this is the most snow and lowest 
temps we've had in over forty years.  Swell.  But I
don't really care as long as the pipes don't freeze
and when the sun shines, it fills every room of this
old farmhouse with cozy bright.

As much as I love this old house,  puppy and I still have to go out for our
daily exercise.  On our drive to the park, I noticed a small boy, alone in
his front yard, trying to make a snowman. The day was a little warmer
and the snow was perfect for rolling a big snowball. There was a slight hill
in that yard and I actually stopped for a second to watch the little boy push
the snowball UP the hill. He was very small, perhaps 4 or so.

The little nipper was really working hard trying to push that big snowball
and then I wondered why his mother didn't come out and suggest it would
be easier if he pushed the snowball DOWN the hill.  Maybe it was one of
those teaching experiences, like, "Figure it out yourself, kid, it's a hard-
knock world out there."

If it had been my kid, I may have hollered out the door that it would be
easier if he rolled the snowball down the hill. Is that pampering too much
or is it better to let kids figure out certain things on their own? Just
wondering what you think as it's too late for me anyway. My kids are
now grandparents themselves.  If there were mistakes to be made in raising
kids, I made mine many years ago.

What do you think?

As Long As I'm On The Dog Subject.....

Lily will be 1 year in a month. I saw little drops of blood
on the floor. Oops....Lily is in heat. I had pads all ready
for the occasion but now I don't know where I put them.

I think everyone knows I'm 87 and I can't recall a time when we didn't have a dog or
dogs. When I was young, dogs always lived to see their 20's and never were ill with
any of the diseases dogs can suffer from now.

As I was examining Lily to make sure it was her season, my mind wandered back
to our dogs that seemed so much healthier. What could it be that made the difference?

For one thing, dogs were not spayed, neutered or vaccinated. I can't even remember
a small animal vet in our town.  Nor do I recall ever seeing commercial dog food.
Dogs just ate the same food we ate.

I will also interject here, that I never heard of people having cancer or all those
diseases of the organs until perhaps in the 60's or 70's. But this is a dog story, not
a people story.

I looked up a lot of vids by Vets on YT and there seemed to be a sharp division  of
opinions about the above dog subjects. I'm in agreement with the vets who say,
"Do not spay or neuter.  Or each year you hold off adds another year to your dog's
life. All the medical info is on YT but it appears that if the sex hormones are
removed, the adrenals will still produce a small amount of sex hormones but
those little buttons soon become over-taxed and many kinds of diseases can
take over the pet's body.

One informative video by a Dr. Becker, states that in Canada the vets can do
a tubal ligation, that is far better for the dog but unfortunately US Vets are
not even taught this as an option.

Then there's the dog food. I've never understood how a dog could live on
those hard little nuggets that lack enzymes, so I've always made my own
dog food. I've never given them processed food because I don't own a
can opener. LOL I wouldn't eat those things so why would I give it to my dog.

There are a few things I have to conform to because of laws but I pretty
much raise my dogs as we did back in the 30's.

I realize many people have to give their pets the commercial pet food but
it would add to their nutrition to mix in a raw egg each day,  some meat
scraps, some kelp and a shot of wild salmon oil. I know..... I read that vets'
say, "Don't give your dog table scraps, but trust this old broad, the dog would
love it and love you too.

Now I gotta look for those pads. Where did I put
them? That's what 87 will do for you. Haha