Live and Learn New Mexico!

I've been doing a lot of thinking and learning in the last many weeks, still reeling from the Florida school massacre, where 17 people lost their lives far too early. Of course, as it always does, the conversation focused on guns, which led to the second amendment and on to incredibly angry arguments on social media and everywhere else. I tried to open up a non-political discussion about the issue of so many innocent lives lost to violence but it is impossible, I found, to keep a discussion about guns either a discussion or non-political. A lot of people became rude and defensive. Too many wrote angry and obnoxious comments. Instead of presenting arguments, they were simply calling each other names, and really bad ones at that. I had to delete my final post on the subject from Facebook because of the unreasonable anger. It was appalling how people talk to each other, just because they have a differing opinion. Respect each other, people! We're all on this planet together. ...

I am a fan of the older dog. I love puppies, I do, but I'm not getting any younger and as I age, my appreciation for older dogs has grown. Three of the four dogs I've been living with for years now are senior dogs. As I've mellowed, they've mellowed. All of the habits that were annoying when they were little are now endearing, such as Buster's hound dog bark that can make you jump right out of your skin if he sneaks up behind you and lets it go. Where once he ran out to chase anything in the back yard, he now ambles down the ramp and moseys on out into the yard to sniff around a little and do his business. He is deliriously happy, though, and once in a while, he just feels like running and taking a flying leap up onto the ramp. There isn't much I can do to stop him so I just close my eyes and pray he doesn't break a leg. He hasn't yet. There are some old dog habits I could do without, like the puddles of drool left on the furniture and the sometime...