The Stuff Left Behind

How many of us are going to leave an indelible mark on the world when all is said and done? Who among us has the lasting power of a John Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, or even Elvis? Not many. That is a very elite group of personalities who will be remembered throughout history.

But what becomes of all the regular Joe's who don't have that star power? Are they any less important? I don't think so. They are every bit as important but just to a smaller audience. Their passing is mourned with as heavy a heart as is that of a more globally famous person.

How shall they be remembered? The memory of everyday events will soon fade away, only to occasionally returned in a blurred vision of the past. There is the potential for some form of monetary inheritance from those lucky enough to have something left to give, but that is more often than not squandered away on frivolity and half baked ideas. The only lasting thing will be those little items that will mean absolutely nothing to anyone else other than the holder of the memory.

The treasures will vary from something as simple as a tiny trinket to a favorite piece of furniture, from items worth mere pennies to expensive jewelery. But to the recipient it is priceless. It is a lasting connection to the past.

Handcrafted heirlooms hold the highest emotional value. They came from the heart and hands of the craftsman solely for the owner. Those are the things remind us that the builder thought as much of us as we thought of them.

Hold on to the stuff left behind. Whatever it is it's priceless in ways only the keeper of the memories will ever know.

How Do They Always Know

They know. They always know. I'm not sure how, but they do. I do my very best not to give them the slightest hint, but they figure it out just the same.

I'm back to talking about my dogs. Somehow they have me completely figured out before I even open the kennel door. Good, bad, or indifferent they have the situation all sorted and know exactly how to act and what to do in the 10 steps it takes me to get to the gate.

For those of you who don't know, I've been laid up for the past 3 months with a blown out knee. Since it happened neither dog has come anywhere close my injured leg. They do everything else that they always do, but have avoided any parts of me that were hurting.

This isn't the first time I've seen this. Any time that I've been under the weather at all they act completely different. If I'm not really into going for a walk they sense it. During those walks they never misbehave. It's just a casual walk with no excitement.. regardless of what else is going on around us.

I'm not sure if it's a case of rescue dogs being more in tune with the people who give them their forever home, or if it's just me being way too into my dogs, but either way it's a really amazing thing to witness. Even when sledding they can tell when it's going to be a boring old training run or when we've got company coming along. They get all hopped up when there's someone new along for a ride.

Mood dogs.. you've gotta check them out!

Post Surgery

For those of you used to seeing pictures of my dogs butts as they pull the sled this post may not amuse you as much as usual. No pics this time, just a little rant from me because I need to.

I'm in a shitload of freakin' pain!!! I had knee surgery yesterday (June 18th) and now I'm in agony! I haven't felt anything like this since my heart attack last year. I only slept for about 3 hours last night because every time I moved the pain woke me up. I had 2 T3's for breakfast and 2 more as a morning snack. I really hope the pain is gone before they run out, otherwise I'm screwed!

I know I had to have the operation done... I've been limping around not able to do much for over 2 months. I'm of no use to anyone in that kind of shape, and sooner than I think it will be time to start training again for sledding season. My dogs are starting to get a little pissed off with me as well because we haven't been doing much fun stuff as usual.

I need to thank my fellow musher friend who's coming over to feed my team until I'm a bit better able to look after them.

I'd like to thank all those who sent get well soon messages. Please hold the messages and send cash or drugs instead!