Sunday, October 26, 2008

Help!

Pearl took me for a walk this morning. In spite of all the dog programs I've been watching and attending puppy class, Pearl absolutely will not heel. I'm not wining about it. I would love a solution. The master trainer at the puppy class did something with cheese that got the leash slack (for about 3 seconds) and was triumphant.Yeah, well , just try that in my neighborhood and see how long that lasts. Am I sounding bitter? What about all the puppy love I was gushing a week or so ago? I do love her and she is so cute, but we have some issues. Pearl, though supremely adorable, is in it for herself. She wants things her way 100 percent with rewards on the side. I can relate, I really can. My family helps out, but somehow I feel that it's up to me. It really feeds into my insecurities.
Lord, teach me. I need your help. Thank you.

Friday, October 24, 2008

American Girls

The makers of the American Girl dolls sent me one of their new catalogs. They are retiring the Victorian doll Samantha and replacing her with a new one. A child of the the seventies! Wow, I wish I had looked that pulled together back then. I have just one question. Why? Why the seventies? Why not the fifties? That was a nice era. The good people at AG could have had a blast with poodle skirts, record players and Elvis.

I think it's interesting that they have chosen to highlight the era of women's liberation and feminism. Movements that promised us the world. But did they deliver? Feminism said we needed to be liberated from the shackles of the home and the tyranny of the male dominated culture. Remember the term "male chauvenist pig"? The book"Our Bodies Ourselves"? What was that all about?

Then came the "you can have it all" movement. Children, job and a husband who changes diapers and evenly shares in doing the household chores.

Times have changed (again). The rules have changed. Rules? I thought we banished boring, old-fashioned rules. I thought we could be anything, even an astronaut or (gulp) president of the United States. Apparently not. Now, according to the media, women are free to work outside the home (or be vice president) if and only if her children get good grades, look good,make wise choices and do not have any special needs. Yes, I'm referring to Sarah Palin and the intense scrutiny placed on superfluous things, such as eyeglasses or shoes, or more explicitly, passing judgement on her family.

In November, I'll cast my vote for the American Girl who has withstood some extremely harsh accusations and wagging fingers. I'm voting for Sarah Palin.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

The Best of Times...

October is flying by. I've been busy training Pearl, aka Pearl the Pirate, Pearly Gates the pup-tart, and my personal favorite- Pearl the Plumber. Pearl is like me, she has no problem questioning authority or giving her opinion on how things should be.

We were walking on this beautiful Saturday morning and our dear Buddhist neighbor with the Democrat candidate's sign in his yard came over to allow Pearl to jump on him with her wet puppy paws. "I'm heartbroken," I said glancing at his sign and thinking that this could be my opportunity to share the truth with him.
"Oh well," he answered, "That's life."

I figured the truth would have to wait...