What's done is done! Quality-of-life? Euthanasia? Murder? Human or Pet? Who the hell knows?

It's taken me a few days to clear my thoughts.

She's gone now - They call it euthanasia - not letting the living thing suffer ( she suffered terribly during the last few days). No matter what the hell they call it, it's the murder of a loved one.
Perhaps the ability to legally kill a living, breathing organism -no matter what level of love -if any, we feel - elevates our fragile egos, or infuses some grandiose illusion, or delusion.
I accept the fact that her so-called quality-of-life had deteriorated to unabating pain and discomfort.
She was my friend, my companion in these, my later years. She understood and trusted me. I understood and trusted her. She depended on me. She knew that I depended upon her.
We went everywhere together, shopping, visiting, hiking and walking. She got upset with me if I left her home. We shared our meals and she had fun doing it. When I left her alone, she wouldn't lay down near me (after her walk - of course) for almost 2 hours after I returned home, even if I was eating. But she always forgave me and returned to wherever I was sitting to lay at me feet.

I learned as much about character, and forgiveness, loyalty and love, determination and sheer courage, from my shepherd as I have ever learned from another human - with the single exception of my mother.

Admittedly, the mutual trust and trusting did not exist from day one. Without question, she had the feral capability, not to mention strength, to attack anything or anyone at any time, and even to revert to that stage if given opportunity, at least at the start of our 'merger.' That facility exists in virtually any pet, especially dog, or cat.

But as the relationship grew, she learned what she could and couldn't get away with.
The mutual respect and trust evolved from the consistency and repetition week after week and month after month. It wasn't automatic. It was replacing natural canine instincts with the education that to please others and to survive, she had to do, or not do, certain things. It was using her natural pack instincts to serve and co-exist with homo sapiens as the leader.
Sound familiar.

Perhaps, some day, we humans will really learn from our beloved pets that grudges, and anger, and revenge and retaliation and unprovoked aggression most often accomplish the exact opposite of what was intended.

Yes, it's time to move on. Life must go on.
We must again learn from our canine companions. We can't live in the past.
We must live for today -just as our 4-legged friends do - while we try to plan for tomorrow.

But God help the ones who would put aside the wonderful years and memories shared with a dear friend and companion without pausing, reflecting, remembering, appreciating, just because it's time move on to their next challenge.
God help those who dismiss the demise with "it's just a dog."

Those people, in my mind, have no soul. They are callously incapable of feelings of profound joy, of deep-rooted love and devotion: the same exact emotions needed for human bonding. Yes - we sure can learn from our dear pets.

We all must move on; and so shall I. But I will also appreciate and learn from what was.

I started this weblog some months back with several goals and objectives in mind.

1- By citing Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong will go wrong) - which is a clean way of saying "_hit happens" - I could poke some fun at, perhaps even laugh off, my troubles and show how I kept trying to pick myself up (and as the old song goes - dust myself off and start all over again).

2- Perhaps I could help or inspire someone else;

3- I hoped to also avail myself of some of the income producing possibilities so prevalent on the 'net. By the way - the sites listed on the right of this blog link to some excellent income producers, as well as money savers. I do hope you'll look at them.

4- If none of the above occurred, at least I would be doing something I really enjoyed - writing. Frankly, if it were not for a company known as 'Web Colleagues' - whose link is on the right, I might not have again started to write, not having done it for over a generation. Of course writing what no one is reading is not very different from talking to yourself, but I've been doing that for years anyway.

I had several 'outs', i.e. things I could rely on, or draw from, to help me, like 'windows shopping', which usually helped get my mind off my problems, which in turn helped me get a better grip on everyday life.
My kids and grandchildren always helped elevate my mood and turn my thoughts to more positive pursuits.
But the principal resource I relied upon was my very dear, friend, my loyal and trusty - trustworthy - trusting 24 hr/day companion - my German Shepherd.

She kept me in shape, on my toes and much more aware of my surroundings than I might ordinarily have been.
When I was ill and late in either feeding or walking her, she always lay, patiently at the side of my bed. I never allowed her on the bed since the first two days I got her. I just couldn't see the sheet or pillow through all of her shed fur coat.
When she couldn't wait any longer to go, she just started to lick my face to tell me - ok - stop feeling sorry for yourself and let me go 'pee.'
Somehow, she knew when I felt really good and could take a little more advantage of me.
Amazingly, she always knew when I felt like 'crap' and to give me a little more space.
Our multiple daily walks, almost always totalling 2 miles/day (it was always a little difficult for me to give her all of the exercise she really needed), our visits to the neighborhood children who all knew that as soon as she was finished sniffing them, she would roll over on her back to get her belly rubbed - funny but she wouldn't let too many adults do that, and our frisbee and stick throwing in the back yard, all kept her mood positive and alert.

She woke me numerous times when a deer came near the house (which was often)or a bear crossed the rear of the property (only 3 or 4 times) but wasn't she supposed to do that?

Funny, but I could never get her to announce a visitor walking up the driveway and stairs, until the bell rang or there was a knock at the door. - That was my fault.

I could go on, but as you surmised, she is gone.

She suffered from advanced cancer and arthritis for the last few months and was euthanized.
The loss has devastated me for a while.
I hope you'll go to my blog about her illness

http://mydogmyfriendmygermanshepherd.blogspot.com/

I intend to post the last few columns from that blog here for the next few days. - I hope you'll forgive me for the repetition. It's for me - I need it.

Thank you

Internet Job Shopping

Job Shopping on the internet is akin to looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Nevertheless, I have listed a few very popular sites that have proved successful for a substantial number of people. So why not link to them?
As costs soar and coping with daily life gets ever more difficult, millions of us will be looking for some extra income.
Take advantage of all the help you can get.
My favorite money-maker is still Web Colleagues, but if you like what any other opportunity looks like and you know you'll stick to it - go for it.
I'll have more to say on the others later.
Good hunting!

Scam, or Score

You're looking for THE work-at-home job!

How do you know if it's a scam, or a score?

How do you find the right business for you?

Is there anything out there to help you pay the bills?

There is, and you can find it!

But you've got to ask yourself some questions!
1- What do you like to do?
2- How much time do you have to do it in?
3- Have you researched the deal?
4- Are you just looking at how much you can make, or
5- at all the requirements?
6- Do you know how much now? How much later?
7- Are you remembering 'Murphy's Law', (anything that can go wrong, will.)

If you like what you're doing - the opportunity your taking advantage of - you'll stick with it, just as long as the upside exists. You'll spend the time learning the whole program, whatever it is. You'll already know how much more -if anything- you'll have to put into the program, and approximately how long it will take to start getting some money back. You'll do the work.

Then, you take the plunge.

You can score, if it's not a scam.

It's not What You Say, but How You Say It, AND WHERE

Have something to say?
Know what you're talking about?
Want people to listen to you?
Have a computer?
Know how to type?
Internet Connected?

SO SAY IT. In fact, PUT IT IN WRITING !
Blog it.
Get your thoughts out for all to HEAR, and READ !

You'll get some great ideas on how, what and where to LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE TALKING with WEB COLLEAGUES !

Shopping for Work at Home Jobs, #2

What ever you choose will involve Google in one way or another:
i.e. - if you go the route of having a web site made up for you to which prospective buyers can go - there must be a way for them to find you, ; that almost always involves search engines, because for you to be successful - prospective buyers must be looking for and thereby searching for the product; when you use search engines that means 'Google'.
Using Google means finding the right 'keywords' or 'adwords' to get you to the front of the search engine with its very long list of people selling products. Folks - that's gonna cost you - A price that's almost always based on a PPC or PAY PER CLICK rate.
You may also need to buy some mailing lists to e-mail people. You cannot succeed unless people know you're there or can find you.

The businesses which would have you 'drop-ship' -which means people would buy from you, and you would then pay the wholesalers to send the product out -require your own web-site to make any money at all. Those few who have been successful doing it (and they are very few) all have multiple web-sites, so that the chances of someone clicking on one of them are greatly increased. These are all additional costs to you, after you have paidd your money and gotten started.

Auction sites are very similar. If you can buy a new car for $100.00 and resell it for $15,000.00, you'll make some money.
But how realistic are you being?
We agree that there's a customer out there for just about everything (P.T. Barnum -of circus fame- rephrased it saying "there's a sucker born every minute"). So let's say you know a particular market, e.g. you're very familiar with the cost of women's cotton shirts and blouses (there is a difference) and you buy a dozen blouses for $10.00 each that you have seen selling in stores for anywhere between $60.00 and $75.00. If you could turn them over (resell to someone else) immediately, you would have the beginnings of a wonderful, new and very lucrative business. But who knows about the blouses you want to sell for, say $35.00 each. And there's the problem - you have to somehow let people know about you and your products, and where to find you or the product, so you have exactly the same considerations as before: web-site, advertising, e-mailing etc.
As for me - I like to write - I don't know how good I am at it but I really enjoy it. Because I enjoy it I stay with it. I do it with the help, support, encouragement and direction of Web Colleagues. It cost me less than $50.00 some months ago and not one cent more since. I don't pay Google - they'll pay me.
Web Colleagues shows you how to use the search engines most effectively, in a different way. Just the information in this one work at home job is worth ten times the cost.
I've already learned 100 times the price of the program.
Check them out.

Shopping for Work at Home Jobs

Here are a few suggestions from someone who searches lots of 'make a lot of money working from home' claims.

Pick what you know you like to do, just in case you aren't immediately successful. Doing something you like or deeply believe in will keep you DOING it even when the going is tougher than you thought, or you want to quit.
Make sure the offer includes a money-back guarantee (most such offers will give u a full refund within 60 days)
Allow some extra time to fully understand all of the instructions and directions;
The only shortcut to becoming an overnight millionaire is STILL the inheritance route or lottery.
Don't forget that over 90% of the 'opportunities' are scams, and 95% of the people are not successful at the first, or even second work at home job.
Be prepared to spend considerably more for advertising or mailing lists.
Know or learn all you can about Google.
Shopping for work at home jobs ain't easy.
More tomorrow - I promise.
I must take care of my wonderful shepherd now.