Everything effects everything

I read an article about the effect the BP oil spill in the gulf may have on loons in northern Wisconsin. It was a good reminder that “everything affects everything.”
We are lucky to live in an area where these kinds of tragedies are few. It can be a relief to think “I’m glad it didn’t happen to me.”
But, it did happen to me.
It happened to me because I live on this Earth, and what happens in the Gulf, or in the Middle East, or the North Pole, happens to me. I can feel compassion for those who are on the front lines by asking one question.
“How does this affect me?”
The BP oil spill affects me because it affects the loons that I love to hear calling on the lake. It affects me because other birds I love may winter by the Gulf. Fish that live in the Gulf find their way to my table and nourish me. Fruit grown on farms near those waters travels through the food chain to my grocery store.
People living by the Gulf watch as oil washes up on their shores. They see the devastation inflicted upon the plants and animals they live with. This affects me because they are my brothers and sisters on this planet Earth.
Science has shown that the extinction of one species can have a detrimental effect on an entire eco-system. This tells us that every small action has the potential for large effects.
Last week I attended the Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference in Drummond. The speakers talked about how making a few small changes to the lakeshore environment (like adding rip rap to a piece of shoreline) can cause a decline in the turtle population. Turtles eat bugs, so a decline in turtles can cause resurgence in mosquitoes and flies. To eliminate the bugs, a shoreline property owner may take out more of the shoreline buffers. Removing shoreline buffers can cause a decline in the frog and fish populations, which causes a change in the lake’s ecosystem, causing more algae, cloudy water, fewer birds, fewer mammals ... and more bugs.
Everything affects everything.
The BP oil spill will no doubt cause a rise in oil prices, which effects my pocketbook. But the monetary effect is only one issue. It has also caused more distrust of large corporations, and shown the lack of effectiveness of our system of government and their failed attempt at regulation and monitoring of those corporations. It has shown that there is more concern in our nation for profits than there is for the environment.
What good will all of those profits do when we no longer have a safe planet to live on?
Knowing that a few small changes can have large detrimental effects, reason says that a few other small changes may have large beneficial effects.
What can I change to help mitigate the effects of the BP oil spill?
I can conserve a little more gas. I can keep the dogs away from the barn while the mother raccoon raises her babies in the loft. I can watch how many chemicals I put into the ecosystem. I can help elect honest politicians and try to keep dishonest ones from being re-elected. I can adopt a dog from the animal shelter. I can pick up trash on a beach. I can watch and enjoy a northwood’s sunset. I can find a way to find peace within myself and not add to the energy of negativity created by tragic events.
I can find a place in my heart to pray for the BP corporate leaders because they have to live with the consequences of the oil spill, too, and hopefully learn from them.
Because everything affects everything.

You could poke your eye out, or worse

In doing some creative web surfing, I came upon some things called Wool Combs and Hackles for carding wool. Hmm, something I haven't seen yet, let's check it out. What I found were pictures of tools with spikes.
Wanting more, I emailed my source for all things, my sister, and asked what she knew. We talked on the phone and she said she used to have combs and hackles but she didn't think she had them anymore. Bummer. And she said the history of hackles was very interesting, something about muscular men swinging wool at nails.
Hmmmm, again.
Today I looked up more on the internet and found photos of women using wool combs and THOSE THINGS ARE HUGE!
Forget about bb guns, you really can put your eye out with these things!
My mind started to wander (I'm a writer you know) to scenarios from the middle ages where a disagreement breaks out between lovers in the barn and someone is murdered using a set of hackles.
It could have happened.
Now, I'm more curious. Does anyone know of a good website that shows more info on hackles?
I think I'll stick to the drum carder and hand carders.

Evergreen's dog blog

No, I haven't changed the name of my blog, but it seems I'm writing alot about my new dog, Rocky. He's always giving me something new to say.
Last night, Rocky and Lisha (our other dog) were in the house. I was calmly spinning some wool, enjoying the quiet.
Rocky began to go wackoo. He started chasing his tail in a wild circle at about 100 mph. The noise his feet made on the carpet broke the quiet of my spinning. He would gyrate in a circle in one place, then run to the other side of the room and start again. Lisha decided there was something to be scared about and began to whine at Rocky.
When he continued his frantic chase and bite at his tail, I wondered if maybe something was biting him, like a woodtick and it itched. So I called him over, (he actually came when called, this is good), and began scratching his tail for him. He liked that but I wasn't getting the right spot, so I held his tail in one spot so he could bite it. I thought he probably knew the right spot better than I did. This went on for a while, but didn't solve the problem.
Now, Lisha is getting mad. She is starting to bark at Rocky and gets off the couch and bites at him. "Stop that, you're scaring me," she says.
I decided Rocky probably needed some exercise to run off his energy. I took him outside on his retractable leash and he ran back and forth in front of me, jumping and acting like a dock dog. I held up his sock toy and he jumped to get it, then ran around me shaking the sock toy. This went on for a while.
I wondered if it was possible to teach a dog to lunge like a horse. He obviously had more energy that I did.
I walked along the edge of the hayfield, while he ran back and forth through the tall grass. He finally decided the hayfield was a good place to poop and that seemed to settle him down. We went back inside and he took a long nap.
Is my dog psycho? Maybe. Or maybe he is almost two years old and needed to run off some energy.
Today it's Lisha's turn to be psycho. There was thunder this morning.

What a good dog!

This morning I let the dogs out before I went to work. I put Rocky on his long leash and let them run around. This is usually tricky, as he likes to run around me and get me caught in the leash.
He saw the barn cat, Kronk, by the garage and immediately gave chase. He chased until he got to the horse corral and stopped at the fence. This is improvement. I called him and he turned and came to me. I rewarded him and then started doing my tai chi practice. Rocky sat down on the grass by me and watched the cat, but never got up to chase.
What a good dog!
I think the relaxation of my tai chi practice had some effect. He seemed to like the gentle energy, which counteracted his wild side.
My husband has been taking him for lots of walks and giving out lots of treats for come when called. Rocky sleeps with me in the screenhouse at night and I put treats on his dog bed. He is starting to remember that and gets excited to go right into the screenhouse, no more deer chasing.
We love Rocky.

the next step, dying

No, I'm not dead. I was adding color to wool. This was my first attempt at dyeing wool. My sister and niece came up and we had a dyeing party. We used acid base dyes and a microwave that my sister got free by putting up a sign where she worked.

We did the process outside on a beautiful sunny day.

I dyed my grey and black homespun with one color and it came out beautifully. The dark shades of the wool took the dye differently so it turned out to be a heathery result.

I also had some Lion wool that I got on sale from their website in white. I dyed those skeins in a painted fashion with different colors.

The photos are of the dyed wool hanging on the clothes line to dry. And some that were re-skeined.

Now, I need to do more carding and spinning so I can dye again.

getting fleeced photos

Photos of the washed wool on screens and whatever else I could find to allow it to dry. I love the fluffy white photo, looks like clouds or cotton. The darker fleece isn't as fluffy but it is very soft and longer fibers.

canine vs. equine

Our new dog Rocky is proving to be a quandry. He is a very sweet dog, loves people and wants to please. He is great in the house and on a leash. When the leash is off, so is he. Off to the neighbors, off chasing deer in the woods, etc.
I know horses and horse training. I can teach a horse to come when called, but dogs are a different scenario. Some say it is the difference between a prey animal (horse) and a predator (dog).
Yesterday, Rocky decided to run off through the horse pasture, across the road and take a tour of the neighbor's yard. I saw him do it, I called, he ignored. I got a leash and started walking towards the neighbors. When he saw me coming and I asked for him to come, he looked right at me and said, "sorry I've got other things to do," and kept going. I eventually caught up with him and brought him home.
I once knew a man with a wandering dog. His idea of training was to beat the dog when it came home. All the dog learned was not to come home. I do not condone beating any animal for any reason. Discipline is one thing, beating is a whole different issue.
Discipline implies calm, consistent behavior specific to the issue. Beating implies a human who has allowed his anger to control his behavior.
I know that anger has no place in horse training and I'm sure it has no place in dog training. I don't want my animals to be afraid of me, only to respect me.
There are some times when I try some of my horse training techniques on the dog. In horse training, when the horse is doing something you don't want him to do, you ask him to do something you want him to do instead. This works with Rocky if we are in the house or on the leash. It works well. So far, at liberty it doesn't work.
I know that liberty training with horses is started in an enclosed space, then transferred to total freedom. So far, Rocky is good in enclosed spaces, but hasn't let it transfer to total freedom.
Yes, he's only two years old and we've only had him for a few weeks. Time is important. He still has puppy brain, with grown dog speed.
At least he knows where home is. When he took off after the deer, he made a big loop through the woods and field and came back to me after about 1/2 hour.
It's a small step in the right direction.
What's your dog training challenge?
What's your horse training challenge?
Got any tips for Rocky?