Tolkien and the Rainbow Bridge

Miss 9 very often mentions our old boy, Tolkien or Tolly. He was a blue ACD of true working lines and we lost him in 2001, he was 13. He died when he swallowed a part of a corn cob thrown over the fence by a neighbor's child. It caused him to have a perforated intestinal tract, and blockage. Surgery was a risky option as there could be no guarantees that all the tears in the lining would be repaired or picked up. A second opinion gave us the percentages of success and the highly likely scenario that a missed perforation would result in septacemia and death. We decide to let him go. It was the hardest decision ever made and I have always lived with the loss, harder still is the fact that Miss 9 was old enough to understand the loss. Mr 6 was only a baby and Mr 4 ,a distant star in the sky. Miss 9 annually takes Tolkiens photo and some obedience ribbons and trophies to school to show her new teacher and class. She has his picture in her room and will talk about him often. She asks if Gemma misses Tolkien or if she should tell Lawson that Tolkien was the first boy dog in the family. Things such as this come up occasionally, not often, but I choke when I hear his name as she speaks about him with such freedom that I envy her.
Yesterday, she asked if Tolkien was in heaven. I told her I was unsure but that I think animals wait for you to join them in heaven so every one is happy again. She asked where they wait and I remembered a great site that has some great visuals and music complete with the poem by Paul C. Dahm called "The Rainbow Bridge". She watched it with tears steaming down her face, I felt bad but after she told me it was such a nice place that the animals must be happy and not miss their families too much. Maybe it will help her not to worry about him too much now.

What's the difference?

I have been pondering the current upsurge of intolerance for others in society of late. The increasing banning of hajibs,burkas, etc in some countries and States is of some wonderment to me. These women and girls wear this as a symbol of their dedication to the beliefs of their religion. Nothing more, nothing less. Their religious principles and steadfastness are a honorable and noble in the mixed societies in which we live. I do not believe they attempt to stand out, nor create trouble , nor do many of them want anything more but acceptance of their beliefs. They seek not to convert the non Muslim nor prove the Catholic, Anglican, Unitarian or Seventh Day Adventist wrong...They simple want what we all have had. The right to worship in our way.

I think back the days of my childhood when nuns wore habits and garments much not all that different from the dress worn by many Muslim women of today. I don't recall the patients some of these nuns ,who were nurses, complain about the habit. Nor did I ever hear that an Irish nun; of which there were many; was a terrorist threat because she came from the "troubles" and might be a member of the IRA, or may harbour a bomb beneath her habit and gown...No sorry, folks, just the Catholic Church. But watch those Rosary beads, they could be made of C4 or Plastique. Or maybe the nuns who taught many of us in the 70's and 80's and before where secretly planting in us the agents for the uprising of the faith of Vatican 2.; the New Crusades..Bit late now, we missed it, people.

Within the Orthodox Jewish faith there is a need for women to have their heads covered, they utilise wigs for this purpose in many cases, but the premise remains static; that of an religious observance, humility and a sign of faith in ones religion. Many European women of many faiths, no doubt; covered their heads as either a religious matter or when in mourning. Did we ever worry about this? NO. Was a call ever placed to ASIO by any wig outfitters to say a woman of the Jewish faith was purchasing two wigs for herself? I really doubt it. We can be alarmed by what we are being told or were can be just lerts, looking for a reason to habour ill will against that which we do not try to understand. I'd rather be neither.

I am sure I am not thinking on such a vast plane ,that no one else can see the parallels I have touched on here. Nuns were cloistered away in convents, yet lived, worked and worshipped amongst us all and still do where the community is fortunate enough to have them. Women of faiths that have clothing as a religious observance do like wise...So why do society sneer and taunt the other religions? Is it a lack of understanding? I think not, for the life of a nun was always the unknown question of every Catholic educated child and no doubt the fascination of many non Catholic people as well. I never heard of a nun being stoned, spat upon or ridiculed in a public place except by a inebriated misdemeanant. I feel it is the Governments increasing creep towards a quasi "WASP Australian"policy as opposed to the "white Australian policy of the 1950's. I have yet to see a picture of the PM in a handshake with any indigenous leader, non Christian based religious leader or any real meaningful, proactive talks that weren't a photo opportunity with any of the above. They tell us to be alert, not alarmed, based on the US information( and how infallible is that ?) that it was a religious war that is being wrought by the Muslim faith. Yep, and the Sheraton bombing was the result of Holy Water disguised as nitro.

Of toys for boys and such

I'm not supposed to post about this under threat of a nasty comment, but 2IC has some talking dollies. Really, they are the Boonie and Botham talking "figurines" that you have to buy two 24 packs of Victoria Bitter beer to get. Oh, well lots of cheap beer for the Christmas/New year visitors. 2 IC is normally an social/occasional beer drinker and drinks Crown, Red Back, Beez Knees,Boags,boutique stuff...So VB in our place is a hardly ever occurrence. Any way, back to the dolls, and they ARE dolls which is "a small model of a human figure" (Oxford Dictionary) and they speak intermittently when the cricket is on but during the news, cartoons, whatever. So they are TALKING DOLLS. For those not acquainted with the wonders of 11 men running about in white clothing or now pajamas as night cricket in known, bowling leg side, stumps, ducks, wides, leg spins, maidens and other such terminology...Boony is a replica of David Boon who is a legend to cricketers and drinkers Australia wide whose claim to fame is drinking 52 cans of beer on the flight from England to Australia. Botham, well he was perhaps over rated but a Pom to boot.
I can say that being half Pom myself, nah nah nah. It all has to do with a marketing ploy and a pay on words: Battle of the Tashes ( Ashes: England V Australia cricket series))as in moustaches...Both had/have moes.
Any how, these DOLLS talk and have a niggle at each other with sayings like:
Boony: "I feel like a beer, your's is in the oven"
Botham: " Where are the crisps?"
The kids are fascinated by the randomness of the comments and I have encouraged them to call them what they are ....DOLLS. "Dad, your dolls are talking" is a common catchcry about the house..With "they are not dolls, they are figurines" Well, they are annoying anyway you call it.
Now how many households have these dolls but would freak if their son wanted a Barbie, I wonder.