Category: dogs

Episode 4

If you were at all curious, our tiny turtle did indeed make it to the sea! Thanks to the kind-hearted old man, she was successful in crossing the sands, without a flock of Gulls or crabs chasing after her for an easy meal. While the last few episodes may have been cute, the importance of our oceans wildlife is not! I’ve spent the last three weeks watching documentaries about our ecosystem, reading informative articles about conservation, and looking at the different species of wildlife affected by our planets warming trends.

Turtles are like our oceans gardeners, keeping our coral reefs and ocean grasses healthy. I watched one documentary that showed how turtles have been known to tend great lawn size patches of sea grass for several months at a time, before moving on to other grassy areas. The more the turtle mowers keep the grass clipped, the faster it grows, making it easier for other sea life to populate the area. Also, I know this might sound gross, but their poo gives vital nutrients to the entire reef environment.

I found a website called SWOT, The State of the Worlds Sea Turtles, and found it to be a very educational site. All the turtle photos you see in this article, by the way, came from the above mentioned organization. This website gives information about the 7 types of sea turtles, what their status is, in terms of the level of danger to becoming extinct in the wild, and what each species is currently facing. Among all the other sites out on the web, this particular one made it very easy to navigate and read through, offering ideas for volunteering, donating or adopting, as they call it.

Surprisingly, many of the turtle species are affected, more so by pollution and global warming, than by overfishing… though fishing in certain waters has done damage to the turtles numbers, due to the fishing nets. Sadly, the Hawksbill turtle is nearly extinct, not from environmental pollution, nor global warming, but from the illegal trade of their beautiful shells… that one’s definitely on us! I am comforted by the ever growing efforts being made globally, to clean up our waters, mending some of the damage done to our oceanic neighbors.

While there is still so much yet to be done, healthy change takes time and energy, which starts with awareness. Knowledge is power! So, starting with a tiny turtle, maybe writing each week about different endangered species will help in some tiny way. At least that’s what I’m telling myself, so I’m making Tuesdays my nature and wildlife awareness days. While I may not have actual dollar bills to hand out to folks, this nature series is my active way of trying to Pay It Forward!

If you hadn’t picked up on it yet, animals and nature are a huge passion of mine… they have been since I was small. My childhood was filled with memories of Wildlife Safari on Sunday nights, right before Walt Disney. Even Disney offered shows featuring some form of wildlife in need, be it a cougar, a bear, a space monkey, or even a talking cat… just sayin.

If you like reading this sort of stuff, that’s great cause this 55 year old brain is chalk full of it! If not, well that’s too bad, so suck it up Buttercup! Sorry, but I just love saying that phrase whenever the opportunity arises!

You’re Welcome!

My favorite part of the song is when he says that God called me by name, and He doesn’t make mistakes. It brings great comfort and encouragement in the midst of life’s difficulties.

Have a great week, everyone… hugs

Sometimes I feel like I show up for a thing, only to discover that I’m the only one that actually wanted to be there… point in fact, no one else felt like showing up.

I suppose that it’s somewhat like telling a joke you think is really funny, but nobody else really laughed at, leaving you to try explaining the details. You finally come to realize, if you had to explain it, well then… as they say, it must not have been that funny.

When I first started writing these Live Wire episodes, I felt sure that others would enjoy hearing about what I was currently studying in the bible. Over time, I’ve discovered that I put a great deal more effort into writing than was useful… when a thing no longer works, it’s time to move on. I’m not sure of what Sundays writings will be from here on out, but aside from mentioning where I may or may not be reading, I’ll leave the rest for your imagination.

In no way am I offended or put out, rather, I’m choosing to put my literary skills somewhere else. In a way, this is a good thing, as I can now run wild and free through the word of God, at whatever pace I wish.

I did finish the book of Judges, which was incredibly aggravating to read, by the way! Over and over again, one bad decision after another, the Israelites just left me feeling sad. I tried to console myself, by reading through both Acts and Romans, but Paul was just as saddened as I was, based on how he wrote about their behavior.

Starting tomorrow, I will be reading through and studying the book of Ruth. Hands down, this has to be one of my favorite examples of such deep, love and faith!

Just sayin…

Have a blessed Sunday!

Good Morning everyone! If you haven’t already figured it out by the photo, today’s As They Say idiom that we’ll be tackling, is “By the skin of your teeth.” Thank you Ophelia, for suggesting todays phrase. I shall do my best not to disappoint!

While I have an idea of the meaning, I’ll need to reach deep inside my imagination bag, in order to determine the origin of this little nugget!

At one time or another, we’ve all heard someone exclaiming that they only accomplished a thing, by the skin of their teeth… or just barely! But, unless I’ve missed a very important health and science class, I was not aware that our teeth come with skin. At least, not like the skin that we wear all over our bodies. I thought that teeth were supposed to be porous like rocks.

Then again, when one doesn’t brush their teeth as often as they should, what begins to cover the surface of the tooth could be thought of as a skin, but I always think that feels more like fur. Whatever it actually is, if one considered it skin then perhaps they are referring to a very thin coating or covering… of that, I’m not sure. What I am sure of, for the most part, is that when I am crossing a street and a car whizzes past my back side just as I step up onto the sidewalk… I escaped being runover, by the skin of my teeth, or just barely!

As to where or when this phrase originated, your guess is as good as mine! There is a chance that maybe some Roman Gladiators were in the arena together with a hunk of roast on a spit in the center. It would be rather entertaining to watch them wrestle with their hands tied behind their backs, holding onto the ends of the roast with only their teeth… who knows whose tooth skin was thicker? After it was all said and done, maybe a reporter for the local Roman Times asked the warrior how he felt about his win, and the man simply replied, “I won the battle by the skin of my teeth!”

Ok, so that was a bit of a stretch… don’t judge!

Let’s get some help from the good ole Worldlynet…

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Biblical phrase and common saying. For the biofilm “skin” found on teeth, see dental plaque.

Skin of my teeth (Hebrew: עוֹר שִׁנָּי ‘ōr šinnāy) is a phrase from the Bible. In Job 19:20, the King James Version of the Bible says, “My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.” In the Geneva Bible, the phrase is rendered as “I have escaped with the skinne of my tethe.”^[1]

The verse from Job 19:20 can be resolved as follows: In the first clause, the author uses the Hebrew `or in its usual sense of “skin”, associating it with “flesh” and “bones”. In the second clause, he uses the Hebrew or as derived from the Arabic ghar / “the bones in which the teeth are set (Latin: os maxilla and os mandibula)”. Therefore, the correct reading is: “My skin and flesh cling to my bones, and I am left with (only) my gums,” giving us a stark description of the advanced stage of Job’s disease.^[2]

In modern times, “by the skin of my teeth” is used to describe a situation from which one has barely managed to escape or achieve something;^[3][4] a close call.

Talk about a surprise! I have read the book of Job numerous times, and in honesty, didn’t remember seeing this… so I looked it up. Right there in Job 19:20, my NIV bible reads, “I am nothing but skin and bones; I have escaped with only the skin of my teeth.” I am chagrined because I’ve not only gone to bible seminary in my younger years, but have a great fondness for Job and his story… how did I miss this?

I shouldn’t feel embarrassed though, as the bible is a living and breathing book, offering new insights and understandings each and every time we read it. I know I’ve read about this in both 2 Timothy and the book of Hebrews. Well, there ya are… we’re never too old to learn something new! I can say for sure that I’ll not soon forget this one… thanks Ophelia.

Don’t forget, if you have a phrase or idiom that you want me to take a swing at, just leave it in the comments below.

God Bless and have a wonderful weekend…

The first thing I noticed, upon arriving at the barn this morning, was the quiet. This is far from normal, as I’m usually greeted by half a dozen excited babes, all trying to be the first to get snuggles. Where was everyone?

Walking inside the barn to search for my little ones, I immediately learned the cause for all the missing babes… ants! There were more ants in the barn than I’ve ever before encountered… they covered the floor from one end to the other. I’ll be honest in saying that, had it not been for my babes all huddled up in the rafters, you’d have seen me running for the door. As fleeing was not an option, I stood staring at the scene before my eyes, trying to determine what on earth was going on.

Even though the sight of this many ants made my skin crawl, they didn’t seem to be going anywhere, or doing anything, aside from waiting like an audience waits for a show to begin. From up in the rafters, I heard Tilly offering words of comfort to Dinky, who was fully terrified at seeing the floor beneath her move. Squagon suggested that I go ask Lilly about all of our unexpected guests, as this was apparently, all her fault! He pointed toward my open office door with an irritated look upon his face, and said, “Barbara Walters is waiting in your office for her interview, and she brought her entire family along to watch!”

As I walked toward my office doorway, the mass of ants on the floor graciously parted to either side, making way for my passage. When I walked through the door, I was greeted by a sight that made me want to laugh out loud. Stifling my giggles and trying to be fully serious, I approached my desk and greeted miss Lilly, who did look a great deal like Barbara Walters. There she sat, pen and paper in hand, upon the surface of my desk.

So, I spent a full 20 minutes trying to convince Lilly to send her family home, without offending them of course, about this little misunderstanding. Once I explained to her that she didn’t need to interview me, in order to tell you of what makes her special, Lilly finally agreed to send them all away. She and I both assured her family that we would be sending them a copy of today’s story, as soon as I finished putting it together.

Surprisingly, it only took about 10 minutes for the army of ants to leave the barn, but an entire hour was needed to get my little ones down out of the rafters. I finally had to put a large bowl of oatmeal out on the floor, covering it with raisons, honey and melted butter. Food wins out all the time around here!

Truth be told, the way things went this morning with Lilly, is the very reason I think she is so special! From the moment she arrived in our barn some months ago, I knew that Lilly was not only very bright, but very bold and adventurous! How else would she have found her way to the barn, if not for the flight of her puffball?

Lilly might be a tiny little thing, but she makes up for her small size with a larger-than-life amount of confidence! She’s not scared of anything… that is, anything aside from being left out. Perhaps, this was the reason she felt it necessary to be an active part of her own story this morning. While her actions are not always the best idea, I fully believe that her heart is always in the right place.

When the babes are playing, Lilly is the one they go to for ideas of what to do for fun. She actually enjoys spending time with the other little ones, learning as much as she can about them. From there, she creates fun games and adventures for the whole barn. When I’m in my office writing, Lilly can often be found resting on my shoulder, taking her own notes and giving me ideas when I ask for her help. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes an author herself, among her ant colonies. You saw, by the sheer number of ants that were in the barn this morning, Lilly has an enormous family and following.

Since Lilly is such a free spirit, she tends to come and go as she pleases, but more often than not, she chooses to either spend time playing with the barn babes, or with me in my office. I don’t completely understand why she loves us, but I’m so very glad that Lilly chooses to be a part of our family! Life here in the barnyard would not be nearly as wonderful, if Lilly hadn’t come along and become a part of our lives.

Now all we need to do, is learn how NOT to panic when Lilly has family visiting…