June 27, 2004
Chiwawa, Chihuahua
Orientation: Dakota writes, unplugged, at the cottage, and later adds and edits:
How do you know when the internet has integrated into your expanded consciousness. When you miss it if it's not there, like now. I want to look at yesterday's baby pictures, read my statistics, comments, make clickie jokes, etc, Most importantly, I can't figure out how to spell chiwawa well enough to look it up in the dictionary. My computer, courteously, would absorb my phoenetic attempt, and ask me if I meant chihuahua ------- the correct spelling.
I am actually quite a competent speller, with a exceptions, like surprise. I can never remember whether there is an "r", and whether the last "s" is a "z" or not. The neurolinguistic programming people say that all good spellers use visualization. Good spellers close their eyes and see the letters of the word that they are trying to spell. I often have to see the word written out. Chiwawa just doesn't look right- there's much missing and the letter "h" is one of those things. But where could one place a letter "h", maybe even a double "h"? (Now I see that, had I studied Spanish, I would have had a clue.)
If you can't visualize well, you are not likely to be a good speller. Although the neurolinguistic programmers claim they can train us to spell, I think there's probably little you can do to correct the situation, other than rote memorization. Thus are some inspired to become engineers. It's a good thing I can spell adequately, since I would be really sunk in the engineering arena.
Get to the point, lady.
On my morning constitutional, I stopped to sit upon the Arthur G. Jones memorial bench overlooking the sea. I also ride my bike frequently over the Arthur Jones memorial plank on the boardwalk at the salt marsh. There could, of course, be two Arthurs, but I prefer to think of them as the same person. I generally don't sit on Arthur's bench because it is made of gravestone polished granite - cold - hard - and it collects puddles in the contour of the seat. The puddles come as an unwelcome surprise at dawn, when they are impossible to see against the glimmering stone.
Anyway, Arthur is no longer on this earthly plane. Since he is memorially named in two of my favorite spots here on earth, I consider Arthur to be a compatriot of sorts. I actually thought of him assisting me this morning from wherever he is. Just a notion that passed by. Then I practicallly jumped out of my skin when the breeze whistled through a tall bush next to me, and I thought someone was standing there. I reminded myself how spooked I am by the unknown, due to projecting danger onto every blank screen that passes my way. As I calmed down, I saw a woman down on the beach, walking her chiwawa .
I then remembered that there was a lot of chiwawa talk at Mohonk. One of the women at the party I attended has a daughter who breeds them. Her daughter, and the daughter's nine chiwawas had recently moved in with the mother. As someone else commented, if you're going to have nine dogs, chiwawas are probably your best bet..
The next day at the flea, I saw two chiwawas both peering out their owners' purses. I was able to get a couple of chiwawa shots. (The first peeree, was removed from his purse before I could capture the moment.) Then there was the chiwawa this morning. He or she was tiny and far away. I had alot of trouble getting a picture of the dog and the owner together, since the dog kept running back and forth -- It occurred to me that I was observing rapprochement.
Then I thought that perhaps there might be a message in all these chihuahua sightings (unless I am merely observing a fashion trend, step aside Golden Retrievers). It is a chihuahua progress report. The photos follow the little one from the purse, to the arms, to the ground without a leash. Chihuahuas have that nervous energy and a cute , but slightly demonic look, that could represent the negative aspects of the part of myself that I wrote about yesterday.
I realized that I spent my entire afternoon looking at unhappy babies . I had a renewed appreciation for the depth of their feeling. Why do we think they are funny when they are suffering? Perhaps because, for the good enough mother , her baby's suffering is so easy to alleviate. She knows it will be momentary.
What about the babies whose mothers, trying to establish a strict schedule, allow them to scream for hours? That may result in the creation of a veritable herd of internal chihuahuas.
As you may have noticed, there are a number of misspelled chihuahuas in this piece. I left them there intentionally, so as to preserve original form.
Virtual Church of the blind chihuahua
How to kint a sweater for your chihuahua Directions will probably do for any breed plus or minus fluff.
Photo note: the rest of the chihuahuas.
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