Love animals?

Hi, the blog today is not about "the next 1000 years" I will write more on that and post images. I wanted to write about a dog that lives (lived) near me. I don't have any pets. Some people think that I don't like animals because I don't choose to have any live with me. To me that domestication is unnatural. I like to see animals in their natural environment. Granted, it could be argued that, after thousands of years (there I go again!) of domestication, a cat or dog's natural environment is with people! I get that. I just like to have a dog or cat house outside with acres for them to run on. I do love animals... I don't eat them.

So I live in a condominium complex in the Sierra foothills. Lots of low income folks here, many are hard working and considerate, like myself. Some I'm not so sure about... So I have been hearing this dog howl sometimes at night. Sad like. This dog is sad or uncomfortable, and it is a very sad sound to hear. I asked the manager if she heard it and she didn't notice but she doesn't live here. I have thought about calling the spca, to look into it, but haven't. I am a single woman living in what can be a rough neighborhood so I try to keep a low profile. Last week the dog was howling more than usual. Brave, (or stupid) after a glass of wine, I walked across the parking lot to see what was going on. Poor thing was tied up to the tree, looked skinny, and sad. The people having a party nearby yelled at it to "shut up". I said "is that dog ok? he sounds sad." They dismissed him saying a hound dog sounds like that. like I was crazy for noticing. but I know a sad sound when I hear it. When we went camping the week before, sleeping on the ground, the cold earth was leaching the warmth from my body, even in my sleeping bag. If that dog was left to sleep on the concrete night after night, the cold floor sucks his warmth. And being tied up all the time... my legs hurt if I sit in a car too long. And we all need love, someone to show you kindness and not tell you to "shut up" for your tears of sadness. I know I should have just called animal protection agency anonymously instead of going over there, but what would they do? ... put him in the pound? I haven't heard the dog lately. I don't know what happened. In my guilt I think it was his final cry that night. People if you have an animal or a child, love them, love animals. Treat them with kindness, for they will love you and they deserve kindness and no ill treatment.

The Next 1000 years

So I wanna know, have you seen "The Next 1000 Years"? Tell me when and where?
What the heck am I talking about? Well 10 years ago I was sitting in my hammock, in the Sierra foothills, looking at the stars and thinking how everyone was getting so crazy about that Y2K thing that never happened. And I thought... "Jeeze, people should think about what's gonna happen after instead. Where is this planet going? When will we revere Gaea?"  I thought about how the government officials at the time would have some meager solutions for problems that would take us 50 or 100 years into the future. That's just not enough, I thought... If we could make it 1000 years, then maybe by that time we, as a species, would be able to solve some of the real problems like what to do with nuclear waste that has a half life of say 100,000 years, and how to feed people, (should we all become vegetarian?)  As I was pondering, it occurred to me that many ancient civilizations in the past, such as China or India, did at one time make plans 1000 years into the future. So why not... is it too much to ask of the "greatest country in the world" (to use another's words and opinion of the good old, but really, not so very old USA). Then what... tune in to Terrie Rockwell, northern California artist, for next time!  What to leave behind?
landscape paintings