A New Year and New Lessons

I hope everybody had a great holiday season and will have a very Happy New Year.  My human was very busy for the last few weeks, so Shasta and I haven’t been able to do very much.  But things are going to be ok.  We’re finally getting back to our routine and my human has already started back with my history and civic lessons.

Today we are watching the new Congress taking their oath of office and a vote is going to be made for their new speaker person.  My human says that this is important for a couple of reasons.

First, we get a new representative in that House place up there.  She explained that the House has 435 people who are supposed to represent the people in their states.  Each one of the 435 people represents a certain number of citizens and that is how each state knows how many people to send up there.  She said that those census people count the number of people in the United States every ten years and that is when states either lose or gain a person in the House.

Georgia got a new person because of the census in 2010.  Because of that, Georgia had to do this thing called “redistricting”.  When that happened our area became part of what would be (I hope I get this right), the 14^th Congressional District of GA.  Now, at 12:00 today, the man who did represent us will not anymore and we get a new person.

The second reason this is important is because my human says that this last congress did some pretty silly things in the last two years.  I’m not sure what it was, but yesterday she was really upset about something she said they passed.  She said that what they passed was, “nothing more than cake with crap icing on top and they were calling it a cupcake” (my uncle Matthew gave her that quote but he actually used a bad word that I get put in timeout for using).

Anyway, so we’re watching what is going on up there today and my lessons are resuming.  I hope all my friends will keep learning with me this year and that these new people going up to that D.C. place won’t upset my human so much.  Besides, I really don’t like them getting put in timeout when I am, they smell funny and won’t let me chew their shoes!

My Memorial Day Lesson

My human was teaching me about Memorial Day and what it means.  She says that it is a day to remember those who served and paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we enjoy in America.  This is how we spent Memorial Day at our house.

First, we got up and took a long walk on the Silver Comet.  This is one of my favorite things to do.  When we got done, Candi took me and Shasta for a ride in the car.  We rode down the “Corridor of Flags” on the main road through our county.  The “Corridor of Flags” is a section of highway that has American flags placed at certain intervals in the median.  Shasta explained how volunteers get out in the dark to place the flags on every National Holiday of remembrance.  The flags are there to honor every man and woman that has fought to defend liberty in America. 

Second, we came home and watched To Hell And Back.  It is the true story of America’s most decorated soldier, Audie Murphy.  Shasta says that Candi watches this particular movie along with Sergeant York, The Great Escape and Taking Chance.  The saddest one was the Taking Chance movie.  Shasta says our human cries every time she sees it.  I know boy dogs aren’t supposed to cry, but I cried too.

Last, we visited the virtual wall on the web since we couldn’t be where the real one is.  Candi told me and Shasta about how she visited the wall for the very first time with her dad.  He was a Vietnam veteran.  She told us about standing with him at the wall and how he looked for the names of buddies who had died over there.  While standing at the statue he said, “That’s exactly how we looked over there.”  Me and Shasta sat very still when a tear started to fall as she told us it was one of the most moving moments of her life.

I patiently watched and listened all day as our human explained how we should remember all those who paid the ultimate price for freedom.  She said that remembrance was more important than going to the pool or having a BBQ and getting drunk.  She said that honoring those men and women was the least we could do…ESPECIALLY on Memorial Day.  I’m just a puppy, but I think I understand.  I will honor and remember all the men and women who have served to protect us.  I hope I never forget.

The Hardest Lesson To Learn

My human brought me to her house last October and right away she began to teach me things she thought I should know.  Yesterday’s lesson will undoubtedly be my most difficult one yet.  To be still and listen.  Shasta is a pro at it, but I’m just a puppy and I want to play instead of being still.

Candi says that there are rewards to being quiet and listening.  She says that I won’t just get doggie treats, but that I could get more people to pet me and play with me.  She also says that those politics people should be learning this lesson with me.  (giggle)

First, she gave me this quote.  “You learn when you listen.  You earn when you listen – not just money, but respect.” ~ Harvey McKay.  Candi says that people respect you more and are more willing to listen to you when you first listen to them.  Instead of money, I get doggie treats and Shasta says that it’s ok for me to focus on that first.  The other will come later.

“Big egos have little ears.” ~ Robert Schuller was her next quote she gave me.  She says that people don’t want to hear what others have to say because they want to be the ones to be heard.  It’s all about ME ME ME to them.  She says that because I’m just a puppy that I am like that but hopes I will grow out of it.  One of the biggest reasons she says she wants me to listen is so that I can help others when I’m needed but I won’t be able to do that if I don’t learn to listen first.

I want to run around and play right now.  I don’t want to listen or focus on other people.  I don’t want to do my civics homework or listen to those news people talk about the politics people.  I just want to play.  I think it’s going to be hard to learn this lesson.  Can you guys give me some help or ideas on how I can learn it faster?