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Issue #1028
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From Russ

The Ontarion

Hi All,

As you know, I’m friends with pretty well all the dogs in this neighborhood. When they see me, they come running. Or, to be more accurate, they come dragging their person who is holding the other end of their leash. I’d like to think the dogs like me but I’m more incline to think its the freeze dried liver treats I carry in my pocket. Perhaps its both because a lot of the allure of the treats is the way they are presented, the ambiance so to speak. I speak quietly and softly to each dog, addressing it by its name. I request it to sit and then to take the treat gently. Almost all the dogs around here adhere to that and comply but when there is a group of them, they tend to get excited and the feeling of competition spurs them on. It then takes a lot more encouragement to get them to settle down and ‘be gentle’. They are often in a group, or pack, as many dog owners here tend to walk together when walking their dogs. Thats pretty normal, and it creates the very good situation where most dogs here are very well socialized and most get along with each other. We have a whole neighborhood of dogs who are best of friends. There are a few who are a little prickly with some but get along great with the others. Thats the way people are too.

There are a few dogs who are rescues. They came from unknown backgrounds and have issues. These must be treated a bit more carefully than the run-of-the-mill, lick your face, happy-go-lucky types. It becomes important to not make eye contact if a given dog is nervous or easily frightened or insecure. You keep your head down and speak quietly to them. Over time they will come for the liver treat they can smell and eventually they learn to trust you, and then they too come running. There is one dog who had a troubled past who is very nervous. She has learned to anticipate the liver treat when she sees me, she will sometimes even let me pet her. But, I must be cautious when I go to walk away. If I walk away from her at her head, she will lunge. Her owner always has a good grip on her leash but lunging is not a good thing. So, I walk away from behind her. That doesn’t seem to bother her. Each time we meet while out on a walk, it gets easier for her and thats a good thing.

There are a couple of dogs who I do not feed with my fingers. While most are gentle unless they are just too excited due to the number of dogs heads all looking for a treat at the same time, there are two who simply do not understand how to be gentle. They will take my fingers right up to my elbow if I offer their treat by hand. They simply were never trained properly and are now too old to learn. For them, I just say ‘catch’ and throw a treat into the air. They catch the treat and everyones happy.

There is one little fluffy dog up the street who ‘talks’ to me. He mumbles away as he pulls his owner along. He knows to sit and wait but continues to mumble away. And, I’d swear he even mumbles “thank you” after getting his treat. He doesn’t do that for anyone else and it totally amazes his owner. Its the same dog, little George, who I managed to coax home one day last spring when he got loose and his owner couldn’t catch him. Its all in the use of voice and body language.

And then there’s a cartoon I ran across that also fits in with Russ’s talks on cats… the cartoon shows a dog tied up in it’s yard and the dog is talking to a cat that is walking by. The dog says to the cat: “do you know why people keep us dogs on a leash and let you cats run free? Well, its because they WANT you to run away”.

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Much to my surprise, I have another audio recording to share with you guys. I hadn’t planned on it, it just sort of happened. Way, way back when we were just ‘kids’ we listened to folk groups like Peter Paul & Mary, Ian & Sylvia and so on. A song that many groups did, including PP&M, was called ‘Pack Up Your Sorrows’. Of course we as ‘kids’ tried playing it in our own clumsy way but never learned it. I was poking around through some of my very old song lists and came across that title. I remembered the song, or at least how it sort of went, and looked it up on YouTube. Low and behold, there were vids of PP&M as well as others performing the song. So, I looked up the lyrics and tried playing it. Like I said, we never really learned it back then so I decided to try. As I worked away at playing it I began to wonder what I was playing actually sounded like because face it, and as some of you already know, what you hear in your head and what everyone else hears can be very different. I laid down a rhythm guitar track and then added a lead vocal track and was surprised to then hear a fairly fun song. So, I began adding more tracks including lots of harmonies and I must admit, I liked what I heard. I began to polish it up and smooth it out and after doing all the work it takes to do a recording, I had a cover of this song. I still haven’t ‘learned’ the song as you don’t actually ‘learn’ a song as you record it, you’re too busy with all the other aspects of what you are doing. I will have to learn it before I can do a video of it but hopefully that will come in the next week or so. So, give a listen to my cover of this good old fun-to-do folk song. You just might enjoy it. It might even bring back some old memories of the folk era for you.

Pack Up Your Sorrows

doug

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From Russ

Cat got your tongue?

Before we talk about "catgut", and "cat-o-nine tails" - did you know cats are the only 'animals' capable of 'revenge'? You should read his book - "The Cat's Revenge" by the famous author Mr. Claude Balls. The revenge of cats lives on in many superstitions: If you kick a cat, you will get Rheumatism. The Irish say, if you kill a cat, you will have 17 year's bad luck! Or, if you kill a cat, it is an absolute guarantee that you have sacrificed your soul to the Devil! And if a 'stray' tortoiseshell cat hangs around your place, it's a bad omen - but, if you are in Normandy, don't even look at one because it foretells 'death by accident!

Everyone knows it's bad luck if a black cat crosses your path - but, if it's a moonlit night and you're Irish, it means death in an epidemic (COVID?)

Here's something weird - a kitten born on my Birthday (or any other day in May). will become a "witches cat".

Hang this one on for size - to see a white cat on the road is lucky for you, but if it's been flattened by traffic, its bad luck for the cat!

Ever hear your cat sneeze? Once, means rain; three times-in-a row and your whole family will catch one Hell-of-a-cold!

A cat pooping in my shoe makes me angry - if she does it twice - it's her 'death sentence' and I will try to shoot it if only Eddy will hold her still in his arms. (no, I couldn't kill my cat, nor Eddy - I was shooting 'blanks')

Fact: No part of a cat's body or blood is used in making the condiment "Catsup". Up until the late 1800's what we know as "Ketchup" was referred to as "Catsup". In fact, it was only in the 1880's that the name change happened, and it was all thanks to one the largest companies in the condiment industry - Heinz.

Note: Catsup is still produced in Britain. Ketchup and Catsup are not the same - different ingredients are used and they taste much different. (Just thought you should know that)

Fact: "Catgut" - no part of a cat's gut is used in making catgut - which is a type of cord prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal intestines - usually from sheep or goat, but also from cattle, hogs, horses, mules or donkeys.

"Gut strings" - early uses - Spanish guitar strings and, violin strings. Still in use for 'classical guitar strings', giant pedal harps that rest against your shoulder and make Heaven-like sounds. Other instruments of old, included ukuleles, mandolins & banjos - amplifiers, and effects - drum & percussion.

Note: Most strings in common use today are made of nylon or other generic material.

Fact: "Cat-o-nine tails" - In the Easter Passion Story Jesus was "flogged" 39 times with a cat-o-nine tails as torture before his Crucifixion. This type of whip was still in use in Kingston Penitentiary when I joined the KPD in 1955. It was fully described in the Criminal Code as an instrument of "Corporal punishment" - as the name implies it had nine leather or gut strings (tails) with either tight knots, or sharp, barbed metal inserts on the ends of each of the nine strings. For greater leverage, the 18 inch handle was designed for 2-hand use! It was reserved for the punishment in the crime of "Rape". In handing down the penalty, the judge could specify how many "strokes" of the cat-o-nine tails at the beginning of his sentence, at the half-way mark, and just prior to his release.

Russ.

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THE ONTARION REPORT

Hello everyone!

Well, we had another snow storm this week but not quite as drastic as the one we had last month! We still had to use the Toro on the driveway and sidewalks but it didn’t take as much effort to clear this storm as the first one in January. I had to leave my Jeep out on the driveway overnight. The problem was that I had a dental appointment early this morning and waited until the last minute to go out to drive the one block distance from our house to the dentist’s office up at the corner plaza. This created a problem because there was 5” of snow on the Jeep and also a half inch of ice beneath the snow. This made for a panic of scraping so I could clear the windshield and other windows of the Jeep so I could see out to make the drive! What a bummer trying to get that ice off well enough so I could see out! I guess I should have pulled the Jeep into the garage last night before the storm hit! Oh well, that was a lesson learned for sure. Another lesson learned was the one of having my teeth cleaned more often since this visit to the dentist after about 5 years cost me $574.00! WOW! I was in shock when I had to pay that bill before leaving the dental office! As it turned out, the cost was elevated because it was my first visit to this dentist and the x rays and exam as well as the cleaning and polishing were all billed separately and they really did add up! If I had gone to my original family dentist it wouldn’t have cost anywhere near as much. My original dentist was the son of the dentist I’d gone to most of my life and being a repeat patient he charged me less. I just figured that the one up at the corner of our street would be more convenient and besides Carole and Adam had both gone to him and they really liked him and his work so I thought I’d give him a try! Like I said, “Lesson Learned”! I have to go back to him in four weeks for a quick measurement of my gums so I’m hoping that won’t cost me anywhere near as much as today’s visit! I’m sure it won’t, as he said it will be a quick visit just to check the gums! When this sort of thing happens it makes me think I should have gone into Dentistry instead of fighting fires for a living! LOL! Oh well, having such a check up and maintenance done is better than losing my teeth for sure! When I think of this visit today, it wasn’t even the Dentist that did the work on my teeth! It was just the dental hygienist. All the Dentist did was come into the room after most of the work was done and introduce himself and take a quick look at the results and x rays and ask me to come back in 4 weeks so they can re-measure my gums once more! Like Carole said, the next visit should be free after the big bill for today’s work! LOL! I totally agree with her on that comment! SHeesh!

That’s about all I have for This week folks!

I though I’d try to keep up with Uncle Russ’s medical reports by filling today’s Ontarion with a Doctor Visit of a different kind! LOL! Nobody likes a visit to the Dentist but it’s one that has to happen if you don’t want plastic teeth in a Glass next to your bed every night! LOL!

Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!

Bye for now….. Greg

PS: Something To Think About>

Not neglecting the health of your teeth! If for no other reason than keeping the cost down when you do have to visit the dentist!

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Have A Good One
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