Cynefin

 

Terry Pratchett on Fungi

 

Fiona Apple and her Pitbull Janet

I didn’t know who Fiona Apple is, I had to Google her and for anyone else who doesn't, she is an American Singer/Songwriter.

This letter made me cry . We are all going to be in this position one day, some of us many times. What a beautiful selfless woman to put her dog first and cancel her upcoming tour dates.

Brad Keeling

This is a beautiful letter from Fiona Apple explaining to her fans why she must postpone a concert date. I am impressed at the way she was instantly able to make the decision to choose love over her career. Indeed, the world needs more of this. Enjoy the story...

It's 6pm on Friday, and I'm writing to a few thousand friends I have not met yet. I'm writing to ask them to change our plans and meet a little while later.

Here's the thing.

I have a dog, Janet, and she's been ill for about 2 years now, as a tumor has been idling in her chest, growing ever so slowly. She's almost 14 years old now. I got her when she was 4 months old. I was 21 then — an adult, officially — and she was my kid.

She is a pitbull, and was found in Echo Park, with a rope around her neck, and bites all over her ears and face.

She was the one the dogfighters use to puff up the confidence of the contenders.

She's almost 14 and I've never seen her start a fight, or bite, or even growl, so I can understand why they chose her for that awful role. She's a pacifist.

Janet has been the most consistent relationship of my adult life, and that is just a fact. We've lived in numerous houses, and joined a few makeshift families, but it's always really been just the two of us.

She slept in bed with me, her head on the pillow, and she accepted my hysterical, tearful face into her chest, with her paws around me, every time I was heartbroken, or spirit-broken, or just lost, and as years went by, she let me take the role of her child, as I fell asleep, with her chin resting above my head.

She was under the piano when I wrote songs, barked any time I tried to record anything, and she was in the studio with me, all the time we recorded the last album.

The last time I came back from tour, she was spry as ever, and she's used to me being gone for a few weeks, every 6 or 7 years.

She has Addison's Disease, which makes it more dangerous for her to travel, since she needs regular injections of Cortisol, because she reacts to stress and excitement without the physiological tools which keep most of us from literally panicking to death.

Despite all this, she's effortlessly joyful & playful, and only stopped acting like a puppy about 3 years ago. She is my best friend, and my mother, and my daughter, my benefactor, and she's the one who taught me what love is.

I can't come to South America. Not now. When I got back from the last leg of the US tour, there was a big, big difference.

She doesn't even want to go for walks anymore.

I know that she's not sad about aging or dying. Animals have a survival instinct, but a sense of mortality and vanity, they do not. That's why they are so much more present than people.

But I know she is coming close to the time where she will stop being a dog, and start instead to be part of everything. She'll be in the wind, and in the soil, and the snow, and in me, wherever I go.

I just can't leave her now, please understand. If I go away again, I'm afraid she'll die and I won't have the honor of singing her to sleep, of escorting her out.

Sometimes it takes me 20 minutes just to decide what socks to wear to bed.

But this decision is instant.

These are the choices we make, which define us. I will not be the woman who puts her career ahead of love & friendship.

I am the woman who stays home, baking Tilapia for my dearest, oldest friend. And helps her be comfortable & comforted & safe & important.

Many of us these days, we dread the death of a loved one. It is the ugly truth of Life that keeps us feeling terrified & alone. I wish we could also appreciate the time that lies right beside the end of time. I know that I will feel the most overwhelming knowledge of her, and of her life and of my love for her, in the last moments.

I need to do my damnedest, to be there for that.

Because it will be the most beautiful, the most intense, the most enriching experience of life I've ever known.

When she dies.

So I am staying home, and I am listening to her snore and wheeze, and I am revelling in the swampiest, most awful breath that ever emanated from an angel. And I'm asking for your blessing.

I'll be seeing you.

Love,

Fiona

Happy Birthday George Orwell

 

Dena Bain Taylor

Happy birthday to George Orwell (1903-1950), English novelist, essayist and journalist famous for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949), the latter a profound anti-utopian novel that examines the dangers of totalitarian rule.

"Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood."

"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

"In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

"War is peace.

Freedom is slavery.

Ignorance is strength."

"Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it."

***

Photo: The New York Times

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A face only a mother could love! Winner crowned in World's Ugliest Dog competition as photos show odd-looking pooches hoping to scoop top prize

 

• The World's Ugliest Dog competition resumed after a two-year break due to Covid and crowned a worthy winner
• The contest, which was held in Petaluma, California, announced Chinese Crested pooch Mr Happy Face as the winner
• The 17-year-old, owned by Jeneda Benally, was adopted after being rescued from a hoarder's house 

A winner has been crowned in the annual World's Ugliest Dog competition - and his owner is thrilled.

Jeneda Benally took home the prize money of $1500 after her dog, Mr Happy Face, was announced the winner at this year's ceremony in Petaluma, California.

While the 17-year-old Chinese Crested pooch took the top spot, there were several worthy runners up.

Ann Lewis's fluffy pup Wild Thing came in at second place while Scotch Haley's dog Monkey came third.

The contest, which promotes adoption of animals over buying from a breeder, was held yesterday in the Sonoma County city of Petaluma after a two-year break due to the pandemic.  

Mr. Happy Face himself was adopted by owner Jeneda, after he was rescued from a hoarder's home.

This year's judges included comedians Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart.

Jeneda Benally's pup Mr. Happy Face, who looks anytihng but cheerful, was crowned this year's winner of the World's Ugliest Dog competition

Ann Lewis's pooch Wild Thing was a worthy runner up in the competition, with his tongue hanging out and ever-so-slightly frizzy hair shooting off in all directions

This lovely little pug China Su, who was rescued from China, waited patiently for her turn on stage at the competition

Several hopeful pooches attended the awards ceremony with their owners - but many left disappointed after not picking up any awards

Mr Happy Face, who was rescued by his owner Jeneda from a hoarder's house, didn't look thrilled about his new title

While Mr Happy Face struggled to show any emotion over the occasion, his owner Jeneda was all smiles as she presented the 17-year-old to the judges

Jeneda proudly paraded her pup onstage to show him off to the judges, comedians Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart

The contestants and their owners had a nervous wait as they waited for the winner of World's Ugliest Dog to be announced

Judges Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart had tough decisions to make - but were thrilled to meet the pups

Jeneda looked thrilled as she celebrated winning the proze money of $1500 with Mr Happy Face after he was crowned the World's Ugliest Dog

Although they were just pipped to the post, Ann Lewis from Oregon proudly displayed her dog Wild Thing for the camera after he was announced the second World's Ugliest Dog

Scotch Haley's pooch Monkey came third at the competition after being closely beaten by Mr Happy Face and Wild Thing

The top three contestants and their owners posed for photos after the winner was announced

This adorable pooch, who looks too cute to enter the competition, waited patiently for the day's events to be over

The sweet pug andwas held up in all his ugly but cute glory in front of the judges, who had a tough decision to make

A hopeful dog owner sits with her pooch at the awards ceremony, which was held yesterday after a two-year break due to the pandemic

Mr Happy Face, who has a protruding tongue and patchy fur, was a worthy winner of the World's Ugliest Dog Crown but had to be covered with a blanket as the weather cooled down - after all, he barely has a natural coat to keep himself warm

Some owners and their pets left a little disappointed - but hopeful that next year might be their year

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10952051/Winner-crowned-Worlds-Ugliest-Dog-competition-photos-pooches-hoping-scoop-prize.html