Wednesday, May 6, 2015

dream stream


This is another of those pictures of mine that has no story attached - at least none that I'm able (or willing) to tell. While there are earlier pictures it still seems to me there there are some missing, ones that would add more depth to what's turning out to be a strictly visual narrative. I'm liking the dog more and more and make no bones of the fact they are my favorite species (naturally, Crow doesn't count). Over the years I've had two canine friends of my own, but none now and none for a long time. Full-time jobs and apartment living don't combine to make a happy environment for a being that needs both love and regular outdoor exercise.

German shepherd or poodle, it's funny to think that all dogs are closely related to wolves. How they came to appear so diverse makes a fascinating exercise in considering just how long they have been close to us and one could make a somewhat reasonable argument that dogs and people began evolving together some thirty thousand years ago. Just as most dogs don't look like wolves neither do we (again, most of us) resemble Cro-Magnons, the people who first welcomed dogs to their caves and camps.

There are lots of theories, but one among them written by Donald A. Mackenzie, (1873-1936) in a book called 'Ancient Man In Britain' caught my attention:

The introduction of the domesticated dog may have influenced the development of religious beliefs. Cro-Magnon hunters appear to have performed ceremonies in the depths of caverns where they painted and carved wild animals, with purpose to obtain power over them. Their masked dances, in which men and women represented wild animals, chiefly beasts of prey, may have had a similar significance. The fact that, during the Transition Period, a cult art passed out of existence, and the caves were no longer centres of culture and political power, may have been directly or indirectly due to the domestication of the dog and the supremacy achieved by the intruders who possessed it.  There can be no doubt that the dog played its part in the development of civilization. As much is suggested by the lore attaching to this animal. It occupies a prominent place in mythology. The dog which guided and protected the hunter in his wanderings was supposed to guide his soul to the other world.

It was Will Rogers who said, “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went”.


and Woodrow Wilson suggested that, “If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.”

 
That the NDP can win big in Alberta proves miracles still happen!

25 comments:

  1. A lovely idyllic scene, Susan! I love the quote by Woodrow Wilson, even though I don't have a dog.

    The NDP win is indeed a miracle, an earthquake! Hope it helps progressives across Canada this fall.

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    1. I haven't shown it too well yet, Marja-Leena, but they have come across an area of wilderness where water runs and plants grow. I'm glad you like it. Yes, the Woodrow Wilson quote is a good one, isn't it?

      Someone in the US news today described the NDP win in Alberta as being equivalent to Bernie Sanders becoming Governor of Texas. I'm sincerely hoping this was just the first win in what will be a rout.

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  2. Dogs are nice but I'd like those dopey looking (but I suspect not so dopey really) dragons as pets. I'd feel safe at night with them on my side.

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    1. And when we die I think we'll all be "going" to where the dogs "go", actually.

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    2. Ah yes, my dragonnish friends have a plan all their own.

      As for the other, only time will tell.

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    3. Looking at that wave and the doggy glance back, it seems the dragonnish ones and the dog may be forming an alliance that the young human is clearly unaware of...

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    4. That's true, Andrew. I have no idea what it's all about either.

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  3. I had dogs years ago. I don't think I could commit now at all, cats are easier but still its been difficult with moving and finding somewhere to stay.. they are staying at my daughters for just now. which makes me feel bad... and lonely.

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    1. Time definitely changes the things we're able to do, but the good news is you have Abbey.

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  4. thank you for the reminder to look for good things! yes I am grateful to have her here, and when things settle the cats can come too. x

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    1. I'm happy for you and Abbey both that you have a new and better
      situation this spring. I hope next will be to have the cats join you.

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  5. I noticed how both Lucy and I warmed to the sight of dogs, of all sorts, in Paris and on the journey home by TGV. One day there will be a canine resident here.

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    1. Once a dog lover, always a dog lover :) It's probably getting to be time.

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  6. I love the girl, laying there watching her dreams hatch like butterflies from the stream.

    I haven't had a dog in decades, the last one disappeared, literally, in 1975. A fine dog, but life and kids happened, and he was never replaced. Now I imagine I'd not last out the dog, and don't want to do that.

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    1. I'm happy you like it, Mike.

      I once knew a dog who moved in with a family down the street just as they were packing to move to the countryside. Smart dog.

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  7. loving those bright beautiful BLUE butterflies... what's that in the water? i tried to imagine maybe it's the tail of the dragon companion but... not sure? anyway i do wish you could/would tell the story of these since there's definitely one of some sort.... i think even your style is different as you create these little beauties so i am assuming you are following a script of some sort :)

    have a happy weekend, dear one... xox

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    1. I loved the blue butterflies too :) the object in the water is another rock that I didn't define all that well. In a way I feel like I'm learning to draw and paint all over again with these. There is a plot - well, actually a mostly covered path - I'm following in a vague way.

      You too, sweet Linda
      xoxo

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  8. i wondered if you could, would you have a dog? i don't think i ever remember not having at least one tho we've been out here in the sticks for decades so that's one excuse for it!! i'd recommend a little beagle, they're as lazy as can be tho they like to have a walkie. xxx

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    1. Oh yes, I definitely would have a dog if circumstances allowed. Unfortunately, they don't :)

      xoxo

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    2. ah, i wish you could, they are such sweet little beasties. happy weekend, dear one... I am just getting to my commenting on comment left me for two weeks and thought I'd come by to see if you've been up to anything new over here. this is acting up so I'll blow you some xoxoxoxo. :)

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    3. I always like finding out the dog I'm petting at the park is a rescued dog.
      xoxo

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  9. HI Susan
    This is another of your lovely pictures of yours that does not have to have a story attached, because its wonderful detail fits any number of imaginative stories what more to ask than a faithful canine companion and 2 friendly dragons in such a wondrous setting.
    I agree it is funny to think that all dogs are related to wolves, but it could be today they are more like distant cousins. Although modern dogs are descendants of wolves, evolution may have happened several times, possibly stretching in total as far back as 100,000 years when wolves first exploited an opportunity to be taken out of the cold into human settlements.

    By way of interest the Australian dingo is thought to be a much closer cousin to the original wolf –probably arriving here about 5,000 years ago by Asian seafarers, the dingo lived alongside the aboriginals up until the time of colonisation.
    Best wishes

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  10. Hi Lindsay
    It's always good to know one of my pictures has delighted you.
    Yes, from what I've read about the wolf/dog connection it seems the process began the first time long ago while the first true dog ancestors appeared in larger numbers about 30,000 years ago.
    I read a fascinating story about an experiment to get foxes to tolerate humans that was begun in 1957. Within just six generations, a small number of the foxes were wagging their tails, whining for attention, licking their handlers, and otherwise acting just like dogs. By the end of the century, forty years later, a full three-quarters of all the foxes acted in this way, essentially fully domesticated.
    All the best

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  11. Ah, summertime! Sitting in my leaf shaded porch with my morning coffee, with the sound of church bells calling the faithful to mass. Though I'm no longer churchified, I do love the sound of the bells. This picture summer's easy grace so well.

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    1. I'm glad you were in such a delightful spot. It's kind nice to hear church bells, isn't it? They've been outlawed in most cities for many years - including here. It's a shame.

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