Public vs. Private

For those would-be stalkers out there I have been considering what should and shouldn't be included in a blog and more particularly my blog. For instance, I am not going to post any pictures of people without their permission (I asked all my dogs if they were okay with me posting their pictures and they said "whatever", of course I also gave them some treats for their complicity). Some people who read this blog will fully understand how strongly I feel about seeking permission about publishing photos and perhaps at one point I may go into the real reason behind this, but I am not at that point yet. I also feel I might need to ask permission to include mention of people by name, so I will probably give people aliases or refer to them in vague terms. If you are personally connected to me and have a nickname you want to be addressed as let me know. Privacy is important and I respect others' privacy. I realize as this is my blog what I only have control over is the extent of disclosure about myself and my life.

It is a constant juggle as to what is private and what is public. I am in a generation which is torn between the trend for being extremely open and those much more reserved. I myself deal with a need to be real and present to others and conversely, a need to be secretive and mysterious or in other words the "Look at Me, But You Will Never Truly Know Me as I Am Too Deep" dilemma. I am also considering whether someone I don't know can identify me in real life and where I live. What are the potential dangers and the possible benefits? At this point I doubt many people are actually reading this post, so I am relatively safe--the benefits outweigh the dangers.

I am going to disclose in this post is a picture of my new bedroom. I think some of my friends and family are interested in what the addition looks like and I am proud of my room although it is not at all complete and rather spare (for me that is). I have nothing on the walls and I am still using my old duvet with rips in it thoughtfully added by Bella when she was a puppy and I remain worried about the state of my new linens with the three doxies and Harli. Did I also mention that Shelby has snuck up on more than one occasion to use MY BED as her personal bathroom?! She's jealous of the other dogs sleeping on my bed, but I simply don't trust her in these matters and if she does that again she will find out what it is like to have her sleeping quarters contaminated!

This is as clean as it gets, dear reader. See the books and magazines? That is only an itty bitty part of the collection (you don't want to see under the bed!). Do you see the bench at the foot of my bed? I love that piece of furniture which is actually a coffee table. My parents refinished it and have had it for decades. On the underside of it is art (crayon scribbles) from me when I was a toddler. I just wish I had a better grasp for color back then.

What My Dogs Go Through for MY Blog

My blogging is now becoming torture for my dogs. You will see just how harassed they are by the expression on Dexter's face above. He hated the flash on the digital camera and other dogs ran away. Most notable was Bella's reaction: she barked, terrified, at the cyborg creature following her around (see the picture to the right to get an indication of just what I mean).

As I, crazy person that I am, chased down my dogs, I created a little camera-happy boy. Every time Dexter would allow me to take his picture the more praise I heaped upon him (more importantly to him was the fact I was also bribing him with leftover rice that was going to be thrown away--look at his physique and you will note how motivated Dexter by food) until he was following me around hoping for a picture and therefore a treat. Isn't he handsome?

Dogs make tough subjects for an inept photographer and my dogs in particular. They scatter, become defensive or move during the pause between hitting the button and the capturing of the image. I have a lot of ridiculous butt shots or only a tip of the tail. When I did capture a dog there was usually glare in the dogs eyes (see Dexter's picture) that I have not yet found how to correct (any suggestions?). Still, I am going to post many of the pictures for your amusement and also because even with such woeful photography my dogs are still adorable. Let me introduce you to the rest of the crew.

The picture above is Bella again after she had adjusted a bit to the camera, although she was still very wary. Due to her being a double dapple she has malformed eyes or devil eyes as we call it. To make up for her poor eyesight she is doubly as loud.

At left is Shelby. She's a pretty, gray stray and is a favorite with anyone who visits (unlike the doxies who aren't fond of strangers or even people they have met a dozen times). She has impulse control issues and has run out of our house, jumped fences and the like.

Below right is Princess Leia. Princess is a title and not actually part of her name. This tiny Yorkie has BIG attitude. Her fur looks a little worse for wear right now, but she's really very cute.

Below left is Sophie our head dog. She's the beauty of the doxie bunch with deep, shiny ebony fur. Her parents were both wirehair so although she is considered to have a smooth coat she has all the curiosity of a wirehair. If a cabinet door is open she jumps right in. As a puppy she crawled behind furniture like the tv and washer and dryer. There was nothing funnier than to see her stand on her hind legs and pivot in order to change directions behind said furniture. This girl is smart and creative and found a way up onto the couch the second day we had her (she used the end table).

At right is Harli, the last of the bunch, and our oldest. Can you tell she is a poodle? Maybe you can see that she is sadly in need of fur transplants. For some reason she lost nearly all her hair several years ago. As a puppy she looked just like a chia pet. Oh, Harli, where has your fur gone?

This takes much longer than I would have imagined to take the picture, transfer it from my digital camera, crop the pictures and then upload all these images, while still having it all turn out in some way that is less than a jumbled mess.

My hats are off to bloggers everywhere for having the patience to do this often and well. I really have no idea how you do it, but I aim to find out. With more time and practice I think I could make the images much more pleasing (and dare I say it artistic).

Watch out dear reader for a bumpy ride!