I LIKE WEIRD

  (Dingo & Cat)

I’m sure someone added eyebrows to this cat, but when I saw it….well, I laughed. Giving animals a human quality is something that never ceases to amaze me. I suppose being a pet owner changes my opinions about things. When it comes to my own dog, my thinking is delusional. Let’s face it, I really believe that he’s the smartest animal alive. In reality, he probably isn’t, yet the delusion lingers.

My dog doesn’t behave like other dogs I’ve met. He sits at the pantry door when it’s time to eat and snorts like a PIG ! Seriously. He snorts to get my attention because he knows if he barks, he’ll get nothing. Clever little Beestard. I don’t own a pig, nor has he ever met one, so how he developed this “behavior” is beyond me. My sister told me one day: “Leave it to you to have the weirdest dog out there.”

My sister is correct but, so what if my dog is weird? Maybe I just attract the weird, crazy, and just down-right inexplicable. Having a weird beast around is kind of fun. My dog is a mix of Australian Dingo, Collie, and Kelpie. The original “Cattle Dogs” came from Australia, and work well as herding dogs. Since we have a lot of open range out here, I see a lot of “Heelers”. They are also affectionately called Velcro dogs, because they will stick to you like glue. They are NOT independent like the regal cat. If they don’t like you, they will snarl and nip at your heels. My dog prefers women to men, but if he is familiar with you, he’ll like a person no matter what sex they are.

I have inserted a photo of a Dingo so you can see how wild they are. They are members of the jackal family, and can be fierce. I suppose that is why my dog is so unusual. He is a hybrid-dog-jackal mix. He’s so mixed up, I’m sure he gets confused himself. The one thing about him that’s a constant is his ability to give me unconditional love. That my friends, is a blessing that can only be bestowed upon us by God.

How to Hide in Plain Sight…or The Art of Invisibility

Take a good look at this girl near the pylons of the pier. She is hiding from others. It is not because she hates herself, she just wants to be left alone. Not everyone wants to be stared at, or even admired. Maybe, just maybe, she wants to become invisible. The art of invisibility is a skill.

Years ago I asked a Shaman if it was possible t become invisible. I thought he was going to laugh at my question, since I’d never thought disappearing was possible. To my surprise, he told me that you can disappear. My Shaman friend, “Walking Thunder”, could always dazzle me with his beliefs because his thought processes were often so different then my own. His belief that the world we see is merely an illusion,  was hard to grasp at first. His explanation of how to become invisible was very thought-provoking and made a lot of sense.

He explained that the world is made up of vibrant colors. We take the light spectrum from granted. Some of us, make no notice of it at all. If you wear the color gray, and never make eye-contact with anyone around you, then you can virtually disappear from view. People will notice you if you wear red, green, purple, blue, or even white… but grey, just blends in with all other colors. Another way to avoid notice, is to be silent.

There is another way to become invisible to others, but it takes a lot of effort, and improvisational skills. You walk around, and “act” like you have an affliction. Turn your head to the side and make quick, jerky movements while saying:” ehk ehk ehk”. I don’t know if you can do that without laughing, but try it. You won’t be making any friends while you do this, I promise you that. People who find you threatening will back up and walk away. Some will ask: “Are you CRAZY?” There is only one response… “ehk ehk ehk’. Try clearing your throat too. If they think you’re contagious, they may even run away. Remember, people FEAR what they do not understand.

Of course, another obvious way to be invisible is blend with your environment. I have seen small herds of deer in the woods who remain silent, still and blend perfectly with the trees, because people are approaching them. Oddly, I was within three feet of them, and they were hard to see. If you want to blend into a crowd, dress like everyone else. Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself. I remember trying to get away from an annoying guy once, by just joining a group of people and saying: “These are my friends, we are going out to dinner”. The people just looked at me like they were thinking…”WTF? Who is this Lady?” It doesn’t take much to blend in, just use your wits.

Soldiers use camouflage to hide. In the winter, with snow on the ground, they wear white, in the other months they wear a Khaki-green and paint their faces. Most people are not going to go that far, but if you are being pursued by an attacker, it’s an option I suppose. Out in the jungle, “ehk ehk ehk” isn’t going to help you, instead, you may just attract the monkeys. So pick your disguise according to weather, terrain, and environment.

Another way to become invisible is to disguise yourself completely. Wigs, masks, hats and costumes are easy to purchase, and can change your looks drastically. I once took a course in make-up application, and you’d be surprised what a few added lines can do to a face. High-lighting with lights and darks can be quite dramatic. One Halloween, my friend and I got dressed up, and I put old man make-up on him. We got a lot of stares from people on the street and I’m positive no one would have recognized us. ( It was like an under-cover operation.)

Whatever you do to disappear, have fun with it. If your paranoid, you can even make it a lifestyle choice. Remember, it doesn’t take much to be unforgettable. But to be unseen, it’s an art.