I am musing today about the nature of mothers and how they seem to be the same everywhere you go, and across all species.

As many of you know, I am perpetually ‘calf clucky’. I just love them. Until recently, we had plans to adopt two bobby calves that were marked for the meatworks and hand raise them. Then we started a horse charity and suddenly our land has been earmarked for horses destined for the meatworks!

We still have plans to get calves, but they the timing just isn’t right at the moment.

For the time being, I have to enjoy my neighbours’ calves through the fence. I have calves on two sides of our property and today, the newest arrival, a gorgeous little calf that we’ve named “Freedom” (because his new owners have named him “Freezer”… why? Apparently because “that’s where he’s going”… grrr) was up for some play.

He spotted my dogs as I wandered around doing the midday horse and chicken feeds and came to fence to say hello. He’s only about the size of a Golden Retriever and they had fun touching noses through the fence, until one of my dogs started barking loudly in his face. He startled backwards, looking a little shaken. Now, his mum (who is huge!), was nearby and had been calling out cautionary moos to her little man to be careful. When he jumped backwards, she rushed to his side, shook her head at the dogs in a scolding, protective gesture, then began licking and nuzzling the little man all over to check that he was okay and to ease his shock.

I stood watching this with a smile on my face, enjoying just how strong the mothering, protective instinct is across all species. I’ve seen it in horses, and cats, and cows and humans. And it’s all the same.

While “Freedom” may not be destined for the life I would like him to have (i.e. wandering around and living out his days in comfort and style), I am at least pleased that he and his mother get to enjoy this sacred mother-baby time together, rather than being separated at a few days old and experiencing all the grief and trauma that accompanies it. I do hope she gets to see him grow up.

meet the 100th pet adopted from the hssaz’s new adoption center at park mall.  she was adopted this afternoon at the grand opening ceremony.

her new family has not  decided on her new name yet, but it will definitely start with a “P”, matching all the  “P” names in the pack already.

The grand opening celebration was a nice event:  good music, friendly vendors, snacks and super cute animals.

vendors included:

susan g. komen – (thanks for the water!)

kat riegel  – animal communicator – www.mysticmessengers.com

dawg house dog daycare – www.dawghouse.biz

companion animal clinic

reigning cats & dogs pet sitting service – www.tucsonspetsitter.com

zack n boo’s kitchen – www.zacknbooskitchen.com

rpm entertainment – www.rpmentertainment.net

buddy bonez - www.buddybonez.com

chic-fil-a

maribelle cakery donated cakes – www.cakesbymaribelle.com – (oh my god these cakes are delicious!)

domingo degrazia spanish guitar music - degraziamusic.com

color me mine – www.colormemine.com

a guy with cool frisbees i didn’t meet (sorry)

blue bunny ice cream

97.5 bob fm – www.975bobfm.com – (thanks for the free notepads. we love office supplies!)

and us, digital muzzle dog photography - www.digitalmuzzle.com

if you were there and i didn’t include you, i apologize!  i tried to get everyone’s cards, but missed out on one or two because we were manning our station.

anyway….we met so many nice people and so many cool pets! some great cats and kittens, mutts and even some pure breed dogs!  please visit the shop at park mall or the shelter on kelvin to find your new family member!

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus – Romans 8:1

The one thing that amazes me the most, is that once we’re in Christ we’re no longer condemned.

In the end of Romans 7, Paul is writing about sin in his life.  He tells us that there are things that he wants to do that he doesn’t do, and that there are things he doesn’t want to do that he does.  I fully understand his frustration.  I also love this text because it helps me remember that Paul was just a man.  He wasn’t a holy man walking around with a glow about him.  He sinned.  Paul confesses that in this chapter!  Paul tells us that his body and mind want to do separate things.  He gets to the end and says, “What a wretched man I am!  Who will rescue me?”

Christ rescued him.  Verse 25 says, “Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”  Christ Jesus rescued us.  The law was weak.  God knew that we couldn’t be rescued by the law.  The law, God’s will and his commands, were actually made to show how sinful and wicked we are.  However, faith alone in Christ sets us free from the curse of the law.

No matter what happens after we trust in Christ for salvation, we’re secure with Him.  BUT, this is not a licence to sin.  The text says this is for people who live according to the Spirit, not the flesh.  A true Christian lives by the spirit and not by the flesh.  If there isn’t anything in your life to show you’re living by the Spirit, than you’re not a believer.  Romans 3 tells those who think they have a licence to sin, that their “condemnation is just“.  They are condemned.

For those of us who are true believers, we need to remember that when Christ died, he freed us from the law that lead us to sin.  He gave us life and he removed condemnation from us forever.  Understand this truth and believe it whenever you fall!

A few photographs taken on the 20th November 2009 of the floods in Cockermouth town. These few posted here have been taken on the day after the evening’s flood waters that raced through the town on the eve of the 19th November. The volume of water in the confluent of two rivers and from about 300mm of rainfall, which fell in a 24 hour period was too much for the rivers to bear. My thoughts are with all those affected by these floods and heartfelt credit goes to all the rescue services and volunteers involved.

First due company arrives and has a father and grandmother in the front lawn confirming a 2 year old trapped on the second floor. The rest you can see for yourself. Note in the first few seconds the firefighter coming out the front door with the kid. Also later in the video after the man confronts the camera watch him return to the scene and start pushing a firefighter around. The father has now been charged with arson for this fire.                         Heres is a write-up from the Englin Fire Chief

Elgin Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry Bruce said once emergency personnel arrived, they soon were informed by occupants that a baby boy remained inside, sitting in a high chair on the second floor of the tri-level home.

  He said Elgin firefighter Kevin Hartmann went inside and was able to find and remove the child just as smoke was entering the room.  “The smoke was just starting to build up right near the baby,” Bruce said. “Another couple of minutes and the baby probably would have been overcome by the smoke.”  Three dogs also were rescued from the home, Bruce said, but a fourth was not recovered.  An already highly emotional scene became even more dramatic, Bruce said, when the baby’s father suddenly became irate and began to assault several firefighters, requiring Elgin police to restrain him.

  The baby’s grandmother tried to put out the fire when it started, but she had to leave the home, Bruce added.  The blaze, which started in the first-floor bedroom that belonged to the boy’s father, was brought under control in about 30 minutes, Bruce said. 

We don’t want to arm-chair quarterback these guys because the bottom line is they made a save in a situation that they were behind in from the time this man started the fire.  That being said we would like to hear your thoughts and points that we can learn from. 

Firespread?….Rescue?…Next in assignments?  What do you think. Answer in the comment box if you have any.

This proverb struck a cord with me today as I was reading.  It reads in the NLT version, “Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die.”  That verse reminded me instantly of the dire straights that our young and old African American brothers are going through.  By the thousands we are hearing daily, of lives that have been wrongfully put on hold because of faulty testimony and tainted evidence, only to find out 22 years, as in one case, later that they could not have committed the horrible crime.

Verse 12 goes on to say, “Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it.  For God knows all hearts, and he sees you.  He keeps watch over your soul, and he knows you knew! And he will judge all people according to what they have done.”

Wow!  This give me reassurance not to be worried about how evil people get away with their spoils here on earth.  This verse reminds me God is the judge.

Help Fix the System

Be wise.

Every now and then there is a GREAT story that is inspiring and a reminder as to why we fight the fight.

This picture says it all. This beautiful guy was saved as the result of networking thru Facebook, email, MySpace etc…

Look how majestic he is after only 3 months of love and care.

If you cannot foster, volunteer, adopt, or donate then NETWORK!

You CAN make the difference, even if it’s just for one dog.

]]> http://knowthankyou.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/feeding-thanksgiving-dinner-to-the-turkeys/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:49:15 +0000 knowthankyou http://knowthankyou.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/feeding-thanksgiving-dinner-to-the-turkeys/

We have been reminiscing about a previous Thanksgiving trip; we traveled to Farm Sanctuary in northern California that rescues animals like cows, goats, turkeys, pigs, rabbits, and others that are often found on farms. Farm Sanctuary is safe place though where animals live long lives and die of old age, not by man’s hand. On that trip we sat down with a flock of turkeys and fed a Thanksgiving dinner to them. To see these turkeys approach us unafraid seemed remarkable in itself. To sit on the earth with them, reach out, and hand feed them cooked squash and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie and watch them enjoy it filled our hearts. Feeding dinner to the turkeys was an incredibly soul-cleansing experience in compassion. Moments like this are what I am especially thankful for this time of year.

Have been spending time at a local animal shelter. The best part is seeing their excitement when you come to say hey and the worst part is when you turn your back to say good night. It has been said that you can always tell the strength of a community when you see how they treat their animals. Below is the dog that currently has my heart.

Creditors of Blacks Leisure agree a rescue plan that should allow the retailer to stay in business…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: shopping card. The blog is also related to: local shopping.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my discovery of the Incarnation Figure as an archetype in storytelling. There are obvious connections between this and the Christ Figure that w are so familiar with given that the Christ that the figures tend to emulate began being Christ through incarnation, the embodiment of something greater in than our world in our world. But the difference that I pointed out is that Christ Figures tend to have death and resurrection or sacrificial element to them and Incarnation Figures don’t always express that.
As intriguing and powerful as Christ Figures can be, I find them troublesome at times. I have seen too many Christians try to grade a story’s value on the presence or lack of Christ Figure. If it has one, it’s a good story, if not it fails. And this is whether the story is told well or the characters are believable or if there is any suspense to make us care what happens.
The other problem I frequently see is when a Christ figure is imposed in attempts to co-opt a story and make it a Christian tale. Take “The Matrix” for example. Certainly there is the element of sacrifice on Neo’s part as he stays behind to let the others escape. And there is something of death and resurrection. But did he really die? OR did he simply, finally understand the Matrix well enough to know that he didn’t have to die there? To me this story is more about faith and finding out what can happen when you truly believe more than it is about a Christ figure and the redemption that follows.
People often describe Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings as a Christ figure. Again there is a certain validity to that in terms of his death and resurrection. But as much as he is a Christ Figure, he is also an Odin Figure, at least up until the resurrection point. It’s almost as if Gandalf starts as Odin and finishes as Christ. And that’s not much a of a stretch given that Odin is a bit of Christ Figure himself, sacrificing himself unto himself.
But my favorite example of the failings of the overstressed Christ Figure is Hell Boy. In the second Hell Boy movie, the story follows the typical Christ Figure arch, as he sacrifices himself to save another, descends into the pits to eradicate the forces of evil and save all the Earth. Powerful stuff. But how many Christians stumble on this because he is a demon – and not just any demon, Satan’s son who’s true destiny is to bring ultimate destruction on the Earth? Is such a character an acceptable Christ Figure?
I think this is one of those examples that parallels the story of the Bronze Snake from scripture. God commanded Moses to make a bonze statue of a snake. This statue heals anyone that looks at it. The odd part is that most times that snakes appear in scripture, they are symbols of evil, demons or Satan himself. Jesus later tells us that the snake was an image of him. The image of evil expresses the ultimate good. Perhaps Hell Boy falls in this same category.

Serena will save the day, saves the first part of our new series of DIY fashion. For more information on Serena and the rest of the What Now team, from top to www.whatnow.tv

diytoolsandequipment.wordpress.com

Cockermouth Flood: Thursday 19th, November, 2009

Rescuers alight from inflatable boat in front of Wordsworth Hose, Cockermouth

The events of the last few days have been staggering. My local town of Cockermouth was turned on its head by floodwater when the town’s two rivers, The Cocker and the Derwent, burst their banks. Main Street became a five foot deep raging torrent of water and debris. People were trapped and businesses have been destroyed. Sad days for the town.

Sadder still is the loss of PC Barker, a Workington policeman, who was swept to his death when a bridge in Workington collapsed. He was keeping motorists off the bridge when the structure failed due to the enormous pressure of water being forced through the bridge. Tributes have been paid by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and PC Barker’s colleagues. He died a hero, protecting others.

I saw the events in Cockermouth unfold. On the afternoon of Thursday, 19th November, 2009, the River Derwent had risen dramatically, a result of the record-breaking rainfall over the county. The car park of the Trout Hotel and the side streets were filling with water. I photographed the flooded car park, showing ducks bobbing on the car park, next to cars, and a skip which had started to float. I thought the floodwater had reached it limit. It was bad but nothing to compare with the sight I saw when I went back later that evening.

I thought I’d get some pictures of the flood, set against some of the town’s lights. It was very windy and pouring down outside, so I wrapped my compact camera in a shower cap and added a small flash to the top, wrapped in a plastic bag. I drove into town.

I parked near the town centre and walked towards the Main Street. I was shocked by what I saw. It looked like a scene from a disaster movie. A RAF Rescue helicopter circled above the town, police and mountain rescue teams rushed through the streets. The Main Street was submerged. The power of the water rushing through the street was frightening. The sight of inflatable boats on the Main Street was surreal. Residents watched in disbelief.

I photographed the scene and took a short video clip of the rising floodwater.

I returned home drenched to the skin. At least I had a home to go back to. There were many residents who couldn’t return to their homes. Their homes were swamped by water, possessions destroyed. They’d become displaced persons.

The Daily Mail rang me asking for pictures. A local resident, an ex journalist, had asked for my card whilst I was photographing. She’d passed on my contact details one of her contacts at the Mail.

I emailed the short video clip I’d made to the BBC. They woke me up at 3.35am, asking if they could put the clip on their website.

Cockermouth Flood: Friday 20th, November, 2009

I returned the next morning, with my pro camera kit. The town had been taken over by rescue services from all parts of the country. Fire Service, Police, RNLI, HM Coastguard, Red Cross, the Army and mountain rescue teams from all over Cumbria. They’d worked throughout the night and were continuing to do so. The town owes a huge debt of gratitude to all of them, and all the ‘behind the scenes’ staff and welfare groups who provided unseen support.

The water level had dropped slightly over night but was still very high. Main Street still looked like a river.

I  captured images which I will never forget:

- Residents being landed onto Station Street in an inflatable boat.

- Rescuers leaping from their inflatable boat in front of Wordsworth House (Birthplace of William Wordworth and the town’s most important tourist attraction)

- Tired faces of rescuers.

I sent 15 images to the Mirror newspaper.

Cockermouth Flood: Saturday, 21st, November, 2009

I returned into town on Saturday morning. The water level had receded and I took photographs of the aftermath and the start of the clean up operation.

I couldn’t get access to Main Street, police restricted access to a handful of press photographers and the news channels. I did get some shots of flood damage. Memorable shots include the huge tree which had been smashed through the railings of the bridge over the River Cocker, the flattened parking meter near the river and the debris backed up against the footbridge over the Cocker.

My sister rang me to say that Prime Minister, Gordon Brown was in Cockermouth,  at the Sheep and Wool Centre on the outskirts of town. The Centre was being used to house homeless residents and he was visiting them. My sister told me that it was being shown live on SKY news. So I set off walking (in my wellies) to the centre, about a mile away. I thought I’d try to get some photos of him. As I got to the entrance of the Centre, his motor convoy of three shiny, black Range Rovers sped past me, back into town where I’d walked from. I fired a few shots and managed to get a picture of the vehicles. I turned around and heading back into town, feeling  annoyed with myself. I should have stayed where I was and may have got the some decent pics.

I arrived at the Rescue Centre, feeling tired (I really need to get back to the gym). The PM was inside, meeting rescuers. I waited outside, hoping for the opportunity to photograph him. Ten minutes later, his Range Rover emerged from the rear of the building, and sped past me again. I got couple of photographs of him sat in the vehicle – one just showing the outline of his face, the other shot obscured by a lamp post. I guess that I’m no Paparazzi.

The Aftermath

My thoughts are with all those affected by the flood waters. I know many of the residents and business owners along Main Street and Market Place. They are good people. This year has been tough, with the recession biting hard. It will be many months before people and business owners can get back to normal. Christmas trade will be lost and visitor numbers will be down. Bad news for Cockermouth.

My condolences to PC Barker’s family, friends and colleagues.

Lets hope that life for the great people of Cockermouth and other Cumbrians affected by the floods returns to normal as soon as possible.

Photographs of the Cockermouth Flood

You can see my Cockermouth Flood photographs on my website:

http://www.elliott-photography.com

Click Galleries, Personal Projects, Cockermouth Flood.

Best wishes,

Mark S Elliott

it’s hard being a rescue dog.  you have to be on.  all the time you have to be on.

you’re at an event and it’s game day.    but there are other dogs and so many people. music is playing and vendors are schmoozing.

but you don’t have to be perfect.  you just have to be yourself and when the right family arrives they will recognize you as family.  see that you are what they need.  they might need mellow. they might need perky.  they might need soft ears and a bright pair of eyes.  a short coat…or a fluffy coat.  young…or seasoned.

yoda was nervous.   the stress tired him out.  he had a dedicated volunteer who kept him calm and introduced him to families.  ultimately he wound up with two kids and a mom and a dad.  a dad who couldn’t stop rubbing his ears while the paperwork was being finished.

After weeks of squatting extremely uncomfortably in front of the food i leave for stray cats, I finally gained one’s trust enough to pet it. It must not have been a stray as much as a don’t-feel-like-going-home-er, since it promptly started to twine around my ankles and purr outrageously. Sigh. My attempts at single handedly rescuing the homeless feline population has been reduced to a large black cat that may or may not be the tom we owned a few years ago, and a small black kitten not yet at the gangly stage. So far, my efforts aren’t that impressive.

Just navigate to the Poodle Rescue page using the side links on the PCA website to find a convenient PayPal button to donate to the Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation. While you’re there, be sure to check out the poodle rescue success stories and video produced by Cindy Crawley for the PCARF. Thanks Poodle Rescue folks, for these wonderful additions to our website!

Just navigate to the Poodle Rescue page using the side links on the PCA website to find a convenient PayPal button to make a donation to the Poodle Club of America Rescue Foundation. Be sure to check out the newly added video produced for PCARF by Cindy Crawley and some great poodle rescue success stories! Thank you, Poodle Rescue folks, for these welcome additions to our website.

Nat Geo Eco Rescue – Rivers (70 MB download)
As an elite volunteer for National Geographic’s Eco Rescue team, visit over 20 river rescue sites across the world as you save species large and small while providing for humanity’s future – all by cleaning up the environment. Clean-up with CleanClaw, a 1 man eco-friendly crane that picks up even the heaviest bit of garbage.

Cockermouth flood rescue by the RAF

Further photographs can be found at Cockermouth Floods 2009