Fruit Loop

Mark and I spent a wonderful day Sunday exploring part of the "Fruit Loop" near Hood River. Cherries are the big fruit of the moment so we sampled several varieties, later returning to one stand to buy our favorite, which was also the best price. We sampled cherry jam, some absolutely delicious roasted red pepper, ginger, garlic salsa (it was expensive so we wrote down the ingredients and are going to try to make it some time), merlot chocolate sauce on strawberries...We bought cherry cider, which was very good but quite intensely flavored--a little bit goes a long way, and some hand pies which were like homemade Hostess pies. It wasn't just eating though. We petted goats, saw a couple of very relaxed llamas (yarn made from their recently sheared fur was for sale on the table next to them), and watched the smoke from the wild fire near Mt. Adams grow bigger as the day went on. Other than being about 10 degrees too warm, it was the perfect day.

Pets and Fireworks Don't Mix

This time of year we hear stories in the news about pets and how fireworks and thunderstorms can be so stressful for them. We're told to keep them indoors, how to reduce their stress, etc. Well, I found out yesterday just how upset and stressed a dog can get when loud fireworks are going off all over the neighborhood.

About 9 p.m., Mark (Mark, my date--not to be confused with Mark, my brother) were out taking a walk around the neighborhood. We were about two blocks from my house when we were joined by a very friendly dog (golden retriever mix?). Though I didn't recognize the dog, she had on a very pretty collar, so we figured she belonged to someone nearby. However, despite our repeated comments to her to "go home," she followed us all the way home and tried to come in the house with us. We gently pushed her away, told her good-bye, and closed the door. About the same time, several people in the neighborhood started lighting fireworks.

About 10 minutes later as we were sitting at the kitchen table playing a game of Hoopla, we heard a dog whining loudly and a gate rattling. Our doggie friend was trying to push open the neighbors gate and get into their backyard. When she was unsuccessful there, she came to my doorstep, crying, and frantically trying to get inside. She was so upset that she completely tore out the screen of my screen door and scratched up my front door. Though we weren't going to let her in the house, we felt terrible for this very frightened dog (not to mention my poor doors), and so Mark stepped outside with her. He found a tag hanging from her collar and looked for a name and/or phone number, but all it said was "Washington County, Oregon." So, it seemed that she was either visiting the neighborhood with her people, or has recently moved to the neighborhood. Either way, there was a good chance that she was feeling lost and confused with all the added stress of the noise from the fireworks, and didn't know what to do or where to go. Mark walked her back to the place where we first met up with her. The fireworks must have subsided for a moment, or having Mark with her helped her feel more calm, because she got interested in one of the yards. While the dog was investigating the yard, Mark ran back to my house, came inside, and closed the door. We haven't seen or heard from the frightened doggie since.

Poor thing. I hope she got back to where she belongs and that her people were able to calm her down and help her feel better. And that they keep her inside with them this evening.

Pride

Though it's been almost two weeks now since I spent the day in Olympia for the Capital City Pride festival and parade, I'm still thinking about what a nice day it was. The number one reason I enjoyed the day was, of course, because I got to spend it with Erin and Kit. However, there are several other things that especially stand out for me.

During the parade, which was "short but sweet" a couple of entries brought tears to my eyes. The one that hit me hardest was the woman walking with the Tumwater High School GSA (Gay Straight Alliance). She was carrying a sign that labeled her as a teacher and then said "I support all of my students." The other was the heterosexual couple walking with PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays). The woman was quite pregnant and together they were carrying a sign that said "We will love our child no matter who he loves." Both entries were very powerful. In fact, I still get tears in my eyes when I think about them.

The music at the festival was enjoyable and the vendors booths fun to peruse, but I think I most enjoyed visiting the information booths. Here are just a few of the many that made a particular impact with me:

• Project:Transitions - "Supporting the Washington Transgender Community with Pride," this non-profit was started and is run by four young people who make me very proud.
• The Provider Project - Provides education, access, advocacy for transgender health. (Kit created both their website and the Project:Transitions website.)
• GLSEN - A national organization fighting to end anti-gay bias in K-12 schools. Starting GSA clubs in schools is one of their initiatives. According to GLSEN;
  
• 70% LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) student report (this is just how many report it) verbal, sexual or physical harassment.
• 90% of LGBT student regularly hear anti-gay comments at school; over a third hear these comments from staff. (This statistic is especially disturbing to me because how do kids learn to discriminate and treat others poorly? From the adults in their lives!)
• 75% of the nation's teachers have received no training about the needs of LGBT students.
• Camp Ten Trees - A non-profit summer camp that devotes a week each summer to LGBTQ (Q stands for Queer and/or Questioning) youth and their families and a week to children of LGBTQ families.