Video - Dawn of a New Day - January 20, 2009 - Inauguration Day

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Since it was seven years ago today that I took these pictures and compiled this video, I thought I would share the video again. That day was so full of hope and promise. Did it turn out exactly as I had envisioned? No. But so much good was accomplished and we have made such strides forward from where we were. I still have hope for the future.

A Dog Named Beau

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A wonderful poem written by the actor Jimmy Stewart.

“While shooting a movie in Arizona, Stewart received a phone call from Dr. Keagy, his veterinarian, who informed him that Beau was terminally ill, and that Gloria sought his permission to perform euthanasia. Stewart declined to give a reply over the phone, and told Keagy to ‘keep him alive and I'll be there.’ Stewart requested several days' leave, which allowed him to spend some time with Beau before granting the doctor permission to euthanize the sick dog. Following the procedure, Stewart sat in his car for ten minutes to clear his eyes of tears. Stewart later remembered: ‘After [Beau] died there were a lot of nights when I was certain that I could feel him get into bed beside me and I would reach out and pat his head. The feeling was so real that I wrote a poem about it and how much it hurt to realize that he wasn’t going to be there any more.’”

 

He never came to me when I would call
Unless I had a tennis ball,
Or he felt like it,
But mostly he didn't come at all.
 
When he was young
He never learned to heel
Or sit or stay,
He did things his way.
 
Discipline was not his bag
But when you were with him things sure didn't drag.
He'd dig up a rosebush just to spite me,
And when I'd grab him, he'd turn and bite me.
 
He bit lots of folks from day to day,
The delivery boy was his favorite prey.
The gas man wouldn't read our meter,
He said we owned a real man-eater.
 
He set the house on fire
But the story's long to tell.
Suffice it to say that he survived
And the house survived as well.
 
On the evening walks, and Gloria took him,
He was always first out the door.
The Old One and I brought up the rear
Because our bones were sore.
 
He would charge up the street with Mom hanging on,
What a beautiful pair they were!
And if it was still light and the tourists were out,
They created a bit of a stir.
 
But every once in a while, he would stop in his tracks
And with a frown on his face look around.
It was just to make sure that the Old One was there
And would follow him where he was bound.
 
We are early-to-bedders at our house -- I guess I'm the first to retire.
And as I'd leave the room he'd look at me
And get up from his place by the fire.
He knew where the tennis balls were upstairs,
And I'd give him one for a while.
He would push it under the bed with his nose
And I'd fish it out with a smile.
 
And before very long He'd tire of the ball
And be asleep in his corner In no time at all.
And there were nights when I'd feel him Climb upon our bed
And lie between us,
And I'd pat his head.
 
And there were nights when I'd feel this stare
And I'd wake up and he'd be sitting there
And I reach out my hand and stroke his hair.
And sometimes I'd feel him sigh and I think I know the reason why.
 
He would wake up at night
And he would have this fear
Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,
And he'd be glad to have me near.
 
And now he's dead.
And there are nights when I think I feel him
Climb upon our bed and lie between us,
And I pat his head.
And there are nights when I think I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
But he's not there.
 
Oh, how I wish that wasn't so,
I'll always love a dog named Beau.

                             ~ James Stewart

 


MAWMR - Mid-Atlantic Women's Motorcycle Rally

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For the female bikers out there who have nothing to do next weekend ... <G> .... come join the fun at MAWMR — the Mid-Atlantic Women's Motorcycle Rally in Gettysburg. Last year we raised $24,000 for breast cancer .... http://www.mawmr.org/

This is a (long) slideshow of some of the shenanigans that went on last year ...

2012 MAWMR - 20th Anniversary from Lida Verner on Vimeo.

The Mid-Atlantic Women's Motorcycle Rally is the premiere women’s motorcycling event in the Mid-Atlantic. Held every June, it brings together women motorcyclists and enthusiasts for a three day rally full of friendship, games, educational seminars, rides, contests, and fundraising to support women with the challenges of cancer. The weekend culminates in the Parade of Chrome through the streets of Gettysburg and a banquet to honor women and pledge our fundraising support to those that have been touched by cancer.

Goodbye To A Piece of My Heart

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On November 21, 2011, I had to say goodbye to a piece of my heart. Mazlon came into my life on Dec 6, 2000. I had planned on doing Search & Rescue with her, but after working the Pentagon on Sept 11, I decided that I couldn't ask my child to do that. It turned out that Mazlon also had bad hips so it is proably a good thing that we never continued with the training. For the past 11 years, Mazlon went just about everywhere with me ... to work, to the squad, to friends houses, on portrait sessions, and helped raise my nephews.

Mazlon LOVED little critters and was constantly bringing me baby squirrels, baby rabbits, baby anything. Not a hair would be harmed on their heads and Mazlon always looked so proud of herself. Soooo ... I would carefully put them in a box and treck out to Second Chance Wildlife Rescue much to the disappointment of Mazlon. She loved her kitties and when Misha died, she went into a severe depression. It wasn't until I brought Leprechaun into the household long before I was ready that Mazlon started eating and playing again. Lep and Maz bonded and I became the incidental feeding machine for Leprechaun. Mazlon was definately the center of his world. 

When I opened the door for the final time to carry Mazlon to the car as she could no longer stand or walk, I noticed that the herd of deer that Mazlon loved to chase and would often wait for Mazlon to catch up to them was standing at the edge of the woods in front of my house as if to say goodbye. It was as if God were giving me the final sign that it was time to let her move on to the Rainbow Bridge.

I know Mazlon is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge happily gathering up chipmunks, squirrels, and baby rabbits caring for and making a home for them. It is going to be a painful adjustment for me and my other fur kids. She had a wonderful final weekend in West Virginia where she got to sniff the smells of the past 150 years in Harpers Ferry and wade in the Shenandoah River ... swimming was her favorite sport.

 

Goodbye To My Heart from Lida Verner on Vimeo.

On November 21, 2011, I had to say goodbye to a piece of my heart. This tribute video is a therapy for me and is comprised of a mixture of images I have taken over the past 11 years. Some of the images are of pretty poor quality taken with phone cameras and some of the earliest digital cameras. It is a long video (12 minutes) but since it was done primarily for me, I wasn't concerned about the length.

Mazlon, I miss you. You will always be in my heart. Have a blast at the Rainbow Bridge.

The songs used in this video are:

"All This Joy" by John Denver http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/all-this-joy/id428820994?i=428821025

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/somewhere-over-the-rainbow/id6920402?i=6920394

"Only the Ones We Love" by Tanita Tikaram

The songs used in this video are:
"All This Joy" by John Denver 
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 
"Only the Ones We Love" by Tanita Tikaram

 

 

 

The direct link: http://vimeo.com/32900426