Norman and Dot

This is Norman. He belongs to my clients, Jill and Kevin. Sitting in this chair he looks like he could be a talk show host. Intelligent, engaging, articulate, a dry sense of humor, that’s Norman. Well, he’s not a talk show host. Still, he’s a pretty amazing dog. He is a Corgi; they are said to be loyal, protective, and in the top ten of most trainable dogs. I have read that they don’t like to do repetitive tasks but that they are very agile, and again, very trainable.

What comes to mind when you think of a nice, trainable dog? How about things like being able to teach your dog to not chew on things like furniture? Not biting, not growling, not crying or whining all make the list. Not barking at anything that moves, at the neighbors, at visitors, at the sun and the moon make a dog more pleasant for everyone. A well trained dog doesn’t jump up on you or anyone for that matter. A well trained dog responds well to commands, can be taken for a walk, and doesn’t pull on the leash. And certainly high on the list is that a well trained dog is house broken.

How about a “nice” dog or a “good” dog? Is there a difference between that and being well trained? Each animal has its own personality and temperament that can’t all be trained. Some dogs are better with kids. Some dogs like to play. Some dogs want you to entertain them. Some dogs make good service animals. Some dogs want you to pet them and to be the center of attention.

Why are some people easier to get along with than others? Most of us know someone who is difficult to get along with. And many of us know someone that we seem to connect with but who doesn’t get along well with others. Why don’t all of the people with whom we get along, get along with each other? Who teaches us how to get along with other people; how do we learn it?

Why are some animals easier to get along with than others? Why can we connect more easily with some animals than others? How do dogs learn to get along with each other? How do cats learn to get along with other cats? What about dogs and cats who live in the same home? How do they learn to get along with each other? So the people in the home teach them to get along? Do dogs teach each other? Do cats teach each other? Can a dog teach a cat? Can a cat teach a dog?




This is Dot. She is a cat. She is not a talk show host. Of course neither was Norman, but Dot doesn’t look like a talk show host. Dot just looks like a cat. Kind of a regular cat at that.



When Dot was alive she and Norman lived together in this home. The owners, Jill and Kevin had three Corgis and two cats at the time.



Jill also has two horses.

At certain times of year, Dot would get some skin irritations. Jill and Kevin are careful, responsible, pet owners who love their animals. When Dot’s skin would break out Jill would take her to the vet and get some cream that would provide Dot some relief.

Again, how do animals learn? How do they communicate to each other what they want and what they don’t want? Particularly animals of different species; how do they communicate with each other? Somewhere along the way Dot learned that if Norman licked her it gave her some respite from the rash. How on earth did either of them figure that out? When Norman was sitting on the floor, Dot would come and lay down right in front of him. Norman would try to push her out of the way and Dot would persist until Norman licked the rash.

On the list of top ten most trainable dogs, Corgis rank #10. That makes him more trainable than most dogs but not as trainable as the top 4 or 5. But that list is for people training dogs, not cats training dogs. How the heck did Dot teach Norman what she needed? How on earth did she keep getting him to do it? I’m thinking Norman is not a talk show host but he’s a pretty smart dog. And for that matter, Dot was a pretty smart cat. Smart? One or both of them may just be geniuses.

When Jill and Kevin told me this story I was just amazed. Generalizations can be made about different species and various breeds. Still, individual animals have their own personalities; Norman has his own distinct personality and Dot sure did also. What a great story for animal lovers.



The home where Norman lives is for sale; it is a beautiful, custom rambler on 5 acres. It is in a quiet, gated community. The property has over 3,000 feet of vinyl fence so it’s perfect for horse owners. Give me a call if you would like to see this great home and meet Norman. 425-327-8224.

On The Nightstand

Toni Morrison’s latest novel, A Mercy, is stunningly brief when compared to her powerful Beloved and her more esoteric Paradise (couldn’t get through that one myself….) Focusing once again on slavery and its far-reaching effects, this story follows the lives of several women, all under the ‘protection’ of one man – a good man but frail. It raises questions about friendship, love, family, loyalty, and humanity. Not an easy story but Morrison’s writing is beautiful, heart-wrenching, and so carefully crafted.

These book reviews are provided to me by amazing and beautiful wife, Katy.

Pat, Carl, and Rhonda

I write three blogs, this one, an inspirational blog, and a fishing blog. Each of them is a part of my life. Those parts are easy to separate or categorize most times, but not always. I suppose I could just write one blog and put it all together but for now I'm not. This post is about something that I had been thinking about and that happened while I was on my way back to the office from meeting with some clients and previewing their home so that is why it is here.

There are so many things in life I cannot make sense of. So many things. When I see something that “isn’t right” I want to fix it. I have energy, I can visualize, communicate, motivate, organize, and implement. I can bring people together. I can help a group set and achieve goals. Still, I can’t come close to fixing everything. I can’t even understand and process everything that happens in the world let alone fix what isn’t right.

I am horrified at the shootings of the four Lakewood police officers. Horrified. I have way more questions than I have answers? What is wrong with the world? What was wrong with the killer? His actions are beyond my comprehension. I don’t want to discuss the extradition issues with the state of Arkansas or the pardoning of the shooter. More importantly, what about the spouses and the nine children of the victims? What about them?! Are they now condemned to a lifetime of grief and seething rage? How could a person feel anything but that? What about the extended families of the victims? What about the baristas in the coffee shop where the shootings took place? How do all these people cope? What about the other officers in the Lakewood Police department? What about law enforcement officers in our state and across the country? How do they feel? What effect do the murders have on their lives? How could any of this happen? How the HELL could any of this happen and what can anyone do about it?! I don’t know; I just don’t know.

The part of me that wants to help, the part of me that wants to fix things that aren’t right, asks myself what I can do about this tragedy. When I was in the classroom I would ask 150 kids what we could do together. We would brainstorm, discuss, argue, and get frustrated, but finally, oh yes; we would wrap our minds and hearts around something and make it happen. No longer do I have 150 kids to plan with. Where do I direct my energy? I’m open. I’m open to lots of possibilities. What does one single person do? How do I make a difference? Do I go to the memorial service to show respect? Should I send the survivors a card? Should I call them? Should I make brownies for the local sheriff’s department? Should I send them a Christmas card? What do I do? What difference would any of these things possibly make? I don’t know the officer’s families and they don’t know me.

I have done some reading and research these past few days. The Washington State Attorney General reports that since 1854 more than 280 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty. That’s almost one every 6 months for 155 years! How could this be happening? Clint Van Zant of Newsvine reports that so far in 2009, 111 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty across the United States. In 2008, 138 were killed in the line of duty. That is a killing of an officer every three or four days! How can this be happening? What is wrong with the world? I don’t get it. I don’t understand. It disrupts my view of the world or at least the way I want to view the world. I just don’t understand.

I have so many more questions than I have answers. What does it feel like to be the surviving partner of a dead officer? If your spouse is an officer what does it feel like to send him or her to work every day? What toll does the worry take on your family? What does it feel like to have your son or daughter, your mother or father, risk their life every day? What is that like? What can I do about any of this? What can I do? I feel compelled to do something and I don’t know what to do. Like so many things, I don’t know; I just don’t know.

I look back over the decades as a teacher and recall things we did where I feel we made a difference. I ask myself what it takes to make a difference and why some things that we did worked so well. Organization, substance, involvement—these things and others were key elements to the success of various projects. Finally, I think it was more than that. When something was personal it had a much higher likelihood of being effective and memorable. We did a Leadership Retreat for 21 years. The agenda was strong, there was lots of buy in, but in the end it worked so well because it was personal. Our “Think About It…” campaign, designed to get kids to make safe and healthy choices, was extremely effective. The agenda was compelling, we were well organized, and we practiced extensively. All of that was important. It worked because it was personal. When we dedicated our Veteran’s Memorial it was inspiring because it was personal. The Memorial itself is moving because it too is personal for people. The classroom worked best when it was personal. Real estate sales work best when it is personal. There are so many things in life that work best when it is personal.

So what can I do to show law enforcement officers support that at least in some small way is personal?

I thought I would order magnet ribbons that say, “I support Law Enforcement Officers”. At first I thought I would sell them for cost to people and then I thought I would just give them away at no charge. Here’s an example. http://www.supportourribbons.com/custom-ribbon-magnet/289707/I-Support-Law-Enforcment-Officers I had 100 of them in my online cart. I wasn’t sure how to make it personal so I decided against ordering them. I knew that whatever I did had to be face to face; it had to be personal.


A new Facebook friend, Rhonda, one of my alumnae from the MPHS class of 1987, is a Sherriff’s Deputy here in Washington. She wrote in a message to me just this week, “My friend and partner, Anne Jackson, was murdered on Sept 2nd, 2008. It was devastating to me personally and to my department. I worked with Tim Brenton when he was in La Conner and am friends with Tim's step mom, so his murder three weeks ago really hit home. The recent murder of the four Lakewood Officers was unbelievable. We work so hard to keep good people safe, so it's unthinkable that a random, angry man would take the lives of 4 good people just trying to do something right.”

Twenty years ago, this Deputy, then a high school student, babysat my kids. It makes this all more personal to me. How does Rhonda deal with all of this? How does she cope from month to month, from day to day, from hour to hour? How does she deal with this? I don’t know. I just don’t know. You are in my thoughts and prayers Rhonda.

I was beginning to think that I needed to “stop an officer” or “pull over a cop”. I needed to calmly but directly introduce myself and thank him or her for the work they do. I needed to make it personal. It would mean more to that officer than a pan of brownies at the station, or me making a donation to some account. The trouble was that I didn’t have the slightest idea how I would actually stop an officer without causing him/her undue concern or interfere with their job performance, not to mention get myself in trouble.

On Monday of this week I was on my way back to my real estate office after meeting with some new clients and previewing their home. I was thinking about the value of the home, what it is going to take to get it ready to sell at the highest price and what some of the distinctive features are. Mixed in with those thoughts was my idea of “stopping an officer.” As I was thinking about it I passed two Brier Police Officers stopped on a side street. I drove past and thought, okay, I don’t even need to stop them, they are already stopped. I was nervous to do it but I turned my car around, went up the side street, parked and approached the patrol cars. I asked if I could talk to them and they said it depended on what I wanted. I introduced myself, told them a bit about myself and thanked them for the job they do. I shook both their hands. If middle age memory serves me correctly their names were Pat and Carl. They seemed genuinely appreciative. It was personal.

I still don’t have answers to all of my questions. The older I get the more I am reminded I never will have the answers. The number of questions is increasing more quickly than the answers.

Nothing I said or did that day fixes any of the tragedy of this past week.

At this moment the only thing I know is that for me to make even the smallest difference in the world around me, I need to make it personal. This story is not about me; it is about showing gratitude and respect in a simple but personal way. I am going to do it again; actually more than once.

Could I ask you to do it also please? Certainly thank someone you know who is in law enforcement but also thank someone you don’t know who is in law enforcement. Make it personal.

Thanks Pat. Thanks Carl. Thanks Rhonda.