Month: March 2025

Potato – Po-tah-to

Words

Words are important, to communicate ideas, and to persuade others.   The same word can have multiple pronunciations.  Is milk pronounced “mill-ka” or “mel-ka”? Me, I’m a “mel-ka” guy.  Or do you say “Toe-mah-toe” or “toe-may-toe”.   And there’s words with multiple meanings.   “Cool” means temperature if you’re talking about weather, or soup.  Cool means it’s good, or fun, or you like it, if you’re talking about new shoes or a car or the latest movie.  

To trend back to the subject at hand; there are also words with similar meanings.   We talk a lot about Democracy, the idea that the “people” are the ultimate authority in a country.  And then there are the hair-splitters, who will quickly point out that the United States isn’t a true Democracy, but a Republic, where representatives are chosen by a democratic voting process.  And there’s the compromisers who say that the United States is a Democratic Republic.  That way everyone is “right”.  It’s the dreaded “participation trophy” of political science.

Studying Mice

And there are words that have specific meanings, like waste and fraud.   Waste, at least in government, means that money is being spent for frivolous purposes.  We’d all agree that it’s a waste if a school principal spends $50,000 in furniture for his office.  It’s waste, but it’s probably not fraud.  

We can also “agree to disagree” on some forms of waste.   The current White House complains that the Biden Administration spent : $455,000 on “A Mouse Model to Test the Effects of Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy on HIV Vaccine-induced Immune Responses”.  The Trump people claim they were trying to make “transgendered mice”.   That’s sounds pretty wasteful.

But click the link on the dollars.  Here’s what the actual study would do:

“There is a considerable gap in knowledge, however, surrounding the immunological responsiveness of transgender people, a population at considerably higher risk for HIV and other STIs. To address this gap, we propose to develop an animal model of feminizing hormone therapy to study the effects of estrogen/anti-testosterone therapy on HIV vaccine-induced immune responses.”

Policy Priority

Do transgendered people in transition respond to HIV vaccines the same way cisgendered people do?   How can that be studied without putting the transgendered folks at risk?   Immune responses of mice are similar to that of humans, so they are a safe “model” to test how those vaccines might work on real, live, humans.   To fit the “model” , those mice have to model transition.  

Now, you might make a “policy decision” that studies helping the transgendered are WRONG based on the belief we shouldn’t help the transgendered.   That’s similar to the decision that the Reagan Administration made to ignore AIDS for a long time, because they thought it was a “gay disease”.  But to argue that the study is a “waste” is disingenuous.  They weren’t studying how to make mice transgendered, that was neither the goal nor the outcome.  In more common terms, the Trump Administration lied to you.

FRAUD!!!

And the DOGE boys are telling America that they have discovered “FRAUD” in their exhaustive computer invasion of Federal agencies.  Fraud is a very specific term.   It means that money allocated for a specific purpose is being spent on something else, often to the benefit of undeserving individuals.  It’s FRAUD if the high school principal gets $50,000 for his office furniture, then  spends $15,000 on a desk and chair and pockets the rest.  

Certainly if someone is dead and still collecting Social Security there must be fraud somewhere.   And DOGE found exactly that, they thought.  Folks who looked like they were still eligible to collect Social Security, born in 1875.  They thought, that meant there are 150 year-old folks getting benefits, a very, very unlikely scenario (the oldest documented human was Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122).  So, whoever is getting that benefit is committing fraud.

Unless, of course, it’s not true.  

Place Holder

So when I go to Kroger’s and buy my favorite bottle of wine (Meomi, Pinot Noir presently), a high school kid running the check-out register asks for my identification.   The fact that my hair has gone white, and I’m clearly over the legal age of 21 doesn’t matter – the kid needs to see the ID.  So I give it to him.  He glances at it, then taps in a date on his register:  1/1/2004.  That’s the minimum birth date that is of “legal age” in the state of Ohio.  Is he committing fraud?  If I don’t correct him, am I?  On 1/1/2004 I was not only over twenty-one, I was rapidly approaching fifty.

1/1/2004 is just the “place-holder” for reaching the minimum age.  For every “legal alcohol” sold, a date is attached to show that ID was checked. It works.  

1/1/1875 is the Social Security place-holder for dead.  No one with my grandfather’s birthdate is getting Social Security. Though here’s an interesting trivia item: the last US Civil War pension was paid out by the Veterans Administration until 2020.   Irene Triplett was born in 1930.  Her father, Moses, was a Civil War veteran, and died eight years after her birth.  Irene was mentally disabled, and retained her father’s benefits until her death.

Ignorance

No fraud, no “fat cats” living on the pensions of long dead ancestors.  In fact, Social Security has a “fail-safe” mechanism, that stops payment to anyone at 115, just in case a death is missed. 1/1/1875 is just a placeholder like the 1/1/2004 typed into the Kroger cash register to signify legal age, this, a marker to note legal death.   That is, accept for Irene, who received a $73.13 a month Civil War pension until her death in 2020.  She was 90 years old.

The “fraud” here is the one committed out of intent or ignorance by the DOGE boys.  They aren’t necessarily stealing anything.   But they are telling Americans that waste and fraud exist when it’s a matter of policy priorities and, well, nineteen year-olds not understanding what a placeholder is in the “ancient” computer language of Cobol.

They’re the same age as the checkout kid at Kroger’s.   And here’s another word that should be applied to the DOGE boys and their boss:  hubris.

Decorum

Norms

President Trump gave his “impromptu” State of the Union Address Tuesday night.  “Impromptu”, because traditionally the President doesn’t give a State of the Union in his first year in office.   After all, it’s only been a month and a half since he gave his Inaugural Address.  But, like most things involving the Trump Administration, there’s no tradition, no “norm” worth keeping (I guess).  

In the forty-five days Mr. Trump stomped on the Constitution so many times, that the Courts can’t keep up.  That’s a Trump legal strategy, by the way:  sue, delay, appeal, delay, obfuscate, delay, overwhelm; delay, and delay some more.   It’s how he managed to avoid two years of personal Federal prosecution.  It’s also how he still hasn’t paid the hundreds of millions of dollars he owes the State of New York. And, for now, he stole the “power of the purse” from the US Congress. He’s made it his own.  As a friend of mine says: even if the Courts disagree with Trump, it will take two years for them to catch up.  By then, it will be far too late, the damage done.

Shock and Awe

Through much of the “shock and awe” of Trump’s (and Musk’s) actions in the last forty-five days, Democrats have “sat back”.   We haven’t heard the leadership of the Democratic Party say a whole lot, or give alternatives to the renegade DOGE boys, or authoritarian ICE actions.  Rank and file Democrats are asking:  where are our leaders?  Who will stand up for us?  What can we do?

Perhaps some of the Democratic leadership are following the words of veteran campaign strategist James Carville.   He’s noted for his famous advice to Bill Clinton in 1992 when the campaign was struggling with the rumors of illicit sex activities:  “It’s the economy, stupid”.  That advice helped Clinton win the Presidency.  Carville today is essentially making this point: let Trump be Trump.  He and the Republican Congress will trip over their own two feet.  Let Trump make a mess of the economy with his tariffs and his shredded governing style.  Let the Republicans do it to themselves, then Democrats can pick up the pieces in 2026.

Speaking from the rank and file there are two problems with that.  First of all, many Democrats feel that democracy itself is at stake.   They don’t think that the election of 2026 is a “sure thing”, not for Democrats, and not even the physical act of counting votes.  Those Democrats think that the Carville strategy is based on “regular order”, on tradition, on those damn “norms”. They don’t think there’s any guarantee that “norms” will be followed. 

Like my friend said; many Democrats think that waiting for an election in two years will be far too late, the damage done.

Vacuum

And second, there appears to be a total vacuum in the Democratic leadership.  Harris is gone, and the Governors (Newsom, Whitmer, Moore, Pritzker, Walz, et al) are all too busy trying to navigate their multiple state crises caused by Trump’s actions.   Hakeem Jefferies, the Speaker-apparent (should Democrats regain the House), is laser-focused on legislation, not leadership of the greater Party.  And the “old guard”; Biden, the Obama’s, Pelosi; all seem to have ceded authority to the “next generation”, even if the leaders of that generation aren’t apparent.  

Some Democratic members of Congress recognized the emptiness.  They heard the call to action from their constituents,  and they tried to step up during the State of the Union.   Some cried out, calling to task Trump’s immeasurable number of lies and misstatements.  Representative Green of Texas went so far as to stand, yell, and shake his cane at the President, interrupting despite orders from the Speaker to “be seated”.  Mr. Green was ultimately escorted from the Chamber by the Sergeant at Arms.  

Other Democrats walked out, our held up placards with the word “False” written on them, kind of an old-school gymnastics  scoring thing (“10,8,10,4 – that was the Russian judge”).   But since the cameras didn’t cut away from the President, their actions failed to get much attention.  

Good Trouble

Still, on the media summary, many commentators decried the Democrats “breaking the decorum of the House”.  Meanwhile the President literally used an insulting term directly at one US Senator, and had no problem baiting Democrats and applauding his own sycophants.  It’s as if the norms and rules apply only to one side.  The MAGA side is given a full “pass”; because; well, that’s just what they do.   

If Democracy is on the line, then the rules, traditions, and norms are out.  We can’t wait for our leadership to determine a course, and we can’t hope that the Courts will save America.   In the end, we too must break the norms, and do what’s necessary to save our Constitution, and our Democracy.  As John Lewis liked to say, it’s time to get in some “good trouble”.   And if that means we break “decorum” – so be it.

Treason Now

Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason… US Code Title 18, Chapter 115, Section 2381

The Prize

It’s hard not to feel “treasonous” today.  Treason, “(A)dhering to our enemies or giving them aid and comfort,” is the reality of our morning news.   We (not my President); we of the United States are formally and with malice aforethought, turning our back on democracy, and joining forces with dictators.  We (not my President) are spitting on and showing disdain; we are committing  dishonor, to the 46,000 Ukrainian troops who have already lost their lives fighting the Russian invasion of their nation. What’s happened? The United States, in the cowardly dark of night, “paused” military aid to Ukraine.

Why would we turn our back on what is clearly a black and white situation?  The worst reason in the world; the vanity of the President of the United States.  Donald Trump wants to “match” Barack Obama, to show that he’s “as good” a President as Obama was. And the 44th President has something that Trump doesn’t have – a Nobel Peace Prize.  For Trump to get “the prize”, he has to have “a peace”.  And the only “peace” available is in the Russian-Ukraine War. 

It’s Personal

Trump has a “side” in that war, and it’s not the side of the United States of America. Instead, to Trump, it’s all personal.  For whatever reason (perhaps a later essay), Donald Trump is “beholden” to Vladimir Putin, the dictator of Russia.  It’s been true since he came down the “golden escalator” in 2015.  (And while we constantly hear other Republicans say that the first Trump Administration was tougher on Russia than anyone else, Trump’s own words betray his fealty to Putin).  

Donald Trump made it clear in his very direct diatribe against President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, that he holds a deep-seated grudge against him, personally.  Trump wants payback for Zelenskyy not making up dirt on Joe Biden in 2019.  And Trump blames Zelenskyy for his first impeachment trial in front of the United States Senate, another public humiliation in a long list.  

Today, Trump has little influence over Putin.  But he holds a cudgel over Ukraine, the power of the United States, and the ability of Ukraine to continue their battle.  So Trump’s using that cudgel to try to force Ukraine to “surrender” to Russia, giving up substantial portions of their nation.  And if Zelenskyy won’t do it, then Trump will do whatever he can to get the duly elected President of Ukraine removed from office.  Certainly there’s another Putin stooge in the wings, waiting to fulfill Russia’s goals.

A True Leader

Zelenskyy proved his mettle again and again.  He is, like Trump, a TV actor who became a politician.  But unlike Trump, Zelenskyy was forced to grow in the job.  He led his nation through the existential crisis of invasion.  He stood tall as the missiles fell in Kyiv, and orchestrated the defeat of the 17 mile thrust of Russian tanks to the capital.  

 And he has sustained his nation in the three year-long battle against Russian aggression.  Zelenskyy is a war leader, a symbol to his nation, eschewing suits and ties for the uniform of battle, as his nation has eschewed normal life to face a mortal enemy.   

And Trump can’t even tie his necktie correctly.

Democracy

I believe in democracy, both here in the United States and in the world.  I believe that Donald Trump is a threat to our American democracy.  His lack of concern for the Constitution, for the balance of power, for the personal privacy of American citizens, all mark a man willing to trade our “life, liberty and happiness” for personal power.  And Trump’s actions toward Ukraine betray his personal venality.  It’s ideological treason, truly adhering to the enemies of freedom, and giving them aid and comfort.  He’s doing it here, and he’s doing it in Ukraine.

The Trumpists will call me treasonous.  They will say I am denying the duly elected President of the United States his “well earned mandate”.  They will say it is I who is “fomenting insurrection” and “giving aid and comfort” to our enemies.  

I say he’s committing treason.  His supporters will say I am.  

So I will reference Patrick Henry, speaking out against the British Crown in the Virginia House of Burgesses, eleven years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.   His fellow legislators cried out “treason, treason!!” And Henry said:

“If this be treason, make the most of it”.

Stratego or Risk

Teenaged Games

When I was a teenager there weren’t video games.   Instead, some of my friends played board games.  A long night of Monopoly was the “standard”, stashing money under the board so no one knew exactly how you were doing.  Or when we got older and “cooler”, a penny-ante poker game (and even older came cigars).  But in my younger teens, my friends and I played  “political” board games.  Some friends were enamored with Risk, a “conquer the world” game of alliances, and double-crosses that could take weeks.  A few even played Chess, but you had to study to be good at that, and I didn’t want to spend the time.  

But there was Stratego (by Milton-Bradley), a conquest game resembling a cross between Checkers and Risk, where a roll of the dice could determine the fate of armies and battles.  It wasn’t an “all night” game, but it allowed for “tactical thinking” without committing to months of preparation. It was sort of like my commitment to Algebra II; I’d cram the night before the test, but I didn’t spend daily time worrying about it.  My grades were commensurate with the effort. 

America First

The board games of my youth are now in dusty boxes on high shelves in a closet.   Games of strategy today are on video, and much more “tactile”.  The player becomes the soldier on the line, living or dying in Call of Duty by their skill, wile, and luck.  And as an adult, I know we live in a world of “Risk”, where alliances are made and broken, and principle is often overcome by national or even personal interest.

I’ve already written about the changes in American policy brought on by Donald Trump (Zero-Sum).   The United States of America has made a dramatic about-face in our foreign view, from one of group protection and benefit, to a policy of bilateral negotiation.  Our new view is pretty simple:  what’s in it for us.  It’s a very short-term, Stratego view of world balance, one echoing the isolationism of the 1930’s (the original “America First”). We’ve gone from playing Chess or Risk, to playing Stratego.  A look at our twentieth century past demonstrates the potential consequences of the world’s greatest economy “going it alone”.  

But here we are.  And I’m watching a masterful “game player”.   He doesn’t have much money under the board, and he is, to quote the US President, playing from a weaker hand.  And the current strategic master is really a gifted amateur.  His name is Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

NATO and Russia

In the old world order of two months ago, Zelenskyy’s and Ukraine’s place was clear.   The old world order saw NATO, led by the United States, balancing the avowed intention of Russia to re-conquer the Russian “Empire”, the old Soviet Union.  It was well-established, the outgrowth of the alliances that stopped Fascism in World War II.  America wasn’t isolationist.  Instead the US led a world alliance to keep the Soviet Union, and later China, from expanding their empires, cloaked in the cover of the Communist ideals.  

When the Communists fell in the Soviet Union, there were briefly replaced by a democracy.   But the economic pressures of all of that “public wealth” (the definition of Communism) becoming private caused the rise of an oligarchs.  They were rich, and they were powerful, and they wanted control of the nation.  Vladimir Putin, a former KGB Colonel, rose to the top of the oligarchic pyramid.  He served those with money so well that he became one himself.  And now, anyone that stands against him takes that short step out of a 15th floor window.  Or their plane explodes:  ask Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Biden’s Plan

Over the past couple decades, the Soviet threat, countered by NATO, became the Russian threat.  And Ukraine, while not a NATO member, became the perfect place to stop Russian expansionism.   Ukraine wanted to fight.  They offered up the blood of their young men, and their fertile fields of grain, as the battlefield in the ultimate war to stop Russia.  Putin made it clear, that this “Domino Theory” (reminiscent of the arguments to stay in the Vietnam War) was real.  Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and the rest are on the block.

That was the “grand theory” of the Biden Administration.  They marshalled NATO to back Ukraine, supplying weapons from bullets to F-16’s; everything but the manpower itself to fight the war.   And Ukraine and Zelenskyy over three years, stood against the might of “Mother Russia”, giving better than they got, and hanging onto the vast majority of their Nation.  It was a “Risk” like plan:  use Ukraine to stop Russia, rather than the all-out war that an invasion of a NATO member would require.  Fight the smaller battle with Ukrainian lives sacrificed, rather than World War III.

And for Ukraine, it represented national survival.   They were getting what they wanted, a nation that was not under the yoke of Russian imperialism.  They made their trade:  lives for freedom.  Ukraine survived, and NATO and the United States benefitted.  That was Zelenskyy’s “deal”.

The Beat Down

That isn’t Trump’s view of the world at all.   He finds himself more “allied” with Putin’s Russia.  Trump, an oligarch himself, sees the ultimate power of the Russian leader as a “model”.  Trump doesn’t want to compromise with other (lesser, in his mind) NATO members.  He wants to do what Putin does; get the most for the United States, regardless of the impact.  It’s a Stratego like view, without the longer-term strategizing of Risk.  

What does Trump want?  He wants the mineral wealth of Ukraine, much of which is now under Russian control.   If he can’t get that from Zelenskyy, he’ll make a deal with Putin.  And, of course, Trump has a personal score to settle with Zelenskyy.  The Ukrainian dared to defy Trump’s demand for “dirt” on Joe Biden in 2019, the “perfect call” that got Trump impeached by Congress.  Trump can’t make Zelenskyy step out a fifteenth floor window (at least, not yet) but he can humiliate him, and cut Ukraine off.

No Bait in the Trap

So he lured Zelenskyy to Washington, dangling the hope of US support in exchange for Ukrainian mineral rights (or “rare earth” as Trump calls it).   Then, in the White House, Trump and Vice President Vance did what they always wanted to do.  They tried to humiliate the Ukrainian President, knowing he would probably “submit” because he needed the deal.  But there really wasn’t a deal on the table for the help Zelenskyy needed.  So he didn’t submit.

Instead, Zelenskyy stood up for himself and his Nation.   Isn’t that what you’d expect a national leader to do?  He called out the disrespect shown by Vance and Trump, and he demonstrated the consequence of their short-term, bilateral thinking.  He didn’t throw away a deal, because there wasn’t an acceptable deal on the table in the first place.  Trump wanted “rare earth” (old sixties band?) in exchange for vague assurances that didn’t put bullets in Ukrainian guns or protection in Ukrainian skies.  When Zelenskyy objected, Trump tossed the Ukrainian President out of the White House.

And then Zelenskyy flew to London, to meet with a majority of the NATO nations.   They not only gave him a hug (don’t we all need one) but they offered the assurances he needed to continue his nation’s life and death struggle with Russia.  The Europeans made the deal that made sense for them. They too are under the Russian threat and worrying about another global war fought on their home soil.  So they stuck with the “Biden plan”, even though the US was no longer part of it.

Risk not Stratego

Zelenskyy is playing Risk, not Stratego.   He’s trying to win long-term support to continue the battle for Ukrainian democracy.  For the right deal with the US, he would have given up his “rare earth”.  But there was no deal; so he went to someone else.  Now, Trump is left weaker.  NATO is not behind him.  And Russia has the minerals he wants.  So what is his next tactical move?   

Trump’s gaming is tactical, but not strategic. But he’s in a world with much longer-term consequences, and the Risk players are leaving him behind.   The outcome could be dire.  If Putin determines he can now move against Europe, they will have no choice but to respond, with or without US help, just as their grandfathers did in 1939.

 With Trump’s plan, so goes our Nation.  We seemed to be “doomed” to repeat the history of the 1930’s.  And we know what the outcome of that was. It was the defining moment of my parents’ generation:  World War II.

Catching Cars

Here’s the next in the “Sunday Story Series” on Our America. No politics today, just another “tail” about dogs.

Lost Pet Recovery

There is an old political adage, explaining the problems of success:  “It’s like the dog who caught the car”.  The premise is that dogs chase cars, but if they were actually successful and caught one, they wouldn’t know what to do.  Today’s story  answers that question:  what really happens when a dog catches a car?

A lot of the dog stories in “Our America” come from our work with Lost Pet Recovery (LPR), a group of intrepid volunteers who find lost dogs and return them to their owners.  LPR gets requests for help from all over Ohio, Kentucky and even beyond.  Sometimes, we are able to “talk” folks through getting their own dogs back. Often, we supply equipment to help them out.  And sometimes, we go out ourselves to recover the dog, and return it to the owners.

So last weekend we were on a trip to “scout out” a husky mix that was a “hard case”, out in Preble County. Where’s Preble County?  It’s the last county before the Indiana border, starting just west of Dayton, Ohio, and reaching through the flat farmlands towards Richmond, Indiana.  In fact, the quickest way to the Husky’s last known Ohio location was to enter Indiana, turn off the interstate onto a state highway, then onto a local county road that recrossed the border.  

Easy Stuff

The “dog” folks in Preble already tried the “easy” stuff.  A box trap was placed near where the Husky was sheltering, and they hoped she would be drawn in by the “good smelling” bait.  But instead of attracting the dog, she went on a long “walk-a-bout”, over fifteen miles before returning to her original location.  The trap scared her off, so that technique was scratched off the list.

She was hanging out in a dairy barn, eating cow feed and cow remains.  And she found a soul-mate, the local farm dog that lived there.  They clearly were in a friendly relationship, so much so that any attempt to retrieve the Husky had to take into account what to do with the local dog.  Here’s how we know.

We were driving down the narrow country lane, just after crossing back into Ohio, checking out the “lay of the land”.  We passed the farmhouse where the dairy farmer and his family lived, then turned around in the next driveway to come back and look for the Husky.  Meanwhile ‘Ol Farm Dog determined that our truck, with a six-foot trap in the back, was a threat, if not to him and his family, definitely to his “friend” the Husky.  

THIS IS MY ROAD

We pulled back by the farm, and Ol’ Farm Dog came out on the road to greet us.  We went past the farm house, then turned around again in the dairy barn driveway.  This time it was “Mr. This is My Road”, and he was having none of it.  

He stood in the middle of the road, barking boldly at our offending vehicle.  When I tried to back up, Farm Dog followed along, right by the front bumper.  When I tried to turn to the side, he circled around to keep us centered in the road.  Then, when we lowered the windows to try to cajole him, he approached the door.  ‘Ol Farm Dog didn’t seem very “friendly”.  

The two young kids who live in the house just stood in the front yard watching the show.  We certainly weren’t the first car their dog had “caught”, and I expect they were enjoying our inept maneuvering.   I lowered the window (just enough) to give them a yell:  “Hey kid, could you come get your dog?”.  One responded “Just drive forward”.  

We were in a pickup truck, and the dog was so close to the front bumper that he was beneath our view.  I wasn’t moving forward:  how would it look if the LPR “Team” ran over a farm dog while trying to catch a lost dog?  I’d definitely lose my Lost Pet Recovery “membership card”, and besides, I don’t run over dogs.  So I inched forward. He barked even more furiously. ‘Ol Farm Dog wasn’t going to move.

Caught

He had us.  He caught the truck.  And he knew exactly what he was going to do.  Ol’ Farm Dog was going to keep us, right there, in front of the farmhouse, for as long as he damned well wanted to.

It was ironic and kind of funny.  Instead of trapping dogs, our LPR team was trapped.  But Don, the “boss” in the back seat wasn’t amused. He was furious, not with me (the driver), and not even with the dog.  He was furious that the farm owners would let their dog wander on the country lane, trying to catch cars.  And it wasn’t because it was interfering with our scouting.  There is only one inevitable result for a dog fixated on catching cars, trucks, and other vehicles.  In the end, one of those will catch him; another “farm dog” lost.  And our “Boss” didn’t think that was so funny.

I yelled at the kid again, “Come on, Man, come get your dog!”.  The older brother gestured to his younger sibling, and the kid meandered over to the road, jumping in front of the truck to chase his dog into the field.  He then hollered at us “Get Going!”.  The vaunted “LPR Team” now taking orders from a ten year-old.  

I pulled ahead, slowly.  I was trying to avoid flattening old farm dogs and young children.  Then Don said, “You better get going”.  He, ‘Ol Farm Dog, was racing across the field, a desperate move to keep ahead of us.  He didn’t want to lose his “catch”. 

Back Way Home

I punched it, and once we passed forty, the farm dog was left behind.  We spent the rest of the day trying to “spy out” the Husky, without success.  

Hours later, the quickest way back home was to take the county road to the highway, to the interstate in Indiana back to Ohio.  But I refused to go that way.  No more Mr. This Is My Road!!  I charted a course along the county roads, meandering our way across Ohio farmlands and through small towns until finally we got to the interstate.  More miles, more time, but anything was better than getting caught by an old farm dog again. 

Postscript 1:  The Husky is still at the farm.  The farmer’s wife has one of our trail cams in the dairy barn, and we know she’s there.  A team is headed back out soon.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Postscript 2:  Finding and returning lost dogs isn’t cheap.  LPR is a volunteer organization (and a 501-C3 charity). We’ve found thousands of lost dogs.  Most went back to their owners, but some are strays that end up in our rescue. If you’d like to help financially – we welcome donations.  That’s how we keep going. Here’s how to support LPR:

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