I never liked chihuahuas, or most small dogs. The ones I’ve met are untrained, pampered, snarling, annoying beasts.
I have a foster chihuahua named Bowzer here at the moment, and he is forcing me to reconsider my previously held prejudices.
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You see, he’s cute (the buggy eyes I could do without, but hey). He’s sweet. He’s tenacious, but he’s fairly well mannered for a 4 month old. He’s a huge snuggler, but he’s also an active player that can handle Elka and Milton quite well.
So, he’s not a snarling, annoying, aggressive beast. I also don’t coddle him. When we go somewhere, he walks on his own feet. If he’s in over his head with the dogs, he can go find a place to get away from them, the same way they do when they need a break; albeit easier since he fits under more items. He does not get picked up.
I don’t give into his every demand, and the same as if a big dog jumps on me, if he does I turn around and step away.
Ultimately, I think that all dogs can be trained to be “good dogs”. Approachable, sociable, well-mannered. But too many people see these tiny dogs as adornments to be carried in a purse and to be coddled. Being picked up every time something is “scary” reinforces that fear. Being given everything on demand leads to that infamous “small dog syndrome”.
So, I no longer hate chihuahuas. I still think that most small dogs are obnoxious little things - but it’s not about the breed. As always, it’s about the humans.
My herb and veggie garden is doing really well, surprisingly. I was fairly sure I’d kill everything quickly.
One item I thought was failing was the garlic - the leaves or whatever were browning. I yanked it to put a tomato plant there since it was failing then quickly replanted it. Why? Well, there was garlic underground! I know, I thought it was crazy too.
The veggies I haven’t succeeded with include cucumbers, green and red peppers, and tomatos. I re-planted those today into my planter where there was space, though potentially not enough space. I guess I’ll find out. I’m hoping that replanting will save these plants and make them grow.
Now, I haven’t eaten any of those - the green onions are ready to be eaten, and I could use some of the herbs for sure. I’ve never actually worked with fresh food that I had to pick out of the ground, so this is a learning experience for me. It’s really exciting to know that I’ve grown this food, that it comes from my garden, that it’s fresh, delicious, healthy, and that **I grew it**.
There are some things in CrossFit that I struggle with.
* Dizziness. Two identified reasons - changing height (going from down to up quickly) and exertion.
* Push ups. My butt tends to go up, I hate doing them from my knees.
* Lifts. I forget my core, my back rounds out.
* Overall form and technique.
About 2 years ago I tried out a Personal Trainer at L.A. Fitness. He was a nice guy. He took me from machine to machine, wrote down what I did, and cheered me on.
I gave up after about 8 sessions. I was bored. I didn’t understand what we were doing or why we were doing it (other than “overall fitness”). I didn’t see improvements.
With CrossFit, I see improvements, but there were areas, the ones listed above and some others, that I really wanted to troubleshoot. Pacific Personal Training/CrossFit Hillsboro recently had a Groupon and I grabbed the chance to try out a greatly reduced cost private session offering - 4 1-hour sessions with Rosemary.
I hadn’t been willing to pony up the dough for it beforehand; I knew Rosemary was totally awesome, but I didn’t see what private training would give me that CrossFit wasn’t.
I can answer that question now. Rosemary has worked with me to figure out the dizziness and come up with modifications to achieve my goals. I now know how to avoid / handle the dizziness. I have modifications for push ups. I have a ton of exercises to help strengthen and remind me about my core. I’ve even learned that I lock my knees out when standing and that is likely causing my knee issues.
These training sessions differ greatly from CrossFit. The pace is slower, there is a lot (total) focus on form and technique. I can ask as many questions as I want, and I can really glean an understanding of what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and where I should feel the exercises when my form is correct. I really enjoy the slower, more focused pace. It almost feels like the “workout for the day off”. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a workout, a great one! But the focus is utterly different.
At this point, I think I’ll likely continue with the sessions. It depends on the troubleshooting, how much it sticks, and how my goals continue to evolve.
But I greatly look forward to the private training every week. Rosemary is completely awesome. All of the CFH team is completely awesome. I found a real treasure in this gym and the community. I am pretty sure that community is part and parcel of saving my life.