Janet and Rick Aluise

Back on April 29, I wrote about a complaint that was filed by Town Attorney Gene Duran against Janet Aluise for practicing law without a license.

This week Janet Aluise contacted me and told me that the Colorado Supreme Court had exonerated her in a letter to Town Attorney Gene Duran. (Click here to read the letter). I asked Ms. Aluise if she would be willing to answer a few questions. She graciously consented to an interview, which contains explosive new details about dirty politics in little Silt.

FTS:  The letter that exonerates you is dated October 14. That’s 6 months after Town Attorney Duran filed his complaint. I know you responded with a letter in the beginning of May, a letter that contained much of the same information in my April 29 article. What, if anything, has happened during that time?

JA:  In the six months since the original letter of investigation came in the mail, we have been waiting to hear what the state would do. We have spent approximately $4,000 in legal bills and had countless sleepless nights. My attorney, Chris McAnany told me that this was a criminal proceeding and that the upward penalty would be a felony and could include a hefty fine, although jail time was really remote. I have refused to take any of the three Silt projects that were offered me. I quit representing the Congregational Church, Lawrence Annexation, and another client that I don’t want to mention for fear of retribution on his project. God knows how much real money I have lost from clients. But I do know that the $4,000 was real and I didn’t have it.

FTS:  So, in essence, you had this anvil hanging over your head for 6 months. During this so-called “investigation”, were you ever contacted by anyone at the Colorado Supreme Court?

JA:  I was questioned about a month ago by Attorney Kim Ikeler from the Colorado Supreme Court. He asked for a meeting with my attorney, my previous client Cal Whitman, and myself.  However, I couldn’t afford to have my attorney present, so I showed up for the meeting without him.

Attorney Ikeler started going through an inch-thick ream of papers, line by line, asking who came up with the language in a particular line. Cal repeatedly told the attorney that the language was a conglomeration of words assembled after a meeting with Town staff. Cal stated that he believed all the changes were made by the town staff.

After about 30 minutes, I’d had enough. I asked for Cal to be excused to allow for a meeting between me and Ikeler. I was very forceful in reiterating Cal’s point that the town staff required us to make the changes to the document after the issues had been thoroughly discussed in the applicant/staff meetings. I assured Ikeler that the town refused to do those changes, even though they had an attorney on staff.

I said that because of the circumstances, I believed I had been set up to do the work, only to be turned in by the staff who had told me to do it. I told him there were very dirty politics in the town, going back to the time of my resignation and throughout the recall (with my husband running against the mayor), including harassment of our businesses. There was ample evidence that the town had told people not to hire me and had browbeaten clients into firing me so that they could negotiate without me. My business had certainly suffered to the point where I was practically doing no work at all.

By the way, Attorney McAnany now believes that the town set me up and railroaded me, which is not what he believed when I first consulted him.

FTS:  That’s chilling. It appears as though the town staff not only discouraged local applicants from hiring you, they wanted to put you out of business altogether, by ruining your reputation.

What you described sounds more like an interrogation rather than a meeting. Did Attorney Ikeler ever go into detail about Duran’s complaint? Did he explain why you were being questioned?

JA:  Ikeler shared with me that this complaint was very minor and didn’t know why I was so upset about it. I incredulously sputtered that the Town of Silt had indeed tried to ruin my life and my businesses, stealing from me the livelihood that put food on the table for my kids and a roof over our heads. He assured me that this type of complaint is very rare and that I was in the upper 1% of the complaints that he gets (150 per state per year) whereby the state determines that there is very little substance to the complaint, and it appears that the person accused honestly did not know that what he/she was doing was incorrect. 

Interestingly, the folder that held the documents Ikeler used was labeled “Aluise Deposition”. I angrily asked why I was being deposed without a court reporter (stenographer) and an ability to defend myself in such a manner. Ikeler laughed and said that his staff had inadvertently labeled the folder.

I questioned what type of a proceeding this was, and what was the penalty for such an “infraction”. Ikeler advised that it was just a question and answer meeting, and he would go back to the Supreme Court and give them the information he had gleaned. He stated this type of situation was neither criminal nor civil, and I would not be afforded a trial by jury. Instead a judge would listen to my arguments and impose fines and/or other penalties if he found me guilty.

I said I thought that was rather incestuous, in that an attorney had turned me in, an attorney had investigated me, and an attorney would determine my fate. I was very angry and said I didn’t think he had a case in the least and even my constitutional right of a fair hearing with a jury of my peers was being infringed upon. He smirked throughout the entire meeting and repeated that I was simply making too much of this whole situation.

I said what he was doing was wholly unacceptable and I intended to protect my rights, including bringing those ten attorneys to the “trial” at the Colorado Supreme Court, to explain why they did not look at what I did as wrong. I argued that I had just as much right to put words on a paper, especially since I never told my client that I was giving legal advice, and in effect, no contract was ever signed. 

Again he asked me to go through the inch-thick ream of papers and mark which words were “mine”. I refused, adding that this whole affair had impacted my health and I just wasn’t up for it. I asked him what the Colorado Supreme Court website meant when it said that land use planners could represent applicants in public hearings and public proceedings. He replied that it meant I had the right to talk to boards in board meetings.  I said that was ridiculous, since I was already afforded that right by the constitution as in freedom of speech. 

FTS:  The problem I see as I read the letter, is that it doesn’t completely exonerate you. In the letter, Attorney John Gleason says: “After review of your request for investigation, we conclude that conduct by Ms. Aluise does not pose a present danger to the People of the State of Colorado and does not warrant proceedings to enjoin Ms. Aluise from further unauthorized practice of law. She has closed her consulting business and does not intend to resume work as a planner.”

Gleason’s wording implies that while you were working as a consultant you were committing the unauthorized practice of law because he says: “does not warrant proceedings to enjoin Ms. Aluise from FURTHER [my emphasis] unauthorized practice of law”. So Gleason seems to be saying that they are dropping the investigation because you have closed your consulting business – implying that the business caused you to commit the unauthorized practice of law. How do you interpret that second paragraph in the letter?

JA:  I never told Ikeler that I had closed my business or that I would not resume work in the future. I said I had no present intention of working in the Town of Silt because it is a dirty town.

Ikeler stated that he had some idea the town was dirty, and agreed that this type of thing happened in a small town. I argued that if there was not sufficient evidence to investigate me, then why the investigation. Again a smirk – with no answer.

Ikeler summed up with a list of three things that could happen: 1) I could be found not guilty and exonerated of all “charges”; or 2) I could be found to be guilty of the charge, and the judge could fine me; or 3) The Colorado Supreme Court could make an agreement with me, with a strong admonition to not “practice” law in the future, and the agreement would sit in the Colorado Supreme Court until I died. 

I questioned what that last condition meant, because it seemed to fly in the face of reason to me. I was very concerned that it could prevent me from getting a state or federal job in the future – or county or municipal job for that matter.

He smirked and said it was possible that any application for municipal, county, state or federal job could flag the state records and I might be denied employment.

Because my emotions were high on the day of the interview, I think the Colorado Supreme Court thought they had me over a barrel. They decided to cut bait, since they had no case anyway. But they wanted to admonish me and exonerate me at the same time. They wanted to give Duran the idea that they had done their “thing”.

What you gleaned from this is true. Closing my business is what the town wanted, and it would not surprise me if Ikeler or Gleason called Duran and they concocted this language. The Colorado Supreme Court does not want anyone touching what they deem to be “legal” documents, because it takes money out of attorneys’ pockets. It looks to me as though they seem to be in the business of drumming up business for attorneys. My attorney certainly benefited.

The language they used in the letter indicates that they believe I was doing something wrong. But they thought I had been repentant and therefore they decided to be magnanimous. I can’t change their opinion of that interview, but the written information I submitted directly conflicts with the statements in the exoneration letter.

FTS:  Well then, if that’s the implication – that you were committing the unauthorized practice of law but you closed your business so you’re not doing that bad thing anymore – then what about the Town of Silt policy? What about what Gale Carmoney does as the Town Planner? Isn’t he also practicing law without license?

JA:  I stated to Ikeler that I had been forced to do the same type of work they are accusing me of (altering ADAs, SIAs, IAs, etc) as a condition of my employment with the town. During that time I had worked with countless attorneys (I named 10 prominent attorneys) and none of them had told me I was doing something wrong. I questioned why Duran, if he was so concerned with clients’ well-being, had not told me to cease and desist when he found I was doing alterations to the documents.

I asked him, what is so different about Gale Carmoney’s legal document alterations? Ikeler responded that the state had not received a complaint on Carmoney. Besides, the town has governmental immunity. 

FTS:  I know this hasn’t been easy so we’ll leave it there, Janet. Thank you for taking the time to share the details of your ordeal.

Janet Aluise’s situation is a sickening example of how professional women are treated in the business world, not only at the local level but upwards at the state level. It’s more than disturbing to learn that our tax dollars go to pay high salaries to the likes of Town Attorney Gene Duran who spends his time filing frivolous, baseless complaints, and an attorney for the Colorado Supreme Court who wastes even more time and money pursuing a complaint he admitted was minor. As the details have unfolded over these many months, Duran’s complaint has been exposed for what it is – harassment of a professional businesswoman which has ultimately driven business away from the town.

That Aluise has never been allowed to defend herself on the record against Attorney Duran’s complaint is a gross injustice. Instead, after a private meeting, the Colorado Supreme Court has made it seem as though she’s guilty of practicing law without a license, even though she has proven her innocence. And she is left with no recourse to repudiate the accusations and presumptions, other than to sue the town.

Where does Janet Aluise go to get back her reputation?

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In a 1968 speech Eldridge Cleaver, author of Soul on Ice, 60s activist, and former minister of information for the Black Panther Party said: “What we’re saying today is that you’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.” In the 80s, Cleaver saw the light and became a conservative Republican and Reagan supporter, which just goes to show that the real measure of success means becoming part of the problem and not part of the solution.

These days the Silt town staff proudly upholds that old conservative tradition. For instance, this week the town’s EMS Director Susie Taylor resigned.

Director of Silt-based West Care ambulance quits
Sudden move throws ‘transition’ into turmoil

SILT, Colorado — A plan to merge a Silt-based ambulance service with the Burning Mountains Fire Protection District hit a substantial snag Monday night when the longtime director of the ambulance service resigned without notice.

Susan Taylor, who has been since 1993 in various capacities with the ambulance service now known as West Care, made the sudden announcement at the Silt Board of Trustees meeting …

… in her announcement, Taylor accused Silt’s town administrator, Betsy Suerth, of having “censored” Taylor’s efforts to talk directly to members of the Silt Board of Trustees and the fire district.

She also accused Suerth of resorting to “intimidation” to force Taylor to prevent her ambulance employees from speaking directly to the same officials, in an apparent attempt to affect the terms of the merger.

Taylor said that at one time, after two ambulance workers addressed a meeting about the merger in New Castle, Suerth told her “I needed to control my staff better, [or] I would be fired.”

Taylor’s claims were supported by several West Care employees, and she said she was resigning because “I can no longer tolerate … the abusive administrative tactics or the hostile work environment” that she claimed Suerth had created for her …

…“The leadership of West Care is, in effect, defecting to Transcare,” Duran declared at one point …

It’s not so hard to understand why Town Administrator Betsy Suerth and Town Attorney Gene Duran would be upset with Taylor. Look at all the effort she put into that whole ambulance and fire department merger. She not only looked for a solution, she actually found one. It’s no wonder Betsy was abusive and threatened her. No one asked Taylor to take the initiative and solve this problem. Her job was to focus on the problem – not DO something about it. She was supposed to sit around and whine and bitch about it like everyone else on the town staff. 

Then there’s that busybody Tod Tibbetts who also showed up at Monday’s meeting to present some of the details of the Transcare proposal. Come to find out he has been working on the ambulance and fire department merger for over a year. Who does this dude think he is anyway? He resigned from the Board last spring. Why does he keep sticking his nose in town problems? Well the Board members weren’t having any part of his and Suzie’s solutions. His proposal was met with skepticism and cool indifference. They showed him they are committed to being part of the problem, and not some silly solution.

Then on Wednesday the Rockies got hit with a raging snowstorm that quickly turned into a weather emergency. Heavy snow fell at the rate of about an inch an hour in Silt with accumulations of 8-10 inches during the day. Suddenly the town was flush with all kinds of new problems. Hundreds of falling tree limbs and branches created plenty of chaos. Willow branches fell onto the power line a half block away and knocked out my power for 4 hours. When the power came back on I checked my email and found this message from the town in my inbox:

To all Town of Silt Citizens:

With this heavy snow, there have been a number of trees that have fallen or have broken limbs. Here is some information and tips:

• Please report any blocked roads to the Town at 876-2353. After hours call dispatch at 625-8095.

• Residents are responsible for removal of their own trees.

• Do not park or stand beneath snow-laden trees.

• Remove snow from branches if possible to do in a safe manner.

• Do not attempt to remove trees from power lines; please call Xcel Energy at 800-895-4999

• Note that Xcel Energy is prioritizing their services: Those without power will be addressed first: other issues will be taken care of after power outages are restored.

• The Police Department asks that you please slow down, drive safely and lock your vehicles!

After a day filled with falling trees, no electricity, my fussy grandson, and those fracking battery backups shrieking at me I was dangling by my last frazzled nerve. I understood exactly how those folks at the town hall felt. I bet people were calling them and asking for help all day long.

“Trees are falling on my house.”

“My power is off.”

“Can somebody help me?”

Wah-wah-wah.

The town staff had every right to shoot out a snotty email. After all they’re in the midst of a big budget crisis. People have no right to expect the town to help them solve their problems during a weather emergency. Instead people ought to be out there pitching in to help the staff.

Stop your whining people. Get out there and knock that snow off the trees so they don’t fall over and block the streets. And clean up all those branches on the ground while you’re at it. The town’s a damn mess.

The next thing you know people will expect the town to produce solutions to their problems in the way of services, like offering to pick up those limbs and branches and actually haul them away. Or even provide some place where people can take the debris once they clean it up.

Instead the town’s crackerjack staff got out ahead of the situation with an email that spelled out the problems so people wouldn’t get their hopes up and start expecting solutions.

In a bad economy people need to buck up and face reality. The town staff doesn’t give a rat’s ass about them. 

Let’s face it, people are lucky the staff even answered the phone for them on Wednesday. If that storm had happened on “Furlough Friday” the town hall would have been closed and there would have been no one to whine to. 

And that’s one more way the town staff is determined to be part of the problem. They created even more problems, like closing the town hall and cutting the hourly wage workers hours and pay while giving the salaried employees like Town Administrator Betsy Suerth, Town Attorney Gene Duran, and Town Planner Gale Carmoney a 3-day weekend with pay twice a month.

Thank goodness the staff is staying focused on the problems. Otherwise the people might come up with their own solution to the big budget crisis.

Fire the town staff.

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Tired of the high cost of skiing?

Downhill skiing has become an expensive habit for us locals over the past several years with the cost of lift tickets and ski passes rising steadily. We had hoped with the recession and skier numbers declining, the ski resorts would at least not increase their pass rates. We were so wrong.

Aspen Ski Co raised the rates on all their passes and eliminated the 2-day a week pass. They added a new Escape Pass that I can’t even get my mind around. They want me to pay them $299 so that I can pay $49 for a lift ticket. I usually buy the Classic Pass which was $269 for 7 days last year. Extra days were $59. This year it’s $249 for 5 days with extra days possibly up to $79. No free days and no friend discounts. Ouch.

Sunlight Mountain raised their season pass rates this year but their daily lift ticket will stay the same at $50/day. The problem with Sunlight is their old, slow lifts don’t have foot rests which is hard on the knees.

The Colorado Pass is probably the best deal at $459 (up from $439 last year) which includes unlimited, unrestricted skiing at  Keystone, Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin. Pass holders also get 10 restricted days at Vail and Beaver Creek, plus friend discounts. But all those ski areas are at least 1½ to 2 hours away.

The high cost of lift tickets means I spend fewer days on the slopes each year. But I ski more days than ever thanks to the West Elk cross country ski trail. Cross country skiing is low cost winter recreation for all ages and dogs are allowed.

The West Elk ski trail is the best kept winter secret in Garfield County. It is a 3-loop winter trail system, which is approximately 10 miles in length, starting on Forest Road 819 just off the Buford Road, 16 miles north of New Castle.

This year Tod and I took over management of the West Elk Multi-Use Club (WEMUC). Tod is the new Executive Director and I am the Secretary/Treasurer. We currently have about 60 members and are hoping to grow our membership this year through community outreach and word-of-mouth.

This week was a banner week for the club. We won the support of the Garfield County Commissioners in the way of much needed funding and some great publicity.

Winter trail system wins Garfield County commissioners’ support
Multi-use club secures $4,000 for operating expenses
John Colson

A group of volunteers, after creating and maintaining what one man called “‘the best kept winter secret’ in Garfield County,” now enjoys public support after a meeting with the Board of County Commissioners this week.

The “secret” is a small cross-country skiing trail system in western Garfield County, which has been in existence since 2002 but has had a low public profile, according to Todd Tibbetts, executive director of the West-Elk Multi-Use Club.

County commissioners Trési Houpt and John Martin (Mike Samson was absent) agreed to put $4,000 into the county budget to help defray the operating costs of the club, and to assist in the purchase of trail-grooming equipment …

For the past 7 years we have relied on donations from our members. Our $15 voluntary annual membership fee is the same as it was 7 years ago.

If you’re in the market for low cost winter recreation you’ve just found it. Doesn’t this look like fun?

For more information check out the WEMUC blog.

Interested in joining? Send an email to: peggyt@siltnet.net

West Elk Ski Trail Map (click on the map for a printable version)

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Bloggers have been feeling picked on lately and with good reason. There was the new FTC ruling that bloggers who receive free products or compensation for products they review and/or endorse on their blogs must make full disclosure or they will be subject to a hefty fine.

Wait a minute. Are there actually bloggers who are making money on the internets? Really? Where do I sign up?

Then an anonymous White House advisor said “bloggers need to take off their pajamas, get dressed and realize that governing a closely-divided country is complicated and difficult”.

All of which makes me wonder whether people who work for the federal government are required to surrender a part of their brains – as in the thinking part.

This blog is my personal blog. My other blog, Advice from a Caterpillar is my professional blog. Occasionally on this blog I post book reviews. I often post book reviews on my Caterpillar blog. Those same book reviews are also published at Bookideas.com, Midwest Book Review, and Amazon. I am never paid for my reviews but I do receive free books – lots and lots of free books. If I reviewed every book sent to me I would never sleep or eat. Therefore I must pick and choose the books I review.

So – under the FTC ruling – does this make me guilty of the sin of advertising?

I set out on the internets to find the answer to that question. I began by posting to a couple writers’ listservs in hopes of opening up a discussion. But as we’ve learned from the great health care debate we don’t have discussions in this country anymore. Most people either want to argue or have no opinion. What I gleaned from my efforts was some people felt that book reviews are indeed advertisements and should be accompanied by a disclaimer. Others felt book reviewers should be exempt from the ruling.

In a recent interview with FTC’s Richard Cleland, blogger Ed Champion attempted to clarify the ruling. However Cleland’s attitude toward book reviewers was totally out to lunch. About the whole free books thing he said, “You review it and return it” because if you keep it then it’s “compensation”. But that’s just plain dumb. Publishers don’t want reviewers to send the books back. And only an idiot would pay the postage to return books that she reviewed for no pay. Come to think of it, only an idiot would review books for free. Cleland’s rationale was “If a blogger received enough books he could open up a used bookstore.” Has this dude been to a used bookstore lately? At 50 cents each, the stack of free books I have on hand would be worth a whopping $10.50.

After reading several more articles and opinions I discovered there are as many interpretations of the FTC ruling floating around as there are versions of the health care reform bill. No wonder we can’t get anything done in this country anymore.

So what do I do with all my free books – or as the FTC refers to them “compensation”? I donate them to libraries, give them away to friends, or keep them.

Liz Burton of Zumaya Publications (home of The Road to Weird – yes that’s a shameless plug for my book – makes a great gift for Halloween) said that because my reviews are published elsewhere online, that technically makes them reprints on my blog, which would mean I probably don’t need to post a disclaimer.

Then I read Kay Day’s Web Savvy column for The Writer magazine and she said essentially that it’s better to be safe than sorry and bloggers should post disclaimers.

This week an article in The Wall Street Journal stated:

The Federal Trade Commission doesn’t intend to bring individual cases against bloggers or tweeters who accept cash or gifts to tout a company’s products or services, an FTC official said Wednesday.

“We are not planning on investigating individual bloggers,” said Mary Engle, associate director for advertising practices at the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

And no, there won’t be any hefty fines levied against bloggers Apparently that was a nasty rumor they blamed on – you guessed it – bloggers.

So what is the answer to my question?

I don’t know. I forgot what the question was.

Let’s try a different question.

Should I put a disclaimer on my blogs?

Since I don’t consider myself a salesman or advertiser, the answer is no. If I want to cover my ass, the answer is yes. But the White House wants me to take off my pajamas.

Let me get this straight. I should take off my pajamas and put on my disclaimer.

To hell with it. I’ll just blog naked.

*Disclaimer: This is not an ad but if you would like to buy this T-shirt click here

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During the summer I read almost all of Jon Katz’s dog books. He has Labs and Border Collies. One crazy Border Collie in particular, Orson changed his life forever. Even though Border Collies are not the same as Akbash, I definitely related to his struggles with Orson because they so closely resembled our struggles with Venus.

Katz even took Orson to a sort of sheepherding school where they learned with actual sheep how to herd them. Eventually Katz bought a farm and his own herd of sheep and well, you’ll have to read his books to find out what happened.

Several months ago an acquaintance, who knows a thing or two about dogs and upon hearing about Venus’s mental condition, suggested that I should locate a sheep rancher who would let me and Venus spend some time with a herd of sheep. I thought that sounded like a risky proposition. What rancher in his right mind would let an unstable, unpredictable Akbash near his sheep? And, since we don’t have any sheepherding schools around here, I decided that herding sheep was not necessarily the key to her sanity. Nor did it turn out to be the key to Orson’s sanity as I learned from Katz’s book, A Good Dog: The Story of Orson. Besides, Venus has her own little surrogate flock of kitties.

For the past several weeks we’ve been taking the dogs up to the West Elk Trail to let them run wild before the rifle stage of hunting season began. On September 26 she went up alone with Tod and followed him on his bike. I stayed home and made salsa. Zeus stayed with me because he can’t keep up with the bike. Tod and Venus came across some cattle on the trail. He said she barked at them but when he told her, “Good girl, leave it” she backed off and didn’t bother them anymore.

We bought an old Jeep CJ5 in August. The dogs love it because it’s open like a convertible and takes us into the back country. We wanted to do some trail maintenance to prepare for the ski season and we needed to get it done before hunting season. So we took the dogs in the CJ and headed up to the trail on October 3.

Because there were a few hunters around setting up encampments, we tied a blaze orange scarf around Venus’s neck and Zeus wore a blaze orange vest. We weren’t taking any chances. Tod brought his chainsaw for clearing fallen trees, so he drove around the trail while the dogs and I hiked in the opposite direction. I cleared limbs and brush strewn across the trail. 

About halfway through, as we climbed out of a gully, Venus’s nose hit the ground and she took off uphill like a bullet. Zeus followed her. I heard bells – tinkling bells.

“Oh crap,” I muttered. “Sheep.”

I couldn’t see the sheep but I knew they must be on top of the hill. I called the dogs but they were not in listening mode. I heard Venus bark once. I also heard a smattering of “baahs”. I just kept walking and figured I’d assess the situation once I reached the crest.

Zeus reappeared about a hundred yards ahead. Looking slightly frantic he made eye contact with me then began galloping in circles as his tail spun around like a helicopter blade. Wearing his blaze orange vest he looked so ridiculous I couldn’t help but laugh at him. I assumed he had made an effort to control whatever the situation was on top of the hill that I still couldn’t see and had failed miserably then slipped into worry mode. Zeus knows nothing about sheep and has no herding instincts whatsoever.

“Come on back Zeus,” I called.

He just kept running in circles with his tail rotating wildly which was a good thing because laughing at him helped me remain calm. Venus has never attacked or harmed another species so it was pointless to panic.

On the hilltop I saw the herd huddled together at the edge of the woods. There must have been about 75-80 sheep. But I couldn’t see Venus. I called her name – still no sign of her. Zeus ran toward the sheep. Bleating and squealing they scattered in all directions. I was reminded of the movie Babe where the anthropomorphic sheep cried “Wolf! Wolf!” whenever Fly ran at them. They probably thought he was a wolf and panicked. I called him off and he obediently retreated. 

That’s when I saw Venus. She flew around from the back of the herd then she cut to the front. Even though we had not gone to sheepherding school I had learned quite a lot about sheepherding from Katz’s books. Venus made all the right moves. In less than a minute she had all the sheep back together in a tight circle at the edge of the woods and held them there.

“Good girl. Leave it,” I called. “Good girl. Hold.” I even tried, “That’ll do, that’ll do” like in the movie and felt a little silly. Somehow “bah ram ewe” didn’t seem appropriate for the situation.  

She was in another world. I don’t think she saw or heard me. She never made eye contact. Instead her eyes were glued to the herd, watching for stragglers. She kept them together, silently dashing back and forth. Working, working, working. With Venus in charge the sheep stayed calm and surprisingly quiet. I figured they were used to Akbash.

But Zeus scared the hell out of them. I decided it was best to keep him moving. They were safe with Venus and she was in sheepdog nirvana. I heard the chainsaw so I knew Tod was up ahead. Zeus and I met up with him and I explained what had happened and what Venus was busy doing. I knew he could entice her into chasing the CJ, which was exactly the way the adventure ended.

Afterward Venus was totally exhausted and completely calm. She vomited a couple times when we got home. I remembered Zeus’s bout with gastritis last winter and assumed a huge adrenalin rush on top of an empty stomach was the problem. I fed her half a can of chicken dog food and that settled her stomach. She was a little stiff for the rest of the day and slept it off.

I’m glad Venus had the opportunity to herd sheep. Her performance was nearly perfect considering she had never herded sheep before. I’m glad I got the chance to see her in action. I was amazed at her instinctive behavior. Most of all I’m glad nobody got hurt.

Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.

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Self esteem is as important to dogs as it is to humans. It’s so important I’m willing to bet that 99% of the dogs in shelters have self esteem issues.

Venus does. Zeus doesn’t. We’ve had Zeus since he was 7 weeks old. All his life he has heard the words “good puppy”, “good boy”, “good dog”, “good Zeus”. He knows he’s good. I’m pretty sure when Venus was a puppy she heard the words “bad dog” a lot. By the time she came to live with us at 10 months old she was convinced of her badness.

This past summer we learned that in order to reduce her anxiety we have to satisfy the Akbash in her and let her run wild, in spite of the risks. It has been working quite well. With the increase in Clomipramine and the running wild once a week she reached a new level of calm. I wondered if it would be possible to keep her from becoming anxious, to anticipate her anxiety before it escalates. That meant I had to pay closer attention to the triggers. What makes Venus anxious?

The past couple months have brought on some challenges for Venus as well as opportunities for me to address her anxiety. In mid August, school started and our schedule changed. During the summer I babysat Hailey and Bodi 3 mornings a week. Now I babysit Bodi 3 afternoons a week and Hailey comes here every day after school. Venus adjusted easily to the change with little more than a hiccup. She noticed – of course – then adapted.

We live a block and a half from Cactus Valley Elementary so there’s a parade of kids walking, biking, and scootering to and from school. Venus started barking more, a sure sign her anxiety level was increasing. I decided to try something new. Instead of telling her to stop barking and be quiet, in other words focusing on the barking, I went out on the porch and praised her. “Good girl,” I said repeatedly. She stopped barking. After about a week of consistent praise her barking gradually diminished.

Admittedly I had a “well duh” moment over the whole “good girl” thing. I’m not sure why it took me so long to figure out that Venus responds best to praise. Perhaps I was just too focused on training. Or maybe I’m just a stupid human. Whatever the case, I started saying “good girl” when I wanted her to do anything. “Good girl. Sit.” “Good girl. Come.” “Good girl. Leave it.” “Good girl. Hold.” I use the “hold” command when she’s on leash and wants to chase another dog, or cat, or kids on bikes.

The next challenge was Lake Powell. During our trip in June we didn’t understand that Venus was regressing. She acted anxious and obsessive while we were there and then attacked Zeus the day after we came home. We knew Venus had calmed down over the summer. But I needed to see the contrast. Would the truce the dogs made at Trappers Lake hold? Or would a trip to Lake Powell cause another regression?

Labor Day weekend we took Hailey and the dogs back to Lake Powell. We kept up the praise technique, never scolding, always telling her she’s a good girl. The change in Venus was evident from the start. She had to ride in the camper again but this time showed no anxiety because we kept saying, “Good girl.” Instead of feeling like she was missing something by not riding in the pickup, she felt special.

After we set up camp the first evening we took the dogs down to Hobie Cat Beach for a swim. The dogs rode in the backseat of the pickup with Hailey. On the way, a coyote crossed the road in front of us. Tod stopped. The coyote halted about 20 feet away and stared at Zeus and Venus. I held my breath. The window was open. Venus and Zeus sat side-by-side and stared back at him. They didn’t bark. They didn’t try to jump out. They sat perfectly still. Eventually he trotted off and they watched spellbound until he disappeared over the desert berm.

He made quite an impression on Venus. At the beach instead of bounding into the water like she usually does, Venus put her nose to the ground and took off. I wondered if she would try to track the coyote so I kept an eye on her. She ran back and forth and up and down the beach, nose down. We soon realized she was setting up a safety perimeter. She barked at 3 women and herded them onto their beached boat, much to their chagrin. She meant no harm. She was simply warning them and protecting everyone on the beach from what she perceived as a threat – the coyote.

All 3 nights the coyotes were active on the ridge above our campsite, howling and barking. Venus and Zeus listened quietly but remained alert. Even though they were supposed to be leashed at all times, we allowed them to establish a perimeter of pee around our campsite because that’s what dogs do. It really helped Venus control her anxiety.

Last June she had spent her days obsessively chasing lizards. She hardly swam. This time around she chased lizards a little bit, but she also swam a lot, chased sticks and balls, explored and played with Hailey and Zeus. The contrast was amazing. She acted like a normal dog.

In the campground she wasn’t even bothered by the other campers. A large group arrived at 12:30 a.m. on Saturday and noisily set up camp until 2:30 a.m. Engines roared, car alarms went off, headlights shone in our camper, loud voices talked and laughed. During all the commotion Venus barked once. She was so friendly that on Saturday evening she even happily greeted the Park Ranger as he scolded me for not having her leashed.

When it came time to head home on Sunday, the camper temp was 91 degrees, too hot for her to ride comfortably, and we knew it would only get hotter on the drive. So she had to ride in the backseat with Zeus and Hailey. Luckily our pickup’s backseat folds down into a nice roomy flat area for the dogs to ride. And there’s a single jump seat for Hailey, but that makes the dog area much less roomy. In fact it was pretty cramped for the 2 dogs. Neither of them could stretch out like they usually do. We made several stops so they could take a break and stretch their legs. They persevered without any snarling or snapping. Whenever Venus became restless I repeated the mantra, “Good girl” and she settled down.

Lake Powell redux turned out to be a huge success. For us it was like an obedience trial and Venus won a blue ribbon. The downside is we had so much fun playing with Hailey and the dogs, we totally forgot to take photos – doh!

The next, even bigger challenge for Venus came in mid-September. Tod spent 9 days traveling. That meant just me and the dogs at home, and no running wild for 2 weeks. Zeus is accustomed to Tod’s wacky schedule and takes it in stride. Even though Venus has been with us for more than 3 years and during that time Tod has always traveled, whenever his suitcase appears her anxiety increases. This time I started out by reassuring her. “Good girl.” I repeated it over and over during his absence. I muttered it in my sleep. She never tired of hearing it. She always responded positively. I allowed her to sleep outside at night to satisfy her guardian instinct. The 9 days flew by without any problems.

And how does Zeus react to all that “good girl” nonsense? He doesn’t. He knows he’s a good girl.

The peace they forged at Trappers Lake has held fast for almost 2 months – through changes in routine, a Lake Powell trip, Tod’s absence, thunderstorms, loud bangs, and close quarters. So how do I keep Venus’s anxiety from escalating? I say, “Good girl”. She responds with a goofy grin, remains calm, and does whatever she’s told.

Works like magic.
 
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Banned Books Week is September 26 – October 3. The kick-off ceremony, Banned Books Week Readout will be held in Chicago’s historic Bughouse Square. Chris Crutcher will host the event. His novel, Running Loose is on the list of the 100 Most Challenged Books of 1990-1999.

Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2008
Out of 513 challenges as reported to the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom

 1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Reasons: anti-ethnic, anti-family, homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group

 2. His Dark Materials trilogy, by Philip Pullman
Reasons: political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, and violence

 3. ttyl;  ttfn;  l8r, g8r (Internet Girls series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

 4. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
Reasons: occult/satanism, religious viewpoint, and violence

 5. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
Reasons: occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit, and violence

 6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
 
 7. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

 8. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, by Sarah S. Brannen
Reasons: homosexuality and unsuited to age group

 9. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

10. Flashcards of My Life, by Charise Mericle Harper
Reasons: sexually explicit and unsuited to age group

Six of the authors from this list will read from their work and discuss censorship: Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Lauren Myracle, Sarah S. Brannen, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Stephen Chbosky.

The following books were banned in Colorado during the last 2 years:

2008 – Sarah Brannen’s Uncle Bobby’s Wedding was challenged at the Douglas County Libraries in Castle Rock, citing that because the book features two gay guinea pigs, it contained material inappropriate for young children.

2008 – Carolyn Mackler’s The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things was challenged at a Colorado Springs middle school library. A teacher reported that this book was ultimately removed.

2007 – Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass was pulled from shelves at Ortega Middle School library in Alamosa, for what critics regard as the book’s anti-religious views. District officials later returned the book to circulation.

There is some good news from the censorship battlefront. The Russian Education Ministry announced this month that excerpts of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago will be required reading for students. Published in 1973, the book was immediately banned in the Soviet Union and Solzhenitsyn was exiled from his native country.

Censorship rears its ugly head in many ways. In Silt we laugh about all the fuss over a statue, but that is censorship. Commemorating Banned Books Week is an opportunity to pause and pay closer attention to all forms of censorship around us. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression are all affected by censorship. I can’t imagine anything worse than a world where everyone agrees on everything. Contrast and diversity make life much more interesting. Although we could do with heaps more tolerance and acceptance.

The best way to support Banned Books Week is to read a banned book. Challenge yourself. Choose a book that you assume you won’t like, or one that you’ve heard rumors about and decided not to read. Open your mind. For lists of banned books go to the ALA’s Frequently Challenged Books.

For more ideas to support Banned Books Week go to What You Can Do.

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It all started back on August 24 at the SiltBOTs meeting. Forest Gump – er – Jacobs complained about the ass crack on the naked climber. Bobby Hayes suggested painting some pants on the figure. I wrote about it in my blog and said this is why we can’t have nice things in Silt.

Heidi Rice at The Paper picked up the story and ran with it:

Silt resident would prefer sculpture if there were no butts about it

In her article, we learned that Forest is a plumber. Yes, that’s right. He’s a plumber. And he’s complaining about an ass crack. Actually now that I’ve seen him on the TV, I understand how the irony might be lost on him. What is it with the plumbers these days anyway?

Then the MSM picked up on the story and Silt made national news over the Labor Day weekend because there’s nothing else going on in the world – and it was a story about an ass crack.

The day after Labor Day some wily prankster stuck a pair of board shorts over the climber’s ass crack. Somewhere Beavis and Butthead were cracking up.

Forest made a return appearance as the ass hat during the comedy portion of Monday’s (9/14) SiltBOTs meeting – otherwise known as Public Comments. The result was reality TV at its finest. Way better than an episode of say, There Goes the Neighborhood

Forest cracked a smile and told the SiltBOTs he was there to talk about the crack in the statue and how the kids are cracking jokes about it and whenever he talks to the folks about it they crack up. So I thought, okay this guy’s a crack pot. He’s just milking his 30 seconds of fame.

I wondered if he was the one who put the shorts on the climber last week. But he quickly disavowed any connection with the “bikini” incident as he referred to it. I guess anyone who is that upset about the ass crack on a concrete human figure and calls knee-length board shorts a “bikini” is probably dealing with a serious skin exposure phobia. Come to think of it, he was wearing long pants and a long sleeve shirt on a fairly warm evening. Anyway he said he didn’t think putting a “bikini” on the climber was an appropriate way to solve “the problem” – of the ass crack.

And why is the ass crack a “problem”?

In the world according to Forest “something like that belongs in a museum and not in the middle of town on a state highway for the whole world to see”. He said it’s “embarrassing” and he wants the statue taken down. He said he asked them to do something about it at the last meeting and they didn’t. So if they won’t do what he wants he’s going to get a petition going. “I’ll take it to the county and I’ll even take it all the way to the state,” he said.

Mayor Dave explained how the statue came to be in the roundabout. There was a committee of community members. The whole thing was widely publicized and open to the public. The committee selected the statue based on the artist’s model, which the Board approved. The naked climber wasn’t evident on the model. It had apparently slipped through the crack.

But that was the crack in their story that Forest was looking for and he jumped right on it. He claimed that showed the SiltBOTs didn’t know what they were getting into and they should admit their mistake and do the right thing. “Take down the statue and start over,” he said. Not “I think” or “in my opinion”. He issued an order. And he doesn’t give a rat’s ass what anyone else thinks. Too bad he didn’t apply for the open trustee position. He’d fit right in.

Then he started whining about the children. Won’t somebody please think of the children? He made a half-assed attempt to lump together “our responsibility as parents and grandparents for our children’s future” with the statue. Is our kids in danger of falling through the ass crack?

Bobby Hayes was the only SiltBOT with his head up the ass crack. He called it “pornography” and he said he wanted the statue covered up until they figure out what to do about it. Which begs the question – what did Bobby know about the board shorts and when did he know it?

Mayor Dave cracked down and said there would be no action taken at the meeting and he and Bobby ended up bickering at each other.

If that wasn’t enough to crack me up, next up was Jennifer-I-can’t-remember-her-last-name. Her issue was RFTA and why doesn’t Silt support them because we are in danger of losing bus service and that’s how she gets to work. Betsy said the SiltBOTs and the staff do support RFTA but the voters have voted down a tiny tax increase – $10/registered vehicle – twice. A heated discussion ensued among the SiltBOTs and Jennifer asked, “Are you guys always this dysfunctional?”

“Yes,” said Nicky Leigh.

“This is televised,” Jennifer reminded them. “People are watching. And you especially.” She pointed to Bobby. “You really need to tone it down.” As she stood up she said, “I guess I’ll have to go to the county.” Then she left, sucking the last breath of fresh air out of the room with her.

Jennifer-I-can’t-remember-your-last-name so I’ll just call you Jennifer the bus rider, you are hero of the month for cracking open a can of whup-ass.

Butt — but we can’t be bothered with a silly little thing like bus service for working people when OUR ASS CRACK IS SHOWING.

In this wacky upside down world along with the birthers and the tenthers, in dysfunctional Silt we have the ass-crackers.

So the burning question is – which side of the ass crack are you on?

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Do dogs love each other?

Some experts believe all animals form bonds with other animals but that bonding has more to do with companionship rather than love. Other experts believe animals do love. Whether that love is based on need, devotion, or companionship, it is certainly love.

I’ve loved and raised enough animals in my life to have witnessed real love between them. My Himalayan, Rosie was devoted to her beloved mate Fred and lasted only a year after he died. She slept in his bed and missed him terribly. My Golden Retriever Marley and his mate Jesse were inseparable and he was never the same after she died. I could go on forever with examples of real love between two animals.

Do Venus and Zeus love each other? There’s no doubt Venus loves Zeus. It is certainly a crazed, obsessive kind of love. But it is love. So the one true question has always been: Does Zeus love Venus?

The day he met her he was definitely smitten. He pranced around and flirted like a teenager. They played like puppies. We never tried to force their relationship. We hoped it would develop naturally. After a few months he grew impatient with her. She challenged his dominance. She didn’t play fair, grabbing his collar or biting his ears. She barked and threw toys and bones at him. We thought she was just squirrelly and she’d grow out of it. He made his own rules and set his own boundaries. She has often viciously disagreed. There’s no doubt in my mind that dogs have powerful energy sensors. I think way back then Zeus knew she was mad as a hatter.

They were getting along okay after her summer solstice meltdown. But it was just that – okay. Venus has gradually mellowed out, right on schedule. We have experience now, we know what to expect from Clomipramine. When she does become anxious she calms down easily. She’s only allowed to pay attention to Zeus with his permission. Every now and then she sneaks over and gives him a little lick on his nose or ear. Except we’ve learned the hard way that a lick can quickly turn into a chomp. One little lick is all she’s allowed.

Venus still demonstrably loves the big guy. It’s Zeus I’m not so sure about. He figured out the training game. He knows it’s up to him whether she can be near him. After her big meltdown last November, he was more involved in her training. This time around he has responded by tolerating her or ignoring her. They have played tag at Dogland a couple times but Zeus stopped it as quickly as it began. Was she too anxious? Did she get snippy? Or was he testing her? Knowing these dogs as well as I do, I suspect he was testing her.

Who can blame him? Life with the mentally ill has been described as walking on eggshells. Life with Venus often feels that way. If Tod and I feel it then Zeus feels it, too. But a) Venus didn’t attack me; and b) I’m not a dog. So I don’t know what Zeus is going through. I don’t know what he’s thinking. His behavior seemed to say, “I’m just not that into you.”

Caring people have asked me whether it’s fair to make Zeus live like this. We have wondered the same thing. So we treat Venus with Clomipramine and keep training her which makes life easier for Zeus – and us.

Last month in our continuing quest for new places to run wild, I said to Tod, “Let’s go somewhere we’ve never been before. I’ve always wanted to go to Trappers Lake.”

So on August 14 we packed up the camper, piled the dogs in the backseat of the pickup and headed north. We’ve never been there. My only excuse is that it’s easier to take two big dogs to places they’ve been before – especially Venus. They settle in faster and enjoy familiar surroundings. They know what to expect. After Venus flipped out during our Wisconsin trip last year, we haven’t exactly been eager to test her limits for new adventure.

We pulled a fast one on the dogs. We didn’t tell them where we were going. Then we waited for their reaction. Big fun. By the time we got to Meeker, they knew we weren’t taking an alternate route to Meadow Lake. They couldn’t sleep. They sat up and looked out the window. Nothing looked familiar. After we passed Buford, the road turned to gravel for the long ascent up to 9,900 feet. Venus pressed her nose and forehead into the glass as though willing something familiar to appear. Zeus paced back and forth. I turned around and gave him the eye. He plopped down next to my left shoulder and glared at me. He rolled his eyes toward the window and looked back at me with alarm.

“I got the message loud and clear,” I said to Tod. “Where the hell are we?”

We laughed but Zeus was not amused. He paced some more, which got Venus’s attention. He was visibly upset. Whenever his mood changes we have to distract her so she doesn’t fixate and snap at him. She stood up. I pulled rank and banished them to their corners like two unruly children.

“Enough already,” I barked. “Just chill. Everything’s okay. You’ll see.”

Seven years ago, July 19, 2002, a lightning strike ignited a wildfire near Big Fish Lake. The fire burned 41,000 acres between Big Fish and Trappers Lake. Thousands upon thousands of acres of charred dead trees stretch for more than ten miles like pillars of the devastation. Yet the mountainscape is no less spectacular. Chinese Wall, Flander, and Trappers Peak shine as pinnacles of nature’s powerful energy.

There were only a few campers so we had our choice of four campgrounds above the lake. As we drove through them the dogs drooled on the windows as they gobbled up the scenery. We wanted a view of the lake but the campsites are burrowed into a conifer forest. We had to get out and walk through them to find the right one. We ended up with a lake view, mountains view, and quick trail access to a quiet lagoon.

Heavenly view from our campsite

While we set up camp, Zeus was impatient and Venus was anxious. When we finally headed out for a hike we found a small lagoon right away. The dogs were thrilled. They ran down the trail and plunged into the water. Venus bounded into the marsh grass and rolled upside down. Zeus splashed around in the shallow water.

Lovely lagoon

We continued on another quarter mile to Trappers Lake where the dogs practically swooned. So did we.

Pristine Trappers Lake

Watching their freak flags unfurl was ecstatic. Tod and I shared a lot of laughs at how we’d fooled them. At the shoreline they seemed to get the joke because they each wiggled over and pressed against our legs. Big dog hugs. We hiked up the Carhart trail for about an hour until we reached the intersection of the Wall Lake trail. Talk about running wild. Zeus pranced from one pond to the next. Venus headed for the woods and shadowed us.

On that first hike on the first day we noticed a change in them.

“Happiness,” I said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen them this happy,” Tod said.

Throughout the weekend it felt as though we were watching a peace negotiation a la dog world. Zeus and Venus healed old wounds and forged a new bond right before our eyes. The Protestants and Catholics. The Capulets and Montagues. Though Zeus and Venus are hardly Romeo and Juliet. A tragic love story indeed, but more modern, like Mr.and Mrs. Smith. We documented their reconciliation in photos. We didn’t put them together or pose them deliberately. They are photos of spontaneous dog behavior.

Zeus and Venus spent both nights sharing the table bed

Early Saturday morning I rousted the lazy mooks and headed down to the lagoon. Venus figured out immediately where we were going and beat us there. When Zeus saw her standing in the water he raced downhill and plowed into her, which was totally uncharacteristic behavior for Mr. Smooth. Looking as startled as I was, Venus jumped backward. But she shrugged it off and engaged him in a chase through the tall grass. 

Zeus plopped down next to Venus as they waited for BBQ chicken

The wilderness around Trappers Lake is a maze of dozens of trailheads and intersections. No motorized vehicles or bikes allowed. Only hikers, horses, and dogs. Hikers paradise. But also many more interconnecting trails than the dogs are used to.

Ready for the wilderness

Venus got a little carried away with the whole running wild thing. On our Saturday hike, Tod and I had a brief discussion whether we would take the Carhart trail again or hike along Trappers Lake. He was thinking Carhart trail and I was thinking Trappers Lake. I won. About 5 minutes later we realized Venus was nowhere around. We stopped. We whistled and called but she didn’t appear. Tod headed back the way we came, wondering if she took off up the Carhart trail on her own. Sure enough another 5 minutes passed and she came trotting down that trail.

I don’t know if dogs can read people’s minds. All I know is that Tod was thinking about taking the Carhart trail when Venus took off, and that’s where he found her.

High level talks along the trail

On Sunday morning we hiked the same trail around the north end of the lake because the dogs loved it. When we reached a trail intersection Tod said, “This is the trail back to our campsite.”

“Let’s hike out to the bridge and back,” I said.

So we did. But after 10 minutes we noticed Venus was missing again. We thought maybe she’d gone ahead of us through the woods and would meet us at the bridge. No Venus at the bridge. On the way back to the trail intersection, I asked Zeus, “Where’s Venus?” He ignored me. Though a half hour had passed and still no Venus. We figured if she had gotten in any trouble she’d bark or howl.

“I bet she got her signals crossed like she did yesterday and took off on the trail back to our campsite,” Tod said.

As we headed that way I considered the alternatives if she wasn’t there. Tod could start packing up and I could hike the trail in reverse and look for her. Our phone number is printed on her collar. The lodge nearby has food in case we had to stay another day to look for her. 

At our campsite I glanced around nervously but I didn’t see her. I opened my mouth to describe my plan to Tod.

“There she is,” he said.

She crawled out from underneath the picnic table and grinned sheepishly. Tail thumping, she was relieved to see us. I stroked her and praised her for being such a smart dog. I noticed she was trembling which indicates fearfulness or anxiety. We didn’t have to tie her while we packed up. She stayed put. Perhaps she learned a lesson. Never can tell with her.

I couldn’t figure out why she didn’t track us on the trail. Tod thought the swirling wind combined with the maze of trails confused her. But I wasn’t so convinced. Tracking dogs use the wind to pick up scent. I suspected that the Clomipramine affected her sense of smell. I googled it when I got home and sure enough, in a 2007 University of France study the results “showed a significant decrease in olfactory sensitivity” in mice that were given Clomipramine. It’s such a bummer. I hate the whole side effects aspect of prescription drugs. But Venus is doing so well, especially with the increased dosage. I guess as side effects go, it’s not that bad. We can tell from her behavior she still has her sense of smell, evidently it’s just not as powerful as it would be without the drug. Now that we know we’ll pay more attention on hikes. Maybe she will, too.

Since the Trappers Lake weekend things have definitely changed at home between Zeus and Venus. The biggest and most noticeable change is the happiness. Zeus is happier. There’s a spring in his step as though a weight has been lifted off his back. He is less cautious around her. Venus smiles more. She is less fixated on Zeus, where he is and what he’s doing. If he’s in her way she woofs and he either moves or I step in and make him move. She doesn’t stare at him while he’s eating. They spend more time together. Zeus will actually walk over and choose to lie down near Venus. They rub up against each other when they’re walking. They act more comfortable with each other – and more playful.

Is this a lasting peace? Who can say? We’ve come this far before then watched it all unravel. I still don’t know if Zeus loves Venus. He definitely likes her. Seeing both of them so relaxed and happy is like a gift.

Read the Crazy Bitch series. Or click on the handy links provided on the left.

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A citizen complained to the SiltBOTs at Monday’s meeting (8/24) about the climber’s bare ass and the nude fisherman on the new roundabout statue. Bobby Hayes suggested painting the statue. See what I mean? This is why we can’t have nice things in Silt. I’m sure if the figures were women nobody would have a problem with their nakedness. Everyone I know thinks the statue is stunning and beautiful. Blaine Peters definitely exposed the essence of life here – in more ways than one. 

Read about the new statue at the Silt website.

Interview with artist Blaine Peters

Blaine Peters website

At that same meeting, and in violation of Silt Home Rule Charter, Section 2-6 (c), the SiltBOTs appointed former trustee Doug Williams to fill the seat vacated by Tod in April.

Section 2-6. Vacancies.
(c) Procedure to Fill Vacancy for Trustee Other Than the Mayor. Whenever a vacancy occurs more than ninety (90) days prior to the next regular Town election, the Board of Trustees shall solicit the general public for applications to fill the vacancy. Within sixty (60) days following the occurrence of a vacancy, the Board of Trustees shall either appoint a replacement or call a special election to replace such person. If the Board of Trustees fails to appoint a replacement within sixty (60) days following the occurrence of a vacancy, then the Board of Trustees may schedule a special election to be held within one hundred eighty (180) days after such failure, unless a general election is already scheduled within that time period. If a vacancy occurs within one hundred eighty (180) days of the next general election, then the Board of Trustees may leave the office vacant and provide for a replacement to be elected at such general election.

In other words, because the SiltBOTs failed to appoint a replacement for Tod within 60 days, according to the HRC they are supposed to hold a special election. Four candidates applied for the position: Leonard Langston, Ray Lloyd, Kevin Scanlon, and former trustee Doug Williams. Therefore, by law it should have been up to the voters to decide who should fill the trustee vacancy. Not the SiltBOTs. But that’s the way Silt happens these days. They toss out the rule book and make it up as they go along. What-ever. As a result, former trustee Doug Williams is now current trustee Doug Williams. Screw the voters. We get disenfranchised again. There oughta be a law. Oh, that’s right. There is.

Former Silt trustee Williams appointed to fill vacated seat

In the article I took exception to The Mayor’s description of Williams.

[Mayor] Moore also said that it was Williams’ character that helped in the decision, saying that Williams is a solid, thorough and fair.

“He has always treated each situation and person fairly,” Moore said. “His principles are indisputable and impeccable.”

Well that’s not the Doug Williams I know. Let me share some interesting fun facts about Doug-the-trustee.

* In 2005, Doug-the-trustee supported a proposal by the Lion’s Club to develop River Park into a picnic area, make the trails handicapped accessible, and fence off only a portion of the park as a dog run. The proposal was dropped in the face of widespread opposition. In 2007, Doug-the-trustee voted against the ordinance which designated River Park as an off-leash dog park. He was the only trustee who voted against it – at both readings.

* Prior to his resignation in 2007, Doug-the-trustee conspired with a Silt police officer to harass Tod and me and our dogs. He encouraged the Officer to come to our house when he knew we were not home, to get Venus to bark. She was wearing a bark collar so he tortured her, too. Then the Officer issued a barking dog warning citation. We arrived home to 2 frantic dogs, Venus was hoarse from the bark collar, and our neighbor cussed us out on our answering machine. Plus the warning citation.

* During his previous term Doug-the-trustee was well-known by staff as a hands-on public official. He regularly called employees at the Town Hall to ask about the length of Community Development Director Janet Aluise’s lunch breaks. Against regulations he routinely took complaints from employees against other employees. He exceeded the boundaries of his authority and had employees’ computers examined without permission.

* Citizen Doug Williams is a lumber salesman for Valley Lumber in Rifle. Doug-the-trustee was/is a public official. During his previous term the two often became entangled. Doug-the-trustee paid unusually close attention to the goings-on in the Community Development Department, which was regarded by many as actual interference, and by others as unethical and illegal.

* Doug-the-lumber-salesman had a customer who wanted to build an apartment complex on a piece of commercial property in the heart of downtown. However such a project would be contrary to zoning regulations. Doug-the-trustee stepped in and attempted to coerce the staff into approving the project. Town Administrator Rick Aluise had to present a financial analysis to the P & Z Commission and the SiltBOTs to demonstrate the loss in revenue for the Town if the project had been approved.

* Doug-the-trustee threatened the Building Inspector’s job because another inspector requested documentation about the suitability of replacing one building product with another. The product in question had been sold to the project by Doug-the-lumber-salesman. Then he told the Building Inspector he wanted Janet Aluise gone from her position as Community Development Director. It’s uncertain which Doug that was at the time. By then it had become impossible to distinguish between the two personalities.

Would you trust your town government to this man?

* The Silt Recall Committee charged that harassment of Town employees by Doug-the-trustee and Dave-the-mayor resulted in the resignations of Town Administrator Rick Aluise and Community Development Director Janet Aluise.

It will be interesting to watch how the current staff responds to Doug-the-trustee’s heavy-handed approach to town government.

Same Silt — different day.

Feel free to submit your fun facts about notorious Doug-the-trustee.

If you’re so inclined call the Town Hall and The Mayor and tell them to abide by the Silt Home Rule Charter and hold a special election to fill the trustee vacancy. While you’re at it, tell them how much you love the new statue – bare ass and all. It would be a shame to let one grumpy old man spoil our nice things.

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