RUBY

                The entire family, my wife Stacey, my daughter Rachel, and my son Alex, were all in attendance on the field trip to find a new dog to replace our dog Stella that had just passed away.

                From the second we saw Ruby at the San Gabriel Humane Society we knew that she was the one. There was an instant connection we all felt, like we had known one another in a previous life. Once we were all together in the "get to know one another room" our first impressions were confirmed and she was ours. Or should I say we were hers?

                Ruby established the rules when we got her home. As she was getting her first sniffs  around the perimeter of the house a small nosey bird swooped down to around 4 feet over Ruby's head when she leapt straight up in the air and grabbed it. Despite our best efforts she devoured the entire bird, bone and all, in 2 minutes. An edict had been sent across the property that the presence of birds and lizards would not be tolerated on Ruby's watch. And so it remained for the next decade.

                Despite being the terror of small interlopers in the yard, she was the sweetest, smartest, and most intuitive dog I have ever owned. This dog understood English and when one of us spoke to her in a normal tone  she would immediately respond. This little pet trick amazed us all. It was not something we taught her, it was just a talent she had.

                Over the years she was also the best traveling dog. She instinctively knew where her spot was in the car on the long drive up to the Eastern Sierras, which is a 5 to 6 hour haul. Not a whimper or a whine, she was just happy to be there. As she got older, as with most dogs, she developed a few gas issues, but nothing a couple of ginger snap cookies couldn't cure.

                About the only negative quirk that she had was her toe nails. She would not let anyone cut them. Not us or even a professional with a muzzle. Nobody. I guess everyone is allowed a tick and her nails were it. The only thing we can assume is that somewhere in the early portion of her life, we rescued her when she was a little over a year old, someone must have hurt her when attempting to trim her nails. That  time was one time too many.

                Other than her nails, she gave us a stress free and unconditionally loving existence, but time catches up to us all and during the last few months they caught up to Ruby. Her decline came on quickly and we could see the writing on the wall.

                Her legs that once climbed the mountains of the June Lake Loop could no longer carry her to her food and water bowls. Her sharp instincts that struck fear in the hearts of lizards and birds in our yard were dulled to the point where she could barely make it to the lawn's edge with no energy left to complete the hunt. Her quality of life had ceased to be. It was time for all of us to let her go.

                So at 1:00 on Saturday afternoon, September 20, 2014, the entire family gathered together to say their goodbyes and to escort  Ruby to the Rainbow Bridge. As a group we delivered her to the compassionate hands of the Temple City Animal Hospital. None of us wanted her to cross alone so we all stayed with her to give her final pettings until we knew that she had safely arrived.

                Every family feels that their pet is the best and that is the way it should be for someone who has given you a lifetime of unconditional loyalty and love. While most of us will have other pets come along to hopefully fill part of the void there is always that one that can never be replaced.

                For us that was our Ruby.

Bill Dunn has been a published opinion columnist for 15 years. Any comments  can be sent to either our exalted  editor at  tmiller@beaconmedianews.com   or  to Bill directly at dunnsinferno@casegod.com   You can also find Bill on Facebook  at :   www.facebook.com/WhenAllisSaidandDunn    

FEAR & LOATHING ON ROSEMEAD BOULEVARD

            The workers and the construction gear have left the battle scene on Rosemead Boulevard. The City leaders have had their little dog and pony show telling us just how fast they completed their task and how our lives have been vastly improved by the unwanted changes they have shoved down our throats.  

Now that we are no longer choking on dust and asphalt  fumes that had been kicked up over the last year,  it is now time for those of us who live on the front lines, and those who must use Rosemead on a regular basis, to formulate an opinion on how effective it is.  From my view point, which is right in the front row on Rosemead, I can say without hesitation that it is far worse than I imagined it would be.

I had raised some of my concerns before the assault began, but was summarily blown off by Carl Blum who was the head of the "Beautification and Safety" project task force at the time. I feel somewhat vindicated now that I see what we are left with.   Every time the "B and S" project is brought up as the topic of conversation I have yet to hear anyone say anything positive about the end results.  

The general consensus is that it is neither more beautiful or safer. The two things we were being promised from the get go.  Unfortunately there aren't enough pages in this fine publication to list all of the problems associated with this project. So let's just focus on a few of the more glaring mistakes.

First there is the "beautification" aspect or lack of it. When the call went out to "bring me  shrubbery!" they must not have been too specific, because what they came back with was some of the most pathetic ground cover and trees I have ever seen.

The ground cover that was used in the little planters on the sides of the street have looked like they were dead since they were put in and have gradually got worse. The best that can be said is that they were almost green when they put them in, but now are a disgusting shade of tan. If any city saw these next to your home you would be cited and forced to clear them away because they would pose a fire hazard.

Then there are the trees. At the "entrance" to Temple City to the South they start off good and then quickly stumble. We start with the grandeur of some beautiful palm trees that in one blink of an eye are gone and are replaced for the duration with rows of perhaps the ugliest and most annoying trees that god ever created, the liquid amber trees or Liquidambar styraciflua to all of you botanists out there.

If you are having a hard time picturing this irritating species they are the ones that produce a useless "fruit" that are spiky little spheres that don't do anything but make a mess.  Slang terms for them are "sticker balls", "space balls", "gum balls",  or my personal favorite "monkey balls." When walking you need to avoid them, oh and when you are riding a bike you should definitely stay away from them if you want a smooth ride.

That last part is particularly ironic considering these trees are planted right next to the newly installed bike path. We haven't reached the point where these trees are producing massive amounts of their useless fruit yet, just wait, it is only a matter of time.  At this point the only thing that the bike riders need to contend with is the stench of the unpicked up dog poop in the planters that don't have plants in them just wood chips. Good planning Carl & Company.

I wouldn't  really worry about the bike riders on the new paths. Why? Well because there aren't any bike riders. Again why? Probably because nobody has enough of a death wish to climb on a bike and go pedaling on what is now one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the San Gabriel Valley. At least for cyclists and pedestrians. Let's add drivers to that list as well.

Obviously the planning committee and their consultants thought Disneyland's Autopia ride was the perfect layout for this section of Rosemead.  I think they thought the scale was correct as well. They have made the lanes so small that people drift into one another's lane freely without thinking about it. Heaven help you if you try to make a right turn off Rosemead in the midst of 40 mph traffic and not get rear ended. By the same token heaven help you if you are in the right lane behind that driver. Or how about being to the left of the last driver when he decides to change lanes to avoid the driver in front of him.

 Fun times, fun times....

With the addition of the misplaced side planters the circus like atmosphere is complete. People have been hitting these planters on a regular basis. How does Bill know this? Well in addition to seeing it firsthand I have been told by reliable sources at the local Pep Boys that since the planters went in they have had a sizable increase in the number of tire and rim replacements due to people not seeing or expecting the planters and clipping them. They are only one of many tire stores locally so I am sure this tale is being told elsewhere as well. They just happen to be fortunate enough to be in the middle of the war zone.

I'm sure my editor is reading this and saying wrap it up Dunn , wrap it up, but there is one more point that needs to be addressed.  That would be the addition of a traffic light between Las Tunas Drive and Broadway. Just a quick word of advice to all of the drivers out there. Unless you have unlimited amounts of time on your hands do not attempt to make a left or right turn off of Las Tunas to go down Rosemead going South. Especially on a ... hell, let's just say never. The chances are you are going to get caught in the middle of the intersection regardless of when it is.

These problems for most of you are avoidable. Simply stay off of this section of Rosemead Boulevard. For the rest of us we just need to send our auto repair bills to the attention of the Temple City City Council.