Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

In order to gun break a hunting dog, a trainer uses a blank starter's pistol.
He starts a long distance away.  50 or 100 feet away.  He fires the pistol into the air then praises and pets the dog.  He repeats this exercise until the dog gets used to the sound from far away.

Next, the exercise is repeated from a closer distance.  The gun is fired and the dog is petted and praised for standing still.  The the whole thing is repeated over and over, at progressively closer distances until the trainer is standing right near the dog when the pistol goes off.

Once that exercise is completed, the whole exercise is repeated with a real gun.  First from far away then progressively closer until the dog can tolerate the sound of a gun from actual firing distance.
(A hunting dog is usually no closer than 20 feet away from the hunter's gun in a real life situation.)

This training process can take weeks or months to get a dog to be ready to hunt but, if the trainer is persistent and patient, it can be done.

If you have a dog that is afraid of loud noises like fireworks or thunder, you can use the same process to train him to be less afraid.

Find a recording of some loud noise on a CD.  You can usually find a disk of sound effects in the bargain bin of your local record store.

Start by playing with your dog.  Let him play with his favorite toy.  Just have fun.  Then, when he's not suspecting, turn on your stereo and play the sound effects at a LOW LEVEL.  Make it just loud enough to get the dog's attention but not enough to make the dog afraid.  Use your judgement.

Keep playing with the dog.  If he starts acting afraid, just pet him and praise him and do anything to distract him from the noise.

Don't let this "play session" go on any longer than 15 or 20 minutes.

The next time, repeat the whole exercise just like before but turn the stereo up by one notch.
Keey playing and petting him and telling him he's a "good doggie" until he gets used to the sounds.
After 15 or 20 minutes, stop.  Wait till the next day to begin again.

Keep repeating the exercise, day after day, each time, turn the stereo up by one notch.
Eventually, you will work your way up to "top volume" on the stereo system.

Once you get to this point, it's time to wait until the next real life "loud noise."

Whether it's thunder or fireworks or gunshots, it's all the same process.
Just keep praising, petting and calling him "good doggie," over and over until the dog gets used to it.

It may take a long time and the dog might not ever become 100% acclimated to the sound but you should, at minimum, get him to the point where he won't go hiding under the sofa every time he hears a loud noise.

If your dog is very afraid of loud noises it would probably be a benefit to give him some training like this so yo won't have to worry about him so much the next time a loud noise comes along.

Good choice.  :)
Most home users do NOT need to spend the money to buy the full version of Photoshop.
Photoshop Elements will suffice for 90% of home users.  Home users do not need the color profiling and other features that the full version has.  They are for professionals like photographers and graphic artists.  Besides, the price is substantially cheaper.

The full version of Photoshop CS4 lists for $700.00
The latest version of Photoshop Elements only lists for $90.00

If you're willing to spend a bit more time installing and learning to use a program, there is one called "GIMP" that you can get for free.

http://www.gimp.org

GIMP  (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is not quite as easy to use as Photoshop but it is more powerful.

Photoshop spends more if its resources holding the user's hand and making things work automatically.  The price you pay is a lack of powerful features.

GIMP does not waste time making things easier for the user.  The benefit is a more "streamlined" program that works better/faster.  The price you pay for this is ease of use.

However, the one thing that might tip the scales... at least to get you to try GIMP... is that it is 100% free.  You don't have to pay a dime for it.  You never will.

I use Photoshop at work and I use GIMP at home.
If I didn't have to worry about teaching to the lowest common denominator I'd use GIMP at work too.

Would you like to have a background like a magical forest?
I can do that too but it will take more time.

If you want some free software for the Mac you can take a look at the GIMP.
(GNU Image Manipulation Program.)

This is the software I used to create your picture with.

However, it's not the easiest to use.  :(

But, if you're willing to take the time to learn it, you can produce images that are even better than Photoshop...  And it doesn't cost you a dime! 

A dog's ears are a lot more sensitive than a human's.  That's why they are "afraid" of loud sounds like fireworks and lightning.  It actually HURTS!

(The same goes for cats too.)

Dogs and cats can become acclimated to loud sounds.  In fact, most hunting dogs must be trained to become acclimated to the sound of gunfire.  If you've ever heard the term "Steady to wing and shot" that means that the dog has been trained to stand still when he hears the sound of the gun.

There is one major difference between house dogs and hunting dogs, though.  Hunting dogs get to be outdoors.  House dogs do not.

First of all, the sound of gunfire dissipates more rapidly because it is outside.  The sound of fireworks can actually be AMPLIFIED by being indoors.  It can echo off the walls.

Second, when a dog hears a loud sound that it doesn't like, it often triggers his "flight instinct."
An outdoor dog has a place to run when it is afraid.  An indoor dog can only cower under the bed or the table.

If you want to, you can train your indoor dog to be less afraid of loud sounds.
It can take a long time to complete the training but, if your dog is very afraid, it might be worth your time and effort.  Even if you don't "break" him completely you can, at least, get him to the point where he isn't completely debilitated by fear.

We once had a dog which was deathly afraid of balloons!
When he was a puppy, he was carrying one around in his mouth when it popped.
He never completely got over the fear but we were able to get him to the point where he wouldn't shiver and cry at the sight of one.  He would just walk a W-I-D-E circle around them.
As long as the balloon was "over there" he would be okay.

If you want to take some time and put some effort into it, you'll probably be able to get him to that point if not completely over the fear.

You might be happy to know that, even though Halloween's original roots lay in Pagan tradition, it actually is a Christian holiday.

Halloween is the night before All Saint's Day.

On All Saint's Day we are supposed to pray for the souls of our relatives who have died in the past year and pay our respects to our ancestors.

The early Catholic Church used to teach that the new day begins at sundown.
Therefore, what we believe to be the day BEFORE is actually the beginning of the Christian feast.

The wearing of costumes was meant to ward off evil spirits who tried to return to Earth.

The handing out of treats was originally meant to symbolize appeasement of evil spirits, thus clearing the way for our loved ones to return.

The carving of Jack-O-Lanterns was meant to light the way for the spirits of our relatives to find their way home again so that  their families can commune with them one last time before making the journey to Heaven.

In Mexico, Spain and other Spanish speaking countries, Halloween and All Saint's Day is celebrated by decorating the graves of dead relatives.

In fact, the traditional Spanish name for "Halloween" is "La noche antes del Día de Todos los Santos."
Translation:  "The night before All Sain't Day."

As I said, Halloween (originally "All Hallows Even") may have been a Pagan holiday but Popes of the early Catholic Church used to declare their holidays to be the same as Pagan holidays as a way of "Christianizing" them.

I vote for nursing behavior too!  :)
Very young kittens "knead" their mother's tummy to get milk.

If a cat cozies up and "kneads" you with its paws, that means it looks up to you as a sort of "mother figure."

Basically, you've got one contented puddy-tat on your hands.   

Is he a felted wool Bear?

We have several "felty" Bears who were made of knitted wool.  Then, before stuffing, the Bear is washed in the washing machine so the wool fibers blend together to turn into felt.

Being from New Zeland, which produces a lot of wool, I'd say that's a fair bet.  No?

Not saying he is a home made Bear but he looks similar to the ones we have who were.

He could have been made by a Bear maker like many who hang out here then put up for adoption in a consignment store or something like that.

Oh, my gosh!  My brother and I used to have military style planning sessions the night before!
We'd draw maps of the neighborhood and plan out the best routes to maximize our treats-per-distance ratio.  We'd say things like, "Don't go to the old lady who lives in the old house on the corner because she gives out mushy apples!"  and "Make sure we get to Mr. Jones' house early because he gives out big candy bars!"

We laid out all our stuff and made checklists of everything before going to school in the morning so that we wouldn't have to waste time getting ready after we got home.

Yeah, those were the days! 

You're right.  There is no standard time for Trick or Treating.  Trick or Treat hours are usually passed by city, borough or township ordinances in these parts.

Most towns set their Trick or Treat times the same.  Usually 6:00 PM till 8 or 9:00 PM.
A few towns set their T-or-T hours on Oct. 30.  (I don't know why.)

We don't mind getting a few late-comers but, if somebody rang our doorbell for Trick or Treat much past 9:00 PM and we didn't know them, they'd have a house full of peeved-off Bears to deal with!   

It'd be like a scene from Gulliver's Travels!   

Hi, Jane!

Sorry you didn't get so many Trick or Treaters.  :(
Maybe some of your Bears can help you eat all the leftover treats.  ;)

Some years we get over 100 Trick or Treaters but this year we only saw about 50-75.

All the kids who have Bear Costumes get extra candy from us but we didn't see any Bear costumes this year.  :(
One of the Moms who was escorting kids was dressed in her jammies and had a Teddy Bear with her so we gave her kids extra candy.
We gave a couple of packages of Skittles to the mom and told her to make sure the Bear gets some!  :lol:

Trick or Treat hours were 6 to 8 PM in our neighborhood.  Kids started rolling by at about 6:15 and were out in full force by 6:30.  By 7:30 they had tapered off to a trickle and everybody but one group of kids were gone by 7:45.  We didn't get any stragglers at all this year.  Some years we still have a few wandering by until about 8:15 but not this year.

We live on a corner lot at the intersection of two of the main streets in our subdivision so Melanie and I sit out on the stoop and act as the neighborhood watch.  We turn on the police scanner and listen in case of trouble.  Most years there are one or two mischief-related calls on the radio.  Mostly just older kids harassing younger kids.  But, this year, there were no calls at all.

There was no egg throwing, no tee-pee-ing...  Nothing!
It was a very quiet Halloween here in Erie, Pennsylvania!

Here is our annual Halloween Bear portrait:

(Click on the picture for the larger version.)

Us Bears from Pennsylvania hope everybody had a happy Halloween and wish you well on All Saints Day!

Give the customer her options and let her decide.

She can keep the Bear.  She can send the Bear back.
Be sure to let her know your terms.  (i.e. Non-refuldable deposit, shipping charges, etc.)

Just be polite, make it clear and draw your line in the sand, so to speak.
You've done what you promised.  You should be in the clear.  It's not your fault if she can't make up her mind.

I know it feels bad but sometimes you just have to just put your foot down.

Glad you like!  :)

The soup is a good thing to put somebody else in charge of.  It's not so much a "recipe" as it is "assembly instructions."

Pour all the stuff into the pot and turn on the heat.  Pick the chicken off the bone then put it in.  When the soup is hot enough add the tortellini.  That's it!

You can put somebody in charge of the soup and you will be free to do other things.  You'll only have to come back every so often and supervise.  If your husband cooks, this ought to be a snap for him!

Me and the Bears hope your holiday is happy!  :)
We hope you all eat until you are ready to bust!

I (Randy) like to cook for my wife (Melanie) when I'm home on weekends.
One of my favorite recipes is Chicken Tortellini Soup.  A spicy, hearty soup with pasta and chicken.
It's easy to prepare.  You can pick up most of the ingredients, prepared, off the grocery store shelves.

I shop at the local Wegman's supermarket so I linked you to the products I buy but consider this a reference only.  Add, subtract or substitute ingredients as you see fit.  Adjust amounts, proportions and level of spice according to taste.

Spicy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 packages (9 oz.)
  Fresh Chicken Tortellini

• 1 package (1 lb.)
  "Santa Fe Mix" frozen vegetables.
  (Corn, Black Beans, Diced Red & Green Pepper)
  Or whatever kind of frozen mixed veggies you prefer.

• 2 containers (32 oz.)
  Prepared Culinary Chicken Stock.

• 1 can (28 oz.)
  Diced Tomatoes

• 1 bottle (8 oz.)
  Mild Enchelada Sauce
  (Or spicy to taste.)

• 1 ea.
  Whole Rotisserie Roast Chicken
  (Remove from bone & cut into bite size pieces.)

• 1 bag
  Tortilla Chips.

To prepare:

• In a 6 Qt. soup pot, add:
  Chicken Stock, Tomatoes (with juice), Enchelada Sauce.

• Add frozen vegebables.  Heat and stir occasionally to thaw veggies.

• Remove chicken from bone & cut/break into bite size pieces.  Add to soup.

• Bring to simmer.

• Add tortellini.  Simmer until vegetables are cooked and pasta is tender.

Serve with tortilla chips on the side or as garnish.

Serves 4 with leftovers or up to 6.

Multiply recipe as needed.

Also goes well with freshly baked corn bread.

Come ON!  You're a BEAR MAKER!  There's nobody better qualified!
Besides, he'd probably be happier if he was fixed up by somebody who loved him, even if the job wasn't 100% perfect.

First decide how you want to approach the job.
Do you want to "restore" him or "conserve" him.  In other words, do you want to make him new again or just make enough repairs to keep him from getting any worse.  Purists would go for the strict conservation route.  Other people would want to completely restore him.  Us Bears vote for something in between.

The first question is about his material.  How is it holding up?  Is his material fragile?
If his material is still strong, you might just be able to sew over his tears.  If the fabric is fragile you might need to do more.

If you REALLY wanted to do it right, you could carefully unsew his back and unstuff him.  Then you could sew an unbleached white muslin patch over his tear(s) from the INSIDE.  Try to use thread that matches his material and stitch carefully so your work doesn't show.  Done right, it would be hard to tell that he was ever patched up.

We're not saying that you should do this.  We only mention it because we have seen it done.
One of our den mates had a broken leg joint.  Our human had to repair him that way.
If you are a good seamstress, it won't be very hard to do.

Just be sure to give Mr. Bear a cookie when his surgery is over. 

We agree with Denise's appraisal on your Bear.
Additionally, we would note that your Bear's two-color glass eyes were fashionable for Bears in the 1930's.  They started to become popular near the end of World War I and lasted until the 1950's and 1960's when safety rules for toys began to get more strict.  The height of their popularity was in the 1930's and 1940's.

Given his material and his eyes, 1930 seems to be a good approximate birth date for your Bear.

We must defer to Denise's comments on your Bear's design.  She has direct experience where we only learn from reading Teddy Bear encyclopedias.

So long as the Bear is intact and, if he still has any trademarks such as the button in a Steiff's left ear there is no shame in a worn Teddy Bear.

A Teddy Bear who has a few bare spots and is a little ragged around the ears is a Bear who has taken good care of his human for a long time.  It is the greatest honor for a Bear to give his all for the love of his human.

Your Bear has lived a good long life in service to his human.  He has given everything a Bear can give.  He is well loved and well worn.  We know he will be very happy to live with you and he will give you the same love he gave his first human for many more years to come.

If he needs to be stitched up or have his nose resewn or have his eyes repaired, he would appreciate your efforts and he would return your loving care as long as he lives.  But Old Teddy Bears wear their bare spots like medals of valor.  He doesn't want to be repaired line new.  He only wants you to love him.

Give him a hug.  Feed him some cookies and hot chocolate.  Let him sit on the sofa beside you and watch some television. 

If you catch him in the right mood, me might tell you some stories from the "Old Days."   

We don't think you're full of fluff, Shelli.  :)
Even if you are speculating.

It's good to hear that eBay has a system in place for this.

We have bought things from eBay before but we have never sold anything.  Any items we have sold have always been by private deals.

Check your bidding history.

If "Bidder A" won the auction but broke the contract, "Bidder B" should rightfully get the option to buy.

However, if "Bidder A" made an offer that exceeded "Bidder B's" PREVIOUS bid, the price will be inflated:

Bidder A:  $100.00 (Winning Bid)
Bidder B:  $95.00   (Second Chance)
Bidder A:  $90.00
Bidder B:  $85.00
etc...

Since "Bidder A" is out of the picture, should "Bidder B" have to pay $95.00 or $85.00?

What did the Bear ever do that deserves being sent to JAIL?! 
In this den, Bears who misbehave get sent to bed without a snack.  The way to a Bear's heart is through his tummy!  Threaten to deprive him of his goodies and you'll have his complete, undivided attention.

Now, THAT's more like it!
In this den, there are Bears who sit on shelves and some who sit on the sofa and cuddle with the humans.  Some are snuggling Bears and some who sleep in the bed.  We have special "Hugging Bears" who are for times when the humans need moral support and there are special collectible Bears who prefer to sit up high and monitor the activities of the rest of the Bears.

Every Bear gets his share of attention but there are some who are more expensive and some who sit on the sofa and snuggle with the humans while they watch TV.

Seriously:
There are many Bears in this house.  They are in virtually every room.
We have one bedroom made over especially for the Bears.  There are shelves on the walls and we painted the room to look like a forest for the Bears to play in.

We also have stackable "Bear Condos."  Randy built about a dozen wooden boxes our of 1/2 inch plywood.  They only have 4 sides.  (The front and back are missing.)  They are painted white with a good grade of interior latex.  Think of them as building blocks that can be stacked up any way you want.  If you want to stack them in a pyramid or a cube, you can rearrange them any time.  Then the Bears just live in the cubby holes.  Viola!  Instant Bear Condos!

For photography, it depends on the effect we're going for.  Sometimes we use props and scenery we find around the house other times, when we want to take pictures of JUST the Bear, we make a backdrop out of a black fabric called "duvetyne."  It's a heavy, black cotton cloth that's been sueded on one side.  Theater designers use it to make black curtains and scenery out of.

It all depends on what you're going for...

"Bear Power" has been activated for you!
There are 1,000 of us here and we are all transmitting our good vibes at full amplitude, just for you! 

Now you need a Bear to be the receiving antenna for you.
Go find your best "Hugging Bear."  Give him or her a big hug and receive the get well energy we are sending you.
We guarantee that, if you do this, you'll pull through just fine!

I'm sure that all the other Bears who frequent this site are transmitting all their get well energy to you too.
We bet you dollars to donuts that they are!  (Mmmm....  Donuts! :lol:)

If all the other Bears would report in for TamiL, I bet there could be 2,000 or even more Bears out there wishing her well!       :pray:

It depends on the human who made the pattern.

Virtually any work of writing or art is copyrhighted the second it is laid down in readable form.  But some people share their copyrights more readily than others.  Some people will not allow others to make use of their work unless they pay.  Others will allow anybody to use their work.  There are still others who will allow their work to be used if credit is given or only as long as the end use is non-commercial.

The only real way to find out is to contact the person who made the pattern and ask.

A piece of advice to those who make Bear patterns for others to use:  Put your terms in writing.  If you allow others to use your designs, put it in writing.  If you allow your work to be used under certain conditions, spell them out...  Non-Commercial use only...  Attribution requested...  Tell people what you want.

Our human, Randy, often publishes works of art/writing and he doesn't normally mind if others use his work PROVIDED they give him credit.  He has had to go after others who used his work without permission but, normally, he likes it when people share things.

Now...  If you don't know who the original artist is or if you can't get in touch with him or her, you MIGHT be able to put a Bear up for paid adoption if you make YOUR work distinctive enough from the original.  This gets into a lot of grey area but it is possible.

Fail that, you can always put  "Bears by Becca:  Original pattern design by <somebody>" on the tush tag.

Here's something else Bear pattern makers should take a look at.
It's called "Creative Commons."  It's like a traditional copyright but it allows you to automatically specify what you allow others to do with your work.
Check out this website for more information:  http://creativecommons.org/about/

Cigarettes & Tabacco:

Randy once had a cat which got very, very sick when it ate almost a whole pack of his ciggies!   
The poor cat was hyperactive and had an accelerated heartbeat/breathing rate for almost a whole day.  He was horking up all his food and water too!

The vet said that tobacco has an effect on cats like "mega catnip."

Cats will get into everything if you're not careful.  Appearently, some cats think tobacco smells good.  Randy left his pack out on the coffee table and the cat smelled them from far away.  By the time he figured out what had happened, the cat was lying on the floor with a pile of half-chewed cigarettes strewn all about the floor!

Hey!  It's a free country!  Smoke if you really want to.
Us Bears happen to think it's a silly habit.  That's why we talked Randy into quitting.  ;)

But, if you're not going to quit smoking, it would be a wise move if you would keep your smokes in a cupboard or in a drawer some place.

Yes, we know.  We're sorry if Mimzy is upset.
We were playing "word association"...   

...  If you say, "black", we say, "white."...
If you say, "snack", we say, "chocolate."...
If you say "Mimzy", we automatically say "borogove!" 

Johnathan Swift is one of our favorite writers.
When there are so many of us all in one place, we often enjoy reading stories like "Gulliver's Travels."

We don't go to Facebook very often.  They have this silly rule that they only let "people" sign up.
However, as we travel around the internet, we'll be sure to look Mimzy up.
She looks like she could be a lot of fun. 

Tell Mimsy to watch out for those borogoves!
We hear 'twas brillig and the mome raths outgrabe!

Others have said this above but I agree.  If you use your name or a phrase that closely describes your creations you should be in the clear as long as you don't copy another's design or trademark too closely.

Look at "Apple Records" and "Apple Computer", for example.
They are both named "Apple" but they are distinct enough that people can tell them apart.
(Apple Records is the name of the company that the Beatles used to publish their music.)

The ruler device is cute.  You should have no problem with that. 

If that doesn't work you might consider something similar.
When you describe something that is very small, you often use your thumb and forefinger in a little "claw" or "pincher" to illustrate your point.  You'll hold up your hand and say, "Teeny Tiny Teddy Bears!", making that characteristic pincher movement.

There's lots of ideas like that. 

Well...  Let's see...  "Take A Teddy Bear Home From Work Day"...  Hmmm...
That sounds okay to us!  :D

About the Bear named "Bunny"...  It's a little bit of a long story:

Around these parts, Us Bears consider Valentine's Day to be one of the most important Teddy Bear holidays.  Christmas is a big holiday but Teddies are symbols of love.    Valentie's Day is when humans celebrate love.  So that's why Bears think Valentine's Day is so important.

Now, you can find lots of Bears on the store shelves, waiting to find loving homes on Valentine's Day but there are also rabbits.  Rabbits are cute and we don't mind sharing our holiday with the bunnies.    Teddy Bears like to share things as much as we like to hug and snuggle.  We are happy to let the bunnies have fun too.

So a few weeks later comes Easter.  Of course, Easter is a bunny holiday.  We wouldn't have it any other way!     But we think the bunnies should share their holiday with us.  We shared our holiday with them.  It's only fair.  Right?

Well, just go to the stores and look for an Easter Bear!  The stores are packed with Easter Bunnies but you'll be hard-pressed to find an Easter Bear!  They are few and far between!
That makes us sad  and a little bit grumpy!   :mad:

A Bear would never hurt a bunny but, come Easter time, there are a few of us who might tug on a bunny's ears when he wasn't looking.   :whistle:
Okay...  We wouldn't really do that.     But that's how we feel, some times.   

The moral of the story is that "Bunny Friday" got her name because she was born on Good Friday, two days before Easter.  She is our "Official Easter Bear."

Her name is "Bunny" just because we want to tell those selfish rabbits that Bears can have fun on Easter too!