The Neutering Ritual

Poor Levi is having a bad day and he's desperately trying to piece together what happened when he went to the vet's office to get neutered and micro-chipped. Mom told Dad that my brother's surgery went good and they don't expect any complications. But poor Levi doesn't like the cone and all he's done since he got home is sit, trying to tell Dad his troubles. Listen to the thoughts he's blasting out of his little boy brain, trying to connect to dad to get some answers ……

What happened to Levi? Moomie took me to the visit the nice vegetarian---or was it veterinary? (Darn words get so mixed up!) But while we were waiting a lady snatched me from Moomie's arms and put me in a wire cave---no---cage. Me don't remember what happened next but when me woke up from sleeping me discovered something missing. Me looked every where for my walls---no---balls but they are gone. They used to be right here between my legs. Me almost sure it was my back legs but me looked in between my front ones, too, just in case they moved. Me counted my foes---no---toes and they are all still on my foots---no---feet. (Darn English!) Me checked my tail. It's still there. Just my balls are gone. Then Moomie came and brought me home and put this thing on my head. Now Levi can't walk anymore! Me hope Moomie doesn't get sad---no---mad when she finds out my balls got lost. Me don't feel good. Levi needs a nap!

I'm a little stressed up here watching Levi being so scared and confused over his surgery. When he gets to sleep I'm going let him know he'll be just fine without those body parts. That's not a frivolous use of angel power, do you think? He's really worried and it won't take but a second to whisper reassurances in his ear. He should know that humans apparently think testicles are just accessories we don't need and to tell you the true, I never missed mine for very long.

There's a rumor going around, though, that neutering makes dogs more responsible citizens. Judging by all the neutered angel dogs I've met, it must be true because there are some awesome guys up here. Don't get me wrong. Those fully equipped dogs are great, too. It's just that some of them seem pretty damned proud that they escaped the neutering ritual---oops, I've got to quit swearing. I'll have to get one of my fully equipped friends to tell me exactly what those balls are for. I never gave it much thought when I was still on earth.

Hey, look at that! Mom took pity on him and put Levi in a onsie. That did the trick of covering up his stitches so he can't pull them out. No more cone! He's even got a little hole cut in the onsie for his tail. He's settling down for a nap now so I've better get ready to do a little angel business. ©

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Come Rover, Come!

When I was Levi's age I went to puppy obedience too. Back then Mom took me to a class at a school that was located next to the second busiest street in Michigan. At one of the last classes the instructor had everyone take their dogs off leash outside next to that street. True to the live-on-the-edge life style I had going for myself, I ran huge circles in the grass scaring my Mom to death because I kept getting closer and closer to the car-congested street and I wouldn't come when I was called. All the other puppies did come on command and to be fair to instructor, I was coming just fine when we were inside the gym so she probably thought it was safe outside. A lot of the humans tried to catch me but the instructor made them all sit down in a circle. Eventually, I did get close enough to the humans so someone could nab me. Boy, was Mom mad at that instructor for making her take such a big chance. It was a very long time before I got off leash again.

Tonight when Levi was at puppy obedience class the instructor told everyone if they are having a hard time catching their puppies off leash to run in the opposite direction of the danger their puppy is headed towards and make it sound like great fun to follow them. I'm not sure Mom could be cool-headed enough to remember that. She can get a little freaky when one of her fur-babies is in harm's way...but it sounds good in theory.

In class tonight, when it was Levi's time to demonstrate coming when called he got so much speed built into the action that when he got to Mom and tried to sit he skidded on by another three feet on the polished floor, making everyone laugh. The trainer said, "Now, Jean has made coming when called a high value event for Levi." Actually, she's been working him every day in the back yard on a 90 foot clothes line and half the time all she has to do is open her mouth to call him and he's on his way, not even giving her time to get the words "Levi, come!" out of her mouth . He sure loves those Wellness holistic salmon, lamb and fruit puppy treats.

Now on to another topic: Our blog was presented this sparkling, special award by both Boy Gorgeous George and by Nottie Scottie! Thank you both. I'm giving up boastful pride for angel training so maybe I shouldn't tell you this but Mom's been lusting after this award every since she saw it floating around the dog community. George's came the day of Levi's debut blog entry (see Schnauzer Saturday) which makes it extra special for him but to tell you the truth, I was feeling slightly left out. Then the next day Scottie's nomination showed up on our doorstep. So now we both have one of these very pretty awards!

Now we are pawing it forward to Barksalot Bloyz, Scruffy, Lacie and Stan's Place, The Days of Joann, Candi the Cavalier, Latte and Cookie, and Joe Stains. ©

Suggested Rules for Accepting this Award are:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate 7 other blogs (I think 7 is a bit too many but I didn't make up this list.)
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

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Schnauzer Saturdays

The 'Dogs With Blogs' community has a nice tradition going on many blogs where they set aside one day of the week for blogging something different. There's Wheelie Wednesdays and Rosco Wednesdays which are like having guest bloggers come in to tell about their adventures. There's also Thankful Thursdays which is like doing affirmations and Wordless Wednesdays for photos plus there are a host of other special days that I can't find on the tip of my tongue.

That got me to thinking that since Levi is six months old now and is trying to send mental telepathy messages out into the world that maybe it's time for me to help him start blogging. Levi regularly snatches ink pens off the table when Mom's back is turn and paws at her keyboard which probably means he's ready to take communicating with humans to a higher level. So, from now on Saturdays on this blog will be known as Schnauzer Saturdays. Be warned, though, he's still a baby and the thoughts he tries to express are still the thoughts of a baby. With that said, I turn this entry over to Levi….



Peas tell Levi what thingie is that pits---no---spits paper! Me fears---no---hears thingie run back and forth. Mouse in there? Me watch paper come out. Me listens to Moomie tell---no---yell "NO PAPER!" If me can't have paper why does thingie want to give it to me? World is so confusing. Moomie covers thingie up sometimes. One day me took cover off so me could study thingie. Moomie said, "NO!" but she won't answer my questions about thingie. Levi needs help learning about thingie!




Well, that's all the little guy has to say today. He's off to take a nap. But I've got something special to tell you. I'm getting a new feather in my wings for coming up with this idea! Jason says there'll be a little presentation ceremony tonight since it's my very first merit earned feather. The ones in my training wings are just standard issue, you know. ©

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Mom's Crocs and Other Family Secrets

Gosh, I wish I could still 'talk' to mom the way I used to do when I was on earth. I'd tell her: "Chill, Mom, chill. Levi will get it eventually." She's been struggling this week with the homework from puppy obedience class number four. Specifically, trying to teach the 'stand' and 'stay' commands. The technique of teaching the stand command starts with Levi being in a 'sit' position and then drawing him forward with a treat until he's standing. That part is working well but he's not connecting the word with the action. It's all about the treat for him and he would follow her to Alaska to get it.

One thing I'm learning up here in angel training is that yesterday's successes (or failures) don't matter, only the present counts. I wish I could tell Mom it doesn't matter that Levi was a shining success in past classes and that people there might have great expectations for his performance at the next class. (She can be a little competitive, you know.) It only matters that they are spending quality training time together, building a strong bond in the process.

That growing bond and the love that goes with it are good things for Levi because for the first time he ruined a material object---one of Mom's beloved Crocs shoes. She can still wear it but it's full of teeth marks. She didn't notice how badly he'd 'puppy stamped' it until yesterday when she was sitting along side of a nature trail that overlooks the backwaters of a river. She and dad were having a rare day with her brother, niece and her niece's husband when her niece wanted to try on her Crocs. As she handed them over and noticed the wide-spread damage Mom thought about how much of a puppy Levi still is. That some how made her feel less guilty that she didn't bring him along on their outing. He can still be unpredictable. (Important lesson to be learned here, Mom. Don't take off your Crocs. Wear them to bed, sleep and shower in them because they chew just like Kong rubber toys. Yummm good.)

On the nature trail Dad and Mom saw three families of tundra swans, several great blue heron, green heron, mallard ducks, two varieties of turtles sunning themselves, and a dozen other birds not normally seen by city dwellers. Levi would have wanted to chase them all, his puppy bark breaking the peacefulness of nature's masterpiece. Yup, as much as Mom suffers separation anxiety when she leaves Levi home it was a good thing common sense won out and she left him home on that hot summer day. With three other people along to push Dad's wheelchair, and no puppy to keep out of trouble, Mom got a much deserved day of bliss, void of worrying about the comforts of another being.

When they got back home, it was apparent that Levi faired just fine being left to his own devices for six hours, the longest he'd ever been left alone. The woodwork was tooth mark free, the table cloth was still in place, the decorative towels still hung on the oven door. The only things that Levi touched were the toys in his box. He'd obviously beat the crap out of them because they laid around the floor like dead soldiers on a battlefield.

When the forces of heaven matched Levi up to my family they did good. Happy six months birthday baby brother! ©



Painting by Robert Bateman
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A Typical Boy and his Bugs

Levi likes to play with bugs. It doesn't matter if they are crawling, flying or hopping. Most of the time Mom is pretty tolerate of his "hobby" but the day he found a spider that was the size of a June bug, Mom drew the line. She whacked it with the garden hose and was horrified to see dozens of baby spiders disembark from its mother's body, trying to escape the carnage of her impending death. Levi saw them, too, but Mom scooped him up, threw him in the garage and grabbed a can of Raid. Unfortunately, too many babies probably got away to grow up and become Levi's future toys. He really does cause Mom a lot of work. She was afraid Levi would lick the Raid on the deck so she ended up scrubbing it down. And all this was supposed to be a quick potty break for my brother.

Levi has a toad in the dog yard. Cute as a button and the size of quarter, Levi was nudging it with his nose the first afternoon Mom saw the little brown baby. She grabbed Levi by the collar while the toad hopped to safety. That night Miss. Toad was back again but that time she was too far from a safe haven and Mom had quite a time keeping a flashlight on the toad and holding Levi back while she wrangled Miss. Toad to a different corner of the dog yard where she could find a hiding place.

In the morning Mom moved the toad house that was in the front yard to the dog yard in hopes that the baby toad would move in. The toad house has a solar roof that at night is supposed to attract bugs for toads to eat. In theory, Mom is going to entice the baby to follow the toad house right out of the dog yard. She's planning to move it a couple of feet each day. Want to place a bet on whether or not it works before Levi eats the baby toad? This photo is of Levi checking out the house for the first time.

Every night Levi makes Mom take him in and out in and out. He's fascinated with the moths that hang around the deck light. If he could he'd crawl right up the siding on the house trying to catch them. She tried turning the light off and taking him to the dog yard using just a flashlight but bugs are attracted to the light coming out from the kitchen window so Levi jumps on the screens trying to catch them. That could get expensive.

Like I said, Levi is a typical boy when it comes to creepy, crawly things and I haven't even told you about the time he found a cricket in the garage. To make a long story short the chirping has stopped and Levi got his schnauzer beard decorated with garage yucky-do's in the process. ©


P.S. If anyone is a fan of the TV show, Greatest American Dog, you might like their fan website. They have a message board and you can watch back episodes if you miss any of them. It also has profiles of all the dogs and their owners, the judges and the host.

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The Arte-y-Pico Award

We got this beautiful award from Petra and then again from The Barkalot Boyz. As per the award rules we are passing it on to five other bloggers. I wasn't sure what the Arte-y-Pico Award is all about so we researched it on the web. The most common explanation seems to be that it was created to give to bloggers "who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents, whether it be writing, artwork or other medias" and it seems to have been floating around the web for a long time. We are so pleased to receive this award and hope the five dog bloggers we are passing it on to feel the same way. (The rules for passing it on are listed below.)


Here's Who we are Giving the Arte-y-Pico Award to are:

Maggie and Mitch, The Airedales
This blog never fails to make Mom smile at the photos, especially on Wheelie Wednesdays. The Airedales are so cute.

Georgeous World
The photo manipulation on this blog fascinates Mom, probably because she can't do any thing like that. An awesome blog with lots of other stuff to explore as well.

My Dog, My Life with Penny
My Mom likes this blog because she always learns something interesting whenever she visits.

Wire Wise
This blog was picked because Lenny is hosting the 2008 DWB PawLimpics and that is a pretty special thing to do for the DWB community.

Opy, the Original GruffPuppy
All of us dogs with blogs know Opy's very special humans. Without Greg and Brooke, none of us would be connected through their very cool DWB website.


The Rules for Passing on the Award:

1) Pick five blogs that you consider deserve this award for creativity, design, and interesting material and also contribute to the blogger community regardless of language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited.

3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given him/her the award itself.

4) Award winners and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of the Arte-y-Pico blog so everyone will know the origin of the award. http://arteypico.blogspot.com/

5) In compliance with said rules, the award winner must show these rules.
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Prince Charles and the 3rd Obedience Class

"Aaaaah-ah-ah-ah-aaaah-ah-ah-ah-aaaah!" That sound is me doing the Tarzan yell because I'm so proud of Levi's performance in obedience class. Jason would say I'm being boastfully proud but I'm starting to catch on the fact that he says a lot of stuff just to tease me into thinking before I speak. What angel-in-training dog wouldn't be proud of his little earth-bound brother who did TWO figure eight heeling exercises in front of the WHOLE class and out shined all the other puppies when it was their turns on the runaway? The trainer/instructor even said to Mom, "Fine job, excellent!" And she didn't say that to anyone else. She just gave the other humans pointers for improvement as they did their walks.

For this week's homework---there are two pages worth---Mom has to practice having Levi do 'sits' and 'downs' many times in different places, working on him being patience and having good manners. And every 3rd or 4th time Levi does it he's to get rewarded with a "Life Reward" instead of a treat. That part will be easy for Mom. She already praises and pets him to an embarrassing level. Heeling while keeping your dog's attention is another goal on the homework list, forgetting about distance for now. That's a bummer for Mom. She wants to go around the block already. But training lessons aren't suppose to be more than ten minutes long so Mom is going along with the program and not doing the neighborhood tour just yet.

Mom is scary, spooky sometimes. You know what else has she's been doing? Trying to teach Levi to pee and poop on command. A couple of weeks ago the obedience instructor said that when you are teaching something new you wait for your dog to do the action and then you name it. Every since then Mom's been saying, "pee" and "poop" every time Levi does one or the other. The neighbors probably think she is crazy. I sure do. First humans want to tell canines where to pee and poop and now they want to tell them when to do it? What's the world coming to? That's the scary part. The spooky part is that Mom thinks Levi understands the pee-on-command thing as of two days ago when she pushed him gently off the steps and tried giving the 'pee' command for the first time. He squatted and did it, but it could have just been a coincidence.

Me, I had the Prince Charlie advice on peeing and pooping down pat. One time when he was being interviewed someone asked him what was the most important thing he'd learned about being in the royal family and he answered, "Never pass up an opportunity to use a restroom." The Prince Charlie theory on pit stops came up often when Mom and Dad used to travel. It's one of those things that tickled their funny bones and became a family joke with immense benefits to them and to me, a dog who got to mark trees all across America. ©


Top Photo: Johnny Weissmuller, 1930s Tarzan for MGM
Bottom Photo: The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles

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Three Dog Beds and Mom's Chair

Angel dogs in training are not supposed to be jealous of their charges. And I'm not. Truly I'm not. Really, really, really I'm not. I just want to know why my earth-bound brother, Levi, is allowed to sleep in Mom's chair but I never was. She even had one of those X-Mat pet training things designed to keep me from getting up there. Be warned, dogaroons, those thing hurts when you jump on them!

You're probably thinking there's more to the story. I guess I did leave out that fact that I liked to dig in the chair, too, trying to make a nest for myself while pretending I was out in the wilds of Montana. But Levi will learn to do that as well. Doesn't Mom know that? No, she just lets him sleep where he can keep an eye on her in the kitchen and Dad in his Lazy Z Boy. I'm not jealous---I think I've established that---I'm just concerned for Mom's judgment with raising Levi. She's getting old, you know.

And since I'm making comparisons, he's got three---count them---one, two, three dog beds. I only had one. He's got the soft, cushy one in the laundry room that he uses at night. Another one that fits in the bottom of his crate that Mom keeps in the car, and the third is a 'crate liner' bed that Levi is allowed to drag all through the house so he can plop down and sleep where ever he pleases.

Here is a photo of Levi in his crate liner bed, sleeping next to the waste basket. Can you believe it, he's never looked inside that basket! What self-respecting dog wouldn't have dove in after the junk mail and shredded paper by his age? He's going to be six months old on the 23rd, he should know about waste baskets by now. I hope he's not retarded.

My angel brother Jason says I have a selective memory. He says I didn't need a dog bed in the car because I always got to ride on Mom's lap back in the days when Dad could drive and after that I got to ride on Dad's lap. Levi needs a crate and bed in the car because, 1) he doesn't know enough not to jump out of an open door while Mom is transferring Dad to his wheelchair and 2) times have changed since I was a pup and Mom knows, now, that dogs are safer riding in the back where air bags can't get them.

I'll concede that Jason is right about all of that but he didn't have a logical explanation for why Levi has that third bed. The best he could come up with is that when I am able to let go of my earthly attachment to things, Levi could have a hundred beds and it won't matter to me. This is where Jason loses me with all that Zen stuff. Up here at the Rainbow Bridge, what ever we can imagine having to make us happy---tennis balls, steaks, Sarah with her pink tutu, fields to run in, water to play in---they magically appear. Yet when I look down on earth, all I'm suppose to see and help nurture is love, compassion and laughter.

"You already have that ability inside you," Jason told me. "You just need to master using it."

"Couldn't you just wave a magic wand and make me full angel wings worthy?" I begged him. All I've got now are those stubby trainer wings, you know.

"And have you miss great opportunities to grow and learn?" he answered with a smile. "That's not the angel way."

Love, compassion, laughter, growth, and learning---I'm tired of trying to figure out what all this has to do with Levi having three dog beds and Mom's chair to sleep in. I've got a poker game to go to. I'm out of here. Catch you later, alligators. ©

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Second Puppy Obedience Class

Levi's second obedience class went well, especially the first fifteen minutes when Mom and Levi practiced the 'settling' exercise while they listened to the instructor lecture. One of the things the trainer stressed was the importance of interrupting puppies at play with little obedience tasks and then letting them go back to play. The theory is that as puppies grow into adolescences they will be less apt to ignore or avoid owners when they are playing with other dogs or headed toward danger if they have learned that obeying their humans does not necessarily mean an end to having fun.

The second fifteen minutes of class was a combination of play time and grabbing a puppy by the collar---anyone's puppy---and having him or her do a couple of 'sits' before releasing the tyke to play again. It was a mass of humans and four-legged kids running around, the puppies having a great time and the humans looking like they were in a catch-the-greased-pig contest. Well, not quite THAT bad but you know how I like to exaggerate.

The third fifteen minutes of class was demonstrations on how to teach the 'stay' and 'down' commands followed by the last fifteen minutes of demonstrations on how to start puppies walking on a leash. The instructor used Levi for the demonstration and he did wonderfully. Can you tell I'm a proud big brother? The idea was to only go 2-3 feet at a time and then stop, 'sit' before going again. If the puppies pull on the leashes then the humans are suppose to turn and go the opposite direction.

A few days after the class Mom was feeling so confident that she had Levi under control while walking on a leash that she decided to take him and Dad out on a nature trail near by. How hard could it be to push a wheelchair and heel a dog at the same time? Harder than it looks, she decided. There were so many things Levi had never seen before---bicycles, joggers and other family pets not to mention the dam, river, swans, ducks, poison ivy, bugs and grass taller than him. The ragtag trio only got about a quarter of a mile along the river before turning around and coming back. Poor Mom, now she's resigned to taking them both separately until Levi masters ignoring distractions while practicing his obedience lessons.

Well, I've got to go find my angel brother. He's taking me a Zen Living class. It sounds boring to me but Jason says tonight's discussion will be particularly interesting. They're going to discuss, 'do dogs have a Buddha nature.'

"Of course we do!" I told him as soon has he had finished barking out the title.

"You may be right," Jason replied after a long, drawn-out pause. "Or you may be wrong. But answers giving without meditation are unacceptable." Then he winked at me! I can never tell if he's being serious or pulling my leg. All I know is he's one of the most respected angel trainers up here---even if he does talk in riddles half the time---so I listen when he speaks. ©

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Devil Angel

There are rules...or I should say principles to learn to become an angel dog. Yesterday I screwed up royally. I swear, I couldn't help it and if I were being totally honest here, I'm not sure I feel sufficiently contrite about my error in judgment to EVER pass the muster up here at the Rainbow Bridge. My knobby little pair of wings will probably never blossom into glorious, pure white fluttering appendages like my brother Jason and my silly sister Sarah has. If I didn't have such a macho image to maintain, I'd sit down and cry about that.

What exactly did I do? you ask. I crossed over the line and possessed little Levi for a few minutes. I truly, truly couldn't---why won't anyone believe me---help myself. As an angel in training we're suppose to learn how to look out for our earthly charges without twisting their desire to fit our own purposes. How was I supposed to know that doing the latter was more like the devil's work? The angel pledge is full of fine print. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Who reads all that?

Anyway, back my heartfelt confusion. Levi was in the bathroom while Mom was peeing and I saw him looking at the flash of white paper that came off the roller. "Do it!" I shouted in his head. "Grab it!" And he did! I know I possessed Levi for a few moments because he's been watching Mom pee and pull toilet paper off the roll for two months now and he just accepted that flash of paper as something humans do. It was none of his business and he had that down pat until I planted the naught idea in his head. This time---because of me---he snatched the paper out of Mom's hand, took off running and left her holding air. I used to do that all the time in my the first two years and last six months on earth.

Jason said that what I did was bad in principle but not in deed.

"What the heck does that mean?" I asked him.

He gave me that wise-old-monk-on-a-mountain-top look of his, laughed and said, "Grasshopper, some answers you must find in your heart." ©



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Doors and Lamps, No Problem

I thought I was smart while I was on earth---or was it smart-alecky?---but I never in my entire life tried to turn on a lamp or open a door. Levi is only inches away from accomplishing both of these things. Granted, the lever style door openers Mom and Dad have in their universal design house makes it easier for a clever dog (and disabled people) to figure out. But still, Levi's got to be a pretty smart little puppy at 23 weeks old to stretch himself up in an attempt to pull one of those levers down, thus opening the door if he could reach it. Once he puts a little hop into his efforts---which he'll figure out soon---Mom is going to have to make sure the doors are locked with the deadbolts all the time. Did Houdini have a dog? If so, I wonder if it was a schnauzer and Levi is a blood relative.

The lamp is easier to figure out than the door but still I never tried turning it on like Levi did today. He crawled to the top of Mom's chair in the living room and made a grab for the pull chains. I guess he wanted to learn to read the new book Mom got in the mail today---The Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook---and he needed some extra light.

Levi also managed to crawl on top of the twin beds today, too. I could never do it because they are extra high to accommodate dad's bed-to-wheelchair transfers. The first time my baby brother did it Mom didn't see how he got up there. Levi can't take a running, flying leap in the bedroom like he does to get on the couch in the living room, so she was puzzled. She turned around and there he was lying in the middle of the bed. So she put him on the floor and five seconds later he crawled up the side of the bed like Spiderman on the side of a downtown skyscraper.

Another accomplishment for Levi this week is learning how to nap with Dad. He's been in training for this event for weeks but today he actually stayed on Dad's lap for more than a few seconds. Mom was pleased. She clocked him out at six minutes before he jumped down and she said, "When he grows up enough to have a longer attention span he'll be a good little napping buddy."

That napping comment was bittersweet to my ears, though. I was Dad's napping buddy from the day he came home from the hospital until six months before I came up to the Rainbow Bridge when I just couldn't jump anymore. Levi can't get up there by himself, either, without Mom to help but he's young and will learn soon enough. In the meantime Mom puts Levi on Dad's lap every afternoon for bonding time. When she does that, I have to turn my head and look off towards the magical place where all the rainbows from earth arc up to touch. That helps me remember that angels aren't supposed to be jealous of our earthy replacements. I'm still an angel dog in training, you know, so I have a few things like that still to master. ©


P.S. In case anyone is wondering what the two headed pot is sitting by Mom's chair, it's called a Yellow Dog. It got its name from Teddy Roosevelt who saw these hanging on oil derricks in Texas. They filled them with crude and had two rag wicks coming out the spouts and lite them for light. Teddy said they looked like yellow dogs. A newspaper reporter over heard him say that and soon after a newspaper back east had a headline that read something like: The President Sees Yellow Dogs in Texas! The name stuck. Mom and Dad bought that because they didn't know what it was and it took them several years to find another one. That second one was in an oil and gas museum where they finally learned its purpose and history.

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