PANDA PIG AND MOM, 2009

"I hold today the same opinion as I held then. To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being."
- Mahatma Gandhi

MOM AND ME

Dear Readers,

When I first arrived at PandaPigSantuary I was EAGER to start my whole, new Happy Life with mom and PandaPig!

SEE?!

We didn't adopt Bear the Beaver Pig until Christmas Eve, 2009, so I was Herd Pig #2. I always aspired to be
Herd Pig #1, AlphaPig, second to none!

Now I am. Be careful what you wish for. Top Gun is a lonely place, actually.

Now: RARE CONFESSION & DON'T ANYBODY MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT OR I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN:
I miss being the baby and cared for, now that my ElderHerdBrothers are gone. PandaPig raised me and shared his
hidey-hole with me and taught me the Guinea Pig Way. With patience I didn't always deserve. Ok, maybe I never
deserved it, but that's just the kind of pig Panda was. HE was patient, HE nurtured me, and mom got some great
photo ops. I now realize what a lucky punk I was.

Now that fate has laid the mantle of good penmanship upon my Mohawk-crested shoulders, the next two posts are from
me and the Mahals to mom and all of our dear readers and friends.

LIKE I SAID, DON'T MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF ME GETTING MUSHY OR I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN.

until i do it again.

Dear Readers, we dedicate mom's birthday to all of you and the acutely heartfelt memory of PandaPig and Bear.

yum-yum Yummy! out.

IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN!

DEAR READERS,

Remember the picture of mom's bff, Susan, and her BOWL OF LATTE? This is where that java took them!
(Not to mention Susan's home-made sandwiches at the half-way point!) We have faith:

IT COULD HAPPEND AGAIN! Mom in happier times: Because java is HappyJuiceDelight for burly mountain girls
and Hwy. 542E is the Stairway to Heaven! And hiking with caffeinated girlfriends TOTALLY ROCKS!

For now: anybody gotta spare wheelchair with jet rockets? We are accepting donations.  Seriously, thanks.

YumYum out!

THANK YOU, FRIENDS!

Dear Readers,

Yes, we've posted this photo before but if you have a moment of joy you've got to make the most of it, what say you?

Today is mom's birthday. She is having an intensely difficult time and so we want to begin this Birthday Post from her favorite

place, Artist Point at Mount Baker and, with the spirit of mom loving it there, want to thank you from this Heavenly Mountain

of Reflection and Peace

for every single gesture of love, encouragement, caring, tenderness, home-made meal, home-made birthday gift, phone message, email, ecard, thought, prayer, and heartfelt support you are sending our way Today.

Many of you began before today, somehow feeling you couldn't begin soon enough, which is true. This spring Birthday month and Birth Day, which mom shares with John Muir, has been ragged around the edges and jagged on the inside. But, as our Beloved Sant Rajinder Singh Ji is fond of saying, "LOVE BEAUTIFIES EVERYTHING." And your love beautifies mom's birthday today more than the most breath-taking moments she has ever enjoyed in the mountains! Yeah, you know who you are!

This year, mom's Climb is Within: And, elegantly, each of you appear, stationed faithfully at every outpost at which she stumbles. It has been an extraordinarily intense month of pain and redemption, grief and -we have faith - Renewal! Renewal...redemption...rebirth, each of you a midwife holding us through the painful contractions that precede Good Stuff Emerging. I'm YumYum. This writing stuff  is new to me, remember?

So, from me and the Mahals on behalf of mom, we celebrate her birthday beautified by your love and offer gracious thanks to each and every one!

AND WHAT DO WE WANT FOR OUR BIRTHDAY? THIS HERE:
To take the best photos from our blog, create a book, cards, a calendar, and as many different forms of
media as possible celebrating the lives and loves of guinea pigs to raise funds and donations to create a special "Small Animal Sanctuary" at the new Whatcom Humane Society future building. We little ones are not forgotten, but the small touches that make our lives so much lovelier rarely can be afforded by animal shelters overwhelmed with larger animals. We can fall through the cracks, through no fault of the shelter or volunteers, simply through lack of funding. Animal rescue is service and we honor all who offer theirs.

In loving memory of PandaPig and Bear, and when grief allows us to revisit our favorite moments together
in their lives, we're all going to pitch in, using PandaPig's blog and to help raise funds for what we hope can become an extension of PandaPigSanctuary at the Whatcom Human Society. That's OUR Birthday Wish!

THANK YOU ALL. MOM MAY NOT HAVE THE ENERGY TO SAY IT NOW, SO PLEASE KNOW HOW MUCH WE LOVE YOU, DEAR READERS, PRECIOUS FRIENDS.

YumYum out.

TAJ MAHAL "HUGGING" RAJ IN AN UNHOLY WAY

OK, ONCE AND FOR ALL, READERS: This is not really once and for all, just this morning. But, get it straight before we change their names up on you tomorrow.

Taj Mahal is the brown, swirly pig "hugging" his bff, Raj Mahal. That is Raj on the BOTTOM (i.e. receiving end) of Taj's "affection." TAJ ON TOP. RAJ ON BOTTOM. GOT IT? MEET THE MAHALS!

This "hugging" (I know from experience) is gonna land both of them back with Dr. Berry getting the "snip-snip" so they better straighten up and fly right if they want to keep their manhood. My money is on the "snip-snip" and it's not that bad, I just had it and I'm fine. (EDITOR: YUM-YUM WAS ALLOWED ON RUNABOUT WITH THE MAHALS LAST NIGHT, WE WILL SHARE MORE LATER, AND HAS NOT CHANGED. MOHAWK FUR TRUMPED SNIP-SNIP: HE "JUMPED" RAJ WITH TEETH CHATTERING AND FIERCE AGGRESSION. sigh.)

TAJ MAHAL ON TOP.
RAJ MAHAL ON BOTTOM.
ME GONNA JUMP 'EM BOTH AND CHEW THEIR FUR OFF AND -
(NOTE FROM EDITOR: "YUUUUUUM-YUUUUUUUUUUUUM!")

my new friends, how i love them both.

Edwin coming tomorrow for mom's birthday and she's acting like, "Sure, Edwin, you can name them" but since he does not have a computer and wouldn't read the blog anyway...what will their names be by Thursday? Knowing mom...the same! But we will let you know their "Official Registered" names according to Edwin. Then we will immediately forget and when Edwin visits again we will have to remember or politely ask him. People are SO WIERD!

yum-yum gonna jump those mahals and --- (YELLING FROM EDITOR!)
YUM-YUM OUT.

IN CASE YOU ARE AS CONFUSED ABOUT THEIR NAMES AS MOM: MEET RAJ MAHAL