UH-OH! Mom having Visions of Grandeur Again! - Everybody HIDE!

It goes a little like this y'all. And it ain't pretty. Mom gets migraine. Draws silly pictures like she's channeling some kinda mythic Neanderthal cave child with clay crayons from Lauscaux! o.k. Then she stops drawing and screams (grabbing her hair as if gonna pull it all out at once) "Incoming! Need PAIN MEDS!" then she starts shrieking until they kick in and then she pulls out her fancy books, which are quite lovely. Then she shows us her "art" and then shows us how the books explain why she is such a genius. By this time we know the meds have really kicked in 'cuz she be droolin' on her fancy-schmancy books 'splainin' to us: "seeeee, i gonna use this pain for good:
me draw pretty one day!" before FACEPLANTIN' SMACK INTO THE ICEPACKS lined up on her bed. The books fall off the bed and we gets to thinking...

"If the fancy-schmancy books are within nibblin' distance...uh, oh, nothing!" that would be wrong.

"If her 'drawings' are within nibblin' distance...uh, oh, nothing!" (but that would be less wrong - possibly even Righteous!)

OOPS, GOTTA GO, she wakin' up: RAJ MAHAL WUZ NEVAH HERE!

Calling all HAPPY DANCE Music Stations...

LOOKING FOR THE MOOSE...

WHEN THE ART-I-CANE SWEEPS THROUGH, mom pulls out every bit of salvaged paper, bark, string, and whatever we haven't eaten, paints, folds, glues, and sticks it all together because she needs to get her mojo flowin' again. Everything in these salvaged from the forest floor after our 100 mph + windstorms except the stuff she found somewhere else. She colored the paper by throwing paint into a sink full of water, throwing paper into the sinkfull of painted water, then smashing it all up, then folding or rolling or crinkling or doing whatever she needs to keep us from finding and eating it.

Mom, it real nice but where the BEWILDERED MOOSE? Or...might that be...?

Oh, nothing, gettin' too close to dinnertime to go there!

ORDINATION OF A GizzlHOOdle!

Once Duke ordained us piggies "official" Hooligans for eating our cardboard houses
(like, who don't do that?) lil'Giz wanted in and we all agree that wid a face like his,
he a DEFINITE Hooligan! Mom wants to brush and groom him, probably use our
flea comb and infect him wid our mites, so DON'T LET HER!

CONGRATS, LIL'GIZ, YOU IZ A HOOLI-SUMPIN' NOW! We is barrel-rollin' wid glee!

"Adopt-A-Piggie" Works In Progress

Dear Friends,
We remain hard at work on our "Adopt-A-Piggie" cards
in between buying piggie treats, washing and chopping and feeding piggies,
playing with piggies, cuddling piggies, piggie Runabouts,
Piggie Sleep-A-Thons with mom,
cleaning piggie water bottles and refilling them
cleaning piggie food bowls and refilling them
cleaning piggie cages and refilling them
cleaning piggies and not getting squealed at!

So, just imagine! You can simply "Adopt-A-Piggie" by purchasing cards
and not get to do all the other fun stuff!

Right now we are preparing for the First Friday Art Walk here in B'ham
where ARTISANS gallery sells non-piggie cards and drawing/paintings
then it's-a-gonna-be-PIGGIE TIME!
Can't ya just feel it in the cool, Pacific Northwest breeze?
(was that wrong, all you melters? We didn't mean it.)
OF COURSE WE MEANT IT!

Mixed Media Moose

A long time ago in a place far, far away where there was plenty of room to throw hand-made papers from around the world all over the floor, and a BIG bathroom where lots of glue and paint could play together, we used to have "Mixed Media SMACKDOWNS!" and mess up the place real good creating wall hangings strung with hemp on bamboo poles to hang up all around...above the jaws of paper-eating little monstrous's likes us! This is a close-up of part of a wall hanging about a bewildered moose. We think it was subconsciously autobiographical but would never whisper a word of it to mom! We just think Moose's expression looks somethin' familiar and all the stuff above him...kinda like the floor in her "studio" and her with that "HUH? HOW DIS ALL GET SO MESSY?" face.

...Just Sayin'

Calvin Goes EXPLORING!

Mom said my skeleton is as delicate as glass...gonna hide. Don't wanna hear!

Hmmm, this interesting: Like an explorer! Gonna climb in and see what's about!

Hey, this the perfect spot for an Explorer with a skeleton made of glass!

Think I'll just cuddle in, do my "Pig In A Blanket" routine so mom with lay down next to me.
Then wrap me up with her hand snuggled next to my nuzzle! And quietly we shall dwell together.
No talking, only the sound of one piggie purring. Nuzzlin' mom.
Yeah, Life Good when
you is Calvin the small in your Special Blanket!

Practicing PiggieSattva Meditation

Thanks, Jerry, for sending us this photograph!

‪Dalai Lama: Happiness, Compassion and Mosquitos (funny)‬‏ - YouTube

‪Dalai Lama: Happiness, Compassion and Mosquitos (funny)‬‏ - YouTube

Compassion

Compassion

We have been struggling with how to get rid of the flies

breeding in the kitchen because mom hasn't always kept

the kitchen sparkling clean, you might say...so it isn't the

fault of the flies, why kill them because she don't clean the

kitchen? So, she decided not to kill, cleaned the kitchen,

removed the screens from the windows, and invited them

to leave and fly free...

Some have. Some, not so much. Some died. In the coffee cup.

(and if it was the last coffee in the house...and mom really

wanted coffee, no, of course NOT!)

We found this video for mom. Now she feels better. And is

doing a much better job keeping the kitchen clean.

But mosquitoes, not so easy!

We are her Little Buddhas. Although, because of his lust

for stealing Raj Mahal's treats (after he has grabbed his

own and hidden them in his pigloo) we may rename

Taj Mahal the "GimmePiggie" since he has not renounced

FOOD SNATCHERY. We feel certain he never will. He

enjoys it too much. And mom gives Raj more anyway.

So he feels like it is his contribution to mom and Raj,

to teach them non-attachment. WE DOESN'T BUY IT!

But we acts like we does.

The GimmePiggie...what would Buddha do?

In Repose

GONNA READ NOW...

Mom said this a good book, so will read softly to Calvin to calm and soothe him...

Taking a Coffee Break...Where It?! Coffee-Coffee-Coffee...

Calvin the small's very own coffee cup courtesy of Lashes & he LURVES it, as you can see!

Dear Friends,

Thanks to your support, we will be taking a short (Coffee) break to work on "Adopt-A-Pig" cards and hope to have our offerings up within the week! You will be able to choose from packs of your
fave-O-fave piggies and/or drawings sold at the gallery...and 100% of the proceeds will directly benefit our Sanctuary/Hospice particularly with vet care for Calvin the small and YumYum, so just take widdle-bitty sips and stay tuned!

Love,

Calvin the small: "Where it? The coffee? Where it?"
YumYum: "Who loves ya, baby?"
Raj Mahal: "Whadda-whadda-whadda-where my lettuce?!"
Taj Mahal (running away with Raj's lettuce)
MacNutPie: "Where my GrandPigPapa? What a loo-WOW?"
& CocoNutPie: "Kezia named me and I'm Beautiful!"

Herd Originale

                                          PandaPig...who raised YumYum like his own.

PandaPig contemplating a "treat" with herdmates YumYum and Bear,
the BeaverPig

These photographs show PandaPig, the founder of the Sanctuary, along with his original herdmates, amongst whom YumYum remains the sole survivor. Both PandaPig and Bear passed away within days of one another of cancer. The miracle? How long they actually lived! Bear (on the bottom) has a beautiful story we will share...taken in as a Hospice Piggie one Christmas Eve, Bear had cancer tumors so large they bulged heavily out of his sides like bowling balls. He became so happy and well nourished that his cancer actually went into spontaneous remission until Panda passed four months later...neither of them ever alone or unwanted again. That was one of our first experiences discovering the Secret Lives of Guinea Pigs and how much their emotions, nutrition, having friends, enjoying lovable handling and playtime all contribute so much to their well-being that a dying pig can miraculously recover, healed by LOVE, even if loved for the very first time! Two things can kill guinea pigs because of their profound sensitivity: grief and physical pain. After Bear and PandaPig passed, the only way to keep YumYum
alive was new friends FAST so the day Bear passed, mom came home with Raj and Taj Mahal who had been surrendered to the Whatcom Humane Society. It is rare to find a pair of piggies, much less siblings, but when we needed them, they were waiting and HOME they came! They remain the Clowns of the Herd with their notorious "Food-Snatch Capers."

YumYum is losing weight and becoming palpably bony so we tried something new and unusual: Everyone out on Runabout at the same time (except Calvin because he isn't neutered and could knock up Coconut, who held her own with the rowdy, randy boys!)
The secret to keeping males from fighting over dominance is space, space, and more space...and mom sat in the middle with treats as everyone approached and stealthily snatched what they acted like was the last treat left in the World before racing off with it to a secret, undisclosed location. Fun was had by all. Calvin got his Runabout last but that's when the honeydew melon got busted open and he and mom shared it together, Calvin's eyes shining brightly. We treat him as if his spine is made of glass, which basically it is, fragile and breakable; yet despite the pain his eyes shine brightly and he still demands the infamous "nighty-night snuggles" with mom at bedtime. We are hanging in there!

Still Life in Rust

Sometimes things that have weathered the test of time and the elements become more beautiful for having simply survived.
These "Still Life in Rust" photographs are how mom hopes to become...discovering that survival has turned into color once the struggling settles down and life becomes still again.

"ADOPT A PIGGIE" ART CARDS COMING!

LETTER FROM CHANA: Dear friends, as you know, both Calvin the small and YumYum are suffering with severe degenerative bone diseases. Our vet bills are mounting and I am on a fixed, low income. Thanks to Meme, we will begin selling cards online both of the guinea pigs and my drawings...they will be 5 x 7 in packs of 4 for $20, which is the same price the art gallery charges, the difference being that here, 100% of the proceeds will go directly for the care of the piggies.

As I am "with headache" please allow some time before this is more organized and I will send out a big, group email. They also need a lot more fresh, organic produce than our former vet was recommending, and that is another huge expense, as each piggie needs a minimum of 1/2 cup daily! (Minimum, not including special snacks and treats!)

Thank you in advance for your support of "Adopt-A-Piggie" Art Cards by HoneyAntDreamingStudios. Once we are able to spend more time online,
we will put it all together for you:  Friends of PandaPig's Peace Sanctuary.

With Profound Gratitude,
Chana and The Piggies

P.S. Art Cards from the Gallery will also become available soon!
Stay tuned and THANK YOU ALL, AND MEME, FOR THIS IDEA!

CASTING CALL FOR...UH....HMMM.

CASTING CALL hath been issued for parts in the sequel "Jurassic Park: China Forcloses on U.S Debt and only GuineaSaurUSreXs Can Save U.S." The piggies are all trying out! And, props to you melters around the country, but it really is cool enough up here to wear this! You like? Spielberg, here we comeZ!

Sharing

                 Gonna snatch that right outta his mouth! Just WATCH me!

                    HEY?! WHADDA-whadda-whadda-whadda-whadda?

Got it back!
NO YOU DID-N'T! GIMME!