Hallelujah...

Dear Friends,

It is very unusual for gregarious Raj Mahal not to race around his obstacle course during Runabouts with his brother. Yesterday, he crawled into his box and stayed there. We have never seen him do this. Nor has Taj, who was so concerned he went to check on his brother. Why aren't you playing with me?

This behavior is often a sign that an animal is ill and when mom sees this she takes us to the vet immediately. Guinea pigs instinctively disguise illness because, in the wild, in the Andes Mountains, it would make them vulnerable to predation. So, by the time you notice one behaving differently, chances are he/she is already quite ill.

If Raj is sick, and we don't yet know, for this happened yesterday and he has not yet been seen by our new vet, that would make half the herd...mom is taking this pretty hard, and even began reading the Bible last night FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HER ENTIRE LIFE: The chapter on Job! Because to have half the herd...well, she needed spiritual succor. And lollipops or ice cream. We only had the Bible. (Although today the gluten-free vegan baker has a bag o'goodies saved for her at Avellino's Cafe!) He only bakes these on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He is also going to Italy in the fall, but only for two weeks. We will have to buy and freeze A LOT!

Mom played the song she loves listening to when she cleans our cages and cries (what is
with That crying and this song?!) It brings her to her knees, and since she is already there
as she cleans our cages, we figured it was just convenience?!

This is our response to those who have told her to "get rid of us so she can take better care of herself."WE ARE THE BETTER CARE, PEOPLE, WHAT PART OF ANIMAL RESCUE
DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?  She tells them: "They rescue me," then notes never to have
further contact with that person: cold hearts don't make good friends.

Leonard Cohen says it best and kd lang sings it best in "Hallelujah" because anyone who
works in any field of service to others experiences that it is not always a "feel-good" experience
for - if it is truly an act of humble, selfless service, THERE WILL BE MUCH HEART BREAKAGE. If your heart doesn't break...well, we don't have any friends engaged in animal
rescue or other forms of service whose hearts do not break. Without fanfare, in the silence of
the night, often alone...we weep. We do the best we can and never manage to save them all.
So we weep. We sing "Hallelujah" then get up the next morning and do it all over again
because that is who we are! And we have found our Calling. And we LIVE IT AND IT
KILLS US AND THAT IS SOMETHING WE ACCEPT. For those of you who don't
"get it" please go to the Humane Society and hug the sorriest, most pathetic, least likely
to be adopted animal and see if you don't "get it" after that!

"Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah"


~from "Hallelujah"
written by Leonard Cohen
best sung by kd lang...have hankies