IN MEMORY OF PETERLE...

INGRID'S PRECIOUS DARLING,
PETERLE LEFT US UNEXPECTEDLY AUGUST 25, 2012.
INGRID, Please accept our sincerest condolences to you
and Helmut and Peter's friends, the meeris (guinea pigs)
and the dackals (dogs) and your entire beloved animal family.
We grieve with and for you...and especially for his girlfriend,
"Murmel" bunny. We love you very, very much.
May Peter find peace in the presence of those who
have gone before him and may he be a comfort to those
who follow.
We understand. Our hearts break with yours...
And we hope you can feel our hugs letting miles never
come between us.
All of us here at Panda's Pig Sanctuary:
Our own Peter-Peanut, Bhindi, Vinny-Guinea, and YumYum
~*~
{Ingrid, Helmut, and their family of animals live in 
Bavaria, Germany}

MY THIRD AWESOME SUMMER DAY!



Walking down and back UP the steep boardwalk
along Taylor Dock overlooking Bellingham
Bay, you could see the San Juan Islands to the West
and the snowy caps of the Canadian Rockies to the north
on a rare, perfect summer day...even making a new friend
after "bonking" back into my walker, but 'twas brilliant!

On the hike back to Fairhaven a guy sitting in his truck had Beyonce's "Single Ladies" playing on his radio, so I asked him to crank it up on that trail and BOY YOU CAN SHAKE A BOOTY
EVEN WITH NORDIC WALKING POLES and passersby all smiled because I was SO FREAKING HAPPY TO BE ALIVE
AND WALKING AND DANCING! Thanking the truckdriver
who then turned the music back down, I finally got back into Fairhaven, "crashed" back into my walker, then met a new friend,
this wonderful artist, storyteller, who for many years had taught at
Native American reservations and we sat talking together on the sidewalk for hours while he sold cards of his gorgeous
artwork, regaling me with a lifetime of learning, stories, elder-wisdom, and IT WAS GOOD!

My New Friend!

Today was my third AWESOME day
of summer! My doctor this morning
ordered me to "Go Outside!" and so
I downed a latte and used my hiking
poles for a terrific walk where I lied to
lots of people I met about having once
been a mountain climber (and really
must stop! It's happened twice this
week and I only today realized how much
I live in my own Storied Past which is
good enough as is but the "embellishments"
would qualify it for the FICTION SHELF!)
My new friend and I sat on the sidewalk
all afternoon "conversating" that is,
we told stories. It topped off a rare perfect
summer day here in the Pacific Northwest.
We endure 11 1/2 months of Different Shades
of Grey waiting for days like this...
Guess that's why we stay.
They're worth it!