WE WERE LOST AND NOW WE'RE FOUND

A NIGHTINGALE AMONG US!

Wow, readers, guess what?! Something we've been reading about on the Internet (considered a rare phenomenon in guinea pigs) JUST HAPPENED:
This (as yet unnamed) guinea pig began chirping like a bird! CHIRPED AWAY!

It is not only rare, but when this behavior IS observed, it is usually done by a female! Few guinea pig slaves have ever experienced hearing a piggie chirp! That was some RARE Listening! Even guinea pig "experts" have no explanation for chirping.
CHIRP ON, Merry Nightingale, chirp us to sleep after so many tears of grief have fallen from our weary eyes: Chirp on!
Yum-Yum wishes good night to our Little NightingalePig. Sweet dreams.

I MEET MY NEW FRIENDS FOR THE FIRST TIME

WHAT THE ?!#$%&?! WE NEED A BIG HEAVY FOOD BOWL: STAT!

WHAT UP, DAWGS? It's me, YumYum.
(Editor whispering to YumYum...)

rewind: "Dear Readers,"
(Editor: that's better, YumYum, thank you for being polite)

Dear Readers,
IT BE ME, YUM-YUM, WHAT UP?
Today Bear the Beaver Pig passed away from cancer.

I haven't even come out of shock from PandaPig passing away from cancer just two days ago. I have been on a hunger fast, hiding in my box, and not wanting any comfort. And that was just with losing my best friend, PandaPig. So, when we lost Bear, mom knew I would be next if something wasn't done to cheer me up so I would start eating again and come out of my Grief Place.

She went to the Whatcom Humane Society, who only occasionally have guinea pigs. Today they had two who came in together! For ME?!

She brought them home and set up their new, fun cage between my cage and her bed.

This is them. I think I like them.  They are very funny!  They chase each other and play games and are not sad, like me. Mom thinks they will teach me how to feel joy again. It seems impossible.  But these two are comedians. I thought she'd bring home a new toy, not...not...not something this special.

Yes, yes, I definitely like them.

It's just that...

WHAT THE ?!@#$%&***?! ARE THEY? They are FUNNY, THESE TWO. IS THAT A GOOD THING? PERHAPS SO. ESPECIALLY NOW. SO...

WELCOME, WHO AND WHATEVER YOU ARE. WE  HOPE YOU MAKE US LAUGH AGAIN.

stay tuned, readers. YumYum got hisself somethin' new!

Just remember our new Sanctuary motto: NO PIG LEFT BEHIND!

i'm sad. and PandaPig was our blogger, not me: don't expect Shakespeare.


but you might want to stay tuned as we find out exactly what we have gotten ourselves into now! gonna be good, for sure.


bye y'all,
sad YumYum (with Happiness potential now secured in their own cage next to mine)

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVING CARE OF US

FAREWELL, OUR BELOVED BEAR

TODAY BEAR WENT TO HEAVEN IN MOM'S ARMS WHILE SHE HELD HIM AND PETTED HIM GENTLY AND WHISPERED LOVE AND FAREWELL THROUGH HER TEARS. SPECIAL THANKS TO JOHN A. BERRY, D.V.M. AND EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF THE STAFF OF THE LYNDEN VETERINARY HOSPITAL FOR THEIR COMPASSIONATE, LOVING SUPPORT THROUGH THE LOSS OF PANDA-PIG AND BEAR THE BEAVER PIG WITHIN DAYS OF ONE ANOTHER. THEY BOTH DIED FROM CANCER. DR. BERRY AND HIS STAFF BLESSED US WITH A SURE KNOWING THAT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING POSSIBLE WAS DONE SO THAT NEITHER SUFFERED MORE THAN NECESSARY IN THEIR FINAL DAYS. AND DR. BERRY'S SPIRITUAL GENEROSITY COMFORTED MOM ENORMOUSLY.

THANK YOU, DR. BERRY. THANK YOU, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. PLEASE ACCEPT OUR PROFOUND GRATITUDE FOR YOUR EXTRAORDINARY EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF PANDA PIG'S SANCTUARY.

RARIFIED ATMOSPHERE: WHERE HEAVEN MEETS HIGH EARTH

HI AGAIN,

It's me, Yum-Yum. Dear readers.

What is happening?

Panda Pig passed away from a tumor.

Bear the Beaver Pig has an infection which he actually chewed a hole into, trying to self-heal internal pain and pressure which was not visible until we all went to the vet with PandaPig and mom asked Dr. Berry to take a look at Bear.

Dr. Berry had never seen anything like it in his life!
A guinea pig actually chewing a hole through himself in a valiant, excruciatingly painful attempt to treat his own disease, invisible to everyone but him. And because Bear is in such critical condition, Dr. Berry cannot sedate him for any diagnostic procedures. Dr. Berry tried to explain to mom what is happening to Bear but he isn't entirely certain what this extraordinary infection is or how extensive its damage. That it's damage is SIGNIFICANT and life threatening is all we know. Whether Bear lives is between Bear and God.

All we ask if that he be free from suffering and Dr. Berry shares our belief that quality of life is more important  than intrusive, traumatizing attempts to prolong life because we cannot bear to let go of our little brother. We are learning that Love means when one is  holding a dear one close and letting go at the same time, Heartbreak cracks ya open into crying pieces of gut-wrenching grief. Oh well.

I'm the littlest Pig, raised by Panda, and these are Big Thoughts.

Mom and Edwin both said that when they saw me today they immediately recognized by my eyes that I had changed from a rambunctious Little Grasshopper into a Wise Pig.

OH, PLEASE! SPARE THE DRAMA! I JUST LOST MY BEST FRIEND, MY BROTHER; PANDA PIG RAISED ME.

AND MY ARCH ENEMY FOR ALPHA PIG OF THE HERD LIES DYING ALONE IN HOSPITAL. AND AS MUCH AS I LIKE TO ATTACK BEAR, I LOVE HIM AND CAN'T IMAGINE NOT HAVING HIM TO JUMP AT!

(NOTE FROM EDITOR: REASON FOR NEUTERING.)

ALL BROTHERS FIGHT SOMETIMES, RIGHT? But, it doesn't mean we don't love each other.

If he lives I will never click my teeth and chatter at him and jump and lunge and try to bite him up and then, if I lose, like always, I will not jump into his cage after he turns his back and completely and systematically pee on, chew on, break, tear, and destroy all his favorite things in a fit of revenge. ME? NEVER!

I will offer my front foot with my shorter toenails as a peace offering. SO Bear, live...I'm a new pig, a nice pig, a quiet demure, gentle pig. A...what else?...uh...mmmmm....think, think...

O.K. maybe I WILL do all those bad things again because, let's face it, I'm YumYum and that's how I roll.

But, Bear, it doesn't mean I don't love you. I do. Mom does, and Edwin does, and the cats do, and all the Sanctuary visitors do and some even want to take you home with them. Does that make me jealous?

Of course not!

Or it does, whatever. No biggie, my Piggie! Right?

You are loved, no matter what our shortcoming are. Please be free of pain. Please be free of fear. Please be free of loneliness. Please be free of suffering. Please know we love you so tightly that letting go would break our hearts and we love you enough to endure That, for You, Bear the BeaverPig.

Hey, Bear, I am sorry for all the things I did to your cage that time. If you live, I promise that I will probably do them again, but, it would only be because we are Brothers.

Maybe I have changed.

Maybe not.

YumYum says g'night, see ya, hasta la vista, and send a carrot!

FLOWERS FOR PANDA PIG IN LOVING MEMORY

THIN LINE ON HIGH

Hi. YumYum here. Mom and Edwin came to get me and Bear was still stubbornly clinging to life. Mom felt he was ready, but the new, young (not our regular vet) said he has seen animals recover from worse, and
could we give him some more time? Mom held him for about an hour
and sang to him and kissed him and his eyes closed in that special, relaxed, peaceful way...he knew the family was surrounding him with
love.

But, he grew tired so we left him to rest and allow him more time in the LifeBoundaryArea to choose whether he wanted to remain in bounds or
ski free off the mountain. Mom and I will stay in Bellingham so we can be ready and close to support him.

We really wish we could go with Edwin to Seattle and not be alone in the freezing Bellingham rain.

I have never, ever been alone. PandaPig raised me from when I was little with my brothers and sisters at the Feed Store and then we had Bear and I have never, ever been alone. Mom asked if I would try blogging to see if it helped.

Not so much.

And now I am neutered.

And miss my herd. The Boundary Area is painful for all of us. I have never been alone. But mom is here and at least I can help her grieve.

She said you can start a blog off with "Dear Readers" but I am YumYum and that's not how I roll, y'all.

So, get used to it. I may be neutered, but I'm NOT OUT!

WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?

BEAR HIMSELF TEETERING ON BRINK OF LIFE AFTER PANDA PIG'S PASSING

PANDA IN HEAVEN APRIL 12, 2010