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!

SHARING: TAKE 2

It's mine!
Mine!
Nuh-UH!
UH-HUH!
MINE!
Piggies stop to sing "We Are the World" while
mom snatches lettuce to breakZ it in half.
Peace Prevails.

SHARING TAKE 3: IT'S MINE! NO, MINE! I SAW IT FIRST...GIMME!

YES indeed, Raj and Taj set a beautiful, inspiring commitment to their non-violent vegetarian lifestyle: Good work, boys. Thank you for demonstrating your commitment to  peaceful co-existence: You have undoubtedly inspired no one to become a vegetarian. Well done, ambassadors of Peace:  Can either of you spell the word S.H.A.R.E. ?
Thought not.

The Dalai Lama

{Excerpt reproduced in "The Compassionate Diet" from Nobel Peace Prize Recipient His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking on basic rights of animals in his statement to The Nineteenth World Vegetarian Conference in 1967.}
"...Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures."

Newly released, The Compassionate Diet, addresses health concerns both for the individual and the planet as a whole. It is scientific, pragmatic, and elegant in presenting not eating animals as beneficial to the physical and spiritual well-being of individuals and, collectively, a planet whose resources can no longer be considered inexhaustible.

Scientific arguments are presented for a compassionate diet addressing cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, antibiotics fed to animals, pesticides, coronary disease, genetically modified organisms, estrogenic hormones, saturated fat, obesity, osteoporosis, herbicides, factory-farmed-and-drugged animals, benefits of organic agriculture to the individual and the planet, and many stirring quotes from some unexpected, yet highly recognized leaders throughout history advocating a vegetarian way of life.

Approach your diet for your own health, a commitment to sustainable living, a contribution to lowering Global Warming if you believe it is real (as you melt) or simply a way of life that extends
our own personal humanity to the mute brothers and sisters whose stewardship we may or may
not choose to accept.

There are many arguments pro and con regarding a vegetarian way of life addressed by scientific data contained in this book. And there are stirring pleas, from Jane Goodall to Abraham Lincoln, from Mahatma Gandhi to kd lang, to consider the price each of us pay for the consumption of animals. Whether you are interested in improving your own health, the sustainability of our planet, or are stirred sympathetically by the plight of each mute animal brutally put to death in meat processing plants, "The Compassionate Diet" presents each of us something to contemplate if we are self-reflective about who we are and how we wish to carry ourselves in this world, as well as the planet our children inherit.

Just some thoughts late at night while the guinea pigs sleep soundly, their bellies full of sumptuous watermelon!