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!


 

INTRODUCING OUR OWN NEWZ TEEM!

Meet our mice-on-the-street-Anchor-Vermin
for "K-Rodential.TV" in Florida covering
the sunshine, hurricane,   BumPublican Convention.
LIVE! (depending on the hurrycane)

 

 

"Oh, what fun this shall be! La-Dee-Dah!"
explain Jon and Pom Stew-It who will be providing
in-depth reportage on scandals, fandangos, fauz pas,
inappropriate comments caught when delegates thought the microphones were off, texting, Twittering,
and over-the top HotAir "Patriotic" BallyHoo-ing & wild
flag-waving from the Convention floor for our readers,
followed, if not preceded,
with up-to-the-minutia Commentary (ad nauseum)
from political pundits following each event!
What could be funner?
(anything.)
We particularly expect news about the salad, munchies,
hurrycane, but aren't too worried with Convention Delicates
such as New Joyzee Governor Chris Christie, keynote speaker (?)
who may prove valuable ballast to augment sandbags
anchoring down the convention center floor during
the highest winds and rain, flooding, so forth and
what-not...although we are already experiencing severe
technical difficulties due to our incompetent I.T. Specialist
(mom, who crashed the computer) but we shall persevere despite mom to ensure our readers receive all the news not fit to print
and much, much less: We promise you WILLNOT be disappointed
AS WE ALL EXPECT TO BE.
Count on It!
Jon and Pom back at the top o'the Hour,
So Stay Tuned!
*~*~*
We do sincerely pray for the safety of all
in the hurricane's path, particularly our dear friend,
Gizmomma and her lil'Giz living right smack in the path...
Godspeed and Blessings,
precious friends, we do worry and send ceaseless love and
good, positive vibes from all your MODS' hearts to yours.)
Giz, we love you!

THE NEW DAWN OF MORNING BREAKFASTS WITH LOVE!

Now even if mom doesn't feel well she makes
sure we get breakfast on her lap with lots
of skritchy-scratches in all the right places!
(What happened to my toenails, ma?)

Mmmm, now everybody is happy again.
Especially mom. She needs this more
than we do, especially on sick days.
We comfort her. She doesn't even mind
us turning our home-grown wheatgrass over.
(Seriously, where are my toenails?)

Good thing Peter-Peanut's memory is as short as
his new toenails! He doesn't remember yesterday,
and - AHEM! - I shall remain the only one in the
herd with my "bits" but they're petite, unobtrusive,
bother no one at all, and we can gloat freely so yes, please congratulate me on my Stealth, Cunning & Art of
Concealment! Between you and me, readers,
it's "all in the tail-feathers." Mom loves combing
them out but hasn't noticed the naughty secret they
conceal: MAN-BITS, MY MAN BITS!
Mu-ah-Ha-HAAAAAAAHHHHH!
love,
(they doesn't call me "Vinny-Guinea"
for nuttin' heh-heh!)
Hopefully, mom will be back online by tomorrow; we just wanted to pop in to say "Hi!"

{Oh: AND Thank You, Ms. A. 
You know why!}

WHADDA? WHODDA? WHO-DA-WHADDA?!

Today mom took Peter-Peanut to the vet
for all his itching and scratching while
the rest of us just felt sorry for him
Poor Peter-Peanut at the vet...
even got just the tips of his nails trimmed!
Sure glad it wasn't me! At least we know
why he's been so crazy, now every breakfast 
is on mom's lap and he's so happy again.
(But he's got MITES!!!)

Actually, Bhindi, the vet said if I have mites,
everybody has mites, and if I have to take
my medicine, EVERYBODY has to take
theirs, too...but there's more, LOTS MORE!

EMERGENCY MEETING, DON'T TELL BHINDI! BUT...SO this is what happened, but
it's a secret, O.K. no telling, O.K.?
So, the vet figured maybe we got mites when
our friends adopted their two new girls and
brought them up here even though they weren't
really close to us, so I guess mites gots wings
and can fly! Big deal, that ain't the news, check
this out! Since I was the only one to go, the only way she could dose our medicine (hey - don't have a cow - it's bitter but they added a sweet flavor, so deal wid it!) but we three are about the same size so she could figure out our dose.
Not so easy with Bhindi cuz mom said he's as big as a mini-lop-eared bunny. So they got on the computer and got on our blog and mom was looking for pictures to show her so she could see how big he really is! Well, ya know that picture
of him draggin his "man-bits" where they're bigger than GODZILLA'S? SHE SAW IT!AND SHE GASPED IN HORROR,
FOR REAL, Y'ALL, FOR REAL, HER EYES
GOT SO WIDE SHE JUMPED BACK AND
LET OUT A SQUEAL BEFORE COVERING HER MOUTH AND MOM ASKED: "Seriously, is that normal?" Well, the vet was in shock!
I was laughing so hard!
She couldn't say anything...she stammered a bit.
Don't think she ever seen anything like it and she's had her own piggies, too! So mom expressed concern about his poos getting stuck and not being able to come out (anal impaction) and wouldn't it be safer for him just not to have "those" anymore? She kind of nodded...still in shock...just nodded...and said the other guinea pig vet had more experience so...
to book an appointment so, hee-hee-YEAH!
 BHINDI GETTING NEUTERED 
NEXT MONTH. Tsk. Tsk. :) ha-ha!

WHAT? I AM TOO? MOM! WHY! TIME OUT!
TIME OUT! TIME OUT! NO WAY!
Oh heck, why worry, the surgeries would be early in the morning and mom isn't an early bird, she not even a late bird, sometimes she don't even fly at all. And just because mine keep growing...
SO YES! I SPRAYED YOU, MOM, WHEN YOU AGREED WITH THE VET THAT IT WOULD REDUCE OUR SO-CALLED "AGRESSION" AND I STUNK YOU UP!
 YOU THINK I DIDN'T KNOW WHO YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT? 
Still, you'll NEVER get up that early.
NO WORRIES!

WORRIES. 

PETER-PEANUT KISSING BHINDI AFTER BREAKFAST

 

ONE MYSTERY SOLVED!

Last night Peter-Peanut turned this place into a
Monster-Truck-Rally as he raged on his friends
both on Runabout and inside his habitat! 
He and Bhindi were even teeth-chattering
and lunging until I stepped in and broke them up, announcing: "There is NO MORE ROOM FOR ANY MORE HABITATS SO YOU TWO HAD BETTER START GETTING ALONG NOW, GOT THAT?"
(Of course I spoke in soft, soothing tones.)

One of the things you have to ask yourself when
a piggie is having problems is "What has changed
in his life recently?" So, I asked "Peter, what has
changed in your life recently? What happened to my precious baby boy? I know you are itching and we'll look into that, but why have you started attacking your friends?"

You know what he said: "Mom, EVERYTHING
changed since you got sick! We went two weeks
without Runabout..." and I interrupted "But now that you have it all you do is use it to attack the
others...there must be something else bothering you, Peter. I know we are using a slightly different hay but you LOVE IT and you've always
been allergic to hay, so what could it be?"
AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAID:
"Mom, when was the last time you got into our
pen and gave us breakfast and lovies on your lap?
You used to do that every morning! Not any more. Just because I grew man-parts doesn't mean
I'm not your special little pig, does it?"
~*~
 These pictures say it all. This morning
I climbed into their pen, distributed breakfast to
Vinny-Guinea and YumYum (who all get evening
"noms" with the others - individually - at bedtime, too!) and the rest is history...Peter LEPT ONTO MY KNEE like a bolt of lightning this morning before lying flat on it to both eat and
get his love, scritchy-scratches, petting, tickling,
and soothing "Oh Peter, I'm sooo sorry!"
 Then Peter-Peanut became himself again.
THAT IS ALL HE WANTED: BREAKFAST
ON MOM'S LAP WITH BHINDI, because that
is the way it's supposed to be!

Bhindi was so happy he turned their new edible
tunnel over to take his morning nap in it!
(while noshing on it...)

And what about Peter? He was so happy he did his yoga with me before napping in his fleece tunnel, just sticking his nose out for a light suntan as he slept. And it was GOOD. So good, in fact, that all morning someone (Peter-Peanut?) has been filling the apartment with a sweet, musky fragrance! Every one of these photographs was
taken this morning: please savor them again comprehending the full meaning of a little guinea pig who only wanted his breakfast on mom's lap served with morning love! 
And who doesn't want more love?
Now life is GOOD.
~*~

WHEN YOU SAY "THE VET" EXACTLY WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING?

Pedicure, you say? Methinks NOT!

You made an appointment with the vet just for me, ma? WEll, that's mighty thoughtful of you: now UN-MAKE IT!
Thank you,
Peter-Peanut

{Peter-Peanut is in a Pickle: he is allergic to hay! And has chewed himself so much he's taken to behaving badly towards all his friends, chattering his teeth at them, lunging, not wanting to be picked up and held anymore...and he HAS TO HAVE HAY ALWAYS AVAILABLE...SO THIS IS GOING TO GET INTERESTING. Not to mention his first nail-trim as a man-pig. And by man-pig, please do not assume his man-parts have stopped growing, au contraire, it looks like one of their food manufacturers has slipped in some Steroid Growth Hormones...things are beginning to look an awful like a Bowling Alley from the back door...UGH.}
Vet on Thursday: Let us Pray (for her.)
Thank you. 

AND IT WAS GOOD...

 

TODAY for the first time in weeks
I was able to get out and "walker"
about town. Many people don't think
twice about waking up alive each day,
being able to walk, having a home,
healthy loved ones, (i.e. naturally, for
us this includes guinea pigs!) and so
many of us take so much for granted.
The most recent bout of illness here 
brought me to my knees: physically,
emotionally, and spiritually because it
became undeniably obvious that to live 
"independently" at home with the piggies will require in-home healthcare support and 
- far harder to accept - that transitioning from the hospital to home may, at times, require brief stays in a convalescent facility receiving physical therapy and learning to walk again before coming home...
I did a whole mess'o'cryin' this round, lemme confess. LOTS OF CRYING. These past weeks there were times when it was definitely was not safe to be here alone. I wouldn't/couldn't board the piggies nor trust myself to any kind of "facility."
 Often, though, I felt afraid and alone.

Oh so many dear ones sent love, comfort, laughter, and all "the right stuff!"
From the U.K. and Bavaria 
to India and the U.S.A :
Good vibes, phone calls, emails, prayers, unexpected packages really too beautiful to
open, OH BABY, friends, you rocked the house!

~*~ Perhaps independence includes the wisdom to know when to ask for help and a willingness to accept it graciously with humility and gratitude? 

 One ought know when to surrender. 
Fighting, I lost.

Today, I allowed:
And It Was GOOD.

"MORNING"

 

Once I asked a street guy "Hey, howya doin' today?"
He replied, "I woke up alive. So guess I'm doin' good."
This owl is for him.

Coyote Oldman Woodland Flutes - YouTube

Coyote Oldman Woodland Flutes - YouTube
^^^^Listen.
I really wish I knew how to post a YouTube
directly on here. But this is how we settle down
for the night. We listen to Coyote Oldman play
his flute and the piggies settle down, knowing
it is time to sleep. (Until they think I am asleep then jump into their hay for a Sonic Loud "Munch-A-Thon") but I love that, too...
Sweet dreams.