CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING BENEATH A LATE SUMMER SUN, SANS SKIS!



These poles are called "Exerstriders" and are designed for striding the same way one cross-county skis except they absorb the shock of concrete, dirt paths, you name it! With a good, stiff latte under these athletic compression tights, they make wonderful companions ensuring balance, utilizing all parts of the body, and increase cardiovascular endurance and upper body strength, particularly on the steep march back UP the nearly 45 degree ramp into Fairhaven! Have hiked so many miles through the years that both rubber tips are nearly worn off but - hey - I'm just getting STARTED, all of you in my heart with every stride I take beneath a sky where eagles soar.

THE WALK: PART 1, "WHERE EAGLES SOAR"

Taylor Dock, kind of a "locals' secret" has become my place for walking meditations. These are strange days, indeed: tapering off pain medications harder to withdraw from than heroin. 
Why did no one tell me?

Since January, I am tapering off nearly all pain
and anti-seizure medication (taken to help prevent chronic, daily migraine) due to contraindications
and an unusual heart condition, a fifth electrical
pathway in my heart...the only way to survive the
process is to WALK IT OFF. I didn't know how. With Nordic walking poles, determination, discipline and grit to walk every day or nearly
so, I feel transformed - at least while out.
Once home, it's the shakes, pain, mood swings...
severe fatigue, weakness, dizziness, vertigo, nausea,
falling, passing out, ad nauseum. This process will
continue for at least another year.

Walking, yoga, and meditation are saving me. 
My friends are saving me.
The guinea pigs rescue me!
Deep in meditation, surrounded by the San Juan Islands, nothing exists but pure, unadulterated exhilaration that I can walk again!
So many cannot, and those who can often take it for granted unless they, too, have struggled back to the world of the Living from the Brink...Here, filled with joy and unending gratitude,
Heaven descends to Earth with Grace Endless.

AND IT WAS GOOD...

THE GNOME AND ME:
WALK #7
...now, to rest.

Beyoncé - I Was Here (Live at Roseland) - YouTube

Beyoncé - I Was Here (Live at Roseland) - YouTube
Dedicated to our loved ones who help us "be here" giving seva (selfless service) both at Panda Pig's Sanctuary and with every breath we take wherever we are wherever we go...you know who you are and if you don't, include yourself because if you read this Blog we are better for YOU having been here, too.
PURE INSPIRATION:
HOW WE WANT TO LIVE: I WAS HERE. I LIVED. 
I LOVED. 
I WAS HERE.
{Thank you, Rashmi, you are here.
You love. Our life is better for you being here.}

Why Panda Pig Has a Sanctuary explained by Emily Dickinson

"If I Can Stop By"

"If I can stop one heart from breaking,
 I shall not live in vain;
 If I can ease one life the aching,
 Or cool one pain,
 Or help one fainting robin
 Unto his nest again,
 I shall not live in vain."
                ~ Emily Dickinson

{from allpoetry.com}

NEWS FLASH - AND IT'S GOOD!

Dear Friends,

We just heard from Meme in Mobile, Alabama who reported: "Still raining heavily here with
high gusting winds but Alabama is ok! Waiting
to hear from daughter in MS (Mississippi) about her home. They had to evacuate. Thanks for the
good wishes! Meme"

Although currently BLOGGER (like the rest of GOOGLE) is malfunctioning and we cannot include current photos, what really matters is that the levies held (so far) in New Orleans but Isaac is hovering; moving so slowly that the wind, rain, and flooding are expected to continue for three more days.

Thanks to all for your love and good wishes!

(P.S. We may have to somehow switch from Blogger to Wordpress but will keep you informed. We cannot download photography at this time.)

HURRICANE ISAAC AND OUR FRIENDS

 

HI EVERYBODY,

We want to report everything we know to date about our dear

friends in harm's way with Hurricane Isaac battering our

Gulf Coast on the anniversary eve of "HURRICANE

KATRINA." Here's what we know to date:

Gizmomma and lil'Giz (Florida) are O.K.

You can see her blog, "Gizmomma World" on our blogs list.

Meme and her Hooligans (Mobile, Alabama)

emailed us today that "We are as prepared as we can be."

You can see her blog, "The Howling Hooligan" on our blogs list. All Hooligans to your Thundershirts!

Meme and her family are most at peril for severe wind,

rain, flooding, with a potentially monstrous storm surge.

Ms. A reports today that "Unless something slips and

comes unwound, we're good." (Texas Gulf Coast)

You can read Ms. A's blog, "Sarcastic Granny" also included

on our "Blogs List"  (She is my Blogging Mentor, thank you!)

You all mean the world to us and our readers, as well, so give us good news to report for all tomorrow!

We love you and all the people we don't know and will never meet, and all their pets, the wildlife and their young,

those rare aquatic habitats upon which so many depend

(still recovering from the recent major BP Gulf Oil Spill) and much

environmental mayhem. Be safe, stay safe, and let us

know tomorrow that you are all well so we can post

good news all 'round! And if you haven't checked out our friends'

blogs (outstanding all)  their links are all here for your pleasure!

I must get out of here before Peter-Peanut starts

believing that his name is "Jerry." (It's an Edwin thang...

he's already hard at work renaming the piggies, although

it appears Bhindi remains "Mangosteen" at least for now.)

GODSPEED AND GOOD LUCK.

YOU ARE ALL SO LOVED BY SO MANY...

Sweet dreams.

~*~

EDWIN'S COMING!

 

Today Edwin is coming up from Seattle
for a few days of mountain climbing, 
speedskating at the ice arena, rock climbing,
mountain biking, road-racing, jumping,
lattes, LOTS OF LATTES! and so much
adventure the only way the next few days
can really be described is: Guess who will
be helping me clean guinea pig cages, 
washing all their bedding, stocking up on
hay, and Edwin has a habit of re-naming
the piggies while he is here (Bhindi 
becomes "Mangosteen" - thanks, CD3 for 
remembering) and the rest of my life will 
be spent reminding them of their real names.

Way too much fun! So, I'll be offline, which
is where I am even when I'm online and please,
please, PLEASE: our dear friends Meme and the
Hooligans in Mobile, Alabama and our loving
Gizmomma and lil'Giz are in the path of this
monstrous Hurricane Isaac: Please send love
to ALL IN ITS PATH...IF IT HITS NEW ORLEANS
ON THE SAME DAY KATRINA HIT, REDOUBLE
OUR PRAYERS FOR THEY ARE TRULY IN HARM'S
WAY AND NEED OUR LOVE AND PRAYERS.
GODSPEED, FRIENDS. 
BE SAFE. PLEASE.
And I'll be back later in the week.
love,
1SkatrPie, Black-Sheep MOD
 (or "Chana Jor Garam" for my
dear ones in India!)
Bhindi, Peter-Peanut, Vinny-Guinea,
and Chief Pirate, YumYum the Great!

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!