ARTISTIC INSPIRATION FROM PANAMA

 

Dear Friends,

We are grieving yet also wish to celebrate Erica's beautiful
life with ART! Ever so often, we become completely immersed
in art from a native, indigenous culture and it reflects in
our own drawings.

We love Australian Aboriginal Paintings, both the dot paintings
and newer interpretations of their Dreamtime Mysticism.

We also adore Inuit Art from Cape Dorset, the longest running
printing studio in Canada.

We liked something else, too, but we forgot...

And now we are discovering the healing power of Molas.
Funny how mom discovered one at our local Thrift Shop
the day after finding this image online and there,
high up on their wall, was an authentic, hand-sewn mola
professionally framed selling for a handful of beans!

They were closed that day but mom kept peering at it through
their locked door...long story short, it is now hanging on
OUR wall and we are loving it!

Oh, African Art! That's what we forgot to mention.
And African Music. Mom's friendship with some Maasai warriors
who worked at Woodland Park Zoo inspired exploration into
African Art, and the animals were right there!

Mom enjoys art as therapy. Thinking of who she is drawing for
and the people who developed the style that inspires gives us
a feeling of connectedness with people and cultures we will never
visit in person. Yet, the connection is visceral, palpable, and
we feel in the presence of elders in their villages joining us
as we draw.

And find it healing our broken hearts with color and the stunning
remembrance that Life is Beautiful and the Circle of Love can never
be broken...like silken thread, so delicate, yet tenaciously strong
in its delicacy.

We wish you all good night. Thank you for so many loving emails and
condolenscences...you remind us that friendship heals, too!

Love Is In The Air...Sort Of..Maybe Not So Much? For More News, We Turn To--

 

So, Mr. FancyPants ain't afraid of Middle Eastern Despots,
but reveals a secret terror of CAVIES? (Must report him!)

 

"HEY, YOU PRETTY LITTLE MAN...COME TO COCONUT."

 

"RICHARD, GO AFTER SOMETHING YOUR OWN SIZE, LIKE A HAMSTER!
SHE BELONGS TO ME!"

Taj Mahal

 

 

Our Brave Lioness...

 

Tonight the herd is quiet and YumYum cried. Coconut is looking for her best friend
and mom grief-stricken. Erica died today on her own
from a large, fast-growing malignant tumor. She communicated her wishes to us
not to be kept alive for surgery tomorrow. We called the vet and communicated
her wishes to them, as well. The vet was gone for the day but the staff called
him back in. He had hoped to get her strong enough to possibly remove the tumor.
Today we had a sudden windstorm so strong it nearly blew out our windows and
knocked power out in the city for most of the day. We felt her ask us to let
her go, as she was suffering and in great pain.

Mom could not drive up to Lynden because of the storm and her health. It was our
desire to have her on our lap, comforting her in a warm, loving embrace. She let
us know it was not necessary. So Mom made arrangements.
And the vet was called in. All the while we were crying, saying goodbye to her
and telling her how much we love her. She was thankful that we understood and
would not force her to continue living in pain, much less the trauma of an
unwanted surgery...that is not how she wanted to die. And that is not how we
wanted her to die.

Therefore...mom called the Clinic, the Clinic called the vet back in, a tech
gave her the meds and fluids on schedule, the vet took a look then went into his
office to prepare. When he came back out, she was gone. Mom explained what had
happened and how she had asked for our mercy to let her go. How she waited
and held on until we could. Then how quickly she was gone once she had made
sure that we were O.K.

Soulful. Thoughtful, and kind to us in dying as in living: she would hold in her pee if
she was on your lap to keep from soiling you, then squirm so hard to hold it
in you would realize how badly she needed to go. And as soon as she was back
in her cage, she would gratefully pee. She was considerate of us even in death
in her incomprehensible pain and suffering, alone in her cage at the vet hospital.
Mom told the vet why she had changed up and asked him to come back today instead
of having surgery tomorrow and the vet said his own wife was like that with their
animals. He knows how devastated we are when we lose one of our herd.

Guinea pigs are extremely sensitive, spiritual, emotional souls: They can die
from grief and they can die from pain.
Her last night here she slept by mom's bed in her own little sleeping bag
so mom could pet her and check on her throughout the night, knowing this might be
their last night together.


Erica was the gentlest of the herd, quiet, sweet, and our humble Lioness!
Our grief feels bottomless tonight.

We adopted Erica and Coconut, our first females, after they were surrendered to the
nearby farm store, unwanted. For two weeks the people tried to get us to adopt them
but mom wasn't sure she had the strength to care for six. Customer after customer
walked by their cage, ignoring them. Coconut and Erica are not typical-looking guinea
pigs. No one found them attractive.

The people at the Farm Store begged mom to take them, saying no one else would.
So, we did. And we became a herd for the first time. A herd of six. We got girls and
we got happy. We played together on our owlie rug and chased, hid, and teased each other.
Kestra's daughter, Kezia, even gave Coconut her name after deep consideration.

But tonight, it's very quiet. We miss her so. Erica...we love you.

Gabriel & Stanley--Original Version

We hope you enjoy this as much as we do,
courtesy of our dear friend, Marifan!

Missing Kezia...

 

Beautiful Coconut in a moment of quiet repose while she dreams
of Kezia, Ellie, and Kathy coming out for a visit in two years...
Can hardly wait to see them and sit on Kezia's lap for a treat
and lots of petting and purring...

Kezia gave Coconut her name and sometimes she wishes that
they could be together.

Yum-Yum, Please Name an Owlet "Angowla Lansbury"

 

I love owls and cavies...

Secretly Lurking since 1952...

Your Favorite Actress Forever,
Angela

WINNER NAMES NEXT OWLET! SQUEEEE!

 

YumYum here and YO, MODS! What about US? We have
been listening and watching all this since First
Clutch, giving us the rare distinction of
"Classic Cavies" and what up with not letting us
name any of the owlets?

By now there's what...like, thirty? I said we
were CLASSIC! Not "CLASSY" but we got good taste
and if one MOD says we also taste good you will
be hunted down and attacked by the mob of baby
ladybugs who have infested our apartment over the
winter to stay warm! And no references to Dyson,
either! (Kilk, we are not naming names, Kilk, so
don't feel as if KILK we are KILK picking KILK
on you KILK just because we saw your hamster/Dyson
post KILK yesterday on the Stream. Mom lets us
lurk, y'know!) KILK. We will let the person KILK
responsible for that remark KILK remain anonymous.

We now have a race to run. I am naming the next
owlet "Owlanga Lansbury" and a helicopter is hovering
above us now looking for something or someone so we
better scurry back to our Pigloos and Cuddle-Cups...
Cavy Racing not exactly legal in the City of Subdued
Excitement!

WHO LOVES YA, BABY?
YUM-YUM LOVES YA!
KILK*KILK*KILK*KILK

My Foot Takes a Nap Outside the Box!

 

Now Appearing on Our New Postage Stamp!

 

We introduce you to our newest contributor, Richard Engel, of NBC fame...
turns out our little fella got a soft spot for guinea pigs and has offered
to report on the goings-ons at PandaPig'sPeaceSanctuary. Lucky us! Lucky mom!
He so pretty, we love him!