Ghosts. Spirits. Who is going "I don't believe in those" or "LaLaLaLaLaLa, scares me, don't want to know!"

The spirits around us generally leave us be. They have better things to do than rattle chains, tip over chairs, and make spooky noises that have the hair on the back of our necks standing up straight.

However....sometimes they have been part of a family for a long time, and want to let their loved ones know they're okay.

A friend of mine, Leslie, and her husband lost one of their dogs not too long ago. Zena had been with them for years. She was Scott's dog, mostly.

She got sick, very sick. Their other dog, Maisie, considerably younger, took to creeping around the house. She didn't want to disturb her ill and aged sister too much.

Maisie (grey) taking care of sister Zena

As Zena's time to pass came closer, the family drew in. They loved Zena, told her what a good dog she was, how important she was to the family. It wasn't anything she hadn't heard before, but it was especia...

This is the first of many posts from Huxley, a member of the family Sciuridae, who lives a long and abundant life. You’ll see more ‘squirrel-isms’ in the weeks ahead. Huxley’s backstory is included at the bottom of each post. Comments and acorns are appreciated!

Squirrels symbolize mindfulness, reminding us to focus on the present moment and let go of anxiety and worry.

One of my favorite people in all the world said this:

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

― Mother Theresa

Have you ever noticed how some folks seem to dwell on their past mistakes endlessly? Maybe it’s someone you’re close to, like when they’re staring at their reflection?

Or what about those who worry about things that haven’t happened yet? They seem to carry their sadness into the future, pushing their troubles onto tomorrow.

GAAAAHHHHH!

Life can be tough, isn’t it? Have...

Go to the Library. You never know what you're going to find. Sometimes it's a little book about a big subject. Sometimes it's a fantasy. Sometimes it's both.

I just finished a book called "We'll Prescribe You Another Cat." It's gestalt with cats! I KNEW they were doing it!

We'll Prescribe You Another Cat - click the link to buy the book.

This book is one of three. I suspect they all stand on their own, because "We'll Prescribe You Another Cat", the second in the series, was easy to follow. The third one has just been published in Japan and is in the process of being translated to English.

I will tell you that when I closed the book at the end, I was in tears. I found it amazing, heartfelt, and right on in its "prescriptions."

If you like cats at all, I think you'll love this book. I'd really enjoy hearing your experience with it. Tell, tell! Am I the only one who cried?

There's a lot of fear in the good old US of A around death and dying. Then we put it on our animal friends, all that fear. What we need to do is take a lesson from them. 

They are plugged in not only to this physical world but wherever it is we go when our 3-D body stops breathing. They have no fear of death; to them it's a passage to "the next place."

If they look fearful or act fearful, it's because they feel those things from us, and they want to comfort us by hanging around. We do them a great disservice.

What we need to do is listen. Closely. Anyone can do this, but it takes a lot of presence of our own mind, to let go of our learnings and ideas and all that deep-seated stuff about life and death that we drag around with us. 

Before I got seriously into animal communication work, I was always afraid when my animals died. I would never see them again! When my cat Harvey disappeared I cried for two weeks and searched for her for a year.

She eventually came back, but not as Harv...

Remember Bennie, the street cat who with his girlfriend Muffin found a great new life?

I got a video from the friend who was instrumental in getting Bennie and his girl off the streets (along with another hero of the two cats, Morgan).

Bennie (who is called Maney at his new place, but he prefers Bennie) and Muffin are totally devoted to one another, as is evidenced by this video.

They are adjusting to their new home, and were recently let out into the warehouse. Doing great!

Here's a link to the video. Enjoy.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/17xLYvnnko/?mibextid=wwXIfr

 

“Art therapy is a sanctuary where creativity becomes a powerful tool for self-expression and healing.” 
    -Unknown

What is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression can foster healing and mental well-being.

In the psychology context, creative expression refers to the process of conveying thoughts, feelings, ideas, or insights through various forms of artistic and creative activities. This can include painting, writing, music, dance, sculpture, and other forms of art. Creative expression is recognized for its therapeutic benefits and its role in personal development and psychological well-being.

Creative expression is seen as a fundamental human process that transcends mere artistic ability or talent. It is a means of exploring one's identity, processing emotions, and communicating with others on a deeply personal level. psychologists study creative expression not only to understand the mechanisms behind creativit...

What do you call your dogs? Do they have pet names? What is is about us humans, that we have to have special names for those we love? (Glenn calls me Babe - which has nothing to do with the pig - I think.)

We call Amy and Bernadette  "The Puppies" - they just turned 9, for crying out loud. But that's how we call them - "Puppies! Puppies!" The fact that when we do that they come running might have something to do with why we keep calling them Puppies.

8 weeks old. Bernadette on the left, Amy with the white spot on her forehead.

We got Amy and Bernadette from a friend who always liked to give her girl dogs one litter of puppies before being spayed. Momma was a Labradoodle. Poppa was an Australian Shepherd (as opposed to a Rolling Stone). The Puppies look like Poppa except more slender than your typical Aussie, and they're more mid-sized, about 35 lbs each.

When we first saw them we were deep into whatever season of Big Bang Theory (BBT) was on the air. We asked the puppies what the...

If we listen closely, our animal friends tell us what they need. But we have to be open to getting our ego out of the way and seeing what wants to happen. Good lesson for all parts of life!

A cat named George lived on the property of a rescue group. He had shelter, and someone who fed him, but was pretty much left to himself. He wasn't unfriendly, he was just there. He was outside for a reason.

NOT George, but as cute as....

Attempts to introduce him to the joys of indoor living were met with scorn by George. Unbeknownst to those taking care of him, he had other plans, and it wasn't being where he was. Whenever he was brought inside he would mark all the horizontal surfaces. This was primarily the middle of the caretaker's bed. So she did what a lot of people do. She decided he could live outside. Okay by George. Part 1 of the plan done and done! (Be a little difficult.)

A few years passed, and he got in a fight. He was hurt pretty badly, and the vet, after cleaning him up, decided...

Cougars, Mountain Lions, Panthers, Puma - they're all the same thing, just different names. They, like most apex predators, are maligned and hunted.

I was just reading today about a Mountain Lion called P-22, who lived in Griffith Park in southern California. He wandered through the park and on the streets of Hollywood for 10 years. He wore a tracking collar, and provided so much data about the activities of male Mountain Lions - most of it involved minding his own business.

See some P-22 footage here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/901397757971206

He was humanely euthanized in 2022, after being hit by a car. If that had been the only problem, he'd probably still be alive, but he, like our domestic kitties, had a number of problems. He had kidney disease; he had rat poison in his system (from eating rodents who had ingested the poison); he had serious arthritis. Instead of weighing the usual 125 lbs, he was only 90 lbs when he was captured. He was having trouble hunting.

And yet thi...

Last week was a tease. This week you get the full story about Bennie-the-street-cat and his pal Muffin.

Bennie lives in Washington state, and he is one of many, many cats my friend Kathleen feeds in the dodgier parts of South Seattle. She is a Warrior and deserves a medal.

Kathleen and another Warrior, Morgan, noticed a huge orange kitty at one of the sites they both support. He has long hair, which mats up something fierce because - street cat, who's got time to groom?

Bennie was pretty friendly, for a fellow from the street. Most of them don't want to have anything to do with people, but he would allow Warrior Kathleen to pet him a little bit while he was eating. She had caught him once to get his mats shaved off and to be neutered, and then because there was no place else for him to go, he went back on the street. 

Bennie has a girlfriend named Muffin. She's pretty friendly too, and had also been trapped, spayed and returned.

Bennie and Muffin "on the street." Bennie looks li...