What? 18 weeks and 30 pounds! What must it be like to have your body change and grow so rapidly?
Star Light doesn’t fit in the stroller very well anymore.
Stars vision is improving. For dogs, scent is much more sensitive than sight, and excellent scenting is there from the beginning, but good vision takes awhile. Recently I noticed Star watching bugs, where she didn’t pay much attention to them before. Then I realized, they are just now coming into focus for her… a whole new world opening up! She watches ants and beetles and try’s to catch flies, and that’s all new within the last week or so.
Pretty girl!
And, oh boy, teeth! She’s getting her big girl teeth and it’s gotta hurt. Her gums are swollen and she’s enjoying chewing on cold things.
Selfie!She’s pretty happy though. 😁
I’m not sure what Blue Sky thinks of the rapid growth rate…
I think he’s trying to stretch out and look longer. Star Light knows how to relax!
She sleeps a lot, eats a lot, plays a lot, ( and poops a lot too!)
We’ve been doing some on line classes that I need to tell you about, and next week end we will be starting some in person classes. I’ll let you know how it’s going!
Let’s talk about the business end first… puppy vaccines.
Vaccines are such a controversial subject these days, at least human ones are. Even dog vaccines come in to question now though… mainly the question of, do we over- vaccinate our dogs?
Star Light has a Blue Sky pillow.
Typically puppies get vaccines at about 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age. There are basic vaccines given, and then various add-ons in different parts of the state, country… and world… depending on what’s prevalent in the area.
My thought is, get your puppy/ dog vaccinated. And until they are fully vaccinated, don’t expose them to unvaccinated dogs, or areas where unvaccinated dogs or wild things have been…which is just about everywhere. Also, be careful what you track into the house on your feet.
Later, when it comes time to get vaccine boosters, there are some options to have titers done. If the dog is shown to still be immune, a booster can be skipped. Sadly, the cost of doing titers is many times higher than the booster itself.
The following is a list of what Star Light and Blue have been vaccinated for:
Distemper, caused by a virus, and the death rate in unvaccinated dogs is about 50%. It attacks the respiratory, digestive, and brain/nervous system of dogs.
A type of hepatitis , which affects the liver.
Parvovirus, very serious and highly contagious, with a death rate of about 90% in unvaccinated dogs. It attacks the digestive and immune system, causing debilitating diarrhea and vomiting.
Bordetella, a bacteria that causes respiratory disease in dogs. Also called Kennel cough. It’s highly contagious through direct contact and through the air. Dogs can pick this up at doggie day care, if they are boarded, and at dog parks. the vaccine is given as a nasal spray.
Dog flu, which spreads among dogs much as human flu spreads among people.
Leptospirosis, a bactreial disease that attacks the kidneys and liver in dogs and can be transmitted to humans.
(Those last two are regional where we live.)
Star Light completed all that about a week ago. Phew! Now she can come out of her little stroller and go for short walks, and she will be starting a puppy class, mostly for socialization, in another week.
She’s already been with friends dogs whom I know are fully vaccinated.
All those smiling faces!
Yesterday my friend Terese who has a puppy about the same age, and fully vaccinated, came over for a play date here in the back yard. It was wild and crazy non-stop running, rolling, and tumbling around for almost an hour, then they were both ready for naps!
Ahsokas and StarThey look fierce but it’s all play!
Afterwards Star was a grubby puppy and she got a bath in the tub. The most efficient way I’ve found to do this is to spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the side of the tub.
Soapy puppy licking peanut butter!
Now she’s fluffy and she smells nice, and she’s all ready to meet her Auntie Laura and Uncle Joel for the first time, later today!
So much inconsideration, invalidation, detonation, destruction, and dehumanization.
I still have a hippie heart, and I’m still trying to learn how to incorporate peace into the world, which starts with my own life.
Happily, I have a good example right now…a puppy. I have peace like a puppy.
Imagine not worrying. Imagine no anxiety. Imagine, and breath.
Breath in, and imagine being a loved puppy. Breath out, and smile.
Peace is still here. It’s in the clouds….
Breath in, among the clouds. Breath out, knowing you are free.
There is peace in the trees…
Breath in, standing as a tree. Breath out, feeling the sun upon your branches.
It’s in the flowers….
Breath in fresh air. Breath out feeling the sunshine on your face.
Peace like a puppy, like a cloud, like a tree, like a flower. Things I can see and touch. Peace like a river and the ocean and the mountains. All these help me breath. But mostly, right now, Peace Like A Puppy.
If you have loved a dog or a cat or a bunny or a horse, or any other animal, communicating with her or him is part of your life.
You might already understand that because various species don’t speak the same ‘language’ doesn’t mean that one is more or less intelligent than the other, or superior to the other. ALL species are ‘superior’ to others in some way… we all have different specialties, so to speak.
You would already know in your heart that all animals feel emotions and physical sensations similar to humans.
Blue and Star are communicating that they feel relaxed and comfortable. Kind of unmistakable, right? 😁
We aren’t so different.
Think about this…your intuition.
We all have it. Some of us don’t use it much, but it’s there, just waiting for us to put it into practice. One of the things it can do for us is help us communicate with our animal companions.
I’ve had some really great animal companions. ( any excuse to post pictures of Shiloh ( left), and Joy. 😁)
We can practice developing our intuition. Wait. What IS intuition anyway? You already know, but, it’s sensing things beyond your body, using only your feelings, which calls for shutting down your conscious reasoning. Knowing something without reasoning it out. It often happens quickly, before your logic grabs it and throws it out. Sometimes you get many things at once.
Sometimes we get those ‘messages’ or ‘gut feelings’, but we ignore them. In fact, it’s probably what we usually do.
We have a feeling about something that comes out of nowhere, but we quickly dismiss it and say to ourselves ‘no way. That can’t be. That’s silly.’ Maybe later we find out that it CAN be. Or maybe you think of someone who suddenly calls or texts. They were thinking of you too. But you dismiss it as a coincidence.
Remember in Star Wars…Obi Wan says to Luke, ‘Let go with your conscious self and act on instinct. Stretch out with your feelings. ‘
So maybe sometime, stretch out… reach out…with your feelings and let go of your conscious self and act on instinct… intuition…and have a little convo with your animal companion. Tell him or her that you love ‘em, and then listen with your love for their response…
‘The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and a rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. ‘ Albert Einstein
California poppies, now in bloom all over the place.
From the moment she wakes up until the second she conks out for her various naps…
…she joyfully loves every minute.
Running, zooming actually, from one end of the house or yard to the other, finding new adventures, full of playfulness towards anyone or anything, including birds, butterflies and bumble bees!
There are at least 50 dog toys here, scattered around, and there is a reason for the scattering, other than the fact that she and Blue scatter them.
Blue Sky and company
The toys need to be conveniently located throughout the house to distract Star from chewing on other things, such as Blues ears or tail, or a table leg, or my shoe.
Isn’t it interesting that we humans, who think we are the going concern and so very smart, can learn things from a weeks old puppy?
Like how wonderful it can be to wake up in the morning ( even without coffee!), and how good it feels to stretch and run and play and feel the sunshine, hear a bird sing, stick your face in flowers, watch a bumble bee in flight, or see the Blue Sky or the Star Light.
Everyone is Stars friend until proven otherwise. Species, size, color, and looks don’t matter.
Every scent fascinates, and food… oh my goodness… anything even remotely edible and not moving fast enough better watch out for this girl.
Checking out Blues food dish.
This world… I may see it as vastly troubled and painfully sad sometimes, but when I see it through Star Lights eyes it’s glorious! It’s perfect! Made just for me!
So refreshing to be watching over a puppy right now and seeing the world through her eyes, and her ‘loving life’ attitude!
Yup, Blue Sky and I are still here…and Blue has a new little sister. ( Not little for long!)
I would like to introduce Star Light!
A ‘baby picture’, about 9 weeks old. Out for a walk in her stroller, with Blue. She won’t be fully immunized until she is about 18 weeks old, so she’s in a stroller for our walks for safe keeping. Growing….!With her big dog friends, whom we walk with. Behind her left to right are Sammy, Blue Sky, JoeE, Katie and Army. A couple of black lab friends, Jack and Riley were not walking that day. Cuddled up and very relaxed with big brother. Big Foot!
So there is Star Light! She is from a litter that had problems and she was the smallest to survive. I thought perhaps I was getting a small and delicate little Golden, but, ummm, instead it seems we have a strong and savvy survivor! Nearly 8 pounds when I brought her home a month ago at 8 weeks, and about 20 pounds now, happy, sassy, and fearless! Not to mention more cuteness than one can imagine.
Officially, she is Westwing’s My Lucky Star Light. She shows me a side of Blue that I wasn’t aware of. I often refer to him as ‘Saint Blue’ these days, when she is pulling his tail, biting his ears, and pulling his lips with those puppy teeth that feel like little needles. She also dives into his food and steals his toys, and he handles it all with such tolerance, peace, and calm. She couldn’t have asked for a better big brother.
Best Big brother Beautiful Blue!
I wasn’t going to do this again… no more dogs… especially no more puppies! I wasn’t going to… until I did. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
I left Caballo Loco Ranch March 15, 2018 and came back November 11, 2020. So about 2 1/2 years, and it probably changed more here during that 2 1/2 years than it has changed in the last 20 or so years.
Our view of CLR as Blue and I walked in the desert this morning.
Most of this change is due to owner Jim Steinman being interviewed by Bob Wells of ‘Cheap RV Living’. After that, the secret was out. Remote desert RV living with minimal development ( but wells with good water and a big-ass generator), nice people, and not tons of rules to follow… pretty much just, ‘be kind to the earth and each other’. Oh and it’s cheap. 🙂
Oh and don’t forget those amazing sunsets. This one happened last evening.
But of course if you double or triple the population, that changes things. A lot more sites have been cleared, and many aren’t as large as most of the ones that have been established for years. More people running their ATV’s on the dirt roads means more dust, helped by the fact that there was almost no rain this past summer, which is rainy season here.
Then due to Covid there won’t be the many socials and camaraderie there used to be, and since only about half the folks are wearing masks and social distancing, if they are gathering I’m not as likely to go. I do have my mini group here, my two neighbors, Ruth and Joyce.
Ruth on Red, leading Rennie, for a desert ride.
One really great change is that there is almost always some AT&T cellular floating around out here now. I can make phone calls, text, write my blog, order my groceries on line, even Zoom without driving 18 miles to Three Points.
It’s been too hot for me, the wilting flower. For over a week now it’s been reaching 90 degrees, which has been breaking records. I’ve felt cranky and crabby ( can you tell:-)), and sitting in the shade sipping ice tea most of that time, while Blue Sky lies near me or under the trailer. We walk early, before the heat, and come alive again as the sun goes down.
Blue enjoying another morning walk.
This place has been known for Happy Hour at Fort Kelly, but I’ve been having mine with Joyce and Ruth. We ‘meet in the middle’ which is Joyce’s patio.
They say the heat is supposed to break tomorrow. Fingers crossed for that.
The good thing about the heat is that the nights are really pleasant. Once we spent the night outside. I watched the meteor shower when I wasn’t sleeping on the Amit- gravity chair. It was quite the show with this dark sky and almost no moon.
Blue experienced his first camp fire last night.
Jim, the owner, says he’s booked solid this winter, and apparently has a waiting list as he opens up more sites. So probably don’t plan to make the trip this winter, if you’ve been considering it.
I’ve got mixed feelings about all this, as you can probably tell by now.
I’m glad we are here, though I’m a bit homesick. The experience seems good for Blue, but not sure how long we will be staying.
Maybe I’ll feel better when it cools off?? We’ll see…
Blue would be climbing a waterfall in a wash if there was any water.
Oh and one more thing. Well, more than one.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Be safe. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay 6 feet apart. You might be saving someone’s life. And… I love my country.
Yesterday I accidentally posted a blog to this site, which is where I posted while I was traveling. After I did it, I realized I goofed, so I then posted almost the same post to my current blog which is http://www.wanderingspiritsathome.wordpress.com
After posting to the current blog I deleted the post from this blog…or I thought I did, but some of you have left comments , and I’m not seeing them since I deleted the post.
Confusing, no? 🤪
Anyway, if you click on the above link you will find my current blog! Just wanted to let you know what happened and why I can’t reply to your comments.
The reason I don’t know if the link will work is because I can’t test it until I post this blog.
Once you get to the blog, on the right side near the top there is a button to click on to sign up for the blog to come to your email.
Just click it and follow the instructions, and then when I post a blog, it SHOULD show up in your email box. I also always try to post it on my FB page.
Pictures are random today.
It’s hard being a computer pre-schooler….and even though I’ve had a computer of some sort for about 21 years now, I seem to make little to no progress at learning the ways of the internet. When I do something right, it’s usually an accident. Then, since I didn’t realize what I was doing it’s likely I won’t be able to repeat it…until it happens again by accident. After a series of happy accidents, I may possibly learn something.
I marvel at friends who understand the workings of these things…
California Poppies. So pretty.
There are a couple of loose ends I’d like to tie up here on this blog…things I’ve mentioned before and didn’t follow up on.
Yes, I’m moving, but NO, I’m not abandoning Mary’s house. I’m housesitting and that hasn’t changed. I’ll be here on just about a daily basis, checking up on things, taking care of the cat-that-adopted-Mary, watering yard and flowers, and doing yard work. This is a GOOD thing, since I need to keep super busy right now.
The other thing….remember my friend Jo, who passed away not long ago? I missed her celebration of life because I didn’t know she had died, and I was so relieved that I would be able to attend her Military Ceremony that was going to be held at the new Fort Ord Veterans cemetery.
Shiloh, Jo, and Joy.
Well, I didn’t go after all, because it turned out that it was held on the same day that Shiloh needed to leave for the spirit world, even within the same hour.
It broke my heart not to be there, but I know that Jo, of all people, would understand. I’ve since been able to go there and find where her ashes are resting and it’s a beautiful place. It’s a very small cemetery….silent, peaceful, and in the hills that overlook the ocean. Jo, from Kansas, was stationed at Fort Ord as a nurse, many long years ago. She too, fell in love with with this area and lived close by it for the rest of her life. She knew the trails and after Fort Ord closed she walked her dogs there, and taught me some of the walks and trails. Some right up by where the cemetery sits now. She spoke of her hope that the cemetery here would be open and in use by the time she needed it. I’m so glad that worked out. I can see me having some nice talks with her where her ashes are resting, in the future. Just like old times…
An amazing sunset I witnessed in Arizona. Wow. Just Wow.
I’ll continue to post here to redirect to the new blog. Still working on getting the bugs out of that one. If you happen to go there and see something weird, it’s probably because I’m trying to fix something. I have corrected a couple things I didn’t like. Still, it seems the very first blog that shows up was put there by wordpress, not by me. Something about “The Journey Begins. It’s only one sentence though. My first actual post there is called “An Introduction All Over Again”.
If you want to sign up for Wandering Spirits At Home and you are having problems, if you comment here, I will try to help….in my internet DUH sort of way!
Pictures are random today.
California Poppies. So pretty.
Shiloh, Jo, and Joy.
An amazing sunset I witnessed in Arizona. Wow. Just Wow.
Wandering Spirit 