Shakey Ground

It happens fast. The bond, that is. When a pet finds you, and claims your heart.

He was thin, scared, anxious, and frantically looking for his traveling mate, his litter mate, his brother. This short haired blonde pup was a sad beauty.

He came into our lives on a July, Tuesday morning in 2004, laying on the steps to my office door, but not quite sleeping or resting.  Hoping, I’d say. That the keeper of  this door would help him find the normal of his life again.

By mid afternoon, he had been conned into the office, where he fought panic, and the comfort offered.

By late afternoon, my good hearted husband reluctantly agreed to see him, and let me be the finder of a permanent home for him. But he was to remain at my office in the marina… not at our rented home just two blocks away.  (I suspect that my husband knew, once in the house, forever in the heart.)

That mostly sleepless night had me envisioning major destruction to property that I would be explaining to my boss, from a young pup who was frightened, lost, and in the chewing stage of his life. But when I turned the key in the door the next morning, I was shocked (and relieved) to discover, no damage or evidence of "pet waste" from the captive animal.

Throughout the day, coworkers who had been aware of him on the property, and now in my care, dropped by to see how we were doing. A passed gas or two during the day at very awkward moments (while a customer stood near enough to look accusingly at me) gave me cause to believe this pup hadn’t had a healthy diet in at least days if not weeks.

Late that first afternoon we had attempted to pick him up to put him in my husband’s van, and take him to our house, just to see if he could or would relax. Cornering him in the inner office, and staging an attempt to lift him, we observed the saddest thing I have ever seen an animal do. With absolutely no aggression, only fear, he leaned against the outer door frame, lowered his head toward the floor, touching only his nose, and surrendered.  I wept.

The staff meeting on Monday morning had included from security and maintenance, the report of two pups wandering the property over the previous weekend, and the call had been made to the Dog Catcher. I mentioned that I had been at my office on Sunday, and recalled seeing a small black and tan pup nearby, yipping his happy little head off at a young couple sitting on the swing, waterside. I had thought he was with them at the time.  It occurred to me that first afternoon that this blonde stranger was the traveling mate who the complaints were about, but where was the yipper? And I guessed that was what this blonde was wondering too.

A call to our friend, Scott, a veterinarian, Wednesday morning, and a trip by Bo over to Scott’s office later that day, determined Blonde pup’s health, good, approximate age, about 1 year old, and a prescription from Dr. Scott to Bo.  “Take this little fella home, Bo, and love him.”  (While signing in at the vet’s office, the girl at the desk asked Bo the dog’s name. Because the dog continued to behave quite stressed and panicky, Bo was reminded of Don Knotts in the movie “ Shakiest Gun in the West”, and proclaimed that the dog’s name was Shakey.)

Dragging the now named Shakey to work with me Thursday and Friday morning, I noticed the first block and a half he resisted frantically the leash, and the traffic had him in a mess, but as soon as we got on the marina property he began sniffing like a tracking hound.  By Friday morning for sure, I determined he could smell his little traveling partner all over the area they had been together.  My friend and coworker, Heather, suggested I try the Dog Catcher to see if they had picked up the other pup on that first day.  Brilliant idea!  A quick trip over there on our lunch break, gave Bo and I our first encounter with the little black and tan pup
I had seen that previous Sunday. He went crazy and acted all spazzy in the quarantine cage he was in when we entered the room with a worker, and when we were told he could not be freed until the next Sunday, we agreed to bring  Shakey there on Sunday morning to see if they had any recognition behavior toward each other.

With the video camera set and charged, Sunday morning we leashed up the reluctant Shakey, got him in the truck and headed for the reunion. (I was certain this was the pup I had seen, but didn’t know for sure that they were companions.)

Bo was instructed by the keeper on staff to wait with Shakey in a fenced area where I would walk the black and tan out to them. Well, Disney would be proud of this Kodak moment in a film!  These two absolutely went nuts the moment they saw each other, and when the gate was opened to the fenced area, there was licking and pawing and jumping and yipping and laughing and crying, (those last two by me mostly) and we were convinced by the matters of the heart to now be the owners of two dogs!

The vet at the pound where the black and tan had been incarcerated for the past six days, had examined and determined his health, good, and approximate age, 1 year old. Could it be? These two dogs looking so very different, including size…Shakey being almost twice as big as the other…. Be littermates?  The vet at the pound stated that it was very possible. And Dr. Scott, after meeting the black and tan stated the same. There are lots of physical features and many more character and behavior traits, which would convince one to agree.  

By the time we were back to the house, black and tan was now known as Spazz. His performance that Friday when we saw him in the quarantine cage and the reunion scene sealed it. He was and is a Spazz!!

That was 2004. This year, 2012, the “boyz” as I often refer to them, celebrate their 9^th year on this earth. Only they and God know what the first year of their lives was like. Bo and I know what the past 8 years of their lives have been.  From the Gulf coast of Florida, Charlotte Harbor and the Caloosahatchee River, to the Pacific coast of central California, Big Sur, to the Ozarks in north central Arkansas, these pups have provided laughter, and company, and some anger and frustration… but mostly unconditional love. 

It was Wednesday, May 30^th, 2012. It happens fast. Merciful euthanasia. The cancer arrived, showed itself and in less than one month it was systemic lymphoma. Again, a friend, this time, Dr.Matt, offers Bo a prescription of love for Shakey. 

Interrupted Freedom...or rescued ?

White Haired Lady tells folks "we rescued them". Big Dude tells folks, "we interrupted their freedom".  The photo above shows us chillin' in our new home, in Punta Gorda, Florida. It was just a couple of weeks later when Hurricane Charley struck the Punta Gorda shoreline of Charlotte Harbor, and changed all of our lives.
Since the day we, my brother Shakey (the blonde) and I, Spazz, came to live with the White Haired Lady and Big Dude, we have experienced several hurricanes; moved from tropical Florida to Arkansas, where it gets C O L D and snows!... AND lived through a Super system killer tornado in 2008; spent nearly a year in Big Sur, California, and got our paws in the chilly Pacific Ocean, and almost experienced an earthquake, (it hit the central coast of California less than 24 hours after we left Big Sur).
These are just a few of the highlights of our journey with these humans since July of 2004. 
Now, while you might be confused as to whether I am bragging or complaining, let me clear it up for you. 
My brother and I are approaching our 9th birthday in human years, 63rd in dog years, and I know that if these humans had not taken us into their hearts, we likely would not have seen our 2nd (14th) birthday. 
Living on the streets is tough for canines, and if picked up by the Canine Police, (which I was) chances of leaving their "pound" alive are slim. So, when Shakey hung around White Haired Lady's office for two days after my incarceration, and she convinced Big Dude to take him home and find him a new owner, it was 3 days later that she realized that Shakey was grieving over our separation. To hear White Haired Lady and Big Dude tell it, his Oscar winning performance of a broken spirit was the reason they began looking for me. 
White Haired Lady called the Canine Police Shelter, and when she and Big Dude took their lunch break to walk through the jail cells of the unfortunate pups who had been picked up that week, they found ME in the QUARANTINE room. 
Two days later, and one very emotional "Walt Disney movie" reunion scene of me and Shakey, at the pound, White Haired Lady and Big Dude surrendered to PET OWNERSHIP.
I have to say, my brother and I can be a handful! And Big Dude has been the most tolerant human we could ask for. He is not exactly partial to having animals, and he has had to take on many unpleasant duties in keeping us healthy and clean. Since loving us comes easier to White Haired Lady, I will just say this... BIG DUDE IS THE BEST !!! and we probably love him the best too.  But don't tell white Haired Lady, we don't want to hurt her feelings. 
Since this is the Dogs-n-Blogs blogspot, we felt it was time to take over the writing duties. White haired Lady has done the best she can to keep at it, but as you can see, the entries trickle in only once or twice a year. So from this entry on, Shakey and I will keep you updated on life at our house, and White Haired Lady will just give us a 'hand'. 

A turtle in a box?

A box turtle? Doesn't look like a box to ME!

There he was... right by the front porch! In the cool shade... in a clump of clover growing wild.

At first I thought it was one of those fake ones from the yard around the pond.

But how did it get over here?

Then I touched it! Looked at it underneath! It did look fake, but real too!

It was closed up, TIGHT! I couldn't see any place it could open up and let a head out!

I shouted.... and laughed.... and took it to let Big Dude see it.

He said "it's a box turtle! Yep! That's what it is!"

He put it in the sun... so it would get hot and come out.

That didn't work. He put it in water... to make him come out for air.

That didn't work. He put bricks around a little area for a pen, in the shade, for him to live in.

I put some spring mix and carrots in front of the shell. And waited.

I said, " are you sure he can't climb over the bricks and leave?"

Big Dude said, " naw, he's not gonna get out by climbing over that wall."

And off we went about our chores.

I walked over to the pen and what do you think I saw? A big... long... colorful neck with a head sticking out!

I took pictures with my camera! I laughed... danced... I shouted!

Then I asked Big Dude, " think we should put some sort of cover over the pen to keep the wild animals out?"

Big Dude said, "naw, nothin's gonna bother him right next to the porch like that."

So off we went about our chores.

Just a little while later, when I stepped out of the kitchen to look at him again, what do you think I saw now?

NOTHING!!!

Box Turtle was gone!

YEP! Climbed over the wall of brick... and RAN AWAY!

SNAKEY SHAKEY

The weather turned cool last night, and the morning was perfect for an after breakfast pull.

That's what it's called when T Bird holds the leash.

Cuzz the dog at the front end of the leash T Bird holds does all the pullin'!

Pullin into the sunshine and springtime breeze made my eye-(the bad one)- water up.

So when the pullin stopped off to the side of the road, I took a second to clear the tear.

A sudden jerk on the dog end of the leashes caught my attention.

Shakey made a kind of snorting sound... like blowin dust out of his nose... but that didn't startle me.

It was the long, shiny thing danglin' across the stretched out section of the leashes that got my heart in my throat.... which by the way, kept the scream from comin' outa my mouth!

Yep! Shakey and Spazz had just got introduced to the business end of a snake!

And that snake just got introduced to the business end of Shakey!

Twistin and thrashin on the leash until he dropped to the pavement... that snake just realized he shoulda stayed in bed this morning!

Bravin' the distance 'tween him and me... I got a look at those round eyes shinin with shock!

I attempted to determine if Shakey had gotten a bite, by asking him! "Did he bite you Shakey?"

Shakey just kept sniffing the ground by the side of the road, which meant he did not even know that he had made that snake airborne my way!

So, at first I thought, " I am glad these dogs are with me to protect me from the wildlife."

Then I thought, " SHAKEY!!!! YOU THREW THAT SNAKE AT ME !!!!! "

And while all these thoughts were in my mind, my heart was settling down, and there was no chance of a blood curdling scream from me, the snake twisted himself over two or three times, with belly up to the sky, and head and tail, each end up to the sky, and I said last rights over him and off we went for a pull.

And when from a safe distance away I turned to look again at the sly serpent who met his match today, I saw himlimping, as only an injured snake can do, off to the side of the road where he met Shakey, on a pull.

"Ticks" me off!

Shakey and Spazz had been running free all winter. No leash for them now.

And boy! Were they happy dogs now!

Shakey didn't look so much like a small horse anymore... not so fat !

And Spazz liked laying around on the porch, sunning himself, snapping at the flies.

Pushin' his nose at White-Haired Lady to get her to pet him.

Every morning they bolt out the kitchen door and run for the woods!

They stay gone for a while, but always come back for breakfast and drinks.

Lots of times,they drink from the pond! You should see the fish scatter then!!!!

Most of the time Spazz just stays close to the house when White Haired Lady is out, but Shakey, well you can tell he is on an adventure in those woods!

Barking at who knows what! Running back and forth after something I never see! Sniffing like an old steam engine up a steep hill!

And always has a smile on his face when he comes back!

Just tellin' him he has to get back in the house makes his head drop, and ears hang low, and his tail falls to the ground.

That is one free spirit!

Until... last Saturday.

Big Dude and White Haired Lady were relaxing after chores in the front yard, when Big Dude started looking at Shakey real close.

After getting Shakey to lie still on his back next to him, Big Dude started pullin', T-I-C-K-S!

a-a-r-r-r-g-g-h-h-h-h-h-u-h-h !!!!!

e-e-e-e-e-ey-y-y-y-y-y-ye-e-e-e-e-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-u-h!!!

White Haired Lady was not close enough to see, and Big Dude wasn't tellin' her how many were on Shakey.

But soon enough, Big dude said, " think we better get him in for a bath."

So White Haired Lady and Big Dude took Shakey in to the bathroom, and began the task of

"Tick-Pickin'".

Nobody countin' to be exact, but there was more than a hundred of those ticks on Shakey!

And White Haired Lady was near tears when it was all said and done.

Shakey had a body full of tick welts, and sad eyes too!

Sad because he knew there was no more "runnin free" in the woods now that the ticks were out.

And next was Spazz's turn in the tub.

Almost Super Bowl Sunday again.... won't be watchin it this year tho... choosing to NOT have TV and that leaves more time to live in the moment! Making music is the goal... and its a slow but sure thing now. The studio is up and running, even if it is only our music being produced, its a great thing! Winter has made its presence known this year... record low temps and snow falls in one 30 day period! AWESOME !!!! I have chosen to see everything as good this 2010.... and I will!!!!! That is not a tempting fate kinda statement... it is a promise to me.... even the browns of winter and the barren trees have a beauty I never saw in my distress over winter... now I know they exist in their own right to be!!! And they are beautiful! The dawgs found it to be very interesting, a challenge and FUN !!! Chest high without the drifts made for potty runs to be an acrobatic act.... no squatting here... just plop and run!!! Couldn,t even lift the leg over the snow... so dribble.... FAST... and dash back to higher ground (the porch) . Woo hoo! check out the pics of the snow and the pups! Til next entry.... MJ

Great HolidayS !!!! Atlantic Coast of Florida, kids and grandkids, sunshine, memories! Old bodies crumpled into the front seats for catnaps to make overnight drives... making evryminitcownt!!!! Smiles, laughter, and yes, tears too. ...sigh.... yearning for a kinder gentler life now. reality CAN BE GOOD TOO !!! 2010... the F.I.-J.D.I. year! Going for it!!! When there is nothing to lose, it becomes easy to risk it! So we wil grab ahold of that, and follow the trail it takes us on. AM EXCITED !!

Purple! What a color! As it stands alone it is overpowering! As a mixture in rainbows, portraits, landscapes, it's complimentary. So in this blog entry, we'll deal with it, because I'm trying to explore moods and colors as they apply to each other. 6 weeks into a job on a weekly publication, and I'm still learning ... A LOT!!! It's sort of a passive job, and the work environment is good, except for the smoking... which is ... well if you are a non smoker you get it! I am 3 days on the job and 4 days off. YEE HAAA!!! This coming Saturday, I will try something Ve-r-r-r-r-y new and different for me. I've been invited to attend a painting class. h-m-m-m-m-m... I'll see. Who knows, may discover something within I never knew existed. Been FaceBooking lately, connecting with friends and family nationwide! Good to see my sons hooking up with friends from another life too! Makes me think they are realizing the value of life... Life has begun to show me the slower pace of age is a good thing for me. Stepping back from the fast paced aggressive person I have always and only known myself to be. Allow me to introduce me to you... s-l-o-w-l-y over the next months of blogging. This might very well be the vehicle for the Story to come! See you again soon!

Decided to text in green because I'm feeling blue. There is something about fall and winter that take the happy out of me. I have to struggle to see things as I see them in Spring and Summer. I know there is a biological effect from less sunshine, which is a form of vitamin D for us. I wonder if I could use a supplement several times during the day to replenish. h-m-mmm. Anyway, very thankful for the leaves still on trees and the grass still green although it is very slow growing now. Only mowed once since returning and probably won't need to mow again now 'til next spring. Weather forecast for today, after several days of rain and overcast, was sunny. Spell that c-l-o-u-d-y!! I AM solar charged and can do nothing about that! Am trying in every way to determine my future, I'll reveal more when it becomes more clear. I know that up to now, there has been no mention of any Grubulah Adventures. I haven't forgotten, just have difficulty putting it all together. Bear with me, for now, I am lost.

Traveled to Arkansas... leaving Lompoc Monday @ 8:30 pm.  All night drive through the southern California traffic was much easier than daytime... having arrived in Barstow around 2 am.  Sleep for a few than on the road by 8 ish am.  Photos of the trip through the Mojave... and into the Painted Desert in Arizona with a night arrival in Albuquerque @ 9 pm.  As the sights passed in a blur the Nikon caught for ever, the  images and colors gone in a second.  I was like a sponge soaking it in, for later recall.  A reunion with a special friend of the past in Albq. then on to Moriarty where the retouching of lives continued with another.  Stirring reminders of another life and time.   Beautiful women in my life of horrors then.  Ya Ya!!!        Home again...Home again... jiggity jig!   

August... summer's end. Always a touch of melancholy with no known explanation. Yellow Bird, Shakey and Spazz'z traveling companion just discovered he's been in Big Sur!  Insisted on a photo shoot. As it is, he's been seen in Canada and the east coast U.S. and it's only fair to have the photo evidence of Big Sur!  My apologies to him for neglecting his presence these several months. Actually an occasional dusting and relocation in the cottage warrants some recognition too!  Anyway... check out the pics for his sake!

Fire in the Sky

The Meteor Shower. August 11th, the recommended night for viewing was a foggy night in Big Sur. Cool and damp, and no chance of a meteor sighting. BUT! August 12th was a suprise!! Clear, warm and still and a bajillion stars told us we would have a great chance! Small camp firering, loving family, the Pacific shore and The Greatest Show on Earth! What a treat! If you did not get to see this display, I am sorry. As for next August, when we have our next opportunity, make plans NOW to find a seat in your area of the country, take an afternoon or early evening nap if necessary, and be prepared to be wowed!! Sharing the evening with others ads the element of enjoying THEIR expressions! Ex: the one in the crowd who is always looking down or the other way when the brightest and longest tail you've ever seen streaks by.  (No Names mentioned here Grace.)

Since photography was out of the question, I could focus my attention to viewing. And that I did! 

Thursday August 13th brought a viewing treat back down to earth again. The events of the "Concours" in Pebble Beach this year included again a short run down the highway 1 and right past our front door. Check point Big Sur turnaround being 1/2 mile south of us on the highway treated us to the coming and going back traffic of the most incredible vehicles on the road today. Check out the most recent pics on the page for an idea of what I did that morning! In between business and phone calls of course! (in case the boss of me is reading this blog). 

Well the day of work is upon me now... later friends!   

I have returned ... this has been an interesting month gone by... decisions, choices and resolutions. More traveling plans forming, and the next chapter in motion. Coastal caravans, sunset whale watching, old trails and history. All of these cryptic phrases remind me of events... peaceful jellies in the harbor, free from the prism prison. Old ties and promises too.  I hear music!!!  I ponder the wanderlust!  Unexpected encounters, names and faces, moments to be treasured forever.  

      Jack Johnson ... now there's a name many know, and maybe not so many.      But we did!   Thank you Jack for making my day! and then some too!!!         Bo, my soul mate! Traveling companion, humorist, music maker,gentle giant.  You are my hero!  You stood up to the little man!  He's shot down by the Barnicks AGAIN!  Twice in one decade!   oooohhhhh that smarts!  THE BOOK  will be a best seller!!!    Anyway, this has been fun!    

So much for the dedication part... Summer is full on and the 4th of July past ... and I've failed you readers.... so sorry... the dogs are glad for the Big Sur cool temps and so am I ! Keeps the hot flashes at bay!   Anyway.. we travelled the road of decades past last week and found the golden velvet hills, and redwood covered valleys reaching into our souls and authoring new melodies!  THIS is the Big Sur I can feel.  Inspiration!  WHOO HOO !!!  A moment or two over the running Little Sur River with a tin whistle and on to views that halt the breathing!  Fog exploring the inland hills of the coast is touchable... and parts for the intrusion of flesh or fiberglass... rejoining itself  for the visual pleasure of the intruder. Nature tolerates us!!!    Enjoy with me the photographical evidence of this journey... 

Whether by artist's easel with canvas and paints, or the shutter of digital imagery captured and stored, the view of the Highway 1 becomes an historical mark in the memory of hundreds today.  Just three miles from our destination my own camera comes out to photograph an afternoon stroll in the meadow alongside the road.  This proud buck shows no interest in the excited lady skipping along the fence line to keep up with his pace. I never want to take these moments for granted!  Nature's trail and man's, parallel.    

Driving down the Highway 1 on a classic June afternoon, being a "tourist". Condor glide overhead, not hesitating for the camera to focus. Not even AWARE of the camera or its operator. Surfers and sea lions sharing the same waves, voices sounding alike rising the distance 1000 feet above the scene. Warmth of the sunshine blending with the cool ocean breezes, satisfying the flesh and the spirit. The Pacific Ocean is not angry today. It gently rocks and rises beneath the kelp beds. Miles out on the horizon the ocean and sky softly touch each other barely defining their separation.

I realize from this day I am receiving the inspiration, encouragement, and peace I am seeking.  

The coastal, chaotic, violent waves.

Too loud to hear me think! Certainly not serene! Defending my skin from the attacks of the hurling sand! Draw tight the hood of my jacket to contain the flailing lengths of hair and wondering if the knotted ends could ever be convinced to release their grip on each other again!  Just to add insult ... the fog bank so wet, so thick, that the sun seems never to have existed. And me, solar energised! 

Can I possibly get inspiration from this!?...      Had I not journeyed here from there, I'd not know this moment. Artistically attractive, economically challenging. Less than a five minute walk from this is a deafening silence, the omission of all sounds of technology's man made distractions. And the ocean's powerful exhibit. Wildlife with names and species unknown to me, overhead, calling out sounds to each other and then some. Those on the terra firma dare me to come closer. 

Here for "a space in time" describes my life's journey. And so ... I am... and Grubulah, with me since those days in New Mexico.   

Once Upon A Time...

This is the beginning....

Bedtime stories make lifelong memories. Especially the ones which have no ending. And so is the story of  "Grubulah".  You are invited to follow this blog for the journal of the "Adventures of Grubulah"  and his many contrary friends.

Blogs will be entered as routinely as possible in a world filled with too busy days and too short nights. This will be a compound exercise in dedication, my part,

and patience, your part. 

Fear NOT! The "dogs" will play into the "blogs" in time!    

And "aawayyyeee we goooooo!"