Monarchs and Murder

Another level of BEing ROOTED has been the discovery we live in an area of Sonoma County with the most termites.  I understand they ride the wind currents from Hawaii and probably points West.  Since we live on the North edge of the Wind Gap, they arrived to inhabit MuRufuge’s house.   BEing in  physical form as a termite is difficult at best!  Humans want to get rid of them and with the imbalance on the planet, their natural predators that keep them in check are not in great numbers.  

The humans here at MuRefuge put into motion murder of these BEings since the wood of the house was riddled with them.  Since we had to vacate our house to allow this process, Carmel for a few days seemed like a good getting away destination.

When we arrived at the lovely dog friendly Carmel Beach for some ocean experience, Rose was “beside herself”.  We thought is was the noise of the surf and her inability with three legs to negotiate the soft sand.  Later, in an email from Sandy, we realized she was distraught about the murder of all the BEings trapped inside of the tent over our house for fumigation.

The highlight of our four days down South was a lengthy morning visit with the hibernating Monarchs.

Upon our return, walking into our house, I felt the emptiness.  Our house no longer was inhabited by spiders, ants, termites nor any other living BEing.  The murder we set in motion, decimated the whole ecology similarly to the process of humans ingesting antibiotics.  The following day I smudged the house inside and out with White Sage grown here at MuRefuge.  Each room got a couple of spitzes of Rescue Remedy then several bunches of locally grown roses were divided into vases set in each room.  The healing and restoration of the ecology has been set in motion . . .

May each of your Thanksgiving holiday be filled with health, love and much gratitude.

And feel free to

while you leave a comment below.

Hot and Sweaty

Day of the Dead Marigolds (companion planted with tomatoes, asparagus, parsley)
 Buckeye Butterfly and Morman Metalmark Butterfly nectaring

With global climate change deeply embedded on our planet, our “normal” hot, dry September and October only occasionally visits, however here in late October it is in full force.  Delightful!  I just love working outside getting all hot and sweaty with the full sun embracing my body as I work.  During those wonderfully hot, sunny days when all the native plants are resting (dormant, in estivation), I tackled nonnative removal.  First the Hot Poker, aka Kniphofia uvaria, native to South Africa and extremely drought tolerant, which I originally moved to MuRefuge from our place on Cunningham Road where we had Baltimore Orioles who loved the nectar the bright yellow and orange flowers provided.  Alas, rare to none of these gorgeous birds come here to MuRefuge.  Those few transplants over the eighteen years here at MuRefuge grew to a sizeable number.  As I was pulling, chopping, covering with our no longer wearable natural fiber clothes, cardboard and newspaper then arbor mulch from Grab n’ Grow, I was struck by the lack of any creepy crawly life . . . no lizards, no snakes, no insects of any kind did I observe.

Native Goldenrod will fill in area
where the Hot Poker plants were removed

A few days later on another sunny day, I moved across the driveway to remove the substantial bed of just beginning to bloom Naked Lady, aka Amaryllis belladonna, also a native to South Africa that thrives in most any kind of soil without any watering.  A well meaning friend gave me a few bulbs when we moved to MuRefuge and had essentially a barren garden.  I cut all the just beginning to bloom stocks, brought them into the house and stuck them into a huge vase.  The arrangement was not attractive since the stems drooped from the weight of the buds.  I left them and returned to the task at hand of digging up all of the bulbs.  Oh my gosh, I did not have any idea how many there were!  I filled up some dozen cardboard boxes and a huge black plastic bag I had brought home from Harmony Farm Supply last Winter with a bare root apple tree.  The first 6 boxes I set near the mailboxes, the second six I dropped off at various nearby intersections, and the large black plastic bag I just left at the end of the driveway.  “In a hot New York minute”, as my friend Lynette would say, all the bulbs disappeared.  Again, being observant to life other than human I noticed none among the bulbs.  On a joyful note we did enjoy the fragrance of the Naked Lady flowers for well past a week.

Native aster sprawling in the front providing late Fall nectar
and Common Checkered Skipper

Lustrous Copper nectaring on native aster flowers

Whew!  I am so happy to have these nonnatives out of MuRefuge as well as the ornamental pomegranate bush, aka Punica granatum ‘Nana’, and Apple Blossom camellia, aka Camellia sasanqua.  Clearing plants, just like clearing ones living quarters of clutter, provides space for native ones.

Then in preparation for the massive project of replacing all of the failed siding on our house, I pruned back all the natives around the perimeter of the house.  In doing so I was absolutely astounded by the number of native insects, frogs, caterpillars I saw in the process.  Last Winter I read Douglas W. Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants where he writes that native oaks support some 500+ species of insects while non-native ones less than a dozen.   While I was impressed with his entomology statistics, I was astounded seeing it with my own eyes in my own habitat, MuRefuge.

West Coast Lady nectaring on Day of the Dead marigold

Please feel free to share below your personal experiences with native plants and their benefits.  And

Just Awesome

A few months hiatus from gardening and writing a post.  Monday while Vickie pulled errant bindweed and I pruned back going to seed annuals, we were rewarded with the most spectacular viewing:    Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars,

a pupating Pipevine Swallowtail 

and a tree frog all nestled among the tangles of Pipevine.

A month or so ago on a warm, sunny day I saw a Pipevine Swallowtail hovering about the native Pipevine.  A few days later I searched for the black dots of recentlylaid eggs, not finding any. But she obviously did lay her mirade of  eggs.
I just could not find them in the tangles of California Pipevine.

This just awesome sight of Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars and pupae just blew us all away.  It has been a few years
since we have been treated to Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies in the making.

Let me know if you all have viewed equally just awesome sights. And 

Santa Barbara and Rose

We recently took in a little beach time in Santa Barbara, one of my favorite 

spots on Mother Earth, staying at the Flagship Motel 6 just a block from

East Beach.  Global climate change has altered the weather there, just

like here in Sonoma County and, well, every where on the planet.  Last

June and July Santa Barbara recorded temperatures the coolest ever

at that time of the year.  This year the rain fall there is 10” above the

average.  During our nine day stay we had sunshine, wind, clouds, fog 

and pouring rain during which we took in Woody Allen’s latest movie 

Midnight in Paris which we enjoyed.

And Rose has been gimpy, favoring her left rear hind leg.  She negotiated

the stairs up and down to get to our room.  However mostly she enjoyed 

viewing the beach from our bed.  As you can see from this picture the

view is spectacular.  She could see the pod of dolphins, hear the barking

seals, watch the sea gulls and skimmers flirt across the sand.  At first

the train whose tracks run quite close to the area of Santa Barbara and

whose noise was disturbing to her, but once she saw the train you

could see her filing the picture with the sound into her memory.

The Saturday Farm Market in Santa Barbara is a treat.  Many, many,

many local, small farmers bring their produce.  The younger generation

(can I really believe I am writing this?  no matter how true it is!)

of farmers are focusing on caring for the soil in the least toxic manner,

presenting absolutely gorgeous Italian heirloom artichokes, potatoes,

carrots and much, much more.

Tuesday evenings in Old Town, aka State Street, the event is repeated.

As we walked along looking and tasting, we were amazed at the

numbers of persons buying, eating and chatting.  The contrast to

the local farm markets in Sonoma County that we frequent is huge:

no what I call “doodad,” aka handmade goods, booths, no prepared

food booths with the exception of fresh baked breads and jams, just

a vast array of farm produce.

Breakfast on East Beach at the Carrillo Beach House is just a lovely way to experience 

beach life.  Rose was fascinated with the coming and goings of people, birds and other 

creatures of the water.

A walk along the bike path to the Bird Refuge was enjoyable.  Across the street is an unusual and fascinating sculpture made partly from pottery shards.

On the other end of the expanse of sand from East Beach is Ledbetter Beach with fabulously beautiful sandstone creations.

Tropical vegetation abounds everywhere amidst the Mediterranean architecture.

Flowering trees with and without leaves, bushes, vines present color and lightness,

all translating into feel good relaxation drawing visitors from across the globe.

Even exotic birds live on the beaches of Santa Barbara.  Here’s a couple of pictures Dwight took of these Skimmers, unfortunately on a foggy morning, on East Beach.

Upon returning to MuRefuge we were greeted by these sunny faced, flowering Tidy Tips which are native to Sonoma County vernal pools.

A few days after our return, Rose’s gimpyness became more pronounced

and she became unwilling? unable? to put that left back paw onto the ground 

nor to bear weight on that left rear leg.  A visit to Rose’s doctor revealed, much to 

the surprise and upset of her unsuspecting vet, a tumor on the head of her tibia,

the biggest bone from the hip to knee aka stifle.  A second opinion from a trusted 

radiologist confirm Rose’s doctor’s diagnosis of osteosarcoma.  

The good news:  no visible metastasis seen on further x-rays and completely 

normal results on a vast array of blood studies.

Rose’s doctor recommended amputation and chemotherapy.  For those of you who 

know me, the latter’s not an option for me nor my animals.  I have had previous 

and positive experience, however, with treating cancer with herbs.  This past 

Saturday Rose started her herbs and by Wednesday she showed signs of 

liver detoxification which is crucial for keeping cancer cells in check.  

Rose is scheduled to have her "gimpy" leg removed tomorrow morning, June 23.  

She is ready turn the page and move on in her life as a three-legged dog.  Recovery 

from this operation takes only 1-2 weeks for dogs. As we have discovered, there are 

many dogs out there who have had a similar malady living lives with only three legs.

So all of us here at MuRefuge have been preparing (using the web for researching 

and obtaining more information, consulting with Sandy, the interspecies communicator, 

numerous conversations and discussions with herbalists for organic herbs to keep in 

check the malignant cells in Rose’s body, cooking more easily digested food for Rose, 

identifying and instituting specific Flower Essences for Rose) for the loss of Rose’s

limb.  Rose’s Auntie T made a special trip from Point Reyes Station to BE with Rose, 

adding her lightness and positive outlook for a speedy recovery from the removal of 

her “cumbersome appendage”.  Her Auntie Vickie and Uncle Jason brought her a rose 

quartz heart to accompany her to the Animal Hospital as well as their comfort and love.

Rose's Auntie Fang and Auntie Petra are both sending loving and healing.  And Sandy

holds a place for Rose as she goes through the surgery and returns to her "amazing

life journey this time around." 

Dwight, Rose and I thank all of you for your incredibly loving support during this life

lesson.

Rose’s doctor has been most supportive, loving and informative.  Rose just loves 

Nicole and all her employees at the Animal Hospital. We are trusting of optimal care 

for her so that one day soon she able to once again run at top speed on Dillon Beach.

 Please

with us

The Ducklings Are Growing Up

Two female Chocolate Indian Runner
 born on Earth Day, arriving at
MuRefuge the following day

This past Sunday MuRefuge, Dwight with his sculpture and me with the garden, participated 
in the Sebastopol Center for the Arts annual Gardens with Sculpture Tour.  Oh my gosh, many 
people showed up.  I have been two days recovering and now am reentering participation with my garden.  It is raining.  YES! Raining!  We have, so far, gotten about a half inch of rain.  
The ducklings remain in the duck house with their light for warmth and enjoying as many 
little Borage starts as I pull up for them.  


Here's pictures over the last few weeks.

2 weeks old

3 weeks old

4 weeks + 1 day old

Holding the 4 weeks + 1 day old ducklings

The Ancient One

Reading the two most recent posts on Sandy Lagno’s blog Animals from Their Point of View http://sandylagno.com/?p=324 and http://sandylagno.com/?p=314 has given me the nudge to get on with the telling of Star’s story.  Star, whom one of our neighbors while ambling on the gravel road in front of our house dubbed “The Ancient One”, died on August 17, 2008.  After her death, that pushed my spiritual envelope big time, I promised her I would share her story.  Both Dwight and I have told it orally over the past two and three quarters years.  Now I want to share Star's story on this

new medium to me, who is out of date according to some who are into Twitter and Facebook.

So here goes . . . Mid 1993 someone found just the right Siberian Husky puppy for me.  Having had not a stellar experience with a previous Siberian Husky, Nashoba, after having two wonderful ones, Sasha and Tatiana, in my life for 15 plus years, I decided we needed another type of dog that would ground this new puppy.  Off to the local shelter I went.  Of course, I had in my mind an image/idea of what I would find and bring home.  Alas, no such dog presented herself to me.  One dog did present herself in extremely low fashion.  Skinny with a poor coat of hair, having given birth to eleven puppies and raised them at the local Humane Society after being dumped over the fence at night pregnant without any identification, Star sat at the fence.  She neither made eye contact nor tried to coerce me in any way to take her home with me.  Still I was drawn to her.  She was unfamiliar, looking not like a Siberian Husky in any way, nor like any of my childhood dogs.

Having had such a trying experience with Nashoba through which however I became connected with a wonderful puppy trainer, I had her come with me to the shelter to give me her take on this dog to whom I was so drawn.  Her only hesitation was that this animal was more connected to other dogs than humans.  All of this I shared with Dwight who was still working in the San Francisco Financial District.  He was willing to go along with whatever I decided.  He did however remind me that we had a full Summer planned with trips here and there.  Plus we were expecting to bring our Siberian Husky puppy home in late August after all of our various trips.

On August 7, 1993, off to the Santa Rosa Humane Society we both went to adopt this dog.  We completed all of the paper work and collected her from her kennel.  It was a gloriously sunny day so we decided since she had been all cooped up for so many months that we would reward her with a walk.  Well, her muscles were so atrophied from not being used much that she did not last long on the Joe Rodota although she clearly wanted to walk farther than her body was willing to carry her.  Home we drove, not to MuRefuge of which at this time we had not an inkling.

Since this dog, who we were told was a Doberman mix and three or four years old, did not seem very healthy to me, a visit to the vet came next.  We had a crate for her which she initially willingly used.  Our next outing was to Salmon Creek Beach which at the time allowed dogs.

Star and I after our first walk together on Salmon Creek Beach 

Before we knew what was happening it was time to visit the soon to be our puppy in Reno, Nevada.  And Star was spayed and I unthinkingly had promised her “no more puppies” when I meant she would not have her own puppies.  In retrospect, “WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?” when all along we were planning on bringing a puppy into our household.

And then several weeks before the originally appointed time, we picked up our puppy in Napa where a woman had brought with her three of the puppies from the Reno kennel.

Dwight holding Star's leash.
Sun on Star's far right
 with Sun's brother Abu between.

Both the adopted dog and the puppy we gave names from Flower Essences.  The former was called Star from the Flower Essence Star of Bethlehem and the latter Sun from the Flower Essence Sunflower.  For those of you so inclined you can read about these essences.  In retrospect, Star loved her name, Sun was none too fond of hers.

Needless to say, Star got right into BEing with Sun allowing her to BE a puppy.  Star was an Alpha dog in the truest sense AND was never aggressive, but was very protective not in only protecting Sun but in preventing any dogs from bullying other dogs.  Point in fact, while visiting a friend who had a female West Highland Terrier and whose sister’s Spitz mix breed keep picking on the Westie, Star grabbed the latter by the scuff while standing over the top of her.  Amazingly, this dog did not repeat this behavior which the owner said was a frequent one with other dogs.

Star and Sun were a pair to watch: this very petite, beautiful black and white Siberian Husky and our much larger Black and Tan Hound mix who was identified on a beach in Santa Barbara by a man who had raised Black and Tan Hounds for coon hunting.  Sun mimicked some of Star’s behaviors.  One that was very striking was lifting a front paw and pointing as hunting dogs, especially hounds, do, though other Huskies never do. 

Camping at McCloud.
Dwight, Sun and Star watching a squirrel in a tree.

The first Spring and Summer we lived at MuRefuge, Star and Sun formed a team to trap gophers in their tunnels.  One dog on each end and the gopher trapped in the middle.  They managed to catch well over 50 gophers with this ingenious method.  Star was not interested in the gopher after the chase.  Sun however thought gophers were a delicious addition to her diet.

Sun was a stay at home dog.  Star on the other hand was “Go for a truck ride”!  We had a 4Runner at the time.

Life settled into a routine for all of us here at MuRefuge with our ups and downs.  Then in the Fall of 2004 Sun developed what I now know was a malignancy in her right sinus.  How tenaciously she held on to BEing in her body!  And how I reverted to “a critical care nurse,” taking care of her body, cherishing each and every minute.

Last picture we have of Star and Sun together.

After a month of sleep deprivation since most nights I sat holding Sun so she could breathe, our vet came and euthanized her on April 6, 2005.  To make a very long story short, Sun’s spirit remained with us.  She DID NOT want to leave.  During this time is when I tapped into Sandy Lagno’s incredible gift.  She communicated with Sun as well as Star.

Star was almost catatonic.  She was listless and went through each day without really BEing present.  This first time Sandy tried to communicate with Star much time passed before she could form a connection with her.  During this initial communication Star was very clear she did not want to be euthanized.  Star gave Sandy a very clear picture of how she was going to leave her body:  she would be running, her physical form would drop and her spirit would soar.  At the time I thought what a lovely image.

Star really enjoyed BEing the only dog in our family
once she grieved the loss of her sister, Sun.

Star standing in Lee Vining Creek
after a hot walk.

After Sun was no longer with us, Star did not have the stamina to walk 5 miles as she had previously. In the Fall, 2007, Star was 16 and slowing down.  We took shorter walks and the pace became slower but she was adamant that she walk every morning as we had always done.  We added afternoon slow walks as well limiting both morning and afternoon walks to a mile or so.

One Sunday afternoon we noticed Star outside in the back yard running at full speed, jumping over obstacles like buckets and patio chairs.  Could this be our 16 year old, OLD dog?  This running continued for the afternoon and Star showed no sign of tiring.  By early evening I became concerned and my nursing self kicked in.  I called Sandy who did not answer her phone.  It was Sunday after all and she takes time off, too.  We loaded up Star, which was no easy task, to take her to the 24 hour emergency hospital.  I had to hold on to her to keep her in one place in the car.  Boy, was she strong!  

We had to wait for the vet to see us.  It was beginning to be dusk and we have ducks to put in so we called a neighbor who agreed to put them in for us.  More waiting for the vet with a very agitated Star who was not happy to be confined or in this strange place.  A vet tech came and took Star away.  More waiting.  Finally a vet appeared who recommended sedation and tests.  At this point I left Dwight with Star and the vet for these procedures, saying I would return soon.  Home I sped.  Luckily the ducks were safe in their house (boy!  all this sure did kick in my Self preservation issues! for those of you reading this who are familiar with the Enneagram and the Basic Instincts) AND Sandy had left me a message, “Star showed me a blood vessel in her brain burst.”  

Immediate calm returned to me and what would happen next seemed to me to be the only choice.  Back to the Emergency Hospital to pick up Star and bring her home.  She was sedated. I told the vet my wish was to bring her home.  No tests because I knew what had happened.  The IV was removed and a bandage applied.  Dwight and I picked Star up and carried her to our car.

When we got home we settled her on her bed by my side of our bed.  She barely stirred during all of this.  In the early morning she woke up from the sedation surprised she was still in her body but resettled for a more natural sleep until morning light.

I called Sandy again.  We both wondered what would have happened if we had just let her run?


And she would have missed saying good bye to her favorite place, Mono Lake.

Star had more difficulty getting up and down.  A few months later she had another stroke while laying in the grass one morning.  She could not get up.  I sat with her all day thinking her spirit would be departing her physical form, but by nightfall she willed herself up and into the garage; we lifted her up the step and into the house she came.

Her slow ambles became even slower, sometimes taking an hour to go just a block or two.  She developed pressure sores on her hind legs.  

Sometimes she was incontinent, which I know she did not like since she had always made a point to urinate outside even when she was many hours in the kennel at the Humane Society. So I would bathe her and dry her and reapply the bandages to her pressure sores.  

Peaceful Star 

She was restless at night so we moved our Subaru Outback out of the garage so she could move about as she wanted.

Of course, I had Sandy check in with her.  Star assured me that how it looked was NOT how it was for her.  She seemed serene, at peace with her “dying rhythm movement”.  Then on a Friday morning in midAugust, 2008, when I went into the garage Star was attempting to get up from the garage cement floor.  She could not make her body get up.  She kept trying and frustration was evident on her face.  She made sounds of frustration while continuing to try to get her body off the floor.  She would rest a bit then try again.  This she repeated and repeated.  But she clearly refused any help.  By late afternoon she discovered that while she could not get up off the floor, she could move all of her legs in a running movement.  With this discovery her whole demeanor shifted.  Her sounds were no longer of frustration, rather more of pleasure.  We went to bed on that Friday night with Star still resting then running.  By Saturday afternoon after cleaning her up several times, laying about medicinal herbs to support her process, she began to howl, reminiscent of wolves calling their pack. 

A wolf picture that reminds me of Star howling
on our garage floor.

And I imagine this is to whom Star is calling.

Through Sunday this continued.  When asked how I could stand this, my response is “I am allowing Star her process.”

Early Monday morning, Dwight woke me up to tell me Star had died.  Sandy says that Star’s spirit came and awakened him.  He also said she looked like a wolf.  “Right!”  I thought.  Out to the garage I went to see our old and decrepit Star.  NOT what I saw.  Rather laying in the middle of the garage floor was a very large wolf looking very peacefully asleep, ears standing up straight, tail standing straight out on a very large body.

How could this be?  I sat down stroking this amazing animal's body.  Dwight went back to bed to get some more sleep.  I was awake for the day.

Later I called Sandy to share Star’s process.  Sandy said,  “That body contained a 100 plus pound alpha male wolf”.  Allowing Star her process gave rise to merging with her past lives?  Star certainly was a STAR!

Animals seem to come into our lives to teach us what we are open to learning.  This physical transformation of Star’s body has opened me to another realm of physicality, of spirit, of the organization and alteration of cells/mass and alteration.

As we buried Star in Sun’s Spot, her spirit had already entered the spiritual realm.  Sun watched Star’s process and made a decision to return to do her work.  AND now we have Rose whose focus seems to be on coming to grips with the wild and the domesticated sides of her nature.  Perhaps a story for
another time.

Remember to 

while sharing your favorite animal stories in the comment section below.