I Am Shiba.
Dedicated to momentary thoughts and musings of A Shiba Inu.
Walk for Fidelco
I am about to embark upon a journey. It will happen on May 19th.
http://www.fidelcowalk.org/
I will be participating in the Walk for Fidelco gathering. This is the organization which trains and provides seeing eye dogs for those who are visually impaired. While no Shibas are members of the local seeing eye dog club, I feel it is important that we go out and support those German Shepherds as they walk the streets of Manchester, CT and get trained in commands that I would never follow anyway.
If you wish to sponsor me and The Woman, please feel free to sign up here:
http://www.firstgiving.com/cgilbert
The walk is not a long one, nor is it grueling except that God and everyone will be there with their barky little dogs. There is also an Emu that tried to bite me two years ago, but that is another story. Either way, I am seeking sponsership to help find positions for all those unemployed German Sheperds; it is high time that they prove their worth in society as well!
I Am Shiba. Sponsor Me, and I Will Walk.
Latest of the Recalled Pet Foods
Someone Stole Our Sidewalk!
It is horrible! I have failed in my responsibilities as a watchdog!
Yesterday, The Woman took me shopping with her. There were a number of stores we needed to visit (including Pet Smart) so it was a busy afternoon. However, when we got home, the sidewalk leading to our house was gone! Someone had stolen it! There was only dirt remaining.
I insisted that we call 911 immediately but The Guy came home and essentially my concerns of this theft were ignored.
Then this morning, the robbers returned! and again, The Woman did nothing to prevent them from stealing our pavement! Well, I was obviously going to have to take issues into my own hands, and I proceeded to tell these thieves, VERY LOUDLY, that they were trespassing and must leave immediately or feel the Wrath of All That Is Shiba.
I am now crated. I do not understand. The Woman must be so terrified by the actions of these five large men that she would rather allow them to take what they want rather than protect what is rightfully ours.
And all this happened before Breakfast! I have not even had Breakfast yet!
Well, needless to say, the next intruder to our house, I shall reveal my Japanese hertitage, and demonstrate techniques of guarding and defense known only to the most elite of Shibas and Akitas. I will not allow this to happen again!
I Am Shiba. My Territory Is Under Code Red.
Nor'Easter
The rain was so bad yesterday that I refused to go outside.
But I drank too much water.
And I really really really needed to go outside.
But everytime I went in the backyard, I got wet.
So the woman had to drive me to one of my favorite pee spots, and I asked her to please hold an umbrella over me while I did my business because I do not like to get water in my face while I am preoccupied.
I am the Shi-ba.
Umbrellas are good in rain.
My nice fur keeps dry.
Cuja
Tonight I shall sit in my crate, meditate, and read from the Tibetan Book of the Dead:
Hey, immortal one, you who was called Cuja! The time has come for you to find your path in the reality of the spirit. Your physical breath has stopped; the perfect clear light of the Infinite Potential of the first phase of your transition into the spiritual reality has begun to manifest. Your physical breath has stopped and you begin to experience the spirit reality; barren and void like space. Your immortal, infinite spiritual awareness begins to awaken, clear and empty; perceiving no horizon or center. You must immediately recognize this void as yourself. You must stay centered within this experience.
I shall let The Woman make the posting for tonight.
Cuja
This is my favorite picture of Cuja. She is alert, aware, and in control of everything around her. In this picture, she is supervising our move from our last apartment to our new house. She was not about to let any decision be made without her approval.
Cuja was born March 25, 1997, the year I got divorced from my first husband. She was a gift from a co-worker who basically told me, "it will take her about three years to settle down, and then she will be a good cat."
His assessment was 100% accurate.
Cuja was always an active, opinionated, intelligent, argumentative feline. She was not a cat who wanted to sit on your lap and purr. She was a one person cat, and I was that person. Over the years that we shared, Jean-Luc and her worked out several truces which she in turn nullified. Filou was added to the family to give her a friend, and ended up being her punching bag. And when Cortez entered the household, all out war was declared to where we physically had to keep her and him separated to avoid bloodshed.
Cuja was unafraid but seldom happy. She was an Alaskan cat, and to be taken to Belgium and then confined to hotel rooms and small apartments was very difficult for her. The moving to the house finally gave her some freedom, but the inability of her and Cortez to work out their difficulties affected her freedom, and forced her away from the person she loved and needed to protect.
I always felt guilty about taking her from Alaska. Born and bred to be a village cat, she was never meant to be confined behind walls but whether it was selfishness or purpose, our lives were intertwined and our friendship kept us together.
As time progressed, Cuja became more and more frustrated with her position in the household. Having been demoted from ruler supreme, she increasingly become more hostile to everyone around her. Finally, toward the end of this winter, Cuja started to lose her sense of self, and became almost delusional with her fear and aggressive behavior.
I was in denial. I still saw the cat that I loved but only for small increments of time. She was becoming too distracted to even desire my attentions, preferring to hide and meow from corners of the house. Sometimes, I would see the cat that I loved, purry, attentive, remaining close, talkative, inquisitive- but as March came upon us, these moments became few and far between.
It was like she lost her sense of self, and resorted back to a feral cat, fed by instinct and fear.
It was Monday April 9th, that Jean-Luc and I discussed our options. No longer was she responding to our voices or seeking our attentions. She had crossed the abyss. It was with a sad heart that I decided to lead her into the spirit world, and allowed her to cross over into her next life. We spent the night and the afternoon together, and she was almost like the cat that I loved so deeply within my soul, but I knew that this was only an illusion.
Her spirit needed to be set free.
So on Tuesday, April 10th, I did just that. I stayed with her, comforted her, reminded her how much we had experienced together, told her that I loved her, and told her how guilty I felt for taking her from Alaska, that it was selfishness on my part to take her from the land to which she was bound and force her to live a life for which she was perpetually discontented.
And I stayed with her until I knew she was no longer moving. Wrapping her in a clean white towel, I left her as so she might be cremeted, and I will spread her ashes among the wildflowers of summer. She always loved eating flowers. It just feels right to let her enjoy them before she travels onward.
Cuja was not a cat for the feint of heart. She was determined to be heard and always had the last word about anything regarding our household and how things should be done. But her downfall was that she was never able to compromise on any situation, and if she had been able to make a few allowances regarding changes in our lives, things might have turned out differently.
But I doubt that. Cuja's charm was her unique personality, and with that, came all the pros and cons.
But I shall miss her rancorous personality and her talkative nature. And it is with that, I say Adieu to my good feline friend, and hope that our paths will cross again, either in this life or the next.
I Am The Women. It Is With Heavy Heart, That I Write These Words.
The Ying and The Yang Of Spring
Ying: I get to walk in my Nature Center at least once a week now! (see post below).
Yang: I got my first tick.
Ying: I get brushed daily because I am exploding with furry goodness!
Yang: I got my first bath of the year.
Ying: There is no more ice for me to slip on!
Yang: There is no more snow for me to play in.
Ying: There are more dogs on the street for me to meet and greet!
Yang: There are more dogs on the street who need to be taught who is Emperor.
Ying: Barbacue season is just around the corner!
Yang: The People no longer eat red meat.
I Am Shiba. There are no silver linings anymore.
Springing Into Spring
Two magnificent mornings of temperatures in high 30's, resulting in two magnificent morning walks. The perfect start of any good day that later leads to the front door being open to allow the afternoon sun to bake my coat into warm perfection.
I am disappointed however by the considerable amount of trash that is lying all about the roads, gardens, and tree lined lanes. The Woman has picked up two bags of recyclable cans without any effort or exaggerated searches. She has not even touched the discarded plastic water bottles or plastic bags caught in trees or the liquor bottles that are so carelessly discarded out car windows as people drive within my lands.
Connecticut needs a "Pick Up Trash" day. One day out of the year where everyone inspects their borders, and bundles up all the rudely discarded non-biodegradeable items. Now that the snow is gone, it is so obvious how inconsiderate people are with regard to the lands in which we all share.
Connecticut also needs to allow the recycling of plastic water bottles. Pay the deposit and get them off the ground. They are everywhere. It is strange to me that people drink water to "be healthy" and then ruin the environment by simply tossing their empties into the streets.
Tomorrow, I suspect we will walk once more through my wild garden, and collect that which can not be recycled for profit. While I will continue to count my squirrels (many new babies born this spring!), The Woman will tend to my concerns regarding dregs left by the scum.
I Am Shiba. The Cleaner My Gardens, The Better The Squirrels.
