8 State Hurricane Kate

We had a few perfect days in the past week, about 75 degrees, sunny with a breeze, low humidity, and hardly a cloud in the sky, the kind of perfect day when you want it to always be that way.

Cayenne, Chase, and Bandit

 

On May 30th, I took Chase to the vet chiropractor because his back had been bothering him a lot. He may have ongoing issues from the guy who was very violent with him, stuffed him in a tiny chicken crate, and was going to shoot him for chasing sheep. Thank God for my Katrina friend Sarah, who rescued him, and for Laura, DeDe, Emily and others who helped transport him from VA to MN. He is, amazingly, the most loving guy.

On May 30^th I also remembered that Chase came to live with us on May 28th, 2006 (Memorial weekend). With so much going on with the book, we hadn’t celebrated his 3rd anniversary yet. I bought the dogs Moo Dog chews and we had a party up on the hill, to celebrate Chase and remember Kate. My friend Sarah, who rescued Chase, could sure use your support for her rescue (www.lostfantasystables.org). It was fun to pause and appreciate Chase, Bandit, and Cayenne, and all that I’ve learned from each of them. It was a perfect day when I wished that everything could always be just so, with all feeling healthy and happy. I know how quickly that can change. And to think that two of these wonderful dogs were someone’s throwaways! Well, they’re my treasures now!

On May 31^st, I reached a big milestone. Cay let me clean her teeth! Over a year ago, when she first came here, it took two of us to pull her out of the crate to get her out of the truck. Unlike Chase, she hadn’t had a bad experience with a person so much as she had not had any relationship with a person at all. I still have to give her an ace pill to get near her toenails. But after watching me clean the other dogs’ teeth for a year, and gradual work on touching her mouth, she lay in my lap and let me clean all of her teeth. Yay! A victory of love, TTouch and patience.

June 2^nd was “Kindness for Kate Day”, as it was first declared in 2007 in honor of 8 State Hurricane Kate. Every year on June 2nd, in honor of Kate, I ask everyone to please do something to make the world a better place. Plant a flower. Say a prayer. Help somebody. Give hope to a homeless animal. Perform an act of kindness. Collect your spare change and donate it to a rescue group. Appreciate someone’s efforts. Or fill in the blank with your own idea. On Kindness for Kate Day I was very touched by posts from people all over the world who were performing kind acts in memory of Kate. I still felt a little bit sad that afternoon, remembering Kate. But I was happy to know that the world is a better place in her honor. That day, two bright orange poppies bloomed in my back yard. Funny thing, I didn’t plant them. I think they were planted by a bird, if you know what I mean. Maybe they were sent by Kate? Poppies don’t just grow everywhere in Minnesota—these were special.

Poppies from Kate?

 

They were holding the last two pinky balls for us at the store and I took Chase in to visit. I most often shop for pet supplies on my lunch hour, so Chase hasn’t been to this store before. It’s fun to see his eyes light up when he sees the rows and rows of food, treats, and toys. Always the gentleman, he is very polite and loves to meet everyone who walks by. I showed him where the balls come from and I think he understood. The man behind the counter gave him a cookie and he ate that up (in more ways than one). Overall, he had a great time. I took Chase back out to the car and decided to take Cay into the store. More people had entered the store and it was getting busier. When the man behind the counter offered her a cookie, she hesitated at first, a bit nervous, but then ate the cookie. She tried to keep track of each person in the store, including the people behind her. I walked her around and showed her some of the toys. Henrietta the rubber chicken was on sale and once I squeezed her and she let out a squawk, Cay was interested. Cay loves playing with the rubber chickens at our house. We were due for a new one, so I took Henrietta off the rack and handed her to Cay, who helped carry her up to the cash register. The visit was a good experience for Cay and maybe she realizes where the rubber chickens come from now. I hope she’ll have good memories of visiting the store.

Not much new with Bandit this week. He got to herd both cattle and sheep, so he is happy. All in all, it’s been a good week and the kids are all right.