Pippin O'Chi

Baby Pippin O'Chi 2015
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons

Meet Pippin O'Chi. Pippin was named Cinca, a feminine version of cinco, which means five in Spanish, as the rescue told me. She was one of five Chihuahua puppies - four from one Chihuahua mother brought to the rescue by a family unable to keep two pregnant mothers. The other Chihuahua mother gave birth and rejected her two pups. One didn't make it. Cinca, although two weeks younger, was adopted by Annie, the Chihuahua mother given to the rescue.

I'd met, the then Cinca back at the beginning of June. I was smitten with this little outgoing puppy from the get go. She was smaller than her siblings, but was the most outgoing - reaching to humans for attention. She was mostly white, while her siblings were all dark.

At the time, I thought she'd make a great playmate for Koda. Chihuahuas like to be in little Chihuahua packs. Koda had a pack, but they were all much bigger. Despite my desire to adopt her, I didn't because I had enough mouths to feed, take care of, and love.

Heartbreak struck at the end of June with Koda's sudden passing.  The rescue Pippin came from still had three of the pups, and they brought them in for me to have puppy therapy two days after Koda died. Pippin was already spoken for, so I never said anything about the love I already had for her. I just sat there allowing the puppies to climb on me and eventually falling asleep in my lap, all the while fighting the tears of grief I had for Koda.

Later I found out the lady who was going to adopt Cinca pulled out of the adoption after her dog got suddenly sick. Cinca was then adopted along with one of her brothers and Annie. After finding out about this, I was upset with myself for not saying something when I'd had the puppy therapy. Fate stepped in, but it was more like God stepped in after hearing my cries. Even after listening to my anger at Him for taking Koda, He worked things out to bring the little one I'd fallen in love with several weeks before to me. Pippin was returned to the rescue along with her brother; and I happened to be on Petfinder.com and saw her again.

On July 25th, Cinca, now Pippin O'Chi became my fur baby, officially mine furever!!

KP2 - Hawaiian Monk Seal

I am an avid animal lover. I also love to read books or watch movies about the human/animal bond and relationship. Currently, I am reading a book by Terrie M. Williams called The Odyssey of KP2.


KP2 was born May 1, 2008 on North Larsen's Beach, Kauai. His mother, KP22, did not bond with her new pup. She did nothing to protect her new pup from an aggressive male who attacked KP2; and she even turned on her own pup, attacking him...

Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered with about 1,060 left in the wild. They are facing extinction if humans, who have created the problem, don't step in to do something to help. After much political red tape, wildlife biologist Dr. Terrie M. Williams is given the permit and approval to study this nearly blind orphaned monk seal.

This book is the incredible journey Dr. Williams and her team, including animal trainers - Beau Richter and Traci Kendall, take to study and learn from KP2. This is also the story of a charismatic monk seal who loves humans. Can KP2 help save his own species?

This is a great book to read. This is not a dry research kind of read; it is a story told with care and love for the Hawaiian monk seal and the need to help with their survival. With the purchase of The Odyssey of KP2, you are helping, because part of the proceeds from this book go directly to help the research of the Hawaiian monk seals.

Learn more about KP2
To see video of KP2

Adopt a Homeless Pet

     In the United States, approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter the shelter system each year. Of these animals, 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. Only about 649,000 of those animals are strays returned to their owners. This number could be higher if more people would microchip their pets.

     Only about 2.7 million animals (1.4 million dogs and 1.3 million cats) are adopted/saved each year. I say saved because they are saved from being euthanized - a.k.a. put to sleep, in other words killed.

     The sad fact is 31% of the 3.9 million dogs who enter the shelter system are euthanized - killed each year. That fate is higher for the 3.4 million cats - of those 41% are euthanized each year.

     One rescue site said one pet every 6 seconds is euthanized. That is 9,000 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens euthanized each day. This is so disturbing to me as an animal lover.

     I wanted to do something to help promote adopting homeless pets. My newest adoptee from a rescue is pictured above. Her name is Pippin. She helped give me the idea which I was able to photograph. Please adopt a homeless pet today. They will thank you with unconditional love the rest of their lives.

July Farming Days

Torrential rains keep hitting the Midwest. The tomato plants should be producing wonderful tasting tomatoes, but they can't ripen because of the amount of rain and lack of sun. The leaves are dying from the bottom up. These plants actually look like plants at the end of the growing season rather than in the middle.

There is a volunteer pie pumpkin plant that is doing quite well. I have allowed it to grow beside, up, and over the top of the chickens' fenced area. The seed was from last year and must have been flipped just outside the protective fence by the chickens. The big leaves are creating a natural shade. Baby pumpkins are starting to grow.

Is there a difference between pie pumpkins vs. Jack O' Lantern pumpkins? The answer is yes. Pie pumpkins are small vs. what most people know of - the carving pumpkins. Pie pumkins have more "meat" and are not as watery as carving pumpkins. There are various websites which can provide more information if you desire to learn more.

Once again, I have a broody Golden Lace Wyandotte chicken. Since I have three Golden Lace, I cannot tell them apart. This means I do not know if it is the same chicken being broody.

When I encountered this broody behavior back in May, I wasn't sure of the situation and what I was seeing. I am a newbie chicken owner, as of a year ago this past May. Anyway, this chicken growled at me.

Two of my Golden Lace Wyandotte chicks 2014
Photo by Tracey R. Simmons

The chicken books and magazines talk about 'breaking up' a broody chicken. It means separating her from the others. This keeps her from laying on the other hens eggs. If she is allowed to sit on the other hens eggs, she may not get off the nest to eat or drink and this can lead to her death. During this broody time, this hen will not lay eggs.  Once separated, it will take a few weeks before her body will start producing eggs again.

Off to "broody jail" this chicken goes, but she can still see her sisters on the other side of the fencing. Hopefully, she will start laying soon.

Hoovey

BELIEVING MAKES IT POSSIBLE, FAITH MAKES IT REAL.

When promising high school basketball player Eric “Hoovey” Elliott collapses on the court, doctors discover a life-threatening brain tumor. Hoovey will survive the high-risk surgery, but at what cost? Can he relearn to walk, read, even to see clearly? The road is long, and meanwhile overwhelming medical bills threaten to undo everything his parents, Jeff and Ruth, have taken a lifetime to build. With seemingly no one to turn to—but with tenacity and love born of faith—an entire family regains its footing. Hoovey learns to read again, to dribble and shoot a basketball and, finally, stepping out in faith, he’s back on court for another shot at his dream . . .

• RATING: PG
• DIRECTED BY: Sean McNamara
• WRITTEN BY: Howie Klausner
• STARRING: Patrick Warburton, Lauren Holly, Cody Linley, Alyson Stoner

My Review

This is based on a true story. Eric loves sports, but loves playing basketball more than any other sport. When a brain tumor threatens his life and his dreams, how will he handle the difficulties? This story is about how a family can love one another and be there for each other no matter what. It is about when one person is feeling low,  how another person can say or do something that makes a positive difference.

This movies is out on DVD. It has the Dove "Family-Approved" Seal for all ages.

I recommend HOOVEY to anyone wanting to watch an inspiration story of overcoming life's obstacles. Since my blog will have a lot of animal information/stories, I am going to use Paws Up instead of stars or thumbs up for my rating scale. Five Paws Up will be the best rating. I give this movie 5 Paws Up.

Hoovey - Official Trailer

Life Isn't Always Fair!

Life doesn’t seem fair a lot of times. We have no control over the storms that can devastate our lives. We only have control over how we handle them. And right now I am not handling a sudden storm that snatched the life from my four-year-old three-quarters Chihuahua one-quarter Min-pin – Koda.

Koda means friend in the Dakota Sioux language. He was my little buddy, my little munchkin, and my baby. I never would have thought that I would fall in love with a “dinky dog” as I had always called little dogs, or what some people call ankle biters. I was always a bigger dog person.

Koda came into my life when another dog was not doing well. I felt like God had brought Koda into my life to help with the eventual loss of GhostDog. I was smitten with this little puppy from the day I saw him; and he was put into my arms, lying there as if he’d been waiting all his young life for me.

When Koda was three and a half years old, I lost my black lab, Worf, on Christmas morning 2013, after dealing with his hospice care for a month. I knew Worf’s life had been long – fourteen and a half years and two days old, and was prepared for him to cross the Rainbow Bridge.

A few days after Worf died, I adopted a deaf dog, naming her Hope. She was just a few weeks away from being a year old. She came with a lot of fear and separation anxiety; but then steps in Koda, who became Hope’s ears and who helped with her anxiety when I had to go to work or run errands.

We just recently got through dealing with Hope being very sick for over three months, and there were moments we were not sure she was going to survive. Her weight is nearly back to normal. She was back to playing with Koda, stealing his toys and just pestering him.

Saturday, Koda was hiding behind the toilet after yet another storm, or so I thought. In reality, he was not feeling well. He’d been fine the day before, the week before, etc. Saturday night, Koda peed blood. That can happen with a bladder infection, but just a few hours later, in the early hours of Sunday, Koda died. How can this be?

I feel like someone has grabbed a hold of me by the back of my neck and slammed me into a brick wall. My heart has been ripped to bits, and Koda has taken a chunk with him.

I don’t know why God has taken Koda at such a young age and without warning. I don’t know what lesson or lessons I am suppose to learn at this point. All I know and can say is that it isn’t fair; and I’m not just hurt, but I am angry. Most of all, I feel lost once again.

Walking on a Cloud

Thanks for stopping by. It is a nice warm spring day, with the sun shining brightly.

I am happy to announce my author friend, Candice Sue Patterson will have her debut novel, How to Charm a Beekeeper's Heart, in print and e-book published soon. I know she is walking on clouds with this exciting news. She has two novellas, Bright Copper Kettles and Silver White Winters already available as e-books. Candice is a Christian Romance writer.You can visit her website: www.candicesuepatterson.com.