Rain

I love the rain. I love the sound of it. I love the smell of it. I love the way the robins come out to play in it looking for peekaboo worms in the soil. I love the way it nourishes the crocuses and tulips to grow tall after winter's shadow. I love the way it feeds the grass and transforms the yellow to brilliant green. I love the rain drops catching the twigs to remind them that it is spring and they need to turn over a new leaf. I never mind the gray clouds that pour the cleansing rain for they bring a promise of a better day.
So if you see me skipping through the puddles today in my bright red rain boots, remember, it is okay to sing and dance in the rain. It is a good thing.

Spring In A Northern Town

First sign of spring in a northern town ... not the return of robins , but houseflies.
Let me out.
Dirty mountains of snowbanks block your view.
Sad Santas need to go back to bed for another year.
.... and so do the lights of Christmas.
Unless you like sandals in the snow , these will sit sans feet for a while yet.
Shovels need a vacation and so do I .
The ghosts of winter long to feel the sun again .. to be free and green.
Real pavement ..hurray !
This is and will be again my lilac bush.

Karma's ball sits idle waiting for her joyful play.
Running water is a welcome sound .
The cranky ravens say spring is nevermore ...but the hardy robins in the snow say otherwise.


I do not want to speak too soon but there is a few signs that spring may finally be here after a very long, cold and snowy winter. Although our temperature promises to climb to 18C today there is a forecast of light snow for the weekend. Keep it light.

Love Your Earth Day

Wherever you are in this old world, today is the day to cherish the ground you walk on. Cultivate your knowledge on protecting our environment on a daily basis. Love your earth and the earth will love you back .

My Birthday Boy

The Wizard of Paws at 8 weeks old.
Wiz models the latest in Spring polo shirts for the fashion conscious Yorkie.
'
Wizzy loves the snow and loves to love .....my little Casanova.

My little Wizard is one year old today. It is hard to believe that I have had him almost an entire year. Having had larger dogs for over twenty years, it has been quite the experience having such a tiny dog in the household. For the most part, I have trained the Wiz like any other dog despite his elfin size. He learned the canine obedience rules in record time. The key word "repertoire" signifies a series of commands the end result meaning treat time. Karma has secretly loved her little brother's training sessions as it invariably means she gets a treat as well. When Wiz gets too rambunctious , as most young puppies do, the word "timeout " means he has to lay his head down and be still for just a little bit. He has at one time or another taken a liking to shoes, baseboards, and most anything within his teething reach. By far the most challenging aspect of this four pound wonder was his toilet training. Believe me when I say I have needed the patience of Job to get through his housetraining. Both my shepherds were trained at 10 weeks old and I could not understand why this idea was just not kicking in for him when he picked up so quickly on many of the other dog basics. The more I read , the more I learned. Their plumbing system would take a while to develop fully. Yorkies are a stubborn breed and somewhere around the 8th month I would notice a big difference.... and I did. My little Wizard loved to do his business in the great outdoors at long last. I still keep his little wee pad by the door for emergencies only but for the most part, the lure of 'outside ' has drawn him to the art of outdoor leg lifting. Karma and Wizzy are great buddies and keep one another company. Wiz loves to snuggle into her warm fur and Karma lets him do pretty much anything to her.
Down the road there is the possibility of a major operation for Wizzy as he was diagnosed with "luxating patella" at 8 weeks of age due to bad breeding. This means he has 2 kneecaps that slide back and forth , one worse than the other, and require an operation to deepen the groove and pin the bone in place. When Wizzy looks at me with those liquid brown eyes I know that I will do anything to give him the quality of life that he deserves when that time comes.
Wiz is such a little character. Despite all the doggie issues we have dealt with , this little ragamuffin has brought joy and laughter into my life and danced his way into the hearts of all he meets. He is the consummate entertainer.
He loves everyone and everything. I believe that is and will forever be his purpose.
Happy Birthday to my sweet boy, the Wizard of Paws .

Wolf Update

Family dog dies after wolf attack

Posted 1 hour ago

The Parcey family's dog took her last breath on Friday.

Missy, a collie-shepherd cross, died at the Timmins Animal Hospital after being attacked by a pack of wolves last week.

"It's tough. It's very tough," Monica Parcey said. "It's a tragic end. At least she died with us and not with the wolves. I will miss her. We always felt safe with her."

Seeing wolves or wolf tracks in and around the Jaguar Road area is nothing new for the family. However, with multiple reported wolf attacks happening to family dogs, the Parcey family worries that the problem will only escalate.

"It's not going to go away unless we do something about it. Her brother was lost to wolves but I didn't witness it. This instance I witnessed it so that's why it's so traumatizing," she said.

Parcey has been diligently researching online about wolf attacks and said that incidents do occur in the early morning between 6:30 and 10 a. m.

"There are kids waiting for school buses at that time," she warned. "You can't keep turning a blind eye. It's not a lone wolf, it's not two or three."

Last Monday, Parcey said she saw at least 10 wolves. The pack dragged their 85-pound dog into a field, ripping her skin and exposing her ribs.

"It's very scarring," she explained.

On Friday night, Parcey went to visit Missy at the animal hospital. She was breathing heavily and was medicated to help reduce the pain. There was severe damage to her neck and there was swelling and bruising throughout her body. Missy also needed stitches from head to toe.

"I had a talk with Missy and told her she needed to make up her mind. I said, 'Missy girl, if you need to let go, it's OK by me.' She died that night," Parcey said. "Maybe it's time for people who have suffered losses to come forward so we can see the true numbers."

Parcey said the Ministry of Natural Resources suggested they call a trapper.

"The trappers were told to get their snares out of the bush because it's the end of the trapping season for wolves," she said. "Can we reinstate a bounty on these things? They are getting too close and confident."

Parcey said every time it snows there are a fresh set of wolf tracks.

"They are large timber wolves and they are very menacing. When I go to my truck, I check over my shoulder because you just don't know," she said.

Similar problems with wolves are also happening in the greater Sudbury area.

The Sudbury Star reported on April 10, Diane Korpela, owner of Pineridge Ranch, recently lost five deer from her petting zoo to a pack of wolves. Korpela said the buildup of snow allowed the wolves to walk over a fence, leaving her animals at their mercy.

Copyright © 2009 Timmins Daily Press

Monday's Smile

Sometimes in life you just need a little something to make you smile.

Happy Easter Peeps

Front Page News Today

Wolves Attack

A local family has nothing to do but sit idly by and hope their family pet pulls through.

The Parcey family's collie-shepherd cross, Missy, has become the most recent victim of a wolf attack on Jaguar Road.

Late Monday night, Monica Parcey looked outside to see a pack of wolves dragging her 11-year-old dog into a field.

Calling out to her husband, Bob, Monica said most of the wolves did nothing but simply stare back at her, while her husband ran outside shouting.

"There were at least 10 of them that I saw," Monica told The Daily Press, adding that Missy was a regular outside dog, weighing about 85 pounds.

"She's always outside, and if there's anything around she usually barks and lets us know."

But Missy didn't bark when the wolves approached her, making Monica think that an east-blowing wind prevented the dog from smelling or hearing them.

"She didn't have a chance," Monica said. "I saw something on the ground and knew it was her."

Bob was quickly out the door and ran to the garage, where he screamed at the remaining wolves before finally the largest of the pack let go of Missy and turned away.

Missy somehow managed to pick herself up and walk to the garage, where Bob was waiting. Missy was rushed to the Timmins Animal Hospital.

"She's been very heavily sedated, because there are so many open wounds" said Monica, who said she hasn't seen the dog since it was brought in.



"She fought back. She's a pretty tough girl."

Bob said the wolves had managed to rip open the side of Missy, exposing her ribs, and there was puncture wounds throughout her body.

He said Dr. Ed Butterworth seems to think Missy will be OK, but is worried about possible internal bleeding.

Because her thick winter coat acted as a barrier, Monica said a lot of the wounds could have been worse.

The Parceys aren't the first family to feel the wrath of local wolves. Three families on the same road reported three dogs had been killed by wolves earlier this year.

At the time, Ministry of Natural Resources enforcement supervisor Jim Abbott said it was only assumed it had been wolves, and residents should always have their animals and livestock under their direct control.

Abbott said he had put the families in touch with a trapper, who would work with them to resolve the problem.

But Bob Parcey said he knows for sure it was wolves that dragged Missy off into the field.

"I seen them with my own eyes," he said.

He added that he has seen the animals in the area before, but never in his backyard.

"She has been in the bush all her life, and Missy never backed down from anything," he said.

The Parcey's second dog, a younger retriever was left alone by the wolves, making Bob believe they went for the older, weaker of the two.

The Parceys say they always keep their house well lit at night with lights on the house, garage and in the backyard, and thought it would keep the wolves away.

But Monica said there was no fear in the wolves on Monday night.

"Those wolves were not running away from me, and that worries me," said Bob. "I want people to know the real danger that's out there for their dogs and most importantly, their kids."

When questioned about the Parcey's situation, MNR representatives said they were unable to provide comment at this time.

April 8, 2009

This is for all of you basking in the sunshine and enjoying the first crocuses and tulips of spring.... Visual proof of the never ending story of winter in the great white north.
ps There is a shovel with your name on it Kittycakes .

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today I was in Montreal General with a horrific head injury. Because of this accident, I do not think I will ever again joke on the first of April. The sad circumstances surrounding the recent death of actress Natasha Richardson brought home to me how very fortunate I was that night. The following months involved a few emergency visits to our local hospital for respiratory probems, headaches, subsequent CAT scans , sleep apnea and allergy tests. The year long congestion that began in November 2007 slowly left me in December of 2008 as mysteriously as it appeared.

As with all life changing cirumstances, we are meant to learn a lesson .... and I did. It was something I had already known but in fact had not practised enough in my daily life. I learned to put the 'joy' back into 'enjoy'. I learned to emulate my dogs and simply "be" in the moment that I am in.

I learned to be more God like .. to forgive, to appreciate , and above all to love more deeply than ever before. Not just my immediate family or friends, but extending a hand to a stranger on the street whenever I had the chance. To say hello more. To have fun more. To laugh more. Hug more. Smile.

To be a better person. A strange thing happened when I did those things. I felt amazingly good.

So was this the secret to life? Do unto others.

If you follow this blog and read between the lines , you might have realized that I had lost a friend of mine to cancer a few weeks back. She was the sister of my best friend .... the one we had visited out west in the fall. By the time the new year began , she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She died on March 19th. I learned a lot from knowing this special woman.

She lived , traveled, enjoyed , cherished , gave to others and loved so generously.... to her sisters , her brothers, her husband , her friends , and to people she did not know at all.

She was a humanitarian and an environmentalist. Her life was full.

The head trauma left me with a 4 inch scar on the back of my head. Paulette's death left me with an undeniable ache in my heart . Both taught me the same lesson.

Live like you were living.