How Are We Doing? Wellness Health Check In. Please be Mindful in Your post.

Aw, Yogagirl, I'm sorry. But they do know we love them even if we can't be with them. I am completely convinced of that.

Tricia, wise decision, lol. I've never understood why calling someone a dog is supposed to be an insult. They are better than people in so many ways! They should rule the world.

@yogagirl

So sorry about your lovely kitty. I'm in agreement with Polarberry - they are still with us ❤️ 

Ibbles looks like he's saying, "Yes, do photograph me. I shall pose."

@polarberry

So sorry to hear about your loss. Our pets become our children. Sending love. ?  Our sweet girl Lacey. 

@lawrence

O  M  G! She is like a movie star herself! You pinged the picture of my favorite type of dog (I've been begging my husband who is allergic to dogs/cats for one and he refuses!! ? )  Everytime I see a pom I ask him for one.  Someday we'll get one but unfortunately those are not hypoallergenic. She's a beauty - thank you for sharing ? 

@triciact

We love her so much. She's so loving and sweet. ?

@yogagirl I am so sorry about your kitty. They are such wonderful, funny yet mysterious companions. I’m slavishly devoted to cats and I was so happy to read about your visitor . When my first cat Kealani crossed the rainbow bridge, I was crushed. But I kept seeing flashes of brown (she was a calico) all over the apartment. However, as I was looking so hard, I didn’t see her fully. A year later, when my mind was focused on something else, I dashed into the bedroom and there she was, all of her with her tri-colored coat and bright green eyes!

We suspect she found us our next cat, Pikake, which means Jasmine flower in Hawaiian. I borrowed her name for the forum :-)

@pikake

SO BEAUTIFUL!!

@triciact Thank you. Alas, she knows it too, the little diva!

i had also meant to say I love your story about Ibbles. I work quite closely with animal communicators and they tell me our pets hear, understand and know everything - especially the more evolved ones. Yes, they too have to work on their consciousness, which bounces off ours. The more we treat them as equals, the more rapid their evolution on their own spiritual path. Sounds to me Ibbles understood everything very clearly.

@lawrence, that yellow slicker cracks me up!  What a cutie pie.

@pikake, your kitty is gorgeous.  And she clearly knows it!

@triciact, "I dropped my ex and kept the dog" ... ? ? ?  It makes me think of that scene from "Legally Blonde," when Elle Woods' manicurist friend shows up at the trailer where her ex is living.  He thinks she's there to beg him to come back, and she says, "I'm taking the dog, dumbass!"

I've been there, Tricia; unfortunately my ex and I didn't have a dog, so it took me a lot longer to wise up.  Well, at least your ex gave you a wonderful farewell gift!  Who knows how much longer you would have stayed if Ibbles hadn't been there?  The name Ibbles suits him; he looks like a real character.

@polarberry

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your pet.  These animals make our lives so much richer and share such unconditional love with us.  We lost a beloved Lab last fall and I think of him often and feel his presence.  During the last years of his life, we did everything we could to make him comfortable and to make his life a joy, because that's what he was to us, an absolute joy.  I'm sure you are blessed by your relationship with this pet and hope you feel his/or her presence in the weeks and months ahead.  I like to think that they are our companions still, just on the other side of the veil.  Sometimes, we can almost make them out....  Again, so sorry for your loss.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. I've been busy-trying to settle an estate is difficult under most circumstances, but in these times, well what can one say? 10 days after losing mom, I lost my 14.5 year old border collie mix. Since then, my great dane -lab mix has been glued to my side more than normal. Instead of a pic of Maggie (border collie) I've attached a picture from this morning. I have a phone full of rainbow pics taken on sunny days. They're one of Monica's ways of saying hi. I see these full circle ones around the sun often, and I just smile knowing no one else around me is aware. This mornings was different as you see- it's double. First two pics I took also had the bright spot. Monica. Mom, & Mags. I  often say here, pay attention & your loved ones will let you know they are near. 

Happy Mother's Day, I slept in a little today because yesterday was a busy day for us here. I played outside with my son for a few hours during the morning, then moved into our new place before heading back to the apartment until Monday. I woke up sore and I did something to my knee yesterday. My plans for today is relaxing a little bit and getting this apartment in to shape by Wednesday. Thank you all for the prayers? I took to reading the predictions this morning and I heard a soft voice in the back of my head tell me " Predictions can seem scarier than what they really are, just wait everything will be wonderful in the end."

Happy Belated  Mother's Day to all of our Moms.

We had the blessing of being able to share my daughter's 21st birthday as well as Mother's Day in our house  yesterday, a  2 for 1 celebration. 

We started off the morning with a "Zoom Tea celebration " call with my Mom and Dad. We had homemade tea sandwiches and scones with cream.  We had many different food celebrations throughout the day too ( she is a total foodie) including quiche, lobster rolls and I prepared roast lamb for dinner.  We ended with "Zoom Birthday Cake  and Happy Birthday singing "with extended family.  We also had a bit of a scavenger hunt as relatives ordered different take out drinks (bottles) from restaurants and BevMo  for pick-up for her receive as birthday gifts which will be saved until... she is at least 30 right? 

Our family doesn't drink much but I think the relatives wanted to make sure she felt that her  21st pandemic birthday was one to remember. 

She had a fresh Blood Orange mimosa with lunch and a fresh raspberry lime martini that her sister made  to go with her cake for dessert.  

Alway, that was how we celebrated yesterday.  

Celebrations are important during pandemics. 

We had a quiet day, it was also my husband's birthday. So I made his favorite dinner and favorite cake (carrot with buttercream - yes, I know, don't get me started on how it should be cream cheese!). Our daughter and her BF were home so we dined outside by our chiminea (it was foggy and chilly).

Pandemic note: best not to have anyone blow out candles on a cake, so I served the cake "restaurant style" - meaning each person got a piece and birthday boy's had a candle in it.  You could do the same with the "number candles" if you have them and don't want to set a piece of cake aflame with too many candles. I was never a fan of blowing out candles anyway (yay germophobes!), and I'd be very happy to never see that or handshaking ever again.

@lovendures happy birthday to your daughter.   My son had his 22nd birthday on Friday.   I know he wished he was back in his dorm with his friends.  I feel for the kids but so grateful for all we’ve been given.  Especially the gift of time. 

@laura-f happy birthday to your husband ???

Greetings from the elusive Bluebelle.  Thought I should check in and report on my pandemic quarantine activities.  Isn't it amazing how we adjust to a totally new situation, unlike anything in our lifetime?  Yet, adjusted we have.

I've been working in the garden, walking the island and exercising everyday.  I practice yoga to dvd's and with a Zoom class.   Normal activities, right?  Then, I've fallen into some other new activities that are great-like Zumba dance on Zoom and live figure drawing with a sketch group organized out of Barcelona-also on Zoom.  So, once a week we have a different model and anywhere from 50-100 artists from around the world join this sketch group for two hours of intense, fast drawing of 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 minutes poses.  It's enough to make your head explode.  So far there are four of us from this little island participating in the global group and we compare sketches and techniques via text during and after our sessions.  I love to be with other artists and this is the next best way during a pandemic.  Plus, it keeps my skills sharp (okay, sharpish...)

With a lot of help from Youtube videos, I've learned how to trim and groom Bernedoodles.  So with my husband's help, we lift these doodles onto the grooming table and cut their hair.  My garage looks like we've been sheep shearing for fun.  I've even used the clippers to trim my husband's hairline and around his ears.  I'm happy to report that he has been a very good boy and I haven't had to yell at him once to hold still and stop panting.

Yesterday, I had happy hour on Zoom with friends from the East Coast and it was so much fun.  There's the time difference to work around, but by golly, I'm willing to have a wee dram at 2 p.m. while it's official happy hour time in the east.  We just laughed and talked and laughed and talked.  They are also followers of this site, by the way, so there was no end of intriguing conversation.

For Mother's Day, we had separate visits from our sons and we sat outside together on the patio.  It lifted my spirits tremendously and we have been so happy to have that time together.  We've figured out how to social distance outside, to sit upwind from the family and our collective family Covid neurosis aside, it was a wonderful visit.

Then I read this site.  There have been so many, many amazing posts and my heart just lifts every time I catch up on the forum.  I am so fortunate to have found Jeanne Mayell after the election in 2016.  Now I know that I was surely led here and this has changed my life.  I think @deetoo was just writing about how she felt after the election.  Many of us have, actually, and here we are.  We have found our choir of like-minded, open-minded thinkers and doers, heart warriors all.  

In the midst of the overwhelming suffering in our world right now, we feel it.  Each of us feels intensely what is happening, the fear, the death, the grief.  Yet, there is a great peace in knowing that this is a transformative time.  We are bearing witness to the transformation into a new age.  We are absolutely going to get through this, guided by higher powers, strengthened by higher powers.  Not only are we going to get through this, we are going to lead the way forward in loving kindness.  

Namaste.

@bluebelle  Thank you, dear sweet friend, for your beautiful words.  

Meditation Circle of Light is on tonight!  5:30 pm pacific time. Go here and scroll down if you need a link.   https://www.jeannemayell.com/event/circle-of-light-healing-meditation/

@bluebelle,

What a fantastic post!  It was inspired reading, thank your for writing it. . It also created a beautiful tranquil image, one I was  briefly able to visit in my mind.  Now that summer weather has hit Arizona, my days spending large amounts of time outside are limited.  Today was lovely however, so we ate dinner and lunch on our patio.   Your walks sound wonderful.