Thank you all or y'all so much for welcoming me and I am pleased that you spent
the time to write in response to my communique/Griceian foibles. I seem to be
consistent even here, being the black sheep! But that is the way it has always
been and so my norm.
I would like to know more about each of you and your lives. Let me share a bit
about me.
Firstly, I am a bit of a hermit. I am an artist, both of painting and music
composition. For awhile I tried to teach art, but found it interfered with
doing art. I am fortunate to be able to say phooey to those that interfere, or
interrupt. I was signed to a large music publishing company in NYC to give them
my melodies and lyrics for money. With good fortune, I now have my own
recording studio to capture my melodies, and an art studio where I work daily
on my paintings. Joy.
I am here, visiting on lit-ideas, due to my self-imposed isolation.
Unfortunately being a hermit has its drawbacks...other humans with
intelligence. It has been lovely to follow your writings for several years now,
silently. You often speak a language I am unable to follow, but sometimes it
connects and inspires. Again, thank you all.
My life here (North Carolina) is filled with animals. In fact almost all of our
friends are animals, unusual animals. In this poem that I wrote last night for
my Little Miss Minnie, a rather normal Standard Poodle, you will note that
there are camels, zebras, and sundry others that fill our lives. The most
significant was a lion and a Bengal tiger named Raja. More of that later,
perhaps.
I am pleased to say that I am recently owned by a very sweet brown spotted Part
Poodle named Miss Minnie. Our dear friends gave her to us as a way of healing
my grief. We had lost our final Irish Setter, of a line of three generations.
The house was silent. Dead silent. I was in tears and weepy for days. He, my
Mark, wanted to travel, so we thought we could live for awhile without a four
footer. Hah! Not even two weeks.
A dear friend that owns a big camel and zebra farm up the road called and heard
my sadness.
"Would you want Miss Minnie to come visit/live with you? We don't have the time
to give her the attention she deserves" he said. "Yes!" I answered without even
asking Mark. Us with a poodle? A big poodle? After years of Irish madness, four
big Irish Setter house dogs, a poodle seemed a strange choice, but we were open
to any baby canine.
When she was born they had already made reservations and plans to go to Costa
Rica for Christmas, last year, and we agreed to puppy sit with her. Our old
girl Tink, my beautiful loving Irish Setter was now almost totally blind, deaf
and was showing signs of her 12 years. Those hips were failing and life after
her brother passed made even cheery Tink melancholy.
It would be difficult keeping the little curious pup away from our beloved
geriatric girl, but we could do it.
When they returned to pick her up we were relieved. Keeping wiggly 6 week old
Miss Minnie away from Tink had been a full time job. Months passed, as did Tink.
Miss Minnie has more than filled our Setter void. She is a loving, odd and a
great companion. Travel be damned. We have decided to school her to be a
service dog so she can fly and travel anywhere with us. So far so good, as she
just passed and received her first title as a CGC or canine good companion.
Mark, my husband, tough bird that he is, adores her. And she is on her way to
joining us in our travels!
Here is "Miss Minnie's Dream" ...the beginnings of the tales of Minnie.
Little Miss Minnie
Little Miss Minnie
Saw her camel today.
He'd grown six feet since she saw him in May.
Then the big zebra walked by her
And she looked for his colt,
And didn't realize it was him,
in his very large coat.
He stopped and he snorted as she sniffed at the air,
For she had grown too,
And had fluffier hair.
I let them get closer as she wanted to do,
And though zebras are skittish, he was curious too.
Nose to nose they stood silent,
Old friends touching again.
And their tails wagged to each other
As they remembered their friend.
Now who has a zebra
Or a camel as pal?
Miss Minnie our Parti Poodle,
Old Claude, he would howl.
Claude was the Pyrenees that protected the kids,
And anything else he decided was his.
Miss Minnie was big now,
And Claude was alert.
Was she here to visit
Or did she come here to hurt.
The gentle old giant was defender of all,
Protecting the lambs, kids and stallions
From dangers big or small.
But Minnie knew big Claude
and she snuggled beside him,
And off they both trotted,
as he let her go guide him.
Peacocks screamed hi,
And ducks ran in a flurry.
Miss Minnie was back
And she watched pea hens scurry.
Where is my Mama?
Little Minnie asked Claude,
and where is Nedra,
Old Albert and your wife
Mrs. Maude?
She ran into the barn to sniff at the goats
And played with a cricket
And scrambled the oats.
She rambled for hours greeting friends, all
And then finally I found her
Asleep by the stall,
so happy
but tired
my dear little dog.
November 19, 2015 © SLHR
http://www.siennamuseum.com
Cell: 919.268.9241
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of
the world." --John Muir
"Decorate yourself from the inside out." --Andrei Turnhollow
Sent from my iPad
