Too Long To Blog . . .

. . . and I am indeed forgetful!

But now I am back.

My student reminded me :-)

She told me that I help update their blogs

"but T.Lui is not updating her blog!"

Ok, my fault.

Lately I choose my battles :-)

I try to finish all pending work

and my blog is not on the list :-(

I am OK.

. . . well, if you ask my dogs

who sniff my toes to gauge my wellness

I do not smell OK to them.

They sort of give me That Look:

You know The Look.

The look that tells you 

that animals know more than you.

I mean these creatures can sense calamities

like storms and earthquakes

and they can sense your condition

just by sniffing. . .

Hey, Kizu, I am OK.

Don't give me that Look!

And now Hughes is giving me The Look.

When two dogs are giving you the same look

you better heed it or go crazy.

But don't worry, my friends, I am really OK.

By that I meant I go to work three times a week.

I take my medications (levothyroxine and calcium carbonate)

regularly and as directed.

I feel normal and pain-free.

And on days when I feel different

( like sluggish or having shortness of breath)

I take a nap.

I take lots of water.

Lately I am taking tap water with rock salts.

I was told that bottled water strip us of minerals

that help fight diseases.

Also, I take measured steps and plan my itinerary.

I splurged on cabs/taxi services.

I now lug a bag that carry my fan, water, towels

even on short trips to the grocery or church.

I wear shorts because we have very hot weather.

When I feel tired I tell kind strangers to alert them

where to bring me in case I passed out.

I know I sound dangerous but really

these are the extreme cases.

On most days, I go out

walk a lot, work like crazy

(the good thing is I love and enjoy my work)

and I am lucky to be able to have the kind of lifestyle

that I do not have to slave 5 days a week

working my butt off. . . .

My hounds are OK.

Hughes is slowly shedding his paranoia :-)

He has grown handsome and playful

and loves going around our place Heaven

feeling like a Master when the Superdog is sleeping.

Hughes is very protective of us.

I always smile when I find him looking out the gate

and barking at the stray dogs in the streets

and knowing the sad fate if we did not adopt him . . .

Kizu, Hughes puppy, is a small blast of action.

When we adopted this small fragile puppy a month ago

he was as small as my slippers.

But don't get fooled by that cute small thing

because once freed Kizu runs crazily all over Heaven

and destroyed everything on his path!

I lost that yellow slippers

and Luchie lost half of her potted plants.

We always call his attention to these but then

how can anybody get angry with that cute thing?

I mean really :-)

Kizu and Hughes finally had their first shots this week.

It took us a month to deworm them 

before starting these series of shots

for parvo, distemper, leptospirosis, anti-rabies etc.

We can not afford this but we did.

Sweepy, on the other hand,

seem to be battling his allergies.

We found out that he coughs when there are wild grasses.

Luchie regularly check the garden to remove them.

Sometimes, Sweepy coughs when Kizu and Hughes

would run and smoother him with kisses!

Good thing Sweepy has good appetite

and I always find the time to give him water breaks,

massages, hugs, and simply spending time with him.

His eyesight is fading and he loves to give me That Look too.

Right now we have some friends who are also old

and sick and dying and sad

and we pray for them together.

Time is indeed worth it 

when one bonds with all of God's creation

and sync your energies. . .

On social networks, I discovered 

how some people are concern about the inconsequential things

that really do not add up in the end.

I write my stories spontaneously and I don't care for errors

in words, syntax, grammar . . .

but I am more concerned if I hurt anybody with my stories

and for that I apologize.

I break the fear about exposing our private lives

by sharing mine as honestly and as simply as I could.

I originally meant this blog for my own reading

not knowing I have touched other people's lives

and whose stories have touched mine as well.

I am indulging myself and you by writing a longer

less harried but more meaningful sharing

of lives (mine and yours)

on a space we call our own.

My cat friends, Petra and Petrocelli say it best:

It does not matter that we do not own each other

or that we do not really know each other

and felt each other's hugs and happy tears

but in some freaky encounters

we know each other's stories

and we understood each other's need

as we tried our best to respond to those needs

and go our merry ways

knowing we will always be there

for each other.

I will never own Petrocelli.

He is free to stray anywhere.

Yet, at the end of each day,

he is a constant in my world

as I am a constant in his need.

Thank you for adding me to yours . . .

Happy Birthday Denise, Gattina, Bea and Boi.

And for EJ, do hang on.

We will always be here for you . . .