King Bodhi Turns 14

Mr. Bodhi is 14 today. I normally would not make him his own blog post. Not that he is not an important part of our family. Of course he is. But normally it would not have crossed my mind to take the time for his own post. But since this blog is something that is printed into books for the girls to have look back on their childhood, I knew I had to talk about Mr. Bodhi today. One day they will look back and read this and hopefully it will concur up sweet memories of their beloved Bodhi.

Bodhi and his brother Kai (who is no longer with us, sadly) were adopted at 8 weeks old. With a broken ankle, I drove almost two hours one way to rescue two tiny Siamese, whose mother was hit by a car. It was love at first sight. Don and I had memorable times with those two rascals. When Amara was born one month before their first birthdays, Bodhi climbed into her pack n play, sniffed her and that was his love at first site. Fast forward some years, the two are extremely bonded and Bodhi has an equally soft spot for Havana (despite her being a little more rough with him when she carries him like a baby!)

Sadly, in the past six months, Bodhi has been struggling with kidney failure. During a recent three day hospital stay, the vet said that he was very close to crossing that rainbow bridge. Thankfully, with great vet care and a dedicated family that adores him to no end, he has been relatively stable. Subcutaneous fluids daily, special diet and lots of TLC have led a rebound in health. This give us hope to believe he will be okay for at least a bit longer. 

It has not been easy taking care of a sick cat. We have to give fluids daily. He does not like that. I don't like that he has taken to peeing on things. Bodhi also has arthritis so that combined with kidney disease makes getting to the litter box a challenge. This has left us to find him throughout the day and literally carry him to the potty. At night, I have to get up 3x minimum to take him to go pee. I feel like I have a kid in diapers again. But I/we love Bodhi and are doing are best to make him feel comfortable. 

Since becoming ill, Bodhi has become more affectionate. He sleeps not with us but on us. He makes his way right up to our face, closes his eyes and goes into his peaceful trance. , With how we are waiting on him hand and foot, Mr. Bodhi has become King Bodhi. But that is okay, because we love him and are thankful for his presence in our lives. We are hopefully that with good care we may even celebrate 15. 

(The photos in this blog are all from the past few months.)

Day Trippin'

It's summer. We are in a pandemic. We can't visit with friends with rare safe distance exceptions. We can't travel. We can't swim. Not just us but the majority of people. But it's summer and we have been home a long time. That was until this past weekend. I had seen some social media posts of friends camping and I thought, maybe a day trip to get us out of the house, to make us feel like we were in summer time, would be a good idea? I ran it by Don and he was up for it. So on Sunday morning, while the two small gems were still sleeping, I packed up some food in a cooler, tossed swim gear and picnic stuff in a few bags and made sure we had plenty of water for the car. Once the girls woke, they scarfed down some oatmeal, got dressed and into the car we went for a drive north to Lake Sonoma Recreational Area.

The hour and a half drive took more like two hours plus. Of course, we had to hit the Dunkin Donuts drive through in American Canyon. Then there was the bathroom stop for mom  after she drank her decalf ice coffee from DD's. That took time; going into a public bathroom during a pandemic is no easy task (masks, rubber gloves, paper towels to open doors despite gloves) and then a stop at Dry Creek Market which has been around since 1881. We picked up a few more snacks and a card pack of cheesy jokes (which had cheesy jokes like, What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear!), that we read while at the lake. I had not laughed so hard in a long time! The water was warm, the sun hot, the crowds minimal. It was a lovely day trip. We were all happy, content, with hearts and souls nourished by the time we left. And bellies were nourished too when stopped again at the Dry Creek market so the girls could get a couple of home made chocolate chip cookies! All in all, it felt like a very good summer day.

One of the ways down to the lake.

Two ducks following papa duck!

Social Distance Celebrations ~Havana's 11th Birthday (During a pandemic!)

Havana, like her sister, has a June birthday. This year, with the entire planet Earth coping with a pandemic, meant Havana's turning 11 on June 30th had to be a low key celebration.  Being a more quiet, crowed avoidant young lady meant that Covid 19 pandemic social restrictions would not impeded upon her birthday parade! It was just the opposite. As in years past, Havana was more than content to limit her celebration to just a few girls. And what safer way to keep a few girls apart yet together than bicycle riding? Since Havana had recently learned to ride her bike, she invited a few gals to meet down by Hercules by the Bay. All the girls were over the moon to see each other after months of google hangouts, face time and the like. They did a great job with keeping their masks on and their distance. They rode up and down the trail, right next to North Bay, eventually breaking  briefly for pizza and cupcakes. It was a warm, sunny day with such the right amount of breeze. We may have been celebrating Havana but it was good medicine for the kids and adults alike to get out, after months of social isolation. 

A few days later, on Havana's actual birthday, our family celebrated once more. Havana had horse camp during the day but opened up presents of new dolls, clothing and a new basketball. I was extra moved this year at how fortunate we are in our lives. So many are struggling right now and here we were, able to gift Havana with much. Deep gratitude was present and I shared these feelings with her and the family. Of course, we had cake too! Havana picked out both her cupcakes for the party and cake. She did not care that the bakery got her name wrong. Black forest and a big glass of cold milk goes down really well no matter how they spell your name! 

So while we had to celebrate in the mist of a pandemic, it felt sweet, full and peaceful. I am so thankful for Havana's presence in our family. She is a delightful beam of sunshine.

                                                             

Scenes from Thirteen (Amara's 13th Birthday Celebration)

How do you celebrate a milestone birthday, like becoming a teen, during a shelter in place pandemic? You throw a surprise drive by party! On the morning that Amara woke up on her 13th birthday (June 6th), we opened presents, had breakfast and chilled a bit. Then she got ready for what she thought was going to be a visit to Aniyah's house for a birthday walk.

When she came to the drive way and saw a 4 foot Peppa Pig  (both she and Aniyah love) Peppa!) balloon tied to the bush, along with her decorations, she looked really confused. When I instructed her to look down the street at the caravan of cars coming she was really surprised. You see, the night before, she thought no one would remember her on her birthday. She thought aunts and uncles along with friends would forget her. How can anyone who knows Amara forget her?

It turned out to be quite moving for Don and I. Family, friends, even her Middle School teacher, turned up to celebrate this remarkable young lady. It was really special and very sweet. When everyone drove by, folks parked and safe distanced while our friend Alexandra handed out cups of lemonade and cookies. Then we all sang Happy Birthday.

I think Amara knew for sure how loved she was!

Amara got a camera for her birthday!!!

                                                                 

Scenes from Quarantine-Part 5

As we start to become accustomed to the abnormality of shelter in place, we have tried to find a balance in our lives. Groceries have had to be bought, Bodhi's kidney started to fail which resulted in a three day vet hospitalization,  Amara had her 13th birthday with a surprise drive by and school ending in mid June. While we mostly stay home we've been safe distance visited with select friends and family. That has been essential for healthy heart/body/mind health.

It is the mist of this all, yet another unarmed black man was murdered by the police. George Floyd's public murder, caught on video, sparked an uprising the likes we have not seen in generations. It came on the heels of a series of similar deaths in recent months. Seeing this death cracked something in the people of this county and thousands have come out in masses to protest, causing upheaval in cities coast to coast. The protests went on for weeks and still continue in many places. As intense as they were, they were also a breath of fresh air. It felt like the valve of the pressure cooker that is systemic racism was released somewhat. Havana opted out due to her overwhelm with crowds, but Amara and I went to two peaceful protests. 

So much chaos in all of our lives has led to many discussions about racism and the history of this country as well as human kind. We have talked about sadness, depression, how to keep sane with all the changes. These times are not normal. We may be moving into a new normal. Like any change, it has not always been easy. Yet we must adapt and change. That is part of human life. 

Here are a glimpse of some of the past 4 weeks of the covid 19 pandemic quarantine. 

We tented in the yard for about a week. Then recently Don and Havana slept in the fort a few nights!

The girls and their cousin Aleksy.

Oakland Protest for George Floyd and the countless others who were murdered by police.

At a youth led protest in our hometown of Pinole.

Amara turned 13!

Auntie Danya and Liam came to visit and mom got a much needed trim.

The following weekend we visited Liam and his new puppy Cody. 

Amara has had a few jobs during covid. Here she is putting in order all my CE certifications. She is quite the negotiator  when it comes to her pay!

After folks drove by for Amara's birthday, they stopped for lemonade and cookies. all safe distanced!

Bodhi was happy to be home from the vet hospital.