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Pet Hamsters are like Little Buddhas

Chocolate Chip crossing the rainbow bridge Over the past two years we have loved and lost two pet hamsters ~ Chocolate Chip and Elsa. They filled our lives with love and joy while they lived, and when they met the end of their lives our hearts were filled with grief. The average life expectancy for most species of hamsters is 18 months, though we had hoped to keep Elsa living as long as two years. If we continue our habit of adopting hamsters every year and a half, we must learn to approach their impact on our lives as preparation for letting go.

Attachment and Healing from Loss

Zen Buddhism is famous for promoting the concept of non-attachment. In order to be an effective hamster parent, I believe that it is important to form a bond of attachment with our pets, but then readily let it go and heal from our grief when they die. Each time we adopt a pet hamster, it is important for us to form a loving bond with the individual critter that communicates to our pet that he/she is cherished. Such a bond is expressed through showing the animal appropriate measures of respect and affection, including consistent fulfillment of their physical needs: fresh water changed daily; a bowl full of food and chews, and a clean, stimulating cage environment.

When each hamster passed on, it was comforting for us to think about the concept of their little spirits crossing over a “Rainbow Bridge” to a special heavenly home. We buried Chocolate Chip and Lucky (my daughter’s previous pet, a blue beta fish) under the weeping willow tree on our property. We buried Elsa near our community labyrinth, with a little mausoleum of leaves, sticks and flowers built around her resting place.

Closeup of Elsa's mausoleum

We learned from the death of Chocolate Chip that in order for our hearts to heal, it was important for us to let go of our attachment to our former pet, then allow another hamster to fill our hearts. It took us a month to adopt Elsa last year. It has taken us five days to adopt Sammy Bear. She is such a merry little hamster that she wrapped her little paws around our hearts as soon as we laid eyes on her.

Each hamster that we have loved has taught us how to care for him or her, and for hamsters in general. We hope that this learning will keep each hamster we adopt strong and healthy for more months than the previous hamster. We heartily thank our furry friends for being such loving, patient teachers and will always hold them dear in our hearts.

beautiful elsa eating a blackberry — Elsa

Climbing Sammy.jpg — Samantha Bear, our newly adopted merry little hamster

Rumi rolls along

Rumi Pippin, the youngest hamster addition to our family

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Maiden Voyage

Welcome to The Gardener Dragon’s blog. Step aboard to join me on my maiden voyage. Sail with me to find fresh adventures, both in my home gardens and in gardens tended by fellow wayfarers. Discover fresh ideas, recipes to use with your own garden harvests, and reflections on home-schooling. Exchange thoughts and information with me. I am looking forward to having your company on my journey. Welcome aboard!

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The Magic of the Elemental Touch

Out on the Open Sea

Last week my friend Richard brought my daughter and I out into the harbor for an afternoon on his brother’s boat. Despite dire weather predictions, the day planned for our sail was perfect. We were thus inspired to stay out longer than we had originally planned, tacking back and forth, sailing close to the wind. The sun, wind, clouds and water gave us a magical day.

One thing I learned about myself is that I am due for a serious refresher course in the basics of sailing. Since my two main totem elements are earth and water, I’m okay navigating through them easily. When you add the wind, I’m not so sure I can play well with its unpredictability. I’m okay when the wind is behind me, but if I am faced with the prospect of sailing a boat close to the wind across the bow, my sense of balance flees from me. My sense of adventure is checked by my desire to make sure the boat stays in one piece. I am told that’s a good thing.

The Boldness of Youth

My daughter had been looking forward to our sailing trip for a month and was eager to help out with whatever tasks Richard was willing to hand over to her. She helped hoist the sail, tied knots, and took her turn at the helm for a while when the wind was calm. She even climbed up onto the prow when it was time to tie the boat to the dock post at sunset.

While Richard steered, my daughter was happy to splash in the salt water, sing songs from Les Miseràbles, take pictures, and watch out for pirate ships. One racing boat we saw sported a black hull and matching black sails. She called it “The Black Pearl.” Guess which movies we’ve been watching together this summer?

The Stillness of Nature

One of the phenomena that I noticed during our time on the water was the effect of nature on the three of us. Though we engaged each other with lively chatter in the car on the way to the marina and back home, against the backdrop of an broad mix of music, on the boat we settled into long periods of companionable silence. Our senses became attuned to the sights, sounds and touch of nature. We noticed flying cormorants, listened to the lapping of the waves against the hull, and were delighted by the spray of water and play of wind in our hair. The atmosphere was so enchanting that our attention was fully engaged with how the elements moved in harmony with one another, and how the creatures of that world moved from place to place.

A Fond Farewell

Our first boating adventure of the summer was also our last, since it happened so late in the season. My daughter’s school year has begun and it is time for me to return to my writing and gardening.

Perhaps I will find a place to take a sailing class or two before our next adventure together. In the meantime, I am grateful for the magical afternoon spent with both enchanting nature and charming human company.

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Three Spring Haiku

April Showers of Poetry

My Muse has been good to me this month. She has given me lots of inspiration for poems to share. I am still working on finishing my epic poem, mentioned in my April blog post. In the meantime, I wrote a few spring haiku and have taken some pictures to share.

April showers fall.

Colorful new buds appear:

Green, white, yellow, pink.

Bright sun warms the earth.

Time to dig and plant.

Happy gardens dance.

‘

Fields are green again.

Kids run around with laughter.

Night critters sing.

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One Epic in April

National Poetry Writing Month

Happy NaPoWriMo everyone! It’s been at least 5 years since I’ve participated in NaPoWriMo, so I am due to return to the side of my muse and rekindle the bonds of friendship between us. She has taken her love to more attentive mortal humans, but I am sure that I will win back her affections as I take time to spend in nature and still my voice and thoughts. I am all ears for listening to her whispers. I have my notebook ready to write down the inspirations she will bless me with.

Yellow notebook — Notebook ready to be filled with poems

Calliope

One of my favorite legendary muses is Calliope. She is the the oldest among sisters and is the mother of Orpheus and Linus. Calliope is the chief among muses. She played the lyre like her son Orpheus, and enjoyed writing poetry. She is usually portrayed with a quill and scroll in her hands.

Epic Poetry

Some of my favorite examples of epic poetry are Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Odyssey by Homer, and Beowulf. I am also intrigued by the Kyrgyz epics around the hero Manas, who unites Kyrgyzstan against their enemies. I must confess that I have not read an epic poem written by a woman, so I will close that gap by April 30th, beginning with Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Aurora Leigh.

For many years, one of my dreams has been to write an epic poem. I have decided to take this month to write one. On April 30th I will publish a companion post to share with you the results of my efforts. I will write a stanza each day for the next 28 days. I have written two shorter poems so far, but I am now ready take the plunge into the world of storytelling with a long chain of lyrical verses.

Epic Form

There is a classic structure to writing an epic poem. Among the elements to include are:

Opens in the midst of dramatic action taking place in the world.
Setting is vast, including many countries or planets.
Invokes the aid of a muse, one of the 9 daughters of Zeus.
States the theme, or cause of the story’s action.
Uses descriptive epithets for characters, e.g. Alexander the Great, Achilles the Brave, Hercules the Strong, etc.
Employs long lists of objects, places or people, e.g. the list of demons in Paradise Lost, by John Milton, the genealogy of the featured hero.
Weaves in long formal speeches.
Divine intervention in human affairs is prevalent.
Tragic hero descends into the Underworld, or hell.
Use of repetition, such as stock phrases, such as “rosy-fingered dawn.”
Heroes embody the values of the civilization where the epic originated.

The Hero’s Journey

The hero of the story embarks upon a journey or quest in which s/he is besieged by adversaries who want to detain her and cause her to fail in completing her quest. She returns home transformed when she succeeds. She exemplifies virtues valued by the people where the story is set and performs mighty deeds.

Invitation

How many of you will try to write an epic poem with me? Let me know how you fare in your endeavor.

A Lifetime of NBP Braille: From Reader to Proofreader

We are all Storytellers and our Stories are Magical

The theme of my online writing this month has been about the magic of storytelling We all have a story to tell, and our heart-bonds are strengthened when we gather often to share our stories with each other. Our world grows bigger, our circle of friends widens, and our muses multiply. Below is a blog post written by a colleague of mine. I am sharing the link to it because I consider it a magical story.

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by Carey Scouler, Proofreader

I’m sure that everyone can remember or relate to the joy of receiving an expected gift in the mail as a child; counting down the days until it would be delivered…

Source: A Lifetime of NBP Braille: From Reader to Proofreader

Finding Enchantment in our Modern World

Enchant

There are two definitions of the work Enchant, v. in the Webster’s New Riverside University Dictionary: 1. to cast a spell over; 2. to Charm and delight completely.

Have you every encountered a scene in nature that has enchanted you? How about a person? Or a pet? Perhaps the place or person delights you and you have gathered some lovely memories around that place or person. If you are enchanted by a pet, you probably love spending lots of time playing with your critter friend. No matter the source of your enchantment, memories of spending time with that source undoubtedly bring you joy and peace.

Gratitude and Well-Being

What are your sources of enchantment? Take out a piece of paper and make a list. How many are they? Does writing about them and reading over your list lead to feelings of gratitude and well-being? When you think about them, does time slow down or stop for you? This happens to me when I write about aspects of my world that bring me a sense of enchantment. Here are some of the things on my list:

Working in my garden
Reading an enthralling book
Playing with my daughter
Playing with our hamsters
Walking around my neighborhood during an evening snowfall
Spending time by the seashore
Playing my musical instruments
Walking a labyrinth

Please feel free to share some of your items as comments below. I’d love to know about them.

tabletop-seaside-labyrinth — My tabletop seashore labyrinth, which I made for myself

Re-Enchanting Our World

I am reading a book by former priest and psychologist Thomas Moore, titled The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life. He is very Jungian in his perspective about how people form relationships with the world and how the modern world distracts us from developing deeper connections with nature, places we visit, animals, other humans, and the food we eat. The materials of the homes we live in affect our sense of peace when we are there. There could be too much of one element in a home, such as wood, and not enough of another, such as stone. There could be too little color or other types of creative stimulation in our work spaces. Such imbalances increase our levels of anxiety and affect our well-being. They detract from our health. If we give ourselves a chance to tune into what we need, we can create a more balanced home with a few adjustments, and begin our journey back to a greater sense of wholeness.

Once we can find enchantment daily in our homes, we have the freedom and openness to find enchantment in who we encounter there, such as family and pets. After that, we will be able to find enchantment in the places we pass through regularly, or visit occasionally, such as parks, schools, farm stands or local shops. Are there places in your town that you find enchanting? Are there favorite places that your family loves to visit? Our family loves to visit North Conway, New Hampshire and Acadia National Park in Mane. We also love to walk the trails of our local conservation land to our town library.

cosette-holding-new-sheep-puppet — My daughter holding a sheep puppet that I knitted for her and she decorated

We Are Enough

When we look around us, do we find an enchanting place that warms our heart? If not, we can change that and make it more comfortable, more us. Our homes are meant to reflect what we love most, what makes us feel truly “at home” in the world. From that place we can have greater energy to meet the challenges that the world hands us, and respond with resilience and hope, perhaps sprinkled with playfulness. We can be a healing presence to others. Who we are is enough to light up the world. May we bless each other with our unique light!

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Heartlights of Hope in the Darkness

th-marshmallows-roasting-over-a-roaring-bonfire — Marshmallows toasted over a roaring bonfire

Where does your glow come from?

We are now engulfed in the heart of winter. The holiday season is winding down and the coldest days of the season are still before us. No matter where we live, the dark hours of the night still seem much longer than those of daylight. What makes this season of cold and dark bearable for you? How do you satisfy your longing for warmth and light?

We need the shadow play of dark and light that winter brings. Only on the darkest nights do the lights on trees, bushes, yards and porches shine brighter. The darkness commands us to slow down, bundle up, and face the blustery side of nature. The time we spend inside gives us the opportunity to think about what we want to make happen in the new calendar year. The longer shadows help us focus our thoughts toward our center. The light of candles is softer than electric illumination, and fits the reflective mood of the winter months. One of the first things I do each day in December is to plug in the lights of our Christmas tree. As evening approaches, I light candles on safe surfaces. The play of shadow and light that they create invites us into a spirit of mystery and anticipation.

Bonfires and Holiday Lights

I am fortunate to live in Central Massachusetts. I live in an intentional community full of neighbors who love to gather around the hearth. When the night sky is crisp and clear with starlight, we sometimes stoke bonfires in the bowl pit and roast marshmallows. Neighbors also string lights on their porches and doors in anticipation of the holiday season. Those lights bring cheer and inspire me to spend more time walking around outside before I curl up under a pile of blankets inside.

decorated-doorway-for-the-holidays — Neighbor’s door decorated for the holidays

Walking around our co-housing village this time of year is a magical time. My daily goal of 10,000 steps is more easily realized while walking the footpaths close to home. I often greet neighbors who are also walking about and wave to children playing. At dusk, the lights strung on porches and in doorways begin to sparkle brightly against the approaching nightfall. They are beacons of hope and warmth when the wind picks up and the chill begins to freeze my limbs. Yet, there are also fields nearby to step away into the darkness and appreciate the starlight of the winter constellations.

When I walk, my first destination is usually our community labyrinth on the other end of our village. It is a wonder-filled place to walk and reflect. It’s Baltic Wheel design and natural setting inspires moments of stillness and appreciation for nature’s wisdom. The deep, dark colors of our conifers stand out as snow laces their branches and shrouds the earth around their roots.

snowy-labyrinth

Winter Garden Wonder

Another place quite close to us that we love to visit is Tower Hill Botanical Garden. It was established in 1986 by the Worcester Horticultural Society and hosts a wide variety of programs for members and guests to forge a deeper kinship with nature. The garden is a magical place all year round, in all seasons, but especially when it is lit up with many lights during the site’s Winter Re-Imagined festival. Their outside and inside exhibits delight visitors of all ages. I spent 2 evenings this month volunteering there and plan to return soon.

th-courtyard-garden-lights — Courtyard lit up during Winter Re-Imagined at Tower Hill Botanical Garden, Boylston, MA

Happy New Year

May all of your days in 2017 be filled with love, hope, and cheer. May the warmth of holiday lights remind you that you are not alone, that no matter where you are you are thought of fondly. May the spring bring warmer days to accomplish outside tasks and the summer shine on an abundant garden harvest. May all of your dearest dreams come true!

th-lit-up-walkway-pagoda

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A Fond Farewell to Autumn Leaves

As Autumn wanes and we await winter’s cold and snow, I bid a fond farewell to the colorful leaves that have graced my days the past couple of months.

September escaped my grasp and I have nearly allowed October to run away from me, too, as I have spent these past couple of months walking wooded paths and enjoying the glory of Autumn in New England.

As September glided into October, my family and I spent a weekend exploring Acadia National Park in Maine, one of the first parks in our national system founded a hundred years ago. The flora, fauna, and geological diversity at the site captured our interests and imagination. We were also treated to an early foliage peaking as the state of Maine is very close to Canada, and very close to the top of our continent. Brrr.

During the month of October, we have enjoyed the peak foliage season closer to home. I have reveled in the glow of warm colors in the leaves as I walked our wooded labyrinth, took an art class around drawing fallen leaves with colored pencils at our local botanical garden, and watched my daughter jump into fluffy, fragrant piles. Together we love to throw armfuls of leaves into the air and stand in the middle of their showering over our heads.

We have seen more rain fall from the sky this fall than we had all summer. The first frost bit our pole bean bushes and snap pea vines. I am grateful for the kale that still grows and the butternut squash continuing to ripen in our pantry. The beets still have some time before they are full grown and are hardier, so I have left them in the bed for now, and planted garlic bulbs for next year’s summer harvest.

As more colorful leaves begin to carpet the grass than flutter from the branches of trees, I extend my best wishes to you for a cozy and productive winter. The world is ready to rest. I am ready to spend more time indoors than outdoors. As Garrison Keillor used to say at the end of his Prairie Home Companion show every week ~ “be well, do good work and keep in touch.”