many years ago, upon setting out for Oregon, from Michigan, setting out to create a new and different life that made sense, sitting at a picnic table in a remote part of Glacier National Park, wondering about what i'd done, what i wanted to do,
an old woman appeared and came to sit with me. She asked about where i was from, where i was going, and then she asked why. I felt relieved to tell her the LONG story of it and did, slowing at the end to tell about how i imagined it would or could all be. She had listened silently through it all and remained silent for a time when i had run it all out .... and then said, "There's a snake in every garden." We shared some food and then she walked a way and i could hear her drive off.
The snake now is in the form of dogs. And i really can't say much at all about it because i can't get a good enough distance from all the Feelings. But as this is a journal, it needs its place here in this moment, in the beginning of it.
There will be 5 dogs living here. Alyssia's, daughter Jenny and her man's 3, and Tay. Right now, Jenny brings her 3 sometimes when she comes to work. There is a lot of joyfull comotion. They run and spin and are thrilled to be away from their small yard in Chico. There is also a prevading tone of Laissez-faire on her part. There's a lot more that could be said about this, but i don't have it right now. Going on into the Now, so far Tay has done well enough with this...has been ok with trying to learn a way to be a part of it all, but recently there is a shift and she is confused. A lot of the shift is focused around Puppy. A major player in this Big Story that i have not talked about yet. Puppy is a little cat now. We found her on the trip here from N Mex, next to a gas station dumpster, and as we thought we were walking away from her, she simply followed, undaunted. Maybe 6 weeks tops...hardly weaned. She ended up being put in the back seat of the Old Cowboy's truck, burrowing into all the stuff there next to Emrie's car seat, PURRING. Long story short, from the first moment here, as we moved around this Hill, taking long walks through this forest, Puppy would follow along. Sometimes she would lead the way. She was very tiny. She acted like a puppy, and so, named Puppy Merced Hill. Merced for the dumpster's city. She stays outside, has a box in one side of the horse trailer. continues to follow everyone everywhere, the kids especially, and now often goes tree branch to tree branch. Over time, when the door to this travel trailer is open, she has snuck in and also over time has gotten past the initial hissing from Tazmeena to the point of napping with her on the back bed, shoulder to shoulder. Tay chases her. She flies fast and knows all things cats need to know. Tay chases her less and less, and often doesn't chase her at all.
This is getting too long. It will need to be in two parts and the next should picture Puppy. So for now, the Issue that has arisen often begins with Jenny's dogs trying to catch Puppy. I think this is true. They are always told No, but they continue and in the past Tay had joined them. But the other day things changed. Her dogs had been told NO very very loud many times all morning as she tried to keep them in the Old Buck Yard, them escaping over and over, her pulling them back etc. A tense thing....Tay being kept inside a lot to not add to the confusion. At the end of that day, they were again after Puppy who was under Emrie's outside playpen. and something changed. I THINK that Tay deccided she needed to become some kind of Enforcer and she got into a very loud and toothful exchange with the 3 of them, had to be pulled off and away.
ok. am going to quit here. Think more. before going on. But the crux of it is that i don't know how to go forward. It's all very peaceful when it's just Tay. But it's NOT just Tay and it won't be just Tay. So will leave it at this for the moment and try for a pic of Puppy.
the pic here is of a Pinecone House that the kids made of one of the old fallen pines.
