“……and the leaves were telling secrets to the wind.”
― Peter Mulvey
…..Oh! To stick out your head and feel the wind rushing past, to breathe in the fresh morning air and to taste the raindrops, to take home with you the lovely fragrance of the early winter flowers….
There are these little pockets in various corners in our city. Peaceful, happy places where you find flocks of pigeons that have made there homes in those public places so permanently that they serve as a landmark.
You could easily say, Oh! Take a right at the intersection where you see this large flock of pigeons!’
I love these places. I feel they are perfect examples of little bits of sanity left in our otherwise frantic city lives. And of kindness.
The birds are there because people come and feed them. Different people from different walks of life. If you stop and watch you’d find the humble street vendor sharing a bit of his food with them, a student busily walking past munching on a snack stopping to drop some for the birds even while busy on the cellphone; or a well-dressed person in a fancy car generously feeding them a large bag of grains!
Honestly I have never fed these birds. I don’t know why, nothing against them. I suppose it is just that I am too much of a dog person. I always carry biscuits in my car for the strays and an empty bowl in summer to give them a drink of water or milk but I have never fed the birds.
Oh! The more I think about it, the more I feel I should.
This post is an entry for ‘ABC Wednesday’. K is for KINDNESS. Please run over HERE for more ‘K’s
P. S.: Note from Ginger, Buddy and Shadow – Honestly woofing, we are on a love hate relationship with pigeons. As long as they stay away from OUR balcony and are perched on other people’s, we love watching them. But we hate it when they come and mess up ours! You’d understand what we mean if you just go check out this post HERE!
“How dreadful...to be caught up in a game and have no idea of the rules.”
―
Caroline Stevermer, Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
Enjoy more monochrome wonders at The Weekend in Black and White.
P.S: Precious moments captured forever. Memories of a precious holiday in the Himalayas with our friends. Featured here is Mummy and Ricky, her friend’s 6 year old son. Ricky is our best human-puppy friend. Kind, wiser than his years, extremely sensitive, helpful and intelligent, we are all so proud of him. He sure will grow up to be a great human being. ..Ginger, Buddy and Shadow
Did you know? It is International Books Week!
Our friends Bookerman and Asa’s Mom has started an intriguing game.
You need to grab the nearest book, turn to Page 52 and post the 5th sentence. Do not reveal the name of the book !!
Our offering….’ The skin on her face is all loose and wrinkly like a Shar Pei’
So, what have you been reading this week?
Here’s something more from what we have been reading that we really liked. From another book, of course!
‘ Positive Imaging’ is positive thinking carried one step further. If you consistently picture the best – not the worst- happening to you, powerful forces will work to bring it about.
Never doubt it. What is imaged in your minds tends to actualize itself. The pyramids of Egypt, the Pantheon, Saint Peter’s in Rome, the great soaring bridges in New York, once existed only as an idea in somebody’s mind – and that is when their real existence began. Somebody imaged them – and then those images took on form and substance.
That is the sequence : first the germ of the idea, then the image of the idea, then the energy and determination to clothe it with reality, and finally the triumphant reality.
Put imaging to work, and your self image will expand and grow.
- Norman Vincent Peale: ‘ Positive Imaging - The Powerful Way to Change your Life.’
A must read , if you are at that point in life where you want to change it’s course. Like if you want to give up your job and follow your dreams or feel you need at least to cut down on work to devote more time to do those things that make you happy.
May be painting, writing, cooking or working for animals. Join an NGO may be.
Or if you think things aren’t going the way they should for quite sometime in spite of your best efforts. May be you need to put in more positive energy, more visuals of success in your plans, even if they mean a daily to do list.
With more visuals of a successful day, you do tend to have a successful day. Somehow, somewhere forces in nature conspire – they say- to make it all happen for you!!
Positively imaging stuff,
Ginger, Buddy and Shadow
Buddy turned eight last Thursday, that is on the 12th. That makes him a senior dog, or so they say.
That’s supposed to make him a wiser, quieter dog. A dog that who knows the rustling of leaves outside means just that..the wind rustling the leaves and not a squirrel. The door-bell ringing doesn’t mean the door will open itself instantly. One needn’t throw oneself at it and one can wait till someone else takes the trouble to check.
A walk means a slow, casual stroll enjoying the smells, the air and the company of your human. An older dog who has lived his youth and now likes to snooze away his time.
But whoever sets the rules for senior dogs to live by certainly has given Buddy the miss! Or may be he just doesn’t want to live by the ‘Senior Dog Rules’.
Not yet!!
Agreed. Buddy does love a good snooze but he is never lazy about getting up and checking on the important things in life. Like, for example, delicious smells that are wafting from the kitchen!!
Though I, Shadow have willingly taken over the responsibility of checking on the rustling leaves, the noisy night-guard with his whistle, the birds on our balcony and the door bell, Buddy always double checks. Just in case!
Only he is now wise enough to know he needn’t always break his neck doing it!
He was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism some six months back. But after the initial set-back he hasn’t let that interfere with his life. He still is the most enthusiastic trekker and believes in the merits of an active life-style. High places or thick vegetation, Buddy never lets any smell go unexplored or any squirrel un-chased!
He believes in warming his belly in the sun, dreaming of the good things in life, enjoying the soft grass, the smell of the earth or the plush cushions, whichever may be the case!!
And at the end of it all, one does notice that wise, quiet, all knowing softness in his eyes….
Wishing for a lot more fun and happy times ahead with you.
We love you.
Ginger and Shadow
Pee ess : ( Don’t blame us for not coming up with a post on Buddy’s birthday. Didn’t we tell you our editor needs to be fired? Can’t imagine why we haven’t got round to doing it!!)
What a week and what a day!And there’s still one more day to go before it’s weekend at my end.
I still cannot decide if I should be mulling over all the things that needed to be done in the past week but are nowhere near being even started or just be glad of that one thing that I got done that really really needed doing for the last couple of weeks. Be mourning the ‘death of humanity’ as I experienced it, should lose my sleep over someone so obviously obnoxious or be proud I ‘successfully tolerated him’ for a friend’s sake. Be anxious about my long ‘to do list’ for tomorrow or just appreciate the little joys I found along the way….
And if I have managed to sound ever so confused and befuddled, it would be because my brain says it’s ‘Out Cold’ and my heart wouldn’t let me sleep in peace till I have vented it out.
Well, come hale or hell-fire, I know one thing for sure…..I can never be thankful enough for the three wet noses and the three eagerly wagging tails that invariably are at the door every single time I return home, making light every burden that I might have brought back-packing!!
‘Touch Wood’
(Sepoy Mutiny, also considered the first fight in the long struggle for India’s independence saw over 300 soldiers marching down to the Red Fort from Meerut to declare independence from the British East India Company- the small trading company that had managed to colonize India taking advantage of the constant internal rifts between numerous small kingdoms that the vast sub-continent was by now divided into.
The Sepoys (soldiers) declared Bahadur Shah Zafar the Sovereign of India and rallied under his banner. This was also accompanied by uprisings at many other places all over India.
The East India company however managed to squash the uprising, exiled the 82 year old emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to Burma and thus brought the illustrious Moghul rule in India to an end. His sons were ruthlessly killed at a gate now a monument of tourist attraction in old Delhi called ‘Khuni Darwaja’ or the Bloodied gate. The administration of India was thereafter directly transferred to the throne of England.
The illustrious Moghul empire in India was already weakened by a series of incompetent rulers by the time Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar inherited it. The British East India Company had taken over substantial administration of Delhi and allowed Bahadur Shah Zafar to maintain a small army within the confines of the Red Fort. His rule did not extend much beyond the ramparts of the fort.
An ardent Urdu poet, the emperor wrote under the Nom-de-plume ‘Zafar’. His court offered every encouragement necessary to nourish Urdu poetry and often hosted poetic congregations comprising of some of the most treasured names in Urdu poetry – Zauq, Daagh, Mirza Ghalib, Momin and Munshi Tishna.
This play was a delight to watch as it brought to life the witty interactions and inter-personal relationships of these great poets in addition to presenting some beautiful poetry. Even for someone like me who is not fluently proficient in Urdu, the play proved mesmerizing due to the wit and aura (that kept kept effortlessly changing from funny to witty to soulful to melancholy) on stage.
( Delhi based Pierrot’s Troupe is often termed the least pronounceable yet most pronounced theatre group in Delhi! Tom Alter, who plays Bahadur Shah Zafar is the star performer and chief attraction along with the witty and charming playwright and director Dr. M. Sayeed Alam )
Today was Daddy’s birthday and much as we would have loved for him to stay at home, he couldn’t get an off from work.
But guess what’s the best thing about daddy’s birthday? Even if he can’t get an off from work, the whole country gears up to celebrate it the next day! And we even get a National Holiday to go celebrate as we wish to!
Tomorrow is Independence day! And though Daddy spent his birthday at work today we are planning to do some of his favorite things tomorrow.
We are glad that he enjoyed whatever we arranged for him today so he would have something special on his special day….a basket full of flowers that we could all eat ( he is like the HUGEST foodie we know!), a special dinner from his favorite restaurant and two designer ties.
And no, the ties aren’t edible!!! But he liked them anyway!
HAPPY BARKDAY, Daddy.
One last Barkday wag n lick from each of us once again before we sign off for the night,
We LOVE you heaps,
Ginger, Buddy and Shadow
“Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
Another picture from the time Ricky had come visiting. We especially like how Ricky smiles a pawfect ‘Smiley smile ‘ !!!
Hope you all have a great start to the week ahead. Loads of excitement is in store for us this week with Daddy’s birthday and Independence day coming up. Shall try and keep you posted.
Gotta go now. It’s past midnight and if we want to see off Mum n Dad to work on time tomorrow morning, we need to go sleep.
Goody nite,
Ginger, Buddy and Shadow
…..Mooch’s book.
For all intents and purposes, felines are simply not our type. But in Mooch’s case, we make an exception. He seems like a good kid - silly sometimes but good. ( If u don’t know Mooch you can read about him and his friend Earl – a dog!!- at Mutt Comics)
And today he was really bang on!
Looking up at the sky you would think we lived in the Scottish highlands, the way it has been persistently raining for the last three days!! However, the scenery around here isn’t as appealing….there are far too many buildings and noisy cars and busy people here in Delhi instead of the lovely Scottish castles and hills and greenery.
Only the rain pours down as heavily and persistently, and the skies are dark and overcast!!
Ginger went off to sleep even while she was waiting to be dried after her bath (of course she had to get up and re-sleep later) and Buddy immediately after breakfast, even before we saw Mummy and Daddy off to work!!
It was entirely upon me to make sure the perimeter was secure - the pigeons cooing outside shooed away, the noisy maid at the next door neighbor’s scared away with a sharp rebuke, the fluttering curtains and the open windows checked, just in case.
Once satisfied, I settled down for yet another conversation with Mr. Lizard who likes to hang out high up on the ceiling. His half hearted attempts at getting down to the floor doesn’t amuse me at all. I wish he would muster up the courage and come play with me. I mean, I am not some lizard slayer or something.
But like always, he persisted in his antics tirelessly. Sometimes I suspect he likes teasing me.
Anyway, enough was enough!
It was too good a day to waste. So I thought of Mooch and finally fell asleep.
ZZZZZzzzz,
Shadow
‘But unlike the passivity of dreams it demands the active participation of the individual. The images which arise may be elaborated through artistic and self expressive mediums such as painting….’
Or photography…my preferred medium these days.
Ginger is a particularly difficult subject to photograph!!
She had decided very early on in life that she hates the camera. There she’d be all animated and happy and sprightly, and the moment the camera is out, she’d clamp up and withdraw. She knows exactly where I keep my camera and irrespective of why I happen to open that particular drawer, she’d immediately start sulking!
My precious girl - so beautiful, so expressive with her speaking eyes, wrinkles on her face changing from perpendicular to horizontal with changing emotions I’ve long learned to recognize, the significant tilts of her head…I always struggle to capture these without much success. Thousands of Ginger’s pictures that I have on my computer are those of a sad, sulking pup shying away from the lenses.
But I’m learning! Learning to trick her out of her shyness and get a shot of her lovely adorable expressions!
I had tricked her into posing for this shot too! We had only just come back from a long walk in the park. There she was – bathed, brushed and dried- just settling in for dinner and I subtly focused the camera, all the time telling her we were going for a drive. She immediately sat up intrigued forgetting all about the camera pointing at her, unsure she’d heard right, trying to judge if I was actually seriously contemplating going for a drive once again!!
And I got my shot! HA!!
I know for sure this same trick isn’t going to work again so I might as well think start of something equally intriguing (for Ginger) next time!
It is the children of today who will become the rescuers of tomorrow...lead by example and teach your children to value and respect our animal friends and see what wonderful adults they become
P. S : Hello Friends, Shadow and Ginger here. Thank you so much for your wishes on our birthday. Buddy says thanks that so many of you thought of him just in case he felt left out!
We are amazed and humbled that in spite of us being so irregular in visiting you all, there are so many of you who take the trouble to leave lovely comments for us. Thanks again.
These days our assistant is trying to function better. As you can see we are at least beginning to post again. Next step is regular blog visits. Looks like the threat of being fired is working!!
The above pictures are from last month. Ricky, our human pup friend came visiting and we had a lot of fun. There are lots of nice pictures and stories to share that we will come up with by and by.
Till then, do take care, keep wagging and keep loving!
One wet summer day some three years ago, just around this time of the year, a litter of pups were born in a secreted corner of the street behind our house in Hyderabad. Pariah even before they were born, like thousands of our Indian street pups…..
Little did we know that one special pup from that litter was destined to touch our lives like we had never imagined.
Shadow – our special boy born a pariah pup and now the most precious, most fiercely loved and adored dog in our household turns three today!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my Darling Angel. It was a blessed day when you were born.
(Shadow’s first walk the day after he came home)
My original little doll girl, my sweetheart pup, my first real dog Ginger is seven today.
How time flies!
It seems like just the other day that we picked up this cuddly, highly energetic, unutterably cute little girl in the dead of the night from our neighbour’s place. They didn’t want her, they said. She and her brother were being kept in one of their balconies, eating sleeping, peeing and pooping and playing right there because they had no time to take care of them.
They would try keep the boy but they were giving away the girl. Quick to remind us that she was a very special girl born to a ‘Best in Show’ mother and a highly honoured Police dog father, pedigreed carefully, a British lineage fit- for- show pup.
Alright!! Point taken! We paid and Ginger came home to live with us that night at almost midnight hours.
Shaking at the knees, doleful liquid eyes opened wide at this sudden change and separation from her sibling, stinking of poop n pee this little two and half months old fur bundle was just too cute for words!!
We settled her just outside the bedroom imagining she would sleep a tired sleep till the next morning when we could clean her up. She didn’t lose a minute in howling away to glory in full throated protest!!
A quick bath – she seemed to enjoy it – and a careful drying effort later she snuggled close and fell promptly asleep. It was 2 A.M. and the two of us were still trying to get a hang of this new addition to our lives while Ginger slept a dead sleep under the blankets, like that is what she had been doing all her life!
Little did I know that night that I had found my heart dog, my Velcro dog, my soul dog.
I have had dogs all my life but Ginger is my first real dog. Not my parents, not my brother, not any care-taker…it has always been I and P who have been taking care of her ever since that night.
She has been in both our lives ever since we have been together so she has literally grown with us. She made our little family complete long before Shadow and Buddy came along.
More than that it didn’t take me long to realise that Ginger was my dog…my soul dog. Once in a while your life is touched by a dog who seems connected to you in such a way it is beyond fathomable.
Ginger knows me like no one else. Often I find her reading my thoughts…like she would get up and be ready to get out of a room the moment I think about it, even before I’d move a muscle. She understands every letter, every word that we speak, every emotion, every mood that we do not say out loud and speaks so eloquently in her own way that I am sometimes overwhelmed by it all.
Her eyes, the wag of her tail, the tilt of her head, the way she takes my hand or my skirt in her mouth to take me where she wants me to go….there’s an entire language she speaks.
Utterly cuddly still at seven years but equally headstrong, gentle yet extremely strong willed, finicky (she’d demand a bath after her walks and go sit in the bathroom) yet capable of digging the deepest holes if she fancies, it takes me a while to accept that my little girl is actually a grown girl now.
When I look at the traces of grey on her muzzle, the whites on her eye brows and at the tip of her tail my heart gives a lurch….
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, My Gin- Gin girl. I don’t really need to say anything, do I ?
You know. Like always…..
