Goodbye....Hello ཕེབས་པར་དགའ་བསུ་ཞུ། ( tashi deleg)

To cut a long story short and not to bore you with the details, Lucy made it to Canada.... okay there was a bit of a problem when she snapped at the border guard who got a little too personal with her but Margaret was able to sort that out by telling the guard of Lucy's past and her fear of authority, men in general and uniforms in particular. They let her in with a warning.

Everyone came to my house. We loaded up food, meds, clothes, guide books and my Blackberry. Blue confided he was a little worried about the arduous journey but I assured him that with magic anything is possible and he shouldn't worry. Inka wore her flashing collar...we may need it to serve as a beacon and a guide to us in the snow and wind. Margaret and Tansy muffled up to their eyeballs in Inuit clothes, parkas and mukluks were anxious to get going as they were way too warm. Bond raced around biting his tail and trying to remember if he can understand Tibetan....he barely understands English...and I/Me, I was a bit apprehensive...this well may prove to be the most difficult adventure we have ever been on.

So up, up and away we go.

Wow!

We tumble head over heels in deep powdery snow. There are no trees, no houses, no cars, no people. We are surrounded by huge mountain peaks so high they are lost in the clouds. 

We don't know where we are. My GPS is not working. We can see and feel we are high, high up in a snowy cold land...but which land? I say we should sit down and try to breathe normally and get our bearings and be calm. We sat in a little circle and held paws and hands and then we lay down and made snow Angels because we like Angels. We are each afraid to say that we are afraid, but we all are. As usual we found comfort and strength in our circle and we managed to  squeak out a little prayer. We know there are no accidents in the Universe, that we have been guided here and that we must have confidence in our inner guide and in each other. We took a deep breath.... that usually worked but in the thin air it made us cough!

Margaret, Inka, Tansy and Lucy had to go and do whatever girls do when they have to go. They came racing back and yelped ( well Margaret didn't yelp...she spoke) that they could see a mountain pass higher up and that it went round and around the bend. . 

Night was falling quickly and the wind was picking up. Oh help!!!

And then we pricked up our ears ....Margaret is getting good at pricking hers....In the distance we heard the sound of a prayer bell and heard low melodious chanting. We looked at each other and quickly agreed that our best bet was to try to follow the path toward the sound of human (we hoped) voices.

We tied ourselves together with Margaret's personals and then we inched slowly single file on the narrow dangerous path. Bond was in front ..now we know what his snowshoe feet are made for!  The silvery moon lit our way and the Man-in-the-Moon smiled at us. We didn't dare look down.

This is going to be a long night.

To be continued.......

Corrections

First, I made a mistake on the Yak and Yeti food...it is Spazyakandzyeti...Tibetan pasta with meat sauce.  I think it best that we don't ask what kind of meat is in it.

 Bond was offended that I referred to his Clan as Holy Terrors and he set me straight on his heritage, so here it is:
Bond is a Tibetan Terrier and this is what I have found out about his Clan. The breed is a very old one and has an interesting past. The little dogs were originally kept as companions to the monks in isolated monasteries in the Lost Valley of Tibet. The dogs are intelligent (I am not sure about Bond) and they have big flat snowshoe feet for walking in the snowy mountains. They also have a great sense of direction and are said to bring good luck. They know of secret ways in and out of  high and dangerous mountain passes.

Tibetan Terrier

I think we need these attributes on our journey and even though Bond is a puppy he should have all of these good things in his genes! He certainly has the feet!

Tansy was also offended that I said she only needed two inch boots. So I apologize and retract my statement. I will not mention her short legs again.

Margaret informed me that her wardrobe is not made up of frilly dance-hall costumes and that she has lots of winter clothes which she will share with us if necessary.

Mom is still mulling over whether or not Bond can come with us and she says I am getting too uppity making plans without her permission.

Lucy my girlfriend from Tubac reminded me that I had promised her she could be in our Gang. I had forgotten. You know how easy it is to promise things when you are romancing a good looking gal. Anyway, here is what she sent me:  My name is,  Lucy Guadalupe Maria Elena Catalina Jolanda Marrero de Mexico I am originally from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico but I took my citizens test and I am now a citizen of the United States of America. You can call me Lucy for short. 

She speaks Spanish and it may not be the same as Tibetan but she is a sharp cookie and street-smart in every sense of the word.
I think she can join us....don't you??

I think Lynne and Blue and Inka are happy.


There! I have set the record straight.....

I need photographs of the Gang to post before we leave, we may need them for 'Missing' or 'Wanted' posters. BOL.... Just a little humour here! Send them to me saturnarobbie@gmail.com

Dried Yak and Yeti

The Gang is ready and willing to head off to find the Lost Valley, high, high up in the mountains of Tibet where Bond's Clan The Holy Terrors live and where the Rainbow Bridge begins. I mentioned in my last post that there is also a legend of eternal youth in the mountains and the clocks all work backwards until you reach the age you want to be. I am hoping it is true.

We met at my house and had a paw circle to try to figure out all the logistics of such a long, arduous and dangerous expedition. We believe in magic so getting there isn't too difficult for us, I have also mentioned a few of us are Seniors and we can't move as quickly as we used to nor can we go for very long without a rest. So we have to decide on an average day and how far we can go. The altitude may be a problem too and I haven't quite thought that through.

We also have to eat (Bond needs three squares a day)  and I have found some dried food that is very light and  just needs water added. Margaret seemed a little put off with the name,  Dried Yak and Yeti - Delicacies of the Himalayas...but it seems to me that we should eat local if we can and it is transportable and we will have lots of snow for liquid. I know it doesn't sound very good and I am not sure how a Yeti is caught and dried (or a Yak either for that matter) but the manufacturer says it will be delicious when it is re-constituted.Tansy, Blue and Inka said we should test it BEFORE we leave. Very good advice but I don't have it here, we have to pick it up when we arrive in Tibet ...it seems there are laws against importing dried Yaks and Yetis into Canada.

I have checked out Visas and vaccinations on-line and as long as we all have up-to-date Rabies Certificates we should not have a problem.

Margaret doesn't have her own fur so she will need warm clothes and boots. She says she has quite a few outfits from when she was Lake La Barge Marge in the Yukon so she will be okay. I hope they aren't all frilly and wild colours. Tansy wants high boots....how high can boots be for a Dachshund??

I could go on for a long time but you get the drift, there is a LOT to organize and plan and we don't have much time. It is already almost the end of September...not a moment to lose.

We held paws and sang a hymn and Margaret led us in a short prayer asking for guidance, health and safety on our journey.

I haven't told Mom and DOD yet that we are going and that Bond is going with us. Inka and Blue haven't told Lynne. Hmmmmm.....
And I have to tell you that I have written this on the run and I have probably missed a whole bunch of stuff so I may have to retract and re do....just saying.

A New Adventure

My Gang hasn't had an adventure for a long time. A few of our members crossed over the rainbow bridge  earlier this year and we just didn't have the heart to carry on without them ....But now I feel energized again and I think it is time I called the Gang together and we begin a brand new and exciting tale. Let me tell you why.

I have a new brother and his name is Bond. He is a Tibetan Terrier and he has been telling me about the legends of his clan who live in the very very highest mountains of Tibet. He says his great great grandmother told him of a place that is soooo high that you can see the rainbow bridge and climb up it to meet with friends on the other side. He said it is a place where people and dogs become young again! And it is a place where ghost snow-dogs roam the mountains howling like the wind. WOW!

Gang doesn't this sound like something we would want to do?  We could all become young again....well except for Bond he is already young and we will have to make sure that he doesn't get any younger! And we are not afraid of ghost snow-dogs ...are we??

So, Margaret, Tansy, Inka, Blue and Bond are we ready to go and find this place near the sky in a far far away country?

Let me know your decision as soon as possible I have lots of preparing to do....like finding out where it is and if we need visas for travel!  We will have a paw circle as soon as you all let me know.

Robbie.

So Long Summer

I know Summer does not end until September 21st but for me it ended this weekend. These are the signs that summer has ended on Saturna what ever the calendar says.

 Last night we went to the Sock Hop which we always go to at the end of summer but this year I had to stay in the car with Bond because Mom said he was too young to be thrown in with the Gang! You know when she got a new puppy she did not mention that I would have to puppy-sit the little pest! So I could hear the music and see everyone dancing inside....I could see my old Gang outside the hall just sniffing butt and catching up on summer gossip... but I was tied to the back seat so the little twerp could see me! I am not kidding, I was harnessed to the seat....dear Dog give me strength!

Our last lot of company left this morning and no one else is scheduled to come ... another sign that summer is over. And this afternoon I went to the Saturna Lion's Labour Day, Dog and Dog Show. Now everyone knows Me,  Saturna Robbie, and they know I am a bit of a celebrity (if I do say so myself) but this year everyone was fawning over Bond. As if that weren't bad enough Jenn offered to register Bond in the show so he could compete! There he was strutting his stuff in the puppy class with Ruff Ruff. Of course he got a prize...how could he not when Mom is a Judge and DOD is the Emcee??  If you think that was bad next thing I heard was his number being called for the Obstacle Course...yes, Obstacle Course. The little twerp can barely walk on four legs but somehow Jenn made him look like he knew what he was doing and he got another prize!  I was beside myself with embarrassment.

Anyway, I am not going to bore you with more tales of my tormented life.

Summer is over and by the time next summer happens Bond will be over a year old and a gangly teenager. We will see who thinks he is so cute then. In the meantime I will continue to behave like the mature dog that I am.

Bond

Most of you know by now that I have a new brother and that his name is Bond. You also know I wasn't too keen on getting a new family member after my sweet sister Lacey died. But Mom was moaning and weeping and I thought to make her happy again we should get a puppy. I chose a brother just so it would be a very different relationship from the one Me and Lacey had ..and I chose a Tibetan Terrier because ALL Terriers are a lot alike. Of course after I chose him I found out a Tibetan Terrier is not a Terrier...now does that make sense to you?

So Mom went over to Vancouver by float plane on Wednesday to pick him up. His birth Mom Anne, had put him on a plane in Los Angeles and he had flown all the way to Vancouver by himself...in a crate... in Cargo!

He cleared customs without a hitch and Mom paid sales tax on him so now he is a true Canadian.

 He is feisty and cute for a guy dog...and at first when he wanted to be friends I gave him the cold shoulder...I even snarled (yes I know, not good manners) a time or two when he went too close to my treats. But today I had a change of heart, after all I am a mature dog and Bond is my brother now ...so I laid down beside him and we had a chat. He knows it will take a while ....but he also knows that we are going to be friends.

I am happy to know however, that he is going to be neutered in a couple of months! I don't want THAT sort of relationship and he is already...well you know, trying!

Looking Back at Royal Warrior

Do you know that my real name is Royal Warrior? It is. Robbie is just a nickname that the breeder gave me. I was destined to be a show dog because of my good looks but the breeder thought my personality was just too strong and she didn't want my genes passed on to my sons and daughters. So she put an ad in the paper saying I was for sale to a good home and Mom and DOD answered the call!

I was on my best behavior when they came to check me out, although the breeder was honest about my terrier nature, but Mom just gave her the look...Puleese...this cute little guy! And they put me in the car and brought me to Saturna.

I still remember coming home for the first time. Oreo was my sister then, she was a big old Shar Pei. Well my first job was to show her who was boss, how lucky was I that she didn't chew me up and spit me out!!!

And then my adventures began. I climbed up what looked like Mount Everest not far from my house (of course I know now it was only a small mountain but I was a Pup) and after exploring for a while I knew I couldn't get back down. It took DOD and Hugh hours and hours (well maybe one or two) to find me and rescue me. Mom said she was sending me back to the Kennel!

Then there was the time I scrambled  down the bank to the ocean. It was low tide and I was able to walk out to an uninhabited desert island and be a great white explorer of uncharted territory.  Of course I was not a mature dog then and I didn't know about tides and how they came in and out. Well the tide came in and I was stranded! I sent out an SOS for Mom and she had to wade into the cold, fast running water to try to get to me. Unfortunately she slipped and I was worried she would be swept away and I hadn't had dinner yet! But she managed to get back on her feet and was able to grab me by the scruff and throw me toward shore...I think that was a reportable offense. Needless to say I have not been near the ocean since then...oh and Mom said I was going back to the kennel.

I am getting into this remembering now. Then my sister Bella came, she was a wild rescue dog and she had been around the block a few times that girl.  She loved to run and I loved to run with her. DOD put up a fence but I showed her how to tunnel and we would be free again until he blocked the escape route. One of our favourite places to visit was the Pub (although Mom had warned them not to serve us) we would hang out there and chat with the locals until someone called Mom. By this time Mom knew the kennel would not take me back so she switched to threatening to send me to the pound.

Oh and the time I chased a Raccoon up the mountain...BOL! That critter was screaming and hollering at me and making so much noise. Hugh, Barbra and DOD all raced up the steep bank to save me but I thought they we re-enforcements and I went even more ballistic. I finally gave up the fight and staggered down the bank with my face covered in blood...Mom had hysterics...but I had only bitten my tongue in the heat of battle and I was not injured. I think she laid hands on me that time...another reportable offense. And I think she actually called the pound!


I could go on and on but I will stop now as I think you can see that I have not had an easy life. And now I am getting a new puppy brother....hmmm...will I show him the Royal Warrior OR the mature Robbie?