©Loriginal Designs
Ben Jonson
Jaco and Pearl
John V. Marchell
©Loriginal Designs
©“Chert Dog’s Greatest Gift: Quantum Leaps of Faith”
Isaiah 9:1-2
The past few days have been remarkable in the phenomenon of nature, be it in the gathering of hundreds of bees, the singing of birds in the trees, the brilliant colors exhibited in the sky, one must simply wonder and ask the Universe “why?” The humor in this rhyme is my featured Jaco Kitty, who has a habit of talking extremely loud and oftentimes sounds like he is asking the question, “why?” He also squeaks with a cadence sounding similar to the goldfinch chirp! As he welcomes in the morning light, his wonderment of the day to unfold is greeted with joyous anticipation, as if to say “why not?!” The lessons that he teaches me about patience and the perfection in timing cannot be overly stated. I do believe as I have referenced in my first book, “My Father’s Greatest Gift: Life Lessons From A Black English Labrador Retriever” that Chert Dog sent me Jaco Kitty to teach me the necessary next lessons in my life in order to learn how to take quantum leaps of faith to soar and fly. Jaco is one of my greatest teachers as his present moment involvement in all that surrounds him shows me to take in everything as it is a gift. When Jaco took a leap of faith from an oak tree to the lower branch the year I found him, he taught me about trust, joy and patience that day. I hope that we can be open to these small, daily reminders every day about how very short our time is here. Let us be reminded continually to take in what is most valuable in our lives and embrace it!
1 Corinthians 13:13
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Henry David Thoreau
William Shakespeare
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
©Loriginal Designs Photography
©Matt Redman
Č’ert Dog had a plan for me. Four months to the day, I awoke
compelled to walk to watershed where we would drive him to go
for his walks. It was the last place he walked while still with us. As
I began walking back down the busy road (which I normally would
drive when Č’ert was with me), I heard a crying sound. Sure enough,
atop an old oak tree there clung a gold and white kitten holding onto
the very top of the tree for dear life. After about an hour and a half
of praying, talking to him and encouraging him, he finally took a
“leap of faith” from his predicament as he began to fall down the
tree, clinging to branches along the way. I climbed up the tree and
caught him. He trembled as I wrapped him in my scarf and I held
him close to my chest as I walked him home. He was very dehydrated
and looked as if he had not eaten for many days…
Jaco Kitty’s first toy was a tiger printed bow tie from one of
Č’ert Dog’s Halloween costumes. I stuffed it and put elastic around
it. It is his favorite toy and he brings it everywhere with him. It is
actually very coincidental as that it was Č’ert Dog’s as he always had
to have a toy, a shirt, something in his mouth. Jaco is also very fast
and runs around the house and outside when we are outside with him.
When he first gets up in the morning or when he is running around,
he makes a squeaking sound similar to that of my favorite bird call
of the goldfinch. Of course, he goes for the white birch tree out front
and likes to perch inside its weeping branches. I did find him in a
tree, so I guess it is his favorite place to be!
While watching a Weather Report Music DVD with friends
on “Jaco Pastorius” night, Jaco had been playing outside all day and
was pooped. He rested on the loveseat while we watched the concert.
He seemed to nod his head with the bass beat, and when a mistake
was made, he actually put his paw over his head in disbelief! A true
musician at heart he is! If he isn’t resting in my husband’s bass case,
he is on the piano bench either playing the piano on his own or sitting
with me as we do our duet together. Since he has such large paws, he
can play a triad. I just add the bass notes, and wallah, we have a song!
Since we refer to Č’ert Dog as Jaco’s older brother, the
blessings of new adventures continues…..
On one of his first days outside at our home, he marveled
at the geese flying overhead and stooped really low to the ground
as he looked up at them honking away as they flew over him. He
also attacked a cricket and a bee, but they both got away from him.
Jumping after butterflies and hummingbirds has become another of
his pastimes. Then, there is the daily morning ritual of chasing the
squirrel up the tall wooden laundry pole in the backyard. He also has
been known to taking a flying leap for the center of the tall deep-violet
colored Clematis as the startled birds scatter into the air. Once that
squirrel is atop the pole, chattering away at Jaco sitting underneath
him, Mr. Poppuchies runs off to find more interesting activities.
(Poppuchies is Slovak for slippers and Jaco has some huge slippers
at that! My current phrase is that his poppuchy paws precede him –
which is the truth since they are four white slippers and very large)!
