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Friday, June 4, 2021

Gratitude & Joy on a #Flashback Friday

Flashback Photo ~ March 2016 ~ Bandit, Harley, Chloe & Wolf

"It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful."

~David Steindl-Rast

I recall exactly when this photo was taken...I do for all of them, actually. That is why I love our #FiveSibes #FlashbackFriday Blog Hop - it allows me to revisit some amazing times spent with my five, then four Sibes. It's like getting another chance to enjoy the moments of a particular day. I always loved how at the end of a day, I'd sit in my recliner ready to watch a little TV, and my FiveSibes would always come running into the living room and first play and zoomie around with each other, then they would settle down and all eyes on me (they knew I had snacks!), before laying down on their beds. That feeling of seeing them all happy and safe lying all around me, is one I will keep forever in my heart. The quote fits the memory perfectly as I recall clearly feeling so joyful to be able to share my life with all of them, and so very grateful to be their FiveSibesMom.

(You'll have to screenshot it!)

#ForeverFiveSibes

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Pool Time! Stay Cool Time!

Fill this thing up, Hu-Mom! But not too full!

Woo! After days of rain it came out a warm one today! Time to fill the pool to keep cool! While some of my other FiveSibes loved the pool - like Harley (could not keep that girl out! And she loved to play with the hose water!), Bandit, and Gibson, too, loved the pool and hose. Wolfie on the other hand is a bit stand-offish like his sis Chloe was. He likes to dip his paws in and drink some of the cold water, but splashing and playing is just not his thing!

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Another way I like to help Wolfie stay cool is with a dog cooling collar (I use Kool Collar and you slip pre-made ice packs inside)! I have used these for years for my Huskies, beginning with my Epi-dog, Gibson (heat can be a trigger for seizures, that plus he had a very furry wooly coat, so he always wore one when out in the warm weather and he always had a cooler water bed and a fan). Here is my Wolfie modeling his blue cooling collar!

Naturally, his favorite place is to snooz inside in the a/c! But having a pool, cooling collar, fan, and a cooler water bed all helps to keep a thick-coated northern breed dog, such as Wolfie, cool when outdoors with the family!

Wolfie snoozing (and dreaming) in the a/c!

Does your dog like a pool?

Friday, May 28, 2021

Wolf on a Full Flower Moonglow's Night

Flashback Photo ~ Wolfie & Full Moon ~ May 26, 2021

Woo! We were lucky enough to be outside during the recent "Super Flower Moon" a full moon and lunar eclipse. What a show! Some areas had cloud coverage, but Wolf and I were lucky enough to enjoy the lunar beauty, which appeared starting in the daylight into dusk, under our big sky area! It's spectacular events like these that remind us how lucky we are to bear witness to such beauty. I love this first pic of Wolf I shot with the full moon overhead behind him while it was still light out. As I saw him there, I thought of a haiku that is so very appropos for my boy, the lone wolf calling out to the spirits of his Siberian Husky family--what once was a FiveSibes pack family. I hope you enjoy and I hope you did get a chance to see this beautiful full moon!

"Wolf howls longingly

under the full moon he waits

calling to his pack"

~Dorothy Wills-Raftery

Full moon peeking through trees.

Now, you may be asking "Just what is a flower moon or a flower blood moon, as it is also called?" According to Space.com, "The full moon was particularly stunning around the globe, as Earth's natural satellite was nearly as close to our planet as it ever gets during its orbit. That phenomenon, called perigee, made the moon appear just a smidge larger than usual." And where does it get its red glow from? "The moon slid into the deepest shadow cast by the Earth and picked up a reddish sheen, the glow of every sunrise and sunset occurring at the time." The "flower moon" also symbolizes spring time and the appearance of May flowers!

No matter the history or tale, it was truly a sight to be seen. My only wish is that I had my 35mm with me on our walk as I captured the pics on just my little ol' iPhone 8! But, I guess instead of studying it through a lens, I paused and really took in the sight, letting the moonlight cast its glow over Wolf, me, and the land. And that was a beautiful thing.

Full Flower Moon before lunar eclipse.

Were you and your pet able to see this month's full flower moon?

(You'll have to screenshot it!)

Friday, May 21, 2021

#FlashbackFriday: We All Woo for Ice Cream!

Flashback Photo ~ Bandit & Wolfie ~ 2019

"The best time for ice cream is always." ~Unknown

My FiveSibes--Harley, Gibson, Wolfie, Chloe, and Bandit--always loved ice cream and always seemed to sense when I brought some home as a special hot weather treat for them. Their birthday cakes I made with all-natural vanilla ice cream and crushed dog cookies. But the thing about my Huskies and ice cream I loved the most was how they would come together and share even the smallest lick off a spoon. No growling. No snarling. Just five heads smooshed together with five tongues flicking away at the bowl, cup, cone, or spoon of vanilla ice cream! To this very day, Wolfie still loves that yummy ice cream! I mean, just like the quote says, always is the best time for ice cream! (Note: All five of my dogs shared one small ice cream, and it was always all-natural or dairy fresh vanilla. *Some dogs have a dairy intolerance, so only give if you know they can eat dairy, and also only just a taste due to sugar content).

Do your dogs like to lick ice cream like our FiveSibes?

Flashback Photo ~ FiveSibes ~ 2015

(You'll have to screenshot it!)

Friday, May 14, 2021

#FlashbackFriday: The Season of Wolf

Flashback Photo 2016 ~ Wolf with his Wolf.

“The wolves knew when it was time to stop looking for what they’d lost, to focus instead on what was yet to come.” ~Jodi Picoult

Today's quote is appropos considering all the loss we here at FiveSibes have experienced over the past several years, especially with losing both Wolf's sister Chloe and momma Harley the summer of 2019, then sister Bandit last fall. Now, while my sensitive boy may bear the name of the magnificent canis lupus, or wolf, we are trying to embrace the philosophy of the wolf and not be lost in what is behind us, but rather enjoy the present and look ahead to each day.

This new joy after such loss is something that did not come by easy for Wolfie. They say that with great loss comes the fact that there was great love. And boy, there sure was. It was an epic time. But when a close-knit pack family suffers loss, one after another, such as my FiveSibes, being the last Husky standing is not an easy place to be.

I am thankful that after a very long and worrisome six-month solo grieving period (and being physically ill) after Bandit's passing, my boy is finally once again filled with a new joy. His days now are spent with just us humans. While he no longer has canine family members to snuggle with, eat alongside, and play with, he does have me and my family. Our two little grandhumans are now his favorite companions, and in that my senior boy has found new joys to fill his days with lots of toddler hugs as well as walks, chasing bubbles, and sharing of treats in his golden years.

And that warms my loss-weary heart.

(You'll have to screenshot it!)