A will finds a way.

This past week, my good friend Cathy, who is the head director of the rescue group I volunteer with, stopped by my house with Seal, her paraplegic cat, to pick up her new moblity cart. This was a touching visitation for us since Seal would be trying her mobility cart for the first time since the near-fatal injury 2 years ago that left her paralyzed from the waist down, leaving her with only front leg use and being forced to drag her back legs behind her. If you haven't read Seal's story at my rescue website yet, I will fill you in on this amazing feline.

After having been found in a ditch alongside a road, where she had pulled herself off the road subsequential to being hit by a vehicle, Seal, who was already extremely thin and quite dehydrated, was rushed to a clinic by Cathy. The attending veterinarian examined Seal and told us that because Seal had managed to pull herself into the ditch, this little kitten was showing what a strong will she had early on to survive; by getting herself off the road and out of harm's way, she showed she wanted to live.

We were told by the animal medical team that Seal had lay in the ditch for AT LEAST A DAY, but probably longer.

Fluids and food were a priority after which the vet examined Seal to assess the extent of her injuries.

The injuries were bad.

She had several areas of road rash, had suffered a severe inguinal hernia, her tail tissue was dying from nerve damage and x-rays revealed a broken back, both rear legs broken, and she also suffered numerous breaks throughout her body.

This cat still lived and somehow managed to not only pull herself off the road, but also hang on long enough for someone to find her... This was so much for her little body to handle, and being only a very young cat when this happened, we were and still deeply affected and amazed at the indomitable will of this cat. Cathy pledged to do anything and everything she could to help Seal; clearly we were dealing with something special.

It is said that great souls have wills.

To anyone that would argue whether an animal has a soul, I beg you to consider the possibility that it takes a soul to have willpower. What is willpower, really? A force, an energy being focused to make something happen? It is my position that we all have souls, even animals. We are all energy. And we all have strength, should we choose to have the will. The willpower that this cat has is incredibly inspiring, her willpower gave her strength, which in turn, gave us willpower to help her, and the energy of that strength has the possibility to keep living on, if only people would have it... And so we are only too happy to share her story with others in hopes that they will too be inspired to re-think their position on the spirit of overcoming obstacles through the power of will.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” Mahatma Gandhi

Upon consulting with a surgeon we were told that Seal's back was irreparable due to the passage of time. Surgery was performed to repair the hernia, spay her and the decision was made to amputate her tail since it was already becoming brittle as a result of the dying tissue and nerve damage and would only get worse if left intact. Seal came through the surgeries like a champ (unlike her foster mom who was a wreck the whole time)! Her recuperation time was a challenge for Cathy, as this little indomitable cat did not want to be kept subdued in any fashion. We were all enlivened after Seal healed from the procedures.

Due to the severity of her initial hernia injury, her bladder does leak and she is incontinent, and most likely will be a lifelong issue for her, and she does occassionally suffer from skin rashes which gives her thinning hair, but even with these issues she has handled this whole ordeal so well that anytime I am in Seal's presence, I am quite honoured for sharing her company; this is truly a cat that has a meaningful place in the lives of the humans that love her.

I have written before on the subject of special needs animals that overcome their "disabilities". All animals are great life teachers, but living with Special Needs animals and loving them have taught us one of the most important lessons in life: appreciate the little things and this moment now. I am constantly amazed and inspired by these animals that demonstrate their unique ability to overcome what we humans would consider as "disabilities," and handle diseases and physical and emotional setbacks with amazing resilience and acceptance; certainly, lessons we can all benefit from. Special Needs animals have a meaningful place in the lives of humans because they teach us that love has no limitations.

Although all of the cats and dogs we rescue are special, some, like Seal, have special needs that require a little extra TLC, a bit more energy and a higher financial expense. But that doesn't make them any less desirable. Sometimes there are cats with diabetes, heart disease, tissue scarring, eye problems and other forms of physical setbacks and there may even be cats that we know thier lives may be cut short by thier conditions, but considering our own experiences with Special Needs Cats, like our permanent residents Blinky and Seal, and other special needs friends we have, we know that every day they are with us is a gift. Through it all, these cats have remained loving and spirited and we consider ourselves lucky to know them and that makes it all worthwhile to us. Special Needs Cats are a testament to the courage and strength exhibited by these wonderful animals. Cats with disabilities are often lost among the many adoptable healthy ones, and that is why Cathy and I have such a huge fondness for special animals, who in spite of their handicap, want to survive so they can enjoy life with human help. If you are inspired by Seal's story and motivated to make a difference to a special animal needing assistance and help us give them a better quality of life, we would be very grateful for your help. Exceptional people who can find a place in their hearts and have the will for becoming involved in rescue work by direct participation, fostering or donating, will inherit priceless rewards by coming to the aid of animals in need. Please contact me through my rescue website at catzjazz.org to see how you can help.

We fit Seal into her new mobility cart for the first time with cautious anticipation. After becoming accustomed to only using her front legs for 2 years, forced to drag her back legs behind her, we weren't sure just how she would react to being harnessed into a mobility cart, but we knew that we needed to do this to help keep pressure off of her spine. Cathy, Daniel and I watched Seal closely to ensure she was as comfortable as possible while being fitted into the cart. Seal was apprehensive about it, but didn't seem scared or unwilling in the least. As I watched her accept the fitting and then start walking with her back legs secured into the cart straps, I immediately knew that once she becomes acclimatized to the cart, it will be like second nature to her. Since she has already showed how adaptive she is, I really feel that this cart will assist her in becoming more mobile, and am very grateful that she got past the majority of her medical issues so that we could progress to this point.

We took Seal into my backyard, where it is fenced and secure, to let her feel free to test the cart out and roam around. Seal cautiously explored the yard while getting used to her new wheels, and seemed more interested in her surroundings, than concerned with being in the mobility cart. It wasn't long after Cathy's encouragement that Seal was racing across my backyard with her new wheels!

Again, I was in awe of this fascinating feline, who's sheer willpower enables her to be so brave and accepting of herself. She won't ever be able to climb trees again, which she clearly longs to do, and is hard to watch when she remembers what it must have been like, but at least she can enjoy being mobile without having to suffer from spine pressure. She is a very accepting cat and quite loving towards us and towards life; always reminding us to make every minute count when enjoying life.

After exploring the backyard and getting accustomed to the new mobility cart, Seal was ready to relax in the shade with Cathy and I. As Cathy and I grabbed our cold beers to go with the summer heat, we chatted about nothing in particular, just enjoying the opportunity of friendship that was brought together from our passion to help animals. We found a cooler spot at the back of the yard and sat under a peach tree, drinking our beers and watched Seal take in the smells and sounds of the yard.

Mockingbirds and bluejays dominate my yard and they are always vocalising at each other about having to share it. There was a good wind blowing through the city that brought plenty of breeze for us to enjoy, despite the Texas heat. As Seal continued to get used to the idea of her new mobility cart, occassionally receiving foot massages from Cathy to help her with circulation, we talked for hours until the sun started to set, so after finishing off the last of the beers, we headed back in with Seal to give her a little bit of rehabilitation exercising.

As we first considered options to help Seal, we were aware that animal wheelchairs can only be of assistance if pets have adequate front leg strength and function to pull themselves along. Obviously, Seal had already been using her front legs to pull herself around, but we wanted to take proper measures to ensure that as a paraplegic, she would be getting quality workouts. While paraplegics have certain limitations in regaurd to mobility, exercise equipment does exist to help the wheelchair bound engage in regular cardiovascular and strength training exercises, even for animals!

We consulted Practitioner Sandra Hudson of the The Canine Rehabilitation and Conditioning Center in Austin and have entered Seal into a therapy programme to receive pain management through rehabilitation techniques and exercises. After speaking with Seal's therapist, we were shown how to also be able to give Seal a proper workout at home.

Part of Seal's therapy is to exercise her spine and her muscles. This ball helps accomplish that goal and is part of Seal's rehabilitation routine.

This specially designed therapy board helps us exercise Seal to strengthen her muscles by balancing her.

I am very honoured to be able to take part in Seal's on-going rehabiliation, mostly through the means of fundraising for her on-going medical care at The Canine Rehabilitation and Conditioning Center and collecting donated items for Seal such as baby blankets, towels and diapers.

Unfortunately, paraplegic cats often lose voluntary control over their digestive systems, and we have found that the Huggies newborn size diapers are the ones that work best for her. We are grateful to receive any donations of Huggies newborn diapers and other items for Seal.

In closing of this entry, I would like thank you for taking the time to read about Seal and hope you send your positive energy toward her for a continued success, and I would like to again express my deep gratitude toward the people that made Seal's Mobility cart possible by their generous donations and willingness to help "Seal's Wheels", a successful fundraising campaign that you can read about at CatzJazz.org.

"You are what your deep, driving desire is.
As your deep, driving desire is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed."
As your deed is, so is your destiny."

So you want to be a cowboy.

This past Sunday, Daniel and I spent an afternoon with the dogs at Chisholm Trail Crossing Park. This historical stop turned out to be a pleasant and unexpectedly thought-provoking outing for me, and was also a lot of fun; seeing the dogs so excited to be near water and new smells was totally worth getting begrimed for. Located at the park is a Texas historical marker that tells the story of the "round rock" and the famed Chisholm Trail. The Chisholm Trail carried cattle from South Texas to Abilene, Kansas and beyond. The Crossing at Chisholm Trail Park is a visible reminder of Round Rock’s cattle drive heritage from the American West. On the west side of this local road, the park commemorates the historic cattle drive trail with gorgeous life-size bronze sculptures of early Texas pioneers and Texas Longhorn Cattle.

The Texas Longhorn statues standing here capture the beauty of Texas's State Large Mammal, representing their intelligence and gentle disposition. By 1870 thousands of Texas longhorn cattle were being driven over the Chisholm Trail to the Union Pacific Railroad shipping center over in Abilene.

Round Rock’s Chisholm Trail Road crosses Brushy Creek, where the famous "round rock", for which the city is named, makes its appearance. Round Rock was actually first known as Brushy Creek, named for this creek that runs through it, but was later changed, taking its name from a round rock, marking a 'low water' crossing at Brushy Creek, right on the Chisholm Trail. A lot of people intrigued by the name are surprised to arrive here to find that the famed round rock is actually a circular flat limestone rock in the middle of the creek.

Early settlers, Native-Americans and cattle drivers alike knew and marked this spot of low water where passage for people and cattle was safe.
Just thinking about the incredible history that happened here was enough to prime me for a photo moment with the famous "round rock" in the background, though, the dogs had other plans.


I can't blame them for being so excited to explore this famous trail running through our city. For a small little park, it packs a lot of history...
As I walked around taking in the scenery of this living memorial to a time gone by, I imagined the setting back then. One is led to wonder how life was for the people that traveled through here; what they encountered.. what the nights were like under the Texas moon a century ago...
I can just imagine some tale about horses getting into some weeds, making them act mischievous and stubborn, delaying the cattle procession for several days. It was the age of men on horseback and families in covered wagons. How many times were they subjected to horse thieves, bandidos, renegade Indians and robbers?
You can still see these wagon tracks along the trail next to Brushy Creek, made by wagons passing across one hundred years ago!

The frontier has gone but the future preserved it.

Snapping out of my reverie, I smiled as the dogs cautiously but determinedly approached the creek bank. Berit and Sprocket had a lot of fun taking in summer scents and exploring the edge of Brushy Creek, where Sprocket ultimately became stuck in bottom sludge and sediment and had to be pulled out by Daniel. It was amusing to Berit and I to stand there watching that spectacle. Though Daniel got mucky, I am sure Sprocket believed it was totally worth it. I would have to agree. The history that she alone will leave behind will not be short of good-humoured memories.

After Sprocket's rescue operation, and as this bright May day in Texas got hotter, we proceeded down creek to deeper waters where the girls could have more room to swim around.

As they paddled farther and farther down Brushy Creek, clearly intent on making the most of this short outing, despite our calls to come back, I couldn't help but return to thinking about the cattle crossing of Brushy Creek by drivers of the American West on their way to markets in the east. Did they breathe a sigh of relief when they approached this very land under my feet?

As the dogs continued to enjoy cooling off in the creek, I looked down at the limestone rocks I stood on and wondered how far people had come to reach this eastern boundary of the hill country, and then how far they went from here.

Paths. Destinations.

I stood on a path to someone's destination. Were they happy when they got there? Were they anything like me?

These people most likely never thought of themselves as being larger-than-life as they lived the daring exploits of the old American West. Early settlers. Cattle drivers. Cowboys. Politics aside, that is a pretty romantic vision of true pioneer spirit.

They had to look long-term at their lives, and even past their own lives, and recognize the paths they needed to take. They had to accept that there'd be moments when it would seem impossible to continue. But all that mattered most was to reach the destination. Again, politics aside, these people did this looking at the long-term; for the future of those they cared about.

As we wrapped up this stop and walked back up the Chisholm Trail, I took a last downward glance at the wagon ruts in the limestone. Would I ever be able to cement the image of myself as a symbol of all that was good and just into the American mindset? That lone bronco that would never be forgotten... One thing is for certain - I'll stick to my guns and I'm gonna stand my ground.

Coffee with a T-Rex

As previously mentioned, this past weekend Daniel has arrived back in Texas from his out-of-state travels that lasted about a month and included driving through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and ending in Chicago, Illinois, to visit with his brother. Though my friend Gwen would say her brother's in Chicago being a loser, so she knows about all that loser-ness that exists there, she did wonder aloud just why was Daniel in Chicago? "Is he joining my brother in Loserville?" - While I can't personally determine from this standpoint if Loserville includes Chicago, or not, I would have to point out that, I was quite excited to learn that there was at least one awesome thing that Daniel got to do while there; he had the most excellent opportunity to visit the Field Museum of Natural History.

Because I am currently forced to conditionally experience the outer states through others when it comes to travel, I was grateful to know someone who has visited that museum; it sounds stunning! One of the most prized exhibits and now permanent features in The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago includes Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus currently known! And so, one of the cool gifts Daniel brought home for me as keepsake of this highlight of his trip, is this very perfect T-rex coffee mug of Sue.

See how it's black and has the skeleton of Sue, and says SUE all big in red, and how it's just really awesome and its heavy and all bad ass?! I love it hardcore. As I write this entry I am drinking some wonderful Hazelnut Dunkin' Donuts Coffee out of it, and i am pretty sure it tastes even more delicious than usual. I usually buy it by the pound, but I swear now I have reason to start buying this yummy medium roast (Smooth and never bitter with 100% Aribica coffee beans) by the case. (Did you like that, Dunkin' Donuts? *call me*) But yeh, 1 lb only makes up to 135 cups, and I am going to need a lot more coffee to keep up with this oversized coffee mug.

But back to Sue and her thunder. Unlike myself, Tyrannosaurus rex was by far the largest land carnivore in its environment, and much like myself, may have been an apex predator. This is a great coincidence because much like in the presence of an awe-inspiring predator like myself, if you stood before Sue, you would shrivel up and cower in the corner and pee yourself. Yeh. Formidable. I'm sayin'. So, inspired by my love for coffee and the Tyrannosaurus Rex, just for kicks, I plugged in the keywords "coffee" and "tyrannosaur" (because yes, thats what you do when you're on teh interwebs.. you "plug" in your search words. If you are an Old One like me. and if you get that reference, i probably love you.) The result of that search is this dude singing about Coffee while a T-rex fossil stands in the background.

Courtesy Cornwall Tube

That dude has a brilliant sense of humour. I know that tune will be stuck in your head now. Dunky Dunky… What’s in the Trunky.. Brilliant. If you are a coffee lover, AND you love dinosaurs, you probably have a huge appreciation for that little gem. Daniel claims that coffee drinkers are not any better than crackheads. Of course I dont see any similiarities *twitches*, but I just for fun went ahead and googled "coffee", "tyrannosaur" and "crack". Within minutes I found this very informative page that lists 7 Reasons to Keep Your Tyrannosaur OFF Crack Cocaine.

Hope all of you out there that were considering just letting your T-rex continue it's crack habit will now re-assess your situation.

Continuing my caffeine-fueled quest to enlighten you with all things T-rex related, because I am so kind that way, I took this important quiz that informed me how long would it take for a Tyrannosaurus Rex to digest my corpse:

Just 6 hours for me. Not very epic at all, but, then again, I don't plan on being faced with another predator similiar to myself anytime soon.

In closing, if any of you has ever wondered if a Tyrannosaurus has ever been found in Texas, I am pleased to report that somewhere out there in a special exhibit case, is part of the upper jaw of a Tyrannosaurus that was collected in Big Bend National Park. This rare fossil shows us that Tyrannosaurus once ranged as far south as present-day West Texas. I also learned that Tyrannosaurus was one of the last dinosaurs in Texas, becoming extinct 65 million years ago. Incredible, and surprising really. Rather sad for one of the most feared beasts of all time. At least for me, every morning I can now have my coffee with a T-Rex.

My paperweight once searched for delicious algae.

This past weekend Daniel returned home from his near month-long trip out of the state that encompassed a path followed somewhat along The Mississippi River, from lower to upper, and traversing through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and ending in Illinois. Again, I live vicariously through others when it comes to travel. Though my thirst for travel is quite strong, fortunately for me, his stories of adventure and travel will suffice this time, as I have no powerful yearning to visit those particular states. That is not to say that there isn't interesting attractions within them, i just simply did not have a personal allure to them in the past. However, since Daniel did purchase gifts for me during some of the highlights of his trip, quite thoughtfully I might add, I was delighted and very grateful to receive these souvenirs from his journey to have as my own keepsakes from these places i've never been to. One of the mementos is an interesting fossil trilobite he picked up at the Tunica RiverPark on the Mississippi river. Mississippi has more official fossils than any other state, and the Mississippi river is the largest river system in the United States and the largest of North America! One of Mississippi's state fossils, is the prehistoric whale, Zygorhiza kochii. The early whales lived during the Eocene Epoch, around 45 million years ago, when the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico extended across what is now Mississippi. Yes, it's true and I didn't know that until I did some research to learn more about my new special tokens :) I found out that the Lower part of the Mississippi river has yielded a lot of fossils specifically pertaining to these past marine creatures. There is a whole lot of trilobite fossils out there! I learned that trilobites are related to crabs, lobsters, shrimp, spiders, and insects and that like modern arthropods, trilobites had to periodically molt their shells to grow, so one trilobite could have left a dozen or more shed carapaces to fossilize. Just think of all those trilobite fossils waiting to be found!
Pretty crazy. This intriguing information about trilobite fossils further prompted me to google more coolness related to them, so just for grins, i tried searching for fiction books about trilobites. As an avid reader with a long–standing interest in all things strange or unusual, I was pleased to see my searches led me to an obscure book called Trilobites! by Kenneth Gass. I can't seem to find this in print anywhere, but the product description reads: "Scientists have found living trilobites in the deep sea, but must now find a way to kill them before they destroy the ecosystem and humanity itself!" Wow. Just. That is right up my alley. How did both the golden age of science fiction Monster "B" movies AND the Syfy channel's original television programming overlook this little gem of an opportunity for campy Creature Feature goodness?? It's madness, right?? All i know is that this Trilobite thriller is surely a story I am meant to enjoy! I will have to be diligent in obtaining that book for my cryptofiction collection. Now, I implore anyone out there reading this entry, feel free to contact me if you have a lead for me on a reasonably-priced copy! I shall update the Trilobites tag if I ever obtain this. Consider it a quest. Trilobite questing. Yeh.
Okay, moving onto other coolness revolving around these prehistoric arthropods, i found this awesome trilobite tattoo thats courtesy of http://inknerd.com/tag/trilobite/. Admit it, it's awesome and bold! But the question is, is that trilobite fondess at its best?
And the answer to that would be, no. In my opinion, true trilobite affection is biting into a fresh batch of Trilobite Cookies. Yeh, that's kind of gross. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it what it is, true trilobite madness!
As for me, i'm personally quite content with my new trilobite token just as it is: a fossilised piece of prehistoric marine memoribilia, also useful as a paperweight :)

And right now they're building a coffin your size.

Welcome, traveler. Enjoy the journey.