One of the things I wanted to do while in India was volunteer at a local animal shelter. I visited Street Dog Watch Association, run by two British expats, Mary and Steve Muscroft. It turned out I couldn’t legally volunteer there because I needed a different visa and some important vaccines (rabies, mostly). But they let me visit the dogs living on their property (around 70 when I was there) and took me along to meet someone who had identified some strays in need of medical attention and who were candidates for sterilization.
It was a fun time! Steve is a Man U guy. He very graciously didn’t kick me out when I told him I was for Liverpool. I think he was just tickled that I knew what was playing on the telly just from listening to it (it was an FA cup game, I think).
Their local network is doing really important work in a country with a complicated relationship to strays (especially dogs).
They have purchased a plot of land and are in the process of building a clinic to perform the medical treatments and sterilization procedures that they currently have to go elsewhere for. If you feel inclined, you can send a few bucks their way to help make this happen!
It’s early (04:15) and I’m awake. Here’s a few more photos from my trip so far.
- Queen of the dirt pile <3
- Nandi, statue at the entrance to one of the Śiva temples we went to on Monday.
- Sunrise from the open-air yoga śala at our retreat center.
Greetings from India! I am on retreat with my teacher in beautiful Kovalam, in the (freshly renamed) state of Keralam. I’ve been really enjoying my time here. I’m getting some ayurvedic treatments for joint pain and they’ve been really nice. Today I got a dust bath (powder massage)! Yesterday we went to visit a couple Śiva temples in the area. The food here is amazing. And there are lots of birds! My favorite so far: Large-billed crow, of course!
Feeling a lot of heavy feelings these days. But we went to Biscuit’s happy place over the weekend.
For my birthday this year, I got myself an e-ink sketchbook and note-taking tablet (and ebook reader!). I drawed a spooky little doodle.
A million years ago, in college, one of my professors showed us his brand new Kindle. I thought e-ink was so cool. Convinced it was the future. Then my friend got an iPhone. I just googled, and they apparently came out in the same year! 2007. Prehistoric times.
We’ve watched a couple of the Puppet Master films so far this spooky season.
Pictured: Blade (not the vampire hunter) and Pinhead (not the Cenobite). I think that they are meant to be good guys, but they do end up murdering people a lot.
🍿
Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.1
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Isaiah 10:1-2 ↩︎
Last week, a bee stung me on my neck (pause for scratching). The good news is that I haven’t suddenly developed a bee venom allergy (though -of course- I still worried about it constantly). The bad news is that it’s still really annoying! I guess I’m glad I don’t get stung more often.
We had another little heat wave over the weekend. Biscuit is not a fan of the AC running (loud! and cold!), so he took every opportunity to sunbathe on the hot bricks outside. What a cutie.
Weathered the heat wave in Santa Margarita for a long weekend rounding retreat with my meditation teacher/pal Betsy <3
It was a little emotionally heavy. I went into it thinking about the last time I took a trip, almost a year ago, when we were in the thick of it with Pesto. It turns out meditating five times a day really scrapes up some of these old bad feelings.
I miss him. I wish he and Biscuit could have known each other.
Despite feeling some feelings (yuck!), I had a nice time. It felt great to come home and leave all that cittavṛtti (“mind chatter”) behind.
Recently.
A mildly interesting sight to see in our neighborhood. RIP, death bloom.
Making the slowest progress on Ivy’s blanket. But I’ve remembered how much I enjoy Tunisian crochet.. perhaps this blanket, when done, will pass along this content and ..unhurried mood :)
We have a real dog. Look at him! Laying down on the filthy scratchy bricks. So comfortable, so unconcerned.
Hi.
Been missing Pesto a lot this week. And Biscuit hasn’t been sleeping well the past few days, so we haven’t either. I’m tired!
Ready.
Our little Biscuit boy has been settling in so well to his new home. We love him so much. He’s rambunctious and friendly and polite! He wants to meet every dog he sees, and mostly every human. He’s got an impressive vertical for a dog of his stature. He screams at us every time we try to eat (we’re working on that) and loves to nibble on any body part that’s in range when he’s feeling feisty, especially toes (we’re working on that, too). It’s weird and different and familiar at the same time.
Fact checking: Dṛṣṭi
Aṅguṣṭhamadhye-dṛṣṭi
Thumb (urdhva hastasana, utkatasana)
Bhrūmadhye-dṛṣṭi
Third Eye (yoga nidrasana)
Nāsāgre-dṛṣṭi
Tip of nose (prasarita padottanasana)
Pārśva-dṛṣṭi
To the side (marichyasana)
Nābhicakre-dṛṣṭi
Toward the navel (adho mukha svanasana)
Hastagrahe-dṛṣṭi
Hand (trikonasana, parsvakonasana)
Pādayoragre-dṛṣṭi
Toward the big toe (janu sirsasana, navasana)
Ūrdhva-dṛṣṭi
Upward (ubhaya padangusthasana)