Eggs for Gracie

As you can see by absence of posts, there hadn't been sufficient motivation to write anything until now.

But now a true story about one little girl squirrel's struggle to thrive has given me the "juice" to write!

Over a year ago, my friend Leticia brought me an orphaned baby squirrel found in a thunderstorm.  She was cold, soaked to the bone, extremely dehydrated, and by the looks of her, not likely to survive until the next morning!

It took nearly an hour just to get her partially dry.  She would only accept a few drops of formula and just wanted to sleep.  I wrapped her in warm blankets and placed her in a wicker basket complete with a heating pad.  I gave her lots of Reiki healing and said goodnight.

So the next morning, I pulled back the covers and to my utter astonishment, this little squirrel popped her head up as if to say, 

"Where am I?"  

At that moment, I knew exactly what to name her...   Grace!

For it was only because of amazing grace that she was still alive.

The following year was quite a challenge as Gracie didn't seem to eat like the other squirrels.   She was very picky and seemed to only want certain fruits and an occasional acorn.

She would go thru phases.... there was the persimmon phase.... and then the blueberry phase and the rambutan phase.  The acorns she would accept had to come from one particular tree... all others were refused.   Needless to say, it was quite difficult to keep her healthy.  She was not able to maintain her body heat and so would always sleep on a heating pad.  She lost much of her hair on her face and down the midline of her back.  She would sleep most of the time, only rousing to eat some fruit.  Occasionally she would attempt eating a pecan, but lost interest mid bite.  She didn't drink from a water bottle although  there were 3 available sources of water.   I would juice fresh watermelon for her which she drank via syringe.   And on and on it went... each day seemed like a miracle that she was still alive!  She had not grown at all and I began to think she was either a "dwarf" or just plain deficient in certain hormones vital for growth.

Then a friend suggested I try feeding her scrambled egg. 

What?  I was counseled by a rehabber years ago NEVER to feed a squirrel egg as that could make them sick.  When I inquired online, I discovered that squirrels in the wild will sometimes eat birds' eggs in nests!  Really?  So maybe it would be safe to try it on Gracie!

So I looked in the fridge and grabbed one of Pete & Gerry's organic eggs from the package and scrambled it.

Little Gracie went for it like no other food.  I was shocked.  From that day on, I would give her one egg per day. In a couple of weeks, she started looking better.  She had more energy!  Some new hair was coming in!  She was warm to touch and chose to sleep away from her heating pad!  OMG! My little miracle girl!

Then the Coronavirus hit the world.  And suddenly my source of Pete & Gerry's eggs dried up.   I tried a couple of other brands, but Princess Gracie wouldn't eat them.  I even tried some duck eggs.  YIKES.  Neither Gracie nor I could stomach their smell!  I checked every grocery store in Austin.  No one was getting deliveries carrying Pete & Gerry's eggs.

Then one eggless morning, I was having coffee with Bonzo and he said, "Why don't you ask Pete & Gerry to send you some of their eggs?"  And I thought, sure... why not?  It's worth a try.  So I called and got their email address and proceeded to explain Gracie's situation in an email.  In their first response, they expressed their happiness at hearing of Gracie's return to health and promised that they are working hard to get those eggs to our stores ASAP but that they don't send directly to consumers.  They would, however send me some coupons toward my next purchase if I sent them my home address.  So I gave them my address and the cutest photos of Gracie I could find.

About an hour later, they sent another email.  It read: 

"Hi Julie!  We have amazing news! I've shared Gracie's story with a few more people on my team and we've managed to pull a few strings - we will be shipping a one-time gift of a few Pete and Gerry's eggs your way tomorrow to help Gracie stay healthy and strong during these challenging times. These will be shipped overnight, so be on the lookout within the next 48 hours for those eggs to arrive.

Thank you again for sharing your and Gracie's story with us. She has been a highlight of our week, and in these unusual times we certainly welcome having something to smile at. We're so happy we can send you a few eggs to help with Gracie's recovery, and please don't hesitate to reach out if we can do anything else for you!"

Wow!  I was in tears.  It just proved to me the ultimate

and extraordinary power of SQUIRRELOVE!!

The eggs indeed arrived on my doorstep 

refrigerated and intact.  They had sent 4 dozen

eggs to get Gracie through these difficult times!

I wrote and thanked them for their generous hearts and

sent a photo of the princess enjoying her eggs!

Gracie enjoying her own stash of Pete & Gerry's organic eggs.

They responded: We're so happy our eggs made their way to you safely! Our entire team has been over the moon at the opportunity to help Gracie stay the course in her growth and development while the grocery stores are a little unpredictable. Thank you for reaching out to us and giving us the chance to help Gracie! 

Thank you Pete & Gerry's for making this miracle happen!

And overwhelming gratitude for my beloved Bonzo who suggested that I ask them in the first place!!

Bonzo man offering me advice.

Squirrels Are Guardians of Consciousness

Admiral Nut of Squirrel Galactica

According to Mayan legend, in the beginning of time,

 it was a little squirrel who guided the sun on it's first journey across the sky.  Upon arriving in the West, the little squirrel built an altar to the Sun.  The squirrel always delighted in the Sun's company while the other animals were angered by the light of the Sun in their eyes.  The jaguars and wolves were jealous and killed the squirrel.  And to this day,

the Huichol Indians honor the squirrel as a hero-god.*

In the Mayan calendar, the Sun is the 20th day sign and is the symbol of enlightenment - the symbol of the highest consciousness.   So it is no accident that the little squirrel is the animal to guard the Sun.  Here in Austin, long before the University of Texas was built, hundreds of little squirrels thrived and prepared the property.  Once the university was up and running, little squirrels continued to live happily and connect with the students.

  

Interestingly, UT is well known for its Mayan Studies program.   So it's no wonder that 200+ squirrels thrive there. The students love the squirrels, share snacks with them and love to photograph them.  In fact, one student took on the project of photographing and cataloging the squirrels on campus.  With this incredible database, she has published the "Squirrels of UT YearBook"!!

UT Yearbook is dedicated to SnowPea


Her name is Marie Romano and here's a peak into how she gathered her information....


Most people don't realize how important the squirrels are in the workings of the Cosmos!
As you saw in the video... even though most squirrels are well loved, there are always a few people who consider them to be pests.   Obviously, those humans have not 'awakened' yet.   But the little squirrels don't mind.
They love everyone equally.

And here is a lovely video trailer for this incredible book!

To order your own copy of the yearbook, 
visit:  www.SquirrelsOfUT.com




* From "The Hidden Maya" by Martin Brennan

Squirrelove ALWAYS wins!

Bonzo's handiwork on my Mac

When I found Bonzo sitting on my Macbook chewing on the keys, I was absolutely enraged! Mostly because I thought I'd have to replace the whole keyboard which could cost anywhere from $280.~ to $400.~   OMG.

So off I went to the Apple Genius Bar at the Barton Creek Mall.  I had to leave my computer there for about four days. Thankfully, Bonzo hadn't damaged the piece of the apparatus that would warrant a new keyboard!  A very competent tech named David was able to repair all six keys, making my laptop "as good as new"!  Not only that, but the cost of repair was  $0.00!!
(Seriously, I thought I was dreaming.)

After this event, I was being very careful to either close the cover OR at least put some books on the keyboard when I went into another room in the house. However, on Thanksgiving morning, I had to run out to put gas in my car, thinking that many of the stations would close early.  I did not close the laptop, but since I had put some books on top of the keyboard, I figured it would be OK.  

Wrong.

When I came home, the "Bonz" was happily chewing away and had removed the "A", "Z", "option", and "function" keys.

%#$&@&#!!!!

After locking Bonzo in his cage, I got online and immediately made an appointment at the Apple store for repair, and then tried to carry on as usual. Poor Bonzo.  Come to find out he just really enjoys chewing on plastic items...   plastic clips, cinch ties, laptop keys, etc. 

Bonzo man

I guess I should have had faith that Admiral Nut would take care of everything, but I didn't.  So on my 2nd trip to Apple, I was pleasantly surprised that the Apple tech that helped me was David, the one who did the first repair!  There are literally hundreds of techs... I mean what are the odds??   He took the computer back into the shop while I waited. (I don't know how long it took since I was having a lovely conversation with another squirrel-lover sitting next to me. Awesome.)  David finally returned with all the keys fixed except the "A". He said that the piece that makes the contact was gone and that he had to take a piece from another laptop and place it there.  He wasn't sure yet whether it would work (make contact). In fact, they didn't have any extra "A"s in the back so he used the one I brought with me.   He snapped it on. So far so good. Now we just had to turn it on and try it out to see if it worked!

...Drumroll please...

1.Booting up the computer
2.opening sticky notes
3.typing the "A"

And "VOILA" !  It worked!  The A made contact!
OMG.  That just saved me hundreds of dollars.

David said there was no charge for the repair.
WOW.
So I told him I would bring him a 2019 Squirrels of Wisdom Calendar and he said that the techs really are not allowed to accept any gifts.  When I insisted, he said if it was for everyone to enjoy, then it would be OK.




Suddenly I saw the brilliance of Bonzo's plan:
he was working paw in paw with Admiral Nut and all of Squirrel Galactic to spread Squirrelove all over the planet
(and in any and every way they can!)


So the moral of the story is this:

                                                                                          

                                                                                       Bonzo knows best.

Bonzo Man

Mr.Nut holding onto me.

Well, I never thought there would be another little boy squirrel like my Mr.Nut, but I was wrong.

 I do believe my sweet Bonzo has much in common with Mr.Nut.   You see, both boys had a rough start in this world.  Bonzo was having a normal life with his mom and siblings until one day, mama disappeared (probably due to a predator).  Then the next day, his siblings disappeared as well,  and he was all alone to fend for himself. Bonzo was alone for 24 hrs before he was found.   
Similarly, Mr.Nut and his brothers were content in their tree until someone knocked their nest down.   Long story short,  the nest was found by a woman, but only 2 of the 3 squirrels were in it.  Then, 24 hours later, Mr.Nut was found all by himself.   You see, both Bonzo and Mr.Nut were all alone to fend for themselves a full day before someone found them.   This period of time without any mother or siblings to keep them warm had an effect on their development.    At least Bonzo was a few weeks older so he was not as seriously affected as was Mr.Nut.  Mr.Nut was only 2 weeks old and could not maintain his warmth without another warm-blooded mammal to help him.  He was cold when I got him.

And now, just like Mr.Nut, my Bonzo loves to cling to my hands.   He holds on as if to say, "Momma, I will never leave you!" 

Bonzo,   holding onto me.


Is Bonzo a reincarnation of Mr.Nut?  I really don't know.
But I will say that it is wonderful to be reminded of Mr.Nut on a daily basis.  Bonzo is full of juicy happiness and loves to be the "kitchen squirrel".   He continues to let me know how much he loves me!  
And there's nothing better than that!

I LOVE my mom!

Squirrel Realization

Beautiful Sri Nut Ji

So, it's come to my attention that there is a great deal of confusion over the term "Enlightenment".   For thousands of years, the term 'enlightenment' has been equated to 'Self-realization'.    And Self-realization has meant the discovery that YOU are not the small self, but rather the Self with a capital S, which is to say...   the Totality.   

I beg to differ in the use of terms.   We can and should be more precise in our selection of words!!   I have come to discover that this "Self" the sages and masters talk about is none other that the Great Squirreluminosity!   i.e....   The Squirreluminosity, aka Juicy Squirrel Happiness, aka The One Squirrel Heart....  all point to the same "Self"!!! 

Sweet Miss Nutleigh Ji

   Therefore, What humans are really seeking is none other than Squirrel-Realization!   (Squirrel with a capital S)   I can attest to the Truth of this, but to give you your own experience, I would recommend that you listen to the song that our Miss Nutleigh gave the world.  This song was performed at Byron Katie's New Year's event just a few weeks ago.  

And so, on this day, January 21st, the officially recognized Day of Appreciation of Squirrels,

we express our profound gratitude for all the transformation that the little squirrels have facilitated on our planet!

Long may their tails wave!

Chippy Nut

Chippy Nut

Well, it's been a year since I made a post.  Since my favorite muse, Commander Nut passed away in early 2016, the flow of writing has practically slowed to a halt.  Mr.Nut was always talking to me and giving me great insights and topics to write about. Everything was so easy with him by my side.  I sure do miss that buddha. 

But here's what's happening now...  one way to describe it is that Mr.Nut is back again, but that's not entirely accurate.  Let's just say "his energy" is back again.

  Last April, I created a beautiful postage stamp of Mr.Nut because I knew he could help get the mail delivered much faster, being that he's traveling around in a spaceship.  Well, just a couple days later, a mail carrier found an orphaned baby squirrel and brought her to me.  Wow... that was the first time I got a squirrel by mail!  You can read the story HERE.   At the time, I had a feeling that Mr.Nut had sent her to me...  time would tell.

The little baby squirrel grew into a beautiful young lady-squirrel.  The interesting thing is that she acts a lot like Mr.Nut, and more so each day.

And then, just in the last few days, she has been talking up a storm.  She is here to carry on the mission of the good Admiral.  She is a messenger of love and hope for the planet.
She said that she prefers to be called "Chippy Nut" as she is part of him.  You see, Admiral Nut needed a counterpart here on earth so that he could continue his work here. 

So this morning, Chippy Nut told me that it is important to continue to spread "Squirrelove".  And no matter how terrible things can seem "out there",  it is absolutely paramount to remain "inside" in the heart-wisdom.  She says it is easy to react negatively to negative events. But she urges us to be vigilant... to stay focused on kindness and compassion.

She also told me that Admiral Nut's friend, Dr.Stephen Greer of CSETI, has written a new book called "Unacknowledged".   It is the real scoop about the extra-terrestrial life that our galactic squirrel family has known about all along. And they are here to help us protect and heal our dear Mother Earth.  She urges us not to be "fooled" by the many gloom and doom movies that portray the ET's and UFO's as enemy, for they are our allies and helpers.  Like the squirrels, they have gotten a "bad rap".   But as squirrel-consciousness has increased dramatically...   the earth is now ready to see the Truth of our Galactic Family (of which squirrels are a majority.)  Be open to their message!

Chippy Nut


LOVE LOVE LOVE .... is what's REAL.

Buddha Nut

BE the LOVE that you ARE!

Squirrels Are In Charge

Yes, the earth is in trouble.... and many people have given up hope.  But the squirrels are here to say: "Don't despair!"

They've got our backs.

Pop media might not have the full story, but they do acknowledge squirrel-intelligence.

Watch this...




And we've known this all along, however unbelievable it seemed.   Commander Nut was here to comfort us and now, as Admiral Nut, flying around the ethers, is keeping every little thing balanced.   Just because things looks bleak, please don't despair.    It's not over until the fat squirrel sings.

And as the good Commander told us just before he died,

"I will be with you always, and I will send helpers to get you through the tough times ahead."   

And so it is.

Pranams to the Squirrels

MUFFINHEART

One never knows what "form" a teacher will take.  For me, I've been blessed with a series of squirrel teachers.  And through the 13 years of adopting these orphaned baby squirrels, rehabbing them, releasing most to the outdoors, and giving "forever" homes to the non-releasables, I've come to see them as TRUE BUDDHAS.  And now, through their eyes, I can see, finally, my own "Buddha Nature".

Many times I would sit and stare into the eyes of one of my "rescues" and suddenly there would no longer be a subject and an object.  Rather, there was only the dissolving into PURE LOVE... falling into the One Heart only to find out THAT'S ALL THERE IS!  And "I" AM THAT!

One of the great things about squirrels is that they're not concerned with following some "leader".  They don't require a "squirrel in charge" because they all tune inside to the "One Squirrel Heart"... which is one undivided whole.  In fact, this is the very same "Heart" that resides in each of us; what some nondual teachers refer to as "The Absolute".

In the beginning, when I took in a motherless baby squirrel, I thought that I was helping her... but in time, I discovered that it was actually the other way 'round. That baby was Grace coming into my life to shower me with my own goodness!  Wow-- What a gift!

Most recently, I was sitting with one of my new squirrels, Miss Nutleigh.  At one point, I caught her gaze and a song of wisdom came through me from her and I recorded it.  Much later, in listening to myself singing it again, I heard the words on another level.  I realized in that moment that "consciousness" was singing to "consciousness" and being witnessed. In other words, the One Squirrel Heart spoke TO me THROUGH me, and LOVE was seen.  I guess you could call that a "squirrel awakening"!   

I want to acknowledge my profound love and appreciation to the late Mr.Nut.  He crossed over on my 60th birthday last January.  You can hear his amazing wisdom online:  www.SatsangWithMrNut.com.  

And I also bow in deep respect to my beloved Muffinheart who taught  me true meditation.  This dear boy recently passed at the end of August.  You can find his meditation at:  Eternal Love of Muffinheart

*Pranams is a deep bow of respect, usually seen in the East where devotees fall prostrate on the floor in front of their teacher.

Finally, I want to share the words of Nutleigh's Song:

NUTLEIGH'S SONG

When I was just a little baby squirrel

I would suckle at my mama's breast

She would give me everything

Yes, she would give me everything I need.

But now my mama's gone away from me

And so I suckle at another breast

And I am given everything

Yes, I am given everything I need.

The Way of Love is strange and harsh and kind

The Way of Love is strange and harsh and kind

It takes you to the very edge

It takes you to the very edge... of you.

And when you find there is no end of you

Then you shall see there is no end of love

And you are given everything

Yes, you are always given everything.

And so it seems I am a little squirrel

But truth be told, I am the same as you

And we can never lose this love

No, we can never lose this love .... we are.

And when all beings go away from me

And I am face to face with only this

I see that I was never born

I see that I can never die

I see that I was always everything

Yes, I was always everything.

Bon Voyage Captain Muffinheart

Capt.Muffinheart seeding Mother Earth with Squirrelove

There are simply no words to describe the  exquisite and  overwhelming love that comes through a little squirrel. And if you happen to be blessed with the sweet friendship of one, then you have been truly graced.

My little Muffin loved me like no other.
He was and is my sweet angel of love.
So much so that at one point I had to change his name from "Muffin" to "Muffinheart".

But now I will start at the beginning.
Muffin was one of three beautiful boys found under the hood of a student's car at St.Ed's University in South Austin.  Luckily, their mama chewed the wires so the girl couldn't start her car. Then her dad looked under the hood and discovered the litter of baby squirrels nestled behind the left headlight.  The campus police called me to come get them.  God Bless Mama Squirrels!

So Muffin, Buddins, and Nugget grew up together until Muffin decided he'd rather be in his own space. 
And I honored that.  
Muffin was a little different than his brothers.  
He was an especially sensitive little guy... 
 The summer that Buddins and Nugget were released, Muffin had been sleeping with his mouth against his cage and ended up with crooked and overgrown teeth. So his teeth got trimmed by our vet, and his release got delayed.
  (Now looking back, I know he planned it that way.)
By the time I knew his teeth were fine, it was winter.The main problem with squirrels is that the longer they live with you, the more you fall in love with them.  At this point I was head over heels in love with the Muffin man and I dreaded the day I would be putting him in the outdoor cage to get used to the neighborhood sounds and weather.  

Nevertheless, Spring did arrive and it was Muffin's turn!
On the first two tries, he got in fights with other little boys and both times came home with gashes on his little body.  The first one was on his back and the second one was across his sweet face.  Poor Muffin.  I'm not sure if it was harder on him or me!

But they say three times is the charm.  So I was going to try just once more. Remember, it was also the springtime so mating season was going on.  On this third try he had a little fling with Miss Rosie Posie who was also being released.  But after several days outside, Muffin came  back to the front door and wanted in. And that's the day he officially became an "indoor squirrel".
And it wasn't until a couple days before Rosie gave birth in my kitchen that I even knew she had gotten pregnant!
But Rosie came inside to have her babies,
and so Muffin got to see his pups grow up. 
Such a sweet adventure for us all! 
These were such happy times... what could be more fun than a houseful of squirrels? And although the following spring, Rosie Posie and her angels Pookie, Chupie and Rosebud would move outside, the Muffin man remained behind.  He loved hanging out in the big cage and giving advice to his young boys when they came home for meals.
But the best part for me was sharing my morning coffee time with my Muffinheart.  
You can feel all the love in this video:

Muffinheart is best know for his affectionate nature. So many videos of him being a loving little buddy and so many photos of his indescribable cuteness! It seemed that every day he would just get cuter and more lovable!  
Truly astonishing!

So it's especially difficult to say goodbye to such a sweet friend.  I still don't know the exact cause, but one day I noticed he was not drinking water from his water bottle on the side of his cage.   So I brought the water bowl from his outdoor play-cage and offered him some.  He guzzled it down.  So I thought the problem was solved.  However, he was also not eating much and had stopped pooping.  I would offer him his usual food, but he refused. So I tried a piece of rice cake which he loved... but later vomited it up.  Not long after, he wasn't keeping the water down either.  

Finally, I took him to the vet so he could get some SubQ fluids.  Dr.Brad gave him 20ml. with a medicine added to calm his tummy so he could keep down food and water.

He had lost so much weight, poor fella.

Photo of Muffinheart taken two days before he died.

Then on the drive home from the vet clinic, Muffinheart 

was looking off in the distance with a smile on his face.  

I kept touching him, saying, "Muffin, hey buddy... we're almost home!"

We went inside and I laid him on my lap. I loved on him and told him how much I love him. He was so weak and seemed to be only partly in his body.  Then he started to move in a circle on my lap... trying to get more comfortable. 

Then he got still and took two shallow breaths with his mouth open...  and I knew he was leaving.

I held him up on my right shoulder 

and kissed him; his body so so limp.

And then he took his last breath.

Tears and more tears... oh sweet one.

Oh my dear coffee buddy...

Beautiful Muffinheart resting in Peace

Back when I still thought he would be going to live outside in the trees, I wrote him a love song.  And upon listening to it again, I find that it is a most appropriate song for his passing.  I call it "Muffin's Song".

Muffin was indeed a "bodhisattva" squirrel. A being who is so kind and selfless that they come back time and again to teach lovingkindness.   



And so, his beautiful box of ashes attests to this. 
My heart is full of gratitude 
to all those who helped make this tribute possible.