Creature Thoughts: December 2009

“Creature Thoughts“

GAZEHOUND’S ANIMAL COMMUNICATION NEWS

December 2009

================================

Keeping in touch with the animals….
and the people who love them

================================

“Holiday Memories”

The Holiday Season is a time of joy, a time of stress, a time of laughter, a time of worries, a time of celebration, and often a time to reflect upon the past.  The more past we have behind us, the more we remember holidays gone by.  As the stores begin to stock Christmas items, people decorate their homes, and we start the process of shopping, it is impossible not to think about the days of our youth.  Although many adults look at the season as one of commercialism and headaches, even the most humbug of us can’t help remembering the magic of the season, pretty lights and shiny wrappings, and the anticipation and excitement of childhood.

For those of us who have made animals such an important part of our lives, many of those holiday memories include the pets of our youth.

Today, I find myself thinking of Percy.  Percy was my very first pet, a sandy-yellow cat with a white bib, belly and paws.  He came into my life when I was four years old, and my Aunt Inez’s white angora kitty had a litter of mixed-breed kittens.  Having been born an avid animal lover, I can remember begging my parents for a kitten, even at that young age, and the joy of picking out my own kitty.

Percy was my constant companion.  He would play games with me for hours on end, and I recall the adults laughing as Percy would jump out from behind a piece of furniture as I ran by, hook his claws into my footie-pajamas, and “hitch a ride”.

When I began school, Percy would spend his days sleeping on top of the television, in front of the living room window.  A few minutes before the school bus arrived at the end of the road, he’d jump up, beg to go out, and trot up the road to greet me as I got off the bus.  He followed me everywhere, even going so far as to stand up to the neighborhood dogs to make sure I didn’t get out of his sight.

Percy passed away when I was twelve.  He got into a neighbor’s basement in search of vermin, and fell ill several days later.  We surmised that he’d gotten ahold of a mouse that had ingested poison, and could not be saved.  I was devastated.

Now, many decades later, I recall Percy with such love and fondness for all he taught me, and for all he gave me.

I would love to extend an invitation to all of you, to visit this post/newsletter on my website, and in the comments area at the bottom of the page, share your memories of your first pet.

FYI NOTES and NEWS

Holiday Special on Gift Certificates!

When: November 1st through December 31st
How much: Sets of 2 gift certificates for $60.  Click to buy through Paypal
Sets of 3 gift certificates for $85.  Click to buy through Paypal
Or order by check to: Gayle Nastasi, 485 Gridley Rd, Middleburgh, NY  12122

See also: the Rates and Services page, where the special will run throughout the season.

Don’t forget, also, that gift certificates do have an expiration date. If you’ve given them as gifts, or have them tucked safely away at home, check those dates and be sure to redeem them before they expire. I’ll continue to post this reminder in each issue of “Creature Thoughts”.

New Newsletter Format Coming Soon

As of January, 2010, the Creature Thoughts newsletter will be mailed out by a new server, rather than YahooGroups.  Current subscribers should not have to do anything to implement the change.

Website Features

Challenge Games

Our fourth Challenge Game, “Picture This” is online!  Have you played yet?  Remember that it will be replaced by the next game mid-month.  Visit the site by the link above, and join us in a new intuitive experience!

Some Recent Rambles

• Giving Thanks
  
• Cheeky Little Devil: Mouse Houseguest
  
• Challenge Game #4: Picture This
  
• Friday the 13th

Polls

I have added a Poll feature in the left sidebar of the website.  The polls will change monthly. Feel free to stop by and add your vote!

Testimonials

Have I helped you with your animal friends in a way that you’d like to share with others?  You are welcome to visit the Testimonials Page, and leave a “Reply”!  I’d love to see your pets featured on the site!

And Other Stuff, too!

Don’t forget that you can always keep up with changes and info on rates, policies, and “other fun stuff” on my website, including the archives of Creature Thoughts.

Additional Web Address! In case it’s easier to remember, we have a second domain name:  AnimalCommunicator-NY.com.  Visiting that address will automatically redirect visitors to the regular website, and hopefully, it will be easier for people to write down and share.

Off-Site

E-News List

It has become more important than ever, that all of my clients are subscribed to my e-news list. Thus, whenever anyone inquires about information, or sets up an appointment, they will receive both an invitation to the list and a separate note from me letting them know they’ve been invited. I strongly encourage all my clients to stay in touch, by remaining subscribed to this list. And please feel free to forward this newsletter issue to any friends, family, and acquaintances whom you feel might be interested in joining us.

As noted above, come January 2010, I will be changing servers for my e-news list.  List members won’t have to do anything to implement the change, it will all be automatic.  If you suddenly stop receiving your Creature Thoughts newsletters, however, email me right away and I’ll try to help remedy any problems.

Free Help For Our Animal Friends at NELR

Northeast Llama Rescue and Barnyard Sanctuary and New York Wildlife Rescue (an IRS 501(c)(3) charity) accept Paypal donations through their website at http://www.redmaplefarm.net. I’ve dedicated much time and love in the past several years toward helping to build a safe place for our wild friends in need, and our livestock rescues, and am extending the offer to all of you to aid in their care as well. And now, we have a totally painless (and free) way for anyone to support the animals at NYWRC/NELR. If you sign up to shop online through iGive.com, at no cost to you, every purchase you make through the iGive gateway will earn a donation for the animals.

To sign up to shop through iGive for NYWRC:

http://www.igive.com/NYWildlifeRescueCenter

And even if you don’t sign up (but why would anyone not sign up since it’s free and painless?), you can still earn money with each internet search you do simply by logging in to the iGive search engine rather than Google or whichever other search engine you normally use:

http://www.isearchigive.com/NYWildlifeRescueCenter

I set the above link as my homepage in my browser to remind me to search through iGive and earn pennies for the animals each time I search. iGive’s usual one cent per search is doubled through the month of December, too, so get using it now while we can earn the big bucks!

================================

Gayle Nastasi (of Gazehound’s Animal Communication) is a professional animal communication consultant and writer, who hopes her connection to the animal world can serve as a way to help her fellow humans enrich their relationships with their animal companions. By better knowing our non-human friends, we ensure a kinder future for our world and we learn what it means to be a unique and essential part of all that is. Permission is given to forward this article to anyone you feel might enjoy it, as long as it is understood that copyrights are held by Gayle Nastasi, and the author’s name, and links to her website(s) are left intact. If this publication has been forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe to Gazehound’s free monthly e-newsletter, “Creature Thoughts”, just visit the newsletter link below.

——————–