Lada Ray's Blog, page 74
January 29, 2016
Patagonian Penguin Always Returns to the Human Who Saved His Life 5 Years Ago
What a beautiful story!
Reblogged from 
Talesfromthelou – view original post 251 more words
João Pereira de Souza saved the life of a small Magellanic penguin 5 years ago, and the bird has rarely left his side since. He always returns to the man’s house.
Source: Patagonian Penguin Always Returns to the Human Who Saved His Life 5 Years Ago http://www.odditycentral.com
João Pereira de Souza, a retired bricklayer from Rio de Janeiro, shares a heartwarming bond with a Magellanic penguin native to South America’s Patagonian region. For the past five years, the bird seems to have altered its natural migratory pattern just to be able to visit de Souza several times a year.
The unlikely friendship began in 2011, when de Souza found the bird, nicknamed Jinjing, soaked in oil on the beach near his house. He brought the penguin home, cleaned him up, and offered him a meal of cool sardines and…
Cute and Funny Leo the Donkey Chilling in a Hammock
Gôiania, GO, Brasil
Leo, the donkey , loves his daily hammock time.
Reblogged from Talesfromthelou: View original post
And thanks, Maddie girl: 1EarthUnited
January 6, 2016
World’s Most Stunning Ice and Snow Festival Opens in Harbin, China
Ice City in Harbin, China opened its 32nd Ice and Snow Festival on Jan. 5, 2016. And it’s cooler than ever. Most of these impressive sculptures are replicas of famous Chinese, as well as a few Russian, architectural masterpieces.
This year’s stunning sculpture parade is joined by Russia-China conferences and exhibits on economy, technology, city logistics and living in cold climates.
Video:
CNN has photo exhibit of the festival
January 4, 2016
Novogodniy Goluboy Ogonyok – Russian New Year Blue Light 2016 (all night entertainment: music, humor, parody, satire)
Watch Novogodniy Goluboy Ogonyok – Russian New Year Blue Light 2016 (all night New Year entertainment: music, humor, parody, satire, variety). Rus: Новогодний голубой огонек 2016.
This particular show, which I remember since I was a toddler, runs throughout all of New Year’s night – something like 5+ hours of pure entertainment, including stars of various genres and ages. Program is varied and includes classics, pop, Russian folk, dance and songs. There is a lot of parody and humor, usually sprinkled with light self-irony and entertaining current affairs satire. Often, old songs are given a face lift with new and funny lyrics that showcase well-known classic tunes in a new and humorous light.
Russian New Year 2016 Celebrations Continue! ‘Tis the Russian Season to be merry. The celebrations will continue through the next weekend – to celebrate Rozhdestvo (Rus Christmas). Then, we have the Old New Year, which is still celebrated by many as a reflective, nostalgic holiday. Read all about that in:
Why Russians celebrate the New Year, and not Christmas, with New Year’s Tree? The Origin of ‘Calendar’ and Christmas/New Year’s Forbidden History
I think Goluboy Ogonyok has been around since before I was born. It’s undoubtedly one of the longest running shows on the planet, if not THE longest. But every year it reinvents itself, upping the plank for jolly music, humor, parody and satire. Its audience is far beyond Russia. The best news, those of us who don’t have access to it on TV, can catch it on YT.
Goluboy Ogonyok is just one of the New Year’s lavish and flamboyant entertainment programs to help Russians and the entire Russian World to welcome the New Year in style. There is also First Night, First Day, Second Day, New Year’s Two Stars, New Year’s Star Parade, Song of the Year, KVN, various themed shows and musicals, etc, etc.
Conclusion: Russians stay thoroughly entertained throughout the entire New Year’s season. They need it, poor things! ;) The official country-wide break it till January 10 when the whole country takes off to celebrate! There are tons of parties and various live events as well.
In short, Russians are really, really spoiled that way. Anywhere in the West you could literally die of boredom throughout Christmas/New Year’s since there is absolutely nothing to do and everything everywhere is closed. Or you pay through the nose – and that’s no guarantee of quality either!
Watch Goluboy Ogonyok Part 1
The traditional opening song is a parody on the classic song ‘Five Minutes’ from the 1956 Russian classic New Year’s musicale comedy film “Carnival Night” – the new lyrics for it is written every year.
Song two is called ‘Happy The New Year’ – ‘S Novim Godom.’
Dont’ miss this one! Song three is a hilarious parody with Angela Merkel’s look-alike, set to a well-known score from the same film “Carnival Night.” Watch at 8:35. The lyrics and acting are poignantly funny. Merkel’s likeness is rather scary. Playing off the fact that she speaks Russian, Angela sings how busy German Chancellor’s year is and that she’s arrived to catch a break in Russia for New Year’s. The boys respond, with usual Russian hospitality, that she is welcome.
Angela is asked whether she’d like a traditional Russian present from Ded Moroz’s sack, or from a Western stocking. She acts demurely, pretending she doesn’t want any and says EU’s goal is to teach Russia real European values. Yes, goes on Angela, I do believe in European values, but I think I’ll take the whole presents’ sack anyway. “La, la, la, la, la, how rich is Russian land,” sing the boys. On second thought, says Angela, I think I want the stocking, too.
Then Angela is asked if she’d like to drink vodka or champagne. She picks champagne because, she says, ‘it contains Russian gas.’ She’s very disappointed when she finds out that champagne contains no Russian oil, gas, nor other natural resources.
How are you doing as a result of anti-Russian sanctions, asks Angela. “We’re paying Russian cash,” reply the boys. “We’re happy to see all our guests and share our joy with all for real, not on credit. La, la, la, la, la, la – not for profit, but for fun.” “This can’t be!” replies Angela. “Believe it or not, it does!” sing the boys.
“Enough boring topics,” says Angela. “I came to Russian because you are much more fun. Let me play this merry tune for you.” Plays balalaika and dances.
“We are singing with Frau Angela,” sing the boys. Angela sings, “The entire Earth dances.” All: “La, la, la, la, la, la, the entire Earth dances.”
Cute number at 23:40 with singer Vaenga and a ballet dancer, combining song and a bit of ballet.
Check out all three parts of this all-night show!
Part 1
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Part 2
(skipped this part as the YT post has corrupted sound – may post later if corrected version appears)
Part 3
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Here is also 2015-16 New Year Star Parade (song/dance/variety/light entertainment/humor, satire) – “Hовогодний парад звезд 2015-2016″ Николай Басков и Филипп Киркоров ведущие
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Related posts:
How Russians Celebrate New Year: Happy NY 2014!
Watch Morozko (Father Frost) and Other Favorite Russian New Year’s Fairytales and Songs
New Year’s Moscow Spectacular!
How Earth Shift Report Was Born + 2015 Bestseller List
Why Russians celebrate the New Year, and not Christmas, with New Year’s Tree? The Origin of ‘Calendar’ and Christmas/New Year’s Forbidden History
Happy Holidays from FuturisTrendcast and Earth Shift Report!
December 31, 2015
New Year’s Moscow Spectacular!
REBLOGGED FROM FUTURISTRENDCAST!
C Новым Годом 2016!
S NOVIM GODOM! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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Watch the videos of the New Year’s Eve in lit-up Moscow
(drone footage)
Watch more vids of New Year’s 2016 in Moscow!
Watch Morozko (Father Frost) and Other Favorite Russian New Year’s Fairytales and Songs!
REBLOGGED FROM FUTURISTRENDCAST!
A NEW YEAR’S TREAT FOR MY READERS!
New Year is the year’s biggest holiday in Russia. There are lots of very dood movies, cartoons, concerts and various songs/performances that are dedicated to it.
One of the eternal classics is the old Russian fairytale made into a film in 1964, MOROZKO, for some reason translated to English as Jack Frost, but better translated as Father Frost.
Watch MOROZKO here with English subs! (TIP: if your Eng subs don’t work, click on CC button on the bottom right of your Youtube screen.)
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A couple of uplifting New Year’s songs from the fantasy film CHARODEI (Wizards), produced on Odessa Movie Studio in 1984. These songs are also classics with huge following throughout the world.
‘Three White Horses – December, January and February’ (in other words, the legendary Russian Troika):
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‘Snezhinka’ (snow flake), or ‘When the clock strikes Midnight’
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To watch other lovely New Year’s fairytales with Eng subs:
TWELVE MONTHS and SNEGUROCHKA (The Snow Maiden)
December 29, 2015
The Cutest Vid For Animal Lovers! Baby Otter Sleeps on Mommy’s Tummy
We are continuing our tradition of posting sweet animal vids for the New Year’s holiday, to remind ourselves of how beautiful and peaceful the world around us can be, if we make it so. Last year we had a visit from Mission Impossible: Squirrel Edition – something that would make you smile. :)
Today, we have a visit from a cute otter family. This really is the most adorable video of a baby otter peacefully sleeping on her mommy’s tummy, while they both float in a river, close, but unafraid of humans.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
FUN COUNTDOWN TO NEW YEAR 2016!
How does Russia celebrate New Year – the most important holiday of the year? More cool Russian New Year’s posts coming!
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Check out
2015-2016 HOLIDAY SEASON SPECIAL
YOUR PERSONAL FENG SHUI HARMONIZATION™ REPORT
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December 23, 2015
Happy Holidays from Lada Ray!
Full post on FuturisTrendcast!
Happy New Year! Russian vintage New Year’s poster depicting Ded Moroz and Snegurochka (Father Frost and the Snow Maiden). In Russia the New Year’s, not Christmas, is celebrated with a New Year’s Tree, Ded Moroz and Snegurochka
Ded Moroz riding the traditional Russian Troika sled
Dear readers and friends!
Wishing you a joyful Holiday Season and peaceful New Year 2016!
2015 has been a mixed year. Keeping our personal inner balance has been often difficult and emotionally draining while being in the midst of the all-encompassing Earth Shift in all spheres of human life. Many conflicting and violent forces have interfered with the steady and measured pace of life, to which many of us had been accustomed previously. The world that we had known as children is changing fast and there is no turning back. Humanity is being asked to make hard, but necessary, choices.
Online workshops sneak peek:
In addition to FuturisTrendcast free articles and Earth Shift Reports, next year we are planning exciting new online workshops. Workshop announcements will begin appearing in March 2016! All workshops will be announced on LadaRay.info.
More coming this Christmas – New Year’s week!
Throughout the last week of the departing Year 2015, we plan the year wrap-up, complete with Earth Shift Report bestseller list. In the spirit of the Holiday giving, we’ll publish on FT some select free excerpts from Lada’s Earth Shift Reports so that a wider audience could benefit from this information.
One of FT’s perennial topics, Ukraine, is again hitting up. The topic of concern is energy-dependency and everything to do with Russia, Crimea and EU during the cold winter ahead. Is Ukraine holding everyone hostage due to energy terrorism and bankruptcy? Another topic is Ukraine’s default, which will officially take place on December 31. What will Russia do about $3bln Ukraine owes and how will IMF handle this situation. How dangerous is Ukraine’s default to the global financial system? We’ll try to publish some new important info on FT soon. More in-depth revelations will arrive in the form of the new Earth Shift Reports: Crimean Agenda and Black Sea Gambit.
Another rewarding way to support us: by buying Lada Ray books!
Incidentally, The Earth Shifter, since its release in the end of 2012 has been consistently on Amazon top-rated list. For those who don’t know, we offer free extensive excerpts from all 5 of Lada’s books.
A few days ago we had a sudden spike in readership of The Earth Shifter excerpt. This excerpt is always popular and often makes Today’s Top 10 list on FT. But this spike was unusual, at one point pushing it to the top of the Top 10 list. Thousands of people read it in the course of a couple of days. The beginning of the book has to do with Tunguska Meteorite and the curious event in the 1908 Vatican, followed by the gathering of the mysterious Earth Keepers, deciding whether to allow this human civilization to continue.
Just wondering whether the spike in readership is connected with the Pope’s unusual and dire pre-Christmas warning that this Christmas could be the last one for mankind, if humans don’t wake up? The Earth Shifter is just such a prophetic warning for mankind. Except, the book was written between 2007 and 2012. And unlike Pope’s, it ends on a cautiously optimistic note.
Last but not least!
Throughout 2015 we have offered Lada Ray Global Online Consultations. Presently full written consultations are closed to celebrate both Russian and Chinese New Year. We expect Lada’s Classic Feng Shui Consultations and best-selling Earth & Personal Shift Consultations to reopen next February-March. Next year we plan Skype consults, in addition to online workshops. Read full Holiday Announcement and all about Consultations.
But here is the best news! This Holiday Season Lada offers a special:
YOUR PERSONAL FENG SHUI HARMONIZATION™ REPORT
$69.88
2015-2016 HOLIDAY SEASON SPECIAL
(available December 18, 2015 – February 28, 2016)
Use this report to help turn around OR enhance various areas of your life & luck in the coming year!
Usher in the Year 2016 & Chinese New Year of the Monkey in style!
Unique & rewarding New Year 2016 gift for you & your loved ones!
Valuable & auspicious Chinese New Year of the Monkey Gift!
Great value & lots of fun!
Your comprehensive Personal Feng Shui Harmonization Report will arrive to you via email.
It will provide guidance on how you can best tap into your personal Earthly luck, enhance your existence by using your auspicious colors, harmonize your feng shui power elements and capitalize on your success directions.
In addition, this easy to understand report is full of valuable and important Feng Shui info distilled for you by Lada in a convenient and compact format. It includes your very own mini-course in the main schools of the Classic Compass Feng Shui, combined with Lada Ray’s enlightened and forward-looking approach.
UNIQUE & REWARDING NEW YEAR 2016 GIFT FOR YOU & YOUR LOVED ONES! To receive your personal report in time for New Year’s (arrival by Dec 30, 2015) – order by Dec. 25!
TREAT YOURSELF TO A VALUABLE AND AUSPICIOUS CHINESE NEW YEAR GIFT! Chinese new year of the Monkey begins on February 8, 2016. The traditional celebrations will last for 15 days: February 8 – 23. To receive your personal report by Chinese New Year’s Eve, February 7, order by January 31, 2016!
ORDER ANY TIME! Or you can order any time throughout this Holiday Season (up to February 28, 2016) to usher in the New Year of the Monkey in style, to properly prepare for the Year 2016 ahead and for the rest of your life!
MORE INFO on YOUR PERSONAL FENG SHUI HARMONIZATION!
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Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!
Russian New Year’s in pics:
Lots more Russian New Year’s pics and international holiday vids here!
Read complete post on FuturisTrendcast!
September 24, 2015
Beautiful Story! Princess Lila’s Last Gift: Lola and her Kittens
This newly written story is part of my Lilechka Tribute Series. It picks up where my previous story Princess Lila and I left off. This story is also my contribution to the worldwide #LightForPets Remember Me Thursday – the pet adoption day.
Princess Lila’s Last Gift: Lola and her Kittens
Her name at birth was Tiger Lily due to her striking tortoiseshell coloring. When I adopted her, somehow, the original name fell by the wayside and I called her Lily Cat, or affectionately, Lilechka. But as she grew, in that small body, covered with soft a silky fur, a great spirit started emerging. Without any effort, she became Princess Lila. She was my loyal and loving companion and super-familiar for almost 20 years.
Before leaving us, Lilechka left some precious gifts. One was the gift of love she poured out in her last days, hanging on for an extra day and night because she saw how deeply upset I was she may leave us. She masterminded her last days and the days after she would be gone with precision, and she made it happen in the exact way she wanted to go. Behind her, she left the lingering blessing of her love.
We realized all that only after the events of the end of April 2014 took place. At the time, things were moving so fast that there was not a moment when we could distance ourselves from what was happening to think and reflect.
Another of Princess Lila’s gifts was of a much more physical nature. This story is about that gift.
The winter of 2013-2014 was harsh. Snow and ice covered our yard and driveway most of the time. We had to constantly plow and clear the ice. For the first time ever, our car skidded and got stuck in the icy hilly driveway. It took us hours to crush the ice and get it moving again.
Only by the end of March the sun finally warmed up the land enough to melt the last ice and snow. By mid-April our garden started blooming with some early blooms and the sun was again in abundance. By then, the gentle spring rays sent enough warmth so that both birds and animals started feeling the call to bask in the sun.
Lilechka, who turned 19 on August 9th 2013, stayed inside all winter. She was always a small kitty, but that winter she was slowly getting thinner and thinner. When we purchased the house, one of the main attractions were the two spacious covered porches – in the front and in the back. Lilechka loved staying on a porch during all seasons to get some air and to survey the neighborhood. Because of our climate, covered porches were a must, so she could come out whenever she pleased, despite the weather.
In her younger years, Lilechka was very adventurous. As she aged, she became more and more an indoor cat, preferring either to cuddle by a warm radiant heater, or to sleep on top of my desk, on her favorite pillow. But coming out for some fresh air and lounge on the porch remained her sacred daily ritual.
That last winter she didn’t come out once. Instead, she tried to seek out the precious little sun wherever she could find it. She had taken to sleeping on the dining room rug, warmed up by the small rectangle of sun in the morning.
She also ate less, often refusing to finish her food. We fed her a balanced diet of dry and healthy wet food, as well as frequent treats of chicken, turkey and deserts of cream or cream cheese. She always liked variety. But that winter she stopped eating dry food altogether. We understood that it was getting hard for her to chew and started putting her unfinished dry food dishes out in the back porch, in case some other kitty or animal needed food. We always found the dish licked clean, but we never met the invisible kitty responsible for that.
By spring, Lilechka was often leaving most of her wet food on the plate as well. We started putting her dishes out on the back porch more and more often. Same result – they always were cleaned to a shine. By April, we were feeding her almost exclusively with very finely minced, soft chicken because she was refusing any other food. She was leaving more and more on her plate, and we started getting worried. Perhaps we needed to change her diet? While we started exploring her diet options, we were observing her closely. She was extremely sensitive to pet clinics, and she was always extremely healthy, so we decided to hold off talking to a vet, unless we really had to.
Meanwhile, we continued putting out full dishes regularly, and the food on them disappeared overnight like a clockwork.
In mid-April, Lilechka started coming out to bask in the sun, sitting on the warm garden soil, among the first spring blooms. The weather was changing rapidly to some very pleasant, temperate one, and we hoped that as the summer drew nearer, Lilechka would be feeling better and better. Indeed, her appetite seemed to somewhat come back.
Once I observed her siting in the back garden, while two neighborhood kitties approached. One kitty was a gray tabby and another black. The visiting kitties were non-aggressive and they seemed shy. They stopped at a distance when they saw Lilechka. Then, there was some sort of silent exchange between the parties. Lilechka stared at them, while they stood and stared back. Then Lilechka produced a mew. The two kitties silently turned around and left our backyard.
One day, we had the door to the back porch semi-open, while cooking chicken. As the smells of chicken wafted into the air, we expected Lilechka to show up in the kitchen, as she always did when the delicious food smells tickled her delicate nose.
Instead of Lilechka, we suddenly saw the short-haired gray kitty in our back porch. She slowly approached the back door and stood at the threshold, expectantly. Lilechka showed up in the kitchen and again, there was a silent exchange between the two. Then the gray kitty backed off, but stayed in the back porch.
We gave Lilechka her finely minced chicken and then, we minced more chicken for the gray kitty, who patiently awaited her cut. The gray kitty on the porch gobbled up everything on the plate with the ultrasound speed and looked up at us. “Can I have some more, please?” was saying her whole demeanor.
We gave her more. She finished the second round just as quickly, but stayed on the porch. When Lilechka ate her fill, we gave the gray kitty Lily’s leftovers, and she finished that off as well.
She remained on the porch, looking at me with her big, intelligent eyes, still hoping for more.
“Sorry,” I said. “We didn’t count on a guest. There is no more chicken left. Come back tomorrow.”
She left reluctantly. That night I put out a full dish of dry food. By the morning it was all gone. Again, we made fresh chicken for Lilechka, hoping that the new diet would make her stronger and she would recover. Indeed it seemed the case. She was eating better, went out more and seemed to get stronger.
The gray tabby showed up again, and again we gave her some chicken and dry food. She kept coming back day after day, eating everything we gave her, be it dry or wet food, or chicken, with equally ravenous hunger.
One day, Lilechka finished her meal and decided to come out to sit in the back garden. The gray kitty, as usual, was hanging out in the back porch. Lilechka emitted a mew, meaning basically, “Hey, it’s still my property; do you mind?”
Again, there was a silent exchange between them, which I understood fully only after what happened later. Lilechka was saying, “I am still here. You can come and eat, but you cannot take over until I am gone. Remember, it’s still my domain.”
The gray kitty understood and backed off into a far away corner of the porch, where she waited for her cut.
After I made sure Lilechka was comfortable in the garden, I turned to the gray. “Now it’s your turn,” I said. Putting her food on her plate, I added quietly, “You are welcome to come here and eat any time, sweetie, but please do not upset Lilechka while she is not feeling well, ok?” The kitty looked at me with her intelligent eyes, and I knew she understood perfectly.
For a couple more days we had a gentleman’s agreement, according to which our visiting gray kitty waited discretely in the front porch until Lilechka ate and went to bask in the garden sun. Then she would come to the back porch and I would feed her to her heart’s content.
We were happy to feed this kitty, who was in such apparent need of nurturing. She always ate as if she was storing food like a camel, for the future use. We felt that unspoken agreement developed between the two cats. Something like this: “Lilechka to gray: you can have my extra food, I don’t eat that much any more.”
The tabby gratefully accepted everything we gave her, but once she was full, she never lingered. I often would come out on the back porch, hoping to pet her and talk to her after her meal, but the moment her third or fourth helping was finished, she immediately disappeared in the unknown direction.
And then, on April 29th 2014, Lilechka was suddenly gone. It was a crushing blow, something for which I was completely unprepared. With sorrow and tears, the guilt settled in. What have we done wrong? What could have we done differently to keep her going? Maybe we could have done this, or that…
The guilt was a road to nowhere. We understood that intellectually, but especially at night, my sorrow overwhelmed me. Even my hubby, who wasn’t usually prone to sadness, shed a tear.
The gray tabby continued religiously coming to the back porch for her chicken fix. Her presence proved a great distraction from our sadness. She ate even more ravenously than before, and we found ourselves busy cooking chicken every day. She always consumed that chicken as if she hadn’t eaten for a month. That little kitty ate more than a grown man – bowlfuls of freshly made chicken disappeared in her belly like they were nothing.
When we were preoccupied with Lilechka, we didn’t have the time to question why this kitty ate so much. At first we choked it up to the fact that she probably liked chicken too much and that she probably had a very difficult winter. She didn’t seem thin. But perhaps the food she usually ate wasn’t as nutritious? That still didn’t explain just why she ate such unusually large amounts of food, and she wasn’t telling us.
But since her appetite didn’t abate, we started looking deeper into the reason. I already understood that Lilechka had an unspoken agreement with this kitty in need that she could stay here after Lilechka was gone, but not before. It was becoming apparent to me that our smart Princess Lila had timed everything to perfection.
Still, even I had no idea how many more surprises she had in store for us.
The gray kitty was now letting me pet her. I did that as much as I could while she was eating. It really helped me forget my sorrow. Now she didn’t rush to leave our back porch quite as quickly as before, but she still left shortly after having finished all her food. “Look at you,” I remarked to her reproachfully. “You just come here, eat and leave. It’s not so nice of you. You could stay a little longer, you know.”
We started looking forward to the gray’s visits every day. Lilechka’s fur was rich, soft and silky. Petting this kitty was a different experience. She was short-haired, with fur tough like a bristle; her coat was a lovely looking gray stripes; she looked at us with her cute, expressive face and steady, intelligent eyes.
A couple of days after Lilechka’s passing, as I was petting her, the gray kitty raised her head and gave me a look of adoration. As she did, I noticed something strange. There were some bald spots that looked like large red sores on both sides of her mouth, where her whiskers were. I knew something was wrong and I tried to look closer. But she didn’t want to stay still. I asked for my hubby’s help and together we were able to determine that those indeed were raw sores flanking her mouth on both sides.
“Sweetie,” I addressed the kitty. “Has someone been abusing you? Has someone plucked your whiskers out and made these sores?” The kitty looked at us, but said nothing. We decided to examine her closer to make sure she was alright otherwise. I scratched her under her chin to help her relax, and as I did, I felt a large patch of missing fur on her upper front chest. It wasn’t noticeable when you looked at her, being covered by the rest of her fur, unless you literally stumbled upon it.
I parted the fur to examine the bald patch. It was covered by tough skin and appeared to have healed. “It’s probably an old battle wound,” commented my hubby. “And the sores around her mouth could be from lack of good nutrition, and stress.”
“I hope it’s not something worse than that,” I said.
We treated her sores with colloidal silver, a wonderful holistic remedy that worked well on various infections. For years we successfully treated Lilechka whenever she would get an eye infection, which she was prone to in her later years. A small drop of colloidal silver got rid of such infection in one day.
I turned to the kitty. “Darling, if anyone is mistreating you wherever you live, you are welcome to come and stay here any time. We’ll protect you.” She looked at me steadily, and as she did, an idea floated into my mind.
“Wait a minute,” I said, trying to lift her. “I suspect I know why she eats so much.” She was heavy and being used to Lilechka’s feather-weight, I couldn’t hold her as she started slipping out of my hands. But I lifted her enough to see her tummy.
There were protruding pink nipples covering her entire underside. Our mystery cat was a nursing mommy.
I looked her in the eye and said again, “Sweetie, you can come here for food any time, or if you need anything else, just let us know. We’ll take care of you.”
Next morning, she showed up earlier than usual.
“You are early today, sweetie,” I told her. “We haven’t started cooking chicken yet.”
“Mew,” she replied. That was the first time I ever heard her voice. It was a nice, melodic sound, if a bit low. “Mew,” she said again and did something that reminded me of Lilechka. When Lila wanted us to follow her somewhere, she would mew, look at us, then jerk her head in the direction she wanted us to go and start running in that direction. It sounded like, “C’mon, follow me, I need to show you something important over there.” We loved it when she did it. It was just so awfully cute.
Lola did something very similar. I followed her as she led me to the azalea bushes in the front yard. She glanced at me periodically to make sure I was with her.
“What did you want to show me, darling?” I asked, as we approached our blooming azaleas, which covered the entire perimeter of the front porch, providing a splash of color and lots of added privacy. She silently stood facing the bushes, as if saying, “Just look inside.” I obediently crouched down in front of the low stone wall framing the bushes and peered inside the dense vegetation. In the murky shelter of our azaleas I saw movement. When I looked closer, I clearly distinguished two tiny kittens who made themselves comfortable in the roomy shelter of the bush. One was gray, with very unusual wide swirly stripes, and another black, with charming snow cap paws and matching white ascot, similar to Lilechka’s. I was looking at the kittens mesmerized as they sat inside the bush, staring back.
“Wow, darling, you do have kittens, and they are so pretty. You are a lucky momma.” I called my hubby and we both marveled at the kittens. She listened to our superlatives with delight and smiled. As her smile got wider, I noticed that her mouth sores were starting to heal. I made a mental note to keep treating her with silver.
“Ok,” I said. “Looks like they are safe in the bush for now. We’ll figure out later where to put them. Now, how about I go cook some chicken for you. Clearly you need to eat for three. No wonder you’ve been so ravenous.”
I went back inside to make her some chicken, while she silently disappeared. One hour later, she still wasn’t in the back porch, which was strange. I went to the front to check up on the two kittens. When I looked inside the azalea bush, there were four kittens.
I examined the street to see if she was around. Instead I saw a lady who walked up to me and said, “This kitty has been bringing her kittens to your front yard all morning, did you know? I live at the end of the street and I’ve noticed her walking past my window, carrying them one by one in her mouth. She just carried one and dropped him on the street. He was probably the heaviest. Then she picked him up again and kept hauling him here.”
“Yes,” I said, “I told her to bring them here. They seem to need a home and they are welcome to stay.”
I went back to the kitchen, and several minutes later, she was in the back porch, hungrier than ever. After she ate, we both went to the front and now there were five kittens playing and sleeping inside that welcoming azalea bush.
“You are so smart, aren’t you,” I said to her. “You first made sure we realized that you were a nursing mommy. Then you brought us two of your cutest babies, to make sure we liked them. I notice that the first two kittens are also the smallest, so they were the easiest to carry. You needed to make sure we wouldn’t object. After you saw how happy we were to see them, you brought the rest.”
She sat and looked at me, smiling mysteriously. And at that moment her name popped into my head. I knew that her name was Lola.
From that moment on, Lola and her kittens stayed with us. At first we were unprepared for such an invasion. But the days were lovely, and getting warmer, and the six cats really enjoyed our front porch.
Lola and her five kittens sleeping on our porch:
For years, Lilechka remained our only kitty. We were completely unequipped to deal with six cats. While we were thinking where and how to best accommodate them, the playing kittens and their momma on our front porch attracted a lot of attention from the neighbors. Mobs of people began ogling them standing by our low front stone wall. People climbed up onto the porch to take their pictures and to leave them some food. Someone started dropping open cans with cat food into the bushes, probably thinking they were starving, thus polluting our property. More than once we had to clean out those cans of dirty food from the bushes.
No question, the kittens and Lola were adorable. But it was really getting out of control. We were forced to hang a sign: “Private property, no trespassing!”
We were busy organizing a play pen for Lola’s brood in the back porch and cooking for the nursing momma-cat. As she continued nursing, she ate so much that at one point we made her chicken three times a day. The kittens were starting to eat regular food as well. We welcomed being constantly busy. It took our minds off our sudden loss. Only at night the sorrow for Lilechka came flooding back.
I started spending more time playing, taking pictures and shooting videos of the playing kittens, who grew happy and were getting more and more adorable by the minute. Lola was happy seeing her kittens well fed and playful.
As I observed them play, I started giving them names that went with their personalities and looks. The very first kitten Lola brought to us became my favorite. He was the best adjusted of all, the most playful and the cutest. I named him Tigger for his cuteness and bold swirly stripes.
This is Tigger:
The second kitten she brought to us became Yin-Yang for his striking black fur and contrasting white ascot and paws.
This is Yin-Yang:
Cute pics of Yin-Yang and Tigger, who loved to hang out together, and Lola the mommy cat:
Then there was Shadow, who was completely black, undoubtedly taking after his daddy.
This is Shadow:
The last two were very close in coloring. They were definitely momma’s boys. One had striped markings similar to Lola’s, but his fur had a grayish-peach shade. I named him Peach. The last kitten – the one that was the heaviest, and whom Lola dropped while carrying him to our home, had ta pretty bluish-gray shade to his fur. He also had very striking blue eyes. All five kittens had gorgeous blue eyes, but that one stood out. After much hesitation, I finally called him Blue.
All five kittens sleeping together on our porch. Blue and Peach are upfront:
Lola nursing the kittens. Peach, Blue and Yin-Yang are on top:
My hubby and I sometimes gathered in the front porch and watched the kittens play with each other, or eat, or simply rest huddled together, in one big fluffy fur ball.
One day several people walked up to our porch and told us Lola’s story. They lived a block away. Their neighbor had a cat who had a litter. Lola was one of that litter. When the woman moved away, she took her cat with her, but left the litter behind. The poor kitties had to fend for themselves. These nice people let Lola stay on their porch with her kittens. But their house was already full with their own several cats and a dog, so they couldn’t let her inside.
Generally, their quarters were cramped and not in very good condition. No wonder our smart Lola chose to move to our house.
“She is much better off here,” said the man. “You have no idea how crowded it is on our side. Everyone has at least a few cats. They are vying for space and food. But here, there is so much more space and privacy for them.”
As we were talking, the kittens played on the grass. “They are happy here,” he added.
“They’ve moved up the social ladder,” his wife joked.
As we talked, a car pulled up to the curb. A small woman came out, explaining that she had been bringing food for the kittens. I thanked her, asking her not to do that any more as they were fully taken care of.
The cat lady explained that she was helping kittens to be neutered and adopted into good homes. After Lola stops nursing, she said, her kittens and herself need to be taken to the vet and neutered. And I can help them get adopted as well, she added.
She would help pay, she said, to take Lola and the kittens to the vet. They needed to do some tests to see if they had worms.
“They have no worms,” I blurted out. “I guarantee it. I would have felt it if Lola or the kittens did. She is generally very healthy,” I added, “except for those terrible mouth sores.”
“What sores?”
I explained that when Lola first showed up she had raw sores around her mouth, but after we treated them with silver, they vanished within two days. She looked at me incredulously. It appears she had never heard about colloidal silver, or that sores could be gone so fast.
I thanked her and took her number. Still mourning Lilechka, at that point we were uncertain how we wanted to proceed. We knew that Lola was a precious kitty, who could make anyone very happy. The kittens, especially my favorite Tigger, were adorable, and we didn’t see any problem finding them loving homes, if we had to.
The six cats were a handful. They kept us busy all day as we moved furniture and re-purposed our huge back porch as a cozy playpen for the kittens and our dinette as their feeding area. But keeping ourselves busy and being around all that young, pulsing energy let us forget our sudden loss.
We were extremely grateful for the distraction, realizing now full well our Princess Lila masterminded her last gift of Lola and the kittens. Lilechka knew we would be heartbroken losing her; she anticipated we would need a distraction, and she obviously wanted to help Lola get a better home. The young and playful energy of Lola’s kittens, and Lola’s calm and grateful demeanor did a lot to make us feel better.
We stopped feeling guilty, irrationally second guessing ourselves about what we could have done differently to keep Lilechka alive a bit longer. We understood that she knew it was her time to go and that she went in the exact way and at the exact time she had wanted.
As the always hungry five kittens and their nursing mommy kept us working, we noticed that a healing of the recent wound started taking place. Again I marveled at how amazingly everything fell in place. If not for Lola and her kittens, I know the wound would have festered a lot longer and with much more pain.
We also marveled at how well Lila and Lola organized the whole thing, how gently and gradually, only when we were ready, Lola broke the news of her kittens to us.
We toyed with the idea of keeping Lola and Tigger, while getting the rest adopted. As all six started feeling quite at home in our house, wandering around and exploring, I couldn’t stop being amazed at how smart Lola was, almost Princess Lila smart. She would silently ask me to take a tour of the house, jerking her head in the direction of the second floor and looking back at me – are you with me? As she walked into a room, she would look up at me as if saying, I could see myself in this room. What about you?
I really wanted to. Yet, every time I looked at her, I saw Lilechka.
It was still too close, and too raw. I would never look at Lola on her own merits, I realized. This rare feline, so beautifully calm, intelligent, caring and brave, deserved more than just being Princess Lila’s shadow. Lola and I often had silent conversations. She was good at silent communication – that I noticed since her stealth psychic exchanges with Princess Lila. I was pretty sure Lola understood how I felt.
We also knew that within a couple of years we would be moving again. Our many moves were always hard on our Lilechka, but she bravely endured them, for us. I didn’t want to do this to Lola and Tigger.
We finally decided to foster them while Lola was nursing, and then give them all up for adoption to good homes with the help of the nice cat lady we had met. We got attached to our six kitties and we knew we would miss them terribly. But it was the best and most reasonable thing to do for all.
Clearly, the Cat Goddess, assisted by the godmother, Princess Lila, was looking out for our Lola and her kittens. This, once upon a time abandoned, homeless kitty, who had to survive on someone’s dilapidated porch even in the coldest of winters, had experienced a complete turnaround.
Lola and Tigger were adopted together by the cat lady’s friend, who had a big yard and lots of space for them to roam around. Yin-Yang and Blue were adopted together for a little girl and a little boy. Shadow, the black kitten, was adopted right away as well. Peach lingered the longest, but later he was also adopted by a nice family.
Lola’s terrible mouth sores had completely healed and we spoiled her so much with all that chicken that in the end she couldn’t look at it any more. The vet who neutered her gave her a clean bill of health. No worms, no sores, no problems. The kittens were as healthy and happy as they could be. How did you do it? The cat lady and the vet asked us. It appeared they expected worms and other problems.
We thought we didn’t really do anything special. Perhaps we just poured out on Lola and her kittens all the love that was once reserved for Lilechka.
And love heals all.
Post Scriptum
This is part of the story of Princess Lila and her many gifts. I hope you enjoyed the inspiring story of Lola and her five kittens. One day, I plan to publish a book about Lilechka, whose working title is PRINCESS LILA’S LAST GIFT.
We expect to be moving again next year. It will be a big move and we’ve decided to hold off on adopting a kitty till after we’ve settled down. My hubby wants an orange kitty (he has always been secretly in love with Garfield). I am dreaming of a white kitty. Two would be nice, so they can play with each other, but maybe we’ll also get a black kitty as well, to remind us of Princess Lila’s cosmic spirit as a giant Black Panther (read about that in Princess Lila and I).
Three kitties are even better than two, don’t you think? ;)
We are keeping our options open, while keeping our eyes and ears open as well. We know, our life will lead us to the right kitties at the right time.
For now, when we go for our long walks around the city, we meet a lot of beautiful cats of all colors and breeds. They usually run to us and we get to pet them to our – and their – hearts content. These precious kitties would run to me and my hubby, their tails up in the air, with a little curl at the tip (a sign of respect); they would roll on the ground, exposing their belly and asking to be petted. They would snuggle against our legs and jump on our lap. The city where we live is kind and welcoming, and local house kitties feel quite at home on its shady streets. On our walks we also meet a lot of beautiful dogs and get to pet them, too.
It always amazes me how much unconditional love animals have. They pour out all that affection on us, humans, asking for very little in return – that we love them back.
#LightForPets #cats #animalrescue #animalprotection #petadoption #love #compassion
Copyright 9/24/2015 Lada Ray
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This story is part of the LILECHKA TRIBUTE series. For animal and Earth lovers, please check out my Animals & Mother Earth page.
As a big animal lover, in my books animals and pets play a prominent role.
STEPFORD USA is a charming and humorous mystery. It’s in big part about a smart cat named Princess Lily and brave dog named James.
Princess Lily makes a comeback in the Amazon/Kindle bestselling sequel mystery thriller GOLD TRAIN (Accidental Spy Russia Adventure).
My short novelette, CATHARSIS (Legend of the Lemurians), in a mystical story of a great cosmic journey, and it’s also about hope and faith against all odds. But in big part, it is also a warning against destructive human behavior, containing a description of what can happen when humans have the wrong priorities and when they completely stop caring about animals.
Last, but not least, THE EARTH SHIFTER is a consistently top-rated spiritual and mystical tale of the Earth Shift, through which we all are going at this time. Most of the animals in this novel are the power spirit animals, helping the chosen ones to fulfill their destiny. However, the book also includes a touching real story of the two lost Siberian tigers.
Extensive excerpts can be found here! Book descriptions here. Please click on links above to find these books on Amazon, or on banner below to go to Lada Ray’s Author Amazon page!
September 8, 2015
#LightForPets: Remember Me Thursday on Sep. 24, 2015
#cats #animalprotection #compassion #kindness
Who will be a #LightForPets on September 24? Will it be you? https://youtu.be/E_ctGu3VAtk
Use #LightForPets with your personal pet adoption story to help orphan pets find homes.
The Remember Me Thursday® global awareness campaign encourages individuals to light a candle this day (literally or virtually) and to opt to adopt, reducing the millions of orphan pets euthanized each year.
Learn more at http://www.remembermethursday.org.
Unite with pet-lovers and animal welfare organizations around the globe on Thursday, September 24, 2015 (the fourth Thursday of September, annually) , with a worldwide pet candle-lighting ceremony.
The candles, lit on the exact same day across the world, honor the millions of pets who lose their lives without the benefit of a loving home and shine a light on the millions of healthy pets who are still awaiting adoption.
