My name is Cat,and this is a blog I have needed to do for a while now, since moving from my former home in Rupert,Quebec,  to this lovely house we very gratefully call OwlHaven. Professionally, I'm a clinical herbalist specializing in dogs and cats, I love animals more than anything on earth, and I love herbs, trees, music, food, walking with the spirits, greatly. I live with two old dogs, five feline social misfits, a shy but good natured ball python, and Korky, the African Grey parrot. More on all of this, but to start, I thought I'd relate the story of this blog's name, and how it came to be.

A long time ago, I came to live in a small house on a swampy stream, in the woods of West Quebec, and for a time was distanced from all the things I had been engaged in - university, playing bass in my band, socializing, working part time in the local Occult Shoppe...I was alone, in this small house, isolated, with just my partner, who was gone a lot of the time in those days, working. I had cats, had always had cats, but my lifestyle hadn't really been suitable for a dog. And nor was I really looking for one, on that May Full Moon I found Lila wandering the backroads near my sister in law's house, five months old and scared of her own shadow. (Lila's story is detailed and radically important to me, so I'll save that fuller version for later).The main thing is, I found this terrified puppy, and fell so hard in love, my whole world changed and my life began to revolve around her, and not *just* her, but dogs in general.That was 25 years ago,and Lila was my first canine soulmate,she brought me to Tellington Touch (more on that later, too) to natural health and eventually nutrition, she was the impetus for my switching my herbal focus started in the mid eighties, to animals, at least professionally. But more than all that she was the Opener of the Way, internally, spiritually, she brought the healing I needed, as a damaged child, as a confused young woman, it was simply this love, companionship, the pure joy of dogs, that she brought, that began the process  that's still in action today, as I spend Daniel's last days (months! years?) with him, hoping to learn some grace and something about loss, gratitude and the nature of love.



But whoa, I'm way ahead, again.  I was trying to get to, the name of this blog, and it's tied to Lila, but so many digressions along the way. Lila and I spent 5 years in that house, The Swamp as we not-always-affectionately called it, and much of that time was painful for me, with illness, isolation, working through trauma - but always, there was Lila, that smile, poise, sweetness.I began to learn the power and beauty of solitude, inwardness, contemplation...mostly walking with eher through the forests that surrounded us on three sides, learning the trees, plants, and birds of the area, but often just Being , Listening, no goal or agenda at all, other than to take it all in with awe and appreciation.  On one of our snowier walks,  we were sitting on a stump, blissfully watching the sky, when a large crown flew onto a branch quite close, and sat surveying us meaningfully. I looked at Bo (one of my 100 nicknames for Lila) and said, "hhhmmm, the rhyme tells us that 'One Crow is Sorrow' - let's switch that around. I'm going to declare, right now, that One Crow is Joy!"

She smiled approvingly, the crow winked and flew away, seemingly gratified that the stupid human had got the message.

A week later I received a card in the mail (remember when people still sent cards?) depicting a lone crow in a tall pine, much like the one my crow had perched on, silhouetted against a huge full moon.
I decided then and there that "One Crow, Joy" would be the name of my book about dogs...about the way dogs bring joy to us in all kinds of situations... it was meant to focus on how dogs possess this indefatigable joy, happiness, good will, love of life -  as a species, and with consideration for all they give us, this to me is their greatest gift of all. Lila's joy in living carried me through such pain and disorientation as my body began to betray me, my life's plans all fell down around me and I felt such pain, emotionally and spiritually. She taught me about love, and the power of "positivity" long before the craze for a shallower, self centred version of this idea became popular...she was the bearer of much wisdom, a Master Teacher of love. Twenty five years later, 11 past her crossing over, I am faced with some serious health challenges, two very old dogs, and a need to work fulltime, basically, till I die. I have never felt the need for the message of hope as strongly as I do now - balanced, non-toxic positivity - love, gratitude and opening to grace. So, that's what this blog is about - my spiritual and this-worldly journey with animals - as an herbalist and empath - as well as the daily  challenges of living with illness and pain, older animals, and this world we live in. Daily joy, determination, love of the more-than-human world....hope.

And of course, it is dedicated to Lila, whom I miss every single day of my life, even as my heart is filled with the grace of many new companions.