“Thanks for MY new lawn!”

 Be happy for this moment.  This moment is your life.

If you are looking for a charming place to stay in Tuscany, I recommend my friend Luigi’s property in the little village of Lucignano.  The link below is to the separate apartment located within the village.  Also on the same website is information about the apartments available in his residence:   ”Il Cassero”  located at the main entrance to the walled village of Lucignano.   Guests enjoy the gardens of Il Cassero as well as the beautiful private pool located just minutes from the village. 

http://www.ilcassero-tuscany.com/casa.lina.html

If you have any questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact me.   I  have stayed in Lucignano many times and am happy to provide information about the area and things to do and see.    It is centrally located and an easy drive to Cortona, Montepulciano, Siena, Arezzo,  San Gimignano and Florence. 

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will get right back to you.

And if you decide to contact Luigi directly, please let him know that you found him via my (LeAnn’s) website.    

LeAnn

Video Tour: 

http://www.youtube.com/v/A2usKxb_w2w&hl=en&fs=1

Mika (pronounced:  Mee-kah) is a cross between a Chow-Chow and a German Shepherd.  (Well, that’s the best guess anyway.)  She was saved by Much Love Animal Rescue and we adopted her from them a couple of years ago.   www.muchlove.org

They often show available dogs on Main Street (in Santa Monica) across from the Farmers Market on Sundays.  This is where we first saw Mika Girl.  She wasn’t named Mika then, however.  She had been called a couple of different names in her short and unstable little life.  Neither of them worked for us.  We decided it was a new beginning for her and we should start with a name with meaning and significance. 

Mika is Japanese and means “new moon.”  We thought this was appropriate given that we were all about to go into a new phase of our lives together.  And it just had a good ring to it.  We realized, after the fact, that most people hearing us call her name are probably assuming we are saying a derivative of “amica“ but since that is Italian for “friend” that’s just fine, too.     

Mika has a very beautiful, lustrous coat –but that wasn’t always the case.  She had been mal-nourished in her former life and although she had been spending time with the wonderful people at Much Love (receiving much love and nourishment, –I have no doubt), her coat was still dull and fuzzy looking. 

One of the volunteers there, (a bit apologetically) commented, “She is a great dog and good-looking, but…” (smoothing her coat)  “…has an unusual texture to her fur.”

That day at the adoption I immediately gravitated towards her, but I was looking for a sign to let me know she was the right dog.  Just some little connection from her…a wag when she saw me or some interaction to indicate she would like to be part of our family.  I called my daughter Alex to come to help me make the decision and she too tried making a connection, but also received no validation for her efforts.  Mika was looking around at the other dogs, but didn’t seem to care that we existed.  Even so, there was something about her and before too long we were filling out the forms.  

As per their protocol, we had to take Mika on a “trial” basis and make sure it would work well for all of us.  Even though she still made no real signs of bonding with us those first few days, it didn’t matter.  Alex and I are sentimental and attach quickly to animals and people alike (the under-dogs, especially) and there was no way we could have returned her. We called Much Love to give the final confirmation and never looked back.  She was part of our family.

First we focused on her nutrition.  Her new diet consisted of vegetables, rice and a protein: chicken, turkey or salmon.  –In those first weeks, we went through a lot of salmon.  I knew it would be good for her coat and sure enough, it wasn’t too long before I noticed new shiny sections on the back of her neck.  These areas of healthy fur continued expanding down the length of her almost daily, it seemed.  Several weeks later, her coat looked completely new allover and she began receiving compliments on her sleek and shiny coat everywhere we went.    

The only real concern when we adopted Mika was whether or not we would be able to handle her one big behavioral issue they had warned us about.  It wasn’t too long before we witnessed this behavior firsthand. (What I like to call her, “wild woman episodes.”)  She would be fine until something set her off (the most common trigger was getting her leash out for a walk) and then she would go into “crazy” mode.  Jumping up and biting whatever was in her way.  It was mostly a nipping at air or grabbing your arm, “I’m-trying-to-tell-you-something” biting which is unacceptable in-and-of-itself.  But worse than that, her behavior would escalate rapidly if we didn’t succeed in settling her right away.  At those times, we would have to make her lie down all the way, including her head, until she finally relaxed and was completely calm.  

It’s a mystery why she developed this behavior because she is such a good dog otherwise and very smart.  For example, if we tell her, “We will be right back.  You are staying here.  We’ll be right back.”  She understands –and even more surprising, accepts this!  She may look dejected and go lie down somewhere, but she lets us go out the door with no ado whatsoever.  Even if she is up at the door looking hopeful or is following me around the house as I’m getting ready…all it takes is telling her she’ll be staying behind and she is fine.

As far as getting out the door (calmly) for a walk, she is much better than she used to be, but we still have work to do.  A number of times she has actually quietly bowed her head into the harness when instructed and then stepped one foot at a time in without any problem.  But other times, she will at least make some indication that she is fighting the old “demon within.”  We have to turn away and try and keep a serious face when this happens so as not to encourage it further.  It is quite hilarious…She grabs part of her harness as you attempt to put it on, then gnaws on it vigorously-with her tiny front teeth only- all the while grumbling, arr,arr,arr,arr.  It’s as though she has this inner struggle going on and is doing her very best to contain her frustration:  I really want to go for a walk, but I can’t believe I’m subjected to such nonsense.  This stupid @#&! thing they want me to wear.  I hate it!  I hate it!  I hate it!  (Her harness couldn’t be more comfortable, so we know that’s not the issue.) 

It takes several ”do-overs” before we can get out of the house in a completely calm and submissive mode on those days, but we have high hopes of eventually getting her past the last of that behavior, as well.

Looking back to when we first brought her home, it is interesting how much her demeanor has softened.  She was always basically a good dog.  That was evident. But it is heart-warming to see how the expression in her eyes has changed.  She looks at us, interacts with us and her eyes register her affection for us.  Unlike those first days, now she can’t help but wag whenever we talk to her.  –I like to tease her about that:  She used to be such a tough girl and now she just can’t hide how happy she is!

It was amazing to see the shift as she became more and more sure of her place with us here.  Now, when we are out walking, she will randomly look up at us happy-as-a-clam, her eyes sparkling with an unspoken “Thank you.” And she will come and put her head on the side of the bed or the chair you are in, asking for interaction and affection.  –Not that there is any shortage of attention in our house.  Alex and I initiate doggie massages several times a day and we talk to her and sing to her all the time.

In a long-standing tradition passed down from my mom, all our dogs get “theme songs” created for them/sung to them.  Not that we sit down and plan them, mind you. –They just sort of evolve and before we know it, these goofy little songs (as well as silly rhymes and nicknames) are being repeated (and expanded upon) by everybody in the family.  For our last dog, Sasha (a beautiful blonde Golden Retriever), the song was, “Coppa Cabana.” (Her name was Sasha.  She was a show girl.  And her tail hung down to there, but she really didn’t care. She was a show dog…la la la la.) 

Mika has several songs, but one of our favorites is “Hey Micky” by Tony Basil:

Hey, Meeky, you’re so fine.  You’re so fine you blow my mind, Hey, Meeky  (clap-clap-clap – clap-clap-clap – clap-clap-clap)…Hey Meeky…” 

(Well, you get the picture.) 

When I am on the yoga mat, she likes to be right there, too.  A couple of times I have been lying on my back in Shavasana and opened my eyes to see her face right over the top of me, her skin folded forward by gravity into a comical expression…Just staring at me.  (I wonder…Can she see my third eye?!)  Other times, I’ll be in a pose and she’ll come in and wag as though she knows the importance of it and is happy to see I’m back on the mat.  

Of course, all dogs naturally do “downward facing dog.”   But Mika learned early on to do it on command.  The amount of time she spends in downward dog depends on the size of treat you have offered.  If you are cooking and she can smell something wonderful she’d like to be a part of, she will assume downward dog all on her own and then look up at you as though saying, “Hey.  I’m given’ my best stuff here.  Anything?  Anything at all?” 

She also does “shake” and “high five.”   And if she really wants something from you, she will do the “Mika Lightning Round”–a quick combination of everything she knows…a down dog, a shake and high fives (both left and right) and back again to downward dog. 

She has been taught to sit and be polite before her food is served and she does this very well (albeit with a bit of drooling, at times.)  Then, when she is done, she always goes searching for me.  I don’t recall how it started really, but she can’t seem to relax until she has found me and I say, “Did you eat all your food?  Good girl.”  Once I’ve acknowledged her, she is content and goes about her business. 

On sunny days like today, her most important business entails laying-out on the deck sun-bathing.  She likes to alternate between there and napping on the cool tile floor of the studio here where I’m writing.  Every so often, I say “hi” to her and ask her what she is up to and if she is thinking about her boyfriend Tyler.  (He lives on the canals and she loves to walk by his house.  He is half her size, but she doesn’t seem to notice.) 

She is used to this by now (me launching in to random conversation throughout the day) and breaks from her nap to give me a doggie smile and compensatory wag.  She just ambled over for a good ear massage, then returned to her favorite spot for more sleeping. 

I think it’s safe to say her dreams are pretty pleasant ones these days.  

Ahh!  The simple pleasures!

Mika, Road Trip, Summer 2008

“Look Mom!  –I finally made it to Hollywood!”  

 ”I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

                                                                     – Mika    

Borrowed from: Tennessee Williams,  A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)
                                  US dramatist (1911 – 1983)

Sunset at Venice Beach, California  February 2009

LeAnn’s Photo Grateful Journal Entry:  “Evening at the Beach”

You, yourself…

     as much as anyone in the entire universe,

deserve your love and affections.