February 23! The day before the Russians attacked a peaceful neighbouring country.
1 year of war in Europe! I wouldn't have guessed it just 2 months prior to February 24 2022. And it's far from being over. This makes me sad, very sad.
For us here in the California desert it's time to take a look back. We arrived here from Texas on November 27. Thus we have soon been here 3 months. We met very nice neighbour campers, and got new friends which will make a difference for the time when we decide to come back here.
Sure, the weather hasn't been much to write home about. It's been cooler than normal but most days were still sunny. And we are thankful that we could, and still can, enjoy the sunny weather.
One very special event put its mark on this winter. Our neighbour James had taken in a dog which occurred to wander around the camp for days. One could actually say the dog chose him, and in hindsight one must also say that the dog chose wisely. James lives alone and I am sure he was grateful for the unexpected company he found with the dog. He named the dog "Bella". She might be a heeler mix or something, but Bella is extremely friendly to everyone.
One morning I met James at the dumpster. He seemed to be in a hurry, or was it that he was excited? I really don't know, but something was off. He then told me that Bella had come down with 8 puppies that night. James, hadn't had any idea about that Bella was pregnant. That morning he was on his way to town to find puppy milk powder, cause it seemed that Bella wasn't feeding their kiddos. This later proved to be false. It just took a while until she had her milk ready. Bella proved to be an excellent mother for her children.
And all 8 or them started growing. Within 2 weeks they were crawling around and had their eyes open.
But for James this meant a marked change of life in his trailer. Nights turned to days and finding sleep became a challenge.
After 5 weeks James was exhausted. But help was on the way. The dog story had spread around camp like a wildfire. People showed up at James's trailer offering to help with guarding the puppies, while James could find sleep. One neighbour even set up an outside fenced area where all puppies found a playground during sunny days. Bella had started to feed less to her puppies and the little rascals had started to take puppy chow. But now it was time to find people who would adopt the puppies.
Today, 6 of the 8 have found their-forever home. 2 have gone to a foster organisation.
A lucky end to an unusual event, I'd say.