Today is my Jungle’s 11th birthday! Join me in sending him some pawsitive vibes that make catnip look like kitten’s play. Meowy Birthday, Jungle! Wishing my cool dude many more years of playing fetch, snuggles with your Monkee and MaMa, and enjoying all your favorite treats. Life has been a lot more colorful with you in it.

I can’t remember a time my dreams didn’t include animals in one way or another. Starting Empowering Animals, bringing people and animals together, that is part of that dream. I have a vision. I just don’t know yet how all of it will unfold. What I do know is that something in me feels unfinished without it. Like there’s a piece of my soul that only makes sense when I’m doing this. The magazine cover was a fun AI prompt. But it also felt like a glimpse of a dream that could be. Dreams aren’t meant to show us the whole path. They just keep pointing us in a direction so we don’t forget who we are.

I just learned about this incredible creature today. There are so many animals to discover and ones you now have to wonder if they are AI generated. Which is sad in itself. We really need to leave real life alone and get back to community. But that’s another post. This one is on the pink fairy armadillo. The name alone had my full attention. I am attaching the video I watched. It is complete and very educational. Although I would love to have one of my own, wildlife needs to stay wild. Let the pink fairy into your heart on this beautiful Sunday, and enjoy what the day brings you.

Do you love finding those little hole-in-the-wall, magical places on road trips like I do? My friend told me about one she discovered last week in Oatman, AZ. It is an old mining town that their only residents remaining are the descendance of pack animals from the mining days. What makes it special isn’t just the old buildings or the stretch of Route 66 running through it, it’s the wild donkeys wandering through town freely, like they own the place. Which technically, I think this does meet the definition of homesteading. These special creatures have adapted over time to living in the wild and to the tourists that stop in to say hi. There are a few stores set up in the one-street town to sell approved hay cubes to feed them. Other food is strictly prohibited for the animals' safety. So, if you are ever passing through Arizona, look up Oatman and stop in and say hey to the wild donkeys. Take a picture of their smiling faces and share a post with us of your experience. Do you have any cool road trip haunts you would like to share?