Month 6 – Back from Reno

Last month, serious training had begun. She was starting to think she was in control and it was becoming unacceptable. Boundaries had to be set and it was now time to establish myself as the alpha.

But traveling to Reno for the second time has helped. She depended more on me more and a few obstacles brought us together. I loosened the reigns and gave her more freedom. She responded with better behavior.

She began to see that she was able to do as she wanted the majority of the time. I had to intervene with discipline and scolding at times, but she responded to this well. Just like a child, she would need a talking to in order to remind her and she felt the harmony was disrupted.

She loved Reno. It is a large home with two stories, a deck and a third of an acre in a park setting. The weather is warm in summer. Since I work from home, I do not leave her and I am always around.

My family is there so there is a lot of attention and so many new things to explore and so much fun to be had.

Returning to our smaller home, to our quiet situation, she has to stay in her indoor enclosure 3 days a week.

She is rebelling abit. If don’t lock her in, she gets out and finds a cold dark place to hide and her temperature is just too cold. This is unacceptable to me. Not only will her health suffer, it is frustrating to hunt for her after a long day at work.

Because the weather is starting to warm and if I leave her outside if I can. This requires an early lunch and racing home before it gets too cool. I think the short time of her cooling down is better than the stress of being locked in the indoor cage all day.Her nose is running abit, have to keep that in check.

When I return, she rebels of being back here, but after a week, she accepts this as her home again. A lot of attention is needed .

Sometimes I question, why I adopted her. She is a lot of work and takes so much of my time.

But then I remember my depression and my mental state before I brought her home. Caring for her a healthy alternative to prescription medication and the anxiety brought on by depression.

She is my medicine. I guess a lot can be learned from this, that depression can be treated by getting your mind off yourself and caring for others. Perhaps the root of depression is focusing too much on yourself. By caring for another, you have little time to dwell on the insignificance of yourself and the problems you face.

 

Month 6– A Miracle Day of freedom!

It has been 6 months now and everything has changed. Finally we have come to accept each other. She had a major turning point on the 17th.

To make this spiritually even more precious to me, it was an anniversary day of Babe’s passing that I celebrated monthly. I felt Babe spirit intertwining with her.

_DSC3383On this day I finally gave in to her rubbing at the glass to get out and explore the yard. I have a branch covered in netting that lies outside my bedroom window. It was Babe’s branch and led to the place he would lounge all day outside my window. I had cut a hole in the window screen and this was his exit in and out of the house. I could trust him to go out in the morning and come in in the afternoon. Babe was never caged, he had a life of complete freedom.

It was a nice summer day, I had time to watch her as I worked in my room, so I opened the door and without a harness or leash, I let her go. I watched her from the window, ad watched her embrace freedom.

Slowly she crawled out on the branch, licking the air to smell everything there was. I found the lounge mat babe used to lie on tucked away in the garage. I had kept it all these years, not being able to part with such a blessed joy in his life. He loved his lounge.

I placed it on the Jade plants and she went to it. She licked it and licked it and smelt it from top to end. To my surprise she sat there for an hour or more, content and happy. Just like Babe used to do!

After 3 hours she was enticed by the sound of the running fountain below and just had to check it out.

I went outside to supervise as she explored. The fountain was Babe’s favorite spot and investigated it throughtly. She then traveled around the garden and on to the side yard. The side yard was another favorite place of babes.

He would get out of the car and take this route around the house to get to his lounge. She walked nearly the full length of the house and hopped to the bench to get a bird’s eye below. Slowly she walked back following though house back around.

Then the phone rang and I went inside the house to pick up. When I returned, she was nowhere in sight1

Not much time had passed so she couldn’t be too far. I walked by the window and something made me gaze in. There, right before my eyes, I saw her, INSIDE the house!! Not only had she realized AND figured out that the rod iron cage was the way to get back up, she had found her way back into the house.

I was amazed and this was a blessed moment for me. The spirit of my Babe was here! He was the guiding force in helping her, I knew it. God’s gift to me on the anniversary of his passing..

She spent the rest of the day on her honor. I did not disturb what she wanted to do. She went back out and lounged the rest of the day out on the branch as I sat inside watching movies.

At her usual 4pm time to find a sleep spot, she came in. I was elated! Being a bit early and a very hot day, I placed her in her outdoor enclosure while I made a quick errand.

I returned only to find her absent from the cage. I hadn’t secured it well and she pushed open the bottom of the door.

Great! With a thunderstorm was on the way, tomorrow it was going to be a tough day for an iguana on the run. I walked the yard, listening and looking for any sign of her presence.

I looked at the window and wondered if she could have found her way up into the house. Leaving the sliding door open, I went into the house to make sure she wasn’t there.

Imagine my surprise when I went back to the sliding door on the other side of the house and SAW HER WALKING IN THE DOOR!

You see, every time I brought her in for the night, I would allow her to walk from the cage into the house on her own, gently guiding her in the right direction, across the patio and into the door.

Now this was impressive, awesome and I rewarded her with love and her favorite food, oranges and grapes.

Babe’s spirit was present. The entire day shows how the spirits of those we love  never leave us. They visit us and remain in our hearts and in our lives. There is no way that Angel could have known and acted in such a calm and trusting fashion as she did today. SHE WAS AMAZING!