Meet Moxie the Boxie

Moxie the Boxie, has been our inside companion for many years and grew up with the wolves. Asher and Yawa were just one year old when we adopted Moxie at 4 weeks old. Asher and Yawa got along with her as she was a puppy and the parenting instincts kicked in. They were gentle and had no aggressive behavior. We never left Moxie alone with them. We were watchful. As Moxie grew up playing with wolves for her first year it was fun watching the wolves lay down to let her chew on them.
When the wolves had their own litter we stopped allowing Moxie in the kennel with the wolves. The wolves were allowed to raise their young with limited handling by humans. We were curious to see what a wolf's manners would be if it we did that. I can truly say they are more wolf than their own parents!
As the wolves howl a lot, Moxie has learned to howl with them. Her howl is not quite up to par with the wolves but it is amusing to listen to. In turn she barks at the slightest noise and gets the wolves a howling thinking someone is approaching their territory. It is amazing how a dog raised with wolves has communication with each other. I do have a story that was most terrifying to go through for another day. That lesson taught us to always be watchful as a wolf.

Women are all the same

Caught your eye on this one? Well, normally you would think I was talking about humans but I am not! With our pack at Howling Pines, we have 5 males and 3 females. The wolves are all related except Takota the "adopted" one and of course Yawa and Asher came from different dens. When all eight wolves were together many years ago, they ran rampent thru the doorways to adjoining kennels. The game was to chase one as if it was the target(imitatiing they are a deer I suppose), and the rest joined in the chase and kocking each other down to get to the throat of a sibling that was in the lead. Sounds familiar to children in a household doesn't it? Then the captured wolf who ends up on its back submittingly gives up as its siblings are nipping at its tail and legs. It's all in fun mind you but well there are times I have seen this turn into a scrap or two. Well eventually the pack got a little too wild and Takota our adopted female, who is 73% wolf and 27% Malamute, got a rip on her hip and it took a few stitches and cost a few dollars. So we gave Takota her own run. She at one time was the babysitter for the pups. But her small amount of dog in her genetics gave her mannerisms of a dog when we tried to train her. She is still a wild girl but we have been able to tame her enough to be social with people and the car ride to the vet.

Here is Takota, in the picture.

You know how women fight? Well, in the pack that also happens. Weeko our "Little Girl" as her name means, is in her own kennel. She also has no respect for other females and would rather kill them then get along during mating season. Even tho all the wolves have now been sterilized, they still fight with other females to rule the roost. Weeko still challenges her mother thru the fence that separates them. You would be surprised how much hatred they have for each other. Sound familiar? I suppose all daughters must rear up and let mothers know they are grown and have their own ideas on what is right for them.

As a mother and a grandmother, life has shown me that we can live together for a while, but ultimately we make our own home. As I watched my daughter grow up, I was warning her all the time about life, now that she is all grown up it is her turn to pass on the wisdom and warnings of life to her daughter.

My days as a mother are unending, however my place in the pack is no longer as ruler. It is now my pleasure to watch my young raise their young. It is as if I can only see a glimmer of all the light that shines in them. I must wait for a visi,t for then the pleasure of their busy lives are shared with me. It is in their time and moment that life stands still.

The healthcare system as we know it

So this is more my personal view on health care. I come from a nation that provided health care to all its citizens after World War II. That would be the Netherlands. They understood poverty and understood what sharing was all about. As one nation pulled back together it created the fundamental right of each of its citizens to be treated with dignity and respect and be taken care of by any doctor that was available. It has been a system that still stands. I don't see the citizens complaining.

Can America afford not to follow some sort of health care program that does not discriminate against its poor?

And what about Alternatives to all those pain pills on the streets! Kids are taking them from home and sharing stuff we don't even know what the affects are 20 years from now! I personally was on some blood pressure medicine for 10 years! The side affect is you gain weight. Where is the logic of giving someone with heart problems something that makes them gain weight? So 100 pounds later~ I woke up and said what has happened? I took my body in my own hands and went for alternative herbs. My blood pressure is now so low, I don't need those pills and I have lost 40 lbs. What does that say about taking life in your own hands? I put my knee braces on and walk with pain. But heck no pain no gain? Right?

I am thinking as I am treated with a lousy 5 minutes for $85 doctor appointment. How much is that after a full load of patients? Can't they put doctors on a Salary? If government can put a stake in the car industry, it sure had better put a stake in health care for our future will not be able to handle all the baby boomers.

So much to say and yet I don't have all the information to argue a point about health care. Having been a very good customer of the health care field I only have my own issues with it. I know I paid for a few vacations for someone. I know there were operations that could have been avoided. Nothing like a doctor botching your knee up for life.

I suffer from Dementia. So I tend to forget priorities. I move on the moment. Can you be that free? Today I found out I left the stove on all night since noon yesterday. Luckily I had opened the windows for air. It's another day in Paradise! I am alive~!

Running the Last Mile!

Oh yeah, you think that it strange to see a picture of the snow in winter. Well here in Michigan the leaves start turning you think of snow. It's just a habit. August the last hot month of the year and we spiral down to the earth and stay captive in our homes. I plan on riding my motorcycle until the first snow. I haven't ridden much this year compared to other years. Perhaps I am settling down to my home at Howling Pines and no longer yearn for the wide open road.

Can you see the wolves? They love the snow. It is their favorite time of the year. They are more active and of course its mating season. Do not humans also get a bit frisky at mating time? We see so many common traits from humans that must have originated from the imitation of animals.

I walked another round of road. My journey takes the weight off my mind. So much to think about and no time to respond.

Living the good life

It's been a cool summer and now that it is August the heat has arrived. Life is good, I can't complain. I went for a short motorcycle ride yesterday to pick up some Baking Powder for the zucchini bread. Turned out good.

So what do you think about Obama and his health care plan? I would like to see the bill pass and change up the whole health care system. Too many people out of work with no health care are suffering. Why should the common people who work hard to survive be kept out of the loop?

The wolves have lost all their shedding and are growing new winter coats. As they age I realize how precious the time has been with them. My time with the wolves has kept me focused and given me purpose. I don't know how the future will take me.

Summer is almost over and school is almost ready to open the doors to all the children of the world. I miss that job I had driving a school bus. Now that was an adventure!~ all those kids and no one to answer to but traffic. I miss the little giggles and laughter of little kids. All those new lunch buckets and new clothes to show off. All those little legs rushing to the bus stop not wanting to be late and miss the bus.

It's a quiet evening with the sun settling down behind the pines. We don't see a sunset here as our woods are too overgrown to enjoy it, but if you get up early you can enjoy the same view from the east.

Yawa my alpha female

This is my buddy Yawa. She is the alpha female and the best representation of a friendly wolf! NO she won't eat you! She will lick you till you can't breathe and yeah she will take an earring out if it's a diamond! I have three diamonds in the kennel somewhere! I gave up on those little buggers as Yawa is attracted to them and has a way of nibbling them off your ear in a split second. They teach you quickly that material things are not important, its the greeting and all the games they play that count. Of course you don't want to try playing games when they are eating. That is a whole other ritual.

And the Rain Came!

And the rain finally came and saturated the much needed fields.

The wolves walked around while it stormed and poured like buckets! The got a much needed bath. Did you know that wolves don't smell hardly at all? You know how a dog smells when it gets a good soaking! Well not a wolf, they have a totally different reaction to rain. When the down pour came this morning and continued for hours the pack patiently stood out in the rain. I used to think this was odd as our socialized canines rather scurry for cover as if they are humans. I know many times I have come to the back door to let my dog out and it turns back to the house and says NO WAY! Not the wolves they continue to pace and enjoy the much needed bath mother nature can give them.

The alpha male and female reside together for life. Although all sorts of situations has taught us the way of the wolf, watching them born was the biggest thrill I have ever had. The litter born April 20, 2000 are now 9 and separated into pairs. There is less confrontations with each wolf living one on one. The pack had varies kennels to travel thru as I connected all the 30 x 40 feet kennels with gates. This worked fine for many years but as they grew older they no longer wanted to play the games and at times there would be 5 wolves ganging up on one. So eliminating the over bearing hunting instincts they were given companionship of one other wolf that got along with another. Keeping this order has resolved many conflicts and medical bills. Wolves play intensly and also fight to the death if driven by another wolf to anxiety. Wolves need their space.

I think one of the things humans and wolves have in common is a pecking order that prevails thru out ones time. Asher is the Alpha male and dominates the howling sessions and control all vocals of the others. If there is danger such as strangers coming to take photos, Asher gives out a howl of warning and all the others are quiet and watchful.

Mornings to live for

As the morning sun slightly teases the shell of night, we wake up to a new day without knowing what it will bring, we smile anyway.

My life has been long and weary. It is not a life that fits into a story book. The loneliness of a lone wolf is where my soul resides. I never fit in with the pack I was born into. As a young adolescent I left the security of the den and found my own pack outside the walls of the family.

In 1960 when I arrived in the USA, there was much turmoil over the color of ones skin. I had no understanding of what racism was. I learned that Jesus loves us black or white and all the shades in between. As the country struggled to survive the uncomfortable situation, Viet Nam became more of a household word.

The Beatles arrived on our doorstep in time of a new generation. Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Neil Young soon followed.

Viet Nam would not go away. Our brothers and sisters came home in pine boxes. We lost thousands and kept sending thousands more. As children of the Moon we walked the streets, lost and thoughtful but feeding the love. We became the Love generation. So where has all the love gone?

They shot our president, they shot his brother, they shot our hope in Martin Luther King. It wasn't our fault. It was the way things were done. I could not understand.

Now its been 40 years since Woodstock in Bethlehem New York. Gosh I was there but was I? Too stoned and tripping on Window Pane I got lost in the fairytale. I just remember Jimi Hendrix waking me up.

Life has had its way, going to do some more reminiscing later!

The View Outside My Window

This fine view has kept us captivated to listen to nature and learn to live without fear of the wild instincts that dwell in us all. As life moves us to extinction, so the wolf must adjust to allow man to protect their future. As man extends his will on this earth, mother nature finds herself trapped and searching for freedom from man's cruelty and neglect.

I am wolf, I am wolfgama, caretaker of the Chapman Pack. Listen to my plea, listen to my story. Listen to your heart.

I first learned about the wolf when, as a child I was introduced to the story of Little Red Riding Hood. The fierce eyes larger than saucers, the long fangs dripping with saliva. Oh yes I was afraid of the big bad wolf. I bet you were too.

I grew up in a small town in the Netherlands. My father was the town's butcher. I was one of eight children. My Mother was at my father's side. I had a nanny for the first 7 years of my life.

We immigrated to the United States and settled down in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

We grew up in a small neighboring town and my journey was shortlived. Having the itch to expand my horizons, I traveled in my teens, many trips on the roads to see the countryside. I fit in to the hippie generation. I found a place in politics to express my views and thoughts. It led me to get energized into the women's movement. I was married, had children and got busy with my family. After 7 years of marriage, it was time to move on. Another page another story.

Howling Pines Gets A New Start

Howling Pines is a non-profit private home for the Chapman Pack. We have been busy for 11 years with our alpha male and female. I have written much about it but haven't made it public. Now is the time to explain to people that wolves can live with humans and their instincts can be saved and preserved in the wolf thru out it's life.