10 Lessons we learned from the Coronavirus (Blog # 65)

Hi. We’re back after a long hiatus! Here’s what we’ve been up to…

In March of 2020 we went on our first ever “real” vacation. Having been dog moms since we partnered in 2011, with as many as 3 senior dogs in our care at a time, left us with few travel options. Every summer we would rent a dog friendly chalet and pile into the car with leashes and dog toys crates, blankets and treats and spend a week swimming and splashing at the lake and roasting marshmallows by the fire. 

When the last of the pack passed away in late January ( see our last blog to read our tribute to Shannon) we knew that this would afford us a travel opportunity. This brings us to Spring Break 2020…. When Covid-19 was not a global pandemic but a situation that was only out of control in China and Italy. 

As a result, we booked our dream trip! A weekend in NYC, a 7 day cruise to the Bahamas with a pit stop in Florida, where we made our first visit to Walt Disney, Magic Kingdom!

We vlogged about these adventures and you may view them here….

part 1 NYC

part 2 Disney

part 3 Bahamas Cruise

So, little did we know and despite having taken every precaution, it turned out that we were actually smack in the epicentre of a global pandemic, it still came as a shock to us  that we actually caught Covid-19 somewhere along the way!

Here’s what happened…. We got home and started to feel sick… 

A week later we got tested. A day later we got the results. It wasn’t until months later that we actually felt better.

What have we learned from this encounter with covid?

1. family, neighbours and friends are a lifeline because without them you will starve to death (until you figure out how to order from Walmart or Provigo, then you will be ok)

2. the police will come over late at night and aggressively shine a flashlight in your home accusingly because some other neighbour has falsely identified you as a covid spreader going around the streets and coughing uncontrollably

3. it’s really scary to have a virus that people are repeatedly dying from all around the world and you are continually being forwarded stories and being told about shortages of ventilators and 30 years on life support in the ICU with no pre-existing health conditions.

4. I can take and tolerate A LOT more asthma medication than I believed was humanly possible. 

5.  Even if I am not in a praying state of mind, others will carry you and hold you up in surprisingly wonderful ways 

6. I am so lucky to have a wife who takes such impeccable care of me. (actually, who am I kidding? This I already knew! Dragon is the best! Full stop)

7. Working on a computer, seated comfortably at a desk with a hot mug of tea can have the same effect on the body as doing manual labour like moving appliances or roofing, when one has covid. 

8. Sleep and rest are necessary for recovery and not to underestimate their importance and power 

9. This virus is really scary and unpredictable and even if you think you are feeling better, don't get caulky because you will likely feel worse again

10. Even if you take every precaution, wash your hands, keep a distance, have a healthy lifestyle, avoid contact with others, stay out of elevators and closed spaces, work out, eat vegan, take vitamin d, probiotics and cold FX with Zinc every day, you can still get covid-19

Please stay safe….

Love,

Dragon + Bunny

A Heartbreaking Tribute to our Shannon

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Shannon was feisty!

She came into my life on my 33rd birthday. This felt significant because my first dog, Shady was adopted from the SPCA on my 22nd birthday and she was the most beautiful, special girl and we had the closest relationship. She is in fact, the namesake of all my dogs who have names that begin with “sh” in her memory. I thought, “maybe this is a sign”.

Shannon (then bebe) had been relinquished from her home for biting a child. Originally acquired from a pet store, she was on her way to a shelter when a dog rescuer intervened to foster her. That’s when I was approached to help out. I tentatively agreed, pending my border collie, Shawn’s approval and my being able to overcome my own fear of her because I knew she was a biter and when I met her she was nipping at me too! 

She was a hearty little thing, all fierce and defensive. Not a playful puppy at less than 12 months old, she was already serious and discriminating. She didn’t trust easily. I remember the moment that she decided to trust me. I brought her home and was relieved that she and Shawn and the cats showed an immediate comfort with one another. I went to another room and she was waiting outside the door for me. Giving me eye contact. I picked her up and just like that, we were bonded. That foster became a rescue that spanned 171/2 wonderful years.

Shannon and Shawn forged a relationship that even included mouth play, wrestling and playing. This was shocking and delightful because Shawn was a bit of a cold fish. He preferred frisbie chasing to socializing so his connection to Shannon was surprising and wonderful. They cohabited without incident. In fact, Shannon came on most of our hearty, wild walks and adapted to the fast paced border collie life. She was less partial to impromptu frisbee throwing stops especially in chilly weather and would refuse to go at all when it was downright cold. Although she was well equipped with snowsuits for sunny winter days. 

She was strong and mighty and was always healthy and hearty. She loved to eat, she loved to nap, she was protective and loyal. When her other mother Kuki came on the scene, they had an almost immediate connection. It was Kuki who took a shine to Shannon most in the beginning. But it wasn’t long before the love was reciprocal. Kuki could read Shannon. She knew how to make her bed to perfection, which sometimes required the addition of the sweater off of our backs. 

We cooked for her and went on adventures. She played brain games and seemed to enjoy a lively household with the other cats and dogs in the family. In her younger years, Shannon liked to chase muskrats at the waters’ edge or geese in open fields. She would yip and yap for what she wanted and could fend for herself with other dogs. She had this way of commanding respect. She was deceivingly cute yet surprisingly fierce. Many people had experienced her wrath and were still weary of her even when she was feeble, toothless and geriatric. She was still going for walks up until about a year ago. We used to go on what we would call the “unlimited sniffs walk” where she would choose exactly where she wanted to go, when to stop and sniff and when to return home. She was civilized and would take us on a reasonable excursion until she was ready to go home for some water and cookies. But she was rapidly slowing down. Had lost her eye site, her hearing and her appetite was minimal but her thirst unquenchable. We spent the last year in a constant quest to keep her fed. She had chronic kidney disease and was emaciated. She would still bark at us angrily when we got home from work and would gobble down a few mouthfuls of fresh, warm food in between sleeping on heated blankets and tip toeing gingerly around the house bumping into walls. 

She was our only dog for the past 5 years so we often joked that she enjoyed her new found status of queen bee. Of course, we did everything we could for her. Including knowing when it was time to let her go. 

If you knew Shannon then thank you for being a friend to her. She was our whole heart and we are so grateful to her for every lick and sniff, for every time she made us smile and laugh, for every zoomie and for letting us carry her when she got tired on walks, for being so precious. That is what she was to us. Our precious sweet girl who we will love forever.

Blog #63 What is Success? We have no idea...

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2019 was the year following the launch of our first book, The Butterfly Trap. It was tricky to stay energized in the wake of this. We used all of our resources, time and money to launch this project and were blown away by the support and love we received. It felt like we had made it to the top of the mountain and the next logical step was to descend.  Pair this with the fact that we have full time jobs, aging parents, pets and domestic responsibilities like everyone else. So, being creative and engaging our followers, making time to continue to market the book, do readings, write songs and perform was a feat (to say the least).

Last night we sat down and did a year end review. We started with a column that read “Wins”. I am aware of the importance of counting wins and I strongly encourage this practice. In fact, you should do this now if you haven’t already. Take a paper, make a column that says “wins” and go! 

We started strong, quickly documenting our wins. We were encouraged by the success of the readings and numerous opportunities to share our story and music. We wrote new songs and blogs and vlogs and did a pretty decent job of keeping the momentum going. 

Soon we started slowing down, it was time to evaluate from the perspective of what needed improvement. This came much more easily and soon the list had grown longer than the first one and that’s when I abruptly suggested we move on to other considerations because the negatives can easily outweigh the positives. 

You may be curious about some of these shortcomings.  Well, the list is long but here are a few. We could have worked harder, used our time more effectively, reached more kids, used social media more strategically, vlogged better, blogged more, volunteered more, researched and read and listened and hustled more etc.

It’s great to be honest about what needs improvement but even more important to count your wins. I believe that this will lead to greater success than lamenting the losses. 

Let me be honest, it’s hard to stay perky and positive and enthusiastic….

It’s hard to dream big. It’s harder for some people than others. We are people who have had to work very hard for everything we have. We are student loan people. We are not property owners, we have no wealth to speak of. We don’t come from families who have wealth either. Our parents had to work very hard to provide for us. There were no lavish vacations. Money wasn’t flowing. 

Self publishing, marketing and launching The Butterfly Trap was a big investment for us. It was scary to take this level of risk. In fact, It was uncharacteristic of us. But we did it and we’re doing it again. This time a little wiser, more shrewd and focused. 

Will this mean that we are successful?

Will this mean that we have “made it”???

We have already made lots of mistakes we can say that for sure. 

I am not sure what would make me feel that we have achieved success. I can say that there was something very satisfying about the process of creating and publishing our first book. But did we achieve the success that I hope for? And what does that success look like?

I have often joked that I will feel successful when Disney buys the rights to our story and makes a feature film from it. But the truth is, there is nothing quite as satisfying as reading our book to a group of children who are attentive and laughing and engaged with the narrative. That is truly the definition of success.

More of that please….

Love, Dragon + Bunny

(written by Bunny)

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Blog #62 Highlights and Lowlights ----one year later!

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It’s been almost a year since we published our book, The Butterfly Trap. 

Let’s look back at some of the highlights and lowlights…

Highlights of publishing our book….

• We published our book. I mean that in itself is the highlight.. We made a dream come true. Full stop. 

• Our book launch and pop up shop---- Last Fall we hosted events and even read The Butterfly Trap and sang our song to a live audience for the first time! It was Epic! 

• We had opportunities to read and perform The Butterfly Trap book and song in libraries, schools, daycares and summer camps - also epic!

• We shipped our book to so many children from near and far and felt the elation of sharing a story that we means so much to us and that we believe in!

• We were on CJAD live radio, singing our song and talking about our book. 

• We reached into children’s hearts and received feedback from them that made us so happy and proud.  Hearing them say, “The Butterfly Trap” is my favourite book” may be the most significant highlight so far. 

• Winning an award and an honourable mention for The Butterfly Trap in the LGBT and environmental / green books category

• Blogging and vlogging and connecting with so many people via email and on social media. We have received so many messages of appreciation, support and encouragement and this has kept us going!

Lowlights of publishing our book….

• Trying to balance the responsibilities of being children’s authors with our full time jobs and other family obligations.

• Keeping the energy and output high - staying motivated and productive

• Dealing with writers block (when blogging) 

• Making sure that we still found time for each other and for some leisure and not devoting every moment to the website, blog, branding and marketing of the book.

What have we learned….

Soooooo much! We have learned so much that we are thinking about teaching a course on publishing children’s books. Now that we are actually ready to embark on The Butterfly Trap sequel, we can’t wait to put into motion the things we have learned. Such as publishing and branding tips, creative insights, launch tweaks and on and on and on! But we will blog about that another time! For now, thanks for being with us on this book publishing journey.

The best is yet to come!!!!

Love,

Dragon + Bunny

Let’s not objectify children….

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I am not one to say “I love kids,” because saying that implies that children are like marigolds, always yellow, blooming. Give them water and sunlight and they are sure to delight you with their beauty. 

Children have needs that are varied, diverse and can be unpredictable. They are not marigolds. They are individuals and can be complex and challenging. They can be angry, aggressive and determined, soft, considerate and generous. So, I don’t love children but I love the way that children express their diversity and humanity. 

I have found our collective reaction to Greta Thunberg at times to be objectifying and patronizing. Of course she is adorable! There is no denying it and there is no question that Greta has our attention. But are we really hearing her? Are we grasping her message?

You will recall that when she addressed the UN and asked “How dare you?” She was outraged and she has good reason to be! Our mistakes, shortsightedness, complacency and greed have compelled her to advocate on everyone’s behalf and as a result, we are kind of amused by it. Valerie Plante, the mayor of Montreal, even expressed this amusement and delight in a radio interview last week, “It’s wonderful” she said. It is wonderful but Greta’s message is also disturbing. We should be ashamed of ourselves and our global climate situation. And we should be in awe that this message is being delivered to so many by someone who otherwise would be ignored due to their age and / or gender.

I am inspired by the intelligence, grit and capacity of a teenager who has reminded us of the consequence, vitality and necessity of young people, of their efficacy, depth and leadership. Not in a patronizing, objectifying way or a source of entertainment, but as a bringer of truth, as a source of wisdom and I would go so far as to say, a modern day prophet. She serves as a voice of reason in a sea of despair. 

Let us not minimize Greta’s message or the message of children. Let us hear them, consider them and respond accordingly. Children are not marigolds and they are certainly not here for beauty or entertainment. Let’s love and listen and respond with the respect, attention, authority and dignity that they deserve. 

We want to know, what will you do to change? How has Greta’s message and determination inspired you to take action and responsibility? 

Why you should go apple picking - and why it matters - especially for the kids!

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Sometimes we have wondered what it is with the apple picking sensation? Actually, to be honest, it is I, Bunny who has wondered. It is, in fact, one of Dragon’s absolutely favourite things to do!

I will confess that I have asked myself, why do we all go every year in throngs? Why do hoards of children ride in a school bus to make their way to apple orchards despite the cliché and redundancy? Where is the value in this activity? (I am cringing right now by the way…)

We are here to share our opinion! I have certainly upgraded mine.

Our book The Butterfly Trap won a green books / Environmental honorable mention because it encourages self reflection and awareness of nature. This topic, as you may imagine, is dear to our hearts.

Because here’s the thing…

We are in desperate need for connection to the earth, to her bounty and to nature! She is our connection to our source and to our very essence! 

It is obvious that we devote far more time to technology than trees, so for the love of all things good and true, this is precisely why we need to get out and pick an apple, get muddy, observe the changes of the season, notice bugs, flowers and birds. These are some of the best and most magical part of who we are.

Kids are getting further away from knowing the natural world than ever before. It is our duty to at least let them fill a bag with apples that they actually picked, as a vital reminder of the beauty and importance of creation, and as the very source of food and our sustenance and survival.

This is why apple picking matters!

Let us know if you agree….

Oh! And We vlogged about it too….. Check it out!

And please subscribe to our Youtube channel while you are there

Love,

Dragon + Bunny.