Last post...Bubbles

Valentina spent her last days in front of the mirrors and in the bubbles.

Why?

As always, I put a human trait to this most remarkable, lovable, special, smart, humble, entertaining, creature...Creatures who have been my companion for over a decade. Creatures who soothed me through open heart surgery. A surgery that I did so poorly with, I was given last rites. A surgery that left me so debilitated,  I was unrecognizable to myself! That, was followed by a breast cancer diagnosis treated aggressively with chemotherapy and radiation. Then came the MRSA and a surgical IV cut down  for 9 weeks of vancomyacin and an oral med. As brutal as this treatment was, it is the CDC protocol for the cure of this most deadly staff infection.

Getting Hepatitis C put me on another chemo.

Through it all, the set backs and the ravages of illness, my docile, soothing, faithful, beloved seahorses kept me going.

A reason to get up in the morning, they excitedly greeted me. They accepted me unconditionally despite my ugliness!

Possibly Valentina's pain was soothed by the bubbles.

She is my last and final seahorse in this portion of my journey of life.

My medical, mental and spiritually challenges have changed me. I go forward a little fractured, and with the deepest understanding and empathy for the human condition.

Much of what I gained is directly a result of the seahorses who came into my life and enriched it beyond what any one's imagination could possibly render!

Life and God have blessed me with these wonderful creatures!

One day, maybe someone will read my blog, and decide to take on the task of having seahorses as wonderful companions. What they will reap, opposed to the arduous task of cering for them is a thousand fold!

Thank you all!

Ending and signing off here!

Josephine Goldman

Mirror, Mirror on the Tank...Helps Valentina

Following the death of my beloved Hoover, my heart was broken for Valentina, who was alone in the tank.

By placing mirrors in different spots in the tank, Valentina saw her reflection.

Was she, in fact comforted by this?
Did she feel less alone in the tank?

It seemed that Valentina sought out the spots that had mirrors.
When she ate, hung out, rested or slept, it was in front of a mirror.

All this hopefully comforted Valentina.
It also comforted me somewhat...

Valentina was never the outgoing, gregarious seahorse that Hoovie was, so her ongoing isolating nature did not concern me. It did not seem as though she was overly depressed.

Still, I have decided to make Valentina my last seahorse...
Thank you!

Heartbreak...Hoover succumbs to illness...

Hoover stopped eating.
There were no  signs that he was not feeling well that day or even the day prior.
My sweet, adorable, loving, humble, kind Hoover went quickly.

I am devastated beyond words.

Valentina comforted Hoover in those last days. She tried to encourage him to eat, stayed close to Hoover. Valentina slept with Hoover,and wrapped her tail around him.
She cuddled with him.

With all the seahorses I have owned, this caring, knowing, empathetic end of life behavior has repeated itself over and over again.

These are AMAZING CREATURES!
My love for seahorses cannot ever be expressed well enough through words!

VIDEOS...Loving, Peacemaker...Hoover

In this 1st video, Valentino shows Hoover who is boss...
          And my sweet Hoovie does not object!
P.S. This part of this particular post is being written on March 20th...
Which is the 1st day of Spring...
and which New Yorkers, ummmmm, specifically Long Islander's will tell you was ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
       FER~~~~EEEEEEE~~~~ZZZZZZZZZ~~~~ING OUT!!!
                       It was in the 30's all day!

                                                          
                    Valentina and Hoover hangin' out...
               Valentina always the more aggressive...
            While "The Peace maker, Hoover" allows
                              her freedom                 
                        to push him over...
           And as we know, Hoover is a pushover!!!! 

"THIS MAGIC MOMENT!"

Its now the 23rd of March as I finish up this post.

Its still very, very cold in New York...

"Spring IS (NOT) in the air..."

OR

Anywhere for that ,matter!!!!!!!!!!!

VIDEO Valentina Manga!

Valentina once loved to eat by hitching from the filter pipe or from one of the hoses.

But no more!

Now she is a "bottom feeder" just like Hoover!

Valentina lies on her side playing the "limbo dance"

with the hoses as she makes yummy~yum with the brine!

VIDEO! Herbert Hoover Swims~then Hitches!

Well my blog fans...

Who don't know who you are...

because there are zero of you!!!!!

My video has sound!

Don't ask...

I am so computer illiterate...

And I am not sure how it happened...

But it did...

And let's hope it continues to happen!

Seahorse Talkies!

What a concept!

Just a brief note...

This video shows my beloved Hoovie just "swim floating" in

 his easy way around the tank...then hitching...

Gotta love this "big, little boy"...

OF MINE!!!!!!

VIDEOS!!!!!! Courting ballet!

Okay...

Talk about new territory!

Bare with me!

I am going to post videos.

This one is of very, very poor quality...

Copied from my phone onto my camera.

But the essence of it shows the elaborate courting dance of my beloved, and mystical creatures!

 

For now, I will explain the video in a caption of words while I explore ways to add voice (my voice)...

Look...

Forgive me!...

I'm just getting started!!!!

Thanks!!!!

I dream of a real comment one of these years!

Ha!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ummmmmmm...

Okay....

Don't ask me how!

BUT~~~~>>>>

I GOT SOUND ON THE VIDEOS!!!!!!

 

YIPPEE!!!!!!

VIDEO Hoover Bob A Petit!

Hoover makes yummy yum!

Housekeeping

As you know by now, caring for the seahorses requires a loving and knowledgeable dedication.

It also requires time.
Yes, time!
And plenty of it!

You can still have your career but some flexibility is necessary.
My seahorses are fed twice a day and each feeding is about 2 hours.

Every month, the seahorse tank needs some housecleaning.
The entire process takes about 2 hours from start to finish.
When I first began, it took close to 4 hours.
But you know what they say about , "practice makes..."

There is a hugh, single, reason I so, totally enjoy the tank
house cleaning. That one reason is because I get to gently lift my sweet babies out of the tank and then place them into their temporary holding area...a white bucket.

This housekeeping is actually called "a water exchange"...
And no matter what the water in your water tank,
fresh or salt...
and regardless whats in the tank...
you will have to do a once a month water exchange.

And so yes, once a month I get to cradle my seahorses. They wrap their tails around my finger, lovingly hitching.
Despite their rough exoskeleton, I realize their beautiful fragility.

Approximately 25% of the tank water is removed through a cylinder with tubing. Debris is sucked up from the rock bottom. Glass sides and all peripherals are wiped clean. Artificial plants and ornaments are scrubbed.The filter is thoroughly cleaned up, and new white and charcoal filters are put into place. The bio~wheel is not messed with since it holds the biological balance of the tank in check.

Then, the tank is put back together. New salt water with about a 1.023 salinity is added along with additives "Prime" and "Cycle". Prime conditions the water of impurities like chlorine and ammonia. Cycle adds hundreds of thousands of beneficial bacteria for the seahorses to the tank.

The tank's filter is allowed to run to get the water clarified.

THEN...
THEN...
THEN...
I get to pick up my dolls,
cradle them once more as they hitch to my finger...
and gently return them to where they belong...

Until next month!

Night~~~T~~~Night!!!!




  

The temporary home for the seahorses during the housecleaning

or water exchange...

The coral is placed into t he bucket to give the seahorses a

place to hitch.

 

My favorite part is being able to gentle cradle the

seahorses as their tails grab my finger

in order to hitch. 

The seahorses take a few minutes to acclimate

to the bucket~~

In fact...

They were frazzled and stressed.

The seahorses went around and around and around the bucket.

Feeding them brine quickly calms them down and they

forget they are in the bucket!

Valentina and Hoover enjoys the bucket at last!



Happy Birthday VALENTINA !!!!!

Today is Thursday, February 14th, 2013 or Valentina's Day.
Can you take a wild guess as to whose birthday it is today?
Come on, take a wild guess!

Valentina remains shy...
Only coming out to dance once or twice during the month.
But, when she does, it is absolutely precious!

Valentina, with her rotund body makes every attempt to sway gracefully back and forth. However, like
"Humpty Dumpty", the swaying gets out of control and Valentina finds herself rolling over quite clumsily and ungracefully.
As if embarrassed, she swims off and once again hitches to the filter area!

The Birthday Gal...Valentina!

Valentina enjoys a spa day on her birthday!
She loves the feeling of the bubbles!

More bubbly for Valentina!

After shutting off both the filter and the air bubbles, the water was dead calm.
The photo shows Valentina's mirror image.



Back to the Spa!



Valentina enjoys a facial in these 4 photos.