The Earth Is Our Witness

A rock, a river, a tree.  This poem is so perfect for this New Year's Eve.  Dr. Angelou's advice: we have crouched too long in the darkness. Let us rise up and seize the new day.

Blessings to all Earth's inhabitants for a glorious new day and the following year.

What is it with cats and trees?

My friend, Lori's cat, Kate

At this time of year, I see post after post on FaceBook showing cats in various positions in, around and under the Christmas trees. Heck, there is even a cute little cartoon with a cat and the tree (you gotta see it if you haven't already.)  So all this got me thinking. Just what is it with cats and trees?

Well, our domestic cats are really far from domestic. Anyone who lives with cats knows this all too well.  If you told someone that you lived with a loved one who had been known to knock things off the shelves, urinate in the houseplants, rip up the furniture, lays around for hours sleeping in the sun, occasionally scratches and sometimes bites you, they'd look at you like you are nuts. "You put up with that?" they'd ask.  Not to mention that these "family members" also can leave dead bodies and body parts on our front porch. But our cats are also full of play, find joy in the simplest things (a paper bag or empty box) and are nice warm sleeping partners in the winter.  Not sure about you, but my cats love to play with a crumpled piece of paper or the ring from the milk jug - all with absolute fascination! My one cat, Lars, enjoys knocking things off the counter so the dogs will pick it up and get in trouble.  He almost giggles when he hears me say to the dogs "hey, how did you get that ink pen?"  When we both look at him, he shrugs it off - "I have no idea how the dog got that." My cats are full of michievious behavior - sitting in the sink, laying across (or walking across) my laptop and shoving my book out of the way so they can lay on my chest about 2 inches from my face. All things my cute kitties get into.

My kitties will also tell me when it is time for them to be fed.  Me, The Provider, must put food in their tummy, right now in fact.  But when we lived in an older home a few years ago, our first indoor kitty, Maybelle, rid our home of all the mice.  I had never had an indoor cat (I grew up on a farm) so was unfamiliar with their hunting methods.  Maybelle would sit politely in front of the cabinet doors below the kitchen sink.  She'd look up at us with her big wide eyes, "Yes, there is an intruder in there" she would say.  When we went to bed that night, we'd leave the doors open and in the morning, mousey was gone.  Awesome!

Albert, the barn kitty - in a tree :)

When we moved to our hobby farm, we didn't have a mouse problem until we started storing food for the ducks and sheep in our barn.  We then contemplated what type of rodent control we'd like to employ.  The best option - barn cat.  Since keeping a cat in the barn - no mice, not even one has been seen.

So all of this is painting a picture and I bet you are wondering - what does all this have to do with cats and trees?  Trees emit wonderful energy and represent a very grounding sense of power.  When we invite our cats to live a domestic life by staying indoors, we take away their ability to stay connected to nature.  They crave this connection and need it to survive and have a healthy, happy life.  Cats love to connect with the tree spirits in many ways.  They need their surface to scratch and sharpen their claws. Ever notice that most cat scratching posts are made of wood or cardboard.  Both sourced from the tree! Cats need tree branches to climb and strengthen their bones and muscles - they must catch their dinner after all. They use the height of trees to observe danger approaching and to escape predators. Perching on tree branches also allow cats to stalk their prey - their food. This video is full of beautiful lions in the trees of Uganda. The producer states they sometimes perch in these trees to escape the biting flies that live in the grasses and to catch a passing breeze in the hot climate. Either way, so lovely to see them enjoying the safety of the trees.

Lars (one of my house cats) - King of Trees

Cats love to be high and commune with nature from a very safe spot. Trees provide this safety but we've all seen the numerous references in TV shows, movies and cartoons depicting a little kitten that has gotten to the tippy top of a tree and cannot get back down. They have a "spot on" sense of humor!

Cats love to connect with trees and the wood element. When we invite this energy into our homes by putting up a Christmas tree, we awaken this yearning in our domestic cats.  They want and need to connect to Mother Earth in their most favorite way - trees!  So if you are thinking of getting your kitty friend a gift, consider getting them their very own tree or at least something made of wood :) Especially important for cats with their claws (gee, I hope they all have them!) since cats use the scratching with their claws to stretch their muscles and adjust their spine.

So trees and kitties go hand in hand. Next time your cat topples the Christmas tree or lands in your ficus tree, realize they are seeking Earth energy and help them find better options.

Lars under the tree

Revived - new blogs coming

Feeling the need to revive this blog.  Even though I have another blog site (targeted to Performance Dogs), I find my mind wonders from that subject and I need a place to share my thoughts.  Tune in and be ready, got things on my mind that need to be shared.

I've moved my blogs!

Be sure to follow me on www.naturalperformancedog.com to see my latest blog entries.

Stressed puppy! What do I do?

Many of us that share our lives with performance dogs, experience start line nerves.  Either on the agility field, flyball lanes or standing at the post at a herding trial. For us humans, it manifests in many different ways: butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms, inability to eat before your run, increased blood pressure and difficulty in focus - what is it that you're supposed to do?

Our poor pups feed off our energy - good or bad.  Their nervousness can show up looking like crossing over the lanes in flyball, "forgetting" to bring the ball back and the every popular, "wow, they are sooooo slow."  In agility, our stressed pups can break the start line stay, run around jumps, bark at the weaves poles and again "wow, they are soooo slow." My personal issue seems to be "wow, they are soooooo fast."  In herding it can show up with rushing the stock, their inability to "lie down!" and a general disregard to just about anything you are telling them. STREEEESSSS.

Many times, we walk to the line while being two of the most noodley individuals around.  Now how are we supposed to succeed when neither of us can think straight?

That's where flower essence can really help.  Many people have tried the popular "Rescue Remedy" with little or no success so they just figure, flower essences just don't work.  There are many different creators of flower essences, all with very different energies and Bach Flower Essences is just one of them. The blends from Green Hope Farm called "Show Cat" spiked with their "Anxiety" blend are two of my personal favorites for performance jitters. Using it is simple, starting several days before the trial, just add a few drops to the water or food and then put a couple of drops before each run (both to human and handler) to the tongue and it can have an amazing effect.  For me, I can walk to the line of any venue with a calm energy and my dogs that usually stress (mainly because their mommy is a bundle of nerves) look at me with excited eyes anticipating a great time versus look at me with the wild "yeeee, haaaaw" expression.

Where this blend is really good for performance issues, there are other ones great for general anxiety.  Separation anxiety, going to the vet anxiety and thunderstorm or loud noise anxiety.

I custom blend all my flower essences using stock from Green Hope Farm and energize them with the power of Reiki. To order a custom blend, contact me at tresa@tresalaferty.com

Yikes - I'm out of shape!

This past weekend I was reminded that I am indeed out of shape!  Neither me nor my dogs have run flyball (in a tournament) since December. Sure, we practice with the team and I keep the dogs in shape, but nothing like running several dogs in a tournament setting to remind you of your age.  I counted it up and between my 3 dogs, I, the human, ran in about 60 races.  So by the end of the day Saturday, I was hurting.  So when I got home, I pulled out my trusty "Ortho Sport" massage oil that is loaded with essential oils and started rubbing it in.  It has anti-inflammatory and pain-killing essential oils and is perfect for strained and swollen muscles or ligaments. That night, when my head hit the pillow at 9:30 pm, I slept like a baby.  Well, that could have been  because I got up at 4 am that morning for my 2 hour drive to Madison, but the true test would be the morning after.   For my pups, this particular blend is a bit strong, so I located one of my many bottles of "Ortho Ease" massage oil and gathered around the 3 flyball dogs.  Starting at the base of the tail, I tucked the bottle under the fur and squirted a long, thin strip of the massage oil directly on their skin. I then gently massaged this into their back and muscles.  My old guy Satch (he's going to be 11yrs soon) loved it!  Riff and Twang did too.  They kind of had a "skunk stripe" down their back but it was very soothing to them. Riff normally goes wild when I put essential oils on him but this time he just stood and almost fell asleep with the massaging along his back.

Call me crazy, but on Sunday, I was up and at 'em again but this time, I'm off to a herding fun day.  Not as early as the day before, but the alarm went off at 5am.  As I eased myself out of bed, yup, pretty stiff but not horrible, not like normal. Those of us who run a lot of flyball call this the "flyball hangover." Your body was pushed physically to the limit.   But I've got to pull it together for my yet another 2 hour drive south to work on sheep all day, in the 30 degree temps.  I applied the "Ortho Sport" massage oil again - almost over my entire body since everything was feeling a little tight.  One thing I didn't count on is that it has peppermint in it and since I applied it after a shower on a cold morning - I was now FREEZING!  Quick, put on my multi-layers for the outdoors. But my stiff neck and arm from tugging, aching knee from kneeling on the mats, and my tight back from loading/unloading crates and the general running of flyball, were all feeling a LOT better.  All without any other pain reliever!

And, I'm happy to report that even after hours outside and all the activity of working sheep for quite a long time, I was still feeling pretty good.  Monday morning rolled around and me and all the "working" pups were actually ready for another fun filled, active day. 

I'll have my Ortho Ease and Ortho Sport massage oils at my side for my months ahead as I get back into shape.  Lots of "over doing it" ahead but hopefully, a more fit body to follow.

If you'd like to order these massage oils, click here www.youngliving.org/tresalaferty

Ouch my aching head!

Our lives are filled with stress.  Stress can lead to head aches.  Wouldn't you love to have a natural, safe, effective way to relief an aching head. Well, if you have a few choice essential oils - you're in luck.  My favorite remedy for a simple headache is to rub a few drops of peppermint on my temples, back of neck and then inhale!  But occasionally these headaches are a bit more persistent. That's when I bring out the big guns.  Peppermint, lavender, idaho balsam fir and basil are all awesome at relieving the throbbing head.  Take a sniff and which ever one appeals to you - put a few drops on the back of your neck, behind your ears, on your temples and under your nose.  Just take care you are not around the eyes as the vapors from the oils can be irritating. 

After you've applied the oils, it also helps to put a damp cloth over your eyes and sit quietly for a few minutes.  Ahh, relief.

Be sure you are drinking enough water too.

If you're interested in ordering any of these oils, you can go to my site of www.youngliving.org/tresalaferty and order your headache kit!

Show me the money

Show me the money!  I love using crystals for health and healing but today's Tuesday Tip is getting us prepared for the ever popular Tax Day :( I thought I'd give you one of my own personal tips in order to increase spending money.  Citrine is called The Merchant Stone because it is a powerful stone to attract prosperity and success. Place citrine in your safe, cash register or money bag to increase business.  It not only attracts wealth, it helps one maintain it. As scary as it may seem, I recently misplaced my citrine stone and my little money bag was suffering.  Within a few days of finding it, clearing it, and placing it where I keep my money - my little money pile tripled in size - yay!!!  I also sprinkle a drop of Abundance essential oil in there too - just to be sure.

Tips like this and more will be covered as part of my class series "Speaking to the Earth."  For more information on the class series, click here.

Blue Lace Agate - Peacemaker!

I'm kind of going through a blue phase, not a sad blue phase but a "cool" blue phase...  I'm loving my blue stones these days.  My latest favorite is, Blue Lace Agate.   This stone can can help relieve headaches  and painful swollen glands in the neck.   It calms stress and stress-related conditions and can soothe skin allergies. One of my favorite uses of this lovely stone is making use of it's peacemaker energies. It can send peaceful energies to war-torn places (gee, we need that, right!) Just place it near a picture or other memorabilia of a place that needs peace and let it do it's magic.

At work, wear or carry it when you want to avoid confrontations and it helps you think on your feet. For our animal friends, it can reduce barking in a dog, screeching in birds and yowling in a cat. Just put it near the "offender" or add a stone to their drinking water.

For those spiritual journeyers, this beautiful blue stone develops clairaudience (clear hearing) and helps you deliver your messages in a positive and uplifting manner. It also helps develop your 5th Chakra (throat Chakra).

To recharge your Blue Lace Agate friend, use the moonlight as the moon begins to wax.

 I will be covering this stone and more in my class series, Speaking to the Earth.  To read more about these classes, click here.

Essential Oil Tip - Orange

Expressed from the rind, orange essential oil has many health benefits:  anti-inflammatory, calming, sedative, relaxant, anticoagulant, circulatory stimulant, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, cancer, heat palpation, scurvy, jaundice, bleeding, heartburn, relaxed throat, prolapse of the uterus and the anus, diarrhea, and blood in the feces.  Angina ( false), cardiac spasm, insomnia & menopause.  Anti-tumoral, rich in limonene, which has been extensively studied for its ability to combat tumor growth in over 50 clinical studies.  

A 1995 Mie University study found that citrus essential oils boosted immunity,  are psychologically refreshing, emotionally uplifting, induced relaxation, reduced  anxiety, depression, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). and Alzheimer’s.  Other uses:  Orange Oil may help appetite, bones (rickets), bronchitis, respiratory infections, indigestion (Dilute for infants: helps them sleep), dull and oily complexion, dermatitis, wrinkles, digestive system, lowers high cholesterol, mouth ulcers, muscle soreness, sedation, tissue repair, and fluid retention.   Orange essential oil is uplifting and works as an anti-depressant. 

I take several essential oils mixed in my NingXia Red and a drop of the Orange essential oil makes it taste like a wonderful burst of sunshine!

For our "pet" birds, they LOVE the citrus oils. Make up a spray bottle with Orange, Lemon & Lavender essential oils and spritz on their feathers.  You'll be amazed at the dramatic change in their behavior as they love the uplifting effects these oils have on their life. To make your own feather spray, take a 4 oz spray bottle and fill it with distilled water.  At about 10 drops each of Orange and Lemon therapeutic-grade essential oils (Young Living Brand) and spritz the feathers. Happy Bird!

To order this wonderful essential oil, click here.

Get energy moving with flower essences and Reiki

The flower essence blend called Flow Free is one of my favorites right now. Originally blended for urinary tract health this is also a great choice for an animal (or human) with problems with energy flow anywhere in the body.  When this happens, our animals needs help to get that energy flow properly moving.  We can lend assistance by using this effective flower essence blend called Flow Free.  Offering Reiki can also help in getting the energy moving. This combination can be very helpful for older animals that are feeling down and have a lack of energy. 

I custom blend all flower essence formulas using Green Hope Farm essences.  I then fill the bottles with the loving, healing energy of Reiki.  Contact me for a custom blend for you or your animal.

Essential Oil Tip - Jasmine

If you've never smelled the essential oil of Jasmine, you are missing one of the most exquisite scents available. This scent is nicknamed the "queen of the night" and "moonlight of the grove."  In addition to its aphrodisiac qualities, Jasmine is known to be calming and sedative, good for depression, nervous exhaustion and stress. It is also a good oil for use in skin care, especially for those of a sensitive nature.

Jasmine absolute is an orange-brown, viscous liquid with an intensely rich, warm, floral scent and 'tea-like' undertone. It is an oil that brings a lightness and happy feeling to those who use it.

It is potent oil and a little goes a long way.

This substance isn't an actual essential oil but an "absolute extraction" from the flower. It is an "essence' and not an essential oil.  To acquire the intoxicating scent, the flowers must be picked a night to maximize the fragrance. The blossoms must be collected before sunrise or much of the fragrance will have evaporated. Also, the quality of the blossoms may be compromised if they are crushed.

To order this oil click here: www.youngliving.org/tresalaferty

Lessons from an aggressive dog

A few years ago we welcomed an aggressive dog into our family. I wasn't seeking an aggressive dog and this one came with some history that wasn't too impressive.   For those of us with several dogs and linked into the doggy community, we all know that if you put out there that you want a dog - many, many will appear in your lap. I wasn't looking for another dog. But, there was something about Nickel when I met him that just drew me to him. I had a certain "plan" for him but little did I know, the universe (led by Nickel) had a completely different plan.

Our family had never had an aggressive dog.  I had a very bossy female Border Collie, but her bouts of so called aggression, were usually well timed corrections.  The severity of the correction was directly related to the capacity of the receiver to "get the message". There were a few dogs she really liked (main requirement was they needed to be smart and well behaved) but she had only shown love and affection to all humans.  Nickel, the new kid, was not like that - at all.

Nickel was 3 years old when he came to live with us.  At three, he had some things that were hard-wired into his being. He had aggressive tendencies to both humans and animals. This was something we were going to have to work with.  I quickly realized that he didn't really understand corrections.  He didn't respond to the normal things I had used and just stood there with a cold, hard stare when I expressed my displeasure at what he was doing.  He also didn't understand doggy behavior.  He just took toys from everyone, ran into them knocking them down and yes, a little worse than that.  We were pretty discouraged at his lack of understanding.  However, my female border collie, Meg wasn't discouraged.  Even at the ripe old age of 12, she was able to "explain" she had a bubble of protection around her.  If you entered it - even by mistake, you would be sorry.  She didn't make this point by aggression, but just clear intention of aggression. Amazing to watch Nickel respond to that "intention."

I have run into many people that have had similar aggression issues with their animals - particularly dogs.  Many people know of Nickel's history and ask what we do to properly manage this aggression.  Here are some observations that may help those with these types of dogs. 


We have worked on building a trusting relationship with Nickel.  We showed him respect when he didn't like something and we worked at helping him understand what we expected of him.  One thing is for sure, he didn't not respond to any negative responses from us.  It seemed to fuel the fire that was burning inside him increasing the intensity of his anger. So we learned to be calm and clear with him. And to pause - long pause if he gave you that cold, hard stare.  I learned he was evaluating my next move.  "Can I trust her?" he seemed to say.

I expect all of my dogs to behave a certain way as part of my human pack.  Many of them whom I've gotten as puppies or were taught this behavior very young, all act this way.  Nickel, it seemed, was just one step away from a wild dog. He didn't respect dog behavior nor human.  If this was going to work - we both had some learning to do.  He had certain triggers that would bring out aggression.  Grooming, confinement, corrections, balls!, invading his personal space - all these things would bring out aggression.  Also the food he was being given actually "fed" his aggressiveness.  He was being fed a poor quality grocery store kibble with loads of dyes in there.

Certain things about Nickel would never change.  He had an aggressive past therefore he had patterned behavior of aggression.  "When in doubt, strike out." He was, in fact, a dog.  A dog looking for his place in a multi-species pack.  He wasn't a fuzzy human wanting to emulate human behavior. He also wanted to contribute to his pack. He wanted to make a difference - in his own way.  Sounds impossible but it's funny to think of this perspective when we think of our cats.  We fully expect them to not listen, do what they want, destroy things, bite and scratch sometimes and usually drop something dead on our doorstep and ask us to be happy about it.  Our poor dogs are not so lucky to have the same understanding.  We expect them to conform to our world and lucky for us, they try so hard to do just that.

We are lucky to share our lives with dogs.  Most of us have many different species of animals in our lives, but dogs are something special.  They love being in our pack, they try very hard to fit in and they almost seem to emulate our human behavior.  So many of us see them as humans in a furry body. Yes, they have done an amazing job at making us think this and giving us very good reason to believe they are our furry kids, but in fact, they are dogs in a dog body wanting to have a dog's life here on earth.

Realizing this difference and learning to accept it is the shift in perspective that helped me in my relationship with Nickel. It opened the doorway to our next level of understanding. Also changing from trying to "fix" him, to accepting our responsibility to guide his experiences in life - providing him situations that would help him versus giving him conditions that kept him repeating the same things that didn't work.


We try very hard to not put him into situations where his aggression can come out.  We changed the way we do many things to accommodate his past patterned behavior.  Our hope is that he will learn new behavior, learn new patterns. Many people like to set up their dog. Set up a situation that they know to have caused the aggression in the past - "just to see" or perhaps it gives the person an opportunity to "correct" the dog.  How would you feel if someone you supposedly trusted put you in a situation and hoped you would fail?  It wouldn't do much for gaining my trust in them that's for sure!  We manage his activities carefully and think ahead at things that might bring up those old patterns.  Through lessons from other dogs, he has learned to growl and bear his teeth.  I praise him for this as he is now giving me very good information - like a dog should! I also look back on the times he acted out and many times it was me (or another human) that put him in a situation where he didn't know how to respond.  Some dogs respond by shutting down and others by acting out.  He is a very high energy dog and responds by absorbing energy so I'd try to make it calming energy.

Nickel is lucky enough to live on a farm with sheep so he gets to work them.  He also gets to run and play for hours each day.  He has a LOT of energy so giving him ways to channel his "work" has done wonders. We also have him on a custom flower essence mixture to help with his patterned behavior.  I do energy work on him (Reiki), shamanic healing and he responds to smooth, loving pets. I recently purchased a healing stone collar for him.  He loves this collar and asks to have it put on him (and removed when it needs to be). I think he responds to these types of healing energies because he is such a "wild" spirit.  These are energies he understands as they are from the earth and provide him the loving support he needs to be who HE wants to be.  We are lucky he is part of our family but it has taken a huge shift in our perspectives to realize this.  Some people say we have changed him but I know that it is us who have done most of the changing.  We are helping him become the being he wants to be and helping him to fit into the world WE have created.  What a good dog, Nickel.