Me and my dog Jasmine. This was taken last summer at Seney Wildlife Refuge up in Michigan's U.P.

In my life, animals figure most often as spirit guides.  They come to me in dreams, as premonitions, and of course through my art.  They help me decipher the mystery of my own psyche and guide me through the swamps and deserts of life’s journey.

But it’s pretty hard to relate this way to spirit animals without inviting flesh-and-blood ones into one’s life.  Right now the Michelsen roof shelters two goldfish, a couple of hooded rats and two rescued dogs, 15-year-old Pavlov and a goofy Lab-Boxer mix named Jasmine (a.k.a. The Lummox.)

This morning Jasmine proved to me that spirit animals aren’t the only ones who can guide us to what we need.

I realized the other day that it’s coming up on three years since we moved into our house and I still don’t have a full-length mirror.  Which doesn’t bother my husband but darn it, it’s just not right for me! (Or my daughter Clara, who at age 11 is intent on developing her own personal  style. )

(As a side note, I wonder if the mirror thing has any significance: I read somewhere that men tend to look at themselves from the face up, while women favor the full-length view.  How does it affect people spiritually to consistently  see only fractured images of themselves?)

Anyway, darn it, I need a long mirror!

Well, this morning my dogs and I were returning from our morning walk when rather than accompany me on a loose lead round the last corner home, Jasmine suddenly pulled to the right.  I don’t usually let the dogs drive, but this time I thought, “what the heck” and went her way to make an extra swing around the block the long way.

Well, we’d only gone a few paces when I looked down and saw it- a perfectly good full-length mirror someone had left out with the trash.

Good dog!

The mirror had a broken frame but was otherwise in perfect condition.  And I think I know a gal who can figure out how to install a frame…

No critters in this little plein aire of the Seney Refuge - but Jazz Dog helped me paint it!