Notes From Hairenik
July 25, 2011
Armenian Porcupine in the Wild

After four weeks of meticulous tender loving care the Armenian porcupine was released into the wild on my property in the village of Jrambar. The area is purportedly loaded with porcupines so he will undoubtedly make some true friends very soon. 

My father-in-law Levon had been nourishing the porcupine (he remained nameless to avoid attachment) in his apartment ever since he brought him home from the vivarium. They had told him to feed the critter ground beef and some fruits like apples or apricots. For several days the little guy barely showed himself, apparently still reeling from the fall. Slowly but surely he started to come out of his hiding places -- he liked to move whenever he suspected that Levon found his nest. 

Levon would often have difficulty locating him, leaving bits of food in different spots to figure out where he was chilling out. Once in a while the porcupine permitted Levon to "pet" him, which meant the porcupine would drop down his defenses by allowing his quills to recede, making the caressing process a bit easier.  This morning at breakfast he decided to bite Levon's hand, perhaps because he was sensing that he was about to be evicted. 



We transported the porcupine in a small cardboard box designed for an electric tea kettle, so it was cosy accommodations for the 40 minute ride. In the meantime I was often concerned he would break out and get under my feet while driving; I kept looking down the entire way.



Once he was taken out of the box and put on the ground, he start stiffing around while a spider started crawling across his face. After a few minutes he started to wander off. I was able to follow his tracks only for a short time before he finally disappeared after I turned my back for a few minutes.


 




There's plenty of shady spots for him to snooze under and bugs galore on which to feast. Something tells me he'll have a blast out there. Better than an unprotected balcony on Sayat Nova Street any day.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 1:23 AM.
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July 21, 2011
My Sweet Lord

Lately Areg has been having trouble falling asleep in the evenings. We don't understand whether it's attributable to the summer heat or stubborn gas bubbles, but certain types of music have proven to work in lullabying him to la-la land.

The mobile that is attached to his crib plays gentle arrangements of famous delicate classical compositions, which even put me to sleep, but sometimes they just don't do the trick. One afternoon George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" came to mind when thinking of trance-like melodies that may induce slumber. My mother had told me that my uncle used to play it for me repeatedly while rocking me to sleep in one arm when I was about Areg's age.

Whenever I put the song on for him it works without fail. Even if he's complaining, as soon as he hears the guitar strumming during the first few seconds he calms down immediately, and by the time the "Hari Krishna" chorus comes in he's out cold. And to ensure maximum chill out, I enable the repeat cycle in the music player. The efficacious influence of song on the uneasy soul is undeniable.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 12:52 AM.
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Dog Trainer, Anyone?

If anyone residing in Yerevan has a mischievous mutt that could use a good dose of discipline, consider calling Leonid Istomin, the Armenian dog whisperer. He is one of the most gentlest, spiritual guys I know and Chi Chi is in love with him.

Due to his efforts Chi Chi can walk alongside me proud, and her behavior in the house has improved immensely, from being dominating to fairly submissive. When we first asked him to help us within minutes he trained her so that she would no longer enter our bedroom, and things only improved thereafter. Incidentally, aside from his clever canine training skills he's also a talented painter.

He has a Facebook page that is mainly in Russian, but if you don't know the language and use Chrome, the browser will translate the text on the fly.  You can also view a promotional video on YouTube to see him in action. Leonid speaks Russian and Armenian fluently, but can also hold a conversation in German fairly well. He can be reached at 093-235-110.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 12:18 AM.
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July 8, 2011
Summertime in Yerevan
The temperature in Yerevan is blazing, hotter than I ever remember it being for July. Usually the air is arid and difficult to breath in August. Last year the summer weather was relatively mild, aided by frequent rainstorms and cool breezes. Now it's time to fry.

Luckily Areg doesn't really seem to mind the high temperatures, judging by his usual moody behavior. The weather doesn't appear to faze him in the slightest. But having said that, he can't stand being confined to his jogging stroller for very long and usually starts complaining 10 minutes into our walk. That means either me or my wife have to bounce him on our shoulders during our stroll while the other (usually me) pushes the carriage around. It's nearly impossible to get him back in, even when he has apparently fallen asleep.

Chi Chi should by nature be easily adaptable to this weather, being an ethnic Mexican. But lately her meals are disagreeing with her, and we haven't yet pinpointed the reason. I think it might just be the heat. Strangely enough, her mood doesn't seem affected in any way; she still pines for affection and constant attention.

And although Yerevaners love to complain during the summer about how hot it is, and not much else, they are still lining the streets of the city center in droves. Last night was very challenging trying to find walking space when pushing the stroller down the sidewalk on Sayat Nova Street alongside the Opera House and myriad cafes in the vicinity. Even around 11:00 pm the temperature felt like it was in the mid to high 80s, with a very slight breeze blowing. Since I'm sure most people can't afford air conditioning, it's better to be out than boil at home. We actually just leave the windows open to create an air current that gets the job done of cooling the apartment down.

These days I spend most of my free time in the evenings entertaining Areg. I haven't gone out to hear music in the  jazz clubs in well over a year, and I haven't been able to check out the new bars and restaurants opening up at the far end of Pushkin Street, which is turning into a sort of Greenwich Village it seems. On the weekends I water Areg's trees on my land and visit my father-in-law's dacha in Dzorakhpur, which is a village just outside the city limits off the road to Garni, to help out with repairs. Hopefully, opportunities for adventure will arise sooner or later.

But right now, the most important center of my attention is my beautiful boy and making sure my family is happy.  I don't care about much else these days.

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Posted by Christian Garbis at 4:34 PM.
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