In the fall of 2002, Gloria got the opportunity that would completely change her life.
She spent a week on the Navajo Nation south of Shiprock at Sarah Natani's place at Table Mesa, learning to weave in
the Navajo way. She came home with a head stuffed full of new knowledge, a heart forever changed, and two
puppies.
Ginger and Hadabah are sisters. They were dumped, near death by starvation, at Table Mesa by
Mrs. Natani's home. That first Sunday night, no one was entirely sure that the smallest one would live through the night.
We had no dog food, only a plastic container of sour cream. Little by little we fed them until they had eaten the entire container.
Ginger, the larger of the pair, always let her sister eat first, waiting patiently for her turn.
She slept wrapped around her sister to keep her warm. Named Hadabah - Hada being Spanish for "fairy" and bah being a Navajo
suffix meaning "little warrior woman" - the little one slept that night with Claudia in her sleeping bag. Little by little,
throughout the night, Hadabah stretched out as warmth finally seeped into her.
They came home with Gloria and now are completely healthy and happy - although when they play
and squabble they make sounds more like Tasmanian Devils than dogs.
