Semi-Daily Scribbles

08-12-14

Ten years since the day we parted and I forgot to say Hey! 2024 has just been that way. Spinnin' wheels, stuck in reverse. I truly do think about you all the time, except for this year I completely forgot about commemorating your Rainbow Bridge journey. With your sister by your side, I bet the days are jam-packed with roughhousing, lounging, snacking and snoozing. Hopefully there's a system in place so you and lil' get lots and lots of belly rubs.

Your Pa and I have been playing lots of guitar and singing songs to basically keep us out of trouble, but if we get good the plan is to become buskers and travel around in a camper van. You'd have made a great assistant going around to our throng of spectators with the donation hat between your chompers. Too cute with all your salt and pepper ringlets! We'd be sure to sing around the campfire, too, since you always loved going on trips to the beach, mountains and everywhere in-between.

I'm going to let you get back to playing and/or resting. I can't believe I almost let this yearly post slide right on by. You might know this already, but your Grandma passed in June and the days have gone all wonky. Like kids are back in school! It's been tough keeping track of things. You be good and know we think of Our First & Curliest Girl all the time.

Safe Travels

Still raw from saying goodbye at the beginning of the month, but it's gotten a bit easier to breathe. Been receiving lovely messages from friends wanting us to know the many ways in which you helped them and provided countless good times that'll last as precious memories. I've been going through letters and photographs and that's been a good way to process all the jumbled emotions. Here are a few snapshots of the Summer of 2012 when you came to visit on your cross country drive to see Barb & Bernie. That was a solo trip you wanted to add to your list of I Did This! You did reach your destination and had a grand adventure with stories to share when the new school year started.

Speaking of road trips, I'm looking for the photos from our family vacations. I'm including this link because not only is it a beautiful story, but it's also about a place we visited to camp and fish. The Tuesday mentioned in the article made my breath catch in my throat.

I'll check in soon with more pictures and thoughts.

A Higher Degree of Love

It's been two days since you left this place to start a new journey. Odd thing, time. It holds no meaning, serves no particular purpose Right Now since I'm bouncing all over the place with all sorts of Memories & Thoughts. I'll be sharing snippets and photos for a while until I can write a proper thing to describe who you were and what that means to me. I've reached out to the Indio & PacNW crews and those good folks have told me how much they love/admire/appreciate you. They've all relayed similar messages about how you helped them become better people, both for themselves and their loved ones. That's a pretty cool thing for your pals to feel and pass along.

I'll keep this ramble short, but wanted to share that the date you took off for greener fields adds up to be The Number Nine:
Nine is often associated with completion and fulfillment. It represents the end of a cycle, suggesting that something has reached its full potential or purpose.

And yes...I'm still playing guitar...

Venting on NYE

For me, 2023 never really got out of the blocks. On a global level...?

Wars.
Environmental Disasters.
Mayhem of Every Design.

I'm nursing the sniffles and excited about a repair person coming over this afternoon to clean the dryer vent. What better way to ring in 2024? I'm catching a back to basics vibe for the new year. No declarations of losing weight, crossing off <fill in the blank> on Ye Olde Bucket List, changing careers. More like a literal and figurative cleaning of one's house. This past year has been one of accumulation, but not necessarily of objects and experiences that will propel me on my path. I need to get back to the work of creating rather than procuring. There's a lot of stuff cluttering my closets and noggin. So, over the next 12 months, I shall focus on the things that truly matter: Family, Friends & Cupcakes. This paired down list will keep the important stuff prominent in '24 and beyond.

Not All Surprises Come In A Box

Barbie, with her wicked business acumen, saw this seismic shift in the world of comms way before any in-the-trenches types were mysteriously summoned, in small batches, to a hard to find 4th floor conference room with nary an explanation as to why.

So the story goes...

A man dressed in black sat in front of a bank of windows typing on a silver laptop. He was accompanied by three women who also had their eyes focused on silver laptops. As citizens entered the room, any anticipation of bonuses being distributed because of A REALLY GOOD Q3 was DOA.

Released into the wild in two phases, there are those among us this holiday season who will take comfort in wassail and Gen Xmas carols.

The Tale of Shiver & Squeak

How quickly we've come back around to 12/12. It's been a rough year for myriad reasons. But in this season of light and love, the 12th of December will forever mark the day you embarked on a journey far, far away from us. Your Pa and I like to picture you and Big Sis playing and resting together in fields filled with toys and treats. Wow! How I remember the drive up to a horse farm darn near the Canadian border wondering what we'd see up there. When the proprietress of the manor introduced you to us, we weren't even sure you were a canine. Curled up in the lady's palm was, what looked like to me and your Pa, a fistful of dark gray wool. Seeing our flummoxed and exasperated faces (hey, it's a long drive from West Seattle to Deming!) she said to us, "One minute!" and ran to the next room with you in her hand. We immediately heard buzzing sounds that lasted mere seconds before the farm marm returned with a tiny shaven creature. It was you! Looking pretty damn close to a nude mouse! Ah, Lil...you were so very tiny and shivering and squeaking...which completely sealed the deal for your Pa and me! We were handed you, nestled in a towel, and made the long trek back down to the big city to begin your adventures with us.

And then we had to introduce you to Pup #1 who'd, by that time, been our only fur baby since bringing her home from Lynden as the 20th century came to a close. Not to tell another puppy's tale, but she didn't want to know you. Your introduction consisted of a single sniff from your sis and then she summarily turned around for you to contemplate her big, curly backside. I am most happy to add, though, the two of you grew to be good buddies as she taught you the ropes of a dog's life. For instance, how to go potty outside in the first few days after you'd joined our family. Neat! You gals went on to have oh-so-many adventures that will ever be precious memories for me and Pa.

Well, it's time to wrap up this little story since I can no longer see for the tears that've made the laptop screen all smeary. There's a whole lot of merry making in which to partake now that we're in the holiday homestretch. Goodies to bake and family dinners to host and stop motion masterpieces to view.

Happy End-of-Year Celebratory Activities To You!

Options for Treating Aggression

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dog Stars

Hey you! Our Ever-And-Forever-#1-Pup!! I check in pretty much all the time, but I save these puppy tales for hot August days. And this year, summer is hellish. Crazy temperatures the world over; oceans have warmed, ancient places reduced to ash. You never had much tolerance for the heat being a Pacific Northwest girl, but I hear the seasons on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge are 100% Just Right.

And so it goes.

I mark your passing with a few sentences every year although you've not strayed far from my side. Your silly, sassy energy is still felt, especially in our closet, where occasionally I hear rustling amongst the hangers and find the odd shoe out of place. And now you've got your little buddy by your side in poochie paradise. We couldn't make it past one week last Christmas with nary a schnauzer in the house, so Pa visited Madisonville and brought home M & M - two jet-colored minis in full-on manic pupette mode. They play with your toys and sleep in your green, fleece-lined basket next to my desk. One of them right now is hanging off the end of the daybed trying to jump onto the keyboard as I type these words.

Your Pa and I are the same homebodies you knew us to be from way back. Quiet pursuits like reading and TV watching are our vibe, along with daydreams of our car trips to the ocean and walks to Lincoln Park. You were the very best companion for all the adventures we shared near and far. Not a day goes by that I don't think about your feisty old self. Like scratching on the laundry room door (where we still keep the kibble) at all hours of the day in the hopes your bowl would get On Demand Refills. But I also cherish the times when you were tucked in snugly beside me in a comfy chair and I'd listen to you snore as I read.

You be good up there / everywhere and continue to show your little sister the ropes...and tasty treats, and blue bones and purple porcupines.

#RainbowBridge #PuppyLife

The Sweetness of Life

The revolving door of reality will open out upon a memory where you and I are sitting side by side, beneath a quilt, breathing in each other's scent. This is how you will forever be.

Evergreen Memories

I stayed up all night with you, getting a bit of shut eye here and there, but mostly watched you sleep and listened to your labored breathing. Your diagnosis of large cell lymphoma had been confirmed a few weeks ago and the vet prescribed prednisone, but your Pa and I could feel lumps all over you weeks before that. Hard not to get all tangled up in woulda/shoulda/coulda, but after 14 years of being the best teacup schnauzer that has ever padded through these parts, we are grateful for all the days spent as a family. Your sister would agree, too, even though I'm sure she prefers to maintain that cranky demeanor that we could all see right through. I've envisioned the two of you engaged in a lively chase, then a round of wrestling, as soon as she recognized you trotting across that Rainbow Bridge. A sunny place where the two of you can play and play and eat endless treats and never again be in pain.

I've blown through a box of tissue typing these sentences. It was just a few hours ago that we drove over to the vet for your final visit. You were light as a feather in my arms, covered as you were in your long, silky salt and pepper hair (which is still on the calendar to be cut this weekend, so I need to make a phone call once I've finished this post.) There are no more doggies living in our house that need regular hair appointments and yearly doctor exams. Those are the milestones that will keep me feeling out of balance now that our home is a canine-free zone. It has been years since we've lived without four-legged children. The holidays have lost a bit of sparkle and shine, but I'll endeavor not to become maudlin as I stare at the schnauzer ornaments hanging from the tree. You and your sister have enriched my life in so many ways, and I shall recount and contemplate all those memories you've helped to make over sugar cookies and eggnog in the remaining days of 2022. (And speaking of days, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how sad Nana is that your shared birth month and day will now be celebrated by only one of you down here on planet Earth.)

We love you and miss you so very much, Lily Luna.