A Sad Farewell

Hello, Dear Friends, I'm sorry that I have not been around

much, recently. 

You see, we have lost a sweet part of our family, 

my little 'Grand-pup', Weenie Baby.

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while, 

know that Weenie Baby and her 'sister', Peanut, 

were frequent guests here when my daughter, 

Jennie had to travel.

They were such a big part of my life.
They were my daughter's family.
She is beyond sad. 

We lost little Peanut a year ago, nearly to the day. 

At that time, during the sad days that followed, 

I kept Weenie Baby for a few weeks. 

They had been together for 11 years, since they were 

6 weeks old, and were never apart.

Jennie even had to take them to the Veterinarian's
office together, when either of them needed care.
They couldn't be separated.  

Fate was kind, and shortly thereafter,
 my daughter met the love of her life.

Soon, Weenie Baby had a new companion, Buddy.

For the last year of her life, she was pampered 

and loved by Jennie, Steve, and his two 

darling daughters. 

Even though Weenie Baby was 12 years old, 

and had lived a good life, it is always 

so hard to say goodbye. 

She was a good-nature'd little soul, and got along 

with most everyone. 

Here she is with Whitey Bear, waiting for a treat.

And playing outside.

With Champ, our Border Collie that is now
with her and Peanut on the other side of
the Rainbow Bridge.

We so enjoyed our little walks together.......

Every day was a new adventure :)

When we welcomed Kai into our lives,
Weenie Baby (and Peanut) loved him, too.

Her favorite past-time was digging for critters :)

She would dig big holes in 'Gramma's' yard, 

but just seeing the joy and enthusiasm on her 

little face made me happy, too.  

They loved coming to 'Gramma's' house and 

they would put up such a fuss until they were on their way :)

They followed me everywhere I went.
Here they are helping me water my flowers on the deck.

Being small, Weenie Baby liked to be up high to get a better view!

She always slept under the covers and I would tuck her into
her favorite place on the sofa whenever she had a sleepover.

Here she is just after Peanut left us.

It took a while for her to regain her joy in life once more.

She started going gray........

But she still loved taking walks with 'the boys',
 Whitey Bear and Kai.

She was so tiny, and blended in so well with the landscape,
that I had to keep a close watch on her, but she never went far.

She never lost her love of digging..
This photo was taken just this past November.

Although she was tiny, she has left a big hole
in our hearts.

We're going to miss you, sweet little one.

Please wait for us on the other side.

xoxo


"Once you have a wonderful dog, a life without one,
is a life diminished"

- Dean Koontz, Author -


"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you,
they will be there long before any of us"

- Robert Louis Stevenson -


xoxo

A Sad Goodbye to Our Precious Peanut

We lost our precious Peanut last Tuesday, 

to a sudden illness and our hearts are broken once more. 

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while

know that Peanut was my daughter, Jennie's little 

mini-dachshund, along with her 'sister' dog, Weenie Baby. 

These were my daughter's 'babies' and my 

'Grand-pups' for 11 years. 

My daughter is beyond heart-broken. 

The vet said she died of a tick-borne illness

that could have been dormant for a long time,

 with devastating results. 

Heroic measures were taken to save her, 

but it was not to be, and now 

a bright, shining light has gone out of our lives. 

Peanut and Weenie-Baby have been inseparable since 

they were 8 week old puppies, and now poor little 

Weenie-Baby is left on her own. 

I have taken her in and with lots of love and sympathy, 

she is finding her way. 

She has been grieving, and it shows in her 

big brown eyes how sad she is feeling. 

Here they are as puppies - Peanut in front - 11 years ago. 

They were truly part of our big, extended family. 

On an autumn walk with my old girl,
Little Bear (who has since passed on), 

Whitey Bear when he was young,
and Peanut and Weenie-Baby leading the pack, 

barely visible among the fallen leaves. 

A visit to 'Gramma's House' was a wonderful adventure 

for them and when my daughter would say,
'Want to go to Gramma's?'

 excited squeals would ensue. 

Here she is with Whitey Bear,
Champ - our departed Border Collie, 

and Sissy, on one of our many morning walks to retrieve the newspaper. 

Yes, I have had to say a sad goodbye, too many times,

in the last few years.

And more recently, romps with our young dog, Kai.

I would frequently pet-sit, sometimes for extended periods

when Jennie was traveling or in between moves.

She has since bought a little cottage with a big yard 

just for her little friends. 

But now she cannot bear to leave 

Weenie-Baby by herself all day, as she lives alone 

and works long hours. 

Over the years we've had many adventures together. 

Whenever they would be my house-guests, they loved 

helping me in the garden :) 

Mention the word, 'Squirrel' and Peanut was on high alert! 

As tiny as she was, Peanut ruled the roost around here, 

and no other dog dared to cross her.
She was 'Queen Bee'. 

But when it came to people, Peanut loved us all. 

She was happiest when she was sitting in your lap

and able to gaze 'deep into your eyes' to let you 

know how much she loved you. 

And when you least expected it, she would get you with 

a big sloppy kiss.

Although she was tiny, she was such a big presence
in all of our lives.

We're going to miss you so much, our Precious Little Peanut.

You stole our hearts and you most certainly captured mine.

Now I must try to stitch together the pieces of my tattered patchwork heart.

xoxo

I am sorry that I have been absent my Dear Friends,
but I know that you understand.

xoxo

Loving Ling Ling

Hello, Dear Friends, it is with a heavy heart 

that I tell you that Sorrow has knocked upon 

our door once again, and we have lost 

our sweet Siamese, Ling Ling. 

We had been treating her for what we thought

was an inner-ear infection, 

when it became clear over the New Year's holiday

that it was much more serious. 

She had become increasingly disoriented
over the last two weeks- 

 stumbling and circling, 

eventually this past weekend, unable to get up at all.

We gave up New Year's plans to stay by her side

and a very compassionate, local Veterinarian,

Dr. Robin Gardner, and her dear husband, 

drove all the way out to our home 

 to assess the situation, but it was determined that 

our dear Ling Ling had a possible neurological event,
and was ready to cross that Rainbow Bridge. 

So, on a cold and snowy night, held 

tightly in my arms, we said goodbye 

to our sweet Ling Ling and summoned 

the Angels to assist her on her way. 

Ling Ling came into our lives under sad circumstances,

but brought so much love and joy along with her. 

She was my Parent's beloved cat, 

and when my Mother passed away in 2011, 

she came here to live with us. 

I wrote a short story about her for my
Newspaper column back in 2011, and due to scheduling changes,
it was never published, but I will share it
with you now.

Loving Ling Ling

When my Father finally had to go to live in the nursing home after battling Alzheimer’s disease for years, my Mother was left alone to live in the home that she and my Father had built together. They were married for 58 years and rarely spent a night apart. The Siamese cat that my Father loved became my Mother’s comfort and loyal companion. Even though Mom had five daughters willing to help, she wanted to remain independent as long as possible. When I would arrive to help her clean the house, or to take her to Dr. appointments, visits to my Father, or errands, I would always find her sitting in her special chair, her faithful companion in her lap.  She confided in me that if it wasn’t for Ling Ling, she didn’t know how she would have made it through the long, lonely nights without my Dad.

Mom’s health began to decline soon after Dad’s move to the nursing home. She had heart disease and diabetes and it was clear that both diseases were taking its toll on my frail 75 year old Mother. After a series of hospital stays due to her progressive heart condition, it was decided that she should be moved to a nursing home for some rehabilitation and to stabilize her condition. She was able to move into the same room as my Dad, something she was looking forward to, as she missed him so. But she worried about her precious kitty, and it was decided that I would take Ling Ling home with me and my husband during her stay.

Ling Ling would be joining a full house, as I already had two cats, two dogs and one cockatiel. At first, she was frightened and wouldn’t come downstairs. For weeks she stayed upstairs in the bedrooms of our empty nest. We let her be, as we had so much on our minds, attending to my Mother’s rapidly declining health, my Father’s Alzheimer’s and the many decisions and heart ache of facing the possibility that my parents would never come home again.  I had many heartfelt conversations with my Mother during that time and it was then that she made me promise that I would take care of her beloved Ling Ling, should she not be able to come home again.

After being in the nursing home for several weeks, it was clear that my Mother would need heart  surgery. After the surgery, she desperately wanted to come home. So it was agreed, we would bring her home and divide her care among all of us. Her precious cat was brought back home to bring her comfort. But after only one week, my Dear Mother passed away in the home she loved, her beloved Ling Ling by her side.

After that terrible day, I went back to my parent’s empty house to bring Ling Ling home with me. My heart was broken and so was hers.

During the next few weeks, Ling Ling and I sought each other out. I knew how much this small bundle of fur was grieving. I could see it in her sad blue eyes and drooping tail. We had suffered the loss of someone we loved very much. Through our grief, we formed a close bond. I could see why my Mother loved her so. She was gentle and sweet, with loving, knowing eyes. I could feel my Mother looking down with happiness whenever we were together. And like my Mother and my Father before her, I fell in love with this sweet little bundle of comfort.

It has been a year now, since my Mother’s passing. Our grief has softened around the edges a little bit. Ling Ling is part of the family now. But she will always hold a special place in my heart, because we share in common, a love like no other. 

xoxo

Now we say goodbye to this special little soul
who brought so much comfort and joy into our lives.

I know my dear Parents are there to meet her
at the Rainbow Bridge.

We will miss you, dear Ling Ling.

We loved you so.
xoxo