My lost girl, Sandy

It is quiet this morning and I am up early so that I can get to an appointment in a short while. As I bring the babies outside the leaves are not rattling on their limbs as the air is still, the dogs in the neighborhood yards are still inside their warm beds and the streets are still sleeping at this early hour. A lone squirrel travels the branch of the big oak in the backyard savaging for acorns to stash away for the long cold winter before us. Otis, my mixed breed who truly thinks he is a human fur-child is sitting a few feet away from where I sit holding onto my mug of java. It should be a typical morning for us, we do this seven days a week, sit together looking at the stars, feeling mother Earth's air upon our faces, the wind sometimes blowing our hair, and just sitting. I use this time to remember, dream, forgive, or at times even forget, but just to search my soul and let my mind take me where ever it wants to. Otis I can’t say for sure, but I feel he is doing just the same as I am, just thinking and relaxing while sniffing the air awaiting the day’s full beginning when the world awakes and the quite and soothing time we are now sharing turns into the every day hassles it usually becomes. Our mornings are the clam before the storm, our time to be still, our time to be together, and our time just to be.

Things in our house are in no way what I would call predictable, but we have routines; we have early morning routines, later morning routines, afternoon routines evening and night routines as well. The narrative of Otis and me alone with Mother Nature in our backyard before the sun has even risen is a typical early morning routine. Our later morning routine was just slightly different as it included another fur-child of mine, Sandy. She older than Otis by six years, lab –Sheppard mix, a bit over weight, but what lady these days doesn’t consider herself overweight compared to the models of today? She with her light tan and white her short course fur was beautiful anytime of day or night, but more so when she laid her frame upon the green grass with the sunshine beaming down on her. She would have this smile that she shared with the world and you could not help but feel a smile break out on your own face when she looked at you.

She like many children these days came from a broken home and came to be my child in the year of nineteen ninety nine; and left me on October thirtieth two thousand seven to run and smile upon the stars and heavens that Otis and I now sit and gaze upon during those early hours each day, but now we look upon them with sorrow in our hearts and sadness in our eyes longing to once again gaze upon the beautiful baby girl that was once a significant part of our daily lives and routines, our playmate, our buddy, and now our lost friend.

Sandy was our friend, our companion, our “baby-girl” all one-hundred and ten pounds of her. Although Otis has had his moments, Sandy was the one that could always make you laugh all the while spitting out a mouthful of sandy colored fur that would always find it’s way into anything and everything as she bounced and pranced around with a huge smile on her face of yellow and white.

This is in memory of my "Baby Girl" Sandy who I lost October 30, 2007, it is now two years past and yet I still look for her, think of her, and I still miss her terribly and wish for just one more hug of fur and a wet smooch. Our new babies Marley and Brock never knew our baby girl Sandy but they can sense that something is different with Otis and I today, they can feel our painful hearts and see the sorrow in our eyes. Our memories of Sandy will live on forever in my heart and Otis and I are sending big hugs to you Sandy girl...love you.

Thank You!

I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers God heard them all! I just got a call from the doctor and I am CANCER FREE!!!!!!! I have tears of joy right now…all I can say is Thank You God.

Sense of Change

The past few weeks have been difficult for me. I found a lump in my breast so I went to my family doctor, who was amazed at what she was feeling, ordered an MRI and ultrasound two weeks out and set up an appointment with an oncologist surgeon. The waiting the two weeks to have the tests was like a cruel joke and now again I am waiting two days for the results of my core biopsy they did yesterday as they did not like what they saw on the ultrasound or MRI from last week.

What has made this bearable? Of course my husband, he has been so understanding and wonderful…doing dishes, hugging me more often, being extra sweet, and giving me the remote! He is a one-of-a-kind angel from heaven.

But as I am home alone all day it is the comfort of my critters that make the time pass. Did you know tears of joy contain different substances than those of sadness or pain and dogs are able to tell the difference? Some people believe that dogs can detect cancer, I don’t know for sure about all that, but I do know my three dogs gave stayed closer to me, snuggled more, and have been by my side every moment now since I first noticed this lump. I don’t think it is that they know the answer to the test results but they can detect that something is out of the ordinary. Their sense of smell, heat detection, and ability to identify patterns of behavior we can't see is part of their design for survival.

It is wonderful, and yet odd, that dogs are not afraid of humans from the moment they are born into this world and that we as humans are so attracted to a species other than our own. Our affection, bond, and intensely intimate relationship with our beloved pets is something not normally found in nature, but it works and I am happy it does because this week would have been unbearable if it were not for my three fur children.

Who is the Dog?

The dog is compassionate, selfless and generous; an immense contributor in our lives. We as dog moms and dads seem to be of our own breed as well, we seem to have less hatred in our hearts and thoughts, we have a kind nature about us, we seem to smile more and can see the hurt in others. We offer encouragement to all that need it just as we are encouraged by our adored dogs to get up and exercise even when we’d rather lie on the couch.

Dogs don’t shrug off responsibility and they always have time for you; be it a big sloppy kiss to wipe away a tear while leaning in to offer their fluffy shoulder to cry on, they sit patiently and tilt their heads from side to side as we explain to them our problems of the day and they wag their tail as if to say,” no problem, I got it and we are all going to be just fine.” God gave to them such a massive heart to be our saving grace here on Earth; for with this heart, they continually sooth our worries from a infinite fountain of common wisdom somehow provided to them for such use with us humans.

Our dogs know us better than we know ourselves it seems, they watch us, worry about us, teach us, and always love us. They may not always show you all their secrets, but they most certainly know all yours. God bless the dogs and all they bring to enrich our lives.

Not Going To Try This Again

Sorry folks I just had to share this.

A blonde decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no lessons or prior experience. She mounts the horse unassisted and it immediately springs into motion. It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but the blonde begins to slip from the saddle. In terror, she grabs for the horse''s mane, but cannot seem to get a firm grip.
She tries to throw her arms around the horse''s neck, but she slides down the side of the horse anyway. The horse gallops along, seemingly ignorant of its slipping rider.

Finally, giving up her frail grip, the blonde attempts to leap away from the horse and throw herself to safety. Unfortunately, her foot becomes entangled in the stirrup, and she is now at the mercy of the horse''s pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over and over.

She starts to lose consciousness, but to her great fortune, Bobby, the Wal-Mart greeter, sees her and unplugs the horse.