And then there were none.

My adventure with the golden retrievers is now complete, a few happy stories, a few sad ones. Lessons learned. Lessons yet understood. Without them here it’s almost as if they were never here, and yet my life will never be the same because they were. Their presence will never go away.

I want to say more and I will, it’s just as I sit here to write, I am thumbing through a photo album of mental snapshots and overcome with memories and emotions and it’s hard to write through the tears. I am happy. I am sad. I am remorseful. I am grateful. I’m a wiser. I am poorer. I am stronger. Where to start? How can I begin to tell the story when each one of these feelings is a story of itself and deserves a page, a chapter a book full of words to do it justice?

It’s hard to believe that all of this transpired in 3 months. I’ve lived a lifetime through it all. I have been forever changed. The dogs lives have too, and it’s another chapter and a half for me to decide if it was all for the better or worse. I don’t want to judge, I’m trying not to. What’s been started on my part is done. Now four families’ lives will also be forever changed. Maybe that’s why I was a party to this sequence of events, it may have farther reaching consequences than I’ll ever see or know. I’ll always hope so.

Awakening

Does an animal hear you ooching around in the morning in the last moments between sleep and awakening? Or is it just “that time”, the unspoken clock that you have created because it’s usually the same every morning. Whatever the trigger, there is something so endearing about being greeted by a friendly furry face when you first open your eyes. Imagine then opening your eyes to find a perfect golden haired, brown eyed mama dog, at the exact height of the bed so that chin is resting on the mattress and nose is just inches away. Beside her is puppy, too short but standing on hind legs so that large clumsy paws are up over the edge of the bed and triangle shaped nose is pointing upward trying to see. Soda, who has master privileges is already on the bed to the far side, drapes herself over by way of your neck. In a moment I’ve gone from sleep to three faces studying me from just inches away. I laugh out loud as Jack the cat joins too, jumping up and perching on my hip, leaning in like a vulture over a kill. It was a snapshot of time to take it in, then it all disintegrates into laughing, barking, mama snaking her nose closer, Soda steamrolling the rest of the way over and Jack now leaping off as only cats can do, mustering downward force equivalent to a jack hammer. I love to wake up in a good mood laughing. I love having help!

Second Best new Quote

I love the view

from the JEEP seats!

Best new quote

I love my new jeep, but jeeps aren't for everybody. In fact they're not for most people.