Old Dog, Old Cat, Old Companion… it’s the Same
October 18, 2022
Trudy Mae passed away yesterday. She had a mouth full of cancerous tumors. I didn’t know that and I certainly didn’t see losing her. At least not yesterday.
Letting Go is Really, Really Hard to Do
October 31, 2019
It’s been more than a decade and a half since that late Friday afternoon when a skinny, white kitten walked out of the woods across the street from my house just talking, talking. What exactly he was saying, I am not sure, but he was talking and walking towards me. When he was just a […]
A homecoming… nonetheless
June 4, 2010
This morning’s quiet was broken by Layla’s meows. “Ah,” I thought, “my baby is awake.” When I looked into her carrier, I could tell by her stillness that she had just passed. There is a difference in the energy that surrounds a living body and one whose spirit has left.
Our simple bounties
April 6, 2010
I am struck by how we overlook the simple bounty we have all around us. We take it for granted that the sun will rise each day, that our dog will poop outside and that our cat will sleep on top of us at night.
Holiday Book Sales Raise Funds for Animal Nonprofits
December 11, 2009
The author of a highly regarded new book on coping during a pet’s terminal illness is paying it forward by offering an exclusive fundraiser for beleaguered nonprofit animal groups. Books sold through nonprofits’ websites will earn them 40% of the retail price
Maria Daines sings in support of animal rescues worldwide
May 13, 2009
Maria Daines writes music that supports not-for-profit organizations all over the world.
Disjointed siblings
January 12, 2009
Somewhere in the world tonight are four rather disjointed siblings grappling with the knowledge that their father passed earlier this evening. Over the past few years, Padre has been battling cancer. First it was bladder cancer. Once that passed, attention returned to a spot on one of his lungs. At first, he was reluctant to […]
In Memoriam… Lily
January 9, 2009
It’s 1:30 pm on Friday. In the previous two and a half hours, I drove Lily to the vet where she was put to sleep, and now she is home and buried. The photo at the left was shot just before we left the house this morning. I practiced my words a few times before […]
To Valerie… in memoriam
December 9, 2008
Just a nod to a woman I met this summer through an old high school friend. Her name is Valerie. Her sister-in-law from Montana sent her an email about a Hurricane Katrina survivor, a pony named Molly. Molly had been abandoned by her family as they fled the hurricane. In all the excitement of the […]
Kuumba
October 13, 2008
Kuumba passed this morning. I think he had been ill for a while, but in the past couple days, he had started looking really bad according to Lucy. Though he could hardly walk very far, he was still guarding the front of his territory this morning to the best of his ability. Kuumba will always […]
Charley Tan the Man
January 23, 2008
I lost Charley this day to a tumor he developed in his mouth. Together we fought it since it appeared in September. Funny how disease opens your eyes to things you either did not notice or took for granted. Charley ran the house, and all the dogs respected whatever he said… even if he wanted […]
Bobbie: In Memoriam
April 2, 2007
A friend just called to let me know that Bobbie passed away over the weekend. He, Mattie and Timmy got out of the yard, and with his nose glued to the ground, Bobbie took off heading down the road out into a busy street. Whatever he smelled apparently took him back and forth across the […]
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