I know I’m supposed to be cooking but have been doing some simple staple meals these days. It’s about time to cook a stew. Tonight I still have the thermostat on to put on heat under 68 degrees and air over 72 degrees but I closed the windows.
That means winter. Do you know what it means when they put red poles at the end of your driveway? That’s for the snow removal equipment, and high end equipment they have. Today they also constructed a concrete haven for salt for the local roads. They don’t kid about snow here.
But I wanted to talk about old friends. A very old friend of mine, Savannah, a Yorkie in San Diego, died a year ago and she had a very special gift, to tell big dogs to cut out their antics and shut up. And as this three-pound dog in a dress told them off, they listened.
Cassie was a very sweet dog owned by neighbors, who died suddenly last Christmas. He now has a very unruly (but eminintly trainable) dog that’s doing better and is about 10 months old.
Tonight I found out that our neighbor’s Golden Retriever is gone. No word from the owners but we sent a card and I’ll bring over some flowers in the morning. Riley was a sweet girl that only cared about her squeaky football but liked people as well. She will be missed.
When folks met her for the first time, one said, “Doesn’t she live the life of Riley!” So that was her name for 12 years. I know her folks so I know she did have a great life.
I still miss my guys, at least Chani has a tree in our old park, not that she was allowed to chase her ball there – because of control freaks.
A girlfriend we met in Texas and I spent a lot of time with in Scotland, her mother just died. No, I’m not placing her below dogs, and I just found this out. We will help out as much as we can, which is probably very little as she has a large family and circle of close friends 1,500 miles away.
People shy away from death and hospitals. I have an aversion to both as well. We didn’t have to decide with my mother. She chose hospice and lived two weeks. With our pets we get to decide to ease their suffering even though they will be dearly missed. Then if we “man-up” we sit by them and hold them through it. I’ve done it four times now and know…
that Riley will not be the last. One day I’ll go to the vet with Zoe and have a clear health scan, then be back in weeks in distress. I’ll hold her and hopefully Jim will, too, and we’ll plant a tree for her. Or a bush, something mice can hide under. She’d like that. In honor of the fallen, Dee
Cooking with Dee 