Yesterday's Vet Trip

We went to pick up a refill on some thyroid medicine for my old girl Amy.  I had to tell the gal to make a note that Smokie (the older/bigger of my two dogs) had died this past summer.  My regular vet was not the one who helped me when things got bad.  He was out of town so I went to the Big City to get emergency help.  That was actually best for several reasons.  I had to make a quick exit as I just about busted out crying.  I only mentioned it because I didn't want to get a note about her shots next spring.  Not sure I could handle that.  I know, I know I'm a big wuss when it comes to my critters.

I'll miss seeing her out the window sitting like a queen on a snow mound.  This was taken in March of this year.

On a funny note, we took Amy (our remaining dog) along for the ride (about an hour away).  I've been taking her on car rides since Smokie passed.  It's easier with just one dog.  Anyway, she was nervous all the way there.  She refused to lie down and shook terribly.  On the way back, she stopped shaking, laid down, and seemed to relax considerably.  I think she knew where she was going and was relieved to know she wasn't getting shots :)  (yes, I'm being silly!)

Here is Amy on her pillow last month. She loves this thing!  It's like her security blanket.

Strange day.

It was a good day, but everything felt strange.  I keep expecting to need to do something for or with Smokie, but she's not here and no longer needs me.  Little things remind me of her, like the thunder tonight (which she hated), her collar, or the tree she loved to lie beneath. I keep expecting to need to say "Look out" before I open the fridge as she always laid in front of it.  She's not there. 

I've lost other pets (all much younger), but this one seems to be hitting me harder than the rest.  Maybe it's my age or the fact that I am not as able to occupy my thoughts as before when my son was little and life was super busy?  I don't know.  Maybe I am just having a hard time reconciling my feelings with the fact that she was a dog not a human.  My grief is stronger than I imagined it could be. 

My Secret Sister sent me a condolence e-card tonight that had this verse on it.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (New International Version)

The God of All Comfort

 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

What a sweet verse and very helpful. 

God is good.

I posted this yesterday on a home schooling forum for Christian moms. 

God is good!

After spending the last 2½ weeks dealing with seriously and rapidly declining dog, I was feeling pretty forgotten today when she had to be euthanized. I had prayed intensely and almost without ceasing for this dog to not leave me. I don’t ask God for things for myself very often. Don't get me wrong, I pray for myself, but I don't get specific very often, preferring instead to be open to His gifts and leading. I have never been disappointed and frequently stand amazed at the blessings I receive. However, this time I did ask and was quite specific. I prayed hard, I cried, I considered bargaining with God, and I even got angry at times. I don’t know why He said "No." I am sure He has some greater lesson in mind for me. I have to wait upon Him to reveal it.

I don't know about you ladies, but when I am extremely sad, I need chocolate. I wanted a frozen fudge bar, but thought they were all gone. The cost of today's vet trip was unplanned and expensive. Our pocketbook screamed, "OUCH!" I figured I could be a big girl and just ignore my desire for comfort food. I went about my day trying to put the house back in order after the unraveling of the last few days. I put away her stuff and comforted my son. I cried and shared some laughs with those who knew my beloved pet. I cleaned a carpet and even tore apart my Bissell to clean it afterwards. I mentally charted a timetable for some other chores and prepared things for that. Basically, trying to stay busy and not think too much.

A short while ago, I decided to take a quick nap. Sleep has been rare the last 4 days while nursing Smokie. I haven't eaten much either and knew that I had better remedy that first. I went to the freezer to see what I had that could be fixed quickly. What do I find stuck behind the pancake mix? One lone fudge bar that had fallen out of the box. All I could say was "God has not forgotten me." He hasn't. He won't. EVER! It may seem like a simple thing, but simple things DO MATTER to us and to God.

God is good!




*Now off to eat something nutritious before my nap :)

May she rest in peace

this is back dated 1 day
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Today I said goodbye to a beloved pet and friend.  Smokie had been with me 10 years in April of this year.  She was 13½ and a joy to be around.  This beautiful dog rarely ever lost her temper or was grouchy. She loved to run and play and cuddle.  Many times she thought she was a big old lap dog. 

The pictures are all from Oct. of '07.  For some stupid reason, I don't have many recent pictures.  The little dog is Amy and she's missing her buddy.

 

 

Wait......I found a couple from this year.  This first one is from Feb. and this was their usual position in the computer room.  I am at my desk taking this, and my son's desk is to the left.  The kitchen is to the right.

Here is the last picture that I took of Smokie.  During the spring, she always found the highest point in the yard and laid there.  I always said she was playing Queen of the Hill.  She looked so majestic the way she crossed her feet and held herself.  The garden fence that you see behind her is 4 feet tall. 

This is my favorite picture of Smokie and is not by desktop background.  I posted this a while back here on the blog.  It shows off her happy personality.  She was about ready to jump and start talking to me.  She is under what we call "Smokie's tree" which she loved to lie around regardless of the weather. 

Feeling better.....

Well the vertigo has passed, but I seem to have a battle with sinusitis on my hands now.  BLECH!  When I have been up, I've been studying or visiting a couple of message boards.  Mostly I'm just reading and making small comments.

I have not spared much any time for blogs or blogging.  Yesterday's post was scheduled a while back.  I plan on doing some catch up later today and tomorrow.  Unfortunately I missed most of jientje's door project and all of Robert's Show Me project.  I wish I had been up to participating.  Those sounded fun!  Just checked my feeds and I think may be skipping some posts as I have nearly 600 unread items.  Y'all have been some busy bees!

Life here on the prairie has been pretty calm.  We have had lots of cool weather with more wind that we need thrown in.  We even had a slight frost a couple weeks back.  I told mom recently that we went from spring to fall with a few summer days thrown in for good measure.  We really did not have a warm summer.  We have had lots of cool days and the leaves are all ready falling.  They aren't turning colors, just falling.  It may be the wind which has been pretty fierce lately.  The garden is almost finished producing and I feel like it barely started.  I have to work on getting it in quicker next year.  I just hope we have an earlier spring.  This year we had frost around Memorial Day.  Maybe I will be industrious and start things inside next year.  Probably not.

Miss Smokie is starting to molt, but it's not really coming off like in previous years.  I don't think she really got warm enough this summer for her undercoat to loosen up good.  Here is a picture of her last year in October when she was nearly done shedding molting.

 

 Recently in my schooling to become a medical transcriptionist, I have been working on editing and proofreading.  I have found that I do not remember as many grammar rules as I thought.  For instance, capitalizing seasons, I had to go look it up.  *lol*  I suddenly feel old at only 39 and all it took was having to remember all those punctuation rules.  I'll just say right now that I hate commas!  If you need a fun site to double check something try out The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.  Now don’t go looking for mistakes in this post.  I am sure there are plenty.  

Hope y'all have a great week!  

"I" is for

Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race

While I do not have any pictures of dogs that were actually in the Iditarod race, I do have some of an actual sled dog. You can learn more about the Iditarod race here and here. Scholastic has some fun stuff about it here.

Now on to those pictures...






Smokie is half Samoyed and half Husky. She worked on a sled team in Pequot Lakes, MN when she was 1-3½ yrs old. She was given to me at that point and she's been a lazy house dog ever since. When I first got her, she hated being in the house. Now I can't get her out except for short periods of time. She loves to run and play, but doesn't know how to stay home :( She's 10½ now and these pictures were taken this month.

I thank all who have stopped by and left comments. I do appreciate it. Be sure to check out Quilldancer to find more participants of the Alphabet project