What Else Can I Say?

Today is Willa's first birthday!  She has certainly managed to become part of the pack and is trying to unseat Sage as the leader.  No matter what, they are my best friends...

So we're off for a week.  Time to fly fish, hike, ride horses, lolly-gag.

Of course, where ever I end up this next week, my best friends will be with me.

Murphy's Day.

Seize the Moment

So all of this past week has put us into a reflective "mode."  And we realize seizing the moment, seizing  the moment, is so important.

The girls, they are such great healers.  They sense I am tired, upset, reflective.  And they hover around. Reminding me to live.  Seize the moment.

Murphy's Day.

I Sometimes Wonder

I sometimes wonder whether those who have left us worry about us.

Murphy's Day.

For Tommie

I know this really doesn't have much to do with dogs, but it has to do with life (and does it count that my Grandfather bred Chesapeake Bay Retrievers?).  Years and years ago my Grandfather rescued a family and a farm from a tax foreclosure.  Our family became intertwined with the family that owned the farm, and the land became known as Baldi to us.  Almost all of the grandchildren has a tale to tell about roaming the fields, woods, and streams of Baldi.

My cousin, Tom, left his heart at Baldi.  Baldi eventually became part of the City of Tacoma's watershed, and we sold the farm before eminent domain.  We've left several of our family's ashes up there...it's part of our heart and soul.

That's the thing about land and place and memories.  I think of places I played with Murphy, that we left our hearts and souls.  The same with Sage, Annie, and now Willa.  Tommie understood this.  He understood leaving your heart and soul in a place.

And Tommie understood the healing power of dogs.  We talked a lot about dogs, and he wanted, in the end, a lab.  I regret not taking the girls to see him...perhaps a tail wag, a lick, a nuzzle would have been great comfort.

I can see Tommie, now, walking the fields at Baldi with a lab.

Murphy's Day.

Cousin Tom

My cousin Tom is on the right side of the first row.  This is a picture of some of the family, more than likely at Christmas.  My Grandmother is in red.  We all, of course, look so young, but as of yesterday, only three of us in that picture are still alive.

My cousin Tom died yesterday.  He held onto the family legacy of ranching, farming, loving the Western landscape, his whole life.  The last time I saw him, a few weeks ago, he talked about being an old cowboy...

It's been a hard month.

Tommie, I shall miss you very much.

Murphy's Day.

Ready to Go

It's Friday.  Annie is ready to go.

Me too.

It's been a long long long week.

Murphy's Day.

What Does it Take to Tucker Her Out?

I had dinner with a friend who has a kitten.  The whole evening was spent trying to tucker the kitten out.  And I thought about Willa.  It takes a lot to get her tired...she is a battery pack with black fur around it.  But every once in awhile, she actually seems to have hit her "wall."  But of course, to get there, I am totally tuckered out!

Willa seems to think that is how it should be.

Murphy's Day.