Summer's Gone and with it an Angel

Here i am back here....i come here often in my thoughts, thinking i should write these thoughts down. So here i am. I'm going to miss summer, even though the temperatures were hotter than i like even though i like hot weather. Not enough sailing, not enough seeing our sweet little granddaughter, but still in all no regrets - it was a good summer. Although a sad sad day will always be remembered as part of the Summer of 2010 in Loftinland.....it was four summers ago we welcomed a 10 year old White German Shepherd into our family/pack. She lived those first 10 years of her life with friends. When we found out they were wanting to "get rid" of her, maybe even take her to the pound, we questioned our friendship even. We were quick to tell them we would take her off their hands. Our other dogs knew immediately that this dog was going to need lots of love to overcome what she did not get where she lived/and with whom she lived before. So they gave her room, they allowed her to be doted over, and it well took a long long time for her to even look us in the eyes, but when she finally did connect with us, it was a connection that not even her death could break. She fell in love with her pack and Rick and I.....but when Rick was home he was the magnet she stuck to.

While she loved us, everyone fell in love with her, from cars passing by that saw us on our walk everyday...people in businesses we passed on our walk everyday, and other walkers with their dogs. Weeks later, i am still stopped and asked where she is, when those that ask are told they are sad for themselves as well as for us...they respond, we will miss her, she was quite a dog! There were a few things she was not fond of such as motorcycles, firecrackers, and thunder and lightening.....so i suppose that her passing on will stand out in our memories of this summer, but her last four years will stand out over that sad event. We have her in our hearts and I still feel her on the walk she took with Grizzly Bear, i still find her beautiful white hair in the house and on clothing! I still see her sweet eyes that told us how much she loved us and that said each time she looked at us, Thank You, you saved me from a home that showed no love, where i just existed, here in Loftinland i became the dog i was meant to be and i know i came here to give you all my love. She did that and she did it well. Thank you Angel...for loving us, sweet dog.

Something my dogs would tell me if they could talk and if i would listen.....

-shutup and just push "1" - is it that hard?

My daughter visited yesterday, we spent a wonderful day of shopping, having lunch, and then coming back home to just hang out. I showed her the new tv set up that is taking a little time for me to learn....Rick has the TV hooked up to a new computer with a tv tuner in it, so our Big Screen tv is like a big monitor. It is really great, and would be even greater if i could figure out how to do everything! It will come to me eventually! We also moved the tv upstairs so i think i'll get a lot more exercise....with 5 dogs....that's a lot of trips up and down the stairs to let them in and out....
We found ourselves watching hilarious and also very moving youtube videos about animals....i'm sure you have all seen the one about Christian the Lion, Bella and the Elephant, the bird and the cat, the oranguatan and the hound dog, to name a few. We laughed and cried as some of those stories were so touching, how species crossed over and formed a bond with an animal that they had nothing in common with other than what we all are capable of but do not practice....universal love.

Why can't we all just love each other, i mean if an elephant can care so deeply about a dog that it stays outside of the building where the dog was being nurtured back to health after an accident for 3 weeks, and then when they are reunited the elephant is esctatic! Can't we even love those people that are different than us...those that we would not normally seek out to be friends? We get mad at each for the littlest things....well i just find it ridiculous! I think animals are here to teach us much more than we know! What do these stories tell us, i need to listen and observe.

Because it gets so hot here so early, my husband has started getting up and hitting the pavement with me, so that we can take the "biggies" together - knocking off one of my walks but making sure they can all have a "somewhat cool" walk.

I've really enjoyed the time we walk together as we start the day out with a little sunshine on our faces. When i was working we always walked together, rushing home, putting our shoes on, and getting in a walk before supper. With so many dogs we sometimes felt stressed and the point of walking is to relieve stress....so me being able to stay home allows time for all the dogs to be walked and for the walks to be theureputic not a chore that we dread each day! But he has not been walking since i am home to walk....but he realizes he does need to walk each day for thirty minutes, so while it is so hot, he'll get up a little earlier or we will shorten our coffee time on the terrace each morning. Amazing what a walk each day will do, after just a few weeks he has noted that he has more energy! Maybe when it gets cooler in the evenings we can also get a walk in later too!

My real world, my real "job" is many many things....it comes without pay, but it sure does have plenty of "benefits". While I love being around people and loved spending time last week with my church staff, whom i was part of for over two years, i am glad that this week i am back to my real job. I was just helping out while they were waiting on the new girl to start working. They are a super staff and i love them all! However, i must say that i am one that cannot juggle work and home very well. Kudos to those mommas and daddys that do! But for me, staying home while my kids were little was the best, and now it may sound silly to most of you, but staying home with my dogs brings me joy as well! Taking care of Loftinland is all that i need, and that includes my rickster!


So i was back at the walks this morning. Got a lot of "where have you been" from those that see me the most during the week....fellow dog walkers, walkers, runners, bikers, etc. in my neighborhood!
They were glad i was okay i suppose. There have been those that have "dissappeared" and you wonder, where are they? If they were elderly you wonder are they okay? Are they still alive? I am still alive and kicking, and back to doing my thing, which begins about 6 am every morning....walking the dogs.