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Showing posts from January, 2022

Monday Question

What do you do when your parents say sit?

Foley Meets Clifford the Big Red Dog

  g Anything that is loved on the mortal side comes to the Bridge (and a few unloved things like squirrels; it's not a perfect system), so yes, that means that you are destined to be, in the next life, followed about by a squeaky non-Koala and a neurotic gorilla, but likely they are small; unlike the loved stuffy that showed up on my steps today. I know you are familiar with Clifford the Big Red Dog. He is a popular stuffie, and the Bridge is lousy with them. But some fool ordered a specially built stuffed Clifford that was eight feet tall for his daughter, who loved it, and she kept it her entire life; when she went to the Bridge, so did giant Clifford. The issue, which soon became my problem, is that this eight-foot-high Clifford thinks he is an actual dog but was not accepted as such by my brethren, and as all dogs do, both real and imagined, he came to me for advice. He was standing o

Nature Friday

 As the snow falls, and the wind howls we think back and ahead to our once and future gardens. 

Thankful Thursday

    I am joining the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop to say what I am thankful for, which is that we have had very little snow this year. I need to say that now because I heard that we are going to get a "bomb cyclone" on Saturday. I don't know what that is; it sounds like the finishing maneuver a fat wrestler would use. Regardless, it does sound like several Pocket's of snow (even with my little sister gone, we measure snow by how many of her could stand on top of one another before they broke through the snow.   It is important to give thanks when you can. Next week I may give thanks; we finally got back on our feet after the storm. There is always something that goes wrong, but there is always something that goes right.

Tori and Mourning the Survivor

"The Survivors are Lucky to Be Alive;" that's how the headlines read after a catastrophe. The truth is the survivors are rarely the lucky ones.   Out dear friend Sweet Momma Dee has lost her husband Ward and three dogs, Sabrina, AJ, and yesterday Tori, in the space of a few years. While the dogs live with their dad now, having been reunited at the Bridge, none of them think of Momma Dee as lucky. Surviving can be the hardest thing.    Tori had shown signs of slowing down lately, and she had a tumor on her chest. When she refused the dark angels' summons to come to the Bridge, they opened the tumor, causing her to bleed, and her mom made the hardest and most unselfish decision to end her suffering and send Toto to the Bridge.   For Ward, while he misses his wife, the Bridge has been a place of constant reunions: First with the part of himself he thought was gone forever when dementia turne

Beat This Caption

  Before you yell we have to inform you the lemons have gone bad

Monday Question

  Sorry, but this is just for dogs unless you are a cat who walks on a leash What is your walking style? Do you pull hard on the leash? Do you zig zag and pull your parents into a tree? Are you a sniffer? Do you walk perfectly and don't pull on the leash? Do you do something else? Let us know

Reunion at Bernie's

  One of the biggest fears seniors fret over is what happens to their beloved pets when they pass. The worry that the dog will end up unloved in a shelter is more consuming than concern for their own health. A girl named Bernie was fortunate that her Dad had raised one of the great pet moms in the world. Two years ago, Bernie was struck by a catastrophic double shot. First, her mom became ill and had to go into assisted living. Then while living with our friend Momma Kim, her Dad suddenly took sick and passed away. But the Dad had prepared for the day, leaving Bernie To his daughter. Bernie was crushed that she had lost her Dad, but familiar surroundings made the transition easier. Her father's passing left Momma Kim heartbroken, but she had a mourning Bernie to care for and provide company for her misery. On the immortal side, her Dad missed Bernie, but he had Momma Kim's angel, the legendary Clint, to keep him company, go for long walks, play catch, and look ov

Foley Flies a Drone to Save Milly

      We dogs have never liked drones; they seemed like silly wastes of time which people occupied themselves when instead of giving us attention. But, a dog named Millie found out how essential they are to our survival.       She was walking with her mom in Hampshire, southern England. When something caught her attention, she managed to slip her leash and head to the beach as the tide slowly began to come onshore. Her mom could not find her, and, since they were in a desolate wetland, hunting for her was dangerous, and then she had an unconventional idea.        Because there was so much open space where she lived, people formed the Denmand Drone Search and Rescue. She contacted them and explained her situation. Soon they had a drone in the air searching for Millie.        Millie realized she was stuck, and she prayed to me for help. I flew down and immediately knew the trouble the little dog had placed herself. I flew up higher to try and plot a way out of the pr

Rascal to the Bridge and Back

  The bond that we pets share with our parents is so strong it can be frightening because someday, much too soon, it will end.   When a loved one passes over, it is much harder on the survivor. The departed are distracted by old friends and new experiences at the Bridge, but the humans are left at home, where everything reminds them of their loss.     In many ways, the departure of a beloved pet is the worse loss a person will experience because we are their constants; at home when they leave, greet them when they arrive, sit with them, and, unlike children or parents, we are always home. If a pet parent lives alone, with a single animal, the loss detonates their heart and pushes it into a black hole, and it seems impossible ever to recover it.   That is why my heart sank to my toes when I saw my friend Rascal's name on the list of dogs I needed to swear into the Bridge. I knew her mom had surrendered her heart to the be

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

  I'm waiting for my friend to come out and play

Monday Question

  How do you react when people come to visit?

Bingo at the Bridge

  I made a new friend today. Unfortunately, it was the day he passed from his beloved mom to the immortal side. Being at the Bridge means you make friends with someone on the worst day of their lives. But that is when the best friendships are forged.    Bingo had never been taught about the Bridge, and when he arrived, I gave him a quick course on immortal life. I explained how when he took his last breath, his soul slipped from his body, floated through the air, and landed in the nearest body of water. All waterways are connected, and he was soon in the River of Life, then he came ashore near the brightly colored Rainbow Bridge. Thankfully he listened to his instincts and crossed. If he had not, he would have been a spirit for the rest of his time, never getting to enjoy the immortal world fully.     I administered to him the angel oath and then introduced him to his mom's pets, who preceded him to the Bridge and the friends he made both online and in life. I c

Brave Tinsley Saves His Dad

        I was sleeping when my emergency prayer beacon sounded. This is the one I use when dogs pray to me directly. My reputation as a miracle worker has spread among mortal dogs, and I am the first angel many turns to when in dire straits. While I love to help, being on call all the time is tiring.     The dog summoning me was Tinsley, a Shiloh Shepherd, who had been riding with his human on Interstate 91 in New Hampshire when his dad institutionally swerved as a deer crossed in front of him. His pickup truck rolled down an embankment near the New Hampshire-Vermont border, injuring himself and the passenger.       Tinsley's dad and a friend were in the front seats; both knocked unconscious and trapped. Tinsley was launched out a side window and was currently mid-air praying for help. I had to fly faster than I ever had, to reach Tinsely before hitting a tree, guide him around it, and then safely on the ground.     Tinsley ran back to the truck, barking in an attempt

It became a Lucky day at the Bridge.

  Everything expires on the mortal side, even Luck.   This week it ran out for one of the most fortunate and best-loved dogs I know, Mama Julie's dear heartmate, the beautiful Lucky, who lived up to his name, by making his mom feel like the luckiest lady in the world that she had been blessed with him in her life.   Cancer is like a killer in a horror film. It sneaks up on you, and the disease quickly moves when it decides to attack. I did not last a day when they diagnosed me, and Lucky had less than a week. Please don't think he lost the battle; Lucky took the disease with him when he departed for the Bridge, and before the pup crossed it, he smashed the dreaded disease to bits on the rocks.   After he had an episode, a kindly vet, who makes house calls, a vital and lost aspect of veterinary work, came to Lucky's home. When I got sick and was placed on oxygen, my parents hoped I had pneumonia.

Sophie Joins Her Pack at Rainbow Bridge

  It's a wonder that people ever get dogs since the parting is heartbreaking. Life is a zero-sum game, and all the love you feel for something turns to pain after its departure. Is it truly better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? At least you live life on an even feel when you don't have pets. But what is life without unevenness?   Dogs are people's constants; they are always in the house, making it a home. They are also confidants, caretakers, keepers of secrets, and strength providers. I made friends with Capone more than a decade ago. His mom was going through a terrible time, and the only way she made it through the darkness was Capone leading her. It nearly destroyed Mama Terri when Capone crossed over while lying on the kitchen floor where he sat while his mom cooked. Now an angel, Capone knew his mom needed a new dog, and his dad agreed, but Mama Terrie, never wanting to

Beat This Caption

  And the Seahawks are forced to punt…

Monday Question

  Are you a velcro pet and need to be with your parents all the time, and follow them around, or are you independent and want them to come to you?…

Kiwi Comes to Rainbow Bridge

Social media was a kinder place in the last few years of the new millennium's first decade. That was when I learned of a site for dogs to bark with one another, and I begged my parents to join. I made lifelong friends there, but the problem is that our lives are far too short.    The angels have re-created that world on the immortal side of life. When humans pass over, they imagine a life with their dogs without end. While Facebook shattered many dog groups with its mass appeal, no one wants to pass over to a land called Facebook. There is too much poking.    Recently a well-meaning parent asked how many of our original friends were mortal. I hated that question, and anyone still surviving would be close to 15 or older. Such questions awaken the dark angels who are always on the hunt for those overdue to the Bridge. The comment reached the leadership of the evil angels who insisted all the remaining dogs h

The DaWeenies are Reunitied at Rainbow Bridge

  Sixteen years is a long time to have a dog, never mind a pair, but Max and Amber were together, beginning when they were born on January 27, 2004, until the day that Amber went to the Bridge in January of 2020, for 16 years. They had become like an old married couple, more than siblings, the kind that would finish each other's woofs. Collectively they were known as the DaWeenies of Florida. Their momma Linda chronicled their life together in a blog by that name. The three were devoted to one another, and their bond grew deeper each year. It seemed like nothing could part them, and there was only one thing that could: Time, which ends at our doorstep on Rainbow Bridge. When Amber arrived two years, the ground at the Blogville section of Rainbow Bridge quaked the way it does when something big is uprooted and replanted elsewhere. The clouds rolled in, loaded with tears of those left behind who were mourning the tiny giant's passing. They cleaned and refreshed t

Thankful Thursday

 It is the Thankful Thursday blog hop hosted by Brian. Once a week, I like to give thanks for something good that has happened, and it is better than saying I am sorry. My parents, who are usually holiday orphans, went to Mommy's brother at Christmas, and they were very thankful to do so.  Everyone attending was vaccinated and took a test that day to ensure they were COVID-free. Well, in the worst luck, someone got exposed to COVID before it could show up on a test. There were ten people there, and by Saturday, five had COVID. My parents wanted to take a test, but none were available, and the wait at testing sites was more than a week. Thankfully, Mommy's brother had two tests. On Sunday, my parents drove to his house and picked them up, then got home and took the tests. Thankfully there was only one line, and they were negative. They were most worried about their granddaughters, who they saw between Christmas and the tests.   They are happy they were negative and can continue

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

  The good news is that the tree is clear of birds

Monday Question

  What are you most looking forward to this year?

Matilda Waltzes Into a New Life

  \ Teddy Bond, world-famous angel-secret angel, who prefers the water in his bowl to be shaken, not stirred, is always prepared, which has brought him great success in his chosen field. He was the first to know his sister Gracie was coming to the Bridge, and on her crossing day, he had her room decorated precisely how she wanted.  There was one other matter Teddy had been planning, finding a new dog for his mom. He had met Matilda, an adorable puppy when she was in pre-birth classes.  Out of the hundreds of dogs that were preparing to be born, she was the one he knew would help rebuild his mommy's heart after Gracie passed over. It would have been easy for Tommy to go into his mom's dreams and tell her where to find Matilda as he did with Gracie.   But, it would help Gracie if she thought she was the one who found the new pup.  The following day, when Gracie awoke, Teddy told his sister they had to find the right puppy for their mom.  Matilda was living with her