A Mother and Child Reunion

 

 It was nearly five years ago when my mom got a text from Miss Laura stating that she was afraid her heart dog Pokey didn’t have long left and would need emotional support when he departed. My mom said, of course, she would be there.

We had the privilege of meeting Pokey and Miss Laura in their inviting home two years before. She, Pokey, Maggie, and Toby were the only online friends I had ever met in person. By the time Miss Laura asked for help, I was already at the Bridge. Still counting Pokey as one of my best friends, I flew down as a ghost to see him.

I asked Pokey if he was ready for the Bridge, and he insisted he could manage the pain and tiredness he was experiencing. “I can’t leave now,” he whispered, “my mom couldn’t survive. He assured me he would be fine.

Then, we had no idea that Miss Laura would tragically go to the Bridge within a few years, leaving her three dogs behind. I flew down to comfort my grieving friend, who had lost his reason to fight off his ailments and stay on the mortal side. I asked him if he wanted to follow his mother into the dark, and he said he couldn’t. He had to start behind to help his siblings Toby and Maggie adjust to the new normal.

When Miss Laura’s good friend Miss Kate said she would take the dogs, everyone was relieved. Miss Kate had spent time with the dogs when she was in Boston for business and had recently lost her heart dog, Shiloh. We know there was no one better to take the three orphans than her.

When the three, thanks to the cooperation of great friends, traveled across the country to Arizona, they knew that they were in the best possible hands. When Miss Laura told me she was missing her sweet babies, I flew down to retrieve Pokey, but he told me Miss Kate, who he now called Mom, had been so good to the pack he could not leave her, so they decided Toby would go instead.

When Pokey got to Arizona, the air and warmth seemed to awaken the puppy inside him. He could run so long he would wear out his parents. Despite his grizzled appearance, he looked like a dog who was a decade younger. But inside him, the same ailments were slowly breaking down his will to stay.


As Pokey began to slow, Miss Kate saw signs of a dog who was no longer enjoying his life. Pokey had been fighting off the dark angels who wanted to claim him for the Bridge for so long that they had abandoned their mission. I visited my friend and asked if he was ready to cross over, but he said he should give Miss Kate a few more years. I knew he didn’t have it in him. Shiloh went to tell his mom what she already knew. It was time for Pokey to join his first mom.


When Pokey learned of his fate, he accepted it. He was happy to be with his first mom if he wasn’t abandoning his new one. Pokey was brought to the vet, given a shot, and it was bye-bye Arizona; he was airborne.

Approximately 87,000 angels were awaiting Pokey’s arrival but none more important than his mom. She gasped when she first saw him running across the Bridge like a puppy; he ran up the steps and jumped into her arms. Then they held each other and cried, releasing all the pain they had accumulated from missing one another. It was by far the best reunion ever.

I knew Pokey, and his mom needed some time together, so I arranged for them to visit happily ever after for a week. That is where souls go when there is no one left to watch over or worry about on the mortal side. It is peacefully quiet, and the air is filled with love. It is the most lovely place in the multi-verse.

I knew they couldn’t stay for long. They had Miss Kate and Maggie to watch over and thousands of homeless dogs without a family. Miss Laura gave her home to dogs who came to the Bridge without a family. I don’t know how many she’s caring for now, but she got a powerful ally in Pokey.

Before they left for Happily Ever After, Laura and Pokey shot a bright star into the sky. It is just over the Westin Horizon and was sent as a thank you to Miss Kate for becoming the mom to three dogs who lost their mom, a wonderful home, and taking better care of them than anyone could besides their mom.

We hope she can see it when she goes outside, and she knows how much her angels love her and thank her for being a second mom. By accepting the dogs, she gave them a great gift and when she let Pokey go, she gave him an even greater one.

As for now, we are basking in a mother and child reunion.

Poetry Thursday

 

   Angel Sammy and Teddy gave us this photo as inspiration for Poetry Day

We have to go the doctor's today Timmy his mom said

Timmy didn't want to so he hid under the bed

By the time she got him out they were late

Which was terrible news since doctors have so much on their plate

They sat in the waiting room as time passed by

Timmy was so bored he wanted to sit and cry

His mommy saw the hobby horse and told him to give it a ride

And he liked it so much he stayed there for all the time required

Minutes became hours which became days

While Timmy kept riding away

Until he was finally seen for five minutes and sent home

They had been there longer than the rise and fall of Rome

They had been there so long they had greatly aged

And from their seats they could not get unengaged

His mom had no choice but to drag him home

He rode his pony, now with white hair on his dome

A trip to the doctor is now so full of strife

To get in the exam room you have to waste your life. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar Sings a Song for Junior

 

Life is a song that, if you're blessed, is long, sweet, and touches that heart. Sometimes it is ugly, brutish, and short. But they all leave a mark. 

 

All songs must end so another can start. As much as we miss the melody, the ending provides us a chance for another song to begin. It will surely be different, but you'll learn to love it as much as you did its predecessor. 

 

Junior had one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It was so moving that it seems impossible now that it has never appreciated another tune again. 

 

When they are mortal, all dogs are musicians playing their songs. But when they transition to the Bridge, they become conductors searching for a soul to play their music. 

 

Truthfully there is only an audience for one who the song is written for. That is the parent who can never hear the music again, although the memory lingers like a heartwarming earworm that simultaneously comforts and hurts. In time the comfort outweighs the hurt, but that period, called mourning, seems as endless to navigate as a Nebraska corn maze at night in the rain during a power outage. 

 

Music has many purposes, and one is to ease the pain. Junior spent days working on his composition and then sought out a dog who could sing it for his mom. It had to be a shelter dog; Junior didn't have time to teach a puppy how to play. While flying over his native Argentina, searching for his successor, he heard a lovely song coming from a shelter. Junior slipped in like a ghost and found Sugar, a homeless one-year-old pup, singing her own tune. He taught Sugar the new song he had written for his mom. When Junior heard Sugar sing it, he knew she was the right pup.

 

Junior told Sugar that she had to keep singing the song because it would draw her mom-to-be to the shelter. Momma Maria heard the music on the breeze and followed it until she found Sugar singing for her, and then Momma Maria brought Sugar home because her heart had been shattered, and Sugar was the cure.

 

Every night Junior visits Sugar and helps her practice her song, which is already rebuilding her mom's heart. She sings a different tune than Junior, but the notes are close enough to remind her mom of the familiar while suggesting the unknown, which will be revealed during a long life together.

 

When you hear your favorite song listen closely because they don't last forever, but take heed, there will always be another one calling on the breeze for you.

Beat This Caption

 

Coming to Broadway this summer:  Zero Mouflon in Tapir on the Roof

Monday Question

 

Have you ever heard a noise, or seen something, that made you think you are getting a visit from the spirit side?

\\

River's Answer:  Pocket used to jump out of bed at night. She made a distinctive sound when her front paws and then her back paws hit the floor. My parents have heard that sound in the middle of the night several times since she passed.

The Scarecrow Part 2

 

I was tied to a pole in the middle of a field; I was a Foley crow, determined to get free and make my way home, where I would evict the Scarecrow, stick him back on the pole to which I was attached, and save my family. But first, I had to get down. 

 

Pocket was right about one thing: No one paid attention to a scarecrow. I saw Angel after Angel coming to sniff the grass in the field, and none of them noticed me tied to the pole. Finally, I noticed my friends Hobo and Tommy passing by, and I yelled for help. Hobo has good hearing, but he was confused about where I was until Tommy spotted me tied to the pole. They asked me what I was doing when I told them about the Scarecrow. They untied me while admonishing me for letting him into the house and breaking a critical Angel axiom: Never trust a scarecrow. 

 

Tommy and Hobovolunteered to help me chase the Scarecrow out of my home, but I didn’t want to put them in danger. When I got home, I wished I had taken them up on their offer. 

 

The house was filled with scarecrows; I snuck under a window and listened to them, which is when I heard them planning a Bridge takeover, and I was the only one who could stop them. 

 

First, I had to find my family. I sniffed around the foundation and smelled Pocket’s scent: Fear emanating from the basement. I had to sneak into the house and free them, but I needed help. 

 

I have always maintained a friendship with the birds, which I often use to poop on cruel human mortals. I whistled for a flock as they flew by, and I asked them to raise a squawk outside the front door while I snuck in the back. Being the historical enemy of scarecrows, they were delighted to help.

 

Scarecrows have incredible sight but no noses, so while they were watching the crows raise a front yard ruckus, I snuck in the back, then down the stairs where I freed my family. 

 

I asked my manically inclined brother Jax the papillon if he had anything in his basement laboratory to drive the scarecrows from our home. When Jax suggested a flame thrower, Pocket, despite being duped, begged us not to set the intruders afire. 

 

I had a better and less destructive plan. I snuck my siblings into the backyard, where the garden hose was. I turned it on and had Blake open the door at the count of three. Then I blasted the scarecrows with water. They tried to escape, but they became too weighed down with wet straw. While keeping the nozzle on them, I called the authorities: Namely Sheriff Benjamin, who, along with his team of Deputy Dogs, apprehended the criminals. 

 

Once they were in custody, Benjamin told me the scarecrows were farmers who had severely abused their livestock and were sentenced to watch over the gardens for eternity. They had been scheming a takeover, but thanks to us, they were apprehended. I told Benjamin we were happy to help and left out the part where Pocket had freed the ringleader. 

 

The next day Pocket and I saw the Scarecrow back in the garden. Pocket swore never to take in another sad soul, and I told her I wished she would keep doing it. We need more kind angels. 

 

Pocket happily agreed but promised no more scarecrows. I shuddered to think who would be next. 

The Scarecrow

 

Sometimes Pocket will join me on my morning walks. Honestly she was my favorite walking partner. She is smaller and doesn’t try to pull me away from my sniffing. We walk with our tails high confidently showing our beauty for the Bridge to see. 

One of my favorite spots to sniff is the big field where we grow our crops. It is a popular spot for pee-Mail, and we can smell the food as it grows. Its like sniffing dinner then seeing a show. 

In the middle of the field is a scarecrow. It looks at us forlornly as we sniff and pee. I might give it a glance but Pocket stares at it. Finally, I asked her why. 

“The Scarecrow looks lonely,” Pocket said. 

“How can it be lonely when there are so many birds on it?”  I asked. 

“Maybe it would like some friends it could visit. To sit down and have a meal and mostly to get out if the garden.”  

I told Pocket to leave the scarecrow alone. She didn’t know why it was a scarecrow. It could be dangerous. Pocket scoffed and said “all right” in a manner I knew meant it was anything but.  

So I was not surprised when I awoke the next day to find the scarecrow sitting on our sofa. “Pocket, I told you not to let the scarecrow free.”  I admonished her in my most admonishing voice. 

“ It's fine,” Pocket promised. “He just needs a day off. I’ll make sure he’s back in the field tomorrow.”  

Oh I was wary of our new guest. But he did seem to be very pleasant. He lay on the floor and let us climb on top of him. It was so comfortable to lay down on his belly full of it hay. We all fell asleep and had the best nap ever. 

Mr. Scarecrow seemed like the perfect guest . He didn’t eat or drink anything and he was more than willing to help us. He offered to go back to the garden at night but we said he could stay with us because it looked like rain. He was very grateful. 

The Scarecrow said he would stand guard in the yard so nothing bothered us in our sleep. I have to admit it was the best snooze I had except for the dream that I was a pumpkin being shoved in a sack. 

I woke up to the feeling of rain on my face. Then I realized someone had tied me to the bed. When I open my eyes I saw it wasn’t the bed at all. I was now in the field in place of the scarecrow. . A bird landed on my paw and said “look everyone it’s a Foleycrow!”

I realized we had made a terrible mistake. 

To be continued.

Poetry Thursday

 

Here is our assigned inspiration for this week

My pup arrived just the other day

He came to the world in the usual way

There were bones to eat and squirrels to chase

He learned to walk while I slept all day

And he was barking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew

He'd say "I'm gonna be like you, dad"

"You know I'm gonna be like you"

And the cat's in the tree  and the hamster a loon

Little boy blue and a dog on the moon

"Are you going to finish your dinner, dad?" "I sure am"

When I am done we will play then

You know we'll have a good time then

My son turned one just the other day

He said, thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play

Can you teach me to chase, I said- not today

I’ve got a bone to chew, he said, that's okay

And he, he walked away, but his smile never dimmed

It said, I'm gonna be like him, yeah

You know I'm gonna be like him

And the cat's in the tree  and the hamster a loon

Little boy blue and a dog on the moon

"Are you going to finish your dinner, dad?" "I sure am"

When I am done we will play then

You know we'll have a good time then

Well, he came from training just the other day

So much like a man I just had to say

Son, I'm proud of you, you want to play in the yard

He shook his head, and said with a smile

What I'd really like, dad is to take a nap

Been working real hard and looking for a nap

And the cat's in the tree  and the hamster a loon

Little boy blue and a dog on the moon

"Are you going to finish your dinner, dad?" "I sure am"

When I am done we will play then

You know we'll have a good time then

I’m a senior now, my son’s got a family of his own.

My grandson asked me why his dad was always gone

I said he’s working hard chasing squirrels from the yard

You got to understand son, being a dad is hard

But now I have time to play with you

That’s what granddads do

It surely is what grand dads do

And the cat's in the tree  and the hamster a loon

Little boy blue and a dog on the moon

"Are you going to finish your dinner, dad?" "I sure am"

When I am done we will play then

You know we'll have a good time then

There is Nothing More Important than Teaching a Dog to Come

 A River Song video

Beat This Caption

 

After robbing the bone bank Henry's belief that he could not be picked out of a line was quickly refuted.

Monday Question

 

Do you twitch like you are running when you dream?

What are you dreaming about?…

 

 

River's Answer:  Yes, I do, and I am dreaming of waving from a balcony to my subjects

Taz From The 'Burgh Arrives at the Bridge

 

 It honestly seems like yesterday when we started on dog social media. We were all young with a bright future before us. We created terms like bark out loud, pee-‘Mail, and pawsome. We shared stories of heartbreaks and joy. We all bought into the big lie:  It would never end.

We had a lot of friends from the Pittsburgh area, and collectively they were called dogs from the Burg. Two of them belonged to Mama Jill. They were athletes who specialized in agility. It was a far world from mine, where being subjected to watching sports was the closest I got to physical activity.

Taz was adopted into the family from a non-sporting background. At first, he didn't take to agility like his brother Einstein did, but he soon learned it made his family happy and was better to perform than to be left home on competition day. The added benefit of extra parent time during training was an additional perk.

What Taz truly enjoyed was going hunting with his dad. Walking through words bursting with exciting smells, which he partook off into the gun was fired, the prey fell, and he used his instincts to retrieve it and bring it to his dad. It was something agility champ Einstein couldn't do and a terrific way to bond with his dad.

Their online friends, including me, cheered on Einstein and Taz. It was like having famous athletes in the family.

Once the golden age of dog social media ended, the larger sites closed, and people retreated to the stale, colorless world of Facebook; we still supported Einstien and Taz, but it was like they had gone to a school across town, and we didn't have daily contact.  

Einstien went to the Bridge first, and Taz stayed behind to be both protector and guide to the newest family members. When Taz was adopted, his parents had no idea that he would take them on an almost decade and a half journey. He never forgot that his parents took him from a terrible situation and gave him a loving, active, championship forever home. He fought so hard to stay with his parents; he owed them everything. His parents saw him suffering, and could not bear it, so they took on all his pain and let him go to the Bridge, where he would be young and healthy again.

Einstein was the first to greet Taz as he crossed the Bridge, followed by their parents' other angels and his competition, Pittsburgh, and social media friends. His welcome party went on all night, and he and Einstein ran a match together because Taz was feeling young again. Taz won. We think Einstien let him, but that's what you do on your brother's Bridge Day.

While I am happy to spend time with Taz again, I feel bad for his parents, although I know their angels will coach their current dogs and lead them to victory. I am sure the parents will see a little of their angels in each performance and know they are watching over their Pittsburgh Pack.

Friendly Friday Fill Ins

 

 

 

 Ellen of 15andmeowing and Lorianne of Four-Legged Furballs, provide Friendly Fill-in questions.

Here are this weeks questions with River's answers in red.:
1. I hope the Easter Bunny brings me his big, fat, drunk uncle who I can chase around the yard until I catch it.
2. My favorite part of the Easter ( or Passover) meal is the miracle of ham falling to the floor.
3. I’m most looking forward to continuing my NPE (nap, poop, eat) lifestyle  this weekend.
4. For me, this time of year is my favorite. I get walks again, there are good smells on the ground, my flower friends return, and it is warming up. Go spring!

 

 

Poetry Thursday

 

 Angel Sammys and Teddys Pawetaton have assigned those in Blogville to test their poerty skills using this picture for inspiration.

Mama, Daddy, and their little boy on a pleasant drive

"You missed the turn, you ran a light, do you want us all to die?"

Daddy kept his hands at ten and two 

As he was taught to do

But the criticism would not relent

"You are going too fast, you are going too slow, you scraped a car and left a dent."

In their back the little boy giggled

Despite his mom's yelling his belly got a tickle

But when he saw their destination he knew what was what

They were going to the vet to cut off his nuts. 

 

Wordless Wednesday Flashback

 

Beat This Caption

 

I knew it. My sister gets knocked up and I have to take care of the kids!

Monday Question

 

Do you sit on your parent's feet when they are standing?

Introducing Tinkerbell

 

Since her beloved husband Rudy went to the Bridge, Mama Linda's angels Tiara, Trixie, Lovey, and others who preceded them to the immortal life in conjunction with their Dad have been trying to find ways to ease Momma Linda's insurmountable grief. 

 

Their choices seemed limited to dogs. People are not like animals. When you lose a human, you don't go to the rescue and pick out another unless you're on Tinder, the human equivalent of a dog pound full of desperate animals. 

 

Tiara had another idea. She heard her Dad say that their Mom had always wanted a cat but could not have one because he was allergic. "I think mommy would like a kitty," she announced to her pup angels. 

 

"Are you crazy?" Trixie asked, "It was bad enough when you suggested a boy dog. Now a cat? I can just imagine how Teddy will react."  

 

"I will visit him and explain that it will make mommy happy,"

Tiara explained. "He might not like it, but he has sworn to make her happy, so I am sure he will adjust.

 

"Can we at least confirm mommy wants a cat?" Trixie asked. "Daddy could be mistaken; he is probably still suffering from Angel lag."

 

They crammed into their Mom's dreams and confirmed that their Mom and then did the same for Teddy and Tashi; both balked but begrudgingly acquiesced when they were told a cat helped their Mom. 

 

I was not surprised when Tiara and Trixie knocked on my door for assistance, but I was when they said they wanted Pocket's help because she is better with cats. I swear my sister identifies as a feline: Her pronouns are kitty and pussy, the latter especially when it thunders. 

 

She introduced the angels to cats who could help them, and soon they located the perfect kitten in a local shelter and dream urged their Mom to visit with donations. While there, Momma Linda was struck by an Angel inspired question and asked if any kittens were available. There were two siblings that a couple was considering adopting until Tiara popped into their minds, pointed to her choice for their Mom, and used an Angel mind trick, telling them," this is not the kitty you are looking for." When they only adopted one Momma, Linda got the chosen one and gave her the adorable name Tinkerbell. The only downside to the name is that the kitty can't be brought to grade school show and tell in Florida because you can't mention fairies there, not even the dog kind. 

 

When Tinkerbell entered the house, Teddy fell in love and followed the cat-like he was Mary's Little Lamb. She is not crazy about barking dogs and chooses to hide when one does, but she will learn. Tinkerbell's addition to the family was almost perfect. 

 

Tinkerbell's addition to the family did not end Momma Linda's grief, but it eased the condition. When it comes to sadness helping a little is a lot 

Friday Friendly Fill-Ins

 

15andMeowing and Four-Legged Furballs have posted fill in the blanks for me, River Song to answer. My responses are in red.

 1. I waste a lot of time waiting for the selfish people I live with to pay attention to me.

2. At this very moment, I’m craving chocolate. I am always craving chocolate and can never have it. It is a curse.

3. Don’t poop until you eliminate witnesses 

4. Pee mail makes life interesting.  

Poetic Thursday

BON CHEW & COWCOW

 Angel Sammys and Teddys Pawetaton have posted this picture as inspiration for Poetic Thursday

 

 

Mary had a little pony

Whose fur was black as coal

And everywhere Mary went

The pony was sure to go

It followed her to school every day

And despite the staffs effort it would not go away

From Grades one to twelve the pony watched class from the window

And on graduation day was given a diploma but just for show

When she was wed the pony waked her down the aisle

And did it with style

What no one knew is that the pony did a lot of learning

So when the new groom came out for a ride in the morning

He said "Hi Eddie, what's new?|

And the pony answered: "That's Mr Ed to you."

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

 

Can't wait for GI Jane! That's hilarious. Oh shit, here he comes. Run

The mouse that lived in Santa's butt

 

This is the story of Clarence, the mouse who lived in Santa's ass.

Last year, when my parents were decorating the Christmas tree, they found many of their cloth decorations had been chewed and gutted to create a nest. The further they explored the tub that Clarence had made home, the more they found other evidence of his existence until they reached the bottom, saw Clarence, and had to set him free outside, robbing him of his home.

We had thought, at best, that Clarence had found a new home, and at worse, he was Ugly Joan's Christmas Dinner. But we did not realize the stubborn grey rodent refused to be evicted, moved back into the shed where the tubs were stored, and looked for a new home.

When he got back inside, he found all the tubs had been sealed, so he would not be able to move back there. As he searched, he became despondent as little material was there to build a nest. As it darkened, she noticed a light by this window and saw an automated Santa, looking out the window, holding a candle, and slowly moving. From the outside, it looked like a creepy white-haired man peering outside, but from the inside, it was a place to take refuge from the winter.

Clarence crawled up the wall onto the table where Santa stood, continued up his leg, and found two plastic pillows. He began to pull the stuffing out of Santa's back to build himself a nest between the pillows. When he heard a human come into the shed, Clarence burrowed further into Santa's anus to remain hidden. The merry old elf exclaimed. "Ho! Ho! Ho! Sweet God, Ho!"

No one noticed a rat in his butt, and Santa, per usual, was placed on top of the decorations until the following year. During the late winter and early spring, he expanded on his home, pulling more stuffing out of Santa's back and sticking it up his butt. Clarence had been careless, like all teenagers doing butt stuff in a shed, and was discovered, with equal consequences.

Santa was examined, and while his upper half was still usable, his bottom half was problematic. Santa's value plummets when there is the possibility of a mouse sticking its head out of Santa's ass and scaring the children.

Santa was unceremoniously tossed into the trash. It was unknown if Clarence was still in the butt when his host was dumped, but I am sure he will make his way out and search for a new home in no time.

The Easter Bunny needs to be aware.