Maggie and the Wolf

 

 

My friend Maggie now lives in Arizona with her new mom Kate, while her first one,  Laura, is with me at the Bridge.  Maggie was very excited that she was living somewhere new and decided to sneak out the door and examine her new living space.

She was in the backyard when a wolf approached and announced that he wanted to eat her.  She ran inside and told her remarkable brother Pokey, who was in his 16th year and going strong, about the threat.  He refused to help her, stating that he had reached an advanced age by not messing with wolves.

She prayed to her mom, and, knowing that I am an expert animal angel, Moma Laura asked me for help.  I have been studying wolves for a long time, and they are both very vicious and dumb, and the latter could work for us.

I floated down and told Maggie to make a big dinner for the wolf.  She didn't understand why, but she got a message from her mom to listen to the Yorkie.  She grilled up four steaks and called for the wolf.  When it appeared, Maggie said she was ready to be eaten, but first, she wanted to know if they could share dinner.  The reluctant wolf agreed.  

The steak was delicious, and when he finished, the wolf was no longer hungry.  He went home and told his dad about the steak dinner he ate. His dad was disappointed, telling him a true warrior killed his food.  Desperate to please his dad, the wolf devised a plan to trap Maggie.  He planted beans outside her window.  When the stalk grew high enough, he would climb up it, sneak into Maggie's room, and eat her.  

Maggie found the beans and replaced them with poison ivy seeds.  When the plant grew as high as the window, the wolf began climbing it, but soon his paws broke out in a painful itch, and he fell off, then ran into the woods to lick his poor feet.  

His disappointed father told him he was getting one more chance at a kill.  Once he was healed, he went back to Maggie and told her he was there to eat her.  She offered him another steak, and the wolf said he couldn't take it; his father would be mad if he didn't kill his food.  

Maggie said she knew he was not a killer, and let him have the steak, then had him lie down, and she listened to the wolf's problems with his father.  Maggie said his father would appreciate it if he stood up to him.  The wolf took her advice, and when he got back to the den,  explained to his dad that he was not a killer.  The senior wolf told him he respected his decision and vowed never to kill either, as long as the little dog kept giving them steak.

Everyone ended up very happy, except Moma Kate, who kept wondering what happened to her steak.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

 

"Oh my God, you are right.  They have scrambled our son and are doing our daughter over easy."

Monday Question

 

Have you ever been forced to wear something humiliating for a picture?

Romeo Crosses the Final Bridge

 

Romeo was aptly named because he embodies love. Unfortunately, sometimes love ends in tragedy, as did the mortal life of our Romeo, who this week succumbed to illnesses linked to being a senior pup. He left hundreds of broken-hearted Juliet's behind, including the one who had captured his heart, his mom Karen.

 

For 16 years, Romeo was totally devoted to his mom. Her heart was shattered when his brother Copper, who had fought the dreaded IMHA, went to the Bridge; subsequently, Romeo helped rebuild her broken heart. 

 

Before departing, Romeo sat down with his sibling Jax and Chipper and told them all his secrets to mend a broken heart. He knew his loss would shatter his mom and wanted his survivors to have every tool available to help his mom carry on without her special boy.  

 

For most of the year, Romeo has been fighting off the side effects of being a senior. His appetite began to fade, as did his ability to control bodily functions. He would rally and have good days but then be struck by a string of bad ones. His mom watched him and tried to make a difficult determination: Did the bad days outweigh the good? If she only thought of herself, she would have kept him with her forever. But, her love was greater than the need to have him with her. This week, the negatives outweighed the positives, and his mom made the hardest decision.

 

After scheduling Romeo's Bridge arrival time, he spent his last night at home. His family gathered inside the bright, loving home, and they experienced all the finals: Last meal, last walk, last bedtime, last morning, last time leaving home, and last car trip. Trying to stop or slow them down was like trying to stop the waves from coming ashore. They just keep coming, not caring if they were welcome or how much damage they left in their wake. 

 

When Romeo was carried to the car for the final trip to the vet, he let out a deep breath sending part of his soul into the atmosphere. Now each breeze would carry a touch of his scent, and he could draw his mom pictures using the sky as a canvas and clouds for paint.

 

As Romeo faced the final shot, he tried to reassure his mom that there was no reason to cry because his soul was in the sky and his heart in the wind. As long as the sun rose and a breeze whispered by, he would be with her.

 

At the Bridge, the River of life crashed against the banks. Then the fog lifted, showing Romeo alone crossing the water like a skipping stone. 

 

The crowd cheered his appearance, and when he arrived on Hobo's Landing, he was swarmed like he had just hit a game-winning homer. It was apt. Romeo, through his mom's writing, had become everyone's hero. The last dog to approach him was Copper, and they had a joyous reunion. 

 

A million tears created by those mortals who loved Romeo fell from dark clouds making everything look refreshed and anew. Tears cleanse all, even if it takes buckets of them to do so. 

 

Romeo is here with us at the Bridge and also in the sky and the wind. Every time his mom feels it on her cheek, it is Romeo nuzzling her. His love is represented by the sun in the sky, and he is always with her. 

 

Romeo's World is without end.  

 

Amen.

Nature Friday Outside my Back Door

 

Chloe Arrives at Rainbow Bridge

 

When a single dog lives with an only person, they create an unbreakable bond. Women can discuss their affection for their pup, but men try to fulfill society's version of masculinity and keep their emotions at arm's length.  

 

Chloe and her dad were a happy pair battling life alone, but then her dad met mama Lori who had a pack of dogs herself; they joined forces to make a family. Chloe was treated as an equal by all the members.  

 

But, as the years progressed, Chloe began to fade away. Love surrounded her, buoying her spirit and adding time to her life, but as everyone at the Bridge knows, the dark angels will claim you and bring you to your final forever home, and that was true of Chloe too. 

 

One night Chloe agreed to go, but on her terms. She did not want her parents to make the most difficult decision; she would cross over independently. The angels provided her the perfect opportunity to pass over. She had an infection treated just as her heartbeats expired. We expected her, and with her brother Tango gathered at the Bridge, waiting for her to cross over, but Chloe never appeared.

 

She knew that every parent wanted one more day with their pup after they passed. She was going to give her parents extra time with her, even if they didn't realize it at the time. Chloe came home from the doctor, bloody, leaking pus, with medication to help her heel. She was uncomfortable but determined to have one more day with her pack.  

 

After she gave her parents a final evening, she woke up the following day, got some water, went outside, came back in, and passed over, saving her parents from having to make the hardest decision. It did not ease their shock or grief, but she hopes, when they look back, they will realize why she had to pass that way.

 

All Chloe's friends, both in real life and the social world, gave her a rousing ovation as she passed over the Bridge. Every angel wished they were strong and brave enough to have lived an extra day. We all recognized the massive effort it took to delay his trip to the Bridge. 

 

After we become angels, most of us strive to ease our mom's pain, but Chloe will be concentrating on her dad, remembering when she was an only dog and he an only man.

 

She is very thankful for her mom. She doesn't know if her dad would have survived her passing with no one to share his life with. If they had never met, he would be facing a world without love, and no angel wants that for their parent.