My Side of Thanksgiving….

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Dear Mommy,

That last letter you sent was so beautiful and it made me cry thinking about how much you miss me. I feel exactly the same you know but I don’t want you to be sad. You have to celebrate the love we shared everyday from now on, okay? I mean, it’s okay to msis me and cry too, but I rather you be smiling like in this picture, which I love of us. You are holding me so sweetly, like you always did – like a mom who loves their furry child the VERY MOST!!! – YES! That would be be ME!

Let me tell you why I am thankful, since this is my favorite holidaytoo especially cause it involves my favorite food- Turkey!

I am thankful for you finding me and giving me the BEST home in the whole universe.

 I am thankful that you helped me get rid of a lot of different health problems from the very start.

 I am thankful that our cat, Safari liked me so much and let me herd him around.

I am thankful that you worked at home and got to be with me 24/7!

I am VERY thankful for getting to have two big houses with lots of room.

I am thankful for everytime you brought hom new food, you were thoughtful and brought me some new veggie bones and a new toy.

Can you imagine how thankful I am for all the turkey you gave me – not the deli stuff either – you only gave me the real cooked stuff – so delicious!

I am thankful that you never got mad at me when I gobbled down Safari’s food when I first came to love with you and daddy. I LOVE cat food!

You mentioned all the zillions of miles we logged on foot and by car; SO TRUE! I am so thankful for that – not to mention the doggie parks in PA and Florida AND OUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WALK – BUHL PARK!!!!

I am thankful you always took me shopping in FL – Those gals at Bath and Body Works and Dillards really loved me!

I am thankful for my very special Red Maple tree in Buhl Park and the beautiful dedication that honors me – I am sure I am the ONLY dog in the 400 plus acres that has their own tree!!!

Mommy, I could go on and on and on and my list would probably never end because our family was the BEST family. You could be a dog because you are such a loyal person. I see how you treat daddy too and how much you love and care for him and of course Safari too! That is just who you are, as your friend Jennifer likes to say. Loyality is very important to us dogs and it’s nice to see that some people have that too – it’s just that you go above and beyond – And, by the way, I KNOW this is true, cause I read all the cards you got after I crossed over the Rainbow Bridge and EVERYONE said that in their cards about you and how well you took care of me! You never put yourself first and you are a very thoughtful person and I love that about you. I knew it the minute we met and THAT is why I kissed you immediately so you would take me home and see, you did! I knew right then you loved kisses too!

Today Mommy, I want you to think of all the things you and I have to be thankful for. I’m thankful for www.Petfinder.com  who helped you find me! Had you never been searching for Border Collies on there, we would have never met, so I have to say I AM VERY thankful for that. Remember that we have much MORE to be thankful for than not and most of all I am simply thankful for US!

Barkley, Bingo and I are having Thanksgiving with Caru and Onwen. I am so excited. There is PLENTY of turkey up here for everyone. We are having it at my doggie den. I am making a beautiful table like you enjoy making- you taught me everything! 

I love you so much. Write me back soon because I love your letters and I know you love mine. What’s not to love because they are from each other!!!

Your Loving, Smiling, Sweet, Bailey Girl (kisses! nose to nose!)

 

 

 

 

The Two Sides of Thankfulness…

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My Sweet Girl,

Oh, how I miss you. With Thanksgiving coming up I am conjuring up images of you and the pleasure you derived from Turkey. Of course you ate your turkey everyday, but you always knew it was my favorite holiday and for the first time in many years, and perhaps in protest, I am not making my favorite dinner this year.  Instead we having it with friends at their club. Perhaps it was fortuitous that Ronna asked us this year to join them; I am not feeling in the holiday spirit by any means. It just does not seem like the holiday season without you and I am thinking of skipping the tree as well because without you here to search under it for a new ball, bone or toy, what fun would it be?

I know I should go through it all for Safari, he loves the Christmas tree and knocking off the ornaments, so maybe I will, but I am not feeling the seasonal glow, let’s say. Then there is New Year’s Eve and I will be thinking about how I really hate 2011 because of losing you and then it will be 2012 – a new year without you in it. I am not sure this will ever get any easier for me, Bailey. We were just so joined at the hip and so perfect for each other – I cannot imagine another doggie bearing your greatness. My friend Jeff told me not to think of it that way and I know he is right. he said, just like people, doggies are all different and no two will ever be the same. I understand that logically, but mentally I am not there. He just went through it with Marlowe and now he has Harper and they are very different and he loves her very much, but I still think he has an extra soft spot for Marlowe that will always be there. I never even met Marlowe and I can just feel it from talking to him about it. I think Marlowe was much like you – tenacious and feisty, smart and beautiful and attached at the hip.

So the question is to give thanks or not? I cannot give thanks for you getting cancer. I cannot thank God or whomever is in charge of taking you from me at your young, senior age of only 10. I guess I can think of some things to be thankful for. I am thankful that you still ate like a horse to the very end! I am thankful you NEVER looked sick- EVER! You are the most beautiful dog on or above the planet.  I am thankful that I got more than a year of fun with you after your diagnosis. I am thankful for your Red Maple Tree we have dedicated to you in Buhl Park. I am thankful for the thousands of miles we logged on foot and by car. I am thankful for all the doggie friends we made and the people that we met along the way. I am thankful for all the fun we had going shopping together at our many stores in Coconut Point. Most of all I am thankful that we found each other through Petfinder, kissed each other literally thousands of times and shared a love that most people never feel as strongly. We were lucky for sure, just not for long enough, but as you said, Bailey, we had a lot of quality time together and that is more important that quantity.

I still cannot help but miss you so don’t ask me to. I do love hearing about all of your adventures and I am VERY thankful for your letters and I am thankful you are having a blast in Hyfryd and have met good dog friends and that you are taking care of little Barkley – who I miss as well as Bingo. So keep those letters coming my sweet girl. Know that you are are very much missed in so many ways, but I carry you with me in the Ruby heart necklace and earrings Russell had made for me in honor of you. Your leash stays with us always in the car so you travel with us in spirit and we celebrate you everyday in our thoughts, pictures, magnets on the car – you name it – we are still attached maybe not within physical reach, but in the most spiritual way, in our hearts and especially mine.

Thankful for your love always – Mommy

Hello From Hyfryd!

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Dear Mommy,

Did you know that Hyfryd means lovely in Welsh? I think you probably looked that up by now, knowing you. Turns out that I met some of my ancestors here from Wales.

 I know you know that us Border Collies originated from the borders of Wales and Scotland, so it seems, that as I was exploring Hyfryd a lot more I was meeting a lot of Border Collies, including a couple of my cousins,  Caru (pronounced like kayroo) and Anwen (like Onwhen). I asked them why they had such unusual names and they said because they are Welsh names. Caru means love and Anwen means “very beautiful,” not JUST beautiful but VERY beautiful! Let me just say that Caru is a boy and Anwen is a girly girl like me, so we get along great! I am so happy to have met my cousins from Wales. Anwen is so gorgeous – like you always told me I was and Caru is a great , handsome guy.

Caru really thinks Barkley is so much fun. I think that little Jack Russell must have some collie in her, because she just loves to be with me. It’s like she is my little side kick. She never leaves my side, just like I never left you. Barkley is always making me laugh, zipping around in her bullet-like manner. She has met of  named Tobie and Cyria that she likes, but she prefers to hang with me and my crowd.

Turns out that when you cross the Rainbow Bridge, you wind up living where you are most “related to,” so that is why there are a lot of Border Collies here in Hyfryd. Since we descend from Wales, there are many of us here. I think they do that to make it easier to find your relatives because it’s so vast and it’s beautiful everywhere, but I have to say I am happy with my neighborhood and I think Barkley wound up with me because we knew each other and lived as neighbors in New Bedford and I am happy to have her with me – always loved how she smelled!

I have not found that dog Bagels. Like I said, it’s pretty vast up here and he was from Chicago, so I do not know if I will, but I have the word out. They group like 3 neighboring states together, so I think Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin animal people  all live in the same vicinity and I have not met a lot of people from there yet. We might need to do a tour over there on Air Floatie.

I bet you just said, what is Air Floatie? It’s like a oblong shaped thing that flys around and takes you to other areas if it’s too far to walk. It’s always busy! Sort of like those airplanes you are not so fond of.  Since us animal folk are smart enough not to care about possessions, we have no baggage and can just pick up and go, so that is why The Floaties, as they call them, are always packed. I have not taken it yet, but I hear they give you very cold (yum) water and ask you if want liver or beef treats that part I LIKE!  You know me, I rather be on the ground like you – who liked to go in the car MORE THAN ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, Caru and Anwen loved cars too. There are no cars here which I miss, but then there is no pollution either! The air floatie thing runs on wind power only…

Speaking of Anwen and Caru, don’t you have a good friend who is part  Welsh named Emlyn? I bring it up because A) I never got to meet him and you like him a lot I know because I could tell when you talked to him on the phone all the time and B) Caru has a friend named Emlyn – that name is from an ancient city!

So I am learning all about names, but guess what? There is one name that is my VERY favorite: MOMMY!!! That is what I told everyone. MY MOMMY has the best name: Sherri! I know you said several times that I probably never knew what your name was, but I would hear daddy calling you by that, so I knew!

I love you mommy and I cannot wait till you write your next letter. I love letters and I know you love real letters too. It’s a lost art, but we will keep it alive.

My Love is With You Always,

Your Gorgeous Bailey Girl!

 

You Keep On Giving…

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My Sweet Girl,

I took the last of your Newman’s Organic Dog food to Petsmart yesterday to donate to homeless dogs who live at a shelter just like you did before we met in 2008. Did I tell you that I had read on Facebook a shelter in Charlotte, NC that needed heartworm medicine and I still had five doses of your Revolution, so I mailed it to Amber at Ruffed Up Rescue – isn’t that a sweet name? I was thinking that since you crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, you still keep on giving – but that is the kind of gal you always were and still are, I am sure over there in Hyfryd.

The stationary I had made with your picture came today as well and a big magnet bearing your name so it’s like you are still taking rides in the car with us only sadly, I cannot turn around and have you there barking at me. I miss that so very much. I meant to tell you to ask around for a collie mix named Bagels from Chicago. That was my dog for one week when April and I were kids. Our mom gave him to my grandmother though because he peed once in the house. He was only a little puppy and we were heartbroken, although we got to be with Bagles almost every weekend at her house. I only have a couple of pics of him, but he was a collie mix and so sweet. If you see him you might want to be friends, he would be a good friend I am sure.

Today I worked on some projects and then ran a couple of errands – not too much to report to you. I did want to tell you that I wrote you a poem which I thought came out really well – you can read it and let me know in your next letter how you like it. I wrote it in New Bedford one night after sitting on the rocks staring at your grave, The moon was full and new and your mums were still in bloom. It was a cold clear night and very beautiful. You always inspire me….I will await your next letter….Love and kisses, nose to nose, mommy

For Bailey

Red Maple Winds
Skip Leaves at my feet
Yours I hear
… in their landing

New Moons;
Full moons
Enlighten senses
of your place beyond me

Slipped into Fall
The Colors of you
Shed life with leaves
that fall fast as my tears

Miss You Too…

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Mommy! I miss you too! I know you were crying when you were alone in the car today – I always see you – just know that. Well, the first two weeks here in Hyfryd have been a ton of fun. I am always busy – and as you know us Border Collies LOVE to be busy; especially me! BUT, I have to say that during your drive to FL I was thinking how I wish I could have been with you. It kind of all hit me that I will have to settle for these letters. I too wish you could reach out and kiss me and hug me and stroke my fur like you always did so sweetly. I keep thinking that our 3 years, 4 months and 8 days were the best years of my life EVER and TRULY. As I told you I do not even remember what my life was like before the year I spent in the shelter. I think I have blocked it out of my head. Whoever had me first were jerks because who would want to give me up to a shelter? YOU Never would have even when I did not listen as well as I should have.

When I look back at those pictures you took when I first came to live with you, I was so scrawny and I had nolong  hair cause they shaved me stupidly! You know I HATED having any hair cut! You took such good care of me – you really did. I always felt that there was nothing you would not do for me. I knew that and as a senior dog when we met, that was so important to me – you must know that.  Our senior years are never as easy as our youthful ones, so having someone love you so much and take such great care is truly such a gift you gave me. I know you loved me (and STILL DO I MAY ADD!) more than anything and I felt the same from minute I kissed you at the shelter. I kissed you because I knew I was supposed to be with you. I remember how fast you made your decision and the folks at the shelter said, “you’re really taking her tonight?” You said, “Yes I am!”  It’s funny, I entered your life on a Friday and I left our life together on a Friday – We came full circle at least, even though it would have never been enough time, Mommy. You put more love and energy into that time then ANY doggie could have ever asked for, and for that I am so very grateful and proud to call you mine. I will always be with you like you said. I know everyone is telling you to get another dog to make you feel better – but do not listen to them. I will let you know, I promise I will. You would not feel any better just because you had another dog and you know that and I know that. The reason you have all these feelings is that you do carry me in your heart and we will never be apart – even when you get another dog – cause I will be giving you some of my sage advice – hehehe.

I want you to know that no matter how much fun it is here in Hyfryd over the Rainbow Bridge, I miss your touch and scent and all the love you bestowed on me every second of the day, but you are with me too, because I carry you inside me as well. True love stories Mommy, never really end and ours never will. I really wanted just to tell you all this tonight instead of writing about what is going on. But, I can tell you that Cocoa, Ginger and Barkley and I had lunch again yesterday under a RED MAPLE tree that was way bigger than the one you bought me at Buhl Park, since here it has been growing for years. It’s Fall here too. yes the colors change here, but then you get summer again – you would love that right! We get the changing colors to the Fall colors but then they turn green after a month – the leaves never fall off they just change magically somehow back to Green – it sounds very interesting. Hyfryd has a lot of gorgeous trees just like at Buhl Park, so here I am with my very beautiful red Coach Collar you got me, the most stylish girl in town! You have the leash and we will always be attached.

With all my love 4ever and ever and ever, Your Sweet Bailey Girl xoxoxoox

So Many Reminders…

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Dear Bailey,

I am so glad that you won your agility contest. I knew you would. Bailey ALWAYS wins! haha. You love winning, because you are competitive like me!

Well, we are in Florida now. Every rest stop reminded me of how much you loved to sniff around and meet other dogs, but oddly, this trip saw the least amount of dogs. There were not as many as usual, which did not help me any, I was still sad.  Today is Sunday and we just got here late Friday afternoon. I have not seen Kevin’s golf cart yet, but when I see Zoe and Angel riding around in it, it will yet be another reminder that you are not here to borrow it and take you for rides. How you loved that golf cart with your tail hanging off the side, blowing in the light breeze. Everywhere I go, I see you; where we would drive. I saw an ad for Dillard’s in today’s paper and thought how you loved to go inside and meet the sales people. They all loved you and offered you treats because you were so nice.

We spent so much time together that nothing does not remind me of you, which makes this very hard. Safari went out on the lead today in the yard. he’ll probably puke up the grass later, but I am not sure what he wants to do about a new buddy. There is a new VERY friendly stray gray cat hanging around. She is big fluff ball, but who knows if she is healthy or not. I am sure Safari would like a new doggie friend, but I feel there has to be a sign from you and you already told me NOT YET!  (I really hope you send me a nice Border Collie or Collie). We are going on a couple of cruises; the first one for 10 days next month. We really need a vacation badly. I am just concerned about Safari being lonely, but the neighbors will take good care of him. We really only not see him for 8 days, since we see him the first day we leave and the day we get back… I think how much he will appreciate me when I return. You both always did but then you had Lu or Bev to stay with you the last few times. I just don’t want him to think that we left him too. I know you are saying he will be fine and I am sure that you are correct.

Everyone down here misses you too. I am going to see Mai this morning – you know she moved her business into the Flamingo Flea Market and wants me to start working on her stuff PR stuff again. She is doing very well now, and I am happy for her. Well, Russell is ready to head over there. I love you Bailey – write me later – I have not heard from you in days and you said you would write me with all your new adventures – so I expect to hear from you later today! Sending you 10,000 nose to nose kisses…..Mommy

Bailey Wins! Bailey Wins!

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Mommy! You know how when we would run down the path in our forest and I would run past you, you would always yell,  Bailey Wins! Bailey Wins! I really won this time, cause I know how when I was not able to run as fast you would go slow and let me win – I KNEW you were doing that you know! The contest was fun we had these small hurdles to jump over and I did all of them in the fastest time. I wasn;t even tired! It was so great! You should have heard Barkley barking her head off, encouraging me! She is too funny.

I see you were having bad day with those stupid people at Comcast. They ARE ineffcient! Do you think it was coincidence that after you hung with them all discouraged that Garrison Keillor came on reading Aaron Kramer’s beautiful poems called Dogs? I TOLD Garrison to do that. I know you love his voice so I knew it would be a good choice for today’s Writer’s Almanac on NPR. Yet, you cried your eyes out missing me – I heard you. I know you are struggling with us being apart, but I do not want you to be sad that is not who you are and it certianly is not me! I am miss cheerful you know that! So, I thought I would write you real quick before your internet service gets put on vacation too (even though you did not want it to go on today!) I want you to stay away from the computer today and do other things, okay. You can write me when you get to Florida- you have a lot to do. I am sorry I won’t be riding with you down there in the car, but I am with you in your heart no matter where you go. I am not EVER leaving you – you should know that since we were attached at the hip. If you counted the hours we were ever apart in would not be very many that is for sure. I love you mommy, we make the best team even in spirit….I will save up all my adventures for a big letter when you get to FL, okay? I love you so very much….Big Wet Kisses, Your Bailey Girl

Talking About You….

Sweet Bailey,

So did you win your agility contest? I bet you did! I was rooting for you of course!

Today was a hard day. Since you went over the Rainbow Bridge, I have not wanted to talk to all the people who have been calling on the phone and today I was forced to.  The problem for me is that when I talk about you out loud I just start crying. I cannot help myself. It’s not even two weeks and we spent so little time apart from each other, I cannot get used to not having you asking me for something at every waking moment. Safari does not want as many kisses as you did; although he does seem to enjoy being king of the castle again; remember he was for 7 years before you came along!

The house seems so boring and empty and very quiet without you in it. We are getting ready to leave for Florida and that too will not be the same without you. We leave on Wednesday. I will write again tomorrow, but after that I will have to write on Friday, 11-11-11, which will be two weeks and that will be an awful day. However, I expect you to write to me and let me know about the contest and everything you and Barkley are up to!  Many poeple are now reading your journal. You now have email set up so anyone can privately write to you at bailey@baileysjournal.com – you had said that you wanted an email. You can also use Bailey@maddickmedia.com since will always be my associate at large, with your larger than life personality. By the way, did you know there was a font called Bailey? I changed my computer to use that font on all my email messages and yours will be in that font too– you now have your own font and email, so I fully expect to hear from you all the time because I live for your letters and I like to hear everything about RB and your pals. We miss you Bailey. Write me soon.

With all my love and kisses,  Your Mommy

The Air and the Plane…..

Mommy!

So you saw me Yes! it was me – Did you get it? You sniffed the air and I was the plane!!!!  An airplane could not just have appeared out of nowhere at that very second you did that, now could it? I was zooming over you because I did not want you to feel really alone in the park without me; I know yesterday was a very hard day for you. When you were driving over there, I knew you would start feeling upset. I saw you look back in the rearview mirror, as you always did on the way to the park, to make sure I was okay in the back of the van; but you took the Honda CRV. I remember that is the car I jumped into so fast when you took me out of the shelter. I was so happy to get the heck out of there. I thought, This is my mommy and we are going to our home – I am so excited!

Our home was the best, although I must say it’s pretty nice over here over the Rainbow Bridge (RB, as they like to say around here). admittedly not as special as being home with you and daddy. I see you keep looking for me. I know you did not throw out all my food yet, but that was great that you gave the Revolution Medicine to Ruffed Up Rescue! That will be very helpful to the dogs there. You never did spare any expense when it came to me that is for sure.  In return however, I gave you every ounce of love in me and everyone could see it that is why we got all those compliments everywhere we went and gosh we got to go to a lot of places together and I am forever grateful.

Today I was helping Barkley. She is so tiny, she needed some help getting her food from The Doggie Daze, – that is where we get our chow and treats! I went with her because she had eaten everything and needed help carrying things back. She is such a funny girl, we are great friends. I always loved her smell. I still love to poop over at her house instead of mine and just like before we live right next door. She was wondering about Molly and Dozer. I told her that Tracy and John missed her very much. I saw how Molly was barking around noon a few times this past week and you gave her some of my treats I left her. I know she loves them. It’s good that I can see everything; I wish you could too, but that is why I can sometimes send you signs like that place. The moment sometimes might be fleeting, but I know you feel it.

I am sorry that seeing only a few leaves left on our tree made you cry. It’s a young tree remember – it will bloom green for us in the Spring and you will be back at Buhl Park. Maybe by the end of next summer I can work on finding you another Border Collie or Collie! Should we get a girl or boy? I am undecided about that – I know you would have one of each if  daddy had no say so! haha! It is a lot of work, as you know, but Oh! the joy! Tomorrow Cocoa, Ginger and I are going to an agility competition/show in Dembark. It’s a nice walk, only 2 miles. I am entered to be in and Ging and Cocoa are rooting me on. I AM a Border Collie you know – you never got to see me in my puppy days – I was quite the agile gal, jumping over stuff for treats! So I will write you and let you know how I do. There are three prizes. The first prize, which I am hoping to win, is a big steak! You know I love my beefy treats! It does not really matter cause you  can have all the food you want over here, it’s more the idea of winning and making you proud of me – I KNOW…..you already are proud of me…..Who loves me more than you mommy? NO ONE!  I love you so very dearly. I will write again tomorrrow…..Nose to nose with all my love, Your Sweet Bailey Girl…..xoxooxoxox

Notching Up Noses…

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Dear Bailey,

Today was a hard day. I wanted to get to the park before we left for Florida.  The drive was odd without you barking the minute we hit Hazen St. I started to cry the second I got there and saw someone walking their dog. I know you don’t want me to cry all the time, but I have not been to that park without you by my side in over three years since you came into our lives. I wanted to bury a couple of  your favorite chew bones in the mulch of your tree for the winter and help make the Red Maple grow strong and pretty in the spring.  It had lost all but 9 of its leaves and when I saw that I started crying again

As I rounded the first first corner of our path, I started to tear up but then I thought of you doing what you are doing in this picture. The day was cold, sunny and a crisp 50 degrees – our favorite weather! I even wore your little scarf.  I decided to look up and sniff the air just like you do. I wondered, “what does she smell when she points her nose to the sky and sniff as though you are notching  up your nose.?” I always loved that you did that — so adorable. I closed my eyes and sniffed the cold air, which smelled fresh and clean and then I opened my eyes and there was a small plane above leaving its traces of white whispy lines high  in the sky. I started to cry again so I looked down for what seemed to be a second and then looked back up and it was gone – that fast. I had not seen it before I looked up and when I saw it –  it dissapeared as fast as it appeared. Was it you, I wondered? I think it was you.

I know it’s Saturday night and you are probably a very busy girl doing lots of fun stuff, so you can write me back tomorrow. I just wanted to tell you that if that was you – I saw you in that very fleeting moment. I feel you all the time. I was playing some of your videos tonight for Safari and he was staring at the computer screen, but he knew you were not really here, but we liked listening to you talk and bark!  I miss you so very my sweet girl. I hope that you sleep well and dream of me.

Love and kisses, Mommy