Wordless Wednesday - Stella

Skywatch Friday #25

Welcome to Skywatch Friday #25

A leaf clings to its branch on New Year's Day.

Lena waits beside Max's burial site.

Dogs on Thursday (one day late)

I just discovered this dogcentric meme "Dogs on Thursday" and am so excited (yeah, us too) because I'm finding blog meme's an incredibly fun way to travel the globe and meet new folk.  And this one is about DOGS!!!!  (finally, something just for us!)  Ah, if you notice an echo in here it is not your imagination - Stella and Lena are getting pretty insistent on having their point of view be heard (you ain't seen nothing yet).

I'm signing up for Dogs on Thursday one day late and starting by honoring some of the dear ones who have graced my life over the last few decades.  I was thinking that my "pack" has shrunk to only two, but then noticed the size of my heart pack and felt great comfort.  Although you have already met some of the members, I am so honored to introduce you to the dogs who have shared, protected, loved, comforted, and laughed with me through my years as a single mom raising Jesse to this present time.

Sugar Bear

1975-1986

Oscar

1984-1998

Riley

1999-2005

Max

1999-2008

Lena

2004 (year she joined our pack, her birth date is unknown)

Stella

These wonderful dogs have enriched my life beyond words and been my partners in the day to day business of living.  I'm pleased to introduce them to you on my first Dogs on Thursday.

My Max

When I first saw him, he was chained in the backyard wearing a bandana around his neck - a four month old puppy who had been abandoned along a mountain road. His rescuer had named him Buck after the hunting trip that led to his discovery. There was no question, not an instant of hesitation, I knew he was my dog. He knew it too. "Buck" never paused as he trotted beside me out of that house and into the beginning of our too short nine years together. Hopping into the front seat of my old valiant, he wagged his tail, leaned into the seat and was ready to go. Whenever I asked, Max was always ready to go.

Max, you are forever in my heart,
yet how desperately
I miss you by my side.

My Beloved Steadfast Max is Gone

In His Sweet Memory 1999 - December 28 2008

JUST MY DOG

He is my other eyes that can see above
the clouds; my other ears that hear above
the winds. He is the part of me that can
reach out into the sea.

He has told me a thousand times over that
I am his reason for being: by the way he
rests against my leg; by the way he thumps
his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he
shows his hurt when I leave without taking him.
(I think it makes him sick with worry when he
is not along to care for me.)

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive.
When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile.
When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.
When I am a fool, he ignores it.
When I succeed, he brags.
Without him, I am only another woman. With him,
I am all-powerful.
He is loyalty itself.
He has taught me the meaning of devotion.
With him, I know a secret comfort and a
private peace. He has brought me understanding
where before I was ignorant.
His head on my knee can heal my human hurts.
His presence by my side is protection against
my fears of dark and unknown things.
He has promised to wait for me...
...wherever--in case I need him.
And I expect I will--as I always have.

He is just my dog. --- Gene Hill ---

Dogs Just Wanna Have Fun!

Put 3 good pittie friends together in a back yard with one Tuffie Mega Ring and what do you have? Three VERY happy dogs doing the two things they love best - fetch AND tug-of-war. Recognize Stella?


She is with Ben and Willow, my son's two dogs. Both were adopted through the Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation (WARF) in Incline Village, CA. Both dogs lived with at my house for a couple of years while Jesse and Shauna saved for their first house. When these three get together, it is a wild time! We have been quite pleased with Tuffie Dog Toys. They seem to be the one brand that Stella AKA Mouth of Doom is not able to shred.

Vampire Dog and the Mouth of Doom

One thing I love and appreciate about my canine friends - they keep me amused and laughing, two great stress relievers.