Three Months Ago

Anniversary

Today, 2/22, is the three month anniversary of the night Trudie died. I've been very sad this morning. I'm again grieving that the light of my life is now dark. The weather today is chilly and gloomy to boot (39 degrees F and raining). So I've been feeling and letting myself feel my sadness this day. I was told that anniversaries would trigger another "wave" of grief and it has. This too shall pass.

Sari Update

I talked to Charles a day or so ago and he says that Sari is settling right in on the farm. He says she shows a strong aversion to being in the house and she loves to romp around all their open land. I said that the aversion is probably due to all the time we had to keep her cooped up in our house while there was no one home.

He reports that they are extremely please that she gets along well their family members young and older alike. She gets along well with all their extended family who stop by to visit as well as all of their kids. He said she and the incumbent alpha-female have had a couple of fights. After the first fight one came away with a hurt paw and after the second fight the other came away with a hurt paw. So it seems that Sari and she have developed a mutual respect for each other and have called a truce. He said that Sari has formed friendships with younger males there and is just having a grand time.

I, in the mean time, am enjoying not having to worry about her needs for potty or companionship. The house does seem quieter and I'm adjusting fine to that.

I think we are both better off with this arrangement.

One less Volvo

I decided to donate the 940 to a charity. Selling it myself would have been a lot of hassle. And this way I'll get some tax credit when I file next year. Also, the charity plans to give it to a staff member who is need of transportation. So it really is a win-win move. I've not decided what to do with the 240 yet.

Mission Trip

I've been accepted to go with a group of folks from my church to Bosnia Herzegovina. We will be there from Jul 27, 2008 to Aug 04, 2008. The details of the trip are here. You'll be hearing more about it later...

A car that beeps!

[paraphrasing Mr Miagi:] "one beep, lock on; two beeps, lock off"

I now have a car that beeps! My sister sold me her former car. It is a great car. It is a 1998 Lexus ES 300. It's such an upgrade from the Volvos I have been driving. I will donate or sell the Volvos. They have been faithful servants to our family now for many years. But, it is time to move on. When I drive it now I have a new sensation that I've not felt since I owned a 280 ZX. I feel pushed back in my seat when I push on the gas. WoW! And it gets just as good of gas mileage as the Volvos. Thank you, Millie!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was a rough one. I have had trouble the last two or three weeks avoiding the "sea-of-red" isles in the stores. It was such a strong reminder of my loss. Next year it will be less so. This too shall pass.

St Joseph's Letter

A Letter expressing my feelings of the care we received

I composed a letter right after Trudie died. But just like Jesus says about plank in my own eye, I wanted to let it "marinade" and to clean out any of my own issues.

I ran it by many people and asked their opinion. Then I went into "I got to get it just perfect" mode. And so I fretted, I grieved, and I got scared. So I just put it aside.

This week I decided it was time to send it. Well, to he honest, I had some help from some friends who gave me a loving K.I.T.A. to get it done [definition: Kick In The ... you get the idea].

So today I made one or two minor tweaks, printed it, and now it is waiting in my outgoing mail. Is it perfect? Probably not; but it's the best I can do now.

You can read my St Joseph's Nursing Comments from Google Docs.

Relief

I'm glad to get it out the door. I don't know what is going to "hit the fan" but I'm not in control of that. I'm glad that I've done it and I hope it will help others who have loved ones admitted to St. Joseph's.

Dog Free!

Sari's new home

Yesterday I took Sari to Charles & Erline's. They are the breeders that Trudie had found that concentrated on temperament rather than show ability. They had graciously agreed to take Sari back.

Good for her, good for me

It is really is the best for both of us. Sari will have other dogs to play with and people around her all day. I don't have to keep relying on friends to come and let her out in the afternoon.

So it is the best for both of us. - And I am feeling a little sad. She was a pain in the ass to live with. She was demanding when I did come home. She wanted petting and she wanted petting NOW. But she was very cute and people were impressed at her beauty. And she had personality in spades. So I'll probably miss her more than I anticipated.

What about Yoshi?

I've had a couple of people ask about what happened to our other male dog, Yoshi.

You probably remember that he was having a hard time getting around during the Summer. We were even talking about building a ramp off the back deck for him. His hind legs didn't have much strength and we frequently had to help him get up by lifting his hips. Well, when Trudie came home from the physical rehab after her back surgery, she was using a walker. Trudie could get around but it was very tentatively. A time or two, Yoshi could not get out of Trudie's way. He started having trouble getting up on his front legs too. He started to be a almost a danger to Trudie.

Trudie had a heart-to-heart talk with a dear friend and realized that it was time for Yoshi to be put to sleep. She realized that Yoshi had lived a long (he was over 12 years old) and had a happy life with us. I told Trudie that her safety was more important than keeping Yoshi. So I took him to our vet's and they put him to sleep. That was a sad day too.