Saturday, January 4, 2025

Saturday, January 5, 2025

Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2008. It is hard to believe that six months later Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. That weekend, we went for a walk in the woods. That was a typical occurrence for us, as Mattie loved being outside and exploring. It did not matter what the weather was like. If you look closely you will see that Mattie found a stick and was carrying it! Mattie enjoyed taking a piece of nature home with him practically on every walk. There was a time in which we had piles and piles of Mattie's collections outside by our deck. Everything from stones, pinecones, leaves, and of course sticks. The beauty of Mattie and his love for life was always transparent in everything he did. 

Quote of the day: Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace. ~  Milan Kundera

I had cancelled my dad's physical therapy appointment for today, because he and my mom are dealing with colds. My notion was I would going to try to sleep later today, because every fiber of my being is wiped out. At 8am, my mom was outside my bedroom door.... knocking and in a panic. I seriously thought there was a medical emergency. When I told her to come in so I could hear what the problem was, she handed me her phone, as she got some sort of alert. Mind you I was half out of it. I grabbed her phone but I couldn't see the alert. With all the commotion, Indie came into the room and was walking all over the bed and all over me. It was clearly TIME FOR ME TO GET UP! It is hard to be jolted awake and to be the only one in the house who can make decisions and put out figurative fires. 

My hope was I was going to work on putting Christmas decorations away today! It never happened. I had ordered supplies for my dad and they were delivered this morning. One of the boxes was as big as me! As I was bringing in all these boxes, I thought I saw something blond out of the corner of my eye. When I went to the window, I could see it was a dog. 

Sometimes my neighbor's dog gets out and at first I thought it was her. But when I went outside, I did not see a dog. Then I thought.... okay, Vicki is losing it! She thinks she is seeing dogs! I shuck that notion away and started walking around our front yard. Sure enough I found an adorable Golden Retriever. I knew immediately this wasn't my neighbor's dog! But frankly I did not know who she was because I never saw her before.

As soon as this cutie saw me, she came bolting over to me. She was one big LOVE! A gentle soul. She loved attention and wanted to go inside. In fact, she walked me right over to the front door. So I brought her inside our house. She was SO SO excited! She checked out every room, greeted my parents, and chased Indie! Indie was NOT happy! She ran upstairs to the top floor of her cat perch! Safe and sound!!! 

While interacting with this beautiful dog, I got her calm enough to check out her dog tags. I immediately called her owner and explained that I had her dog. She was stunned that her dog escaped her backyard and told me she would be right over. Mind you she lives about four blocks away!!! 

This is Paisley the dog. I put her on Sunny's leash and I walked down my street and met up with her owner. I would like to say that Paisley and I got along well, but frankly I think Paisley most likely gets along with anyone. She is that loving. 

On Friday, January 10th, Sunny will be gone from my life for ONE YEAR! I honestly do not know how that happened. I can't believe I have been without my best companion for a whole year. Sunny taught me how to be a dog owner and all about the ways to treat and interact with a pooch! I do not believe in coincidences! 

Why did Paisley show up at my doorstep today? I believe she was sent to me by Sunny. It is a reminder that my Sunny is also with me in spirit and sees everything I am enduring.

 

If you have never owned a dog, all I can say is, I am sorry! There is nothing like being a dog owner. Dogs are just sweet and unconditionally loving souls. They want your love, they want your approval, and they are loyal and trustworthy companions. We can learn so much from our furry friends. Though Paisley wasn't with me for long today, the energy she inserted into our home, brightened my day in indescribable ways. 

When we first moved into this house in 2021, Sunny escaped from the backyard. I can't tell you how frantic I was! We knew no one and had no idea how to handle this situation. We walked and drove for hours looking for Sunny. I put out messages on Next Door and our local neighborhood listserv. One neighbor, a mile away, did respond saying that she saw Sunny walking around but couldn't catch him. The beauty of Sunny is he found his way back to us! I will never figure out how, since it was a new neighborhood for him too. But I guess the power of scent and home were calling him! 

When I saw Paisley today, my immediate memory was the day Sunny escaped from the backyard. I pictured Paisley's family being very worried and upset, which was why I immediately called. 

Mattie always wanted a dog in his life. Fortunately he experienced this special bond with my neighbor's dog, JJ. But all I can say is if Mattie met Sunny, it would have been love at first sight. At times, I really felt Mattie was channeling himself through Sunny! As Sunny loved looking deep into my eyes, JUST LIKE MATTIE. Oh Heavenly Dog!!!