Monday, January 15, 2024

Monday, January 15, 2024

Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2006. Mattie was three and half years old. As you can see he was sitting on a rocking duck. This duck belonged to Peter as a child and I believe it was purchased in Holland when his parents were living there. This duck has migrated through the homes of Mattie's cousins and then finally to Mattie. Currently the duck sits in my office and whenever I see it, I think of these moments in time. 

Quote of the day: Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. ~ Anatole France

Today is day five without my Sunman. Look at that face! This photo was taken in September of 2017, right after Sunny passed his Good Citizenship test. Sunny and I went through many obedience classes and it culminated with a test. We had to perform several commands in front of the group and get judged! I can't tell you how nervous I was. But Sunny never disappointed. He was the king in the class and thankfully Sunny was very compliant especially when treats were involved. My biggest fear was the part of the test where I had to walk away from Sunny, walk close to ten feet away, and command him to STAY! Once he waited, then I had to call his name loudly for him to come back to me immediately. I can't tell you how many times we practiced this before the test! On test day, Sunny passed with flying colors. Both of us were smiling. 

My goal was to train Sunny to be a therapy dog. Unfortunately life with my parents got away from me (as this was the start of my frequent trips to Los Angeles to help them) and I never completed the extensive training process. I have NO DOUBT Sunny would have made many people happy, as I know he did this for me. 

It began snowing early today. Not what I wanted to see. Because of the snow, my dad's memory care center is closed again tomorrow. 

I reached out to my neighbors yesterday who have a snow blower, as there is no way I can manage this myself. On top of that, I still am not feeling well, and am passing blood. Which means I either have a kidney stone or a urinary tract infection. Snow, my parents in tow, and feeling miserable is like the perfect storm for me. 

A photo of today's pastry highlight.