THE BEST DOG EVER! Still.

Yes, she really was.

She was warm, loving, smart, sensitive, and beautiful. She was one/third of my household, and had places in almost every room, in this small house, dedicated to her.

She was the one who greeted me,except once on the day before her death,
every day of every year she lived here. What devotion and love.


Throughout the years, I repeatedly told her that I loved her and thanked her for the love she brought to my life.



I brushed her almost every morning during these last years, while my morning coffee was being made.
I used a soft baby brush. Her fur had little oil in it and felt as soft as a baby's fuzz.
I could see the enjoyment in her big, cloudy brown eyes, as she savored every minute of the loving touch.


Her last day was a sunny day in the 70's, with just a few puffy clouds.
Any time her nose went near her food bowl, I gave her her favorite treats.
We sunbathed in the back yard, soaking up the warm sun, and feeling the energy of the green grass.
Inside, I played Charles Brown's blues CD's and laid on the floor with her.
I pressed my body against her back to feel her warmth.
I caressed and massaged her, and savored her presence.


Around 6:45 PM, at the vet, I again lay on the floor next to her.
As she experienced the supposedly euphoric sensation of the drugs, before the fatal dose, I kissed her over and over and expressed all the love I could.
I held onto her until her heart stopped and her life was over.

I miss her in almost every area of my life.
I pressed her soft toy against my nose and smelled her. I knew, with time, those sensations and reminders will fade. So I held onto it for a while.
I've slowly put away her things, and donated her food to the shelter this afternoon.

In my life, I've learned to appreciate the life force as it is here on earth and I feel secure that I appreciated hers.
Euthanasia was the best thing to do for her. She went out on a sunny day.
The next two days were cloudy and rainy. She hated that weather.
I take comfort in the fact there'll be no more rainy days for Brandy the Greyhound.
But it doesn't stop me from missing her.

A BRIEF INTERLUDE TO MY TOP 10 BLOGGING

Lightning and thunder removed the luxury of electricity from my neighborhood last night. It happened around 6:20 PM.
I was sitting at my desk when the darkness came, and felt for a nearby lighter. Using the lighter, I located the first of many candles. Carrying a lit candle through the house put me in touch with my inner Little House on the Prairie kid.
After several candles were lit, my home gave off the esthetic of an old, romantic movie set. My own Friday night film noir.
I located the first of three flashlights. It came on for three seconds then quickly dimmed to darkness. I took a candle to my battery drawer to locate the big D size batteries needed to give my flashlight life.
After some searching, I made a note to myself to put big D batteries on the shopping list.
My late husband’s police flashlight laid in the bottom of the drawer. It’s a big, black, heavy, metal light that can also be used to clobber someone. Though I can’t recall using it in years, when I press the on button, it brightly lights up and stays lit. His light still shines when needed.
Next I find a little clip-on flashlight that only takes two of the plentiful AA batteries I have on hand.
So now I’m well lit. Hey, why not make an adult beverage?
Leftover Xmas eggnog and Jim Beam are soon mixed in my glass with a couple of cubes. I sit in the big chair and enjoy the sweetness. Now what?
Being alone may not make holidays miserable (see earlier posting), but it sure makes a night without electricity go slow. What time is it now--6:30?
The air around me is scented with burning candle scents of Vanilla, Pear, Ginger and Lavender. I’m drinking a nectar of the winter solstice. There are no sounds, no intrusions.
What a perfect time to make love. This atmosphere begs for a lover.
Alone, even my favorite vibrator needs a live current; so I do without.
I let the flickering reflections of the candle flames on the French doors put me in a state of contemplation. Instead of noticing how quiet it’s become, I realize how noisy life is normally. I begin to revel in the quiet, much more comfortable with my one-ness. It’s nothing to be scared of, you know.
The hard rain comes again along with more thunder and lightning. My long-legged Greyhound paces around me. I’m glad the candles are enclosed in glass jars, since the coffee table where some set, is the same height as her stomach. Serendipitous foresight!



"Not into candle-play!"


So I began giving the Greyhound a homeopathic brush massage, attempting to calm her. We were both really getting into it, when something clicked and the lights and TV came back on, just like that.
First thing out of my mouth was a sad “awwww.” I would remain untested in this challenge of the unplugged. I think I was up to it, too.
The lights are now on, along with the TV. The Beam & Nog is gone. The dog is sleeping. The cat has come out of hiding. The electric life resumes.
Better kill the candlelight. Don’t want to start a fire.

Gender Differences
“I’ll let you play with my boobs if you’ll meet me at Winstar and give me money to gamble with. I’m old, fat and soft. I have big boobs.”
A woman reading the above online ad disgustedly thinks “Whore! Slut! How demeaning!”
A man reading the above thinks “She sounds like fun. I wonder what she looks like?”
No wonder we find each other fascinating.