Tag Archives: friends
Norwood’s star
Norwood’s star reminds us how wonderful the world is.
Katie here.
You remember when I told you about Norwood last March? He and his mom Debi used to go out every day for a run or a walk and they shared it with all of us. Norwood was a very cool dog who had to go to the Rainbow Bridge unexpectedly and way too soon. Mama always called him “Dude” cause he was so cool.
Photo of Dude by Debi his mom.
Well anyway, Norwood is now a bright star way up in the sky. His mom made a lot of his friends their own stars and asked us to put them up near our favorite trails, cause he loved to run with his mom on trails through the woods and parks. We got our star in the mail a couple of weeks ago. It’s been sitting on the counter where mama looked at it every day, deciding where it should be hung.
I said it was a no brainer mama! It has to go in my park!
So Wednesday we went over to my park to have a private memorial for Norwood. Just my mama and me. Mama told me I couldn’t call him Dude that afternoon, cause I needed to be respectful. So I called him Mr. Dude instead.
We found a perfect spot, in a grove of cottonwood trees, where the gentle wind in the leaves makes a soothing sound, almost like waves on a beach. We tucked it back into the trees a little bit, so Mr. Dude will have shade but still be able to watch the people and dogs that pass by on their walks.
Do you see Mr. Dude’s star above me?
There was a little breeze and Mr. Dude’s star rocked gently. Sometimes the sun would make it glow, sometimes it hid among the leaves.
We stood quiet a little bit and sent a prayer up to Mr. Dude to watch over his mom and the new puppy Seager. Then Mama arranged for some songbirds to do a musical number and we walked slowly back toward the car.
Mama let me sniff as much as I wanted, no hurry she said. And then a beautiful Monarch butterfly flew by and fluttered for a little bit right in front of mama’s face. She says she thinks Mr. Dude sent it to say thank you. You’re welcome Mr. Dude! Sure was pretty. And then the best thing of all! A flock of ceder waxwings flew in formation right overhead! Mama said that Mr. Dude had a perfect ending to his memorial — his very own fly over!
All in all it was a beautiful memorial to our friend Norwood. Thanks to his mom for sending us the star. People are putting their NorStars up in parks across the country. If you see one on any of your adventures think of Mr. Dude.
Norwood–the dog that touched hearts around the world. And made us all smile.
For you Mr. Dude!
Lonely chickens
We’ve been taking care of our neighbors’ chickens for the past couple of weeks. Well. I have only been up there a couple of times; husband has head egg collection duty.
Busy chickens
But I went up last weekend and as I approached their space they commenced to clucking and racing around, coming up to whatever side of the pen I was on. I think they miss their people. Husband says no – they’re just excited to get fed.
Whatcha doing out there?
Which could also be true.
But I prefer to think they enjoyed my company while I was there. I talked to them and took their pictures. I thought they were quite beautiful.
So are their eggs.
Yum
Caught up in it all
I have a friend I’ve missed talking to, seeing regularly. We worked together for many years and probably would have become good friends but I ended up being her manager and you just can’t be friends with people that work for you. She retired a year ago shortly after her husband died and we promised we’d get together. We meant it.
But you know it didn’t happen.
I’ve thought of her often, mostly when I’m at work where things remind me of her. And I’ve pulled out my cell phone to call her and then thought I’d wait till I wasn’t at my desk, maybe at lunch, or before the drive home. But lunch never happens and by the time I leave I’m so tired I don’t think about anything but the traffic jams waiting for me out on the freeway.
Then this week someone else asked about her, assuming I’d kept in touch, and I made a concerted effort to reach her. As we talked today I wondered aloud how her retirement was going, what she’d been doing, how life was. What was new.
She said she’d renewed her library card, read a lot of books, watched a lot of movies, spent time with her grand kids. Slept. All good things.
And then her voice broke and stilled. With a little wobble in her throat she softly mentioned that it had been lonely. Without her husband of so many years, without her friends at work she’d been lonely. Oh she didn’t want to start working again, face the traffic in the mornings, the stress of the industry we’re in, but still…
And I felt terrible. I was supposed to have her over for dinner. I was supposed to keep in touch. And I let it go every day, day after day, while I got sucked into the endless funnel of work and life.
And she’d been lonely.
It’s ridiculous. Me, who knows more than most how short life is, who knows what’s important, let it slide. She’s someone I care about, someone who makes me laugh, someone who was there for me when things were very very bad.
She was lonely. Damn.
We’re having dinner early next week, she and I and a few more people from work who have wondered how she is and have missed her. I can’t wait. She made me laugh this afternoon in the middle of work craziness. Even while I was beating myself up. She’s good like that.
Some lessons have to be learned and relearned. What’s important are the people, not the profit. It’s pretty simple really, but oh so hard to follow through. Lesson learned.
Again.
To love a dog
Social media. Who knew way back in 2006 when I first started blogging that I’d meet so many people. Who knew when I stumbled across a blog about an agility dog down in North Carolina that one blog would lead me to other dogs with blogs, and their wonderful owners.
The years slid by with warp speed and, inevitably, some of my favorite dogs have grown old and ill or suddenly (at least to me) moved on to their next adventures on the other side. So many dogs.
I was thinking about some of them this weekend as my friend Ellen struggles with the terminal cancer of her second ‘Merle Girl’ Boost. She lost her Tika just last month and now faces the loss of another sweetie.
It’s almost too much to bear, and they aren’t even my dogs.
Tika in 2011
I was lucky enough to meet the three of them a couple of years ago. We even got to go for a walk and I felt honored to hold Tika’s leash while Ellen took some photographs. After reading about them for so many years I felt like I was in the company of celebrities.
Boost plays with her leash
And now hearing the tragic results of Boost’s tests my heart breaks for Ellen.
I think back to all the great dogs I’ve been lucky enough to get to know, even a little bit, here on the internet. Sarah’s Misty; I cried all day the morning I read she had been set free. Most of you remember Honey the Great Dane who danced with her mom at competitions and how sad we were when she had to go. Eva’s mother Hana who left Eva when she was just a puppy, way too soon, and Dog Dad’s Deacon and Essex the collies who had to go early as well. And of course recently Katie’s Maizey and Debi’s Norwood. Heartbreaking, all of it.
There are more, so many more, and all of these losses make me very sad — but the sadness never cancels out the joyous fun of knowing them in the first place. And as Ellen herself said many years ago, if you hang out in a world filled with people and their dogs you’re going to face heartbreak. But she says, and I agree, it’s worth it.
Katie the sheltie-girl puts it succinctly. “We are only promised today, mama, let’s go to the park!”
Sharing my park with all of you.
Good advice sweetie. And while we’re there we’ll take a moment to send good thoughts out to Ellen and her Boost.
Ellen and her Merle Girls
A walk in the woods honoring our friend Norwood
Katie here. I want to tell you about a very special dog named Norwood. Every morning he and his mom went out for a run or a walk, and they posted the weather report from their hometown and a picture of Norwood being…well…Norwood. No matter what kind of mood my mama was in, Norwood always made her feel good. He had lots of special skills and one of them was making people smile.
Norwood makes a snow angel.
My mama and lots of other people called him Dude for short because he was such a goofy guy. And fun. And very very happy.
Tragically he had to go to the Rainbow Bridge last week, way before his time. It wasn’t anything anyone expected, least of all his mom, and now people all over the world are all weepy eyed. Mom cried all day at work on Thursday; she just told people she had a cold, cause how can you explain crying over a dog you’ve never met? But that’s Dude for you, brightening everybody’s life every morning and leaving a big gaping hole now that he’s gone.
Norwood and his mom ran trails in the woods. In the winter his mom wore snowshoes and the Dude wore his boots. He loved loved loved running in the woods. So after he had to go his mom asked us all to take a walk in the woods to honor Norwood.
He loved to run with his mom Debi.
And yesterday that’s just what my mama and I did. It was a beautiful warm sunny winter day with blue skies and white snow. Norwood would have loved it. We walked along a packed trail between the towering trees listening to the silence. And we thought of Dude and how he’d be running back and forth ahead of us, just grinning like everything. I didn’t once pull any of my princess tricks, we walked in respectful silence most of the time, and just enjoyed being together. I even did my special running recall in honor of the Dude. And because my mama had treats.
Here I come mama!
Mama says we’re glad we went out to the woods to think about Norwood. He will always be a very special dog and we aren’t ever going to forget him. We won’t forget his goofy grin, and his multi colored boots or his florescent collar. We won’t forget how he loved to go on adventures and how much he loved his mom. And we won’t ever forget how lucky we were to know him just a little, here on the internet. We know we didn’t know him as well as some people that got to meet him in person, and certainly not as well as Debi, his mom, but still weren’t we lucky to enjoy him while we could. My mama’s heart is breaking for Norwood’s mom and all his special friends. I know when it’s my time to go to the bridge he’ll be one of the first dogs I’ll look for, cause he’s just so much fun.
Until then I will think of the Dude every time my mama and I take a walk in the woods. Right now I gotta go comfort my mama. She’s getting all weepy eyed again. The Dude can do that to a mama. Anyway, don’t worry about your mom Norwood, everybody’s sending her lots of hugs. We’ll look out for her, just like you did. You run free Dude.
Man, we’re going to miss you.
Portrait of the Dude.
PS: The pictures of Norwood were taken by his mom, Debi Horvath.
The Fitbit saga
While we were in Green Bay visiting the big truck company the executive in charge of safety kept parking a long way away from various destinations. He said he was doing that to accumulate more steps. We probably looked confused, so he fished out of his pocket this little black electronic thing that tracks his steps, the number of flights of stairs he climbs and other things that add to his activity levels. He said he knew it was silly but he liked to see how active he could be. I asked how many steps he usually took in any given day. He said somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 depending on his schedule.
Right.
He talked about discipline in several meetings that we attended. He’s retired military so he knows a thing or two about discipline and it’s a hallmark of his management style. He says it takes discipline to follow safety rules every time, every day, every mile driven. It takes discipline to make sure you get enough sleep before you begin your driving shift. It takes discipline to pull off and rest when you’ve reached the maximum hours of service allowed. It even takes discipline to call in when you know you’re not fit, for whatever reason, to drive.
I liked that concept, and I admired him for recognizing and taking care of himself even if it just meant parking far away from the lunch reservations on a cold windy day when it would have been more comfortable to park next to the door. I’ve parked out at the end of the parking lot at work for years for exactly the same reason. Sometimes it’s the only exercise I get aside from walking the stairs up to my 4th floor desk. But I had no idea how many steps I walked in any given day.
So I bought myself a little black electronic Fitbit. The first day I tossed it in my pocket and didn’t think about it till I got home. Lounging on the couch I pulled it out and realized that in an entire day I had only walked a little over 2800 steps. Sure I climbed 8 flights of stairs. But still. I handed it over to my husband for inspection and that’s the last I thought about it that night.
In the morning I looked for it on the coffee table, on the dresser, up in the cubbyhole in the kitchen where I keep my work badge. It was nowhere to be found. I searched the pockets in my pants, checked under the couch, and finally gave up as time was ticking and I was going to be late for work.
Well darn.
That night I searched some more to no avail. It was garbage day the next day and husband put the garbage out after I went to bed. In the morning I hauled the garbage back from the curb and went through all the stinky bags just in case the Fitbit got caught up in newspapers or magazines or who knows what. No luck.
So I figured it was really lost and I was bummed. How wass it possible to lose something without even getting up from the couch? I felt old. I had no recollection of getting it back from my husband. He had no recollection of what he did with it after he looked at it either. I swear we need someone to follow us around and pick up stuff we leave laying around in random places. Later in the week I got a Fitbit update in my email. It said it hadn’t been used since the previous Monday and it had a sad face to make me feel even worse.
My husband must have felt bad too because he went out and bought me a new one! Over the weekend he was entering the new data into their website, getting me all set up to get back to work when he noticed there was a way to see if the Fitbit was syncing with the laptop. And as he watched it did. The website said that if you lost the Fitbit (apparently I am not the only senile Fitbit owner out there) you could take your phone or your laptop around to places it might be and check to see if it synced. And if it did it would be within 15 feet. The laptop was sitting on the coffee table. Right next to the couch. We looked at each other and started to laugh.
Then we tore the couch apart.
In addition to the fork and the spoon and several really gross pieces of random crud there was a little black electronic thing between the cushions. Resting I guess, getting ready to count steps and flights of stairs and calories used. Back into my pocket it went. Sunday Katie and I walked over 5000 steps. (She says she knows she had that many because wherever I go she goes. Naturally.) Today, back at my desk it’s down a couple thousand. Obviously I sit too much at work, but isn’t it good to have that gut feeling validated with real numbers? And I did 11 flights of stairs today.
So far. There’s a load of laundry in the basement just calling my name.
That’s my Fitbit saga. I’m going to try not to put it in the laundry or lose it in a restaurant or the couch cushions again. I’m going to try to install some discipline and get my feet moving. Even when I’m at work. I’ll be interested in finding where I can add steps in my daily life. I bet it won’t be that hard.
But 10,000 to 13,000 steps a day? Now that’s going to take some real discipline.
Walktober
I was going to take you on a walk somewhere exotic. Far from here. Somewhere different. I had maps out and was studying locations. But then I discussed it with the dog. Katie said she wanted to show you her little park. And Katie, being a princess, is used to getting what she wants. So come along while Katie and I show you the local park where you can often find us on a pretty weekend afternoon.
The park is not very big, but it has a lovely pond where you sometimes see people fishing. Today we had it all to ourselves. Katie likes to pose near the blue water. If there are treats involved of course. (You can click on the photos to see more detail.)
See? This is my pond!
It was a pretty afternoon, getting late in the day, stretching our shadows as we made our way to the back of the park where they mow a path around the perimeter.
Enjoying a warm October afternoon.
The sun also made the milkweed seeds glow as a stiff wind began to pull at the silky strands.
Soft.
My favorite part of the park are these golden trees at the very back. I always love the way they show against the sky, whether the sky is blue like today or stone grey as fall acquiesces to winter.
Gold in the sky.
The mowed path is just about a mile and Katie and I work a little bit on her distracted recall. It’s an important skill to have; she comes running even when distracted by good smells if I call her sharply.
I love to run & I get treats too! Win win!
She loves this game, because she knows the faster she gets to me the sooner she gets a bit of cheese. This automatic reaction is necessary in an emergency and we work on it a little every time we’re in the park.
We keep wandering, and pass another pond, filled with wildlife. I saw two kingfishers chase each other from the top of a tree near us off across the pond. No photo of that, but it was fun to see and hear. Across this pond, filled with ducks and other waterbirds you can see the township offices including the library.
See the library way over there?
I feel lucky we have such a wonderful natural place surrounding our library. You can sit inside and read while enjoying the lovely views through big windows. It’s one of my favorite places.
We’re lucky to have a place where we can walk among wetlands and towering trees in all seasons, in all sorts of weather.
Fall just makes a person smile.
Every time we’re there we find something beautiful. Just look at the trees shine across the big field of tall grass.
Up in the front of the park are four softball diamonds. Katie likes to walk around them too.
This big green area is fun to explore too!
You never know when someone might have dropped something good there. Always looking, that’s my girl.
Thanks for coming along on our Walktober! And thanks to Robin too who coordinates the posts from all of our walks. Katie and I wouldn’t have gotten out today without her motivation. And we had such a good time!
We hope you did too!
Another perfect day at my park!
My mama owed me
Katie here! I think it’s been a bazillion years since mama has let me write on her blog! That’s because she went away for a hundred million days and I had to go to doggie camp. She thinks it’s a doggie camp but it’s not like real camping and I should know! We don’t get to sleep in tents or sit around the campfire singing Kumbaya. Mama is just fooling herself.
Peep’s mom, Peep and me!
But I digress. Mama owed me big time for that long camp stay and so she set up a play date for me and Peep!
Meet my friend Peep!
You remember Peep, right? She’s a Swedish Vallhund and she and I like to go on long walks in the woods. We let our mamas come along too. Mostly because they drive better than us. And because they have treats.
Did someone say treats?
So anyway, we went to the park that Peep’s mom showed us last fall! My mama and I have been going there a lot, and we wanted to show Peep the trail we’ve been walking on. It is really pretty right now with all the fallen leaves!
Strolling along enjoying the fall colors.
We had a beautiful day, sunny and pretty warm, but not too warm, you know what I mean? Too warm is not good, because a princess (like me) doesn’t want to sweat in front of her subjects. If I, the princess, get too warm then everyone is going to have to deal with me, and it’s not pretty I tell you!
Mama kept trying to get a picture of the two of us together but we weren’t very interested in sitting nicely beside each other. We like each other and all, but it seemed like a waste of a good day in the woods to sit there quietly when there was so much stuff to smell!
This is silly.
But finally we sat sort of near each other. Then my mama called “COME!” and I took off running toward her.
Coming mama!
Notice how good Peep is? She didn’t move a muscle because it wasn’t HER mom that called!
You’ve got cheese…right?
I just kept going toward my mama cause I knew I’d get a treat (and I had seen her cut up that cheese before we left, I haven’t had cheese in a really long time and I wanted to get to her before Peep found out she had anything good!).
TREATS!!!
Then Peep’s mom called and Peep got to run over there for a treat too! We are both very good girls, and nobody tries to grab anyone’s treat.
Got anything good mom?
We had a really awesome time and we got to walk a very long way. I personally think our mamas were lost, but they’ll never admit it. We didn’t care, that just meant we got more time in the woods. We had fun running around.
Running off some extra treats.
I’m pretty sure Peep is sleeping now….I know I’m going to take a little nap myself. When we got home I had to get brushed some more…I guess I had a few hundred burs in my fur. I was good about that too, even when my mama said stuff like “oh dear” and “I’m getting the sissors” I didn’t worry too much. It’s all worth it just to have time in the woods with my mama and Peep and her mom.
Stylin
I hope we get to do it again, but it’s probably not going to be until next spring cause it’s hunting season around here now. I look a lot like a deer don’t you know. A very fashionable deer, but a deer none the less. So we’ll probably stick to my little park for awhile.
I think I should invite Peep over to do my park, don’t you?
Peep ….a very good girlfriend!
Company!
Here we all are together.
Katie here. Guess what, guess what, Guess What!?!?! We had company this weekend! And Cole brought his Mom too! They were only here for a little while, just one evening and overnight, but I sure enjoyed visiting with them.
OK. I’ll be honest. I really enjoyed the canned pheasant that Cole’s Mom Jamie let me taste. After all I have always liked the finer things in life. Not that I ever get the chance to enjoy delicacies like pheasant with my mama, but I sure did like it right away!
Yummmmmmy!
Cole and I were OK with each other. I was a little bit more curious about him than he was comfortable with. Give me a break, how often do I get to sniff a boy’s, well, you know? I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass me by. But my mama and daddy were having none of it and I had to go on my leash after I wouldn’t leave Cole alone. Darn.
We sat out in the living room and talked for a long time. Cole had hurt his foot during the day on his trip north, and his Mom was trying to put ice on it, but he wasn’t having any of it. Still, he did get a nice tummy rub out of it, so I guess he felt pretty good.
Tickle tickle!
And then you know what he did? He took himself off down the hall and went to bed! All by himself! I guess he’d had a busy day and was tired. I know how that feels. I went off in the corner and went to sleep myself. But Cole went all the way to bed!
Nite nite Cole!
It sure was cool to have them visit us! My mama says she thinks this is the fifth blogger friend she’s met in person now! She and I went to visit Ricky’s Mom and Dad last year, and we went up to see Gerry and Sadie and Cowboy this summer, and mama’s been to see PJ and her dog Sarah, as well as Ellen and her dogs Tika and Boost without me (unfair!!)… and she says everyone is just as nice and fun as they seem to be in their blogs! Now she’s met Jamie and Cole!
Isn’t it cool that we get to meet people we’d never know without the internet? I think so. (Mama says she hopes she didn’t miss someone in her list above…if she did, let her know!) I think I need to make a list of all the people I can get mama to take me to visit…or you guys could all come up here – – right mama?
Well maybe not all at once…but we’d be pleased to have you!
Me and the flowers Cole’s Mom brought us! Aren’t they pretty!!
Change Is Hard 