Not such a good weekend......

My daddy's b-day went very well. I bought him three bags of Canna bulbs and some new tools for the outdoors and some really cushy knee pads because his knees are so bad that they pop and creek when we are working outside on the cold ground. I also made him a fantastic wodsy, smokey beef stew and his favorite Orange Chiffon Cake. However, the weekend was darkened by the fact that our little maltese poodle, Timi, is gradually, slowly getting worse every day. I actually awoke to the sounds of my mother sobbing this morning because Timi was so weak that she couldn't stand at all, was not drinking, would not go to the potty, and would not drink water....and was incredibly cold. Come to find out, she made her way out to our kitchen tile and ended up sleeping on it all night, which caused her body temperature to drop way below normal. SOOOO, I jumped into action...making her drink, taking her outside, giving her a nice massage in a warm blanket......and pureeing some chicken which she gobbled down. Within an hour, she was feeling fantastic. However, I know her time is limited but after seeing how poorly my mother reacted this morning, I need her to be okay with the idea before I can have Timi put to sleep....which is the most humane thing to do. Oh hell...I knew that this day was going to come and after this many years and this many animals, you would think it would get easier, but it never does. Sometimes I wonder why I put my heart through this hell. Then I remember that there are sooooo many more happy memories and how lucky I am to be able to share my life with so many special animals and what an honor it is for me to have them in my life. And if my one and only gift to them is to put an end to their suffering and suffer because of my selfish need to keep them just a little bit longer, so be it.

On a happier note, I am thrilled to hear that Connie and Grace are doing so well....other than Connie suffering a horrible spring cold....which Grace gave to her. Dylan is also suffering from a cold......a little coincidental???? hmmnmmmm.......