Our First Snow Day

Our day began with a much anticipated snow-fall and a rare glimpse of our resident Barred Owl sitting on our fence.

There's nothing like the snow to bring out the inner puppy!  All the dogs loved the snow, including Sunny! That is until, as you can see in the series of photos below, he realized I was taking pictures.  When he saw me, he quickly retreated and raced back inside.  Poor Sunny...

The dogs and I were outside in the snow several times today. Its been a long time since I enjoyed time outside playing with all of them.  After the past week, we needed that time to just have fun together.  The weekend has ended on a good note.

I hope yours has too.  

Heaven Sent or Mere Coincidence?

~Wendy and 'the first' Tod~

I am once again finding myself humbled as I have read all of your comments on the loss of our girl Wendy.  You understand and share our loss, and that understanding is a true testament of the friendship, kindness and compassion of the blogging-community.

There is still an overwhelming sadness as we continue to mourn the loss of Wendy on Monday.  Dog owners understand those sad moments that are dealt with after the loss of a family companion.  For us it has been an empty dog bed, the extra dog dish, the pill container full of what would have been Wendy's medication for the coming week that I'd just filled...coming home from work for the first time and her not being there--That moment made easier yesterday by a thoughtful, cheery-gift from a treasured friend. (Thank-you again Eileen for your thoughtfulness and friendship that is a true blessing in my life.)    


Wendy's final resting place is here at Golden Pines.  She will be the only one whose remains will not be kept in the beautiful boxes returned to us by our vets office. Instead, it is a place that can be seen from the house, and near one of the cornerstones of our property, symbolic of what she was, our cornerstone...On Monday as we said our last good-byes to her, when we turned to go back into the house I looked up, and above us was a heart-balloon floating by.  We stood and watched it in silence until it disappeared high above the clouds.

Now there are those who will say that it was a mere coincidence that at a moment of great sadness, a heart balloon would pass by. But I have found that there are some things that are truly heaven sent.

Good-Bye (For Now) to Our Beloved Wendy

~June 2013~

Today was indeed, a really, really sad and difficult day for us. Not only were there gloomy clouds and cold temperatures outside, but it was the same in our hearts. Today, was one that we dreaded, we said good-bye to our precious, precious Wendy.

I remember so well the day we met her more than 14 years ago.  In many ways it seems like such a long time ago, but in other ways, like it just happened.  When we met her she was known as "Amber" and was a wild, young, crazy girl who was almost 2 years old.  I changed her name to "Wendy" after my favorite character in Peter Pan.  I didn't know at the time, but she would become much like her namesake.  When we started fostering for the rescue in 2000, many of the dogs that came to us at that time were from the animal shelters and were young males who had been strays.  Because of that, I began calling them 'the lost boys.'  We would have many 'lost boys' come into our lives, and she was a good mentor and companion to all of them--Just like the 'real' Wendy.  

~Wendy in July 1999~

As the years passed Wendy was there for so many changes in our lives.  She knew our very first cat named Lucy.  She knew Tod, our very first Golden, and was there the night we woke up to find that he had passed away.  I remember looking at her as she sat on the bed watching us, her eyes said that she had understood what had happened.  On that same sad note, Wendy was there the day I came home to my Mom's house after she'd passed away.  How could I ever thank her for the comfort she provided then and so many times through so many losses?

~August 2011~

Yes, through the additions and subtractions in our lives Wendy was there, always the one constant in our lives.  She always seemed the same, never changing, always with the spark in her eyes, and that canine free spirit and independence that in later years would tell me that the rules of the house didn't apply to her--She was right, they didn't. Wendy was our equal.  She was truly my canine sister.  Her life was so intertwined within the fabric of our lives that I barely have a memory of the last 14 years that doesn't somehow include her.  Because of Wendy more than 50 Golden Retrievers found forever families.  Because of Wendy we adopted 15 dogs from the rescue and have given that many senior Goldens a place to call home for the time they have left.  Because of Wendy there is a Golden Pines.

~January 2013~

Because of Wendy, my heart is broken and shattered--But there are no regrets, just a giant hole in our home and an emptiness that will never again be filled.  I will miss Wendy like no other, and she will forever be in my heart and soul until we meet again.

God speed, Wendy-Lady, my girly-girl.  Our candle is lit for you tonight as you journey to the Rainbow Bridge where there will be an amazing reunion and welcome from the many who have gone before you.  Please give them all my message and don't ever forget what you meant to Carl and I. You will be greatly missed but never, ever forgotten, and we look forward to the day when we will see you again, in a place like Never Never Land...  

Snippets of a Four-Day Weekend

Four days off from work have passed much, much too quickly.  It was a good weekend, and our inner-batteries are fully recharged. We end this holiday weekend with more worry about our girl Wendy.  I've not mentioned her in the past couple of weeks, and I will only say now that I know that our more than 14 years together will end very soon. I know it goes without saying that the loss of our precious, precious Wendy will be a very sad and difficult day for us.  We are taking each day as it comes, and savoring the moments and time we have left with her.  

~Wendy this evening~ 

On the flip-side, here are a few just random photos of some of other moments from this past weekend. The first is a handsome pheasant that we've seen a couple of times near our house.  It's unusual for us to see one, and I'm wondering if someone's Thanksgiving dinner got away?

A sleepy photo of Shadow recharging his inner batteries...

 No doubt so he can stay up late and watch "CC-TV!"

Josh, snoozing on the forbidden chair, which is why it's kept covered, because the dogs don't know that.  He's feeling much, much better and is able to move his neck with no problem.  

A quickly taken photo of a very camera shy Sunny, who after I took this picture quickly exited the room. He's also doing well, and neither us, or the dog-walker have had a moment of trouble with him.  There is a real calmness and confidence about Sunny now and he has truly found his place within the pack 

 I hope you've had a good weekend!