February 7th was another of those contrails days which I intended to post.
But then Patches died.
Or I should say we had her put to sleep.
.
It’s not that I think it was the wrong decision. It just bends my mind a bit.
Grant suggested yesterday that we should keep ourselves busy in order to not dwell on our loss.
So we had a morning of “pre-cleaning day tidying”, but when I sat down to write I found that I could not.
.
It’s good to be distracted in order to get through daily events, but there comes a time when you have to face the grief and let it all flow.
It certainly flowed yesterday afternoon.
As I once read somewhere:
“In each loss are all previous losses.”
Our most recent losses were so recent. Having another, so unexpectedly, re-opened that wound.
It’s hard, but one must allow the feelings. To suppress grief is to store it up where it can eat at you in ways you may not comprehend.
It’s what I did when my aunt died.
For us, life goes on.
.
February is traditionally one of our coldest months, but traditions are a thing of the past.
However, we are promised plunging temperatures and perhaps more snow next week.
It’s hard keeping pace with all the ups and downs.
Scooter pops her head up periodically to reassure us that she is well but she seems very wary and vanishes if she notices us at the window.
.
Our recent snow quickly melted back from roads and pathways but our driveway held on to several bits of ice which I kept forgetting about.
Marching out with nuts for the birds, I suddenly found myself in precarious situations which luckily did not get the better of me.
It’s gone now.
.
Our furry friends were very pleased by the return of the Sun.
.
They relish a sunny spot.
.
Or a favourite radiator.
“Don’t turn it off!”
Today the Sun has been in and out and the darlings have been moving ahead of the vacuum cleaner.
Cleaning day is always a little fraught. Not the best day to return to writing.
But it’s a start.
.
Grant and I very much appreciate everyone’s kind thoughts.
Your words really do help.
More fantastic shots, Carolyn. 🙂
What a regal portrait of your beautiful Patches! My favorite of her. I’m so sorry for your loss, yet again, so soon after the other recent ones. My heart is with you. Your furry darlings are all so very fortunate to have, or to have had, you and Grant as caregivers. Thank you for giving and caring so much.
Thanks too, so providing for Scooter. I eagerly await news as you send it. He or she seem like a miraculous survivor, considering the wound. You are an animal lover extraordinaire! Thank you for sharing with us. ❤️🥰
Animals have always been precious to me and I will always do whatever I can even though sometimes it is hard. Creatures like Scooter are special. I think we can learn from them. Thank you for your kind words.
A fantastic collection of contrails!
“Grief is the price we pay for love”, as says the quote from the doctor, and we just have to cope,
Carolyn.
Joanna
“In each loss are all previous losses.” – this is so true.
This did not appear on The Reader, so I hope it works on the site. Other pet owners also feel your grief, so thanks are not necessary. Glad to see you have some sun.
Best wishes, Pete.
A few comments seem to have got hung up temporarily. I am still wondering how to fix the way my blog appears when I post it which is not the way I want it but I haven’t been bold enough to consider it yet!
You guys have amazing contrails (and so many)! I agree, one shouldn’t bottling up emotions … even if it only makes you feel better for a brief moment. It’s nice to see how your cats appreciate the sunny spots. Here where we live, the cats of the estate are currently hiding in the shade of the trees – it’s just too hot!
So sorry to hear about Patches. It’s so sad. My friend’s 15-year-old gorgeous Belgium Shepherd just had to be put to sleep and he’s shattered as Jetta was his shadow for that long. 🙁
The first photo is particularly lovely!
Oh I’m sad for your friend. Yes, it hurts but they give us such joy in their all too short lives.
Yes, it’s a tough time. I have another friend in Italy that just lost his minature pony a few weeks ago. He’s had Bruno for 10 years (I think) and we house sat quite a few times and looked after Bruno and the managerie. We’re visiting in a couple of weeks and the place won’t be the same without him…:-(