Saying Goodbye is the Hardest Thing

Saying Good-bye is the Hardest Thing to do. I guess that’s the reason why there are so many songs written about that fact. This past week we had to say good-bye to our two beloved dogs, Mimi (14) and Ella (12). Pets are our family, they become your everything really. They need you, depend on you and they’re there for you no matter what. If you’re having a bad day, not feeling well or just plain crabby, they’re always there for you. Dogs love you unconditionally, that is why saying goodbye to them is so very hard to do.

Ella

This will be the first time in 14 years, that I will have only one dog to take care of and I’m totally lost. Our pets are our family, and we’ve lost two members of our family. A sadness has enveloped our home and our hearts are being squeezed tightly in the grip of grief. It all started in November when Ella became sick. We took her to the vet and she was put on a special diet, which did work for a few months. But in January, she started getting sick again. Not eating, throwing up, just not herself.

♥♥♥ We took Ella back to the vet, she was put on meds and again she got a little better. We thought she was getting back to her old self but that was short lived. Eventually though, (I personally think she gave up) she just stopped eating altogether and therefore wouldn’t take her pills. I knew it was just a matter of time. Simply put, I loved Ella. She was a big teddy bear. As my hubby would say, “If Ella was a kid, she’d be the last one out of school.” There was regular time and then there was Ella time. Super slow and steady. I’m going to miss her sweet pug face, and her sweet personality.♥♥♥

Mimi

Mimi and I had a love/hate relationship. She only weight 14 pounds but grown men were afraid of her. She was a tiny little thing but she could snap at you like a big dog. One thing you never, ever did to Mimi was push her. For example, if Mimi was lying on the couch and you pushed her to move her over, Mimi would let out a loud “battle cry” as we called it. That battle cry of hers would startle the living hell outta you. Mimi liked to snap at my fingers and there were even a few times when she almost snapped the tip of my nose off. But Mimi was Mimi, and I loved her all the same.

♥♥♥ On the other hand, Mimi loved my hubby. She turned into the sweetest little dog when he was around. Mimi was the Eddie Haskell of the family. In case you’re to young to remember, Eddie Haskell was the friend of Wally on the Leave It To Beaver show. The friend that could be super nice but mean as hell when the parents left the room. That was Mimi. For some reason, unbeknownst to us, Mimi took to my hubby and he to her. My hubby is no small guy, so to see him with this little black pug was beyond cute:) Mimi loved him and he loved her. Mimi had her own personality,  and there will never be another Mimi.♥♥♥

Decisions

During this time, Mimi was having trouble walking. In between taking Ella to the vet, we brought Mimi in as well. The vet told us she had severe arthritis in her hips, legs and all of her joints. She was in pain and it would be just a matter of time before she could no longer walk. Almost to the day that Ella stopped eating, Mimi started losing control of her bladder. We had to face the fact that the lives of our two beloved pets, was coming to an end. Saying goodbye is going to be so hard to do.

♥♥♥ As sad as it was and still is, we made the decision to let both dogs cross over the rainbow bridge together. On Thursday March 5th, with tails wagging, Mimi and Ella crossed over the rainbow bridge together. Leela was waiting for them, as she had crossed over 2 years before. Now they are all together. One still remains from the Fab 4, Lucy the Goose. Mimi, Leela and Ella will be there waiting for her when the time comes and the Fab 4 will be back together again, forever ♥♥♥

Mike and Lynn

I had to say good-bye to my former brother-in-law, Mike, who also passed away this last week. Mike was my ex-husbands brother and for the 15 years my ex-husband and I were married, I became extremely close to my sister-in-law Lynn and therefore her hubby Mike. I have spoken about Mike and Lynn several times over the eight years that I have been writing stories and cooking here on T2T. Shipwreck Casserole a.k.a. Lynn’s Goulash is one such article you might like to read.

Mike had his faults, as we all do. He had his demons to slay, as we all do as well. He wasn’t always pleasant to be around but then again, we all have a few years in our lives when we might not have been the easiest person to be around. The last decade or so of his life, Mike had conquered his demons and became the person his kids, grand-kids and his wife Lynn of 47 yrs needed him to be. God knows, life would be so much easier if we were all perfect, but as we all know perfectly well, that’s not how life goes. It seems to me that Mike slowly mellowed with age, just like a bottle of Jim Beam:)

Melancholy Moments

Funerals seem to have a way of making us reflect back on our lives. Actually growing older has a way of doing that too. The mirror reflects that everyday. Funerals have a way of bringing melancholy moments to the surface. On Saturday when I was at the funeral, standing among the sea of flowers, I stood looking at the multitude of pictures of Mike and Lynn together. Pictures of their kids Cori and Michelle growing up. Then pictures of their kids, Mike and Lynn’s grand-kids, growing up. I realized that I was only part of their lives for a split second. Life goes by so quickly. Mike and Lynn stuck it out together, through thick and thin, for 47 yrs.

Memories

When my kids were growing up, we spent a lot of time at Mike and Lynn’s house. Holidays, weekends, birthdays, you name it, we were there. After our divorce, I had a hard time adjusting to life without “Holidays at Mike and Lynn’s house.” For I also had made many lasting memories. I will always be eternally grateful to both Milk and Lynn for always inviting and including my kids in everything. My kids have so many memories of being at their house over the many, many years.

Every Halloween, Christmas, and the 4th of July throughout their childhood years, teenage years, and up until present day, Mindy and Bobby have so many memories. My kids didn’t have a problem missing Christmas at my house but they weren’t going to miss Christmas at Mike and Lynn’s house, come hell or high water! (Or a blizzard for that matter) My grand-kids had the pleasure of spending time with Mike, they will continue to spend time with Lynn, Cori’s kids and Cori, who has been there for them always. They absolutely love Cori:) And the memories continue on.

Recipe On Tap: Guinness Oven Baked Beef Stew

Saying Goodbye Saying Goodbye and Cycle of Life

For more information on the Annual Sunflower Festival held on the Bergsbaken Farm go to: Sunflower Festival