Yes the House is Empty

There was no welcoming committee waiting for us when we came home. No need to go for a walk by the neighbor's house and make their little dogs bark. No begging for scraps while I cook. Usually when I'm off work DH would get up about 30 minutes to an hour before I did and Scruffy would hop up on the bed with me. This morning I got up early because she wasn't there. Yes it's empty but we have very beautiful memories of her. And someday we will get another dog, not to replace her because there is no replacement but just because we need to have a dog around. Actually I think we'll get two so they can keep each other company when we're not home. I'm keeping the name SchnauzerMom in memory of Scruffy.

I must say so far this has been the worst vacation of my life, but it shows signs of improving. We went out to Ft Sill and visited a place called the Martha Songbird Wildlife Trail. Apparently "Martha" was the world's last passenger pigeon and this small sanctuary was created for birds. We followed the trail through it and the first thing we saw was 2 squirrels (Scruffy would have loved that). We heard a lot of birds but didn't see very many. I did get a photo of a hawk. I'll post it later when I get it off the camera. It was a beautiful little sanctuary.

I really need to get some flowers to put in the blank spot in the flower bed. I keep saying I'm going to do that and haven't yet but I think today will be the day. We'll see. DH is taking a nap, he doesn't have to share the couch anymore.

Grief is a hard thing to go through. I really feel for people who loose several loved ones close together. The Lord is the only one who could help you get through that. There a lots of things that we grieve for besides the loss of pets and people. I used to grieve because I'm getting older, I don't want to get old, I want to stay young. But DH said something that makes a lot of sense, the older you get the closer you get to going home (heaven). This earth is not our permanent home, heaven is. So, getting old and dying is like graduating from one life to the next. Not a bad thing at all.

Photo of the day, the next three of my paintings.

I made this painting from a photo that I took of the Rio Grande in New Mexico.



This painting was done over 20 years ago. I copied a photograph that I saw in the National Geographic Magazine.



This is DH's grandmother. She was a schoolteacher and raised 11 children by herself, her husband died when the kids were still fairly young.



It's amazing how just writing here makes me feel better. I think tomorrow I might record some more memories of Scruffy.