It Was Worth the Wait!

Well

If you read My Last Post

You might remember that my Gotcha Day Two Year Celebration

was on Monday.

I knew.

I was absolutely Positive

That there was a Very Special Pressie

in Moma's bag.

And I was right.

As soon as Our NinaGirl got Home

I got to have it.

And I was (am) one Very Happy Dog.

This is an Example

of just how Good Life can be.

In Fact

Life doesn't get much better!

Thank You

EveryBloggie

for helping to make my day Special

and for helping me Celebrate

my Furever Home.

And and especially big Thanks

to my Square Family over the Pond

Eric
and

Our Foster Girl Sweet Pea Clementine

and

Our Soon-to-be Wheeless

(well, he's already wheeless, but he's soon-to-be ours)

Foster Ol' Soul

sent us this Happy Card

Now
That's a Square Dog Smile
that'll make AnyDoggie Smile

and
Smiling I am
My tail hasn't stopped wig wagging for hours!

It's Gonna Be a Good Day

Everydoggie who has been reading DWB posts
Knows how very many Losses we've faced these past couple of weeks.

It makes Moma feel nervous just to go to our blog list
Fearful to find yet another sad post waiting.

She sometimes questions if it's worth it
All the Sadness
All the Loss.

And then she remembers the Love and Support
that comes from the Friendships and the Community
The same Love and Support that helps those who are closest to the Losses
to feel a bit better.

We hope that is true for Lana
and Penny and Patches
with the recent loss of their Husband and Daddy
and
now
most recently
Their sudden loss of Poppy.

It makes us very very Sad.


Two years ago
Moma felt similar Sadness
when she lost her Molly
Her 14 year old Wire Fox Terrier.

Moma cried
and she grieved.

But through the tears
she found an Open Door.
One of which her dear friend Missy
Moma of Justin
A very special Wire Fox Terrier
had spoken.

It was the door that led her to me
Jake
Through Rescue and Adoption

(Yay!  Yippee!  WooHooo!)

She and my (now) Girl tell me
that knew they weren't ready for a Puppy
but they felt a real emptiness in their Home
and their Hearts
following Molly's Passing.

And there I was.

Three years old
Rescued from a Dog Auction
Following two years in a Puppy Mill
Waiting
on Petfinder
in WFT Rescue
Hoping for a Furever Home.

And two years ago
on 22 February 2008
They found Me.

(Yay!  Yippee!  WooHooo!)

They say
I found Them.
Maybe that's true.
I'm not sure.

What I do know is
Life has been better than Perfect
for all of us.

We've all grown and developed
We've all felt deep and powerful Emotions.

And through them
We are Happier, more Content and more Fulfilled
than any of us could ever have imagined being.

We think the Then and Now Pictures tell it all.
(If you biggify them, you can see the "Now" snapshots better.)

I now stand straighter and taller
More Confident and Assured.


I now sit tall and erect
Happy and Proud.


I now gaze out the window with excited Anticipation
and with a sparkle in my eyes
(even when my Girl leaves and I long for her to come back)

and

... well ...

Maybe this hasn't changed so much.

I now melt in my People's Arms

Feeling Content and Absolutely Loved.

At Home

Furever

For Two Years now.

You probably know by now

How much we like to promote Rescue and Adoption.

Especially this Week

on my Gotcha Day Anniversary

We want to put in a little Plug.

If you don't already know it
and

if you're interested in reading about my Adoption Story

You can find it in Four Installments
on the beginning part of our blog.

The First Installment is Here.
(Please don't laugh too hard at my early pictures.
I'm still a sensitive sort of guy.)

We always spend time Remembering

Cuddling together and sharing those first Memories
on my Gotcha Day
(just like we do on NinaGirl's Gotcha Day and Fergi's Gotcha Day!)

And

if I'm not mistaken

I think there might be a new squeaky Tennis Ball

Waiting for me

in Moma's bag.

She loves Me.

And I love Her and my NinaGirl and my Sissie Fergi.

It's gonna be another Great Day.

Another Great Year.

Even if there are days with Tears and Sadness and Grief.

We know

They're part of Life.
and they are part of what make us appreciate the Joys even more.

We Hate Goodbyes

It's true.

We hate Goodbyes.

And there have been too many recently.

As our Family has grown

so have the Joys and Tears that come

with Love and Loss of Love.

We awoke this morning to read

that our Wise Ol' Scottish Friend

Hamish the Westie

(pronounced Hay-mish - we had it wrong for too long)

has left for the Rainbow Bridge

with the never-ending Love and Support

of his Gail

with him along the way.

We are too sad to write a lot.

Instead

We've gone back and read and re-read about the ol' Chap.

We found the first picture

from one of his earliest blog posts

taken in October 2005

(and posted in July 2008)

on top of Beinn Alligin, above Loch Torridon

following a climb of 3000 feet from sea level

with his adoring Gail.

One of the many many hikes that Hamish and Gail enjoyed together

and shared with us.

Their Walks and Romps

and Perspectives on Life

and Experiences together

are engrained in our Hearts and Minds.

They put to words

Thoughts and Feelings

That we enjoyed when we first read them

and will continue to enjoy as we remember.

As we miss dear Hamish

We'll be taking time to go back and re-read his life

as shared in his Blog.

We want to recall everything that we possibly can

about him.

We want to smile and laugh

ponder and think 

with him.

He will be dearly missed.

For so many many reasons.

It's so sad.

It's so much a part of Life

and Love and Family.

Car Time

This would be Us.

Fergi and Jake.

Huddled together.

Side by side.

In the back seat of the car.

Resting on pillows.

Covered by our doggie print Blankies.

Waiting

and 

Waiting

and

Waiting

Patiently

For Hours at a Time

We've spent the past several days here.

Waiting in Covered Parking Lots

while Moma and Our Girl

Spend time in hospital labs

and

hospital waiting rooms

and hospital libraries

(Everything is Fine

or

At least it's gonna be Fine

after a little more Waiting)

Waiting on busy Streets

while Moma and Our Girl

Kill time in Antique Shops and Used Book Stores

and

eventually

Coffee Shops

Waiting to return

to Covered Parking Lots

at Hospital Labs

Riding

To and Fro

To and Fro

from Home to Our Girl's 

One-Day-to-be-College Campus

Miles away

(but within driving distance)

Listening to Conversation

Providing a Reason for Short Walks

Sharing a sense of Calm and Relaxation

and

Assuring an Environment of Cuteness

Extreme Cuteness.

Luckily

Thankfully

We LOVE being in the Car.

And that's a Good Thing

Because that's where we've been spending

LOTS of our Time

As our people go about the "Have-to's" 

of Everyday Life.

We know

With Confidence

Eventually

Moma will help us get back to our Blog

We hope we can trust

With Confidence

That you know we think about you

Miss you

and 

Will someday soon be back to visit You

'Cause you matter to us

A lot.

In the meantime

We wait for the Next Car Trip.

At least we get to go along

With Our People

Doing the Have-to's Want-to's and Need-to's

 of

Everyday Life

Pee esS

What's This?

Any Idea?

Here's a hint.

It is NOT a fancy jelly bean.

Enjoy the Weekend

Everbloggie


***

Addendum


No need for Alarm or Concern!


We're pretty sure
Everything is fine in our Neck of the Woods.
Our Girl just had to swallow a Pill-Cam
to try to help figure out some crazy tummy pains.


We told her it was kind of like when Jake swallowed some buttons.
They worked their way right out
With time.


Only difference with her was
she'll get gobs and gobs of pictures to have
(someday)
as reminders.
Jake
on the other hand
got scolded.


Hehehe

Mountain Moments with Max

We're feeling sort of Introspective right now.

And Reflective.

As we paw this out
We think of Penny and Poppy and Patch's Daddy
and Miss Lana's Husband.
And we know they will all miss him
As he preceded them to the Bridge.
It's so sad.
It makes us very sad.
And we feel for those members of our blogging Family.

We hope they are blanketed by the Love and Support
that this wonderful Community has to offer.

We're also sad and we think about
Wally
Who left for the bridge on the same morning.

We didn't know Wally very well
but we know from our Friends
and we know
He was a very very special part of Dogs With Blogs
A Doggie with a very big and very special Heart.

He will be missed.
A lot.

We also know

Sometimes we get too Wordy.

We apologize in advance.

We're thinking of

Our Family

Our Friends

Our Lives.

What once were

What are

What will be.

We're realizing

Life is such a Tapestry

of Color

of Texture

of Weave.

Sort of like Moma's messed up Pile

of wet felted wool sweaters.

That's part of what makes it Special
Life

We know

Sometimes things simply aren't Predictable

Sometimes we feel a bit out of Control

Sometimes Life may feel a bit like an Illusion.

But we know it's Real
Oh so Real.

And the Perspective we take

Can help to shape our Reality

To begin to understand Life

To start to really know Love

and

To help us learn how to Be.

As completely and perfectly as we can Be.

Our blogging pals have helped us with those things.

It's true.

We've learned and grown because of our Friends.

We've experienced lots of Walks of Life.

Directly

and 

Indirectly.

And one of the Friends

who has influenced us in that process

has been dear Max of South Africa.

Imagine our Delight

when we learned of Max's World Tour

and his Stopover in our little neck of the Woods

and our chance to be part of his Tour Stories.

Memories that he and his moma will Share

and will hold on to

Hopefully Furever.

We could have taken Max high up in the Mountains.

We might have gone skiing or snowshoeing or sledding.

But we decided instead

to do something his moma told us has been a favorite Impression

a lasting Memory
a supportive Moment in Place and Time

We guided our good Friend

up our Path

up the Hill
near our Home

We led him to the Place

Where we like to go

To the Place

Where we can look out to the East

Beyond our Home

Beyond the city skyscrapers

to the Plains that stretch on Forever.

And we deeply breathed in the mountain air.

We stood in Silence

in Appreciation

and with the sort of Understanding that dogs simply have.

The fresh air filled our lungs and refreshed our Spirits

The wind ruffled our furs and filled us with Life

The breeze whispered of Hopes and Dreams
of Love and Friendship

and

We Smiled.

Quietly.

Together.

We Believed

and

We Trusted

In a Great Goodness

In Friendship

In Family.

And we knew it was Good.
And it always will be.
Good.

Eventually

We headed Home

Together

and we Rested

all Three of Us

on our Big Bed.

The Place where we feel most Safe and Secure.

And we gave Max some Strength that he'll need

for the rest of his Journey.

We love you Max.

Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for taking Time for getting to know Us.
Thanks for taking the Time for letting us know You.

And especially

Thank you for being such an Important Part of our Life.

(See ya later, MaxDog.)

Moma and Molly

We've been trying to catch up a little tonight.

We go through stages when we fall behind

Reading and Commenting on our friends' blogs.

That doesn't make us Happy.

But it happens

and

We try hard to make that feel All Right

Understandable

Acceptable

Tonight

As we read

We felt some Comfort.

Actually, a lot of Comfort.

Joy

and

Peace

We saw repeated examples of "Mom and Me" photos

Pictures that followed the suggestion of dear Max and his moma.

And we realized Tonight

is a perfect Night

to Remember

and 

to Share.

You see.

Two years ago today

Moma lost her Sweet Molly.

Her second Wire Fox Terrier.

Molly died peacefully in Moma's arms.

On the Deck.

In the Sun.

She was nearly 16 years old.

And she was a beloved member of the Family.

Moma will always cherish the Memories she has of Sweet Molly.

Sometimes

When Moma reads the pages of notes she jotted down

All the Memories she could think of

All the Words that described Molly best

It is as if she is still here.

In the room.

Sharing Love.

The Memories are just as Vivid

The Love is just as Strong.

Please do what Max and others have suggested.

Take time

to capture photos of yourselves together

and 

Take time

To write down everything

In whatever form

That you can think of 

that is Special.

No matter how little

or seemingly insignificant.

Then

Just as for Moma

Two years later

or

In the case of Sweet Kizzy

Nineteen years later

the Memories will be just as Vivid and Strong

and very very Special in the Future

as they are Today.

Baby Steps are Taking Me to Good Places

OK
It's Me
Fergi

It's my Turn.

I'm getting the Confidence

to blog every once in a while.

All by Myself.

I think we'll all admit it.

Jake has always made faster progress than I.

That's okay.

I'm comfortable with that.

We are all Different

We are all Individuals

We are all Special

in our own way.

You know by now

We are both pretty Mild-Tempered

though

Jake does get a little Wild and Crazy sometimes.

(Despite his reputation as a gentle Love Bug.)
This makes it public.

(Jake says, "Thanks, Norwood."  I'm proud!)
You can read more about that award and new title here
on Norwood's blog.
It was one of gobs that Judge Norwood so generously bestowed
after judging the Terrier Group at Mango Minster 2010.

Actually

So do I.

Get Wild and Crazy sometimes.

But no way am I gonna allow that to be captured

in Pictures

Let alone on Video.

At least Not Yet.

That doesn't mean I'm not making

Documentable Progress.

I am.

You might remember reading

The other night I BARKED

Just Once

For my Pack.

They're still talking about it.

It was a Big Thing.

Really Big.

Some of you have asked if I'm still barking.

No.

I'm not.

It was a One Time, One Bark Deal.

But that doesn't mean I can't.

I just don't need to.

I've known exactly where my Pack is

(most of them)

(my Girl keeps disappearing)

Ever Since.

It seems Every Day

Something encourages me to be a little less scared

to be a little more Confident

to show my Inner Terrier

(which I never even knew existed)

to be a little more Assertive and Demonstrative

and

to show a little more Tail Wig Wag.

It feels Good.

Participating in Mango Minster

is a really good Example

of the Things that move me along.

I'm glad I entered.

Not as the Described

Cracker Dog Insane Terrier

but as Me

Just Me

Fergi

And it was Fun.

(Plus I got to eat Crackers)

The Impeccably Objective

and 

Highly Respected Honorable Judge Norwood

recognized my literal translation of the Terrier Group

and bestowed upon me the Best Interpretation Award

(Awww, thanks, Judge.

But really, it was the only way I figured I could rightfully enter.)

And

It made me feel Really Special

When Mango chose me as a Winner.

It made me feel Even More Special

when he said I was "His Sort of Terrier."

That was the Best Reinforcement

and 

the Nicest Compliment

I could have ever hoped for.

(Thank you, Mango.)

Jake was (is) Proud of me.

NinaGirl was (is) proud of me.

Moma was (is) proud of me.

Even the wheelies (wheeled and not) were (are) proud of me.

(More about this Foxy later - in another blogpost)

And 

Best of All

I am feeling Proud of Myself

So.

I figured it was time to Celebrate.

I got to eat some of those Crackers.

Turn up your Volume.

We think this is Worth listening to.

So Now

You See.

I'm learning the Ropes

and 

I'm learning the Rules

Cracker Dog Rules

and 

Plain ol' Dog Rules 

But that doesn't necessarily mean 

I follow all of them.

I do eat crackers in bed

and

I do eat bones in bed

With my Little Big Brother

And it's Great.

We both deserve it.

And we're Happy.

Every day gets better and better.

I'm going to Good Places.

Thanks for making these past coupla of weeks Special.

Everybody.

That means an awful lot to me.

To Us.

Love

Pee esS

I am sooooo glad my sissie Asta is no longer Sea Qwest Herded.

I've misssed her terribly.

But she sure did a good job judging

Best in Show.

Congratulations Clive.

You so deserve the Award!

Two Stories: One Big Celebration

It's no wonder we've not been around Blogland much.
Moma's been doing other stuff

 and
We've not been real effective in getting her Undivided Attention.

Until recently.
We got her Attention all right.
Both of us.

Here're the Stories.

First of all.
Seems like every time Moma hits the thrift stores
(which can be often)
She comes home with more wool sweaters.

She piles 'em up.
And eventually washes the heck out of 'em
Till they turn into cozy pieces of felt.

(Note the descriptor.  Cozy.)

Which she piles up again.
And arranges in some sort of fashion.
She takes it very seriously.

Me?
I watch.
And I stay respectful.


Most of the time.

Just once
I couldn't resist temptation.

One day when Moma left us
I did a little rearranging of colors and textures.

I thought I did a pretty good job.

I felt proud.

And I had been quite comfortable in that pile.

Moma could tell.

It was warm where I'd been lying.

I look pretty innocent.

Right?

It's 'cause I AM innocent.

Calm.  Collected.  Quite non-terrier-like.

Very much non-cracker dog.

You know?

That's my reputation.

Hey!
Where'd that picture come from?
Who's that dog?
That dog looks possessed!
That's not me.
You know I'm not sinister.
Or anything resembling a cracker dog.
No!
Someone must've photoshopped that picture.
Don't believe everything you see!

Anyhow.
(Now that we have that cleared up.)
After that incident
Moma moved all the wool piles upstairs
and started spending time up there doing her stuff.

I usually join her
Sleeping on the futon in the same room.

Fergs usually stays downstairs
Sleeping on the bed.
She's happy there.

Well.

Here's the Second Story.

And it's a really Special One.

Prob'ly deserves its own blogpost.

But since we're lucky to get Moma to help with this one

We'd better take advantage of her attention

While we've got it.

So.

The other night (Wednesday)

I was sleeping upstairs while Moma worked.

Fergs was sleeping downstairs on the bed.

Hours passed.

It got pretty late.

And it got dark downstairs.

Usually by then we were all together on the same level of the house.

All of the sudden

Out of the quiet

Came one great big clear loud

WOOF!

It was Fergi

She found her Voice 

and she was calling out!

This was the first time Fergi had ever barked!

Ever!

And she's been with us for a year and a half now.

Sometimes she'll make little yipping sounds at me

when I'm being a Crazy Boy 

and chasing her around the dining room table.

(It's fun 

and she's maybe beginning to think its fun for her, too.

Her tail is usually part way up

but she makes little yipping sounds at me

with her pearly whites showing.)

But this night was different.

This sound she made was a BARK!

An honest-to-goodness

full-throated BARK!

She was looking for her Pack!

She was looking for US!

And

Believe you me.

She got Moma's Attention.

Big Time.

Moma dropped everything she was doing

and went rushing downstairs to praise Fergi.

(I'm so proud of my sissie!)

Fergs' little tail was up and wagging.

She still wouldn't let Moma go all the way up to her

but she was a happy little dog

with a wig-wagging tail.

(One day we've gotta get a video of that little nubbin beating back and forth.)

Fergi'd missed her Pack.

HER pack.

US.

Moma and Me.

And she called and found us!

We are soooooo happy!

The little baby steps Fergi makes are special.

The huge leaps she takes

Like BARKING

are worth a great big Celebration!

Guess who got Treats Wednesday night!

Yep!

It's true!!!