Beth Trissel's Blog, page 42
January 23, 2014
“The facts of life are the impossibilities of fiction.” ~ Jerome K. Jerome
“Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.” ~ EMILY DICKINSON
“Life is like walking through Paradise with peas in your shoes.”~ CHARLES EDWARD JERNINGHAM, The Maxims of Marmaduke
“To live is to war with trolls.” ~HENRIK IBSEN
“Live on, survive, for the earth gives forth wonders. It may swallow your heart, but the wonders keep on coming. You stand before them bareheaded, shriven. What is expected of you is attention.” ~ SALMAN RUSHDIE, The Ground Beneath Her Fee
“Time
Like a petal in the wind
Flows softly by
As old lives are taken
New ones begin
A continual chain
Which lasts throughout eternity
Every life but a minute in time
But each of equal importance.”
~CINDY CHENEY, “Time”
“Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.” ~BENJAMIN BUTTON, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

“Stop and consider! life is but a day; A fragile dew-drop on its perilous way From a tree’s summit.” ~JOHN KEATS, “Sleep and Poetry”
“If you haven’t fought for your life for something you want, you don’t know what’s life all about.” ~ROBERT STONE, Dog Soldiers
“Life is but a prelude.” ~EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims
“Life is a garden forever in flower.” ~ELLA WHEELER WILCOX, “Entre-Acte Reveries”
“Life is hard. After all, it kills you!” ~KATHARINE HEPBURN
“My mistakes are my life.” ~SAMUEL BECKETT
For more Life Quotes Visit: http://www.notable-quotes.com/l/life_quotes.html#8DZ3pXPMO9WEqRdm.99
***Royalty free images
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: images, life quotes


January 20, 2014
New Friend and Furbaby–Adopting a Rescue Dog
When we brought our new rescue dog, Jilly, home we were thinking of our sad little pom-poo, Sadie, who badly misses her longtime friend, Mia. As it turns out, Jilly is such a sweet, calming dog, she’s not only helping Sadie feel better, but also me and others in the family. She’d make a great therapy dog, and is doing just that in our home. I guess we needed her as much as she needed us. I’d prayed for the right dog and she is, though not the one we originally applied to adopt. When my mom, sister, brother, niece and I made the trip to the Petsmart store in Waynesboro on Saturday, we intended to adopt an entirely different dog. But, as a friend reminded me, dogs have a way of choosing you and that one didn’t choose me. Jilly connected with my sister, Catherine, while I tried to befriend ‘Honey’. When I realized Honey wasn’t the dog for us, Catherine said, ‘How about this one? She’s really sweet. I have a good feeling about her.’
Jilly is such a loving dog that some caring soul had already paid her adoption fee, so money wouldn’t stand in the way of her finding a forever home. She’d been passed over for weeks until we found her, or she found us. She curls beside me on one side of the couch and Sadie on the other. Kitty Percy even sat with me after concluding Jilly isn’t the threat he’d feared and he mistrusts any new pet, even kittens. That says a lot about her good nature.
I want to thank Augusta Dog Adoptions for the wonderful work they do in rescuing many needy dogs and helping them find forever homes. And a shout out to Petsmart for their support of dog rescue and adoption. For more on Augusta Dog Adoptions visit: http://www.augustadogadoptions.org/
Friend them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/augustadog.adoptions
From what the rescue folk and we can tell, Jilly is part Blue Heeler, a cattle dog, and part Pit Bull, which I’ve been wary of, but am learning can be very nice dogs depending on how they’re handled, and part we’re not sure what else. If you have it in your heart to adopt a dog, you may find your new best friend.
“One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that he doesn’t try to find out why.” ~Author Unknown
***Images of Jilly with Sadie, Me, and niece Cailin on the sun porch and Cailin and grandson Colin with Jilly in the living room.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Augusta Dog Adoptions, Blue Heeler mix, Blue Heeler/Pit Bull mix, dog adoption, family dog adoption, rescue dog


January 13, 2014
If You Ever Have to Give Up Caffeine, Plus, Plus
Yep. Caffeine withdrawal is as bad as I’ve heard it was. I looked up the symptoms and have experienced them all. And I wasn’t as heavily into caffeine as many are, had already foregone coffee. Nothing helps the headaches except cold compresses on the forehead. And then there’s the nausea, fatigue (floating in and out of consciousness), inability to concentrate, muscle aches…Why, you may ask, have I put myself through this hell? Because, it means I get to live. Between severe gluten intolerance and worsening bladder irritation (plus frequent infections), I’m having to make extreme dietary adjustments. A sad place to find yourself is on the Celiac website forum with the hard-hit bladder people saying, ‘Great. More dietary restrictions,’ as they ask which supplements, aids, and foods are also gluten-free. I’ve spent a lot of time lately researching what is and isn’t good for bladder health and found a lot of helpful information on the Interstitial Cystitis network at: http://www.ic-network.com/
What have I learned? Don’t let yourself get into this state before taking decisive steps. Dietary restrictions vary from person to person, but the absolute worst bladder offenders are caffeine (in any way, shape, or form), chocolate, tomato products, carbonated beverages, sugar substitutes, (*sugar in general should be limited as it’s an irritant and not good for us, as we all know) vinegar (and it’s in a lot of stuff), anything acidic, including many fruits (all citrus). Spicy food is out, preservatives and MSG (ought to be out anyway) and say goodbye to alcoholic beverages (with a few possible exceptions). If you suffer as I do, cranberries will send you into horrific spasms. The cranberry treatment we hear so much about isn’t meant for people like me. I’m taking marshmallow root extract capsules several times a day now. I already knew it was soothing, but became convinced it was a go after all the testimony on the forum, (I may try the tea). And the doctor approved. He put me on Macrodantin–it’s done wonders for my sister, so we shall see. I hope to regain my ability to function, which has deteriorated abysmally over the fall and especially winter. I want to garden again. Most vegetables are great for whatever ails you, though not all. For the complete list of dietary recommendations for bladder health visit this IC network link. I downloaded their pdf file.
Fun times. Fortunately, most herbs are on the good list. And I’m finding our wonderful fresh farm milk quite soothing. For a special hot beverage, I heat a cup of milk and add a pinch of sugar and a little pure vanilla extract. It helps take the place of that ‘gotta sip something hot’ craving. Peppermint and chamomile tea are also fine. I can tolerate Twinings decaffeinated Earl Grey in moderation. My greatest challenge is my dependence on green tea to fight chronic leukemia. I’ve stuck to it religiously because I’ve seen amazing results, but green tea has caffeine, is acidic, and is giving me fits. So, I looked up decaffeinated green tea extract in capsule form and found one at Amazon that has gotten raves. Among the reviews are one from a person with chronic leukemia who says their doctor advised them to take this supplement for their condition and it worked. So I’m going to do the same and pray I can tolerate the capsules and not lose ground. Perhaps, in time, I can add some of the green tea back into my diet again. I’ve hung onto my olive leaf extract, also an immune booster and an aid for blood levels, and it doesn’t bother me. I get mine strictly from Olivus because of the high quality.
Today is better than yesterday, and the day before that, or I wouldn’t be writing this. I hope tomorrow will see even more improvement. I’m doing my best to find the healing path amid all these challenges. A terrific quote I came across on the IC forum. “God gives us only what we can handle. Apparently God thinks I’m a bad-ass” ~Author Unknown
And so say all of us.
Amen.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: bladder friendly diet, caffeine withdrawal, decaffinated green tea extract, gluten free, Health, Interstitial Cystitis, irritable bladder, wellness


January 9, 2014
The Heartwarming Story of Violet the Cow and Baby Buttercup
“The cow is of the bovine ilk; one end is moo, the other milk.”
― Ogden Nash,
In the world of cows, 92% of the females in a boy/girl set of twins are sterile and called Freemartins. The reproduction systems in these cows are malformed and they rarely ever grow to adulthood with the ability to reproduce. One cow defied the odds. She was taken in by our daughter Alison and her husband to raise on their little farmstead. Her story as told by Alison.
“Early in 2011, a brother and sister twin Holstein calf set from my parent’s dairy farm (Trissel’s Farm) came to live with my husband and me. A female cow, who is twins with a male, is almost always infertile, nature is smart like that, and so they’re generally used for beef. And that’s what we were raising them for. We decided it was best not to name the pair; but our [then] 5-year-old son, Colin, called the twin calves Violet and Moo. As Violet grew, we couldn’t help but notice that once a month it was an incredibly hard job to keep her in our pasture. Our neighbor’s field of a few beautiful Herford cows, complete with a bull, boarders ours. One cold morning in early spring, I was loading the kids in the car, getting ready to take Colin to preschool. I noticed Violet was missing from our field. We drove all around looking for her, and even drove to our neighbors house, twice, thinking maybe she was visiting their cows. The second time we drove to their house, because I had no idea where else she could be, Colin spotted her. “There she is!! She’s making friends already with the ‘bully’ cow!” So she was, and so our neighbors allowed her to stay for a few days.
Months went by and we hadn’t thought much about the incident with the “bully cow.” But come to think of it, she hadn’t tried to leave the field in a long time. And well, yes, she was getting big. Bigger than her twin brother.This past fall, a farm vet confirmed that the (almost) impossible had happened. Violet was pregnant and due around Christmas time. Her darling half Herford heifer calf was born a few days before Christmas. Violet the Cow rejoined her sisters of the herd at the Trissel Farm. My neighbor says she thinks Violet knew what she was doing all along. Her baby girl, named Buttercup, is with us now and someday will be a dairy cow too, only not on the Trissel farm, but on a place in the country providing milk for several families.”~
***Baby Buttercup, Colin and little sister Chloe are featured on the Shenandoah Family Farm’s cream label. In 2013, our family banded together with 20 other small family farmers in the Shenandoah Valley to produce and sell our own natural, local, sustainable dairy products. For more on Shenandoah Family Farms, visit our website and like us on Facebook. Also, you can help us bring our local products to your grocery store by signing the Product Request Petition. We’ll send these requests right to stores in your area so you can try our products as soon as they are available (we’re shooting for later this month). It’s a dream we’ve worked hard to achieve and our best hope of preserving our farms for future generations in the Valley.
*Images of Baby Buttercup and Colin and Chloe and their father Diron
Filed under: Uncategorized


January 7, 2014
How Cancer Influenced a Ghost’s Tale by Author Juli D. Revezzo
From Juli: Cancer. The big C. Chances are, you’ve known someone in your circle that has had it or you know someone who knows someone who does. It’s something no one wants to think about. There are several strains of it researchers know quite a bit about—breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer—and many more that they don’t. Fibrolomellar type Hepatocellular carcinoma it’s called. Ever heard of it? No? I’m not surprised. It’s a rather rare form of liver cancer and only seems to affect young people and has a very high death rate. One in particular, my little brother, dealt with it for many years. He went through every damned form of chemotherapy the doctors had for him, and quite a few experimental ones. A few years ago, the cancer killed him. Yet before that day came he enjoyed all the usual pursuits for a young man. He was incredibly in love with the Lord of the Rings and roller coasters. Tried, for many years—unsuccessfully—to get me on one. One of his biggest loves was horror movies and the holidays—particularly Halloween. For a few years he even worked at a professional haunted attraction in our hometown. He loved Ghost Hunters and shows of its ilk and wanted to go on some paranormal hunting gigs, but never got around to it.
One thing I regret (other than the roller coaster thing. ;)) is that he never got to read my Antique Magic series. I think he would’ve loved (my heroine) Caitlin and her ghosts. Hence why I dedicate them to him. This year, I wanted to do something a little different than just toast his birthday, though. The Fibrolomellar Cancer Foundation is always in need of donations for funding research and so forth so with the release of the next book in the series—Drawing Down the Shades— for the next few days, I’d like to donate my Amazon royalties from the sale of the series, to the group. So if you’ve been thinking about the stories, eyeing them, wondering whether or not to give them a try, why not? The proceeds will go to the FCF and hopefully, do some good. While you, my friends, will get some great stories to pass a winter’s night. The series comprises three stories so far, with a fourth coming next summer, if all goes well. Wanna peek?
The Artist’s Inheritance (Antique Magic, book 1)
The balance between good and evil can be an art… or a curse.
Trevor and Caitlin were once happy newlyweds, profiting from Trevor’s art. Until Trevor inherits his brother’s house, and with it, his part of a family curse. Now, Caitlin will stop at nothing to save her beloved husband from insanity and suicide, even if it means she must embrace her destiny and become a witch.
Caitlin’s Book of Shadows (Antique Magic, book 1.5)
Though their fame became legend, a rumor cropped up about the Fulmer family: Something terrifying stalked Caitlin and her beloved Trevor. Something the bits and pieces she left claimed she had to make sense of. When the curator of their collection finds Caitlin’s long forgotten diary, she wonders will it tell the whole tale? Will it tell why Caitlin seemed so determined to tell the difference between reality and nightmare? Why she thought her world twisted? If she really became a witch?
Perhaps the answer lies between the lines of her story, one of lessons, struggles, and hopes for each new year.
What truths will her Book of Shadows reveal?
Drawing Down the Shades (Antique Magic, book 2)
Life is good at Starfort Collectibles until the owners, Caitlin and Trevor Fulmer, acquire a beautiful statuette with a murky past. Shortly thereafter, mysterious hauntings wreak havoc on the couple when a ghost in the attic threatens retribution. Caitlin presses her coven for help before the ghost succeeds in meting out deadly punishment—on Trevor.
The three books are available online at the following:
The Artist’s Inheritance buy links: Amazon: Barnes and Noble: Smashwords: For the paperback: Createspace:
Caitlin’s Book of Shadows: Amazon: B&N: Smashwords:
Drawing Down the Shades: Amazon: B&N: And Smashwords:
I hope you enjoy them.
From Beth: I’m sure we will and thanks, Juli. I’m so sorry about your brother. What a great thing to dedicate these stories to him and donate to the cancer fund.
For more on Juli visit her website: http://julidrevezzo.com/
Blog: http://julidrevezzo.com/blog
Like her on Facebook: Google+:
At Good Reads: Manic Readers: Pintrest: Shelfari: Storyfinds: Tumblr: Follow her on twitter: @julidrevezzo
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: fantasy, fighting cancer, ghost stories, Good and evil, haunting, Magic, Paranormal romance series, romance


January 6, 2014
“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” ~Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind
I’m huddled on the couch beside my little dog, Sadie, and plump tabby, Percy, a lot lately. Partly because I’m an author and this is where I write, or watch too many videos, but also because I’m under the weather. Sometimes literally. Nothing temps me to venture forth. I gaze out the window at my dispiriting garden(s) and wonder what will survive until spring. The challenge with gardening in the Shenandoah Valley is that we can’t make up our minds weather-wise whether we’re North or South and waffle back and forth. Some years we lean more heavily one way or the other. For example, today’s projected high is the mid 40′s, and then we’re to plummet to the single digits tonight and be extremely frigid tomorrow, but back to the mid 30′s the day after. All this swinging back and forth is hard on the plants one hoped might winter over (particularly without the snow cover that has now melted away) and on the people who dwell in this fair valley. So winter is the sick time. Also when plant catalogs arrive. I have a stack to go through.
Copious seed ordering is fine. Seeds keep and I will use them sooner or later. The trick is not to order more roses, trees, berry bushes, plus, plus, plus, than I truly want to find a spot for. Inevitably these hopefuls arrive in March or early April, unless the sender realizes how inhospitable the valley can be that time of year, or I think to remind them. Our biggest blizzard ever was in March. No, this waffling isn’t from global warming, but how the valley has and always will be. We fluctuate. A lot. And keep a close eye on the weather. Country folk are good at prognosticating. It makes a difference to ones plans if we’re talking 50′s, next week’s forecast, or single digits, this weeks. I also see a lot of seasonal 30′s and 40′s in the extended meld.
My predictions for spring? It shall come.
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~Anne Bradstreet
*Images of Sadie taken by my sister at her house, and seeds by daughter Elise.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Catalogs, country gardening, Gardening, ordering seeds, quotes, Seeds, The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, wintry thoughts


January 2, 2014
Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy. ~Cynthia Nelms
“People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.”
― Kent M. Keith, The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council
“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” ― C.S. Lewis
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ― Anne Frank
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Anne Frank, C.S. Lewis, forgiveness, goodness, happiness, honesty, kindness, world


January 1, 2014
The color of springtime is in the flowers; the color of winter is in the imagination. ~Terri Guillemets
“Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.” ~Victor Hugo
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” ~Edith Sitwell
“What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ~Author Unknown
“June suns, you cannot store them To warm the winter’s cold…”
~A.E. Housman
“In the winter she curls up around a good book and dreams away the cold.” ~Ben Aaronovitch, Broken Homes
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening ~ by Robert Frost
“Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”~
First Snow by Marie Louise Allen
“Snow makes whiteness where it falls. The bushes look like popcorn-balls. The places where I always play Look like somewhere else today.”~
“Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do – or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so.” ~Stanley Crawford
“I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.” ~Bill Watterson
“Every mile is two in winter.” ~George Herbert
“Brew me a cup for a winter’s night.
For the wind howls loud and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I’ll toast our bright eyes,
my sweetheart fair.” ~Minna Thomas Antrim
“Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.” ~Pietro Aretino
“Of winter’s lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer’s secret
Deep down within its heart.” ~Charles G. Stater
“Winter came down to our home one night
Quietly pirouetting in on silvery-toed slippers of snow,
And we, we were children once again.” ~Bill Morgan, Jr.
“Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat.” ~Author Unknown
“Spring, summer, and fall fill us with hope; winter alone reminds us of the human condition.” ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, 1966
“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you…. In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.” ~Ruth Stout
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: A. E. Housman, Ben Aaronovitch, Bill Watterson, Edith Sitwell, Mignon McLaughlin, Miles to Go (Before I Sleep), Pietro Aretino, Robert Frost, Ruth Stout, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, The Darkest Evening of the Year, winter quotes


December 29, 2013
If You’ve Ever Written Historical Fiction–Or Want To
You will appreciate the staggering research that goes into penning anything set in the past. None of us were born knowing this stuff, unless you’re vividly recalling a former life. Even after all the enormous preparation required before typing a single word, more research is inevitable as new scenes demand added detail. I have yet to discover one that doesn’t. Such has been the case with my recently completed historical romance novel, Traitor’s Legacy, the sequel to award-winning historical romance novel, Enemy of the King. Both stories are set during the high drama of the American Revolution. Yes, I studied the entire war before launching into my focus on the Southern Front because I needed to know how it all fit together. You can’t just dissect one facet of an era, but must see all the parts, or you will be like an ant seeing only the bottom of the elephant’s foot.
I finally finished Traitor’s Legacy right before Christmas, and intend to get this to my Wild Rose Press editor in the new year. Would you believe I succumbed to illness soon after? Could be I wore myself out. I hope my editor will fall all over it, but we shall see. Those of you eager to read this new story must wait until I have a contract and more information. Much thanks for your support.
Back to the research. You may ask, do I enjoy these forays into bygone days? For the most part, yes. I find myself engrossed and often come across information that enhances the story, spawns a plot line, or even a new book. But there are those times when I’m exhausted and fervently wish someone could simply answer my question and save me hours of laboring to unearth what’s needed. And historians do not always agree with each other, so I am left to gain an overall consensus of an episode or the particulars of life in that time period. I also continually consult an etymology as I write to be certain my word usage is appropriate. (Image of reenactor from colonial Williamsburg)
Visiting the settings featured in my stories is a huge aid and I do so if possible. I toured all the North and South Carolina sites in Enemy of the King. In Traitor’s Legacy, the primary setting is Halifax, NC. I had a wonderfully informative tour and guides there, plus visited and revisited Colonial Williamsburg and historic Yorktown, as both locations figure into the story. Living in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia makes these treks feasible. Scotland, not so much. For British settings, I am dependent on family and friends who’ve visited, or live there, and research. Always research.
I am grateful for all the assistance I’ve received along the way. For my Native American themed stories, I’ve had the help of historians and reenactors (also for my American Revolution themes). Anthropologists, archaeologists, language experts, and the Shawnee themselves have been invaluable in my NA Warrior series. Copious reading material has been generously gifted to me, or purchased from museum bookshops, or borrowed from the library. Family accounts I’ve come across while doing genealogy enter strongly into my work. Some online sites are hugely helpful, but didn’t exist in my early writing days.
My knowledge of herbs is extremely useful in doctoring my characters, or sedating, even poisoning, them if necessary. Herbs were vital to every aspect of life in times past and the reason I give herbal workshops to various online writing groups. Authors need to know more about herbs and herbal lore to lend authenticity to their stories. Some of this knowledge is also important to have for ourselves today, and can be lifesaving.
My point in all of this, is a plea for appreciation of the tremendous effort poured into writing historical fiction of all lengths. Even shorter works require much research. I challenge anyone who thinks this is easy, to go for it, If you already know writing historicals is an arduous path, but long to venture into the past, then do it for the love of the journey. It’s the only way I know of to time travel.
For those of you who are interested, here’s the link to my Kindle Page at Amazon. Amazon has all of my work. Other online booksellers have a number of my stories, but not all. I’ve indie published some of my titles, but many are with the Wild Rose Press, an excellent publisher.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: American Revolution, award-winning, colonial williamsburg, Halifax, historical fiction, Historical Romance, Native American, North Carolina, South Carolina, Writing, Yorktown


December 26, 2013
Saying Goodbye To A Faithful Friend and Furbaby
A funny looking dog–like one of those in Lady and the Tramp–Mia was up for adoption for weeks (maybe longer) before daughter Elise and I came across her. She’d been left tied up in an abandoned house, so was traumatized from abuse, but very sweet. The workers at the animal shelter liked her so much they’d decided to keep her until she found a loving home. Meanwhile, the debate ensued as to what breeds made up her parentage–Welsh Corgi/ fox terrier/ African Basenji. mix, maybe. We were told she was likely mute, but might someday yodel (the Basenji part). Mia wasn’t in the least mute and never yodeled, just needed reassurance, and remained on the nervous side. I could identify. Years later, when I brought home our little pom-poo, Sadie, Mia mothered her (also several kittens) and the two have been extremely close. Although Sadie was the dominant one. Mia never understand she was far bigger, so Sadie bossed her around.
When we got Mia, the shelter guessed she was 3-4 years old, and that was over 12 years ago. This fall, (past year, really) it became increasingly evident she was declining. She still enjoyed ambling about the farm with our lab-mix rescues,, Lance and Luca, but she increasingly snoozed inside on her favorite blanket. Then she began to limp, and that got worse. Before Christmas, we discovered the place on her abdomen we’d hoped was a cyst had morphed into a tumor the size of an orange. Pressure on a nerve caused the worsening limp. She wasn’t gonna get better. Before she grew unbearably debilitated and in pain, we made the decision to let her go. With the help of our kind farm vet, we gently put Mia to sleep in our home today, and didn’t traumatize her by taking her to the animal clinic which she hated.
Sadie was quite upset during the goodbye process, but as Mia grew still, she calmed after I told her ‘Mia nighty night.’ Lance and Luca saw Mia borne to the grave dug in one of my flower beds, and understand she isn’t coming back. Animals have a way of knowing. Small people came this afternoon to ask about Mia. Everyone is sad. She was a good dog. Sadie will really miss her. She’s snuggled on the couch with me. I let her have her favorite blanket, which is also mine.
“Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.” ~Roger Caras
My favorite pic of Mia, taken years ago. All images are from her younger days.
“Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.” ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull
“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.” ~Gilda Radner
*Image of Sadie and grandbaby taken a few years ago.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Agnes Sligh Turnbull, Basenji, Breeds, Christmas, Dog, Fox Terrier, putting beloved dog to sleep, Rescues and Shelters, Roger Caras, Welsh Corgi

