its been such a week...

I had no idea a week ago that our world would be turned upside down...

or how fast things can change...

but we are adjusting...

and some are willing to help with that adjustment...

while others are just taking it all in...

our first iris bloom...

87 yesterday for a high...

its 2 am and its raining now...

up with Charlie, who apparently likes the rain...

he finally peed!  

poor guy, and he tried to poop but only farted...

its hard to do on a leash with an audience...

and Mr Wiggles photo bombed this one...

he is really good at that...

so much for a little one to take in...

I can't imagine being in a cage all my life...

at times, I know he is overwhelmed...

peonies...

almost everyone in the neighborhood has met Charlie now...

the kids next door really like him and he likes them...

they are being very quiet and slow with him...

we have talked about puppy mills and how his life was before...

and how scary all this new is for him...

but in time, he will be more open and happy...

he is so quiet and reserved...

and the cats don't quite know what to make of him...

waiting for him to play and it hasn't happened yet...

I did get his ear hair pulled today and his ears cleaned out...

its a wonder he could hear anything at all...

small dogs have ear hair and with floppy eared dogs...

the ears hanging over the ear prevent them from staying dry...

the ear hair has to be pulled and the fur under and around the ear trimmed short...

to stop ear infections from happening...

it doesn't hurt them at all to pull it...

its like a real fine, fuzzy hair...

I don't think the rescue knew to do that...

they normally deal in big dogs or smaller dogs without the ear hair...

so that got taken care of...

he also has tartar build up, so he needs the dental stix to chew...

;)

one thing at a time...

he is doing better on the leash and we need to use a harness with him...

Craig will bring one home today...

but I am thinking we will have to get a cat one to fit right...

he is using the collar one right now...

that came with him from the rescue...

we took it and a leash with us, but hers was smaller and fit better...

so we just traded and she can use those on another dog...

I still need to sort out Bebe's favorite toys and put them up...

and a couple of his outfits...

then Charlie can have the rest and we can get him new ones, too...

I still have my moments of tears...

its hard not to...

and I took Charlie to Bebe's grave this afternoon and told him about him...

how one little furr ball can change your whole world amazes me...

and I keep learning its all in God's timing, not mine...

I would have liked to have put some more time in between...

but, if I would have waited, I might have missed Charlie...

this was meant to be...

to unfold like this...

I trust Him...

I don't always understand...

if you have lost a furrever baby...

and you are waiting...

because you don't think you could do it again...

don't wait any longer...

someone out there needs you...

and you might miss your Charlie...

and a dear friend told me that another one will not replace the one you lost...

that they just expand your heart...

that we are all capable of loving more than we think we can...

and that I have learned that compassion cannot be contained or measured...

its endless and the only limits that we have with it...

are only what we put on it...

so happy Friday...

and have a most blessed weekend...

;)

I would like for y'all to meet Charlie...

he is very shy...

remember when I said never say never?

well, we adopted Charlie last night...

it was a whirlwind of a day...

that's for sure...

and before I knew it, he was ours...

he is a teacup poodle...

3/4 poodle, 1/4 yorkie...

and he had a very sad start in a puppy mill...

neglected and uncared for...

he is 1 1/2 years old...

and he needs so much work and time to learn  what he needs to know...

but he cuddles and stays right where you put him...

I suspect he was kenneled from birth, but not any more...

he slept with us last night and did very good...

5 others had wanted him...

he has been available since March 25th...

they never last that long and the chance of getting a smaller dog are very slim...

he only weighs 5 lbs...

he is smaller than Bebe was...

he doesn't know what a leash or toys are...

he just needs some time to learn all these new things...

I was instantly approved from doing the bottle feeders...

I had seen his picture listed before Bebe died and thought about checking into him, for a Bebe buddy...

but then went on to do other things...

then his photo came up again yesterday...

Craig was home and I showed him, and he said check into it...

one email later, and a phone call...

another phone call and plans to meet up...

somewhere between 2 and 7, we became parents again...

Craig paid the adoption fee...

I will try to get better photos soon...

he doesn't understand any commands, like come here or anything like that at all...

so this is how I will be spending my days this summer...

discovering who this guy really is...

thank you for every single kind word and prayer for us...

and for loving Bebe like we do...

there will never be another one like him, ever...

but I trust God...

and Charlie needs me...

;)

all dogs go to Heaven...

today has been so hard to do...

yesterday, while I was out here cleaning another area...

Bebe was with me, sitting beside me...

and I was thinking that when he passed, that I didn't want him where we have buried the others...

that I wanted him closer to me...

that this was the most tranquil places in the yard...

and that this would be a good place to lay him down...

and when I started thinning areas out, that I would keep that in mind, for I knew it was coming...

I had no idea that this little angel or the jar light that I made not that long ago was in preparation for this day...

that they would mark his resting place...

and the lily of the valley will spread and close in this whole area...

I want to thank God for letting me be his mommy for awhile...

he was with me when I was so sick and couldn't even get out of bed...

and he was there on good days, too...

I am having a hard time with him not being beside me every minute of the day...

not having to step over him, reach down and scratch his head...

I have been restless all day, not being able to stay anywhere for very long...

it took that 3rd walk today before the tears stopped flowing...

I haven't made a move in almost 10 years now without him...

forever checking where he was, that we hadn't left him behind...

I am just lost...

and I am not sure how long this is going to last...

for I have never had an animal like Bebe before...

cats are so independent...

and they don't cling to you all the time...

not like a dog does...

not like an old dog does...

he had to be in the same room I was in...

or he panicked...

and I had to be in sight outside, or he would come looking for me...

I am not looking to have another...

but I don't know what God's plans are...

I wasn't looking for one when Bebe came to me...

I have learned never to say never, but I so can't see it...

he was just so awesome and so what I needed...

DH did not do so well, today, either...

I am glad he stayed home with me...

;)

I may not be posting for a bit...

until I can figure out my new normal...

our neighbors all cried with us today...

he was so loved by everyone...

but the ones that broke our hearts where the kids next door...

they both cried...

we told their mom and let her tell them...

thank you for all your words, your prayers...

they all mean so much...

be well and know that you are all in my prayers until I come back...

;)

Bebe passed away during the night...

we found him gone this morning...

Steve called in and will be home with me today...

we buried him in the south yard by the bridge...

he turned 15 in March, and his heart was getting weaker...

I knew this was his last year, but still wasn't ready for it...

he always made me smile...

;(

therapy...

both mental and physical...

it was a wonderful day with sunshine and warmer air lightly moving around...

got the peppers planted and just ate on left overs...

no cooking at all...

so I had some extra time to dig in the dirt...

still hard and dry after the rain last week...

so got this worked up and weeded...

and Alice found her new home...

I sat and listened to the birds sing, the dogs bark and lawn mowers in the distance...

every now and then a saw would sing out and then go silent again...

and the little girl next door would hop over every now and then to just chat a bit...

and we took a couple walks and visited with our neighbors...

love this little bird nest...

its right about the bridge...

and I talked to God a bit, too...

just checking in and thanking him for a great weekend...

love the violets in the neighbor's yard...

the beds are getting pretty full...

and there are some areas that need a good thinning out...

all the plants we bought last year made it through the winter...

and another neighbor's lilac...

she let me cut a bunch to bring home...

they are by the kitchen sink...

and they smell so good...

guess we have one more year to wait for ours to bloom...

I can't wait!

it really felt like spring out there today...

its still a little cold digging in the dirt...

the ground is warming up, though...

should be a good week...

one of rest, maybe...

got a few things to do today if I feel up to it...

;)

hope you had time to play in the dirt!