Holidays can be hard...

Well, we are now a full week into the new year and another winter holiday season is behind us. On Sunday we took down the ornaments and drove our tree over to be recycled, so the living room is dark again :o and this holiday cycle truly feels "over" for me now.

I want to thank everybody who posted here this year, and I want to send out a group hug worldwide! And also to remind folks that even though the wreath may be down from the door, our holiday house remains open and available throughout the changing of the seasons. There are many other special days that may feel especially bittersweet to us: Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day especially come to mind. So please feel free, anyone, to stop by again at any time and we'll rejoin you here.

In the meantime, thank you all for helping me through some very rough days myself. And I wish you all peace and comfort during the coming year!

Marianne

Ditto what Marianne said. I don't know what it would have been like if not to have this safe zone to come to during this past holiday season. (i'm glad it's over)

Same here....

Ahem....drum roll, please!...OK guys, it's time to throw open the doors to our holiday house once again. Drat, we already missed Canadian Thanksgiving, but we've got Halloween coming right up. So here we go.

For any of our newbies, this is a thread where we can come and share our true feelings thru the holidays. Good times, and sad ones too. The holidays can trigger so many memories and so many mixed feelings. And especially when we're missing loved ones, it's good to have a place to come where it's OK to be real. No brave faces, no false smiles. Just real.

Last Halloween was my first without Peg, so I arrived here bright and early at the beginning of October. I REALLY needed a place to talk. I've just now read what I wrote back then, and I'm grateful that the pain is no longer as sharp for me. But I still miss her so very much, and especially at this time of year. My shiny black dog was always at her best at Halloween. So after putting up the decorations today, I just now lit a candle for her on our group page. A shining candle for my shiny black Halloween sweetheart.

So here we are and our house will stay open now, all through the holidays. Whenever anybody wants to stop by, we'll be here!

Marianne

Last halloween was our first without molly too. I get what you mean Marianne, it wasn't the same as when she was here. She hated the doorbell ringing and all the costumes made her bark her head off, but yet she didn't want to miss a one. Halloween felt "quiet" too quiet actually. The nice thing was that it was our grandsons first halloween so that made it better, but I admit I stayed out of the house as much as possible that night.

Expect I'll be popping in and out through the holiday season. I dread Christmas. last year sucked christmas without molly. This year I expect it will still suck and I'm hoping our daughter will have it at her house and then we can leave for somewhere, anywhere warmish, right afterwards. Remember last year they surprised me with the ornament with her picture and I burst into tears? I'm already anticipating the tears when I see it again this year and gently unwrap it to gaze on her precious little face.

ehhh fudge, now I'm all teary. fooey

I have a picture of Lena's ornament on my phone and I look at it whenever I need to see her sweet little face. Truth is, I have tons of pictures in my phone, on my computer, etc. And there are millions in my mind and I pull them up all the time.

I miss my best friend, my confidante, my child...the one who knew me best...my little angel child.

I have a picture of molly as my phone screensaver. I love her face. Then a picture of her framed on my desk, a good size one. I miss her. I don't know Why the ornament did me in. I guess because it was a gift, when I wasn't expecting it or something. Hubby and daughter gave it to me.

Oh did I mention going to be a grandma again and this time it's a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay! Lucky you! Girls clothes are so much more fun to buy...I would go broke with a granddaughter :)

No one should ever have to lose anyone. Our precious angel babies knew our every thought and lived to make us happy. That was their purpose in life. The sheer joy of being welcomed home by someone so completely accepting and in love, is a feeling like no other.

The holidays roll around, which makes us miss them all the more. Family isn't complete without them. It doesn't get easier. At least, not for me.

Me neither....Lee loved the holidays. The decorating, the cooking, the family gatherings. I guess they all do, but she just seemed to understand it more.

I'm here, too, guys and sorry I haven't been writing more. But I'm having a bout of positional vertigo (inner ear thing), and it's hard for me to drop my head down and look at a keyboard without getting dizzy :( :(. So I'm the one sitting up tall and straight over at the dining room table :o. I can hear everything you all are saying, tho, and hopefully I'll be back to blabbing again in a day or so. ;)

ooooo get better, Marianne! That has got to be miserable.

Congratulations, Sharlene!

Oh Yikes Marianne, that sounds horrible. :( it goes away in a couple days? I hope so!

It's a fairly common problem where crystals migrate into an area of the ear canal where they shouldn't be and stimulate the nerves. I've had episodes before and the acute phase hasn't lasted too long. But I thought I'd be clever today and try a home treatment to speed things (it involves bending your head different ways to get the crystals to shift), and ended up with the worst vertigo episode I've ever had :o. I still feel pretty barfy right now, so I may just sit back and leave it to heal on its own again...

My husband had to go to the hospital in an ambulance from work from that once. I could hear him barfing from the minute I walked through the ER doors.

wow, you could hear when you walked in! That takes puking your gust out to a whole new level.

He's just a big baby sometimes :)

Honestly, though, I can really sympathize with him. :o

During that home treatment yesterday, I had the worst episode ever. I fell back flat on the bed, clutching the sheets for dear life because it truly felt like the bed was pitching sideways and trying to buck me off like a bronco :eek:! I was sooooooooooooooo nauseated afterwards. Fortunately I feel much better today. Still afflicted, but basically functional as long as I keep my head level. So I'm ready to join back in the conversation as folks stop by. ;)

Omg, that is awful marianne. I have this thing about beds trying to buck me off like a bronco. It's a no go and needs to keep it's butt still. Bed are not made for bucking. Well, some of those ones you put a quarter in and they vibrate. Had one of those in a hotel once, stuck the quarter in and thought I was going to throw up. Never again. Oh and remember the old water beds? Some of them you had to hang on to as you tried to crawl in to get to sleep. Oh the 80's those were crazy!

Now what was I talking about again? Oh yea, the vertigo, glad you feel better today and I hope each day is an improvement!

We were absolutely dreading the holidays without Whiskey, he was such a HUGE part of all the festivities. We agreed that we weren't going to decorate for Christmas this year, but I think we will now. Tex will never ever replace him, but we are happy to have a pup here with us again. I will always be "Whiskey's Mom", my first pup, with us through so much. He is still the screen saver on my phone,, and so many other things.
Marianne, I'm so sorry, I had that after a car accident-went to get out of bed a few days later & fell right over! Hope you're on the mend & able to be vertical soon!
Sharlene, you are too funny-congrats on the new Baby Girl! Shop til you drop!

Annie, it's so great to see you back again -- and especially to hear about Tex!!! It warms my heart to wake up on this Halloween morning and to read about your new addition to the family. Nothing will change or diminish Whiskey's special spot in your heart, or the amount that you miss him. But it can mean so much to have new life around you once again, and especially on a holiday.

Just like last year, Peg's box will be adorned with her orange Halloween collar. And Luna will be proudly wearing her purple collar. We're having the same friends over for dinner and to hand out candy. So it'll be the same bittersweet experience, but hopefully perhaps a bit more sweet than bitter this time around. I'll never, ever forget my shiny black Halloween girl, though. Always in my mind's eye and always in my heart.

Happy Halloween, my sweetie Peg.

Hi everybody. Well, here we are, heading into Thanksgiving week here in the U.S. Back from the store with my first batch of groceries, and settling down to relax with Luna at my feet. I’m so grateful to have her with me, she is such a sweet little thing. Still missing my big girl, though, just like every day. I truly don’t think a single day passes that I don’t see Peg in my mind’s eye and wish so much that it was for real.

Yet and still, I am grateful for those who remain near and dear to me. We will have a small celebration here at our house on Thursday — hubby, my mom, a cousin, and of course Luna. I’ll cook our family favorites and it should be very cozy and pretty easy-peasy. But also filled with memories of earlier times and loved ones gone. A mixed blessing, but still a blessing for sure.

Please do feel free to stop by, anyone who wishes to, as the week unfolds. In the meantime, I send my warm wishes to all.

Marianne

Oh how I know, Marianne. Same here. Looking forward to it a little. My mom has Alzheimers and won't remember or know anything. But my sister, one of my brothers and my kids, grand-kids will be here and I am so thankful for that. My son, who is HIV+ for 7 years now, and my grandson Josh, who has Chronic Granulomatous Disease are still alive.

My precious, Lee will be forever in my heart and thoughts. This will be Sibbie's second Thanksgiving and I think now that she's older, will have such a good time!

I wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Love to all,
Joan

This will be our first "big" holiday without Whiskey, he will be so badly missed. Last Thanksgiving, he was still a hungry boy and held his spot right by the buffet table, to help keep the floor clean ;), and of course under the dinner table also. Such a sweet presence will be missed forever, but I am grateful for the many blessings we have.
Warm wishes to all of you,
Annie

Happy Thanksgiving to my K9 Family,
The holidays come up so quickly and then leave in a heartbeat.
I am thankful for all of you and all the memories of time spent here is woven into the fabric of my being.
This is the first Thanksgiving without my mom so we are switching it up and we are going out for dinner today which means no work for me. It is bittersweet.

Zoe of course would normally be running around the house filled with excitement so going away means the pain of Knollwood and Zoe is changed too.

We are all well, Koko went to an art auction last week, that was soooo funny. He did not bid on anything, lol.

Thinking of all of you, remembering too.

Happy Turkey Day
Gobble

Addy

Dear Addy, how lovely to see you here on this day of thanksgiving. Yes indeed, we are bound together by our love and our memories, that’s for sure. I do hope there was pleasure for you in this day, even though it was a different day than treasured celebrations in the past.

I love it that Koko made it to the auction! He is truly our cosmopolitan dog-about-town :-). We’d love to hear more if you’re ever in the mood to share stories about your sweetie pie.

Wishing you the best, Addy, and thanks so much for stopping by!
Love, Marianne

Hi Addy (waving wildly!!)!

I have missed our old gang so much! Thank you for dropping in. It is so lovely to hear from you. You should have let Koko Puff bid. That would've been a hoot!

So many changes for all of us. Would love to hear from you more.

Many hugs,
Kathy

aw Addy, always so very good to hear from you any time of the year. These ties that bind us and the memories we share are cherished by many. As are you and sweet Koko. I hope your holidays are joyful!

Hugs,
Leslie

Just found out this morning that Peg’s first friend, another black retriever, was released last weekend. Stella was almost 18 — an amazing age for a big dog. She was rescued from wandering around a deserted parking lot on a cold Christmas Eve all those years ago. I believe she was a Christmas angel sent to her adopted dad. She was surely his heart dog. They walked over at the lake every morning, just as we did. And when Peg was a baby puppy, Stella was her first pal. They ran and romped together on the baseball field, and walked alongside us around the lake. Peg grew to be much bigger than Stella, but she always remained Stella’s baby puppy at heart. Nobody and nothing brought greater joy to Peg than spotting Stella arriving, off in the distance. She would race to greet her, as fast as her feet could fly.

It was such a loss for us all when Peg could no longer go to the lake. And now it had been a while since I’d seen Stella, as well. Just too hard for aging hips and legs. I saw Lou get out of his truck this morning, all by himself. And he told me that our girls are now back together once again.

She came to him at Christmas and now she physically left him again at Christmas, after 18 years of love and joy. My heart breaks for him, and it is a hard day for me, too. I believe Stella will always remain his Christmas angel in spirit, just as Barkis and Peg are mine. But that doesn’t keep our tears from falling. Our beautiful shiny black dogs. Running together once again on strong healthy legs. Best friends forever and ever. Always in our hearts.

So sorry, Marianne. (((Hugs)))

Awww, Marianne, such wonderful memories. Poor Lou. Christmas will be hard for him. It is for all of us. I found Lee's Xmas dress the other day, the one she wore that last Xmas. I almost thought of letting Sibbie wear it, but no...I just held it to my face and tried to find some scent of my little angel. There isn't any left, so I just cried and put it out where I can see it.

I'm so sorry Marianne. Christmas angels. What a wonderful way to think of the two girls roaming and playing together. I bet they play at the doggie lake together, even now.

Thanks so much, guys. This news is hitting both me and hubby pretty hard. Lots of tears around our house last night when he got home from work and we talked and remembered together. He sent a text off to Lou as soon as I told him the news, and that really got us going. I’m still pretty weepy this morning. The end of an era, that’s for sure. And especially sad for Lou (for us all!) to lose Stella now at Christmastime. But I guess that was the journey she was meant to take, and all of us alongside her. Yup, Christmas angels for sure.

So sorry to read this. It still amazes me what can bring us to tears when we remember our oh so sweet babies. Just this morning, while workers were in my "spooky basement" and the only time I'll venture down there alone I came across all of Keesh's tags and his collar. I did the same and smelled the collar, and I want to believe there was a trace, but I know different. Christmas holds so many memories..... hopefully time will help you. Thinking of you and sure know how you feel.

Aww. I'm so sorry.

Run free, sweet Stella. Have fun with Peg!! :)

So sorry Marianne . No words but sending you a super big hug .

I am so sorry, Marianne. You all have such wonderful memories of your babies together...I hope they help bring some peace in time. I am sure Peg was there to greet Stella and they are now ripping thru the Rainbow Fields glad to be reunited while they wait for their moms and dads.

(((((((((((((((Hugs!!!)))))))))))))))))

I'd like to think that Stella was always a Christmas angel, sent down to be with Lou. She arrived at Christmas to be paired with her soul mate. Then she returned to heaven when it was her time to move on, right before another Christmas. It's possible that was the devine plan all along.

Yes, I'm sure that Peg and Stella are united once again. Right along with the rest of our Cush angels.

My heart goes out to everyone who knew Stella. It will be a very hard, sad Christmas for Lou.

Kathy

Just checking in on my sweet family , Hi to Andy and my old group. Love Sonja and Apollo