Remembering Ren

Exactly 1 year ago, my little Ren, who was 17 years old when he passed away on July 7th, 2010, still carries a place in my heart and will always. Abbie knew Ren 7 months and I wonder how much puppies remember? I know that's silly but for newcomers who didn't know him, just want to tell you he was a unique and special dog for our family.

For the past couple of years prior to his death, he was totally blind and partially deaf. He still knew our touch and love, and ate food with passion! He had many good caregivers and friends at the local vet office and they actually made a generous donation to the University of Georgia, School of Medicine in his honor.

I try to remember the good times and the fun laughter he brought to us.

he liked to nap in various ways.

even without vision and very little hearing by the end, he was always finding me, especially when the oven came home for dinner! ;)

And I loved him since he was 8 weeks old.

Ren was a special rose in my life. It's amazing how our furbabies give us unconditional love, such a rare find in life, otherwise.

'Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all

~~Alfred Lord Tennyson

The Dog Days of Summer--Ren

This morning at 1am I definitely needed to refine my little pattern I made inspired by a rainbow yesterday. I couldn't help but think of Ren. So this morning, I cleaned it up a bit. Note to self not to post freebies until looking at them the next morning....LOL

You can  substitute your pet's name if you would like and the colors and fabric of your choosing.

Ren, was a long, faithful friend.

I hope your Saturday is filled with rainbows!

A very unexpected letter today in the mail

When hubbie came home today he brought the mail in and I had this letter opened, thinking what in the world is from the Department of Veterinary Medicine at The University of Georgia.

I read this and was so impressed with the thoughtfulness and my heart was touched.

His doctors donated a monetary fund in memory of Ren to further the development of animal studies at the University.

There was a big Wow factor and then tears.

We miss him alot. He touched alot of lives and his memory will live on.

And because of his life, further research in Vet Medicine will be benefiting other animals.

Thank you all

Busy, busy day at work, with commute-- 11 hours. I'm tired exhausted.

I got a hanging wrought iron primitive candle holder this week, quite skinny and I'm sure it has a name but my mind is too exhausted to remember. Finally decided to light the candle just because it was a new candle and I have a strange weird way of having to light all new candles, if only a brief moment if they are new. There's just something about a candle that's never been lit in the homestead. I know.......that's strange...I digress.....

I stepped back to look at it.

the little glow was nice and peaceful

Looked to the left and the clock was exactly the same time as last week when Ren drew his last breath.

Strange feeling. I didn't really plan to light the candle at that time.

  I picked up the mail from the box a few minutes prior and had just opened this:

His vet staff that took care of him for 9 years. I forgot that I had called them the next day to let them know what had happened. Unfortunately, we had to take him to an after hours clinic but this is the staff that knew the little man. Very touching that they would send a card all signing, his 

Doctor in the center of the card.

His Doc that when last examining him with the stethoscope, said "Every day is a good day for little Ren".

As I pull the curtains, I can still see where he is rested.

I miss giving him part of my supper.

Sad moment that I know will pass.

It's been a long week. Exactly one week, with the first 3 days after, a blur.

But then, I hear a little bark and my mind comes back to remember, Miss Abigail Renee still carries the love in this house and many days of play with her and sweet memories of Ren are ahead of us.

Below is  a pic from 2 years ago. Ren could be quite comical at times in pictures. ;)

 I'm sure he's winking like this at Rainbow Bridge at all of the caring souls who have sent so many loving thoughts and words of encouragement during this difficult time.

We all thank you so much.

And Auntie Parsley, we thank you special!

Well, off to Abbie, who is burying all her "dingie wingies" she has saved for later, in the quilt beside me.

She is a hoot!

The Day After at the Homestead---a sampler that lit up my day

Well, it's a quiet, almost uncomfortable quiet day, here at the Dalenberg homestead. Tired from lack of sleep and watching Abbie walk over all of Ren's usual pathways, she looks puzzled. As much as we tell her he is not here, I'm not sure she understands at all.

She's gotten extra attention today.

Body Guard said it was too quiet and he is cleaning, behind the refrigerator and has his work tools going to fix whatever needs fixing. I guess that is one way of getting through grief.

Which makes Abbie walk around every time he turns on the vaccuum and twist her head like this:

She may need doggie chiropractory if he doesn't stop with the motor tool sounds and the vacuum.

And then she is standing by his empty kennel we still have to move and looks at me with a stare.

She constantly walks his usual paths and goes back to the blanket and once tried to put her paw in the blanket to see why he is not there.

She is grieving in her own way.

And me? Well, I'm reading and the mail lady made me smile when this came in today for the Giveaway. Perfect timing. I needed something positive.

Here's the Kelmscott scissors.

And when I flipped the chart over I read this on the back. You will have to click on the picture to read it. I was stunned as this was not on the ordering information and how coincidental is this to receive the morning after Ren passed?

I couldn't believe it. The story behind Sallie's Feather Tree by Carriage House Samplings.

And if you have read my blog for a while you probably remember I put up a small tree just for Ren and it's called Ren's Tree on the corner of the kitchen. Very ironic.

This sampler does have options to use silk or DMC. The recommended fabric is 32 ct Meadow Rue from Lakeside Linens.

Silks either au Ver a Soie's Sorie D' Alger

or DMC

The model was stitched in the silks.

Thank you for all the comments of encouragement and support. We both appreciate so much each and every one of you. You have shown more kindness than any in the world.

Ren's kennel will be donated to the local animal shelter. I have ideas to plant flowers around his grave but right now don't have the energy right now but later.

As I woke this morning and pulled back the curtains, I can see his spot with the butterfly on it. He is facing the mountains, very close to the house and has the morning sunshine.

I will miss this fellow. But I did smile knowing he is in a better place and can see now.

I'm so glad I picked this one as a give-a-way now. Perfect timing.

Till later,

Jennifer

The Velveteen Rabbit

so many lessons from this, my favorite childbook story. I still have the book. I always thought of it through the years when Ren was losing his physical abilities. It always made sense to me but now it really makes sense to me. I hope you take the time to hear it. Even for adults, the underlying lessons are so Real.

Ren crossed Rainbow Bridge at 8:15pm

 

On this day, July 7, 2010 at 8: 15pm, Ren passed this life over to Rainbow Bridge.

Sad, oh so sad, we are what happened in 3 hours flat.

I've had many email inquires on Ren and I was about to post that he was doing ok when he had an aweful stroke and pulled to the left paralyzed and we all went into panic mode.

We had to call emergency vet and went to them and Ren passed at 8: 15pm tonight.

I'm sorry to post this but I should have known this was coming.

He was my heart for almost 17 years.

When we arrived at the vet, unfortunately they had to give him a shot that helped him cross over to the bridge.

He was tired. He was loved. He was like a person in the family and I loved him very much.

I had just laid down to rest and he had a full blown stroke and couldn't get out of torsion to the left. I threw on clothes and forgot I had shingles. BG and I were all upset.

He was almost gone by the time we reached the emergency vet. His heart was slow, but I cried all the way to the vet office holding his little cold hand. When he died I bawled at the desk as BG was paying the bill.

I held him and he went to sleep, painlessly.

We went by and asked our neighbors to please help us find a spot in these rock mountains to bury his limp body. They had lost several pets and know how hard it is.

BG and friend buried him and at 10pm, Ren was laid to rest in a special spot, in a special box in a special blanket, with his favorite tshirt on and his name on his box.

I can't tell you how much I miss him.

He went though so much with me. Even at the end he snuggled in my arms and slept.

Vet said he had a massive stroke. It was his time but I wasn't really prepared for the shot they put in his heart. He was close to death he didn't even move when they put the shot in his heart.

There were no veins left in his legs. I had just bathed him and put a fresh t-shirt on. He was resting quietly until he had the stroke.

We ran around madly trying to find the vet's cell phone number but finally we found one who we drove to help us through what was going on.

I will never forget him. My only wish was that Brandon and Meghan could have seen him one more time but they don't even care one bit.

He was buried in a special spot in our yard and a butterfly plaque placed over his spot in the dark by BG and our neighbors who love animals and know what this means.

this day in 2010, I lost a true friend.

God Bless Ren.

He knew his time and only God knew his destiny.

He's waiting now for me at Rainbow Bridge.

On the way home, holding his lifeless body in a blanket, the most beautiful sunset was in the front of us all the way home.

Our trip is canceled. Between Shingles and this I give up, just to rest for the following days.

I think I've cried enough I have no fluid left in my body. Oh, how pets can hold our hearts.

Tomorrow I'm planting something near his grave. I miss him so.

Saturday....and things

This week has gone faster than any, I think. I have been extremely busy at work, while overall clinic numbers are down due to the economy, this week I have been quite busy. No complaints though as I'm glad I have a job in this economy.

After work, I've been focusing on relaxing, walking, exercising, reading, and stitching to counteract all the stories I absorb during the day.

Hubbie calls it "doggie daycare" for Ren and Abbie but overall Ren is doing remarkably better and today walking around the house, wagging his tail!!!!   He gets a teeny tiny bit of thyroid medicine once a day.
His appetite is good and on occasion he eats whatever I have too. He is a happy camper.
This morning he went to his potty paper and really, has made a good comeback. Logically, I know he is old but I'm so trying to make him comfortable and part of "the pack" until his time.

On the stitching front, I've picked up to this point on Summer Day 1776. I hope to finish it tonight.
I have been watching the news for the past couple of nights while I stitched the blue water and such an irony as they are speaking about the catastrophe in the Gulf with the oil spill. It's a sad situation that I hope they get it fixed soon.

I remember when I was a wee girl, my parents took us a couple of summers to Panama City Beach and how the water was so different than the east coast. The water was clear and blue.

I haven't been back in probably 30 years and in fact I never even go to the beach on the east coast anymore but the Gulf water was definitely a beauty. My heart goes out to all folks whose livelihood depend on this area. I heard just this morning that there is a hurricane heading that way.  Such a disaster!

Last night we had a wicked, and I mean wicked, lightening storm.

 Body Guard and I drove through it and at one point couldn't even see where we were driving as it was raining so hard. We had been to an auction which are usually a fun thing on Friday nights. On the way back home, we drove through this storm.

Of course I have Onstar in my car and I tried to call him in his truck when I couldn't see (it was night) due to the heavy storming and Onstart kept going "pardon, pardon", "you have too much background noise"
then it said "say help if you need help"  so I screamed "HELP" and it said "pardon?"
Gave up on Onstar as an emergency source in the car!

But we made it back home. I did get an antique maple armoire with a center beveled mirror. I got it for about 1% of it's value....unbelievable. I couldn't have gotten a plastic cabinet at Target or Lowes for that amount.
It's heavy and BG is going back today with a truck to get it. Another stashing spot for me in my sewing area in the basement. When we get it here, I'll take a picture. I didn't have my camera with me last night.
I also got a long black bench with a backing for almost a giveaway and it's in great condition.
No linens really at this auction but overall had a good time.
We usually go 2 or 3 times a year.

Body guard, of course, had his birthday this week but we didn't get to celebrate big but Thursday, I got him this little soapstone coaster for his office at work. He likes it. Its simple and small but it just looked like something he would like.......and I was right!

My friend Dot, let me borrow this book to read. I haven't really read much of it yet, as I have been so busy but it's on my to-read list.

She says its amazingly unreal to read and in relation to our world situations today, very applicable.

She said it explains alot.

 

Abbie says it's hot here today and she wants to go swimming.

We are getting alot of little trees and brush cleared by a some folks this afternoon so I will definitely be on guard for any snakes this stirs up......so scared of snakes but Oh, so glad to get this area cleared.

Well, onward to housecleaning and decluttering again in the basement. It's a challenge for 2 pack rats to live together.....LOL

till later.....stay cool as you can!

Jennifer

What a 24 hours!

I'm so totally thankful and grateful for each and every one of your kind comments about Ren. I honestly couldn't believe as we took one hour at the time. I'm so lucky to have a vet that I've known for 10 years who knows me and our little furbabies. So, first thing this morning, I called him and he answered right away and said Ren was doing much better and we talked about reassessing everything, no heroics, we just want to make him comfortable due to his age.
After Ren got IV fluids he perked up and as his labs showed his thyroid had been functioning way overtime. His kidneys were not as bad as they first thought initially. Of course, he is old.

The Doctor knew we were coming at 4pm today. He didn't feel at this time he was suffering and had actually ate quite well today. He said not at this time  but if he got sick again real soon, it will be a different story.
We talked a long time and we brought him home with medication for his thyroid. Ren was glad to be in my arms again. And when I brought him home, he went walking around and  then curled up in his blanket.

So for this day, he is resting at home and as long as he is not suffering we will let him be.
We will take it one day at the time.
He is resting quite well now in his own blanket and Abbie has welcomed him back home with lots of barks!

I know this is so controversial and I do appreciate your support through this. It's been one busy day.
Besides this and figuring out fixing things from the lightning incident, we also found out we have hail pings all over our new car from the storm night before last.  Will it ever get better??????  LOL

Early this morning, I got some stitching done, not much, but a little.
I hope to get a little more stitching done this evening as I watch some TV and just veg out.

I decided to use this blue homespun fabric here instead of the red.

Of course, the With My Needle sampler is also begging me for a finish too. R and R fabric is very stiff, sorry for the wrinkles......

So, I have a few things to work on tonight while I catch up on the latest cases on Nancy Grace and CNN.

Blessings today:

Ren is better....for now

air-conditioning

sunny skies

  friends who are the best

Our family is thanking each and every one of you from the bottom of our hearts.

Till later,

stay safe and sunny

This little fellow, my friend, my buddy

This picture was taken awhile back. Ren, my buddy, is seriously sick and spending the night at the vet. We found out today he has severe renal failure and hyperthyroidism. He has lived alot of good times but recently he has gone downhill pretty fast. Lost alot of muscle mass, weight, and isn't eating well at all. He can't retain his bowel or bladder. He is moaning and we have tried to cater to him for a long time.

Even though I should have known and I thought I was prepared for his terminal friendship, a call today sent me, a professional woman trying to fix everybody, to tears.

He is at the point of suffering now and I always said I would never put him to sleep. I was hoping he would just peacefully go in his sleep when the time came.

The vet, who I've known for 10 years and has taken care of him said he would hydrate him with IV fluids today but tomorrow we have to talk to him about his condition. I know what this means.

There is not much hope for his aged condition and his kidneys are gone.

It's heartbreaking to know you can't  help him live.

But I'm pretty much prepared for what he has to say tomorrow.

I know this is a controversial subject but my buddy is near Rainbow Bridge I believe.

I can't say he didn't live his life to the fullest. I can say he was my friend, my companion for nearly 17 years.

Tomorrow we will know what to do. But in the interim and in our hearts we know he probably won't come home again.

It's amazing how close our furbabies get to our hearts.

We had to tend to him alot last night and his yelps I knew were different. I should be prepared but it still hurts. When I look at him, I think of the Velveteen Rabbit story. He definitely is Real.

Till later,

Jennifer

Things that start with A Today

First   A is for Aloe.  A friend of mine heard me say I burned my arm accidentally this weekend on the iron while I was ironing and she brought me this Aloe plant. She popped open the end of a piece and we experimented with root medicine in practice today.  I can say it does feel much better. I put it in this little Dutch shop odd piece that I've had for a long time. I think it was a canister and the owner sold it for 2.00 instead of 30.00 because she broke the top off accidentally in the store. I immediately thought of a good planter for it. My friend says Aloe is great, not hard to take care of either.....loves the shade! Perfect!

Second A is for Arranging

During the winter we move the furniture where we can enjoy the fire. We rotate the sofa all the way to face the fireplace and really make it cozy. At the beginning of summer, we rotate all around facing the TV and the other chairs. It's a strange custom for us.....but we like it. So you can imagine all the lovely things we found under the sofa after rotating this around.....and the old joints we moved too.

BG did the moving. I did the finishing of arranging and vacuuming.

The third  A is for Area. This is the neglected area of our house that could have alot of potential. It's former owners had a large firepit in the back and then a court yard with nice flowers and rocks. I need to tend to it but we have all shade so mostly whatever grows, grows.  But one day, when they make more than 24 hours in a day, I want to really spruce it up.

This  A is for AWESOME!  I ordered my first Jane Austen DVD and can't wait to watch it! It came in the mail today.

This A is for Airish. It's quite cool out this evening on the porch. This is a spot I like to cozy up on summer evenings.

And this A is for Abigail. Not a whole lot of progress but a little stitching time tonight.

The final A is for ACCIDENT.

We  should be both quite tired. Last night/this morning......about 3am, we both shot straight up in bed when a large crash sound came from the lower level and immediately the security system went off. We have external sirens as well when this happens so everybody in a 5 mile radius probably heard it. But anyway, we could have made quite a funny commercial for the security system. Body Guard runs in jammie bottoms and gun outside the house while I'm screaming on the phone with the security system and enclosed in the bedroom. It sounded like someone burst through a window downstairs. He goes outside to chase this person down.......or to see where they entered while I stayed on the line with the company.

Finally I peeped out the bedroom door, and little Ren had gotten up from his quilt to go to the potty paper and had evidently turned over a wooden cornice board we had propped to the side and when it hit the hardwood floor this set off the downstairs like someone broke a window.

Needless to say the little criminal was completely oblivious to all sirens and alarms and survived not getting hit in the head with a board on the way to his potty paper.

Case solved.  LOL

It's funny now.....but not at 3am.

But a great fire drill.......

Airing the laundry

yes, my buddy Ren, is going down hill fast. He will be 17 on September 27th  but for some reason since about March, he doesn't eat as much, sleeps more and is very feeble on his feet.

I know most would have put their dog to sleep at this stage but I just can't do it.

I just can't. I tended him all weekend and will make him comfortable as I can.

I had taken the quilt off one of the beds and put in the hall floor to take down to the laundry and low and behold, he had crept over and made himself a happy napping spot while BG and Abbie and I went strolling/walking.

Needless to say, I didn't grab up the laundry and let him sleep in peace.

I held him alot this weekend, more than usual and between him and Abbie getting her attention, I didn't get but a few stitches in and that was tonight about an hour ago when Abbie was fully worn out from being up with me since 4am and Ren was settled down after his timely drink of water at 10pm.

He has a routine.

But mostly he walks in circles and that drives me nuts. I know he still knows who I am and he just rests his head on me while I talk to him and love him.

I can say firmly that letting go is not one of my strong characteristics.

As long as he is not hurting and still eating, I'm going to hang on.

I keep remembering this one day that I went back to the store to get him.

He was 8 weeks old. They had put him in the back because I was deciding on whether to spend that much on a puppie at the time. It was alot. I remember the day I went on to the back and he was in a kennel and that look he gave me, like "take me home, please?" and an I love you look.

I then promptly told the store owner I wanted him.

Ren and I have been through alot. If he could only talk, I would let him write the book.

There's a video that Parsley had on her blog and I asked her if I could use it. It's from U-tube.

If you haven't seen it please take a minute, especially if you love dogs.

Scroll down to the bottom and mute the volume of the playlist and the video is right above it, 1.4 minutes and make sure you have a kleenex.

Around the house......

Here's Abbie first thing in the morning. She does her own housekeeping. She has already pottied and rolled it up from the other end of her kennel and put it in the bed for housekeeping to pick up!  Thanks, Abbie.

Ren is happy with his grits and eggs for supper. He has several twister positions during his meals. LOL

It's really not too funny because he is getting old but he still enjoys eating and then he curls up and sleeps.

He definitely has his hair all loved off at this point.

The very first rose from our rose garden. BG put it in a bud vase and gave it to me on Mother's Day.

I put it in the kitchen window.

As you can see it's a dreary, rainy, cool day here in North Georgia.

Supper is done and now for some reading and stitching.

Hope your day went well too.