Sunday, August 23, 2009

This Speaks To Me

A couple of years ago, my daughter gave me a birthday card. I cut off the front of it, framed it and it hangs in my quilting studio.



The picture shows a woman of what age? Well, past child-rearing age anyway. She's sitting on a park bench with her head tilted up, eyes closed, coat thrown back off her shoulders to better soak up the sun's warmth. She is tranquil, she is in no hurry, she is (momentarily at least) free of responsibility.

The inscription below the photograph reads:

Life does not begin
at the moment of conception or
at the moment of birth.
It begins when the kids leave home
and the dog dies.

Author Unknown










9 comments:

Claire said...

Will your next blog entry be titled "Zoe pie?" ;)

Mama Pea said...

Claire - You are SUCH a bad girl! No, Zoey can rest assured she'll live out her natural and happy life for many more years . . . no doubt about it. She's 12 now but shows absolutely no signs of aging . . . is still as ditzy and puppy-ish as she was at 2 years old.

But I have informed Roy that Zoey is our last dog. He doesn't agree. Wonder who will win THIS test of wills?

Anonymous said...

I was going to say that it probably speaks to the family dog as well and it is saying, "Best to sleep with one eye open when Mama Pea is around!"

Chicken Mama said...

Sorry, Mom, but your house wouldn't be complete w/o a dog. I'm siding with Dad on that one.

xox

Mama Pea said...

Hi, Anonymous - Glad to see your sense of humor is intact.

It was a year and a half ago when I think I decided Zoey was our last dog. She was attacked (for the second time, same roaming dog) on our property and had to endure two surgeries and a month's recuperation. That was almost as hard as when you lose a dog. Ours have always lived to be 12-14 years old and are family members.

But, alas, the cards are probably stacked against me on this one. Sigh. As I told Claire, Zoey could hardly be more hale and hardy. And she can sleep soundly with both eyes closed. But I sure do wish she would stop snoring.

Mama Pea said...

Chicken Mama - Oh, RASTHP-berries!

Anonymous said...

Ah, that is good to hear (read). My wife and I had to put our dog down in April. She was part of my life for 13 years and part of my wife's for 5 years. I'd finally gotten round to washing her "traveling blanket" (the one we would cover the car seats with on road trips) and some of her fur was mixed in with the lint in the dryer screen---I started sobbing like a two-year-old when I cleaned the lint trap. My wife started crying at the site of the blanket.

Dogs have a way of melting into our psyche in ways that many human acquaintences/relationships cannot. Probably because their affection is so completely unconditional. They do, however, require a lot of attention. Low maintenance feed, water, litter box cats they ain't!

Good to know Zoey can sleep easy;)

Mama Pea said...

Anonymous - I am so sorry to hear of you losing your dog in April. My eyes teared up reading about it. What is it with dogs? They truly can be such a bother . . . but you feel so responsible for them, like you just have to make sure they're okay.

Anonymous said...

I don't know what it is about dogs? Probably their unquestioning loyalty and unconditional affection.

As for my old dawg...thanks, for your condolences!