My Recent Ordeal

I suffer from benign tumors, my dears. I had an awful one on my face. You can see where the staples are in this picture. That is my nose on the left. Mama DiDi pinned a nice scarf around my neck. The scarf hides two other removal sites and also makes wearing the Elizabethan collar more comfortable.

If you can see my poor "hip," you might notice more staples.

I must thank my wonderful Dr. Gates and her staff at Cordova Veterinary Clinic for carefully shaving the area so that the rest of my hair hides it now.

And it will grow out as they always say.

Happy Thanksgiving

It's very late but I wish all of my Canadian aunties a very, very

Happy Thanksgiving today.

(Hey! Who is this guy? A member of the Royal Canadian Moose Police?)

Beautiful Lily

So much has happened, my dear fans, that I haven't reported. I promise I will catch up because I don't want you to miss anything.

First of all, I am sad to report that my Auntie Sue in England has lost her beautiful Lily. She and Poppy are still grieving. We are bewildered and distressed that dear Lily should have had to leave her loving family and we pray for some peace for them eventually. The memories stay strong and so does the love.

Lily is wearing a biker chick vest just like mine. I will always think of her when I wear mine.

With love,

Sausha Angel

Whispers from the Bridge

Does anyone remember the Last Will and Testament of Silverdene Emblem O'Neill? No, me either. I had to look it up because something was haunting me. I was hearing things perhaps. I listened (my dear fans, you know what, ahem, large ears I have), and I heard my dear friend Leo whispering from Rainbow Bridge. He woofed with happiness and something like satisfaction with a job well done.

This made me think of "Blemie" O'Neill and how he loved his master and mistress. (Isn't that quaint, my dears: master and mistress.)

"Now I would ask her, for love of me, to have another," he said in his Last Will and Testament. The satisfaction I heard whispered from the Bridge may have concerned a foxy little Norwich dog -- just a dog. My dears, you be the judge. Leo is not replaceable. He had the heart of a lion, did he not? The little Zorro is not yet a fox. But Leo sent him so he could love as Leo did and be loved as Leo was.

That is what I heard anyway.

Z

Precious

Mama DiDi has a dear friend in England whose little dog Precious has gone to Rainbow Bridge.

We have both cried over losing our friend Leo, who wrote us a few times in this blog. Now we are weeping for this little being who was found, named Lilly and rescued as a Chinese Crested! The wonderful care given her by Mo and Nobby somehow turned her into a Yorkshire terrier. If that sounds impossible, it was only the first of many miracles.

My dear fans, click on this link to read all about it. Be sure to read the newspaper clippings and see the photos of this beautiful angel in a dog's body.

www.geocities.com/arthurclarke2000

Mo and Nobby lived with three Chinese Crested dogs and this is what they thought they were rescuing. As Precious recovered from her past and her hair grew back in, they realized she was actually a Yorkshire terrier. She was very close to one of her Chinese Crested pals in the Clarke household and when Scary died, Precious often paid respects at the grave and this is how I think of her.

We send our condolences, our love and affection from California to Hellesdon to help our friends over this sad time. We want them to know we are in awe of the love they gave Precious that turned her into such a beautiful and loving animal.

With my paws together I send my own Yorkshire kisses and hugs.

Gone Into the Light

"....Gone into the world of light,

And I alone sit lingering here."

--Henry Vaughan, Ascension Hymn

With great sadness we learned last night that our dear Leo died, valiantly protecting his people from a rattlesnake on Independence Day. Independence describes him. He was also fierce and relentless and more brave than I can describe or fathom.

Bombs went off here all around me and I shook and clung to Mama DiDi all night. Leo would not have been proud of me, but I told myself when the noise stops I will put my paws together for those who loved him and will miss him so much.

And so this morning I went out to the park in the sunshine and thought of falling tears and grieving hearts.

And the famous Welshman, who wrote: "Though lovers be lost love shall not, and Death shall have no dominion."

Independence Day!

Happy Fourth of July to one and all.

When the fireworks start, you will find me under the bed.

Happy to report that Daddy Moose was able to put his big flag out in front of the house. He's sick of one-armed paperhanger jokes, but he's still not so swift with his left hand.