R.I.P. Lapis.
Song of the day: “Dream a little Dream” by the Beautiful South again. I guess that should have told me that yesterday wasn’t over yet.
So, as it turns out, last night wasn’t a false alarm after all. Today we got in the test results for Lapis and as it turned out his blood had basically turned toxic due to kidney failure. Damn. So we went there, basically feeling like we were heading for the gallows and had to make “The Dreaded Decision” again. Little brother was of course heartbroken, and I couldn’t keep my eyes dry either as Lapis quietly drifted away. We were in and out of the hospital in thirty minutes and took his remains home for a proper burial. So sad…I know I keep saying it, every time this happens, but it is; no matter which way you turn it.
Days like these are the main reason why I always call living with our ninety-something dogs “Surviving the Pack”; such a life is wonderful, precious, chaotic, difficult, amazing…and damn HARD! It is living with the knowledge that you’re going to have to say goodbye to beloved friends each and every time age and disease catches up with them. And it is living with endless limitations for each and every family member. But still, it is a joint choice and we live with it because we love them dearly.
However, on days such as this it is hard to remember that we give these amazing creatures a wonderful life and that we get a lot of love in return. Without them, this clogging feeling in my chest would not be present. But then I realize that I would not be able to hug Knight II when he presses his big head into my chest because he wants to be petted: I wouldn’t see Chaos saunter around the yard, sniffing his way from one side of the fence to the other; I wouldn’t have Mosha flopping down on my chest when it is time to go to bed so she can get her habitual hug; nor see Labhana and Gada barge their way off the mountain, or even watch Trin Trin bounce up and down in front of me whichever way I turn. They might be a handful, but I know full well I would miss each and every little character quirk I love of all our pack members.
Yes, life with them is hard, but no matter what, I wouldn’t miss a single day with them for all the money in the world.
But enough about such depressing thoughts, let’s quickly get to the day and be done with it. I for one am ready to call it a day.
After getting down to the house and doing the morning chores, I quickly get down to writing three more pages for “Commanding Morgan”. It is an excellent scene, really, showing off the heroine’s rather impressive skills as a former child-soldier, going into action-flick proportions, hah. Kidding beside, though, I think the scene is working out rather well.
Afterwards we do several more pages of the edit, stumbling on a sentence here and there, but then steadily soldiering on until we’re only a page away from the rather satisfying number: 60. Yay.
What with writing and editing combined, my brain has turned to mush an hour earlier than usual, so we stop and get down to seeing to some chores around the house. While big brother tackles the clogged kitchen drain, I attack the new clusters of spider webs all over the main house. That done, I decide to quickly fix the pantry door…it was still broken since the debacle with Groovy (Boxer)…and since I do need to lock Knight II in there every now and then, I feared that he would break through at some point, the big oaf.
Next, while big brother and grandpa head on out to fix our outside lantern, so they can run on solar energy, rather than normal electricity, our friend Danni and I make another batch of cement and add the next section to the courtyard pillar.
The early afternoon sun is rather hot, but then, as the day progresses, a nice northern wind picks up making the weather rather perfect for outside chores. The dogs sure love it, being able to run free through the lower section of the yard now that grandpa and big brother are working there.
As soon as the third layer of rocks on the pillar start to float again, we head up the mountain, so we can start on another pillar (a square one this time, aaargh) which needs to be built beside the center gate to hold a lantern later on.
Regretfully these rocks start to float as well, so with the last bit I add a few more rocks to the low wall in front of my cabin and then finish the workday up by cleaning up the tools.
The phone call about Lapis’ test results comes then, resulting in another trip to the vet and doing the horrid deed, before the day slowly comes to an end. Rather than edit tonight, big brother and I decide to put on a DVD: “Tears of the Sun”, which is a movie we’ve seen at least a dozen times, but that continues to be so very impressive each and every time we see it.
Afterwards the usual happens: I take the dogs up to my cabin, feed them, and do the normal evening rituals before starting on today’s Blog.
Yep. Some good news would be vastly appreciated at this time, I’ll admit. I’ve had about enough of the trying experiences these past few weeks. Grrrr.
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