Sits by my side as she always does while I write these lines. Often napping or watching what goes on through the door screens, other times, I can listen to her cat like licking. As time goes by, her age is showing, more and more;. The stamina, playful spirit in spurts at the most unexpected hours, slowly fading away.
I remember when we both were younger, living in Bayamon City. There there was a yard with grass, unlike ours now, mostly concrete.
In those days, my views on gardening, recently out from the NY Botanical were not what they are now. Buying plants in nurseries was
not and issue, as it is now.
One afternoon, (circa 2003) me wife and I went to buy some Bouganvilleas and Allamandas, that were planted in the front yard, by the stairs. At the time she was two, with incredible amounts of energy, in a constant playing mood.
Dogs, pretty much like cats, demand attention at will, and Diva was/is not the exception. Like many gardeners, dogs enjoy digging holes for this or that reason, the smell of soil, the cool sensation while laying on it always present.
Often while I am doing garden chores, she will go get one of her toys in a basket, picking up her favorite at that particular time, bringing it to start a fetch session. That day, since I was busy planting the above mentioned, she felt ignored.
Finished with the planting, I went upstairs to cool off and rest. Time went by--not as slow as some pretend in movies depicting tropical scenes--two hours later, I hear me darling powerful laugh while I rested on the hammock, enjoying the intense blue isle sky.
She asked me to come and check our earlier work in the garden... it was gone. Diva, had chewed them Bouganvilleas to pieces, pulling them out. The message was clear. When I feel like playing, lets play.
As they age, Boxers and Dobermans are prone to eye and heart diseases, that eventually cause death. A mix of these, Diva, is showing symptoms with a loud coughing at different times. Has lost weight and the childish desire to play drastically decreased. Today, we will take her to the veterinarian to see what could be done to ease the transition.
I, meanwhile, wonder what will life will be like without her constant company, night and day, including shared naps in the hot season. Her presence will be missed, during the almost daily sweeping and collection of leaves in every cardinal point for compost. Occasional planting, pruning and trimming.
Diva enjoys other garden related mischievous activities as well, such as jumping, barking and chasing away stray cats passing by, flies, Anolis lizards, Spindalis and pigeons that visit our premises daily at different times, except on Maine like mornings like this. As many dogs, her dislike for the mailman, (unfriendly pain in the ass, unlike yours truly), is intense. She can feel the bastard, four houses up the street!
It is going to be difficult. The time left to live, experiences and adventures shared during the last ten years. Happy memories and otherwise. Those who have departed, those who will... my own.
UPDATES...
THE veterinarian diagnosed a heart murmur and eye cataracts. The improvement showed 3 hours later. With the medication Diva will live normally within the possibilities. The cough was gone..in 3 hours.
that is that.
Este post me hizo lagrimear viendo que a Diva ya le queda poco tiempo. Se ve que la quieres mucho y me encanta ver sus fotos. Me alegro que el veterinario le haya permitido un tiempo más para acompañarte. De veras.
ReplyDeleteAgradezco su comentario solidario...Hasta la proxima.
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