Monday, July 18, 2016

Ramblings...


After days of being barely able to breathe after the loss of our beloved Olive, our rib cages are expanding again and we're starting to exhale...

We've been keeping super busy to keep the tears at bay. We've cut down two trees and did lots of other heavy duty garden stuff. A good thing we have a pick up truck: many trips to the green dump were made.
Half of the tree on the left had fallen down overnight,
by the end of the day, both trees were gone...

Master C. & Mr. G. sporting twins-y shirts
that we brought back with us from The Netherlands...
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We also rented a 'rug doctor' (a shampooing machine for all the carpets in the house) and Mr. G. cleaned all of the carpets, downstairs, upstairs and the stairs themselves. A lot of 'schlepping' with the furniture was involved, but again, trying to keep busy. 
After this we decided to move things around in the office/ sewing room. This was where Olive's crate used to be and where she spent a lot of time. Every time we walked in we would look at the empty space and our hearts contracted. I now have a clean  and fresh work space with all the great memories still preserved...

Click! to enlarge...
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We decided  to go on a little road trip of sorts to Mt. Vernon and La Conner, just for the day last Wednesday. On the way up we stopped by the veterinarian to pick up Olive's ashes, surprisingly heavy. Her remains also gave us a surprisingly  warm feeling, a sort of home coming if you will. She came with us on our road trip and now has a special spot back in our home, where she belongs with us always...

Looking towards the Cascades in the Skagit Valley...
La Conner, the smell of salt water always gets to me.
Inhale, exhale...
Beautiful weather with a nice breeze...

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I'll leave you with this happy picture... 
{smile}






Friday, July 8, 2016

O, O, Olive...


Olive, the morning before she passed away. So so tired...

Our sweetest Chocolate Labrador Olive passed away a couple of days ago: fifteen years and five months to the date. We are so incredible sad...

But we are also so incredible relieved that she went the way she went (in her sleep) after only one day of pain and misery. And relieved that we were all home: Miss M. and I back from The Netherlands and Mr. G. back from his week long fishing trip in Canada. Master C. was here as well and so were all able to say our goodbyes...


We cried for days and the tears still fall down our cheeks. And at the most unexpected moments, waves of sadness overcome us...

Olive's last visit to the Pacific Ocean, February 2015. She loved it there!


Olive, we love you so...


And Then There Were Two...