This is why I can never get rid of anything! I wish I could learn to not let the memories run so deep .. throw things out without looking back, but that’s hard for me. I know I CAN do it but . . I just don’t do it. I still have the card the vet sent me when my first dachshund died and that was over 30 years ago. I’ve thrown that card in the trash a dozen times and always retrieved it. It’s just a card. It doesn’t take up much room .. but it’s a glaring piece of evidence that I need to learn to let go of things. Some day Chad is going to have to go through a lot of stuff and he isn’t going to be happy with my emotional attachment to everything but the way I look at it . . I won’t be around so I’m not real concerned about what Chad says when I’m gone.
Old Blanket
As I was hanging this old blanket out on the line this morning, I thought . . I should be embarrassed for anyone to see that thing. Then I realized . . no one will see it! It will be dry and back in the house before the UPS man comes and other than that, no one will be around but us.
The old blanket is threadbare. It has holes. It has stains. When Speck was a puppy, he loved wrapping himself up in that blanket. We’ve spent lots of hours in Kentucky and Missouri, with him sitting in the chair with me while I was knitting, both of us snuggled under that blanket. In Kentucky, Vince had replaced a living room door and was staining it and grabbed that blanket to wipe up a drip before it stained the carpet. He wasn’t quite quick enough but there’s a memory of the door replacement project on that old blanket.
Then along came Rita, who even at 4+ years old, still loves to chew on a blanket and she especially liked chewing on this one so we put it away. I was going to throw it away . . it definitely is time to let that one go, but . .
Old Speck will be 17 years old in about 10 days. I didn’t think he was going to make it to 16 and here he is almost 17. He still surprises us every day with his energy and tenacity. Just a couple of mornings ago, he was running around and acting so funny and we both said “Goodness, I hope we act like that when we’re his age!” Some days he sleeps almost all day and then other days, he’s a crazy dog – running and playing with Rita. He isn’t going to make it much longer. He has a heart condition and sometimes he gets to coughing and Vince and I are both sitting here with a look of panic. We both know we don’t have much time with him. He’s had a great life and on one hand, we know it’s time and on the other hand, I don’t want him to ever go. No matter how ready we are, the end is going to be hard.
My sister lost her schnauzer last week. He was a rescue and I think she had him for 7 years. She knew it was time but she was very upset. We talked. She cried. I cried.
Vince has made a wooden box that’s all screwed together and the lid will screw on so that when we bury Speck, he will be secure in his resting spot. I’ve kept the old blanket to wrap him in when we put him in the ox.
As I hung it on the line this morning, I thought .. I should cut that blanket in half, hem the edges and wrap Speck in half and keep half.
No . . I will not do that. Maybe I won’t do that. Maybe I’ll just cut out a small square and keep it . . or maybe I won’t. I have memories in my head. I have pictures. I don’t need a piece of that blanket . . do I?
Joyce says
Having helped to clean out my grandparent’s house and then cleaning out my parents’ house, I don’t want to have to subject anyone to have to clean out an overabundance of my belonging! I had a really hard time letting go of some things that belonged to my parents, but my father (who was in a nursing home at the time) reminded me that it was just “stuff”. Even if the item is gone, the memory is still there. I try to keep that in mind whenever the urge to purge hits me (so I’ll keep going and not quit). 🙂
Dorothy Schreyer says
I would just wrap Speck up in his blankie, keep a picture of him that you already have close when the day comes, I know I for one will shed a tear or two for him, he has been so much a part of this journey on the blog over the years that we will miss him.
Tina in NJ says
We had a ratty old towel that we kept by the door to dry up rain or snow so we wouldn’t track the wet through the house. Our old cat, Sammy, claimed it as his, so we couldn’t put it back in the rag pile. When he died just over a year ago, we wrapped him in that ratty old pink towel and buried him.
Sherrill says
Reminds me of a blankie my stepdaughter used to bring when she’d come for a visit. It had become SO ratty that her mom cut it into small pieces that she could take along with her to accompany her thumb-sucking. I thought it was dopey to do that but I wasn’t her mom.
cilla says
I do Dachshund Rescue. Those who do not make it are buried in my Pet Cemetary. My personal pups are cremated are on a shelf on my computer desk with a photo. I witness the cremation and yes, they go with their blankie. I take great pleasure know they are at the bridge with their blankies waiting for me.
dezertsuz says
I don’t think it will hurt a single thing to keep a square of it. It’s your memory, and it’s precious to you. It isn’t as if, once he’s gone, you can make a new memory blanket with him. It’s a one and only thing. If it comforts you, keep a piece, whatever size you want to keep.
obed101 says
14 yo Chloe the Smelly Basset made it through cancer surgery last monday. I never thought I would be bringing home a live dog. I understand totally. Well written, poignant. We always bury the dog’s stuff with them, collar, bowl, blanket. I would keep part of that blanket, I would.
glen
Elaine says
I kept a small square of my cats blanket and keep it with her pictues and a small journal of my feelings and thoughts of her. Go with your feelings.
Ranch Wife says
I say, if it brings you comfort when the time comes, keep part of it. No one should tell you how and why and what to feel. That little dog is a pretty important part of your family,
Quilter Kathy says
How about half of the blanket for Speck and half for Rita?
I will miss hearing about Speck adventures!
Diana G says
Its dammed hard when a furry one enters one’s life then years later after they have entered your heart, pass on. I still have the picture of my dachshund and my poodle, both of their collars and a lock of fur in a Christmas ornament with RIP on it and the year they died. Yep I still miss them as we had the doxie for 10 years and the poodle for 18. We had a cat for 22 years and she is on the animal picture wall as well