From Billie to all who have lost a dog pal

Ling Ling: RIP

Billie and I send this along to all of you who have ever lost a dear dog friend. My sister-in-law sent it to me when my dear old pug Ling Ling died recently:

Dog for Jesus
By Rudyard Kipling (Where dogs go when they die)

I wish someone had given Jesus a dog.
As loyal and loving as mine.
To sleep by His manger and gaze in His eyes
And adore Him for being divine.
As our Lord grew to manhood His faithful dog,
Would have followed Him all through the day.
While He preached to the crowds and made the sick well
And knelt in the garden to pray. 

It is sad to remember that Christ went away.
To face death alone and apart.
With no tender dog following close behind,
To comfort its Master's Heart.

And when Jesus rose on that Easter morn,
How happy He would have been,
As His dog kissed His hand and barked it's delight,
For The One who died for all men.
Well, the Lord has a dog now,
I just sent Him mine,
The old pal so dear to me.
And I smile through my tears
on this first day alone,
Knowing they're in eternity.
Day after day, the whole day through,
Wherever my road inclined,
Four feet said, "Wait, I'm coming with you!"
And trotted along behind.

RIP, Ling Ling and Lily

Billie and I recently lost our two housepals, Ling Ling and Lily.
"Ling" was a thirteen-year-old pug whose time just ran out. Arthritis and hip dysplasia combined to ruin her golden years, and the day finally came when we could no longer claim any quality of life for her. The wonderful veterinarian who counseled me over the past several months agreed that we had come to the end of the road. "I think we got all the miles that were intended, and maybe a few more," he said, moments after her little heart stopped beating.
Lily was a ten-year-old rescue kitty, white with blue eyes, who suffered a sudden onset of something neurological and, after hours of treatment, we decided to put her down when all the vital signs indicated no hope.
Rest in peace, our little friends.

Eager beaver is Billie's new friend

A real chiseler of a neighbor

We've all heard about eager beavers, but my brother Jim and wife Mary had a real-life encounter with just how eager these guys and gals can be. Apparently this guy decided to set up winter residence under their boat dock on one of the Chain O' Lakes in central Wisconsin. The struggle over just whose boat dock was it really lasted for days.

Billie finds this story quite amusing from her warm lounge chair in her warm living room in Southern California, not being the one who must contend with all the beaver debris that had be removed from six feet of 40-degree water. Read it for yourself on my brother's blog, While We Wait...

http://r-j-trainor.blogspot.com/2010/11/endurance-and-my-busy-friend.html