Walking Among the Ruins

We didn't discover an ancient civilization but we did have a nice walk among the junk in memory of Harley.

Today we are in Northern Illinois. We stopped for the day early enough to walk among the corn and soybean fields and happened upon this old abandoned equipment. Harley would have loved this walk; scaring up rabbits that hide under the junk, sniffing at the pile of something that smelled rotten, playing hide and seek with us in the cornfield.

Harley was our boxer and we lost her in December. She had been having seizures for about year, but they were under control with medicine. One day the medicine quit working. She had a seizure and then another and another and never really came out of them. We spent five days trying everything the Vet suggested but in the end we had to let her go.

I don't look too closely at the end. It starts looking back at me and I have to divert my eyes, look away. So I focus on her and the dog she was, is really because she's still with us, we talk to her all the time.

 In fact, since she peed and pooped in every state we drive through we can't get away from her. It's comforting to think her scent may still be in all the places we walked. I'd even like to think some of her poop is still out there somewhere!

She was a good dog. Not because she obeyed, she rarely did, especially if antelope were involved and she wasn't particularly smart and her breath smelled like a garbage can behind a fish market. When she yawned, you knew it.

 All that I would take back in a heartbeat though. She was a happy dog. That's the best way to describe her. A go anywhere do anything happy to be with her peeps dog. She was so friendly, I think she regarded the whole world as her fans. She loved people but not in a needy, big-eyed, greedy pet me way. Just, "hey! I'm happy to see one of my loyal fans, if you want to pet me I"ll wait". Of course, if it was dark and time for bed then forget it, a diva needs her sleep.

She was one in a million and the perfect dog for us. She is part of us and we are better for having known her. Our time was too brief, but rich. And worth every minute.