Friday, September 3, 2010
One year ago today, I snapped this picture of Solsey. I can't even put into words how much I miss her. But, I am so very grateful that the 15 months she shared with us are packed full of such wonderful memories. Not a day passes that we don't share a Solsey story.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Whenever one of the pugs does something funny or noteworthy, I jot down a little blurb in my blog idea book. Later, when I'm looking for something to blog about, I have a whole book of ideas. I have notes in my book that I never got a chance to blog about before Sol passed. I thought I would share one of those stories today.
When it came to food, Solsey had a pretty strict set of rules that she followed. One of those rules was never, ever eat any fruit.
We quickly became aware of Sol's "Eat No Fruit" rule when she turned down tiny bits of bananas or apples on a regular basis. But we didn't realize how serious Sol's distaste for fruit was until she got picky about her Cheerios.
Each morning plays out about the same around here. We start the day with a bowl of Cheerios and a banana. However, we are a two Cheerio flavor household. One of us eats Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and the other Honey Nut Cheerios.
We offer the pugs a tiny bite of banana each morning and of course Sol always turned hers down. So, we started offering Sol a Cheerio instead. If it was an Apple Cinnamon Cheerio, Sol would turn that down as well. If it was a Honey Nut Cheerio, she would woof it down and ask for another.
Mix a handful of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios with a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios, put the mix in a bowl and give it to Sol and when she was done eating you would have a bowl full of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios left.
An update on the Sol Sunshine Memorial Fund.
Friday, June 4, 2010
One day, when we were out and about, we spotted these sun and moon garden stakes. Of course they reminded us of Luna and Sol. And since we are always looking for ways to spruce up the garden, we bought them and couldn't wait to get home and find a perfect spot for them in the garden. Luna enjoyed posing by her moon and the sun is a perfect reminder of Sol.
I also wanted to share with you the garden flag that Sue VDB had made for us. It could not have been a more perfect gift and when we get home from our walks in the evening I always make sure to say hi to Solsey Baby. Thanks so much, Sue!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A few weeks ago, I got a tattoo on my foot in memory of Sol. I decided to get it on my foot because Sol was always at my feet. I miss her in so many ways, but one of the times I miss her the most is when I am at work. Each workday, Sol parked herself at my feet while I worked at my desk. Often times she would lay on my feet or rest her head on the wheels of my office chair. Whenever I would look down, she would look up at my with her patented Solsey stare and I would pat her on the head and then return to work. I could never move my chair or my feet for that matter without taking a quick look to see if I was going to roll over her or kick her in the head.
And now, while at work, it is sad to look down and not see her there. But now, when I look down I can see Solsey's tattoo and smile.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Henry is always one to blaze his own trail.
Sol Sunshine Memorial Fund Update
I am so happy to report that in just 3 days, as of this writing, $1,010.00 has been contributed to the Sol Sunshine Memorial Fund via Pledgie. I don't know the exact amount, but I know other donations have been made outside of Pledgie as well.
I am truly at a loss for words. All I can say is that all of you out there in OBP land are the most caring and generous people that I have ever met. Or should I say that I have never met? Either way it doesn't matter. Whether I have met you or not, there are no better pug supporters out there than all of you!
The Sol Sunshine Memorial Fund will remain open for donations and it is my goal to ensure that the fund makes as much of an impact on the lives of senior pugs as Solsey made on our lives. I have big paws to fill because Sol made an everlasting impression on us. That means, like Henry, I will have to do some out of the box thinking of my own.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Shorty after Sol passed CFPR contacted me with an idea. They wanted to setup a memorial fund in Sol's name to benefit their hospice pugs. I immediately loved the idea because that was what Sol was all about - turning a negative into a positive. It is incredibly sad without Solsey, but here is one good thing that could come from her death. She could help other senior pugs that were just like her, a little advanced in age, but still had a lot of life left to live. And so the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial was born.
Having never been owned by a true senior pug, Sol taught me a lot. Yes, there were a lot of vet visits and there were extra meds to be given and sometimes special accommodations needed to be made, but go for one pouch walk or feed one spaghetti dinner and suddenly there is no doubt that all of the other things are worth it. I think it is the closest you can get to seeing pure joy. Nothing brought a bigger smile to my face than seeing Sol spin in excitement all the way to her spaghetti bowl, or run to get put in her pouch or beat all the other pugs to the garage to be first in the car. And then, at the end of the day, Sol would be tuckered out from all her adventures and she would curl up at your feet and gaze at you with her big brown eyes in an effort to say thanks. Thanks for seeing that even though I might have some medical issues and even though I'm not as agile as I once was, thanks helping me do all the things I still love to do. Thanks for helping me live each day to the fullest.
There are other senior pugs that are just like Sol in the care of CFPR. Thanks to all the wonderful CFPR volunteers each one of those pugs is living the type of life that Solsey lived. A life full of their favorite things. By making a donation to the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial fund you are helping a pug just like Solsey.
If you would like, you can donate to the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial using Pledgie (PayPal, credit card payments) or if you prefer via check. Be sure to include a note or write on the check that the donation is for the Sol "Sunshine" Memorial.
Checks made payable to Central Florida Pug Rescue can be mailed to:
Central Florida Pug Rescue
PO Box 953744
Lake Mary, FL 32795
Donations big and small go a long way in helping the senior pugs.
A big thank you to everyone from me, Solsey & senior pugs everywhere!
If there are any businesses that are interested in teaming up to help support the Sol "Sunshine" memorial fund (now or anytime in the future) please feel free to contact me - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Monday, March 15, 2010
Well this last week sure was different. First, let me start off by thanking everyone for their thoughts & prayers for Solsey. I was overwhelmed by the support and kind words for her. It just goes to show how Solsey had a way of really drawing everyone in.
Last week was tough. Being a senior, Solsey's passing was something that crossed my mind more often than I would like to admit (especially since Christmas). I thought I was preparing myself, but I really don't think you can be prepared at all. I guess, what I was doing was tuning in more to her to make sure she didn't suffer. I wanted her to soak up every drop of life, but as soon as the suffering outweighed the good, I wanted to do right by her. But, in then end, you didn't need to be closely tuned in to see that breathing just became too difficult for her. And while I am prone to over analyzing and being a bit too hard on myself, I think we came pretty darn close to helping her squeeze every last drop out of life with minimal suffering.
One thing I have learned over the past week is that nothing can prepare you for the loss of such a presence in the house. I miss her in so many ways I never imagined. I didn't think the house would be as quiet as it is. I mean after all we have three other pugs running around, but it is eerily quiet around here.
Benjamin, Henry, Luna & Cupid have taken Solsey's passing way harder than I anticipated. Not once have the pugs woken us up in the wee hours of the morning in order to eat breakfast. On Saturday, the pugs didn't even eat breakfast until after 9 AM which is unheard of around here. I know we are sad, but it is heartbreaking to see a mopey pug.
Even Cupid has been staying very close, joining us all on the sofa. Not just on the back where she usually lays, but actually snuggling in and claiming a lap for herself, as well.
In the last week, so many thoughts and emotions have swirled around my head. Of course I have some regrets, memories I wished I had captured not only in my mind, but also in photos so could be sure I would never forget. It is likely that I will share some of those things over the coming weeks. I'm not exactly sure what form the blog will take in the near future. We may not be as happy-go-lucky as we have been in the past. And while we have cried plenty of tears this week, rest assured we have also shared a lot of laughs. We have been retelling "remember when Solsey..." stories all week, which can't help but make you smile.
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