Madeleine is a clever girl, and also a stubborn one. The other day when I was trying to leave to go to the gym, bag in hand, she parked her little butt firmly in the backyard, refusing to come in–even when I called her with a visible piece of food in hand, even when I opened…
Some days are tougher than others. This is one of the bad ones. A year ago, for Valentine’s Day, I posted this picture on Facebook and labeled it, “You’re still the one.” Frankie had slowed down, no question, but we were still having fun. He made me laugh every day. Today I woke up and…
A song has been running through my head lately…. In my readings, especially about pet mourning, I often come across the term “heart dog,” which I take to be the canine equivalent of a human soul mate. But what does that mean — and what are the implications of having had that experience? I don’t…
Get a cup of coffee and settle in for a few minutes. You’re in for a bit of a long ride. But consider that it’s taken me far longer to put this tale together — a good part of a lifetime, now that I think about it. Ashes to Ashes No one is rational about…
I’m generally a glass-half-empty type of person. But meeting half a goal of $5,000 — I chose that amount because why not shoot for the moon? — means that, with the help of many wonderful people who donated, wrote about, or shared my posts about Frankie’s Fund, I raised nearly more than $2,500 $3,000 to…
This year can’t be over a minute too soon. It’s ridiculous, I know, to think that one sunset and sunrise will somehow change the disposition of the universe, that tomorrow my driveway will suddenly sprout good-luck flowers with solid-gold centers. (I’m not even sure what those would would look like — maybe sunflowers? Which would…
No one could ever accuse me of being an optimist, or of being warm and fuzzy. One of my childhood friends, who only began reading this blog since it returned in August, was surprised to discover the depth of my feelings about Frankie, I’m that guarded about my emotions — and apparently always have been.…
If I’ve learned anything from losing Frankie, it’s that grief is unpredictable. Few of my reactions in the last few weeks were close to what I anticipated. The New Normal? I behaved very badly the first weekend, acting out. And I was bone tired for a while, wanting to sleep far more often than I…
I had this insane idea that I would leave you with Frankie’s departure and then move on to my new life and my new(er) blog — as though my years with Frankie could be put aside that easily or that, maybe, if I didn’t write about it, the pain wouldn’t be there. But that’s not…
Frankie D. — short for Frankie Doodle or Frankie Doodle Dandy, sometimes known as Pretty Boy Frankie — does not subscribe to the philosophy of poet Dylan Thomas. He believes there is nothing wrong with going gentle into that good night. To that end, he ate some Ben & Jerry’s Stephen Colbert Americone Dream ice…
