Sunday, August 17, 2008

Queen Pepa Demands Her Due Blog Time

This one is for Olivia, the blogmother of this humble effort that is Urban Oasis. Just a couple of photos showing off our favorite show off, her Royal Highness, Queen Pepa (Approximately). Here she is posing in a couple of places while we were out weeding today. I was taking a quick break when she decided to pose for me after I had weeded behind the house. The first shot is her looking in the back door when I went inside to get a city composting bag to put all the stuff I had weeded into ... she came in, got a drink of water and then accompanied me back out into the back yard to clean up. She was such a good gardening buddy today, and even though the back gate was open, she never strayed far from where I was weeding. I'd say she had a good day out back today, because she got to supervise what both of us were doing....
Here she is taking a posing break while I had a Coke in my chair out back before I tackled the Hibiscus bed. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open in the late afternoon sun, and posed so perfectly that I had to get a few shots of her relaxing after a hard afternoon of playing supervisor. I guess I should note that we go back a long ways ... I first adopted Pepa on August 5, 1995, when my previous dog Coco was ailing with Mast Cell Cancer, and I thought she might perk Coco up a bit. Well, Coco died on September 13, 1995, but before she went, she definitely told Pepa a few things about what it took to be a great dog. It took a few years, and many destroyed objects (pillows, plants and LP records) before Pepa fulfilled her "great dog" status, but despite the history, she not only stepped in to fill those paws, but has gone far beyond that to reach "Queen" status. She's definitely earned it at this point, and at 14 years old, she has plenty of spirit to keep going for a few years, we hope! She's got a lot of "age frosting" now, but she still has tons of "piss and vinegar" (as my Dad would have said) keeping her going. Now that we're facing dealing with two geriatric dogs in the house, signs of mortality are weighing heavily on our minds. Rolly is approaching 17 years old and probably won't be around much longer, given his deafness and arthritic lameness, but we still cherish and love them both. I just hope that when he goes, Pepa isn't too forelorn that she can't deal with the loss, because the two of them have spent the last 11 years together, and they are a harmonious couple. I know that had I spent these past 11 years without Fernymoss, my life would have been much less rich, all things considered. I suspect that both Rolly and Pepa feel similarly. Pepa has been spending a lot of her time lately tending to Rolly, and seems to understand the trajectory, much to her credit. And I wonder what she knows that we don't yet.

Time will tell, I guess.......

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some say you can tell much about how a person speaks *types* about their furry friends.

This planet is blessed to have both you and Pepa around.

PS my boss went to the Oregon Humane Society day to adopt her own furry friend. :) A new "leash" on life.

Anonymous said...

OOPS - I meant to say "you can tell much about a person by how they speak about their furry friends... Sorry :) Been a long, long week.

Gail said...

I hear you! Our loved ones furry and otherwise are essential to us...

Have an easy week, IVG,

gail

Shady Gardener said...

Have we seen Rolly? Queen Pepa is such a girl, and a good friend. Everyone needs someone. Nice reflections and a good reminder to be thankful for those helpmates/friends/people in our lives. Thanks. Have a great week! :-)

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Janet!
I also think that people's attitudes about the furry ones speak volumes about character. I instinctively don't trust people who don't at least respect dogs, cats and other pets. Not everyone can be a dog or cat person, it's true (I can't be around cats long because I'm allergic.), but people who just hate them or mistreat them aren't my kind of people.

I hear you about a long week... mine dragged on endlessly and I ended up having to spend about 3 hrs on work. And the next week will be another busy one too... *sigh.*

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Gail,
You got that right! Except for those long years in college/grad school, I've always had a dog or two in my life. Though both of ours now are "geriatric," we still love and appreciate all that they bring to our lives.

I could wish for an easy week, but I'd just be deluded, but thanks for the kind sentiment anyway! It should calm down later in the week, I hope.

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hey Shady,
Rolly is around in various posts here from over the years, but here's a post from earlier in the spring.

http://urban-oasis.blogspot.com/2008/04/friday-night-dog-blogging.html

It's sad to see him getting so frail (he used to be a very active dog!), but he still has a voracious appetite, despite it all! Some days we all feel like we're old and decrepit, but look forward to the better days. I sure was sore and creaky today after all that crawling around weeding yesterday!

Daisy said...

Queen Pepa looks like the perfect weeding companion!

Good luck dealing with the transition that comes at the end of a pet's life. Sometimes... most times.. I wish we could communicate with dogs the way we can communicate with other human beings. It's purely selfish - I'd feel so much better thinking I could comfort the dog that survives his/her buddy with words by explaining what was going on. (We always had two dogs growing up and they were always staggered in age.)

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi Daisy,
Thanks for the kind words and thoughts ... though we know one is inevitable sooner rather than later, that knowledge only seems to make it even sadder.

Do you currently have a dog (or not yet)? I'm always curious to learn/hear about others' pets, be they birds, cats or dogs!

Anonymous said...

Regarding the wish to be able to communicate with our furry cohabs...

I learned along time ago that there are various types of "communication". Most humans think communication is only verbal language aka speech. When actually it's just about the least important and usually most misunderstoond/miscontrued form. :)

That's just language and trust me... there's so much more. I think we as speaking humans would feel closer if we learned that in order to be heard, we first must listen.

Our "pets" have many ways of comforting us while we worry and fret over whether or not they understand us. :)

You see, I was told my son would never speak. That was most definitely not the end. It was only the beginning of learning how to really communicate and how to truly listen.

I think that is why my son likes animals so much. There's not alot of "speaking" but much is always being said in the silence. True communication doesn't get all cluttered up with words and phrases.

My son doesn't have to tell me he loves me for me to know just like I'm sure all the poochzillas out there don't need to understand our language to know what is in our hearts. That's what comforts me, on several levels. I hope it provides you with a bit of comfort as well. xoxo

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

When Rolly passes on, you'll have to get Pepa a puppy. It'll perk her up & keep her from pining. These little mutts have such vitality and longevity, they are just wonderful. I still miss my Coco mutt, even after 11 years. She was the best dog we ever had. My husband is still resisting getting a dog again, even though the girl & I frequently lobby for it. They add so much to our lives & ask for so little in return.

olivia said...

Hey there IVG. Can't resist Ms Pepa ... and Rolly too. Thanks for putting up regular pix.

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hi MMD!
We have thought about getting a puppy for Pepa before, because she'd be a really good mama (she never got a chance), but I wonder about her patience level these days, lol. My previous dog was a Coco too! I got her when she was 8 yrs old at the Humane Society when I lived in FL, and she was a true blessing of a dog! She was a Cardigan Corgi/Dalmatian mix (yeah, I know that's weird) but she really looked more like a Corgi with floppy ears and spots, but was one of the best.

Maybe if you keep some subtle lobbying on your husband, he'll break down... you could try looking at some of the local animal shelters online and win him over with something you all find adorable. Just a thought...

Iowa Victory Gardener said...

Hey Olivia,
I was hoping posting Queen Pepa might draw you out a bit, lol. This week and next are still pretty busy and I'm too tired to post tonight, but want to get caught up on other blogs and answer comments here first. I've got plenty to work with right now (hibiscus soon!) so it's just a matter of having enough time and energy...