Just So Sad

As I sit here this morning, I am remembering times past. When we bought this park 16 years ago, little did we know how many extraordinary people we would cross paths with. We have been blessed by so many that I would be writing for quite some time to name them all. Some come for just a season and then move on as their lives take them in a different direction. Some stay longer and when they move on we wonder how we will survive without them.

One such man showed up several years ago. A bigger than life guy, always up for whatever challenge I could think up. Generous to a fault, he quickly became my go to guy whenever I was pondering a new project that HeWho procrastinates would deem undoable. I have often referred to Kevin as my wife, as he would simply get things done. 

Kevin died yesterday. The loss of my friend is so bittersweet. Kevin battled cancer for over a year. The same cancer that took my Dad. The diagnosis was devastating and I cried many a tear as I watched my friend undergo treatment and struggle to understand what was happening to his once strong self. Through all the stages of accepting his fate we all just tried to be there.

I can walk outside and turn in a circle and not find one thing untouched by Kevin. When HeWho scared me had his heart attack, Kevin took over. He ran the office and took the ever ringing phone from me and sent me to the hospital to be with my husband. Didn't seem to matter that he was not feeling well, he was concerned about us and doing what he could to make my life easier.

It was unusual for a day to go by that Kevin didn't come into the office or call to see what was going on. These past few weeks had him home bound most of the time. It was always good to see him up and around on those rare occasions. He was miserable when he couldn't be outside. If the bobcat or excavator was here, you could be sure that Kevin would be operating one of them.

I will miss that smiling face. He was in pain all the time and miserable with him confinement. I console myself knowing that he has no more pain and has been made whole in heaven. I am just sad and I know I will be for quite some time.

Growing So Fast

Bo is a joy. He loves to be outside with me in the gardens. He likes to help me weed. I pull the weed and he takes it, shakes it and carries it away. He has grown at least as twice as big as he was. That face! 

While the other two dogs merely tolerate him, Eddie watches over him. He plays endlessly with him and watches him sleep. Eddie is a good big brother.

Bo's days of going outside with me are numbered. He has become quite brave and wants to explore beyond the gardens. He is too tiny to explore the parking lot. He would be hard to see from the drivers seat of a big rig. 

See just how tiny he looks in that vast space? I recently noticed several spots inside the fences back yard where he could easily slip through. So far he has been too busy annoying Cujo and Toni Louise while out there, but I need to take care of that before he finds them.

Martha, the boy cat despises the puppy. This shunning only intrigues Bo. The hissing and spitting entices him to back up and take a running jump onto Martha's back. Martha is not amused, but knows better than to hurt the puppy. I have no doubt that he could kill the pup with ease. He routinely kills rabbits bigger than Bo. Martha is savvy enough to know I would banish him from his home if he hurt Bo.

As the summer rushes towards the next season I have been busy caring for my gardens. Having no swimmers to deal with has left me with free time to spend grooming them. I will have finished with all of them by the time winter rolls around. Never before have I been able to give the attention needed to all of the gardens in one season. I usually rotate them and am able to take care of only one third of them every year.

Not only that, I usually get a nap every afternoon! An hour in bed with my doxies is something I look forward to every day.