The Woodster Comes To Call

Well my, my, my.
Who is this, occupying a chair in our sunroom?

This is Woody, and he owns our very good friends

Betsy and Phil, who are on vacation this week.

Woody, though, is vacationing

chez That Old House.

If he looks familiar to you, it's because he is not just a

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, like our Dion.

He is also Dion's great-nephew.

While it is lovely to hear the pitter-patter of little paws

in the house again, I am glad that Woody, despite his resemblance

to Dion, is very different in personality.

Woody is just about the best-behaved, easiest, least demanding

dog I've ever met.  No, not much like his Uncle Dion.  :-P

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Meanwhile . . .

my antiques booth has stretched

to hold some of our Saturday auction haul.

 Oops.  That's my turquoise handbag on the desk in the right corner.

The desk sold yesterday, after I left the store.

Some of my favorites include this 6 board blanket chest,

with lovely trace memories of old red paint.

A tole tray with an Asian design, on a folding stand.  It can serve as a

coffee table, or a side table to hold a glass of some elegant swill.

Then there is the hunt board, one end of which you can see here.

The carved apron is just so much fun.

But this is my favorite find of all, I think:

A New Jersey decoy -- a hollow, hand carved swan,

by J.P. Hand, who works near Cape May.

Mr. Hand's family came to Jersey from Eastern Long Island, 'way back in the 1700s.

That Old House was built by "refugees" from Eastern L. I.  

Anyway, the swan is gorgeous, probably from the 1980s.

I lust after it in my heart.

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Now, I must fly!

I need to return to the house where the auction was held

and pack up more winnings.  Then, back to the booth to fill in

the gap left when that big desk waltzed out yesterday.

Sorry, Woody, I have to bail on you for awhile.

I leave you in charge of That Old House while I am gone,

and I'm pretty sure I will not find toilet paper festooning

the first floor when I return.  Be good!  -- Cass

Dion DiPoochy

I have shared with you already that our
much-loved Cavalier spaniel, Dion DiPoochy,
is having serious health issues. 

DION, 2010, looking guilty about something.

Every few days for the past two weeks,

I have thought it was curtains for our boy.

But every few days, he has rallied.

DION, on Alida and Josh's wedding day, June 25, 2011.

The most recent crisis was yesterday.  

I took him to the vet,

afraid I would not be taking him home. 

DION at the vet on Friday July 20, 2012.

But the vet had different ideas.  She started him

on a doggy NSAID and it's giving him comfort, and more strength.

He is walking, eating and drinking again.

DION, with Lily, 2007, in our old kitchen.

Can we have a guarded Hooray?

DION in 2010

In comparison to the horror and searing grief of the

Colorado theater shootings, our little dog's health is insignificant.

Our hearts ache for the victims, their families,

that community, and our country,

and our minds boggle at the randomness of evil.

But hearts and minds are limitless,

with room for all manner of sadness and joy, including the sadness

of watching this most sweet and gentle and funny of dogs,

our good boy Dion, 

slowly lose his grip on Life.

DION, Friday July 20, 2012, doing what he now does most of the time -- rest.

Dion's lust for life is deserting him; he is so very tired,

and even food -- which he worshiped -- is no longer of much interest.

We would not keep him with us if he were in distress

but he is calm and seems comfortable.

Thank you, Joanne, for your breeding that produced this special dog.

Thank you, Jane, for your gift of him to our girls.

1999 -- DION (in the lead of this Conga line) with his 3 sisters, nicknamed The Belmonts.

We are cherishing every moment we have with Dion.

I know that many of you have traveled this same road;

thanks for listening.  -- Cass

Please, Your Kind Thoughts

We are waiting, here at That Old House,
for our beloved dog Dion
to decide it is time to leave us.

At 13 years and 4 months, Dion -- our Peter Pan, our perpetual

teenage prankster -- is getting tired.  It's become clear

over the last few weeks that his life is winding down.

 Resting on Anne's lap.

Sometimes Dion wants to be with one of his people;

other times he asks to be left alone.

Dion in 2010.

He could easily hop onto all the furniture, and

even onto kitchen counters to cruise for snacks.

 Also in 2010, at my Dad's 90th birthday party,

sneaking snacks from the kids. 

Walks are short now, just around the house,

and sometimes Dion's legs don't cooperate.

He is closer to the ground than he used to be.

Even chipmunks don't much interest him anymore.

It's hard for me to reconcile this handsome young man. . . .

 with this sweet little old guy.

Dion has lost some of his special dog powers that made him

such a special dog, but he hasn't lost one bit of our love.

If you are a pet owner, you know how we are feeling.

Dion is a strong link to our past;

he is the last of our trio of wonderful Cavaliers,

the dogs our girls grew up with.

He was born when Alida and Anne were in middle school,

and they are grown women now.

They were puppies together, Dion and his "pet girls."

I'm not ready to lose him, and all the memories

contained in his small and loving self.

Wish him luck, please; he has a vet appointment in the morning,

and I'm hoping there is yet another treatment or medication.

They break our hearts, our dogs.

They also fill them.

Thanks for listening. -- Cass