Wednesday Vignette: Saying Goodbye

My Crazy Sadie, nicknamed The Assistant, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, one month ago. She lived to a cranky ol' 13 1/2 years. We are all grieving her loss including Barnaby. 

From the first moment that I looked into her puppy eyes at the Humane Society, I was hers and she was mine. I named her Daisy, but she quickly earned the name Satan. I split the difference and renamed her Sadie. She was a trash sorting, plant throwing, and hole digging menace.

But she also kept me on time with my daily schedule and snuggled up against me and helped me heal from four knee and ankle surgeries. 

She adored bread and butter and would steal it off the counter when I wasn't looking. I never once caught her in the act. It simply disappeared. 

Sadie's favorite toy was the red laser. She would chase it around the whole yard while I laughed. It was a great party trick. Once she saw the red eye flash on my camera and from that point on she hunted the red light while I took pictures. The tip of her tail is in most of my back garden pictures.

One year, Sadie helped us with our Christmas pictures. If I set a camera timer, she was always in the way.

This shot captures Sadie's Corona beer smile. She adored a sip of cold beer on a hot summer afternoon. 

She had a wonderful last day. I allowed her to steal Barnaby's food, fed her 2 McDonald's cheeseburgers, snuggled with her, and baked her a butter cake. I even let her lick the butter wrapper. She snorted with delight as we fed her warm bites of butter cake. And she died in my arms, while being told she was a good girl. 

Sadie was my constant companion for 13 1/2 years. She helped me through surgeries, remodeling a Portland bungalow, a move, raising My Kid, holidays, parties, projects, countless cooking adventures, and helped me in my new garden. And she kept my toes warm whenever I sat at my computer. My toes are cold as I write this. I miss my friend. I'm so grateful for the time we spent together and for her patiently teaching Barnaby the basics like how to select a stick and chew on it. 

I am including this post in Anna's Wednesday Vignette meme. Stop on by and get inspired.