 Hello FRIEND'S OF DHARMA! Hey guys. I AM SAD. NOT LONELY, JUST A LITTLE SAD. MAMA AND PAPA, WELL NO WAY TO PUT IT LIGHTLY, HAVE GONE ACROSS THE POND! Yes, up in the sky, through the clouds up high, across the BIG BLUE WIDE, they are gone, AWAY FROM ME INTO THE HANDS OF THEE the SCOTS MEN YOU SEE! Yup, they went to Scotland. Going to hang out with the Albannach Boys and Sister Jacquie for a week. WHAT A HOOT IT WILL BE.
 Now I know that my Mama has been telling me about this for months. TRYING TO HELP ME BE READY. WELL, I AM NEVER READY WHEN MY MAMA AND PAPA GO AWAY. But, it is after all OK BECAUSE I'VE GOT SUSAN! Now not everybody has a Susan. ONCE UPON A TIME us "FUR BABIES" would go to kennels when THE OLD FOLKS WENT AWAY. Wizzer and Kira went to kennels BUT IT BECAME VERY SAD, SO MAMA AND PAPA STOPPED THAT.
 Here is their story. The last time Mama and Papa traveled and put "the guys" in kennels they were gone two weeks. Kira went to a kennel in Merrimack. He knew the kennel owner very well as he had helped Kira to LEARN HIS MANNERS. This trip Mama and Papa were gone two weeks. THAT CAN BE LIKE A ETERNITY TO A DOG DON'T YOU THINK? AFTER ALL, WE ONLY LIVE FOR TEN TO FIFTEEN YEARS. TWO WEEKS IS LIKE, WHAT, A PEOPLE YEAR FOR A DOG? And so when they came back, POOR KIRA, was just laying in the kennel, and clearly VERY SAD. They felt VERY BAD. It was not that the kennel owner did not take care of him well, it was just that HE DID NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS FAM. HE FELT ABANDONED. Where was his LITTLE BUD? For WIZZER, when Mama and Papa picked him up at his kennel, HE DID NOT RECOGNIZE WHO THEY WERE. He also was just laying there, not responding, and anyone who met the WIZZER knew, WELL THAT'S NOT RIGHT! Anyway Mama carried him away from the place, AND HELD HIM IN HER ARMS while Papa drove them home. It was about ten minutes down the road before HE REALIZED, HE REALIZED THAT HIS FAM HAD COME TO TAKE HIM HOME. He did not realize that it WAS THEM, THOSE THAT HE LOVED. HE WAS SO HAPPY, SO VERY TRULY HAPPY. So the folks decided THEN AND THERE that there would be not more KENNELS FOR THESE BOYS. We have had many people take care of us over the years, but SUSAN has been with us the longest. It is great, we get to sit on the couch together, JUST SHE AND ME. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A SUSAN.  So Mama and Papa have a WONDERFUL TIME. I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO GET BACK SO WE CAN START OUR ADVENTURES TOGETHER! Before you know it we will be ON THE ROAD AGAIN! Love Dharma Dharma! 
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 Hello FRIEND'S OF DHARMA! Don't you just LOVE GOOD FRIENDS? Here is me and Kurt. I just finished licking his face. What a good sport, huh? Kurt is the HEAD HONCHO, BIG GUY, MAN AT THE TOP AT HOLLIS PUBLISHING.  This is Nikko and he is a big 5 years old now and a Siberian Husky. Kurt is Nikko's MAIN MAN, HEAD HONCHO, BIG GUY, you name it. What does this dog LOVE, AND I MEAN, LOVE? Taking that LONG, LONG, LONG, AND I MEAN LONG WALK in the woods in the EARLY, EARLY, EARLY MORNING with the BIG GUY. Kurt says that when he greets him each day, he HOWLS like the TRUE SIBERIAN HE IS at the first sight of his car. At the window, WAITING, and WAITING and WATCHING from the window, OUT HE RUNS TO GREET HIM. It always, ALWAYS puts a smile on Kurt's face. "NOT A MEAN BONE IN HIS BODY", KURT SAYS. "I think Nikko believes that EVERYONE is here for his entertainment". How cool is that. Happy SNOW DAY Nikko!
Here is Christyann and JACK'S CREW. Jack is a miniature schnauzer who Christyann fostered along with his four pack mates, 3 mini schnauzers and A schnoodle. Does ANYONE HAVE A CLUE WHAT A SCHNOODLE IS? Anyway, Jack is now an only dog and LOVES playing fetch, although he doesn't really understand the "BRING YOUR BALL BACK TO ME" part of the game. GO FIGURE! Anyway, thank you to Kurt and Christyann for telling us about their animal buddies. Isn't LOVE GRAND!
 Well wasn't this COOL. THERE BE PUPPIES HERE!! Now when you think of puppies you think BABY SOMETHING OR OTHER? ANYWAY, the room was filled with PUPPIES! HUMAN PUPPIES! Thank you to all who came to see the LITTLE GUYS, ha ha! The doggies there that morning were REALLY REALLY BIG AND THEN THERE IS LITTLE OLD ME. As you can see this is one Biiiiiiig PUPPY. I was definitely the LITTLE ONE IN THE GROUP! YIKES! We had a wonderful time. And thank you so much for having us, Ingalls Memorial Library in Rindge New Hampshire!
Love, Dharma Dharma   Hello FRIEND'S OF DHARMA! What a great time we had. Mama and Papa and I went to Fitchburg Access Television and I was on "DISCUSSING FITCHBURG NOW " WITH SAM! How VERY COOL IS THAT. I got to wear my VERY FASHIONABLE BUMBLE BEE OUTFIT and THE WHOLE THING WAS SO VERY MUCH FUN. Mama and I had NEVER AND I MEAN EVER been to a television studio before.
And so we went into the studio, at 7:30 and sat in this room with BRIGHT, BRIGHT, BRIGHT LIGHTS. We sat around and chatted for a bit. And Sam, she was great. THANK YOU SAM!! So, check out my video at FATV on FACEBOOK if you are able. Or HIGHLIGHT THIS LINK, https://www.fatv.org/ then RIGHT CLICK AND CHOOSE OPEN LINK, FATV WILL OPEN, CHOOSE LIVE STREAMING, THEN VIDEO AND THEN "DISCUSSING FITCHBURG NOW" and look for the March 20th show, we are at the second half of the show. I am trying to get a copy of the link to send you and will when I get it. Thank you everybody. Dharma Hugs. Dharma Dharma
 Hey Friends of Dharma!
If you are local come and check it out! Dharma Hugs. Dharma Dharma  Hello FRIEND'S OF DHARMA! Mama said she saw a sign the other day AND IT SAID that over 90% of Americans are Irish! I believe it! Here is Me and Papa hanging out. He was gone a whole week to visit the SISTAS in Florida. I MISSED HIM A LOT. A WHOLE LOT. I DID NOT KNOW HE WAS COMING BACK. I WAS SO BUMMED WHILE HE WAS GONE.
So I hope every one had as good a St. Patty's Day as we all did. Here are a few more from the family album.
  Hello FRIEND'S OF DHARMA! How do you like my new jacket? I am looking like a doll don't you think? I had a great time today. WE GOT SNOW!! I LOVE SNOW!! RUNNING AROUND, ROLLING IN IT, GETTING IT INTO EVERY INCH OF MY DOGGIE HAIR. IT'S GREAT I'LL TELL YA. Here is the back yard. The old dried rose hanging out in the vase watching the snow falling soft falling fast. A memory of February the rose sits quiet by a sign a signal it is love sitting soft a sigh.   Well, (a deep subject) to celebrate my new cover for my little book Mama and Papa took me out to get A BRAND NEW JACKET. It has been a long time, since I got one. My self and brother Stoney were young when we got new Christmas outfits, OH WHAT FUN! I hope you like my new book jacket Christyann over at Hollis Publishing did it for us. What a WONDERFUL JOB! Thank you Christyann!! Thank you to the many friends who helped us out and reviewed my book! First A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO OUR FRIEND LIZ who offered to give us a review for our book. Here we all are together. THANK YOU AGAIN LIZ! HELLO TO CHAPEK AND KAFKA!   Then there is Lynn from Nellie's Treehouse Child Care Center in Amherst N.H. Mama and Papa had so much fun reading to their little kiddies. Hello "Little kiddies" and thank you! DHARMA HUGS!   Then we have JoAnn Kitchel. JoAnn is the Children's Director at the Mont Vernon Village Library. She has helped us to get my little book read at our Mont Vernon Village School. Everyone should drop by the library and see the beautiful trees that JoAnn created and decorated! They are beautiful!! THANK YOU JOANN!
Finally, Mama's very own home town librarian Nicole Irvine, Children's Librarian from the Fitchburg Public Library. Did you know that this Youth Library was the first in the United States? That before Fitchburg built this Youth Library that IN SOME LIBRARIES CHILDREN WERE NOT EVEN ALLOWED IN THEM! I mean, HOW IS THAT EVEN RIGHT? And so some forward thinking folks came together and donated money along with the CHILDREN OF FITCHBURG from schools all over Fitchburg. These children earned pennies. OVER A MILLION OF THEM and donated them to build THIS LIBRARY! WOW. HOW VERY COOL IS THAT. That is over $10,000 dollars donated JUST BY LITTLE KIDS. That would be worth over $100,000.00 today.
All that just SO CHILDREN, I MEAN LITTLE KIDS, CAN SIT AND READ A BOOK!! HOW WONDERFUL! It was such AN IMPORTANT EVENT that the former first lady, MRS. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT CAME TO CHECK IN ON HOW THINGS WERE GOING. This is where my dear Mama first came to LOVE BOOKS!!
Thanks again to everyone who contributed. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE STORY! Dharma Hugs! Dharma Dharma   Hello FRIEND'S OF DHARMA! Don't you just love a HAPPY ENDING!! My Mama was out the other day visiting someone over in Greenville New Hampshire, HEADING DOWN THE HIGHWAY LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE. So she is coming over the crest of a hill getting ready to GO DOWN THIS SIGNIFICANTLY STEEP HILL and OH MY GOODNESS, THERE IS A FOX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. And, it is WALKING UP THE HILL RIGHT TOWARD HER. So of course our Mama slows down in her truck BEING THE LOVER OF ALL ANIMALS THAT SHE IS and slows to a crawl toward this fox.
The closer Mama got the slower she went. STEP BY STEP. INCH BY INCH. IT'S LIKE A SCENE FROM THE THREE STOOGES. HA,HA,HA! OH MY GOODNESS MAMA TELLS ME NEXT. IT'S NOT A FOX IT IS A Chihuahua!! WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Now Mama knows instinctively that THIS IS NOT RIGHT. This little guy, IS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT! It is almost ZERO DEGREES OUT!! YIKES!! SHE IMMEDIATELY FEELS VERY SAD. And so Mama slows the truck down, and quietly OPENS THE TRUCK DOOR, and says "HEY LITTLE GUY, YOU WANT A RIDE HOME". Which of course his response is NO WAY JOSE! MY MAMA ALWAYS TAUGHT ME TO NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS. And so he continues to walk up the hill. HIS TEETH ARE CHATTERING and HIS WHOLE BODY IS SHAKING. BUT OFF HE GOES WALKING RIGHT TO THE TOP OF THAT HILL. Mama knows, he is not going to survive, AND IT MAKES HER VERY SAD. It reminds her of Duchess. Her cousin's dog who lived next door when she was a child.
 Our dear Merlie Boy once got lost in a snowstorm. Mama and Papa went out to their woodland fire pit to cover the wood because a big storm was coming and sometimes, THE OLD FOLKS, HA HA, like to sit out and have a fire in the winter. So our Merlin followed them out into the woods, the snowflakes just starting as they started out. So they are out there a while, and they look up and Merlin is gone, I MEAN HE IS JUST GONE. HE DECIDED TO GO OUT ON AN ADVENTURE OF HIS OWN. You can see his paw prints in the snow which is now starting to be a blizzard. So Mama goes and gets her snowshoes and poles and starts tracking him up through the forest, WANDERING HERE AND WANDERING THERE for about an hour and then the paw prints disappear. It was HEART WRENCHING she said. For, SHE REMEMBERED, SHE REMEMBERED DUCHESS!! All she could do was cry. And so she went back into the house and called Auntie Kelly who suggested that she drive around with me, Dharma, and to call his name because dogs can smell or sense when another dog they know is around. So Mama says, LET'S GO DHARMA, and we get into the truck and start driving house to house calling his name. The first house, no we have not see him, we will watch out for him. The second house, no we have not seen him, we will watch out for him. The third house, Mama gets out of the truck. I am in the truck looking out the window and wagging my tail. Mama who is calling Merlin starts to go up the stairs to another neighbor and she feels me bump her from behind. Dharma how did you get out of the truck? She says as she is turning. And there he is. Our Merlie Boy. Totally covered with four inches of snow on his back standing behind her. He had heard her call and came. In gratitude she knelt down, soft tears flowing. Merlie, Merlie, thank you for coming home.  Mama she KNOWS about LOST DOGS. AND THE DESPAIR THAT HITS YOU IN A WAY, THAT YOU NEVER FORGET WHEN THEY DON'T COME HOME. So she turns the truck around and at a far distance starts following this little guy. At the top of the hill he decides that he is GOING TO TAKE A RIGHT into the Frost Mountain View Farm. So Mama follows him and down he goes down the snow covered road past the animal paddocks and the barns and all the farm equipment in the yard. SUDDENLY OUT COMES a pit bull. He is following the little guy around licking him SAYING HELLO IN THE FRIENDLIEST WAY. YO QUIERO (I want) TACO BELL!! And what is funny both dogs have the same coloring. Like they are related some how.
Bentley lives with two siblings, Arman, a white long haired chihuahua and Tutu a raga muffin tiny brown little thing. There are often discussions about dogs and how they behave. Is it nature (genetic background, type of dog) or is it nurture (how they are raised) that is the most important factor in how they turn out? Something to think about huh? WHAT A WONDERFUL DOG BENTLEY IS.  To finish our story. And so our little Taco Bell, we don't know his name yet at this point but he does remind of the Yo Quiero (I Want) Taco Bell commercial visited with Bentley for a while but still would not COME IN FROM THE COLD. So he started heading out the back parking lot of the farm and Papa John told me that it went into a trailer park and then STRAIGHT DOWN into the highway. There is a tragedy ready to happen Mama thought. So Mama turned around and went out the road, and down the hill and up the highway and into the road into the trailer park from the other end hoping to keep him off the highway. Here was our little TACO BELL, still shivering and chattering and STILL NOT COMING IN FROM THE COLD COMING DOWN THE BACK ROAD FROM THE FARM. By this time it is almost a half of an hour that Mama has been following him and he clearly came from somewhere and a HOUR IN THESE TEMPERATURES FOR A LITTLE GUY LIKE THIS IS WELL, LIFE THREATENING. Eventually the little Taco Bell went into the yard of one of the trailers and Mama just moved to the side to watch. A car starts to come by and the man says, YES, A LADY IS DRIVING AROUND LOOKING FOR A Chihuahua. So Mama stays with the little guy and a car coming from the farm starts to enter the trailer park, and this is where we meet Katie, who says OH MY GOD, YES, HE IS MINE, I THOUGHT SOMEONE PICKED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM AWAY! She opens her car door and in he jumps STILL CHATTERING AND SHIVERING. Then she tells Mama her story.  Katie's story is the story of ALL DOG OWNERS. Katie takes care of her elderly mother who is ill. On this day, our Taco was being especially idgie. When Katie let him out for his "business" it was exactly at that moment that her mama needed to be taken care of. When Katie realized her little guy was still outside not very long after, HE HAD ALREADY DECIDED TO GO FOR AN ADVENTURE. SO OFF HE WENT, DOWN THE HILL, OUT OF THE TRAILER PARK UP A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND UP THE ROAD WHERE OUR MAMA FOUND HIM. Really, all you can do in a situation like this is have gratitude. Which you can see our Katie and her little guy have for each other. AND GUESS WHAT? HIS NAME IS TACO! How funny is that. Taco is part Chihuahua and part Dachshund, so he is known as a Chiwinie! Ha, isn't that funny. I think doxies are related to EVERYBODY! EVERYONE WAS SO HAPPY FOR TACO'S HAPPY ENDING, THAT REALLY, WE COULD JUST CRY. Thank you everyone for your contribution to this story! DON'T WE JUST LOVE HAPPY ENDINGS. Here is 56 seconds of BENTLEY FUN!! Thanks for joining us. Dharma Hugs. Dharma Dharma
 Hello Friend's of Dharma. How do you HONOR AND OLD DOG? ANYONE WHO HAS LOVED A DOG FEELS THIS WAY. Time seems to move so slow, when life is AT THE EDGE. Like when a moment is precious because you realize that it is the last or one of the few last that you will have. We had thought that we would honor Merlin by giving him the best until it was time to MOVE ON. I mean like how long is it to the LAST MOMENT? We had not a clue. And so as emergencies arose, we problem solved solutions. We talked with Dr. Jill, ultra sounds, and medications and food changes and massage and well, you get the drill. We were open to anything AND WE MEAN ANYTHING the universe could offer us. We did not know that the offer would come on a Thursday night. We did not know the offer was the GIFT OF RELIEF. THIS IS HOW WE WERE GOING TO HONOR HIM. As if he himself were saying HEY MAMA AND HEY PAPA IT IS TIME! Over the previous four months we camped at KOA in Philly with Merlin walking their grounds by the pond every morning. We camped at the Hancock site at the White Mountains National Park in Lincoln New Hampshire listening to the Swift River flow behind us watching the fire burn at night. We camped at the Assateague National Park with the ponies where Merlin and the painted pony met up an our camp site. We met cousin Roy in Virginia who loved him, on sight. AND ON AND ON AND ON. Each adventure carved into our hearts, our memories of our Merlie Boy. Once we got into January, I lay many times on the floor with Merlin. Giving him every pat that he fully deserved. I stood in the middle of the night helping him get up off of the ground outside because he had to go. One more of a hundred times because his old muscles had lost tone and he could not longer lift himself once he tripped and fell down. It was funny though because though he could not lift himself up, once he was up he tottered along, like the old man that he was. He loved walking up and down our dirt road till the very end. His last walk with Bumble Bee was about a week before HIS TIME CAME. We put a belt of Papa's around his waist, secured with duct tape (ha, ha), to give him a quick lift whenever he needed. IT WAS VERY HELPFUL.  He lay next to the couch on the wood floor, which he could not get up from, until the very end. He did not like the rugs put down just for him so that he could get up on his own. It made him feel too hot. He tolerated our keeping him on the rug so that he could have some independent mobility. He allowed us to keep him covered with our bear rug giving us the eye like, "Mama, is this really necessary?" What a good sport. But on that Thursday after days and days of just not feeling good, not eating, and all those things happening that we could not control we moved toward an understanding, and embracing of the gift offered us. What can we do for him to prevent misery? We did not want "misery" for our "old Man" after a lifetime of love and joy that he brought into our lives. And so, in gratitude we called our Dr. Jill, and told her we thought it was time. And so Friday night, at the end of the day, we brought him to her. Our trusted one. In gratitude. That we had the option to say, "it is enough". And so here is our goodby for our Merlie Boy. 1/26/2006 - 2/1/2019  WE LOVE YOU MERLIN! Dharma Hugs Dharma Dharma & Company   HERE I AM SNUGGLED RIGHT NEXT TO MERLIN'S PLACE WHERE HE LAY NEXT TO THE COUCH. THIS IS WHAT I DID WHEN THE FOLKS CAME HOME WITHOUT HIM. Hello Friends! What is it like to have one leave your life? To walk through the door expecting happiness and joy and instead silence greets your smile? People say dogs do not have emotions like people do, but THIS IS NOT TRUE. I find myself STILL LAYING IN MERLIE'S SPOT. He is newly lost to me, only a few weeks past. I find that I SNUGGLE IN STONEWALL'S PLACE. Gone this past year and three quarters. But it feels like yesterday. IT FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY! I snuggled up tight to Papa's left hip while we sit together on the rocker as he watches his shows. THIS WAS ALWAYS STONEY'S PLACE. I find that I lay in Stoney's sunbeam as it moves across the hardwood floor as if Stoney himself is saying himself "Hey Dharma, how are you today?" I find it WARMS MY HEART. IT WARMS MY HEART! AND MY OLD BONES. 
When I go into the sun room I ALWAYS AND I MEAN ALWAYS CHECK OUT THEIR DOG DISHES. LAYING ON THE FLOOR, A REMEMBRANCE, A MEMORIAL AS IT WERE. ONE LARGE dog dish, and ONE SMALL. EACH WITH IT'S OWNERS DOG COLLAR CURLED UP. THE SMELL OF BROTHERS AND LEATHER, NESTLED.  AND I SMILE. I SMILE. FOR I ONLY REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES NOW. RUNNING WITH STONEY WALL IN THE HORSE ARENA. MERLIN OLD MAN THAT HE WAS, WOBBLING DOWN THE ROAD CHASING ME. EVER HOPEFUL! EVER HOPEFUL! I MISS YOU GUYS. LOVE AND HUGS. DHARMA DHARMA  |
AuthorChell Sommese is a retired teacher.
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