Category Archives: Sammy Brave Dog

Delightful Trip to the Dark Side

Weather in the Tries: 

Our warmest day will be Tuesday at 75, with our coolest day on Thu of 68. And our lows will be in the 50s with Sat going down to 46. Yes, I’ve put my fleece sheets on the bed, and a real blanket along with one summer quilt. Soon will come the for real quilt I made for Thomas, but it was too heavy for him to use.

Delightful Trip to the Dark Side:

Had a delightful trip over to the Dark Side, where I spent a few days with Sheryl. I wondered how hard it would be to return to where EBOC Thomas lived the last years of his life and died there. He wasn’t there, and Sheryl said he hasn’t been back that she’s aware of, which makes me feel/think that if there is life after life, he’s off on his adventure, which is exactly where he should be. He doesn’t need to come back here to haunt people;-) though it would be nice if he’d show up for drink and a gab fest and tell us all about it.

As my Uncle Carl lay dying, he had a conversation with his long-deceased father. I sat by U. Carl’s bed, heard his said of the conversation, then there would be a pause, then he’d talk some more. When he was through I asked how the conversation went and he informed me it was good. I asked what Grandpa had to say, “Oh, he said, ‘Mbgliscuescf’ and then he said, ‘gblxdtvw’.” Yeah, well, so much for hearing from the other side of that veil.

Thanks for letting me know you don’t get the annoying pop up asking you to subscribe to my blog. Of course, I’d really like it if you did, but it’s okay if you don’t.

Doula: 

female slave. And that’s really what a Death Doula is, a slave to the dying person and his/her friends and family. We are there to help any way they would like that we can do. There are ways we can’t help as mandated by law. There are some cultures who do not want the bones that survived cremation, pounded into small pieces. But the law in this state says that all bones must be mashed and pulverized. 

Week 2 was the end of the ‘introduction’ and this week coming will be diving into the good stuff. The Death part. Part of the homework was to watch a couple of movies. I’ve finished one, It’s My Party”—a movie to watch if you want to cry. Goes back to the days of AIDS. My first tears came at 4:23—credits were still rolling. Sheesh. Then again at 20:34, 26:07, 1:05:24, and then at 1:26:27 I started in and couldn’t stop until the movie was over. It’s a beautiful movie, with a lot of lough out loud moments and can be found on YouTube. It’s not all tears. But a beautiful love story. I did volunteer work with people living (though at that time, it was really dying, but we were so damn optimistic) with AIDS. I am so grateful that today it is a chronic illness and controllable.

I haven’t watched the other movie, yet, An Honest Death: A Palliative Care Doctor’s Final Days. The Dr. helped a lot of people, and then came down with cancer, and asked for his final days to be photographed. He was also a Buddhist Priest. It’s short and very interesting. I didn’t cry.

Only one photo today. Took it on the Dark Side and it was so overcast none of the flowers on the hydrangea bush had turned their face to the sun. And all the flower bunches only had blooms around the outer ring. Obviously, Fall is arriving.

From the Paws of the Big Chihuahua:  

Mom says she’ll type as I talk because she doesn’t like all the paw and nails clicking on her keyboard. She also doesn’t like me sitting so close to her coffee. The ghost of her old cat, Tashiko, had come to me shortly after I moved in with Mom, and taught me how to move Mom’s coffee cup. “It’s a game she really likes to play,” she said. Of course, I quickly realized Mom doesn’t like that game, but Tash really enjoyed the prank. I know Mom misses Tash, and I wish she’d come back and play with me, but she doesn’t even come to visit anymore. Says it makes Mom cry. And she’s right. But Mom snuggles with me, now, and I’m a dog and everyone knows dogs are better than cats. Right? Right? 

“Grief and Joy are always holding hands.” –Sandy Yannone

Color Me Embarrassed!

Well, this is embarrassing and somewhat frustrating. I lost the post I spent the last few days working on. I am for sure positive I saved it, alas, I don’t have a clue where, and I’ve searched everywhere I can think of to find it.

I know! I’ll blame Sammy. He frequently steals my coffee cup and hides it, perhaps he’s now stealing my documents! 

Oh well, it probably wasn’t that exciting anyhow.

I received my summons for Jury Duty. I was excused the first week. Today marks the second week. The answering machine on their end keeps saying “An application error. Goodbye.” and hangs up. Tried to see if I was listed on the web page, and I’m not, but I’m not sure if those are the numbers of the called or not, so I’ll get up tomorrow (I’m writing this Sunday night) morning and get dressed for jury duty and drive over to verify.

At any rate, I’ll be home by 6pm, when I will log into a zoom room, and begin my class of 8 weeks (Mon & Wed) to become a Death Doula. Or Death Midwife, if you prefer. From what all I can find, I will be the only one in the Tri Cities. I will probably work with the two hospices we have, as well as work on my own. I’m not sure how all that will work out, but I don’t think I want to charge. I figure people and their families who are dying have enough to worry about without one more bill. And I’m comfortable without the extra work of bills/invoices/books/numbers. Especially numbers!

The classes I will be taking are from A Sacred Passing–https://asacredpassing.org. I really like their philosophy, but going back to school at my age? Starting a new life at my age? Well, I guess it’s to happen, eh? If I put it off another year, I’ll be a whole year older and still have to work with the kids in the class 😉 

Took these photos the other day. They are of the main area, the one fountain is granite, and the other, behind it, is a pipe with some kind of holes in the cap. I took the pix in color, but they look much more dramatic in b/w, yes?

Sammy Brave Dog says it’s no fair having Housemate Dan and Mommy talk to each other. When they don’t talk, sometimes he can get a whole extra dinner! Which is why now we coordinate meals for the Big Chihuahua so he doesn’t get bigger in the wrong dimension!

Have a good week, and remember, wherever you go, there you are! ~Jon Kabat-Zinn