Oranges, Paw Prints, and Drool Marks

My week started out in sorrow and ended with finding the answers to questions I had asked myself throughout the week. Or nearly a month before.

As in oranges, GMO or organic. On August 1, I posted on Instagram that we had purchased a couple of oranges over a month before that. And they still looked edible, or at least like oranges. No mold, a little shrinking, but mostly normal. So I continued on with the experiment and have left those two oranges sitting on the counter waiting for mold to grow. Did you know the numbers on those tags give you a clue?

Today, I checked in on the oranges while I pondered our past week and poured my first cup of coffee for the day. This past week Mr. purchased some organic oranges, and they should be eaten soon. They definitely don’t last as long as the GMO’s. The GMO ones purchased before shall remain an experiment. The far left is the organic orange, and the two to the right are the GMO versions. All grown in the USA. The answer as to how long a GMO orange lasts is a mystery to me. Which orange would you grab to eat?

I glanced a bit further across the counter in front of me and noticed the other projects for the week that aren’t quite done yet.

Sigh…I miss my little guy…

When we made our paw prints of Copper’s foot, we noticed there was blue ink on his paw. That was perplexing? The vet never said anything. It was odd to us, but assumed maybe they made some permanent record of his death?

That blue ink mixed with the cinnamon-colored paint we were using to make paw print memories of Copper’s adorable front left paw. The blue gave the prints a creative green patina as my daughter practiced making prints on waxed paper.

We made several prints, you know, just because it was the last time we’d hold that tiny paw in our hands. Just like it was the last time I’d smell his head, his adorable little head. I saved a small collection of his fur tufts too. He had refused to let me brush them out this past year. It seemed fitting that I’d keep a few curls.

We didn’t stop there, we wanted a little imprint of his paw to keep too. One is a flub and reminds me of imperfections in our journey together. And the other is perfect just like his unconditional love. I’m still trying to decide if I’ll paint them terra cotta color or not?

On Copper’s last day he was so brave, braver than I was. Before we left for the vet, I carried him as we traveled our last steps around the house together. He played on his blanket with his toy buddies before I folded it up and got it ready to take along. He napped in his bed beside his buddies while I showered. He ate some of his breakfast and then waited patiently for treats as he rested on his other doggie bed in the kitchen.

He seemed to know the time to say our final goodbyes had come as I picked him up and carried him to the car. He had never been so calm riding in the car. We convinced ourselves it was the blanket that helped him with familiar scents and comfort of home.

We said goodbye to our little guy under the shade of the pine tree at the vet’s office. He was finally free of the pain he had been enduring for longer than I care to admit. He didn’t want to let me down at first when he struggled with the anesthesia but that faded quickly. I petted his little head as he passed peacefully away. I know he sent a message to me that the time has come now for us to begin the healing from the grief. He wouldn’t want anything less for us.

Our family has a huge emptier nest feeling in our lives this week. That little biggest cat dog ever, weighing in at 8.2#, sure filled our lives with so much love. Our two cats are adjusting, and Mr. and I are slowly adjusting too.

I catch glimpses of Copper out of the corner of my eye and when I look to see him on his bed in my office. Or when we hear a sound that reminds us of his pacing paws. Those heart-tug moments haven’t faded yet.

My friend who knows how hard it is to say goodbye to a furry friend sent us a gift. She texted me later in the day, “Did you get your mail yet?”

Aw…”That was you? We were wondering who had sent it, thank you – it is perfect!”

We’ll place it on his grave. Copper’s the only pet that has the honor of burial in our yard. The others were buried in the woods across the field.

We placed Copper’s favorite little toy buddy and chew toy inside the box the vet gave us to bury him in. He is resting peacefully in our yard and forever in our hearts. We’re thankful it was a sunny day on Monday as it has rained every day since. He would’ve hated having to go out in the rain. A silver lining moment confirming our decision as to the right time to say goodbye.

And then the question I asked earlier wondering why his paw was blue was answered. I opened the card from the vet hospital yesterday and found the print they had made for us.

This morning when I got up, the sun was shining and the rain had stopped. I imagined there was a rainbow somewhere even if I couldn’t see one. I walked toward our front door and smiled. It’s the same door I’d carry Copper to so we could look out and see what kind of day it was to be. I noticed the long drool marks his little nose had left behind as a reminder of our morning routine. His sense of smell was so strong that his nose left drool marks often. Aw…

I wonder now, does every pet owner drag their paws when it comes to cleaning off drool marks on windows? That’s me, at least for the week I’ve had. I’ll give it a bit more time before I clean them. Thank you to those who commented on my last post. The kind words still bring me to tears. I’ll reply soon – thank you for your patience and understanding. xoxo

So yeah, that was my week. How about yours? How was your week?

Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “my.” Start your post with the word “My.” Bonus points if you end your post with “yours.” Enjoy!

PS – My heart and prayers go out to the families and the 13 U.S. Service Members Killed in Afghanistan on Thursday. 5 of them weren’t even born yet when the war had started 20 years ago.