Childhood Memories

When I was a kid, my Mom worked as a hair stylist so she had a weekly menu to make things easy when she got home and fixed us dinner. Unfortunately for me, one evening's meal was liver and onions, UGH! But somehow I managed to eat what was served. The best thing (and the worst thing) my father ever did for me was to say: "just try it, if you don't like it you don't have to eat it, but how do you know if you won't like if you don't even try it?" So basically I like everything (thanks Dad!)

So one of the things that is good for dogs is organ meats, such as liver. I decided to cook up some liver and kidneys in the oven for Chelsea. She had her chemo on Thursday and a side effect is nausea so even though she has anti-nausea meds to take she is not too excited about eating. Things I think she will like she walks away from, things I think she won't touch (from previous experience) she is eating. The chicken she ate earlier she turned her nose up at this evening. So the organ meat was cooling from being cooked in the oven. Thus the childhood memories, the smell of cooked liver! I took some, cut it up, put it in a bowl, walked outside (where she is enjoying the cool fall weather) and I approached her with fork in hand and said, Chelsea when I was a kid, I had to eat this, YUK. And I took the fork and ate a small bite. Then I proceeded to feed her by hand and she ate it all up! I went back for seconds and she ate those too! Yay, cuz this morning I was stressin' about her not eating and feeling sick to her stomach. The holistic vet said not to worry and not to push food on her (Dr Raditic keeps in touch via e-mails I send her, even on the weekends, she is an excellent vet!!) I decided this evening there was no stress about Chelsea eating or not eating. She would if she could. I was surprised she ate the liver.

As she laid out in the yard sniffing the crisp fall air, I looked at her. On one side, her face is disfigured and caved in above her eye. On the other side she looks exactly like she always has, beautiful! It made me think about the conversation Pete and I had when he came up a few weeks ago and I was complaining about getting old and wrinkled and fat and Pete (God bless him) said, you are the same, you are still the same person on the inside. And he said some other nice things, but I won't share here on this PUBLIC forum of sorts. But his words made me think when I was looking at Chelsea tonight and when I have looked at her over the last few weeks. Sure she looks kinda funny, I affectionately call her FunnyFace but she is still the same beautiful magnificient dog on the inside. And that is all I see, my beautiful girl who has blessed me with 10 plus years of joy and kindness, loyalty, laughter and good cheer. She has been my very best friend in the worst of times. She is my "good girl, my chillchellschmeelschmel, my lover dover dog." I thank goD for her every single day because without her, I sometimes wonder if I would have survived these last 4 plus years. And that is why I will do everything in my power to keep her on this earth for a little longer. My hope for her is she dies of old age and I help her go gently into the good night. She deserves that, more than words can say!