The Universe has stomped on me thread. Rant or clear the air

[Disney Duster]

Thank you, Brelly!

[Elladorine]

Thanks for all the well-wishes, everyone! I really appreciate it and I’m sorry I haven’t been back to update.

The only remnant from that whole beach debacle is that I have a very mild tan line from my sunburn; thankfully my legs (and toes!) eventually healed up.

But it’s been a rough time in general. Soon after all this, we had to put Cinder (on the right) to sleep.



We adopted Cinder back in 2011, because my brother’s beagle got out and came back pregnant with a litter and of course we had to adopt one of the puppies! A year later we rescued Sarabi (left) as her new little sister, and the two became completely inseparable. We were heartbroken to lose Cinder of course, but felt especially bad for Sarabi since she wasn’t used to being alone; they basically had their own “room” in the garage where they could freely come and go, but she wouldn’t even go in there anymore and has been following me constantly all over the house.

We started looking to get her a little sister, and when my aunt called we had a fun conversation when she asked what kind of dog we were looking for. I didn’t realize it would be the last time I’d ever speak with her; she passed away just a few days later..

It’s been a few months now and still doesn’t seem real. I lost my mom way back in 1996, and this aunt was the last of my parents’ generation (my dad passed in 2004). I didn’t know her well growing up since we lived in different states, but we became quite close in recent years once I moved out west.

Little Dude still struggles with language comprehension, so we had to painfully spell all this out in order to help him understand death, to help him process what it is and how it means we’ll never see them again. I’m tearing up right now as I type this … I mean, I know I’m in my 40s but I feel far too young to be the eldest generation of my family.

But life goes on, and we’ve since picked out a puppy that needed a home. So here’s a look at Roxy and Sarabi meeting for the first time.



Roxy is short for Roxanne; she’s a beagle and cavalier King Charles mix, with a little cocker spaniel sprinkled in. I’m honestly not sure I was mentally prepared to adopt a puppy so soon after losing Cinder; I’m still mourning her. But again, we didn’t want Sarabi to be alone so finding a companion for her needed to be a priority. Roxy’s been with us for about a month now and is growing fast! This is from earlier today.



She is such a sweetheart, as mischievous as she is. Thankfully the cats are tolerant of her and all of her curious puppy energy, but afternoons can get a little wild and I sometimes feel like I live in a zoo, lol. Oh, and don’t even get me started on struggling with Roxy’s potty training … thank god we have a tile floor rather than carpeting!

Oh, I’m sure I’ve mentioned Kylo at some point in the forum, but he now has a little brother we rescued last year named Ollie (short for Oliver Twist).



While much of this post is outright depressing, at least these are all cheerful photos! So yeah … I’m hanging in there. Rey and I took Little Dude to see Wish last night and I think I nostalgia made me cry through the whole thing, especially at the end during the credits and seeing the callbacks … Lady and the Tramp was my dad’s favorite Disney film. Our family had a Carolina dog named Lady when I was little, and in turn is why I’ve always referred to Cinder and Sarabi (and now Roxy) as “my ladies.”

Maybe I’ll post my thoughts on Wish in another thread? I haven’t read any reviews or many opinions on it and didn’t really know what I was in for; thankfully it was a lovely ray of sunshine (star shine?) at a time when life hasn’t felt so magical..

BTW, I’m typing this on mobile so I hope the photo formatting isn’t all wonky.

[blackcauldron85]

*huge hug*. I teared up reading your update. I'm so, so sorry that your aunt and Cinder passed away. I'm glad Roxy is keeping Sarabi company, though. Our hearts expand to let new fur babies in, but it's so hard letting them go (I lost 3 dogs in the past year and a half so I can understand having a tender heart). That must be super hard losing all of the older people in your family; that breaks my heart. Hug Little Dude extra tight.

[Elladorine]

Thanks Amy, the hugs are appreciated. I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost three dogs, especially in such a short timeframe; it hurts no matter how prepared we might feel for it and it’s extra difficult when sad events pile up like that.

I’d been extra worried about Cinder for a few months, ever since I found out Dexter had died. He was one Cinder’s biological brothers who was adopted by one of my nieces. However, I’d like to think they (and your dogs!) are all happily chasing squirrels together on the other side of the rainbow bridge.

As for family, at least my brother and I have made amends, even though that experience of clearing the air was rotten in and of itself. I think I’m going to be extra off-kilter until our aunt’s memorial service. Our cousins decided not to hold it until January or February, and I feel I’ve been left hanging without closure. Not blaming them for it at all as she’s their mother, it’s just … everything sucks right now and I wish I could just laugh about it. Instead I’m afraid to let myself feel anything at all because if let myself start crying over what has happened in these past few months, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.

[blackcauldron85]

Yes, I sure hope all our fur babies are at the rainbow bridge having fun. . That's great that you and your brother are ok now - that's huge. I hope you can find some peace right now, and that you and your family can find some good moments this holiday season.