…Shadow’s 15th birthday. It’s hard to believe how much I still miss him. It’ll be a year in March. (for new visitors, this is not bunny related, just about my oldest dog who passed in the spring)

However, I was surprised to find I wasn’t a blubbering mess. I like to think he was with me in spirit, holding me together. Although I had moments where I would feel overwhelmingly tired and want to sleep at odd times of the day. This was beyond my normal tiredness of early winter in Alaska. (we’re down to 4 hours or less of daylight now)

It was funny, when I took Jenna for her evening walk, (and a bit in the morning too) she’d been really sniffing the ground and posturing, like something had gone through recently that she’d never scented before. (granted we do have moose/fox/lynx/wild bunnies in the area, but usually she gets this way when she smells another dog in ‘her’ space) and at the end of our driveway (too close for her taste by rote) she marked territory and then did what Shadow would always do…scratch up the snow over the spot with all four feet. I about fell over watching this display because it was SO like him!

Now when a big dog like a MacKenzie River Husky does this, it’s a pretty impressive sight…you know that dog means business and this is HIS spot, don’t mess with it….but when Jenna does it (Yorkie)…well…it’s kind of like watching a four legged chicken scratch in the yard for seed.

At any rate, I would probably have been a lot worse yesterday if it weren’t for her. And I still have the cats acting all weird too in the last few weeks especially. Perhaps we are being haunted?

Just had to say, though, I still miss you, Shadow. Could sure use the comfortable feeling I used to get walking you at night in the deep cold, knowing there’s a bull moose out there in the dark probably waiting for me to get close enough to stomp with my little chicken doggy.

Anyway, just had to share because I have no doubt that our dear friends who are on the other side of the Bridge still come to visit us from time to time and that in itself gives me hope when I feel at my most hopeless.