Introducing Tommy, the sweetest Pit Bull ever

Last night I had a sleepover with Grandest. Of course that includes Gracie the dearest brown lab rescued a few years ago and here is Tommy, my boy friend. He sits his big self on my thin lap and kisses his Granny. Delicious.  Gracie loves if you throw a tennis ball a thousand times and Tommy is a lover. All I do is write in between kisses, laughter and an attempt at gluten free pizza. Sleep happens when Grandest decides we are both tired and she closes her beautiful eyes. Then during the night, she bops me over the nose or forehead and I think of a new chapter. Oh yeah! Life at daughter’s. It’s fun.

So innocent. NOT!

And Then She Said. . .

Joy fills my heart when: the school bus comes close-door opens and here comes my grandest to run into my arms. Yesterday a neighbor stopped by ;her daughter came off the bus and the girls had a wild and crazy time on the front swings. Wonderful to watch although a bit of nostalgia comes . Oh yes. I did a lot of things and had some great times growing up, the middle child-the only girl at a time when boys were way more valuable.

Did I mope about it? No way. I danced, sang, acted my way into people’s hearts eventually becoming a small fish in the big pond in New York. Now at age 85, I’m having an epiphany. Carefully I walk without the cane. Yippee! More to come for this aged person and why? It’s Grandest who leads the way. Here she is in all her sweetness helping her precious mom walk the dogs. She has Gracie on the lead, Mom has Tommy.

I love this family. Just wanted to share a moment today.

And Then She SAid. . .

Grandest loves her mom, her pets and me but last week I witnessed a different side of her.

After TaeKwando class, she dragged me next door to the pizza place for a drink of water. “Don’t worry, Grans, he’s a nice man. He always gives me water free and you don’t have to buy a slice.” And there we were where other kids and moms and one grandmother and her grandson sat devouring yum food.

The boy, always stern and focused in class, began to giggle and so did grandest. He asked for a play date. She gave him her mom’s cell phone number. Then she ran to get straws, sticking them in her mouth to imitate a walrus. More giggling. Romance blossomed before my eyes. I felt like giggling. How cute to see the spontaneity of two six year old kids dressed in the same uniforms, one a yellow belt, the other a blue belt.

I felt like giggling too, unseemly for little old Grans. Kids! How cute and sweet they are.

The Final Curtain for our cat, Jack, best pet ever

Heartbroken, we drove to The Vet at the Barn in Chestnut Ridge, NY a few hours ago. Jack protested all the way in the carrier. After two week since discovering he has /had cancer in his mouth, I kept him as comfortable as possible with meds.

It all comes down to quality of life, my friends. I don’t have anything more than snapshots taken long ago-where do the years go? Picture this: Daughter rescues a tiny kitten from a highway down in North Carolina to bring him to a veterinarian in Rockland County, NY. Under a pound, the vet gives her little hope on survival. With loving care, the kitten she names Jack, survives and thrives.

Six months later, she calls. I knew from the tone in my daughter’s voice I was about to inherit a hand-me-up pet. This time–Jack. She figured I was an actor, free time blah, blah and we opened our home to Jack who thought our hand-me-up dog, Jesse, was his mom.

Not a shy kitty, Jack hung out at all our parties, in a drawer with one paw extended and friends stepped over Jesee, patted Jack and we had a lot of fun.

Then along came Fluffy, a gorgeous white cat, another gift from daughter, and Jack was impressed and Tony, a tabby from the shelter followed when Fluffy passed on and then came Blue, recently deceased due to cancer.

Jack paid his dues by caching a few mice when we lived upstate in Orange County, NY. Way to go, our Jack. We repaid him with loving kindness and popcorn and he joined us at every meal in hopes of a taste of this or that. Salmon a big favorite, baked potatoes big time love. In fact rice pudding high on Jack’s list and just like a kid, every time I opened the fridge, he peered in hoping for the best.

So my love to you dearest Jack, good pal who knew when I didn’t feel right and cuddled close. I whispered to him he’d be with Blue where there’d be no pain and plentiful food and good times. When the ice and snow melt, we’ll bury him in the back yard with a prayer.

Last year, I wrote a book titled Before the Final Curtain. The heroine’s companion is her black cat, Jack. My tribute to a faithful companion. Little did I know it would be Jack’s final curtain before too long.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.                                                                         

Before the Final Curtain

by

Charmaine Gordon 

Once lovers, aging actors collide on stage as stars in a romantic comedy written and directed by a manipulative director. Add to the mix the talented assistant, a tough stage manager, one prominent costume designer, two young actors, secrets and gossip. Show business. There’s no business like it.

From the new Charmaine Gordon series The Beginning…Not the End.

Mature Love, Romance, Suspense.

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First Love

The scene takes place in Von Stueben High School, Chicago. The year, 1947. We were strangers. He wore a reindeer sweater, this handsome senior, the most popular boy in his class. I ran up three flights of stairs to invite him to a party. He smiled down at me and said, Yes.” From then on we were best friends, always a couple and later when we married in 1951, he said to everyone, “I chased her until she caught me.”

Life as an Air Force bride was the best. Many temporary duties in foreign countries took my love from me. I learned to be self reliant, live alone until he returned and then came the babies. No longer alone, I managed as my friends in the 301st Air Refueling Squadron  did.

Thirty seven years after we were married, my first love died suddenly. Many more years have gone by and now I’m a published author. One night, I dreamed a story of a couple like us. In the morning I began to write. Now What? is a book based loosely on life with my first love. Fiction, of course but if the following blurb entices you, know that the journey is close to my heart and I hope it touches you.

blurb:

It was 2:30 a.m. when the phone rang. I fumbled for it, my heart starting a race toward bad news. Our doctor’s voice urged me to hurry. I crammed into clothes as if I expected this call.

It is only a fever that won’t go down, isn’t it?

Our doctor shook his head. “Carly, I’m so sorry.”

Settling in beside my Bob, I held his cooling hand and asked the two words spoken many times during our years together. “Now what?” This time there was no response. I was on my own for the first time. When my fingers touched his wedding ring, I slipped it off and held it in my fist. The gold band was warm. I clung to him. “Come back to me, dearest.”

Sometimes what you wish for is more than you can live with.

Now What?  by Charmaine Gordon

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