WARNING for sad post, with talk of animal and human deaths.
This year has brought more than its fair share of loss and struggles already, and we’re only in April.
In January I lost my nana and my Grandad. In March, my favourite rat Squeaky. And on April 10, Jessica went to see his brother, Mr Fizzles, and found him dead. Nobody was expecting it. Mr Fizzles had been fighting a respiratory infection for quite a while, but he was bright and happy and had a good appetite. Just a few minutes earlier I’d gone to pat him and there was no indication he was about to die. We buried Mr Fizzles beside the graves of his two brothers, Squeaky and Callen.
Life is hard. I came into this new year, full of hope that it would be better than 2016. But it’s been worse. There is so much fear and grief and hurt, and the pervading feeling that maybe things won’t get better.
But then there are the good times. Taking Skuggi through Woolworths for the first time, and having him totally ace it like he did it every day. Finding out there’s an Australian organization that runs an online video/photo competition for horses every year, and they welcome cattle competitors as well. We’re about three weeks out from a Supernatural convention, which will be amazing. I will fight through this crap. I have my dogs, and my calf and my baby rat. I am not alone. They give me a reason to keep fighting.
(Unfortunately my baby rat doesn’t stay still for photos!)
