The ravens calls I heard in the distance, early this morning, were nearly drowned out by the robins' songs.
I left the house at 7.30 a.m., to an incipient dawn, with the light in the East hidden behind thick, dark clouds. It was cold, the temperature was just below freezing.
There were no ravens when I walked to the ravens field, using a route which Madame used to love walking and sniffing in the spring and summer. So I suddenly appeared in the ravens field from yet another direction - but one raven, sitting in one of the maples at the tennis court fence, made a soft quorking sound - he had seen me.
At first I went to the wall, to the bench - and he did come to the ground, following me - but keeping a good five yards away. His companion was in the enclosure, but came when I started to throw scraps. They were my young pair, and they were much more shy and diffident than the last time I saw them, with Madame still at my side.
I went to the enclosure and threw more scraps into it - both ravens again keeping well on the opposite side to where I was standing.
I left by walking into the spinney, the way Madame loved to walk, and came out on the side of the big field where she always came out. One raven had flown to sit on one of the small wild cherry trees at the spinney, as if checking that I was leaving the 'no more food' way. Sorry about that, ravens!
They did fly to the ground, at the top of the big field, when they saw me there, and got some more scraps. Still, they kept well away, and then went off before I had finished. The quarry pair did not turn up today. There were no dogs around at that time, not close nor in the distance, so I don't know what happened.
I went home, with just the amount of scraps left which would have gone into Madame, as reward for her good behaviour.
I miss her more than I can say.
6 comments:
Dear Yma,
I offer my condolences to you for your terrible loss. There is no truer friend than a good dog. May the grace of God comfort you.
-Kenneth (from C2)
{yma}
Your grief is too fresh for words to make a difference, but please know that you are still in our thoughts and prayers.
.....may be that there are a lot of orphan-dogs looking for a new home......
Thank you, Kenneth, for your kind words.
Indeed, prayers help me when the memories are hurting so much.
Prayers will help me through this time - so thank you again!
Dear [scotti] - thanks.
As I said to Kenneth, without praying I'd not find the way through this grief. But with all your prayers to support me, the times where I can think back without sadness are getting longer.
I've been working on the web album I'll put up, and looking at all the photos of a happy, cheeky Madame doing her things did make me smile now and then.
Thank you!
Hello, Teirrah,
there sure are those dogs - but right now, I cannot think about them.
Madame is still such a presence, I keep looking for her even though I know she's not here with me, not physically.
She is present in my heart and in my mind, and always will be, like Big Dog.
When the time is right, I am sure the right dog will come into my life.
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