This is the final part in my pictorial series of our wonderful life with Sydney. Without further adieu, here we go!
It's 2013 now, and the babies pose in the park. Yep, they HATE each other!
It's 2013 now, and the babies pose in the park. Yep, they HATE each other!
Another favorite shot...Syd (at the park) waltzing around in the flowers.
Me napping with the babies. We're all good nappers in this house!
Sometimes Syd would end up sleeping just like a person, under the blankets and her head on a pillow.
Jeannie on the couch with Sweet Pea and Syd. Not much room left over.
And suddenly it's Dec, 2013. This is the Christmas card photo.
Quite a crowd on the couch...Syd can still get up high on the cushion, which is a coveted spot.
Syd peeking out from under the blanket. Those ears are really something!
Where on earth was I sleeping? Good thing it's a king-size bed!
Jeannie loved snuggling with Syd, and the feeling was obviously mutual!
Syd
cleaning up all the bowls after dinner. She would work her way behind
the feeding station in case of any stray molecules of food lying about,
but I'd have to lift her out as she no longer has a 'reverse' gear. This
is one of my favorite shots of her. She was SO happy, especially when
food is involved!
August
2014, I finally made a wagon for Syd as she could no longer walk the block or so to the
park. She could walk some, however she falls down all the time (as she
can't really control the left side very well). She was a good
wagon-rider though, and loved going to the park! She was always quite excited when I wheeled the wagon out!
Getting her in the wagon.
Here she's all loaded up ready to head to the park in the Furbaby Flyer!
Notice I had to make 'seatbelts' (little ropes that attached to her
harness so she couldn't try to get out while we were moving).
Hooking up the rest of the troops.
And we're OFF!
Here are the babies in the park, AFTER their running around.
They are all quite tired here, but VERY happy!
Halloween 2014. Syd may not be able to stand up, but she can still be AT the door greeting the kids...she LOVED the attention!
Smashed in-between Jeannie and the couch.
Me napping with my fur-baby-blanket!
December 2014, Syd with her new baby sister Sophie. You can really tell how white her face is in comparison with the brown on Sophie...Syd's face used to be about that brown.
Going
to Grandma's house for Christmas. We took Syd with us as she needed so
much help and attention, we didn't want to leave her with any
baby-sitter. She got lots of quality time with mommy and daddy!
Sleeping on the sofa bed at Grandma's. I had to lift her up and down as she had no chance of getting up there by herself.
Back home on the sofa, sitting with a rawhide Christmas cane chew toy.
Merry Christmas 2014 from the babies!
Jeannie making a full-on Holiday meal for New Years. The babies are ALWAYS wherever the food is!
A
brief moment of Syd walking. She was really having problems by this
time (Feb, 2015) and we knew the end was sadly coming fast for her.
All ready for another trip to the park.
April 2014, Sophie snuggling with Syd.
Syd
was stone deaf for the last year or more, you could walk in the house
and she didn't know it. But she could feel vibrations...she slept like a
little angel though. I'm getting extremely sad posting these last few
pictures, as I know the end was just days away now.
The
last group photo of the babies. At this time we have already set-up the
appointment with our Vet to come to our house and put her down, so just
knowing the day and time of her passing is killing us, yet we strived to
be happy and make sure her final days were the best.
The
very last picture of Syd snoozing with me, in her usual position with
her butt touching Jeannie, and her nose snuggled into my neck. Gosh I'm
all teary just thinking about her...and can't even begin to tell you how
much we miss her!
The
day before....(I vowed NOT to take any pictures on her last day, rather to just enjoy her presence and make sure she knows how much she was loved).
This is how we would find her when every time we come home lately...snoozing on
the bed, sound asleep and oblivious that we are there. You had to touch
the bed so she could 'feel' that we were home...and she would lift her
head and just be SO happy!
My
heart is breaking on this shot. It's her last day, and probably around
15 minutes or so before the vet arrived. We had BK Junior Whoppers for
lunch (and I also cooked up the last steak for Syd, leftovers from last
nights dinner steaks for all of us). I left work at noon to come home
and spend a final few hours with her. We had been to the park earlier,
and now we were just sitting outside in the grass, enjoying the sights
and smells. Jeannie took this shot unbeknownst to me. This is the very last
picture we have of Sydney.
Sydney's
final resting place. My mom got us the stone, and I made a little stand
for it. That's her cremains in the box, with a nice picture on top of
it, and Jeannie brought in the rose. We both look at her every single
day, thinking of the good times, and still so VERY sad she is no longer
with us. But we know we did the best we could and gave her a wonderful
life. But not as wonderful as the life she gave us. Sydney, we miss you
SO VERY MUCH!
OK, I can't type anymore thru the tears, so I guess I'm done.
Goodbye Sydney-bear, you are SO missed...we will love you ALWAYS!
A wonderful final tribute. She will always live in your heart. RIP Syd.
ReplyDeleteHey John...thanks for the kind words. I think that people without kids get way more attached to our pets...(they ARE our kids...as you know). We sure miss her, and still feel guilty for putting her down...I wonder every single day if we did the right thing...my mind knows we did, but my heart doesn't listen to that conversation.
DeleteYo Susie...watched the final quarter of game 2 tonight (from a restaurant here in Sunnyvale)....wow...what a street-fight at the end...the ref's didn't seem to be on their 'A' game...lots of missed calls...boy did ur boy get HACKED in OT (and the ref had a birds-eye-view, but still didn't call it). Seemed like both teams got too excited and were shooting quick and wild 3 pointers (and NOT running down the shot clock like the Cavs should have been doing as they had the lead), rather than going back to basics and getting the solid 2 pointers...looked like a tough game, but glad the Cav's evened it up...(couldn't root very loud here, as I'm DEEP in enemy territory!)
ReplyDeleteHey Matt! Sorry that I've been absent, but the NBA FINALS kept me exhausted! Almost like being in the Tour Tomb! When Kyrie's kneecap got broken in the 1st game, I honestly thought it was over right then. But, OMG! The Cavs then won the next 2 games with LeBron being SUPERHUMAN & all the other guys exceeding expectations (well, except for JR Smith, who I actually have grown to like & feel sorry for him that he did not play as well as he, on occasion at least, is capable). But, a team that only plays 7 guys (& another for a few minutes) just can NOT compete for 6 straight games at that level against the team with the year's best record AND is the most-injury free of the entire league. That the Cavs won 2 games & was competitive in all but one is just fantastic. Fairy tale almost! Heck, I'm STILL ecstatic that they even got TO the Finals! However, when Game 6 ended & the Warriors had won it all, on the Cavs home floor, oh man, that hurt! Well, I'm looking forward to next year but personally, I think NOW is when the pressure REALLY starts for LBJ & the Cavs to win a championship. He's only got 1-3 more years, max, near his peak before the inevitable decline escalates. And injury to him or Kyrie could ruin the season before we even get to the playoffs (see - Okl City Thunder). One fluke thing & BOOM, season essentially over. And since time is running out for my Sweet Pea, I'm already hyperventilating with worry!
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, can you BELIEVE we're less than 2 weeks from the TDF?! Who do you think will win? Contador in his Giro-Tour double quest? Froome? Nibbles? Quintana, who I've not seen for almost 2 years as he wasn't in last year's Tour? Do you think one of those 2 French podium guys from last year will podium again or even have a shot at the 1ST step? Will Tejay get on the podium? Can Cav be back to his sprint-dominating ways, especially with Kittel having either a injury or sickness-influenced season so far? Can your boy Sagan win a stage or two before the business of getting Contador into Yellow becomes that teams' sole focus? And speaking of Tinkoff, can the team at the Tour support AC BETTER than they did at the Giro? They better or "the quest" will be short-lived.
I still haven't bought the Velo Tour Guide yet (haven't seen in the one grocery store that usually carries it), so I'm not sure which days I'll take vacation time to watch the stages LIVE. I do know that there's basically NO ITT, except the short 1st stage. (Which is NOT re-shown that night on NBCSN - a Nascar race is airing instead! I don't know if NBC will re-broadcast the stage on the main NBC channel in the afternoon, but I hope - I always like to watch as many of the stages LIVE & repeated at night with the "extra" stuff usually added by Bob, etc.).
I'm assuming P2, Bob & CVV will be there again on the TV coverage, but have no idea. Do any of you? I did see yesterday that there will be a 1 hour Tour preview show & tomorrow (Wed, 6/24) is the 1st showing, I THINK at 10 pm eastern. But, I believe it will be re-broadcasted several times on different days at different times leading up to the Grand Departe on Sat, 7/4. I'm bummed that July 4th is on a weekend day this year as usually it's a holiday from work where we can see another Tour stage.
Have you changed your cable to get NBCSN again yet? Don't wait too long! Are you still up in Sunnyvale?
And Rae - are you doing ok? All healed up & raring to go? And hopefully, Janann will come back during the Tour. Have really missed her here. :(
ReplyDeleteAnd also hope to hear from Barbara again, too! And wonder if Cathy will be going over to France with her new team. One of my favorite things ever was when she wrote about the behind-the-scenes stuff at the Tour the days she was there. It was fascinating!
Anyhoo, I saw this morning at some of the cycling websites that a Danish report is supposedly detailing doping at Riis' teams. Wait, wait, wait, they mean there was DOPING going on in there?! The only surprise is they didn't wait until the Tour had actually started to "release" the info. Guess the Danes never got the "Tour - doping scandal" playbook. I never read the entire USADA thing, but I would assume CVV & DZ would have filled them in on their time at CSC. And also spoke to CIRC? To think there was not heavy doping going on at CSC/Saxo at least thru 2007 is to be either ignorant of that era or just unaccepting of reality. And speaking of "unrealistic", I just hope Jensie is not besmirched. What can I say, I know the odds, but damn, I just want to believe he was somehow above it all. :)
Alrighty, gotta scoot. Hope to hear from EVERYONE SOON!
hi Susie b and Matt,
ReplyDeleteMatt, hope you don't feel I've ignored your Sidney posts. They are a good way to grieve. Looks like your entire household are all champions at sleeping though!
Thanks for asking Susie, yes I am fine and busy catching up on outdoor maintenance. Today it is storming so I have an excuse to stay in and play on the internet (well I should be catching up on house chores...) I just haven't been back on the bike yet, fearing the outstretched position causing pain, although my hybrid shouldn't cause any trouble.
Do hope that we do hear from Cathy some. I stopped by today to comment on the reduced TdF schedule on NBCSports. Seems a continuation of the trend there -- cycling of less and less importance. So there will be the live broadcast at 7am, then maybe a 1 hour highlights midafternoon, and the shorter evening edition at 8. Which I admit is still good, but I always liked to have it on in the afternoon and having such a choice of when I could watch. I would expect CVV and Steve Shlanger -- they have been doing the "lesser" races a lot, along with P&P. Remember was it 2 years ago the rumor that Phil was retiring?
Saw news about the Danish report. It seems it covers doping from before Riis' tenure as well as while he was in charge. Sounds a bit like he is still denying organized team doping (Bruyneel still is,also, isn't he?) I can't remember, what year was it that Riis confessed and hired the doping expert for internal controls on the team? I wonder if that is covered in the report. Sastre says he never doped while there; Bobby Julich (who was one of my faves) confessed some years ago but now I don't remember if it was while there or on Postal -- or if he ever really said.
For all that I just said, I am not shocked/saddened/ etc. It was what it was. I also would love to think Jensie has been "clean" but if it ever comes out otherwise I won't think less of him as an athlete and personality.
Frank Schleck is out of the tour -- injury - not that he would have been a contender --I wonder if he will retire this year. Froome has been looking awfully good but if Nibali is close to his form of last year (and no way I think that Astana is a clean team) this should be a real fight. I would love to see Alberto as part of that fight but really worry that this is asking too much.
There are so many up & coming sprinters right now, those stages should be interesting. Cav still has an edge though so he will likely win his share, don't you think?
Well, the sun is out, so back outside. TTYL -- Rae
Yo Susie and Rae! Glad to hear you are still 'out there'! I'm back home from Sunnyvale (for the moment, tho I hope to be going back up soon)...typical weather here...windy and cold (it IS summer in some places, right? I rode after work yesterday and FROZE in the fog and wind). Getting excited for le Tour...but not sure if I should up our Sat package or not...if they are cutting down the broadcast (and the fact that I might be back up in Sunnyvale) seems it might be a waste of $ (I have to up our package for 3 months or get a big service charge if we cancel it early (we have to up it to the "sports package" to get NBCSports, and Jeannie doesn't care about ANY of that).
ReplyDeleteRae, glad to hear you're better and ready to get back on your bike.
OK...gotta run. Duty calls. Viva le Tour!
OHCRAP! I just wrote a lengthy comment & hit "publish" & it disappeared! Damn, can't write it all again right now. But, MATT - the LIVE morning coverage & the evening taped Primetime coverage is the SAME so SIGN UP! Just that 1st day's stage won't be re-broadcasted that night because of the Nascar race. It's the repeated taped shows that they USED to show throughout the day that are no longer shown (same as last year).
ReplyDeleteLater gators! :)
ooh...thanks for clearing that up Susie...figure if I have the sports package for Jul/Aug/Sep then I might get some coverage of the Vuelta too...
ReplyDeleteHey Matt - I plan to come back again to chat today but just wanted to let you know - I got my new TV Guide issue last night & looked at the NBC-SN listings for the next 2 weeks & it seems the Primetime repeat Tour broadcast is also BUMPED on Fri night (7/10) & Sat night (7/11) for, you guessed it, NASCAR. Crap. According to my Comcast Onscreen guide, it seems it will show the 7/10's "Primetime" show at midnight, but that of course is if the NASCAR race hasn't run over. Couldn't see for 7/11, as the onscreen guide only shows so many days in advance. (You have to click thru all the hours on all the days to get there). Damn, this is what I have been worrying about for the past 4 years! Cycling means NOTHING to NBC these days, as evidenced by their broadcasts of the other few races they actually show at MIDNIGHT or LATER.
ReplyDeleteAnd last night, even though the COMCAST onscreen guide said the Tour Preview was supposed to be airing at 10:00, it was NOT. I was pissed.
Still, since YOU always watch/record the LIVE AM show, it looks (so far as I can see) ok for you.