I share my life with my amazing husband, my Bernese Mountain Dog, Azzie, my Romanian mixed breed called Odin, a Cockatiel named Octavius, three Budgies called Commodus, Gaius, and Aulus, our Desert Box Turtle, Shelly, and wild birds, bugs and reptiles.
Sadly, our amazing, beloved, loyal, gentle, and eternally stoic Bernese Mountain Dog, Gina, slipped the bounds of this earth on Good Friday, 7th April, 2023, and 7:15 PM (Mountain Time). She was 14 years, 1 month, and 11 days old. The pain of her loss still takes my breath away. I thought losing Hazel, and Julia, was beyond measure, but losing Gina… our grief was immeasurable. I spent pretty much 24/7 with her for the past 11 years or more. A world without her is colder, quieter, and a little bit more unkind.
I cannot (will not) go into the details, as simply writing this update to the page has me sobbing. It was quick, it was peaceful, and we got to say goodbye to her in the sanctuary, calm, and quiet of our back porch. It was a beautiful evening. A crow flew over moments before Gina passed, cawing his message – he came to guide her on.
Gina visits us in her our dreams, makes sure we are okay. It hurts like a knife in the heart, but we know she’s there, always, by our side. We say good morning and good evening to her every day, as well as to Hazel and Julia. Her ashes sit on the mantelpiece with Hazel’s ashes, and Julia’s beautiful feather.
In the words of Vision, “But what is grief if not love persevering?” And we feel grief every day.
I love plants, herbs, flowers, trees and the outdoors in general. I’m kind to bugs, rodents, and anything living, really. I’m a staunch animal lover, nature lover, moon lover, and quiet witch.
I love animals – dogs, cats, horses, birds, snakes, squirrels, even spiders – except mosquitoes and ticks. I murder those without remorse.
I row, I walk dogs, I listen to people for a living, and I am learning to fly. I also play computer games (PC Master Race FOREVER!) and blog about my Gaming Adventure.
I love books, I love movies and TV shows. I am a Marvel girl, but I also enjoy some DC stuff. The Sandman is, in my opinion, one of the best graphic novels ever made.
I was born in and lived in Cape Town, South Africa, for the first 30-something years of my life until I left for Germany in 2011 to join my husband. I miss home terribly and my family there, and I also miss Germany.
I have worked as a waitress, a barmaid, a receptionist, an IT helpdesk consultant, a server admin, a disaster recovery ninja, a photographer, a horse rider and dog walker, a seamstress, and, now, a medical scribe.
