Life With Barney

Yesterday was a month since Barney's passing. I still feel pretty lost sometimes. Barney was always there with me and it's hard to let go. I'd like to say he was my "sous chef" in the kitchen, but I guess he was more like the "quality control", he had to taste the quality of everything I made before it left the kitchen. I'm am trying to get back in the kitchen but I miss my sidekick. Tonight I made Chicken Paprika and spatzle. Chicken was Barney's FAVOURITE. Oh, wait, so was steak, weiners, hamburg and well just about anything. He loved it when I baked. He was always the first one there when things came out of the oven. Especially bacon and gruyere scones. Duh! Bacon AND cheese, go figure. One thing I learned quickly with Barney is you never go barefoot in the kitchen. You learn fast after slipping in that first puddle of drool!
Life with Barney was never boring. He broke his hind leg when he was 6 months old. A section of an old wooden fence we were replacing at the time, gave way and fell over. I screamed, both Barney and Bear ran but Barney being a pup didn't quite make it and it caught him in the back end. We were lucky he wasn't hurt worse. Of course it happened on a Friday afternoon, so after our vet had taken x-rays and determined he needed it surgically set by a specialist, all she could do was tape it up for the weekend. My husband and I spent all weekend up with that dog. It was actually the first time we watched the Westminster Dog Show as it was the only show on at midnight. Well, after six weeks with a cast, pins in his leg, and a lot of TLC Barney healed up great!
Our first trip to the cottage with Barney, I had to bring him home early as it was too hot for him and he got sick and developed a rash. So, I drove him in the air conditioned car to our air conditioned house while my husband stayed the last few days at the cottage with the kids.
It all worked out, we just bonded more and of course Barney had more room on the bed until Steve (hubby) got back.
Now that the weather is getting warmer and we're getting the patio set and porch swing out it is yet another thing that reminds me of Barney. My lounge chair, oh sorry, Barney's lounge chair that he used to share with me seems too big now just for me. The porch swing, well when he was younger (us too) he always had to lay up there on my lap while we slowly swayed. It would put him right to sleep along with my leg he was laying on! But the last couple of years he wasn't up to it and we were afraid he would hurt himself. He was content to lay on his comforter at our feet.
Barney thought this house and everything in it was his, and you know what, he was right and I thank God everyday he let us share it with him!