Becky

Becky, with her rabbit from Grandma Jean.
April 17, 1998 - February 25, 2013

"... what we have enjoyed, we can never lose ... all that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

(Helen Keller) 

Today, my darling granddog Becky left this world, her mama and papa by her side.  She was at least fifteen  years old, a sweet, happy Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. 

Janice (my daughter) and Alex adopted her from Vancouver Animal Shelter April 17th, 2008.  The shelter thought she was 10-12 years old at that time. My daughter chose April 1998 as her birthdate.

She  wore a beautiful smile, loved to play fetch, to run on the beaches.  She could be seen frequenting downtown Vancouver bistros, sitting quietly at sidewalk tables while her mama or papa sipped coffee.  She visited me on several occasions and always got along with whatever mix of animals were in my care. 

Becky had a wonderful life for the past five years, thanks to two young people who weren't afraid to adopt a senior dog and who believed in giving her the best life possible. She was very deeply loved and will be very much missed. 

Becky on the beach at Parksville

Her intense border-collie stare

Christmas at Grandma Jean's house, 2011

On the trails at Osborne Bay Park

Where else?  Crofton Sea Walk, of course!

"Grandma Jean got me my own flying squirrel!" 

You. Will. Feed. Me. Cookies.

On Saltspring Island

Run free, sweet Becky.   Hugs, Janice and Alex.  Her spirit is always with you.

Sunrise waits for no one

It is 7:00 AM. I let Becky into the back yard for a pee and notice the faint beginnings of a promising sunrise in the clear dawn sky. I pop back inside, toying with the idea of a sunrise walk. I pour a large mug of coffee, my second this morning, and take another look. The sky is now deep golden. Definitely a morning for a sunrise beach walk.

But sunrise waits for no one. By the time I get the other two dogs out to do their business, pull on some clothes, find the camera, grab a fresh battery, choose a jacket and gloves, and leash up a dog, the deep golden has paled to a light yellow, and the streaks of red are now pink and white.

Still, Becky is all leased up and ready to go, so we head to the beach. For two walks a day, every day for nearly three weeks, Becky has walked well on leash. Today, just as we hit the seawalk which is covered by a very thin and very slippery layer of black ice, she decides to take me for a drag, pulling heartily as any untrained extra large puppy.

I need more hands - one firmly on the leash and one firmly on the handrail leaves very few fingers for manipulating the camera. Still, I manage a few shots before the sun slides behind Maple Mountain and dawn turns back to night.



We reach the far end of the seawalk and firmer footing on gravel path, and the sun begins to re-appear and sets the bay on fire.

Twenty minutes later, sunrise over, we head up the hill to complete our 2km morning walk, albeit in the reverse direction from our usual walk. This direction involves a much steeper uphill climb, and Becky has quit pulling me. I am getting too warm in my winter coat, hat and gloves. I begin to question my sanity. Sunrise walks? I should have gone back to bed.

I am nearly at the top of the hill, half way round our loop, when I realize that drinking two big mugs of coffee then going for a walk in the cold, cold air not a good idea. I muse that this might give credence to Freud's theory of penis envy - oh, to be able to surreptitiously stand beside a bush or tree and take a whiz!

I make it home without incident, where Petey is barking for his breakfast, and Sadie wants to go for her walk (because, after all, she always gets a turn right after Becky). I placate all the dogs with food, head for the shower, and make a mental note to avoid coffee and to wear non-slip footwear the next time I entertain sunrise walks.

But it was a nice way to end Becky's Island Vacation.  By noon, her Papa had arrived to take her back to Vancouver. Her weeks here went very quickly, and she was such a good guest. I think she had a good time - she enjoyed our walks, Santa found where she was staying, and she got lots of quality time with her Grandma Jean.

I'll miss her, though I'm rather thankful that Sadie and Petey are quite happy to sleep in past sunrise. I look forward to some lazy mornings again.

But, then, who knows what tomorrow might bring?

Yeah.  Who knows?

Dear Mama, Dear Papa, Love Becky

Hi Mama and Papa, it's me, Becky!   

Well, here I am at Grandma Jean's house, and she doesn't seem to be blogging much so I figured  I'd give it a go. 

It was sure fun to visit Great Grandma Rose on Sunday (wasn't I a good dog in her nursing home?), and then to ride back to Vancouver Island in Grandma Jean's van with my cousin....um....auntie Sadie.  I wish you had come too, but  Grandma Jean says you are both going away for Christmas and I will have a lot more fun here than in some dumb jail  kennel.  Grandma says I get to stay for the rest of the month, so I sure hope Santa will know where to find me!

I love Grandma Jean's house.  It's nothing like our apartment - there are no long hallways or elevators here. I just go to the back door, wait for Grandma to open it (I wonder if I can figure out how to do that myself!), and bingo, I’m in the back yard. I like that! Grandma thinks I am smart to learn about the door so quickly – I showed her just how smart I am at least five times the first night. Charley and Sadie wanted in on the game, so we all spent all night getting Grandma out of bed to open the door for us. That was fun!

I am being a very good girl.  I haven't chased the cat, not even once!  Mostly I just follow Grandma around, or sleep on one of the many dog beds around here.  At night time, I sleep on my special blanket right beside Grandma's bed.  Other than the first night, I have slept allllll night long. 

Grandma and I go for lots of walks.  It sure is quiet here - there are hardly any people or cars or trucks or sirens or noise at all.  Sure not like downtown Vancouver where we live!  I love walking along the Crofton seawalk and down to the beach.

Here I am, waiting to go down the stairs to the beach

On the seawalk

On the beach

And ya know what, Mama and Papa???  Yesterday, we saw one of Santa's reindeer on the beach!  Yes!  Grandma says maybe he  - or she - is having a little holiday before the long, long flight on Christmas Eve.  Grandma tried to get a photo, but the deer ran up to the park by the ferry terminal.  This was the best shot she could get.

Santa's reindeer on holiday in Crofton

I told her not to get too close - I didn't want to be singin' "Grandma got run over by a reindeer". 

And we also saw cats and ducks and trumpeter swans and herons and gulls and all sorts of things.  And I never tried to chase any of them.  Of course, I was on leash and Grandma had both hands holding on tight, so I didn't have too much choice.

Must. Not. Chase. Cat.

Must. Not. Chase. Ducks.

I like watching the sun come up on the big cargo boat over at the mill, and the little tugboats moving the logs around in the water.

Grandma says there is going to be a parade here on Sunday, and Santa will be riding in a fire truck (I guess he is coming down to pick up that reindeer, eh?), and it will go right past Grandma's house.  Auntie Else is coming down to watch it with us, and then we will all walk over to the next street for a big outdoor community sing-a-long. 

Grandma already saw Santa - Mrs. Clause too! - the night before she came over to get me.  She and Auntie Else went on the Chemainus Carol Boat, which is a little ferry that takes all the people for a ride up to Ladysmith, and they all stand on the deck and sing carols and drink hot chocolate.  The carol ships from Ladysmith come out too, and dance twirly circles to show off for the people on the Chemainus boat.  And there are fireworks on the beach at Ladysmith.  Grandma said it was lots of fun.

Carol Ship from Ladysmith

Grandma's attempt at capturing the fireworks

Santa and Mrs. Claus!!

Anyway, I guess I should go because it's time to take Grandma out for her evening walk. I'll write again soon.

Love, Becky

P.S. Grandma says to tell the blog readers that Dover the little piggy moved to a foster-to-adopt home today! She is with some people who had a big companion piggy who went to the Bridge, and they love piggies and they also have a few other farm animal pets to keep Dover company. Dover will be spayed January 4th, and then the adoption can be finalized.  Be good Dover - I was once a shelter doggy, and found a forever mama and papa, and I just know you are gonna have your forever home too. 

Where does time go?

Granddog Becky, Summer 2011 (Age 13)

The week with my daughter and granddog visiting ended Saturday;  this afternoon my sister arrives for a visit.  One thing about living in a seaside village on a beautiful island - I'm never short of company! 

Between Sunday and Tuesday, I had great plans to do some significant housework, gardening, paperwork and other catch-up stuff, and I also had a column to write and photos to edit.  Unfortunately I  picked up some books I wanted to read and...well...here it is Wednesday and none of the things on my 'to do' list have been done with the exception of the column my friend Liz and I co-author, which we actually got in two days before our deadline.  It really helps to have a co-writer - when one of us is procrastinating, the other holds her accountable!  As I also supply the paper with photos, I did edit a few I wanted to submit with the column, but still have about two hundred new ones of park and beach to go through.

The visit with my daughter involved a trip to Parksville, and we had fun with Sadie and Becky on the vast, beautiful sand beaches there.  Do these look like happy dogs to you?

Sadie and Becky on Parksville beach

Happy Becky

Happy Becky running on beach

Such a good dog!

Aack - sand on my tongue and wind in my furs!!!

I have to laugh at the way Becky runs (that's okay - Becky probably laughs at the way I run, too) - she is like a rocking horse - both front legs up, both back legs up, both front legs up, both back legs up...

Like any grandma, my camera is always out when the grandkid(dog) is around.

Ears up!

And like any good grandma, I have to spoil the grandkid(dog) while she's here - a new piece of bling ID for her collar, and a flying squirrel as she really likes the one I keep here for visiting dogs. Her paw on her squirrel definitely says "MINE!":

New bling AND a flying squirrel! Thanks, Grandma Jean!

And now I better get the spare room prepared, give the rest of the house a lick and a promise, and run out for some groceries and dog food -- if I don't get sidetracked by the new hatch of sparrows that were born in the birdhouse under my shed roof a couple of days ago. Baby squeeks and wide open beaks and busy parent birds are sooooo entertaining!

Becky's here!

My granddog Becky is with me for the weekend. My daughter and son-in-law adopted Becky from Vancouver Animal Shelter a couple of years ago. Like mother, like daughter - they chose to adopt a senior. Becky is thought to be about twelve years old. She is likely an australian shepherd/border collie mix. Like my senior crew, she has a tendency to be a little leaky. Unlike my crew, she loves to play frisbee, carry soft toys around, and pull on the leash. Oh, and she likes to eat cats for lunch ......well, to catch and shake skunks at BBQs. Allie is confined to my office for the weekend.

Becky has stayed with me at the farm, and visited my home here in Crofton with her mom and dad last fall, so she is no stranger to my dogs. Charley is infatuated with her, following her everywhere, wanting to be BFFs. The others are feeling quite left out.

Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

Wanna be my Best Friend Forever?

Humph! What're we - chopped liver?

Ha ha ha! We made a joke! Dogs LOVE chopped liver!

Can I go in now?

I am NOT amused.

A Day on the Island

Beautiful BC flag

Saltspring Island, that is. My daughter and son-in-law, with my granddog Becky, came over to see my new home on Vancouver Island, and we decided to take a daytrip to Saltspring Island, just a twenty minute ferry ride away from Crofton (my home) to Vesuvius Bay. Even though my home is only a block or two away from the dock, we still ended up in the ferry lineup for a one-sailing wait.

Waiting in line

But even that was a blessing, for I got to stand on the ferry dock and watch the jellyfish swim and manoeuver using their long parachute-like tentacles. What is a flat red disc on the beach, becomes a two or three foot long red and white amazing sea creature, almost octopus like, in the depths of the salty water. I tried unsuccessfully to capture it with my camera, but to no avail.

Jellyfish in water

And I liked looking at the old wooden guides that draw the boat to the pier - colourful wood made more colourful by purple starfish clinging to its sides.

Old wood and starfish

We had all been to Saltspring in the past, but only from the Vancouver side to Fulford Harbour, so viewing Crofton from the water was a new experience for me. Here's the views from Crofton ferry dock as we pull away from Osborne Bay:

Leaving Crofton harbour

Heading out

Crofton from the water

Osborne Bay from the water

Making tracks

We joined the throngs at the Saturday Market. Saltspring Island is, as my daughter put it, "a hippy community" - a combination of "artsy" and "green". We bought fresh organic produce from the market and ooh'd and aah'd over the homemade goodies - from sweet treats to soft woolen hats - for sale at the many stalls. I could have spent thousands just on beautiful watercolor originals or soft green and blue glazed pottery.

Dogs aren't permitted in the actual market area, so son-in-law walked the periphery with Becky, as daughter and I walked the inner core. We'd meet at the corners, where Becky would be waiting patiently with her papa.

Happy, happy Becky

The bay at Saltspring was much busier than our sleepy little Osborne Bay - sailboats everywhere, tourists trying their hand at kayaking, locals out for a day on the water.

The bay at Ganges, Saltspring Island

We found a place for lunch where there was an outdoor patio table conveniently located beside a post and low brick wall where Becky was welcome to rest.

Table for four, please. Three humans and one canine.

The restaurant staff at Bouzouki's were fabulous and so was the meal. As the staff took our wine order, they spontaneously asked if Becky would like some water, which they served directly to her with all the aplomb that they served the humans. When our food order was taken, they asked if Becky would be permitted a few tidbits of meat from the kitchen - again the staff took it out to her personally and handfed it to her bit by bit. I think Becky has decided eating out is pretty special!

What's for dessert?

We humans were also superbly looked after. My daughter and I had tender tasty seafood crepes with a light creamy sauce that didn't drown the seafood or mask its wonderful flavour. It was accompanied by a delicious salad of local greens, fresh young cucumber, and sun-warmed succulent Black Russian tomatoes which had been grown by our server (who I think was co-owner, though I'm not positive). My son-in-law chose the lamb burger, made from locally raised lamb, served openfaced on a tasty panini-style bun, accompanied again with fresh greens and tomato. A delicious coffee to finish, and we were set for more exploring and the homeward journey.

Mid-water between Saltspring and Vancouver Islands

Home to a tasty dinner of fresh sockeye salmon bought from the wharf at Saltspring, and fresh dug nugget potatoes, tender young beet tops and tasty beets from the market, all cooked to perfection by my daughter and son-in-law. A stroll with the dogs, a glass of crisp wine, a cosy mother-daughter chat. A roughly perfect day.