Blue Boy aka "Harley" Update - New Pics, a Couple of Stories - and an Introspection on Pet CareGiver

Kathryn and several people in the group wanted to see some updated pictures of Harley, so over the w/end, I put together a couple of pics of his papa, “Jerry Lee” and several of Harley, now at 12-weeks old.

Harley is the latest member of our Pet CareGiver family and he’s trying to find his way to see what he can do – or what he can get away with, LOL

We finally went outside while taking Harley out – weather was good that day, so we all went out. What’s the big deal about this? Well, we have not been outside in over 18-months since Sundance passed away as the outside just became dead to us – too many memories over the 13-years from his puppyhood, adulthood, and finally poor health, were everywhere in the yard, - on every blade of grass - every corner of the yard.

I played with Harley and tried to chase him until I got too tired and I went to sit down on the porch and just watch him. His growth and transformation is incredible – he is running and leaping and jumping and learning what his body can do – you can see that the lights are turned on, the wheels are turnin' and that he is dialing in.

Goldens have a natural “burst of energy” that they have to expel many times a day. They are very high energy and their stamina is the stuff of legends, so exercise, and hard exercise is key for them. They suddenly just take off at breakneck speed, running and jumping and cutting on a dime – it’s really something to see. So, I sat there in amazement at this new little life and began to experience things and life again through him – it was a moment of revelation.

I sat there with tears welling up in m eyes, both both of joy and sadness at the same time – a mix of what Sundance was and what Harley IS and what he will become.

I saw the Cycle of Life – the Passing of the Torch – it became clear to me how wonderous that Life can be, when we recognize those simple and precious moments and just live for that second and not worry about anything else FOR THAT MOMENT, until It passes – then it becomes so much more – it becomes a MEMORY, that Cancer or anything cannot take away from any one of us. A simple lesson, but often times one of the hardest to conquer.

What it really did for me was make me FEEL ALIVE for that moment – I thought things are going to change, things will be alright, we have a new life now – and Harley has brought that too us, but he is too young to understand that right now – he’s just too busy being “Marley” …I mean Harley.

The other story I wanted to tell you is a good one too. We were raking leaves and that is normally a chore and something you dread doing – it’s work, you know? But this was Harley’s 1st experience with “leaves” – see where I’m going with this?

I raked up many piles and Harley would charge my rake, do a couple of his maneuvers and then WHAM at full speed he would just plop in the leave piles, burrow his nose in there, throw leaves into the air, and then try to catch them in his mouth. Every time, I raked the pile back, here he’d come again at full speed, within seconds he had smashd into 7 or 8 piles, just having the time of his life….to see his happiness and wonderment at such a thing, made it not a chore, but a wonderful event.

He thought he was so funny messing up Papa’s leaves – and he did it “over and over” again, much to his delight and much to my chagrin – but you know what? I just laughed it off – and again, it has now become a memory that I will treasure for his life and ours.

You see, I now have a “family” again – and it felt so good to be able to share time together and laugh and play – it was so good for our souls – I still feel old in body, but young in heart. Kim took video and I wish CSN had a place to post videos – you guys would love how he attacked the rake, jumped in the piles, and rolled all around in them – you should have seen the look on his face when all the piles were picked up.

Spring is coming and we are looking forward to the warmer weather so we can all go outside now and begin to live some – I never realized how much we were missing since Sundance passed away – just stuffed it all down, but Kim and I died that day, we lost our family and nearly ourselves.

For those of you who have children, this probably sounds crazy, but adding someone else to the mix besides each other, changes the dynamics of the entire situation – our family is now whole again – and that’s a good thing. There’s just something magical that comes from the addition of someone besides yourselves – I suppose it’s the care and support that you now have to provide – someone else to be responsible for – watching someone grow and blossom - it does make all the difference.

I’ve been struggling some watching Harley come into Sundance’s house and yard and begin to take his place. I knew it would not be easy to do – to let my heart go to another Golden– I felt like I was betraying Sundance and his memory – it has been very hard to Let Go! And I’m just being honest about it.

Harley won’t take no for an answer though and I am now bonding with him – he is testing his papa’s limits and my patience at times, but he is worming his way into my heart and I can see that Harley will be his own unique personality with his own way of being – and that differs so much from Sundance. To sit back and watch his growth and physical development, as well as watch how smart he is and what he is capable of is making me a proud papa. Sundance is gone but never forgotten – and now Harley rides in to pick up where he left off – he has already SAVED two souls since his arrival and hence is the newest CareGiver to our family – and TO YOU too, if you "let him in."

He’s always going to be “Marley” though – he’s just got that in him – I’m ok with it, it’s what makes him who he is and who he will be.

Harley and Jerry Lee pics are on my Expressions page – all on the 1st page I believe. Happy viewing! So, stop by a minute and see how “Marley”…I mean Harley is looking

Tell me if you can see the family resemblance between Papa and Son - he looks to be the spittin' image of his daddy. They are both so handsome, so majestic, so Golden - it just makes me so proud.

-Craig