Whippet Wisdom – a Highland Journey
A journey through the seasons with two adopted whippets, a poet and a camera
sea lace
the first step
so small
nobody knew
the size of the ocean
© Xenia Tran
Ribbons, Spring/Summer 2022: Volume 18, Number 2
Wishing you all a blessed Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,
with love from Misty and Xenia xxx
Jez Braithwaite’s Water Water Everywhere #131
CFFC: Landscapes or Seascapes
Thursday’s Specials: Pick a Word in June 2022 (Bouldery, Perched, Surging)
A warm-hearted thank you to all of you who showed so much kindness and love after the loss of our beloved Eivor and Pearl last month. Your prayers, healing, comments, messages and cards have wrapped us in a warm blanket of comfort, love and light.
We had no intention of fostering or adopting another dog so soon until angels both in heaven and on earth brought Misty into our lives. She was the much-loved only dog of an elderly couple, who have cared for her since she was a pup. The woman passed away six years ago and her widower passed away recently.
Misty is used to a quiet life and needs to be the only pet in the house. Her family are great animal lovers with a house full of pets and a lively toddler.
They contacted rehoming charity Give a Greyhound a Home and asked if they could find a Forever Foster Home for Misty. Misty is on medication for life for one health condition and on a special diet for another. She is receiving supplements for a third condition and a fourth condition is currently not life-threatening, though needs to be monitored.
The family visited us with Misty the day before we were leaving for a short break. In the midst of all our grief, Misty moved between us with love, kindness and grace and we felt the possibilities for healing.
There were tears. Above all, there was love. They left Misty in our care with her food and medication, her beds and blankets and a warm red coat.
Here a new journey begins. We feel grateful and blessed to be able to care for this sweet soul in her twilight years and remain in close contact with her family.
Our walks are shorter and quieter, giving us special times together with all the beauty and magic that nature has to offer.
We will post here on Mondays and Thursdays, and continue to post on our sister blog Tranature on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Wishing you all a happy Monday and a blessed Summer Solstice/Winter Solstice tomorrow,
with love from Misty and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Weekly Prompts Weekend Challenge: Middle
We are beyond devastated to let you know that Pearl followed Eivor across the rainbow bridge this morning.
She took a bad turn yesterday afternoon with a racing heart and a high temperature and stayed at the vets overnight, where her condition initially became stable. This morning she took another bad turn and the vet said that the kindest thing was to let her go.
I spent an hour by her side before she slipped away and wished her the safest journey.
Pearl was the sweetest, bravest and cheekiest soul we were lucky enough to share so many wonderful years with in this life.
She and Eivor were inseparable and now they are together again.
I am taking a break from blogging on Whippet Wisdom for the moment and will post my haiku, haibun, tanka, and other poems and photographs on my nature blog, Tranature.
Thank you all for walking along with us here over the years. It has been a great pleasure to share the natural beauty as seen through the eyes of our beloved friends. Their spirit will always live on in our hearts.
Peace and blessings to you all and thank you for your friendship,
with love from Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Word of the Day Challenge: Bereft
Art is the means we have of undoing the damage of haste – Theodore Roethke
The sun warms our backs as we walk along a narrow trail between dandelion clocks and flowers. Rhododendron and lilac are in bloom and their scent seems extra sweet this morning. We feel at one with the wood, the bog lands and the meadow as if we have always been part of earth’s garden.
stirring the soul
goldfinches sing
in the alder
© Xenia Tran
In the spirit of Roethke’s quote, we are sharing some more treasured moments from our last walks with Eivor this week.
Wishing you all a blessed Monday and a peaceful week ahead,
with love from Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #201: Three of a Kind
Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Lilac
Ascension Day
a myriad of ways
to be reborn
© Xenia Tran
First of all we want to say a warm-hearted thank you for all your heart-felt messages and condolences we received after Eivor’s passing. It means a lot and it is deeply moving how so many of you feel a connection to him and his amazing spirit. He looked at everything in life with love and I am sure he could feel the love you have for him and your own animal friends and companions too.
As promised yesterday, I am sharing a few more special moments from the last days of his life today and over the next few days.
We wish you all a blessed Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,
with love from Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Rag Tag Daily Prompt: Myriad
There are no words to describe how much we love you and how you will always live on in our hearts.
Eivor passed away peacefully last night. He had enjoyed so many good moments despite his illness and handled everything with such love and grace.
We will share some of those moments over the next few weeks to celebrate his life. He always wanted to live it to the full and take as many memories with him as possible.
Pearl seems to understand where Eivor is in a way that has always been much smarter than our own understanding of a spirit’s comings and goings. Her friendship with Eivor transcends his passing from one world to the next and we know that our own friendship with Eivor will transcend his passing too.
Wishing you all a peaceful Wednesday,
with love from Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
a new morning
all these ferns leaning
into light
© Xenia Tran
Wishing you all a happy Monday and a peaceful new week,
with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Lens-Artists Weekly Photo Challenge #200: Every Little Thing
Word of the Day Challenge: Super
daybreak –
a shimmer on the pond
brushed
by last night’s moon
swans feed in the shallows
© Xenia Tran
Wishing you all a happy Thursday and a peaceful rest of the week,
with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Tanka Thursday: Moon
Wishing you all a wonderful Wednesday,
with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
new life
birds nesting
in the dew
your diagnosis
hits us all sideways
© Xenia Tran
It is with great sadness that we learned last Friday that the growth in Eivor’s mouth we had biopsied two weeks ago is a malignant tumour.
Eivor had lumps in his mouth last October and a band of tissue wrapping around some of his back teeth. The teeth and part of one of the lumps were removed early November. The biopsy result indicated he was suffering from Gingival Hyperplasia, an overgrowth of the gums that can threaten the teeth. Although these growths are benign, they can cause great discomfort and the main treatment is surgery.
Because of Eivor’s age, the option to operate would not always be the safest and we were advised to monitor his gums for any future growths and only use surgery as a last resort.
He recovered well from his operation and felt a lot more comfortable. We had a blissful two months where he was full of joy and ready for any adventure. In January, he had a new lump on his gums that was causing him discomfort. The vet suggested it was still relatively small and that we could manage the pain with painkillers to keep him comfortable. His condition deteriorated in mid-April and after another visit to the vet who had been treating him so far, we decided to seek a second opinion from a different vet within the same practice.
This vet was very concerned by what she saw and she took x-rays, biopsies from different parts of the mouth and removed two more teeth that had been loosened by new growths. The biopsy results came in on Friday. The sarcoma cannot easily be isolated for removal and, considering his advanced years and the impact further intrusive surgery would have on him, the best option at present is palliative care.
We want to keep him as comfortable as possible, let him continue to do the things that make him happy, such as small zoomies in a field, and enjoy every moment we have.
After the initial shock we are now grateful that we know and give him the best possible care and support. After all the questions we can now rest in what has always been there, the deep love between us.
If you are blessed with furry companions in your life please give them a big hug and enjoy the precious time you are given together.
Wishing you all a blessed Monday and a peaceful new week,
with love from Eivor, Pearl and Xenia xxx
Photographs by Xenia Tran, edited in lr.
Your Daily Word Prompt: Dew
Word of the Day Challenge: Isolation
Whippet Wisdom - a Highland Journey 
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