It's been a few weeks, now, since Masha died, and we are all still stumbling upon Masha Moments quite often. There was no doggie clumsily wading through the wrapping paper on Christmas morning in search of more chewbones; no furry, wagging body hovering beside me as I cut up the leftover rib roast; no warm snoring lump to keep the blanket from falling off the bed; no need to leave the lights on before we left home for an afternoon and evening of shopping . . . .
When I woke up on Christmas Eve morning, my eyes were still stinging and red from crying the day before. I still sometimes burst into tears. Emma made a Christmas card for Masha which said, "Merry Christmas Masha. I sure miss you." She left it with Santa's cookies.
I finally picked up her dog bowls and doggie placemat as we packed for our trip to DC. There was too much room in the car, this trip -- no need to bring the crate or coax a little water into her at each potty break. I called Asia "Masha" a few times our first night with my parents.
Of course both girls are already looking forward, somewhat, to whatever new dog we will eventually adopt; they do understand, though, that Dan and I need quite a bit more time to be ready for another dog. They understand that there will never be another Masha. In the meantime, we've decided to start visiting NEADS for Puppy Petting -- because we do miss the smell of puppy paws, wet fur, dog slobber . . . .
