Remembering Times Long Past

This February, our weather turned from warm to bitterly cold and snowy. This always leaves the camellia blossoms frostbitten browned. I brought Pearl (my last chicken from the original flock of six) and Ernest (my adopted stray cat) inside for safety. We spent time thinking about the past and doing creative things together. I missed my dog, Brandy, and Pearl missed her sister, Blanche.

Brandy’s Day of Remembrance was this past February 14th, the day he died in my arms as my beloved first and only dog. Drawing him in the yard of my house where he was never able to play seemed like the best way to remember him as an artist.

First Illustration: Brandy’s ears were excellent for listening to the songbirds who visited The Backyard Garden. In no time at all, he only needed to hear a few notes before scanning for the particular feather color and pattern of the singer. He never Barked since that might frighten them away.

Second Illustration: The little Carolina Wrens were Brandy’s favorites companions in The Backyard Garden. Their colors and patterns seemed to match his own. There were times when he imagined taking short leaps from branch to branch in search of favorite treats using their feathers rather than his own fur.

Third Illustration: Nothing amazed Brandy more than the sharp eyes hidden behind the masks of the chickadees whose beauty was only accentuated by the pale pink camellia blossoms. It was times like this that reassured him this garden was exactly where he belonged. This would be his home for as long as he wanted it to be his home. (Of the three illustrations, this is perhaps my favorite because the chickadee seems hidden within the camellia tree and so requires sharp eyes for Brandy — or a reader here — to find.)