[Dailydrool] today's calendar page

[Donna Lindy]

My thanks to everyone who has written to me about today's
calendar page and especially to Ellie for letting me break
the rules this one time.  Today would have been Keesha's
40th birthday and I'm sure she's having a great party with
her sweet Emily and Blossom and all the other Drool "Bridge
Kids".

For those new to the Drool, Keesha had numerous
disabilities but lived for her bassets.  In March of last
year, I got a frantic phone call from her saying that
she thought she was losing Emily - her kind vet sent
2 of his techs to get her and Emily and bring them to
the clinic where Emily wound up having to have her
spleen surgery.  Thankfully, the tumor wasn't malignant
and this wonderful group of people opened their hearts
and their wallets and donated enough to pay Emily's
entire surgery bill - a generosity that Keesha had
never known before and would never forget.

When Keesha unexpectedly passed away in June
last year after an elective surgery on her arm, this
Drool family again showed their love and support
by donating funds to take care of Emily and Tulip until
their new mom, Drooler, Marty Jacobs in Maryland,
could get to Ohio and pick up the girls to be sisters to
her Pollyanna. It was love at first sight for Marty and her
heart still misses Emily who went to the Bridge last
November as Marty's much loved Grand Duchess.

Keesha will always be a symbol to me of the love
that our favorite breed brings to all of us, but especially
to those whose life circumstances may be far more
difficult than many of us face.  We basset lovers are
a special breed of humans and as much as I know
Keesha would not have wanted to leave her girls
behind, I think that what was done for her when Emily
was so sick gave her great comfort as she knew she
would not live to an old age. On this day, I hope she's
with our hounds, pain free and running free with them -
two things she couldn't do while she was here.

Donna, drool fueler for Elmo, Pw Pauline, Gracie
and Pw Bosley, missing Dudley ATB