Queen Toti Nonna

_DSC5525005If ever a year of firsts were to go down in history this would be the year. When you lose someone and every first thereafter is life affirming, instead of devastating, you know that the greater good is in play. You begin to understand those left behind rather than those who’ve gone ahead. Don’t get me wrong #lifewithoutlina has its heart wrenching moments but watching her sister come into her own is uplifting.

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Toti on vacation was eye opening. Combine new places, new experiences, play dates and selfies and you’ve got time well spent on the Cape with a dear little dog that left behind the life she spent hovering and protecting her sister. Her entire life was all about Lina but now, now she is having a ball. And she has become the belle of the ball.

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Toti Nonna and her Gramma have developed quite the love affair since I first snuck her into senior housing. During Gramma’s recent rehab stay, she and Toti became even closer. In fact, Toti took herself into several rooms along the way to Gramma’s to say hello. Do I see therapy dog training in her future? They both light up when they’re together especially if there are belly rubs involved.

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Each year Lina and Toto and I have been together we’ve raised money for a wonderful charity, Companion Animal Advocates, that makes an amazing difference in our community. I found them the same year Lina and Toto found me, coincidence? Probably not, just like minded energy at the intersection of we’re the luckiest people/dogs on the face of the earth so let’s do this. In my heart of hearts I thought I wouldn’t be able to hold it together this year without Lina. I couldn’t have been more wrong, Toti wagged her tail from one end of the event to the other, she kissed every dog she met right on the nose, she acted with grace and curiosity and kindness and fun. She was funny. My Toti, the ever vigilant defender of her meek sister, had people laughing at her adorableness and antics. Yes she popped herself right up on the CAA picnic table to say hello as soon as we arrived. The Queen surely knows how to make an entrance.

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There are moments when I feel incredibly guilty for the relief of caring for our special needs girl.   Lina, my love, lived her entire life with anxiety. She was attached to me in a way I found comforting but in retrospect she just couldn’t be… If I got up, she got up, she started at every noise, she would turn us around and take us home if anything spooked her on the walk, she couldn’t relax in the car, she just couldn’t be…and her sister would accommodate and protect and comfort.

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With a relatively short mourning period Toti has moved back into the moment. She loves the car, in fact she thinks each time we walk out the door it’s time to get in the car. And so I’m taking my cue from her, I’m staying in today, loving our walks and our rides and our vacations and our belly rubs and our trips to Gramma’s and our interactions in the neighborhood and on and on. She has taught me that when your job is done you can relax and live a wonderful life, especially if you’ve done your job well. #makingnewmemories

 

 

Best of Summer ~ The Adventures of Toti Nonna

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OK, where was I before Muriel so graciously brokered a truce between me and my laptop? Saved it from becoming a speed bump, backed it up in three different places and got me to pull myself together.  I was about to fill you in on Toti Nonna’s big adventure to the Cape.

Whenever there is a loss of someone close you generally find yourself in a year of firsts.  Life without Lina is no different because she is a dog.  I was sure there was no way to make it up to the Cape in June but something made me ask a friend if he knew of anybody renting a house near him.  Never heard from him but heard from his “anybody”.  You’ve heard me talk about all the dear old friends I’ve met for the first time; well Wanda and I talked for quite some time right from the start.  What a delight!  I can hear you say “of course she is” you know…just sayin.  And so with happenstance meeting oh-what- the-hell Toti Nonna and I were off to the Cape.  In July…  For a week…  Did I mention in July?… the summer.  This is where oh-what-the-hell meets jumping for joy!File Aug 09, 3 57 20 PMAlthough we’ve been coming to the Cape for the last twenty years, this is a new home rental for us.  This is someone’s home and we are surrounded by the personality of the owners.  Again, did I mention delightful?  Toti made herself right at home, thankfully after I made the bed, and we unpacked and relaxed.  Wanda and her husband Rick had been clamming the day before so there on ice, in the refrigerator, waiting for us, were some of those clams. There was a lovely card, and dog treats and generosity that was totally unnecessary but so incredibly heartwarming.  Did I mention it was as if we were old friends being welcomed home?

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Toti loves the car so I knew that wouldn’t be an issue for her but in any other situation she was most comfortable with Lina by her side, or should I say attached to her hip?  So what would her new comfort zone be? What comfort zone, it’s all new, fake it til you make it little girl, it’s what we do.  So on our first day…Come on lets go- it’s cloudy, the beach is out, let’s go to Ptown.  And go we did, she walked Commercial Street like she’d been going there for years, drank out of every water bowl she saw, tried to sneak into every air conditioned store and welcomed every ooo and ahhh she got from the masses.  And I do mean masses, everyone had the same it’s cloudy let’s go to Ptown thought…

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Summer, eeek, on the Cape, there are hundreds of people around and it was an unusually hot and humid week.  I mean it was around 85 degrees where usually you’re around 75-80.  Mind you I am not a summer person to begin with so when it turned out to be “Wicked Hot” (cue the accent) I was remembering life as a kid in an unairconditioned house.  God bless ReRe she propped a big old box fan on the kitchen table, practiced light control during the day and cranked that sucker up at night so a cool breeze would eventually find you during the wee hours.  I won’t say it was as bad as all that but Toti and I wound up doing exactly the same thing and it saved the day, or should I say the night.  Kind of, remember when you didn’t like to cuddle up to momma Toti?  Did you have to pick the hottest day on the cape in a full size bed to change your mind?  Just sayin…

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After walking every morning, it’s all about the fan.  After going to the beach and showering in the outdoor shower, it’s all about the fan.  After almost everything, it’s all about the fan.  Thankfully the bright, airy screened in porch was comfortable, cross ventilated and yes…all about the fan.

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It’s common practice on the Cape to bring your dog with you practically wherever you go.  So when my good friend Terry and I went out to eat, along came Toti Nonna. This was new.  Really new. Like never been done before.  The Wee Packet Restaurant welcomed her with her own water bowl and although she was a bit apprehensive, she soon settled in under the table next to her beloved Uncle Terry.  This was big!

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It was a shame to head home but back in the car we went.  Are we there yet?

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This trip was transformative on so many levels, for me, for Toti, for me…life without Lina is evolving.  I sometimes feel guilty about the ease of it.  Life with Lina could be stressful as she lived an entire lifetime with anxiety.  Toti’s job is done, she can exhale, and she can enjoy herself now.

We arrive home and let Wanda know the Jersey Girls arrived safely.  Toti settles into her familiar space and I head to the mailbox.  As if this trip didn’t have enough to be thankful for I’m greeted by an envelope addressed to Ordinary Legacy. You know how I love to get mail!!! Elizabeth from St. Ignace, MI you can’t begin to know the joy your words brought me.  Thank you for your support, know that I am incredibly grateful that you took the time to share them.

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Another new old friend.