underdogishere

The weather has been gorgeous here; so gorgeous that Judi has been leaving the sliding glass door open, so the dogs can go out and in freely.

The day before yesterday Judi was sitting at a table when she heard her little beagle Stormi come inside. She sensed Sunni sit down on the floor beside her, though she didn't really look. Then she felt a tiny cold nose touch her calf. Looking down, Stormi was looking up. Then Stormi bent her head and nudged the cap of an acorn that she had brought in and dropped on the floor. Then she looked back up at Judi. The acorn cap was her gift to her Mommy.


Stormi in Mommy's Chair

Labels: Dogs, Princess Sunni, Stormi, Uplifted

Ever since this wonderful day almost two years ago, the sound of a dog lapping water from a bowl has been a joy to me. This morning I listened to Andrea lapping at 4:30. The simple joy hasn't diminished a bit.

I hope you had a joyful Thanksgiving.

Labels: Dogs, Musing, Princess Sunni, Uplifted

On Saturday Judi and I went to the Cocoa Beach Art and Craft show, and we took her new little beagle, Stormi, with us. She was a showstopper. I lost count of how many children came up and asked if they could pet the puppy. One woman was so taken that she told her son to "Forget about the dachshund and the jack russell, we're getting one of these," and then said to her husband, pointedly, "If you ever loved me, you'll get me one of these."

While Judi was browsing in one booth, the proprietor at the next booth called Stormi over. "Can I pick her up?" she asked. I noticed she was wearing white slacks.

"Her feet are dirty," I said. "It'll get all over your clothes."

"I don't care," she said, scooping Stormi into her lap. "I just have to hold her."

Stormi took all the celebrity in stride.

We had lunch at Murdock's, which is a nice place in Cocoa Village that has outdoor seating for people with dogs (that's Judi, and Stormi is in her stroller):



By the way, we had to explain to everyone about blue-ticked beagles.

Here are some more pictures of the little showstopper:

Labels: Dogs, Out and About, Princess Sunni, Stormi

About a month-and-a-half ago, in this post, I announced that I was taking part in a contest to see who among fifteen contestants -- fourteen managers and me -- could raise the most money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and, in doing so, earn the right to kiss a pig. Specifically, a pig named Wanda Jean.

In that post I lamented that all of my competitors, being managers, had subordinates who would rally around to donate to see their boss kiss a pig, while I had no employees to hate me so much. I lamented... but, dear reader, in my heart of hearts, I didn't think it would be such a big deal. I mean, some employees would empty their pockets of spare change to see their managers kiss a pig, but surely I coud match that!

I had no idea what I was getting into.

The employees of these managers didn't simply empty their pockets. They ran bake sales, book sales, popcorn sales. They held silent auctions and rubber-ducky drawings. One awesome employee raised hundred of dollars selling her hand-made bracelets (you go, Bobbie! And kudos to Manager Dave --everyone knows how great you were). And more. They went all out.

I despaired. How could I, a lowly worker with no employees to despise me, compete against this kind of passion and organization?

I thought and thought, but ideas come to me slowly, dear readers. And, honestly, I didn't want to follow the model of the managers who were competing against me, who, almost to a man-and-woman, didn't lift a finger to raise money for themselves. Most just went about their daily manager-business and let their employees do all the heavy lifting. (Most, but not all -- Nabeel, you rock!) I wanted to feel as though I deserved the money I raised.

I confess I did allow Ronnie to raise money for me by selling Easter baskets. But I did get a lot of donations just because I was me (thank you Mike and Paul!). And some of my coworkers dumped their daily change into by Kiss-a-Piggy-bank (thank you Tammy!).

And then I began to have ideas of my own. Or rather, we did. First, the Princess offered to help by selling dog treats to remind everyone that pets need a cure, too:



To be honest, I was a little nervous that people who had lost family members to cancer would be offended that I was putting canine cancer on a par, but in the end many people thanked me for calling attention to cancer in animals, and telling me how they had lost a beloved pet.

Then Judi kicked in to my cause by contributing her timeshare week in Daytona for a raffle. Unfortunately we rolled this out with only a couple of weeks to go in the contest, but it did very well just the same.

The cutoff for the contest was Tuesday, April 21st. The announcement of the winner was to be on the 22nd, Earth Day. But... there was one final twist:

On Wednesday the 22nd, all fifteen contestants -- the fourteen managers and me -- would sit together with Wanda Jean, while all the employees in the plant would gather around, and the totals of dollars raised would be announced. And then...

...there would be one last appeal for donations, and at that time any last-minute contributions to anyone's campaign would be added to their totals from Tuesday. Then the final winner would be announced.

I arrived that Wednesday morning anxious to see where I stood in the tally. I was in fifth place. Honestly, I was happy. It had been a huge struggle against the managers and their massed employees, and to be ahead of ten of the fourteen managers was something, I thought, to be proud of. In the very beginning I had wanted to win, but facing the odds that I faced after that, fifth felt pretty good. Fifth place meant I had raised almost $700 -- more than half of that from the raffle of Judi's timeshare week.

By the way, first place that Wednesday morning belonged to a manager named Bernard, who had made it known far and wide that he loathed the idea of kissing a pig. This, of course, had made him a donation magnet. He had more than $1,200.

So then the appointed time arrived, and hundreds of us gathered by the pond in the middle of our complex:



Wanda Jean was there:



The fifteen of us sat facing the crowd. Bernard was so desperate that he was holding his checkbook in hand, ready to write a big one if he needed to. Our totals to that point were called out. I was, as we know, in fifth place, and Bernard in first, $500 ahead of me. The appeal was made about last-minute contributions. Envelopes were passed around. Three volunteers sat at a table opening the envelopes and retotaling the standings. The results were passed up to the announcer.

The results were announced from lowest to highest, in true Miss America tradition. The managers who couldn't even raise $300 were disposed of quickly -- I mean, what's wrong with you wimps? We worked our way up to eighth place... seventh... sixth.... As we got to fifth, I expected to hear my name, but...

...I didn't. Another contestant was in fifth now.

So someone had made a contribution for me. It needn't have to be big, because $20 would have put me ahead of of number four, which is where I expected to be, but...

...number four was someone else.

Wow! I had had one or more big last-minute contributions. There were only three of us left now: Me, Bernard, and Andy. I was expecting to hear my name next -- it would have taken a $500 contribution for me to surpass Bernard -- but insanely I still held hope in my heart. And then they announced the third-place winner:

Bernard!

This was the manager who was terrified to kiss the pig (as you will remember), and hearing the announcement that he had lost the contest sent him into a paryoxsm. He jumped out of his seat and clapped and danced around and around.

All this action (captured on video), gave me a chance to reflect: There were only two of us now. Me, and Andy. Neither of us had been in the lead before. Obviously, we had both had major last-minute contributions. Which one of us would it be? This was so not how I had been expecting things to turn out just a half-hour before. I wasn't even sure I was still breathing.

After Bernard calmed down, they announced:

"The second place funds raised, with $1,700, is...

...Greg Smith!"

Oh... and Wow!

Oh... I didn't win. Instantly, all the attention focused on Andy, and I was like first runner-up at Miss America: Ignored.

But Wow! I came in second! By less than $100! Someone donated, at the last moment, $1,000 to my cause -- I went from almost-$700 to almost-$1,700 just like that. From fifth to second, and really close to first.

Wow!

Although I didn't win, I'm really pleased to have done so well. It was way better than I expected as the fund-raising was going on. Who was the benefactor who wrote that last $1,000 check? I don't know. Ronnie insists that whoever she is, she wants to remain anonymous.

Thank you to everyone who helped me out along the way: Anonymous Benefactor, my home-girls Judi and Princess Sunni, Ronnie, Tammy, Mike, Paul, and everyone else. It was a great ride, for a great cause:

Labels: Out and About, Princess Sunni, Uplifted

World, meet Stormi!



Stormi, meet the world.

Yes, on this day when we celebrate rebirth, after a season of death and despair, we are announcing that Judi has a new beagle puppy, a blue-ticked beagle (different from the usual tricolored beagle) named Stormi. Stormi is a little bundle of charm, nerve, confidence, attitude, temper, and... oh yes... love. She clearly believes she owns the world. Perhaps she does. But she's more than willing to share it with the rest of us. And she loves everyone. You included.

How, you ask, could Judi bring a new beagle into her life so soon after losing her most beloved Princess Sunni? Well, that's a good question. Unfortunately, the answer, while wonderful and uplifting, is too revealing to post here, and so to see it you will have to jump to my other blog that I mentioned a while back. To read that story, click here. You will need to be approved to read that blog (reason explained in the aforementioned post), but if you would like to be approved, all you need to do is ask. Click here and send me a message. That's all you need to do. I will approve you (as long as you're not Certain Someone). I promise.

And here's another picture:



Many more will follow. I promise.

Labels: Dogs, Princess Sunni, Stormi, There's No Need To Fear, Uplifted

My employer is supporting the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life campaign, and one of the fundraising events is a competition among fifteen employees to see who can raise the most donations for the cause. The one who raises the most money gets the prize, which is... er...

...he (or she) has to kiss a pig.

Yes, the local organizers have procured the services of a porcine beauty named Wanda Jean, and the candidate who raises the most money is required to give her a big smooch, in front of the entire workforce and recorded on video for posterity and YouTube.

Dear readers, I am proud to say that I am one of the fifteen candidates. And I'm crazy enough to say that I want to kiss the pig.

Why, you ask? Well, there's the glory. That's a draw. More important, though, we recently lost Princess Sunni to cancer, and so I have a special, personal motivation, because research into human cancers carries over to canine oncology. So go me!

Except.... There's one small problem. Of the fifteen candidates vying to kiss the pig, fourteen are managers. Only one is not. Guess who: Me. You can see that this puts me at a huge disadvantage: All fourteen of my competitors have employees who work for them, and these employees are highly motivated to donate so they can force their to boss kiss a pig. I mean, who wouldn't get a lot of satisfaction out of watching their boss kiss a pig? I, on the other hand, am a lowly helot with no subordinates to lord over, so I don't have anyone who reviles me enough to donate.

At least, I don't think I do.

So you can see my dilemma.

Dear readers, I know finances are tight out there, and times are tough, but if you can see it in both your heart and your wallet to donate a few bucks to help me defeat those oily-voiced, shifty-eyed managers and earn the right to kiss the pig, I would be grateful. Again, I know times are tight, so I don't want to pressure anyone. Just if you are able.

If you want to donate $10.00 or more, you can give directly to Relay For Life (link and instructions in a moment), but Relay for Life requires a $10.00 minimum, and so for those of you who can't go that high I've set up a PayPal account at RelayForLife@beaglewriter.com, and you can use PayPal to send me as little as you like. Believe me, no donation is too micro. You'll have to trust me, but I promise that all Paypal donations will be converted to cash and stuffed in my "piggy bank" collection jar at work. Just go to PayPal and "Send Money" to RelayForLife@beaglewriter.com.

On the other hand, if you can spare $10.00 or more, then you can also donate directly through Relay for Life's Web site. Go to this link: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/Smooch. Here you will see a picture of Wanda Jean, and also a list of the fifteen candidates, including me, Greg "The People's Choice" Smith. Click on the "Donate" button. For some reason, you must type my name -- which is "Greg Smith" -- in both the Recognition Name and Personal Note boxes on the donation form -- I don't know why, but it sounds like bad software engineering to me. Remember: Greg Smith.

Thank you! Even if you can't donate, I would appreciate your well wishes. I would appreciate your well wishes even more if I knew about them because you left them in the comments on this post. Thanks again. I'll keep you posted. :)

Labels: Princess Sunni

In this post I told you how twelve butterflies -- eleven Monarches and an awesome Black Swallowtail -- emerged from their chrysalises and ventured into the world on the day that Princess Sunni began her journey to England -- twelve butterflies for the twelve years of her life. Here are some pictures of those butterflies from that day, including one of a Monarch resting in the hair of the Princess's brother Kyle, and one of a Monarch in Judi's hands (click on any picture for a larger version):









This is the Princess's Black Swallowtail:



There's one more picture of the Black Swallowtail, but it's too painful to post here, and so to see it you will have to jump to my other blog that I mentioned a while back. To see that picture, click here. You will need to be approved to read that blog (reason explained in the aforementioned post), but if you would like to be approved, all you need to do is ask. Click here and send me a message. That's all you need to do. I will approve you (as long as you're not Certain Someone). I promise.

Labels: Butterflies, Princess Sunni, There's No Need To Fear

This is from Michael Malone's terrific book Dingley Falls (the William character is in his eighties):

"Last time I wanted to die I was nineteen. I'm way too old for it now. Now hand me that pea soup," called William with gusto as out came Orchid O'Neal with the cat-faced china tureen that no one had ever liked, but that had perversely refused to be dropped and broken, and that had outlasted three generations of Dingley owners. Fragile as china is, it is less fragile than life.

Life is, indeed, more fragile than china.

In November, 2007, Princess Sunni went through a series of seventeen radiation treatments for a debilitating brain tumor. Even though the treatments were a success, we knew they weren't a cure, and the return of the tumor hung over our thoughts. Judi would often hug her little beagle and say to her, "I don't know what I'm going to do when you're gone."

"Where am I going, Mommy?" the Princess would answer.

And Judi would answer, "England, Princess. You're going to England. You can meet the Queen."

After a hug, or even just a scratch-behind-the-ears, Sunni would always shake herself all over. Judi would accuse her of trying to shake off Mommy's love, but I told her that the Princess was just making sure all her furs were arranged the way they should be.

And the brain tumor did not return. The Princess beat the odds. She remained sharp and strong right up until Friday, January 16th.

Anyway, I thought I should provide a little more information about Princess Sunni's goodbye, for anyone who might care to know.

The Princess came home triumphantly from her surgery on Wednesday, the 14th. On Thursday she has a fantastic day: She scarfed hot dogs for breakfast, and played her "nose in the bamboo curtain" game to get lots of Arby's bites for lunch. It was a happy day for all of us.

Then, late Thursday night her breathing became a little heavier, and the color disappeared from her gums. We knew what this meant: That one of the tumors in her liver had ruptured, and there was nothing that could be done.

She spent the entire night in Judi's arms, under the blankets, warm and peaceful and loved, seeming content.

Just after 9:00 AM Friday morning she was placed up on her front legs and she gave one final shake of her head and ears and neck. It wasn't a strong shake, but it was enough to get her furs were arranged just the way they should be. It was her final act using on her own strength: Arrange her furs just so. She lay back in Judi's arms, and at around 9:20 AM she was gone.

Judi has butterflies emerging from chrysalises almost every day, usually many per day. That Friday, she had eleven Monarch butterflies, and they were released, one by one. "We need twelve," Judi said, "one to remember each year of Sunni's life." But only eleven Monarchs came out. Then, later in the day, we had a big surprise: A solitary Black Swallowtail emerged, after having been in chrysalis literally for months -- so long that we has given it up as not being viable. But a big, strong, incredibly beautiful Black Swallowtail came out and Judi released it and it flew away, number twelve for the day, one to remember each year of the Princess's life.

Godspeed, sweet Princess. Oh, and one more thing: When you get to England?

Say hello to the Queen for me.


The Princess Steps Out

Labels: Princess Sunni

I know my posts have been pretty sparse lately. I hope to change that, and in particular I have a lot of butterfly news to get caught up on. In the meantime, I wanted to mention a line I heard on NPR's Morning Edition this morning. The mayor of a suburban Miami town was talking about his town's effort to score funds from the upcoming economic stimulus package:

"We're barking up every tree in the forest."

I guess if you're going to bark up a wrong tree, why not bark up every wrong tree. As well as the right one, hopefully.

Somehow, it seems like a very beagle-ly strategy. :) I wish him and his town well.

Labels: Overheard, Princess Sunni

The light is gone.

Princess Sunni died this morning, in her own bed in her own home, resting peacefully in Judi's arms.

Labels: Princess Sunni

After having a great day this last Sunday, including having her kibbles laced with mushroom gravy, Judi's Princess Sunni had a restless and sleepless night. By early Monday morning, she was panting heavily and seemed a little weak. The weakness advanced rapidly: At 7:00 am she could get around the house, but by 9:00 she couldn't cross a room.

Alarmed, we took her to the vet. We actually had an appointment, but we had to wait an hour and a half past the appointment time to actually be seen. By this time Sunni was so weak she had to lean against the wall to stand (though stand she did -- what a trooper!) The vet quickly (like, you should be quick after having made this obviously very sick patient wait an hour and a half) diagnosed acute anemia. The most likely cause for sudden onset of acute anemia: Internal bleeding. The most likely cause of internal bleeding: A cancerous tumor on her spleen.

Judi was, as you can imagine, beside herself. She had to surrender Princess Sunni into the care of the vet's office -- something she was loathe to do, as the last time we had done this, with my beloved BJ, she had died overnight in their care. But Sunni needed an ultrasound of her abdomen to confirm the diagnosis. If it was a tumor on the spleen, that wasn't the end of the world -- she could have her spleen removed, though only after an expensive blood transfusion to strengthen her for the surgery.

Leaving Sunni behind was one of the hardest things I think Judi has ever done, but she did. And then it got worse: The vet called to tell us that the ultrasound revealed tumors not only in the spleen, which could be removed, but in the liver, which could not. If the bleeding was from the liver, it was over. Our bright light would be extinguished forever.

The only way to tell would be to "open her up." To perform surgery would require that blood transfusion. The vet said the odds were way against Sunni and he recommended euthanasia. Besides the possibility that the bleeding was from the liver and incurable, it was also possible that she would be "riddled with cancer."

But Judi knew that Sunni has beaten the odds before, with the brain tumor. Give her the blood transfusion. Open her up. If the bleeding is solely from the spleen -- the only possible "good" outcome -- remove it and we have a little more time with our Earth Angel. If it's any of the many other dire situations that the doctor fears... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. As long as Sunni doesn't suffer.

Last night our Princess received her blood transfusion. It was a long night. A night when we feared she would die away from home and the people who loved her.

But she didn't. This morning we were able to visit her in the hospital before she was prepped for surgery. We actually got to spend more than two hours with her, which was absolutely incredible. Having had the transfusion, she was much stronger than when we left her yesterday, though of course still not back to her usual self. But she did wag her tail when she first caught sight of her Mommy, and that cheered her Mommy more than my words can say.

The doctor came by to warn us again that he felt that things would go badly, that Sunni would be riddle with cancer, that we needed to be prepared to have her euthanized on the table. That the only possible good outcome would be that the bleeding would be limited to the spleen. Judi said she was prepared. We left a phone number.

Here's a very poor quality picture of the Princess snapped with my phone, before she went for her face-to-face with the Grim Reaper:



We knew the surgery would commence about 11:30, and that the earlier we heard from the surgeon, the worse the news would be: If all went for the best, he wouldn't call until he was actually out of surgery.

At 12:10 the phone rang, and Judi started crying as she picked up the receiver.

The surgeon's words:

"We're out of surgery."

YES!!! YES YES YES!!!

Once again, the little miracle beagle beat the odds. The bleeding was limited to the spleen (she's now spleenless). Tonight, we have been informed, she's awakened from the anesthesia and is resting peacefully. Soon she will be home, and emitting light as always.

We aren't denying the cancer in her liver. It's still there, and probably not treatable, in the long run. But for now, we aren't worrying about the long run. We are thinking about tomorrow, and the prospect of a beautiful little beagle face looking up at us with beautiful brown eyes, and a beautiful white-tipped beagle tail wagging, and a little more time with this angel who came down from Heaven to bless our lives, and is working miracles right and left as she goes.

Labels: Princess Sunni

Judi and I were ruminating on what it is about Princess Sunni, her little miracle beagle, that made us so joyful when she comes into the room.

Judi: She comes in and looks up at you and wags her tail, and, and...

Me: ...you feel happy.

Judi: She makes you feel happy. She brings light. She gives off light.

Me: She's an LED!

Judi: A what?

Me: A Light Emitting Dog.

Labels: Princess Sunni

Two years ago I posted about a Miracle Christmas Bear. This year we have a Miracle Christmas Beagle:



May all of you be as blessed as us!

Labels: Princess Sunni, Uplifted

Princess Sunni gobbling down her Thanksgiving Day feast, on this Day of Thanks Giving.

Labels: Princess Sunni

The butterfly garden's been a hopping -- or perhaps I should say a fluttering -- place. Gulf Fritillaries especially -- medium-sized butterflies, so brilliantly orange they almost glow. While we're out there they're flying all around us. One zoomed past me from behind, about six inches from my left ear, making me jump. But most of the time it's soothing and serene to be among so many fragile and incredibly gentle creatures.

These two Fritillaries were joined together, butt-to-butt, and were actually flying all over the place that way. The one whose wings are open in this picture did all the flying -- the other one kept its wings folded and went along for the ride. Were they mating? Is that how butterflies... um... do it? (As usual, click on any picture to see a larger version.)



However butterflies mate, this is the outcome of their passion: A Fritillary caterpillar chowing down hard on a passion vine leaf. I like the water droplet in the upper right, too. Clicking to see the larger image of this one reveals some interesting caterpillar detail:



As if it isn't enough to have a crop of caterpillars on the passion vine, something has been pollinating those incredibly weird flowers, and so Judi has passion fruit ripening, too:



But the taste of passion vine leaves wasn't enough, somehow, for one caterpillar, who was observed undertaking what must truly be an epic quest when you are only an inch long: He set out, out of the garden, across the paver walkway, and into the grass. Whatever his goal -- the Holy Grail, Shangrilla, who knows? -- we wish him well:





Lest you think Fritillaries are the only butterflies in the garden, they aren't. For example, this is a Polydamas Swallowtail (and here), paying a visit to the garden's pipevine, its host plant:



The Polydamas is a "tailless Swallowtail," which seems like a contradiction in terms, but I'm not a taxonomist. It's native only to Texas and the coastal regions of the Florida peninsula. Here's a picture of a Polydamas in flight, in the butterfly garden:



These clusters of lantana (a big attraction for butterflies) are unusual in that they are pure pink:



Finally, this has nothing to do with butterflies or the garden, but here's Princess Sunni, snoozing, looking beautiful (as always), and doing super:

Labels: Butterflies, Princess Sunni

So recently I made a rare foray into my Google Analytics account to see what Internet searches were bringing the wayward, misdirected, and odd reader to this blog. Historically, the search that brings the most regretting visitors is something along the lines of "peneci.llin and ta.nning," and while it is commendable that so many people want to find out if it is safe to ta.n while taking ant.ibiotics, it's unfortunate that so many are directed to my blog post, which is actually not about peneci.llin and ta.nning, but derogatives.

But anyway, this time I was surprised to find some visits from people searching on "deta.ched ea.rdr.um." Seriously? When did I ever mention deta.ched ea.rdr.um? The answer, as it turns out, is: In a post that was actually about Princess Sunni's brain tumor, which early on was thought to be a deta.ched ea.rdr.um. But it seemed unbelievable to me that a Web search would bring up my lame mention as being relevant to anyone looking for information on deta.ched ea.rdr.ums. So I schlepped over to Google and typed in those words, and sure enough, I came up as the second most relevant page:



Getting over my mild case of stupefaction, I slowly realized that I had stumbled onto what may be the most glaring and troubling gap in that splendiferous repository of the amassed knowledge of the human race that we call the Internets Tubes. Yes, it's true:

We desperately need more information on deta.ched ea.rdr.ums.

Good and useful information, that is. Clearly we are tragically wanting in that area. So I call on you, my two readers (another discovery from Google Analytics is that readership of this blog is way down, so if you are one of my two readers, you might want to stop and take a minute to ask yourself why you continue to read, since almost no one else does, but I digress...)

As I was saying, I call on you to generate cogent and useful content on the subject of deta.ched ea.rdr.ums and get it posted somewhere as soon as possible. Because the Internet needs you.

Labels: Princess Sunni

Ever since she was a little puppy, Judi's Princess Sunni has been able to eat corn off the cob. Where most dogs -- at least in my experience -- will grab the entire ear and start gnawing and trying to break it up, Sunni has always known that she has to use her front teeth to nibble at the kernels. But Sunni hasn't had corn on the cob since her treatment for her brain tumor, and the period of extreme debilitation that she went through after that.

Last weekend we had little sections of corn on the cob, and Judi wondered out loud if Sunni would be able to eat one, after all that she's been through. I was adamant that she wouldn't. Judi wondered if maybe I was wrong. I was adamant that I wasn't. Judi said she would give Sunni an ear to try. I was adamant that she was making a mistake.

Of course I was wrong. Otherwise this would be a really boring post. :)

Pictorial evidence (clicking on any picture will open a larger view):

Getting started

Making good progress (Photo: Judi)

This is my ear (Photo: Judi)

The finished ear (Photo: Judi)

Labels: Princess Sunni

A withering plant's
unexpected flowering
rains on our desert

Labels: Haiku, Princess Sunni

The few of you that read this blog regularly know that Judi's little beagle, Princess Sunni, was diagnosed with a brain tumor late last year. And you know that in January Sunni was doing so poorly that we didn't expect her to live until her birthday. But she surprised us and bounced back and last Friday, June 6th, the hard-charging little girl celebrated that twelfth birthday that we han't expected her to see.

The weekend before that, Judi had said to me, "I want a special birthday cake that's a sunshine face [for Sunni] wearing a princess hat [because she's a Princess]. Do you think [NAME OF GROCERY STORE CHAIN REDACTED] can even make a custom cake like that, and do a good job?"

Now, there's a woman I work with (Maggie) who bakes custom cakes as a business on the side. I've seen some of her cakes, and they're terrific. So I answered, "You want a custom cake? And a good job? Maggie's the girl for you!"

So I called Maggie at home, and she agreed to bake the cake.

Last Friday morning was Sunni's birthday, and Judi and I went to pick up the cake. I was experiencing some trepidation... well, no, that's not true: I was flat-out terrified. Terrified because I had recommended Maggie so highly, and this birthday celebration with this extra special cake meant so much to Judi, and if Maggie didn't come through Judi would be crushed.

We got to Maggie's house....

We went in....

We saw the cake....

And Judi was thrilled. I was stunned. The cake was unbelievable:

Photo: Judi

The "rays", by the way, are edible. And did you notice how she wrote "Happy Birthday Sunni" across the front of the cake -- a vertical surface? You can click on any of the pictures to see a larger version, and if you click on the second one you will be able to easily see the different texturing on the frosting on the hat and the sunshine.

And here are Princess Sunni, and her sister Skye, enjoying their awesome birthday cake. It was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, of course, because that's Sunni's favorite:

Photo: Judi

Judi said the cake was so perfect that it broke her heart to cut into it. If you want a few more pictures, click here and then click on "Princess Sunni Turns Twelve."

P.S. If you live in Central Florida and you'd like to talk to Maggie about possibility making a cake for you, send me a message. There's a link over to the right for you to do that.

Labels: Princess Sunni

Yesterday Princess Sunni passed a milestone: She finished off her first bag of prescription dog food.

Around New Years Day, Sunni was doing terribly in her bout with brain cancer. Her local vet -- not an expert in cancer, but someone we trust -- insisted that her brain cancer had returned. Her neurologist vet -- an expert in brain cancer but a really flawed person that we do not trust -- insisted that it was a problem in her medications. The neurologist vet's intern suggested that we put Sunni on a prescription dog food to help protect her liver and kidneys against side effects from her medications.

So we went to Sunni's vet's office for the prescription dog food. The Very Nice Pharmacist brought out a ten pound bag. "Do you have a smaller bag?" asked Judi.

"No," said Very Nice Pharmacist. "This is the only size it comes it."

"Okay," said Judi, and I could just see her face fall, her shoulders sag, and the life drain out of her body.

As we were leaving the vet's, the bag of food under my arm, Judi said, "I don't mind spending the money, but it just kills me to think that Sunni isn't going to live to eat all that food. She's going to die first."

Well, as it turned out, the neurologist vet that we don't like or trust was right: It was the medications. And after some weeks of trial and error Sunni bounced back with a vengeance. Today she is thrilling her Mommy with every new recovering stride she makes: Howling at the delivery man when he knocks on the door, for example. Better watch out, Delivery Man, there's a beagle Princess with some kick on this side of the door.

And, yesterday, the Princess of Princesses finished off that first bag of dog food.

We are so thrilled.

Today a fresh bag of prescription dog food was brought home to the Princess's Palace. Ten more pounds. How many more will there be? I don't know. We shall see.

But we are thrilled.

If any of you want to click on the link to the photo slideshow of Judi's butterfly garden, the last slide is a picture of Princess Sunni laying in the grass and surveying her new butterfly garden.

Labels: Princess Sunni