We began this week by celebrating my little brother Asa’s birthday. Now we’ll close out this week by honoring what what would have been my big brother Lemmy’s 13th birthday. Lemmy crossed Rainbow Bridge five years ago, so Asa never had the opportunity to know him. Therefore, it is my duty to keep Lemmy’s memory alive by telling Asa all about him. As I sit here trying to figure out where to begin to describe our quirky big brother, I realize it would be far easier for Asa to learn about Lemmy through the wonderful memories Mom captured in photos.
There were three places that Lemmy loved the most. The first was hiking in our woods. The second was playing at the beach.And Lemmy’s third favorite place was home. Specifically as close to Mom and Dad as possible. Lemmy would insist on sitting under Mom’s rocking chair, no matter how uncomfortable it looked, and could often be found napping on Dad’s feet. What Lemmy liked the least was when Dad would have to travel for work. My poor big brother would go into a state of mourning the entire time Dad would be away. Nothing could console him, not even a visit from his best friend, Grandpa. However on the flip side, Lemmy loved going on vacations to Pepere and Babci’s house without Mom and Dad. Oh boy did he have a lot of fun staying with them! But as you know, “what happens at the Grandparents’ house, stays at the Grandparents’ house,” so his secrets are safe with me. Speaking of our Grandparents’ house, he wasn’t exactly the smartest dog. This is the infamous room divider that Lemmy got his stuck in while chasing our kitty cousin. In case you’re wondering, this photo was taken at a different time when his head wasn’t stuck.Lemmy also wasn’t the bravest dog. A lot of things scared him. Thunder, the vacuum cleaner, and the pink flamingos in our yard, were just a few of things that made him nervous. He could also be quite stubborn. Would you believe Lemmy would purposely skip meals in protest of whatever was bothering him? Mom would add all sorts of tempting things to it to get him to eat, but he’d flat out refuse! Lemmy would use this stubborn streak to his advantage though. If he didn’t want to go someplace, he would simply lay down and refuse to budge. This tactic proved especially useful if there happened to be a puddle around. After all, Lemmy couldn’t resist water. In fact, Lemmy loved water in all of its forms, especially snow. He would treasure each flake from the first snow of the season until the last, and would mourn it’s disappearance in the spring. Even during Lemmy’s last winter, despite being very sick, the snow would have a magical affect on him, and turn him into a puppy once again. While we’re on the topic of being a puppy, Lemmy was a very patient big brother, and shared everything with me. Ok, I admit I may have annoyed him occasionally. But overall Lemmy loved me, and I loved Lemmy.Happy Heavenly 13th Birthday, Lemmy! I love you and miss you! See you at the end of the trail my dear brother!
Chuck Billy is a Golden Retriever, living in Southern Maine, who likes to share his unique observations on life with his little brother Asa. When not writing his blog, he spends his days being awesome.
