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My little Kobe is gone and I’m trying to take a couple of days off. It’s hard to process it all when you’re used to having your head plugged into online politics 18 hours a day.
On Saturday, along with egregious and Mary Jane Muckletone (my best friend from high school) I brought Kobe’s ashes back to the house. We were looking for a good place in the house to honor him, and decided to create a comfortable place for people to sit and just disconnect from the computer and relax.
So Mary Jane and I spent the day trying to find a really cozy sofa and comfortable fabric to cover it in. Kobe liked down pillows and soft material, and he liked to pose so that everyone could see him to best effect. He was a pretty vain little guy, but not without good reason.
I had to laugh the thought of what the two of us looked like in the design showroom, trying to figure out how a dog who had passed on would feel about various fabric samples and which one would have flattered him the most.
Mary Jane is a world champion knitter so we went to Stitch DC nearby and bought some yarn. Tonight I’m knitting a pair of her wristlets on Ravelry.
Betcha didn’t know I could knit, didja? Well, I can.
They’re purple. And very soft. For a king named Kobe.
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you make?
First it was one hour at a time. Now it’s knit one, purl two.
I love to knit. It’s very soothing. I just never have time to do it.
Making right now. Putting a bright orange trim on them for a Firedog.
Will have photos soon.
Much Love J.H.
Firedog legend, and I will certainly give him and you the lead theme over at the “Sleep Time” threat at TWD tonight.
My lord, woman, is there no END to your talents?
Glad to hear you have friends around you tonight. How are Lucie and Katie handling the absence of Dear Boy?
Wishing your household much love from ours.
I’m kind of new here, but nevertheless, I admire your activism and your many talents. I’m sorry for your loss.
It’s a great idea to disconnect from the net and cable tv for awhile. Most of us have been living/breathing the likes of Fox News/limbaugh/beck/coulter, etc. continuously since about 2002 (when the blogosphere arrived) and all that garbage from conservatives can really weigh you down. I always have to remind myself that most people are just living their lives and not really paying attention to these things.
I love the little Kobe Korner :). Maybe I’ll set one up for myself. :)
Dear Jane,
I think Kobe would want to snuggle on Feathers !
Very different time from before&after bour best friend&family members passing, after 18 1/2 yearsQuantum passed.
I held him ,told him a home was his if he came. Back
15 month later Bliss ( a golden ret w/a blue eye) found
9 years ago Quantum was hit by a car accident,my husband Lucian wanted me to put him down he was 10 & money ment saving
His life,more than that a new love happened.
I became his human mom as I had when his mom was
So ovewelmed with 11 pups.I had bottle fed and got him.to go
Through the dog door first,more he Lived in the Santa
Monica mountains Topanga,Malibu&he *7 his Lady Jancis
Had the true dogs life for10 years running free in the prive
Road,hunting gopher&bunnies.
Chasing UPS&Fed Ex trucks.
Kobe would of loved it.
Santa Monica was different.still 8 1/2 years more was
Worth the months &$$$ were so important to have Quantum
Live.
I bured him On Podrats Ranch under a 20 ft pepper tree
Podrat got out the backhoe.and dug a perfect spot.
I wrapped.him in muslin and kept his tags.
May your tush be loved by his essence.
Oryskid
It’s good to honor loss, and it seems you’ve found the way to best honor Kobe and his deep connection to you.
Speaking of dog tags…
It’s a long story, and without really intending to, I adopted a aging Aussie/Beardie mix. Shadow was diagnosed with lymphoma three days after the adoption. Well. Off we went to the races on chemo therapy. Bought him 9 months. And, in those 9 months that scamp burrowed so deeply into my heart I thought it would shatter when he died. I have his dog tags on my car keys. Has his name, my address and phone number. The one time I lost them, the person who found them, and called to get them back to me, knew immediately I’d once had a very special dog.
Press on, Jane. Because that’s all you can do, after all. And, find a special place for Kobe’s tags.
BTW, wristlets are great! And, you can wear them to type or to knit. The royal Kobe would certainly approve of the colors. Hugs, Jane.
Thank you, sluggahjells. I appreciate it.
When people find out I can knit (and do so), they freak freak freak.
Love to you, Jane. Kobe was awesome.
Thanks Teddy. The girls are a little lost — Katie is depressed and Lucy is anxious. I had a plastic bag with some of Kobe’s fur in it and when I opened it yesterday morning they came running and wanted to stuff their noses in it. I guess they were trying to find him.
knit, purl, or get out of the way !
I’m not at all surprised you knit. through some lefty blogroll, I became fascinated with a group of knitters on line coupla years back – different ages, backgrounds, yet the common thread that popped through the screen was de-ter-min-a-tion.
taking it up again and regularly decompressing from your other life may be yet another gift from the King
so very glad you have friends about – Mary Jane’s pieces are simply unbelievable btw.
holding you and the girls in my heart and thoughts, would do anything to simply throw my arms around y’all and hold ya tight
p.s. – that profile pic of you over at Ravelry is to die for
Jane,
When you are ready, would you please post some pictures of Kobe for us?
Over the years, I’ve definitely formed an impression of Kobe that framed him as loving attention and perhaps a bit of a ham. He was also as smart as a whip, wasn’t he?
Kobe is in a good place, here in the hearts and memories of you and your friends.
Dave in Okinawa
Have a good reflective time, Jane, and glad you can spend the extra time with the other pups. Knitting is a good way to spend time while letting thoughts run free, in my experience. Winter is a good time to add to the stock of footies for all, too.
No.
This has been another edition . . .
Glad you’re taking care of yourself, Jane — and letting others like egregious and Mary Jane help with that.
I only recently found Jane and everyone here at the Lake, too. And I’m very glad I did find these talented people.
Jane, you’re missed here. But I’m glad to hear that you’re taking the time to unplug yourself from your usual 18 hours a day of online politics to reflect and spend time with Katie and Lucy and friends.
Be well.
Sorry to hear of your loss. Pets have this sneaky way of becoming part of the family, and it hurts as bad when they’re gone.
I knit, too, for the same reasons–as a way to de-stress and create at the same time. Not too talented–knit and purl are the only stitches I know. My family is well endowed with scarves. :)
Knitting is one of my passions. I’d spend more time on ravelry, if only I weren’t always online at political sites.
I recently discovered librivox.org. Now, at least I can knit and have someone read to me at the same time.
I’m going to go and friend you on ravelry.
Jane we all know you deserve time off. When one of my youngest daughters best friends standard poodle (Charlie) passed, I will never forget that Morgan (the friend) slept in Charlie’s bed for several nights just crying and crying. She said “I want to smell him” What an instinctual way to process Charlie’s passing.
Support your wise choice to take time off and you all ready know that Kobe will be with you always.
When it was announced that Kobe had passed I immediately thought about the spirit of Kobe hanging with Senator Kennedy and Walter Cronkite on the other side
Thanks for all you do Jane
Excellent!
Knitting! A wonderful way to decompress and process events. And what a great idea to set up a comfortable Kobe corner to do it in.
Perfect. Love the colors, too.
My father wore purple cammo pants for years and years. I never really quite “got” it. He was quite a presence, and he had an extensive e-mail list. At some point, a teacher from an elementary school somewhere on the E. coast had her children contact him about his anti-nuclear weapons activities. One of them asked him about the purple cammo. It was his answer to her, “It is the color of Kings,” he wrote.
My father died in February. He was “the King of Salvage.” He was funny and used his humor in subtle and unsubtle ways. The cammo was one of those subtle and unsubtle things. When we were in Las Vegas or on a cruise ship (for example, sometimes he wore a matching jacket), his clothing was always remarked upon.
At his memorial, we gave out purple cammo scarves. He is still popping up in the oddest places (of course, they would be odd).
Kobe the King lives on too. You will see.
Dearest Jane and EG (too)
Even in your grief, you are making us smile. What a vision of you two wacky women at the fabric store. And, knitting makes purlfect sense. Keeping your hands busy with something your brain doesn’t have to direct.
Please know that I’m being extra loving with my Plotthound, Brindle. He’s my Mister Hansdome, what I call him. And, Good Manny. I imagine all of us out here in FDL land are doing the same.
Hugs to the girls. Four legged and otherwise.
PS. Last summer when my pop passed away and I shared the news with my Late Night pals, there were many, many kind comments. I printed out 3 or pages of that thread and kept them on my night stand and read them over and over. It helped.
And, as to the sense of smell in Kobe’s fur bag, I brought my dad’s bathrobe home. Mother wanted to wash it first, but I declined that offer.
Jane, I was so sorry to hear about Kobe (via bmaz over at EW’s place). You have my sincere condolences. Thinking about the cozy corner you are making for him at home, it occurs to me that you have built him a fine tribute here in this corner of the internet. Kobe helped put the Dog in FireDogLake. He will live on here with us forever. That is not a bad legacy to have at all. I bet he was so proud of you : )
Dear Jane,
I am so sorry for your loss. So sorry.
We lost a family pet when our daughter was young and had just developed the understanding of the permanence of death. She suffered severe pediatric depression due to the pet loss. The vet and pediatrician suggested a new group/study that was developed at a local university in cooperation between the vet school and the school of medicine department of pediatric medicine. There she was, the youngest in the group and hurting in a way that made it difficult for her to find words for her hurt. The first activity the group did was to write a letter to your pet. She spoke what she wanted the letter to say and we wrote it down. The group director said it must be written as though you were speaking to the pet as still alive.
That letter still sits in a special box and it is read anytime she is missing Via. In the first week after writing the letter we read it many times. She recovered from her depression shortly after writing the letter and a few days of hearing it read over and over.We were forever thankful for the suggestion of the activity.
Kobe wants you happy. Take it easy during your time off. And keep on writing about Kobe and…knitting.
Jane, I am so sorry for your loss. We lost a beloved German Shepherd this past summer and it was heartbreaking for the humans and the dogs in the family. It does get better with time. Still bad days, especially when little things remind me when I’m unprepared for those emotional memories, but it’s not a daily fog any more. Take good care of yourself.
Jane, again, so sorry about Kobe- I feel heartbroken for you.
But, knitting is therapy- I am a knitter too. But, like you, gaps in my knitting activities. But, when I pick up the needles, I find it incredibly soothing. I remember seeing a book called “The Zen of Knitting”, or something like that. Apt description. I love MJM’s frilly wristlets- that will be my next project.
oh, no… I missed this sad news.
sorry for the loss of your dear pooch, Jane.
So sorry to hear the news, Jane.
Hope the knitting helps…
Kind thoughts as you process. You are a special person and I always enjoyed hearing about Kobe and seeing pix of him and his girls.
((( Jane, Lucy & Katie )))
Kobe was very fortunate to have spent all this time in your loving care.
Sorry for You loss Jane. To many people don’t appeciate what animals give back, but some of us know.
There must be dog heaven, and I’m sure Kobe is there with many goods friends of mine and others.
While you’re knitting, you might want to check out Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s blog, The Yarn Harlot. She is quite a character… a knitting humorist and an activist in her own right.
Dear Jane, please accept my condolences on the loss of your boon companion Kobe. I’ll bet he was a good dog, and I know that as a Poodley-poo, he was smart as all get out. I will be making a donation to the Sacramento Animal Shelter in honor of Kobe. Hopefully, other animals (of many pursuasions) will live because Kobe lived.
I wish you peace and grace in your loss, but I also wish you the right to grieve righteously, the loss of a beloved one.
Jane your the best political thinker organizer and companion to your pups canine and human. We love you and there is nothing we would not do for you and Kobe of course.
May you find peace.
Dear Jane, so very sorry to hear about Kobe. I wish for you happy memories filled with the love that Kobe brought you.