Dog memorials

Today is the second anniversary of Hector's death.  I never stop thinking about Hector, even though I have three other dogs and many activities to keep me busy.  Hector is always in my heart, and mind. He is everywhere in this house, and at the house at the Cape, and in my car.  He is basically always with me, always watching over me, always by my side.  I never thought this dog we got as "second banana" to pack leader Hobie would wind up being the one who stole my heart, but he did.  I know Gil feels the same way.

(first photo I ever took of Hector, at the farm where he was born)

A month or so after he died, Tori Amos' album "Night of Hunters" was released, and the lyrics to the song "Carry" pretty much say it all:

You will not ever be forgotten by me,

In the procession of the mighty stars,

Your name is sung and tattooed now on my heart,

Here I will carry, carry, carry you,

Forever

This morning, I went over to the spot in the yard that our friend Craig created as a memorial to Hec.  It's kind of a funny coincidence that Hector died on Craig's birthday.

After I said a few words ("Hector!  Who pooped on your memorial?!" and "I miss you, buddy, I think about you every day.") I went back into the house, made an iced coffee, and logged in to the computer wondering if I would post anything about this anniversary.  First thing I saw in my email was this article from Cesarsway Magazine about pet memorials.  There are no coincidences.

Rather than describe the Hector Memorial (which is part of the larger Timba Memorial Park (a.k.a. our back yard!) here are a few pictures, worth a thousand words.

The "headstone" Gil had commissioned for the project

(It sat in the yard for over a year! Oh well.)

Breaking ground on the Hector Memorial

The finished product!  Another beautiful job by Craig and Landscapes, LLC!

Stay tuned for a special reveal on Sept 15th!  An excerpt from my soon-to-be-self-published collection of non-fiction essays about my dogs will appear in Cape Women Online Magazine!