We buried Jax in the back yard under the apple tree in the corner. I'd forgotten that she loved to eat the apples that would drop off of it this time of year. The fruit on the tree is more robust than before, and I imagine that whatever I plant back there will be robust as well, full of energy, personality and beauty, just like her. Marco brought home some of her baby pictures that I hadn't seen before. She was so adorable. I thought about her a lot last weekend in Portland, because the last time I was there was just days after she left us.
Diesel is doing much better, though he had a couple of months that were touchy - he was confused, didn't know what was expected of him. I went to Vermont by myself at the end of July for my great - aunt Bette's memorial service. Marco was suppoesd to come too, but it was not a good time to leave Diese, so he stayed home and will go in October. I think it was a good decision. Diese has been a lot more cheerful lately.

Jax, our darling angel in a black and white dog suit, abandoned her vessel sometime in her sleep on Monday June 9th, 2003.
She was a ham, a clown, a comedienne, a matriarch, a sister, loyal companion, devoted friend.
It seems like forever since she left us, her absence is so huge. Her personality was bigger than life. There are not sufficient words to describe her. If you met her, you knew her, it was impossible not to just love her and her silly ways. But at the end of the day, she took care of us all. She watched over us, made sure we were safe in bed before she would go to her own.
She spent her last afternoon 'bonediving' in the backyard. We made up the game, she and I. I'd bought a big galvanized washtub for her to cool off in on the hot days, and trying to get her to get in it, I tossed one of her marrow bones in the water. She immediately dove in head first, stayed under until she'd found it, and came up screaming for more. It quickly became her favorite thing to do. She was very pleased that afternoon, to be showing off for our friends, Thomas, Laura, and Utah. Later, we watched a documentary called "Animals are Beautiful People" and she cuddled up with me the way she did almost every night. Bedtime came and she slept on the floor next to me and eventually made her way to her own bed and quietly slipped away. She looked so comfy and cozy in her bed the next morning, and she'd been so full of life the day before that when I bent down to give her a good morning pet, my heart stopped to find that she was cold.
She was a happy, happy girl, and we are grateful to have shared the 13+ years she chose to spend on this plane. We miss her tremendously. The house is quiet.