Marching on through it all

This winter I've been slacking- partly due to my blogging over at Think Outside the Breadbox, partly due to two dogs and knitting nights and in large part due to a lot of stress. I've been going over past blog posts and remembering  good times with good people, adventures of the travel dog, cross country drives, festivals, turtles and Tomas, and lots of laughter, it's been good to have these memories in one spot and I've been appreciating the online journal of campchaos.

This year we've had a tough winter with not nearly enough powder and sadness that could fill the box canyon. We've had some good bright spots but this March will be remembered as a very sad time here at campchaos.

A year ago we drove through a snowstorm and found a bit of Mayhem waiting for us. This year we flew to Boston in near perfect weather to the biggest storm we've ever had to face as we said our goodbye's to Dave's mother.

It was hell and there's nothing to say fix this- although the cards, emails, text messages and good vibes have helped. Crashing trucks, slicing tendons and sick dogs can't prepare a person with how to deal or cope through times like these. It's not just a tough day but a long process that has no cure, no remedy, no guidebook to help steer us through what we're suppose to do or how we should deal with life. The world didn't stop and we returned to Telluride and went back to the routines of everyday life but with the knowledge that life will never be the same. 

The whole experience was hard on everyone... we all cope in very different ways and hit the stages of grief at our own pace. Comfort can be found in many forms and I really wished the dogs could have been with us.

Chaos knew something was wrong. He behaved well at his friends house while we were back east but on the day his Granny passed, he got sick. Chaos is a very in touch monster and knew life at campchaos was not right. When Jess and Jared told us about it over dinner after our return, Chaos laid quietly with his sad face melting into the floor. He knows. Mayhem- maybe not so much. He's still begging for attention and ball time but then again these things have proven to be good for us too. Long walks on the bike path on a sunny day, fresh air and mountain views- these are good things for sad people. Maybe the little guy has his own way of helping too.

We just wake up each day after to happy dogs with wagging tails and find a way to laugh again, to find pleasure in the simple things and raise a glass of red wine and toast good memories.