Goodbye, Hoover.
I didn’t post last week because over the weekend we had said goodbye to our beloved dog, Hoover. If I’m totally honest, I almost didn’t post today for the same reason. I know that seems like an odd cause and effect. What does the death of a dog have to do with a food blog? And while I have been terribly sad, it’s not as though I couldn’t hit “publish” on a pre-written post or even draft a new one. It’s just that in this space, along with sharing recipes, I pour out my heart. I’ve recounted stories of celebrations and firsts, mishaps and monotony. I have always just been myself, for better and for worse, and to post a recipe without mentioning the loss of Hoover felt both dishonest and impossible. So here I am, still trying to figure out how to address the elephant in the room, or more precisely, the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog absent from my side, and just how to move on.
It’s too soon to put this special sadness into words but I can most definitely acknowledge that it’s a shared pain among all pet lovers. There’s something about the unconditional love, consistency, dependency and routine that a dog offers which serves as an anchor in an active life. Hoover brought calm to the chaos with both his simple needs and methodical heavy breathing that grew louder and deeper with age (family lore has it that he and I would breath in unison in our sleep). Hoover was our family’s “happy place” and home is just not the same without him.
A week has passed and I don’t cry all the time, I’m starting to return the calls of caring friends and I even went to a party (thanks to a well-timed St. Patrick’s Day). But the sorrow comes in waves (spontaneous tears), reminders are constant (have there always been three bone vendors at the Farmer’s Market?) and every person walking their dog seems to have a boastful air (I know…I’ve lost it!). My daughter accurately described her mood as “flat.” I would say that I feel flat at best and shattered at worst but am repeatedly reminding myself of how lucky we were to have Hoover in our lives and what a great life we gave this extraordinary, doted upon pet.
The sting of this loss will continue to lessen and we will know a new normal but for just one more week I am going to selfishly withhold a recipe and leave this post as a dedication to our best friend, Hoover Bacon Crichton, September 5, 2010 – March 12, 2022. Besitos, Hooves.
