Dear Abby - Remembering Special Pets: Thelma Lou, Lucy, and Barney Fife

Dear Friends,

I have an extra special Remembering Special Pets feature today.  My Momma is visiting to share memories of special Dachshunds in our family. 

Abby:  Momma, thanks for visiting on my blogging day!   Would you please tell my readers about the family pets you want to remember?

Thelma Lou and Barney Fife

Trish:  I am here to share memories of Thelma Lou, a miniature longhair black and tan dachshund (1991 - 1999);  Lucy Ricardo, a red small standard dachshund (1999 - 2010);  and your special friend Barney Fife, a red standard dachshund (1997 - 2014).

Thelma Lou

Abby:  What are some happy memories of Thelma Lou, Lucy, and Barney Fife?   I loved Barney Fife, and have heard lots of nice things about Thelma Lou and Lucy, who were here before I was born.

Lucy Ricardo and Barney Fife

Trish:  Thelma Lou was a sweet girl, but also very sassy.  She would be walking outdoors and then decide she had walked enough, and would just stop until she was picked up!  Lucy was another sweet and sassy girl.  She had very soft fur, like velvet, and a musical voice.  When she was excited it sounded like she was singing scales.   Barney, as you know, was the sweetest, cuddliest dog in the world.  Barney had three sisters in his lifetime: Thelma Lou, Lucy, and you.  He loved you all!

Lucy Ricardo and one her many pink toys!

Abby:  Do you have any funny anecdotes?

A young Barney Fife

Trish:   I have lots of great stories!  Thelma Lou loved food.  She stole my dinner a couple of times.  Once I had a veggie sub sandwich and I went into the other room for some iced tea.  When I got back, the bread was there but the cheese and lettuce were missing ... except for one little bit of lettuce at the corner of her mouth.

Lucy was a princess.  She loved attention, loved pink toys, sweaters, dressing up ... and when I got out the camera, she was always ready to pose.  I have lots and lots of pictures of her for that reason!

Barney Fife was the sweetest boy in the world, but he was also stubborn.  When he didn't want to do something he would make a noise that sounded just like, "uh-uh, uh-uh."   Barney loved toys!  He never tired of playing ball and playing with plush squeaky toys.  He also loved meeting other little dogs, and when we went to dachshund picnics, he would position himself near the entrance so he could greet every other dachshund that he saw.

Barney Fife

Abby:  I really enjoyed visiting with you today.  Is there anything else you would like to share?

Trish:  I am so blessed that I had these special pups in my life.  Thelma Lou and Lucy Ricardo were both puppy mill rescues, and because of them I developed a passion for rescue and strong feelings about puppy mills.  They both had health issues and shortened lifespans as a result of their puppy mill breeding.  Barney Fife was truly the perfect dog.  He was devoted to his sisters and to me.  Abby, he really loved you, and was so happy when you came to be a very special member of our family.

Barney Fife and Abby, just days after their first meeting.

Abby:  That makes me so happy and a little sad at all once!  Thank you for sharing their memories here today.

Friends, if you would like to leave a message, I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Thank you so much for visiting today!

Love,
Abby

Dear Abby - Remembering Barney Fife (1997 - 2014)

When I first met Barney Fife, I was a year old and he was 13.  I traveled from far away to be his sister.  We loved each other at first glance.   He had a sweet face with big amber color eyes.  He gave kisses and moaned with happiness when things were good in his world.  He walked with a heavy, deliberate step.  He cuddled often, and happily, with Momma and me as well.  When we first met we went outside and walked together in the sunshine with Momma, and I knew that I would love him forever.

Barney Fife (6/1/97 - 9/16/14), forever in our hearts

Dear Abby: Remembering Barney Fife (June 1, 1997 - September 16, 2014)

Dear Friends,

I am blogging on a different day this week because I want to remember my late beloved brother Barney Fife with you.  He passed away on this date a year ago.

Barney was around long before I was born.  He was a rescue dachshund.  His original owners loved him but didn't have the time or energy for an active puppy.  They placed Barney with a wonderful local rescue group, and that is where he met my Momma.

She says that Barney was sweet and loving from the first, and he was a perfect boy.  People use the word "perfect" a lot about Barney.  He was really special.   Here is a picture of him when he was just one year old.

This is Barney as I knew him years later, with a sweet white face.   Momma says his face was frosted.   It makes me happy to see him looking up like this.

He also loved to play ball!  This was his favorite ball, and I keep it by my dog bed, so I see it every day.

I met Barney when I was adopted in 2010.  We loved each other right away.  This is a photo of our first walk together.  Look how happy we were!

And here we were, the same week, curled up on the dog bed together.  Barney was a wonderful brother.  He liked to groom me, play with toys, and cuddle.  He was the best brother ever!

Barney got sick after his 17th birthday.  He developed pancreatitis and kidney failure.  It was too much for his little body.

Momma and I both miss Barney so much, and we think of him every day.  Today I am thinking of him even more.

With love,
Abby

Happy 17th Birthday to Dachshund Barney Fife!

My beloved dachshund, Barney Fife, is 17 years old today!   I adopted him from a dachshund rescue group when he was 1.  He has been a delight from the very start - sweet, loving, and "practically perfect in every way" (to borrow a turn of phrase from Mary Poppins).  He is having a fun day with lots of extra attention!

Watching Downton Abbey with Downtown Abby - Season 4, Episode 2 (US)

Before we start talking about Downton Abbey, I have to say that of course both my beloved pups, Barney Fife and Abby, watch the show each week curled up beside me.  Barney, being a wise senior dachshund, usually agrees with Carson in all things Downton.  Abby wishes to be referenced in all Downton posts here, since the title includes her name - sort of.

Also, this post contains SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! for Episode 2 of Season 4.  Do not continue reading if you have not seen the episode yet.

Sigh.  This was the episode I had heard whispers about.  I had only heard that something bad was going to happy to Anna in this episode.  I didn't have details, but figured it out early on tonight.  Sigh.  I hated this storyline.  Absolutely hated how dark and dreary it was.  Poor Anna.  She's been through enough, with Bates' jail sentence and their separation.  

Also -- I am ready for Braithwaite to leave already.  She is up to no good with Tom, who is my favorite of the Downton men.  He was already struggling tonight, feeling out of place at the formal dinner.  (But wasn't he handsome in white tie?)

On a positive note, Lord Gillingham is charming, and it was nice to see Lady Mary connect with him on the basis of a longtime friendship.  I hope, since it is so soon after Matthew's death, that this will remain just a friendship for a while.

Gregson did a good turn outsmarting the card shark to win back the money that Lord Grantham and the others lost.   I still worry, though, for Edith, especially after seeing the trailers for next week.  

As usual, the Dowager Countess had several wonderful lines.  My favorite was:  "If I were to search for logic, I should not look for it among the English upper class."   I was also delighted that she quoted Christina Rosetti when talking to Mrs. Crawley:  "Better by far you should forget and smile/ Than that you should remember and be sad."

My favorite scene was at dinner, when Cora found that famed opera singer Nellie Melba would be dining alone in her room.  After Cora left to smooth things over, Lord Grantham looked at Carson and said:  "I blame you."  Absolute perfection!  They are both so enamored with the decorum of the past.

On a visual note, the glimpse of the garden was striking.  I love the greenery arches!

One question from this episode -- why was one of the footman (James?) measuring the distance from each chair to the table?  I'm sure there was some reason based on etiquette and vintage dining customs.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite episode, but of course I still like lesser Downton over anything else on television. 

What did you think of this episode?  I hope you'll leave your comments below (without any spoilers for future episodes, if you have already seen the UK edition).   What do you think of Lord Gillingham?  What will happen with Anna and Bates?  How do you think the Braithwaite storyline will resolve?