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Cigar in memoriam...

Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
So my boxer, Pam, had to be put down last night after she started having trouble breathing from a large tumor...

She was living with my dad and I got the call about it this morning and after sitting down a few minutes to think about it, I decided that the best thing was to appreciate the great life she had and her natural zest for it that only dogs seem to be able to display on an everyday basis.

So I did as she always did and I went right for the good stuff. Had a glass of Johnny Walker Blue with lunch. After watching my Eagles bash up the Dolphins, I decided it was time for a cigar in memoriam. I would have done this regardless, but it seemed very appropriate because for some reason she LOVED smoke. She'd lick the air to taste it, it was nuts. So...

I don't have very many ultra-rare special occasion cigars or anything, so instead I smoked one of my better ones that I've been waiting on for a long time...Tatuaje Black torpedo that's been in the humidor since last Christmas. I think I picked the perfect cigar for the occasion. I fired it up on the back porch and then took a walk with my wife, talking here and there, but mostly just enjoying being in each other's company, enjoying the cigar, and remembering Pam. Eventually I made my way back to the porch and sat down and started talking more, mostly about what a great friend and a better example Pam has been to me throughout my life, though I'm only beginning to appreciate that now that she's gone. Zoned out a bit on the stick, but towards the final third I got a great sweet sort of flavor from the cigar that really blew me away. Truly a great experience. I don't have a great palette and I can't pick apart the experience properly, but somehow it was the perfect match for my mood today.

I'm finishing up the night now with something that brings me back to the time when I first got Pam, Maudite, an ale made by Unibroue. I was pretty dark in my last teens/early twenties, and I just kinda liked drinking something called "Damned." Now that I'm coming back to it the complexity is awesome.

Now that I've typed this all out I'm thinking maybe I should've posted it in Non-cigar related...oh well. Sorry Kuzi. ;)

^Troll: DO NOT FEED.

Comments

  • DirewolfDirewolf Posts: 3,493
    Sorry for your loss. The top 3 best people in my life were dogs that shared their lives with me.
  • Shaun.Harrison87Shaun.Harrison87 Posts: 1,971
    Ken, I'm terribly sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. I lost my 14yr old golden last spring and it still drives me nuts hunting and doing daily activities without her. If you are anything like me, pets are more than just that, they are life companions that often get their life cycle cut short. You did the right thing by celebrating the life instead of mourning the death. Sorry again Ken, but keep making the best of the situation!

    Shaun
  • JDHJDH Posts: 2,107
    My condolences.

    One of the best friends I ever had was a 46 lb Standard Schnauzer who liked to climb fences. That dog could jump over 5' high while standing flat footed and dead still. I swear he had hydrolic springs in his legs, and he was always thinking...conniving, really..

    Every year he would manage to steal one of my shoes and go bury it in the yard somewhere. He would always wait until around the holidays, and I wouldn't find it till spring, and when I would find it I swear he would grin at me for days..

    He never barked much, but he had a presence...He was MR. DOG, but with a sense of humor..

    It's been four years now since he died, but I still miss that Dog.
  • camgfscamgfs Posts: 968
    Sorry for your loss.
    Having a cigar after such a loss (friend, family or pet) has been a tradition of mine for the past 30 years. It's something to look forward to even at a time of sorrow. Great story, thanks for posting.

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,917
    Sorry for your loss Ken. Dogs have always been family members for me and have helped though some tough times. Glad you enjoyed that smoke along memory lane.
  • ENFIDLENFIDL Posts: 5,836
    I'm really sorry to hear about this! I truly consider my dog part of the family and it's so hard to lose one. I will be keeping you and your family in my prayers brother!
  • e6specialke6specialk Posts: 216
    What a story, I'm sorry for your loss. I feel your pain because I also have a love of animals. Currently, I have 5 dogs, 3 cats and 1 bird.
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    Wow, thanks for the support, guys! This truly is a fantastic forum!!
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • Bucking_WBucking_W Posts: 208 ✭✭
    Crazy how Mans best friend can get into your life like they do. We lost our Schnauzer a year ago. I have two acres of land, and in the back I dug a grave, created a box and buried him. I then put cement on top inscribing his name and made a nice large cross for him. Sorry for the loss.
  • boydmcgowanboydmcgowan Posts: 1,101
    thanks for sharing ken, and my condolences brother.

    its funny how much you can learn about life by watching how a dog lives theirs.
  • slickricslickric Posts: 705
    im soo sorry man. i know how close i am with my dog and i cant imagine what you are going through. you are in my families prayers
  • 90+_Irishman90+_Irishman Posts: 12,409 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ken, I am truly sorry for your loss, but I think you handled it in the best manner possible.... you celebrated the happiness that Pam brought you instead of the sadness of the loss. I will be keeping you and your family in my thoughts and prayers and wish you the very best from here forward.... I'm glad you had someone so special to you though... she sounds truly amazing!
    "When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
  • CharlieCordusCharlieCordus Posts: 84 ✭✭
    I feel your loss. A few years ago I lost both of my dogs within a 9 month period, the second one I had to put to sleep from blood clots and renal failure. Those two took care of me through some pretty hard times. It's the love shared that matters. Good for you to celebrate her life!
  • Ken_LightKen_Light Posts: 3,537 ✭✭✭
    Thanks all, again, for the sympathy...I'm honestly pretty OK, I guess I just have the right perspective on it to deal. I'm glad to be able to share the story with such like-minded and kind-hearted people on here.
    ^Troll: DO NOT FEED.
  • RampMonkeyRampMonkey Posts: 1,808
    Thanks for sharing the memory of your four legged friend with us Ken. Sorry for your loss.
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