I've been slow to respond, in part because of grief, in part because every little interaction seems to hold significance, now. The last time I talked to him, we were on the phone for 3-4 hours (I kid thee not), recalling old times, old pets, and just everything in general. Specifically, I remember him telling me about how, when he was younger, he hauled one of "his" (actually, it was his then-spouse's) horses to a show. Poor ol' Phred and the horse didn't get along worth a flip to begin with and wracked up quite the adventure (to the tune of the horse-trailer door coming open on the interstate). Everything ended well and oh, how he laughed (something I'm sure he wasn't doing at the time)!

We had to have our oldest boxer, Sara, put to sleep the Friday before Phred passed. The only thing I could say then was, "What a GOOD dog." The only thing I can think of to say now -about our Phred- is, "What a GOOD man." For every good thing he did "public," there were a million-and-one done in private.

We will miss our Phred.