Blossom lived with me at 3 different places in Springfield, MO & 3 places in MI.  She loved walks, loved being teased with toys, hopping through the snow like a little bunny, running in circles without warning for a long time until the giggles started & then she would jump up, give a kiss or a nibble & then start it again.  

     She learned to poop directly in a bag when we lived in a apartment and literally stopped traffic with that trick! We loved being together more than anything in the world. She was my Best Friend & Constant Companion...her love & loyalty helped me through one of the most difficult times in my life.  One day, we drove away from that terrible time in Toledo like Thelma & Louise into a horizon that held for us the greatest adventures of our lives.

     In 1995, Blossom & I joined Aim Me in Chicago for a few months, then one night in Home Tavern, Aim Me proposed that we become musicians and all move to New Orleans. Blossom & I blissfully accepted and the Trinity of Troubadours was born.

     We squeezed into a Mazda 626 and headed to New Orleans.  Blossom officially became a Road Dog and a Troubadour of Divine Bliss that day.  She would go with us onto the streets of New Orleans and lay in the guitar case while we street performed. 

- She loved walking around the French Quarter & sniffing all of the assorted scents.

-Blossom would chase a particular big, fluffy, white cat.  She could sense him from the front of the shotgun, run straight through to the backyard & bark him up trees, on the roof & all around the yard.  

-When we would have parties, Blossom would go from person to person getting all the free love she could contain.

-Once as we slept one night at Lake Pontchartrain when she warned us of a man approaching

-Twice her bark scared off people trying to break into our car!

-Blossom got in our bag & ate a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans, then somehow escaped from the Bliss Mobile & was running up & down the street "all jacked up on mountain dew, chip"

She lived as a full time Road Dog with us from 1998 - 2001 

     We "troubadoured" 40,000 miles across the United States & Canada. Blossom loved making new friends with us, getting to know their pets, camping, visiting new places & sticking her out the window of the Bliss Mobile "...as we traveled along, singing our song, side-by-side."  She would ride on our laps & the back window where she looked like a living bobble head...so cute.

-Running through a patch of wildflowers high atop the mountains of the Continental Divide

-Waiting patiently for us under the shade of her umbrella at the beach while we swam in the ocean

-Getting caught in an animal trap in a Mississippi Wildlife Refuge & surviving without a scratch

-How she loved camping with us & her favorite spot was on top of the picnic table

-Living with us in the National Forest in Colorado for 6 months where visiting friends would come with other gypsy dogs (including her only love, a Great Pyrenees named Ghost, whom she flirted with furiously). 

-That her favorite spot in motels was curling up in the bottom shelf of the nightstand just below the drawer with the Gideon Bible;-)

-How she met so many wonderful people along the way & loved making friends with their pets

     In 2002 we moved to As You Wish Woods, our & Blossom's home sweet hOMe the past 7 years.  It was wonderful giving her the balance of still being a Road Dog, but having a place to come home & unload the road in As You Wish Woods.  

-Blossom was our only dog when we made As You Wish Woods our home, but within 1 month her brother Miracle was found, abandoned by 2 strays on our land & became a part of the family.  Blossom was the Queen & Miracle the Prince.

-On tour we stopped by a river for the day to let Miracle swim.  Miracle jumped in and then we realized the current was stronger than it looked & it started to pull him downstream. Aim Me jumped to save Miracle.  Then all of the sudden Blossom, who HATED water, ran and jumped into the river to rescue Miracle and Aim Me. Of course, Renee then had to rescue Blossom, Miracle & Aim Me.

-She really loved her home & every time we returned from a tour she enjoyed getting treats, playing, then walking in a circle on her bed until she found the perfect spot to sleep.  As she dreamed she would make the cutest "bloop, bloop. bloop" sound...the best sound ever.

     Blossom has experienced with us the peaks of mountains, the silent cool of the deep forest, the hustle & bustle of big city sensations, the wind of the open plains, the happiness of rolling hills, the exotic expanse of the desert, dogs of all shapes & sizes, dog parks from all corners of the continent, 2 & 4 legged friends, the peaceful retreat of home & for every moment of everyday (except when we performed) she was with us embracing this amazing adventure.

     As with her life, in her last year Blossom had great fortitude.  Although it was difficult for her to stand or walk for very long she never stopped trying.  Even on her last day she got up once more & walked with her tail wagging all the while.  We kept waiting for Blossom to let us know that she was ready; her mind was still sharp, but her body was weakening.  We gave our blessing many times for her to let go. When her breathing became extremely labored this week, her eyes grew tired...we knew it was time.  

     On Tuesday we took Blossom to her loving vet who had given her acupuncture & chinese medicine & had helped her mobility immensely in the past year.  Two weeks after her 17th Birthday, in our arms, in her 2nd home - the bliss mobile, Blossom quickly & peacefully passed into Divine Bliss.

     As we drove away, we were speaking about how Blossom's grand spirit had become too powerful for that little body & how wonderful it must be for her to be free.  At that moment we looked up & saw a billboard with an enormous flower (a blossom) with a butterfly resting on it that said these words..."Oh yeah, Larger than Life".

     We celebrate Blossom's return to the Source of Love.  We look forward to a reunion with her radiant soul.  We have so much gratitude for the gift of her life.  She is deeply missed and will live on in the amazing love she has forever carved into our hearts.