Memoir
/ˈmemˌwär/ noun. a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. Usually memoirs. an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography. the published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned society.
31 weeks of Memoir Monday! To be quite honest, this one tore me up. As painful as this was to revisit this is a memoir after all and the sole purpose is to preserve our most precious memories and Amstel sure was that for me.
Memoir Monday has grown so much that I won’t be able to comment on everyone’s posts anymore (and get my own work done) but I’ll still be supporting your posts with reblogs, votes, and shares on my other social media accounts (X, Facebook, etc.).
For all of those who’ve regularly participated in Memoir Monday - keep going, you’re making great progress in chronicling your very own life story for future generations to enjoy.
For those who missed the inaugural post explaining what the Memoir Monday initiative is all about you can find it here.
Now for next week’s Memoir Monday prompt:
Write about the first pet you've had in your life that comes to mind.
My answer:
This answer to this prompt was a no-brainer for me. His name was Amstel and he was a beagle who was part of our family from 2009 until 2023. Amstel was the first dog I helped to raise since I’ve become an adult.
We picked him up from where he was born in Litchfield, Minnesota and he was the last of his litter left. He was already four months old when we adopted him.
We later found out that he had a birth defect, a shortened sternum that left part of his heart unprotected from his breast bone. This birth defect is likely the reason he was the last of his litter to be adopted. We always say that others’ passed him over because he was meant for us.
I wasn’t aware but there are two main varieties of beagles, one for hunting and the other for show. Amstel was a hunting beagle. They’re typically more athletic, smarter and have way more energy. Amstel proved to be very intelligent and pure joy from day one with us. He was house trained in just shy of a week and was walking well on a leash in two weeks. He was such a good natured and comical dog. I swear he actually tried to make us laugh sometimes.
We really bonded in those first days together. It was March so there was still snow on the ground here in Minnesota and I built him an oval track with tunnels and hills so he could explore and run off that pent up puppy energy in the backyard. He absolutely loved playing in the snow. I would wear him out and then he’d come in and snuggle with Raymi to warm up and rest.
I taught him how to catch a frisbee. We walked in the woods. We logged probably thousands of miles of walks in parks and whichever neighborhood we were living in at the time. Amstel was a reluctant traveler but a great one, he rode to New York City with us when I was writing for the streaming tv series there. In his later years he became a “snow bird” and came with us twice on the four day trek to Sedona, Arizona as we escaped the worst of the Minnesota winter in the warm desert.
Our years together were some of the most enjoyable memories of my life but they went so incredibly fast!
Amstel spent his first six years of life in our house but then we sold it and he lived in two separate apartments with us until we bought another condo in the city and settled down for the remainder of his life. He became known as "The King of Cathedral Hill" (the name of our neighborhood) and was truly a local celebrity.
In his later years he honed his hunting skills completely as he perfected the art of coercing treats from US Postal workers and any delivery driver. He really became quite good at it.
These were the final two photos on my camera roll of Amstel in January of 2023. These were taken the night before we brought him to the vet. We hadn’t planned on letting him go that morning but that’s what happened. He took a turn for the worse in the exam room. In retrospect, I had been attempting to prepare myself for the inevitable and savoring each minute of last few months we shared more than usual. Amstel had suffered from congestive heart failure for a few years and the condition was clearly getting worse. My wife and I take comfort in the fact he was fairly active and enjoyed life until the end.
Life is so different without him. He loved us so unconditionally, so completely. His presence was pure comfort and joy. Like losing anyone you love, you never truly recover from it. You just learn how to keep living without them and remember the joy they brought you and the good times you shared as often as possible. Amstel will always be a part of our lives. I’m sure when our time comes he’ll be waiting impatiently right there at the rainbow bridge wondering what in the world took us so long. I’ll pick him up and tell him he’s a good boy, the best boy actually.
Rules of Engagement
- Please reblog this first post and share on other social platforms so we cast the widest net possible for this initiative;
- Pictures paint a thousand words. Include pictures in your posts if you have them;
- Answer each Memoir Monday prompt question in your own post. If possible, the prompt question will be published in the week prior so you'll have the entire week to answer and publish your own post;
- Have fun with it, don't worry about getting behind, or jumping into the project at any point after we've begun; and
- Lastly, be sure to include the tag #memoirmonday.
It's that simple.
At the end of the next twelve months we'll have created something immensely valuable together. It's so important to know our "whys" in life and there's no better way to do that than this.
Someday all that will be left of our existence are memories of us, our deeds, and words. It's up to you to leave as rich of a heritage as possible for future generations to learn from. So, go ahead, tell your stories. I can't wait to read them.
Be well and make the most of this day. I want to sincerely thank all of the participants thus far. I've really enjoyed reading your posts!
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When I was a kid we had a dog named Sparky. My parents weren't big on indoor pets, so Sparky stayed outside. I remember when she passed my parents were on vacation, but she had a tumor that was keeping her from getting up in her house, my sister and I had to make the decision to take her in. Probably the most adult thing I had ever done up to that point in my life. Looking back after having Jovi, we really did a disservice to Sparky making her stay outside all the time. I feel kind of bad about that, but it was out of my hands as a kid. My wife and I were supposed to go on a day trip the morning we decided to take Jo in. I remember someone said after the fact that "they are ready when you are ready". I think that is really profound. We likely held onto her longer than we should have. We have some photos of her at the vet that day and I love them because she looks so peaceful, but man they tear me up too.
Yeah, it's unfortunate that people used to do that but I think it was accepted back then. We had a next door neighbor who kept two boxers in a pen behind his garage in the city, summer and winter. We called the humane society several times when the temps dipped below freezing but nothing was ever done.
I think that statement "they're ready when they're ready" is true. I believe Amstel knew his time was coming. A few days before he passed my wife and son were in the living room watching TV and I was going to take him for his evening walk. He sat right in the middle of the room and stared at them, then started barking until they got up and came with us. That was the last "family walk" we went on with him and it wouldn't have happened if he wouldn't have done that (he'd never done it before). It's such a tough thing. We just bought a new house and will be moving out of the condo so we might consider getting another dog soon. Will you guys be ready soon?
We are probably lucky we didn't get called on. Like you said, it was just more accepted back then. I can't dwell on it too much though, it won't change anything. If you ask my wife we will probably never get another dog. If you ask me, I could see us maybe getting one a long time from now after most of our traveling is finished. Who knows though. I think it's more about the having to go through the loss again than the minor inconvenience of not being able to pick up and go when we want.
It was a different time back then. My mom said her father kept a dog outside too. Our original plan was to wait to get another dog until we were done traveling too but I think things have shifted a bit for us. It might be a while before we can travel like we were and we don't want to miss out on having a dog for that many years.
I hear you. I think ultimately we still need some more time. It's only been about six months for us and the pain is really raw. If we had kids it might be different knowing a new one might help them heal. I see a lot of people do that.
Oh crap, congrats on the house by the way. That is awesome and exciting! I didn't realize you were that close to pulling the trigger!
Thank you! I'm super stoked! We've been looking for a good part of the summer (I haven't mentioned it here on Hive). This one ticks all the boxes for us, we got so lucky with it. It's about twenty minutes south of St. Paul in an area with lots of mature trees and lakes but close to the freeway. It's a standalone house but the HOA takes care of the lawn care and snow removal so we'll be able to get away for the winter once we're able to do that again. The best part is it'll be 4x bigger than our little condo so we'll have our own spaces and I'll have an office to write in again. I expect a huge increase in the output of my writing once we get settled again.
That's awesome! I am so happy for you! Also very nice about the lawn care after seeing all the green space!
Awww baby Amstel 🤍🤍🤍 he was such a sweetheart. I remember reading about his run ins with the US posties. Reading this brought tears. So much love in the way you write about him (naturally). It's beautiful that you had each other.
Thank you! He was such a special soul, seemed to have more intelligence behind his eyes than most people. Lol. We had our fair share of adventures together but it's never quite long enough. It'll be two years this coming January and I think we're just about ready to get another one. We've been vicariously living through the surrogate pups of the other residents in the building for over a year and a half now. : )
<3
I'm sure he would've wanted you to be happy. If you feel it's time, life's short, mon ami. Get the doggo. ;)
I'm really thinking we might once we get settled! We just bought a new house and will be moving in sometime in November so we'll need to "prepare the nest" first. : ) Have you recalibrated after HiveFest? It always took me a few weeks.
Ah yes, best to give yourselves some time to settle into the new abode, to make the dog's transition easier, also. Congrats on the new house and happy moving! :D May it come with many happy years :)
And yes, I'm back into my normal rhythm, planning adventures and looking forward to hopeful Hive meet-ups in the future! :D
Thank you! I’m excited to be gaining a dedicated space to write again. I can see a beagle in our future. : ) I’m glad re-entry wasn’t too bad for you. It was worst for me after the first one, just because I was still working the office job at the time. I really hope I can make it to next year’s ’Fest.
You had me in tears, beagles are my favorite, it is also the first dog I had. I hope I can keep the tears away long enough to write my story, I am glad I have a week to recover from your story.
I believe I found my perfect dog breed in the beagle. They're such amazing animals! Small enough to handle but big enough not to be a lap dog. They like to have fun and exercise but also like their nap times and, of course, they LOVE food. We had him down in Sedona one time and took him to a restaurant with a dog-friendly patio. We ordered him beef tartar (it was just a pile of raw hamburger) and then cracked a raw egg on top of it. His eyes got as big around as saucers and he looked up at us almost like he couldn't believe it was for him. We told him he could have it and it was just pure pandemonium after that. They're probably still finding pieces of that hamburger around that table. Lol.
Reading this, I could see his face when the food was placed in front of him, those beagle eyes looking at you as to say, is this for me?
Our beagle went everywhere with my husband and he would stop at a fast food place and get him just the meat patty, our beagle would become very lively when we turned into the drive up lane, he knew what he was getting.
If you've owned a beagle you definitely know that look! : ) He was in total disbelief! That's great that your beagle got so excited when your husband was coming home. He'd probably look forward to that hamburger all day. I used to sneak Amstel little raw bison meatballs while I was cooking. He used to love that.
That beagle "look" is forever etched in my heart, also, their howl.
My husband was not coming home with a hamburger, the dog was always with him, he would take the dog to the fast food drive thru.
There is something in your text that moves me very much. Maybe it's because of how you talk about Amstel, as if he were your friend, your son, your brother. Or maybe because I feel, from so many photos and videos I've seen of him, that I think I knew him. They say that pets choose their owners and reading your story and Amstel's, I think it's like that: only in your family Amstel was going to be loved as he was loved. It would be interesting to reflect on the purpose Amstel had in your life. It will be a pleasure, as always, to write on #memoirmonday. A big hug, Eric
It's just so easy to write about him, aside from the pain of missing him so badly. He definitely was a part of our family and a big part of my daily routine for over a decade. We went on three or four walks every day plus I fed him twice a day, bathed him when he needed it. After we let him go I had all this empty space in my daily routine that I had to figure out what to do with. It took quite a while to get used to. That would be interesting to reflect on the purpose Amstel had in my life. You know, many of the years he was with us were extraordinarily tumultuous years, 2008-2014 especially. We were in financial turmoil from the Housing Crisis and I was struggling to get my writing off the ground, those were some hard years. His presence brought joy and a kind of grounding to us, I think. I don't think that we would have made it through those years as well without him. Thanks Nancy! Hugs to you too!
You made me cry, how sweet was Amstel, a little dog who had the fortune to be the last one to be adopted and who came to the best family, where he was loved and cared for, where he became the king of the neighborhood and where the neighbors and mail deliverers, became his fans. Every photo, every video, let you see the happy family they were, how beautiful it is to see that this little Amstel, had a family that loved him and always remembers him for how important he was to you.
Thank you! He certainly was a very important part of our lives for a long time!
There have been many pets in my life and after thr last one I promised myself not to pet an animal anymore :)
Years ago, I had a white rooster which would fight with other roosters everyday and have some blood on his feather. Then, I had to coop in him for a few days :)
Amstel was a beauty. Clearly strong-hearted despite the birth defect. Letting go of an animal that has given you unconditional love is a hard one, but watching them suffer equally so. I'd like to think his spirit lives on in every beagle now. I can't really remember my first pet, but I had a dog in my teens that set the bar so high for every pet to come. Colby was big, ole black lab, the size of a bear. The sweetest big lug you could imagine, but a gourmand to say the least. He ate an econo tub of vaseline once. He paid the price; his regularity became an emergency if you get my smelly drift.
Thank you! He was diagnosed with a murmur and was given about 3-4 years to live back in 2013 or so. They wanted to put him on meds but we declined after we researched how bad the drugs were for his kidneys and liver. We decided to try to find natural supplements (good food, fish oil, CBD oil) to help prolong his life and he lived a healthy, active life for another nine years. It had progressed to congestive heart failure the last year and a half.
Labs are wonderful dogs! They're known for eating EVERYTHING. My wife had one (before we got together) that used to eat rocks, her sister had one that ate a whole box of cinnabon cinnamon rolls. Amstel was a bottomless pit too but preferred meat. His favorite thing of all time was rotisserie chicken. He couldn't be trusted around them. : )
No doubt. I can't be trusted around a rotisserie chicken ... nothing tastes better than that skin:)
That made me lol. It is great stuff! I think Amstel would have eating the bones and all if we let him.
What a fantastic initiative and heart-warming story.
I sure have some fantastic memories of a doggo we have recently had to let go over the rainbow bridge. Might have to share this week!
I will try and find an Amstel to raise to the memory of your Amstel!
Thank you Zeke! I'm sorry you had to let one go too! Man is that tough. Is the younger one yours too? They're both cute. The younger and the senior years both have their perks. Amstel used to stop to get pets and attention from everyone but in his later years he'd look at their hands and if they didn't have treats he had no interest in strangers. Everyone had to pay the "treat tax". Lol.
Oh, Amstel! I remember reading your posts about the beautiful adventures you experienced together ❤️
My first pet was a parrot. One day he landed on our balcony, so we fed him and he stayed with us for well over two years until he got sick. Unfortunately, the vet couldn't help him. Since I've always had cats and loads of kittens 🥰
I wrote quite a bit about him, especially in his later years. We were pretty much inseparable after I left my day job. He developed such a quirky personality as he got older and it became quite hilarious. Were parrots in the wild where you were raised? Or did he get lose from another house? Life is better with animals, I'm convinced!
Koko (that's how we called him 🥰) must have lost his way home, or didn't like his old folks anymore ;) So one day he landed on our balcony and instantly became a family member.
I agree 100%!
#hive #posh
My parents bought a dog when I was born, so I grew up with her. Emma. Had her until I was in high school when she finally died of liver failure. It was tough losing her because I had grown up with her and she had always been there. But that's dogs. They make up for the short time they are with us with all their love.
That's the joy of dogs, isn't it? More than any other animal, they are full of unconditional love and show so much happiness every single time they see us. They are wonderful creatures. I don't have one now. They are expensive in Japan, and my wife is scared of animals, so I respect that. But if I have the chance in the future, I will buy another in a heartbeat.
That is definitely the joy of dogs! They squeeze more out of life in their short time on Earth than most people do. They have a lot to teach us as well! I hope you get the opportunity to have another.
What a cute and adorable Amstel. Unfortunately he is no longer by your side. I think u definitely have a lot of memories with him. Have a nice day, Eric.
Thanks Eliana! Take care!
I don't treasure having pets. But maybe I'll get one 😂
I think most people who connect with pets as adults had them while they were growing up. We had goldfish, gerbils, dogs, and cats (not all at the same time). Our house was practically a zoo. Lol.
Nice to hear about the pet and the importance you seem to give him, in your house. More like a famiily member.
Good morning dear friend @ericvancewalton
Without a doubt you should write about your experiences with Amstel, since many wonderful things have happened in his company. I don't remember that they called him "The King of Cathedral Hill"
It is always difficult to let go of our furry family, and even as time passes, that void is never filled
I loved this week's assignment, it brought back fond memories.
Thank you very much for sharing this experience
Have a lovely afternoon
Beautiful story, they become part of our lives like another family member, or a very trusted friend. Currently, my granddaughters have one and I am convinced that he has not realized that he is a dog, he thinks he is a child and behaves as such, he is barely a year old and is loved by everyone.
My entry
https://hive.blog/memoirmonday/@ericvancewalton/memoir-monday-30-107-1013-write-about-the-first-pet-youve-had-in-your-life-that-comes-to-mind
The last pets I had were two golden dogs, very intelligent animals, they gave me a lot of company. They were left to me by my son when he went on a trip. Since then I haven't had any more. Thank you for this call, dear @ericvancewalton . A big hug from Maracay.