The Ohio Blues . . .

Here's my first donation to Suggie Rescue Resources in memory of my beloved glider angels: AnnaBear, Harley, Baby B, Holden, Kie, Kiely, and little Charlie... whom I lost, tragically, on September 16th, 2006.

First, I would like to personally thank Anita Tucker for all that she has done for me, and I promise you, Anita, that I will always do all that I can to help the rescues. This collection would not have been possible if not for you... and more will be forthcoming.

This donation is made of blue fleece and a flannel print. The two blue pouches on the bottom are zippered travel/bonding pouches. All pouches are double-layered with seamless interiors. Hanging hardware and straps will be included. I would like to thank my dear friend, Helen, for teaching me how to sew these basic glider accessories. Thank you, Helen, for all that you do! Sugeebaby, thank you for the cozy "Buckeye Blankie" - that gray reverse side sure makes a nice backdrop!

Since I have so many glider friends on several different boards, I will share my memorial to my little gliders, which was originally posted at GA on September 17th, 2006. After the loss of my dear little angels, I hurt so badly, and I was not about to go near any forums until I "healed" somewhat. However, I received two messages from GA members, which I felt required a reply. When I entered GA, I was floored by the outpouring of supportive and comforting messages . . . I hear there were other similar heartfelt comments to me on other boards, but, frankly, I did not have the heart to be online for much longer than to reply to the messages that I had received.


A letter to my gliders,

"Oh, God... I don't know what to say... I didn't mean to be here - not yet - and maybe I shouldn't be... I came in only to reply to a PM I had just received... and... this is so hard. Thank you, all, for your thoughts and prayers... I am lost, just lost... I wish that I could start that Saturday morning all over again, and do everything differently...

Everything.

I had always been so careful. I was the crazy person who always, upon always, checked the cage doors, two, three, four times... always made sure the potty seat was down (kept Tom's (Havens) "glider ladder" inside until it fell apart), and I nagged people who forgot to shut the bathroom door, you see, putting the potty seat down WAS NOT good enough... I wanted to make sure that you would always be safe... always.

But, I failed you... just one time... and I lost you... and that Saturday morning, my heart broke, and bled.... until I passed out from crying....

To my sweetest little angels... my darling little hearts..... I will always love, cherish, and remember you... just as we all were, when we were last playing and happy together.... I think that you would want it that way... and, I from this moment forward, I will do all that I can to help other little gliders in need... to, in some way, bring something good out of this most horrific, tragic, final goodbye....

Goodbye, my babies:

1. AnnaBear, you were my little sweetheart... my hand-raised baby girl, who would NOT have survived at a little less than three weeks OOP without your Aunties Helen, Leyna, and Suz... each of these ladies stood by me, guided me, and told me what I needed to do to keep you alive, warm, and healthy.... and you grew to be "mommy's fat little thing" and I loved every little wiggly gram of your sweet little self... Remember? You went to school with me, every single day, and you WOW'd my students... they all loved you, too. Even our superintendent was impressed with your tiny little self. I loved watching you play on my guitar and hammered dulcimer... and you were actually harmonic. You could PLAY! I loved you for helping with your little brothers and sisters .... and how you taught Baby B how to glide... how to climb... and you were little buddies from the get-go.

2. Harley, my adorable little man, whom I fell in love with only last November at my 'TWEEN Party... you were the most beautiful little WFB that I had ever seen, and I could only dream that one day, I might have a glider like you... then, it happened, that I DID have you, and how I loved you, and your equally precious brother, Holden... I remember how you were the more outspoken of the two, and how you loved to "talk to the cage next door" and shake a fist at BooBoo when he sassed you back... and, then, how you taught little Baby B to do the same... you were such ornery little buggers, but it was all ok... You were quite a man, Harley, even when Holden, your twin brother, stole your girls... he was quite the little ladies' man, wasn't he? Still, you were cool about it all, afterall, you were MY HARLEY... I will never forget your flying facehugs... how you'd absolutely get to the highest point that you could find in this little house, and you'd DIVE.. man... you'd dive straight to me, and always, upon always, land on my face... that one day, you got me six times in a row... and I loved it. I told Mommy Helen about you that day, and how proud of you that I was. BooBoo once tried to show you up, but he cut my face all to you know where and back, but you never did...

3. Holden, you little tease, you little flirt... shame on you for stealing Harley's woman, AnnaBear like you did... You were always the quiet one, and my momma always said, it's the quiet ones you have to watch... but you were a little cutie, and I loved you just as much. Afterall, with all of that excitement in that cage, they NEEDED quiet leadership, and, my sweet little Holden, you were that. I think you were the philosopher of the lot... always so very quiet and thoughtful.

4. Baby B... my little teeny girl. I remember the night Mommy Tink had you out, and she dropped you from the top of the cage, and I feared for your life. I was beside myself, and I thought you were being rejected... that night, you had no name. I sat there, and I watched you, and I was worried sick, and I pleaded, "God, let someone be online to help me"... and God was listening, and there she was... Bourbon herself... it was about 2:00 a.m. and I didn't know what to do... Bourbon told me to watch you, to allow Mommy Tink time to come to you, and as hard as that was, I listened, and I did that. God, that was so hard, I was so fearful that I would lose you. I waited. I held my breath. I prayed... then, Daddy Sugi and Loki came over, and they huddled around you... they started crabbing at Mommy Tink, but they kept you warm. It was the darnedest thing that I had ever seen, and I wish now, that I had recorded that on video, somehow, but I needed to step in, if I needed to... no time for technology. Then, as if by magic (but it was God, I know it was) Mommy Tink came running to you, and she sat beside you, and propped herself up like a little tiny kangaroo on her hind legs, and she pulled out her pouch and stuffed you, deeply, in it, and then ran back to the big cage pouch and took care of you... I knew, then, that you were going to be ok... and that night... Auntie Bourbon helped save your life... and that, my little girl, is how you got your name.

You know, I remember, one night, when you had grown... and Bourbon and I were chatting on video... I introduced the two of you, and you, as if you knew... just looked right into that camera and crabbed your wee little head off right at her, you sassy little thing... My God, Baby B... Auntie Bourbon was SO PROUD of you at that moment! She smiled SO BIG at you, and we laughed... you were so adorable (always were) and then, as if you'd had enough of the whole matter, you hid up underneath of my hair, and you were done talking.

5. Kiely..... my God... my little darling, how I have failed you... you came to me, with an injury... and I did my very very best to take care of you. The doctor said we might have to amputate your right leg... but I hoped and I prayed that we could do something, anything, if we could save it. He told me that you needed the equivalent of a total hip replacement surgery, and he told me that had never been done to his knowledge. I wondered. I actually sat up that night, and I wondered if we could do it. I imagined the craziest things, like those little white plastic tiny balls... the kind that look like little bearings or bee-bees... and I wondered if such a thing COULD be done. You were always such a good girl.. you were, and you took your medicine so well, even if I could see that you didn't like it. After several months of Neo-Calglucon and PediaPred, and a specially modified diet, created by Bourbon herself... my little sweetheart, Dr. Burton FINALLY proclaimed YOU a "healthy glider" and your weight was up, your mobility was increased, and your hair was gray again (yes dear, that was a good thing, even if mommy Cyndi doesn't like HER gray hair). WE DID IT, Kiely, girl... we saved your leg (even if you could have done well enough without it, we SAVED it), with the help of Dr. Burton, Bourbon, and Daddy John, who loved to, so tenderly - so patiently, give you your medications... I loved you, Kiely, so very much, and I am so so so so sorry that you are gone.... Your other mommy... My God, I need to call her... I do... but I am a coward... I meant to call her today, but, well... I don't know how to say this without breaking her heart... because mine, is. I am hoping God can give me strength to call her tomorrow...

Your daughter, Tink (who gave you a grand-daughter, Baby B ) is still with us.... you made such pretty babies... you and Kie.... You were the sweetest and gentlest gliders, perhaps, of all who lived here.... I miss you, terribly, and when I look into your cage... I still see you... just like I did, Saturday morning, before we left.... in your little pouch, looking out sweetly at me... as if to say "Mommy, where are we going today?" You used to love going places with me... my sweetheart.

6. Kie... Oh, how your first mommy loved you and your Kiely... You know, your mommy and I used to talk A LOT... and she always asked about you, and I did my very best to send her new pictures of you, your wife, and son... and one day, we had hoped, that you might, if it were God's will... make it back home to her, if at least for a visit, if nothing else.... I don't know why, Kie, that things happened as they did, and I wish I could undo them, with every ounce of my being (and yes, I know, that is a lot)... but I can not... and I sit here, now, crying, and missing you all so much... You were so gentle, so sweet, and I remember how you used to take goodies to Kiely when she wasn't feeling so well. I used to think what a great, loving, caring husband you were to her... how you took her peas... and corn... and snuggled with her.... You were the best, Kie... you were.

7. Charlie, my little party-boy... you were just the orneriest and most energetic little fellow that I had ever seen. Any time that you could, you had this little way about you, of jumping out of a pouch with a fwiiiiiiiiiiiiinnng and landing on all fours, looking left, right, all around, and then taking off in any random direction. You did that at Auntie Sugeebaby's house, and we like to never caught you, you funny little fellow you. Oh, and when you set your mind to it, you loved to hide from me... inside my Cerwin-Vega speakers, under my china cabinet, you little dickens, you. But it was all ok, because I always found you... one time, I remember you hiding yourself in my Emergency Glider Care Kit, and I wondered how in the world you got in there... gosh, how you crabbed that day....

I named you right, you little party-boy... right after that little hottie/bad-boy, Charlie Sheen... you loved to have fun, and it's a good thing Dr. Burton was out of the room that day we took mommy in for her final check-up, because you went ZOOOOOOOMING around his examination room and tried to climb up the door-frame.... I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get you back, but you looked at me, and after careful consideration, like "Well, ok, mom... you are right, I don't want to get us into trouble... and you jumped right onto me, and let me take you back to daddy Kie, and you two snuggled right up til mommy Kiely came home...

I loved you, very much, my babies.... and I failed you... and I am so very sorry.... AnnaBear, you little angel... you never ever bit me before, until that morning.... Charlie, you had never REALLY deliberately evaded me, until that morning... were you both trying to tell me "No, mommy, we really do not want to go"? I only wish -- I only wish, that I had "listened" to you...

My sweet angels... my God.... you are still with me, beside me... near my miniature rosebushes... and mommy gave you, each, your last mealie, before Daddy John and I said our final goodbyes.... we will see you... still... in our roses.... every morning and every night, when we walk through the back door...

Love,
Mommy and Daddy"