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Suzie: A Loyal Companion’s Endearing Legacy

Coming to Full Circle

My mother had lost her poodle, Jossie, to a long illness, and she grieved for many weeks before a friend suggested that she adopt another dog and recommended the Bosler Humane Society, an animal shelter not far from their home in Westboro, Massachusetts. The shelter cared for abandoned and abused animals. Elaine Bosler, the founder, guided my parents to a dog that she thought would be perfect for them: Suzie, a chocolate, miniature poodle. The former owner could no longer keep her for mysterious reasons but treated Suzie well and had knitted her six matching coat and hat outfits and had even bought her sweaters, wraps and a plaid raincoat. Suzie came with an entire wardrobe!

Suzie fit right in with her adopted family and became my mother’s constant companion. Mom would occasionally dress Suzie in her little outfits. Suzie was always present at family events as Mom and Dad took her everywhere. The grandchildren loved Suzie.

My parents eventually moved back to Pennsylvania and settled in the same town where we lived. My father and I cared for Mom in the last stages of cancer. Suzie remained vigil at her bedside and was with Mom during her last moments.

Dad eventually moved in with us and along came Suzie, too. After Dad passed, Suzie continued to live with us. A quiet dog, affectionate and well-behaved, she remained a little lady who would be dressed up when she headed out.

Suzie’s gentle nature served her well, and she passed away when she was 22 years old. The vet said she thought she was the oldest dog she had known. On a crisp November afternoon, our family buried her ashes at my parent’s grave site. We didn’t ask for permission to hold our farewell ceremony there. I placed the little coats in a box in the attic.

Ten years went by, and I came across the box tucked away in a back corner under the rafters. What was difficult to figure out years before, the obvious choice now seemed clear. Since our kitties did not choose to wear the outfits, I donated the coats to the Animal Coalition of Delaware County, an organization dedicated to finding places for homeless animals.

I‘m sure Suzie would approve.

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Cape May: Retrospective

Finding Cape May

Map

Located on the southernmost tip of New Jersey, a peninsula known as Cape Island. The city of Cape May is the oldest seaside resort in the United States.

1950s to 2011

Song Sparrow Greets Us at the Cape 2011

When we were growing up in the 1950s, every summer our family vacationed at the shore towns of New Jersey, either Wildwood, Ocean City, Stone Harbor, or Long Beach Island. Part of our stay would include a trip down to Cape May. Back then the little town was a bit run down, with many of the houses in disrepair. The boardwalk had washed away, and the beach was almost non-existent. Huge boulders lined the sea road, the beach extending to about thirty feet at the most. At high tide, the water reached just about to the rocks. Still, the town had the mystique of a former era, and my favorite place to visit was the building called “the Casino,” a large round wood structure. Inside imports from around the world lined the shelves. I couldn’t wait to see the little colorful cloth dolls holding baskets and brooms. The store offered a wide choice of souvenirs, and, of course, colorful plastic buckets and shovels. One year we came away with toy boats.

Cited from: http://www.westjerseyhistory.org/images/pcards/capemay/

Cape May has three sections: West Cape May, the City, and Cape May Point. We rediscovered the Cape in 1980 when a friend suggested a place to stay on Cape May Point. The Point is a quiet little village with a lighthouse, park, pond, bird observatory, and pristine beaches, in stark contrast to the honky-tonk of the Wildwood boardwalk. The amenities consisted of a post office, above which was a spacious apartment which we rented one summer, and a small general store. We always had plenty to do and took many long walks or bicycled along the pond or to the lighthouse.

We vacationed on the Cape every several years, our families renting places together or nearby. By then, Cape May had been designated as a National Historic Landmark, with only San Francisco with more Victorian houses. We would drive our families into town for shopping or walking along the ocean, stopping to give the children rides at the small arcade.

When Jean and I returned to the seaside town, we stayed at Leith Hall. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to decide which one to select out of the of many B&Bs, inns, mansions, and historic hotels, as so many have interesting architecture and character. I decided on Leith Hall, enticed by their description of salt air breezes, given that Philadelphia was baking in a heat wave. The 4PM tea and cakes were most welcome and thoroughly enjoyed the homemade breakfast on the porch.

We returned to our old haunts, including Sunset Beach and the sunken cement ship, Cape May Point State Park, and the Washington Street Mall. We attended a play at the Physick Estate and took photographs of the restored houses that lined the tree-canopied streets.

Past and Present

Returning to places from the past is like a form of time travel where memories, once faded or forgotten, reappear to intermingle with the images before our eyes. Emotions are neither happy or sad but in some intermediary continuum of peace and reflection.