tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post3565689676882436363..comments2023-10-01T09:35:35.894+02:00Comments on Antipodes: Mandrin no longer with usWilliam Skyvingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10052367756561555096noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-73340356472615886502010-07-17T13:24:13.547+02:002010-07-17T13:24:13.547+02:00Thanks William, for the kind words.
Of course I o...Thanks William, for the kind words.<br /><br />Of course I often have HTML problems and should have written "<i> I </i> noticed."<br /><br />As for losing a pet, I recall a little cat I once had - "Algernon" who had a kidney disease and sadly had to be destroyed. I recall the vet saying after he gave Algernon the injection, "Would you like to stay with him?" I couldn't, I was too upset.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17607706475235226890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-39258884079602003232010-07-16T23:53:10.176+02:002010-07-16T23:53:10.176+02:00Paul: I appreciate greatly your observations. I...Paul: I appreciate greatly your observations. I'm certainly not surprised to see that you've <i>"noticed"</i>… That quote of Montaigne is splendid.William Skyvingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10052367756561555096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-73374678819185486462010-07-16T23:19:02.668+02:002010-07-16T23:19:02.668+02:00Inoticed!
And I think it was Le Marquis de Montai...<i>I</i>noticed!<br /><br />And I think it was Le Marquis de Montaigne who observed "Man is truly mad: he cannot make a worm, but he creates gods by the dozen."Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17607706475235226890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-72291626403899056842010-07-15T23:29:31.940+02:002010-07-15T23:29:31.940+02:00Corina:
I believe that our friend Mandrin died wi...Corina:<br /><br />I believe that our friend Mandrin died without any suffering whatsoever. As I said, I found his dead body in a position suggesting that he had simply simply toppled over… from life into death. The thing I loved about that old donkey was the manner in which he slowly accepted my presence. In the beginning, I was a total stranger, and my presence frightened Mandrin. But, observing that his young companion Moshé did not fear me (on the contrary), Mandrin opened up. I was able to caress him, just like Moshé. But I always had the impression that the head of dear old Mandrin was full of memories of less happier times, of which I knew nothing, of times when a donkey such as Mandrin had to beware of human associates. <br /><br />As you say, the departure of an animal friend reminds us that we humans are not eternal (who might ever imagined such a thing ?) and that we are not necessarily making world-shattering achievements. Concerning the latter observation, we are in fact reinventing the universe every time we deplore with poetry the departure of a friend. The "with poetry" is important. That's where the light gets in. That's what makes us human, not just keepers of the beasts of Eden.<br /><br />When you say that <i><b>"10, 12, 16 years of my life have passed and I didn't even notice it"</b></i>, you must remember that we, your friends, have never failed to notice who you are, at every moment in time-space. And we appreciate constantly this knowledge of Corina. Nothing is lost.William Skyvingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10052367756561555096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-42472195753386852052010-07-15T10:56:46.169+02:002010-07-15T10:56:46.169+02:00Thanks, Corina and Annie, for your remarks. Over t...Thanks, Corina and Annie, for your remarks. Over the last two days, I've been closely following the behavior of Moshé, which indicates that he has been affected by the sudden absence of his old companion. I'll have more to say on this subject when I understand a little better what might be happening in Moshé's head.William Skyvingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10052367756561555096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-46203317143480515192010-07-15T09:56:00.342+02:002010-07-15T09:56:00.342+02:00Thank you, William, for this story of the passage ...Thank you, William, for this story of the passage of life and also Corina for her thoughts on it.<br /><br />I'm glad it's summer, far better than in the snow and cold of winter. And good that you didn't have to make any decision to assist his departure, which would have been necessary had Mandrin been suffering for days.<br /><br />Two of our horses had a very different response to the death of their friend, Charlie, who died in the open paddock. They stood, one each side, heads down. My brother, seeing this from a distance, reported that Charlie "Didn't look very well." He was, in fact, dead. I'm sure it was old age.<br /><br />Hope Moshé doesn't miss him too much.Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10806660109196835114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8627322010786735293.post-72947307348032949072010-07-15T00:26:56.787+02:002010-07-15T00:26:56.787+02:00I'm very touched by this story. I hope that Ma...I'm very touched by this story. I hope that Mandrin didn't suffer too much. I also think that you will find very quickly a solution in order to find a compagnon for Moshé - animals are attached to each other and they also suffer when one of their "friends" dies.<br /><br />I don't know very much about donkeys or horses, but it seems that even rabbits could keep them company. But be carefull with rabbits - once you got two... But it is not an Australian I will teach anything about rabbits.<br /><br />Sorry to make jokes with a very sad subject, but I'm very disturbed when an animal I lived with for ages dies. <br /><br />Of course, life has a beginning and and end. <br /><br />As far as I'm concerned,the loss of an animal itself is quite difficult to deal with. But it also awakens the death of other people I loved. It also reminds me about the fact that 10, 12, 16 years of my life have passed and I didn't even notice it...cmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13628012646010636255noreply@blogger.com