I just want to thank everyone who posted - so many of you - with wonderful, kind words. You can't imagine how much a good cry helped (every time I read and re-read it) - or maybe you can since you've been there, too. Friday was the most horrible day, and Saturday was pretty bad, too. Saturday I received a link to the most remarkable piece of writing from dear Jeri. It was like a dose of anesthetic for the unrelenting agony and enabled me to transition toward thinking of him at rest. Sunday night and this morning I got a little teary, so I brought "the will" (see the link below) with me to work because I wanted another dose of the painkiller. Turns out I didn't need it. The photo of Pepper I had put on my desktop at work on Friday (which I couldn't bare to look at then) was a happy comfort today. As I was shutting down to come home, happy thought ("Sweet boy") was followed by profoundly sad thought ("but he's not here"). When I called DH on my way home & asked him what he was doing, "looking for old pictures of Pepper on the computer". Since DH is retired, Pepper was with him all day. There is such a huge hole in our little family. He was a gentle, unassuming fellow who was so willing to patiently wait in line for his kisses when I got home - AFTER his demanding sister, the Brittany - never pushy until he made physical contact. For some reason he loved to stick his head between my thighs and get his hug that way while I rubbed his back. It worked for him! and gave me such a laugh every time. He made each of us feel like he was a daddy's boy AND a mama's boy. What a blessing to have thought to go to the animal shelter that Saturday in 1998 to "see is they have any standard poodles." They did - 3!! He was the only one healthy enough to be adopted at 35 lbs (compared to his normal 58 lbs). So we're enjoying our memories now with occasional tears, thankful for the photos and each other's willingness to share moments from the past and talk about him at length. No stuffing of emotions here, thankfully! Here's his glamour shot after a trip to the groomer - which he sorely hated. Thank you again. You are a very precious group, and DH thinks so, too. He said it was tough getting through this thread. Nice people, he said. Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: Leaving from the pet's perspective

Wow some good ones! Agree with vannie, des arc ya ya and soxxxx (heehee! so true!) and I agree with most of what everyone else has said too! :) I was going to say pretty much exactly what des arc said! I would have said "you can't trust anyone, not even yourself" but I like des arc's better!

There are some that are sun, shade and heat tolerant: Boule de Neige, Nova Zembla and most PJM varieties. Boule de Neige – 5', -25F. Bright green, leathery leaves on a medium sized, rounded rhododendron. It's known for its heat and sun tolerance and is extremely cold hardy. Flowers are snow white in ball shaped trusses. It even blooms well in deep shade. Nova Zembla – 5 ', -25F. This rhododendron has true hardiness in a red. A vigorous plant that has good foliage and will grow in more difficult areas. This hybrid exhibits some outstanding characteristics. Of course, hardiness tops the list. A nice looking contrast with other plants. Extremely showy, red flowers make a real display in the spring.. Dark red flowers in a ball-shaped cluster. Broad, bushy plant. Cold and heat tolerant and sun and shade tolerant. PJM – 4', -25F. This hybrid is cold hardy as well as tolerant of heat and sun. Its small, rounded leaves are green during the summer and mahogany colored in winter. 'PJM's' early bright lavender-pink flowers are beautiful against its dark colored winter foliage. PJM is cold hardy and tolerant of heat and sun. It has one drawback. Its early bright lavender-pink blooms are so early that sometimes the blooms are killed by an early frost. The glossy green foliage of summer becomes mahogany-colored in winter. It is an excellent landscape plant, will grow under most conditions, and the flowers are long lasting. The flowers are somewhat smaller than most other rhododendrons. There are several newer varieties of PJM.

He really didn't have the copper color shown in the Caracolera picture- well he does but not as prominent as in the picture. But had none of the whitish color in the fer-de-lance picture. I did see some pictures of a Fer-de-lance that didn't have the white. Some natives did say it was a 'what sounded like a ' Coral. They said it gets large. The head of this snake has a triangler shape and I don't see that is the caracolera pic.