What Happened To Finn Ridge Farm?

 About two years ago, I wrote the first part of "Life On Finn Ridge Farm." Here is the link to that post.

And, you guys never heard the end of it. Truth is, I never wrote it and here is why. 

The story really was my dream-my dream that in many ways may have come true. But the highlight of that story is gone. It may have not had a significant meaning to most of you reading it, and indeed, the way I wrote it gave no reason for you to think it was the highlight. There really wasn't much written about it. 

In that story, Zipper was Riika's grandson. 

At that time, we had just found out that Riika was going to have puppies very soon. In fact, it was written April 13th and she had the pups on April 16th. 

I hadn't told anyone, (except Mom) and did not say that Zipper was her grandson in the story. For some reason, I thought people might somehow figure out she was going to have puppies from my writing that. And I didn't want people to know. 

I loved Riika and planned on having her for many years yet and doing lots of things with her. I had just started seriously training her to work cattle when I realized she was heavily pregnant so quit. Agility, tricks, packing, and pulling were all things I'd dabbled with and was going to get serious training after the pups were weaned.

 And raising and training her puppies and grandpups years down the road. 

So, when she unexpectedly died in late May, I was devastated. More so because it was a careless action on my part that led to it. My hopes and dreams came crashing down around me and broke into little pieces. It was hard. She had her issues (including chicken killing) but she was my favorite dog and the best and most obedient dog I've had yet. 

What I was able to do after several months is sweep up as many pieces of my dreams as I could find and tuck them in the drawer of my mind. There is no reason why I won't be able to accomplish them with my next Border Collie, but that dog will never be my girl, Riika. 

However, every time I try to pick the piece that contains Finn Ridge Farm up off of the floor, it cuts me. It hurts. And I just cannot continue that story any longer without the main character even though in the story she appeared to be pretty insignificant. 

Maybe someday I will begin where I left off. Not now though.