Long Weekend
An entry for Mackenzie's Grocery List Challenge. Dedicated to Liwu, my most recent and most poignant loss --11/09/2021
This is for Mackenzie Davis's Grocery List Challenge. Read Mackenzie's original and the challenge here:
*** Mackenzie -- I hope I didn't break too many of the rules here. This was difficult to write as it was inspired by real events. I almost hope people don't get this one :(
*** Pet lovers beware ***
Friday 4:12 am
😻😻😻
- A case of kitten formula and bottles
- A giant storage bin (96 qt should do it)
- Puppy pads and a bunch of rags or those blue shop towels
- Paper towels and baby wipes (unscented), and some Lysol wipes
- Sandwich makings and some frozen meals
- A couple cases of Soda-- whatever kind
4:34 am
(Typing...)
- Earplugs! 😵💫
- Coffee (the giant Folgers can)
- More cream and sugar
- Just get some sweetened creamer --the real stuff tho!
- Like five packs of gum -- Double-mint
Sunday 3:55 pm
- More shop towels and puppy pads
- Canned pumpkin-- make sure it's pure
- More kitten formula and some of those feeding syringes
- Plain Gelatin or collagen and some Brewer's yeast to flavor it
- More Folgers
- And some of those Starbucks double-shot thingies
- Frozen Lasagna or pizza or whatever you want
- Chicken Better than Bouillion--the plain one, no garlic or onions (CHECK the ingredients!)
- More gum, get an assortment
- Some more soda
- A bottle of wine--that Apothic dark stuff I love
- Some paper plates and plastic cutlery and cups
- And a bag of ice
4:22 pm
(Typing...)
- Make it 2 bottles wine and some more soda
🥴🤪
Monday 2:18 am
Caro syrup Pedialyte--no additives, colors, etc. (Generic is fine) Cheap towels or some baby blankets Space heater and warming pads--whatever we can keep them warm with Latex gloves Feeding tubes--not the one with the syringe, just the plain tube Another couple bottles wine A case of beer, Corona is fine 2:28 am
(Typing...)
- Better get the wine too
😟
Monday 4:47 pm
Big trash bags--the heavy duty construction ones A styrofoam ice chest and a bag of ice More beer Gin and tonic water with a bunch of limes--the good tonic water--"Fever" something Chocolate Lots of chocolate 🥺
4:58 pm
(Typing...)
- more ice and another ice chest
- Kleenex, lots of Kleenex
- More chocolate
5:25 pm
(Typing...)
- A shovel... 😞
- ...don't forget the Gin
💔
______________________
*** In loving memory of the far too many babies I've buried over the years. Each one of you... so special and Unique. But Liwu... I love and miss you more than words.
About the Creator
Lena Folkert
Alaskan Grown Freelance Writer 🤍 Lover of Prose
Former Deckhand & Barista 🤍 Always a Pleaser & Eggshell-Walker
Lifelong Animal Lover & Whisperer 🤍 Ever the Student & Seeker
Traveler 🤍 Dreamer 🤍 Wanderer
Happily Lost 🤍 Luckily in Love
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Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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In Eclipse Challenge Winners
Creator Dane BH is one of our Vocal stalwarts. We’re so grateful to all of your in our Vocal community, and so thrilled by your achievements. This is the third time Dane has won one of our challenges, and she appears too on our Vocal podcast, Write Here, Write Now — take a listen if you haven’t already. But she’s not our winner because we know her: the subtlety and simplicity of we watched the world go dark. together. is what made it our winner of the In Eclipse challenge, with the grace and ease of its lines and observation. As it happens it also expresses the community spirit that means so much to us.
By Vocal Curation Team3 days ago in Resources
Comments (11)
So sad. It’s never easy losing a fur baby. I hope this brought you some catharsis, and you can cherish the happy memories. 💖💖💖
Oh, I'm sorry.
Oh my goodness. This is so rich with implications. I sense multiple animals involved, perhaps births and a death? Hopefully not multiple deaths…just heartbreaking and devastatingly written. Ugh, so well crafted, Lena. The updated lists are a good touch, add a good depth to the time stamps. And the emojis are great too; fantastic for the targeted emotions behind the items. But oh my goodness. I am so sorry for the events that inspired this. I absolutely weep for your losses. 💔
So sorry for your loss. Liwu looks precious💖. I wish their life expectancy was much longer. I lost a furry friend and companion a years ago and it still hurts.
Sorry to hear about your pet. I still think of mine often!
I've lost track of how many times I've gone through this, most recently with our son's last remaining pet, Luna, a calico long-hair 16 years old. Something happened that around two months ago that made her averse to using the litterbox for peeing. She'd also quit grooming herself. But she still wanted cat treats, scratches & cuddles. She continued to purr & enjoy spending some time snuggling with me on the bed. The vet said that she had some arthritis in her hips, but for the most part she seemed healthy. Lots of puppy training pads for our cat, cleaning supplies, anxious debates over whether it was time or not, prayers. Around 11:27 p.m. on October 30th, she vomited in three spots on the kitchen floor. I hadn't even paid attention to the fact that she'd rarely if ever coughed up hairballs during this entire time. I cleaned them up, then spent some time petting, nuzzling & comforting her on the living/dining room floor where she was lying. Then I returned to bed. Early in the morning I awoke to my wife crying out for me in the other room. Luna was gone, still lying where I had left her then night before. She may already have been gone by the time I was cleaning up after her, even before I went out to comfort her for her sore tummy. A seizure, stroke, heart attack..., I'd witnessed her having a brief episode a few weeks back that sure looked like a mild one of those. But we prefer to believe that she waited until Halloween. It was one of our son's favorite holidays & the idea that she waited for it to come so she could join him on it provides some comfort to us. BTW, I liked your entry for the challenge. Obviously, I found it quite evocative & relatable.
Aww. That is so sad, and I can see from the list how hard you tried. 😢
Ms. Lena ~ Just waking up to 'Folgers,' etc. in my cup ~ - Incredibly Entertaining - Jay Kantor, Vocal Village Community
It’s was cute , your grocery list 🥰It’s very sad to loss a pet for sure. They are all so special .
Sorry about your loss of Liwu, hope you do well in the challenge
I'm so sorry for the loss of Liwu 🥺 And thank you for the 'pet lovers beware' warning. I lost my cat 2 years ago and I still struggle with this topic. I'm really sorry but I was just too scared to read your poem. I hope you understand. Sending you lots of love and hugs ❤️