Life to Liesl was a ball game. Nobody liked to chase balls down and bring them back like she did. If Liesl were a man, she would have been a professional shortstop – maybe for the Cubs.

She taught me a game where she would lay the ball down and then try to beat me to the ball before I could kick it away. She almost always won, but sometimes she would let me win.

She liked to sit – usually on the back porch – and watch the fields for wildlife. She spotted deer, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, possum, stray dogs – and she would let us know about it just before she took off to chase them down.

She liked to come in the house and lay in her corner by the front door while we watched television. I don’t think she paid any mind to the TV, but she would come over every once in a while and stick her nose in our laps to let us know she was still there.

She began to have problems last summer, but we adjusted her diet, and she seemed to be coping pretty well.

I think it was the hard winter that finally did her in. She had to spend a lot of time indoors, and that may have contributed to her problems. The last couple of days she would cry for us to let her out, and we would, but finally her problems got too bad.

I don’t think there is a doggie heaven, but if there is, then I think Liesl would be there playing ball right now.

Harvey