Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
The Two Of Us
My latest book, The Two of Us, is now available. Current retail outlets are being posted below as they are finalized. Price is $25.00, and can also be purchased directly from me by e-transfer. (tsprague@xplornet.com), or from any one of the following retail outlets.
- Printcraft, 26 Cold Storage Rd, Picton
- Books and Company, 289 Picton Main St, Picton
- The Local Store, 768 County Rd 12 (Bloomfield)
- The Birdhouse Nature Store, 82 Main Street, Brighton
- Lighthouse Books, 65 Main Street, Brighton
- Stirling Book Co., 36 Mill Street, Stirling
- Fiona King, 629 Harmony Rd., Corbyville for prepaid pickup only. Buyer can call 613-969-9766 to arrange pickup, or text 613-921-2434.
- more retail outlets to come
- by mail. Please add $5 to cover postage and handling
And, here is a link to the story that editor Jason Parks wrote about the book for the Picton Gazette
And, here is a link to a story that Sharon Harrison wrote about the book recently CountyLive
Here is what others are saying about the book…
Morning Terry, yesterday afternoon I read your book, finishing the last two chapters after dinner last evening. It was a hit home read for me. I thoroughly soaked it all in laughing and letting the tears flow…all the feels. Thanks for writing your love for Christie came through with flying colours. A wonderful read….and Bill is going to give it a read as well. I told him he would enjoy it. When I got laughing, he said, are you going to share…my reply was you have to read the book. N.P., Yarker
Well, your book arrived and I took advantage of a very rainy day yesterday to curl up and read it. Imagine my honour to see my name listed! Thank you so much, it means an awful lot to me, particularly because this book is very personal, and emotional for you. I have to admit I pined for my own past dogs when I turned the last page and sat thinking. I wonder if I’ll have another dog one day. L.I., New Brunswick
I read your book this morning while basking in the sun It touched my heart, and made me cry too. My goodness, you gave her such a good life, as she gave you the same. I think the world could be a different place if everyone could experience the same love you had for Christie with their own pets. I’m so fortunate to have had a small bond with her. She sure touched my life. Thank you so much for the book, it was one of the best real stories I’d read in a long time. S.N., Picton
We just finished reading your book. Wow, we have shared so many memories with Jenny and Christie that were so much alike. John and I can relate to the love that we shared with Jenny as you did with Christie. God Bless. I had to re-read some paragraphs as my eyes clouded up with tears. Also, your book provided us to not feel so alone with our grief. Thank you for sharing; the book was an excellent read! S.C., Trenton
Here are a few excerpts from the book …..
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I looked back at the dog who now stared at me, her tail wagging. The dog did look cute, I had to admit, her sparkling eyes and a characteristic Shih Tzu underbite bespeaking her conspicuous qualities. Despite trying to cope with what must have been a lot of stress, her long-haired tail curled tightly over her back. She seemed a bit more relaxed now. And her name, Christie, seemed to fit. I had to catch myself. Already she was making an impact on me.
“We aren’t going to bond, RIGHT?” I asked forcefully as I pointed a wagging finger back at her. I still mourned the loss of my Nipper. But the die had been cast. There was no turning back. It was like some unseen force was already at work, drawing us together.
HER UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR ME
Instantly, Christie spun around and galloped past Nola and headed for the sundeck.
“Oh, why is it that she’ll come for you and not for me?” Nola barked, hoping for some kind of profound answer.
“I don’t know—guess we have a connection,” I smirked, realizing that Christie had decided at that moment on her own that it was time to go anyway, and her decision had little to do with any kind of a connection.
“Yeah, you have a connection alright,” Nola snapped emphatically, her voice laced with a subtle hint of sarcasm, directing her comment toward the kitchen door, mumbling something that I couldn’t quite make out. I doubt if it was complimentary.
THE MOODS OF MY DOG
We were at a house party in Wellington several years ago. Between twenty-five and thirty were in attendance in this spacious home. After the leash was removed, Christie made herself right at home, and spent the next two hours mingling with the crowd, carefully threading her way through fifty or more shuffling feet scattered between two different rooms. I joined a conversation in one of those rooms, but every fifteen minutes, Christie would seek me out to check on how the evening was going for me, then she’d quietly melt back into the crowd again to resume panhandling. Evidently, she spent a very productive two hours gleaning handouts and any crumbs that managed to fall to the floor because she slept soundly on the car seat all the way home. She was still asleep when I carried her into the house.
WE TACKLE THE MILLENNIUM TRAIL
The Millennium Trail offered different smells than those of other trails we had walked elsewhere; this trail presented a potpourri of new scents, replete with the carcass remains of dead animals, human litter, the back leg of a deer, and the shattered remains of turtle eggs that marauding raccoons had left behind. One memorable discovery she came upon was a scattering of fresh horse manure. Christie spent several moments inhaling the new and exciting aroma, staring at her new find as she tried to decide what she was supposed to do with this bizarre discovery. Unlike most dogs, Christie considered herself far too sophisticated to ever roll in anything disgusting. So, she continued to stare, mesmerized, as though to wonder, “I really don’t know what this disgusting object is, but perhaps we should take it home with us for further analysis.”
CHRISTIE AND HER LOVE AFFAIRS
Christie was loved by everyone and had become a celebrity wherever we went. Some stores had policies and were not pet friendly. I always argued that she was likely cleaner, smelled nicer, and was better behaved than some of their customers. Yet, when queried as to the basis of their “policy”, not one of them could explain their reasoning. It was just “policy”, they would always reply, and simply walk away, uninterested in continuing the conversation. Christie and I had our own policy, too. If my dog was not welcome, then I guess I wasn’t either, so we spent our money elsewhere with no apologies.
THE LAST CHAPTER
As Christie and I aged we both started declining simultaneously. First, it was in the length of the walks we took together. For me, it was deteriorating knees that made walking less enjoyable, but we still forged bravely ahead with shorter hikes. Walks had become more of a quest now. We were both growing old together. We had slipped into the Golden Years, almost imperceptibly, but always together. We spent less time hobbling along on walks and more time relaxing, swapping kisses, but mostly just staring into each other’s eyes as the bond not only continued, but seemed to strengthen even more.
