B.B. Boudreau

Novelist | Singer

I Never Met a Man That I Didn’t Like

The reason I started this story is something B said to me. She said, “You could be famous!” This is usually when she’s talking to other people about me, but she also talks to me, and I’m a good listener. I’m pretty sharp and can remember the names of lots of things, at least what…

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Where to Pee, or Not to Pee

One very important part of a dog’s life is learning that it makes a difference where we pee. B helped me a lot with that. The first week in my new house, she was with me all the time, which was great, because pictures of my brothers, sister and my mom flew through my head…

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My First Night

Life in that whelping box was a pile of puppies. Usually, Mom was there and when she was—yum! Warm milk slid right down my throat and into my belly until I fell asleep from being too full. My nose led me around, and everywhere I could smell my pack, but especially my Mom. Mom=warm yummy…

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The Small Things

Extraordinary things can happen as long as we focus on doing little ordinary tasks every day. Trent Preszler—episode on CBS Sunday Morning I’m over 60 now, and at times I feel I haven’t accomplished much in life, particularly when I watch a show like CBS Sunday Morning and witness the incredible lives of notable individuals…

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Hey Sailor . . .

After a dogless six months, we brought our new boy, Sailor, an eight-week-old Australian Shepherd puppy into our house. Changes to our routine are now well established by COVID. While the shutdown has been an interruption, without a dog, we’re now free to stay inside until we actually have to go out, rather than being…

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Her Last Day

She is panting for no reason. The day before she seized several times. During one episode, she fell, peed herself and landed on her side at the brink of the open stairs off the deck. I had to catch her to keep her from falling down the flight. Last night she woke me twice and…

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Parallels

It never occurred to me that caring for my mother in her last days’ journey with Alzheimer’s would be repeated only several years later. My dear dog and faithful companion Lila has turned the corner into her twilight days. Certainly there are physical similarities; loss of faculties (sight, hearing), loss of mobility and energy, but…

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What good is an old dog?

I accompanied my old dog on a walk tonight at 1:00am. Not the best time for a walk, unless you happen to have an old dog. An old dog does exactly what they want, and will figure out how to get it. They also have the loudest mouth in the house. She is good. She…

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Pulling Away from the Casket

I felt like I had never been to a funeral. I am 55 years old and have at least several dozen funerals under the soles of my feet. Still, I stood at the casket trying desperately to see her through that drawn, plastic expression creased with makeup she would never have worn. The hint of…

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My Invisible Hero

My mother is nearly absent from the memory book of my first ten years. Only a few episodes remain in my subconscious film strip. Two stand-outs occurred when I was about six years old. One was when she whisked me to the sink to whack my back, dislodging the nasty morsel of melon lodged in…

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