It’s Up and It’s Down

Is that a line from a song?

I realized I haven’t blogged in a while, then I realized I haven’t done a thing in a while. I am recouping from Christmas.

I got the chair reupholstered. Now that was good. But I don’t have  a picture as of yet. Well, I do, but it doesn’t do said chair justice. Suffice to say, chair is feeling it’s stuff right now. The guy brought it in and put it down and I oohed and ahhhed and immediately threw a blanket over it. Upholsterer looked a little crestfallen, and I’m not sure he took that as a compliment.

Dave said “Cover it up and beat the first animal who throws up on it”. Good in theory but seriously, can you really, without sophisticated DNA testing, tell who laid down a barf? Jack’s thing is to dry heave loudly while the other cat runs over and throws up in secret under the bed. They work it out that way. So, we covered it up. But it looks great. Trust me.

The sadness was that, after 15 years of life, Elvin, aka Yeltsin, aka Yeltsie, aka ad nauseam**, had to be  put to sleep (terrible term) because she was end stage kidney failure. I knew it was coming because Fuzzy, who was just about 20, died of the same thing.

The problem is cats never die. They fight and linger and look terrible. So before the worst could happen, I decided, at the vets office, to have her euthanized. I actually, at one point, thought she had died because she was so still and was doing a face plant in the blanket. When you can barely tell the difference between life and death, you have to let go. But here’s a little memoriam.

Look, I have no tail. I used to have a tail, but then I broke it and then it was gone. But it’s all good. Don’t miss it at all. And, by the way, this is the best pose you will get today so take the stupid picture and be done with it.

I still don’t have a tail but I’m much more compact. I can get under this chair because you irritate me with that camera.

Seriously? I get no peace.

I will mess up your computer, leave me alone…

Really? I’m old, I’m sick, get out of my face.  But thanks for setting up a blanket with a heating pad so I can relax here with you. Now, go away.

I hate to admit I took a last picture at the vet while we were waiting. Sad but true. She was like-I will play dead to get you to quit taking pictures of me.

I surely miss her little standoffish ways, and then her insistence on being in my face when I was busy eating, working, writing, sewing, knitting. I’m sure you get the point. She was a little cat with some attitude. Jack was scared shitless of her.

Sigh. I had her cremated and she will join the others I keep here with me. Hey, like none of you have ever kept a cremated pet around. Don’t judge.

Anyway, it’s sad and a little lonely here. Jack is treading lightly and keeps looking around for her to jump out at him. We try to take up the slack now and then just to keep him on his toes. Chat doesn’t care at all.

Laura, my ever faithful blog muse, sent me this yesterday. And, if you knew Laura, which you must if you have read this blog more than once, is so true to form I must post it.

Sometimes, when I tell Laura something, especially something that involves cattle, cows, or calves, I can FEEL her eyes roll. Feel it. That’s the power of her eye roll. She’s a little famous for it.

Monday is Grampa’s birthday dinner. Yay for fun. I got a cake. I’ll take a picture. Of the cake. Before I eat it.

Otherwise, there’s things happening around here, but not things that are in a sure enough mode to be anymore than a nebulous cloud that is following us around. We are almost there, but not quite yet. By next week we will have plans.

I hope.

**This is the meaning of ad nauseam because I had to look up the spelling.

“Ad nauseam is a Latin term for a discussion that has continued so long that it has continued "to the point of nausea" “

And besides making me laugh a little, it struck me that I reach the point of nausea after only brief conversations with the general population. I can’t even get to the “continued so long” part because I am already nauseous. May have to adjust tolerance so I can continue to use this term correctly.