Cat Heaven

“In the dream that awakened me, you had come and taken me to a sea of stars.  The cat stood in the flowers, two ears above.”

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Yesterday morning I awoke from a sweet dream.  In it, I was with my sweet kitty, Darby.  As Cody called it, A happy cat dream.  And I woke up and started to cry.  And I stood in the shower for a long time and cried.  That dream was a sweet, sweet message to me.  My kitty is gone.  And she sent me a dream because I asked her to.  (And my dog Pixie was in it, too.  Maybe that means she’s forgiven me.  And I know she was there to make sure I knew what the dream meant.)  It was the kind of dream you don’t want to wake up from.

There are not a lot of details.  Darby was here, and then she wasn’t.  No body in the road so I don’t think she met her end by a car.  I think she met it a bit more nobly, maybe defending her land and family from a big, mean predator, like a fox.  We shall never know.  But she has been gone for over a week, and I do believe she sent me that dream.  You can think that is silly if you like, but you’ll never be able to tell me otherwise.

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2001: I was at my parents’ house for the weekend and we stopped in a PetCo.  I, of course, was not looking for a cat.  But they had the adoption cages there full of kitties.  And there was Darby.  So darn cute.  And every time I pet her she would roll into my hand so hard she would end up rolling right into her water dish, then she would jump up and shake herself off and come back to be pet again.  She did it over and over.  I had to stay an extra night so I could adopt her in the morning.  I couldn’t not bring her into my life.

The day I brought her home. December 2001.

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Darby's the one in the coat.  Charlie's the one laughing at her.

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Darby was the kind of cat who makes cat-haters like cats.  She was super-friendly.  Just a big cutie-pie.  With how friendly she was, I think she thought she was a dog.  She loved her new home here in the country and preferred being outside stalking mice and keeping an eye on her domain.  And would always, always come running for love from wherever she was when her humans would come outside.

Goodbye, sweet Darby.  You are very loved and very missed.

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Darby

2001-2012

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Camping

“Git off my mountain…”

Finn learning how to knit.My little hikersGood shootin’, Tex!We got a visit from Grandma & Grandpa on Sunday!

And finally, we have a gravesite for Fishy Monroe.  He was a good little Beta fishy.  He was well traveled and loved camping.  Turns our he wasn’t the only pet we lost this weekend, more on that later.

RIP Fishy Monroe  2009-2012

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headphones

After three tries, I think I have some music.  I was able to buy an iPod nano (boy that thing sure is cool) and some headphones with a gift card Cody gave me for my birthday.  Headphones are not an easy thing to buy.  Gone are the days when you waltz in and try them on your head to see if they fit right.  They all come in a box and are packaged like children's' toys (impossible to extricate).

First, the sales guy pointed me to a pair of Sony noise-cancelling dealies.  Bought them.  Tried them on in the car.  They had a spike (seriously) right where they sit on the top of your head.  Nope.  Went back in.  Next I found a pair that looked a little more comfortable.  Brought them out and they had a "sub-woofer" which, as far as I could tell, only made them vibrate.  Also, this means they had the equivalent to a one-pound hand weight attached to the cord.  Ugh.

Went in a third, and hopefully final, time.  Luckily, I think this pair will work.  Wow, that was hard.  I guess you're supposed to either research what you want in a headphone or instinctively know what the jargon means before you go in to actually find the right pair.  I guess some people know these things.  I was not one of them.  The only times I listen to headphones are when I mow the lawn or ride on a plane by myself.  These things do not happen often.  I suppose I could do it more often.  But zoning out of the world when you have 2 small children, while very tempting, just doesn't sound like a great idea.  I guess i don't get a ton of "me" time.  Too bad, that.  But now, when I do, I'll be able to listen to every nuance of rhythm and music. 

PS
It is hard to write coherent sentences while singing along to music.  There may be some random lyrics in the middles of sentences here, I'm not sure...