Wednesday, March 03, 2010

March

March came in like a lamb. Like a little bunny gently hopping -- over the giant drifts and shoveled piles of snow that look like they will never melt. The snow on Columbus Day, so long ago, was a portent of the endless crap to follow. It has been a long winter.

January was an endless stream of snowstorms, sub-zero temperatures, ice storms and funerals. Friends and relatives died one after the other. Then I had poor, old, sick Mouse (the cat) put to sleep.

Mouse's funeral is pending. If I die in the winter you can put my funeral on hold, too. And like I told H while sitting next to her at Lutheran funerals, if organ music is played and you force the handful of "mourners" (celebrants?) to sing (mumble/mouth) hymns I will haunt you forever.

My computer died, too. It succumbed to the viruses and trojans that had plagued it for months and were exacerbated by the ministrations of "Secure IT". I have been back-peddling trying to get stuff back to normal in computerland and it is a bumpy road.

A bright spot, or maybe it's a stupid spot, is the new addition to the family. I was making an effort to stay away from the Humane Society after losing Mouse and then...a friend had seen a kitten in the parking lot at work. When she got home heard mewing. She found the kitten under her hood. I went to just look at him and that is how Hey Bob came to live with us. Hey Bob does not give me the time of day. He is Crab's cat through and through.







6 comments:

Kate said...

*Swoon* I want to hug him and squish him to my cheek! Bob is precious!

I'm so sorry about Mouse. I dread the day one of my cats has to go. I am not sure I will handle it well at all.

Gwen said...

You know as well as I do that we are not the type who "just look" at any pathetic little thing. When we go to look at something, I suspect we both are already resigning ourselves to it coming to live with us.

I'm really sorry about having to put Mouse to sleep. So far I've had to put one cat and one dog to sleep since I've been an adult, and it was very unpleasant. But I was also ultimately happy that I loved them enough to do what was right rather than let them suffer so I didn't have to make the hard decision about what to do.

Bob is incredibly cute. Though it seems unfair that Captain Crab gets all the love from Bob AND Skittles.

pj said...

Kate & Gwen: Thanks for the sympathies. I was going to write a post just about Mouse like I did for Felix but it's all so raw. Felix has been gone for over a year and that post still makes me cry buckets.

And yes, Gwen, I kind of knew as I packed the cat carrier to go "look" at Hey Bob that he was coming home with me. I saved an engine riding kitten!

Skittles was supposed to be Crab's cat since he was the one who went to the shelter and picked her out. But Ms. Snotty Pants has been my kitty from day one. I don't begrudge him Hey Bob. They are a cute couple.

Kate said...

You took the cat carrier WITH you? You didn't just go LOOK at a cat. You are just like me. That's how I ended up with two in the first place. I refuse to go look at kittens. I can't handle it. And I certainly don't need a third. Then I really WOULD be the crazy cat lady in the basement.

pj said...

Yes, I took the carrier with me. The kitten was described as "young" and "gray". I expected to find a full grown tiger striped cat and was willing to walk away from that. But not Hey Bob.

I have learned from experience that I can't handle more than 2 cats. But if I had someone to change litter for me......

Hannita said...

Aww. I'm glad Hey Bob has a good home. I couldn't resist an engine riding, charcoal kitten either. And I'm sorry about Mouse. Never easy losing someone/thing we love.

Also, organ music ranks up there with my most painful music ever.