Monday, December 26, 2016

Merry Day After

Yes Christmas is gone, done with, over and out.

For another year.

The frenzied buying, the loneliness of those without family, the glitter and tinsel and wrapping paper and repeats of old Christmas movies.....all gone.

For another year.

Onward to infinity.....

Ending the year is kind of like dumping the trash and watching the garbage truck carry it off, then pulling a completely empty light garbage can back to the house.
It will fill again.  But for now, it's empty.

I had an epic Christmas.

My younger brother and his wife stopped by on their way north to spend Christmas with their daughter.   We met and ate breakfast at Elmers.  It was so nice to see them.

I was still in recovery mode from the Wednesday and Thursday trips on Friday.  On Saturday I slept half the day, despite plans otherwise, still recuperating.

I need my sleep.  I don't function well unless I have my sleep or until I catch up.  When fully rested, I am ready to rumble.

Sunday I rumbled.  I drove up to see my other brother and his wife.  Their daughter was gone, off with other relatives.  It was me, my brother, his wife and her 90 year old grandmother, who can't really hear.  She's fun nonetheless.  I began to wonder if we all shouldn't learn sign language once we hit 70.

Carter, their dog, was in fine form, by the window, announcing every passer by.  Their small tree was by the window too.   My brother loves the movie "Elf".  Not me.   But we both had seen Christmas Vacation a few too many times.  Grinch too.   Dinner was coho salmon, baked, and cauliflower/Brussel Sprout goulash.  Light and delicious.

I was home by about 6:30, light traffic on the drive back.  I was relieved.

I'd found this goodie bag outside my garage Sunday morning  Someone was playing Santa.  It was delightful and full of cat toys, cat litter and other goodies.



I had been blessed through the last two months with donations from a Canadian friend, arriving through Amazon.  Everything from a huge box filled with 10 canisters of Party Mix treats, to Fancy Feast dry cat food, wet food, tuna flakes, a kennel pad and even a nifty litter box.  Thank you Elaine!

Gretal loves the the Meow Mix tub wet food.  Elaine remembered!


My cats LOVE Fancy Feast dry.  They don't get it very often.  Their usual is Kirkland purple bag dry from Costco.  The FF dry Elaine sent literally vanished overnight.   They ate it all!

And Elaine never forgets that Miss D loves the FF broth packets.  Oh my does she love them.
We also were gifted a case of Nine Lives on Christmas Eve from Diana and a case of Friskies wet from Kimberly.  These were wonderful Christmas gifts for the cats.

It was an epic Christmas all in all.  But now its over, and my eyes are looking forward.....

Baby, let the new year loose!


Many of my kitties are quite old.   Miss Daisy is now over 17.   I love her so much.

My car too has aged another year, but is still running.

We have had a good year with the nonprofit too.  Got lots of cats fixed.  We've only been able to do so with the help of a lot of people.    I can't even begin to name everyone but I want to say thank you to all.   I call one friend, Joan of Arc, because she will suddenly send a donation when HCC is in desperate need of help, seeming to be psychic and know when the chips are stacked up against us.   Midori and her husband are long time supporters, as is Barbara clear out in Nebraska!

Thank you to all of you!

 I understand I am the one setting the traps, feeding the cats, sitting in my car long hours watching traps or in parking lots waiting on cats to be fixed, delivering food to caretakers of colonies....these are things I can do.   The real people behind HCC are those parting with their hard earned money to pay for the costs.  We all have things we can and cannot do.   We all are good at some things and not at other things.  Those who donate money, food, anything or support are HCC too.    We're all in this together.  THANK YOU so much for being part of Happy Cat Club!


12 comments:

  1. I am so glad that you had an epic Christmas.
    Miss D and the broth made my eyes leak a little. Jewel loved them too. Given her druthers she would have only eaten them. And fresh cooked chicken. And turkey.

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    1. Usually I am sitting here alone for Christmas. This year was really different. Plus I had offers for dinner from two other friends at their homes plus an offer to go out to Chinese on Christmas. I hated to turn any of these offers down and wish I could have gone to all. Or spread it out. Epic it was, seeing both brothers, my gosh, that meant a lot to me.

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    2. I very much wish I could deliver you a couple of black sisters-Rum and Jamaica! They are slowly taming. Rum is becoming the most social but little Arizona, the black tux, is also coming around. The hold out is Jamaica.

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    3. I know how you feel about Jewel and I feel the same about Miss Daisy and know she won't be with me too much longer. My heart catches to think about it. She is my joy. Her spirit is fun, silly, optimistic, defiant, slapstick, loving, loyal and just plain wonderful.

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    4. Yes. Jewel and Miss D are related.

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  2. I suppose Joan of Arc was from a town named arc, either that or she was gymnast who was renowned for her flexible spine.

    I love the photo of Miss Daisy, but it’s so sad when pets get old. I delight in the fact that my oldest is only six, but now that I’m getting old, I know it would be wrong for me to take on any more kittens, and kittens are so, so, so much fun. I am loving my Scully girl to the point that I can hardly bear it. Just looking into her beautiful face thrills me, and I get up every the morning all happy because I get to be with my cats for another day. Peggy and I had dinner with friends last night, and I felt sad about being way from my cats for a whole evening.

    Oh, thank you, Elaine, for supporting our saintly friend so generously, more generously than I ever do, for sure. That aside, I’m very glad that you are in her life.

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    1. I know its sad when a pet gets old. I have this dread in me, for the day Miss D leaves the living. I know its coming. I like to be in denial about it, not think about it. I too delight in time spent with my cats and miss them if gone for very long at all. I can't wait to get back and be with them again. I didn't mean to leave people out of my thank you specific list and I was afraid I'd hurt someone's feelings if I mentioned one and not someone else. I love your support too, Snow.

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    2. “I didn't mean to leave people out of my thank you specific list and I was afraid I'd hurt someone's feelings if I mentioned one and not someone else. I love your support too, Snow.”

      If this means that you thought I felt left out because mentioned Elaine but not me, you were wrong because I know that you and I are friends (good friends as I see it), and that we both appreciate who the other person is and the good that that person brings to ourselves and to others, and I have no need for you to make the least mention of me, especially given how little I do to help you. I’ve told you many times that I am in awe of you, and I would never say this if I didn’t mean it. After all of these years, I think I have a fairly good feel for whom you are as a person, which means that I know a good bit about your strengths and your weaknesses, your fears and your acts of bravery, so when I say I’m in awe of your goodness, I’m not making a statement based upon ignorance, or one that leaves me open to disillusionment when I discover that you have your limitations. I simply know that you go to the wall to help cats. Whenever they give out another round of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Awards, I think to myself that you deserve that recognition one hell of a lot more than the rich celebrities whom they give it to. You do so much and get so little recognition for it, that I just want you to know that you are very much recognized in my eyes, and when you told your readers about Elaine, I knew you were recognized in her eyes, and I felt a weight of gratitude toward her because she is supporting my friend, my friend who is a woman with a heart as big as Oregon. So, thank you again, Elaine because in helping such a good person as Strayer, you’re helping me too by making my heart feel warm.

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    3. You make cry, Snow, that was beautiful. Thank you.

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  3. Like EC, I have teared up at reading this. The joys you shared, your gratitude, and thought of Miss D leaving this realm all hit me. I hope you get many more fun invitations and lots and lots of donations. Happy New Year!

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    Replies
    1. Happy New Year to you also Darla!

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  4. Anonymous1:51 AM

    I am very pleased you had company over Christmas. Lovely photo of Miss Daisy.

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