Pip

If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, you already know this. But I am heartbroken to tell you that this past Saturday, February 1, 2025, our sweet boy Pip joined his brothers and sisters in heaven.

Pip first came to live with us when he was just short of a year old. He had recovered from having his back left leg amputated, and a friend of mine - Kate Gagnon Osborn - had been fostering him. She suggested that he would be a good fit for our family. (Fun fact: about a year later, she would foster the dog that would become another member of our family, Dug!)

When Pip joined us, we had Jetsam, who had been alone for about a year after we lost two other kitties within a week of each other. They became fast friends, and we could tell Jetsam was glad to have a companion again. Pip loved Jetsam right away, and things felt more complete again. 

Pip never met someone - human or otherwise - that he didn't make friends with. We used to joke that if we brought an alligator home, he'd make it his friend. Anyone else who joined the family was immediately fine with him, even if the others might take a while.

He was our sweet boy, cuddly, purry, and playful. He was also the family narc, making sure that we knew if something wrong occurred. He loved it when people came to visit (more friends!), and loved going out in the garden for a walk around, once he realized (starting over every single year) that it was a safe place.

He had a great Christmastime this year, which made us (and him!) happy. Last October, the vet said he had lost a bit more weight than before. He wanted to do all kinds of tests to see if it might be cancer or something, but we decided that as long as Pip was happy and his usual self, we were leaving it alone. Going to the vet was one of the few things that stressed him out, even more than any of the others, and we wanted to avoid that. 

In the last few weeks, you could tell he didn't feel well. He slept more, and though everything else was pretty much the same, he wasn't his usual Pippy self. And then his back leg - the only one he had - started not working too well. 

I kept telling him that he needed to let us know when he was just too unhappy or sick to go on, because like I said, he was clearly not feeling his best. On Saturday morning, when I went downstairs to give everyone their breakfasts, he was sitting next to the heater, and he looked at me sadly and meowed even sadder. So I knew he was telling me. 

Fortunately, the vet could take us a couple of hours after we called. All the others told him goodbye, and we put him in the carrier to go to the vet, which is about a block away from our house. It was a *very* sunny day, and we talked to him and told him the sun came out for him the whole way there. 

And by the time we went to take him out of the carrier at the vet's office, he was already gone. We agreed that one of the rays of sunshine decided that it couldn't wait any longer for him to join in making the world bright and making people smile, so that's what happened on our way there. I like to tell myself it was quick and he didn't even have time to think about it, because I hate to think he was panicked in the carrier for the last seconds of his existence. 

Pip was a happy boy, and from all that we could see and tell, he had a happy life. We tried our best, and I like to think he knew that - he seemed to know that he was beloved, and he really was.

He would have turned 14 on the 14th of the month - Valentine's Day. So rather than have a little party for him, we'll do our best to celebrate that he was ours for as long as he was. Maybe by then we'll have his ashes here at home with all of us.

 

God bless you, Pip. We will love you forever, and will never be able to stop remembering how you saved our lives. I hope you were extra happy to see your Welcoming Committee in heaven - I know they were happy to see you!

Please give all of your family members some extra love today, however you can. Pip was all about love, and knowing that other people and animals were getting some extra love on his behalf would make him happy.

A Leisurely Friday Stroll Through the Neighborhood

How I enjoyed my Friday day off!  (Of course, now it seems long ago, sigh.)

This was how the morning started out, just relaxing and hanging out with these two:

It was supposed to rain quite a bit, but nothing was happening around our house, so I decided to take advantage of that and take a walk around the neighborhood.  I took my phone with me so I could snap some photos to show you.  One of the nicest things about our neighborhood is that people go out of their way when springtime comes to plant flowers, whether they are in the ground or in pots.  One is more beautiful than the next when you are paying attention.

I decided to head towards the Schuylkill River Trail, to see what might be going on along there.  Passing one of the research buildings that are part of the University of Pennsylvania, I saw these guys.

Nope. You could not pay me enough to do that kind of job!

I though this flowerpot on someone's stoop nearby was particularly fancy.

Then I arrived at the trail.

I was nearly on my own, though there were a couple of runners and I saw one bicyclist.

I found this measurement confusing - shouldn't the numbers go the other way?  Oh well.

In any case, I'm glad I wasn't sitting on this bench when the rapture happened.

Time to head home.

Look how happy these azaleas are in Fitler Square!  I didn't take a wider shot, but if you happen to watch the TV show "Servant" you might be interested to know that a lot of the scenes in the most recent season of the show were shot here in Fitler Square.  

I really enjoyed my walk, and it turned out that it was just what I needed to get the day going.  Nothing of any great amazement or import happened or was accomplished for the rest of the day, but a lot of small things were taken care of, which sometimes feels more rewarding to me.  

The rest of the weekend was nice and uneventful, so it felt like it lasted a long time.

One note for today: Please keep a good thought for my niece Amanda, her husband Pat, and their kitty Clancy.  Today they will likely have to say goodbye to her, and even though she is 18 years old and has had a lovely kitty cat life with lots of love and attention, we all know that it is awful to say goodbye to those that you love.  I'm just glad they can be all together when it happens.  They've had Clancy since she was about 5 weeks old, so she is an extra special kitty.

Take care, and hug your loved ones.

Kindness

(From the comic strip, "Mutts.")

A few years ago, I chose "kindness" for my word of the year - actually I chose it two years in a row.  Because I found that telling myself to consciously be more kind was good practice, and I hoped that by using that for my word two years in a row, it would become more of a habit than something I needed to remember to do or to be.  And to some extent, I've succeeded, though admittedly, I could probably keep it as my word for the year and never reach the place I would hope.  We are all human though, so we can only try our best.  

I cannot tell you how much all of your kind comments, notes, snail mail cards and letters, and small gifts have meant to me after posting about losing our sweet Hamlet.  Loss makes you feel so terribly alone, and when your friends surround you with kindness and love, it doesn't make the hurt less, but it does provide comfort.  And when many of those who are the kindest are people you actually either barely know or don't know in real life, it makes you realize that friendship is it's own kind of love.  So thank you so very much for *your* kindnesses to me, and by extension to The Tim and the kitties.  We are still in shock, but we are also grateful for so much, in particular that for Hamlet, the end was quick and not a lingering, painful time.  True, it makes it a bit harder for us. because we were not even thinking it would happen anytime soon, but I would rather we had to deal with that, than him having to be sick or worse for any length of time.  

Please know that if I have not responded to you, it's either because I don't have your e-mail address, or because I have not gotten myself together enough to be able to write snail mail notes yet.  But I'll get there - know in the meantime that your thoughts were received with gratitude.

I would have written all of the above at some point anyway, but was prompted to do it now by a couple of things I saw on social media.  A young man (we'll call him Dr. S.) who worked in the Entomology Department while he was a master's and Ph.D. student managed to successfully defend his thesis last year, and very fortunately obtained a teaching position at a nearby college.  This guy is truly one of the nicest people I have ever met - I guess you could say his mother raised him well (his father apparently died when he was about 6 years old).  He is friendly and personable, but also really caring.  Whenever I was on medical leave due to surgery, or illness, I always received a note or an e-mail from him, saying that he hoped I was doing better, or that he missed talking to me, etc.  And he is the kind of person who you know means it, and is not simply saying it because it's the right thing to say.

So the other day, when he posted this on Facebook, I was not surprised at all:

A student asked to submit a paper a day late because...

She was "overcome with joy and excitement and cannot focus!" because her family's "first child of the next generation was born!"

You can take the whooole week,

congrats

!!!

-- COMMENT: Very kind. My son asked for an extension bc of severe anxiety and a total cloud fail when he submitted a paper and got a “no”. Always be kind.

And there you have it - the difference a small bit of kindness can make.

Now I know that there are always people in school, at work, in life, who try to take advantage and always ask for special consideration.  I don't think they deserve to have exceptions made for them, though it often happens anyway.  And I'm sure a lot of professors would have told the girl whose family had a new baby that it was wonderful news, but you still need to meet the deadline.  I think the fact that Dr. S. not only gave her the grace she requested, but then posted about it happily on social media shows the kind of person he is and wants to continue to be.

Then there is the other professor, mentioned by a current colleague in the comment.  I'm sure this professor has heard several excuses leading to a request for an exception, and are probably pretty savvy at fishing out the fakes (or maybe I am giving them a benefit of the doubt that they don't deserve).  But I think the larger problem here is that for people who have never dealt with true, often crippling, anxiety, it's not a legitimate excuse.  Most people see it as a temporary feeling and something that you can easily "just get over."  Sometimes, it is.  Mostly - at least in my case - it's not.  Oh I am still able to function for the most part, but not really in an optimal way.  I wish more people understood how seriously true anxiety can affect a person.  And I hope down the road, my colleague's son will not only have help with his anxiety, but find a more considerate professor.

In short, as she says at the end of her comment, "Always be kind."  It means more than you'll ever be able to understand.

Again, thanks to all of you for your kindness, especially in the last couple of weeks. 

A Quiet Weekend

Why does Monday mean you have to go back to work?  Sigh.  I know the answer, but still ...

How was your weekend?  Ours, as you might expect, was quiet.  I'm grateful that I did not have anything I absolutely had to do, and could just feel, and be, and do whatever.  We are all still having a rough time, so it was nice to stay put and be together.

However, it was a lovely weekend, weather-wise, and though I couldn't find it in myself to go out into the garden other than to water the clematis I planted a couple of weeks ago (and which seems to be happy, which is a nice thing), it was nice to have the windows open, and to take Hamlet for walks that didn't completely exhaust both of us from heat and/or humidity.  That really helped overall.

Did you participate on Saturday in World Wide Knit In Public Day?  I really didn't do anything in public this weekend, but it looked like a lot of my Instagram friends were enjoying the event, and I hope it made others at least smile, if not think that maybe they might want to learn.  Having said that, I did do a lot of knitting and also some cross-stitching, which was good because it kept my mind occupied, and I felt like I was doing something useful.

Besides that, it was also a big weekend here in Philadelphia for other reasons.  Yesterday especially, when at one side of town there was the Pride Parade, and on our side of town, was the Odunde Festival.  So people were everywhere, celebrating and having fun, and being lucky with the weather for a change.  In the morning when I took Hamlet for his walk, we walked along the main route of the Festival, where the vendors and food tents were setting up.  Hamlet thought it was great, because nearly every person spoke to and/or petted him and made a fuss.  I think he would have happily spent the day there, just soaking up attention.  I love seeing the colorful things for sale, and even though I am a vegetarian, the smells of the grills still say summertime to me.

Here are a few photos - that I did not take, but were published in the newspaper, etc. - showing the events and crowds.

From the Parade:

Gritty, the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers (who is both ridiculous AND awesome), attended:

 From the Festival (this is seriously right around the corner from our house):

This morning, it's rainy and cool, and so very quiet in the neighborhood, it's almost impossible to think that all of this was just yesterday.

But I'm glad it was a good day for so many people, because life should be about enjoying yourself, instead of only about work and worry.  Sometimes you just have to swallow hard and keep going, but that's the way it works.  And for everyone at these events, seeing their happiness and joy makes you feel that maybe the world has something going for it after all.

*****

Finally, I want to thank each and every person who read my last post about our sweet Jack, and also those who wrote such heartfelt and lovely comments.  Most of you are people I have never met, or probably never will meet, but just the same, your thoughts and prayers made a huge difference for me.  For those whose e-mail addresses I had, I am pretty sure I responded (I hope I did!), and if I dont' have your e-mail address to respond, please know that I appreciate that you took the time to write something.  I generally don't respond in the comments, because a) I completely forget to do that, and b) a lot of the time - as in this case - I am not quite ready to revisit the post anytime soon.  Nonetheless, thanks to all of you, from us and from Jack.  xoxoxo

Sweet Baby Jack the Kitten

That sweet face!

Jack the Kitten

Born:  early May 2016  Adopted:  October 2, 2016   Died:  June 5, 2019

No one wants to write this kind of post, and no one wants to read this kind of post, especially leading into a weekend.  But I wanted to do it before much more time passed because you should know.

The photo I had originally planned to post on Wednesday, with Jack inspecting

my latest knitting project that I was going to discuss.

The day before yesterday - Wednesday of this week - we lost our Jack.  It was quick, unexpected, and we are all still reeling.

Always on the move

As you know, in my previous post, I showed photos and told about how he had been helping me in the garden on Sunday.  And of course, since then, he'd been his usual happy, active, funny self.  When I left for work on Wednesday morning, he was there as usual, saying goodbye as we did each day when I left for work (we have a whole little ritual in our house).

His photo on the adoption site, The Philly Kitty

Wednesday was The Tim's day off, and he left in the morning to do a grocery shop.  He was gone no more than an hour, and when he got home, he said he could hear Jack crying, but he couldn't figure out where he was.  After looking, he saw him at the foot of the basement steps.  When he went down to investigate, Pip was with Jack and very concerned.  Jack was unable to put weight on his back legs.  The Tim thought maybe he had been running and jumping around and fell or something like that, and had hurt or broken something.  So he called our vet, who had no appts available until sometime next week (WTF?), and then decided to take him to the VSEC here in town, where we had taken Dug for his specialty tests and diagnosis when he was failing.  He called me at work and said to leave, take a cab, and get there ASAP.

Window closeup

It turned out that it was not an injury from a fall or anything else, but rather related to a heart condition that Jack had that we did not know about.  (Which is ironic because he had the best heart of all!)  The vet said that we shouldn't feel bad, because in cats so young, it is not common to check for heart problems unless something manifests itself, and this is unpredictable at best.  Jack had suffered FATE - Feline Aortic Thromboemolism - and in his case, of the Saddle, which is of course the area that controls the back leg muscles.  It is sudden and painful, paralyzes the back legs, and though it can be treated, most treatments are not successful, and not for very long periods of time - as in, not even always a week or a month.  They gave him medicine to control the pain, but there was no way we wanted him to suffer at all or any longer, and especially not be able run and pop around like he did every waking moment.

Sunshine belly

They brought him to us, and we spent about half an hour talking and singing to him, and settling him down to the point where he was purring.  He was clearly comforted and glad we were there, and though it was awful, we felt the same.  Fortunately, the injections the vet did acted quickly, and he left quietly and peacefully to join St. Francis and so many loved ones that will take care of him and play with him and love him until we can all be together again.  He wanted to stay, I'm sure, but wouldn't have known how, and we could not bear the thought of him limited in any way.

Always ready to assist, and he loved knitting projects!

Jack was only three years old.  He should still be here, feisty and intrepid as always, still enjoying himself, still cuddling, playing, exploring, helping, making that little noise that only he made. We were talking about it yesterday, and he never ever did anything bad.  He would get in trouble for being stinker, but he didn't have the capacity to be a bad kitty.  When he joined our family, it was after we had lost Dug in the summer, and as The Tim said, he brought us some much needed joy.  We called him Jackie Joy most of the time, since it described him and how he looked at everything in his life.  (He was also known frequently as Jack Attack, or BooBoo, but mostly Jackie Joy.)

His first time in the garden

This is a huge loss for all of us, and the fact that it was quick and unexpected makes it all even harder.  We are glad for some of the small mercies:  1) that The Tim was off from work that day, 2) that even if he had the episode right after The Tim left the house, that it was only an hour or less until he could help him, 3)  that Pip stayed with him, 4) that we could be with him and help him even when we never ever wanted to let him go, and 5) that such a wonderful group of people exist in the world to help.  I can't say enough about the VSEC staff, who sadly for them often see people and their sweethearts at in the worst possible scenarios.  The kindness, empathetic, and immediate treatment of Jack and of our feelings makes them all heroes as far as I'm concerned.

The first time he got to hang out with his brothers on the bed

So we are sad, and it will take all of us a while to adjust, and as my mother used to say, you never get over it, you just get used to it.  To quote The Tim from Wednesday, "Life can turn on a dime, can't it?"

Exploring the goodies from Santa with Pip

But thank God (or whoever/whatever you believe in) that there are Jacks in this world and that they find us.  He truly saved us, and his everyday love and joy made it clear that he was a happy boy.  So yes, be sad that he is no longer with us here to cuddle, see, and laugh about.  But then try to live a joyful life however you can.  Whether it's chasing a bug, helping/assisting even if not asked, or just enjoying everyone and everything around you, try to find some joy every single day.

Always happy to lounge in the garden!

That is the main thing about Jack - he was joyful without even trying.  He lived a good life every day, and shared it all with us.  He was our baby, our shadow, our goofball.  Please give your family - any and all of them - lots of love, joy, and kisses for us and for Jack.  Now he really is an angel in every sense of the word.

Sleepy baby boy.  Things will never be the same.

I hope you are all able to have a good weekend, and that you will always remember to say I love you whenever you get the chance. Enjoy your life when you can, because we only get one chance.  Take care, and thanks for all of the wonderful, funny, and kind things you have always said about our sweet baby Jack the Kitten.  

13 Things in 2013

Well, if there are any things I really wanted/needed to do before the end of the year, I'd better get moving!  To be honest, I can't think of anything that falls into this category (other than paying some bills this evening), but it is still almost the end of the year.

A lot of people do end-of-the-year posts about their most popular posts, their accomplishments, or even the worst about the year that is nearly at an end.  I have been giving it some thought, and decided I was going to list 13 Things in 2013, so here you go.

1.  In August, The Tim's oldest sister died unexpectedly.  It was sad, not just because of what it was, but because of how it happened.  And in the end, it seemed that after her husband died last year, she gave up on everything, and kinda died of a broken heart.  They were both sweet people, and were my favorites in his family.  I can only hope now that they are together and in peace.

2.  Shingles.  Enough said about that.

3.  I started going to a new internist this past summer, and so far it has been a real improvement.  My old doctor was someone I'd gone to for years, and though he was very nice, and very responsive, the past couple of times I'd had respiratory issues, I really feel that his hesitancy to give me strong drugs led to having pneumonia twice in two years.  I had a really bad cold a few weeks ago, which was taking the route that had led to pneumonia before, and the new doctor really decided to kick it at the beginning.  It cleared up and even my cough didn't last as long!

4.  I failed to complete two reading challenges I'd signed up to do.  But on the other hand, I read two more books than the goal I had set for myself on Goodreads!

5.  My knitting output was pitiful, but fortunately, I was pleased with what I did complete.

6.  My niece Julie and her husband Keith, who live in Brooklyn, are expecting a baby girl in May, so another great-niece will join the family!

7.  It snowed a couple of times this fall, and even though we didn't have a white Christmas, it was a cold and sunny Christmas day, which meant it felt the way it should, and that we could have a fire in our fireplace.

8.  I didn't manage to clean out/clear out as much stuff around here.  But on the plus side, I have been managing to slowly take the clothes that don't fit me any more but are still in decent shape, and donate them.  I hope they have made someone happy.

9.  Early in the year, I had the chance to meet a friend that I "met" on Facebook through two other real-life friends who knew her.  She was as much fun in person as she is online.  And it was a kick to be around a stranger that I felt like I already knew.

10.  Even though I wasn't as active and didn't exercise as much as I had planned to, I did manage to keep my weight about the same.

11.  In October, The Tim and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary, which counts for saving power if nothing else.

12.  Over the summer, I went with a group of friends to Stitch 'n Pitch.  Cole Hamels pitched, the Phillies won (a real treat this past season!), and it was one of the most fun times ever.

13.  We didn't have the chance for a big vacation, but we had a great trip to Rehoboth Beach in September, staying with my niece Amanda and her husband Pat, who have a house there that is shared in his family.  It was a wonderful weekend.  Dug went with us, and I think he had the best time of all.

So overall, except for the true sadness of losing Sheila, it was a year of more good than bad.  Death is a huge "bad" of course, but the important thing is for the rest of us to go on living our lives since we are still here.  We are all relatively healthy, pretty content, and ready for 2014.

Here's hoping it will be a good year for all of us who have made it through 2013!

And When It Rains ...

Of course, it pours, right?  That was this past week for me.

Before I forget, thank you for all of your kind thoughts, prayers, and comments on my post about my late sister-in-law Sheila.  Her death was quite sudden, and though I am very glad that she didn't linger or suffer terribly, I still feel bad.  She was The Tim's favorite sibling, and her late husband Dave (who died last fall), was the best man at our wedding.  Of course, since then there have been disturbing issues related to her estate and will, so we've been just trying to get through it all.  I feel bad for The Tim, as he was blindsided with a lot of it.  But in the end, both of us are still here and happy about that fact, so it's all good.

Then there was the deadly building collapse, which fortunately did not involve either of us directly, but did occur just up the street, and was and is just incredibly awful.

Of course, Friday was The Day It Just Kept Raining, and we discovered that our roof has a leak!   Fortunately for us, The Tim is on vacation this coming week, so he is planning to call our roofer and hopefully get things resolved.

But - yeah.  What a week!

The weekend though has been very nice, and somewhat productive.  I finally managed to get through about 95% of The Great Seasonal Closet Switchover.  Other than some things that have to be laundered before being put away, it's taken care of.  And I have 4 big bags of stuff to donate to the local clothing bank.  That is a good feeling for me, I have to say.

Not much knitting or reading has been happening, partly because I've been busy with other stuff, partly because I just haven't felt like it.  I'm sure I'll pick up both this week again, since I generally read during my lunch hour at work, and like to knit while we are watching the few shows we record.

And of course, it's June - how did that happen!?

Anyway, thanks again for your kindness, and have a good week.  Let's hope it's less "eventful" for everyone.  :-)

Loss

"And when I'm done with wandering

I'll sit beside the road and weep

For all the songs I did not sing

And promises I did not keep."

-- The Parting Song

Rest in peace, my lovely and dear sister-in-law Sheila.

May your journey be beautiful, 

and may the heavens welcome another bright star.

I love you.