Not Quite So Sad

 Poor little Emma got shortchanged once again.  November 19th was her Bridge Day.  I was going to make a post just for her on the day, but I started crying again and I couldn't see to post.  It's been a year now since she left.  Somehow it seems an eternity and just a little while ago at the same time.  I chose a picture of her at play because that's the way I want to remember her.  She so loved to play, both with toys by herself and especially with Da Bird.  Every night after I got home from work and fed her and Herman, I took a little time to get in my PJs and rest a little, then I would go into the living room and get out Da Bird for a session with Emma.  We had such fun together.

 Spyro:  We have been having sunny, but cold weather.  I know it's been cold because I have been escaping and find that I don't like it much.  Mom doesn't even have to come get me. After only a few minutes I go back to the door and demand to be let back in.  I love catching the rays in my ham-mick.  Mom has been tossing me out of her bedroom and closing the door.  I don't like it.

Karen Jo:  I have only done it twice.  Once a few days ago when you began attacking my pajama legs and your claws were going through the material and hurting me.  You just wouldn't stop it, despite my pushing you off my legs and petting you and trying to get you interested in something else.    After five minutes, Oja started crying at the door and I opened it again and got up for the day.  The second time was today when you were helping me make the bed.  I don't mind it when you attack the sheets and blankets and let yourself get covered up.  However, this morning you attacked the blanket where I was holding it and made such a deep hole in my finger that I had to get a bandage to stop the bleeding.  I let you back in as soon as I finished.

Spyro:  I still don't like it.  The traffic at the bird feeders has been very interesting.  We had some little animals as well as birds.  I lashed and lashed my tail.

Karen Jo:  Some chipmunks have discovered the bird seed that the birds knock to the ground.  I was very glad to see them.  I haven't seen any since the fire two years ago.

Spyro:  What were you doing in the back yard for so long?  You said I could stay out with you if I behaved, but it was too cold for me to stay out long.

Karen Jo:  Herman's grave marker arrived and I was putting it up along with the solar powered colored lights  I got for Herman and Emma.  Herman got a star and Emma got a dragonfly.  I really like them and they make useful markers for the sides of the graves.  I also fed and watered the birds.

Oja:  Hmmph!  Going outside in the cold seems stupid to me, especially when there are such nice sun puddles inside.  This is the same chair where Herman and I used to nap together.  I have been really good about keeping Mom company at bedtime.  I curl up right next to her face and purr softly.  I let her pet me a little, but I don't want to be petted as much as Herman did.  I want to take my nightly bath, then curl up and sleep.

Karen Jo:  Oja does sleep with me on most nights.  Some nights she and Spyro prefer to sleep elsewhere, but one or both of them is always there in the morning, making sure I am getting up for breakfast.  I am feeling a bit better.  I went to Thanksgiving dinner with my brother and nephews to one of my nephew's girlfriend's house.  There was a whole crowd of us and it was delightful.  When my brother brought me home, we had time to go to the bank and get the last of the papers connected with my Mother's death signed and notarized.  I went and filed the last of the papers with the county today and got the utilities put in my name and changed the insurance to my name, too.  It's finally almost all done.  Once I am sure that the last shares of stock have been transferred, I can close her checking account and everything will at last be all taken care of.  That took a great weight off my shoulders and made me feel happy.  I still miss Herman lots.  It's hard to get used to being greeted at the door by only Spyro, but it will come.  I also feel better that his grave has a marker and a light. I should be blogging fairly steadily from now on.

Trouble

See this sweet innocent face? Can you believe that my Mom was really mean to me this morning? She shut me out of the bedroom. All I did was wake her up for breakfast.

Karen Jo: That's not the whole story, Herman.

All right, I woke her up four times for breakfast, but that's only because she wouldn't give me any new food.

Karen Jo: I didn't give you any new food because you hadn't eaten what I had given you last night. I don't mind getting up really early to give you breakfast if your dish is empty, but I won't give you new food if you are just being picky.

But I have woken you up several times for breakfast before, but you never shut me out of the bedroom.

Karen Jo: You never stuck you claw in my ear before, either.

Whoops. I'm sorry. You didn't get up until after sardine time.

Karen Jo: I know, Herman. I needed my sleep. I had to go to work today. I did give you breakfast and your sardine after I got up. In fact, I gave you two breakfasts because you ate the first one up so quickly.

I was hungry. I did eat about half of the old food by the time you finally dragged yourself out of bed. You didn't eat anything good for lunch today.

Karen Jo: I put tomato sauce on my pasta today.

I know. I tasted it. It was yucky. You didn't play with me before you went to work today.

Karen Jo: I know. After my late sleeping I got behind schedule a bit. I did give you your brushing, though. You don't usually want to play much before I go to work, anyway. We had a good play time after I got home from work.

I love my brushing. I purr the whole time. You aren't going to shut me out of the bedroom again, are you?

Karen Jo: I won't if you don't use your claws on me to wake me up. Your paw on my face and your meows work well enough.

I'll try to remember that.