Here We Go Again!

You're not going to believe this!!!

For 13 years, we Lilypadders rolled with at least four (4) cats.  Sometimes more.

We began with Jobie and Rosie, essentially.  They were the Chick's cats before we met.  We added Ernie and Scottie to that mix pretty quickly.  Many years passed before we added Miss Emmie, but once she showed up in the yard with her irresistible seafoam green peepers,  there were five.

Five.  That was a lot.  Sometimes, it felt like a zoo, but other times, we hardly noticed unless it was time for them to strap on their feedbags, as it were.

Then Miss Zoe popped in (She really deserves Her own sentence, yes?)

Ernie packed up for Sparkle Pond about 5 years ago, leaving us with four cats again.  Then Jobie left and we were down to three, but not for long before Lilly came.  Then Toby.

Next, Blueberry came to stay.  (Same as above-- Rabbits need Their Own Sentences!!)

Then a couple of months ago Rosie moved on to Sparkle Pond and last week, Scottie.

We have a lot of turnover!

And, then, there were three.  Plus two Rabbits.

The Chick hates odd numbers.  But we quickly adjusted to just the three.  Things were Calm.  Things seemed a lot less like a zoo and a lot more like, well....a house with a few Animals.

But then, Sunday morning, the Chick said to me, "So, I have to tell you.  I looked at (our friend) Eileen's website for Orphan Angels and I think there's a cat there who needs us."  As it turned out, she had looked at the Orphan Angels' site a few weeks ago before Scottie got so ill, and then forgot all about it when he started doing so poorly.  The rest of us in the Lilypad didn't know that the Chick had already chosen our next cat.
  
(A side note:  that last sentence was foreshadowing...)

But on Sunday morning, she remembered.  And she couldn't stop thinking about this cat.

She texted Friend Eileen who agreed to meet us at noon on Sunday at Orphan Angels, which is her Awesomely Amazing free range Cat Store.  There are two Giant Rabbits there as well, but since it's mostly cats, we call it a cat store.  Anyhow, it is a wonderful place.  We were both excited and nervous to meet this new cat, whose current name was "Ditto."

We already had a new name picked in honor of Scottie (as his real name was F. Scott Fitzgerald, we chose a name from The Great Gatsby) and also in honor of Rosie (we had Rosie, now Lilly, and the new name was also a flower-related name).

Daisy.

Though she was very shy, Daisy was immediately responsive to attention (who isn't, right?).  The second we walked into the room, she looked right at the Chick.  When I began to pet her, she purred and ran to her food dish to eat.  Both good signs.  We packed her up and brought her home.

And that was that.

INTRODUCING.... DAISY!!!!

She is settling in nicely.  

More to come on Daisy later in the week.  We'll see how she feels about Flip Friday.....

Farewell, Sweet F. Scott

Last Friday, the Rabbit Girls and I posted a movie for our dear, sweet, Scottie Cat (a.k. a. F. Scott Fitzgerald).  Scottie had rather suddenly taken ill a couple of weeks ago, and we thought it would be nice to honor him.

We didn't really know what was wrong with him, though his symptoms could mostly be chalked up to old age (he was somewhere between 17 and 20 years old-- we never knew how old he was when we adopted him).

We first met Scottie at our local Humane Society.  The Chick had gone there to pick out a cat.  She had just gotten Ernie, who was a teeny kitten who made funny pterodactyl sounding sounds, and who needed a friend.  When she walked past the cats in their little cat pens, Scottie reached out and grabbed her.  From that very second, she knew that he was our cat-- he picked us.   Well, he picked her at any rate.

The Humane Society would not let her take him home.  She had just moved into an apartment, and they needed tons of proof that, since she was living in an apartment,  that having a cat was OK with her landlord, etc.  She didn't have that.

At the time, I was still living with my parents while just beginning graduate school.  So the next day, I went in by myself and snatched Scottie.  They had no problem giving him to me, since I lived in a residence with my family.  Scottie seemed confused.  "Don't worry," I told him on the way to the Chick's apartment.  "You'll like where I'm taking you.  I promise."

And that was that.  We had two sweet orange and white cats.

At first, Scottie was depressed.  He would sit at the window and cry and cry.  He would sit and stare at the walls.  Slowly, Ernie taught him how to play.  They remained best friends for 13 years.

Ever since Ernie packed up and moved to Sparkle Pond a few years ago now, Scottie has been lonely for him. 

At 2:30 Am on Saturday, June 19, 2010, they were reunited.

We still don't really know what was wrong with Scottie, and frankly, it doesn't matter.  He lived a good, long life full of playing and snuggling and loving and lots of brothers and sisters.  He loved his rabbits and he loved to eat.  He could sit in the window for hours with his big, fluffy orange squirrel tail floating around in the breeze.  Scottie loved people.  He would greet people like a butler at the door, and as soon as they sat down, he'd want to be on their lap.  

He loved everyone equally and well.  We can all learn from that attribute.


You will be missed, sweet Scottie.  Sparkle Pond will be a better place because of you.  And Ernie will be happy to see you.   I can't say the same for Jobie and Rosie, since they weren't always so sure of you as Ernie was, but they will at least give you a nod and a growl if nothing else.


Thank you for being such a wonderful cat, Scottie. 

 Scottie in the Rabbit Room with Zoe-- just last week.

Scottie's last portrait Pre-Sparkle Pond, 

again taken last week in his Rabbits' Room.  

Still so handsome.

Rest in Peace, Scottie.  We'll love you forever.

Sparkle Pond is Getting Crowded

Yesterday marked the passing of my final Grandparent, Harold Dwight Fitch.

I know this much: I was fortunate, lucky, and blessed to have my Grandparents in my life for as long as I did. All of them were around until I was into my 30s. They all lived to be in their 90s, and each one of them was of sound mind until the very end.

And Grandpa Fitch was the last of them all.

I will miss everything about my Grandpa. Everything. To know him was to love him -- just ask anyone who knew him. He was just Special.

Grandma and Grandpa Fitch
in front of their house in Titusville, PA

Grandpa and I seemed to love all the same things: Art and Drawing. Birds. Music, especially Jazz. Coffee. Animals (though not necessarily cats, and not necessarily Rabbits. When he met Zoe, however, he told her she was safe-- much too soft for a stew. Oh, Grandpa!). Ice Cream. Learning new things.

Oh, and we both loved Grandma.

Throughout my life, those were the subjects we always came back to.

Of course, there were some other things that he liked that weren't necessarily my thing: Math for one thing (he was an engineer). Also fishing. (I don't not like fishing exactly, but...)

Grandpa with a prized Something-
Fish. Bass? I don't know my fish.

Well, and Organ Music isn't my favorite either, but when Grandpa would sit down and start playing "Ain't She Sweet" I couldn't help but love it. He played by ear. I always thought this was the coolest thing in the world.

Me and my sister with Grandma and Grandpa
(I'm the cute and adorable baby. Apparently, I looked
drunk in pictures then, too.)

I loved staying at Grandma's and Grandpa's house when I was little. I was there a lot.

My parents were both teachers, so before I was old enough to start school, I went to Grandma's house everyday when my parents went off to school. My dad would drop me off on his way, and I would get there just before Grandpa would head off to work.

I loved that time in the mornings. I would run in their house, put on Grandpa's slippers and hat and go straight to the cupboard where the cookie jar lived, where many mornings "The Mousie" (a.k.a. Grandpa) would have left me a little note telling me not to eat all his cookies!

On Sunday, when I went to visit him, just two days ago, he said to me, "Remember that Mousie? He used to try to get your food, didn't he?"

"He sure did, Grandpa," I said. "But I think he usually gave up and let me eat it anyway."

When I would sleep over on weekends, we would watch Lawrence Welk together while Grandpa smoked his pipe and he and Grandma told me every little detail about all the performers on the show. They knew everything about those people! It was amazing!

Oh, and we watched a lot of cartoons. Grandpa loved Tom and Jerry and the Flintstones, Woody Woodpecker and Bugs Bunny. That Roadrunner and Wiley Coyote made him laugh every time.

Grandpa and Me enjoying some after-dinner coffee.
We have the same haircut in this picture.

I could go on for pages. I could probably fill a book with all my memories. And those would only be some of them. He was one of the most wonderful people I've ever known. I'm just lucky that he was also my Grandpa and that I got to spend so much time with him. And, that he loved me.

He was the one who nicknamed me "Frog" from a shirt I used to wear. The Chick never calls me anything but Frog to this day. I am Aunt Frog to my niece, and my sister calls me Frog, too.

If I were a Frog at Sparkle Pond (akin to a Fly on the Wall), I would get to see what Grandpa's up to now. My guess is that he's out on a boat (away from all the previously arrived cats of ours) and he's fishing and enjoying himself. When he's caught a few, he'll go to wherever he and Grandma call home now, and fry those fish up for dinner along with some onions.

For desert, they'll have an ice cream sundae.

Someday, I'll get to share ice cream with them both again. Not that I'm in a hurry. If I follow suit, I have about 50-60 years left in this life.

But, someday, I'll be at their house again, eating ice cream and watching reruns of Lawrence Welk while Grandma shakes her head saying, "Listen to Myron play that accordion, Harold," and Grandpa counts out, "And-a-one, and-a-two" in his best Lawrence Welk (Austrian?) accent.

I can hear it now.

(Not a) Flip Friday

Last night, our Beloved Rosie the Cat packed up and moved to Sparkle Pond.

We are excited for her in her travels. We know she has already met up with Jobie, who was her best friend for so many years, and who she has been missing for the past couple of years since he went to Sparkle Pond.

She's also met up with Ernie cat, but as she wasn't that fond of him here in the Lilypad, chances are, that reunion will just be more of a head nod and an "Oh, it's you."

We both had a feeling about Rosie yesterday. For days, she seemed to be doing so much better, and then suddenly, her breathing was difficult and she just seemed different, like something had shifted.

She died very peacefully, though, tucked up in her favorite blanket hideaway upstairs. We were there with her, petting her and talking to her. It was perfect. She just slipped away.

We should all be that lucky.

Rest in peace Sweet Rosie Cat.
We'll miss you so much.
We were so fortunate to know you and to be a part of your life.
We love you!

Ring Around Miss Rosie

Zoe and I had about three other things to write about today.

Then, life took a different turn, and since I'm somewhat single-minded about this subject and since I am thankful for the outcome, we thought we'd share that instead.

Do you recall last week, when we mentioned that Miss Emmie and Miss Rosie seemed to have colds? Just like little kids, they were coughing and sneezing and had little runny noses. (I even found myself at one point with a tissue pressed to Miss Emmie's nose yelling, "Blow!" like I used to do to my niece when she was little. You know-- in that awkward stage before kids learn to blow out, but their nose is so obviously running!)

Miss Emmie got better. They both seemed to get better. But then, Miss Rosie seemed to not be getting better. She went up and down, like she couldn't decide.

Rosie is 18 years old. According to a cat age calculator, this makes Rosie about the equivalent of a 90 year old human. She has been exhibiting subtle changes in her activity level and in her eating over the last couple of years. But frankly, we thought she was just "slowing down."

Our sweet Jobie, who left for Sparkle Pond two years ago this month was Rosie's best friend. We thought she missed him and was maybe getting ready to make her own trip to Sparkle Pond.

We were trying to be OK with that. We even talked to her about it.

Back and forth we went about taking her to the vet. She hates going to the vet. As a kitten, she used to foam at the mouth and growl like a crazy possessed thing when taken to the doctor. We didn't want to stress her with a trip for what we thought was "normal aging."

But then, yesterday, the Chick called me at work and explained to me some of Rosie's new symptoms. None of them seemed to match up with anything specific. We had thought maybe she had heart problems, but that wasn't quite right. If she had a respiratory infection, that would have other symptoms, too, and should have gotten all the cats sick.

Anyhow, we ended up taking her to the vet last night. They understood our low stress wish and only took blood for two tests: one to check her kidneys, and one to check her thyroid. Right away, they told us her heart sounded perfect and her lungs sounded clear. (Whew!) About an hour after we got home, they called to say her kidneys are also perfect!! (WHEW!!)

We are still waiting on the thyroid test, but it could be that whatever is wrong with Miss Rosie is easily fixed by some medication. She could have years left!!

Now, of course, we now why she was giving us that look when we would talk about Sparkle Pond!! She was like, "Hello??? I'm RIGHT HERE!!!"

Poor Rosie. Humans aren't very smart, as Zoe can attest to.

Anyhow, we'll keep you posted. But for now, it looks like Rosie's not interested in Sparkle Pond at all.

"She might be interested in kicking your butts, though."

Thanks, Zoe. We'll keep that in mind.

Sadness

A wee note to let you all know that Baby Audrey was not made for this world. We feel honored to have had any time with her, and we hope we made her short life as sweet as possible.

We had a small funeral for her, and she is now resting under the crab apple at the bottom of the yard.

We know she is already having fun at Sparkle Pond with Jobie and Ernie and all sort of special, sparkle animals.

Wee!Art Original Pet Portrait Giveaway

The Time has come!!

It's the Moment you've been waiting for.

Well, maybe not the moment in the Grand Scheme, but it's a a pretty good moment. You have to admit that.

What is this moment all about, you ask? Why should you be SO EXCITED?!? It's time for Miss Zoe and I to announce the Winners of the Wee!Art Pet Portrait Giveaway!!

But then, you knew that, right?

Right now, Miss Zoe is resting from the harrowing work of nosing her way through many little folded up pieces of paper to pick the Winners.

Miss Zoe rests in her sunspot.
Please, she doesn't wish to be bothered just now.

But, since you weren't here for the actual event, let's rewind and view a pictorial representation of the choosing process.

Assessing the competition...

Nosing through...

Choosing Winner #1
(this paper went all the way in her mouth--
you can barely see it sticking out.
And, yes, she got it pretty gooey.)

And, Winner #2
(she took Winner #2 away to a more
remote location, but #2 didn't get so gooey!)

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Luckily Miss Zoe didn't munch them
so much that they were unreadable!

Kavindra's Wee!Art Pet Portrait will feature none other than her wonderful cat, Lucy. (By the way Lucy, I think everyone misses the litterbox once in awhile!)

Ash's Wee!Art Pet Portrait will feature not her own animal companion, but another animal who was special-- a poodle named Dexter who belonged to her voice teacher.

Kavindra and Ash, please send pictures of your Animals and your mailing addresses to Miss Zoe and me at zoejobie(at)gmail(dot)com.

Many thanks to all those who sent their stories in for the contest. We have to admit, many of them were so sweet, they made us cry. Though, even if pressed, Miss Zoe will not admit that.

Oh, and Kavindra, Miss Zoe says to feel free to send that yummy carrot you promised. She'll be waiting...

Flip Friday!

Yes, it's that time again!!

FLIP FRIDAY!!

Zoe would like to thank all of you who have participated in her (and MY!!)

Wee!Art Pet Portrait Giveaway!!

She has been especially fond of all the nice comments she has received about... well... herself.

Seriously, you have been too kind!!

"No, they haven't!" Miss Zoe just threw over her shoulder on her way to the hay box. "I think they've been just right."

OK, well, be that as it may, Miss Zoe and I are offering up a couple of great movies this week to thank you. These movies capture Zoe in some of her more private moments.

She thinks you deserve that much.

But before we get to today's features, she wants to remind you that there is still time to submit your own Animal Companion Story for the Wee!Art Pet Portrait Giveaway!!

Zoe won't draw the 2 lucky winners' names until

Sunday, May 10th at 5 PM!!

There is still so much time to submit your entry!!

OK, so without any more fanfare, here they are. The Flip Friday Features:

Wee!Art Original Pet Portrait Giveaway

Mammals are pretty darn Important here at the Lilypad.

We currently have four cats in regular Fur Suits and two cats in Sparkle Suits who have moved on from their Fur Suit-life to a Leisurely and Beautiful Life at a place we like to call Sparkle Pond.

Did I forget to mention that we also have a bunny?

Anyhow, one of our Sparkle Cats, Jobie, who left his Fur Suit in January of 2008, left behind
May 1st as the Official Sparkle Jobie Feast Day. May 1 had formerly been his birthday. We keep the day as a Celebration Day in his honor.

He demands it.

A Wee!Art Sparkle Jobie!

So, on Friday, as Blisschick and I were sitting in the rabbit room with Miss Lilly (who is certainly the reincarnation of Jobie without a doubt), Miss Zoe, who was of course also in the room, but who was sitting in her hay box munching, said between bites of chamomile flowers and rose hips, "What are we doing on the Blog to celebrate Jobie's Feast Day?"

Blisschick and I exchanged surprised glances. Not only had Miss Zoe come up with a brilliant idea, she came up with a brilliant idea that didn't involve...well...herself.

A Wee!Art Black Cat with Lotus

That's not to say that Miss Zoe is in any way a self centered bunny.

We'll leave it at that.

The idea we came up with, then, is to offer a Wee!Art Pet Portrait Giveaway.

Here's how you participate: After you finish reading this post and contemplating what a wonderful bunny Miss Zoe is (that's a Very Important Part of the process overall, mind you), after you do that, then write us a couple of sentences about a Fur Companion you had or have that meant or means the World to you.

OK, it doesn't have to be fur. It could be fur, feathered, or scaled. It could even be hairless. I love those hairless cats, don't you?

Anyway, write a comment to Zoe and me describing whoever this is and we will enter you in a drawing to win one of two Wee!Art pet portraits like you see pictured here in this post and at my etsy store Ordinary Enchantment.

Only, it will feature your little critter, whoever it may be.


That's all there is to it!! Write a comment and you're automatically entered in the drawing.

Everyone who enters will have their name written on a slip of paper and Miss Zoe, herself, will choose the winners this coming Sunday, May 10th at 5 PM.

So easy! Miss Zoe is accepting entries starting.....

NOW!!