Friday, November 29, 2019

season of gratitude

Hello!! Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! We've been absent for a while, sorry about that. I've been selfish and not sharing the kitty fun with you all - how rude, I know. We are all well - let me recap some of the year.

We lost Marvin in early July. Such a tiny cat but he left a huge hole. I miss this guy, he was such a unique character. I'll always love my Marvs.


Naham has had an eventful year with his i131 radiation thyroid treatment and then diabetes diagnosis. He had been in remission, but sadly that didn't last. He's now stabilized, which is awesome. He gets a quarter unit of insulin every morning and that seems to be doing the trick. Grateful such a small dose is enough to keep him stable. 


Every year he gets more and more cuddly! 


Fluffy Nahum cuddles are the best!


We went apple picking this fall. Yum, yum, yum!!




Rose is still terrified of humans. She won't let us get near her, but thankfully she's healthy. I don't know what we'll do if she ever gets sick, I just hope that never happens! She's still as adorable as can be, just have to admire from a distance!

look with your eyes, not your paws!

Theo is very much still Theo! This cat has the biggest personality. He's still as crazy as ever, although he's taken to tummy rubs now. Every morning he sits on the table waiting as patiently as he can manage. Buddy taught him the art of tummy rubs, he's been liking them more and more! He doesn't relax like Buddy did, but Theo is way more uptight than Buddy!

Theo, always ready to lend a helping paw...


I am very grateful to have discovered kayaking at my local happy place, Grafton Pond. The kayaking season ended with an incredible sunrise. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before. Such an amazing gift, a perfect way to close out the season. I hope to return in the winter to snowshoe. These photos don't have any special filters or processing.


It was perfectly still and I was the only one on the pond.


Pierre has settled in nicely. He still doesn't let us touch him, but he's acclimated to indoor living quite well. Of course he loves his papa more than anything!

Pierre and Oliver, forever cuddle buds!

He looks so soft!!


I've been a counselor now for over 15 years and my long standing dream was to start offering equine assisted therapy with my clients. My dream came true this year!! I connected with an amazing equine therapist person who owns this amazing nearby farm. I was able to bring a few clients over and start working with the horses. It was so amazing and so fun! I can't wait to do more when spring rolls around.


Oh Vermont, you are so beautiful!

Xanthus and Sunshine
Seeing Sunshine, a 7-pound cat, be so chill around Xanthus, a 1,500-pound horse was quite the sight. It gave me a picture of what living with complete security and self-confidence looks like. I often feel more acquainted with insecurity and fear.

photo courtesy of Meri


I can't believe I get to work in such a beautiful setting!


I've been spending more time and energy this past year helping my parents. My mother is nearing late-middle stage dementia. She's more easily confused, agitated and struggles to recognize people she's known for most of her life. My dad is her chief caretaker but he's struggling with a lot of challenges as well. So, attempting to caretake them has kept me busy and stressed. It's also been a gift, because the reason we moved back to this area was to be nearer to them to be able to help them as they need it. Thankfully, as mom's problems keep getting worse, dad is getting more open to receiving help.


Oliver is a dream! He's so lovely and sweet. Most nights he waits until Theo and Nahum are asleep, then he sneaks into the bedroom, jumps up on the bed, and cuddles in with me for the night! He purrs and purrs. I wake up and delight in his warm, loving presence. Cuddling with this guy is the best!


He's often found sleeping upside-down.


no more!
After making a handful of offers on various houses and not getting any of them, we decided to pause the house search. It was a difficult decision to make, because this apartment is so tiny. The search was keeping us waiting to live until we moved, we realized waiting to live is not living. So, we'll be staying in this place for a bit more, which also gives us more energy to help my parents. Thankfully the cats seem to be settled here too, although Nahum and Theo still pick on Oliver, which makes me sad.



Laura made a lovely portable Thanksgiving feast to share with my parents. I realized it's probably the last Thanksgiving meal I'll have with mom where she recognized who we were. That was sad, but it was also lovely to spend the holiday with them as they shared old stories.

All in all, it's been a blessed year as we continue to settle in. I hope it's been a year of great blessing for you! Thanks for continuing to follow along!

9 comments:

  1. Such a nice recap, I hope all goes well with your Mom, it's so tough.

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  2. Yes, a beautiful recap! It's given me incentive to update my own, which is lagging badly.

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  3. It is good to hear from you again. Purrayers that things continue to get better for you and the furamily !

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  4. Glad to see that you're still alive and well. We've been dealing with elderly parent issues this year as well (my father-in-law has late stage dementia), so I understand how much time and energy it takes. Best wishes to you.

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  5. Thank you for the updates, you've been really busy! Such gorgeous photography of the cats and nature. My deepest thoughts and prayers for your family as you go through this Journey with your Mom.

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  6. The sunrise is spectacular! Mother Nature was using lots of colors from her palette! Almost makes me want to cry at the beauty. And working with horses...how cool is that! Good for you. Thank you for sharing your parent's stresses; many of us are struggling with issues with our's too, and it's difficult to write about.

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  7. This is an amazing review and thanks so much for sharing it with us. Life is to be lived and we are glad you choose to live it with cats. An apartment with a cat, or a few, is a home!

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  8. So happy to see a post from you, I was getting worried! Glad to see your fur family and how they are doing. Sorry to hear about your mom but now nice to share a meal and live close to them.
    I wrote you a few years ago about a stray cat that wouldn't leave. Well, we adopted him or actually be adopted us! TomTom is living the good life. Only problem is he tends to bully my other rescued tabby. So I understand totally about poor Oliver being picked on! TomTom is a work in progress but we are getting there.
    Hope the new year is kind to you and all your family!

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  9. Sorry to read about Marvin. I remember when you got him.

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