greetings

Greetings friends! 

Sorry we've been so quiet for so long. It's been a crazy year with lots of changes. Lots of stress! 

Sometimes with so much stress, it's good to hide under a blanket. But doing so means not sharing on the blog. 

We are all generally fine. Thankfully! Theo gave us a scare earlier in the year with a cancerous tumor (more on that in future post) but he's all better now.

Rose is still Rose, not letting us near her. She's so cute! 

When I lost my nice DSLR camera and switched to PC from Mac, taking and editing pictures became more challenging, but I hopefully found a new system that will work. Paws crossed! 

It's good to be back! Happy weekend! 

Thankful Theo Tuesday

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

I've been super busy lately, so no wonder I'm a little late to the Thanksgiving party! It's a season of thanks, anyway, not a day - right?! So much to be grateful for this year, 

Theo time! 

I'm super, super grateful for a healthy Theo! He's doing fantastic!! He's much more of himself than I've experienced for some time. I could not be happier with how he is doing, it's truly a miracle. It's amazing what a little brain surgery will do! 

For years, we had a nightly ritual of Theo time. A few minutes after I climb in bed each night, he would have to make a dramatic jump into the bed, where he would climb up on my chest and cuddle. Then he stopped and I feared we would never do Theo time again. But, now it's a nightly routine again!! My heart is overjoyed to have Theo healthy again! Yah!!! 

Theo has been super agreeable with his isolation in the bedroom. He hasn't complained at all or tried to escape. That's made things easier for all of us. We started letting Nahum in at night for visits, tonight will be the first time Nahum stays overnight since Theo's been back home. We have his follow up appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday, I'm hoping we get approval to free him isolation so he can once again roam the house.

Sweet Rose having a bold moment

Pierre getting bold, letting me share the bed with him! 

Oliver, my Oliver 

Packing paper euphoria

Nahum has been super cuddly lately 

Meanwhile, house projects continue. Working on getting living room painted and ready to go! Hoping to get our Christmas tree this weekend, so want living room ready for that.

We spent Thanksgiving with my dad, which was quite enjoyable. Later last weekend, we helped stack firewood for him. That makes for a good workout! 

Caturday catchup!

 Happy Caturday everyone!!!

I've been enjoying some beautiful sunrises lately. This was the scene from the backyard this morning.

I'm looking forward to raking all those leaves! I love raking leaves, it's very satisfying!

Nahum has been a bit confused in the litterbox lately. He enters the litterbox, stands there, and pees right out the front of it. I've invested in some litter catching mats that also hold a pee pad to collect his mess. It's quite annoying, but at a recent vet visit we learned that he has some lower back problems that may make it more difficult for him to squat and bend in certain ways. That knowledge has helped me be more forgiving with him.

Theo has been showing signs of increased pain, so our vet upped his pain medication once more. Meanwhile, we await his trip to the internist, in hopes that treatment is an option. He's exceptionally clingy lately, always wants to be held. I keep imagining what life would be like without him, it's so hard to fathom, as he's such a big personality.

Sweet Oliver, enjoying his fancy new orthopedic bed! 

I'm sure some of you have been wondering why I haven't been posting as often. Well, here are a few reasons...

The house! I've mentioned we bought a house last Spring. It's bigger than our prior one, which is great. It's needed some updating, so that continues. I'll share various pictures of the place in time to give you a sense of the cats' new habitat. 

Living room, awaiting plaster repair work and paint!

Horses! I am working now at two different equine facilities, providing counseling that involves equine interactions. It's been a dream for a long time to incorporate working with animals into my work and now I'm doing it! I'm working two days a week out at the farms, which has been a ton of fun. I also recently started a 10-month certificate training program, which is keeping me quite busy.

The view from the upper pasture, looking down toward the farm.

Makata, one of the four horses I get to work with at this farm.

The second equine facility I work at has about a dozen horses. But they also have  three adorable barn cats! I've noticed I take a lot more pictures of their cats than I ever do of the horses, hmmm...

Tuffy, on Thursday, wanting some loves!

Tuffy, inviting me to rub his luscious tummy!

I've also been trying to spend lots of time with my father, now that my mother is gone. Dad's pretty lonely and has difficulty getting around. So, I've been spending lots of free time helping him or just hanging out with him. It's been rewarding to get time with him. I realized a little while back, that I'll be able to do the the house projects or career work anytime, but my time with him is limited. He'll be turning 83 soon and I keep seeing his health decline. I can't see me someday looking back wishing I had spent more time working and earning money, or fixing up the house, but I could see me wishing I had spend more time with dad when he was around. It's been enjoyable to get to know him more.

Happy Caturday Friends!!

Remember us?!

Greetings friends!

Sorry about the long absence, there's been a lot going on for some time now. We moved into our new house and have been hard at work refreshing things. A million projects to do!

We are all hanging in there although Nahum and Theo have been having more health problems. Since moving, Nahum's blood glucose levels have not wanted to settle back down. Our vet has tried a lot of things and we will be taking him back to Tufts for an internist to help out. The ultrasounds show weird things going on with his pancreas. 

Oliver is still sweet as ever. He's quite the cuddler and so loves being close to me. I took him to my office for the first time on Friday, hoping he can become my office cat, since Nahum has been having health problems. Oliver makes everything better, he's such a dream.

Pierre is still Pierre. He's still semi-feral and won't let us touch him. He's adorable to look at though!

Theo's been also having health problems. He's been drinking a lot of water and losing weight. We've done extensive diagnostics and everything points to no problems. Kidneys are fine. Blood glucose numbers are good. This weekend his health took a dive and we brought him to the emergency vet. He's been very not himself, face and body trembling, not eating, drinking, moving. Spaced out. Breathing funny. It's been hard to watch. Testing the emergency vet did also was all normal. He's most likely headed to the specialist as well. One fun thing about the ER visit, the vet tech that met us at the door, she used to work at our vet's office and she remembered our name and shared about how special Marvin was to her! Everyone who met Marvin loved him, he made such an impression. I think of him often and miss him dearly.

Rose still won't let us near her, so no good pictures of her to share right now. I've been working a lot on the house (redid the bathroom), building cabinets, and now a lot of painting. Once things are more settled, I'll take some photos of the cats' new home to share with you all.

We've missed you all! Hope to return to the blogosphere soon. Be well!

happy new year!

Happy New Year!!! (better late than never!)

It's been forever since I've posted, yikes! Sorry about that and thank you to those who inquired about our well-being. A combination of a lot going on and technology challenges.

We are all well!

It's been an action packed end of the year and start to this year.

The holidays were enjoyable. Laura made a yummy Christmas dinner, that we took over to my parents' place to share.

Christmas dinner

Early into the new year, my 84yo mother slipped and fell. Her dementia had really worsened, and the fall really intensified the decline of cognitive functioning. Her fall started a rapid decline of her quality of life. She passed away on Jan 21st. It's been sad but the most predominate emotion has been relief. Her quality of life was very poor, so she is no longer suffering and dad was very overwhelmed with trying to be her caretaker. I am now free from worrying about her.

Time since her death has felt much less emotionally intense, but more busy with time looking after dad. He quickly realized he can't afford to remain in the house any longer, so needs to move. We discussed the option of him moving in with us when we buy a house and he's considering it.

That conversation spurred us to start looking at houses again. We tried to get a few, but had no luck. And then at the end of February we put an offer in on a house, and it was accepted!! Now we're in the process of buying it! Paws crossed it all works out. We are very excited about the possibility of having a house once again! It's just right down the street from our current apartment.

The right side of the house, where the door is, is a lovely sun room for the cats!!!!

Screened in windows on all three sides. The cats are going to LOVE this space!! And of course that's why we are buying it, for the cats.

We are less than three weeks away from closing. Super excited!!

Meanwhile, I'm planning on taking Nahum to my office tomorrow in hopes that he will one day become my office cat! After having Marvin at my office, I really missing having a kitty presence there. Hopefully Nahum likes his new job.

Theo & Nahum, best friends forever!

Theo has been a little more accepting of Oliver. Nahum is still a brat though and bullies Oliver any chance he can get.

I mentioned last summer that I had started offering equine assisted therapy. At the start of this new year I started a new part-time job as the equine therapist at a large nearby equine facility. It's been a ton of fun and the best bit - I get to hang out with the three barn kitties!

Tuffy

Tuffy is the boy barn kitty and he's all love and cuddles. He's often joining me for my sessions, although at the last session he showed up late - he waltzed in and dropped a gift in the middle of the office floor - gross!! Having Tuffy around has really made me want to have one of my kitties in my regular office, so hopefully things go well with Nahum. Stay tuned!

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!