Hey, Connie, How is Petal?

Petal is awesome, thanks for asking.

It's been five months since we adopted her.  In that time, she has settled in beautifully and has blossomed into a wonderful addition to our family. 

"Mom, can Ruby and I have a bite of that?"

sniff, sniff, sniff

"What's that cat doing back there?"

Petal loves toys.  We keep them in a large basket in the family room.  She regularly empties the basket and gathers her favorites.

Donut Cow and Green Frog.

Squeeky Jack, two bones, and an antler.

Miffy Bunny, her current favorite.

As she got comfortable with our routine, she found ways to help around the house.

Cleaning the recyclables.

Quality control inspector, while I attach the hangers to a mirror.

Dog chewy taste tester.

In true greyhound style, she spends a huge majority of her time either lounging on her bed or sound asleep.

Almost as a way of celebrating the anniversary of Petal's Gotcha Day on the 12th, a string of coincidences on Facebook led to finding and making contact with the family in Pennsylvania who adopted her mom, Marigold.  I  look forward to getting to know Marigold and her family and am excited to share Petal with them. 

Marigold's adoption photo.

It is wonderful to have Petal in our family.  Having ANY greyhound is a good thing (because I love the breed THAT much).  This particular greyhound is a perfect match for our lifestyle, habits, and mix of critters.  She accepts the cats as members of the pack, and she and Ruby get along almost perfectly.

Petal is exactly what we asked from her adoption group:  gentle, friendly, and doesn't eat cats.  She is also eager to please, curious, quiet, funny, patient, affectionate, a little bit pushy ... and perfect ... except for the 'chews on shoes' thing that developed recently.  That's okay, it helps remind us to put our shoes away where they belong.

Five months with Petal feels like she's been here forever.  In this short time, I can't imagine our family without her in it.

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I often share Petal photos and videos on Instagram.  I can do it in-the-moment from my phone, and I really have come to love that.  If you want to see more of her, and the other critters, house projects, garden stuff, etc., click over there and follow hartwoodroses.

Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead, in English) is a Mexican celebration of one's ancestors on November 1 and 2.  It is believed "that the gates of Heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours.  On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities..."  source

I bought this little figure at Target last month.

I take time during Day of the Dead to remember and celebrate the critters that have been part of our family and have passed on.  Each is precious.

Murphy, the gentle giant who taught me to love dogs.

Cindy.  Still my best Christmas present ever.

Amy.  Barn cat, turned house cat, born deaf ... and she never knew that that was supposed to be a handicap.

Emma.  The precious soul who started my journey into the wonderful world of Greyhounds.

Maggie.  My miracle survivor cat.  The friendliest cat ever.

Daniel.  The dog who picked me.  

Kimba.  The Queen of Hartwood.

... and Winnie.  What can I say about this wonderful little dog ... I adored her.

I gathered these photos of some of my precious critters, and each of them made me smile.  Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.  I remember each of them with love, and joy, and I am grateful for their presence in our family.

On this final day of Dia de los Muertos, take a moment to remember your precious loved ones, whether they're human or otherwise.  Be still, and I'll bet you can feel them nearby.
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If you'd like to read a lovely, short article about Day of the Dead, click HERE.

Maggie

We sent Maggie to Heaven last month.  She had been sick for about a week.  In typical cat fashion, she hid the extent of her illness ... that's okay, because we did all that we could.

Maggie was our miracle kitty, the world's most expensive PetsMart cat, surviving two life-threatening conditions (Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia and Hodgkin's Lymphoma), and living an incredible life in the process.

Lounging on the screened porch, as a kitten.

Helping with laundry.

She ruled the other critters in our household with a velvet paw, gently (or not-so-gently) showing each cat and dog who was the boss.

Sleeping on Daniel's bed.

Taking over Ruby's crate.

"Excuse me, this is MY windowsill!"

Even Winnie little wasn't exempt.

She probably would have been happier as an only cat, since she was so people oriented, but she coexisted relatively peacefully with Alice and Dorothy (and with Cindy and Amy before them.)

Sharing space.

Poor Maggie wasn't used to Dorothy's type of snuggling.

Maggie loved her people most of all.  She was in the middle of everything, and a constant fixture in my or my husband's lap every evening.

I have come to accept that she's gone, no longer napping somewhere in a sunshine spot.

My favorite photo of her, with her personality on full display and her neck fur barely growing back after cancer surgery.

The last photo I took of her, on the way to the vet a few days before she died.

It's weird to be here without Maggie ... she was a huge presence in our family for 15 years.

Maggie.  2001 - 2016

Godspeed, Maggie.  Mama loves you.

In the Dining Room

I took our dining table downstairs to my workshop on Monday so I can refinish it.  This left a huge open place in the dining room, and our critters seem to be puzzled by it.

The animals segregated themselves like this ... cats on one side, dogs on the other.  Looks like the dog toy has chosen to be on the cat side.  (Ruby plays rough with it, so I think I would choose to hang with the cats, too, if I was him.)

I will show you the dining table when I'm finished with it.

Goodbye, Sweet Kimba

I first introduced you to Kimba, our outdoor cat, in THIS post.  Since then, her health has been declining, slowly and steadily.  Even at her advanced estimated age of 18 years old, she had a fantastic quality of life ... eating well, bright eyed and interested, greeting all of the humans who came to her porch. 

Yesterday morning, she was lying in the grass in one of her usual spots, but she didn't look like she was sleeping peacefully like she usually is.  I picked her up, and she struggled a bit (she doesn't like being carried).  I carried her to the porch to check her over, and when I sat her down, her back legs wouldn't support her weight.

 I settled Kimba into her heated box on the porch, and I went inside to get the phone to call our veterinarian.  I promise all our pets that I will never allow them to suffer.  The final ride in the car, with Kimba wrapped in a towel cradled in my lap, is one of the most heart-breaking things I know.  It is the ultimate kindness, though, and I bear the pain to make sure that my pets don't have to. 

Kimba was the Queen of Hartwood, the cat who came with our house when we bought it in 2002, and I cannot imagine not having her here.  She sat on the porch, or in the garden, surveying her domain and inspecting whatever was happening.  She came to our relationship frightened and distrustful ... and she left, sitting on my lap cradled in my arms, as a trusting member of the family, secure in the knowledge that she was loved.

Kimba's favorite place to nap was a sunny spot in the rose bed on the south side of our house.  I think this is the perfect spot to put her ashes.  She is a part of this place, and here she shall stay.

Rest in peace, sweet Kimba.  I miss you already.