Thankful for: 12 Years with My Cat

Tuesday was a sad, but inevitable day at Casa Greenlee. Our fluffy tuxedo cat, Jinx, saw the end of her days after a string of close calls. When they say cats have nine lives, they were talking about Jinx. We rescued her on her expiration date--after hours--at the pound, and from there began a mostly wonderful dozen years. Jinx wasn't a scairdy-cat, and had little fear of people. She was cool with you rubbing her belly, and you could play with her toes. She could be bitchy, but in a way that was full of personality. She was a vindictive pooper. But always in an easy-to-clean spot. And, she was my buddy. I'm married to a flight attendant, so when The Other Half is away, I always have had someone to talk to.

Now that she's gone, the house is less a home. And I find I'm talking to myself. It's a transition every pet owner makes, especially if it's their only pet, and for such a long time. Honestly, the sadness is bearable, as I know she had her life extended so many times. The hard part is definitely the decision to actually make the call, to end things. We couldn't do it the first day. Or the second. By day three, we knew we were just stalling, and committed. Blubbery messes we were. Jinx was just sort of annoyed, though she enjoyed her treat of beef jerky. She was her same adorable, fluffy, aloof, bitchy self on her last day. Which was kind of perfect.

As essentially an atheist, I can't really go in for mysticism, or spiritualism. But there is a little wistful part of me that hopes if there is anything to any of that stuff, that my cat gets to lounge on fluffy clouds, and eat endless bags of Jack's Links jerky, and piles of Daddy's rugs to poop on. RIP, Jinxy. You'll be a tough act to follow.

Remembering Grandma Greenlee

My first haircut, with Grandma in 1968

My last remaining grandparent passed away this evening. Living 2,000 miles away, I have not seen her much in recent years, somewhat to my regret. She had an illness akin to Alzheimer's disease, and didn't recognize me last time I saw her. Fortunately, though she didn't know me, her personality and kindness remained intact. A bittersweet visit actually turned lighthearted when she tried to fix up my--long divorced--parents!

Grandma Lillie Greenlee was born in the 1910s, and was married to my Grandpa McKinley (Mac) for over 50 years. Hers was the "warm, cuddly, pie-baking" household, in sharp contrast to my maternal grandmother, who was not. Leaving Grandma Greenlee's house was always sad for my brother and I, sometimes ending in tears (particularly when the other Grandma was picking us up!). Unfortunately, I left Ohio in 1994, just a couple of years after Grandpa died, and Grandma's slow decline started around the same time. So my memories of her are more distant that they could have--or should have--been. I will likely be joining my cousins, Dad and the rest of the family in Ohio this weekend, though the details have yet to be hammered out.

In any event, here's to you Grandma! You made your family very happy.

Return to Las Vegas

I'm back from my trip to Iowa for The Other Half's father's funeral. As I previously stated, the trip was an emotional event, and I was honored to be included in their family for such an unfortunate occurrence. Thankfully, The Other Half will be able to go back to further support his mom and other family members in just a couple of weeks.

On the home front, I've returned to the blog, and wish to thank Stupid Monkey Planet for his efforts in my stead. Feel free to contribute any time, Monkey, even when I'm home! A different perspective is always welcomed. The same goes for you, readers. I'd not only like to hear from you via comments and email, but if anyone out there has tips or stories of your own you'd like to share, I'd be more than willing to consider them. The more the merrier!

Despite a minor case of jet lag, I will endeavor to post several items this evening, to make up for my absence. Stay tuned.

A Message From the Heartland

Hey, this is your usual blog editor here, reporting from Iowa. The funeral and related family gathering events for The Other Half's father have mostly concluded. Up til now, there has been no time to blog, and it doesn't look like today is going to be any better until I get home this evening.

The event itself was most informative for this non-Catholic. First of all, the respect and admiration of his dad was enormous, and the outpouring of love quite remarkable. Also, the number of mourners was just amazing. If I gather a tenth of that number at my own passing, I'd consider myself quite lucky. I also got to absorb a bit of knowledge that I've never had about the ritual and tradition of that religion--all of which is quite fascinating.

It has been a learning experience, as well as an emotional one. The Other Half's family is such a collection of wonderful people, it would be impossible not to feel badly for them when they're feeling badly. And I'll miss his dad as well. I didn't get to know him as well as the rest of those gathered, but I had much the same assessment of him as all those I heard speak. A really terrific guy. Rest in peace, Joe!

Off to Iowa

Well, it's almost time to take leave of the blog, and head to Iowa for The Other Half's father's funeral. It is not destined to be a fun trip, obviously, but it will be great to see everybody (and it's really going to be everybody).

As you may have noticed by the change in the banner at the top of the page, Stupid Monkey Planet will be filling in for me while I'm away. I don't know if I'll have Internet access while in Iowa, but if I do, I'll try to drop in with an update, and a post or three. Meanwhile, enjoy the Monkey's unique perspective on the world. And if you like his stuff, let him know! He's planning on ramping up his own site, so encouragement will be welcome!

And now, so that this post has some entertainment value, I'm taking Hulu for a spin, with a Simpsons trip. They're going to Australia in the clip, but how different can that really be from Iowa? Enjoy. Note: It takes a few seconds to load, be patient.