19 October 2014

A final goodbye

Sita,

It took me a while to warm up to you. You were my first real pet and I wasn't prepared for the care you required. A litter box cleaned twice a day? Several water stations around the apartment? Vomiting every other day? Meals and treats, oh my! But you found a way into my heart and I miss your cute kitty ways.



We thought your LOUD meowing your first night was you getting adjusted to our apartment and us. Not so. You are just a meow-y kitty that likes to tell everyone where you are. Tragically, you also had some teeth problems we didn't find out about for a few months and we now realize that some of those meows were of extreme pain. We are so sorry to let you live with so much pain!



You immediately made yourself at home upon arrival. Finding soft places to lay to show off your cuteness. During the first month, when we couldn't sleep, we almost sent you off to find a new home. You meowed ALL the time, but really did make up for it in cuddles and cuteness. Once we discovered the beauty of shutting the bedroom door and turning on fans, we began to love you more. I don't know how parents survive with crying kids, you can't just lock that out of the room.



You were always a curious cat and incredibly smart. You didn't need to go into the closet every time it was opened because you already knew what was in there. You understood and lived within your limits, but tried to push the boundaries every so often. Going over to the neighbour's house or walking out to the street and then immediately running back home when you see one of us coming after you.



You were never a cat that wanted to cuddle on us, but LOVED having one of us close by. You were also okay to just do your own thing and didn't need to follow us around to give yourself something to do. But you did tolerate us coming to love on you or picking you up for on the bed cuddle time. You would stay what you thought was the appropriate amount of time to satisfy my kitty cuddle urge and then off you would go. Thanks for being a good sport.



You weren't really a "cat" most of the time. You wouldn't normally lay on things or knock stuff off the table. Mostly, you slept and layed in cute positions until it was time to eat or drink or poop again. But the computer was one thing you absolutely loved. The warmness called to you in a way that could not be resisted.



We were worried about you going up and down stairs in your old age, but you navigated them with ease and loved the vantage point they gave you. We were doubtful of how much you really could see, but that didn't stop you from being the Alpha in the house.



Thank you for keeping yourself in incredible condition. A hair was never out of place and your coat was the silkiest I have ever felt. It did lead to A LOT of hairballs, unfortunately, but for The Paws of Priss, there was no other option.



You were an incredibly patient photo model for me. Letting me shove a camera in your face at all times during the day and always showing your cute side. You were just incredibly patient all around. People came over to see you and you would allow everyone to pet you. You put up with a lot of poking and prodding at vet offices with a dignified grace (as long as no one wanted to look in your mouth). We could even use our handheld vacuum to vacuum you directly. Cat Butt don't care.



When Matthew was out of town, you became my buddy. Coming to lay beside me or under the covers with your head on my arm. It was so great. You knew how to turn the cuteness up to 11 and used it every chance you got because it got you more belly rubs. You seemed to like us as well, and didn't just tolerate us as the bringers of food, water, and pets. You would get excited when we came home and run to the bedroom to hang out on the bed.



We noticed you going downhill. You slept more. You didn't go up and down the stairs as much. You only went outside when you really wanted some of that grass to vomit. But you learned to live within the limits of your old age. You stayed on the top floor of the house and would yell for us from the top of the stairs. You used the step stools we placed by the table leading up to your bed and loved the hole in the side of your hidey box that minimized your jumping. It became almost a joke to wonder if you were still alive when we hadn't seen you for a few hours.



You still had your small pleasures - laying in the kitty sunbeams, going outside for some grass munching, laying on our pillows in the morning, grabbing our faces when we stopped petting you too soon, and tasty stinky treats. You were old and we indulged whatever it was we thought you wanted. Matthew gave you all the meat he ate and you gobbled up the lamb and fish with a gusto. We let you lay where ever you felt comfortable and wouldn't move you out of the way, even if it was inconvenient for us.



You immediately made yourself comfortable where ever we took you. And we moved you around a lot, I know. As long as you had your kitty bed, water, hidey box, and litter box you were fine. You were a Zen cat and instead of getting angry, you would accept any situation you couldn't change and live with it the best you could. Your nonanxious personality was fantastic. Even those last few hours in NH when the kitty Xanax paralysed your back legs, you found a way to live with it and not be freaked out. I was totally freaked out, but you did the best you could and accepted the situation. And was best kitty ever on the flight!



We again noticed you ageing rapidly after the move to Portland. You slowed down a lot, no longer sang the song your people all night, and only jumped up onto the bed. Your appearance became a bit disheveled, you became much more creaky and croaky, but you still gave us all the love we could want. I loved watching you slowly walking up the sidewalk outside. You still owned this place and no one could tell you different.



I miss you. You were a good furry friend and now I realize you had such a unique kitty personality that I don't think we will ever find another cat like you. This is the final photo I have of you and it seems so fitting. I'm sorry we weren't around for your final hours, but Matthew gave you kitty narcotics earlier that day, so at least it was painfree and blissful.

Good bye, old woman. You are missed.




Fall time in Oregon

Ah, the rains have returned to Oregon and I could not be happier! And it is the delicious Oregon rain where it doesn't really seem like you are getting wet, but when you arrive some place, you are soaked. I love love love it here.







The rain is falling outside and I am inside with my cup of tea and my husband. I could not ask for anything more at the moment. Maybe a job. A job would be nice.

03 October 2014

Quick Takes

1. Last Thursday, our kitty passed away. She lived a long 21 years and was one of the most mellow cats I have ever met. We miss her and we are glad we provided a comfy home for her last few years.

2. We are fostering a cat for Matthew's brother at the moment. It has been strange to have a young (8 years old) cat in the house after being used to the geriatric kitty. Ming deftly jumps onto tables and moves lightening quick. He also follows us around everywhere which is both cute and annoying. If you know anyone in the PDX area that needs a cat, let me know! We are not ready to be pet parents again.

3. I joined a yoga studio this week. They have an introductory $30 for 30 days of unlimited yoga classes and after that it is $99/month. The two classes I have been to so far have been the best yoga classes I have ever been to. It is Vinyasa yoga and I love it. It turns out that my hips and hamstrings are super tight from sitting at my computer for the past five years. I'm excited to use this as my way to get in shape. I feel so so great after each class.

4. We are going to see Kinky Boots this weekend! I've been wanting to see this since listening to Cyndi Lauper on On the Media.

5. The weather has been delightfully beautiful the last few weeks. There has been a mixture of sunshine, rain, and cooler temperatures that makes walking and riding my bike absolutely fabulous. I am so so glad we moved back.

6. I'm brushing up on my Python coding skills by doing a Coursea course where you program interactive games. It has been a lot of fun so far (only two weeks in). I'm looking forward to the rest of the class.

7. I'm still subscribed the the GEM, SPA, and CEDAR newletters and it has been cracking me up that in every recent issue there are postings about tenure-track faculty positions in space physics. It looks like this is your year to get a permanent position if you want one!