Daily Reminder # 567

I finally heard back from Maple Farms Sanctuary. It was kind of a newsless report. Cassie/Emily is fine, but unchanged as far as they can tell. They are not the kind of people to experiment with calling her by a different name. So it goes.  Through their Facebook site, I ran across this beautiful video of photos of aging animals.  The kitty who died just before Angel came into my life was 22.  My very last photo of her is tragic, yet I both saw and didn't see her changing as the days went by. I did, of course, but that last one breaks my heart. I don't think I have ever shared it with anyone before tonight.



Elderly Animals: Photographs by Isa Leshko from Mark & Angela Walley on Vimeo.



One kitty's  journey (with a lot of the middle missing) from youth to old age.

She was 19 or 20 here. This was taken when we were
living in Arizona with my niece Cindy.

Age 20

June - she still enjoyed eating, especially baby food.

June - 4 months before she died

This picture breaks my heart. She was so tired. I wrote about her passing
at Suite101.com. It was sweet and gentle death. She died in her sleep on
Columbus Day a few days after this picture was taken at age 22 and a half.

And then the other night PBS had a conversation on aging as well. And of course since I'm moving up there and not all that healthy, aging is on my mind a bit too. I'm not aging with much grace, but I'm still wobbling my way through the day, so I guess I'll count myself lucky. In the PBS conversation, the guy mentions the passing of time. I don't know if I've ever shared one of my favorite trivia-ish things, but there's a theory out there that the reason that time goes faster and faster as you age (and BOY does it!) is because a year/month/week/day becomes proportionately smaller the older you are. At one a year is a massive expanse of time. At 50, it's 1/50th of your life. I don't know how clear that is as an explanation, but I think it has a lot of truth to it. 





One last thing. I'm a little worried about Tara Grace. She has been fine but today she has hardly eaten (that I have seen) and has spent almost the whole day in her brown fleece box. Prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated.


Some things I'm grateful for today: (Items in red are pre-gratitude, an experiment in wanting, asking for what I want and hopefully inspiring the Creative Forces of the Universe to hear and respond.)

• Angel and Tara Grace
• that I am still alive
• my home
• my furnace
• weatherization
• my warm robes
• my warm cape
• my little coffee maker
• coffee and Int'l Delight
• my computer
• the internet
• email
• my TV
• the remote control
• the mute button
• my camera
• photos
• all the kitties who have enriched my life - Katrina, Abigail, Angel, Tara Grace
• strawberry/banana yogurt smoothies
• paper towels
• bread and butter
• water
• the view from my front window
• Angel hugs, especially on a cold day
• my grabber
• my chair/walker
• my cane
• that my legs still wobble me around with help
• my microwave
• my kitchen
• Sam-e
• Omega-3
• IP-6
• Vitamin D-3
• coconut oil
• lavender
• allspice
• cinnamon
• sight
• hearing
• taste
• touch
• smell
• the body
• breath
• music
• Pandora radio
• my awesome Bose speakers
• the joy of listening
• the joy of singing
• the boom box by my bed
• my mattress
• blankets
• electricity
• my Tibetan salt lamps
• indoor plumbing
• computer games
• Nintendo
• a clothes dryer
• $5,000/week for life from PCH (or a million a year)
• winning lottery numbers
• company/companionship
• a truckload of money (big bills)
• blinds for the front window
• new curtains
• a reading and healing with Nancy DuTertre
• a paid off mortgage
• zero balance on my credit cards
• lower interest rates
• more flowers/landscaping for my back yard
• a sun room on the back of the house
• freshly painted living and bedroom walls
• nonviolent demousification of my home (Louise, PLEASE leave alive)
• seeing the red list turn to black
• reiki
• angels
• miracles
• resilience
• determination
• words
• poetry
• literature
• Dennis Puffett
• my teeth
• my electric toothbrush
• Listerine
• Miracle Foot Cream
• Janet the mail carrier
• I Claudius
• Netflix
• the Sci-Fi Channel
• PBS
• the ability to read and write
• the ability to type
• imagination
• ideas
• inspiration
• that I finished my wordzzles even if they suck
• my hair clip
• eye drops
• all the stuff I've forgotten to list
• love
• laughter
• life

I posted that hideous photo of Abby at her end, figured I owed it to
her to post myself too, hold her... 2003 about a month and a half
before she let her body behind and moved on.

MAY WE FIND ALL THE JOY AND WONDER 

OF EVERY PHASE OF OUR LIVES