Our electric bill came. You know it’s a downer of a post when it starts off with that little statement. Despite being gone 14 days for Christmas, keeping the house at a frigid 60 degrees (which really means 56-57), and lowering the water heater temperature by like 50 degrees, our bill was only a whopping $4 less than last month. All that freezing for nothing. Awesome. You just can’t win with Duke Energy. I am desperate for summer to come.
Two evenings ago my last outdoor kitty in Texas passed away. A quartet of orange tabbies named Precious, Few, Champion and Tiger (please ignore the terrible and random name choices from my childhood) appeared under our gazebo a few years after we moved into the Boerne house. Precious was Mamma cat and with her came 3 adorable male kittens. Who is heartless enough to turn away a family of hungry cats? Not I (um, or my mom and dad who made the money to pay for their cat food). So we fed them and they stayed. We spayed and neutered them, got them their shots, and gave them names and warm kennels with heating pads (I’m serious) to sleep in during the winters. Outdoor cats have a life expectancy of about 8 years I think. Tiger died first, followed by Precious and then Few. Champion – ever the fighter – held on for years after the others passed. He lived to be 15. He had a thyroid condition so he was all bones – you could feel every rib – and his little mew was hardly audible anymore. But the vet said he wasn’t in any pain and other than that, he was perfectly healthy. The night he died he got some cuddles from my Mamma and then a little gray and white kitten that’s been frequenting our house laid down in the kennel with him and nuzzled his head against Champion until he passed. If you know anything about me, you know I love cats more than most human beings. I am much more of a cat person than a people person. So I am thankful he wasn’t alone when he died and that he lived a long, loving life with plenty of company and lizards and frogs to torture and inhale. See, cats are much cooler than the humans they own.
The picture quality is shoddy at best, but it’s the only two pictures I have of all 8 of my loves. Yes, 8, at once. My crazy cat lady flag is waving loud and proud.
Also, today is our 3 month anniversary! I’m thankful to have such a great husband. Very unlike myself, he may be weird as all get-out sometimes, but he’s funny, kind, smart and handsome, and I’m honored to be his wife.
(click to enlarge)
Happy 3-months to my sweet husband!
