Humor Happens

Today I came home and went looking for my Daisy kitty. That hole in my heart from her move to Heaven was on the mend a tiny bit, but it split wide open again when I remembered where she is now. Today I am thankful for…

• Sixteen years and one month with my dear Daisy kitty.
• Daffodil who is here today and praying she stays around for a while (so long as I can continue convincing her to eat the medicated food she loathes so very much (it does smell icky)).
• Joy, Merry, and my mom. They’re all here too, in the flesh and fur. Company is good (even if Merry is cleaning each toe individually on mom’s lap right now, and mom isn’t so thrilled with this type of pedicure).

Things change as I age. Some get better, and some worse. One thing that changes is my enjoyment of certain foods. I’ve never been a fan of lemons, but the older I get, the more adamant I get that the flavor is icky. Other things get better. After a family dinner where an excellent cook brought a dish of Brussels Spouts, I tried them because they had interesting seasoning and pine nuts. Since then, I have fallen for those mini cabbages with a much stronger flavor.

Two years ago when I took a picture of them at a market, I felt that the little sign labeling them “Little Green Balls of Death” was 100% accurate. Today, I am buying them and trying different recipe’s (within my repertoire of four ingredients or less).

Today, I am thankful for…

1. My mom who told me to try it, even if you don’t think you’ll like it, every time it is served.
2. My family for growing a luscious garden.
3. My God for giving us fun and weird green things to eat. He definitely has a sense of humor.

Today I had to call an insurance company. There is nothing I despise more than NOT getting a real person on the phone when I’m already frustrated and have a question to ask. None of the options that (a) I am to enter by selecting number or (b) (much worse) speak a word or phrase applied to the situation.

This is how it went today.

1. I needed to change the billing card on file for my prescriptions. It wouldn’t work. I followed the directions four times, and no go.
2. Of course, the number for assistance is not on the website. The website says to contact the number for my prescription coverage on the medical insurance card.
3. There is no number of the card for me, as a participant. It’s only for providers. I called that number, and they said to call my insurance company’s help desk. (Have you played “pass the buck” lately?)
4. I called the insurance help desk, and they said they would forward me to the prescription coverage company.
5. There I ran into the “speak only” system to supposedly direct me to the correct department. The options were to (a) request coverage, (b) pay a bill, or (c) submit a claim. No where was there an option to change the billing information or update the account. Each of these three options led me further way from the goal set about 45 minutes ago.
6. I did my trick to get to a being of my own species on the telephone: I pressed 0 about a dozen times.
7. Then I ended up on hold for about five minutes.
8. When I finally had a real person, she couldn’t make it happen either.
9. I was then transferred to her supervisor, who could also not make it happen.
10. End result: I’ll receive a call back tomorrow or the next day.

Is this progress? I think not. I am so full of frustration, I feel stuffed like an animal after taxidermy.

Therefore, what am I thankful today?

1. I did not swear (while talking to a person) during any of this.
2. I did not break my pen while waiting on hold again and again.
3. I survived to tell you about it!

And now I take my twitching eye and head to bed. Sweet dreams!

1. Giving thanks for a Pastor with a heart of gold and passion to do the nitty gritty work.
2. Giving thanks for an incredible and beautiful and kind church family.
3. Giving thanks the kindness of everyone on facebook and email and in person who offer love in light of my cat’s passing. I am awed by how many know or understand the love of a good furry friend.
4. Giving thanks for being a part of the volunteers at Kalamazoo Animal Rescue. I am a minor character in a cast of the most gifted and giving people with a passion for dogs and cats.

I was hoping to have a positive post for today, but there is this painful, breath-stealing, gaping hole in my heart. Sometimes it takes up my whole being, and I cannot breath. Other times, it’s just turns me into a vegetable, and I forget what is going on around me. It’s the same when each loved one has passed. Dad, sister, niece, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends… Eventually it will dim, but that’s not today.

However, there is one bit of humor that I’d like to share about Miss Daisy. Jealousy gave her a longer life.

You see, there was a jealous streak in that girl four times the length of her body. Personally, I’ve always felt that with any number of cats, each deserves equal time of love and affection, equal food, and equal quality care. Daisy was an excellent moderator of my time. Too much with her sister, neveryoumind with the two younger feline interlopers in our home, and I would first be warned. If I didn’t heed that warning, I would pay.

How did this keep her with me longer in the end? Simple: what her sister had, she believed that she needed. Within the first week of diagnosis, Daisy quit going to their elegant dining area on my dresser (raised dishes, table-cloth, and such). She would only eat when food was offered to her. For the first week of this new reality, she ate well, so long as it was offered. From that second week of this new lifestyle on, not so much. There was much coaxing going on.

No push was needed though, if the sisters were together and I gave them each a dish. Daisy might wait for Daffodil to determine it edible, but that was all it took. She would eat again with gusto, making sure to eat as much or more than Daffodil. Seriously! She watched the bowls to see which had less food!

The jealousy even showed me how much she wanted attention, no matter how bad she felt. If I was laying it bed at night and had been petting Daisy for a long while, but felt I should then pet Daffodil for a while, Daisy would let me know when it had been long enough petting Daffodil, and I needed to return my attention to Daisy. My girls aren’t big talkers, but Daisy spoke quite loudly and clearly when it was her turn.

As you can see from this true tale, jealousy kept her here longer. It also allowed her more quality, because there is no quality of life without food and water. Her quality will no longer be called into question from hence forth. I also hope that in Heaven, there is no jealousy. But man, it sure was a big part of her personality here on earth, and it kept me in check!

Who has more room?

The glare in the eyes is either from me taking too many photos or that one or the other is done sharing the same chair.

Today was my kitty Daisy’s last day on earth. But it was also her first day in Heaven. I need to concentrate on that or I cry buckets of tears.

On January 30, 1999 we finally managed to capture two gorgeous barn cats that my dad had deemed “too pretty for barn life”. After working to tame them for over a month in the barn and bring them into our home, they had locked themselves into the cat carrier we had down there hoping to one day use for them. We had nearly 16 full years of joy with both of them. Today, January 16, 2015, Daisy went on to be with the one who saved her from the barn and eating mice: My dad. He saved her, and she never, ever forgot it. Her love for my dad turned my mom – a primarily dog person – into a dog AND cat person.

In April of 2014, we were told my kitty Daffodil (Daisy’s sister from the same litter), had kidney failure. All these months I’d been getting myself ready to live without her. But on December 9th, we found out that Daisy had a huge tumor in her lung and would be lucky to make it another month. She made it five weeks.

Dr. Penning from the Eight Street Animal Hospital came to the house and helped Daisy find comfort in the gift humans are not permitted to give one another in most US States. I couldn’t recommend them more. They helped me months ago when Daffodil needed it and my vet was out sick. Today, they came to the rescue again, but this time in my home where Daisy was even on her favorite chair when she passed from this earth.

She was grace and elegance until the last moment. She never missed the litter box. She even refused to toss her cookies on the bed, but she got up multiple times during the night to do so on the floor where I can easily clean it up. She groomed as much as possible until the last couple of days, and she was thankful each time I brushed her to help keep her pristine fur as soft as an angel’s wings. She was truly the queen of our roost and following the proper etiquette put forth by Queen Elizabeth as much as possible.

Here are a few photos of her majestic beauty:

I think I’ve tuckered Joy out with my hopefulness of continued projects.

About four or five years ago, a dear friend taught me to crochet. At first, I used every swear word I knew (and learned a few extra too) to explain how miserable this nasty craft was making me. I could only make triangles, and the work was so tight, the smallest of ants could not squeeze through it without certain death.

However, after a few more much-needed lessons, I fell in love with it. In the last few years, I made about ten scarves. I decided in November that I would give them away to my immediate family for Christmas as I’d been hoping to do from the beginning, so I needed 18. I could do it if I worked diligently in these last few weeks before Christmas.

What you see under this tree below is four or so shy of the end goal. I achieved those as well and was able to give each family member a truly unique gift. I say truly unique because although I try my best to follow the general, and very simple pattern, each has mistakes, which I prefer to call “personalization” or unique aspects that make each a custom work of art. Some works of art are even different widths throughout or wider at one end than another! How spectacular am I?