31Jan21: Andy’s no fun today!

I tried to get him engaged in play…

…but Andy’s not in the mood for frivolous play just now.

=(^+^)=

Why is my Dad smiling broadly?

My father switched jobs with his Nr. 2 in 1965. He’d been Chief of Police for almost 21 years, and just had his fill of overtime without pay, vacations not taken because there was inadequate personnel to cover his absence, and the inevitable calls that came while he was home for lunch. (Just couldn’t let the man have an uninterrupted hour with his family so would call him at home instead of waiting a few minutes to call him at work…. To this day, I resent people who did that, especially the elderly lady who’d call to complain children were riding their trikes on “her” – actually the city’s – sidewalk and other similar non-emergencies.)

Anyway, he got paid overtime as the new Nr. 2, got to take vacations, and instead of working a 7 to 4 shift as Chief of Police that actually was a 6 to 6 job the way he worked it, he worked various shifts for eight hours most days. I didn’t know his hours as Chief were only 7 to 4 until years after he’d moved into the care center in 2004.

Incidentally, Though he retired at the end of October 1978, he had accrued so many vacation days that he actually went on vacation In August of that year and that was when he always regarded himself as retired since his last day of work was the day before his first day of vacation!

When Dad retired in 1978, the city had a retirement dinner for him. They found his old badge in the desk he used as Chief, and had this plaque made up to present to him. They also gave him his old service gun, which Dad gave to my late brother. (I wouldn’t want it in my house, frankly, so that was just fine with me!)

Speaking of retirement, I retired on 31 January 2009. Gad 12 years already!

30Jan21: walker…

Andy just realized my walker…

…is…

…a happy spot for a kitty boy to nap.

29Jan21: ‘nipper…

The only way I can tell Andy’s been ‘nipping is a flake of ‘nip on his cheek.

Of course, his general lack of a response to the world around him is a pretty good clue, too! LOL!

I just let him sleep it off.

28Jan21: Andy on the defense…

Toss a magazine on the floor between reads and Andy claims it in an instant! Then it upsets him if I want to take it away from him so I can read it.

I interrupted Andy’s snooze on the end table, which upset him. So, he hopped over on the kitty lounger because I have to stand and stretch to bother him there! (May as well groom while he’s out of reach from the human, eh?!)

27Jan21: Hello!

Sometimes Andy…

…just stops by…

…to say hello.

26Jan21: lost “baby” pictures…of Andy and Dougy the kitty boys

Andy’s the kitten on the left, his first day at his new forever home. Being a baby cat, he already knew he was supposed to walk over keyboards and wipe out whatever I was working on at the time. LOL! He still does that if I’m not careful.

Dougy’s the kitten with his paw over my wrist. That was what he did until he grew too big for the spot by the computer just right for a kitty to stretch out next to his favorite human.

These photos are framed and hanging on my living room wall. I gave them to my mother to brighten up her care center room. At some point, someone put them away in a drawer in Mom’s room. I had no idea what happened to them.

After Mom died, I found these framed photos in her dresser in a drawer. It was a happy find because the photos had been in a computer file that became corrupted. They were the lost baby pictures of the kitty boys .

25Jan21: sad news from Salmon Brook Farms…

Lucio (on left), Nano, and Marcus, window cats of Salmon Brook Farms.

Lavinia Ross sent me an e-mail to let me know Lucio passed. She wrote:

Lucio was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism at the beginning of the month and was on methimazole for it for a little over the last 3 weeks. He was doing OK and was zooming about last night…. problem and I took a stool sample to the vet this morning. While I was out, Lucio died in his cardboard box. I found him after lunch. I am reeling from too many things lately, now this.

Lavinia

Marcus and Lucio

No matter what age or circumstance, when they pass, we are reminded again that our cat and dog fur friends have short lives, that they are concentrated packages of joy and amazement while they grace us with their lives, yet they tear a hole in our hearts that never heals when they pass. Hugs and condolences to Lavinia and Rick Ross on the death of Lucio.