The year of the cat, has come to an end

It’s with a heavy heart, I write my goodbye to my little cabin in the woods, and more importantly to my cats. About a month ago, Romeo disappeared. The last thing he left me was the tail of a squirrel and since he always stayed by my side, I’m convinced that his last fight with said squirrel left him with a killer bite.

A few days later I found the body of the squirrel, but I never did find my Romeo.

He was forever getting into trouble. He was the one who would lick the butter if I left it out. Eat my food, if I didn’t pay attention, meow me awake, and jump on the ledge to watch me shower (I had no choice). He killed many things or at least took credit, after Pippin brought them in. My readers and friends will remember all too well the photos of dead creatures I posted.

I appreciated Pippin for being the silent reliable one. After another episode of taking Romeo to the vet or feeding him medicine, I would tell Pippin how grateful I was that he never got into fights. And now that it is just the two of us, I feel very protective because this other cat keeps coming around, and Pippin finally got into a fight.

Even after several bouts, Pippin is still amazingly resilient. He got a nasty scratch near his eye (?) and I flushed it out with saline and he seems fine! I was really worried but he’s leaving me with no crazy goodbye vet visits. Thank god! And even after dropping him off with the neighbors, his new owners, I am surprised when he stops by. I will miss him!

I will miss this house too, even though I half jokingly refer to it as a “glorified tent”. It’s old, and need of work but it has been good to me. And I’ve been trying to take advantage of being in a home before I move into an apartment again.

This experience reminds me of friends who have left. Months before they leave, they suddenly make new friends or discover CM in a new way. They certainly see it in a fresh light because they are leaving, and for whatever reason, whenever a time limit has been imposed, we seem to appreciate the time that we do have left more.

I try to soak in as many moments as I can with friends or when ever I’m teaching, etc. But I know I could be better about this. I remember when I was at the Tallahassee Airport, ages ago, saying goodbye to my then, biggest mistake of my life of a boyfriend. He went to park the car and I decided to run into the bathroom before my flight took off.

When he came back in, he couldn’t find me, so he was upset. He thought I left without saying goodbye. When I joined him, he said, “Where the hell were you? I’ve been looking all over.” After I explained, he said the most profound thing, “I’m pissed. But I don’t have time to be mad at you.”

I don’t have time to be mad at you. So he gave me a quick kiss and a hug, and off I went to catch my flight. I need to remember those words more often when I get upset over seemingly stupid things. Time is special. My time in the bamboo woods, with the cat and bugs, is closing. I can’t wait to look back on this year fondly, but for now, I don’t have time, I’m too busy enjoying it, right now.