Curious Bird

so long, old friend

Sigh. 

My little family has heavy hearts and teary eyes right now after having to say goodbye to our sweet snowcat Mortimer yesterday morning. As many of you know he was in our lives for over 15 years and was truly a special part of our world. Like his late pal, Motown, Mortimer made many moves with us and shared so many important milestones. He was the most snugly dude you could know and was even known to steal the hearts of people who considered themselves not so into cats. He helped us welcome Felix into our home and lives and put up with being picked up and snuggled (often in a not so gentle way) countless times. He never once reacted in a negative way. Always sweetness and light, that guy. 

He gave feline kidney disease a good long fight and was deemed a "miracle kitty" by both our vet in Philadelphia and our new vet here in Durham. They were both baffled by how his kidneys could be in such bad shape, but how at the same time he seemed to be doing so well in every other domain. Overall, he was an unforgettable fella, who we have always jokingly talked about as "clone-worthy". 

We will miss him dearly and hope that wherever he is he finds a sunny spot for naps, some good dirt to roll in, and as much love and sweetness as he gave us all these years. So long, old friend. You were the best and we will never forget you. ♥

15.

Our sweet snowcat, Mortimer, turns 15 this week. He's not the healthiest kitty nowadays (damn you, kidney disease!), but he's as sweet and easy-going as ever. It's kind of unbelieveable that it has been 15 years since I picked him up and brought him home wrapped in my sweater during the winter in 1996.
He squeaked and squirmed the entire way home, and his oversized ears were outrageous.
Motown needed a friend and Mortimer was just that and so much more.

What an important part of our family he has been and continues to be.
Happy 15 years, old man. We love you.

so much love to give

so far, mortimer seems to be okay with it. if only I could get a nickle for every time I have to say "gentle".

happy friday to you and yours!

l.

getting acquainted

xo,

Leya

our little miracle kitty

this sweet boy needs a little eye mask to keep the bright sun from interfering with his daily naps. I am not opposed to making him one, although I am fairly certain he wouldn't keep the thing on. I mean, really?
he's been such a trooper, a miracle kitty, actually. he still has a great appetite, something we watch closely after witnessing Motown stop eating and quickly begin to say goodbye (that was over two months ago already). we love this little guy so and are hopeful he's going to stick around a while longer so say hello to whoever it is that I keep talking to in my belly. he often thinks I'm talking to him and comes running from across the room. told you he was a sweetie. 

our snowcat

 

It's been a while since I have posted any photos of my sweet boy Mortimer. These are two from last weekend...I'm not sure he should be allowed to nap in the garden bed (nothing is planted in there yet), but honestly what Mort wants Mort gets. He's spoiled like that for good reason. And although he is adjusting to life as an only kitty -- we said goodbye to Motown over a month ago already -- he certainly acts more needy than he ever has. Frankly, I think we act a little more needy with him too. One thing I have never mentioned, mainly because I simply could not bring myself to post yet another sad pet post,  is the fact that Mortimer has also been diagnosed with kidney disease. I know, I know...what gives? According to our vet --she's the greatest, by the way -- he is a miracle kitty with very little kidney function left.  She  says, "keep doing whatever it is you're doing." So...we continue to power on with the sub-q injections, the special diet, and the meds. We don't mind any of it one bit because he is still with us and seems to be hanging in there for the time being. I certainly hope the Bug gets to meet him. He's so gentle and I know he will make a wonderful baby snuggler, under supervision, of course.

Be well,
L.

Hello out there.

Not sure what else to say except for Thank You. Thank you for all the extremely thoughtful comments and emails, and thank you for understanding my need to be quiet this week. It has been a tough week -- lots of tearful moments, but we're hanging in there. We're snuggling Mortimer lots and remembering many of the funny and sweet things about Motown. I definitely miss his goofy trot and our early morning routine, things I'm certain to miss for a long, long time.

Before posting the news about Motown last week, I intended to share some of the photos from our trip to see family. During that trip, we were given the sweetest baby shower for Junebug. D's mom, sister, and aunt were such wonderful hostesses, and my mom and sister went nuts supplying the Bug with lots of stripey, soft clothes, cloth diapers, and extremely cool books. We had a great time and are so grateful for all the sweetness and generosity of the guests.

My plan is to eventually show off a few things we received at the shower, but for now I'm going to share one of my favorite things: the food, especially the cupcakes. As I mentioned a while back, we've decided to do a forest-themed nursery.  Well, that same theme was used at the shower...check out those raccoon cupcakes. There were owls and foxes too! Hilarious.

The cupcakes were red velvet, lemon, boston creme, and vanilla. I'm sorry to say I was gabbing too much to try every flavor. I hear the boston creme was the tastiest. Not surprising.

I've had a serious hankering for fruit lately. I think I took out most of that fruit salad all by myself.  Apparently, I can talk and eat fruit salad without a problem.

Hope you have a great weekend. I think Spring has finally sprung and I'm so happy about it.
Happy first day of Spring on Saturday! We're off to a cabin in the woods for the weekend. Can't wait, the weather is supposed to be amazing. Photos and stories to come upon our return.

More soon,

L.

sweet dreams

Upon returning from a wonderful trip to celebrate Junebug, Dustin and I were faced with some sadness, the kind that we knew would come, but could never truly prepare for. Our hearts ache. After almost fourteen years, we had to say goodbye to our sweet boy Motown. He brought so much joy and love into our lives. He was my kitty before I met Dustin, and he became our kitty as we built our life together. As we moved across the country and up and down both coasts, he, along with his little brother, was right there with us.  Always nearby to greet us when we arrived home, he was our tall, lanky fella who never missed a chance to sit and snuggle or make deep eye contact. Most of all, he was a part of our family. We're going to miss him terribly. Sweet dreams, little guy. We love you so.

 

Mortimer the Sweet

The sweetness  never ends around here. Our little snowcat has so much love to give. Truly.
Hope you get some sweetness in your world today too.

xo,
L.

this week in photos

 

Just a few photos from this week.

• My friend Christine made us a batch of the bloody mary mix in the September issue of Bon Appetit. It might just be the best mix I've ever had. No, it is.  Made for a darn tasty virgin bloody mary.

• Lots of twinkly lights and candlelight around the house. Just because.

• Motown has been feeling pretty lousy these last few days. We're starting to worry about his eating habits, although, he ate really well yesterday, so maybe he was just in one of those after-holiday funks. Hope so.

• And finally, Pizza Dough! I made a big batch yesterday. Some for dinner and some for freezing for dinners to come. We love crispy, thin homemade pizza. I use this recipe and it works like a charm every time.