Testing, testing, testing, …

I’m getting rusty at updating. It’s really not that hard and in my setup, it’s oh so nerdy.

Jingle

Two weeks ago today was not only the end of Lent for Catholics, but it was also the day I had my ~20 year old cat, Jingle, put down at the local veterinarian. His health had been on a slow decline for years, but the week prior I was noticing a pattern that reminded me a bit of Michelle’s final days. Mostly sleeping, getting up only on occasion for toilet duty or to eat just a little something.

My hope was that Jingle would be like some cats I’ve had. They just quietly passed away, almost unnoticed. That Wednesday, like most, I was working from home upstairs. Unlike most of his quiet final days, Wednesday he was “cry-meowing” on occasion. I called the vet and they made an appointment for later that afternoon.

Jingle resting on my bed

Jingle was seen by the doctor and had about 4-5 comorbidities. After such a long full life, filled with numerous “conquests” in my yard and enduring a lot from my children, it was time. In the next few days I cleaned and threw out his two litterboxes, thoroughly cleaned all of my bedding since he was a frequent sleep companion, and lastly cleaned and threw out his bowls.

Quiet

As I was preparing my talk for our parish’s Family Faith Formation last weekend, I was contemplating just how quiet things were. If you’d told me 16 years ago that I’d be sitting alone quietly on a Saturday, working on PowerPoint in this big house without distraction, I would’ve had a hard time imagining it. Back then my late wife was still a picture of cardio fitness and vibrant health, the five kids all were at home, we had three cats, and the kids usually had friends sleep over on the weekends. Finding a quiet corner was a bit trickier. Even this past year, Jingle would often sit next to me on the couch while I would tap away on my laptop. Not last weekend.

Good bye, Old Man! You were such a trooper! Thanks for the memories.