Collective Cat Amnesia

At 4 am, it appears that all cats appear to forgot everything they know, except for the drive to go outside. With the cat door installed, and two cats successfully using it (Kappa is on the short bus), they still come in, meow, wake me up, and then walk over so I can shove them through. It is really, really, really obnoxious.

Me and Stampy at Odin's rock

Tom giving Cesar Millan a run for his money

Odin's rock

Yard - during

This was 2 yards. We have 2 more to do, we think, to finish the front.

Yard - before

The new cat tower

As I suspected, Kappa loves it (he likes being up high - and high, on catnip).
Stampy and I jogged past it at a yard sale this morning, and I set in my head $20, and Tom got it for $15.

Poppy attacking Stampy's tail

This was hilarious.
http://vimeo.com/6426499

We're squirrely

Wet Stampy at Burfoot Park

It was hot again (about 90) so we went to the "beach" at one of the local parks. (The real beach, the ocean, was only about 53 degrees.)

Some of the Odie memorials

Crazy Stampy & Cats love Tom

Catnip and Dogwood

We got two catnip plants at the farmer's market. The first one was squashed, and that was apparently from a cat butt sitting on it. The second one was protected in a tomato stake, but Kappa has been sleeping curled up next to it, guarding it, and eating it.
This photo is what Kappa does after eating too much catnip (eats dog food).

Also, horrifyingly, I almost killed Odin's dogwood already. Tom noticed the soil looked wet, and I hadn't put holes in the barrel, and when he made them, water poured out for like half an hour (albeit, through three nail sized holes, but I was mortified). I have never cared as much about keeping something alive as that tree, and I was so worried about it not getting enough water that I was drowning it.

It's been hot out

Apparently, increasing surface area exposed to air helps cats cool off. (Hot = 85)

Photos switching

I'm going to use Picasa Web Albums for when I have a lot of pictures. Our camping trip in Colonel Bob Wilderness will be there. I am new to it, so I think you have to sign in to see them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/martha.wehling/ColonelBobCampingJuly342009?locked=true&feat=email#

Ode's Dogwood

Last night camping (pictures coming soon) I couldn't sleep, so I thought all the way through his life. He had a good one.
Here is his dogwood - which took much more effort than I expected. It's in that pot so we can move it when we move.
I plan to eventually write about his euthanasia and the story of his life and how I feel now, but I haven't been able to yet. I can't even read. I just sit and stare at magazine pages. I miss him more than I expected, and I am crying a lot still.
Stampy actually seems to enjoy being an only dog.
Dr. W and her staff sent a very nice card and donated to the cardiology unit at WSU, which was really thoughtful.

I picked up Odin today

It made me cry terribly.
He weighs 3.5 pounds as ashes.
He came back in a very nice box, with a wonderful paw print.
Dr. W said that it was the right time. She said he had the fluid in his abdomen, some fluid around his heart, and his heart was thick, but his other organs looked good.
She even made me laugh, and said really nice things about her pets and how special Odin was, and what the grieving process is like. She's a great vet.
But I went back and read through the blog, and he was textbook congestive heart failure. And that was, once all the symptoms hit, anywhere from 2-3 - 6 - 12 months to live. He only had two months of symptoms, so I could have kept him with me longer.
I miss him so much.

I've had a couple more ideas about what to do for him.
I think I'll get a dogwood and plant it in a big pot so I can move it with me until I have a permanent home;
Get him an engraved rock for home (so I can move it with me);
and a "garden planting" (with engraved rock) at Marymoor.
Dr. W says that I'll be ready when I'm ready.

What I am thinking now for his epitath (which I'm horrified at my spelling errors and the incorrect use of eulogy now that I have re-read what was a pretty rough 18 or so months), which is a modification of an author who I have now forgotten:

Odonata - 6/21/1999 - 6/5/2009
Odin was loved more than there are
reasons for - which is the only way to
love - without conditions or explanations.

Ode's sympathy flowers from my wonderful family

Being my calm anchor after the tree fell on the house

2004 - Tiger Mountain

Snow in Seattle this year & Sept 07

Snoquera Falls - April 2007

Silver Lake in 2007

2004 to Oregon