Jane’s sister passed away unexpectedly. We left the kitties in the capable care of good friends and took out for Chicagoland by car…Jane had always promised her sister that should anything happen to her, she would take care of her two kitties, elderly fellows, both, not the sort who could find other homes, for sure. So we drove it in 3 days—1785 miles. Jane is doing well: the time spent in driving and talking was a benefit; and we were able, in a handful of days, to take care of what had to be taken care of, including legal matters, calm two very upset kitties, and pack up or ship those things that are family stuff, including the two kitties (who had never been further than the vet by car)—and who were troopers on the trip back. Very gentle, very nice kitties, and they are now living in our basement library until we can gradually introduce them to our two far more territorial lads.
It was a very hard couple of weeks, physically. We would work ourselves to exhaustion, reach the hotel, fall asleep when we got there, rise at 6 and go do it all again. We took one additional day to rest up (and locate the kitties: one is an absolute master of escape and hiding.) And then we drove 3 days back, trading off at the wheel. We got home about 2:00 pm yesterday, had lunch at our local pub, went home and made contact with our own kitties, and collapsed about 6 pm and slept until 6 AM.
We are up and functional. Our kitties were glad to see us and only hissed a bit at the ‘other cat’ smell about us. I have a dental appointment Monday—and that’s kind of an important one. The Prius is packed literally to the overhead with boxes and items—we could not fit in so much as a hairbrush, with the job Jane did in packing it, and it managed the trip through a major winter storm we were timing-it trying to Not Get Caught In. We made it first to Oacoma SD, to a hotel we know. We came into our next stop at Livingston MT with snow flying sideways and wind gusts rocking the car, after a dicey afternoon drive through the mountains with a lowered cloud deck and rain, meaning foggy conditions, and made it by 6 (we’d booked a room by phone in Livingston MT, halfway between Billings and Butte, and a good thing we had, because storms fill up hotels.) We made it in with snow going sideways and wind gusts rocking the car, got up to drive on through snow and chain-up for trucks through Bozeman Pass, then had much easier time on toward home. Tired. Definitely. Today we start unpacking the car. I just saw Jane out there starting that job, and have to get at it.
You and Jane have my deepest sympathies.
I didn’t want to mention it while you were gone, but for others here who might like to read it, Jane posted something about this when it happened.
Good to hear you’re home safe. Please take care of yourself and Jane, take the time necessary to recover. Hugs!
I’d posted at Jane’s blog after seeing the news yesterday.
Hugs to you both. I’m so sorry for your loss.
A doubled kitty contingent, a pair of pairs — Well, here’s hoping they like each other. Four boys, eh? The new two more elderly than Sei and Shu? Oh, that will be something for the cats and the humans to get used to. But, hmm, they’re coming into a household that knows and likes cats, so it sounds like good odds for them to work things out.
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I binge-watched the new Lost in Space reboot on Netflix and thought it was great. I am sure I’ll do a rewatch, and hope it gets.another season. There is (gasp) actual science involved in the worldbuilding and plotline, and you get strong characters for all the main characters, including good stuff for most of the minor characters. All in all, more fully realized modern SF, and I thought it was a good reboot of the old concept. Well worth it when you get the chance.
I am awaiting the arrival of a used book to replace one which may or may not still be in storage: The Romance of Writing, by Keith Gordon Irwin. Written for a YA audience but suitable for adults too, it gives a history of writing and the alphabet, including good side bits on runes and a few punctuation marks and symbols and the numerals. He gives a little time to the Etruscans and to how hieorglyphics and cuneiform were deciphered. I was surprised to be able to get it at all, and for a pretty good price for an old hb on an uncommon topic. This was one of the books that went into my forming love of calligraphy, the alphabet, and languages, in junior high. If your local library has it, it’s worth a look. He writes this with an evident love for history and how writing was passed through so many cultures to get to us today. Oh, and he shows a little about Hebrew and Cyrillic too. It could still spark younger readers’ (pre-teens and teens) today, I think.
So glad you and Jane and the elder lads made it home safely. Jane is certainly lucky to have a such a caring spouse. We hope the elders slot into the family with minimal drama. Love to your household.
2018 has been a horrendous year so far, what with all the winter storms, the upheavals of various kinds in the lives of our dear salads, health problems, and whatnot, not to mention the political situation in our country. I sincerely hope that we are now all through the worst of what 2018 has in store for us.
I embrace you both in sympathy and empathy. Your trip sounds to have been a herculean effort, and a lucky squeak through the weather situation. Thank goodness it is all behind you now and you are safely back home.
Take care of yourselves and of each other.
One thing I have wondered about the Prius — can you run an extension cord from the motel room to the parking lot?
It’s a hybrid, not total electric. It cycles in a gasoline engine to recharge what braking doesn’t recharge, and also as an assist for acceleration.
Not yet–we still have the Fall elections to get through, with all the upheaval and deliberate disturbance of 2016.
I’m so very sorry for your loss. I’m glad her little furry friends have a good home to go to.
Again, great hugs and sympathy to Jane, and it’s a good thing you are there for support. Please to keep us posted on how everyone is bearing up, and how the two furry senior citizens are fitting in.
BTW, the Prius is a hybrid; no need plug in and was probably better for a cross country trip (although for local trips an all electric car would be fine.)
Oh, Jane and CJ too, my deepest condolences. She will live in your memories… and her cats in your home.
This has been a difficult and strenuous two weeks for you, please treat yourselves gently and remember to rest.
Two weeks? Seems to me with all the remodelling and frozen pond and medical issues, year is more like it.
Thing about older guys, we’ve been through too much to put up with irresponsible shenanigans. We can be curmudgeonly when disrespected. Somebody just might get their ears boxed.
I am sorry for your loss. And you are angels to take in two more cats. I know they’ll come to love living with you.
Re the Prius: it was brilliant. Manages 30 miles per gallon on the flat at 80 (northwest states are generous on the speed limit)and of course runs at 99 mpg on the descent (coasting down the other side) so even in mountains we average about 40 mpg. It handled ice just fine and can accelerate in pace with anything but a dedicated sports car, so we don’t lag. Jane drove the pass, and notes that when trucks are required to chain up, you get behind one on the up and down track and trust those chains to churn up the ice, snow, and gravel for your tires to grip nicely. We’re pretty canny northwest drivers. We had the Prius V checked out before we left, last thing I did while Jane was packing; and it carried a packed load clear to the roof: we had one bag, our computers, and both cat carriers and litter pan that we could get in and out for motel overnights,and we were getting pretty disreputable with dust and cat-hair before we got here, but we made it.
This morning the rascals demolished a picture-glass, trying to get up atop the shelf in the library, so our morning job was damage control, but the cats are ok. Our own are being hyper affectionate to us—great politicians—and have not visited the basement to hurl insults, while the new guys are still travel-frazzled and mostly hiding.
So—it’s not going to be easy—two used to jumping on things,and two forbidden to do that. But we know cats, so we’re hopeful.
Thank you all for the kind words. We’re tired, and so very sore in every muscle we move as if we’re 90-plus. We can’t find the Advil or Aleve. We know it’s packed somewhere, but we’re slowly working our way through the stuff we brought.
The new cats, Tanner and Tracker, are kind of lynxpoint Siamese-like, but large, tabby-ish, and maybe a quarter Siamese, 3/4 tabby-cat, full brothers, and not used to other cats. But they’re gentle, never struck or bit, and we’re not having any difficulty handling them. We’re going to have them to the vet Monday—we think one may have a little bladder infection—and just to get them started with a vet, being about 15 years old, no spring chickens. We kept assuring them all the way home they weren’t on a vet trip, but for their own good we have to see they get that check.
I’ve been – what else – worrying about you both, traveling in the endless winter storms. And we have the (understandable) radio silence on this end. I should know that you and Jane can handle just about anything.
I continue to send sympathy/empathy/best wishes and even if you don’t feel it directly, think of a warm blanket for you and the kitties, family one and two. Hugs, Karen
Yikes, about the glass. Very glad they didn’t get cut. I hope the picture and other library items are OK too.
Loved your description of the goings-on between the four cats so far. Heh. So far, so good. That might bode well for the four together. I have the impression Sei will get on well with this, but Shu may try to be the Alpha and may be more stressed / irritated at the change. No idea of Tanner and Tracker’s personalities to know how they’ll work it out, but being older, I’d expect they’ll manage. It might be a relief or a treat for them to have a pair of younger guys to pal around with. Or it may be more of an adjustment. But I’d expect they’ll feel at a disadvantage encountering a pair of closely allied adult male cats on their home turf, whereas they’re the newbies moving in.
But no real yelling from either side yet is a good thing. The calm before the storm? Dunno.
Heh, your two so glad to see you back, and the new two tired, frazzled, hiding — That sounds about like normal. The two new guys sound very handsome too.
Here’s hoping you find the Advil and Aleve quickly, or just get more at the store. 🙂
I’m so sorry for her loss.
So very sorry for your loss — such a difficult time for both of you. And you will have interesting times ahead with your new blended family, but it will work, given time and patience. And first of all, you two need to get some rest and definitely some Aleve!
So sorry for your loss. Glad to hear the trip went well, I didn’t think a Prius would be up to it. I can’t imaging losing one of my sibs. Although my hubby has and still feels the pain 25 years later.
So glad you two made it to and from safely. Our condolences, again, to Jane. I am glad you were able to take on the kitties. They must be feeling quite upset after all that has happened.
My sympathy to Jane. It is a very good deed to take the two elderly cats.
CJ, when you weren’t adding to your page a few days in a row I thought you might be too weak from not being able to eat so I checked Jane’s page and, oh, dear Jane, I have been thinking of and sending out strength to you and CJ both. In the short time I have been reading these pages I do feel as though I know you both to some degree, thank you for sharing. Good luck with the kitties.
I can’t think of anything useful to say except, “Prayers with”.