End of the Road

I think this is it.  It's not like I've had much to say lately anyway.  I've gotten fed up with the job to the point where I've spent weeks and weeks searching for work a little further west and now it's time to call it a day.
Peeballs and Pooplogs is officially going on hiatus.  Or retiring.  Or just going away for a while.  Who knows.
I've accepted a job out in Greenville, SC, and we'll be moving soon.  Up first will be a week-long road trip to see my children and grandchildren in Minnesota.  We're overdue for a vacation, and we're really looking forward to this.
As soon as we get back we'll have just a couple of days to pick up a rental truck, load it up and head out to the new place.

My last day of work is this coming Friday, and then the fun begins.  My wife has spent the last few weeks doing, well, everything.  Other than bringing home boxes and a few minor things I needed to get done around our apartment she's done all the work.  She's been cleaning and packing, and even had the last two weeks' menus planned out to use up what's in our freezer, fridge and cupboards efficiently and effectively.
I have too much to do at work, but as of yesterday I've officially accepted the notion that I'll never get it all done in these last few days.
We went to Carolina Beach State Park a weekend or so ago for a cookout and to ceremoniously burn Orbit's perch and the food and water dish "riser" I'd built for him so he could eat and drink without having to bend so low when he first showed signs of struggling. We donated most of his other belongings, but didn't have the heart to toss out or give away these few things.  
We'll be living on-site again, at least to start.  There will be the customary exorbitant pet fees and such, so it doesn't look like we'll have another cat any time soon.  I'd be happy- for now- with maybe volunteering once a week or so at a local shelter once we're out there.  
Do these places ever need someone to simply come in, play with and talk to the cats held prisoner?  When we donated Orbit's things to Atlantic Animal Hospital we went into the adoption room for a final goodbye to the handful of feline inmates behind the glass wall.

Maybe I'll do this again some day.  Maybe with a different title, maybe a variation of this one.  We'll see.  I'd hoped to keep it going, but I must make this the last Peeballs and Pooplogs post.

Orbit says "Bye" and "Thank you"...

 

Some Great Memories for the Fourth

At the urging of some I decided to put up some pictures of Orbit from our vast collection, some of which I may or may not have already posted.
We'd been considering a move recently, and much of my time has been spent searching living arrangements at larger, well-managed rental properties.  Unfortunately, many of these properties require a hefty "pet fee", something I don't 100% agree with.
I've been hoping to continue this blog-venture in one direction or another, though with appropriate changes because, let's face it- Peeballs and Pooplogs is 100% Orbit, but it'll likely be a while until there is another character to be the subject/blog owner.

Orbit can never be replaced, but I would like to be a slave again to a feline ruler some day, and this fee is a little prohibitive.  I can understand a deposit, which would be returned upon determining no damage has been done by said furry emperor, but come on!
Anyway, enough bitching.  Enjoy your July 4th holiday weekend, and enjoy some great photos of our beloved Orbit.  

Napping with Mom

His Majesty

Peeping Domestic Short-hair

Who's spoiled?

Classic Mom Butt

There will never be another

Could've used a perch on the back window, too!

 
 

A Father's Day Post

I have five wonderful children (and one occasionally very child-like wife) for whom I am extremely thankful and love more than anything in the world.
That being said, this is the first Father's Day without Orbit in so many years, and he was like one of the kids.  Yes, with time we're getting over the loss of that crusty but loveable old fart, but we're also in the process of "cleaning house"- you know, going through things, deciding what we need and what we can honestly live without in our continued efforts to minimalize- and since Orbit passed away we've held onto a few of his things.  These are simple things I've mentioned in previous posts, but we've not been able to part with them quite yet.

It's a more difficult decision than we thought it ever would be.  They're just things, after all, but they were his things.  We'll see.

It's been a while since I've posted anything.  My mind's been consumed with work shit, day and night.  With a very few occasional exceptions all of my reading and writing time has been taken up by work, and my brain has been filled to exploding with work worries.  I have not been able to focus or concentrate on what I'm reading, and I certainly haven't been able to come up with anything creative worthy of sharing.

Anyway, a very Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there.  Enjoy your summer!
 

Let's Lighten Things Up a Bit

 Recently, while poring over our vast collection of Orbit's photos the thought came to me how many of them appear as if he's melting.  He always had that drooping, funny way, when he fell asleep, of looking as though he was melting into a puddle of... cat.

See what I'm sayin'?

Dad Rant Follow-Up

     Well, now I feel really bad.  Our downstairs neighbor, the subject of my Dad Rant of a few posts earlier, passed away in his apartment.
     Over the course of a few days a couple of weeks ago we'd noticed that the volume of his music hadn't changed at all, booming at the same level day and night.  We'd also noted that his outside front light was on continuously and his mailbox remained overstuffed.
     On the same day I'd asked the management office about doing a wellness check my wife had taken it upon herself to knock on his door.  Even though we'd gotten off to an odd start he did seem, though unique, like a decent guy. Like us, he pretty much kept to himself, and he did take great care of our building's adopted feral as if she was his own.
     He hadn't answered my wife's knocks, and she called me, concerned.  I let her know that the police were called and would be doing a wellness check, and she went on her way doing errands that morning.
     On returning she found our building swarmed with police and emergency vehicles and called me immediately, demanding to know what I'm sure she'd already feared.  His death was, apparently accidental.  He'd been gone only a day or two.
     To this day my wife thinks we could've done something more, would've been able to help him in some way had we tried earlier to check on him.
     I've tried to assure her repeatedly that we did what we thought best, given the awkward way we started out as neighbors.  
     The music volume thing was nothing unusual, and we didn't want to come across as being nosy or intrusive by "checking on" him any sooner than we did.  We'd heard him moving about only two or so days earlier. I know deep down my wife doesn't accept this, and it still bothers her.
     
     

An Old Favorite

I've more than likely already used this photo in a post.  I'm just too lazy to look back over Orbit's entire blog to check, though.
     Of the gazillion photos we have of the little old guy I think we probably have dozens of him on our shoulders, a place he'd always loved to be.
     This picture is one of my all-time favorites.  I'm not sure why, but I just love Orbit's expression.  If we look close enough the backs of some of our shirts still contain the tiny holes from his claws as he hung onto our shoulders.

Back From Vacation

My visit with family was, overall, too short.  As usual, it included some unwanted drama, a fair amount of running around,

and one missed flight due to a failed rechargeable battery on the plane.  Besides seeing some of my children and playing with my beautiful granddaughter one of the joys of the trip was having feline friends along every step of the way.  The top photo is of my daughter's gigantic ball of laid back cattitude, Brutus, who must weigh in at around 40 pounds.  Though this picture doesn't really show it Brutus is one massive mancat.
     The sleek beauties in the bottom photo are sisters, who belong to my son.  Sadie, the short-haired one one the right, is one of the most loving, cuddly girls you'll ever find.
     The night I stayed there she slept with me, and woke me up almost every hour, it seemed, crawling over my head, laying across my neck, and gently nudging my face and hands with her nose, seeking attention.
      Although I failed to get any pictures I also spent one night with one of my brothers, who is the proud servant of a gorgeous charcoal-hued princess.
    As if I needed any prodding, being around these critters has made me want to find another  furry friend more than ever.    
    

A Step Closer?

It took a while, but recently my wife and I stopped by one of the local pet stores where Adopt An Angel hosts adoption fairs.
     Sometimes it's sad to see so many cats and dogs hoping to find forever homes, and it took everything I had to walk away empty-handed.  We visited every cage, every pen, and I took a few out of their cages to pet and hold.
     So many purrs and meows, so many sad little sets of eyes.  And then there are the few who simply could not be bothered with visitors, oblivious to the kissy sounds and whistles, lounging, droopy-eyed in their apparently comfortable litter boxes.
     I'm about to fly up north to visit family and see my first granddaughter for only the second time.  She's expecting a sibling in August (my fourth grandchild!), and I can't wait to see everyone.
     Originally we told ourselves we'd wait for a while before even thinking about another pet.  This trip, some questions about my work, and several other events, some of which have come and gone would determine if and when.
     With so much tentativeness I'm now working up the nerve to suggest we consider fostering, but that conversation might not happen just yet.  We'll see.

Decison Time

Well, yesterday was a day to bring up some unpleasant things.  I came home for lunch after a typically shitty day, and my wife, who has to be the most awesome housekeeper I've ever known, was doing some cleaning and had some of Orbit's things lined up by the door.
     We haven't been in any hurry to remove these items- bagged food, unused medications, unused boxes of litter and the rolled up piece of carpet we kept under his litter box- from our apartment.
     It didn't make any sense to hang onto these things any longer, so we mutually agreed to donate most of them to Atlantic Animal Hospital for use by others.  And then it came to Orbit's litter box, the small platform I made for his food and water bowls when he first appeared to be having a problem stooping to eat and drink, and his perch.
     His perch has been laying on the floor in the corner where I put it after removing it from our living room window sill when the last freeze set in.  Our windows, no-name vinyl economy-grade pieces of shit that they are, are so drafty that the plastic we taped over them bulged like a pregnant belly.
     To try to make a long story not quite as long as I ordinarily can I'm sitting here right now looking at the perch, the litter box and the bowl platform, over in their respective corners.  We'll keep those few things for the time being.  
     Yeah, we'll have another cat one of these days, but with assorted uncertainties in our life right now we've decided to wait.  I'd toyed with the idea of suggesting we foster for a while, but I'm not even sure we're ready for that.  Don't want even the temporary attachment just yet.
     

No Clever Post Title

I've been thinking how, over the years we'd give voice to Orbit's antics, attitudes and facial expressions.  As much as he was a crusty old man- and we certainly had that voice down solid- I'm reminded of so many other times when we'd give him the voice of a toddler.
     We were both guilty of talking to him- and making him talk- like a child.  If you're truly a cat lover you'll know how this works.  It's so funny how he could be both at the same time, and we entertained ourselves (at his expense, of course, though he'd say otherwise) for hours on end almost daily. 
     So many times I could sit there with him on my lap, talking to him in whichever voice I chose.  He'd always do one of two things;  Either he'd completely ignore me, or he'd look at me blankly, his eyes saying "wow, what an idiot, talking to a cat, as if I can understand what you're saying."
     Just some random reminiscing for a rainy Saturday afternoon, I guess. 
     

Sorry, No Orbit Post- Just a Dad Rant

Before Orbit passed away he and I, as you know, enjoyed our early mornings together.  The whole world was quiet, except for the occasional snoring seeping from the bedroom as my wife slept away.
     A couple of months ago we got a new neighbor, who moved into the then-vacant apartment just below ours.  This guy apparently has a quality sound system, and almost daily we can pretty much tell what he's watching with his fabulous, over-the-top, surround sound, larger than life, obnoxiously low end-heavy, nearly-shake-the-walls, feel the beat through my ass in the chair whatever the hell kind of system it is.
     I was up a little earlier than usual this morning, getting out of bed by 4:15.  I woke off and on around one-ish, and could hear the noise from the bedroom, and when I came out to the living room just after four I held myself back from trudging out the door and downstairs to pound on his door.
     I read with my earplugs in, and even now as I write this, whatever the hell he's got on is boom boom booming right up through the floor.
     When he first moved in we got off on the wrong foot when he approached our door at night (our light was off, mind you) more than once to offer opened and cut into baked goods and candy, asking, in exchange for my wife's phone # (says he wanted decorating advice) and help with painting, etc.
     I got a little short with him the second time he came knocking, and he went to the rental office and turned it into a federal case against us.  
     Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but he tried to start trouble, and it's been a little awkward since then.  I'm extremely laid back, but I finally spoke to those in charge about the noise, and though a letter is supposed to be sent out nothing has been done yet.
     After quietly tolerating several months of this I think I'm about ready to make another move.  Maybe a little further south and west.  Hell, we've always wanted to live out towards Asheville.  We'll see.
     

Sleepy Times

 

Got up insanely early for a Sunday morning (nothing new there) and just finished a chunk of the latest novel I've been reading. 

      I've been looking through the hundreds and hundreds of photos we have of Orbit, and I thought I'd post a small compilation of sorts.

     Since he spent the majority of his days sleeping I put together just a few favorites showing him doing what he did best. 

     We miss the little guy like crazy, and we're not in any hurry to continue reading all of the comments we've received on his last few posts since they still tug at our hearts, but every now and then I like to look over his many pictures and reminisce.

And Another One From an Earlier Time

Don't get me wrong, I mean I love my dad and all, but can someone please tell me why a grown man would want to put a cat inside his shirt?  Who does this?  Yeah, it was warm and all, but it felt a little weird.  I guess a lot of things dad has done over the years seemed a little off, but who am I to question his antics?
    

Snooze Time

     Can't think of anything that needs to be said to go along with this photo of mom's two old farts catching up on their beauty sleep.

     

Mom Butt, Dad Butt

And another that had been lined up previously for posting...

One of my most favorite places to nest has always been mom's butt.  Yeah, dad's could be kind of comfy and warm, too, but mom's is by far the best (subtle dad-nod in agreement).
 

   Of course, this comfort doesn't come without its risks.  I'd no sooner get all nice and nestled in, and in some cases I'd be just barely dozing when out from deep beneath me there'd come an odd rumbling, followed by the most horrendous...  Oh, dad says I'm sharing too much.  That's it for now, folks.

Going Forward

After giving it a lot of thought I've decided to keep Orbit's blog going for a while.  In between I'll post some odds and ends not related to him, as he reluctantly did occasionally (spotlight-sharing not being one of his strong points), and I still have some posts that were awaiting publishing.  
     I've also been going through my vast collection of photos of Orbit and I realize there are so many I hadn't used in previous posts.  Additionally, I may revisit some older posts, and do some sort of flashback thing.  We'll see.

     My wife and I haven't stopped missing or thinking about Orbit, and I don't think there's another one out there who could ever take his place.  We've talked just a little bit about if/when we'll be ready to have another cat, and the only thing that's certain is that if we do, we want it to be a rescue.  God knows there are many out there just waiting for a forever home.
     I just realized the other day that this is the first time in a long time I haven't had a cat with me.  Unfortunately, some things are up in the air right now as far as my job and our living arrangement.  
     Changes are afoot at work, and I'm not sure which direction things will take.  As much as I'd love to go right out and adopt another pet we're going to hold off for a bit. Since our apartment situation goes along with the job somewhat we don't want to welcome a new member to our family until we figure out where things are headed.
     As Orbit learned many times over throughout his long life, moving sucks.  Period.  It can be especially stressful to a pet, never mind one just getting used to new minions masters.
    

Comfy Morning Trio

This was one of the posts I'd had ready to publish from some time ago.  I was going to delete it, but I thought I'd go ahead and post it anyway. 

 As you already know, dad likes to sit in mom's rocker most mornings reading, writing and doing "work stuff".  One morning last week mom couldn't sleep and got up crazy early.  Dad and I watched as she shuffled, bleary-eyed out of the bedroom and came over to where we were sitting.
     Dad slid over to the side of the chair, held me out of the way, and mom curled up in his lap.  Not one for sharing my space I immediately established my place sandwiched between dad's belly and the crook of mom's lap, and there we three sat for the rest of the morning, until dad had to get up and get ready for work.

Morning Best Friends

I'd shared my early morning quiet time with Orbit for so many years he'd become a permanent part of me.
     As a memorial of sorts, my wife had this beautiful mug made, so I can continue enjoying my coffee with the little guy every morning.  
     This was one of my wife's favorite pictures of us, and it's a sweet reminder of how like a little person he truly was.