'Bye, precious friend

I didn't get any blogging done yesterday. It was a tough day. I had to say good-bye to my girlfriend and companion for the past eight years, Peanut the Fraidy Cat. It was time. Peanut had been in kidney failure for a couple of months and hadn't been able to eat or drink for two weeks. But it was still one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, and my heart literally aches.

Peanut was spunky and funny and fat and neurotic and loving and odd and pretty and nosy and brilliant. One of my favorite Peanut stories: We got Peanut just as we were moving into a charming house in Hillcrest that was built in 1921. My daughter had longed for a pet for ages, and our move from an apartment to a house made the adoption possible. Codie, my daughter, was just turning 10, and she wasn't always conscientious about household issues. And this old house had plenty of issues. None of the doors fit right, none of the windows closed all the way, there was no insulation... So, anyway, it seemed like every time I walked into the kitchen, the pantry door was standing open. And most of the time, Peanut was in there nosing around, chewing on plastic bags and making messes. So one day I said, "Codie, you've got to close the pantry door. When you leave it open, Peanut gets in there and tears stuff up." And she said, "I DID close the door." And I said, "Well, it's standing open again." And Codie got really mad and said, "I DID close it. I hate it when you tell me, so I made sure I closed it." And I said, "Look, we're the only ones here. I didn't leave it open. You didn't leave it open. So who left it open...the CAT?" I shut the pantry door and went to the sink to clear up some dishes, and then I heard this noise, like the pantry doorknob was jiggling. I turned around, and there was Peanut, standing on her hind legs, slapping the doorknob with her paw. And she kept slapping until...bingo!...the door popped open. And in she went to find some plastic bags to chew on.

I miss my little friend so much. I guess it will get more bearable with time. But I hope I always remember how she touched me and how she made me laugh.

God bless you, kitty princess.