JennOkami

So I am sure by now you all are aware of Alex... My beautiful wonderful, amazing, perfect grey and white boy. Well, He crossed the rainbow bridge on Wednesday, 4/18/18. He was only 5 (wouldn't have been 6 until August). He had a urinary tract blockage, and we didn't know, he was crying Friday night, all night, so we took him to the vet on Saturday... They catheterized him, but he wasn't improving. Sunday evening a Tornado tore through my town, but thankfully we weren't directly affected by it. Monday they went in for surgery and found that his bladder had ruptured, and about half of it was necrotized.  They cut away the dead flesh, patched him up, and he was dicey for a bit. There was a little bit of improvement, but then it went for the worse. Wednesday I get a call saying that I need to be there now. So I left work and got to the vet's office at around 10. An hour later, he gave one last cry in my arms, he sighed..and was gone.

I know I did everything I could do. I understand that he is no longer in pain and suffering. I know it was chancy at best anyway. Gods do I hurt. I miss my little baby-love.

He was our first cat together. September of 2013 he was only 4 weeks old, and we were new cat-parents. I was in Graduate school at the time and had ferrets. So I was around most of the time and in our little family, we managed to raise Alex.

In October of 2014, my ferrets died, one after the other (it turns out, I was really just end-of-life care for them). I was working in Danville at the time, and Alex was really sad and lonely. So, I decided to adopt a big brother for him and went to the humane society and adopted Bello (who was 2 at the time). Alex was my cat, and Bello became Carl's cat. We then moved that winter to the house on Rainbow Forest Drive... (for like 6 months...) and then moved to Biltmore.

It was the summer of 2015, Alex got loose and was picked up by the Humane Society, and I thought it would be nice to try to adopt a black cat.... yea... I adopted Sparta (Stu.... ... pid), a friend adopted Blaze (Captoline/he) she was spayed soon after and has lived with us ever since.

 We were a happy little home of 4 cats, I fostered a friend's cat Anna, and found a forever home for her (super sweet, just I don't need 5 cats). And then we moved to the Warren Home. A couple of weeks ago Alex got out, and I thought about taking him to the vet, but was so busy with work and what-not that I forgot. Then he got sick... and now... he is gone.

I am so grateful for the lessons I learned because of this fluff monster. I am so grateful that I was able to be there for his final moments. I am grateful that he isn't suffering any more, and I am grateful for the years I was able to have with him. I miss him so muchI want to be mad at myself for not figuring it out sooner. He had a unique purr, because it was the same rythm of my heart-beat (I taught him how to purr). He had such a great personality, and everyone that ever met him knew and loved him.

Thank you Alex. You are a good boy. I love you, and miss you.

So, I've been a full time teacher for a few months now, and noticing that with a 2.75 to 3 hour commute and working Saturdays/Sundays... I'm really freakishly busy. As I type now... I am exhausted and just finished putting in grades.

I am currently working on some crochet projects, finished some others. Artistically, 90% of my creativity is going into teaching, and 10% is the crochet outlet or the rare doodle.

Right now... I am just very tired. I mostly operate out of my phone now, and it has its own unique challenges.

I love what I am doing... Just so tired.

Hey everyone, I am really close to a huge milestone! 20,000 page views... I cannot do much, yet I could do a free commission, or make a quick hat for whomever captures the 20,000 mark. It's not much I know, yet I really appreciate all the people that come by and visit and encourage me as I pursue this creative endeavor.

On another note, I took a leap and told my parents about Cats' Cradle, and they are supportive of it. <O____O> Huh? Uhh.. Wow... My mother even said that I should have probably gotten a degree in art and marketing instead of Science. Dad and I agreed that the marketing would have been good, yet the art degree would have probably been over-rated for me. (I have found with what I took in HS and what I have learned from you wonderful people more than makes up the difference in education, not that those who have gotten an art degree have wasted their time, more, it wasn't a path for me.)

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for everyone that visits my page, likes my work, and supports me, even when I get down. You all be safe with travels, food, and shopping. We are going to my Parents house on Thursday, and on Friday through Sunday we are going to cLEGOmanns mother's house in NJ.

Love and peace to you all!