06.11.14

death:
Spot
(1)

Spot was not a dog but he was an honored member of the pack nonetheless. He was a singular cat, one of the first animals Roni and I rescued together. He and his brother were found as kittens in the parking lot of a gas station in Pittsburgh. Spot had a spot on his chest so we called him "Spot" and the other (who had no spot) "Not". Not was a gentle and affectionate cat who died young, while we still lived in Pittsburgh. Spot, on the other hand, had his own ideas: he did things we've never heard of other cats doing. He used to steal unopened bags of lentils and raw potatos and drag them into our basement as a part of some strange kitty religious observance. I'm not making that up, he did it repeatedly. He was ornery, opinionated, unfazed by dogs and an excellent hunter. He lived 17 years and moved all over the continent with us. He was spectrally thin in his last few months. It was out of the question to take him to the vet again: the last time we did that he was so miffed he took off for two weeks. We thought he was dead - he was already quite old (12 maybe?). Suddenly one day he reappeared looking better than he had in years. He stayed like that, ornery and aloof until just two days ago when he took a turn for the worse. He died in his sleep on a bed Roni put together for him, with both of us worried sick for days. We both admired him and his spirit of determination. Roni and I are both ornery in much the same way he was, a fact that was impossible not to acknowledge. We knew he was probably going down for the count but there was no talk of taking him to the vet: it would've been insulting and pointless. He's buried overlooking the ocean just on the other side of the fence. We loved him with all our hearts and miss him terribly but are glad he's no longer suffering.
GRADE: A

morning walk:
Zasu
Miles
Greta
Amber
Zoot
(5)

Roni took this group out for a walk down to the land bridge and environs. Greta left on the leash but is a good girl and listens well once underway. Amber and Zoot continued their good behavior on walks: they larked around nearby while Roni negotiated Greta through the gate and closed it, didn't cross the road before her in either direction and behaved generally like a tiny electron/dog cloud, orbiting their human as if she were a proton (with Zasu and Miles cast as the neutrons). There were still flamingos in the nearest charco. It was hot and buggy but no matter, everyone had a good time and behaved perfectly.
GRADE: A